Fic: Shadows of the Past Chapters 6 and 7

[kitmerlot_1213]

Chapter 6

"My father has sent his lawyer to defend me. My guilt or innocence isn’t a factor, because my father would never allow a Todd to go to jail. "My father’s entire purpose in living is to ensure that no scandal touches the Todd family name. Megan and Emma’s deaths will never be solved, because he wants to brush it all under the rug…"

Chloe and Lex stared at each other for a full ten minutes. They had taken turns and told each other about their dreams/nightmares. Lex hesitated about mentioning his last couple of dreams, specifically the ones involving their being married. He hoped that Chloe wouldn’t be too freaked out about his dreaming about her. He didn’t think he could handle her ignoring him again.

When Chloe heard that she and Lex had taken Megan and Daniel’s place in Lex’s dream, she couldn’t help the blush that colored her cheeks. Lex hastened to add that Chloe seemed to be playing out all of Megan’s actions, and that he was reacting just as Daniel did. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t question him any further, and she gracefully moved their discussion past their dreams

Chloe tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach that accompanied the knowledge that Lex had been dreaming of being married to her. She managed to stop the smile from spreading across her face, but she couldn’t stop herself from flushing. She could see that Lex was embarrassed, so she decided to show him all of the articles she had found about Megan and Emma’s deaths, and Daniel’s subsequent arrest.

When Lex finished reading them, Chloe spoke up. "After Daniel was arrested and refused to answer the police’s questions, The Ledger stopped reporting anymore news about the investigation. The police couldn’t have just dropped the case, because the Todd family were practically celebrities. There must have been a huge outcry to see justice done, don’t you think?"

Lex looked slightly sickened when he answered her. "Not necessarily. I get the feeling that Daniel came from a family with money. And if his father was anything like mine, Mr. Todd senior would have paid to have the truth buried."

"I guess that’s always a possibly," Chloe agreed, but she seemed unconvinced. "Tomorrow, I’m going to go the Courthouse to see if I can find any court documents about Daniel’s arrest."

Lex nodded, "Good plan, and I think I’ll run a check of the Todd Family through the Metropolis Historical Society. Who knows what we will find in the social registry?"

Chloe smiled brightly at him, and decided not to mention that he was helping her to investigate, thereby becoming her de-facto partner in crime. She was glad for his help, and his innumerable contacts, and what she appreciated the most was his complete willingness to help her, no questions asked. It felt good to be trusted so implicitly.

A brief silence had fallen on the pair, each lost in their own thoughts. Chloe finally broke the silence, the need to tell Lex about her theory too great to be ignored. "I’ve been thinking about why we’ve both been dreaming about a family who have long been dead. Now, my theory is kind of out there," she started to explain, but she stopped when she saw Lex grin.

"Luthor, what exactly are you smiling at?" Chloe asked archly, while she tried not to smile in return.

"Sullivan, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that," Lex glibly replied. "I have a theory of my own, but I want to hear yours first. So, please theorize away. I’m all ears."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but she continued to speak. "I think we dreamt about the Todd family, because their lives were touched by a terrible violence. This violence left an imprint, almost a curse of sorts, on their spirits."

Lex nodded thoughtfully. "I was thinking along the same lines. Megan, Daniel and especially Emma, were all very young, and their lives were ended too soon. And it seems we’ve been selected to see how tragic their lives actually were."

"That’s also what I was thinking," Chloe replied excitedly. "What are the chances that I would find Megan’s journal and you would buy Daniel’s car? I think we were meant to find their stuff, and to help them."

Lex paused in consideration. After all, this was Smallville, and stranger things had happened. But Lex still had to voice his concerns "And what if we can’t help? Are you saying that we’ll be doomed to relive their lives, and their deaths over and over again, in our dreams?"

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Lex interrupted. "And, what about this curse? We have their former possessions. Does this mean that we’re affected by the curse, too? That we’ll die just as violently?"

Chloe shook her head, and tried not to sound annoyed. "Look, I don’t have all the answers, but I don’t think we’re in any physical danger."

He heard the words and snorted in disbelief. No physical danger? Lex knew what that meant, and he tried not to let his dread show on his face. "So, that just leaves our mental stability in question. Great," Lex muttered under his breath.

Chloe could hear the fear in his whispered words, and she felt her heart break. She reached out and clasped Lex’s hand. "Lex, don’t even joke about that. I think it’s more like our dreams will be plagued by their spirits until we help them find some sort of peace."

"Maybe I’m being selfish, but I don’t think the possibility of having our dreams plagued by restless spirits to be a good thing," Lex answered, barley controlling his sarcasm.

