Hello darlings, I'm happy you're still sticking around for me to finish this. Yes, it SHALL be finished. As long as there is breath in my body I swear this story shall not be left unfinished. It would greatly piss me off if I left it half completed anyway… it would GREATLY irk me, know that.
So yes. I have every intention to finish this story.
Now that we've covered that I shall be a good author and answer some reviewers worries/questions which I may have slightly failed to reply to… (woops- sorry).
1-Chloe does not know about Clark's powers, she left before they were revealed to her.
2-Chloe has a loyalty to Lex because he 'saved' her in the past. But a lot of her past has been a lie and terror filled (which you will find out later… and a little in this chapter…) . So basically Lex is the better alternative to what she has known and she knows her life could be a lot worse without Lex around.
3-This chapter she will find out about some of GA's truths and some of Lex's lies will be in the next chapter. So hopefully, the smoke screen of her mind will start to clear.
4-Clark and Lois will be a minor character development… but that's mainly because Oliver and Chloe have a much more 'fun' relationship to play with. Maybe they will come into play in future chapters… who knows?
5-Chloe will be meeting Oliver Queen soon ;)
6-I am trying to write more often, so hopefully posts will increase
This chapter was fun to write ;) y'all see why when you read it… I've been dying to write this bit for a while. (I would like to believe this is still classified as M and not MA-as that would get the story booted off-… but I may have crossed the line a little… it's not my fault, it's a very blurry line!)
Hope y'all enjoy it.
Xx
Chapter Eight; Control
'You know, the other day, a professor of mine… he accused Luthorcorp of being evil. And you being just short of the devil'
'Well, you didn't tell him about my pitchfork did you?'- Clark Kent & Lex Luthor (Season 5, Aqua)
Chloe slumped against a shaded wall and hugged her coat tighter, shielding against the slight chill in the air. Her nightmares had left her feeling ill, her heels were killing her, her hair was refusing to obey the sacred words of the hair brush and she would have much preferred to stay cosy in bed served warm breakfast by obedient servants. Instead she was returning from her last chance to avoid Bryan, feeling dejected and just damn moody. Her last contact and last idea had fallen through entirely. An old friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin had specialized in medieval weaponry…but, as it turns out Arrow's arrows were too modern for him to even think about. She had no other choice but to see Bryan.
With a sigh, she rearranged her flimsy scarf intended for fashion more than warmth and pressed on down the streets back to her car.
What was wrong with bullets anyway? Why arrows?
She scoffed allowed, able to answer her own question; the pool of knowledge on modern day arrows was so limited he had a great chance of remaining anonymous even if his entire weapon stash became compromised.
A groan slipped her lips as her peace was interrupted by the demanding shrill of her mobile phone. Honestly, she thought about not answering it. Contemplated playing dead or that she'd lost the wretched device… But, if Lex had some news, she would be at a disadvantage by not answering.
Chloe rolled her neck gently and pushed her hand to search the disastrous organisation that lived in her handbag.
Each piercing ring had her more flustered but finally she had her hands on the item that had violated her silence. "Damn you Lex. Can't you leave me alone for five minutes?" she asked aloud to the vibrating object before going to answer the phone, only instead she felt her arm slam into the wall behind her and the phone drop to the ground with a clatter.
High on alert, Chloe turned to her arm only finding an arrow lodged in the sleeve of her coat pinning her. Green fletching had her heart pounding in her ears. Arrow was here… for vengeance. Panic flooded her and she tugged on the arrow, but it was without avail. She stretched as far as she could down to the still ringing phone and thanks to her small height she managed to pick it up and answer the call.
"Lex, hel-" Her gasp cut her off as the other sleeve became pinned to the wall, again the phone hit the floor, this time the back casing split off, the battery coming out by sheer luck. There would be no help for her now.
Fearful for her safety, she tugged against the material trying to shimmy out of the coat, but the arrows had pinned it too close to her arm, she couldn't free herself. Her heart was thumping almost painfully, was this how she was to die? An accident of William Tell in the back deserted streets of the slummed town she had spent her worst days in?
