Time Warp (R-NC17)

[Ellidyay]

Hey all!I've decided to post my fic here at N-S.net from the very begining. It may not be done all at once because I'm making changes and fixing things I dislike about the FanFiction.Net version. Not many major changes but....I'm SO obsessive about my stuff. Its kinda embarrassing.

Also...Ch 25 is on the way. Zoe (for those of you who are new to me and my work may not know about Zoe, she's my pink with green polka-dots skinned muse and everything written is HER fault) is being difficult *grumbles* But the newest chapter will be along soon.

Also, remember this was written before we knew Chloe's mom left and didn't die.

Disclaimer:I own nothing but the original characters not already dreamed up by DC, or Joss Whedon (passing references mostly) or Kevin Smith or Dante or whoever.

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Hampton, Miss Sullivan

"You ever wonder if what we do matters? Like, the little things, opening a door for an old lady or giving someone a hug when they've had a bad day? I mean on the grand scale. Because sometimes it’s kind of hard to believe. You know?" Chloe asked as she and Clark walked towards the Kent farm from the Talon. The summer sun was setting and the road was deserted.

"Of course it matters. And wasn't there like an Outer Limits on this? You've been watching those Twilight Zone chain reaction things on Sci-Fi Channel, haven't you?" Clark asked, looking down at her.

"No. Why do you assume that because I have a major theological question, I had to have been watching a 50's TV show?" she asked, poking him in the ribs and pushing him into the street.

"Well, why the sudden concern with the 'ripple in the pond' effect?"

"Just one of those everyday 'we are small and insignificant' epiphanies," Chloe said, kicking at a leaf that blew in front of her. It had just sorta come to her during an episode of Buffy, completely ruining the fantasy effect of the show, and distracting her from Spike with no shirt on. And anything that took her attention away from James Marsters was a bad thing.

"Don't you just hate those?"

"They do get annoying after awhile. But that's the great thing about having a best friend: you can share your revelations with them, and they don't weigh you down."

"So are you feeling worthless, Chloe Sullivan?" Clark asked seriously.

"Kinda. Like, if I disappeared people would notice, but it wouldn't make that much of an impact on the rest of the world," Chloe said, a little sadly. She didn’t mention that the little “what’s the point” epiphany had been bothering her more now that she felt like the third wheel of the Lana-Clark mobile.

"Don't say that Sullivan. You change the world with every step you take and every word you say." Clark said shooting her a million watt smile.

Chloe smiled back, relieved that that smile had finally stopped giving her butterflies. He had left her for Lana during that tornado a couple weeks ago and she had decided to get it all out there. Told him everything she had been keeping inside since middle school. And in the end, they had been able to joke about it. Chloe still wished there had been more she but was grateful she hadn't lost or damaged what they had.

"It just doesn't feel like it you know?"

"Yeah, but just know that you make a difference to a lot of people in this town."

Chloe nodded absently and looked at the yellow broken line in the street or at something near the line. There was something out there, a watch it looked like. It had probably been run over and crushed but for some reason, Chloe felt compelled to go pick it up.

She looked both ways and walked to the middle of the road, set down her bag and kneeled down to pick up the timepiece. It looked relatively new and seemed to be working. She knelt there looking at the watch, transfixed by it for some reason.

Chloe barely heard Clark shouting at her. She barely looked up in time to see the bright lights of a eighteen wheeler. She barely felt the impact as the truck slammed into her small body. And she barely noticed when the world faded away.

~*~*~

It got bright very fast; too fast for Chloe eyes to handle. And she was lying on something hard, and there was wet stuff above eye.

"Are you all right, dear?"

"Huh?"

"You were hit by that car. It just sped up and slammed into you. I'm surprised you're even alive, let alone conscious," an older woman said. She was in her late forties, with pale blonde hair tucked into a neat, tight bun. Her face was wrinkled with sun and age, and wire frame glasses sat perched on the bridge of her nose. Her brow creased with worry as she reached a hand down to help her up.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Ms. Veronica Trendle. I'm the assistant principal at Hampton Preparatory Boarding School," Ms. Trendle said, handing Chloe her bag.

"I got hit in the head, right? So I could have died?" Chloe asked as her knees wobbled a little.

"Yes, dear. But aside from a that little cut above your eye, you're fine," the woman said gently, putting an arm around her to hold her up.

"Ok, just checking to see if I really had been thrown to the pavement." She paused, "On your property?"

"On the school's property."

"I'm at a school? God, I've died and gone to hell," Chloe muttered.

"I promise you dear, you aren't dead," Veronica said reassuringly.

"You know I could sue this place. You know that, right?" She wasn't in Kansas anymore. There were trees that didn't grow in the Midwest, that were there and in full bloom. She guessed from the temperature and the plants she was in New England; New Jersey or something like that. And if she was stranded miles from home, she would need any extra leverage she could get.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't," Ms. Trendle said calmly. She really didn't want to deal with another lawsuit aimed at the school; not so soon after the last one the Luthor boy and his little "friends" had caused.

"I'll think about it," Chloe said seriously.

"Come inside, dear. We'll contact your parents," Ms. Trendle said, leading her inside a large, three story brick building.

It was your average school, and the vice principal had an average office. But if Chloe really was dead, she hoped this wasn't where she was going to spend the rest of eternity in high school.

"What is your name, and where you do live?" the assistant principal asked as she sat behind her desk. Chloe was crouched on the ground looking through her bag. Her laptop, Advil, CD case and player, and wallet were still there and intact, and the watch she had picked up had somehow gotten in her bag. She shrugged as she slipped it on her wrist.

"Chloe Sullivan from Smallville, Kansas."

"What are you doing in Boston, Chloe?"

"I have no idea. I don't even know what the date is," Chloe said, fiddling with the watch as she spoke. It was digital and the year was stuck on '97. She was usually good with machines but she couldn't fix it.

"It's Saturday, September 4th, 1997. Now, dear, what are you doing so far from home?"

"1997! Are you shitting me? How the fuck did that happen!" Chloe shrieked. It was 2002 not 1997! She was in a coma; that was all there was to it. She was hooked up to a respirator in a hospital in Smallville with her friends and father gathered around her bed. And she was off in a la-la land delusion of five years ago in Boston, Massa-fuckin-chusetts. That's what it had to be. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Ms. Sullivan, I know you've been through a trauma, but this is a school and you are not to use such language," Ms. Trendle said sharply. "Now, I'll ask you again, what are you doing in Boston?"

"I ran away from home. I was walking around the city and I decided to check out your campus."

"Then I must contact your parents," Ms. Trendle said.

"NO!" Chloe exclaimed, her head jerking. If she was in a coma, it would be pointless to call her dad, and if she really WAS in 1997, then her father would be in Smallville taking care of an eleven year old Chloe and his dying wife Meredith. She had to think of something. Her eyes shot to the school crest. That was it.

"Wait, this is a boarding school, right? How about, you let me attend school here, live in the dorms, and I won't sue the school for the accident. Then I don't have to go home, and you're helping a young person get an education," Chloe said quickly. “Isn’t that what schools are supposed to do?”

"I suppose that could be arranged. But you'll have to contact your parent and let him know where you are," Ms. Trendle said, nodding slightly. She was the head of the admission's board. She could make it work. Besides, what with Mr. Luthor's recent donations to cover up his son's latest destructive escapade left more than enough for this girl's admission.

"We'll need your past transcripts by next Monday. And you'll have to get the uniform requirements from the main office. But we shouldn't have any trouble getting you assimilated since its still the beginning of the term," Veronica said, as she scribbled.

"You sound like the Borg. And I can get you the transcripts. Don't worry. I'll have to send them to you via email though. Is that all right?" Chloe asked, looking nervous. Things were a little too real for her to be in a coma. And if she was really five years in the past, she would have to do some serious hacking.

"Of course, that will be fine. Your class options will be sent to your dorm room later tonight. You're in- " She leaned over to the bottom of the desk and pulled out a large black binder and flipped through it. "-Winchester Hall. Room F15. You have one roommate, a Miss Wendy Miller. Also, you might want to bring your luggage relatively soon," she said, pulling a key out of a pocket in the binder and handing it to Chloe. "It's the fifth building in the south cluster of dorms. And this," Veronica said, pulling a booklet out of a desk drawer, "is the code of conduct. The basic rules: no drinking, no smoking, and no drugs. No sex. NO going over to the boys’ dormitory with out permission and check in when you get there. The others are rather minor."

"There's a boy's dorm? I thought since it since it was a boarding school.."

Ms. Trendle rolled her eyes at the other blonde, "That it wasn't co-ed? I'm pleased to say we have eh…a few outstanding male students," she said, her voice dropping.

"Only a few?" Chloe asked interestedly. If she was going to get stuck in the past at least there would be some bad boys around for entertainment. Bad boys may not have really been her type but they were more interesting to watch than the scholarly people.

"Er...yes. Ms. Sullivan, you should be heading to your dorm. You want to be getting settled in, don't you?"

"I um..."

"Of course you do. See the school nurse, third door to the right towards the exit on your way out and then go to your dorm. Wendy will help you get settled and take you to the common room to meet some of the other students. Now shoo." Ms. Trendle said, utilizing the skills that made her a vice principal. Chloe nodded, grabbed her bag and hurried out of the office.

~*~*~

Winchester Hall was an ancient brick building. It had been built nearly a hundred years ago, and was older than the school itself. It was six stories tall and only recently had been equipped with central air and heating. She, of course, had a room on the top floor. The trip to the school laundry, the walk across the grounds of school, to the girls dorm cluster, the search for her building, and the trek up the stairs had given her time to digest what was going on.

The cut above her eye was reallystinging and reallybleeding. Her head was reallythrobbing and she was reallystarting to smell from the sweat of the day. And Chloe was seriously starting to accept the fact that she reallywas in 1997. She'd seen enough crazy things in Smallville to make her believe just about anything. She'd seen mind-altering flowers, bug people, boys who could fly, why should being five years in the past really be that inconceivable?

She was going to have to work some major computer mojo to fake her transcripts, but she was up to it. And clothes, she didn't know how she was going handle that one, seeing as she had no money, at all.

Chloe walked slowly down the carpeted hallway of the sixth floor. There were doors on both sides of the wall and a community bathroom exactly in the middle of hall. Her room was past that practically at the end of the hall.

Chloe knocked on the door before slowly opening it. It was pulled out of her hand and jerked open from a force on the other side.

"Hi, you must be Zoë. Nice to meet you. I'm Wendy," the girl on the other side of the doorway said before pulling her in.

"It's Chloe actually," Chloe said

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! But I get the worst static on phone calls from the main office. I could have sworn that Trendle said your name was Zoë. Oh, well. Come on. You need to get used to the cell, I mean the room. Be glad we're not like some of the other girls on this floor who have three to a room," Wendy said, grinning.

It was average size for a dorm room with plenty of space for two people, but Chloe couldn't imagine cramming three teenage girls into a room this size. There was nothing distinguishing about the room itself. There were two small desks, two twin beds, a few large windows that overlooked the grounds, two bedside tables, a few lamps, and a closet.

However, Wendy had books of every genre piled haphazardly around the room. Clothing hung off the window frame and lamps and her computer, textbooks and supplies were coving the small desk and stereo surrounded by a mass of CDs some how gave the room personality.

Chloe sat down on the bed and took a minute to study Wendy. She was probably a couple of inches short of five and a half feet tall and of average build. Her hair was dark brown, thick and very curly. She had black plastic glasses that for some reason worked on her face. Behind the lenses, her eyes were bright blue and intelligent. Her nose was prominent and her mouth was large and smiling. The over all look was quirky and friendly.

"So how'd you manage to worm your way into Hampton in less than a day? Your folks rolling in it?" Wendy asked, plopping down.

"No, I just got hit by a car in front of the school," Chloe said wryly.

Wendy blinked at her "What?"

"I was walking and *BAM* I'm making friendly with the asphalt. Ms. Trendle helped me up and, to avoid a lawsuit, said I could stay here and attend school," Chloe explained, leaving out the whole future bit. She may have been a believer of the supernatural but she didn't think her roommate would buy it.

"And your parents don't care?"

"Its just my dad, and no, he doesn't. Besides, this is a good school, right?"

"The teachers try. But Lex and his so-called friends make it very difficult for them," Wendy said smiling a little.

"Lex? Lex Luthor? He goes to this school?" Chloe asked, shocked. Her father's boss was here. Only he wouldn't be here father's boss in this time. He'd just be another teenager. A rebellious, influential teenager from what she'd heard. But still, just a fellow adolescent.

"Yeah. He makes a point of making the administrators miserable. It's pretty funny most of the time. Lex can be a nice guy, he just rarely lets that guy out," Wendy answered, moving her nose and making her glasses bob up and down. "So where are your clothes, luggage that kind of stuff?" she asked, glancing at Chloe's backpack.

"I…um…I don't have any. All I have are the clothes on my back, and my bag. I kinda… ran away from home," Chloe said. She really wasn't comfortable telling her new friend an outright lie.

"Oh."

"It's no big deal. I just don't know what I'm going do about clothes and supplies or you know, everything," Chloe muttered.

"I could ask Lex to spot me the cash and we could head into town this weekend. I'd lend you the money myself but while Lex's resources are unlimited, I get about a hundred bucks a month spending money, which isn't enough to buy much of anything," Wendy said, rolling her eyes. "My parents are all about brining me up normal. You know, not letting the money go to my head. Which I understand, but sometimes it can be SUCH a drag, especially in this crowd."

"What makes you think Lex freaking Luthor would do anything for me?" Chloe asked.

