Chloe pulled into the garage and ran into the house as quickly as she could. She checked all of the doors and windows to make sure that they were locked. Then she pulled all of the blinds and turned almost all of the lights on.
"Daddy", she cried when she had finished this task, "Oh Daddy, it was so scary. All the lights in the school were off, and I got this phone call, and this person was breathing really hard and everything. And then I left the school and I was all alone. And I heard a noise, but no one was there. And I left the parking lot and I looked in my rearview mirror and I thought someone was there. I was so scared and I thought I'd never see you again."
Gabe wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter and rocked her back and forth as she cried.
"Oh Daddy", she continued, "It all seems so silly now. I know that I was just imagining things, but I'm just gonna be jumpy for a few days and I just wanted to tell you how happy I am to see you. I love you."
"Baby", Gabe spoke softly after the tears had subsided, "I know you think you were imagining it, but I…I think that maybe you weren't. We know the phone call wasn't imaginary, and as much as I hate to tell you this, Lionel Luthor is not a forgiving man."
"No, Daddy, I must have been imagining it", Chloe was beginning to calm herself, "These years in Smallville have made me paranoid."
"That could be true, but maybe they've just made you alert", Gabe pushed, "Either way, I want to call Lex and let him know about this. He said that he would do his best protect you."
"Dad", a fully collected Chloe replied, "We can't wake Lex at this hour of night."
"Chloe", Gabe's voice was stern this time, "I think he can lose one night's sleep in the interest of your safety. Have you checked all the windows and doors?"
Chloe nodded as he reached for the phone and dialed Lex's number.
"Yes. Hello. Lex. This is Gabe."
"Chloe stayed late tonight to work at the Torch, and she got a phone call from either a maniac or a prankster. Normally I'd brush it off as the latter, but then when she was pulling out of the parking lot, she thought she saw a man in the rearview mirror. She swears now that she was imagining it but considering the circumstances…"
"All right. Just let us get some stuff together. Okay. See you then. Thank you."
"Chloe, pack up whatever you need until tomorrow", Gabe instructed, "We're going to stay at the mansion until Lex can figure something out. We can get more stuff tomorrow, so just get whatever you'll need tonight.
Chloe did as she was told, deciding on a few pairs of clothing and grabbing plenty of socks. She gathered a pillow, her backpack, and (of course) her laptop. She collected some brushes, and was deciding on what shampoo to bring when her father yelled to her to say that Lex was there.
Chloe closed the shower curtain and departed.
Lex and a very burly guy, whom Lex introduced as his bodyguard, were standing in the living room. The four of them carried Gabe's and Chloe's bags to the car in one trip.
Lex ushered them into the limo and closed the doors. Lex's bodyguard started the car, and they were off.
"Tell me everything that happened, in great detail", Lex instructed Chloe.
"I was working on a piece for the Torch's final edition, and I was the only one in the school", that fact made Chloe blush a bit with guilt. She knew that she should not have been in the school alone when someone very powerful was after her, "I was finished with everything, but the, um, last article. I had written about two sentences when my phone rang. I picked up and just heard breathing. Then whoever it was hung up. I figured it was just a prank call. When the phone rang again, I picked up and went off at my dad because I thought it was the prank person again.
"He told me that, if I had gotten a phone call like that from someone, I should just come home, so I packed up and started to leave. I thought I heard something moving twice, but then I didn't see anybody. I got into my car and drove off. When I was driving away, I thought I saw somebody in my rearview mirror, but I may have just been imagining it."
"I hate to tell you this", Lex began tentatively, "But there is a great possibility that that was my father's men. My father is a sadist. If he wants you dead, he'll make you suffer first. He'll make sure you know that your death could come at any moment before he finally gets it over with.
"I'll want both of you at the mansion until I can figure this thing out. Gabe, I'm going to tell plant security to be extra careful. No one will get in until I have authorized his or her entrance or until the guards have seen his or her Lexcorp ID. I don't think you're in quite as much danger.
"Chloe, no one has saved you or me or anyone else in Smallville quite as many times as Clark. I'm going to ask him to keep an eye on you while you're in school, but I don't think you have to worry that much when you are around so many other people. No more staying after school for the Torch. My bodyguard is going to drive you to school and take you back to the mansion afterwards. Do not go anywhere alone. Do you understand me?"
Chloe nodded solemnly. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. When they arrived at the mansion, Chloe plopped into her overcushioned bed, hugged Mr. BunBear tightly, and tried to sleep, but the scene in her rearview mirror replayed itself in her mind. Perhaps the man had not been a figment of her imagination.