"No back-up this time?" the familiar concealed voice spoke. She scouted the rooftops first, but this time he came from the same height as her and walked down the alley, bow in hand fixed with another arrow in its hold. Dangerously seductive. He could have her screaming in either pleasure or pain within minutes. Which he chose was anyone's guess. "I don't know whether I'm surprised or disappointed." he laughed.
Her eyes followed the gloves on his hands to the bulging biceps bound by bands to the solid muscles hugged by green leather. Shades hid the eyes, the hood concealed the face in shadow, but she saw the grin. It was a winning grin that told her how truly trapped she was. He stood proud, he stood cocky, he stood with an arrogance that put even her strongest cells on edge.
She was vulnerable; he had the control.
Fear raced her blood, pounding through her senses. Chloe could even see her chest rise and fall visibly as her nerves fired over and over telling her of the approaching danger. And he came nearer still.
She panicked, trying to tug her arms free before it was too late. The corner of her eye watched Arrow pull a second arrow and aim them both with one shot. Head and heart shots she presumed. Then again, maybe he'd go a different way and want to torture her first. Chloe felt her skin start to burn, her blood was itching and she needed to be free from this rat trap. Before she could even think to scream two arrows flew at her, she felt the air whip past her cheeks and lips. Was this it, was she dying?
"Now that we know you've not going anywhere, maybe we can have a chat." Arrow spoke lightly. Chloe opened her eyes to find an arrow either side of her neck, pinning her scarf to the wall at either side. She couldn't move even if she wanted to, not without strangling herself. She was entirely at Arrow's mercy now.
"How are you even walking?" she asked in a whimper hoping to distract him from his task so she could find a way to free herself.
"I have friends." he simply replied. "You're not the first to try and kill me Blondie." But she was the closest to succeeding.
"An eye for an eye right?" she guessed. "It's why I'm pinned against this wall, and it's why you killed those workers." Arrow sighed heavily with annoyance.
"You're pinned against this wall so that we can have a much needed chat. No other reason." Lies, he told himself, it was so he could show off his skill, thrill her with the rush of adrenaline and then take her kisses when she couldn't pretend she didn't want them.
"I d-"
"Not your turn Barbie, shut up and listen to me. Or maybe I'll change my mind and I won't be letting you go after I'm finished with you." Chloe nodded solemn. Either way it was free information about him. "I did not kill those workers." he started, but instead of the silence vow she couldn't help but fight back.
"So it was one of your team mates, one of your frien-" A leather hand came across her mouth.
"Thank you." he sarcastically spoke before continuing. "Those men were not killed by anyone on my team or anyone associated with me." Her muffles came from under his hand. Curious, he let her speak again.
"Yeah, don't you just hate it when people decide to spontaneously combust at the same time you're bombing a place." He silenced her with his hand again, but laughed as he did.
"Your fragile finger should be pointing a little closer to home. Point it to your boss maybe." This time he didn't let her muffles see verbalisation. "As his computer puppet I imagine you read the last few months of their lives before you deleted them?" Only he knew the answer. "No? You mean your puppet master didn't let you do that. Did he maybe just stand over your shoulder the entire time and watch you very closely?" Again, they both knew the answer. "Did he make sure no-one else could access those files? Are their names wiped and families financially compensated to cover what Lex did?" Her silence and lack of fight answered. "Like I said, Lex was covering his own ass and shifting the blame to someone else. I suggest you resurrect those files from the electronic graveyard and read into the past months of nothingness their lives have been." She was quietly thinking, so he released his hand from her lips. His eyes kept locked on those lusciously temping teases though. They were deeply red, parted for her breath and the tip of her pink tongue came to wet them for a shimmering shine, he could have sworn he had been beamed to heaven from that sight.
"Even if what you say is true." she began, hesitant in her words, and flickered her big baby eyes to his shades. "It still makes you a thief. You've still broken into numerous facilities and homes and you've blown several sky-high."
"Then you have extra homework Goldilocks. There's truth hiding from you relating to everything you listed."
"You attacked me and knocked me out. Or is that a lie too?" Chloe fired at him, angry with herself and for his words causing her doubts in what she thought she knew. Surprisingly, he just laughed a glorious sound.
