Prompt #6, One Step Prologue/?, (Smallville, Chloe/Lionel)
Title: One Step
Author: Lara
Rating: PG-NC17 (this chapter PG)
Fandom: Smallville
Spoilers: Set after Vessel and then flying off majorly into my own dream world
Summary: Zod recognizes his mortal enemy, sending Lionel and Chloe on the run and on the search for Clark.
Content: nothing in this chapter; will have Chloe/Lionel sex
Distribution: Please ask; will be at My Other Fic Site
Disclaimer: I don't own the Smallville characters. Really, I highly doubt the owners will want them back after what I plan to do to them.
A/N: This is going to be a very, very long fic. Most chapters will be based on prompts from paranomal25 but not all. I'm challenging myself to not only write paranormal into a non-paranormal fandom, but also to write them all about one pairing.
A/N 2: While Chloe/Lionel is about as close to an OTP as I'll ever get, since there's no plot yet, who knows what will happen. I like Chloe/Lex, Lionel/Martha, and do expect Lana/Lex. I am one of those rare Smallville fans who sees no chemistry between Clark and Lex so don't expect slash. In fact, Clark may not show up at all. *g* I'm all about those Luther boys. Lara/Laure=bad boy love
A/N 3: Prompt #6 Possession; Paranormal 25 Table
A/N 4: I hope to post a chapter a week, but you know me...
It was so dark, as if all the stars had winked out of existence. Only the moon hung in the distance, full and bright, its cold light illuminating the empty stretch of road. The headlights were off on the dark sedan, but she didn't have any fear they'd crash. There were too many other things to fear.
Closing her eyes for a moment of rest, Chloe listened to the hum of the motor, and the tense breathing of the man driving the car. Images splashed across her mind: Lana so lost and scared as the truth finally sank in; Lex...
Oh god, the look on his face, one she'd only seen on the face of the man sitting next to her.
Cold, calculating, cruel.
Evil.
Lex hadn't needed to say anything. She'd known the truth, known it as the fingers around Lana's wrist had carelessly bruised her skin, and his lips had parted in a smile of pure joy that had frozen Chloe to the bone.
Zod.
That's when everything had gotten weird. While she knew that Lex and Lionel had their differences, Zod in Lex' body had turned on Lionel and ordered his immediate execution. She still didn't understand why Zod would even care.
And she wasn't certain how Lionel had gotten them both away. Everything had been a blur of motion overwhelmed by terror. Somehow he'd caught her hand, and the next thing she'd known they were barreling out of Metropolis in a stolen car.
Her rescuer was a man who had once tried to kill her.
The thought of how freaky that was made her open her eyes and glance over at him. Lionel's complete attention was on the deserted road. She thought they were heading north but without the headlights she couldn't tell where they were. He seemed to have some idea, though, as he swung the car onto a gravel road, careful not to send a spray out to alert any pursuers that they'd turned.
Chloe's curiosity finally got the better of her. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
She arched a brow at that clipped comment. "Like there's anywhere safe now? You know what happened. That wasn't Lex. That was..." She couldn't say it because to say it meant they both knew the truth about Zod which meant they both knew the truth about Clark, and his secret, even though she knew Lionel knew, wasn't something that could pass her lips.
Lionel did it for her. "General Zod, disembodied escapee from the Kryptonian phantom zone." Chloe saw him shoot her a quick glance to determine her reaction, then heard him sigh. "I knew you had to have known the truth. Too damn nosy."
"Hey." Her response had no bite. She was too tired and scared, and it was the truth.
The gravel road crossed another paved one, then angled along what appeared to be a small river and Lionel risked flipping the lights onto low.
"Why would Zod possess Lex? Why him, of all people?"
"Possibly because of me."
"Yeah, that's my next question. Zod pretty much ignored me and went ballistic at seeing you. Does Lex hate you so much?"
Her eyes finally adjusting to the dark, she saw something like pain flicker across Lionel's face, but dismissed it. Lionel Luther didn't feel anything but the need and greed for power.
"It has nothing to do with Lex or our relationship. It has to do with Zod and the person behind his imprisonment." He glanced at her again and she frowned at him to continue. "Jor-El."
"...Oh. Huh?"
"Zod sensed a residue of him in me." Lionel sank deeper into his seat and pushed down on the accelerator. "Jor-El is dead, but there's a part of him in me, and when Zod sensed it, his first thought was vengeance."
"Wait a minute. Residue? What are you talking about?"
"Perhaps because I was convenient or in the wrong place at the wrong time Jor-El chose me to work through. He's still there, little bits of him. It's not possession like Zod has done to Lex, but there are similarities."
"But...didn't he know what kind of man you were? Why not possess Jonathon or hell anyone else?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Lionel turned the car onto a dirt track that led down to the river. "I don't know, Miss Sullivan."
