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westwingwolf
17th June 2007, 01:28
Title: Suitable Specimen
Author: westwingwolf aka Mindy
Rating: PG-13
Spoiler: Mentions of things through Season 6, but I've changed a lot which you'll notice.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the characters that you don't recognize. I don't even own the title.
Summary: While investigating, Chloe comes in contact with a strange substance that has surprising effects. (Real original, I know .)
AN: Thanks to nonky for the title and for telling me that this wasn't crap. Thanks to skauble and somethingeasy for their encouragement as well.


Chapter 1

Chloe was incredibly pissed. Normally, she would love the idea of a stake out. The thrill that comes with the possibility of getting caught. The anticipation of everything finally coming to the surface. The notion that this could possibly be her biggest story yet.

None of this did any thing to help her mood. The truth was stake outs sucked unless you had someone with you. Jimmy had pictures to develop, so much for trying to prove his manhood. Clark actually had chores. She was starting to think Clark didn’t care until it was time to clean up the mess. Truthfully, she wasn’t in the mood to listen as Clark moped the entire time anyway. And despite Lois’ sudden urge to join the forces of investigative reporting, the dream didn’t matter if it interfered with a date with Metropolis’ newest billionaire. Not that she really wanted to share a byline. Lana was … well okay Lana had an excuse. A legitimate one for once. She missed Pete. He wouldn’t have deserted her. Great, now she was starting to think like Lana. No way was she going to allow herself to go down that tormented path. She had to concentrate on the story.

She had discovered that a recently divorced woman had bought controlling interest in a small chemical plant outside of Metropolis. None of this was particularly news worthy, but Chloe thought it was strange that a woman with no background in chemistry or business would suddenly make a huge investment without reason. In fact, Kim Carens was a successful couples’ therapist until she closed her practice after the divorce.

Chloe was willing to admit that people go through drastic changes after traumatic events. Some even went from one boyfriend to the next without giving proper time to heal. But to switch from one career to an entirely different one without any knowledge of how that world worked was too much of a mystery for Chloe to avoid.

She needed to investigate something that was entirely of her own accord. Something that wasn’t based on helping Clark or saving Lois from a disaster brought on by themselves.

Now was her chance. The last of the workers had left for the evening and all that was left was a lone security guard. She slipped passed him so easily that she had to resist the urge to ask if he was ever employed by Lex.

She easily found the lab thanks to the blueprints that she had ‘acquired’ beforehand. She never did anything without a good plan. She was smart after all.

The room was typical, very much like the LuthorCorp labs that she had broken into in the past. However, she had done a thorough investigation and neither Lex nor Lionel had anything to do with this woman. Strike one for the usual theory.

And she saw no sign of any green substance anywhere. So there was strike two.

After a few minutes of finding nothing incriminating or remotely interesting, she was about to chalk this up to just a random venture. Until she noticed the medical vials filled with a red liquid. She remembered Clark telling her about red kryptonite and the effects it had on him. She knew while green kryptonite had caused multiple problems to humans. Red kryptonite did nothing to humans or else everyone who bought a class ring would have gone crazy. If this really was red kryptonite, then what would anybody need with it?

As she reached for a sample, she heard the guard approach just outside the lab. Making a sudden move to duck, she ended up spilling the chemical onto her hand. She noticed that the contents seeped into her hand before she had a chance to wipe it off. She’d worry about that later. Not getting caught came first.

Luckily the guard didn’t notice her and moved on with his rounds. Chloe picked up some more samples and rushed out of the lab with as little noise as possible.

When she was safely back in her car, she knew her best bet was to rush to the hospital. Screw having to explain her actions, she didn’t want to risk what exposure to the chemical could mean.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As far as she could tell nothing about the chemical made her feel any different. The doctors had bought her excuse that she was walking along when she slipped on a strange substance and wanted to be cautious about what it could have been. She had to stay overnight for observation and a battery of tests since they had to do a thorough investigation of Chloe’s pilfered sample.

Amazingly they also bought that she was a biochemical major that kept extra vials around for emergencies like this. The things that people went along with when they either weren’t smart enough to question or didn’t care to know. The thought that these were the people on her case was enough to keep her awake for the entire night.

Dr. Lambert had advised that someone else drive her home after her release. Lois had no problem agreeing when she heard that she could until after her date was over. Unfortunately when she learned where she would need to pick Chloe up, she immediately freaked and called Gabe. Even after Chloe had explained that there was nothing to worry about, he still insisted on coming back to Metropolis after Lois had mentioned something about meteor rock. This would be the last time she ever gave Lois any information.

“Thank God! I knew I should have gone with you, but Oliver wouldn’t leave me alone, and he can be really sneaky about getting his way, so I figured I might as …”

“It’s okay Lois. You don’t have to explain or blame yourself.” Chloe felt the need to cut her cousin off before this whole ordeal became completely about her.

“I wasn’t blaming me, I was blaming you.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, why didn’t you wait for me?”

“It was my story. And I thought it couldn’t wait until after you got yourself into Oliver’s …”

“Hey Sweetie!” Gabe had heard his daughter and niece arguing from outside and he felt it was best to interrupt before Lois ended up in the bed next to Chloe.

Chloe stopped at the sound of her dad’s voice, but she shot Lois a look that clearly said they weren’t finished.

“Dad, you didn’t need to come all this way. I’m fine and I’m sure your needed back in Gotham.”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Wayne said that while he found me to be invaluable to the business, he knew I would not be up to my usual excellent standards if I was busy worrying about you. He even offered me his private jet in order to see you as soon as possible.”

Chloe smiled brightly at her father and turned a more a devious smile onto her cousin. “Isn’t it interesting how one billionaire is willing to do anything to keep family together, while another one has no qualms about keeping people from family obligations?”

“Hey, you said that you were perfectly fine here and didn’t need me until this morning…and,” Lois was about to go on when she caught her uncle’s questioning look and turned sheepish. “Yeah that is somewhat mildly interesting, if you cared about making comparisons like that. Fine. I’m sorry. I should have ignored you when you said it was okay and just come here anyways.”

Chloe broke into a smaller real smile. “No, it’s okay. I was just teasing and there was nothing you could have done here except annoy me until I gave in and told you what I was investigating.”

“Speaking of which…”

“No.”

“Just a little…”

“No.”

“I’m family!”

“You’re right, I forgot about that until just this moment. Well, this changes things.”

“Really?!”

“No.”

Chloe ended up giving them the bare bones of her trip. Typical investigation, something went wrong, she even mentioned the meteor rock influence. Though she made sure to call it that and not Kryptonite. She didn’t tell them that it was red as she thought the new angle would spark Lois’ interest enough to barge in where she wasn’t wanted. After a stern lecture about being more careful from her father and his acknowledgement that no matter what he said, she’d still do as she did; they talked about his work and the new things in both of their lives. Lois joined in from time to time. Chloe had missed this. Even though they spoke on the phone and e-mailed several times throughout the day, it didn’t compare to actually having him around. She was so busy catching up with her father that she didn’t notice she had another visitor until she heard Lois speak.

“Hey Smallville, I figured you would have gotten here sooner.”

Chloe looked up to see Clark standing in the doorway and in an instant she had a sudden urge that she couldn’t deny.

So she grabbed the bedpan and proceeded to vomit.

MODERATOR'S NOTE: This fic is missing chapters due to hacking these forums were viction of some time ago. If you want to read the whole version, here it is in PDF format: Suitable Specimen (http://www.mediafire.com/view/8mxyc3bnhoe5k1i/westwingwolf_Suitable_Specimen.pdf)

kitten
17th June 2007, 01:32
*JOY!*

Further review to come, as I have to go back to the shout box and talk to you there.

Continuing on:


Chloe was incredibly pissed. Normally, she would love the idea of a stake out. The thrill that comes with the possibility of getting caught. The anticipation of everything finally coming to the surface. The notion that this could possibly be her biggest story yet.

I love sneaky Chloe out looking for trouble. *hugs bad Chloe* YEAH! Badass! Frankly I'm not sorry Chloe went alone. Her friends always seem to drag her down. The Chloe solo mission rocks.


She easily found the lab thanks to the blueprints that she had ‘acquired’ beforehand. She never did anything without a good plan. She was smart after all.

The room was typical, very much like the LuthorCorp labs that she had broken into in the past. However, she had done a thorough investigation and neither Lex nor Lionel had anything to do with this woman. Strike one for the usual theory.

And she saw no sign of any green substance anywhere. So there was strike two.

Wow, if it's not the Luthors or Kryptonite, what can it be? Does anything else exist that's shady in Smallville? Luckily you're not on the Smallville writing team and have ideas.

I know the answers but I'm pelting you with questions anyway. What happened to Chloe? What is the Red K serum supposed to do? Did Clark's stupid expression make her puke? When does the Chlex start?!

Sorry . . . *Lex sponges brow* I'm fine. I'm fine.


The last of the workers had left for the evening and all that was left was a lone security guard. She slipped passed him so easily that she had to resist the urge to ask if he was ever employed by Lex.

LOL at this guard. Smallville only has a limited number of people willing to get knocked out constantly. There's a serious labour gap for Lex.


As she reached for a sample, she heard the guard approach just outside the lab. Making a sudden move to duck, she ended up spilling the chemical onto her hand. She noticed that the contents seeped into her hand before she had a chance to wipe it off. She’d worry about that later. Not getting caught came first.

Luckily the guard didn’t notice her and moved on with his rounds. Chloe picked up some more samples and rushed out of the lab with as little noise as possible.

When she was safely back in her car, she knew her best bet was to rush to the hospital. Screw having to explain her actions, she didn’t want to risk what exposure to the chemical could mean.

I love a smart execution. The biggest action isn't always the best and it makes more sense for Chloe to spill the serum on herself instead of doing something like adding it to coffee and downing it. I'm glad she's taking care of herself as well.


“Hey Sweetie!” Gabe had heard his daughter and niece arguing from outside and he felt it was best to interrupt before Lois ended up in the bed next to Chloe.

*starry eyes* I LOVE Gabe! Thank you for Gabe. I always kill him off but your Gabe is alive and peppy and realistic about his daughter's ability to maim her cousin. Good parenting.


“Speaking of which…”

“No.”

“Just a little…”

“No.”

“I’m family!”

“You’re right, I forgot about that until just this moment. Well, this changes things.”

“Really?!”

“No.”

Lois and Chloe bantering is cute. Although I'm a little miffed Lois didn't hurry to Chloe's bedside.




“Hey Smallville, I figured you would have gotten here sooner.”

Chloe looked up to see Clark standing in the doorway and in an instant she had a sudden urge that she couldn’t deny.

So she grabbed the bedpan and proceeded to vomit.

I've said it before, but I love it! I love what comes next and I love this story. See how silly you were to worry about posting it. I'm going back to the shoutbox to talk to you again, but please update soon?

xxasaxx
17th June 2007, 02:03
interesting.... i can't to see where this goes!:grin3:

skauble
17th June 2007, 03:08
Chloe was incredibly pissed. Normally, she would love the idea of a stake out. The thrill that comes with the possibility of getting caught. The anticipation of everything finally coming to the surface. The notion that this could possibly be her biggest story yet.

This was the perfect summation of Chloe and why she's such a brilliant journalist.




Chloe was willing to admit that people go through drastic changes after traumatic events. Some even went from one boyfriend to the next without giving proper time to heal. But to switch from one career to an entirely different one without any knowledge of how that world worked was too much of a mystery for Chloe to avoid.


ROTFLMAO at the nod to Lana's perpetual need for a man.




She needed to investigate something that was entirely of her own accord. Something that wasn’t based on helping Clark or saving Lois from a disaster brought on by themselves.


Thank you so much for bringing back some of the original Chloe who dug for and found cool stories all the time instead of being used to keep all the other characters stories legitimate. Good for her for grabbing a lead that didn't begin with Clark or end with Lois.




Now was her chance. The last of the workers had left for the evening and all that was left was a lone security guard. She slipped passed him so easily that she had to resist the urge to ask if he was ever employed by Lex.


LOLOLOLOL I think that this is the *real* reason that Lex wants a mutant army - he needs decent security.




She easily found the lab thanks to the blueprints that she had ‘acquired’ beforehand. She never did anything without a good plan. She was smart after all.


:love2: methodical Chloe!



The room was typical, very much like the LuthorCorp labs that she had broken into in the past. However, she had done a thorough investigation and neither Lex nor Lionel had anything to do with this woman. Strike one for the usual theory.

And she saw no sign of any green substance anywhere. So there was strike two.


Love to see her at work. Rule out the usual suspects and then get down to business.




As she reached for a sample, she heard the guard approach just outside the lab. Making a sudden move to duck, she ended up spilling the chemical onto her hand. She noticed that the contents seeped into her hand before she had a chance to wipe it off. She’d worry about that later. Not getting caught came first.


Brains and common sense. How on earth did she end up as a character on Smallville???




Luckily the guard didn’t notice her and moved on with his rounds. Chloe picked up some more samples and rushed out of the lab with as little noise as possible.

When she was safely back in her car, she knew her best bet was to rush to the hospital. Screw having to explain her actions, she didn’t want to risk what exposure to the chemical could mean.


I adore your Chloe!!! She's bright enough to grab some extra samples and realistic enough to know that exposure like this demands medical attention.




As far as she could tell nothing about the chemical made her feel any different. The doctors had bought her excuse that she was walking along when she slipped on a strange substance and wanted to be cautious about what it could have been. She had to stay overnight for observation and a battery of tests since they had to do a thorough investigation of Chloe’s pilfered sample.

Amazingly they also bought that she was a biochemical major that kept extra vials around for emergencies like this. The things that people went along with when they either weren’t smart enough to question or didn’t care to know. The thought that these were the people on her case was enough to keep her awake for the entire night.


:rofl: Yeah, it's tough realizing that your care is in the hands of complete and utter morons.




Dr. Lambert had advised that someone else drive her home after her release. Lois had no problem agreeing when she heard that she could until after her date was over. Unfortunately when she learned where she would need to pick Chloe up, she immediately freaked and called Gabe. Even after Chloe had explained that there was nothing to worry about, he still insisted on coming back to Metropolis after Lois had mentioned something about meteor rock. This would be the last time she ever gave Lois any information.


Yay to getting some Gabe! Oh, Daddy Sullivan, how we've missed you.




“I wasn’t blaming me, I was blaming you.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, why didn’t you wait for me?”


I missed Lois much less. lol




“Hey Sweetie!” Gabe had heard his daughter and niece arguing from outside and he felt it was best to interrupt before Lois ended up in the bed next to Chloe.


That's right. Lois may talk tough but Gabe knows who the real scary chick is. Even indestructible Clark is scared of Chloe.




Chloe smiled brightly at her father and turned a more a devious smile onto her cousin. “Isn’t it interesting how one billionaire is willing to do anything to keep family together, while another one has no qualms about keeping people from family obligations?”


I like both Bruce and Oliver, but IMO it would be a wonderfully bonding experience for Chloe and Lex if she puked on them. Especially if she did it in from of him. lololol




“I’m family!”

“You’re right, I forgot about that until just this moment. Well, this changes things.”

“Really?!”

“No.”


LMAO Good for Chloe. Who wants to partner up with someone so spectacularly unqualified in the field? If Chloe's going to have to do all the work she might as well make sure that she gets all of the credit.




“Hey Smallville, I figured you would have gotten here sooner.”


I was absolutely giddy awaiting Clark's arrival.




Chloe looked up to see Clark standing in the doorway and in an instant she had a sudden urge that she couldn’t deny.

So she grabbed the bedpan and proceeded to vomit.


Jackpot!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was worth the wait. Even worth the lack of Lex. Finally Clark is making Chloe hurl the way he's been making us puke for so long.


www, I know that you were worried about posting this, but I can honestly say that this story is absolutely fantastic! The plot is great, the writing is wonderful, and I *love* your Chloe. I've read a lot of your opinions about Lex so I have no doubt that I'll love your Lex, too.

Face it, this fic is fabulous.

In fact, the only thing that you need to worry about is us stalking you relentlessly for more. Not that *I* would be that demanding, but you're on somethingeasy's radar now. Bwahahahahaha!

Great work. Can't wait for more.

~Sarah~

carly
17th June 2007, 03:09
Great start!:D I love Chloe& Lois bickering!
Can't wait for more!
Upd soon!

toryjhay
17th June 2007, 03:16
The last of the workers had left for the evening and all that was left was a lone security guard. She slipped passed him so easily that she had to resist the urge to ask if he was ever employed by Lex.

totally loved this jab at lex, funny!!!!

i was totally floored when i saw that you wrote this!!! couldn't wait to read it actually. i love that gabe is working for bruce and that the bat actually loaned the jet to him so he could visit chloe, and giggling at the billionaire comparisons too funny for words!!!!!

now i'm definitely intrigued, can't wait to find out why chloe just felt the urge to upchuck at the sight of clark. can't wait until lex comes into the picture...more soon please!!!!:D

dagney
17th June 2007, 04:33
You've got my attention. The last bit with Clark's enterence and Chloe being ill, lol Dagney

Esther25jm
17th June 2007, 04:44
LMAO!!! Chloe got the same reaction from Clark that I got when I saw Lex/Pinkie together!!! Love this and the mystery with the red-K. You're doing a great job and I can't wait for more!!

hfce
17th June 2007, 05:32
Great start I am very interested. I want to know why she puke when Clark showed up. :rofl:

Augustine86
17th June 2007, 07:40
A new fic by WestingWolf!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember enjoying your last one and now I sheepishly realize I don't know which one was it. I just remember it was good... So good I jumped right into this one without hesitation!

westwingwolf
17th June 2007, 09:02
A new fic by WestingWolf!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember enjoying your last one and now I sheepishly realize I don't know which one was it. I just remember it was good... So good I jumped right into this one without hesitation!

That could be because there wasn't one. Not really, just a poem. And those posts I did about the Smallville Writer's Room. But it is nice to know I have a fan all the same.

The next update will be up soon, in fact it will be a two parter because the first part is short and I know you guys want to see Lex who doesn't show up until the second part.

I have a plan for this fic I just need to speak with my prophet to see if my latest idea isn't completely insane and results in people asking for my head.

Kit Merlot
17th June 2007, 16:02
This is a very cool beginning, and I can't wait to see where you take this story.

More please:D

Gaia
17th June 2007, 17:27
Hmmmm....what did Chloe get herself into this time...
More soon please

somethingeasy
17th June 2007, 18:47
AN: Thanks to nonky for the title and for telling me that this wasn't crap. Thanks to skauble and somethingeasy for their encouragement as well.

heh, Mindy’s being too kind using me as a reference, but I appreciate the mention anyway.


Chloe was incredibly pissed. Normally, she would love the idea of a stake out. The thrill that comes with the possibility of getting caught. The anticipation of everything finally coming to the surface. The notion that this could possibly be her biggest story yet.

oooh, LOVED this all-encompassing description on the THRILLS that Chloe gets from her life’s work.


None of this did any thing to help her mood. The truth was stake outs sucked unless you had someone with you. Jimmy had pictures to develop, so much for trying to prove his manhood. Clark actually had chores. She was starting to think Clark didn’t care until it was time to clean up the mess. Truthfully, she wasn’t in the mood to listen as Clark moped the entire time anyway. And despite Lois’ sudden urge to join the forces of investigative reporting, the dream didn’t matter if it interfered with a date with Metropolis’ newest billionaire. Not that she really wanted to share a byline. Lana was … well okay Lana had an excuse. A legitimate one for once. She missed Pete. He wouldn’t have deserted her. Great, now she was starting to think like Lana. No way was she going to allow herself to go down that tormented path. She had to concentrate on the story.

LOL! I laughed (and snorted derisively) at the details of the reasons why other people were too ‘busy’ to play back up to Chloe.

And I even giggled at the reference of Lana actually having a legitimate excuse. Even if that excuse WAS whining and pining over Pete. I am SO glad there’s no mention of Lexana over here *pats Mindy on the back*


She had discovered that a recently divorced woman had bought controlling interest in a small chemical plant outside of Metropolis. None of this was particularly news worthy, but Chloe thought it was strange that a woman with no background in chemistry or business would suddenly make a huge investment without reason. In fact, Kim Carens was a successful couples’ therapist until she closed her practice after the divorce.

Chloe was willing to admit that people go through drastic changes after traumatic events. Some even went from one boyfriend to the next without giving proper time to heal. But to switch from one career to an entirely different one without any knowledge of how that world worked was too much of a mystery for Chloe to avoid.

Ooooh, interesting! It was FASCINATING seeing exactly what (and why something) got Chloe ‘reporter’s senses’ tingling away. It’s really interesting seeing how she gets these hunches, and follows through on them.

LOL! Truth to tell, I didn’t really notice to ‘nod to Lana’ until Skauble mention it in her review… but it WAS cute.


She needed to investigate something that was entirely of her own accord. Something that wasn’t based on helping Clark or saving Lois from a disaster brought on by themselves.

LOL! I really liked the reference to how Chloe was trying to separate herself from the ‘sidekick identity’ by searching for stories that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the ‘bigger/overwhelming characters’ in her life.


Now was her chance. The last of the workers had left for the evening and all that was left was a lone security guard. She slipped passed him so easily that she had to resist the urge to ask if he was ever employed by Lex.

:rofl: My favourite one-liner in this chapter.


She easily found the lab thanks to the blueprints that she had ‘acquired’ beforehand. She never did anything without a good plan. She was smart after all.

Which is why we LOVE her so much. Brains alongside cunning determination… how can anyone NOT love her?


The room was typical, very much like the LuthorCorp labs that she had broken into in the past. However, she had done a thorough investigation and neither Lex nor Lionel had anything to do with this woman. Strike one for the usual theory.

And she saw no sign of any green substance anywhere. So there was strike two.

Also fascinating to see more details about how she goes about ‘gathering up’ and then ‘disregarding’ the usual band of suspects. How she creates theories, disregards them from insufficient evidence, and goes about forming new idea. It’s really interesting seeing her ‘investigative mindset’ at work her.


After a few minutes of finding nothing incriminating or remotely interesting, she was about to chalk this up to just a random venture. Until she noticed the medical vials filled with a red liquid. She remembered Clark telling her about red kryptonite and the effects it had on him. She knew while green kryptonite had caused multiple problems to humans. Red kryptonite did nothing to humans or else everyone who bought a class ring would have gone crazy. If this really was red kryptonite, then what would anybody need with it?