"No, that one you can arrest me for and I sincerely apologise for that." The gloved hand that had been pressed to her lips stroked a thumb over her head. There was no scar, no mark, but it electrified her nerves and made her weak with lust. Arrow smiled, seeing her body relax and her eyes cloud over. "Believe it or not, but I am with the good guys." he soothed. But his grin took shape again and he closed the distance, his bow sliding onto his back and his free hands settling on her hips. "But I can be bad… if that's what works for you." She breathed a laugh, a smile claiming those perfect lips and drugging him further with her spell.
Chloe could feel the heat of his hands through her coat, she didn't even utter a complaint as the leather slipped under the material and rested silky and sinfully sweet on her bare skin. "I dare you to tell me you don't want me right now." he chuckled softly. She couldn't speak, not with his thumbs working those small circles up her sides. With a rush, she felt his body push onto hers, his hands rolling her hips to feel his arousal. Her lips parted for a gasp that she couldn't hold back. Her hands were pulling on her bindings, trying to touch him back, her neck was pressed to the scarf trying to get the kiss her body begged for.
Another chuckle parted the air, brushing her cheek as he caught her with the familiar blush of a strong passion in her blood. Her breathing was fast, her chest rose and fell tempting him further and her eyes were half lidded in desire. Her perfume invaded his senses, something fruity, something he couldn't place his fingers on.
He caved, he couldn't help it. His hands regretfully left her bare skin instead tugging open her coat buttons and showing the full breasts hugged in bra and tank top. He ripped free the arrows pinning her neck and tossed aside the scarf to let his lips lay on her bare neck and pepper her with kisses. Chloe was too lost to see anything more than a show of manly strength and that she was being kissed by him, but why was he not on her lips, why was he not where she wanted him, no, needed him.
A broken gasp left her parted lips as he kissed her pulse strong and deep, the gloved thumbs working circles over the pebbled nipples her clothing tried to hide. Slowly his lips dropped, now kissing the top of her mounds. "Stop me." he spoke, praying to every god she would not. "Stop me now, while I will." he repeated when no reply came. His breathing was as fast as hers, his body was raging with heat and desire, but he managed to lift his head from her to get an answer. The answer was no words, but a tortured pain expressed in her gasp as he left her body. "Tell me." His words became more pressed and urgent. Chloe saw the world again but wanted to go back to the pleasure so much she didn't manage anything more than a plea.
"Don't stop. Please. Don't stop."
Arrow needed nothing more, the leather clad hands pulled down the material of the top and bra in one sweep and his lips dove to cover the freed nipple. Chloe couldn't hold back the moan, couldn't stop the thrill of desire nor the ache in her body. She knew she was grinding against him for some relief but couldn't find any notion to care. She knew anyone could choose this lane at any moment, she knew people could see her if they looked… but to stop would mean to stop him, and she could not envision doing such a thing. His hips rolled with her, one hand on her other nipple, the other gliding down her stomach and gripping her hips to move them with him as he wanted.
She was his.
It was clear in the noises he brought from her.
It was clear in the trust.
It was clear in the very fact she was rubbing herself on his erection in a dirty alley without a thought more than him.
Her hands tugged against her bindings again and complaining whimper broke free as his lips left her tight nipple free to tingle in the cold air.
"You're wet for me." he whispered direct to her ear. The accusation was silky sweet and his hand locked her hips to his, stopping her from grinding like she wanted. Her breath broke and then hitched as she felt his gloved hand stray from her hips to her trousers. "Why didn't you chose today to wear that ridiculous skirt?" he breathed in a groan and popped the top button to let his hand in.
Slowly, he watched her as his hand lowered and trailed down the outside of her panties to a very wet patch. Her eyes were closed in the bliss, her lips parted and slipped another free moan as his skilled fingers rubbed her clit through the cloth. "Let me?" he asked. She didn't bother to think anymore, just nodded and sank further into bliss as his lips attacked hers and muffled a loud vocalisation of pleasure as the panties were pushed aside and a gloved finger teased around her entrance before slowly slipping into her heat. "Shh blondie. Don't want the whole neighbourhood hearing, do we now?" he chuckled and withdrew the digit only to thrust in return to hear her cries again. She delivered the cry and tried to bury her face and dull the noise. His erection was practically throbbing in his restrictive choice of clothing but he would have to be pained for longer because he refused to take her in an alley, not like this.
