Title: New Game

Author: Lucy Mars

Disclaimer: Unless that wishing upon a star crap works, they don't belong to me.

A.N. Wow, four months since the last update. How much do I suck? I can't apologize enough but I can thank all of you for the wonderful reviews. Hopefully you can find it in yourself to forgive me and continue to read this story I completely intend on finishing.


Chapter 10:

            Clutching Claudia's hand tightly in her own, Chloe sat nervously on the rough gravel ground in the middle of nowhere as the night chill encircled her as she waited for her nightmare to finally end. Her nerves frayed and the adrenaline that had been pumping furiously through her moments before as she'd run for her life draining away, Chloe clasped a protective hand over her growing child as she fought off the fatigue that was creeping upon her. She needed to stay alert. Chloe wasn't stupid enough to tempt fate by letting herself believe that she and Claudia were safe just yet. As comforting as Lionel's voice was over the rusted payphone, Chloe couldn't quell the tight ball of apprehension that weighted heavily against her already weary heart. The night was too silent, the air too still and it was all too easy. Chloe couldn't help but see danger lurking beneath every shadow and feel her own fear permeating the heavy night fog. 

Shivering, despite the two quilts that Claudia had had the foresight to take with them, Chloe bit down to keep her teeth from chattering. Bring a hand up to tuck the ends of the rough cotton firmly around her, Chloe blanched at the sight of the crimson painted over her fair skin. Her hands were stained with Adam's blood and Chloe fought against the nausea that threatened to overtake her as pushed the image of Adam's face hovering over hers when Claudia had struck him savagely over the head flashed through her mind. She didn't think she'd ever forget the horror painted in his eyes and the moan that had escaped his lips. His blood still felt warm and wet against her flesh and Chloe longed to stand under a scolding hot spray to wash all the memories away. All she wanted to do was to curl up in a sea of silken sheets with Lex stretched out firmly beside her as their bodies molded perfectly into one. All she wanted was to go home and reclaim the security that had been so abruptly stolen from her.

"Soon," Claudia whispered, reassuring Chloe's unspoken thoughts as she gave her hand a comforting squeeze, "They'll be here soon."

Nodding tensely, Chloe listened to Lionel as he spoke of nothing and everything in his soothing timbre and struggled against the tears that crept up on her. Offering Lionel the random yes or no to quell the fear she could sense in his hoarse tone, Chloe kept her eyes wide and ready to drink in the sight of Lex when he appeared among the throng of trees and grass that encompassed her to take her home. Waiting, Chloe decided, had to be the worst part.

In the blink of an eye, a pained cry of horror flew from Claudia's mouth when Adam appeared beside her, a bloody mess, and slammed the butt of his gun against the back of her head. Her hand falling limp against Chloe's, Claudia succumbed to the pain as she fell backwards and Adam kicked her brutally.

It all happened so fast, Chloe found herself wishing for the silence of moments before.

"Don't move," Adam hissed, the cold blade of his dagger pressed firmly against Chloe's stomach as his free arm wrapped firmly around her neck.

Dropping the phone in pure surprise, Chloe could faintly hear Lionel's frantic yells and demands from where the phone lay against jagged gravel she was sitting on.

Exhaling a shuddering breath, Chloe felt her chest tighten frantically when she recognized the familiar gleam of the metal handcuffs that Adam was holding in his hand.

"Up," Adam barked, dragging Chloe to her feet and forcing her to let go of her hold on Claudia's limp hand.

            Stumbling to her feet, Chloe raised her face to look at where Claudia lay as limp as a rag doll but she found her eyes locked on the bloodied face of her crazed captor.

            Seeing Chloe's look of fear and shock, Adam purred soothingly as he walked her away from Claudia's rapidly paling face and the discarded payphone that still projected Lionel's frantic yells, "I don't blame you."

            Her eyes wide with horror, Chloe didn't know how to respond to that.

            Pulling her up to the one rusted gas pump that was confidently bolted to the ground, Adam repeated his mantra. "I don't blame you, Chloe. Don't worry; I'm not mad at you."

            Fear rapidly setting all her senses on fire, Chloe shook uncontrollably as Adam held her tightly against him.

            "Never you," he repeated as he pressed the blade of his dagger firmly against her stomach, "Never you."