As she reached for a sample, she heard the guard approach just outside the lab. Making a sudden move to duck, she ended up spilling the chemical onto her hand. She noticed that the contents seeped into her hand before she had a chance to wipe it off. She’d worry about that later. Not getting caught came first.

Hmmm, RedK instead of GreenK. Interesting! I can’t wait to get into the pseudo-technical on why this affected her so, and what the antidote might be.

I also LOVED the way she kept cool, calm and collected and managed to keep her priorities straight. Escape first, worry about weird chemical thing seeping into skin later.

If it had been me, I probably would have started shrieking for some Kleenex and trying to rub my skin right off.


Luckily the guard didn’t notice her and moved on with his rounds. Chloe picked up some more samples and rushed out of the lab with as little noise as possible.

squeeee! I also love the way she had the presence of mind to grab a few samples of what infected her. Excellent!


When she was safely back in her car, she knew her best bet was to rush to the hospital. Screw having to explain her actions, she didn’t want to risk what exposure to the chemical could mean.

I was SO pleased by Chloe’s catious attitude over here. There was no silly stint of denial where she did a superficial ‘check-over’ herself and found nothing out of place. There was K involved, and she wasn’t going to take ANY chances. I LOVE Chloe when she exhibits this take-charge kind of attitude… even if the person she’s ‘taking charge of’ is herself.


As far as she could tell nothing about the chemical made her feel any different. The doctors had bought her excuse that she was walking along when she slipped on a strange substance and wanted to be cautious about what it could have been. She had to stay overnight for observation and a battery of tests since they had to do a thorough investigation of Chloe’s pilfered sample.

Amazingly they also bought that she was a biochemical major that kept extra vials around for emergencies like this. The things that people went along with when they either weren’t smart enough to question or didn’t care to know. The thought that these were the people on her case was enough to keep her awake for the entire night.

ROTFLMAO! I guess it WOULD be a little nerve-wracking knowing that such gullible, unimaginative people are in charge on your health.


“It’s okay Lois. You don’t have to explain or blame yourself.” Chloe felt the need to cut her cousin off before this whole ordeal became completely about her.

“I wasn’t blaming me, I was blaming you.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, why didn’t you wait for me?”

“It was my story. And I thought it couldn’t wait until after you got yourself into Oliver’s …”

I had to giggle at Lois’s overbearing tirade over here. This Lois might have a streak of selfishness as one of her primary motivations, but I can see she was genuinely concerned about her cousin landing herself in the hospital


“Hey Sweetie!” Gabe had heard his daughter and niece arguing from outside and he felt it was best to interrupt before Lois ended up in the bed next to Chloe.

Chloe stopped at the sound of her dad’s voice, but she shot Lois a look that clearly said they weren’t finished.

“Dad, you didn’t need to come all this way. I’m fine and I’m sure your needed back in Gotham.”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Wayne said that while he found me to be invaluable to the business, he knew I would not be up to my usual excellent standards if I was busy worrying about you. He even offered me his private jet in order to see you as soon as possible.”

yayyyyy! It’s GABE, Gabe is here!!! :ecstatic:
I missed him!!!
It’s wonderful seeing the doting father return to the screen again. And from the very first chapter. I forgive you completely for not putting Lex in from the start… Gabe’s appearance more than makes up for it.

And a big awwww on Bruce offering Gabe the use of the company jet to get back to check on his daughter. Not only because this shows how much consideration Batman has for his employees, but also because it shows that Gabe has ‘earned’ a certain around of ‘special consideration’ from his exemplary job performance for WayneTech. It’s good to know that he’s doing well at his Gotham job.

And this explains why Chloe and her father haven’t been talking in such a long time. I’m sure Gabe must have been quite disappointed when Chloe opted to go to MetU and live in Metropolis rather than moving to Gotham.


Chloe smiled brightly at her father and turned a more a devious smile onto her cousin. “Isn’t it interesting how one billionaire is willing to do anything to keep family together, while another one has no qualms about keeping people from family obligations?”

LOL at this dig at Oliver Queen (and Lois by proxy). LOL!


“Hey, you said that you were perfectly fine here and didn’t need me until this morning…and,” Lois was about to go on when she caught her uncle’s questioning look and turned sheepish. “Yeah that is somewhat mildly interesting, if you cared about making comparisons like that. Fine. I’m sorry. I should have ignored you when you said it was okay and just come here anyways.”

Chloe broke into a smaller real smile. “No, it’s okay. I was just teasing and there was nothing you could have done here except annoy me until I gave in and told you what I was investigating.”

Awwww at this sweet moment between the two cousins. Lois might have been a ‘little’ selfish blowing off Chloe’s request for backup, but at least she contritely apologised for it. And I don’t think she’ll be ignoring Chloe’s requests for help again. At least she’d BETTER NOT!!!


“Speaking of which…”

“No.”

“Just a little…”

“No.”

“I’m family!”

“You’re right, I forgot about that until just this moment. Well, this changes things.”

“Really?!”

“No.”

ROTFLMAO! Oh, they are just so CUTE!!! Love their banter, it was rather satisfying to see Chloe stringing Lois along and not giving her what she wants.


“Hey Smallville, I figured you would have gotten here sooner.”

Chloe looked up to see Clark standing in the doorway and in an instant she had a sudden urge that she couldn’t deny.

So she grabbed the bedpan and proceeded to vomit.

ROTFLMAO! I was just waiting for this moment. Now see, THIS is why I hate spoilers… it would have been SO much more fun if this had come unexpectedly, and if I had NO idea why it happened… I probably would have been happily nagging and bugging Mindy, speculating about the ‘why’ of the vomiting, and begging for another update.

Spoiler Alert
Well, I’m STILL going to speculate and ask questions, and bug for another update… Questions first… why didn’t Chloe show a reaction to any of the OTHER males at the hospital before Clark (like the doctors, technicians, janitors, other patients, etc). hmmm, most probably, it took a little while for the RedK to kick in, and it just happened a few minutes before Clark entered?

Or perhaps there need to be some VERY specific circumstances for the vomit-urge to trigger? Like the male has to be a certain age? Or display a certain amount of interest in Chloe? Or perhaps Chloe has to be interested in the male?

Heh, I look forward to getting further information and clarification. Please update soon.

westwingwolf
17th June 2007, 20:34
Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

AN: As promised, you get 2 chapters for the price of one because Lex didn't want to wait any longer. I think he's behaving somewhat OOC, so I'll work on fixing that in later chapters, but for now please enjoy him. *VERY IMPORTANT* Please note that anything that sounds remotely scientific is based on 1% science and 99% pure BS, so if you are a fan of real science, you won't find it here. Special nod to somethingeasy for catching something I missed.


Chapter 2

Clark rushed to her side but his presence continued to upset her. She felt dizzy, and then a familiar pain rising from her stomach to her throat. She only had time to utter two words before she emptied her stomach again. “Clark, leave.”

Her father was holding her hair and rubbing her back to try and soothe the pain. Meanwhile Lois pushed Clark out into the hallway and called for a nurse.

“I have to help,” Clark pleaded with Lois as he tried to move pass her and back into Chloe’s room.

“You’d have better luck getting by a rabid Doberman Pincher than crossing me if your what’s making Chloe sick,” Lois said as she pushed him towards the waiting room.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be the reason?”

“I don’t know, but she was perfectly healthy before you entered.”

“Well why is she here anyway?”

“She was investigating a chemical plant. She accidentally spilt one of the experiments on herself.”

Clark wanted to ask what she was doing alone, but then he remembered he was part of the reason for that so he went with a safer observation. “Maybe it took a while for the effects to take place and it’s all just a coincidence.”

“Pretty big coincidence especially since she specifically asked you to leave.” Lois saw no need to calm Clark’s fears.

Dr. Lambert appeared before Lois had a chance to make Clark feel worse. “Chloe’s better now but I want to test something. Could you both follow me?”

The group stopped in front of Chloe’s room. A male orderly was waiting outside the door. Clark was about to ask about the man’s presence before Dr. Lambert began speaking to him. “I want you to wait here for a moment. I’m going to call for you but you must leave when I tell you. Understand?” At his nod, she and Lois both entered the room and left Clark outside with orderly. He now understood what it felt like to be Shelby whenever he broke something in the house.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Chloe, I know you feel much better but I’m going to have to try and make you sick in order to see what’s wrong,” Dr. Lambert explained.

“Someone’s been watching too much ‘House’,” Chloe was glad she could still snark even if she felt like crap.

“Just be glad I’m sober right now. Do you have the bucket ready?” After Chloe picked up the bucket with as much enthusiasm as she could manage, Dr. Lambert called for Clark.

As soon as he entered, Chloe began to heave once again. So Clark left and the doctor waited a few minutes for Chloe to recover. She then called for the orderly. And just like Clark he had to leave as soon as Chloe again reached for the bucket.

Gabe pressed a cold washcloth to Chloe’s forehead and asked “What was the point of all that?”

“I suspect that any man in Chloe’s presence will force her to involuntarily regurgitate. We are still researching the substance but the preliminary tests show that the chemical that Chloe was exposed to has changed her body’s composition. Whatever this substance is has a process that’s similar to an animal nature’s when identifying others.”

Since she was beginning to feel better, she felt the need to interject. “You mean like pheromones?”

“Yes, but these pheromones seemed to be only triggered by males.”

“But I was fine last night and I don’t feel sick around my dad.”

“That’s what observation is for. We had to see if anything occurred before we sent you home. Apparently, the chemical has had to time to set into your system. From what I can tell, the reaction has caused you to feel normal around your father because his scent, for lack of a better word, is similar to yours and therefore causes no harm. Unfortunately, I’m not sure why it only makes a difference with males. We have to run some more tests. In the meantime, you are going to be placed in isolation.”

“No way is that going to happen.” Chloe had already begun to get up from the bed before Gabe stopped her.

“Think about it Sweetie. You won’t be able to avoid men out there. What are you going to do, carry a trashcan everywhere you go? It won’t do you any good to get dehydrated and pass out from this sickness.”

“Fine, I’ll bow to your fatherly wisdom just this once.” Gabe smiled at Chloe’s answer as Dr. Lambert left to make arrangements for Chloe to only be treated by female nurses and orderlies.

Lois finally spoke up. “I’ll go let Clark know what’s going on. He’s probably worn a hole in the floor. Unless, you want him to suffer some more?” She gave Chloe a hopeful look, but left as soon as she received her cousin’s look of annoyance.

“I bet you’re happy about this whole deal, Dad.”

“No father likes to see his daughter sick. Even if it does mean that he won’t have to worry about unworthy suitors for a while.” He shared a small smile with Chloe until the weight of his words finally sunk in and she looked like she might cry.

Gabe put his arms around Chloe and spoke gently but with determination. “Hey, no worries kid. The doctors are working to figure this all out. And when they do, they’ll have a cure.”

Chloe wanted to ask how he could be so sure, but instead she decided to accept her father’s hug and did her best not to cry on his shoulder.

She failed.


Chapter 3

Chloe had managed to keep her editor from asking too many questions or firing her after explaining her strange illness that would keep her in the hospital but didn’t hinder her ability to work too much. Easy when she had a doctor willing to back up her claims. So she was relegated to fact checking for the time being. When she finally got her story out, it would all be worth it.

Explaining things to Jimmy was much more difficult. For one thing she couldn’t see him. For another, he was too much of a good guy to stay away when she was sick even if she lied and said it was contagious.

She realized she had to tell him the truth or rather have Lois tell him. Apparently, he had experience enough weirdness to accept that this was possible and she wasn’t trying to avoid him. They decided to phone, e-mail and instant message when they could but Chloe knew it wouldn’t be the same. She would miss seeing him.

Clark had decided to take up residence outside her room. Probably felt guilty more than anything else for not being with her when she went to the plant. She tried to tell him it wouldn’t have mattered, but no one could come between Clark Kent and his guilt/hero complex.

After several annoying attempts at yelling things through the door and still not understanding each other, Lois had left and returned with walkie-talkies. Chloe was grateful at first but after listening to Clark drone on about his problems, she was tempted to throw the device against the wall. Instead, she opted to turn the volume down and went back to her work while occasionally giving non-committal answers. Clark wouldn’t be any wiser.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Why didn’t you call me as soon as you found out?” Lex yelled into his cell phone as he entered the Metropolis General Hospital parking lot.

“I figured Gabe could use some time alone with his daughter. Plus how would you explain how you found out?” Bruce replied calmly after listening to his friend rant the entire time that he was also probably speeding to the hospital.

“I would have thought of something.”

“Right. I forgot about that Luthor genius. I figured it disappeared around the time you hooked up with that brunette… uh… Ellen…or Hannah… or something.”

“I don’t want to get into that right now.”

“At least tell me why you’re so worried about a woman who is not your girlfriend.”

“I’m in the hospital now. No cell phones allowed. Goodbye.” Lex hung up before Bruce could get out another word.

He found the receptionist’s desk and asked for Chloe’s room number.

“I’m sorry Mr. Luthor, but she isn’t allowed visitors.” Given that the woman knew who he was and still told him no, it wasn’t likely that he could use smooth talk, intimidation, money, or blackmail.

However, what worried him more was that she couldn’t have visitors. Didn’t the more critical patients become restricted to just family? Bruce was worried enough to send Gabe. But with the way he was teasing him just a moment ago, a part of Lex felt that Chloe would be fine. So why in God’s name couldn’t he be allowed to see her? He was about to use his usual tactics anyway when he heard a familiar voice.

“I thought I felt the weather get colder. What brings you here Lex? Did you manage to get another concussion?”

Lex chose to ignore the comments for the greater good. “Ms. Lane, just the person who can help me. I came to see Chloe.”

Lois was having an internal debate over which question was more important: how Lex found out or why he cared. She opted for the latter. “Why? Do you plan on asking her to investigate one of your business associates? Want to know if you can bring down a good person with some stupid mistake from their past? Too bad, Chloe isn’t healthy enough for that.”

“I would never ask her to do that knowing she isn’t that kind of person. I’m surprised you think she could. Now what do you mean? Why isn’t she healthy?”

“Well, she’s in a hospital for one thing.” Lois stated as she began walking towards Chloe’s room.

“But why? What’s the matter? Is it serious? Is there anything I can do?” Lex internally rolled his eyes at how obviously desperate he sounded. Thankfully, either Lois wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care enough to comment.

She stopped in front of Clark who was sitting in one of the chairs outside what Lex assumed was Chloe’s room. That made Lex feel worse. Clark was here first, understandable considering he was Chloe’s best friend but it still unnerved him. Worse yet was that if Clark wasn’t even allowed inside then Chloe’s prognosis must be dire. And Lois still wasn’t telling him a damn thing.

“I’m going in. Stay here. Clark will explain everything.” Clark and Lex were about to protest but both stopped when Lois stared them down.
Lex wasted no time in asking about Chloe as he set down. He and Clark may have their problems but he wouldn’t allow that to dissuade him from what he wanted to know.

“Long story short, she was chasing a story, got exposed to a chemical which makes her throw up every time she gets near a man.” Clark said with almost no emotion what so ever.

“I’m going to need some more details. Exposed to what exactly and how? And why does it have that effect?” Lex hoped that his voice didn’t give too much away but knew it would be worth it if he got the answers.

“What do you care? Chloe said that the plant she was investigating had nothing to do with you. Unless you know better.” Clark's words basically proclaimed that he thought Lex did.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t be blamed for this one. I just want to help Chloe and in order to do that I need to know more about the circumstances.” Lex’s words were honest and he hoped that Clark would believe him.

Clark didn’t and said as much, but thankfully someone else did. Seemingly out of nowhere he heard a sharp squeal and then Chloe’s voice. “Clark, shut up and give Lex the walkie-talkie.” Lex wasted no effort in trying not to laugh as Clark handed the device to him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chloe thought she couldn’t be more than surprised when Lois told her that Lex came to visit her. She realized she was wrong when Lois went on to say that he seemed genuinely upset.

Her natural curiosity wanted to hear from Lex himself. She was lucky that Clark had forgotten to take his finger off the talk button so she could hear everything they said.

She asked Lois to leave and take Clark to get something to eat. She told Lex everything he wanted to hear, again leaving out the word Kryptonite, but then she had some questions of her own.

“How did you find out about me?’’ She figured this question would be easier than the others.

“I have my sources.” So apparently Lex didn’t want to go the easy route. That didn’t matter. She knew how to throw him off his game.

“Sources like Bruce Wayne.” That must of done the trick because it took a while before an answer came back.

“Yes. How did you know it was from him?” The obvious answer was that no one else who knew would tell him but that would avoid the issue that Chloe had wanted to come to the surface.

“I know that you’re the reason my dad got the job at Wayne Enterprises. Cushy jobs don’t just fall into someone’s lap after over a year of no real work.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help him sooner. I just wanted to make sure my dad had completely forgotten about you before I did anything to make him think I still … that we were still… in league.” Chloe now wished more than ever that she could see him. She wanted to look into his eyes and see the sincerity. She really wanted to know if his change of words was an accident or on purpose.

The toll of Lex’s first confession even though she already had her suspicions was weighing on her. She decided that rest was in order before she put anymore thought to the rest of the questions that needed to be asked. “Lex, I’m kind of tired right now, but I reserved the right to bring this up at a later date. And I have more topics that we need to discuss.”

Despite Lex’s fear of what those topics might lead to, he could only smile and agree to Chloe’s command.

“You can leave the walkie-talkie in the chair. Clark will pick it up.” Lex placed the gadget back in Clark’s chair, but he didn’t adhere to Chloe unstated allowance. He decided to wait in his own chair as Chloe slept.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After an hour in which he was sure Chloe was fast asleep, he couldn’t resist the urge to look in on her. He convinced himself that as long as her brain was partially shut down during sleep, she wouldn’t be able to pick up on his scent. He knew it sounded dumb especially since he was fully aware of sleep and biology, but it didn’t matter when he greatly wanted to see her. Hearing her voice had done a lot to calm him. Seeing her would go even further. If she started to wake, then he would just run out of the room. Only for her would he do that.

As he entered, he was glad to see that she didn’t appear to be physically hurt. He knew that already from speaking with her. But it was always nice to see for oneself.

She was peacefully sleeping so he carefully stepped towards her bed. At first he did his best not to disturb her, so he placed his hands behind his back as he looked her over. However, as he studied her face, he couldn’t help himself from moving some of the hair off her face. As soon as he began to pull his hand back, Chloe started to wake.

He tried to make a dash for the door but ended up crashing into her food tray.

“Lex?” He stopped and turned to face Chloe’s waking form. He was standing in her room looking pathetic with bits of hospital macaroni and cheese covering his face and clothes. He looked nothing like himself and every bit one of those comedians who go for the pratfalls.

But none of that matter to him because in a few seconds he was about to make Chloe vomit, and he couldn’t get his damn legs to move.

He somehow got control of himself, managed to grab the bucket next to her bed, handed it to her, and then made his way back to the door.

“Lex, wait. I don’t feel sick.”

And he suddenly couldn’t move again.

toryjhay
17th June 2007, 21:55
ahhh...the plot thickens!

loved the snark between the doctor and chloe, loved the house reference!!!! i was kinda disappointed that the reaction was not restricted to clark, but to all male population, well except for gabe (who i love in this fic!).

trust clark to make the situation all about him (woe is me CK!), i really hate it when he gets an attack of guilt and chloe consistently is the one who allays them. anyway, love that bruce gave gabe the job because of lex, and the fact that the other billionaire had no qualms calling lex on his concern for chloe. and i just have to ask, will he be making an actual appearance??

the picture lex made when he entered chloe's room...classic, the visual you left with me was too much!!!:rofl: , FUNNY! can't wait till the next one!!!! lex is a suitable specimen indeed!!!!

Kit Merlot
17th June 2007, 22:01
Cool update!

So Chloe is allergic to Clark and the male orderly, but not to her dad or Lex. And I'm sure the Red Kryptonite will come into play as well.

I'm just not sure how:D

So please update as soon as you can so that you can explain it all--or at least leave us more hints;)

somethingeasy
17th June 2007, 23:16
Clark rushed to her side but his presence continued to upset her. She felt dizzy, and then a familiar pain rising from her stomach to her throat. She only had time to utter two words before she emptied her stomach again. “Clark, leave.”

Her father was holding her hair and rubbing her back to try and soothe the pain. Meanwhile Lois pushed Clark out into the hallway and called for a nurse.

“I have to help,” Clark pleaded with Lois as he tried to move pass her and back into Chloe’s room.

“You’d have better luck getting by a rabid Doberman Pincher than crossing me if your what’s making Chloe sick,” Lois said as she pushed him towards the waiting room.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be the reason?”

That’s a good question. Of all the reasons, how did Chloe know that it was Clark’s presence that was triggering her vmoit reaction. I’d really like some details on ‘exactly’ what Chloe feels when any man gets near her. How does she know that CLARK was the course of her sickness? Does she feel vertigo looking at the man? Does she see double-images of Clark? Does he smell particularly bad? Does he glow from her perspective? WHAT exactly is she ‘feeling’? How quickly does it start, intensify and then result in the vomiting? How much warning time does she have to grab a receptacle?


Clark wanted to ask what she was doing alone, but then he remembered he was part of the reason for that so he went with a safer observation. “Maybe it took a while for the effects to take place and it’s all just a coincidence.”

heeee :D Clark guilt! Excellent!


The group stopped in front of Chloe’s room. A male orderly was waiting outside the door. Clark was about to ask about the man’s presence before Dr. Lambert began speaking to him. “I want you to wait here for a moment. I’m going to call for you but you must leave when I tell you. Understand?” At his nod, she and Lois both entered the room and left Clark outside with orderly. He now understood what it felt like to be Shelby whenever he broke something in the house.

ROTFLMAO! That is really quite apt, actually. Clark, the big, dumb puppy who’s been BAD! *whaps him on head with a newspaper*


“I suspect that any man in Chloe’s presence will force her to involuntarily regurgitate. We are still researching the substance but the preliminary tests show that the chemical that Chloe was exposed to has changed her body’s composition. Whatever this substance is has a process that’s similar to an animal nature’s when identifying others.”

Since she was beginning to feel better, she felt the need to interject. “You mean like pheromones?”

“Yes, but these pheromones seemed to be only triggered by males.”

“But I was fine last night and I don’t feel sick around my dad.”

“That’s what observation is for. We had to see if anything occurred before we sent you home. Apparently, the chemical has had to time to set into your system. From what I can tell, the reaction has caused you to feel normal around your father because his scent, for lack of a better word, is similar to yours and therefore causes no harm. Unfortunately, I’m not sure why it only makes a difference with males. We have to run some more tests. In the meantime, you are going to be placed in isolation.”

