Chlex Fanfic: Orchestrato, Chapter 21
Nov. 15th, 2013 02:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
babydee1Apologies for the late reply, my loves! Lots of laptop trouble these past few weeks.
Enjoy! And please don't hate me... :-\
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chleansmile.
Title: Orchestrato
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlex
Rating: This chapter PG13
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Lex’s plan to freeze Chloe out of his life failed as soon as he opened the door to the library and saw her standing there. A bright smile lit her face, and she ran across the room and flung herself into his arms.
“We did it!” she said excitedly. “I can’t believe we actually won!”
“Hey,” he replied, his voice gruff. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and savoured the warmth of her in his arms, knowing it would be the last time he would ever get to hold her. “I thought you’d be with your father.”
“He’s gone back to his safehouse to pack his things, and then he’s going to book into a hotel temporarily,” she said. She leaned back and smiled coyly at him. “I told him I’d join him later, that I needed to see you for a…a debriefing. Hopefully he didn’t realise that I meant it literally.” She stroked his ear with her fingertip. “I really missed you, Lex.”
The tender caress threatened to topple his steely resolve. He stepped out of her arms walked over to the bar, where he grabbed his strongest bottle of whiskey off the shelf. This was, without a doubt, going to be one of the most difficult and painful decisions of his life, and he was going to need all the courage in the world for what he was about to do.
Chloe came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “So when are you going to de-brief me, hmm?” She whispered sultrily in his ear.
He didn’t answer. His heart thumped erratically as he uncorked the decanter and poured himself two…no, three fingers of scotch whiskey and took a huge gulp. The amber liquid slid down his throat in a punishing burn; well-deserved, he thought bitterly.
“You okay?” she queried.
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
Chloe must have sensed his reticence, because he heard her take a deep breath as if in preparation for something.
“I was talking to Clark yesterday,” she said carefully. “He seems to think that now that the trial is over, you’ll have no more use for me and I won’t be welcome at the Mansion anymore.” She laughed hollowly. “He’s wrong, though, isn’t he?”
Lex hesitated, and then slowly pulled his chequebook out of his pocket. He felt Chloe’s arms around him loosen slightly, and then she stepped away from him.
“Lex?” she prompted. “He’s wrong, isn’t he?”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat and opened the chequebook to a blank page. His fingers shook as he pulled a pen out of his breast pocket, but when he put it to paper, his hands were surprisingly calm.
“Thanks for all your help on the case, Chloe - I really appreciate it.” He scribbled a generous five-figure sum down on a cheque, tore it out of the book and handed it to her.
“This should get you and your father back on track while he looks for a new job,” he said dismissively.
Chloe stared blankly at the cheque, and then up at him with confused eyes. “What about the job he already has?”
Lex made a disapproving clicking sound. “It’s hardly appropriate for him to continue working at Luthorcorp after everything that’s happened, wouldn’t you agree?”
“So this is severance pay?” she asked. “Shouldn’t that come through the proper channels?”
“It’s a thank-you gift,” he corrected tersely. “Do you want it or not?”
“What I want is to understand what’s going on here, Lex,” she said, annoyance creeping into her voice. “The last time I was here, we were getting on really well and I was hoping I might finally get to have that veal dinner that I missed the other night.”
He fixed her with a condescending look. “I don’t often resort to preparing my own meals, Chloe, I have staff for that,” he replied. “I had to send them away while you were here; that’s the only reason I cooked for you.”
Chloe’s eyes hardened, and she folded her arms. “I see. And now that the trial is over, you’ll be going back to your usual lifestyle?”
“That is correct. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get some rest; it’s been a busy day.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you turfing me out?”
He shrugged. “You have no more reason to be here.”
***
Chloe stared at him in stunned speechlessness. Her chest rose and fell as she took deep steadying breaths, and the pain and confusion in her eyes tore at his heart.
“I don’t understand,” she said at last. “Lex…don’t you want me here?”
“The case is over,” he said simply. “Your personal items will be forwarded on to you as soon as you provide me with an address.”
She swallowed hard. “But—but I thought…well, to be perfectly honest, I thought we had something.”
“We don’t,” he replied bluntly. “You were a means to an end, Chloe, and that end has been achieved. We’re done here.”
He turned his back on her and returned to the bar to pour himself another scotch. He could feel her gaze on him and he closed his eyes, squeezing them shut against the ache in his soul. You’re doing this for a reason, he reminded himself. “It’s the only way to protect her.
“So all the things we talked about…everything we shared—” her breath hitched, and she paused before continuing. “You’re saying it was all a carefully orchestrated plot to get me on your side?”
“I don’t know why you’re surprised, Chloe,” he replied diffidently. “I mean, what did you expect? I’m a Luthor.”