"Cause he and I are like this," Wendy answered, crossing her fingers. "He and I dated a little in freshman year; it really didn't work out between us, but we stayed close. I'm one of the few people in the school, ok I'm like the only person in the school who doesn't care he practically oozes money. I try to be there for him but that boy is just lonely," she said, staring off into space.

"And he won't mind?"

"No. I seriously doubt he'd miss it if there were a couple million dollars missing from his bank account let alone a few hundred lent to a good cause. Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. And I think you'll like him."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Disclaimer: Not mine, ever were, never will be. I own Donovan Sanders, and Wendy Miller. If anyone wants to give him to me I will also willingly except Michael Rosenbaum. ^_~

Chapter 2 - "Meet" Lex Luthor

Lex lay on his bed bouncing a palm sized rubber ball against the wall. He was bored, but then he was usually bored.

He didn't want to do anything with those stoners he called friends because he wanted to be occupied with something that didn't involve a chemical let down, and at one in the afternoon on a Saturday that's what all the his friends would be doing. Maybe he'd call Wendy. She was usually good for at least a decent conversation.

He was punching in the numbers into his cordless when there was a knock on the door. And it was a loud insistent knock.

"Alex, if you want to keep that shiny head clean, you're going to let me in." A familiar voice called through the door.

"You know the door's unlocked, Wen." He said, shaking his head. He sighed softly and resumed his game.

The door flew open and Wendy waltzed in. A blonde about two inches taller followed her.

"Fresh meat?"

"Har har, Lex. No, this is Chloe Sullivan. She's my new roommate, and we need your help." Wendy said leaning over him. He had yet to sit up.

"With what Wendy, my love?"

"Chloe here, is broke and without any luggage. We need to get her some supplies. Like clothes and toiletries. And I need you to spot us the change. You know my monthly allowance won't cover it." She said over the thudding. He nodded in acquiescence.

"And lingerie. I don't even have a bra on. Plus, if I don't get some new panties I'm going to have to go commando starting tomorrow. And I'm not sure that will go over what with the plaid skirt." Chloe added with a shrug.

The ball Lex had been throwing flew over his head and hit the ground. Chloe walked over and picked it up.

Wendy just chuckled. Things like that usually didn't shock Lex, he had more experience than the rest of the school combined. Maybe it was just Chloe. She had seen something in his eyes when he'd looked at the blonde. Perhaps she could help him get over his obsession with brunettes. The latest one, Victoria, had not only been shallow, vapid, and slutty, she'd been a conniving British bitch on top of it all.

"Are you going to come with us? Because from what I can see you don't have any pressing engagements." Chloe asked as she gave Lex back the ball.

"Yeah, come on Lexy. Its been ages since you took me out. I'm starting to think you don't love me any more." Wendy joked.

"Of course I love you, Wen, I've just been busy."

"Mm- hm." Wendy said in a tone Chloe had only ever heard Martha Kent use on Jonathon when she was pissed.

"Lover's quarrel?" Chloe asked, jokingly.

"Wendy and I were never lovers Ms. Sullivan. Not that I didn't try. Care to see how you hold up against me? I can guarantee it won't be as well."

Chloe felt like she was back in Smallville when he called her Ms. Sullivan. The only difference was that this Lex was hitting on her. That and the fact that he was wearing old faded blue jeans and a Metallica t-shirt and no shoes instead of a tailored suit. For some reason, the power of he exuded in Armani translated through to the Levi's, just not the intimidation, at least not here in his room with Wendy present.

"My name is Chloe. Try using it. And I don't really find an over inflated ego sexy, not even on you. Besides, god only knows where you've been." Chloe said sharply as she shot him a million dollar smile.

"Ouch. Thata girl." Wendy said.

"You're taking her side after everything we've been through?" Lex asked, feigning hurt. He sat up and began to pull on a pair of sneakers.

"Girl power baby. You gotta love it. Besides, it's a rare treat for me to watch a woman under the age of 80 turn you down."

"You're lucky I put up with your shit." Lex muttered.

"You're the one who was ogling her."

"You were ogling me?" Chloe turned to Wendy. "He was ogling me? How come I didn't catch that?"

"I don't ever ogle, Wendy." Lex snapped.

"Mm-hm. Sure. That's why you're eyes were glued to dear little Chloe's breasts when she mentioned shopping."

"Shopping makes you horny? Are you sure you're not gay?" Chloe asked Lex.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I did go out with Wendy." Lex said shooting the two girls a smirk.

"I'm gonna get you for that." Wendy growled.

"Wanna bet?" Lex asked coolly.

"You know I will."

"I'll take that as a yes." Wendy glared at him.

"All right children, if you're going to fight, I'll put you both in time out." Chloe said in a kindergarten teacher voice.

"I seriously doubt you could put me anywhere, Chloe." Lex said as he grabbed his wallet and shoved it in his back pocket.

"I'm a woman of many skills, Lex. You'd be surprised at what I can do."

"I don't doubt that for a minute. And it probably has something to do with why I already get the feeling that I'm going to regret this little outing." Lex sighed, sounding resigned. "Now, let's go before I change my mind."

~*~*~

"You're kidding. It looks ridiculous on you," Lex said, waving a hand at Chloe's outfit. He and Wendy sat on the plastic sofa watching Chloe model the clothes she'd picked. They'd been through the same process at half a dozen other stores except for the uniform store where there had been no choices involved and the lingerie store, where neither Lex nor Wendy had seen her purchases.

"It's pants and a shirt, Lex. I don't see the problem," Chloe said, putting her hands on her hips defiantly. She was in gold pants and a little rhinestone studded, see-through belly shirt.

"It makes you look like a two dollar hooker."

"Which is something you know ALL about I'm sure," Chloe said, rolling her eyes at him.

"I am not buying it, period. I can't believe I let you two drag me into this store."

"Fine, chrome dome. Also please remember you're the one wearing the Metallica shirt that was new in the eighties," Chloe muttered, pulling off the shirt as she walked into the changing room.

"I thought it looked good on her. What's your problem, Lex?" Wendy asked, looking over at him.

"In an outfit like that, Donavon and his little band will be all over her. You know how they can be. I refuse to pay for something that will get her victimized," Lex answered. Donavon Sanders was one of the most obnoxious, popular, nasty boys in the school. He rivaled Lex in his exploits, except that his encounters had a way of turning violent.

"Aw! Little Lexy has a heart."

"Shut the fuck up, Wendy. I'm going to pick the next store. You know that, don't you?"

"Mm-hm. Sure ya are."

They'd been shopping for hours and Lex was starting to go crazy. A man could only take so much estrogen at a time. And the girls had been all about the bonding, walking a few yards ahead of him, no doubt sharing all their secrets and had quickly become bosom buddies. Women had a tendency to do that. Personally he didn't mind all that much; it gave him a great view. Though if either girl knew what he was thinking, he would have to face a woman's wrath times two.

Sometimes he wondered why he tolerated it. Anyone else and he would have had them out of his company or under his thumb. But then, Wendy had a way of wrapping him around her little finger and she seemed to be teaching their new companion the skill as well.

But he really was getting sick of all these clothing stores. He wanted to get out of there. And Luthors got what they wanted.

"That's it. I'm not buying anything from this store. Chloe, put on your clothes, we're leaving," Lex called, standing up.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"I'm hungry, and I am done shopping. You've got enough stuff to last you the whole damn semester. I'm going to get some pizza." Lex said. And with that he turned and walked out of the store.

In the dressing room, Chloe let her shock show. Pizza? Lex Luthor wanted pizza? Could cows suddenly fly? From what her father had told her, Lex was more of a four star restaurant type of guy.

"Come on Chloe. He'll leave us if you don't hurry. I know, he's done it before." Wendy called.

Chloe immerged and walked out of the store with Wendy.

"He do this often?"

"Yup. If he doesn't like the situation, he'll change it. Now hurry or we'll miss out on free pizza."

~*~*~

"Cheese? Oh come on, I expected so much from you, Chloe!" Wendy cried as the pizzas were set on the table.

"My mom used to make cheese pizza for me on weekends, from scratch. Then when she died, it was just one of those things that reminds me of her. Every time I eat it, I can see her face." Chloe said, leaning over to grab a slice.

"How old were you when she died?" Lex asked coolly.

"About twelve. So I have pretty good memories of her, but I miss her. Mind if we move out of the morbid thoughts? "

"You brought it up Chloe." Lex pointed out and reached for a piece of pepperoni.

"And you continued it, Shiny Skull." Chloe snapped back.

"Would you stop? Jesus, I got enough of that shit in junior high."

"Look Lex, I'm sorry. I know it must have been scary to be caught out there during a meteor storm. Its not like you could help it." Chloe said sympathetically.

Lex gaped at her. "How the hell could you possibly."

Wendy sat back watching. It was more fun and cheaper than a movie. She figured if she kept these two together, she'd have hours of entertainment.

"Former Smallville resident speaking. I know someone who is in management at the crap factory and he told me about what happened to you. The way you look really doesn't matter you know. And besides your head, its totally sexy." Chloe replied through a mouthful of pizza.

"Who do you know?" Lex asked, ignore the comment about his head completely.

"Just some guy." Chloe said with a shrug.

"Some guy who just happened to know what happened to me in cornfield in 1989." Lex shot back skeptically.

"Yep. Just some guy." Her father had told her what had happened when Lex had arrived in Smallville. And she had pumped Clark for extra details.

"Hot guy?" Wendy asked.

"No. Old guy." Chloe replied wrinkling her nose at the thought of her father being hot in any way.

"How old is old?"

"Old enough to be my father."

"Well that's not to bad. Harrison Ford is old enough to be our father and he's still razor fine." Wendy argued her eyes glazing over slightly

"Good point. Same goes for David Bowie. Chasing fifty and still looking fine."

"I don't think Lex is enjoying the direction this conversation is going, are you Lex?"

Lex shrugged slightly. He could tune them out and focus on the pizza, he was a man after all.

"That's because women who are famous don't stay pretty once the hit forty."

"Bullshit. Susan Sarandon is still an incredibly attractive woman and she's hit forty and kept right on going. And Ann Bancroft was still beyond sexy in her forties."

"Coo coo cachoo Mrs. Robinson. Graduate fan?" She grinned wickedly "Tell me Lex, exactly how many members of the female faculty have you slept with?" Chloe shot out.

"At this school? None, poor selection."

"I hear the new math teacher Miss Dolan is pretty attractive. All the guys seem to think she's a dish. You haven't made the conquest yet? Are you getting to old to play the game anymore Lex?" Wendy asked.

"Jenny's an attractive woman, she just doesn't pique my interest."

"Cause she's doesn't fulfill your brunette fetish? Picky much."

"He has a fetish?" Chloe asked interested.

"It is not a fetish."

"Almost every woman he's ever slept with has had hair that's a shade of brown or black. Its almost disturbing, especially since his dad has brown hair." Wendy told Chloe in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Its not a fetish, Wendy, it's a preference."

"I always thought most gentlemen preferred blondes. You know there was a whole movie about it. Marilyn Monroe starred in it, maybe you've heard of it." Wendy said.

"You're a brunette, Wendy, please don't forget that."

"So you only dated me cause you liked my hair?" Wendy said in a voice filled with mock distress.

"You're right Wen, he does have a fetish." Chloe declared with a laugh.

"Of course I'm right. I always am." Wendy replied laughing with Chloe.

Her laughter stopped as piece of pizza flew across the table directly into her face. She blinked and wiped cheese and tomato sauce off her face.

"It is not a fetish. And you," Lex said coolly, light dancing behind his eyes as he looked at Chloe. "you don't even know me."

"I'll give you some thing to fetish over." Wendy snarled hurling a hunk of pizza in his general direction. She missed and it hit Chloe in the side of the head.

"You are both so dead."

Food flew across the table in a flurry. Some of it landed on skin, some on clothes, some missed a member of the trio completely and hit some of the patrons, who joined in hurling their food with much more violent intent.

"You know, my father is going to be royally pissed." Lex announced, before mashing a slice of vegetarian pizza into Chloe's face.

"I'm sure he is." Wendy said before pouring a glass of Coke over his head.

~*~*~

[Ellidyay]

New N-S specific note! I changed dialogue and stuff in this chapter. Why? Cause it is better this way. So, if you notice a discrepency between this version and the Fanfiction.Net version...its not a mistake. Enjoy the adjustment!

Old A/N: Lex and Chloe seem to become friends rather quickly. There is a reason for this. Lex may have a problem trusting women in a romantic situation, but he trusts Wendy as a friend, and he trusts her judgment in personalities. Since Wendy is so willing to let Chloe into their circle, Lex tries to also. Plus, please keep in mind that this is 17 year old Lex not 22 year old Lex. He's not totally emotionally jaded yet.

I know how she got there is far fetched but so is a boy from a dead planet who can fly, see through walls, leap tall buildings in a single bound, and is faster than a speeding bullet.

Chapter 3

"You have any idea how lucky we are that Hampton didn't kick us out?" Chloe asked as she followed Wendy through the hall. She felt very silly in her white collared shirt, blue and green plaid skirt and knee-high socks. It was all too early Brittany Spears/Catholic school girl for her.

"No, we're not. This actually the most innocent stunt Lex has pulled. He didn't destroy any property, no drugs were involved, no lives were destroyed and the damages cost less than a million dollars. That's pretty damn good all things considered." Wendy said with a shrug.

"That's minor?"

"Last time he pulled something, a corridor went up in flames, and two male students had 2nd degree burns. Not that he cared. They run with Sanders." Wendy said as if that explained everything.