LOL! Pseudo-science. Loved it! Is Dr. Lambert going to get into details about why Lex doesn’t make her sick. I cannot wait to hear her theories about THAT!


Lois finally spoke up. “I’ll go let Clark know what’s going on. He’s probably worn a hole in the floor. Unless, you want him to suffer some more?” She gave Chloe a hopeful look, but left as soon as she received her cousin’s look of annoyance.

heh, I rather enjoy seeing Lois acting all sadistic. It’s quite fun.

“I bet you’re happy about this whole deal, Dad.”


“No father likes to see his daughter sick. Even if it does mean that he won’t have to worry about unworthy suitors for a while.” He shared a small smile with Chloe until the weight of his words finally sunk in and she looked like she might cry.

I giggled at Gabe’s ‘silver lining on the dark cloud’ observation. It was rather cute. But now… poor Chloe, she had enough trouble making friends, and now she’s never going to be able to engage in normal human interaction again. Poor thing.


Chloe wanted to ask how he could be so sure, but instead she decided to accept her father’s hug and did her best not to cry on his shoulder.

She failed.

Poor, POOR Chloe! *sob*


She realized she had to tell him the truth or rather have Lois tell him. Apparently, he had experience enough weirdness to accept that this was possible and she wasn’t trying to avoid him. They decided to phone, e-mail and instant message when they could but Chloe knew it wouldn’t be the same. She would miss seeing him.

awww, I thought it was sweet that Jimmy was willing to come and visit Chloe, even when told that she was horribly contagious. It’s a pity that she’s going to be deprived of his comfort during this nasty, horrible, lonely time of need. In fact, I can’t imagine Chloe has ever been more aware of being alone.


After several annoying attempts at yelling things through the door and still not understanding each other, Lois had left and returned with walkie-talkies. Chloe was grateful at first but after listening to Clark drone on about his problems, she was tempted to throw the device against the wall. Instead, she opted to turn the volume down and went back to her work while occasionally giving non-committal answers. Clark wouldn’t be any wiser.

The walkie talkie was a very sweet and clever idea from Lois. Nice!

Regardless of him going on and on about HIS own problems, it IS very sweet of Clark to be willing to stake this vigil outside Chloe’s room. He’s not able to see her… well, ok, he DOES have X-ray, but I don’t think he’ll be using it… since it would be an invasion of Chloe’s privacy… but he still wants to show his support and give Chloe company during her time of need. It’s not HIS fault he’s a rather boring conversationalist.


“Why didn’t you call me as soon as you found out?” Lex yelled into his cell phone as he entered the Metropolis General Hospital parking lot.

“I figured Gabe could use some time alone with his daughter. Plus how would you explain how you found out?” Bruce replied calmly after listening to his friend rant the entire time that he was also probably speeding to the hospital.

Lex yelling at Bruce about this took me by complete surprise. It was a decidedly uncharacteristic response. I got the impression that Chloe and Lex (in this fic) were not particularly close to each other… barely acquiantainces…

Hmmm, it seems like I was VERY much mistaken, because the volume and vehemence in Lex’s voice seems to suggest quite a bit of passion for the girl. Is he THAT fond of Chloe? How come she’s not aware of it?


“At least tell me why you’re so worried about a woman who is not your girlfriend.”

“I’m in the hospital now. No cell phones allowed. Goodbye.” Lex hung up before Bruce could get out another word.

heh, good question… and isn’t it typical that Lex would start following the rules NOW, when they suit him. Heh, sneaky!


“But why? What’s the matter? Is it serious? Is there anything I can do?” Lex internally rolled his eyes at how obviously desperate he sounded. Thankfully, either Lois wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care enough to comment.

She stopped in front of Clark who was sitting in one of the chairs outside what Lex assumed was Chloe’s room. That made Lex feel worse. Clark was here first, understandable considering he was Chloe’s best friend but it still unnerved him. Worse yet was that if Clark wasn’t even allowed inside then Chloe’s prognosis must be dire. And Lois still wasn’t telling him a damn thing.

Lois’s determination to be as annoying, unhelpful and hindering as possible to Lex was rather fun to watch. It’s always nice seeing Lex confronted by people who don’t immediately roll over and give him everything he wants. Mostly because it’s thrilling to see him getting ‘around’ the obstacles these people represent.

Again, I was quite intrigued by Lex’s extreme reaction to Chloe’s prognosis. He actually seems to be panicking at the thought of her seriously ill. I’d say, judging by this reaction, that Lex has extremely strong feelings for Chloe… and he’s not doing a very good job of hiding it… he’s quite lucky that Lois (supposedly) didn’t pick up on his panic.


“What do you care? Chloe said that the plant she was investigating had nothing to do with you. Unless you know better.” Clark words basically proclaimed that he thought Lex did.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t be blamed for this one. I just want to help Chloe and in order to do that I need to know more about the circumstances.” Lex’s words were honest and he hoped that Clark would believe him.

*rolls eyes* I should have known the two of them would get into a macho pissing contest over this.


Clark didn’t and said as much, but thankfully someone else did. Seemingly out of nowhere he heard a sharp squeal and then Chloe’s voice. “Clark, shut up and give Lex the walkie-talkie.” Lex wasted no effort in trying not to laugh as Clark handed the device to him.

LOL! I was SO glad to see Chloe’s no-nonsense tone cut through the macho BS that was building up over here. I could imagine Lex trying to suppress his smug grin as Clark contrite passed the walkie-talkie over.


Chloe thought she couldn’t be more than surprised when Lois told her that Lex came to visit her. She realized she was wrong when Lois went on to say that he seemed genuinely upset.

I knew it! It seems like Chloe had NO IDEA that Lex had any feeling beyond those of an ‘acquaintance’ for her. I wonder how long Lex has been harbouring these feelings, why Chloe didn’t know about them, why he didn’t act on them and whether he had any hopes for reciprocation.


“How did you find out about me?’’ She figured this question would be easier than the others.

“I have my sources.” So apparently Lex didn’t want to go the easy route. That didn’t matter. She knew how to throw him off his game.

“Sources like Bruce Wayne.” That must of done the trick because it took a while before an answer came back.

heh, good question, and I wanted to throttle Lex for his vague answer… I was REALLY glad that Chloe managed to get the truth out of him.


“Yes. How did you know it was from him?” The obvious answer was that no one else who knew would tell him but that would avoid the issue that Chloe had wanted to come to the surface.

“I know that you’re the reason my dad got the job at Wayne Enterprises. Cushy jobs don’t just fall into someone’s lap after over a year of no real work.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help him sooner. I just wanted to make sure my dad had completely forgotten about you before I did anything to make him think I still … that we were still… in league.” Chloe now wished more than ever that she could see him. She wanted to look into his eyes and see the sincerity. She really wanted to know if his change of words was an accident or on purpose.

I still… WHAT? What was he REALLY about to say over there? I’m guessing that it would have been quite revealing. I did think it was very ‘Chloe-like’ that she knew exactly how and why her father had gotten the ‘cushy Gotham job’. Isn’t it just like her to investigate her father’s new place of employment to make sure everything was legitimate and safe :) How sweet!!!

I bet she didn’t tell her dad about the investigation… while she was conducting it, OR about her results… again, such sweetness!!!


“You can leave the walkie-talkie in the chair. Clark will pick it up.” Lex placed the gadget back in Clark’s chair, but he didn’t adhere to Chloe unstated allowance. He decided to wait in his own chair as Chloe slept.

This is STILL so interesting. I’m seeing more evidence on how incredibly SMITTEN Lex is by Chloe. We know that how incredibly valuable his time is, but he sacrifices it in an instant because he wants to show his support for Chloe. So much that he actually wait for her while she’s sleeping… even thought he can’t touch her, look at her, or even hear her breathe. The promise of her presence on the other side of the door is enough.


After an hour in which he was sure Chloe was fast asleep, he couldn’t resist the urge to look in on her. He convinced himself that as long as her brain was partially shut down during sleep, she wouldn’t be able to pick up on his scent. He knew it sounded dumb especially since he was fully aware of sleep and biology, but it didn’t matter when he greatly wanted to see her. Hearing her voice had done a lot to calm him. Seeing her would go even further. If she started to wake, then he would just run out of the room. Only for her would he do that.

heh, only Lex Luthor could make obsessive night talking sound ‘sweet and endearing’. Seriously though, he’s got it BAD if he’s willing to risk bringing her discomfort and pain, just because he’s GOT to see her.


He tried to make a dash for the door but ended up crashing into her food tray.

“Lex?” He stopped and turned to face Chloe’s waking form. He was standing in her room looking pathetic with bits of hospital macaroni and cheese covering his face and clothes. He looked nothing like himself and every bit one of those comedians who go for the pratfalls.

ROTFLMAO! Oh. My. GOD! Lex crashing into a food cart like a complete klutz!!! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get this image of Lex losing his customary smooth and graceful movements due to sheer panic about being caught in a girl’s ‘bedroom’.

Heh ‘pratfalls’, I didn’t know there was an ‘official term’ for those comedians who engage in ‘physical humour’ like slipping on banana peels. LOL!


But none of that matter to him because in a few seconds he was about to make Chloe vomit, and he couldn’t get his damn legs to move.

He somehow got control of himself, managed to grab the bucket next to her bed, handed it to her, and then made his way back to the door.

I LOVED this part. About how (just a few moments) he was struck numb and dumb with shock and guilt… and then, upon recovery, he first made the considerate gesture of passing Chloe a bucket before getting ready to rush out of the room.


“Lex, wait. I don’t feel sick.”

And he suddenly couldn’t move again.

Ooooh, fascinating! The plot thickens. I cannot wait to hear about the possible theories of WHY Lex Luthor doesn’t make Chloe sick. I wonder if she’s going to start experimenting. Seeing whether ‘certain men’ can leave her feeling fine… such as Jimmy, Pete…. Heh, or Lionel Luthor? (he’s got the Luthor genes, Chleo is SURE to want to check whether it’s something to do with that??!!!)

Heh, I wonder if Chloe is going to speculate whether she and Lex might be related somehow. LOL! I can imagine Lex’s horrified reaction to THAT!

Excellent chapter, and I look forward to reading more.

Augustine86
17th June 2007, 23:47
That could be because there wasn't one. Not really, just a poem. And those posts I did about the Smallville Writer's Room. But it is nice to know I have a fan all the same.

The next update will be up soon, in fact it will be a two parter because the first part is short and I know you guys want to see Lex who doesn't show up until the second part.

I have a plan for this fic I just need to speak with my prophet to see if my latest idea isn't completely insane and results in people asking for my head.

Funny then, 'cause I could have sworn I connected your name with a really good fanfiction... Maybe I was seeing into the future. Still, I cannot believe you've never written a fanfic. It must be a really funny caption I was remembering that got me thinking about you as a great author.

It's embarassing and yet funny. I can't believe I was wrong! :rofl: So sorry for that!

westwingwolf
18th June 2007, 01:19
That’s a good question. Of all the reasons, how did Chloe know that it was Clark’s presence that was triggering her vmoit reaction. I’d really like some details on ‘exactly’ what Chloe feels when any man gets near her. How does she know that CLARK was the course of her sickness? Does she feel vertigo looking at the man? Does she see double-images of Clark? Does he smell particularly bad? Does he glow from her perspective? WHAT exactly is she ‘feeling’? How quickly does it start, intensify and then result in the vomiting? How much warning time does she have to grab a receptacle?

The hows and the whys will be addressed in later chapters. I do plan on using some actual components of science involving the sense of smell, but I can't say that it won't feel like I'm feeding you a line to accept the story.

As for why Chloe knew it was Clark, I imagined she was in panic mode. She's healthy one moment, sick the next and all she can think is that Clark needs to get away. Same as if you came across the smell of a rotten egg, you'd look around, find the egg and know that was what made you sick, and move on. So Clark and any male at this point, except Lex and Gabe = rotten eggs.



Lex yelling at Bruce about this took me by complete surprise. It was a decidedly uncharacteristic response. I got the impression that Chloe and Lex (in this fic) were not particularly close to each other… barely acquiantainces…

Hmmm, it seems like I was VERY much mistaken, because the volume and vehemence in Lex’s voice seems to suggest quite a bit of passion for the girl. Is he THAT fond of Chloe? How come she’s not aware of it?

More about Lex and Chloe's issues to come. Everything through season 3 happened in this fic, from that moment on I picked and chose what I wanted from the last 3 seasons. Hopefully you can tell, but suffice it to say nothing except Oliver and Jimmy made it from Season 6.


I realize I get dialogue heavy at times (I'm more comfortable with dialogue than descriptive passages) so if anyone gets confused about who's saying what and needs clarification just ask and I'll make sure to fix it so it becomes more clear.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I'm really glad you are enjoying this and I hope I don't disappoint in later chapters.

dagney
18th June 2007, 01:35
This plot is great. Hmmmm I guess the hospital doc is female. Maybe Lex is the right pherome key for Chloe's lock. Keep it coming. Dagney

kitten
18th June 2007, 03:12
If Chloe can never be in the presence of a man other than her father and she and Lex have (an airtight excuse) to get married, can you have someone call it a pheromoney?

I'm sorry. That wasn't me - that was my pun dog, Skippy. He and Plot Bunny Pete used to live together, but then Skippy started biting and I had to put him in a home for wayward muses. More (and much better reviewing) tomorrow when I'm sane. Great chapters though. It's a fine Lex you've got there.

*eyes Lex suggestively and receives no interest*

Fine. He loves Chloe. Don't allllll the Lexes.

tiger04
18th June 2007, 04:01
AAHHH. there, you leave it there! I need more. Please update again soon. I can't wait to see where this is going to go next.

Esther25jm
18th June 2007, 05:23
Yay!! Great chapter!! Love the snark, love that Lex and Bruce are friends, and most especially love that Lex doesn't make Chloe sick. <bg> Can't wait for more!

xxasaxx
19th June 2007, 00:28
“I’m in the hospital now. No cell phones allowed. Goodbye.” Lex hung up before Bruce could get out another word

:rofl::rofl:

can't wait to read the next part.

kitten
19th June 2007, 02:51
Poor Chloe. I hate being sick. When I heard this idea I didn't think about it except to be amused. It sounds like the vomiting might actually be physically dangerous for her. I know it's not Clark's fault because he couldn't have predicted making her puke. I'm glad Gabe and Lois were there to protect and help her. It's fun seeing Clark all dejected and threatened.


Her father was holding her hair and rubbing her back to try and soothe the pain. Meanwhile Lois pushed Clark out into the hallway and called for a nurse.

“I have to help,” Clark pleaded with Lois as he tried to move pass her and back into Chloe’s room.

“You’d have better luck getting by a rabid Doberman Pincher than crossing me if your what’s making Chloe sick,” Lois said as she pushed him towards the waiting room.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be the reason?”

“I don’t know, but she was perfectly healthy before you entered.”

“Well why is she here anyway?”

“She was investigating a chemical plant. She accidentally spilt one of the experiments on herself.”

This kind of explanation for most other characters would make their trouble sound silly or make me feel they should have known better. With Chloe it's so typical it's kind of above reproach. She can't help it - she's nosy for news.


“Chloe, I know you feel much better but I’m going to have to try and make you sick in order to see what’s wrong,” Dr. Lambert explained.

“Someone’s been watching too much ‘House’,” Chloe was glad she could still snark even if she felt like crap.

The snark was reassuring. If Chloe can mouth off she's okay. Although I did wince at the number of times she had to get sick before it was diagnosed that Clark was the cause.


“I bet you’re happy about this whole deal, Dad.”

“No father likes to see his daughter sick. Even if it does mean that he won’t have to worry about unworthy suitors for a while.” He shared a small smile with Chloe until the weight of his words finally sunk in and she looked like she might cry.

Gabe put his arms around Chloe and spoke gently but with determination. “Hey, no worries kid. The doctors are working to figure this all out. And when they do, they’ll have a cure.”

Chloe wanted to ask how he could be so sure, but instead she decided to accept her father’s hug and did her best not to cry on his shoulder.

She failed.

I love Gabe! He's such a model father and he's always devoted to Chloe's happiness, even if it means she can't be permanently segregated from all men forever. The sacrifices he makes . . . *pouts over Gabe* I wish he was still on the show.

The pseudo-science looked fine to me and made sense as far as the hijinks of Chloe ever do. *handshake* Welcome to the no-research school of fanfic.


Explaining things to Jimmy was much more difficult. For one thing she couldn’t see him. For another, he was too much of a good guy to stay away when she was sick even if she lied and said it was contagious.

She realized she had to tell him the truth or rather have Lois tell him. Apparently, he had experience enough weirdness to accept that this was possible and she wasn’t trying to avoid him. They decided to phone, e-mail and instant message when they could but Chloe knew it wouldn’t be the same. She would miss seeing him.

Clark had decided to take up residence outside her room. Probably felt guilty more than anything else for not being with her when she went to the plant. She tried to tell him it wouldn’t have mattered, but no one could come between Clark Kent and his guilt/hero complex.

After several annoying attempts at yelling things through the door and still not understanding each other, Lois had left and returned with walkie-talkies. Chloe was grateful at first but after listening to Clark drone on about his problems, she was tempted to throw the device against the wall. Instead, she opted to turn the volume down and went back to her work while occasionally giving non-committal answers. Clark wouldn’t be any wiser.

So you're giving Chloe a boyfriend, or are she and Jimmy just friends? Between Clark camped out in the hallway with a walkie talkie and Jimmy texting and calling her, she and Lex are going to be in dire need of some quiet time. I know you said there wouldn't be smut, but there will be kissing, right? :wth:



“But why? What’s the matter? Is it serious? Is there anything I can do?” Lex internally rolled his eyes at how obviously desperate he sounded. Thankfully, either Lois wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care enough to comment.

She stopped in front of Clark who was sitting in one of the chairs outside what Lex assumed was Chloe’s room. That made Lex feel worse. Clark was here first, understandable considering he was Chloe’s best friend but it still unnerved him. Worse yet was that if Clark wasn’t even allowed inside then Chloe’s prognosis must be dire. And Lois still wasn’t telling him a damn thing.

“I’m going in. Stay here. Clark will explain everything.”

I idolized your Lex embroiled in fits of worry after finding out Chloe was ill. Poor thing . . . Bruce messed with him, then Lois, then he was forced to ask for an explanation from Clark of all people. Clark's terrible at explaining and even when he's telling the truth he fumbles it so much it seems like lying.

So how did Bruce know that Lex would want to be notified? Do they have secret billionaire sleepovers where they talk about their crushes? I can see how getting Gabe the job at Wayne's company might lead to some questions, but Bruce seems very certain of himself when he's teasing Lex.



“I know that you’re the reason my dad got the job at Wayne Enterprises. Cushy jobs don’t just fall into someone’s lap after over a year of no real work.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help him sooner. I just wanted to make sure my dad had completely forgotten about you before I did anything to make him think I still … that we were still… in league.” Chloe now wished more than ever that she could see him. She wanted to look into his eyes and see the sincerity. She really wanted to know if his change of words was an accident or on purpose.

ME TOO! You're so mean not to describe him for us, the readers! I'm sure you'll make it up later with something very adorable that he does, but still . . . There were answers! Right outside her door, literally and Chloe couldn't go and get them. Mean.


She was peacefully sleeping so he carefully stepped towards her bed. At first he did his best not to disturb her, so he placed his hands behind his back as he looked her over. However, as he studied her face, he couldn’t help himself from moving some of the hair off her face. As soon as he began to pull his hand back, Chloe started to wake.

He tried to make a dash for the door but ended up crashing into her food tray.

Fine . . . a few paragraphs later he's unbearably adorable, especially his idea to run right out if Chloe wakes up. And clumsy Lex is cute every time. I'm not mad anymore. But I do want the answers.


“Lex, wait. I don’t feel sick.”


LOL It's quite serious in one respect and I hope Chloe gets cured so that she can lead as much of a normal life as a pathological news freak can lead, but poor Lex! His self esteem might not be able to take the surprise I'm hearing in this line from Chloe, though I'm sure he'll love knowing he can be in her hospital room with her while all other men are forced to stay away. I can just imagine him taunting Jimmy and Clark with Chloe now. 'Look where I am. Look who I'm touching. Look what I can do. Look how I made Chloe laugh.'

Excellent. More please. :D

biscuits
19th June 2007, 03:34
I guessed the idea for this fic from the start and the notion delighted me. This sounds like a thoroughly entertaining fic and I can't wait for more of it.

Clark has given all of us Chlexers just cause to induce vomiting on more than one occasion. However, I do have a profound dislike/fear of reverse peristalsis, so I'd just as soon keep Chloe's vomiting to a minimum.

I'm very curious as to what will happen next - will Lex spend a lot of time with Chloe while she is so afflicted? How will Jimmy react? What exactly was Chloe and Lex's history like for him to rush to the hospital in an uncharacteristic display of emotion? If Lex is in her presence, will it act to neutralize her nausea so that she can interact with others?

Can't wait for the next update to confirm and/or deny some of my hypotheses.

hfce
19th June 2007, 05:25
Interesting she doesn't feel sick around him.... Hmmmmm more please..... :D

westwingwolf
19th June 2007, 22:25
AN: I bet most of you saw this next revelation coming from a mile away but oh well.


Chapter 4

Lex slowly turned to face Chloe. He did his best to hide his surprise but couldn’t and figured it didn’t matter this time anyway.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, believe me I’d rather not be puking if I don’t have to.”

Certain that if she was snarking she wouldn’t be vomiting, Lex chose to go back to the side of her bed. “Right, but why aren’t you? Are you cured?”

“I don’t know. The chemical could be out of my system by now, I guess. Maybe whatever it was, it was still in a really early test stage, so it wasn’t made permanent yet. Or maybe I didn’t get enough…” before she could finish, she was interrupted.

“I’m glad Pinhead left because it means we can start to gossip about why he was here.” Lois said as she returned and before she took notice that Lex was still in the room.

“What the hell are you doing in here? I knew you were a jerk, but I didn’t think you’d purposely try to make Chloe sick just for kicks. Get out!” She moved to push him out the door, but Chloe stopped her.

“I think I’m cured Lois, tell Clark he can come in.” Lois looked like she thought Lex had forced Chloe to say such, but Chloe did appear to seem fine so she opened the door and called for Clark.

