Title: Breaking Chloe Sullivan
Summary: Her strength is intriguing him, her fire captivating him, but can she survive his interest? Lex decides it's time to find out, what exactly will it take to break Chloe Sullivan?
Shipping: Chlark Chlex mostly Chlark
Major Characters: Chloe Clark Lex
Author's Note: Here ya go! I like this chapter a lot actually, I hope you like it too! If my time lines and whatnot are a bit off I apologize, I intend for it to be the middle of May, with about a month left of school...interesting because that's true in real life for me! Can't wait for summer! But anyways, go read the chapter and tell me what you think!
Reviews:
atomiccounty: Yes Lex is a phsycho, but who knows what will happen. As for Clark... we'll see if he stops being an idiot, go find out!
SamanthaMTSamanthaMT: I'm not even sure how this is going to end, but I'm so glad you love the story, and the Chlark and the Chlex! I thought long and hard about that Chlark scene, and decided against the "pouncing," I have to keep you wanting lol, and besides it's still early in the story...
Kit Merlot: You know how Lex is, he thinks he's capable of pretty much anything. Go ahead and read to find out if he kept them apart or not, as for Lex's desires and Chloe's leaning on Clark... they may both get burned, or not, who knows!? Certainly not me! Not yet!
lvswtht: Clark is just an idiot, and yes he needs to turn on his brain and open his eyes! As for the foster family...you'll find out.
CYTstagepenguin: Stop, stop I'm blushing! Lol I'm soooo glad you like the story! I think this will be one of my best ones, if not the best. Yes, Lex is smart for thinking of the Clark angle...go see how that's working out, go read!
GreenMarshmallow: I'm working on the updates, thanks for the add to your faves!
As for all of you who added me to your faves or your alerts, thank you! I would love a review if you have the time!
Previously:
Chloe
"Don't leave me alone okay? Stay with me..." I can't be alone...not again... And as she drifted off, even as she was hearing Clark's soft voice in her ear, feeling his breath on her neck, a tear escaped her defenses, pooling in the corner of her eye, and falling down the side of her face, disappearing into her hair. Just another tear...but it meant so much...represented so much fear, so much pain... Just another whispered promise...but it meant so much, represented so much trust, so much hope.
Clark
"I promise Chloe, I'll always be here, I won't ever leave you alone..." A horrible thought entered his mind... what if they treat her badly? What if they hurt her? He shifted his grip and let his eyes drift closed, comfortable with Chloe in his arms, and comfortable with the thought that this new family would never hurt her.
Lex
Something will have to be done about Clark Kent... So he lay there as the minutes, as the hours passed, scheming with a smirk on his face.
Ch. 5 Please Don't Let it All Fall Apart
Eight Months Later
She woke up and immediately felt pain, radiating from her head, from her leg. Reaching up and feeling her face, Chloe's hand came away smattered with blood. But it wasn't just her head. Her seat, the cracked window behind her, the dash, her clothes, everything was covered in polka dots of red. That was when she saw him. His mouth was open in a soundless scream, his eyes were staring at her, but they had no life in them...they were dead, her dad was dead. And then he moved.
"It's all your fault!" he said, his eyes glaring, his bloody lips sneering. "And now, you'll always be alone!" Reaching behind her, Chloe tried desperately to escape, but it was as if her limbs were held down by invisible restraints, she couldn't move, she couldn't even shut her eyes, all she could do was stare. "Alone, alone, alone!" Her dad was mocking her now, laughing gleefully, "Alone, alone, alone!" Chloe opened her mouth to yell but no sound came out...but in her head she was screaming, Wake up!
Chloe opened her eyes and found...absolutely nothing new. She looked at the clock...oh shit...and saw it was four in the morning. She only had three more hours before she had to leave for school, and she hadn't gotten to bed until one. Groaning, Chloe sat up, knowing she'd never get back to sleep, no matter how exhausted she was. Throwing off sweat drenched sheets, she got up and walked quietly to the bathroom down the hall.