"Who?"

"Donavon Sanders. He and Lex are basically enemies. They fought over a something during freshman year, and have been at odds ever since. Don't know exactly what happened, but I think a woman was involved. All I know is, they hate each other, and Sanders hates anyone Lex is directly affiliated with. Which means me, and since you are with me and through me Lex, he's going to hate you too." Wendy explained.

"Fabulous. An enemy. Just what I need on my first day of school," Chloe muttered.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just don't let anything he says get you down, " Wendy finished before they entered the class room.

"Ms. Sullivan, if you would mind remaining by the door. I'll introduce you to the class." A male teacher in his early sixty's told her.

"Sure thing Mr. Mills. It is Mr. Mills, right? I'm not in the wrong class, am I?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, I'm Mr. Mills, and you are in the right class, I assure you."

"Ok. Then I'll just stand here."

"Order class. Lets bring it down to a dull roar," He said sternly.

Chloe watched as an attractive young man with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail moved into a seat an aisle away from Lex and Wendy. He said something to a friend, and shot Lex a death glare. She realized he must be Donavon. He and Lex looked completely different physically, and they seemed to behave in completely opposite manners. Donavon appeared to wear his anger and distaste for Lex on his sleeve while Lex had that stony expression on his face.

"Now, class, we have a new student with us. This is Chloe Sullivan. Where did you say you were from, Ms. Sullivan?"

"I don't think I did say. I'm from Smallville, Kansas, which is a small town a few hours away from Metropolis."

"Welcome, Ms. Sullivan, to AP Literature. Please take that empty seat between Mr. Sanders and Mr. Reynolds for now, and we'll get started."

Chloe seated herself between Donavon and a dark haired, heavyset teen with nasty gleam in his eyes. She was feeling incredibly uncomfortable. They were looking at her funny.

"Hey, little girl, want to have some fun after this class?" Donavon asked with a leer in low enough voice the Mr. Mills couldn't hear him.

"It’s school. Fun and school are like oil and water, and I intend to keep it that way for the time being, thanks."

"What's wrong, Kitten, scared? I'm not the big, bad wolf you know." The toothy grin he shot her argued that statement.

"More like the big, dumb jock. Now, would you please shut the hell up? I kinda need to catch up in this subject." Chloe said looking straight ahead.

"Little kitty’s got fangs, Donavon. I like that. A challenge." The dark haired teen whispered to his friend.

"Challenge this: if you keep bothering me I'll sue your ass for sexual harassment."

The two boys ignored her. "Vaughn, it’s not a challenge unless I have to pull her out from Luthor's grip, and she's not exactly his type. Blonde without enough curves."

"Her curves are fine, Sanders, and if you don't stop, I'll tell Trendle about that little stunt you pulled with Ramona last week." Lex said quietly, not taking his eyes away from Mr. Mills.

"She's not yours, Luthor."

"Really? Who told you that, Sanders?" Lex asked in a lethal voice.

"I don't belong to anyone." Chloe shot in. Wendy just caught her eyes, and motioned for her to stay out of it.

"Oh, now that is a challenge, Kitten."

~*~*~

"How was you day after English?" Wendy asked as she toyed with the meatloaf on her plate.

"It was all right, I guess, nothing monumental. New classes, new teachers. Have physics with that guy Donavon. He is really disgusting." Chloe said, taking bite of an apple. Most of the food in the cafeteria was repellent. So she figured she'd stick to the fruits and vegetables.

"Speaking of disgusting, here comes the one of the many thorns on my pretty rose of existence. Hi Vicky." Wendy said to the brunette walking towards them. Wendy wondered why the bitchy Brit always insisted on stopping and bickering with her before making her way to her table. It wasn't as if she ever won any of their verbal battles.

"My name is not Vicky, you miserable serf. It’s Victoria. Vicky is a name for a rank, stupid peasant. Victoria is a name for a queen." The tall, slender, graceful, British girl spat at Wendy. Her tone was haughty and controlling.

"It’s still not a great name. Too many syllables. A man won't be able to get your name out in bed. Although, I'm sure he wouldn't know your name, anyway. You tend to skip the pleasantries." Wendy replied in a cold voice.

"As if you would know anything about being a woman, Wendy. You're still trapped in the body of a 10 year old." Victoria said waving a hand dismissively at Wendy's thin frame.

"At least I was still a virgin when I was ten, Victoria."

Chloe could have sworn she saw the British girl's eyes glow red and jets of smoke shoot out her nostrils.

"Actually, you saved yourself till you were twelve. Didn't you, Victoria?" Lex asked as he sat down next Chloe, at an angle to better enjoy the cat fight.

"As though you would know anything about it, Luthor." Victoria snapped.

"I know that for you to have those types of moves, you must have started early." He said raising one eyebrow.

"You weren't complaining."

"Have you ever known a man to complain during sex?" Lex asked her seriously.

"Hey, Victoria, if you find one, you make sure to tell the Guinness Book of World Records people what you did wrong." Wendy said.

"You'll pay for that, Miller. That I promise you. And Lex, if you're interested, I'm still free." Victoria said as turned on her heel and stalked off.

"I'm sure she will be. She always was." Wendy muttered.

"What the hell was that?" Chloe asked, looking at her two friends.

"Victoria Hardwick. Her father and mine are competitors. So naturally, I took advantage of the situation." Lex shrugged. “One of the school bicycles.”

"Meaning he fucked her nine ways from Sunday." Wendy said, stabbing her fork into the meatloaf as if it was trying to attack her. “But she’s not as decent as that other girl, the one with all the peircings and even broader reputation.”

“Corinne Delaney.” Lex supplied

“Right, Delaney. Anyway, they’re in the same gossip group and completely different social groups. Corinne is a ‘damned if I give a shit’ and bitch Vicky is a ‘frigid evil whore from hell’.”

"Thank you for the clarification, Wendy, but not necessary." Chloe laughed. It was almost comforting to see high school cliquing in action in a new environment.

"She hates Wendy because of our friendship. I think she's a little jealous."

"Plus she's still a little touchy about the time I came across her fucking a lacrosse player in a hallway. Not too thrilled about having an audience during that performance I'm sure," Wendy added, a small smirk on her lips

"And being the callous bitch that she is, Victoria isn't that fond of me either."

"But she just propositioned you, didn't she?" Chloe asked confused. She could have sworn that Victoria had offered herself to him before she had stalked away. But why would she have done that if she didn't even like him?

"Yes and I'll probably take her up on it if I can't find anything better to do." Lex answered. The ice she was familiar with seeing from afar in Smallville appeared in his eyes.

"So you two just use each other to get off?" She asked, slightly dismayed.

Lex nodded. "Basically."

"You rich people are beyond weird. How can you care so little about another human being?" Chloe asked in a troubled voice. She'd noticed it more than once during the school day. The students here didn't seem to care about anything or anyone but themselves.

"It’s hard to care about others when no one cares about you," Lex answered, adding steel to the ice in his voice.

"Then you have no excuse," Wendy said leaning over the cafeteria to poke him in the chest. "Cause you've got me and I think Chloe might care about you too."

Lex shot the blonde a piercing gaze.

"We're friends right?" Chloe asked.

Lex nodded.

"Then I have to care about you, don't I? Lets just see how things go on your side of the friendship."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[lunaluthor]

he thanks for posting it here I love your story :yay: :yay:

[staysixkid]

*SCREAMS* Oh My God! I love this STORY! You will never understand how HAPPY I am to see it here. THANK you!

[hfce]

I am so glad you brought this over here. I like how you revamped it. Nice job. :biggrin:


Hope

[Béatrice]

Oh I 've already read this fic. I loved it !!! :biggrin:

[ruafair]

I've been following this religously on fnafiction.net...I'm so glad you are posting it here.

This fic is amazing...Your writing is incredible and I love how you portray a 17year old Lex....

Fi

[slayer44]

I'm just loving this story.

[crazygirl]

I think it's great that you posted the story here too, and I can't wait for you to add another part. *hint hint* :biggrin:

[marrycherry]

I LOVE THIS FIC, IT ONE OF MY FAVORITES RIGHT NOW AND I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AN UPDATE IN FF.NET...SO COOL YOU POSTED HERE :chlexsign1:

[Val]

I never read it before so lookign foward to the next chapter!
I really like it so far! :biggrin:

[Tandy]

So glad that you;re posting the your fic here! It's amazing i really love it. Lookig foward to more!


Tandy :wub:

[Ellidyay]

A/N: God almighty, I’ve been going over my chapters and lets be honest- I am disgusted by myself. It’s so disconnected and there is very little structure or reason. I’m glad you guys like it because I am not happy with the quality of my writing from, God it’s been a YEAR all ready! But I’ve tried to make it better where I could, but as disconnected as it was, I didn’t want to change to much of its initial content. *sighs* So here’s my attempt to make things more lucid. Please, enjoy.


Chapter 4

Lex could hear music through the wall of a dorm room and echoed into the 6th floor of Winchester Hall. The sound was loud and had a powerful beat and was sung by a group he'd never heard before.

He pushed open the door of the room quietly. Chloe was hanging her head off the bed upside down, reading, singing and tapping her feet in time against the wall. He noted that in the week that she'd been at Hampton she'd acclimated herself to dorm life very well.

"This time I'm gonna let it all come out. This time I'm gonna stand up and shout. I'm gonna do things my way. It's my way. My way or the highway. This time I'll let it all come out. This time I'll stand up and shout. I'm gonna do things my way. It's my way. My way or the highway. Some day you'll see things my way. Cause you never know when you never know when you're gonna go," Chloe sang, swinging her head back forth.

"Mind if I cut in?" Lex asked, making his presence known, all though he was loathe to interrupt her little performance.

Chloe swung herself up quickly and rolled off the small bed. She rushed over to the stereo and slammed it off. This was not good. Past Lex catching her listening to future music was so not good. And neither was the dizzy sickening sensation she had just entered as all the blood in her head rushed back into the rest of her body.

"Shit," Chloe muttered as the room spun around her and she toppled sideways and braced herself for a close encounter with the floor. Instead, a pair of arms caught her halfway to the carpet.

"Wow, that's a lot better than hitting the floor," Chloe said wryly.

"I'll take that as compliment," Lex replied as he helped her back to her feet.

"Wendy is at rowing practice, so I know that you aren't here to talk to her. So, my bald knight in school uniform, why are you in my dorm to sweep me off my feet?" Chloe asked walking back to her bed and settling herself on top of the comforter.

"I came to borrow Wens copy of Dante's Divine Comedy. She said I could come get it even if she wasn't there," Lex said with a shrug.

"Dante Alighieri. Interesting. I always figured you more of a Machiavelli fan than Dante," Chloe remarked as she watched him ferret through the Wendy's mountain of books.

"Machiavelli had good concepts, but he was long winded and not much of a fiction writer," Lex replied as he continued to look through the stacks of books. “Besides its one of the more interesting choice options for Henderson’s World Lit class.”

"What's your favorite aspect?" Chloe asked her reporter instincts coming out. She'd been keeping herself from asking him to many questions too soon, but she was curious. And this wasn’t a “tell me all your deep, dark, ugly secrets” question anyway.

"Of what?"

"The Divine Comedy."

"Beatrice," Lex answered simply.

"That girl he was obsessed with? Why?" Chloe inquired.

"Because she was such a power for and over him. She was his passion, his creative force. I find it fascinating that one person could influence a whole life so dramatically. Here it is. At the bottom of the stack of course. She needs an organization method of some type."

"She does.” Chloe laughed. “It’s called the Alphabet. But you like the human weakness Beatrice brings out in Dante?" Chloe replied.

"No, I like her power. For the roles women played in society, she had an overwhelming effect on Dante. I find it interesting she didn't use it as much as she could have before she died, " Lex pointed out, flipping through the thick book.

"He loved her. Love does that to people."

"It's an obsession, not love. You said it yourself."

Chloe laughed, he was such a cynic. She wondered briefly if Clark had ever noticed how skeptical his friend was. "No I didn't. I said he was obsessed with her, not that what they had was an obsession. But the next thing that's going to come out of your mouth is that there is no such thing as love. I'm right aren't I?" Lex didn't respond; he just glued his eyes to the book in hands.

"Have you ever loved anyone, even in a familial way?"

"Everyone has."

"Not necessarily. Under certain circumstances, people don't get and give the love they should. But I was curious about you. Because you rich, powerful, famous people tend to do the family thing differently. I know, I’ve watched some E! So who in your family do you love, really love?" Chloe asked.

Lex was silent for a moment and then spoke, "My sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Had. Lena died in a car crash not long before my mother died. She was a year younger than me. She was my best friend one minute, and a corpse the next. My mother was already dying of heart disease and my father wasn't every helpful either."

"And you just turned off your love for the rest of your family after she died?" Chloe asked a little shocked. That was awful. She couldn't understand how parents could let their child become so cold.

"No, I didn't stop until my mother was buried a month after Lena." He chuckled, "My father didn't exactly make it easy for me to heal. His philosophy was don't show weakness. Tears are a weakness. Pain, emotion, mourning are all weakness. And weaknesses are not allowed in Luthors."

"So he played Philip of Macedon to your Alexander the Great right?" Chloe asked him smiling ever so slightly.

Lex blinked at her reference. His father used it all the time and it was unnerving hearing it come from someone else.

"Is that who you want to be Lex, Alexander the Great?"

"What if I do?" Lex asked. She seemed as though she had a lot she wanted to say but was afraid to.

"Think about what that would mean before you go for the world conquest thing," Chloe said seriously.