            Swallowing hard, Chloe had to remind herself to breathe as she felt her lungs burn. Lex would be here soon, Lionel had promised her that it was all over and he'd promised her that she'd be home soon. Chloe couldn't let herself forget that. Lex would be here soon and she and Claudia would be safe from Adam. They'd be safe from him for all eternity if Lex's men were any good with a gun.

            "Never you," Adam murmured darkly one last time as his demeanor changed and he glanced back at where Claudia lay. Moving with a speed that a man as injured as himself could not possibly possess, Adam effortlessly handcuffed Chloe to the gas pump before she could protest.

            Her eyes widening with comprehension as she fought vainly to free herself, Chloe watched with dread as Adam strode purposely to where he'd left Claudia lying injured and helpless. Screaming herself hoarse with pleas at Adam to leave Claudia alone, and for Claudia to run damn it, Chloe fell silent at the sight of Adam's dagger gleaming menacingly under the silver beams of moonlight. "Please don't!" Chloe begged, marring her wrist with the struggle she wagged with her handcuff, "Don't hurt her, Adam."

            "I should have killed her sooner," Adam sighed kneeling on the ground as he grabbed a fistful of Claudia's bloodied hair and yanked her face forcibly up to look at his. "I shouldn't have held my hand for you, Chloe. She's been a bad influence on you. A very bad apple, this one."

            Fighting against his painful grasp, Claudia ceased her struggle when she felt the tip of his blade press against her stomach and the warmth of her blood as it painted her skin when Adam broke the skin.

            "A very bad apple," he growled threateningly, "You forced Chloe to do things she never would have done. You forced her to betray me."

            "Please," Chloe cried, her wrist torn and bathed in warm crimson as she continued her futile fight against the unrelenting metal that bound her from stopping Adam. "Don't hurt her, Adam. I'll do anything. I'll go back with you and we can have dinner. Please, just don't hurt her."

            "No!" Adam screamed savagely, effectively silencing Chloe with his fury, "She needs to pay for stealing even one moment of happiness from us. She has to pay, Chloe. No one is allowed to try and destroy what we have."

            Her head spinning as Adam tightened his torturous grip on her head, Claudia fought against the pull of unconsciousness as she tried to reach for the gun she'd taken from Adam. It lay inches from her hand, just beneath the blanket behind Adam. If she could just grab it, wrap her fingers around the slim handgun, she could end it all.

            Following the movement of Claudia's hand out of the corner of her eye, Chloe searched her mind frantically for a way to distract Adam so that Claudia could reach the gun. She needed to think of something, anything, fast.

            "I know you think she's your friend, Chloe. But she's not. If she was your friend, she would have never tried to steal you away from me."

            "Just let her go," Chloe begged.

            "I'll find you other friends," Adam promised with a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he slid the blade in deeper now.

Despite her effort to stay silent, Claudia couldn't help the cry that tore from her lips as Adam indulged in a moment of old fashioned torture.

Her eyes widening with despair, Chloe sobbed fearfully for the girl who reminded her so much of herself, the girl who had done so much for her, the girl who had saved her life and was being killed right before her eyes. "Adam, I've been thinking I'd like to get married in the country."

All thoughts of retribution falling forgotten, Adam let go of Claudia's crimson head and pulled his dagger out of her stomach. "Married?" he whispered with awe apparent of his face.

"A small wedding," Chloe continued frantically, feeling a surge of relief move through her as Adam rose from his position beside Claudia and moved towards her.

"You'll marry me?" Adam asked gleefully as he turned his back on Claudia and stood squarely before Chloe and her tear stained face.

"Yes" Chloe lied, resisting the urge to dart her eyes to where Claudia struggled to find balance as blood rushed from her head wound and her stomach screamed of painful agony. Curling her bloody fingers around the cold metal, Claudia fought against the oblivion that beckoned for her and tried to steady the gun. Just one shot. All she needed was to make one clean shot.

A smile of triumph claiming his face, Adam's moment of happiness faltered as he registered the sound of gravel crunching behind him. Tensing at the sound and immediately noticing the way Chloe's entire face froze with fear at his expression of understanding, Adam's eyes flew to the sheet of metal that served as a shell for the gas pump and hazily reflected the image of Claudia struggling to aim the gun she'd stolen from him. The sting of betrayal raw and scorching as Chloe's face blanched with panic, Adam released an animalistic howl of fury as he spun around and sank his dagger ferociously into Claudia's stomach.