The routine was the same, the reason was the same, only the place was different. Here, at the Jenson's, Chloe had easily fallen back into her normal procedure of waking in the middle of the night with some haunting image still lingering as she opened her eyes, occasionally suppressing a scream.
Cold water on her face and then looking at herself in the mirror, which, sometimes, seemed harder than going back and facing her nightmares. She shut her eyes for an instant and there he was, just so...dead. Her eyes flew open and Chloe forced herself to look back at the mirror, knowing that this image would haunt her every time she closed her eyes today.
Shit. Her hair was greasy and going everywhere, and her eyes were bloodshot, accentuated by the large black circles underneath them. Today would require a lot of make up to cover the evidence of her sleep deprivation. Sighing, Chloe turned away from the mirror, going to sit at her computer and read the latest news while waiting for it to actually be a time decent enough for regular people to be up and around.
Lex sat at his kitchen counter drinking coffee, a beverage that he'd come to like more after having Chloe live with him for those few, short months. Contemplating the progress of his plan, he took a sip and wondered how Chloe would handle this next twist.
Taking care of that pesky little Clark problem had been insanely easy. A few pointed comments to Lana, a few friendly suggestions and some brotherly advice to Clark, and a few specially engineered situations had been all it took to get Clark and Lana together. After only a few simple observations, he'd realized, that for some reason, Clark was in love with Lana and not Chloe. Which, he thought was ludicrous, but was glad for because it fit perfectly into his scheme.
There had also been the slight Pete problem, because, he suspected, Pete was in love with Chloe, meaning he would notice certain things. That had been fairly easily resolved as well. He knew that Pete's parents were having problems, so Lex transferred his mom to Wichita, Pete went with her, and problem solved, Pete was now out of the picture.
While this next move sometimes didn't sit quite right with him, Lex knew that it was necessary and that there was nothing else that could be done. He found himself torn between wanting to break her, and wanting her to survive what he had in store for her. Because this new pawn he'd begun to play, this new variable in the equation, was one he didn't have total control over. Of course he knew certain things that would cause the person in question to play right into his hands, but as for his reaction, his full reaction, he wasn't entirely sure what that would be.
Now was the time to strike he decided, it had been long enough. Long enough for Chloe to develop bonds with her new family, long enough to cause pain when everything she had was taken away. He was fairly certain that this next part to his plan would be the one to break her, although it would probably be extended over a longer period of time than the others. Lex was a patient man, and he was content to wait and watch how his manipulations would play out. Today was the day, tonight, Chloe would find out how her life would be torn apart, again.
Breakfast was actually an okay time for Chloe. There was little Allison, affectionately called Ally for short, a cute little blond with a round, smiling face and blue eyes rivaled only by her brother's. Over a year younger than his five-year-old sister, Conner had unruly black hair to go with his blue eyes, and Chloe knew the girls would be all over him when he was older.
The two were pretty well behaved and Chloe actually enjoyed taking care of them. Claudia was the petite blond, whose slim frame bore no evidence that she'd had two kids, and she was the kind of mother Chloe could only hope to be. She always fixed breakfast, even if it was just setting out some bowls and boxes of cereal or a box of pop tarts, and always had a smile on her face when she told Chloe good morning.
Shaun was the hard-working dad, and he always came down to breakfast looking somewhat tired, but he always kissed Claudia on the cheek after he ate breakfast and headed off to work. It was from him that Conner got his looks, while Ally was a mirror image of her mom. Shaun worked at the LutherCorp plant, from eight to five, and sometimes later when he pulled in some overtime. At the same time, Claudia worked at the grocery store in town, and both of their efforts had the entire family living somewhat comfortably.
Chloe took her time in the shower, letting the hot water pound her tired body, before she dressed and went down the stairs for breakfast. Today it was pancakes, and the smell filled the entire house. Chloe would never say anything to Martha, but Claudia's cooking was amazing, and at least an equal to Martha's at every turn. Pulling out a chair, Chloe sat down and put three pancakes on her plate before adding the butter and the syrup.