"Like what?"

"Well there are several things. The first is what I like to call the Spiderman philosophy, you know. Uncle Ben and his whole with great power comes great responsibility spiel, which is pretty self-explanatory.

"The second is that absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you have the power you have to keep it from poisoning you.

"The third is that Alexander the Great died in his early thirties, unmarried, unloved by anyone but his troops, debatably gay not that sexuality matters, and childless. He had no family left, no friends, just generals in his armies. Sometimes being that high up in power and prestige takes away from some of the better things in life. If you want to go after the things the man you're named for did, then by all means go for it. If anyone can achieve great things, I have a feeling its you.” She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. She was starting to remind herself of Obi-Wan Kenobi with this little speach. “But try to remember that there are more important things than money and power, " Chloe told him, resting her elbows on her legs and her chin in her palms.

Lex was surprised by her insight. She was right on all three counts but the last one was not one he'd actually considered.

"You're emphasizing the whole love and family thing again."

She shrugged once more, "You need someone to love you. That is my diagnosis. And once you have that, you'll realize how important and wonderful it is. Call me a softy, but I happen to believe I'm right. I have great intuitive instincts."

"And who is going to do that? You?" Lex asked rolling his eyes.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how things go between us. But whether or not I end up loving you, in a friendly, familial, or romantic way, I know I care about you at the very least, that when you get in trouble I'll be right there with Wendy to bail you out of jail or call 911 when you mix the wrong drugs," Chloe smiled at him. Based on everything she knew about Lex's past, which was very little, those two things would most likely happen at least once before she got back to 2002.

"You are a remarkable person Chloe Sullivan. You barely know me, and yet you open up to me like this. No wonder Wendy likes you so much," Lex said a bit of shock in his voice.

"I like to look for the good in people, especially if they have an aura of mystique. And I see a lot of good in you, if you let it out. No wonder Wendy likes you so much. Now get out of here. I'm sure you have things you need to do, and I have to catch up in every subject and having deep discussions with young billionaires is not speeding the process up at all. I'll find you when I'm ready to have a conversation," Chloe joked. Yes, she wouldn't mind getting to know him. He had the potential to be something special, and she wanted to be there when he became the person he should be, and the man he would be

~*~*~

"Watch it baldy," Donovan hissed as he slammed into Lex in the hall the next day. He hit Lex so hard he nearly dropped the books he was carrying.

"Coming down from a bad trip Sanders? I told you that Jimmy wasn't the guy you should be getting your acid from. But then, why would you listen to me?" Lex said unfazed. He was going to be late for Spanish but he was ahead in that class and Senora Citrone wouldn't begrudge him a few minutes.

"Like I’d bother with that little Russian faggot you use. And just so you know Luthor, you're the only one who lives a shitty enough existence to have to bother with LSD," Donovan replied.

"What can I help you with Sanders? You obviously have something to say or you wouldn't have used your body as a battering ram."

"I want to know what the deal is with you and the Kitten," Donovan demanded.

"So you could have asked me nicely. Honestly, Donovan, you will never anywhere in polite society with manners like that." Lex said wryly. Donovan acted like a moron most of the time but he was sharper than he let on. Which made him more dangerous than the average idiot.

"So is she yours like the Miller bitch or what?"

"First of all, her name is Wendy, and if you touch her, I'll kill you. Second of all, my relationship with Chloe is none of your business Sanders."

"So you are fucking her. I knew you were. I take it that you've shifted from brunettes to blondes. Finally some variation. I was tired of screwing all those dark haired sluts. They all look so damn similar. All though every now and then you'd pick an Asian girl and give it some spice. "

"You might want to watch what you say Sanders. It could get you into trouble," Lex said lethally.

"What are you going to do Luthor? You aren't a violent guy. In fact I don't think I've ever known you to hit anyone. And how do you think to get your revenge? Our fathers are business friends. My father has sent so much business to Luthor Corp he's invaluable to Lionel," Donovan smirked evilly.

"I can be patient Donovan. It doesn't have to happen right now. I'll achieve my goal when you least expect it. It could be today or in twenty years. Let that simmer Sanders."

"What are you going to do Lex? Spread your plague to me? But I thought that only works on people you care about. I mean, we have sweet sister, Mommie Dearest, and how long were you on chemo before the leukemia went into remission? Lets see you were seven so it was three years. The only reason your dad and baby brother are still alive is because you hate them both. In fact it's a miracle that Miller is still breathing."

Lex's palm itched with the urge to beat the tar out of Donovan but something held him back. It must have been the fact that the day would come when he would bring Donovan and his family to their knees.

"Stay away from Chloe and Wendy, Donovan, or you will pay, in ways so great that the pain will *never* fade and it will haunt you after you die. And you know can manage it," Lex said quietly and continued down the hall.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

A/N: THIS STORY IS AU!!! That means it’s an alternate universe! Things are VERY different. Yes, Lex had cancer as a child...but it went into remission and he never had a relapse thanks very much to the lovely meteor shower. ^-^ Also Julian was born MUCH sooner and never died of SIDS, which is sudden infant death syndrome for those who either don't know or didn't see Stray. Just a warning.also this is kinda disconnected to chapter 4..but like I said, 4 was an insight/bonding chapter.

Chapter 5

The phone was ringing when Lex entered his dorm room. He dropped his books on his bed and picked it up hoping to God that it wasn't -

"Hello Lex."

Lex swallowed hard. Great, his favorite person. He had neither the desire nor the composure to talk to his father.

"Hi Dad, what can I do to make this phone call end as soon as possible?" Lex sighed, falling onto his bed.

"I can't check up on my oldest son?" Lionel asked feigning hurt.

"What do you want?" A dull ache began behind his eyes.

"I want you to take a step back from your lady friends. Especially that little blonde street rat my source has told me so much about. The loud mouth with the glasses is bad enough but did you have to pull a pet off the street?" Lionel demanded in his cool calm voice. Lex knew his father paid members of the faculty and staff to watch him and every time he thought about it, it made him ill.

"People aren't things dad. And I think that at seventeen I'm entitled to make my own decisions about the company I keep."

"You're still a little boy Lex. You need guidance."

"Not your guidance," Lex snapped, before he could stop himself. Anger was a weakness, and now that he'd shown his weakness, his father would prey on it.

"You let that temper of yours control you, son. It inhibits what little intelligence you posses. You know you could learn so much from your brother. Calm, brilliant, and knows which types of people to associate with and he's three years younger than you and still managed to become a senior before you. I will never understand why he wasn't born first. The second son is supposed to be the failure. Oh well, quirk of nature I suppose."

Lex felt his whole body go cold. Julian was the golden child. The Wonder Boy and his presence made Lionel's job of making Lex miserable even easier.

"Julian is a fourteen year old freak," Lex muttered.

"Ah, but a freak with promise, genius, and a bright future. You're just a mistake wandering down the road to perdition Lex. I wonder what you will do when I'm not there to pull you out of jail or pay your hospital bills," Lionel mused.

"Then I'll probably overdose on ecstasy and die happy. I have to go Dad, they actually give us work here. Not that I do it, but you never know when a teacher will stop in and check on you," Lex said harshly. The dull ache had become a piercing stab somewhere along the line and he just wanted to get out of the conversation.

"Well then I suppose I'll have to let you go then, won't I. Have a nice day, son," Lionel said with malicious sweetness.

Lex hung up the phone and threw it into a corner. A month; he'd really managed to avoid talking to his father for a month, since the episode at the pizzeria. Some how every time he spoke to his dad, all the detachment and healing he felt he'd been doing in the man's absence just fell away and he was back where he started.

The headache was still there along with deep sense of hopelessness and suppressed rage. He'd fix that problem; he had some pot and other wonder pills in the back of his closet left over from his last purchase from his dealer, Pietro, before school started. But he'd just do a little, he promised himself, just enough to dull the pain.

And if not, Peitro had given him several different white powders in the last batch. If the pills didn’t do the trick, the dust would.

~*~*~

Chloe had been working all month to adjust to life in 1997. It was relatively easy except that most of her cultural references went right over people's heads. She and Wendy had taken to hanging out by the large lake that sprawled across the property after classes, if Wendy didn't have track. If she did, Chloe usually ended up in Lex's dorm. She had yet to get him talk to about anything emotional like she had a week after her arrival but she'd done it before and she'd do it again. On the weekend, the three hung out together and did whatever struck them at the time.

It was a Wednesday and Wendy was at track practice. The team had a meet on Saturday and she was staying late. So once Chloe had finished her homework she headed over to the boy's dorm, grabbing the forged permission note the girls always used on the way out.

She could hear the Doors filtering through the closed door of Lex's room. She knocked once and opened the door.

The air smelt burnt. A haze of smoke floated through the room. For a minute she thought there was something was on fire. Until she saw Lex.

He was sprawled on his back on his bed staring up at the ceiling with rapt interest.

"Lex, are you ok?"

"He-ey Chloe," Lex said smiling at her. She'd never seen a smile like that. His eyes were slightly glazed over and his whole face was relaxed.

"Lex, are you ok?" Chloe asked, resting her fingers gently on his wrist. His heartbeat was rapid and shallow beneath her fingertips.

"I'm great. Great, great, great," he giggled. Lex never giggled. In fact, it was rare for him to do more than chuckle.

"Oh my god. Lex, you're stoned, aren't you?" she whispered looking at his bedside table. A used syringe and a filled ashtray as well as a few pill bottles littered the surface.

"Mm-hm. High as a kite. You know, your shirt is really red. Like a fire engine. Zoom zoom. Wow, this is the best tilt-o-whirl ride I've ever been on! And there was this really big fast one in New York when I was eight. Well this is better, the lights are moving faster," he laughed again. Chloe was starting to worry. He was completely out of character and his breathing was shallow and quick.

"What are you on Lex? Tell me. I can't help you if I don't know what's you're on. Please Lex," she whispered running her fingers up and down his bare arm grazing over the small puncture wound. She could guess what that was from.

"You want them in chronological or alphabetical order Chloe?" Lex asked, that same strange smile on his face, his eyes glazed and spaced as if he were looking a past her at something only he could see.

"Chronological."

He lifted a fist into the air and ticked them off on his fingers. "Marijuana, small hit of ecstasy, a line of snow and some powder, which I think…”He paused trying to get his brain to work. “I think it was cocaine, cause but it might have been smack.” He laughed that hysterical, slightly panicked laugh again. “I’m not sure, I couldn’t see the letters clearly. In that order. Hey Chloe, why are you floating?" Lex asked his eyes looking up and down.

Chloe's mind was reeling. Heroin or coke on its own could kill him but mixed with other substances a reaction was so much more likely. She didn’t know what to do. She’d never known anyone who did drugs before.

"How long ago did you shoot up Lex?"

"Maybe a half hour. You ever done drugs Smallville?" Lex asked lifting his head ever so slightly off the bed and then dropping it back down.

"I only had pot once and that was in eighth grade. I don't do drugs," he nodded and decided that the subject was boring.

"You're beautiful Chloe. I mean, wow. You have these really, really pretty eyes that jump out and grab you. Only they look very blue today, sorta like the shirt. I like it," he smiled and touched the side of her eye with soft fingers.

"Lex, where is your phone?" Chloe asked pulling away before a tear hit his hand.

"I have absolutely no idea. But I'm sure that if you look real hard, you can find it with those big eyes," he answered in dreamy sleepy voice; his head was lolling loosely about on his neck like a rag doll.

It only took Chloe five minutes searching through the trashed room for the portable phone that was lying on the floor by his desk. But by the time she found it he’d deteriorated severely.

"How you doing Lex?"

"Nauseous, dizzy. And not good dizzy. Brings back way to many memories. Reminds me of when I was little. Always sick," Lex said as his body curled into a ball. Chloe sat on the bed and entwined her fingers with his as she punched the number into the phone.

"911 what is your emergency?" The operator on the other end of the phone asked.

"My friend is on illegal substances. I'm afraid he's going to O.D. I need help." Wow, that came out much calmer than she was. Adrenaline was amazing stuff.

Chloe hung on the line as she watched Lex go from dazedly happy to sick and shaking. His skin had never looked that pale before and it scared the hell out of her.

"Please be all right," Chloe whispered, as she watched him convulse and heave. She turned him on his side and waited for the paramedics hoping she wouldn't have to watch him die.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 6

Wendy and Chloe sat in his room with Vice Principal Trendle, waiting for Lex to wake up. He'd been in asleep for almost three days.

He'd lost consciousness before the paramedics had arrived and had gone into cardiac arrest on the ambulance ride. And then later the lab results had come back positive with traces of not only ecstasy and cocaine, which Lex had admitted to Chloe in his tripped out haze, but heroin as well.

That last bit of information had thrown Chloe into a place between worry and rage; Wendy's emotions seemed to be a magnified mirror her own. But both girls were working on keeping busy.

Chloe had her laptop out and was writing a detailed account of what had happened to Lex as a form of tension relief. Wendy had commented on her computer's bizarre appearance when she had first seen it over a month ago. She still couldn't figure out where Chloe had gotten it but had given up on trying to figure out when Chloe had given her the silent treatment for two days. Wendy was reading and Ms. Trendle was doing paperwork.

They were all jolted out of their silence by a low groan.

"What the hell?" Lex moaned. "Hey, who taped my tongue to the roof of my mouth?" The room spun out of focus for a minute before his vision cleared.