"No!" Chloe screamed desperately as her knees buckled beneath her and the metal cuff cut brutally into her wrist. "Claudia!"

The pain searing through her like nothing she would have ever been able to imagine, Claudia saw the colors swim into a sea of black as her fingers fell lax and the gun dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. A shuddering breath of blood spilling from her lips, Claudia lay lifelessly listening to the sound of Chloe's cries being drowned out by Adam's roar of outrage. The cavalry had finally arrived in a sea of glaring white lights and men armed to the nines. About damn time if you asked her.

***

            Her screams piercing the night sky, Chloe wouldn't have noticed the sudden influx of people had the tidal wave of light not blinded her. Flinching as the headlights bathed her in a sea of formidable white, Chloe blinked rapidly as she raised her eyes to try and find Lex in the sudden crowd. However, her eyes didn't immediately fall on Lex or Louis with relief, as both men jumped from their seats at the sight of her handcuffed and sobbing as her blood trailed down her arm. What Chloe couldn't tear her eyes away from was the heartbreaking image of Claudia lying in a pool of her own blood as Adam stood furiously over her. Sobbing uncontrollably, Chloe fixed her hateful gaze on Adam's wild eyes as he stood between the two women, Claudia's blood staining his skin and clothes, his dagger his only weapon as all of Lex's men immediately trained their guns on him. Even under the glare of the lights and through all her tears, Chloe could make out the telltale dots of red spread over Adam's chest that promised no bullets would miss. It was all over. Just the simple realization that Lex was near sent Chloe's heart into a spasm of relief.

            "You sick bastard," Chloe yelled spitefully, mindless of her injured wrist as she struggled to reach over to throttle Adam, "It's all over. You lose. Do you hear me? You lost! I'm not yours. I'll never be yours. I was never yours!"

"No!" Adam roared raising his bloody dagger.

"Chloe!" Lex yelled hoarsely as he watched Adam quickly close the small space between himself and where Chloe sat crying on the ground. Pushing past his men as they tried to hold him back, Lex took off running.

Her eyes squeezing shut on their own accord, Chloe wasn't surprised when she heard the single shot ring through the air, followed by the sound of a body falling to the ground. But she was surprised when she opened her eyes to find Claudia holding a smoking gun in her hand. Her view of Claudia suddenly obscured by the rush of men surrounding Adam's fallen form, Chloe felt all the courage that had surged through her when she screamed defiantly at Adam diminish to nothing the moment Lex fell to his knees before her and swallowed her in his arms. Burying her face against his chest, Chloe wept miserably as Lex murmured sweet nothings into her hair and peppered her face with kisses.

"It's over," Lex promised her as he buried his face in her hair and pulled her firmly against him, "It's all over, Chloe."

Moving to wrap her own arms around Lex, Chloe whimpered as her handcuff cut deeper into her already wounded wrist. The numbness that had settled over her during her sudden panic was fading away and leaving her with a hazy cloud of scorching pain. 

Pulling back, Lex fixed her with an anxious gaze. "What's wrong?" he demanded as he ran his hands over her to try and find a source for all the blood coating her skin. "Are you hurt?"

"No, he didn't hurt me." Chloe whispered settling her free hand over her stomach protectively as she gestured to her handcuff. "Get it off, Lex. Please."

"Bloody hell," Louis growled when he finally made it to their side. His eyes fixed firmly on her handcuff, Louis and Lex exchanged a brief look before the Englishman nodded swiftly and kneeled down in the dusty gravel to wrap his arms protectively around Chloe.

Pulling out his own gun, Lex threw back the safety as Louis enclosed Chloe in a protective embrace to shield her as best as he could. Firing squarely on his target as if it were the bastard's head, Lex smiled grimly as the metal shattered easily and freed Chloe from the rust gas pump that would provide many nightmares for years to come.

Shaking uncontrollably in Louis's arms, Chloe didn't even bother fighting against the tears that threatened to drown her in a sea of relief and grief. She was finally safe and all it cost was Claudia's life. "Claudia," she demanded pulling away from her friend and looking up at Lex, "She saved my life, Lex."