"Good morning Chloe," said Claudia, turning away from the stove top with more pancakes on a plate. "How did you sleep?" Despite the caring in her voice, and what Chloe thought was actually genuine concern, it was still too easy to lie.
"Fine," she said, reaching across the table to take Ally's plate so she could cut her pancakes for her.
"I can do it!" pouted Allison, trying to take the plate back.
"I know," replied Chloe, smiling at her. "But I like to do it for you." Finishing, she handed the plate back as Claudia finished cutting Conner's and Shaun came down the stairs.
"Daddy!" shouted Conner, a grin splitting his face.
"Mommy made pancakes Daddy!" exclaimed Ally, holding some up on her fork as proof.
"She did! Well I'll be darned, look at that, she did!" He winked at Claudia and smiled at Chloe, who smiled back at him in return. I hope my family is like this. Shaun pulled up a chair and the breakfast dance began.
There was Conner, who had just recently gotten out of the high chair and instead had an adapter for a regular chair so he could reach the table, and his near mishaps with getting his clothes in the syrup. Allison, who barely ever stopped talking about who did what at school to actually eat any of her pancakes, almost spilled her milk, but Claudia caught it just in time. Shaun sat on one side of her and Chloe sat on the other, and all three were careful to watch the breakable plates and glasses.
Chloe and Claudia laughed at the things Ally said, the faces Conner made, and the jokes that Shaun had. Maybe I'm not alone... And afterwards the dishes were taken care of by Chloe and Claudia while Shaun went to put on his boots and finish getting ready for work. He'd come back in the kitchen, hug Conner and Ally good-bye, tell them to go brush their teeth, and then come over to Chloe and Claudia. Turning her face towards him, Claudia smiled as he kissed her on the cheek, saying, "Good-bye sweetheart," softly. Will my husband do that?
Then the only one left was Chloe, and this was always somewhat awkward, but had been getting less and less so for awhile now. At first he hadn't done anything except say a good-bye and walk away. After awhile he'd tried a hug, but Chloe had been less than willing to accept it. The first time, Chloe had to bite her lip to hold back tears, because she'd never gotten to hug her dad good-bye. Shaun had seen this reaction, and had then tried a kiss on the cheek, as he did with Claudia, but that was even worse, as Chloe's dad had always kissed her good-bye before heading off to work.
Finally they'd come to a solution. He'd reach out and tweak her nose, and she would swat his hand away, as if surprised by the action. "See ya Chloe, hey, behave yourself today okay?"
"Never!" she'd reply, smirking at him.
After he left, there was a rush to get everyone else ready on time. Claudia dropped off Conner at day care on her way to work, and Chloe took Ally to school, as the elementary was on the same road as the high school. Chloe always enjoyed the rides to school, with the radio and Ally keeping the silence at bay, Chloe could relax. She switched back and forth between listening to the radio and listening to Ally, knowing the girl would keep talking even if you never responded to a single question she asked.
When they got to the elementary, Chloe would shut off the radio and ask Ally if she had everything she needed. "Yes!" said Ally, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the entire older population. "Bye Chloe!" she'd say, leaning across the car and hugging Chloe.
"Bye Ally," Chloe said, hugging her back tightly. As Ally got out of the car, Chloe couldn't help but feel a little worried. Be safe... Pulling away and heading back down the street, Chloe pushed back that feeling of attachment, that feeling of love, that she knew would get her in trouble. But if she was honest with herself, Chloe knew she loved that family... especially Conner and Allison, they were just so easy to love, and she loved so easily.
When she got to Smallville High and parked her car, it took Chloe a second to gather herself before she got out, as it always did lately. Come on Chloe, you can do this. Just get through this day, focus on this day. Chloe dreaded school, and not because of the classes or the teachers, because of her friends. Clark and Lana were always together it seemed, and each and every moment Chloe spent with them was torture. But she had no one else, not really, Pete had left... so she was stuck in this perpetual hell, stuck in a miserable world and all alone to face it.