"You idiot!" Chloe leapt up and slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side. "What were you thinking? You could have died, you moron! That garbage you pump into yourself, it kills people! What were you thinking mixing substances let alone doing one? You have a death wish?" Chloe ranted then she took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry for the outburst, Ms. Trendle. Wendy, he's all yours."

Lex rubbed his cheek with his hand and waited for another hand to strike. He could guess where he was based on the IV leading from the back of his hand and he knew what was happening. Still he was a little hazy and could only vaguely remember how he had ended up in the hospital. But his mind was clear enough to remember his father's phone call and to know that Wendy would be beyond angry at him for this.

"You promised, Lex. You swore on Lillian's grave the last time this happened. And yet here you are, taking liquids through a tube in your hand. You scared ten years off Chloe’s life and mine. And you nearly died. You can't keep doing this to yourself. Next time Chloe or I may not be there to save you. And heroin." Tears clung to Wendy's eyelashes. She had watched awareness and comprehension creep into his eyes as she spoke. "Jesus Christ, why heroin? Why not just put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. How could you put me through that again?"

"Wendy, I'm sorry." Lex whispered, not meeting her eyes. "And Chloe, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah, fuck you, Lex. You want to die, do it when you're on vacation, so I don't have to see the body," Wendy spat and stalked out of the room. Chloe and Lex could her dissolve into sobs as soon as she was out the door.

"You know that you're suspended from classes for the next week, Mr. Luthor. Your father has handled all the legal matters," Ms Trendle said quietly, not looking up from her paper work.

"I expected that. Thank you, Ms. Trendle," he said with a nod. She picked up her paper work and followed Wendy's route out the door.

He and Chloe were left alone in the stark hospital room. Chloe didn't rise from her chair and Lex was in no condition to get out of bed.

"I take it you've done this before."

"Once or twice," he said, his smirk coming back.

"Once or twice you've been hospitalized, or once or twice you've done the hard-core drugs? And don't smirk at me, Lex. There's nothing to smirk about."

"Maybe it's both," Lex replied. The smirk had been quickly replaced with a solemn stare.

"Don't play the mind games with me right now, Lex. I've been up for the last three days and I'm behind in physics, math, psychology, and Spanish because I've been sitting in a hospital room worrying over you and trying to keep Wendy from just…spontaneously combusting. So don't give me this shit," Chloe snapped.

He had scared her senseless when his heart had stopped beating in the ambulance, and the pain she'd felt when he'd been clinically dead was not something she ever wanted to experience again. She was still raw and shaken from the event that what little patience she'd been storing over the last three days was rapidly disappearing.

"I've never done heroin before, but I've done just about everything else." Lex shrugged.

"You're a regular Keith Richards, aren't you, Lex." She sighed heavily. "Do you have any idea how bad you scared us? And when Wendy found out that you were on heroin, I thought she was going to be sick, literally. What did Wendy mean by 'again', if you've never done heroin before?"

"Wendy had an older brother; he was seven years older than us. Mick overdosed on heroin when Wendy was fourteen. Something happened between her and Mick's twin at the coroner's, and now she can't stand him. Ever since his funeral, she's had a bit of a thing about heroin, so I try to avoid it.

"You did a bang up job."

"I don't need this garbage from you, Chloe," Lex replied tiredly. God, he ached. This was most likely the worst hangover he'd ever had.

"I found you, Lex; not the other way around. I called 911. I held your hand while you seized and vomited. I was on the ambulance when you went into cardiac arrest. How did it feel to be dead?"

"I honestly can't remember. Next question, counselor."

"Why the hell did you feel the need to be on that many types of drugs? Isn't one enough?" Worry lines creased her face.

Lex looked at her with tired eyes. "It was just a progression, I suppose. I usually only do ecstasy and/or marijuana, if I need a bigger escape I use coke. And I don't even remember where I got the heroin. I thought it was more coke, but by that point I was already stoned. If you've ever done ecstasy you know how great your mind works. I guess I just shot up. Seemed like a good idea at the time," he told her. For some reason, his excuse seemed more feeble than he had planned.

"You are unbelievable. You'd probably jump off a bridge if the mood struck you," Chloe shouted, throwing up her hands.

"I haven't jumped off a bridge since I was twelve," Lex replied honestly. But he really wanted her to smile at him, to let him know that he was forgiven.

"You made your best friend cry. You know Trendle is out there right now comforting Wen," Chloe said pointing an accusing finger at him. Obviously it wasn't alright yet.

"I know. She gets like this every time she catches me doing drugs."

"Then why don't you stop?"

"Because I'm an addict, Clo. That's what happens when you take a lot of drugs. You get addicted. But I must say, it did piss off my dad," he said, with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"You're cutting off your nose to spite your face. How stupid is that?" Chloe demanded, getting frustrated. She was sleep deprived and upset. And if he didn't give her a straight answer, she'd leave. She was too tired to be yanked around by someone who had almost died on her.

"On a scale of one to ten?"

Chloe let out an exasperated breath and left the room. He wouldn't die while she was out of the room.

~*~*~

"You hear about Luthor?" Vaughn asked, leaning over the desk to whisper in Donovan's ear.

"What did that shiny skulled fuck do this time?" Donovan asked with a smile. He shot a look at the blonde sitting three rows ahead of him. The kitten looked exhausted and her mousy companion seemed to be missing completely.

"Had an otherworldly experience that nearly killed him about a week ago. Mixed dope, blow, and smack, the stupid fuck. The kitten found him stoned out of his mind in his room almost a week ago. Had to rush him to the hospital. Nearly died on the way there. He's suspended for the next five days. His dad barely got the charges dropped, and he's still in the hospital."

Donovan laughed, a loud full resounding laugh that filled the classroom. The calculus teacher, Mrs. Ramirez, shot him a hard look.

"Excuse me, Mr. Sanders. What is it exactly that you find so very amusing?" the harsh Puerto Rican woman demanded.

Donovan glanced at his watch. Three minutes until calculus was over. He could work this.

"Nothing, Mrs. Ramirez. I was simply thinking of something funny heard. I'm sorry for disrupting the class." He shot out a megawatt smile just for good measure. Mrs. Ramirez nodded and turned back to the board.

Donovan watched his wristwatch as the minutes ticked by. Three, two one. The bell rang clanging through the school. He watched Chloe leap out of her chair and attempt to bolt out of the classroom. So keen to avoid him. Kitten was feisty; he liked that. It was so rare in women at Hampton. They'd all been pampered most of their life and were soft and spineless.

He beat her out the door and walked quickly to her locker. He'd get her alone yet, what with Miller in the language hall and Luthor on suspension.

"Meow, meow, Kitten. You're looking lovely this morning." Donovan smiled, leaning casually against the locker next to hers.

"What do you want, Sanders?"

"Just the pleasure of your company, Kitten," he said, reaching out to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"My name is not 'Kitten'. It's 'Chloe'. Call me that or don't talk to me at all. Not talking to me at all would be the better option, of course," Chloe snapped, slapping his hand away.

"That plaid skirt makes your legs look great," he replied, looking down at her long limbs.

"Oh my god, what a disgusting face, and here I thought Halloween was next week. But you know, even if you take off the mask, you're still a repulsive toad," she shot out, quickly walking down the hall.

Donovan grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her into a row of lockers. He pinned her hands above her head and her book bag hit the floor with a thud. "Ribbit ribbit. Kiss me and I'll turn into a prince," he hissed and leaned his face close to hers.

"No fucking way. You'll give me warts," Chloe said, twisting her wrists in an effort to get free. His hands didn't budge.

"Oh, come on, Kitten. My white horse is waiting right outside the school," he whispered, running his hands down her body and catching her around the waist.

"I don't care if your horse can fly, I don't want you touching me. Now let me go if you want to have children," Chloe replied in a slightly panicked voice.

"You sure, Kitten? Cause I promise, you'll have much more fun with me than with that bald headed junkie."

Chloe smiled up at him and he leaned in to kiss her. But before his lips touched hers, her knee shot up, slamming into his groin. He moaned and sank to the floor.

"Bitch."

"This little cat has claws, Sanders. Don't forget that," Chloe told him; then she grabbed her bag and ran down the hall.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 7

"Come play with me, Lex. I'll let you shuffle," Chloe said, walking across the rec room to where he sat in by the TV reading a book, preferring one of the overstuffed lounge chairs to the equally overfilled, if much older couch. She fiddled with a deck of playing cards as she spoke.

"No." Lex didn't look up from his book. He was still on suspension, but Wendy had gotten him his assignments despite protests from several teachers.

Victoria had dropped by the night before for a “welcome home from the hospital, asshole” fuck, and he really wasn't in the mood to do anything involving other people after that fiery and shallow encounter.

"Come on. I really want to play Gin. And the only person I know I won't beat the crap out of is you," Chloe said, standing directly in front of him.

"No." He still didn't look at her.

Disgusted, she pulled the book out of his hands, threw it across the room and sat on his lap.

"Please? You know you'll have fun. For me, your favorite female?" she whined. She ran her hands over his scalp in playfully seductive way and made a small whimpering sound.

"Funny, you don't look like Cindy Crawford," Lex teased, trying keeping his voice and face serious.

Chloe punched him in the shoulder. It didn't really hurt him, but he got the point. "Just for that you have to play with me," she announced.

He smiled at her, a real smile. She refused to take his crap, and he loved that about her. She was rapidly becoming his best friend because of little gatherings like this. She and Wendy would grab him and drag him out to the lake to just sit and enjoy the sunshine or some other simple thing he would never have done by himself. And her genuine interest in him, as a person, drew him to her even more. And he owed her his life.

Once he started playing, she probably wouldn't let him leave till she was played out. Not that he really minded spending a few hours sitting across from the fiery blonde. It gave him an excuse to look at her, which was something he'd had a strong desire to do more of since she had slapped him in the hospital.

"Fine. You deal," Lex said

"Ok," Chloe said cheerfully, climbing off his lap and seating herself in the other chair, then crossing her legs. She smoothed her plaid skirt over her knees, and dealt.

"Want?" Lex asked, gesturing to the ten of hearts that sitting on the coffee table.

"I want a lot of things. I want world peace, and a car, and a boyfriend. But that's not on my wish list," Chloe said, smiling.

"You know, a simple yes or no answer would have been fine," he muttered.

"I'm sure it would have. But I thought you might want to know what it was I wanted," she replied, winking at him as she leaned over to grab a card from the deck. She caught his eyes wandering over her chest.

"Have you mastered the skill of seeing down a polo shirt, yet?" she asked.

"I'm still perfecting the art; lean over again and let me practice," Lex shot back. He loved bantering with her; she was one of the few people on campus who had the sass and smarts to withstand a verbal sparring session with him and the patience to keep from becoming violent.

"Give me a card I need, and we'll discuss it."

"Nope," Lex said, smirking at her, and letting down his wall just a little. He looked at the card she had laid on the pile. "Why is there a smiley face on the ace of spades?"

"Cause it's a harsh card. It needs to lighten up. Reminds me of some people I know. Now I get to ask you a question." Chloe replied, her journalistic curiosity showing through.

"Why don't they just throw you out of school? I mean, you probably do more drugs and have more sex than anyone on this campus. I'm surprised they haven't thrown you out on your ass," Chloe mused as she looked down at her hand. She really had nothing.

"Money is power, Chloe. You know that. And my family has enough of it to keep me in this school," Lex said as he picked a card from the deck and put down the king of clubs.

"Don't you ever get tired of it? Of having people act totally fake around you because of the power you have?" Chloe asked as she picked up the card he'd just thrown.

"Why do you think I hang out with you and Wendy?" Lex shot back.

"No fair answering a question with a question," she said, faking indignant.

"I only promised you one question. Gin," Lex said, laying his cards on the table.

"Also no fair," Chloe sulked. She stuck her lower lip out in a pout.

"Be careful, or your face might get stuck like that," he said, reaching over to touch her lip.

"Deal with it, Baldy." Chloe said, still pouting, but she let the corners of her lips curl upward just the just the slightest.

"I'll get you for that later."

"No, you won't." Chloe said, gently pulling away from his fingertips.

"Wanna bet, Chloe?" Lex asked. He gave her a smug smirk.

"No, you tend to gamble with things that are far too valuable to be lost," Chloe said seriously, meeting his eyes. Lex held her gaze, trying to read her. He didn't say anything in response to that, just picked up the cards and shuffled them for the next hand.

~*~*~

"What's wrong with The Princess Bride, Wen? Its Mel Brooks. A classic!" She and Wendy had been arguing over which video to watch for almost a half hour.

"But we have five days till Halloween. We should be watching a slasher flick, or a horror movie. Evil Dead is a must! Or at the very least some old Hitchcock. Come on Chloe! You know you want to see dead people crawl out of their graves and eat people."

"No thanks. I like my dead people in the grave where they belong."

"Understandable, but still, in the spirit of All Hallow's Eve lets watch something scary. Please?"

"I really don't wanna." Chloe muttered to her friend.

"Well I don't want to watch your movie either!" The phone rang, breaking into their conversation.

Chloe grabbed the phone on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak to Wendy, please?" A deep male voice asked.

"Um, yeah. May I ask whose calling?"

"Tell her its Nick." The man said gruffly.

"Wen, some guy named Nick on the phone for you." Chloe said holding out the receiver. Wendy shot up and grabbed it.

"Why are you calling here? You promised you'd leave me alone." Wendy hissed into the receiver.

"I don't want to hear it."

"Fuck Mom and Dad. I don't care what they think."

"No. No, I'm not. Nick, tell Mom and Dad if they wanted to tell me they should have called personally."

"Nick, I'm not! " Chloe watched Wendy's frustration become anger and then rage.