Clark was surprised to see Lex was already in the room, but he didn’t have time to voice his concerns as Chloe immediately placed her head in the bucket. Lex went to help Chloe and Lois pushed Clark back out the door again to his protests.

“Chloe, do you need anything?” Lois asked.

Chloe took a few deep breaths before asking for Dr. Lambert.

“Are you sure? Maybe Lex should go.”

“No, it’s fine. You go.”

“Okay.”

Before she could leave, Lex had to get in a parting shot. “Oh and Lois, you should know that Pinhead was known more for those spikes coming out of his head than his baldness.”

“Chloe, can’t you at least dump that bucket on his head?” was the last thing Lois said before she left to do as Chloe asked.

Chloe moved to go to the bathroom thinking she would need to buy stock in toothpaste before this endeavor was done. After a few minutes, she came back in with a towel and threw it at Lex.

“Your smell may not be enough to induce vomiting, but that Tapioca pudding on your head will.”

In all the excitement, Lex had forgotten about the mess he made, but he accepted the towel gratefully. He went into the bathroom to clean up and decided to take Chloe’s bucket with him to clean so she wouldn’t have to suffer the smell.

When he came back into the room, Chloe was settled and appeared waiting to ask those questions from before, but he had more important questions to address.

“Do you know of any reason why I don’t make you sick?” Lex had a brief realization that in any other context this conversation would be odd.

“I’m not sure. I mean the only other man that doesn’t make me sick is my dad. And you and I aren’t related.”

“God I hope not.” It would make some of his thoughts and dreams about Chloe really awkward. If he was honest with himself, he’d have to include all of his thoughts and dreams about Chloe into that category.

Chloe didn’t seem to understand things this way. “I realize the Sullivans don’t have the pedigree of the Luthors, but we are just as good and in more ways better than your family.”

“I agree completely and that wasn’t what I meant when I said that.” What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut today? He could hope that Chloe wouldn’t take this any further, but there was no use wasting that energy.

“Well what did you mean?” He was really in it now. There was nothing he could say that didn’t make him look stupid, and the truth would be really embarrassing. He decided to swallow his pride and hoped she would be kind.

“I just meant that it would make me feel very weird about some particular thoughts that I’ve had about you… in the past.” He silently begged that she wouldn’t press the issue.

After some thought, Chloe decided to take pity on him since that was obviously hard for him to admit, and she honestly had similar thoughts about him. They saw each other as attractive. So what? It didn’t mean anything. “It’s okay. I understand and you don’t have to worry. I’m positive we’re not related.”

“Yeah so then how do we explain this?” He waved back and forth between them.

“Maybe it’s just another strange effect of the chemical. Or maybe you don’t have an offending scent to anyone.” She thought about that for a moment. “Wow, proof that Lex Luthor is indeed irresistible to all women.”

Lex was glad that the tension was over and the teasing was back. “I’ll talk to the people at my lab and see what they can find out about this chemical.”

“You’ll probably need this,” Chloe said grudgingly as she handed him the last extra vial she had confiscated from the lab.

“How long were you planning on holding onto it?”

“I was going to see if anybody I know could tell me what it is, but I know your people will do a better job. Besides if it will get me out of here sooner, then I’m all for it.” She was almost certain that the substance had nothing to do with kryptonite as her presence hadn’t caused any damage to Clark. Also, Lex seemed sincere about helping so she needed to trust him.

“I’ll get this over to the lab and be right back.”

“You don’t have to visit for my sake.”

“I know. All the same, I’ll come back.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lex was only gone for half an hour. He’d given his lab technicians a sample of Chloe’s blood, his blood, her father’s blood, and the vial that Chloe had stolen. He told them only what they needed to know to work on the case. He then gave explicit instructions that this was the only work that mattered until they found the answers and a cure.

Clark was still sitting in his chair when Lex arrived back at the hospital. He knew it was mean, but he couldn’t resist smirking at the boy when he walked into Chloe’s room. He did make sure that the smirk was gone by the time he was completely inside.

“You shouldn’t hold this over Clark’s head,” was the first thing Chloe said when he entered. He smiled at that in spite of himself, realizing that he was doing a lot of smiling today.

“Everything is set. All we do now is wait.” He wasn’t in the mood to address Clark in any way shape or form.

“Good. In the meantime, I can finish asking my questions.” Lex sat down and motioned for Chloe to continue.

“Why do you care?” There was no need to elaborate. They both knew what she meant.

“You’re my friend. Or at least I hope I can call you my friend, after everything you’ve done for me. I know I don’t deserve the same title.” Chloe looked as if she wanted to respond, but couldn’t before Lex continued.

“I also know that whatever secrets you may know are not really yours to tell. That’s why I stopped questioning you. When I helped you before with the vampire sorority was because I wanted to and because I was ashamed of how I behaved during your senior year. I know you have no reason to believe me, but it wasn’t about getting Clark’s secret or helping Lana.”

They were both silent after the mention of Lana. After allowing for the appropriate amount of silence that is needed in these types of situations, Chloe continued with her questioning.

“If you cared enough to help me, then why didn’t you care enough to maintain our friendship after your father’s trial?”

He knew this had been coming for a couple of years now. He had spent a lot of time searching for an answer that would make him seem more selfless and less of a stubborn, idiotic jerk. He hadn’t found one yet.

He was however saved from the difficulty in answering when one of his lab techs appeared. The woman poked her head in and requested to see him.

“Good to see my money hasn’t been wasted on slow service, but Chloe needs to hear this too. It concerns her more than anyone.”

The woman took a deep breath and entered the room completely. “Very well, sir. It appears that Miss Sullivan’s new chemical stasis will only allow for two types of male odor. One being a relative such as her father and the other being her …”

Chloe and Lex were equally awaiting the nervous woman’s next word. And if the room wasn’t so extremely quiet, they might have missed it.

“Mate.”



AN2: I know a lot of you are worried about Chloe, but I promise that from now on the vomiting will be kept to a minimum. If anyone wants to know who Pinhead is, check out the movie Hellraiser. I'm working on where to go from here so the next update may take a while.

toryjhay
19th June 2007, 22:56
as you said we probably saw this one coming, but it didn't make it less entertaining.

pinhead! lois is such a riot, at least lex doesn't back down. he is such a geek, he knew exactly who lois was talking about LOL!

i'm glad that lex and chloe were having that conversation, at least they're getting somewhere with their issues. although i have a feeling that they would have to stop with the meaningful conversation and focus on other...issues...like lex being her mate!!! i had a huge grin on my face as i read that part. that was so great...can't wait for the reaction! i wonder....more soon pls!!!!:D

biscuits
19th June 2007, 23:08
Hehehehe. OOh, this is delightful. Predicted, but the big reveal was a joy to read nonetheless. I can't wait to read about the future hysterical hijinks of our favorite mated pair.

Is this chemical temporary, one that can be flushed out of Chloe's system like 30washes hair dye? Or is this a chronic condition where the symptoms can be eased with some freshly minted LuthorCorp drug? What was the drugs creator aiming for? A drug that pointed out one's mate so that the pain of failed relationships could be eliminated? Or the ultimate deterrent for cheating spouses? Think fast, write quickly, post soon.

Kit Merlot
19th June 2007, 23:24
Great update! So Lex is Chloe's mate--that is just awesome:D

And I'm glad to hear that the pukling will be kept to a minimum--even in fics, it makes me a little sick to read about other people getting sick:D

Strange I know!

westwingwolf
20th June 2007, 01:47
Is this chemical temporary, one that can be flushed out of Chloe's system like 30washes hair dye? Or is this a chronic condition where the symptoms can be eased with some freshly minted LuthorCorp drug? What was the drugs creator aiming for? A drug that pointed out one's mate so that the pain of failed relationships could be eliminated? Or the ultimate deterrent for cheating spouses? Think fast, write quickly, post soon.

I know why the drug was made, how it works, and the basics of how it might have been created. And I won't deny that something on that list has been my choice all along.

I'm currently thinking about what would be the best cure. I have an idea, but if anyone has any suggestions like sacrificing Clark, I will take that into consideration.

The answers will be revealed in later chapters. As for now, I'm mainly working on how Chloe and Lex will react and handle the recent development.

kimmie
20th June 2007, 01:48
Yay an update i loved it. Really great fic, totally enjoying it. Can we have her actually vomit on Clark cos that I would pay to see!

-K-

gestalt
20th June 2007, 02:52
I know why the drug was made, how it works, and the basics of how it might have been created. And I won't deny that something on that list has been my choice all along.



Okay, I loved this story before, but now I'm even more intrigued. I can't wait to find out the answers to these questions.

I'm also really looking forward to Lex and Chloe's initial reactions. I love when there's that tension between their underlying feelings and their corresponding denials. Update soon!

jem
20th June 2007, 03:11
heehee....

yup, we guesssed it, but the way you played out the
scene was INCREDIBLY funny! much much better
than im sure any one had imagined..

pleeeease update! i want to see the fallout!!!

Esther25jm
20th June 2007, 08:40
SQUEE!! MATE!!! LOL!! Can't wait for the next chapter to see their response, and of course Clark and Lois', too. Loved this chapter and the convo they were having, just wish that Lex would've been able to answer that final question. <g> Still....MATE!!!

somethingeasy
20th June 2007, 22:16
I’m really sorry, westwingwolf this isn’t going to be a customarily long review, but final week of school, and ALL the work has to be tied off and made ready for exhibition, display and judgement. Scary!

ROTFLMAO, Lex got some pretty awesome news today. I wonder if Chloe smelled him as ‘her mate’ because he somehow gave off ‘I am devoted to you, and would do anything for you’ pheromones. Which can be pretty handy :D

I giggled at the bit of interaction between Lex and Lois. The two of them are really adorable when they are going at each other’s throats. Not to mention Lex’s petty, smug reaction to Clark being tossed out of the room while Lex is allowed to stay.

LOL! Poor Clark. Must be awful enough not being able to see Chloe, but knowing that LEX can see her when he can’t… ouch! Talk about twisting the knife.

I would have REALLY have loved to have heard some descriptive details about exactly how Chloe feels when an ‘unauthorized’ male enters her presence. It actually seems like it’s ‘sight’ as well as ‘smell’ that triggers the reaction. There are probably a hundred scents wafting in from the opening and shutting door, but Chloe only reacts when she actually SEES an ‘unwelcome’ guy.

I was LOL at Chloe defending her ‘pedigree’ and Lex immediately blurting out what he ‘really’ meant by his statement. Heeeee!!! So he told her about the attraction he harbours for her. Excellent!

This fic is coming along quite well, and I look forward to more. Please update soon.

westwingwolf
20th June 2007, 23:53
AN: Okay in this update: I make up more fake science, try to rectify a mistake I made in previous posts, write more predictable scenarios, and I'm really mean to Lana and Lionel. I really hope that last bit will make up for all the other problems I'm creating in this fic.

AN2: I'm really loving the feedback, anything you can give me is going to help me make this fic better. I know the story is obvious but I'm trying my best to inject moments of originality, so I love it that you guys are responding well. It makes me feel better and everyone deserves an ego boost now and then.


Chapter 5

“What was that?” Lex and Chloe were sure they heard correctly but then they were equally sure they hadn’t.

“‘Mate’ is the best term we have for the only other male that your body will accept in your presence, and Mr. Luthor’s blood work matches your composition perfectly.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. My body was changed, not Lex’s. How can his be compatible if what is wrong is me?” Chloe argued.

Lex wanted to know the same thing but he wasn’t thrilled with the idea that Chloe seemed to be strongly against this new information.

“Our preliminary tests show that the chemical you encountered seems to have magnetic like effects. We ran several tests to see what your blood would do. When we used Mr. Luthor’s blood, the two samples were attracted to one another and basically bonded. With any female sample and your father’s blood work, there was no reaction. The blood remained in a stasis form. However, with any other male, the blood had a violent repelling action. We did some animal testing, and so far the tests show that the reactions are caused by your aversion to the smell of most males’ pheromones that they manage to sweat off. Normally, people don’t really notice this scent unless engaged in sex, but the chemical also seems to have heightened your sense of smell in this area.”

“Do your tests show a cure?” Chloe’s voice had a hopeful yet dangerous edge.

“We’re still working on that. We just thought you would want some specifics on what was happening. The best we can offer so far is to stay away from any other male and head to the bathroom if you should accidentally encounter one.” The woman answered hesitantly.

“What I want is to have a cure. I don’t give a damn about …” Before Chloe could finish, Lex interrupted. “Thank you for everything. Go now.”

As soon as the woman left, he turned to Chloe. “You didn’t have to be rude. She’s trying to help.”

“Like you care about her feelings. Besides, she’s just doing this because you’re paying her. Not because she wants to help.”

“I could be paying her and the rest of my team to work on other projects if you hadn’t had gotten yourself into this mess.”

“Okay, I see your point. But how would you feel if the only female you could interact with was … well me, I guess?”

“Perfectly happy actually.”

“What?”

“Considering all the alternatives in the women I’ve met over the years, you are the best bet.”

“Um…okay. Well, if you don’t mind, I’m still trying to deal with the fact that my body thinks you’re its mate and I’m tired, so can we drop this for now?”

“Yeah, I guess we both need to think on that, so I’ll let you get some more rest.”

“Night Lex. Thanks for helping with … everything.”

“My pleasure.” He couldn’t help but think that he should be thanking her for her accident.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So he’s your mate.” Lois said with an air of disbelief.

“Apparently.” Chloe answered wishing she could be having any other conversation than this.

“And what did Lex have to say about this?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t in the mood to discuss it.”

“I’m sorry? I know he’s an ass and all, but you get an easy answer to the person who you’re meant to be with and you don’t want to talk about it with that person.”

“Lex and I aren’t meant to be together, we just have natural chemistry or something. Plenty of people lead happy lives that have nothing to do with biology.” She couldn’t deny that her statement sounded dumb. But this whole situation was beyond crazy.

“But you have to admit the sex alone would be a great advantage to this whole idea.”

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve only been with one person and that was … fine.”

“Well maybe it would be better than fine if you and Jimmy were biologically compatible in you know more than just the normal way.”

“Okay I’m officially ending this conversation as you are giving me a headache.” Before Lois could reply there was a knock at the door.

Lex entered the room and asked Chloe if they could speak alone.

“She can’t, she has a headache.” Lois replied eagerly.

“But I’ll feel much better when Lois leaves.” Chloe answered giving Lois a pointed look.

“Fine, I’ll just go see if Clark is interested in the latest news on your condition.”

“Lois …”

“Kidding,” was the last thing she said as she closed the door.

“So I guess you’re here to talk about what we learned yesterday.”

“We don’t have to if you’re not ready yet.”

“Okay, well how about you answer my question from yesterday. Why did you stop speaking to me after Lionel’s trial?”

“So we’re mates. I wonder why that is.”

“Lex, you are going to have to tell me eventually. I predict we’ll be spending a lot of time together until I’m cured.”

“Not necessarily. I can speak to other people. You’re the one who is limited to your dad for a male influence.”

“You’d really leave me after everything?”

“No. Of course not. I’ll stay.” Lex swallowed hard before he continued with his next statement. “I avoided you because I didn’t want my father to hurt you anymore than he already had.”

“He was in prison. What could he do?”

“He could have gotten out, which he did. He could have come after you.”

“Which he didn’t.”

“Yes, because he knew we weren’t communicating any more.”

“That makes no sense. I only really started communicating with you well after he considered me a threat. If I was threatening to his business then, then I’m just as threatening now with or without you.”

“There are other ways he could find you threatening than in just his business life.”

“What? … What does that mean?”

“It means that he knew… that he didn’t want you to…, “ Lex knew if he was going to make Chloe understand without giving all of himself away, he’d have to go with at least a half-truth. “He somehow knew how close we had gotten during that summer and he found our friendship to be threatening. He was worried that you’d keep me from becoming the ruthless tycoon that I’m supposed to be. I had to end our friendship if you had any chance of surviving.”

“He never seemed to be that worried about your friendship with Clark.”

“Yeah, well, Clark doesn’t exude your tenacity and intelligence. In a way, you should feel flattered.”

“Yeah I’m thrilled that your psycho father put the effort into wanting me dead. I love that his shitty parenting skills cost me one of the potentially best friends I’ve ever known.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I admit that I gave up too easily, and I could have tried harder to figure out a way to keep you, but I was worried that while I was busy thinking of something, he would have attacked. Just like he did with Terminator reject, and the next time Clark might not have been around to help. How would that have been worth it?”

By that time Lex’s voice had rose so much in volume that when he stopped, they were left with that awkward silence. The kind that follows after a teacher asks an obvious question about the reading and no one knows the answer because no one bothered to actually do the assignment. It was just a question of who would be the first to be willing to look like a fool. Lex was.

“I could have become one of your best friends?”

“Well, it’s not like there was stiff competition at the time. What with Pete gone and Clark being Clark and Lana deciding she was too mature for the people and things associated with high school. Though, I probably shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

“You won’t offend me. You’d think after all the time she put into work at the Talon, she’d know better than to light a cigarette after cooking on a gas stove and then forget to make sure the gas was off. I didn’t even know she smoked.”

“She was planning on returning to Paris for the summer. She said everyone there smoked and she had to practice in order to make sure she looked cool.”

“Didn’t she think about the dangers of smoking? You know, aside from the one about gas and an open flame.”

“I believe she thought God wouldn’t let her suffer cancer after losing her parents and then two of her boyfriends.”

“Didn’t she dump those boyfriends before she lost them?”

“You knew Lana, she’d take any chance to complain even if it didn’t really bother her anymore. Why do I not feel guiltier about saying these things?”

“I say it’s best to cut down a person after they are dead. That way you don’t have to worry about retribution.”

“Got a lot of plans for when it’s Lionel’s time?”

“Not much. I wanted to keep things simple. Which do you think is better: dancing on his grave or flushing his ashes down the toilet?”

“Well, the grave does offer the chance to repeatedly scorn his memory, but the idea of flushing him down rusty pipes into a backed-up septic tank seems to be too much of an opportunity to pass up. Go with the twenty-one flush salute.”

“Exactly what I was thinking. I guess we really are perfect for each other.” The silence was back but this time it was much more thoughtful and both of them were sporting light smiles. Now, Chloe broke the tension.

“I guess this means we can go back to talking about things like we use to. I miss talking to you.”

“Don’t you mean ‘arguing’?”

“How about we settle for ‘debating’?”

“Deal. I missed it too.”

They were still debating when Lois returned a few hours later. They spoke of everything except what the test results meant. Sometimes it just felt good to ignore the obvious questions and problems. They both knew that the time would come eventually, but for now they were just happy to be back to their familiar routine. And they continued until visiting hours were over. Lex would have ignored the rules because he was a Luthor, but he only complied because Chloe was beginning to get tired. He made a promise to return the next day.

And he did.




AN3: I know I dropped the ball on showing that it's the smell more than anything else that triggers the vomiting effect. I tried to correct it in this update, but I realize it was a lame way of acknowledging it. Lesson learned. However, I do need you to understand that Chloe will heed the lady's advice to run for the bathroom when she sees another male. It will be most helpful in a future update.

planetcal
21st June 2007, 00:31
Hahaha thats great Lana dying from smoking near a gas stove!!! Great update. Can't wait for more soon.

somethingeasy
21st June 2007, 00:32
ROTFLMAO! I loved the pseudo scientific explanations about Chloe’s condition. It actually made sense too. Your research shines through, www :D

The news about Lex’s ‘blood’ attracting and bonding in a compatible fashion with Chloe’s was really interesting. You completely redefined the idea of ‘chemistry between people’. LOL!

Hmmm, I have to wonder whether Chloe is going to want to test out her condition to see whether there’s anything she can learn from it. Like going on and finding out just HOW many guys she’s compatible with vs. the number of guys that don’t spark the right chemistry. It would be interesting to find out…

Ewww! But the process would be quite painful. And Chloe might end up driving herself to serious illness with the constant vomiting, so experimentation with her new ‘freakiness’ is out of the question. What a pity. She doesn’t get to have ANY fun with her new ‘powers’.

Heh, Lex’s explanation about why he has been avoiding Chloe makes sense… even when he DOESN’T bring in the whole ‘I am completely devoted to you’ truth of the matter ;)
But awww, at Chloe describing Lex as her best friend.

And ROTFLMAO at the way Lana died. Oh, www, you’re EVIL! I can tell you had a LOT of fun killing Lana in a fiery explosion. LOL!

The new chapter was really adorable, and I look forward to reading more.

dagney
21st June 2007, 01:17
kaboom bbbbbyyyyy by Lana :rofl: I like the reasoning of Lex's rejection of Chloe after the trial. I have thought he wanted to distance himself so she would be safe from Lionel mostly if Lex cared for her it was a way to hurt and punish Lex by hurting/killing her. Dagney

toryjhay
21st June 2007, 01:29
an update!! awesome!

i was shocked that lex told chloe she was being rude, it was so...not him. and chloe called him on it, which was awesome!!!! so their blood are attrated to each other...now if only they would succomb and allow themselves to show that attraction.

i am loving their conversations, we got to the bottom of their fallout. maybe they can start on building their relationship over. i have to say i had a huge smile on my face when they talked about lana and her death. that was just too funny! as for lionel, well i hope lex can get to have the best o both worlds, flush him down the tiolet AND dance in front of his grave. i would have liked to see clark's reaction onc he found out that lex is chloe's mate...oh to be the fly on the wall on that conversation! more soon please!!!!!!!

hfce
21st June 2007, 05:34
That update was great soulmate. :D

Esther25jm
21st June 2007, 05:58
OMG!!!!! I love the way you killed off Lana: death by stupidity. LMAO!!! I guess I don't have to wonder what her reaction would be, huh? Hehehee

This was a great chapter and love the banter between Chloe/Lex and Chloe/Lois---gotta love Lois' thoughts on the whole chemistry/sex thing, too. <g> And my mind is still stuck---and drooling---over mates. Squee!! Can't wait for more!!

Kit Merlot
21st June 2007, 16:58
Great update!

Good for Lex for telling Chloe how he feels about her--well at least how he feels about their friendship and his need to protect her.

westwingwolf
23rd June 2007, 22:44
*Important Author's Note at the end of this update*


Chapter 6

Lex visited Chloe everyday for the entire duration of her stay. They had come to an unspoken agreement that they could joke about the ‘mate’ predicament so long as they never explored what it meant. They both knew that a serious talk would have to happen eventually, but neither wanted to be the one to approach the subject and both were hoping this could continue until a cure was found. They had just rekindled their friendship and neither wanted to risk it for the uncomfortable topic that was hovering above their heads.