"So you really do know all about..." And she still couldn't say it, and sighed in relief when he did.
"Clark, yes."
"Do you know where he is?"
"No, and I can't help believing that something has happened to him or he would have been there in Metropolis with us." Stopping the car, he turned off the engine, and then turned to her. His face was serious and strained. "Zod will keep coming after me, especially if something has happened to Clark, who is probably the only person who can stop him. He'll have the world at his feet within days. I need to keep running. You should take the car and go home."
Zoe shot him a look of angry disbelief. "Zod knows I'm with you. If I go home, he'll come after me to find you. It won't matter that I won't know where you are. We're stuck together." Snarling beneath her breath, she opened the door and climbed out of the car, then rounded the trunk and started for the path along the river.
"Miss Sullivan."
Glancing over her shoulder she saw Lionel had exited the car and was frowning at her. She frowned back. "Stop calling me that. It reminds me of all the times you threatened me and then tried to kill me."
His voice came with a heavy sigh. "Chloe, being with me will lead to your death."
She stopped and turned back to him, feeling both fear and determination flood her. "Probably, but we have to find Clark and Jor-El may be our only hope."
"I don't control him. He...comes and goes as he pleases." Lionel slammed the car door and strode towards her. "Our best bet is to run and hide and hope Zod forgets all about us."
"We find Clark." Turning, she scrambled down to the bank where a small motorboat was anchored. "How'd you know this was here?"
"I have many escape routes." Lionel followed her onto the boat and watched her settle in one end, as he took the rudder and started the motor. "Hopefully, Lex never learned of any of them."
As they started down the river, Chloe turned and to watch the bank pass by and then looked up and saw the clouds parting to reveal the stars. Light was returning to their world but her heart ached and fear settled heavily over her shoulders. She didn't dare trust Lionel Luther.
But she was afraid he was her best bet at surviving and finding Clark.
Lionel kept one eye on the river and the other on Chloe, disturbed that he'd allowed her to accompany him, bothered that he'd dragged her into this. Zod had no reason to kill her, not when he could use her against Clark. She would have been relatively safe in Metropolis.
There was no safety with him.
So, what had possessed him?
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the accompanying chuckle reverberating off his spinal cord, a reminder that he was never alone.
Never certain which thoughts were his own, or if his actions were taken for his reasons or Jor-El's.
Was it Jor-El intrigued by the vitality and stubbornness of Chloe Sullivan?
Or was it Lionel?
End Prologue
Author: Lara
Rating: PG-NC17 (this chapter PG)
Fandom: Smallville
Spoilers: Set after Vessel and then flying off majorly into my own dream world
Summary: Zod recognizes his mortal enemy, sending Lionel and Chloe on the run and on the search for Clark.
Content: nothing in this chapter; will have Chloe/Lionel sex
Distribution: Please ask; will be at My Other Fic Site
Disclaimer: I don't own the Smallville characters. Really, I highly doubt the owners will want them back after what I plan to do to them.
A/N: This is going to be a very, very long fic. Most chapters will be based on prompts from paranomal25 but not all. I'm challenging myself to not only write paranormal into a non-paranormal fandom, but also to write them all about one pairing.
A/N 2: While Chloe/Lionel is about as close to an OTP as I'll ever get, since there's no plot yet, who knows what will happen. I like Chloe/Lex, Lionel/Martha, and do expect Lana/Lex. I am one of those rare Smallville fans who sees no chemistry between Clark and Lex so don't expect slash. In fact, Clark may not show up at all. *g* I'm all about those Luther boys. Lara/Laure=bad boy love
A/N 3: Prompt #6 Possession; Paranormal 25 Table
A/N 4: I hope to post a chapter a week, but you know me...
It was so dark, as if all the stars had winked out of existence. Only the moon hung in the distance, full and bright, its cold light illuminating the empty stretch of road. The headlights were off on the dark sedan, but she didn't have any fear they'd crash. There were too many other things to fear.
Closing her eyes for a moment of rest, Chloe listened to the hum of the motor, and the tense breathing of the man driving the car. Images splashed across her mind: Lana so lost and scared as the truth finally sank in; Lex...
Oh god, the look on his face, one she'd only seen on the face of the man sitting next to her.
Cold, calculating, cruel.
Evil.
Lex hadn't needed to say anything. She'd known the truth, known it as the fingers around Lana's wrist had carelessly bruised her skin, and his lips had parted in a smile of pure joy that had frozen Chloe to the bone.
Zod.
That's when everything had gotten weird. While she knew that Lex and Lionel had their differences, Zod in Lex' body had turned on Lionel and ordered his immediate execution. She still didn't understand why Zod would even care.
And she wasn't certain how Lionel had gotten them both away. Everything had been a blur of motion overwhelmed by terror. Somehow he'd caught her hand, and the next thing she'd known they were barreling out of Metropolis in a stolen car.