Chloe didn’t bother to formulate a witty response, knowing intuitively that Lex was just ranting at their significant lack of control in their own dreams. Instead, she just squeezed his hand, wordlessly offering her support.

After a few minutes, he slowly nodded his head in acceptance, but he continued to hold her hand, seeming to gather strength from the simple touch. "I think you’re right. If we can solve their murders, we’ll be able to put the Todd’s souls to rest, and we’ll be able to get our own lives back," Lex said.

Chloe sighed in relief, glad that Lex agreed with her theory. Suddenly the enormity of the situation hit her, and Chloe tried not to look too panic-stricken. "Great, so all we have to is solve two murders that happened eighty four years ago. Piece of cake!"

****

"Emma, oh my God Emma!"

"Yes, Momma, I’m coming! What is it Momma?"

"MOMMA!"


Chapter 7


"I often wonder why Daniel was given everything, and I have nothing. He came back from the war a hero, and I came back a cripple. He walked into a good job with the railroad, where he met his pretty wife. And, I’m left here, stuck in this room, listening to the howling…"


The problem with investigating an eighty-year-old crime was the supreme lack of evidence. Any leads would not only be cold, but also dead and buried. Chloe was determined to keep an optimistic outlook, and not get discouraged. When she looked at the file, she could feel her heart start to sink. No, this did not look good at all.

The file on the murders of Megan and Emma Todd was practically non-existent. The Smallville Courthouse had Daniel Todd’s arrest warrant on file, and the findings of the Inquest, but there was no record of an arraignment, or a trial.

Chloe soon discovered why. Among the papers were the death certificates for Megan and Emma, with descriptions of their wounds. There was also a death certificate for Daniel Todd. She quickly read the document, and sat back, stunned by the turn of events.

A prison guard found Daniel Todd the morning of his arraignment. He had hung himself in his cell, using his belt. He didn’t leave a note, but the night watch noted in their log that "Mr. Todd seemed agitated," so the guard decided to check on him twice an hour. The last check had been at 4:30am. and Daniel was still alive. The guard on the morning shift did his first rounds at 5:15am, and he discovered Daniel’s body.

Chloe closed the file, made the copies she needed, and left the file room. She needed time to process what she had just discovered. Daniel’s suicide did not bode well for his innocence. The press never reported his death, and everyone involved in the case kept silent. Daniel’s father must have paid to have it ignored by the papers, and he probably used the Smallville Police’s incompetence to force them to also keep mum. After all, the death of a prisoner in his jail cell didn’t inspire confidence with the taxpayers.

Chloe was to meet Lex at the Talon to go over their findings. She was glad to have someone else to run her discoveries by, particularly someone with a genius level IQ. Chloe had grown accustomed to the butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of Lex. But then again, what girl wouldn’t swoon if she knew that a suave, smooth, devilishly handsome billionaire had dreamt of being married to her? She couldn’t react all girly when she was with him, but just thinking about his confession caused her to grin broadly.

She looked at her watch and saw that she was two hours early for their date. Wait, when did this get together become a date? ‘When you started thinking about being Lex’s wife, and all the perks that come with it,’ a little voice whispered in her head. Chloe shook her head, determined to ignore her sudden attraction to her friend.

Again, the little voice spoke up. ‘Sudden attraction? Who are you trying to kid, you always thought Lex was a damn sexy man.’ Chloe sighed in resignation at the truth of the words. She had been drawn to him from the first, attracted to his wit and intelligence. She liked that he had taken her seriously from their first meeting in the Torch office. But what had cemented her attraction to him was their first interview. He had flirted with her, calling their sparing verbal judo, and that was when Chloe first started falling for him.

But, that was three years ago, and they were actual friends now, and not just acquaintances thorough Clark. She decided that she valued Lex’s friendship and she was not going to ruin their closeness by admitting she had a crush on him. That decided, Chloe headed towards the Talon early. She would stake out a table in one of the more inconspicuous areas of the coffeehouse, so they could talk privately.

***

Lex pulled into an empty parking space, and checked his watch. He was right on time for his date with Chloe. He felt his step falter for just a second, but he kept walking forward. Since when had a meeting with his friend, become a date? Yes, he admitted to himself that Chloe was a young and beautiful woman, but the key word being young. For the past two years, he forced himself to think of Chloe as being untouchable, because she was Clark’s friend, and she was underage.

But then last year, when she was seventeen, they had worked together to bring his father down, and that was when Chloe became his friend, and he realized that he had earned her trust. Unfortunately, that was also around the time when he realized that he had more than friendly feelings for her. But he pushed them to the back of his mind, trying for once to be noble. She was young and vulnerable, and he wouldn’t take advantage of her by seducing her.