Her hips starting grinding his hand for him but he took back control and dove his finger fast and skilled into her liquid heat. His mouth pressed to her neck and the kisses started again, a second finger easily joining her pleasure pool, scissoring and curling inside her to drag out those pleasured sounds she tried so hard to muffle on his shoulder.
Chloe let herself fall deeper and deeper into the pleasure, she knew she was close and she didn't care. His lips were everywhere, on hers, on her neck, on her breasts, taking little nips, little nibbles, little gentle bites of her aching nipples. She felt so very loved and her body was on fire for this man she couldn't even name. She knew she was in an alley at risk of being seen by anyone to chance a back alley route, but she couldn't care. She could only think of the feel of leather sinking in and out, driving her mad.
"Oh, oh, oh god." Her voice carried soft in a plea to his ears and his smirk grew. Never had she soared so high so quickly, usually she was working with fumbling men taking 30 or 40 minutes to even get her warmed up… but Arrow seemed to know her, he seemed to play her like they'd been together for years. Even if her head said no, even if her heart would prefer anything but to get involved, her body was screaming 'yes!'.
Carefully, he pulled free the arrows caging her arms, still aware she could turn against him, but she couldn't even think of anything but to wrap her arms around his frame and let him take her as the pleasure took her over in its bright warmth. His fingers dashed, finding that perfect spot inside her and rubbing it in all the right ways, he could feel her body change, pushing her higher.
It came as no surprise when she clamped down, her body locking to his as a scream left her. She came hard around his fingers, her slick walls fluttering in their rush, her mind racing. He took her lips, trying to silence the sweet noise she made that seemed to echo in the streets and inside his hazy mind. Fingers clutched tighter to him as she tried to cling onto sanity in her bliss. He let her ride, giving her the rush she'd been living for all those years.
Something told him she'd never had it so good. His ego surged, but as her muscles relaxed again, he could feel her sag into him, her sanity coming back. As his gloved hand left her she felt an emptiness hit her powerfully. She lifted her eyes to watch him grin, tasting the juices she left on his leather. Chloe felt the fuzz in her mind clear reflecting what she had done, but shock had no time to arrive.
A siren interrupted whatever clever common on his lips. The difference with this siren was that it was close, and getting closer.
"Com'on blondie, time to go." Without waiting for the words to register in her conflicted confusion he swept up the arrows and her broken phone before putting an arm behind her knees and sweeping her from her feet to cradle to his chest as he ran out of sight.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked after a few seconds running. His answer was to show her a knowing grin.
"Sadly, you need returning to your ivory tower princess. But we will finish this." His lips pressed to hers in a quick gesture before he put her feet on the ground and nodded to the hired hands of Luthorcorp waiting by a black SUV across the street, completely un-aware of their presence. Chloe didn't want to go to them, but the roar of Arrow's bike had her protests silenced. "I look forward to our next meeting." he shouted and took off into the blur of traffic. Chloe absently righted her clothing before walking over to the bodyguards. Wait! Her phone! It took three seconds of patting her pockets before she realised who had her entire livelihood and contacts.
Damn Arrow!
Dinah was hot out of the apartment as soon as she heard Ollie's motorbike. He'd barely got his leg off the bike before she was standing before him, hands on hips.
"Who is she?" she instantly asked, a bite in her tone that said she would not be messed with today.
"Who's who?" Ollie asked, lingering in his blissful thoughts while Dinah tried her hardest to pull him from it.
"Who's the women that puts that daft smile on your face?" The bite stung him enough to pull him from his delight, but Dinah gave him no room to speak. "Tell me, or lord forbid I will mention this to the boys and I'll let them have at you." Oliver groaned and rolled his neck around gently, feeling the ache of the days' work… the day that had been fantastic, the day that he'd tasted the bitch haunting his mind. God, she was beautiful when she came, he'd see her again like that. He had to. "Fine. I would have sworn you secrecy, but if you want to play it the hard way that's fine, I'll just-" Dinah had her words cut off as Oliver caught her arm and turned her back around to face him.