Chloe had insisted that Gabe return to Gotham because they didn’t know how long it would be before a cure was found. He argued. Lex argued for him. Bruce even called and gave him permission to stay as long as he liked. And Chloe argued with all of them.

Chloe won out. She promised to call and email him daily with updates, and she said she’d make a trip to see him in Gotham as soon as she was cured. Then she hugged him for what seemed like hours.

Gabe was reluctant to leave Chloe in Lex’s company, but he had to admit that she appeared happier in his presence.

Lois visited as often as she could but working at the Inquisitor and dating Oliver left her with little free time.

Chloe decided it was best not to explain the entire mate situation to Clark. Instead, she told him that the meteor effects done to Lex as a boy must have been the reason that he had no effect on her. It was still plausible since they didn’t know everything about this drug, and luckily Clark didn’t think to wonder why an alien could still have the effect when a mutated human couldn’t. After a few days of sitting outside the door with the walkie-talkie, Chloe made Clark realize how futile his visits were. He didn’t want to leave Chloe alone with Lex, but Lex always seemed to arrive at the hospital before Clark could stop him. And he couldn’t pull Lex out of the room without harming Chloe.

Chloe still emailed Jimmy but the letters were getting shorter with each one. It was great to have a boyfriend if she could see him when she wanted, but when she couldn’t see him and was still fine with it, then obviously something had to be wrong. She knew she should brake up with him, but it seemed in poor taste to do so by email. She also knew she couldn’t continue with that excuse especially since it looked liked it would be a while before she got better. He had a right to know he was wasting his time. Video conferencing a break up had to be better than sending a ‘Dear John’ video, right?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lex entered her room with his usual smile that seemed to be made just for her, but there was also something in his eyes. He obviously had something that he wanted to tell her. Something that he thought would make her happy.

“I’ve got great news for you.”

“Your minions have found a cure.”

The smile dropped some. “Okay, well I have good news for you. I have devised a plan to get you out of here.”

“What are you going to do? Dig a tunnel? Or maybe you built me a Wonkavator?”

“Sorry, the Wonkavator is being upgraded, but I have decorated the penthouse in flavored wallpaper.”

“I’m staying at the penthouse?”

“It’s the only place that I can guarantee you won’t come in contact with another man.”

“What about your staff?”

“It’s just the penthouse. I don’t have a staff. It’s not like the mansion which would be impossible for me to clean by myself.” After Chloe gave him a disbelieving look, he admitted “Okay, I have a cleaning lady who stops by once a week. She doesn’t look particularly feminine but I’m sure you’ll be okay.”

Chloe had to smile at his attempt at humor. “Fine, but that still doesn’t answer how am I going to get there.”

“We’ll go at night. I’ve spoken with Dr. Lambert, she’s going to make a path from your room to the garage. I’ll be driving you myself and we will take my private elevator to the penthouse. Think of it as being in a scene from Alias.”

“That’s not nearly as much fun without Vaughn or Sark.”

“Well if they were here, you’d just be regurgitating all over them and how much fun would that be?”

“Listen to yourself. ‘Regurgitating’? Can’t you just say ‘puking’ ‘hurling’ or even ‘barfing’ like a normal person?”

“No.”

“Fair enough.”

“We’ll rendezvous here at twenty-two hundred hours. Get some sleep Ralph.”

“Yes sir, Skinner.”

“Skinner’s from The X-Files.”

“I know, but there were no bald guys in Alias.”

“Guess it could be worse. You could have called me Cigarette Smoking Man.”

“No, I’m saving that one for your father.”

“My father doesn’t smoke.”

“Then he can be the Not So Well-Manicured Man.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Lex!”

Nothing.

“Lex!”

Still nothing.

“Lex, there’s a strange man trying to climb through my window!”

Lex came barreling through her door at breakneck speed, looking all over Chloe’s room for the intruder. He stopped when he heard her laughter.

“I don’t know what’s worse that you actually believed someone was climbing into a window on the thirtieth floor or that it took me saying that to get your attention.”

“I’m sorry. I was on a business call. You have my full attention now.”

“Why aren’t you working in your actual office instead of your home office?”

“I wanted to be close in case you needed something.”

“I’d find that to be sweet if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve just proven you weren’t paying attention to me before.”

“I never figured you for the needy type.”

“I’m not needy. I’m just bored. A monk would go crazy in these conditions.”

“Well that doesn’t make any sense. Besides you have an endless supply of gourmet food, high definition television, TiVo, high speed internet and now my company; so how can you possibly be bored?”

“I need something more. I need fresh air.”

“You could open a window.”

“You know what I mean.”

“The best I can offer is the rooftop terrace.”

“I suppose it will have to do. Bring some more of that Double Fudge Chocolate cake.”

“Okay.”

“And is there any way to set up a TV out there?”

“Okay.”

“And your wireless works out there too, right?”

“Sure. Just remember how horrible your isolated time would be if Clark turned out to be your mate. Think of all the time you could waste watching Clark feed and care for the cows.” He left to retrieve her cake just as soon as he caught the sickly expression on her face.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“I can’t believe you are making me watch this crap. You are intelligent enough to know that love is in the brain and not the heart, so a heart transplant would not result in love being transferred from one person to another.”

“I guess that means that LuthorCorp will be investing in Valentine cards with brains on the cover.”

“It’s not an entirely bad idea.”

Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes at him. “You are missing the point of the movie.”

“And what, my clever friend, is the point?”

“That David Duchovny is really hot.”

Lex scowled at that and decided on his revenge. “While you’re busy drooling over David, I’ll eat the last bite of cake.”

“That’s not fair. You should be nice to me.”

“I let you have most of the cake already.”

“Lexxxxxxxxxx!”

“Whining is so not sexy on you.”

“Is it sexy on anyone?”

“You could lose your clothes and try again if you’d like.”

“Eat your cake.”

“Thank you, I will.” Though he really wished she had taken him up on the offer.

Before he could start, his cell went off and he had to wait until he was done with the call. Chloe thought he might be nice enough to give it up, but instead he swallowed the last bite before telling her the news.

“I need to go into the office for a meeting. Will you be able to control your boredom without my amazing company?”

“It will prove difficult but I’ll try.”

“There’s more cake in the fridge.”

“I love you.”

“All my prayers have been answered.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The ringing of the doorbell was disturbing Chloe’s efforts to research pheromones. So in response she yelled, “Forget it Lex, I’m not coming to your call just because you think I can or should. Use your key.”

No such luck.

With much effort and frustration, Chloe left her room and walked down the hall blasting Lex and questioning his intelligence. “What’s the matter, have you stayed away from living here so long that you forgot you need a key?”

It only took a moment after she opened the door to realize the person wasn’t Lex and she should have looked through the peephole.

“What the hell are you doing here?”




AN: Yes, I know I'm evil :devil:, let's move on. At this point, I had two ideas that went off in two very different directions, both with their strengths and weaknesses. Since I can't decide which way I like better, I will let you guys decide and then work out the problems the best way I know how. I know who the person is, and the outcomes from whichever choice is made. Now here is your question:

Should Chloe puke on this person or not?

P.S. To that certain someone who knows one of the possible outcomes, feel free to vote but please do not reveal any information or I will be forced to poison your Lexes.

skauble
23rd June 2007, 23:54
First of all, sorry I'm so late with the feedback but my family has been nervy enough to take up much of my precious times...and I have a sneaking suspicion that I might be lazy.

This story is going great! I love that Chloe and Lex have patched up their relationship and that he's been so supportive of her while she's sick (not that only being able to stand Lex is an illness, mind you ;) ).

I also love how they're treading lightly around the mate issue. It's good that they can joke about it and IMO they're both the kind of people that would put that particular discussion on hold indefinitely.

And yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay for Lex moving her into the penthouse. He always was a master of strategy. If he's smart he's not even having his people look for a cure. lololol





Chloe still emailed Jimmy but the letters were getting shorter with each one. It was great to have a boyfriend if she could see him when she wanted, but when she couldn’t see him and was still fine with it, then obviously something had to be wrong. She knew she should brake up with him, but it seemed in poor taste to do so by email. She also knew she couldn’t continue with that excuse especially since it looked liked it would be a while before she got better. He had a right to know he was wasting his time. Video conferencing a break up had to be better than sending a ‘Dear John’ video, right?


:rofl:

And thank goodness she's going to lose Jimmy.




“What are you going to do? Dig a tunnel? Or maybe you built me a Wonkavator?”

“Sorry, the Wonkavator is being upgraded, but I have decorated the penthouse in flavored wallpaper.”


LMAO I love your Chlex banter. Too funny!



“My father doesn’t smoke.”

“Then he can be the Not So Well-Manicured Man.”


ROTFL I'm sure that Lionel will love the new moniker.




“Sure. Just remember how horrible your isolated time would be if Clark turned out to be your mate. Think of all the time you could waste watching Clark feed and care for the cows.” He left to retrieve her cake just as soon as he caught the sickly expression on her face.


Clark's not even there and he's still making her sick.




“And what, my clever friend, is the point?”

“That David Duchovny is really hot.”


Hey! That's exactly what I took away from that movie. ;)




It only took a moment after she opened the door to realize the person wasn’t Lex and she should have looked through the peephole.

“What the hell are you doing here?”


Dum, dum, DUM!!! And the plot thickens.

I can't wait to find out who is at the door. So many delicious possibilities.




Should Chloe puke on this person or not?


Hmmmm...tough question, but I say no. If there's a question of Chloe getting sick then we know that the person at the door is male. And since we do know that Clark makes her sick, we know it's not him. So if we vote for no vomiting at least we know that we're not accidentally voting for some Chlark.

So, since it's not Clark, I'd like to see Lex have some competition. Maybe see some jealous, possessive Lex.

Now, I will continue on with my amazing powers of deduction.



P.S. To that certain someone who knows one of the possible outcomes, feel free to vote but please do not reveal any information or I will be forced to poison your Lexes.

So, someone else knows the secret I'm dying to learn - the identity of "door man". That person clearly has a bevy of Lexes to whom they are obviously attached. So, I'm guessing that it's -

dum, dum, DUM -

Okay, I won't out her. I guess the minion in me can, sometimes, overcome the evil...but not often, so don't get used to it. But I do reserve the right to hound her privately. ;)

This is such a fantastic story, Mindy. I can't wait to see where it's going to go. Especially now that you've added a new element to the mix.

~Sarah~

biscuits
24th June 2007, 03:14
I like the way you had them talk about it, but not talk about it. I would like some more insight into their heads though- how does chloe/lex feel about the prospect of being the other's mate. Does Lex feel bad that Chloe got saddled with him? (this would be an angsty Lex variant where he feels all noble and unworthy) Does Chloe feel like an imposition staying at the penthouse?

I'm looking forward to the answers to these questions and more in the next update. By the by, I loved the references to the X-Files. I'm a Mulder/Scully junkie.

hfce
24th June 2007, 05:40
I can't believe you stopped there. I want more. Who ever is at the door I want her to puke on him. :wth:

toryjhay
24th June 2007, 08:40
this update made me crack up!!!! i love their conversations. so glad lex pointed out how lucky chloe was that she had him as her 'mate' and had it been clark she would have been beyond bored. i was severely disappointed that you ended it there but i suppose i can hang on till the next update. i have a feeling on who is at the door. and if he is who i think he is then let chloe puke all over him. :D

somethingeasy
24th June 2007, 11:52
Lex visited Chloe everyday for the entire duration of her stay. They had come to an unspoken agreement that they could joke about the ‘mate’ predicament so long as they never explored what it meant. They both knew that a serious talk would have to happen eventually, but neither wanted to be the one to approach the subject and both were hoping this could continue until a cure was found. They had just rekindled their friendship and neither wanted to risk it for the uncomfortable topic that was hovering above their heads.

awww, I loved how they were studiously avoiding bringing up serious discussion of This Topic. But it doesn’t sound like the awkward subject hanging over them was having any detrimental affect of their budding friendship, which is great.


Chloe had insisted that Gabe return to Gotham because they didn’t know how long it would be before a cure was found. He argued. Lex argued for him. Bruce even called and gave him permission to stay as long as he liked. And Chloe argued with all of them.

LOL at the way that Gabe, Lex and even Bruce argued with Chloe… and Chloe WON the argument anyway. It’s always fantastic fun seeing her being forceful and railroading over billionaires and authority figures.


Chloe decided it was best not to explain the entire mate situation to Clark. Instead, she told him that the meteor effects done to Lex as a boy must have been the reason that he had no effect on her. It was still plausible since they didn’t know everything about this drug, and luckily Clark didn’t think to wonder why an alien could still have the effect when a mutated human couldn’t. After a few days of sitting outside the door with the walkie-talkie, Chloe made Clark realize how futile his visits were. He didn’t want to leave Chloe alone with Lex, but Lex always seemed to arrive at the hospital before Clark could stop him. And he couldn’t pull Lex out of the room without harming Chloe.

I giggled at the way that ‘everyone’ was a little nervous about leaving Chloe alone with ‘the shifty billionaire’. Gabe and Lois were also rather suspicious of his intentions (which makes sense considering how ‘out of the blue’ his concern must have seemed to them). And I LOL at poor Clark fuming outside the door, just waiting for Lex to prove himself to be a corrupting force so he can rush in and ‘save’ Chloe. I have to say Chloe was very considerate to talk Clark into not standing vigil outside her door, it must have been quite frustrating for him to see Lex going in (undoubtedly with an infuriating smirk on his face).


Chloe still emailed Jimmy but the letters were getting shorter with each one. It was great to have a boyfriend if she could see him when she wanted, but when she couldn’t see him and was still fine with it, then obviously something had to be wrong. She knew she should brake up with him, but it seemed in poor taste to do so by email. She also knew she couldn’t continue with that excuse especially since it looked liked it would be a while before she got better. He had a right to know he was wasting his time. Video conferencing a break up had to be better than sending a ‘Dear John’ video, right?

heh, thanks HEAVEN Chloe is displaying a ‘little’ more tact than Lana, the little snit who sent a Dear John video to her boyfriend in the army (ugh). Again, I think it’s very considerate of Chloe to break off ties with Jimmy, and not keep him hanging around in a long-distance relationship that was barely in it’s beginning stages.


“I’ve got great news for you.”

“Your minions have found a cure.”

The smile dropped some. “Okay, well I have good news for you. I have devised a plan to get you out of here.”

“What are you going to do? Dig a tunnel? Or maybe you built me a Wonkavator?”

“Sorry, the Wonkavator is being upgraded, but I have decorated the penthouse in flavored wallpaper.”

LOL at the adorable banter, and the cute references to one of my favourite books.


“I’m staying at the penthouse?”

“It’s the only place that I can guarantee you won’t come in contact with another man.”

LOL! Niiiice way of getting Chloe to Lex’s penthouse… alone, together… in a domestic setting. Why do I get the feeling Lex is turning cartwheels over what has happened? LOL!


“Listen to yourself. ‘Regurgitating’? Can’t you just say ‘puking’ ‘hurling’ or even ‘barfing’ like a normal person?”

“No.”

“Fair enough.”

LOL! I can imagine his perfectly serious expression in that answer too.


“Guess it could be worse. You could have called me Cigarette Smoking Man.”

“No, I’m saving that one for your father.”

“My father doesn’t smoke.”

“Then he can be the Not So Well-Manicured Man.”

Niiiice!!! This made me giggle


“Lex!”

Nothing.

“Lex!”

Still nothing.

“Lex, there’s a strange man trying to climb through my window!”

Lex came barreling through her door at breakneck speed, looking all over Chloe’s room for the intruder. He stopped when he heard her laughter.

“I don’t know what’s worse that you actually believed someone was climbing into a window on the thirtieth floor or that it took me saying that to get your attention.”

ROTFLMAO :rofl: This was hilarious! I can’t believe Chloe resorted to such cruel and unsual measures JUST to get attention because she was bored. And Lex actually came barrelling in for the chance to play ‘hero’. LOL!


“Well that doesn’t make any sense. Besides you have an endless supply of gourmet food, high definition television, TiVo, high speed internet and now my company; so how can you possibly be bored?”

“I need something more. I need fresh air.”

“You could open a window.”

“You know what I mean.”

“The best I can offer is the rooftop terrace.”

“I suppose it will have to do. Bring some more of that Double Fudge Chocolate cake.”

ROTFLMAO at the image of Lex as Chloe’s very expensive personal butler. ‘yes ma’am, no ma’am, perfect choice ma’am’. Poor Lex!


“Sure. Just remember how horrible your isolated time would be if Clark turned out to be your mate. Think of all the time you could waste watching Clark feed and care for the cows.” He left to retrieve her cake just as soon as he caught the sickly expression on her face.

LOL! I loved Lex’s parting shot, and how he reminded Chloe that, despite how nasty her condition might be, things ‘could’ have been a great deal worse. It’s a nice subtle way of telling Chloe to be a ‘little’ more grateful for the attention that Lex is paying to her. Heh, the sneaky guy!


“I can’t believe you are making me watch this crap. You are intelligent enough to know that love is in the brain and not the heart, so a heart transplant would not result in love being transferred from one person to another.”

“I guess that means that LuthorCorp will be investing in Valentine cards with brains on the cover.”

ROTFLMAO!


Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes at him. “You are missing the point of the movie.”

“And what, my clever friend, is the point?”

“That David Duchovny is really hot.”

Lex scowled at that and decided on his revenge. “While you’re busy drooling over David, I’ll eat the last bite of cake.”

LOL! I loved how Chloe was able to sum up her fascination for the movie so bluntly and without shame. BUT, on the other hand, I KNOW that Chloe would have given Lex a huge three hour lecture about objectifying women if he had tried to inflict her with some horrible movie with a ‘babe’ in it.

And LOL at the way Lex scowled at Chloe’s explanaion, and how he took exqusite revenge by taking away the last bit of cake. The EVILNESS of it, everyone knows that the last bit of cake is the most tasty part!!!


“Whining is so not sexy on you.”

“Is it sexy on anyone?”

“You could lose your clothes and try again if you’d like.”

“Eat your cake.”

ROTFLMAO!


“There’s more cake in the fridge.”

“I love you.”

“All my prayers have been answered.”

And more LOL! They are so CUTE! Their banter is adorable!


It only took a moment after she opened the door to realize the person wasn’t Lex and she should have looked through the peephole.

“What the hell are you doing here?”


AN: Yes, I know I'm evil , let's move on. At this point, I had two ideas that went off in two very different directions, both with their strengths and weaknesses. Since I can't decide which way I like better, I will let you guys decide and then work out the problems the best way I know how. I know who the person is, and the outcomes from whichever choice is made. Now here is your question:

Should Chloe puke on this person or not?

LOL! This is a brilliant way to get the lurkers out of the woodwork. I’ll have to check the thread later to see if it worked.

I say Chloe should definitely NOT puke on the person. It would just make for a more interesting storyline if we added in some variables into the chemical that Chloe is infected with. Having her puke on VERY guy would be fun, but it might get old after a while… BUT trying to figure out why she only pukes on SOME men and not on others… makes for a very fascinating plot line.

And also, I want to see how Lex reacts to having some possible competition as ‘Chloe’s mate’… ESPECIALLY if this person behind the door is Lionel… oh, PLEASE make it Lionel that Chloe is not allergic to :beg:

Hmmm, or Bruce Wayne? :D

NO! Lionel!!!! And no puking! I’m casting double votes to make it count as two. No puking!

Kit Merlot
24th June 2007, 15:48
Great update!

So now Chloe is living in Lex's penthouse--Awesome:D

But who is at the door? If it's someone cool, I don't want Chloe puking on them. But if it's a jackass, then puke away:P

So please let us know soon:grin3:

letia84
24th June 2007, 19:06
I have gotten a chance to read this at last. I'm gald you decide to post one of you ideas. This is a great on by the way. Sorry I can do longer quoted review but I'm just to far behind.

First off you had science questions you could have asked a scientist; ME. In light of that I think you are doing a fine job at addressing what the chemical has done to Chloe. I don't mind made up science things unless they fail to follow a simple pattern. You established a pattern that works and as long as you don't stray away from it the made up stuff works.

I do enjoy the dialogue in this one. The face pace snark from CHloe is great.

You had the courage to kill Lana. I never kill her I just ignore her completely. I think is great that her own selfishness finally did her in.

Lex's explanation as to why he left Chloe was good but he's still a fool for over thinking things instead of letting him self be happy.

As for the poll I want Chloe to puke. Bring on some angst.:devil:

Shanna
25th June 2007, 00:50
I adore you Chlex banter! Too funny. Love the Wonka references, and of course David D. is hot. You mean there are people who don't think so?
:confuse2:

Great start to this story.

As for to puke or not to puke? Here's my voting. If it's Jimmy at the door, by all means puke away. If it's Clark, how about at least some nausea?

kitten
25th June 2007, 00:57
Hi, westwingwolf. I forgot to review, and since my telepathy is still in the training stages, I figured you'd like some input. Chapters 4-6 are covered here, because I was lazy before.



Lex slowly turned to face Chloe. He did his best to hide his surprise but couldn’t and figured it didn’t matter this time anyway.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, believe me I’d rather not be puking if I don’t have to.”

Certain that if she was snarking she wouldn’t be vomiting, Lex chose to go back to the side of her bed. “Right, but why aren’t you? Are you cured?”

“I don’t know. The chemical could be out of my system by now, I guess. Maybe whatever it was, it was still in a really early test stage, so it wasn’t made permanent yet. Or maybe I didn’t get enough…” before she could finish, she was interrupted.

“I’m glad Pinhead left because it means we can start to gossip about why he was here.” Lois said as she returned and before she took notice that Lex was still in the room.

“What the hell are you doing in here? I knew you were a jerk, but I didn’t think you’d purposely try to make Chloe sick just for kicks. Get out!” She moved to push him out the door, but Chloe stopped her.

“I think I’m cured Lois, tell Clark he can come in.” Lois looked like she thought Lex had forced Chloe to say such, but Chloe did appear to seem fine so she opened the door and called for Clark.

Clark was surprised to see Lex was already in the room, but he didn’t have time to voice his concerns as Chloe immediately placed her head in the bucket. Lex went to help Chloe and Lois pushed Clark back out the door again to his protests.


I know it's not nice, but I'm glad to see Clark getting jerked around. He's certainly done the same to Chloe and Lex plenty of times. I think it would build much-needed character to have him watch Lex getting the majority of affection as he is forced to sit outside with his nose literally pressed to the window. Although the method of testing whether Chloe will get sick is awful. She only has so much to throw up before running into health issues.