But face it she did, every day. And today would be no different. Get your ass out of the car Sullivan! Pushing open the door, Chloe grabbed her bag and stepped out onto the pavement. Swallowing and raising her chin a little, Chloe made her way into the school with the throng of other students just getting off the buses, determined to get through another day.
Clark watched Lana come up to him, smiling and gorgeous as always. When she wrapped her arms around him and lifted her face to be kissed, he pressed his lips to hers and just enjoyed the feeling of having her in his arms. He was prepared to linger there just a little longer, maybe deepen that kiss just a little bit more, but then he saw her.
Or rather he heard her, or smelled her, or...felt her. Her heels on the floor, her perfume...and just, her presence. Pulling himself out of Lana's embrace, he turned to find Chloe walking past them. "Chloe!" he said, smiling as he put his arm around Lana's shoulders.
"Oh hey guys!" she said, turning to face them and smiling brightly.
"So did you finish the history homework?" he asked. She looked at him and cocked her head, putting one hand on her hip as she did. Damn... That look always got to him. The way her hair fell away from her face, the way her shirt lifted off her hip and showed half an inch of skin. But it was more than that...it was the look in her eyes that just said 'Come on Clark, again?' She knows me so well... Clark grinned at her sheepishly as she stared him down.
"Yeah," she said, sighing as she reached into her bag and rummaged around for it. Handing it to him she smiled, a tight-lipped, almost annoyed smile.
"I'm sorry Chloe, it was my fault," said Lana, stepping in. Well yeah that's basically true... His mind flashed to the two of them in his loft, making out on the couch as homework lay forgotten on the floor. The feel of her lips, the feel of her hands running up underneath his shirt...the feel of her stomach, of her back, of her bra clasp... That had been when she stopped him, shyly saying no. He groaned inwardly at the thought of it, and had to force himself to focus on the situation at hand. Chloe was smiling, but backing away as she responded.
"It's no big deal, hey I have to get to class, but I'll see you guys later okay?" She turned and began to walk away quickly. Clark turned to Lana, grabbing both her shoulders gently.
"Hey I'll catch you after first hour okay?" He leaned down to lightly press his lips to hers and she nodded, smiling at him before turning down the hallway to head for her first class. Watching her go, he let his gaze follow the curves of her body, and he couldn't believe that this gorgeous girl was his.
A smile lit his face as he turned away and jogged down the hall after Chloe. He reached her in no time, just before she got to her locker.
"Hey Chloe!" he threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. For a second her body was pressed up against his and he could feel the warmth of her, so close to him. In an instant, he felt his grip tighten, his body not wanting to release her and relinquish the feeling of having her in his arms. Clark what are you doing? He forced himself to stop those feelings, and, letting her go, he smiled down at Chloe as they reached her locker and she started putting in her combination.
"Hi Clark," she said, throwing him a sideways smile.
"So I am really sorry about playing leech all the time with this homework stuff, but-"
"Clark!" Chloe cut him off, holding up her hand and staring him in the eye. For a second he thought he saw something in her eyes, something dark, something sad, something angry. But then she turned back to her locker and began the process of getting out her books, and the look was gone. She grinned at him and said teasingly, "I know what you were doing, making use of that couch in your loft huh Lover Boy?"
He felt his face turn red at her insinuation and looked away. Opening his mouth to object to her calling him Lover Boy, he stopped short as she caught his eye and gave him that look again. The one that told him to not bother lying because she'd know anyways. He tried to start again, still trying to object. "Chloe it wasn't like that-"
"Oh come on Clark, I mean, how can you resist that?" she said. And for a second Clark thought he heard a trace of bitterness lacing the sweet tone of her voice, but then she smiled at him and he just let it go. He didn't answer, and she slammed her locker before they continued down the hall to his. "So did you read the chapter for English?" The look on his face was enough of an answer for her and she laughed softly, a sound he never got tired of hearing.
"Okay, here's what happened..." Clark was only half listening as she caught him up on what they'd be quizzed on in just a few minutes. For the most part he was just trying to absorb the fact that he had such a great friend. God, what would I do without her?
