CHAPTER 3: Everything he Held Precious
The Sullivans´ Safe House- 2003
Lex stepped out of the taxi in front of the suburban house the Sullivans were living in while awaiting Lionel´s murder trial. He had got a call from Gabe early in the morning asking him to come over. The older man hadn´t said much about the reason behind his call, but Lex knew him well enough to conclude there was something serious on his mind.
¨Gabe, ¨ Lex greeted him with a small smile.
¨Mr Luthor, ¨answered Gabe, holding the door open to let him in.
¨I thought we´d agreed you´d start calling me by my first name, Gabe. ¨
¨I´m sorry, Lex, ¨he apologised, stressing the name. ¨I can´t seem to get used to it. ¨
¨Where´s Chloe? ¨asked the young billionaire, letting his eyes roam around the living room.
¨She´s lying down upstairs. ¨
¨She´s OK, isn´t she? ¨
¨Yeah, yeah, ¨he tried to reassure Lex. ¨Why don´t you sit down? Would you like something to drink? ¨
¨Something cold´d be nice. ¨
¨An orange juice? ¨
¨Sure. Tell me, Gabe, what´s bothering you? You sounded worried on the phone.¨
¨Here you are, ¨said Gabe, giving him the glass of orange juice and setting a coaster down on the coffee table. ¨It´s Chloe. ¨
¨You´ve just said everything´s fine with her. You know, Gabe, I´d rather we... ¨
¨I know, Lex. I´m aware of how things stand and that nothing can be done until the trial´s over, believe me. But... you know her... ¨ he sighed, getting up and starting to pace up and down the room. ¨I´ve told her a hundred times she can´t wander about on her own; least of all now! But she´s hard-headed, Lex. I don´t know what she´s up to, but she´s up to something all right, ¨said Gabe, shaking his head and combing his hair with nervous fingers. ¨I didn´t know what to do, Lex. I called you to see if you can knock some sense into her, seeing that... .¨
¨What room´s she sleeping in, Gabe? ¨ he asked through gritted teeth.
¨Lex, don´t be too harsh. ¨
¨She´s got a lot to think of, Gabe. She cannot wander about town, snooping God knows where! ¨he exploded.
Lex climbed up the steps two at a time ready to give Chloe a piece of his mind. As he approached the bedroom at the end of the corridor, he made an effort to cool down. No matter how much he wanted to wring Chloe´s neck for being so reckless, circumstances demanded he tackle things firmly but with kid gloves. Although he knew that she could be as strong-willed and determined as he was when her mind was set on something, they just couldn´t afford it.
He took a deep breath and turned the doorknob quietly without bothering to knock beforehand. Chloe was lying on the duvet fast asleep, her skin a little flushed and her blond hair- which she had grown shoulder length- spread out on the pillow. Lex stepped into the room and closed the door silently behind him.
Seeing her so vulnerable in her sleep did nothing but double his resolve to make her see the danger entailed in pursuing any of her usual investigative exploits when Lionel was still awaiting his sentence. Lex had been able to prevent both Chloe and Gabe´s deaths in the explosion of the safe house the FBI had assigned them, but he didn´t delude himself; as long as his dad was alive and kicking, he would find it extremely hard to protect her- or them, for that matter.
His being in her room now was a serious breach of the protocol they were supposed to follow in order to secure the family´s safety, but Gabe´s phone call had scared him witless.
¨Hey, ¨murmured a sleepy Chloe, waking up when she felt him sit down on the bed and brush a few strands of hair away from her face.
Lex looked into her beautiful green eyes and then caressed her beloved features with his warm gaze.
¨How come you´re here, Lex? ¨she asked in a raspy voice.
¨Chloe, what do you think you´re doing? ¨he answered worriedly.
¨What do you mean, Lex? ¨she frowned.
¨You know damn well what I mean. Is this your way of telling me you don´t want anything I have to give? ¨he asked grimly.
¨What are you talking about, Lex? ¨
¨Snooping around like that, Chloe, when there´s still a chance my father can get off the hook... it´s suicide. Not just suicide... it´s... ¨he added bitterly, lowering his gaze. ¨Do you resent me, Chloe? Is it because you regret... ? ¨he started to ask Chloe only to be cut off by the sweet assault of her lips on his mouth.
They clung to each other as if there were no tomorrow, and Lex felt his heart swell with the love she poured into every kiss and every caress. He had been so hungry for affection for so long- and he had got burnt so many times- he wanted to believe what they had was real. He needed so much for her to tell him he was what she wanted, that he hadn´t been just a substitute for someone that could never be hers.
