Couple(s): Chloe/Lex

Rating: strong PG-13 for thematic material

Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me. From now on, just assume the titles come from Smiths songs. :-)

Spoilers for: nothing, I don't think.

Feedback: If you're nice, certainly! Constructive criticism is fine; flames will be used to keep MR and myself warm at night.

Author's Note: This picks up right where 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' left off.

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

******

"I mean it, Guy, *stop*!" This time Chloe punctuated her words with a shove to his shoulder.

He had successfully undone her shirt and had yanked off his own. "Don't play hard-to-get, Chloe. I've waited long enough," he whispered. Suddenly they were lying on the floor, and she was pinned beneath his weight. Her shirt was thrown on the couch as his mouth descended on hers again.

She'd expected his kisses to be harsh and rough; instead they were soft and gentle. If she closed her eyes tightly, she could pretend he was Lex and it wouldn't be so bad...she had already realized that there was no way to fight him; he was even stronger than he appeared.

"If you love me," she gasped when he broke off the one-sided kiss to continue undressing them both, "you'd stop." Her arms were crushed beneath his, she could have sworn she heard a bone snap. Her vision was swirling, and she felt like fainting.

For some reason, she figured her plea would work. But, instead of getting off of her, he only kissed her more. "No, no; you just need to see what you're missing by being with that ass-husband of yours."

And then he was violating her, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

******

It had been six hours since she'd stormed out. Lex was beyond depressed, beyond worried. He was completely petrified. *It's raining pretty hard; maybe she got in an accident. Or maybe she actually plans to divorce me. What if she's lying in a ditch somewhere, and I'm the only one who can find her? No, she's probably at Clark's or Gabe's. I want her to come home; I want her to still be my wife! I just want her to still love me. At the very least, I want her to be 'alive'!*

Explaining to John and Lena why their mother wasn't home had been simple; Martha had told them that Chloe went to visit her father. Being children, they accepted her reason and went back to playing.

"Can I get you anything?" Martha asked softly, stepping back into his office.

"Don't suppose you can find my wife," he retorted flatly.

She frowned at the sight of him: he was bent over his desk, scribbling frantically on a document that she knew he wasn't reading. He had grown paler, and his usually-bright eyes were dull and glossed-over. *And she's been gone for less than twenty-four hours. At least for his sake, I pray she returns.*

"Want some coffee?" It was the first thing she thought of.

"Cyanide would be preferable." When he said it, he didn't smirk; he meant it whole-heartedly.

"Oh, Lex," she sighed, plopping her weary body into the black leather armchair that stood directly across from his cluttered desk, "don't do this to yourself."

His eyes lifted from the paper. When he threw his disgustingly expensive pen into the fire, where it landed with a shower sparks, Martha jumped. "Don't do *what*? Don't mourn the fact that the only woman with whom I've ever wanted to spend my life ran out on me? Don't blame myself for making her do so? Don't let it affect me?" He was almost screaming, and she'd never heard him raise his voice. It was terrifying.

Assuming his questions were rhetorical, Martha said nothing. After holding his hard gaze for a beat longer, she quietly let herself out.

"Is Daddy okay? He's been working for a while," Lena remarked, wandering down from the rec room. She clutched a worn, eyeless teddy bear to her chest.

The honesty and concern in the girl's question nearly broke Martha's heart. She hated lying to them, but she and Lex had agreed that the children wouldn't understand the magnitude of what Chloe had done. "Your father's fine. He's just busy with work."

"Can I go say good night to him?"

*He might blow up at her* When the thought struck her, she smiled falsely. "Yeah; why don't I go with you? Where's John?"

"Here," he whispered. He had been crouching in the corner of the stairwell all along, tears in his eyes. "Martha, Mommy left Daddy, didn't she? Guy said she would."

Stifling a gasp, Martha lowered herself next to him. "What?"

The tears fell when she touched him. "Martha, I gotta tell you somethin' real bad."

******

What worried her most of all was the observation that Guy looked and sounded totally normal. There were no maniacal threats, his eyes never lost their friendly glow. He really thought she cared about him.

"Stay with me, my love," he whispered into her ear when it was all over.

"Get off me, you sick bastard," she growled, slapping his cheek.

"Feisty, aren't we?" This amused him. "Do you talk to 'darling' Lex like that?"

"Leave him out of this." Her teeth clenched and she reared back her fist to punch him in the jaw.

"I know you don't care about him, my beloved. He forced you to marry him, and then made you have his children so it appeared to be a happy marriage. He doesn't deserve you; he doesn't deserve your beautiful children. Well, Lena, he can keep: she looks too much like him. John has your eyes; that's all anyone needs to see. I'll take you and the boy in, raise him as my own. And you'll be my wife, just like you always should've been."

When her fist connected with his face, he didn't flinch; in fact, he smirked. "Tough little thing. Did you like the photos I sent? I decided to take up photography the day I first saw you; I wanted to keep a memento of your undeniable beauty. Does Lex tell you how amazing you are? Does he remind you that you make him happy? Does he love your children the way I do?"

"LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!" Most of his weight was in his arms, so he could hold her down. That left his legs vulnerable. Summoning up what strength she had left--her arm was definitely injured, and the attack had left her weak--she kneed him in the crotch.