Chloe walked into the door and immediately knew something was wrong. She set her bag by the door and slipped off her shoes. "Ally take care of your cleats," she said automatically while she tried to figure out what exactly was out of place. Then it hit her, the house didn't smell of some delicious dinner prepared by Claudia, or even of pizza, which Shaun sometimes picked up if Claudia ended up having to work late. She sniffed the air cautiously and tried to decipher what that smell was that assaulted her nose. No, it couldn't be... could it? Is that...alcohol?
Chloe walked into the living room and saw she was right. A bottle of what looked like vodka lay empty next to the easy chair, and another one, only half empty, was in Shaun's lap. Slowly Chloe approached, "Shaun?" she said warily.
When she came around the front of the chair Chloe realized he was passed out drunk, drool running down his chin. It took a second for Chloe to even process this information. There was no alcohol in the Jensen house, and Chloe had seen that as odd at first, but then she'd realized that with two kids, having a lot of the stuff in the house would probably have been a bad idea.
So what had happened today? Why was Shaun drinking that much booze when he never drank any? Going out of the room, Chloe started calling for Conner, because Shaun was normally the one that picked him up from day care. Chloe stayed after school and worked on the Torch, and then she picked up Ally from soccer practice, arriving home shortly after everyone else.
Several loud calls and a quick search later, Chloe, deciding that Conner was definitely not in the house, called Ally and took her as she went to get him. The entire ride, before and after she'd picked up Conner, Chloe was just trying to figure out what had happened. It must be something bad, she decided, to drive him to drink. God what if I have to leave? Or what if they don't want me anymore?
Every single thought was driven out of her head as she entered the house to screaming and yelling, and she realized it was Shaun, and he was using every swear word in the book. There was Claudia's calm voice, trying to soothe him, but he would have none of it. Chloe's forehead wrinkled in concern and confusion, because Claudia and Shaun didn't fight, not really, and they certainly didn't yell.
"Stay here guys," she said to Ally and Conner, walking cautiously up to doorway and catching Claudia's eye. Get them out of here, she mouthed, and Chloe nodded, taken aback by the scared and worried look written all over Claudia's face. After glancing at Shaun's beet red face, the bottle in his hand, and the angry expression in his eyes, Chloe quickly retreated back to the kitchen where the kids were waiting.
"Ally, Conner, do you guys want some ice cream?" Forcing a smile and a cheery tone, Chloe tried to be strong for them, because they were young, and this shouldn't affect them. Chloe knew what it was like to have your family fall apart when you were little... and it changed you. She didn't want that to happen to them, they were too precious, too fragile, and she wasn't going to let anything hurt them.
"Yeah!" they both shouted simultaneously. And so she took them, going through the motions, but not really being there with them. They had finished their ice cream and were playing on the playground equipment in the park, and Chloe sat at a picnic table, head in her hands, reminding herself to breathe. God, please don't let it all fall apart! I'm okay here, don't send me somewhere else!
Holding back tears, she had to force a smile, because this was just one of those days, and Clark and Lana just happened to be taking a walk through the park, enjoying the good weather on this miserable day. A few pleasantries were exchanged, but then they had to go, because Lana had a paper due tomorrow, and Clark was going to help her with it. As they were walking away, Clark turned back and looked at her.
"Are you okay Chloe?" he asked softly. Ally and Conner had run back over, and Chloe smiled at them before letting herself get lost in Clark's concerned eyes. For a moment she was tempted, but then Lana peered around from behind his six foot five frame with a curious expression on her face, and Clark turned those blue eyes back to her, and he squeezed her hand. Clark I need you! Chloe was screaming but he couldn't hear, too preoccupied with Lana, and his happy life that he didn't stop to notice how hers might be breaking into shitty pieces.
"I'm fine," she replied, a fake smile all but cracking her face. And it hurt... Damn you Clark! Because he just accepted it with a smile and turned away. Just stop hurting me... And the pain of him being with Lana just all came roaring back, as it always did at the worst time possible, and Chloe felt the tears prick her eyes. But then it was okay, because she hugged Ally and she ruffled Conner's hair and their loving smiles made up for the look Clark gave Lana as they walked away, the look Chloe had longed for all her life.