"Tell the parental units to go to hell." Wendy yelled into the phone.

"I don't care what Mom and Dad think of Lex. He's my friend, my best friend and a better brother to me than you ever were. He gave a shit when Mick died, unlike you. You didn't even care when your twin bit the dust. You are the dysfunction in our family Nick.”

She paused, listening before erupting again.

“Well I cared about him, and I care about Lex and I'm not leaving!" Wendy was screaming into the mouthpiece now. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Chloe wanted to hug her, but Wendy was too busy burning a hole in the carpet.

"You know what? I don't care. You'll have to drag me home, because I'm not doing this with you. Bye Nick." Wendy slammed the phone into the cradle and slid to the floor.

"Wendy?"

"That was my big brother, Nicholas. My family wants me to come home till the end of the semester. My dad runs in the same circles as Lionel and word of Lex's last little trip to the hospital got around to him. Now he wants me as far away from Mr. Alexander Joseph Luthor as possible. He thinks that me hanging out with Lex will lead me to the same end as Mick. He said that they're getting me tomorrow.” Wendy scrubbed at her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Wendy, are you sure you have to leave? I mean, maybe your brother was just playing a nasty trick on you." Chloe said sitting on the ground next to her friend. She pulled the brunette into a one armed hug.

"No, Nick is the official message boy. He actually had the gall to call from the plane. The only time he wasn't the deliverer of bad news was when Mick O.D.'d. No, that one was my special privilege. I know my parents love me, its just, why do they feel the need to protect me like this?"

"I don't know." Chloe felt an ache deep in her chest. It just wasn't fair, not to her, not to Wendy, and not to Lex.

"You have to stay here for him, Chloe. Cause he needs people so much more than he admits. And if I'm not here, you're all he's got. Lionel will show up soon, to lecture and criticize and demean every relationship and emotion he has. You have to keep him safe. Don't let him put that shit in himself when Lionel is done with him. You find another way. Promise me you'll help him?"

"You know I will. I care about him too." Chloe answered sounding confused.

Wendy laughed sadly. "No you don't. If you did, it would be so much easier."

"What are you talking about?" Wendy was starting to freak her out. What the hell was she going on about? Of course she cared about Lex. He and Wendy were two of the best friends she'd ever had. The relationships she had with them were as strong as what she had with Pete and Clark, if not a little stronger.

"Nothing. I'm just shaken is all," Wendy sighed. Her friend was the one for Lex. She'd known it since they'd walked into Lex's dorm room together the first time. But it wasn't her place to put them together; she just had to make sure that they took care of each other. Who knew, maybe her leaving would give them a push in the right direction.

~*~*~

"Unbe-fucking-livable. I knew your family hated me, Wendy, but enough to pull you out of school?" Lex ran his hand across his head in an agitated gesture.

"I know. I'm sorry Lex, its not like they gave me another option. They just called and said 'Wendy, you're coming back to Atlanta.' I don't want to go, but I don't have much of a choice." Wendy hung her head.

"It's ok, Wen. I understand. I wouldn't want my daughter hanging around with me either." Lex said, shooting her a wry look.

"I leave tomorrow." Wendy said sadly.

"I know." There was a long pause before Wendy spoke.

"I think Donovan is going to make a go for Chloe, Lex. You know how he is. You have to make sure she's safe."

Lex tilted his head to the side and stared at her. "I will. He won't touch her." Another pause.

"Promise me you won't take any drugs while I'm gone." Wendy demanded.

"Wendy-"

"No. Promise me now. I don't know what you hold sacred anymore Lex, but whatever it is, I want you to swear on it that you won't do drugs while I'm in Atlanta. I'm not going to let another brother kill himself."

"Fine Wen, I swear."

"Good. You take care of yourself. I'll see you after New Years." Wendy said, pulling him into a quick hug.

"Same goes for you too, Wen."

She nodded as she left and closed the door.

Lex felt ill. Yet another woman he cared about pulled away from him. He wanted do beat the shit out of Arthur and Marilyn Miller and her useless brother Nick, who had most likely made the call.

And while he was angry with Wendy's parents, he didn't blame them. Getting her away from him was probably the smartest thing they could do. Now he just had to hope that Chloe wouldn't leave him like all the others before her had.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[scifichick774]

Uber happy that you're posting this here too, Rachael. But, I'd be even happier if you actually updated it with a new chapter. Hint, hint.

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 8

"You ok?" Chloe asked as she dealt the cards. She had walked to Lex's dorm after Wendy's brother, a tall attractive twenty three year old with long black hair hanging down to the middle of his back, had picked her up.

"Fine Chloe. You had better not be cheating." Lex muttered. He really had no desire to talk about Wendy's departure.

"I have x-ray vision now? No, I think not. You want that card?" Chloe asked

"No. What do you want?" Lex asked seriously.

"What do you mean exactly?" Chloe asked a little confused.

"What is one thing that you want, but have never had the money, permission, or guts to get?" Lex clarified.

"A tattoo." Chloe said quickly. She didn’t know exactly where this was coming from but she was willing to go with it.

"Of what?"

"Does it matter?" Chloe asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because what you want reflects something about you."

"I want a comet. On my right hip."

She watched the corners of his lips curl up slightly. "Very you. Free moving through space and yet bound to a central force."

Chloe was impressed. The only person she'd ever told about her little idea for a tattoo was Clark and he had assumed it had something to do with the meteor rocks. Lex added depth to the idea.

"Interesting take."

"I tend to look deeper at things." He said smugly.

"Nietzsche. What's your favorite quote?"

He blinked at her and froze, his hand hovering over the deck. "That was a rather abrupt subject change."

"You were abrupt as well. My turn now. Seriously, what is your favorite Nietzsche quote?" Chloe asked. She looked at the hand perched over the deck. "Either pick a card or move your hand."

"What makes you think I even read Nietzsche?" Lex asked pulling a card of the top of the deck.

"If you had the patience to read The Prince then you've read Nietzsche," Chloe stated confidently.

"'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.'"

"Your father really fucked you up didn't he," Chloe said letting her eyes wander up and down his body.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Lex said looking a little ruffled.

"It's just an observation Xan. Jeez, chill out." Chloe muttered rolling her eyes.

"Xan?" Lex asked incredulous. He'd never heard that one before.

"Yeah. Xan. Alexander Luthor. You take away the a-l-e and the d-e-r you get Xan. Which is much more fun than 'Lex' and it is a step further in detaching yourself from your dad." Chloe explained.

"What?" The baffled expression on his face was priceless.

"Lex starts with an 'L' and Lionel starts with an 'L.' but Xan starts with a 'X. And that is a separation from the letter L in the alphabet. Or do you need me to tell you the alphabet too? A, B, C, D-"

"I get the point Chloe."

She laughed. "You sure? Cause I can go further. I know all 26 letters by heart."

"I think I can manage. So, what's yours? Gin." Lex asked placing his cards on the table.

"Fuck." Chloe mumbled. Then in a regular tone of voice asked, "My what?"

"Favorite Nietzsche quote. I told you mine. You tell me yours."

"'Anything done out of love, is beyond good and evil.'"

"Why?" Lex asked watching her long hands move as she shuffled the cards and dealt out the next hand.

"Cause this brilliant man understood how damn overpowering love is. It drowns out all other emotions and thoughts, if it’s real." Chloe explained.

"You ever felt that kind of love?" Lex asked not allowing himself to meet her eyes as he spoke. This whole conversation was getting to him. She was getting to him. She had been since he had first met her.

Chloe got under his skin in a way no one else ever did. Her frank honesty and openness made him want to tell her his secrets, all of them. He wanted to tell her what it was like being in the hospital at age four being drowned in medication. He wanted to tell her everything about his little sister who saved his life and lost her own not long after, about his mother who had loved him. She would listen if he told her about the schoolchildren who had harassed and tortured him. And he knew she would care if he told her every biting comment his father had ever spoken that made him feel full of rage and unloved. And he wanted to tell her about the wonder boy. But first, he had to let himself form the words and he hadn't quite reached that point yet.

"Not yet. But maybe I will soon. You never can tell." Chloe answered honestly. She had found that telling Lex the truth was by far the best policy.

"You still want that tattoo?" Lex asked, a smile creeping across his features as an idea hit him.

"The one we were discussing at the beginning of this conversation?" Chloe asked.

"That very same."

"Why?" Chloe asked cautiously. Lex had a way of giving unique presents. Clark had gotten some very interesting gifts from Lex in 2002.

"Yes or no question."

"Yes."

Lex smiled. A real smile that melted Chloe's insides in a way Clarks grins never had.

"Find Corinne, the senior with the green hair. Tell her I want to talk to her about meeting with Sean, he's moved since I last spoke him and I need his new number. And we'll take it from there." Lex said evasively.

"That was a very Luthorian answer Lex." Chloe said. She shook her finger at him. Lex just winked and nodded slightly.

~*~*~

"Hey, you're Corinne right?"

"Who wants to know?" The girl asked after popping a bubble with her bright pink gum. She stood a good half foot taller than Chloe and had shoulder length neon green hair and colorful interwoven tattoos spiraling up her arms beneath her sleeves and down her legs disappearing into her knee socks. A spiked collar was secured snugly around her neck and a black bag hung at her side.

She had half a dozen hoop earrings in each ear, a stud on her right nostril and a hoop on her eyebrow. A ring graced her lower lip and there was a round silver stud in her chin. The school had been desperately trying to prove how the color of her hair and the piercings were against the dress code but Corinne had just died it the same navy blue as the sweaters they wore and used school pins in her ears and eyebrow. When the administration realized they couldn't win, Corinne had returned her hair to its neon green radiance and her usual jewelry.

"I'm Chloe Sullivan. I'm a friend of Lex's." Chloe said in a quiet voice, the type one used when dealing with an angry dog.

"Luthor doesn't have any friends, 'sides Miller and she's back in GA. Are you the girl he's fuckin' this week? Cause I thought he was still screwin' the icy British bitch, Vivica or Veronica or somethin'."

"We are friends. He just told me to tell you that he wants to talk to you about meeting Sean. I have no idea what that means, but he wanted me to tell you that." Chloe said in the same quiet voice.

"Luthor wants a tatt?" Corinne laughed. "You know, I never pegged 'im as the type. Oh well, I only fucked him once and you can't tell a person's character based on their performance in bed." The green haired girl said with a shrug. "He banged you yet?"

"No." Chloe choked out.

"Too bad. He's a great lay." Corinne pinched one of Chloe's cheeks, "Don't worry though, you're a cute one, so I bet he will. Still, he rarely goes for the blondes. He's got some kinda brunette fetish or something'. "

"Um, about Sean?"

"Yeah," Corinne pulled a pen and a piece of paper and quickly jotted down a number. "Tell him to call this number. It'll get you in contact with 'im. And I want to see the job once Sean's done. You tell Luthor that aight?"

"Ok." Chloe muttered. She was ready to go. She needed to get to Spanish.

"Hey, remember, everythin' a Luthor touches either turns to gold or shit. You be careful of which one gets you." Corinne said before popping one last bubble and walking down the hall towards the science wing.

~*~*~

"Are you sure about this?" Chloe asked while looking around nervously. Lex had taken his car, a red Jaguar convertible, out of the school garage and driven them to the apartment building, which that should have bee that should have been condemned years ago, where they now stood. It was two days before Halloween and the hallway had orange streamers hanging limply from the ceiling in a vain effort to get into the holiday spirit.

"Don't you trust me Clo?" Lex asked smiling slightly.

"Yeah, but you know I'm starting to feel the seeds of doubt begin to bloom." Chloe mumbled.

"I hope you don't expect me to nurture them, I'm not big on the touchy- feely. Look, I know this guy. The place may be shit but he's a good guy and he knows what he's doing." Lex told her confidently banging on the door.

"What the fuck do you want?" A woman in her early twenties with short brown hair and sleepy hazel eyes demanded as she flung open the door. She was clad in a white terry cloth bathrobe that was about three sizes too big for her and looked ready to kill. "You know, it’s four in the afternoon? Most people are asleep at four. Have you no decency asshole?"

"Ella, lovely to see you again too. Mind if we speak to Sean?" Lex said with a wry smirk.

"He's still sleeping Luthor. Just like I was sleeping before you and the blonde decided to give me a wake up call. Next time, I'll call down to the front desk if I want to be woken early." Ella's voice dripped with sarcasm as she stepping back to let the pair in.

"SEAN! GET YOUR ASS UP! YOUR RICH FRIEND IS HERE!" Ella screamed towards the back of the small apartment. "If I don't get to sleep, that lazy asshole definitely doesn't." Ella told Chloe seriously.

"Little louder next time Ella. I don't think they heard you in China." A voice called from the back.

"I'll send them an email. Now get out here!"

Sean emerged from the back in baggy jeans and a rumpled Van Halen t-shirt. His hair was short and spiky despite the fact that it had obviously been slept on. He was about five ten with a slightly stocky build.

"Don't be a smart ass. That's my bathrobe you're wearing. And I know you aren't wearing anything underneath it. Want Lex and his new girl to see what you look like in the buff?" Sean snapped.

"Asshole. You're lucky you're cute." Ella muttered as she disappeared from where Sean had come.

"Excuse her, but if she's woken before five she can be a bit of a troll."

"I am never a troll Sean!" Ella yelled from the bedroom.

"No, that's right. Trolls are short and hairy. You're an ogre! Excuse me one second."

Chloe poked Lex gently. "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much. Their personalities clash. He's an artist and she's a writer. The two artistic fires tend to cause their chemistry to explode. Never gets violent, but I've seen it get close."