Biting back a swear, his eyes flashed. "That hurt!"

"It was supposed to," she snarled, managing to repeat the action. "Now get the hell off of me!"

When she did it a third time, he was in too much pain to fight. Using every last ounce of energy, she scooted out from underneath him. Blessing the fact that her arm, and not her foot, was the body part she'd hurt, she rushed for the door.

There was no sobbing on Chloe's part; only a numbness that spread throughout her body and settled in her stomach. She wanted to be sick, but didn't intend to leave herself vulnerable again. Her arm screeched in protest when she threw open the massive front door and bounded down the stone steps. Slipping on the third one, she fell and let out a shriek.

"You're not going anywhere!" Guy called evilly from inside. When she heard the unmistakable sound of a rifle cocking, she scrambled to her feet. "Remember that I can find you wherever you go. I won't chase after you; I know you'll return. Oh, and tell Lex to be careful: if he doesn't stop hurting you, I might be forced to kill him."

Despite the rain, the ringing in her ears, and the blaring car radio, Chloe heard every word crystal clear. She could think of nothing but getting away from him and making certain that he'd left her family alone.

******

Lex leaned against the pool table and regarding his nervous children sternly. "What, exactly, did Guy tell you, John?"

The boy, sitting on Martha's lap, was shaking. "He said that, if Mommy didn't leave you, he'd do somethin' awful to her and you! Then he said if I told, he'd kill me!" His eyes were wide as saucers. Martha tightened her grip around his tiny waist as much to provide comfort as to keep from shouting obscenities.

"Did he say what he'd do to Mommy?" Lex continued, kneeling down. His voice was quiet and gentle. It was an obvious struggle for him to not break something.

"Nope," Lena interjected from the other chair. "Then he...then he spanked us. Real hard. With a belt."

"Oh, my God," their father gasped. "You should have told me immediately."

To Martha, it seemed stupid to reprimand them at a time like that, but she bit her tongue. "Did he only do it once?" she wondered, running through several mental scenarios of what she'd do to Guy if she got her hands on him.

John shook his head slowly, like he wasn't sure if he should. "Uh uh. He said if we told you, you'd fire him. Then he said that, if you *fired* him, he'd come over here and take Mommy away." His bottom lip trembled. "He's not gonna take Mommy, is he?"

"No!" Lex shouted, startling them all. He stroked his children's foreheads lightly, lowering his voice again. "I won't let him."

Even though the office door was shut and the rain was loud against the windows, the quartet heard the door slam open. Jumping to his feet, Lex bolted out of the room. After debating for a second, Martha and the kids followed.

Chloe stood in the foyer, dripping wet and shuddering. She was speaking to her husband in hushed tones, but her first sentence was fully audible: "Guy just raped me."

******

No one moved or spoke for what felt like hours. Finally, Lena and John hugged their mother's legs. "We missed you, Mommy," they whispered in unison.

Picking them up, Chloe forced herself to smile. "I missed you guys, too. Can you do me a favor and go play? I'll come see you soon." She rested them on the floor quickly, as though her arms were sore.

"But you just got home!" Lena whined, stamping her foot.

Lex was unable to tear his eyes away from his wife, so Martha took Lena's hand. "Sweetie, you know we all love you, right?" A feeble nod. "The adults have some serious stuff to discuss, but when we're all done, we can all spend time together. Can you be a good girl and take John upstairs? Please?"

It was John who took the initiative; he grabbed his sister's arm and yanked her to the stairs. "Guy hurt Mommy," she heard him whisper. "That's why we can't be there. They're gonna get mad at him. He was a jerk."

Lex's mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. He finally emitted a little squeak.

"You know, I'll be back. I think I'm going to be sick," Chloe told them flatly. She glided across the floor, on her way to one of the first floor bathrooms, exuding an air of calmness. Martha was impressed; she herself would have been flipping out.

When Chloe returned, her skin had blanched and she was shivering. Something suddenly made Lex focus; he crushed her to his chest, murmuring meaningless words. They made it to his office, and he found a blanket behind the couch.

"Please don't touch me right now," Chloe requested evenly. Once he'd draped the blanket around her, Lex backed off. "Don't ask me if I'm 'okay', either; I'm going to be fine. And, no, I don't need to cry about this, I don't need to arrest him. I need to be left alone."

"Okay," her husband softly replied. "I'll be with John and Lena if you want me." He was about to leave when he bent down and kissed her forehead. She stiffened, and his face fell even more. "God, I'm sorry, Clo."

"Please go, Lex."

Taking a deep breath, he stood straighter. The intense hurt and anger on his handsome face were replaced by stoicism. Only after he'd closed the door did Chloe acknowledge Martha's presence.

"Can you stay with me?" Her facade slipped; she was as vulnerable as a child all of a sudden.

"Of course, sweetie." Martha perched next to her on the loveseat. Instantly Chloe's face was buried against the older woman's sweater.

No words were exchanged; Chloe was too numb to discuss the event. No tears were shed; Chloe was still in shock. The women simply sat on the couch, one giving strength to the other. When Lex checked on them hours later, after putting John and Lena to bed, he found Martha sitting in a chair, staring at the fire.

Wishing her a good night, Lex gingerly picked up his sleeping wife and carried her to bed.