When she got back to the house, Shaun's truck was gone, and Chloe was glad and worried at the same time. She went into the house and heard the water running, Claudia was taking a shower. So Chloe got Ally and Conner ready for bed, and she tucked them in, with great big hugs and loving kisses, before heading out of their room, heading back to the real world.
Her demeanor underwent a complete transformation in between the second she shut their door and the second she sat down at the kitchen table with Claudia. The weight of the world caught up with her and you could see it in every tired line of her body. She took a deep breath and let it out, her exhausted expression a mirror of Claudia's. There was a question she needed to ask, but inside of her there was a battle, because Chloe wasn't sure she wanted to know.
"Claudia? What happened?" Chloe regretted the words even as she asked them, because Claudia turned and met her gaze with bloodshot eyes and a shaking voice.
"Shaun lost his job...we...we're in trouble." There was something about the way she said it, something about the look in her eyes that told Chloe this was familiar territory for Claudia. And somehow, Chloe knew, that Claudia wasn't really talking about the money problem...it was something else. But what? What are you hiding Claudia? What is Shaun hiding? Chloe swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to draw strength from an already depleted supply. What's going to happen to me now?
Her skin was soft beneath his hands, beneath his mouth... "Mmmm," she tasted so damn good, and he couldn't get enough. He held her down, pinned her to the red silk sheets with his body, trapped those small white hands on either side of her head with his own. And he just looked at her... Golden hair contrasting the dark sheets... Bright eyes, scared and sparkling... pale mouth, open and trembling, swollen from his previous kisses. A drop of crimson blood rested on her lower lip from where he'd bitten down in his passion.
Leaning over her, he licked it off slowly, savoring the taste of her. And then she moaned, straining against his weight, struggling in his grasp. But it was all futile, and her movements succeeded only in causing him to smirk as he tightened his grip. She whimpered as he trailed kisses down her neck, nipping at her skin, and the sound excited him all the more.
He could feel the fire in his veins, chasing away the cold that always seemed to reside there. Every shudder of her body went through him and he groaned, wanting to never leave this place of pleasure, of fulfillment. Pressing his knee up between her legs, he delighted in hearing her sweet moan, begging him for more. She arched into him, leaving no space between her skin and his. She was pleading with him, her body saying what her mouth couldn't, and this time, as he released her hands, lightly running his fingers down the length of her arms, she simply sucked in a breath and lay there, limp and helpless.
One hand cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and the other trailed down her stomach. He stopped, resting his hand on her hip, and ran his tongue around the curve of her ear. She groaned, mouth open and eyes closed, her hands clenching into fists. Her heavy breathing warmed his skin, but the feel of her underneath his searching fingers, hot and wet, warmed him from the inside out. This feeling was one he had only ever gotten with Chloe, and it was because of it, that he never wanted to let her go. And now he was... BEEP ... tasting the hollow of her neck... BEEP ... and positioning his hand... BEEP
Fuck! Lex opened his eyes reluctantly, not wanting to leave the fantasy his dreams had been allowing him to play out. His hand flew to the nightstand to shut off the annoying alarm. Damn... His skin was on fire...but the warmth was slowly receding, as it always did, leaving him cold, leaving him empty.
He sat up, throwing off his sweaty sheets and rubbing a hand over tired eyes. Lex you need to get a grip. These dreams were becoming more frequent, and he knew if he didn't see her soon he'd lose control. Just something, anything, for him to hang on to. He just needed something to stop him from feeling so alone...
Speaking of alone, today was the day after he'd let Shaun go. He wondered how exactly that had played out, and he planned to make sure that, when Chloe needed someone to run to, someone to comfort her, Clark would be unavailable.
So? How did you like it? I know I've changed some things about the plot of the actual show, but it's necessary, trust me! You guys better review if you want to know what's going to happen next! I promise it's worth the two minutes it takes to submit one!