Now, Chloe was eighteen, and he could pursue his interest in her. The only problem was he didn’t want to take the chance that she would reject him, and then ruin his friendship with her. He shook his head in disgust with his own behavior. Who would ever see the day that Lex Luthor was afraid to go after what he wanted?

He sighed, and headed towards the coffeehouse. He had information for Chloe about the Todd family that she would find infinitely more interesting than any declaration of his feelings. He promised to help her discover who killed Megan and Emma, and he would keep his word. She didn’t need his spilling his guts to her, and complicating her life. He would be her friend, but he guessed that sooner or later, he would cross the "friend" line. He wondered how Chloe would handle it.

He walked into the Talon, and looked around for Chloe, and immediately spotted her at a side table, sitting with Lana. Lex groaned inwardly, knowing that Chloe was getting an earful about Lana’s tortured love life. He tried not to roll his eyes, but Lana was really very predictable. Her life starts to fall apart, and instead of fixing it herself, she looks around for someone to do it for her.

Lex approached the girls, and was unsurprised when Lana stood up to leave. She deliberately turned her back on Lex, and spoke to Chloe in an unnecessarily loud voice. "Thanks for listening to me, Chloe. You’re a good friend." She then swept past Lex, and didn’t spare him a second glance.

Lex tired not to grin at Lana’s over-dramatic display, but he couldn’t resist smirking. "I take it you heard about Jason’s being fired and my part in it."

Chloe nodded. "Lana thinks you’re threatened by her relationship with Jason, and that’s why you got him fired. I told her you probably had a bigger motivation than jealousy." Chloe winced at the uncertain tone in her voice, but her old insecurities refused to die.

Lex sighed in irritation. "I told her that I thought a relationship between a coach and a high school girl was highly inappropriate. I know she thinks she’s mature, but carrying on a secret affair in a high school is not how adults behave."

"I think you’re right about a relationship being conducted in secret is doomed to failure." Chloe agreed, "but getting Jason fired seems a bit over the top."

Lex shrugged. "They both knew that what they were doing was wrong, and they did it anyway. Lana is being whispered about in an unflattering way, and Jason needs to find a new job. They weren’t put in stocks, and pelted with rotted food. Neither one is actually suffering. They just have to face the consequences of their actions."

Chloe smiled sardonically. "Just like actual adults have to."

Lex smiled back at her, but his mood turned serious. "I can’t stop thinking about Daniel and Megan, and how they had the kind of love that I want someday. They loved and respected each other, and he obviously wanted what was best for her."

Lex paused a moment before he spoke again. Suddenly, he wanted Chloe to know how he felt. He hoped she would understand what he was trying to say. "A man would want the world to know about his feelings for the woman he loves. He wouldn’t want it conducted in secret."

"But sometimes relationships have to be taken slowly, because one person might not know how the other feels," Chloe argued, frowning slightly, hoping she didn’t misunderstand Lex’s words.

Lex saw the frown that creased her forehead, and he yearned to smooth it out. "The woman probably doesn’t know how the man feels about her, because the man isn’t ready for her to know. There might be circumstances standing in their way." Lex took a deep breath before he spoke next. "Age for example. Or the young woman in question might still be in high school."

Chloe smiled happily when she heard what Lex had to say. Her feelings were returned but she was surprised at the reason behind his reluctance to start a relationship with her, though. "The woman is underage?" Chloe asked archly.

Lex grinned, thrilled that Chloe understood what he was trying to convey. "No the young woman’s 18th birthday was just in November. But she’s still in high school."

Chloe tried not to smile too smugly. "Tell the man in question that she graduates in May, 2005. That’s six months away. Can he wait that long until he has her?" Chloe couldn’t resist teasing Lex a little.

Lex fought back a groan at her teasing words. "The man has to wait a whole six months?! I’m afraid that’s just impossible."

Chloe tried not to look alarmed, but maybe she had misunderstood what Lex was saying. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lex stopped her. He pulled her from her chair to sit in his lap.

Chloe started to giggle in surprise, but the laughter stopped when she saw the look on Lex’s face. He moved towards her slowly, giving her plenty of time to move away from him. Chloe stayed where she was, and smiled at him.

Lex finally relaxed, and gently brushed his lips against hers. He felt her sigh, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. Chloe returned the kiss just as gently, and felt herself melt against him.


***

"By all rights, the railroad job and the house in Smallville should have been mine. MEGAN should have been mine. Other things stood in the way, but mostly, what was keeping Megan from being mine, was that brat, Emma. Something has to be done about her…"

Next chapter Chapter 8