Beautiful *Chapter 8*
A/N: Wow... Frankly, I'm surprised this fic doesn't have abandonment issues. Sorry about how long this has taken but life's been crazily hectic lately and, well, I also just haven't felt much like writing to be perfectly honest.
Hope you like this next bit and it helps make up for the huge gap between updates. It's short, but, hey, a small update is better than no update, right? As per usual, I beg you to review; it really makes me want to write more.
*****
When the confusion in her eyes and the question she had posed finally registered, he pulled away from her, his moves jerky and utterly unlike his normal composed, fluid self. She studied his face and noticed a flash of emotion, [Was it hurt? It was too brief for her to discern.] replace the worry and tenderness that had been there only an instant before. She had to suppress a shudder as his face became expressionless and devoid of any emotion, looking more like a porcelain doll than a human being, and glanced away. When she looked back, his features still held their eerie calm, but now they were also tinged with concern.
She heard his voice, smooth as silk, ask her, "You don't remember me?" She couldn't meet his gaze and guiltily shook her head no, noticing the way his jaw clenched at her response. She wondered what emotion it was that he was trying to suppress and found herself hoping that it wasn't pain. He seemed like such a nice man and she didn't want to hurt him.
"What do you remember?" He asked her gently, in the same smooth tones as before, and she felt a strange sense of safety, of protection, that she couldn't explain.
"My name is Chloe Sullivan and I'm 21 years old." She answered him, but she relayed the information with an air of recitation rather than actual knowledge. A slight frown passed across her lips and her eyebrows drew together. "At least, that's what the nurse told me." She admitted, confirming Lex's suspicions.
Then, he saw the familiar spark in her eyes appear and he wondered what she was thinking about. He recognized it as the same gleam that had surfaced in those hazel orbs in her younger days, back in Smallville, when she was on the trail of a story or had just formulated a plan to get whatever it had been that she wanted at the time. He saw her hopeful expression as she looked up at him and into his eyes, excited with her realization. "You know who I am!" She breathlessly exclaimed, "You could tell me!"
Lex searched her eyes and saw innocence and trust practically radiating out of them; her naïveté catching him off guard. He felt a surge of happiness rush through him when he realized that she had instinctively trusted him when she had nothing to base that trust upon other than her gut feeling, hell, she didn't even know his name.
He hesitated before responding, mulling over his options with the detached calm that only a life of business, deceit and endless games could give a person. He realized that this could be his chance to give Chloe the life she deserved, give her all of the help that she had refused because of her stubborn nature and her pride. There was only a single thing holding him back, one solitary question that caused his hesitation; Could he take advantage of her trust, even if he's only doing it to help her?
With an imperceptible nod of his head in the affirmative, the decision was made. He had to; it was the best option for Chloe. He took her hand in his, lightly stroking the pad of his thumb up and down it in a comforting gesture and looked down at her, steadily holding her gaze. "I'm Lex Luthor and you live with me in my apartment, here in Metropolis."
**
He knew it was wrong, he knew he should be feeling more guilt over what he had just done, but he also knew that he wouldn't feel remorse. He had done what was best for Chloe. She had no idea who she was and practically no memories at all; what was he supposed to do, just send her back to her seedy apartment and demeaning job with a pat on the back and a wish of good luck? She needed him, and he wasn't about to let her down.
*****
A/N: Wow... Frankly, I'm surprised this fic doesn't have abandonment issues. Sorry about how long this has taken but life's been crazily hectic lately and, well, I also just haven't felt much like writing to be perfectly honest.
Hope you like this next bit and it helps make up for the huge gap between updates. It's short, but, hey, a small update is better than no update, right? As per usual, I beg you to review; it really makes me want to write more.
*****
When the confusion in her eyes and the question she had posed finally registered, he pulled away from her, his moves jerky and utterly unlike his normal composed, fluid self. She studied his face and noticed a flash of emotion, [Was it hurt? It was too brief for her to discern.] replace the worry and tenderness that had been there only an instant before. She had to suppress a shudder as his face became expressionless and devoid of any emotion, looking more like a porcelain doll than a human being, and glanced away. When she looked back, his features still held their eerie calm, but now they were also tinged with concern.
She heard his voice, smooth as silk, ask her, "You don't remember me?" She couldn't meet his gaze and guiltily shook her head no, noticing the way his jaw clenched at her response. She wondered what emotion it was that he was trying to suppress and found herself hoping that it wasn't pain. He seemed like such a nice man and she didn't want to hurt him.
"What do you remember?" He asked her gently, in the same smooth tones as before, and she felt a strange sense of safety, of protection, that she couldn't explain.
"My name is Chloe Sullivan and I'm 21 years old." She answered him, but she relayed the information with an air of recitation rather than actual knowledge. A slight frown passed across her lips and her eyebrows drew together. "At least, that's what the nurse told me." She admitted, confirming Lex's suspicions.
Then, he saw the familiar spark in her eyes appear and he wondered what she was thinking about. He recognized it as the same gleam that had surfaced in those hazel orbs in her younger days, back in Smallville, when she was on the trail of a story or had just formulated a plan to get whatever it had been that she wanted at the time. He saw her hopeful expression as she looked up at him and into his eyes, excited with her realization. "You know who I am!" She breathlessly exclaimed, "You could tell me!"
Lex searched her eyes and saw innocence and trust practically radiating out of them; her naïveté catching him off guard. He felt a surge of happiness rush through him when he realized that she had instinctively trusted him when she had nothing to base that trust upon other than her gut feeling, hell, she didn't even know his name.
He hesitated before responding, mulling over his options with the detached calm that only a life of business, deceit and endless games could give a person. He realized that this could be his chance to give Chloe the life she deserved, give her all of the help that she had refused because of her stubborn nature and her pride. There was only a single thing holding him back, one solitary question that caused his hesitation; Could he take advantage of her trust, even if he's only doing it to help her?
With an imperceptible nod of his head in the affirmative, the decision was made. He had to; it was the best option for Chloe. He took her hand in his, lightly stroking the pad of his thumb up and down it in a comforting gesture and looked down at her, steadily holding her gaze. "I'm Lex Luthor and you live with me in my apartment, here in Metropolis."
**
He knew it was wrong, he knew he should be feeling more guilt over what he had just done, but he also knew that he wouldn't feel remorse. He had done what was best for Chloe. She had no idea who she was and practically no memories at all; what was he supposed to do, just send her back to her seedy apartment and demeaning job with a pat on the back and a wish of good luck? She needed him, and he wasn't about to let her down.
*****