“I just meant that it would make me feel very weird about some particular thoughts that I’ve had about you… in the past.” He silently begged that she wouldn’t press the issue.

After some thought, Chloe decided to take pity on him since that was obviously hard for him to admit, and she honestly had similar thoughts about him. They saw each other as attractive. So what? It didn’t mean anything. “It’s okay. I understand and you don’t have to worry. I’m positive we’re not related.”

“Yeah so then how do we explain this?” He waved back and forth between them.

“Maybe it’s just another strange effect of the chemical. Or maybe you don’t have an offending scent to anyone.” She thought about that for a moment. “Wow, proof that Lex Luthor is indeed irresistible to all women.”

Chloe is very cool here. She found out she's in Lex's spank bank and gracefully led him to another topic that should be safer. Of course, in the tradition of many Chlex stories, safer topics only lead to bigger issues.



The woman took a deep breath and entered the room completely. “Very well, sir. It appears that Miss Sullivan’s new chemical stasis will only allow for two types of male odor. One being a relative such as her father and the other being her …”

Chloe and Lex were equally awaiting the nervous woman’s next word. And if the room wasn’t so extremely quiet, they might have missed it.

“Mate.”

What a loaded way to phrase it! It's funny and dramatic but it's also kind of sexy, too. I can imagine how startling it would be to hear, and the thoughts in Chloe and Lex's heads as they struggle with biology deciding for them. They're big on the free will and I'm sure the idea of being paired off by pheromones will bother them.



“Our preliminary tests show that the chemical you encountered seems to have magnetic like effects. We ran several tests to see what your blood would do. When we used Mr. Luthor’s blood, the two samples were attracted to one another and basically bonded. With any female sample and your father’s blood work, there was no reaction. The blood remained in a stasis form. However, with any other male, the blood had a violent repelling action. We did some animal testing, and so far the tests show that the reactions are caused by your aversion to the smell of most males’ pheromones that they manage to sweat off. Normally, people don’t really notice this scent unless engaged in sex, but the chemical also seems to have heightened your sense of smell in this area.”

I'm not a smut junkie, but I have to say this: EVEN their blood cells want to hump!

Sexy potential for this. A heightened sense of smell and a really good excuse if anything sexy did happen outside of a relationship. The pheromones made them do it! Can the pheromones please make them do something at least? Where's the kissing?



“Okay, I see your point. But how would you feel if the only female you could interact with was … well me, I guess?”

“Perfectly happy actually.”

“What?”

“Considering all the alternatives in the women I’ve met over the years, you are the best bet.”

“Um…okay. Well, if you don’t mind, I’m still trying to deal with the fact that my body thinks you’re its mate and I’m tired, so can we drop this for now?”

Unexpectedly sweet of Lex to be so open about Chloe's superiority to his previous 'mates.' I thought he'd have to stutter his way through a confession like that, but maybe not your Lex. Good for him.

“I could have become one of your best friends?”

“Well, it’s not like there was stiff competition at the time. What with Pete gone and Clark being Clark and Lana deciding she was too mature for the people and things associated with high school. Though, I probably shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

“You won’t offend me. You’d think after all the time she put into work at the Talon, she’d know better than to light a cigarette after cooking on a gas stove and then forget to make sure the gas was off. I didn’t even know she smoked.”

“She was planning on returning to Paris for the summer. She said everyone there smoked and she had to practice in order to make sure she looked cool.”

“Didn’t she think about the dangers of smoking? You know, aside from the one about gas and an open flame.”

I'm just not sure what to say about this. Lana blowing herself up while learning to smoke is great, obviously. If this were a serious story I'd have to be a little offended at how blase Chloe and Lex are over her untimely demise. She was a person . . . kind of. My main reaction was laughter with a teeny bit of guilt for my inhumanity. I'm sure I'll recover from the guilt.


Lex visited Chloe everyday for the entire duration of her stay. They had come to an unspoken agreement that they could joke about the ‘mate’ predicament so long as they never explored what it meant. They both knew that a serious talk would have to happen eventually, but neither wanted to be the one to approach the subject and both were hoping this could continue until a cure was found. They had just rekindled their friendship and neither wanted to risk it for the uncomfortable topic that was hovering above their heads.

I'm curious as to the intended use of the serum Chloe found. If it was meant to form a bond it worked for her and Lex, but that seems a little too innocent for a secret lab in the middle of nowhere. I am glad Lex is taking it in stride and visiting her every chance he gets. It shows he's not stupid.


Chloe decided it was best not to explain the entire mate situation to Clark. Instead, she told him that the meteor effects done to Lex as a boy must have been the reason that he had no effect on her. It was still plausible since they didn’t know everything about this drug, and luckily Clark didn’t think to wonder why an alien could still have the effect when a mutated human couldn’t. After a few days of sitting outside the door with the walkie-talkie, Chloe made Clark realize how futile his visits were. He didn’t want to leave Chloe alone with Lex, but Lex always seemed to arrive at the hospital before Clark could stop him. And he couldn’t pull Lex out of the room without harming Chloe.

Chloe still emailed Jimmy but the letters were getting shorter with each one. It was great to have a boyfriend if she could see him when she wanted, but when she couldn’t see him and was still fine with it, then obviously something had to be wrong. She knew she should brake up with him, but it seemed in poor taste to do so by email. She also knew she couldn’t continue with that excuse especially since it looked liked it would be a while before she got better. He had a right to know he was wasting his time. Video conferencing a break up had to be better than sending a ‘Dear John’ video, right?

LOL at the other 'men in Chloe's life' slowly but surely being left out as she reconnects with Lex. I've never cared for Jimmy and Clark is over for her. But I am glad to see Chloe retaining some consideration for Jimmy as she dumps his unworthy dead weight.



The smile dropped some. “Okay, well I have good news for you. I have devised a plan to get you out of here.”

“What are you going to do? Dig a tunnel? Or maybe you built me a Wonkavator?”

“Sorry, the Wonkavator is being upgraded, but I have decorated the penthouse in flavored wallpaper.”

“I’m staying at the penthouse?”

“It’s the only place that I can guarantee you won’t come in contact with another man.”

“What about your staff?”

“It’s just the penthouse. I don’t have a staff. It’s not like the mansion which would be impossible for me to clean by myself.” After Chloe gave him a disbelieving look, he admitted “Okay, I have a cleaning lady who stops by once a week. She doesn’t look particularly feminine but I’m sure you’ll be okay.”

Funny Lex! He's rare. I'll cherish him forever. And I might also like the wallpaper at the penthouse, just in case it is flavoured (who knows what LuthorCorp sells?) and because it's Lex's wallpaper. That's right: I would lick Lex's wallpaper. I know I'm pathetic but I'm decisive as well.


“I’m not needy. I’m just bored. A monk would go crazy in these conditions.”

“Well that doesn’t make any sense. Besides you have an endless supply of gourmet food, high definition television, TiVo, high speed internet and now my company; so how can you possibly be bored?”

“I need something more. I need fresh air.”

“You could open a window.”

“You know what I mean.”

“The best I can offer is the rooftop terrace.”

“I suppose it will have to do. Bring some more of that Double Fudge Chocolate cake.”

“Okay.”

“And is there any way to set up a TV out there?”

“Okay.”

“And your wireless works out there too, right?”

“Sure. Just remember how horrible your isolated time would be if Clark turned out to be your mate. Think of all the time you could waste watching Clark feed and care for the cows.” He left to retrieve her cake just as soon as he caught the sickly expression on her face.

I liked the pseudo threat of Clark as a mate instead of Lex. Imagine Chloe trying to spend her time at the barn without TV, internet, gourmet food or intelligent conversations. She'd have to be tied down so she didn't kill herself. Lex is very nice here and I like it. It's genuine and it means he likes living with Chloe. Now all we need to lift the monastic tone of her penthouse seclusion is some kissing, right?


“That David Duchovny is really hot.”

Lex scowled at that and decided on his revenge. “While you’re busy drooling over David, I’ll eat the last bite of cake.”

“That’s not fair. You should be nice to me.”

“I let you have most of the cake already.”

“Lexxxxxxxxxx!”

“Whining is so not sexy on you.”

“Is it sexy on anyone?”

“You could lose your clothes and try again if you’d like.”

“Eat your cake.”

Hee! Banter. And DD is really hot. Chloe has good taste in men with hair now that she's ditched Jimmy and Clark.


It only took a moment after she opened the door to realize the person wasn’t Lex and she should have looked through the peephole.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

So my vote for puking or non-puking is conditional. If the visitor is someone like a Luthor, no puking. If it's someone dumb and boring, make Chloe puke and then Lex can swoop in and save her and make her feel better with cuddles after he kicks the asses that need kicking. And if the visitor is female, surprise me.

westwingwolf
25th June 2007, 01:35
After much thought and since I'm getting mixed reviews, especially those with conditions on whether or not to puke, I've decided to provide you with both. The first update will be the one I intend to base the rest of the fic off of. The second one will be solely for entertainment and should not be looked back on when reading the rest of the story.

Thank you for your reviews and please feel free to tell me which you prefer because I'm interested in knowing what you all thinking on this whole puking situation.

Thanks,
Mindy

tiger04
25th June 2007, 06:09
Wow-I can't wait to see who is at the door.- I have a guess but I'm going to wait and see if I am right. I hope that you will be updating soon. I am really interested in where this story is heading.

AT

somethingeasy
25th June 2007, 11:07
After much thought and since I'm getting mixed reviews, especially those with conditions on whether or not to puke, I've decided to provide you with both. The first update will be the one I intend to base the rest of the fic off of. The second one will be solely for entertainment and should not be looked back on when reading the rest of the story.

Thank you for your reviews and please feel free to tell me which you prefer because I'm interested in knowing what you all thinking on this whole puking situation.

heh, sounds like a good plan. I look forward to reading both versions of the chapters... hmmmm, I don't suppose you can talk Skauble into ALSO adopting a similar 'alternative chapters/plots lines' for her lovely fic?

heh, or perhaps Nonky... *shivers in delight at the thought of seeing an alternate version of Trauma that ends in murder and suicide*

westwingwolf
25th June 2007, 22:04
AN: Okay as promised, you get both versions. This chapter needs to be the one that you accept as happening in the story because it works.


Chapter 7

“What the hell are you doing here?” is all Chloe said before she raced to the bathroom in an effort to prepare herself for what she was almost positive was about to happen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Lex opened the door, he was surprised to find his brother standing in the middle of the living room and Chloe no where in sight.

“Where’s Chloe and how did you get in here?”

“Is that the blonde who ran to the bathroom?”

Lex pushed Lucas out of his way and knocked on the bathroom dorm. “Chloe, are okay? Do you need any help?” he then turned back to Lucas “You better leave because as soon as she’s feeling better, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong except decide to visit my brother on the day that his girlfriend chose to get wasted.”

“She’s not wasted, she’s sick.”

“Oh sorry. Visit my brother and his pregnant girlfriend.”

“She’s not pregnant either.”

“Then what the hell is wrong with her?”

“Nothing,” Chloe said as she opened the door, “at least not right now. I went to the bathroom just in case. But there was no dizziness, no nausea, and definitely no vomiting.”

“How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, maybe Lucas is another prospect for a mate.”

“No!” Lex immediately set his perfected mask when he caught both sets of eyes staring at him and replied calmly, “No, a mate is one half of a pair. You can’t have two mates. It’s not possible.”

“Then what do you think is the reason?” Chloe eyes challenged him to come up with a better answer.

Lex’s eyes never showed defeat, but while he took his time thinking of an answer, Lucas had had enough of being ignored. “What is wrong with you two? What the hell are you talking about? Mates and nausea? It makes no sense.”

“I’ll explain everything on the way to the lab. We are going to test your blood and retest mine and Chloe’s.”

“I’m not going anywhere without an explanation, and there is no way I’m going to let you test anything of mine.”

“You’ll go or I’ll cut off your allowance.”

“What are we waiting for? We’ve got answers to uncover, people.” Lucas raced out the door with Lex and Chloe on his heels.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After Chloe’s blood was taken from a female phlebotomist, she was left alone in an isolated room to wait impatiently as Lex and Lucas had their blood taken and Lex consulted with the scientists about the new results.

After what could have easily been hours, Lex and Lucas walked in the room. Lucas spoke first. “Sorry it took so long, but Lex insisted that they recheck my blood three times.”

“I was being thorough.”

“You didn’t have to tell them to redraw my blood each time.”

“A fresh sample is always best.”

“Boys! Just shut up and tell me the results.”

Both men looked sheepish at being scolded but Lex recovered quicker. “There is no change in your blood or in the fact that our blood bonds. However, it doesn’t bond with Lucas’. My team is not certain why there is no reaction. However, they have two theories. Either Lucas will turn into a potential mate or your blood is tolerating him for the purpose of integrating our families.”

“God, I hope it’s the first one,” Chloe blurted out.

Lex was immediately offended. “Why would you want that?”

“Well if it’s the second, then I can’t look forward to the reaction I was hoping I’d have if I ever saw your father again.”

Lex relaxed a little after Chloe’s admission. “If it helps, you can carry a bottle of ipecac around for when he shows up and I won’t tell him the truth.”

“Thanks.” Chloe rubbed her forehead in frustration because the latest development just proved that they were understanding less and less of this chemical. She needed to get back to her research and try to find out who created the project and how and why Ms. Carens got involved. It could be the only thing that led to her cure.

“We should get back to the penthouse. Lois is going to come over so you don’t have to be burdened with entertaining me.”

“You are not a burden. I like entertaining you. I like any chance to spend time with you.” Lex leaned into her and whispered this in an effort to block out Lucas’ presence entirely.

“All the same, Lois and I want to spend some quality ‘girl time’ together to talk about … Oliver and stuff. Besides you should catch up with Lucas.”

“Talk about a burden.”

“I’m still in the room!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So Jimmy was really okay about the whole break up?” Lois asked as she flipped the channels on the living room’s plasma screen while Chloe continued with her research.

“Yeah, he also discovered that there was no real heartbreak from being kept apart. He’ll probably find someone new by the time I’m better so that all the awkwardness of seeing each other again won’t matter.”

“And will you find someone new or in this case someone you’ve known of for a while who is bald, rich, sexy and destined to be with you?”

“I thought you hated Lex.”

“So you admit that you think Lex is sexy and that you are destined to be with him?”

“What? I thought… who else would you have meant?”

“Daddy Warbucks.”

“You think a fictional character is sexy and meant to be with me?”

“He is kind of sexy in his own way and don’t try to deny that you haven’t thought certain fictional characters were sexy.”
“Whatever. Just answer my original question.”

“What question? Oh right, I hated Lex as long as he was being a jerk to you but I’ve got no reason to hate him if you’ve forgiven him. I do, however, reserve the right to kick his ass if he hurts you again. Now you answer my question.”

“I think Lex and I have a lot in common and we enjoy being together, but I can’t say that we are destined to be together. Especially if all we are basing that on is some weird reaction to a strange chemical.”

“Okay, well some people would say you are in denial, but I’ll move on to a different topic.”

“Thank you.”

“Clark thinks Lex set this whole thing up.” Lois looked over to gage her cousin’s reaction. “What? I didn’t say it was a completely different topic.”

Chloe sighed. “Does Clark suspect Lex of masterminding this whole plot by waiting for me to discover that company on my own and then hope that I would accidentally spill the project on myself?”

“Pretty much. Anytime I speak with Clark, he mentions that Lex is probably using this private time with you to get information on him.”

“Tell him that Lex hasn’t asked about him once. Well, not really.”

“I will. I also informed him that Lex probably didn’t give a damn about his boring farm boy life and is using this time as a means to get into your pants.”

“Lois!”

“For my sake and Clark’s, tell me how far he’s gotten.”

“How is that for Clark’s sake?”

“Well if he knows the truth, then he won’t have to worry if it’s much worse. Now tell.”

“He’s gotten nowhere. I thought we just talked about how we don’t have those feelings for each other.”

“Who cares about feelings? I’m talking about sex.”

“There has been no sex. There has been no groping. There hasn’t even been any kissing.”

“This will probably be the only time I say this about you, but you are an idiot. This is the same Lex Luthor that you have been enamored with since after your summer together. This is the man that even after he ended your friendship, you couldn’t stop thinking about. Now that you are practically alone with this man day and night, jump him.”

“We won’t be alone anymore. Lucas will probably be around. Besides Lex hasn’t made a move on me either.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t know how you feel. He’s just happy that you’re allowing him to be a friend and doesn’t want to risk it. Again I say: jump him!”

“That is such… if I say that I’ll think about it will you leave me alone?”

“Can I be the one to inform Clark of this recent development?”

“No.”

“Then probably not.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, the Luthor brothers’ idea of ‘catching up’ was for Lex to go back to his office and work while Lucas bombarded him with questions about his relationship with Chloe.

After several times of Lex insisting that he and Chloe were just friends but that in no way gave Lucas permission to try anything, Lucas decided to go for a different tactic. “So as Chloe’s friend, you are earnestly trying to find a cure for her.”

“Of course I am.”

“You aren’t in any way hoping that the more time she spends isolated with you, the more likely she’ll develop more than friendly feelings toward you?”

“I already told you we are just friends and that’s it. I’m doing everything I can help her.”

Lucas took note of the fact that Lex didn’t actually answer his question so he continued. “I’m just saying that I would understand your need to lock your princess in the highest tower for as long as possible.”

“First of all, Chloe would take offense to being called a princess. Secondly, even if I did lock her away, she’d find a way to escape. She’s going to go stir crazy if she can’t investigate anymore, which is why a cure needs to be found or else she’ll go searching anyway and risk her health. I don’t want her to lose her dream or her life. Our father almost took both away.”

“Literally speaking of the devil, have you heard from him lately?”

“No he’s been lying low for awhile now. I know he’ll eventually show up, and I’m working on a plan for when he does, but I’m sick of wasting my life being worried about what he will do. I already lost enough time on him.”

“Lost time that could have been better spent with Chloe?”

“If I say yes will you drop this whole line of questioning?”

“I will for now.”

“Then yes.”

“Good. Now, we can discuss sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the guest room and Chloe can move into your room.”

“No.”

“Fine, I have no problem sharing the room with Chloe.”

“Not if you want to live and not when there’s a perfectly good sofa.”

“That’s not fair to make Chloe take the sofa with all she’s been through.”

“You can sleep on the sofa or you can use some of that money I provide you with and get a hotel room.”

“You’ll at least give me a blanket and pillow, won’t you?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After dinner, Lucas wanted to watch a movie so he, Chloe and Lex gathered in the living room. Lucas went ahead and set up his makeshift bed on the sofa so Chloe and Lex were forced to share the chair. It could be reasonably comfortable for two people, but Chloe had to basically position herself on Lex’s lap.

They decided to watch Evolution so Chloe could once again drool over David, Lucas could laugh, and Lex could get a minimal amount of science to quell the geek within. However, Lucas was snoring halfway through the movie, and not even David was enough to keep Chloe awake after the toll the day had taken on her.

She was currently sleeping soundly on top of Lex and he was reluctant to wake her. He would have been happy to sleep there the rest of the night, but she started to wake on her own. When she registered where she had fallen asleep, she blushed deep red and apologized.
“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t what woke you, was I?”

“No, you are fine. I think it was Lucas’ snoring more than anything.”

“Right. We should probably get up and go to sleep.” Lex couldn’t move with Chloe on top of him and Chloe wasn’t going anywhere.

In fact, she managed to snuggle closer to him. When she looked up, he was so close that she decided to take Lois’ advice. She pulled him to her and began kissing him with a new alertness that she didn’t have moments before. Lex matched her effort, but they eventually had to pull away. As soon as Chloe caught her breath, she said “We should go to bed.”

At that moment, Lucas let out his loudest snore and the shock of it made Chloe amend her statement. “I mean you to your bed and me to mine. Goodnight.” She was off of his lap and back into her room before Lex could realize what happened.

When his brain did catch up, he looked at Lucas, said “We are getting you a hotel room tomorrow,” pulled Lucas’ pillow out from under him and hit him with it.



AN2: I hope you agree that this version provides more storyline then the other one. Alternate Chapter is next.

westwingwolf
25th June 2007, 22:07
AN: Here is the alternate beginning of chapter 7. It is just for fun and will not be helpful if you think of it as happening in the story.

Alternate Chapter 7

“What the hell are you doing here?” is all Chloe got out before the visitor’s scent reached her nose. The violent urge in her stomach was so quick that she managed to puke all over the unsuspecting man before she could reach the bathroom.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lex opened the door to the penthouse and was greeted by the sounds of Chloe in the bathroom and the sight of his brother covered in remains of cake. His desire to laugh would have to wait until he checked on Chloe.

Lucas followed Lex to the bathroom determined to give Lex and the hot blonde a piece of his mind. However, he was disappointed when Lex slammed the door in his face nearly catching his hand in the process.

“Hey! I’m the one covered in what I’m sure is something I’ll never want to eat again and all you care about is your latest fling. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the love?”

Lex opened the door for a moment, through a towel at Lucas’ head, declared “Here’s your love!” and slammed the door once again.

“Good to know I’m appreciated. I’ll just be in the other bathroom cleaning myself and burning my clothes.” After a few minutes, he realized he wasn’t going to get a reply so he left to do just that and raid Lex’s closet.

In the bathroom, Lex was holding Chloe’s hair back and soothingly rubbing her back. After she was done, he held out a washcloth to her and she sat back to gather herself and wipe her face.

“I’m fine. He just caught me off guard. I thought you were at the door being incorrigible.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t. He didn’t know any better. And besides, if you kill him, his smell will stay for weeks and then where will we be?”

“I can afford a new place.”

“That’s sweet, but just get rid of him and I’ll live.”

“Don’t have to ask twice.”

Lucas had just finished buttoning his new pants when Lex stormed in and grabbed him by the collar. He practically dragged Lucas out of his room, through the living room, out the door, and deposited him in front of the elevator.

“Look, no reason to be angry with me just because your plan is backfiring.” Lucas yelled as he tried to get off the floor.

“Plan? What are you talking about?”

“Your plan to get that chick drunk and into your bed backfired because she drank too much and is currently upchucking in there. Sex god my ass!” Lucas declared having finally stood up properly.