"I tell you and you never say a word again." Dinah nodded, happy to hear the gossip and find out who'd been playing with the archers heart strings. "You'll ensure the boys do not find out and cover for me when I need you to." Dinah paused, wondering if it was worth this… but if Oliver was putting in such orders she assumed it was.
"Fine. Now dish." But no immediate reply came, instead Oliver started walking his bike away. "It's not your new secretary is it? I know you said she was useless, but com'on Ollie, fire her, don't fuck her."
"No. It's not my secretary."
"The maid tickling your fancy with her feather duster, the hostess prancing up and down on your jet, or maybe you have a little more class and went for the daughter of the tailor who's been designing your 'fancy pants' suits for years!" Dinah spat out, disgusted in his habits.
"No." Oliver replied, but there was no trace of anger or guilt. The lack of fire in his tone had Dinah calm instantly, she knew there was a fire in his heart.
"You really like her…" she claimed, almost shocked to hear the words from her own mouth directed to Oliver. "Oh, com'on Ollie, tell me. I swear nothing will get back to the boys, who knows, maybe I can help arrange your little trysts." The smile was genuine, the offer was filled with hope for him, would a woman finally tie down Oliver Queen?
"Dinah…" He turned to her, the bike in its usual home and nothing more to be busied with. "I… I, don't actually know her name." Oliver watched as Dinah stood in silence and blinked. He suddenly felt the need to defend himself. "It's not like I haven't tried, but she keeps giving me a different one each time."
"What is she, some sort of criminal on the run? Where the hell you meet her Ollie?"
"Lex's mansion." Oliver waited those few seconds, waiting as Dinah's eyes flashed from a 'what the fuck?' face to one of understanding.
"She's Lex's… she's the one who's been hacking us? You're falling for the enemy. Great Ollie, seriously great…" she replied heavy with sarcasm, but there was more behind that. "Wait, this could be useful…"
"Before you hatch some elaborate plan about trickery and deceit, you should know that I'm relatively sure she's not helping Lex for her own reasons." he added.
"Blackmail?"
"We are talking about Lex here." Oliver confirmed.
"So what do we know about her?" Dinah probed after a few seconds of quiet. Oliver did nothing but hand her a mobile. "You little thief." she complimented. "I'll get Vic working on cracking the password to my assistant's phone."
"Thank you Dinah."
Oliver entered his apartment to find the mobile already hooked up to Vic's systems with Dinah stood behind him yapping about how her new 'assistant' had been stealing from her desk and she wanted to get even. Oliver sent her a grateful nod before being pounced upon by Bart.
"Where've you been amigo? Halo tournament started 5 minutes ago. You said you'd be here ages before that." The kid sure had a pout when he wanted it.
"Yeah, well, there was a screaming-" and moaning, writhing, grinding and practically begging, "-woman than needed my help."
"You'd think they'd have the damn courtesy to stay out of trouble while I kicked your ass on a video game." he complained in jest before settling back on the couch with his controller and a pizza box. Ac stole another slice between laughs while Lois trashed Clark's ass on Halo. You'd think the great Jor-el would have at least given him better ability to drive a warthog… sadly even Dinah could beat Smallville.
Ollie chuckled and unzipped the costume. He paused when he came to removing the gloves and let himself bathe in the memories of a short blonde coming hard over them.
Dinah flipped a glance back to Oliver, seeing a smirk raise his lips and warm his eyes. She'd have to see this feisty female herself sometime soon.
Chloe met hell again when she came back into the Luthor mansion. Lex was beside himself with anger at her yet again running from his bodyguards, he told her this would be the last time he allowed it to happen. Next time there would be consequences. Chloe found herself choked up with a memory of the last time she'd crossed the firm will of the Luthors when they'd used that tone. She made a mental promise to visit her father at some point soon. When Lex learned of Green Arrow walking and talking, fully healed, he could do nothing but turn his back and return to his work, urging her to do the same.