Her rescuer was a man who had once tried to kill her.
The thought of how freaky that was made her open her eyes and glance over at him. Lionel's complete attention was on the deserted road. She thought they were heading north but without the headlights she couldn't tell where they were. He seemed to have some idea, though, as he swung the car onto a gravel road, careful not to send a spray out to alert any pursuers that they'd turned.
Chloe's curiosity finally got the better of her. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
She arched a brow at that clipped comment. "Like there's anywhere safe now? You know what happened. That wasn't Lex. That was..." She couldn't say it because to say it meant they both knew the truth about Zod which meant they both knew the truth about Clark, and his secret, even though she knew Lionel knew, wasn't something that could pass her lips.
Lionel did it for her. "General Zod, disembodied escapee from the Kryptonian phantom zone." Chloe saw him shoot her a quick glance to determine her reaction, then heard him sigh. "I knew you had to have known the truth. Too damn nosy."
"Hey." Her response had no bite. She was too tired and scared, and it was the truth.
The gravel road crossed another paved one, then angled along what appeared to be a small river and Lionel risked flipping the lights onto low.
"Why would Zod possess Lex? Why him, of all people?"
"Possibly because of me."
"Yeah, that's my next question. Zod pretty much ignored me and went ballistic at seeing you. Does Lex hate you so much?"
Her eyes finally adjusting to the dark, she saw something like pain flicker across Lionel's face, but dismissed it. Lionel Luther didn't feel anything but the need and greed for power.
"It has nothing to do with Lex or our relationship. It has to do with Zod and the person behind his imprisonment." He glanced at her again and she frowned at him to continue. "Jor-El."
"...Oh. Huh?"
"Zod sensed a residue of him in me." Lionel sank deeper into his seat and pushed down on the accelerator. "Jor-El is dead, but there's a part of him in me, and when Zod sensed it, his first thought was vengeance."
"Wait a minute. Residue? What are you talking about?"
"Perhaps because I was convenient or in the wrong place at the wrong time Jor-El chose me to work through. He's still there, little bits of him. It's not possession like Zod has done to Lex, but there are similarities."
"But...didn't he know what kind of man you were? Why not possess Jonathon or hell anyone else?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Lionel turned the car onto a dirt track that led down to the river. "I don't know, Miss Sullivan."
"So you really do know all about..." And she still couldn't say it, and sighed in relief when he did.
"Clark, yes."
"Do you know where he is?"
"No, and I can't help believing that something has happened to him or he would have been there in Metropolis with us." Stopping the car, he turned off the engine, and then turned to her. His face was serious and strained. "Zod will keep coming after me, especially if something has happened to Clark, who is probably the only person who can stop him. He'll have the world at his feet within days. I need to keep running. You should take the car and go home."
Zoe shot him a look of angry disbelief. "Zod knows I'm with you. If I go home, he'll come after me to find you. It won't matter that I won't know where you are. We're stuck together." Snarling beneath her breath, she opened the door and climbed out of the car, then rounded the trunk and started for the path along the river.
"Miss Sullivan."
Glancing over her shoulder she saw Lionel had exited the car and was frowning at her. She frowned back. "Stop calling me that. It reminds me of all the times you threatened me and then tried to kill me."
His voice came with a heavy sigh. "Chloe, being with me will lead to your death."
She stopped and turned back to him, feeling both fear and determination flood her. "Probably, but we have to find Clark and Jor-El may be our only hope."
"I don't control him. He...comes and goes as he pleases." Lionel slammed the car door and strode towards her. "Our best bet is to run and hide and hope Zod forgets all about us."
"We find Clark." Turning, she scrambled down to the bank where a small motorboat was anchored. "How'd you know this was here?"
"I have many escape routes." Lionel followed her onto the boat and watched her settle in one end, as he took the rudder and started the motor. "Hopefully, Lex never learned of any of them."
As they started down the river, Chloe turned and to watch the bank pass by and then looked up and saw the clouds parting to reveal the stars. Light was returning to their world but her heart ached and fear settled heavily over her shoulders. She didn't dare trust Lionel Luther.
But she was afraid he was her best bet at surviving and finding Clark.
Lionel kept one eye on the river and the other on Chloe, disturbed that he'd allowed her to accompany him, bothered that he'd dragged her into this. Zod had no reason to kill her, not when he could use her against Clark. She would have been relatively safe in Metropolis.
There was no safety with him.
So, what had possessed him?
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the accompanying chuckle reverberating off his spinal cord, a reminder that he was never alone.
Never certain which thoughts were his own, or if his actions were taken for his reasons or Jor-El's.
Was it Jor-El intrigued by the vitality and stubbornness of Chloe Sullivan?
Or was it Lionel?
End Prologue