“Just answer yes or no, Lex,” she growled. “Did you plan the whole thing from beginning to end? Huh? You really expect me to believe that you played me like a puppet?”
He shrugged. “You can believe what you want.”
“No, I want to hear you say it,” she insisted angrily. “You and me — was it all a lie?”
God, this was killing him. Tears stung his eyes, but he squared his shoulders and kept his back to her so she wouldn’t see him; wouldn’t realise that this was hurting him as much as it was hurting her.
Remember why you’re doing this, he reminded himself. It’s the only way to keep her safe. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of yesterday; if she got abducted again or worse, he didn’t think he would survive with his sanity intact.
“Was it all a lie?” she repeated.
Out loud, he said, “I did what I had to do in order to guarantee your testimony.”
“Yeah, including me,” she retorted, her voice rising perilously. “And now that you’ve had your fun and won your case, you’re done with me; it that it?”
He sighed dramatically. “It was fun while it lasted, but I never planned on making it anything permanent.”
“I don’t believe you,” she cried. “What we had was real!”
“Oh, grow up, Chloe; it was just sex!”
“Just sex?” she echoed incredulously. “You took my virginity, Lex!”
“I didn’t take your virginity, you pretty much threw it at me,” he taunted. “Probably did you a favour in the long run; made it easier for the next guy.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath at his callous words. “This isn’t you,” she whispered tearfully. “Why are you being like this?”
“Because I’m done with you, and I want you to leave.” He poured himself yet another scotch, his hands shaking as he did so.
“Is that what you really want?” she asked.
“Yes!” he barked. “Yes, that’s what I really want.”
“Then look at me when you say it,” she challenged. “Look at me, Lex.”
He couldn’t. He dare not turn around, not when his face was streaked with tears his nose was about to start running, and he was so close to guaranteeing her safety. If she caught one look at his face, she would know he was lying out of his ass, and everything would have been for nothing.
“Fucking look at me, you bastard!” she screamed.
“Chloe, you’re embarrassing yourself now,” he said, forcing disinterest into his tone. “Just leave while you still have a shred of dignity left to hold on to.”
“You can’t, can you?” she whispered. “You can’t face me because we both know that everything coming out of your mouth right now is bullshit!”
“If that’s what you’d rather believe, then you’re welcome to your delusions,” he replied dryly.
“Tell me, Lex,” she insisted. “Why you won’t look at me?”
“Frankly, I just can’t be bothered to make the effort to turn around.” He poured the last of the scotch into his glass and drained it in one gulp, welcoming the burn. “Now get out of here, Chloe. I won’t ask you again.”
She stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally he heard her footsteps padding softly as he headed towards the door and opened it. As he waited for it to close, she uttered one final word.
“Coward.”
The door slammed behind her. She was gone.
***
He stood there for several minutes after she left, staring blankly at nothing in particular.
She was gone. He’d driven her away as planned, and after the cruel way he’d dismissed her, she wouldn’t be coming back here ever again - unless, of course, she was snooping for ways on how to bring him and his evil empire down, he thought without mirth.
He knew what would happen now. She’d find her way to Clark, and he’d offer her a broad shoulder to cry on while he filled her ear with more Luthor-hate propaganda to ensure that her memories of her time with him at the mansion would be forever tarnished. A beautiful summer of shared experiences, an emotional union of hearts …all gone, disappeared into the ether. It was exactly what he’d wanted.
Lex began to tremble uncontrollably, his body beginning to rebel against the onslaught of whisky he’d chugged down in desperation.
His hand curled tightly around the stem of the heavy crystal-cut decanter that had been passed down through his family for three generations. With a cry of pain torn from the depths of his soul, he hurled the valuable heirloom into the fireplace. It connected with the hard stone and exploded with a deafening crash, sending crystalline fragments of glass into the air which were quickly destroyed by the heat of the flames.
***
Chapter 22/22…
Enjoy! And please don't hate me... :-\
Amazing banner by
chleansmile. Title: Orchestrato
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlex
Rating: This chapter PG13
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Lex’s plan to freeze Chloe out of his life failed as soon as he opened the door to the library and saw her standing there. A bright smile lit her face, and she ran across the room and flung herself into his arms.
“We did it!” she said excitedly. “I can’t believe we actually won!”
“Hey,” he replied, his voice gruff. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and savoured the warmth of her in his arms, knowing it would be the last time he would ever get to hold her. “I thought you’d be with your father.”
“He’s gone back to his safehouse to pack his things, and then he’s going to book into a hotel temporarily,” she said. She leaned back and smiled coyly at him. “I told him I’d join him later, that I needed to see you for a…a debriefing. Hopefully he didn’t realise that I meant it literally.” She stroked his ear with her fingertip. “I really missed you, Lex.”