"I know," Lex replied helping Chloe to her feet as he recalled the dread that had settled over him when he saw the maniacal gleam in Adam's eyes when he had raised his dagger with Chloe in mind as his target. He didn't think he'd ever forget that. The moment the gunshot had run through the night and Adam gasped in muted horror as death claimed him, Lex remembered glancing to the source of the sound and the satisfaction that he'd seen planted firmly on Claudia's face. It mirrored his own satisfaction. Holding Chloe firmly against him, he led her past Adam's body and the men who were quickly assessing the area for possible danger, and guided her shaking limbs to where his medic was quickly working on Claudia.

Choking on the fresh tears that descended upon her at the site of Claudia's face so still and lifeless, Chloe felt Lex tighten his grasp on her as she felt her knees buckle with guilt. "Oh god," Chloe whispered, her voice laden with guilt and shame, "Oh god, Lex.

"She's going to be okay, Chloe." Lex promised with a pointed look at his men, "I promise."

Kneeling down to be closer to Claudia as Lex's men worked diligently over her, Chloe took her free hand in her own and marveled at how small it was. She'd never noticed before just how small Claudia was. Brushing back her hair, Chloe soothed the girl's distressed brow as best as she could. "Just hold on, Claudia. Please, just hold on."

"How is she?" Lex demanded, as he came down to his knees beside Chloe and addressed his medic.

"She's lost a lot of blood," the young man replied gravely.

"But she'll be okay," Chloe argued fiercely, "She has to be okay."

"She will be," Lex assured her, giving his men a pointed look.

"The helicopter will be here in two minutes," Louis said appearing behind the two and finally getting a good look at the girl who'd saved his pixie's life, "Dammit, she's just a kid."

Swallowing against the bile that rose through his throat, Lex silently agreed. This girl couldn't have been more than 18 and he owed her his life for saving his family. "Find the other medic, Louis. Chloe needs to be checked over."

Casting one last look at his battered pixie, Louis rushed off to find the other doctor on the team.

Clutching Claudia's hand firmly in her own, Chloe tried to share what little strength she had left as a roar of activity went on around her. She was oblivious to the rest of the world as she focused intently on Claudia's face. Feeling her heart leap in her chest at the site of Claudia's eyelashes fluttering, Chloe leaned in closer. "Claudia? Can you hear me?"

"Damn," Claudia moaned as she struggled to breathe, "You really did call in the cavalry."

Laughing through her tears, Chloe tightened her hold on Claudia's cold hand as the last of her sanity threatened to slip away. "Just hang on. You're going to be okay."

Hissing through her pain Claudia choked out hoarsely, much to everyone's dismay, a mouthful of blood as she groaned, "The bastard stabbed me."

"You saved me, Claudia. You saved us both." Chloe shouted over the deafening roar of the helicopter as it landed, "You're a hero."

Gracing Chloe with a weak smile but wry smile, Claudia whispered before promptly succumbing to the blanket of oblivion, "What a story."

Grasping Chloe gently, Lex pulled her away as his men strapped Claudia down to a board and took her away. "Take care of her," Lex ordered as he tucked Chloe's head into his chest as the rotors gained speed and lifted the Luthor Corp. helicopter back into the sky.

Her words and tears sputtering incoherently against the smooth fabric of Lex's shirt, Chloe hid her face in her fiancés soothing embrace as the roar of the helicopter faded into a soft hum. Exhaustion seizing her in a relentless embrace, Chloe surrendered to the murmur of slumber that beckoned for her. In Lex's arms nothing and no one could hurt her. There was no safer place in the world, Chloe decided, than in the arms of the man you love.

            Relishing in the simple, yet powerful, act of holding Chloe in his arms, Lex felt his elation quickly plummet into alarm as Chloe suddenly went limp in his grasp. "Chloe? Chloe!"

            "What's wrong?" Louis demanded racing back to Lex, having dragged the other doctor on the team away from Adam's rapidly cooling corpse.

Lifting Chloe effortlessly into his arms, Lex demanded tersely. "Where's the other helicopter?"

            "ETA two minutes," Louis replied as sirens filled the night and the men in blue flooded the scene, "What happened?"

            "Shock and exhaustion," the doctor declared as he flashed a penlight into Chloe's eyes. "We need to get her to the hospital but I think she's okay."

            "She has to be," Lex whispered, cradling Chloe close as Louis led them both away from the chaos that they'd all been drowning in moments before and towards the peace that they would reclaim.

TBC.