Chloe sighed. "How do you know these people?"

"You'd be amazed at the people you talk to when you're stoned at a party. Sean is one of the few people I've ever found interesting after the high wore off."

"You are a strange duck Luthor."

"Ok, I'm back." Sean announced as he trotted back into the living room where he had left them. "Now, Lex, what can I do you for?"

"You still do tattoos?" Lex asked.

"I gotta pay the damn bills don't I? Ella's yet to get a publisher to pick up her work and I still can't get another job with my drawings." Sean said with a shrug.

"You know I could get you a job in Japan if you would just let me. You have the talent Sean."

Sean shook his head. "Ella'd never go and I can't go without her. She may be a bitchy ogre but I need her."

Chloe thought that was the most romantic thing she had ever heard, made even more so by the fact that it was in a discussion between two men.

"She can write anywhere." Lex pointed out.

"Maybe if she decides she wants to go, I'll give you a call. Now, about the tattoo. You want one?"

"Not for me. Chloe here wants one."

"She legal Lex?"

"No I'm not." Chloe said speaking for the first time. Sean and Lex exchanged a look.

"You owe me. You know that don't you? And I'm talking two or more vital organs, preferably a spleen and a kidney." Sean muttered as he walked through the kitchen beckoning them to follow.

"Of course. And you know I'll pay you well."

"You know expect those organs on ice. As long as I get those, you don't need to pay cash." Sean said with a sigh. For some reason, Lex didn't seem to get the joke.

"And how else are you and Ella gonna eat?" Lex asked. Sean considered him his friend and to him, that meant that if you needed something he could provide, he'd do it fast, quickly, and well.

"Good point. Ella!" Sean yelled.

"WHAT?"

"COME HERE!"

Ella walked into the room, still clad in Sean's white bathrobe. "What do you want Sean? I'm getting a little pissed off at you. I told you the only reason I am to be up before five is either because I want to jump your bones, or you just won the lottery. No exceptions."

Chloe laughed and Lex rolled his eyes. He was used to Ella's eccentricities.

"Luthor's girlfriend wants a tattoo. You show her the books. And how much do you think Lex is going to pay me to do an illegal tattoo job on a minor?" Sean asked rhetorically before disappearing through a black door. "By the way, you may want to pull the robe closed a little tighter. I'm the only one allowed to see those."

Ella, sighed exasperatedly, but let herself smile at her retreating boyfriend. "He's like a great big demented child. But, you gotta love him." She laughed and turned to Chloe. "So come show me what you want."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Queen Of Tact]

I love this story!!! I've beeen reading it over at FF.net, but GRRR stupid FF doesn't have it any more. so I haven't been able to read it.... I can't wait to read more......


CC

[Val]

I can't wait to read more! :yay:

[happy bunny]

I'll add my voice to the chorus; I've been reading this story over at ff.net, too, and love the chance to read it over again. This story is excellent and a great plotline. :worship2: I hope you post more soon. Some new stuff at ff.net would also make me happy, in case you were wondering. (hint, hint)

[Ellidyay]

A/N: So, I was up until midnight last night. Why you may ask? Well, because Zoe, my muse, finally got an attitude adjustment and i was FINISHING CHAPTER 25!!! WOOHOO!!! It will be up on FF.N and here, N-S.Net as soon as Mitch, my darling perfect wonderful beta is done with it. Until then, enjoy the review.

Chapter 9

"So what are you doing for tonight for Halloween?"

"We're friends now Sullivan?" Corinne's gum blew into a bubble and exploded with a loud pop as she studied the shorter girl "Who authorized that?"

"Sorry, but I haven't really had anyone to talk to since Wendy left." Chloe muttered. Aside from that, Corinne seemed to be *slightly* more interesting than the average Hampton girl.

"Yeah, sucks that Miller's dad is a close-minded Republican asshole with an overprotective streak." Another pop of the bright pink bubblegum on the word Republican.

"Yeah, it does." Chloe sighed.

"But since you're little buddy has disappeared into the Deep South, sure you can hang with me. Her old man really is an idiot. She's probably safer here with Luthor than back in Hickville. Speakin' of which don't you come from there?"

"I come from Smallville actually."

"Really?" Corinne asked seriously.

"Yes, really."

"Damn, that's gotta suck. Must be like, really fuckin' tiny huh? I mean, it must be, otherwise they wouldn't put the word 'small' in the name." The green haired girl laughed.

"Yep. Everyone knows everyone, and their business. It’s interesting enough though."

"So what do you do on Halloween in Hickville?" Was that genuine curiosity in her voice in between the popping noises?

"Smallville. Personally, I don't do anything. But the football players like to go out pumpkin shooting. Its beyond stupid, but they seem to enjoy it."

"So they shoot at pumpkins huh? Not much of a challenge is it?"

"Not really. I think that they just like the mess and the loud noise."

"Sorta like a rock concert only minus the excellent music, good pot, and decent company." The punker said coolly.

"Yeah, it takes very little to occupy an athletic mind." Chloe said as the male captain of the lacrosse team walked past them. He was a prime example of the stereo-typical athletic mind, shallow, empty, and easily amused.

"True, but the athletic ones have GREAT stamina." Corinne muttered, running her tongue slowly over her bottom lip.

"Down girl," Chloe laughed.

"Hey Smallville, in answer to your earlier question, my plans for Halloween are to hook up with Gavin, that Junior on the tennis team. See if he can make me scream." Corrine laughed and made a soft purring sort of sound.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You are shameless."

"Don't worry, Smallville. If you're going to hang out with me, you'll soon learn the value of an attractive man without any clothes." Another soft purr emerged from between her lips as she spoke. "Although after the sex, a man with good conversational skills is a plus. Luthor makes pretty decent conversation after sex, he's just really vague about shit."

"I wouldn't know."

"For now Smallville."

"For awhile."

~*~*~

Chloe wasn't particularly fond of Halloween. Things had a way of going wrong. She had never once gone trick or treating without sustaining an injury. Her mom had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer on Halloween when she was eight. Her dad had dragged her to Smallville for the final move on Halloween and she had spent that night in her room crying over the loss of her mother and the loss of her friends in Metropolis.

But this Halloween would be different, she promised herself as she walked across the dark grounds to Lex's dorm building. His Halloweens had a way of going sour as well, so this year, they'd spend it together watching horror movies making sure it all went well. But she needed to hurry; she was already late as it was.

"Meow. Hey Kitten. What are you doing out so late? You know there are ghosts everywhere little cat."

Chloe's skin crawled at the sound of Donovan's voice. She was so close. All she had to do was get to Lex's dorm building and she'd be safe. There was a guard at the front desk at all times, Sanders wouldn't be able to touch her.

After Wendy had left, she'd taken to hanging out with Lex more than ever. And Donovan's advances had gotten more and more constant and crude.

'"You know look very tempting tonight Kitten. Heading to the dorms to give Luthor a Halloween fuck?" God, he made her ill. People like him should be put to death at birth.

"Yeah, that's right. Cause you know my night's not complete until Lex gives me at least three mind blowing orgasms, and that's a minimum." Chloe muttered. So close to the entrance, just past the past the dumpster and around the corner. Don't run, if you run, he'll grab you. That's the way the bad guys work, she told herself, remembering everything she had learned from life in Smallville.

"Care to share the wealth?" He hissed.

"With you? Not remotely."

"Too bad, Kitten."

He grabbed her around the waist threw her against the brick wall, and pinned her arms above her head with one hand. The dumpster was so close to her she could see her face reflected in the green metal, if she turned her head to the left.

He held her still with his body, grinding his hips into her. He buried his face in her neck and ran his tongue across her pulse point. Chloe wanted to vomit; it was one of the most appalling sensations she'd ever felt.

"Mm, Kitten, you taste so good." He caught her mouth with his and shoved his tongue in her mouth and down her throat. It muffled Chloe's scream effectively.

His free hand roamed over her torso. It slipped under her shirt and squeezed her breasts roughly. She felt tears well in her eyes at the violation. She wanted to fight back, but her hands were pinned and each of his legs were holding hers still.

He ripped her button-down white blouse open and tore off her bra. She shuddered in revulsion as his mouth left her mouth and attached itself to a breast allowing the free hand to roam.

He lifted his mouth quickly and hissed. "Great tattoo, Kitten. Very," he chuckled, "tasteful. I like it." Chloe let out a harsh sob.

When his hand slipped under her skirt Chloe let out a bloodcurdling scream. But this wasn't Smallville and Clark wouldn't be there to save her. No one was coming to save her.

~*~*~

She was late. She was hardly ever late, and he was starting to worry. Maybe he should go outside to wait for her. He had a feeling Sanders would be prowling the campus on this night of the dead.

Yeah, that was a good idea. He grabbed his jacket and walked quickly down the stairs.

He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd only had it a few other times in his life, and every time he felt it, something awful either had or was going to happen.

He shot out of the front doors in time to hear a heart-stopping scream. Oh god, please don't let it be Chloe was all he could think. He took a hard right and ran towards the green dumpster on the side of the building.

He saw Sanders blond hair and Chloe's petrified, disgusted face. Tears ran down her cheeks like rain as she struggled to get his hand out from beneath her skirt.

He'd never felt anything like what he felt in that moment. It was a pure, overpowering, murderous rage at the violation of someone he cared for. He roared his anger and yanked Donovan off her by the hair.

His fists moved of their own volition, slamming into Donovan's face over and over again. His hands were soon slick with blood, but he didn't stop. Sanders had to pay for what he had done to Chloe.

He didn't stop hitting Sanders until he was unconscious, there was not point hurting him if he couldn't feel it. Lex rose from where he had knelt beating Donovan and looked at Chloe.

She looked small and scared. Her breasts were covered by her shirt which she had clutched to her like a towel. The buttons were gone and wearing the shirt normally would have served very little purpose. Tear tracks were visible on her face in the low light coming from the dorm windows above.

He opened his arms tentatively. Chloe rushed forward and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, forgetting that his hands were dripping with blood.

"Its ok, Chloe." Lex whispered into her hair.

"I couldn't stop him. I tried. But his hands were everywhere, and his mouth.." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "I didn't think anyone would come. But you did, you came. You came for me, Lex." She smiled up at him through her tears.

"I always will. I promise Chloe." After that, all he could do was hold her, and work on convincing himself that she really was alright.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Val]

Another great chapter! And that Donovan guy REALLY deserves a lot more then that!
I love Lex! (shocking news huh?) He is so cute!

[ghostwriter]

Woo hoo. you're posting this here. I read all of it on fanfiction.net but i can't wait to read it again, plus a new chapter. Hope it doesn't take you too long to post the rest :)

Ellie

[lunaluthor]

Great chapters so far so post more soon I love this story :yay: :yay: :yay:

[buffiy18]

I'm glad you have decided to post this story on N-S.net. I've been reading it for a while on FF.net and :wub: LOVE :wub: it! I am looking forward to Ch 25. Thanks for what you did in Ch 24, don't want to mention it here incase some ready this before Ch 24. If there is anything we can do for Zoe please let us know... I'm sure we are all willing to help if it means more great chapters.

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 10

"Xan, you don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine," Chloe said seriously sitting in her usual Indian style position on her bed.

He'd been sitting in a chair, bloodstained hands shoved into his pants pockets, staring into her face for the last hour and it was terribly unnerving.

"I can't make myself get up and walk out that door Chloe. I can't," Lex felt the statement ripped from his throat against his will.

"Why not?"

Because every time I even think about leaving I see his hands on you and I'm frozen in fear. No, that was not the right thing to say to her at the moment.

"Because I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine Lex. I promise."

He sighed heavily. "I just need to make sure you're alright. I almost didn't get there in time Chloe. If I had come a minute later." He couldn't bring himself to finish the statement, as if saying it would make it true.

"You didn't though. You came just in time to be my knight in denim armor. You rescued the damsel in distress from the dragon. How does it feel to be the hero for once?" Chloe asked shooting him a weak but real smile.

He never got to be the good guy in Smallville. He was known as the son of that no good Luthor and a bad boy. No one but Clark trusted him and no one except Clark even liked him. Well at least she knew now that at least once in his life he had been the hero, the savior, the good guy.

But he wasn't answering her. He just sat there like a statue watching her.

"I need to take a shower Lex. Please, just go. You can stop by later tonight if you feel the need, just give me an hour. Ok?"

Still nothing.

"Please Xan," he pleaded using her nickname for him. He sighed quietly and rose from his chair.

"I'll be back," Lex said seriously.

She fought the urge to gape at him. She really hadn't expected him to leave at all. He rarely gave in when he felt so passionately about something.

She nodded slightly. He walked to where she sat on her bed and kissed her forehead gently before leaving.

Once he was gone Chloe brought her fingers slowly to her forehead. He'd never done anything like that before, and for some reason it touched her more deeply than any other gesture or comment possibly could.

~*~*~

Lex stood in the bathroom of the floor below Chloe's scrubbing his hands, trying to wash away blood that was no longer there. He was scared, and he wasn't used to the feeling. He'd smashed Donovan's face in, literally, and a dark part of him had enjoyed delivering justice to him.

But what scared him more than his inner violence were his emotions. When he'd seen Chloe pressed up against that wall, he'd felt something even stronger than his rage something like-

No, damn it. He wasn't going to fall into that trap, love. Every time he'd loved someone, he'd lost them. And he couldn't lose Chloe. Not now, after he'd realized how important she was.