The tender caress threatened to topple his steely resolve. He stepped out of her arms walked over to the bar, where he grabbed his strongest bottle of whiskey off the shelf. This was, without a doubt, going to be one of the most difficult and painful decisions of his life, and he was going to need all the courage in the world for what he was about to do.
Chloe came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “So when are you going to de-brief me, hmm?” She whispered sultrily in his ear.
He didn’t answer. His heart thumped erratically as he uncorked the decanter and poured himself two…no, three fingers of scotch whiskey and took a huge gulp. The amber liquid slid down his throat in a punishing burn; well-deserved, he thought bitterly.
“You okay?” she queried.
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
Chloe must have sensed his reticence, because he heard her take a deep breath as if in preparation for something.
“I was talking to Clark yesterday,” she said carefully. “He seems to think that now that the trial is over, you’ll have no more use for me and I won’t be welcome at the Mansion anymore.” She laughed hollowly. “He’s wrong, though, isn’t he?”
Lex hesitated, and then slowly pulled his chequebook out of his pocket. He felt Chloe’s arms around him loosen slightly, and then she stepped away from him.
“Lex?” she prompted. “He’s wrong, isn’t he?”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat and opened the chequebook to a blank page. His fingers shook as he pulled a pen out of his breast pocket, but when he put it to paper, his hands were surprisingly calm.
“Thanks for all your help on the case, Chloe - I really appreciate it.” He scribbled a generous five-figure sum down on a cheque, tore it out of the book and handed it to her.
“This should get you and your father back on track while he looks for a new job,” he said dismissively.
Chloe stared blankly at the cheque, and then up at him with confused eyes. “What about the job he already has?”
Lex made a disapproving clicking sound. “It’s hardly appropriate for him to continue working at Luthorcorp after everything that’s happened, wouldn’t you agree?”
“So this is severance pay?” she asked. “Shouldn’t that come through the proper channels?”
“It’s a thank-you gift,” he corrected tersely. “Do you want it or not?”
“What I want is to understand what’s going on here, Lex,” she said, annoyance creeping into her voice. “The last time I was here, we were getting on really well and I was hoping I might finally get to have that veal dinner that I missed the other night.”
He fixed her with a condescending look. “I don’t often resort to preparing my own meals, Chloe, I have staff for that,” he replied. “I had to send them away while you were here; that’s the only reason I cooked for you.”
Chloe’s eyes hardened, and she folded her arms. “I see. And now that the trial is over, you’ll be going back to your usual lifestyle?”
“That is correct. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get some rest; it’s been a busy day.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you turfing me out?”
He shrugged. “You have no more reason to be here.”
***
Chloe stared at him in stunned speechlessness. Her chest rose and fell as she took deep steadying breaths, and the pain and confusion in her eyes tore at his heart.
“I don’t understand,” she said at last. “Lex…don’t you want me here?”
“The case is over,” he said simply. “Your personal items will be forwarded on to you as soon as you provide me with an address.”
She swallowed hard. “But—but I thought…well, to be perfectly honest, I thought we had something.”
“We don’t,” he replied bluntly. “You were a means to an end, Chloe, and that end has been achieved. We’re done here.”
He turned his back on her and returned to the bar to pour himself another scotch. He could feel her gaze on him and he closed his eyes, squeezing them shut against the ache in his soul. You’re doing this for a reason, he reminded himself. “It’s the only way to protect her.
“So all the things we talked about…everything we shared—” her breath hitched, and she paused before continuing. “You’re saying it was all a carefully orchestrated plot to get me on your side?”
“I don’t know why you’re surprised, Chloe,” he replied diffidently. “I mean, what did you expect? I’m a Luthor.”
“Just answer yes or no, Lex,” she growled. “Did you plan the whole thing from beginning to end? Huh? You really expect me to believe that you played me like a puppet?”
He shrugged. “You can believe what you want.”
“No, I want to hear you say it,” she insisted angrily. “You and me — was it all a lie?”
God, this was killing him. Tears stung his eyes, but he squared his shoulders and kept his back to her so she wouldn’t see him; wouldn’t realise that this was hurting him as much as it was hurting her.
Remember why you’re doing this, he reminded himself. It’s the only way to keep her safe. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of yesterday; if she got abducted again or worse, he didn’t think he would survive with his sanity intact.
“Was it all a lie?” she repeated.
Out loud, he said, “I did what I had to do in order to guarantee your testimony.”
“Yeah, including me,” she retorted, her voice rising perilously. “And now that you’ve had your fun and won your case, you’re done with me; it that it?”