Chloe did, she went straight to her files on the Green Arrow, her first mission was to dig deeper into the truth he claimed there to be. Her assumption was that there was some secret about the facilities he'd bombed, or some past regarding the jewels. The second she found very fast, it turned out Lionel had not been buying from registered retailers, unsurprisingly, the beautiful 'stolen' objects were all from the black market. But the facilities all seemed to be perfectly legitimate. Lex would want to know this, and maybe he'd provide her some answers. It didn't take long before she was back in need of Lex's presence.
The sound of grunting effort came from Lex's gym and she followed them to find him sparring with two of his guards at the same time. She didn't bother to stop and admire, just stood to the side and announced her point.
"I need to know what files Arrow took." she spoke. Lex didn't stop his fighting, just asked why and threw back some punches. "I had a look into what he stole from Lionel, I found something 'interesting' I'm trying to see why he'd steal from you. So I need to know what was on those files." That stopped Lex. He paused, then ordered both guards to wait outside the room behind closed doors. Chloe smiled at both brutes as they left, they didn't mind the interruption, all of Lex's security seemed to warm towards her.
"Lab research." Lex answered. Out of courtesy she hadn't opened a single file she was asked to protect. Part of the reason was because there were so many it would take forever to snoop through them all, another part was that if they did contain illegal information she wasn't involved with them, a third part was that it was her procedure for all encryption deals, if she looked at the files then she became part of their business and would have to be wiped out if she knew 'too' much. "What did you find?" he prompted, stepping from the mats and catching the water bottle she tossed to him.
"The previously stolen objects have all been from the black market or previous stolen, he thinks he's playing Robin Hood." she spoke, moving around the mats to sit on the bench. "But it makes no sense why he'd target you. The majority of his actions are to keep some twisted idea of balance. Hence, what's on those files?"
"Research Chloe." he answered again. It wasn't enough for her and Lex added, knowing where her allegiances were. "There's a military commander looking for new ways to boost our troops in war. He started funding experiments with meteor rocks, but it led to a few problems. A few of my projects have been looking into his work and harnessing the power of meteor rocks to give us an advantage."
"You're making super soldiers?" she questioned.
"No." he corrected and drank greedily from the water. "We're looking into the effects of meteor rocks, both good and bad. Hoping to stop other research from destroying more lives like previous experimentors have." Chloe corrected his answer mentally 'yes, he was making super soldiers'. "But in the wrong hands, this information could lead to our destruction."
"Sensitive research, I get that. But the rest of it, why would Arrow steal it?"
"To sell it to other countries who are trying to do the same, maybe he wants to keep everyone on par. I don't deal with the cognitions of psychopaths Chloe." Lex sighed and then continued, offering her more information than she expected. "The rest of the research he stole was more of a personal pet project. Medical trials with meteor rocks, chemical cures and the likes. Compounds to enhance life as we know it, cure the incureable. Some extremists have expressed a certain disinterest in playing God, I imagine these merry men view it the same."
"These are all at your labs they've been bombing." Chloe guessed rightly. "I'd like to see one." Lex didn't expect her request, but refused to show his surprise.
"Why?"
"Why not? Could it hurt for me to see the work you're doing? I want a better understanding of what Arrow thinks he's saving the world from." Lex hesitated but agreed.
"I'll take you by the end of the week."
"I'd prefer tonight." Again, there was a silence that made her wonder if she'd crossed some line.
"Darren will take you tomorrow and you will not leave his side. Understood?" Chloe nodded and left before he could change his mind. She apologised to the guards outside for interrupting their practice and left Lex with them again.
Instead of returning to work, Chloe showered and re-dressed in a black dress and called for two security and waited for them in the garage. They ran to their cars, expecting to have to chase her out, but slowly they understood and drove her to Smallville cemetery.
It wasn't raining, it wasn't snowing, it wasn't even cold. The sky was just washed with an evening glow from an appearing moon. Workers hurried home to families and warm homes. Chloe stood in the dark of Smallville alone in every sense of the word. The security were too honourable to insist they follow her to the graves, so had stayed by the gates. Her throat felt tight, her chest felt heavy and she suddenly wanted to go away from this place. Her eyes cast down to the headstone, wishing she knew what words to say. It had been a good few years since she'd been here to apologise.