A sob was heard amidst the satisfied moans and sighs, and Lex felt Chloe´s hands moving up and down his back soothingly. The sound had come out of his mouth and, for once, he wasn´t embarrassed to appear weak in front of someone. Chloe brushed his lips with hers once again and, nibbling at his lower lip, she asked him to let her assuage his pain with a kiss more feverish that the ones they had shared before. Lex could taste his own tears on her lips and heard her whisper against his mouth.
¨I love you, Lex. Never doubt what we have. ¨
¨Then, why? ¨he asked, cupping her face in his hands.
¨I know of someone who can help us send your dad to the chair or, at least, make sure they lock him up and throw away the key, ¨she explained, caressing his cheek.
¨Tell me who it is, and I´ll meet him, ¨he said, leaning into her caress.
¨I can´t. He´ll only talk with me. ¨
¨Then, we´ll have to make do with what we have, ¨he said gravely.
¨Lex... ¨
¨Chloe, no matter how deep my desire to make my dad pay for everything he´s done, I´m not willing to risk losing you, ¨he cut her off.
¨You shouldn´t worry so much about us, Lex. We´ll be OK. ¨
¨Promise me you won´t do anything rash. ¨
¨I promise, ¨she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
¨Chloe, ¨he warned her, grabbing her tightly by the arms.
¨Don´t you remember what he put you through, Lex? Are you going to let the opportunity to secure a definitely damaging testimony slip away? ¨
¨There are other ways, Chloe. Just tell me who this witness is and I´ll make sure he tells his story. ¨
¨He won´t talk to you, Lex. He doesn´t trust anyone. ¨
¨You mean he doesn´t trust a Luthor. Does he know? ¨
¨He knows I´ve been threatened by your dad. ¨
¨So he doesn´t know about us. ¨
¨I believe we´ve been discreet, Lex. ¨
¨You believe? ¨he smirked, looking down at her lying next to him.
¨Well... only dad knows. And being cooped up here, you were the only possible candidate. ¨
¨You mean if you´d had your way before you wouldn´t have given me the light of day? ¨
¨You know that´s not true. You´re smart enough to understand what I meant. ¨
¨What about Clark? ¨he asked seriously.
¨Why bring up Clark now, Lex? ¨
¨Do you still have feelings for him? ¨
¨Of course, I do, ¨she stated, seeing him tense. ¨Relax, Lex. Gee! How can somebody who exudes so much confidence be so insecure about his own capacity to win and retain somebody´s affection? ¨
¨Experience. ¨
¨Well, I may not be as experienced as you are, Lex, but rest assured that when I give somebody my love and friendship, it´s forever. ¨
¨We´re talking about Clark here. ¨
¨Not just Clark, Lex. What do I have to do to show you what I feel for you is deep and real? ¨
¨I´m not Clark, Chloe. ¨
¨Who´s asked you to be Clark, Lex? It´s not him I gave myself to. It´s not his... ¨she stammered.
¨You can´t even say the word, ¨he stormed, leaving her side.
¨What is this all about, Lex? ¨
¨Can you honestly say this isn´t an unconscious way of putting an end to something you´ve never wanted in the first place? ¨
¨What are you implying? ¨she frowned.
¨I´m a bad seed, Chloe. ¨
¨I know who you are, Lex. I´m not naïve. I´m aware you aren´t the regular knight in shining armour. I would never ask you not to be yourself. It´s you I fell in love with, not a stupid image on a pedestal. And how dare you? ¨she asked, raising her voice in reproach. ¨What gives you the right to suggest... ? ¨she added with tears in her eyes.
¨It´s all right, baby, ¨he choked, kneeling down next to her bed and wrapping his arms round her waist. ¨I´m sorry.¨
¨You´re such a lovesick baby, Lex, ¨she murmured, pressing a kiss on the top of his scalp as he leant into her.
¨I don´t know what I´d do if something happened to you. If anybody ever laid a finger on you... ¨
¨Nothing´ll happen, Lex. You won´t let anything happen to us. ¨
How wrong she´d been. His dad´s tentacles were far-reaching and they had cost lives and the destruction of everything Lex held precious. She didn´t remember, and he thanked God for sparing her the hurt- he hadn´t been that lucky. Lex could feel his heart break into a thousand pieces each time their paths crossed and he read that look of hatred in her eyes- hatred for something he had let her believe was the truth when, in reality, the truth was so much worse.