He sighed dramatically. “It was fun while it lasted, but I never planned on making it anything permanent.”
“I don’t believe you,” she cried. “What we had was real!”
“Oh, grow up, Chloe; it was just sex!”
“Just sex?” she echoed incredulously. “You took my virginity, Lex!”
“I didn’t take your virginity, you pretty much threw it at me,” he taunted. “Probably did you a favour in the long run; made it easier for the next guy.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath at his callous words. “This isn’t you,” she whispered tearfully. “Why are you being like this?”
“Because I’m done with you, and I want you to leave.” He poured himself yet another scotch, his hands shaking as he did so.
“Is that what you really want?” she asked.
“Yes!” he barked. “Yes, that’s what I really want.”
“Then look at me when you say it,” she challenged. “Look at me, Lex.”
He couldn’t. He dare not turn around, not when his face was streaked with tears his nose was about to start running, and he was so close to guaranteeing her safety. If she caught one look at his face, she would know he was lying out of his ass, and everything would have been for nothing.
“Fucking look at me, you bastard!” she screamed.
“Chloe, you’re embarrassing yourself now,” he said, forcing disinterest into his tone. “Just leave while you still have a shred of dignity left to hold on to.”
“You can’t, can you?” she whispered. “You can’t face me because we both know that everything coming out of your mouth right now is bullshit!”
“If that’s what you’d rather believe, then you’re welcome to your delusions,” he replied dryly.
“Tell me, Lex,” she insisted. “Why you won’t look at me?”
“Frankly, I just can’t be bothered to make the effort to turn around.” He poured the last of the scotch into his glass and drained it in one gulp, welcoming the burn. “Now get out of here, Chloe. I won’t ask you again.”
She stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally he heard her footsteps padding softly as he headed towards the door and opened it. As he waited for it to close, she uttered one final word.
“Coward.”
The door slammed behind her. She was gone.
***
He stood there for several minutes after she left, staring blankly at nothing in particular.
She was gone. He’d driven her away as planned, and after the cruel way he’d dismissed her, she wouldn’t be coming back here ever again - unless, of course, she was snooping for ways on how to bring him and his evil empire down, he thought without mirth.
He knew what would happen now. She’d find her way to Clark, and he’d offer her a broad shoulder to cry on while he filled her ear with more Luthor-hate propaganda to ensure that her memories of her time with him at the mansion would be forever tarnished. A beautiful summer of shared experiences, an emotional union of hearts …all gone, disappeared into the ether. It was exactly what he’d wanted.
Lex began to tremble uncontrollably, his body beginning to rebel against the onslaught of whisky he’d chugged down in desperation.
His hand curled tightly around the stem of the heavy crystal-cut decanter that had been passed down through his family for three generations. With a cry of pain torn from the depths of his soul, he hurled the valuable heirloom into the fireplace. It connected with the hard stone and exploded with a deafening crash, sending crystalline fragments of glass into the air which were quickly destroyed by the heat of the flames.
***
Chapter 22/22…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-22 09:27 pm (UTC)Yes, but you can say it as often as you like - he's very hateable, that one! :-D
"Brilliant chapter hon!"
Thanks, my Sweet! *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 05:04 am (UTC)Fix it. Ohhh my babies are suffering because of stupid Lionel. I would I hope someone makes him his bitch but that would hurt Chloe. Dammit fix it.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-22 09:11 pm (UTC)*giggles* You should know I went straight to Google Translate with with that, and came away with "Me no likey. Me no likely. ME NO LIKEY!!! :-D
"Fix it. Ohhh my babies are suffering because of stupid Lionel. I would I hope someone makes him his bitch but that would hurt Chloe. Dammit fix it."
I will...eventually! ;-)
Thanks for your awesome comments, bebe! *huggles*
no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 08:16 am (UTC)Thanks for new chapter...
no subject
Date: 2013-11-22 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 04:49 pm (UTC)Oh man, how are you going to fix this??!!
no subject
Date: 2013-11-22 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-20 02:48 pm (UTC)Chloe and Lex will definitely get their happy ending. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it's definitely happening, hopefully soon. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2013-11-15 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-20 02:44 pm (UTC)I am so, so sorry, hun! *hugs* :-(
"Please tell me you'll make it a happy ending? With a whole ton of Chlexy happiness and Lionel getting fucked by some giant in prison?"
Happy ending, yes. Chlexy happiness, yes. Lionel getting buggered in prison....well, if I can figure out a way to do this without endangering Chloe's life, I'll be all over it! :-D
"don't think thats too much to ask. :("
Trust me, Jess: Happy Ending is my middle name, and these two certainly deserve one. And they'll definitely get one. Just try to trust me, yeah?
Many thanks for your comments!