He wasn’t up for very long after Lex punched him. “Don’t ever refer to Chloe as a ‘chick’ or anything else demeaning that your pathetic brain can come up with again. And I don’t need to get a woman drunk, nor would I ever try that with Chloe. I’m guessing you might have some experience in that area.”

“If she’s not drunk, then why did she vomit all over me?”

“Your smell.”

“Hey! I do not smell bad or at least I didn’t before I rang your doorbell.”

“She’s allergic to all male odors except mine and her father’s. The scent you are giving off makes her sick.”

“Scent? What like pheromones?” When Lex gave him a questioning look, Lucas continued “I’m a smart guy. I know these things.” To which Lex gave him another disbelieving look. “Okay. I dated this ch…woman who liked to watch Animal Planet.”

“Figures. Now, I have to make sure your scent is cleaned out of the penthouse. I’m sorry we couldn’t have spent more time together. I’ll see you around. Goodbye.” With that, Lex slammed the door in Lucas’ face and returned to Chloe.


AN2: See, not nearly as much to work with.

flower
25th June 2007, 22:19
Owh! I like the first one much more! Chloe gone wild which means it will only be a matter of time before she jumps Lex's bones! :D
Bye Lucas, enjoy the Holiday Inn. Hihi

somethingeasy
25th June 2007, 23:34
“I didn’t do anything wrong except decide to visit my brother on the day that his girlfriend chose to get wasted.”

“She’s not wasted, she’s sick.”

“Oh sorry. Visit my brother and his pregnant girlfriend.”

“She’s not pregnant either.”

LOL! Lucas really doesn’t have a lot of respect for Lex’s taste in women if these are the only explanations he can come up with. The again, considering Lex’s choice in female companionship in the past, who can blame him?


“I don’t know, maybe Lucas is another prospect for a mate.”

“No!” Lex immediately set his perfected mask when he caught both sets of eyes staring at him and replied calmly, “No, a mate is one half of a pair. You can’t have two mates. It’s not possible.”

ROTFLOL at Lex getting immediately so defensive about this possibility. You can see him puffing up with jealousy and possessiveness right in front of you. Love it!!!


“I’m not going anywhere without an explanation, and there is no way I’m going to let you test anything of mine.”

“You’ll go or I’ll cut off your allowance.”

“What are we waiting for? We’ve got answers to uncover, people.” Lucas raced out the door with Lex and Chloe on his heels.

ROTFLMAO at Lucas’s priorities, and at the way Lex bullied him into cooperating. I started loving Lucas from his first appearance in this fic, and I’m so glad that he gets to stay.


After what could have easily been hours, Lex and Lucas walked in the room. Lucas spoke first. “Sorry it took so long, but Lex insisted that they recheck my blood three times.”

“I was being thorough.”

“You didn’t have to tell them to redraw my blood each time.”

“A fresh sample is always best.”

This part made had me outrageously LOL. The funniest part in the whole chapter. I loved how Lex took a bit of small, petty jealousy by having Lucas poked, pricked and leeched three unnecessarily extra times. I never thought Lex could be so damned cute when he’s being petty. LOL!


Both men looked sheepish at being scolded but Lex recovered quicker. “There is no change in your blood or in the fact that our blood bonds. However, it doesn’t bond with Lucas’. My team is not certain why there is no reaction. However, they have two theories. Either Lucas will turn into a potential mate or your blood is tolerating him for the purpose of integrating our families.”

“God, I hope it’s the first one,” Chloe blurted out.

Lex was immediately offended. “Why would you want that?”

“Well if it’s the second, then I can’t look forward to the reaction I was hoping I’d have if I ever saw your father again.”

heh, I really enjoy every new bit of ‘made up science’ that comes along in this fic. It’s always fun seeing new pieces of the puzzle coming out. Chloe reaction made me blink at first, and Lex’s bristling reaction to HER reaction made me giggle… but her explanation made sense (not to mention helped soothe him)


Lex relaxed a little after Chloe’s admission. “If it helps, you can carry a bottle of ipecac around for when he shows up and I won’t tell him the truth.”

LOL! I can’t wait to find out how this Lionel reacts to hearing about the whole ‘mate’ thing. Is he going to start hunting down and replacing Chloe’s birth control pills with placebos? Start selecting baby names for the Chlex children? Or will he start immediately in trying to either seduce Chloe, or bribe/threaten her away from his son?


“All the same, Lois and I want to spend some quality ‘girl time’ together to talk about … Oliver and stuff. Besides you should catch up with Lucas.”

“Talk about a burden.”

“I’m still in the room!”

LOL! Poor Lucas. He’s really so CUTE!


“So Jimmy was really okay about the whole break up?” Lois asked as she flipped the channels on the living room’s plasma screen while Chloe continued with her research.

“Yeah, he also discovered that there was no real heartbreak from being kept apart. He’ll probably find someone new by the time I’m better so that all the awkwardness of seeing each other again won’t matter.”

heh, so I guess the Great Chimmy Romance has fizzled out. It went out on such a whimpering note too. More proof that the two of them just don’t have enough chemistry to even warrant a BAD and painful breakup. How dull!


“So you admit that you think Lex is sexy and that you are destined to be with him?”

“What? I thought… who else would you have meant?”

“Daddy Warbucks.”

“You think a fictional character is sexy and meant to be with me?”

“He is kind of sexy in his own way and don’t try to deny that you haven’t thought certain fictional characters were sexy.”
“Whatever. Just answer my original question.”

LOL! Love Lois’s banter too. She’s also quite adorable, and her dialogue is really fun and engaging… just like Lucas’s. It would be interesting to see the Lucas and Lois interacting with each other.


“Clark thinks Lex set this whole thing up.” Lois looked over to gage her cousin’s reaction. “What? I didn’t say it was a completely different topic.”

Chloe sighed. “Does Clark suspect Lex of masterminding this whole plot by waiting for me to discover that company on my own and then hope that I would accidentally spill the project on myself?”

*gasp* The evil masterminded fiend! LOL! It would have been fun if Lex HAD been the one who had orchestrated the whole ‘Chloe is Lex’s mate’ thing… too bad it’s so highly unlikely.


“We won’t be alone anymore. Lucas will probably be around. Besides Lex hasn’t made a move on me either.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t know how you feel. He’s just happy that you’re allowing him to be a friend and doesn’t want to risk it. Again I say: jump him!”

LOL! Lois gives GOOD advice from time to time. Let’s listen to her, shall we?


“That is such… if I say that I’ll think about it will you leave me alone?”

“Can I be the one to inform Clark of this recent development?”

“No.”

“Then probably not.”

ROFL!


After several times of Lex insisting that he and Chloe were just friends but that in no way gave Lucas permission to try anything,

LOL! I LOVED this sentence. It really helped draw EXACTLY what kind of a conversation the Luthors had been engaged in, how annoyed and territorial Lex was feeling, and how much FUN Lucas was having riling his normally stoic brother up like this.


Lucas took note of the fact that Lex didn’t actually answer his question so he continued. “I’m just saying that I would understand your need to lock your princess in the highest tower for as long as possible.”

“First of all, Chloe would take offense to being called a princess. Secondly, even if I did lock her away, she’d find a way to escape. She’s going to go stir crazy if she can’t investigate anymore, which is why a cure needs to be found or else she’ll go searching anyway and risk her health. I don’t want her to lose her dream or her life. Our father almost took both away.”

heh, I really liked that, although Lex was enjoying having this bit of ‘quality time’ with Chloe, he wasn’t fooling himself into believing that Chloe’s going to be able to maintain this kind of existence indefinitely without killing herself… or killing others.


“Literally speaking of the devil, have you heard from him lately?”

“No he’s been lying low for awhile now. I know he’ll eventually show up, and I’m working on a plan for when he does, but I’m sick of wasting my life being worried about what he will do. I already lost enough time on him.”

“Lost time that could have been better spent with Chloe?”

“If I say yes will you drop this whole line of questioning?”

“I will for now.”

“Then yes.”

heh, I was ALSO wondering where and what is Lionel up to, and when is he going to make an appearance. I was also rather surprised to see Lex admitting his feelings for Chloe so easily over here. Granted, it took a lot of nagging from Lucas, but still…


“Good. Now, we can discuss sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the guest room and Chloe can move into your room.”

“No.”

“Fine, I have no problem sharing the room with Chloe.”

“Not if you want to live and not when there’s a perfectly good sofa.”

“That’s not fair to make Chloe take the sofa with all she’s been through.”

“You can sleep on the sofa or you can use some of that money I provide you with and get a hotel room.”

“You’ll at least give me a blanket and pillow, won’t you?”

ROTFLMAO at this entire exchange. Especially the part about ‘making Chloe sleep on the sofa’. Hilarious! They are really TOO cute together, I’d love to see some more Luthor-brothers interaction.


After dinner, Lucas wanted to watch a movie so he, Chloe and Lex gathered in the living room. Lucas went ahead and set up his makeshift bed on the sofa so Chloe and Lex were forced to share the chair. It could be reasonably comfortable for two people, but Chloe had to basically position herself on Lex’s lap.

heh, how convenient!


They decided to watch Evolution so Chloe could once again drool over David, Lucas could laugh, and Lex could get a minimal amount of science to quell the geek within. However, Lucas was snoring halfway through the movie, and not even David was enough to keep Chloe awake after the toll the day had taken on her.

ooooh, I remember ‘Evolution’. It was actually a genuinely good movie. I enjoyed it too. And a great big swooning awwwww on Chloe falling asleep on Lex.


“Right. We should probably get up and go to sleep.” Lex couldn’t move with Chloe on top of him and Chloe wasn’t going anywhere.

In fact, she managed to snuggle closer to him. When she looked up, he was so close that she decided to take Lois’ advice. She pulled him to her and began kissing him with a new alertness that she didn’t have moments before. Lex matched her effort, but they eventually had to pull away. As soon as Chloe caught her breath, she said “We should go to bed.”

Yeah, BABY!!! To bed, bed, bedbedbed!!!! This was quite a heated little moment between the two of them.


At that moment, Lucas let out his loudest snore and the shock of it made Chloe amend her statement. “I mean you to your bed and me to mine. Goodnight.” She was off of his lap and back into her room before Lex could realize what happened.

When his brain did catch up, he looked at Lucas, said “We are getting you a hotel room tomorrow,” pulled Lucas’ pillow out from under him and hit him with it.

LOL! I don’t blame Lex for lashing out at Lucas over here. I guess he must have felt the potential heat of the moment too, only to have it ruined by a mistimed snore. Oh, well… better luck next time.

ALTERNATE CHAPTER review…

I really liked Mindy’s first choice in chapters betters, but this one also had some really cute moments, and I’m glad she wrote it :D


“Hey! I’m the one covered in what I’m sure is something I’ll never want to eat again and all you care about is your latest fling. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the love?”

ROTFLMAO at poor Lucas’s indignation about being mistreated so. First he was vomited on, and then he was treated like HE was the one who had done something wrong. Poor guy! LOL!


Lex opened the door for a moment, through a towel at Lucas’ head, declared “Here’s your love!” and slammed the door once again.

“Good to know I’m appreciated. I’ll just be in the other bathroom cleaning myself and burning my clothes.” After a few minutes, he realized he wasn’t going to get a reply so he left to do just that and raid Lex’s closet.

LOL! Again poor Lucas… absolutely no sympathy for him. I’ve never been vomited on, but I imagine it MUST be a fairly traumatizing experience when copious amounts of vomit is involved.


In the bathroom, Lex was holding Chloe’s hair back and soothingly rubbing her back. After she was done, he held out a washcloth to her and she sat back to gather herself and wipe her face.

I swooned at the sweet, considerate way Lex was taking care of Chloe. This is even sweeter than him acting as her personal man-servant and butler for the past few days.


Lucas had just finished buttoning his new pants when Lex stormed in and grabbed him by the collar. He practically dragged Lucas out of his room, through the living room, out the door, and deposited him in front of the elevator.

Sill LOL at the appalling lack of sympathy for poor, confused Lucas.


“Look, no reason to be angry with me just because your plan is backfiring.” Lucas yelled as he tried to get off the floor.

“Plan? What are you talking about?”

“Your plan to get that chick drunk and into your bed backfired because she drank too much and is currently upchucking in there. Sex god my ass!” Lucas declared having finally stood up properly.

He wasn’t up for very long after Lex punched him. “Don’t ever refer to Chloe as a ‘chick’ or anything else demeaning that your pathetic brain can come up with again. And I don’t need to get a woman drunk, nor would I ever try that with Chloe. I’m guessing you might have some experience in that area.”

Ouch! Lucas should have just gotten out while the getting out was good. That was a pretty nasty thing to say, and it doesn’t speak much about Lucas’s assessment of Lex’s morals and characeter.


“If she’s not drunk, then why did she vomit all over me?”

“Your smell.”

“Hey! I do not smell bad or at least I didn’t before I rang your doorbell.”

“She’s allergic to all male odors except mine and her father’s. The scent you are giving off makes her sick.”

“Scent? What like pheromones?” When Lex gave him a questioning look, Lucas continued “I’m a smart guy. I know these things.” To which Lex gave him another disbelieving look. “Okay. I dated this ch…woman who liked to watch Animal Planet.”

LOL at the Luthor-brother’s banter. So cute! And special bonus points to Lucas for very quickly amending his ‘chick’ into ‘woman’ under Lex’s glare. LOL!

Heh, I really enjoyed the alternate chapter, but Mindy was right when she said that it didn’t add much to the story plot. Her original idea was much better. I look forward to seeing how the story continues… please update soon.

hfce
26th June 2007, 03:47
I love both versions but the first one is the best. The kiss was HOT!! :drool2:

crankychick
26th June 2007, 03:54
Wow. Chloe had the same (well, almost) reaction to seeing Clark that I had all of last season. Great banter and you doubted posting this.....why? It's great. Good flow. I can't wait to read more!

skauble
26th June 2007, 07:55
I loved *both* choices. Lucas making Lex jealous and Lucas wearing Chloe puke were both rewarding in their own ways. lol




Lex pushed Lucas out of his way and knocked on the bathroom dorm. “Chloe, are okay? Do you need any help?” he then turned back to Lucas “You better leave because as soon as she’s feeling better, I’m going to kick your ass.”


That's right, Lex. Lay down the law about Chloe early on. And loved how Lucas immediately thought she was wither wasted or pregnant. Someone needs to get Lucas a decent woman...except there really aren't any available on Smallville. Martha deserves way more, so maybe we can pair him with Lois. It makes sense since she's a low rent Chloe and he's a lesser Luthor.




“I don’t know, maybe Lucas is another prospect for a mate.”

“No!” Lex immediately set his perfected mask when he caught both sets of eyes staring at him and replied calmly, “No, a mate is one half of a pair. You can’t have two mates. It’s not possible.”


I *love* that Lex isn't going to give up his in with Chloe without a fight.




“You’ll go or I’ll cut off your allowance.”

“What are we waiting for? We’ve got answers to uncover, people.” Lucas raced out the door with Lex and Chloe on his heels.


LMAO Lucas is immature and obnoxious, but not stupid. :rofl:




“You didn’t have to tell them to redraw my blood each time.”

“A fresh sample is always best.”


lolololol You should never piss off Lex.




Both men looked sheepish at being scolded but Lex recovered quicker. “There is no change in your blood or in the fact that our blood bonds. However, it doesn’t bond with Lucas’. My team is not certain why there is no reaction. However, they have two theories. Either Lucas will turn into a potential mate or your blood is tolerating him for the purpose of integrating our families.”


Ohhh! I *like* that second choice there.




“Well if it’s the second, then I can’t look forward to the reaction I was hoping I’d have if I ever saw your father again.”


ROTFLMAO *That's* a scene that would be wonderful to see, and, were I Chloe and I really did have that reaction to Lionel I'd stalk him to all of his public appearances. ;)




“So Jimmy was really okay about the whole break up?” Lois asked as she flipped the channels on the living room’s plasma screen while Chloe continued with her research.

“Yeah, he also discovered that there was no real heartbreak from being kept apart. He’ll probably find someone new by the time I’m better so that all the awkwardness of seeing each other again won’t matter.”


Oh thank God that endless lack of chemistry that was Chimmy has ended.




“And will you find someone new or in this case someone you’ve known of for a while who is bald, rich, sexy and destined to be with you?”

“I thought you hated Lex.”

“So you admit that you think Lex is sexy and that you are destined to be with him?”


LOLOL Love Lois' tricksy ways.




Chloe sighed. “Does Clark suspect Lex of masterminding this whole plot by waiting for me to discover that company on my own and then hope that I would accidentally spill the project on myself?”


Ahh, Clark. With that kind of reasoning you'll be a reporter in...well, never.




“I will. I also informed him that Lex probably didn’t give a damn about his boring farm boy life and is using this time as a means to get into your pants.”


LMAO I guess there's still hope for Lois.




Lucas took note of the fact that Lex didn’t actually answer his question so he continued. “I’m just saying that I would understand your need to lock your princess in the highest tower for as long as possible.”


Yeah, Lex. We'd understand that, too. We're very reasonable about things like that. ;)




“Good. Now, we can discuss sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the guest room and Chloe can move into your room.”


See, already Lucas and Lois are thinking like a couple.




“That’s not fair to make Chloe take the sofa with all she’s been through.”


Way to be a gentleman, Lucas. lololol




They decided to watch Evolution so Chloe could once again drool over David, Lucas could laugh, and Lex could get a minimal amount of science to quell the geek within. However, Lucas was snoring halfway through the movie, and not even David was enough to keep Chloe awake after the toll the day had taken on her.


I love the way you keep providing me with the DD visuals. It's a story bonus.




She was currently sleeping soundly on top of Lex and he was reluctant to wake her. He would have been happy to sleep there the rest of the night, but she started to wake on her own. When she registered where she had fallen asleep, she blushed deep red and apologized.


Awwwwwww. I love cuddly, sleepy Chlex. I'm glad Lex got to enjoy mone snuggly time. He needs it.




In fact, she managed to snuggle closer to him. When she looked up, he was so close that she decided to take Lois’ advice. She pulled him to her and began kissing him with a new alertness that she didn’t have moments before. Lex matched her effort, but they eventually had to pull away. As soon as Chloe caught her breath, she said “We should go to bed.”


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! Someone finally made a move. But Lois recommended sex, Chloe. So you can't stop there. Jump him. Please! Lucas is a sound sleeper and that chair sounds so comfy. :yeahbaby:




When his brain did catch up, he looked at Lucas, said “We are getting you a hotel room tomorrow,” pulled Lucas’ pillow out from under him and hit him with it.

Lucas is lucky he's fictional, 'cause I would've hit him with a car.


Alt. Review



“Hey! I’m the one covered in what I’m sure is something I’ll never want to eat again and all you care about is your latest fling. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the love?”

Lex opened the door for a moment, through a towel at Lucas’ head, declared “Here’s your love!” and slammed the door once again.



ROTFLMAO And after making Chloe sick he better not be expecting much more.



In the bathroom, Lex was holding Chloe’s hair back and soothingly rubbing her back. After she was done, he held out a washcloth to her and she sat back to gather herself and wipe her face.

“I’m fine. He just caught me off guard. I thought you were at the door being incorrigible.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t. He didn’t know any better. And besides, if you kill him, his smell will stay for weeks and then where will we be?”

“I can afford a new place.”

“That’s sweet, but just get rid of him and I’ll live.”

“Don’t have to ask twice.”


This whole part was so sweet. I love an in love Lex. *sigh*




“If she’s not drunk, then why did she vomit all over me?”

“Your smell.”

“Hey! I do not smell bad or at least I didn’t before I rang your doorbell.”


:rofl:




“Scent? What like pheromones?” When Lex gave him a questioning look, Lucas continued “I’m a smart guy. I know these things.” To which Lex gave him another disbelieving look. “Okay. I dated this ch…woman who liked to watch Animal Planet.”



Ah, Lucas. You were almost smart. LMAO

Loved both these updates so much. But I agree with the choice you made...and not just because I voted for it. ;)

~Sarah~

toryjhay
26th June 2007, 08:33
hey!!!! sorry if i wasn't able to respond to your PM, busy with job hunting. i thought it would be lionel and i was so hoping that chloe would throw up on him, oh well!

this was better than what i imagined though. great chapter! loved both versions!!!!

loved the banter between lex and lucas. and liking the fact that lois basically told chloe to go for it with lex. i'm so with lex about hitting lucas with a pillow! jackass so ruined the moment. which is why the alternate chapter was great. after interrupting the kiss between chloe and lex, chloe upchucking on him was totally well deserved. but for the purpose of the story i understand why the not throwing up part was the better option.

now i can't wait till they have the eventual conversation about the kiss. should be an interesting one. more soon please!!!!:D

kitten
26th June 2007, 16:18
“Where’s Chloe and how did you get in here?”

“Is that the blonde who ran to the bathroom?”

Lex pushed Lucas out of his way and knocked on the bathroom dorm. “Chloe, are okay? Do you need any help?” he then turned back to Lucas “You better
leave because as soon as she’s feeling better, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong except decide to visit my brother on the day that his girlfriend chose to get wasted.”

“She’s not wasted, she’s sick.”

“Oh sorry. Visit my brother and his pregnant girlfriend.”

“She’s not pregnant either.”

“Then what the hell is wrong with her?”

“Nothing,” Chloe said as she opened the door, “at least not right now. I went to the bathroom just in case. But there was no dizziness, no nausea, and definitely no vomiting.”

“How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, maybe Lucas is another prospect for a mate.”

“No!” Lex immediately set his perfected mask when he caught both sets of eyes staring at him and replied calmly, “No, a mate is one half of a pair. You can’t have two mates. It’s not possible.”

Lucas! I love Lucas and his cynical suppositions about Chloe. She must be either drunk or pregnant to be nauseous in his sexy presence. The Luthor ego is genetic. Bonus points for making Lex raise his voice over the idea of Lucas being her mate and his half-assed math to prove it can't be true.



“I’m not going anywhere without an explanation, and there is no way I’m going to let you test anything of mine.”

“You’ll go or I’ll cut off your allowance.”

“What are we waiting for? We’ve got answers to uncover, people.” Lucas raced out the door with Lex and Chloe on his heels.

Darling, money-grubbing, irreverent Lucas! What he could do to improve Smallville! Everyone takes themselves far too seriously, and Lucas can be counted on to make fun of anyone.


After what could have easily been hours, Lex and Lucas walked in the room. Lucas spoke first. “Sorry it took so long, but Lex insisted that they recheck my blood three times.”

“I was being thorough.”