Gabe Sullivan. Her father, her rock after her mother abandoned her, her embarrassing dad that came with all bad dad-jokes and humiliating amounts of pride in her. If he could see her now, he'd be crying endlessly. How could he have pride in a daughter that had killed him? Her eyes misted and she tried to blink them away and be strong. How could she sum up the guilt, the misery, the hatred for herself. She'd gambled with something so precious as her father's life and he'd paid the cost. She'd called Lionel's bluff and it had taken her last parent from her. Lionel didn't care, just told her that it was her own fault and she should have played by the rules. What hurt the most was that Lionel was right. It was her fault, all her curses to Lionel, all her tears had been wasted, she should have just done as she was told.
She supposed she could take comfort that fate was paying Lionel back, his liver cancer came with pain that even the best treatments couldn't eliminate and medicines just skimmed the surface. His agony would be worth hers. But it wouldn't change the grave before her. Her hand reached out, touching the cold stone.
"Sorry dad." she began, tears rolling past her mental barricade. "Sorry I haven't been to visit. I-" Her words stopped as she heard a branch snap. Listening, she heard footfalls coming closer. Damn guards. She swung around hoping to give them hell for interrupting her, but she found no guard.
Anger swelled in her chest. It was one thing to follow her around metropolis, an entirely different point to set foot anywhere near her here. Was privacy too much to ask? In anger she wiped under her eyes and scratched away the tears. She was at a graveyard for god's sake, did that mean nothing to him?
She whispered another apology to the gravestone unsure of what wrong it was addressing and turned her back to it.
"What are you doing here?" she spoke slow and deliberate.
"Relative?" he asked in the same distorted gruff voice she had loved only a few hours ago.
"Old friend." she corrected with a bite and offered another silent apology to her father. He nodded solemn but it just spiked her temper more. How dare he come in here, disturb her peace and pretend her understood what it was like to lose someone so dear? "Are you visiting, or just stalking, because this is crossing the line." Her hands wanted to shove into pockets but the dress had no space for convenience. Instead her hands crossed across her chest.
"I thought you might like this." His hand outstretched holding her mobile. She didn't move toward him though.
"Have you memorised my address book by now?"
"I didn't even look at it."
"You want me to believe that you've had my phone and it's sat on your desk untouched. You must think me incredibly naïve."
"Or maybe I trust your security to be too much to handle."
"For you maybe. Maybe you didn't touch it. But I'd bet anything your tech geek did." she spoke. He didn't answer. Instead she took another conversation. "What happened between us cannot happen again." No, she'd liked it too much, she'd been utterly consumed by it so much that it scared her. But she'd felt so empty and needy afterwards, it was something she didn't care to experience. Besides, she was not the girl to get off in a dirty alley with someone she didn't even know the name of.
"Really?" he questioned and stepped forward, the mobile still extended in his hand. She made a mental note to check it for any hidden trackers or spyware, but took it from him.
"No." Before he could attempt to change her mind, she changed the topic again. "I looked into the research, you were stealing items from the black market." He smiled.
"See goldilocks, I knew you weren't a lost cause." But a phone's vibration had his advances cut short, it was not hers. "Sorry goldie, but I'm on the clock tonight. I will see you again, and we will pick up where we left off." He turned and left her alone again. Chloe could bet that he'd made note of the name of her father and was going to run it through everything his dirty hands could touch, but it would come up blank. Gabe Sullivan was an employee of Luthorcorp with no children. That's all records could show, Lionel had removed everyone from her, everyone she cared about. No mother, no father, no cousins and no friends.
Chloe didn't feel the mood to be in a graveyard anymore and made her way back to the car, silently sliding into the seat, past the door the guard held open for her and she watched the blur of scenery as they returned to the castle of darkness.
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I hope this was good for you.
As usual, you may collect your imaginary puppies from clicking the review button. They're extra cute this week because i'm in a super happy mood :D I'm serious, if they roll over and give you their 'Pleeeeeeeeease rub my belly' eyes, you won't stand a chance of saying no... You have been warned :)
Xx