“You didn’t have to tell them to redraw my blood each time.”

“A fresh sample is always best.”

“Boys! Just shut up and tell me the results.”

Poor Lucas' arm. Lex must be really enjoying Chloe's company, and having her all to himself for a medical reason is only encouraging his possessiveness. She's going to have to climb out the window and rapel down if she gets the cure and wants to leave.


Both men looked sheepish at being scolded but Lex recovered quicker. “There is no change in your blood or in the fact that our blood bonds. However, it doesn’t bond with Lucas’. My team is not certain why there is no reaction. However, they have two theories. Either Lucas will turn into a potential mate or your blood is tolerating him for the purpose of integrating our families.”

“God, I hope it’s the first one,” Chloe blurted out.

Lex was immediately offended.

This is great news. No blood cell humping! I can practically hear the grudging way Lex tells her Lucas might become a potential mate. Interesting how when it was him being proclaimed Chloe's mate it was a done deal. The unintentional insult she gives him was great too. The Lionel Puke Plan is something that needs to be written.


“So Jimmy was really okay about the whole break up?” Lois asked as she flipped the channels on the living room’s plasma screen while Chloe continued with her research.

“Yeah, he also discovered that there was no real heartbreak from being kept apart. He’ll probably find someone new by the time I’m better so that all the awkwardness of seeing each other again won’t matter.”

“And will you find someone new or in this case someone you’ve known of for a while who is bald, rich, sexy and destined to be with you?”

"You know Lois, as I was having sex with Lex last night I thought to myself this mate thing might be right. I'll have to have more sex with him, but maybe I'll just remain here after I'm cured."

Lois grinned and practically clapped her hands. "I KNEW it!"

"Yes, it's all very sexy."

*smacks head* Sorry! Sorry. I'm NOT writing smut into your story. I'm not. Wouldn't dream of it. When you make a scene break, I don't imagine Chlex smut as an intro to the next paragraph. I certainly don't feel up your Lex and try to remove his clothing . . . So, how about that Jimmy? Good to see a calm resolution to that relationship.


“What question? Oh right, I hated Lex as long as he was being a jerk to you but I’ve got no reason to hate him if you’ve forgiven him. I do, however, reserve the right to kick his ass if he hurts you again. Now you answer my question.”

“I think Lex and I have a lot in common and we enjoy being together, but I can’t say that we are destined to be together. Especially if all we are basing that on is some weird reaction to a strange chemical.”

I guess it's better that Chloe and Lois are having a reasonable conversation. Lex was bad and Chloe should be clear-minded to choose him and forgive him. I'd like to remind you that he is putting tons of effort into being friendly and emotionally open and he might conceivably be filling most of her needs of human contact.


“There has been no sex. There has been no groping. There hasn’t even been any kissing.”

“This will probably be the only time I say this about you, but you are an idiot. This is the same Lex Luthor that you have been enamored with since after your summer together. This is the man that even after he ended your friendship, you couldn’t stop thinking about. Now that you are practically alone with this man day and night, jump him.”

“We won’t be alone anymore. Lucas will probably be around. Besides Lex hasn’t made a move on me either.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t know how you feel. He’s just happy that you’re allowing him to be a friend and doesn’t want to risk it. Again I say: jump him!”

Fine advice. Your Lois is a very smart version, very astute and caring of her cousin's wellbeing. An example to us all, I think, with good ideas as to how Chloe should proceed with her life. Kissing, soon please?


“First of all, Chloe would take offense to being called a princess. Secondly, even if I did lock her away, she’d find a way to escape. She’s going to go stir crazy if she can’t investigate anymore, which is why a cure needs to be found or else she’ll go searching anyway and risk her health. I don’t want her to lose her dream or her life. Our father almost took both away.”

I love your Lex. You have all the complexities and a lot of sweetness too. He knows Chloe very well. No wonder they're in the penthouse - he's hoping it will be able to hold her long enough to cure her.


After dinner, Lucas wanted to watch a movie so he, Chloe and Lex gathered in the living room. Lucas went ahead and set up his makeshift bed on the sofa so Chloe and Lex were forced to share the chair. It could be reasonably comfortable for two people, but Chloe had to basically position herself on Lex’s lap.

In fact, she managed to snuggle closer to him. When she looked up, he was so close that she decided to take Lois’ advice. She pulled him to her and began kissing him with a new alertness that she didn’t have moments before. Lex matched her effort, but they eventually had to pull away. As soon as Chloe caught her breath, she said “We should go to bed."

KISSING! Oh, thank you. Even if the bed part is just a verbal slip, I'm very happy. I didn't think Lucas would be welcomed for long, but it's amusing he's not even quiet while asleep.

As for the alternate chapter, it was fun to see the violently defensive Lex deal with getting Lucas away from Chloe and straightening up his insulting assumptions the she was drunk. Unfortunately the same part of the plot that has Chloe moving in, prevents Lucas from being around much, so I'm glad to see I backed the right horse. Luthors may deserve to be puked on, but it's not nearly as much fun as keeping them around for further trouble.




“I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t. He didn’t know any better. And besides, if you kill him, his smell will stay for weeks and then where will we be?”

“I can afford a new place.”

“That’s sweet, but just get rid of him and I’ll live.”

“Don’t have to ask twice.”


*swoons over adorable Lex*

Kit Merlot
26th June 2007, 16:59
Great chapters!

I love that Lois and Lucas both see how much Lex and Chloe like each other, and Lois' being so protective of Chloe is endearing:D

And we got a kissing scene--good for Chloe for taking Lois advice.

I'm glad that Chloe didn't puke on Lucas, but the AU chapter where she did was killing me. I felt bad for poor Lucas.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

westwingwolf
1st July 2007, 03:25
AN: Thanks for the feedback. I'm feeling iffy on this chapter but I hope it makes it's point.


Chapter 8

Even if Lucas hadn’t been awoken the previous night in a rude fashion, he would have known that something was wrong by breakfast. The average person would have been considerate enough to stay out of other people’s business or wise enough to know not to get in the middle of anything.

Lucas didn’t care to have either of these qualities.

“So Lex, do you want to tell Chloe why I have to find a new place to stay?”

“You’re kicking him out, why?”

Lex stared at his brother with a look that warned him to keep quiet or die, and then turned his attention to Chloe with a warm smile. “Since it seems that Lucas will be staying in Metropolis for a while, I thought that he’d want a place where he doesn’t have to sleep on the sofa. Lucas’ care is very important to me and I’d hate for him to suffer needlessly.” Lex looked back at Lucas with a smirk before adding “Who knows how much pain might fall upon him if he slept here any longer.”

Chloe was smart enough to know not to buy what Lex was saying but she didn’t press the issue. “No need for that. I’ve decided to move back in with Lois, so Lucas can have the guestroom.”

“Move back with Lois? You mean above the Talon?” Lex tried to sound natural but it was obvious to both Lucas and Chloe that he wasn’t happy with that idea.

“Yes, I appreciate the offer to stay here until I’m cured, but who knows when that will be, and I can’t depend on you for the rest of my life.”

“I know that, but this is the only place for you. There is too great a chance that you’ll encounter male odors at the Talon. Plus, Queen will probably be there at all hours. And Clark will have an easier time trying to see if you’ve miraculously gotten over his smell.” Silently he added ‘and I won’t get to see you anytime I want.’

“Has Clark been trying to enter the building?”

“I may have had to send security to deal with him one or two … dozen times.”

Chloe let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, you win. I’ll stay.”

Again, Lucas couldn’t just let things sit. “So why are you so eager to leave now?”

“I told you. I feel like I’m overstaying my welcome.”

“Right, but Lex said yesterday that you weren’t a burden and you were fine then. So what changed from yesterday afternoon to this morning?”

“Nothing! Nothing changed. I just… don’t want to talk about this now. I have work to do.” Chloe left the table before Lucas could push for more answers.

“Don’t you have hotels to be calling?” with that Lex left his brother alone and went to speak with Chloe.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lex entered Chloe’s room without knocking, unfortunately for him, his life wasn’t a sitcom so he didn’t catch her in the middle of changing. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but Lucas does have a point. Why are you trying to avoid what happened last night?”

“Last night … was the result of cabin fever and an end of the world scenario that finally caught up with me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Think about it Lex. When you are stranded with one person, something is bound to happen, but that doesn’t mean that it should happen.”

“So that’s it? You just kissed me because you’ve been stuck with me for the last few days?” His tone showed that he either didn’t or didn’t want to believe her.

“Yes. I’ve just been going crazy trying think about the point of the project and find out how to fix it, and Lois wasn’t be helpful.”

“What does Lois have to do with this?”

“She kept telling me to use this time to my advantage. I think I just kissed you so I could shut up her voice in my head, but I didn’t really think it was a good idea. I … I …didn’t want to do it, and I know that you just naturally reciprocated so it doesn’t mean anything.”

Lex wavered between correcting her and saving face before finally making a decision. “You’re right. It didn’t mean anything, so it won’t matter if you stay here. You can continue to stay here because that kiss had no effect on our friendship what so ever.”

“Okay. We’re agreed.” Their words did nothing to resolve the tension in the room; and if either thought for a moment that the other wasn’t being honest, then they weren’t saying anything.

Not being able to stand the silence any longer, Lex asked her, “Did you find out the purpose of the project?”

“Not conclusively, but I think it’s used as a mate finder which is a completely crazy idea if you ask me.”

“Why? Because you don’t think it worked in your case?”

“Just because people seem to have some kind of biological match doesn’t give them an excuse to have a relationship.”

“Is it so horrible to have an easy answer to whom one is meant to love? Shouldn’t it be a great idea to not have to put your heart on the line only to have it pummeled time and again?”

“Yes, Lex, it’s nice to not have to worry. But you aren’t thinking clearly. I don’t want to be with someone just because we have the right body chemistry. Stop smirking you know what I mean.” Lex let out a small laugh at the fact that she knew exactly where his mind went. Sensing she had more to say he motioned for her to continue.

“I want to know I’m with the right guy because I know it in my heart, not because I can refrain from emptying my stomach every time he kisses me. Imagine if we were in love and had found out that we weren’t pheromone compatible. What would you have done if you had gotten infected by this substance?”

“I would have carried around barf bags because it would be worth it to be around you.”

“That’s actually kind of romantic if not a little disturbing that you’d take the risk of vomiting on me.”

“I guess all great loves have their sacrifices.”

Chloe laughed at that. “Do you understand now?”

“Yeah, I just…I guess it’s a good thing that we are just friends.” Not wanting to reflect on how much that statement hurt, he moved forward. “Do you have any other information? Can you remember if you saw any elements that the chemical was made from?”

He noticed that she hesitated before answering which probably meant she was holding something back but if she didn’t find it necessary to tell him yet, he wasn’t going to ask. “No, but I think we are going about this the wrong way. Testing the substance and hoping to find out how it works isn’t doing anything. I need to go back to that lab and find out more on my own.”

“Okay, even if you somehow managed to get passed me, how would you to and into the lab without stopping every few minutes to throw up? And even if you powered through, don’t you think the sounds of your vomiting would alert the guards to your presence?”

“Fine, then you and Lucas go for me. It will take two of you to get the same amount of work done that I could do alone, sick or not.”

“I don’t doubt that, but I don’t think it will be necessary. I will contact the owner personally and found out what I need to know and if she knows of a cure.”

“What makes you think she’s just going to tell you everything let alone meet with you in the first place?”

“If I tell her that I heard about her business through some contacts and have an interest in investing, she will. After that I’ll make her tell me.” The conviction in his voice left no doubt in her mind that he would be able to do just that.

“Why didn’t you offer to do this from the start?”

“I was hoping my scientists could find a cure without you getting in trouble for breaking and entering.”

“And now?”

“Now, it’s not important.”

“It’s not important if I go to jail?”

“It’s not important to wait if you want to leave.” Chloe nodded but didn’t say anything, so Lex left to make all the arrangements.

She knew the risks when she went to the lab. She also knew that Lex wouldn’t allow her to go to jail, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness when Lex was so convinced that she wanted to leave him. She knew that he was only reacting to what she told him which made her feel even worse. She hadn’t been this sick since Lex broke off their friendship, and she knew it had nothing to do with biology.

Esther25jm
1st July 2007, 04:56
Great chapter!! LOL!! Lucas is def. a busy body, but I love it!! Seems he's the only one who actually wants to know what's going on with the two, while Lex and Chloe hide their feelings. Oh, and I most def. love that ending cause it feels like Chloe's feeling more for Lex than even she wants to admit. Can't wait for more!

flower
1st July 2007, 08:21
OWh! this is great! Once again they're running circles around oneanother! So funny!

somethingeasy
1st July 2007, 18:50
“So Lex, do you want to tell Chloe why I have to find a new place to stay?”

“You’re kicking him out, why?”

Lex stared at his brother with a look that warned him to keep quiet or die, and then turned his attention to Chloe with a warm smile. “Since it seems that Lucas will be staying in Metropolis for a while, I thought that he’d want a place where he doesn’t have to sleep on the sofa. Lucas’ care is very important to me and I’d hate for him to suffer needlessly.” Lex looked back at Lucas with a smirk before adding “Who knows how much pain might fall upon him if he slept here any longer.”

I’m REALLY enjoying your version of Lucas. He’s a lot of fun, and so amusing to see him interacting with Lex (and getting on his nerves).

I giggled at the way Lucas ‘tattled’ to Chloe about how he was getting kicked out of the penthouse… and then how Lex made a not-so-veiled threat about Lucas ‘getting hurt’ if he tried to stay in the penthouse much longer. LOL! Possessive much, Lex?


“I know that, but this is the only place for you. There is too great a chance that you’ll encounter male odors at the Talon. Plus, Queen will probably be there at all hours. And Clark will have an easier time trying to see if you’ve miraculously gotten over his smell.” Silently he added ‘and I won’t get to see you anytime I want.’

heh, Lex gave some excellent reasons as to why it would be better for Chloe to stay at the penthouse… But it would have been nice if he had said his REAL reason out loud too.

But then again, it probably would have scared Chloe off. They haven’t even been out on a date yet, and I don’t think Chloe has any feelings for him beyond friendship and a bit of good-natured lust. It would freak her out if she knew that he was in love with her.


“Has Clark been trying to enter the building?”

“I may have had to send security to deal with him one or two … dozen times.”

*gasp* You mean Lex’s security was actually able to keep an intruder OUT??!!!

*checks to see if Hell has frozen over*


“Right, but Lex said yesterday that you weren’t a burden and you were fine then. So what changed from yesterday afternoon to this morning?”

“Nothing! Nothing changed. I just… don’t want to talk about this now. I have work to do.” Chloe left the table before Lucas could push for more answers.

heh, interesting question… and one that really needed an answer. I love how Lucas is delighting in opening up a can of worms. He’s so much fun when he’s trying to spread around a bit of chaos.


“Last night … was the result of cabin fever and an end of the world scenario that finally caught up with me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Think about it Lex. When you are stranded with one person, something is bound to happen, but that doesn’t mean that it should happen.”

“So that’s it? You just kissed me because you’ve been stuck with me for the last few days?” His tone showed that he either didn’t or didn’t want to believe her.

*sigh* Unfortunately, I actually believe CHloe when she says this. She’s found out that this guy is chemically and hormonally compabatible with her… he happens to be the one guy she’s been spending an extended amount of lone-time with… It WOULD be only natural that the situation would blur the line between actual attraction and ‘desperate for companionship’. Kind of like Stockholm Syndrome.


Lex wavered between correcting her and saving face before finally making a decision. “You’re right. It didn’t mean anything, so it won’t matter if you stay here. You can continue to stay here because that kiss had no effect on our friendship what so ever.”

Liar, LIAR, pants on fire! There’s something very wrong about him lying to her like this… I understand that he’s protecting himself, but it’s not right to be lying about his intense attraction to Chloe when she’s obviously feeling nervous about this ridiculous and chemically induced situation confusing them and throwing them together.


“Just because people seem to have some kind of biological match doesn’t give them an excuse to have a relationship.”

“Is it so horrible to have an easy answer to whom one is meant to love? Shouldn’t it be a great idea to not have to put your heart on the line only to have it pummeled time and again?”

heh, put it like that, and the chemical DOES sound like a good idea… it’s only the side-effect of the throwing up that takes away the appeal :P


“I want to know I’m with the right guy because I know it in my heart, not because I can refrain from emptying my stomach every time he kisses me. Imagine if we were in love and had found out that we weren’t pheromone compatible. What would you have done if you had gotten infected by this substance?”

“I would have carried around barf bags because it would be worth it to be around you.”

“That’s actually kind of romantic if not a little disturbing that you’d take the risk of vomiting on me.”

“I guess all great loves have their sacrifices.”

ROTFLMAO at their cute banter… and also a huge awwww at Lex telling Chloe he would be willing to vomit away as long as he got to spend time in her company. Sweet, and also rather creepy. LOL!


“Yeah, I just…I guess it’s a good thing that we are just friends.” Not wanting to reflect on how much that statement hurt, he moved forward. “Do you have any other information? Can you remember if you saw any elements that the chemical was made from?”

*sigh* And I was hoping for a confession from Lex about his feelings, but he’s still going to be quiet and sneaky about it. Darn!


“If I tell her that I heard about her business through some contacts and have an interest in investing, she will. After that I’ll make her tell me.” The conviction in his voice left no doubt in her mind that he would be able to do just that.

oooh, plans-a-forming! Excellent! It seems like CHloe is going to be getting her antitode soon… whether Lex likes it or not ;)


“Why didn’t you offer to do this from the start?”

“I was hoping my scientists could find a cure without you getting in trouble for breaking and entering.”

heh, and perhaps he was enjoying Chloe having no choice but being completely dependant on him for entertainment and companionship?


“It’s not important to wait if you want to leave.” Chloe nodded but didn’t say anything, so Lex left to make all the arrangements.

She knew the risks when she went to the lab. She also knew that Lex wouldn’t allow her to go to jail, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness when Lex was so convinced that she wanted to leave him. She knew that he was only reacting to what she told him which made her feel even worse. She hadn’t been this sick since Lex broke off their friendship, and she knew it had nothing to do with biology.

Awww, it seems like Lex is not the only one who is being quiet about his feelings. Chloe ALSO needs to get some stuff out into the open. I can’t wait to see some serious heart to heart conversation taking place between the two of them. I look forward to the next chapter.

lexie
3rd August 2007, 18:20
I´ve loved reading this fic despite the meteor freak angle. You´ve given the story a spin which makes it better than many freak story lines on the show.
I´m looking forward to reading more fics penned by you in the near future.
Don´t forget to check out my new postings in the Romance and Completed Romance Categories. I´m missing your insightful reviews!:blinkkiss

ggdoll18
5th August 2007, 04:13
Very cute story!

letia84
7th August 2007, 19:59
Sorry it has taken ages for me to get to the end of this. I can't beleive its over. I feel like there was more.

First off I love Lois. She gets right to the point and let's Chloe know its okay if you want to jump Lex's bones since it obvious he want you back.

Interesting take on the science of smell and pheromones. I'm scientist and I buy it. So glad there was a cure but then again I still wanted Chloe to blow chucks all over Lionel.


“Let me finish,” he gave her a stern look and didn’t back down until she nodded again in reluctant compliance. “I say we just take this whole mate knowledge as confirmation. I knew that I was attracted to you years ago, and that I developed feelings for you during our summer together. Our recent time together has pushed me even further into falling in love with you. I’m not going to regret finding out that I’m your mate because if anything that one on one time helped us repair the damage that I did before. And if you have any doubt that we can love each beyond the fact that we have chemical compatibility, then let me give you other reasons. We can banter while we eat chocolate cake. We debate about anything from politics to the best movies and television shows. And we can fall asleep anywhere together and still be comfortable. Now you go.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? After all that. All you can say is ‘okay’?”:rofl: This was great. Why didn't he just kiss her. Leave to Lex to try and defend his case. Take what you want man.

Wonderful ending. Great fic.

starmoon
29th September 2007, 06:04
loved it!!!!!!!!!!

Zannie
20th August 2008, 13:34
Since you'd mentioned this one, I thought I would go look it up. Just finished it. I really liked it. I loved how you used audience participation and wrote the alternate chapter. Very fun and postmodern. The premise here was great. I know you mentioned in author's notes that you thought it was predictable (I think you said "obvious"), but it's all in the way the plot device is handled.

You did a great job with the pseudo-science, and you made the most of all the funny moments. The characters were engaging and believable all the way through, and I loved the natural way they grew closer. The end was perfect--and entirely yours. I'm so glad I read this.

ThraceC
23rd April 2009, 15:13
I gotta give it to you, you can write. I just read the first post and I'm hooked. I really like your characterization of Jimmy, I never thought he had the strenth to match Chloe. And he's just too boyish anyway. I love reading completed fics, no torturous waiting involved!

ThraceC
23rd April 2009, 16:50
Just finished. That was adorable, I enjoyed it thouroughly. Thank you.

elementia
21st May 2009, 11:29
HILARIOUS!!!! :rofl:

maja
13th September 2009, 20:18
Lovely fic

chicablue
28th August 2010, 02:48
great fic

gwtwfanone
27th September 2010, 02:34
Loved the story

melina
4th October 2010, 01:31
I just read this and i loved it.

Thanks for writing such a wonderfoul chlex fic.

donhisiewen
16th October 2010, 16:13
This is the second time I've read this fic and it was even better this time around. I love the dialogue between Lex and Chloe, they volley words at each other so effortlessly. I remember the first time I read this, I kept wishing there was a scene where Chloe actually puked on Clark, especially after the part when Clark accused her of betraying his secret to Lex.

reyeslu
29th April 2011, 18:13
What a fun ride! I loved Lucas even if his snores kept us from sexy chlexiness. Thanks for the laughs!

ajl_gurl84
17th June 2011, 11:43
Aaaawwww.....!

That's it? No lovey epilogue with kisses and kisses and maybe a nice night out?

Love the story though, especially all the interactions between Chloe, Lex and Lucas. :love2: Those are fun to read. :clapclap:

clark is a turd again and I can't believe that you made lana stupid enough to light herself on fire @_@

The lionel bit was funny, felt a bit sorry for him but I kinda figured he deserved it no mather how disgusting.

Great storyline! Creative! :wub:

Thanks for the great story! Keep up the good work! :D :D :D

jstarr713
30th April 2013, 13:51
very funny.

Ami Rose
5th June 2013, 05:41
Love this story. But for some reason I can't read the end. I only got to chapter 8!