His father would have called her a weakness. But she wasn't a weakness. She was....No. He had to stop thinking along those lines. Because he DIDN'T love her. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

He lowered his head and splashed water over his face and scalp. Lex was lying to himself. Chloe had gotten under his skin and into his heart. Vaguely he realized he hadn't really fought it.

No, he didn't love her. He had just been scared, terrified for her. But that was just compassion and friendship, not love. It wasn't love. He wouldn't let it be love.

~*~*~

Chloe was curled up under the covers of her bed when Lex made his way back to her room. She had the stereo, which Wendy had left behind on full blast with another song he'd never heard before by artists he couldn't recognize and she was staring hard at the window opposite her bed.

Lex gently sat down on the bed beside her and looked at her. Her blonde hair was wet from the shower she had obviously taken not long ago. She had the plain white blankets pulled up to her neck and clutched them tightly around her with her hands.

God, she looked so fragile. He wasn't used to seeing Chloe look or act fragile. She was tough as nails with the courage of a tiger.

"Xan?"

"Yeah."

"Um, do you think.." Chloe swallowed hard. "Do you think you could maybe hold me for a little while? I just-" She sighed frustrated at her own irrational fear. It was ridiculous. Donovan was in a hospital in the city; there was no way he could hurt her now. But she still needed physical proof that she was safe, and right now Lex's strong arms looked like they'd be heaven.

Lex didn't say anything. He just pulled her into the cradle of his arms. Chloe let out a long, airy sigh. Lex could feel her relax as she cuddled into his chest. It took a while, but soon her breathing became steady and even, and she fell asleep, safe in his embrace.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 11

Donovan had been in the hospital for nearly a week, recovering from the beating Lex had given him. But nothing had really changed in the school after wards, except that most people avoided Lex Luthor and his "girlfriend" like the plague.

Corinne had thought it was hilarious. When Chloe had shakily told her what had happened, the punker had doubled over in laughter at the thought of Sanders in the ICU.

The rest of the school, with the exception of a few freshman, who practically worshiped the ground the oldest Luthor offspring walked on, and a few of the stoners Lex used to get high with, left them alone.

All in all, things were pretty quiet for about a week, until an office runner slipped Lex a note on a square of folded yellow paper, during lunch on Friday.

Lex unfolded the note, read it, and cursed. Before Chloe had time to ask him what was going on, he'd disappeared from the cafeteria and the main building.

~*~*~

Lionel reminded Lex of a spider, ready to pounce on any fly that ran into its web. Lex had always played the fly and he was getting sick of it. He'd been getting sick of it since he'd gone into remission. But after spending most of the year away from his familial home in Metropolis, he had even less tolerance for his father and his soul sucking ways.

Now his father sat in his desk chair, in a flawless black Gucci suit staring at him with that cold empty gaze of his. Lex felt an old, familiar, ill feeling settle in the pit of his stomach at his father's presence.

"Would you like to explain to me precisely why Darren's boy is headed to the OR?" Lionel demanded in a level, even voice

"I heard he got the shit beat out of him. That could be the reason." Lex said in an equally calm voice.

"What were you thinking Lex? No," Lionel corrected himself, "You weren't thinking. You have no excuse for your behavior on Halloween. Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could cause if Sanders Shipping pulls out of our partnership?" Lionel demanded harshly.

"I'm really sorry Dad. You're right, I should have just let him rape Chloe and leave her in a heap by a dumpster. I'll know better next time," Lex replied, sarcasm coating every word.

"Ah, your little blonde pet. She really is causing problems isn't she? Inciting a fight, isolating you from the rest of your friends, and manipulating your emotions. I'm surprised at you Lex, letting a little chit of a street rat get to you. Although you always have had a weakness when women were concerned."

"She's not a street rat and she's not my pet. She's a human being and a great one at that." Lex practically snarled. He then mentally kicked himself

"Emotional attachments. I warned you Lex. I warned you about Arthur's daughter but you never did like to listen to reason and it's going to lead you down a road you will later regret in life." A condescending voice, cold eyes, and an empty soul assailed Lex.

"I have my own views on how to live Dad. Two near death experiences before the age of ten will do that to a person." Lex replied bitterly.

"You aren't living, Lex, you're merely existing. You're wasting your mind on unnecessary companions and your body on temporary pleasures. It makes me wonder why I wasted all that money on keeping you alive as a child. I could have saved hundreds of thousands in medical bills. And funerals weren't that expensive in the 80's," Lionel mused.

It took all Lex's self control not to flinch. That one hurt. He was slightly surprised that his dad even COULD hurt him anymore

"Oh, come on dad. It was the least you could do." He could have added, 'Since we happen to share a genetic link,' but stopped himself. "Plus, it made for a great PR piece. Lionel Luthor fighting for his son's life. Luthorcorp stock doubled in value when I was on chemo didn't it? Just how much money did you make while I was puking up my guts?" Lex asked dryly. Keeping his composure and coming up with decent responses was becoming more difficult as the conversation progressed.

"A few extra million. Nothing spectacular but then everything you do ends up below average." Lionel said coldly.

Lex was about to respond when the door of his room flew open and slammed against the wall.

"You are SUCH an asshole!" Lex stared at Chloe, shocked. His father's expression was somewhere between furious and amused.

"How long have you been listening Chloe?" Lex asked seriously. This could be bad. Very, very, bad.

"The pet remark, which I resent, you toad." she snapped at Lionel. Lex internally winced. She was walking on thin ice.

"You must be the infamous Chloe Sullivan." Lionel remarked.

She spun to face the older man. "Infamous is reserved for villains; I don't qualify under that category. You do."

"Little girl, do have any idea who I am?"

"You sir, are the worst father I've ever met. I really don't want to know anything else about you. In fact if I could live the rest of my life never having to hear your voice again. I would be beyond ecstatic." Chloe's hand itched to slap him, but Lex caught her gaze and shot her a warning glance.

Lionel ignored that and tuned in on Lex. "I expect you to come back to Metropolis on Thanksgiving."

"No thanks Dad. I think I'll pass." Lex said politely. He kept shooting Chloe glances out of the corner of his eye. She was fuming, and Lex knew that behind his cool façade, Lionel was fuming too. And Lex had never known Lionel to let anyone who had crossed him go unpunished.

"You are still a minor Alexander, you don't have a choice."

"Sure I do Dad. You pull my tuition and I use the money Mom left me. It's really that simple. And if you threaten the administrators, I'll just hope a plane to Europe and spend Thanksgiving in Spain."

"Can I come? I've always wanted to go to Barcelona." Chloe asked cheerfully.

Lex ignored her comment and stared hard at his father. " Now, I would appreciate it if you would leave."

Lionel smiled at Lex and he wanted to be ill. It was his patented "I'll get my vengeance in due time," smile. Then he rose and walked slowly out of the room.

~*~*~

"You have no idea what you just did," Lex said before he sighed tiredly. He flopped down onto his bed as his father's footsteps faded away on the tile outside his room. He sprawled out and locked his eyes on the ceiling.

"I'm sorry Lex. Its just that comment about letting you die, well I didn't really know what the hell he was talking about, but no father should say something like that to his child. And what was all that about chemo therapy? You had cancer?" Chloe asked, a little upset at the thought of him ever being that sick.

Lex sighed heavily before answering her. He hated thinking about that period of his life, even though he'd been in remission for nearly ten years. "I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was four and it took three years before treatment and a bone marrow transplant sent it into remission."

Her eyes flashed with anger as the full impact of what his father had said to him hit her. "He just made me so angry... I didn't think. " Chloe said as she lowered herself to sit beside him on his bed.

"Exactly, you didn't think." Lex snapped. His gaze was still fixed on the ceiling and he refused to meet her eyes.

"No, I was to busy defending my best friend from his emotional leech of a father." Chloe muttered.

"He's had subordinates in Luthorcorp killed for less than what you said to him today. My father has the connections, the money, and the lack of conscience to do horrible things Chloe. I just don't want you to get caught in that." Lex said, his voice laced with a combination of mental exhaustion and pain.

Chloe pulled her feet off the floor and onto the bed. The she lay down next to Lex and rested her cheek on his chest. He'd been letting her closer to him, physically since the attack.

"And you're worried about me."

"Really? Came to that conclusion all by yourself, did you?"

Chloe lightly slapped him on the chest. "There's no need to get snappy about it."

"Sorry."

Chloe let the word surround her. She knew that in the future, Lex would rather die than apologize, to anyone, for anything, ever; at least the was the impression she had received from Clark and the papers. She appreciated the significance of the word, even if she didn't really know his future self.

"After what happened with Sanders, I feel like I have good reason to worry about you Chloe. If something happened to you I don't-" The sentence came to a grinding halt as he realized what he was saying.

Chloe tilted her head up and tried to meet his eyes. Damn, he was back to avoiding eye contact.

"What Lex?" Chloe asked, her voice gentle and probing.

"Nothing Chloe. Let it drop if you respect me at all."

She let out an exasperated sigh. He could be so evasive sometimes it drove her crazy. But what was driving her especially crazy was his partial admission of his feelings. Oh well, at least she knew he cared.

Lex took her sigh as an acceptance of his refusal to continue on that line of conversation. He really had no desire to explore the depth of his feelings for Chloe, which had been trying harder and harder to break the surface in the last week.

He'd think about it later he told himself. Because, something cataclysmic always occurred shortly after his father's visits. Lex just hoped he could find out what it was going to be, before it happened. Most likely they'd just have to weather the storm and hope that what ever his father would throw at Chloe for her comments and insolence would be something she could survive.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 12

Lex lay on his bed working on his history paper, on the French Revolution, for Dr. Giles. He was so bored he wanted to rip his teeth out with his bare hands just to relieve the monotony. The more acceptable option was to smoke a little pot and release some of the tension. But, he'd promised Wendy he'd lay off the chronic until she got back. So he was stuck alone with the guillotine, Marie Antoinette, and the metaphorical cake.

"Come play with me, Lex. I'll let you shuffle." She called from the doorway. It was rather funny; he never came to her, she always took the trouble of going to him. And as she always did when she spoke those fatal words, she had her deck of cards with her and was grinning at him widely. She was wearing loose jeans and a multicolored shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. A rarity on a weekday considering the fact that the school uniform was required on Monday through Friday.

"How'd you get past the doorman?" Lex asked, thoroughly relieved to see her standing there.

"Money is power, Lex." She winked at him.

"But Clo, you don't have any money." He said as she sat down next to him on the bed.

"I told him I'd have you pay him later. And you will right? Cause I won't be able to sneak into your dorm room again if you don't, and that would be a shame." She said, pulling herself into her usual semi-lotus position.

"So are you going to play gin with me or not?" She asked, holding out the deck to him.

"Anything to get away from Giles's paper." He said taking the cards out of her hand and shuffling them.

"Having trouble with it? I'm dealing with the Spanish. It's a bitch. But are you stuck on the paper cause you don't get it, or are just bored?"

"Bored."

"Why? Lex, the French revolution is so up your alley! What with the change in the seat of power through bloody carnage and mass uprisings and all. I mean, I figure that your ultimate goal is to fuck over that asshole father of yours, and that's the same sort of goal that the mob had when they stormed the Bastille. Just don't chop of his head in the town square. Blood is really hard to clean up from what I hear." Chloe said as she studied her cards. She finally had a decent hand. Maybe she could whoop Lex at this game for once.

"There are more satisfying means of revenge on my father. Although seeing his head drop into a basket separate from his body would be intensely fulfilling."

"Better than an orgasm?" Chloe asked, grinning as she picked up the card he had just laid down.

"Depends on who is giving me the orgasm." He answered. If it was the beautiful snaky blonde sitting on the bed across from him giving the bliss, then it would most definitely be better than revenge, no matter how bloody.

"If it were Victoria?" She asked grinning as she picked an ace of the top of the deck. It was just what she needed. She was really on a role this time. And the conversation was starting to get really interesting.

"Nope. Watching my father grovel would be a thousand times better," He answered honestly.

"How about if it were Wendy?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not legally allowed to answer that question on the grounds that party in question will be EXTREMELY angry with my answer," Lex replied. His lips curled in a small smirk.

"How about that really hot guy on the rowing team, the one in the front of the boat?" She asked, smiling widely now despite the fact the last card she'd drawn had been completely useless.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Lex scoffed.

"So are you really straight? Cause I've gotten the impression more that once that you swing both ways." She remembered all the times she had seen him with Clark. Yeah, that friendship definitely had more chemistry than they cared to admit.

"Yes Clo, all the guys who hang out with me aren't just there cause I'm filthy rich, they're my bitches." He sighed rolling his eyes are her.

"I knew you'd dominate." She replied, her blue eyes twinkling.

"You need to get out more." Lex muttered.

"I would but I spend all my time with you. Sorta cramps that. Plus the being broke thing. And the studying, that will hamper it too." Chloe answered her eyes locked on her hand. She was one card away from gin. Just one and she would beat him for the first time.

"You don't like spending time with me?" He asked in a mocking tone, concealing real pain. He really wouldn't be surprised if Chloe got sick of him one day, very soon.

"Course I like spending time with you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have snuck in here at quarter past midnight."

"Technically, since the guard knows you're up here, you didn't sneak."

"Yeah, but the guard of at Winchester Hall doesn't know. I had to climb out a 6th story window for you."

Lex started at her in shock. "What the hell were you thinking? You could've killed yourself!" He yelled, jumping up and throwing down his cards. Had she learned NOTHING? After Donovan's attack and his father's unspoken promise of revenge, one would have hoped she had at least taken a small hint.

"I had a rope ladder, which I took from the equipment room over at the field house. Jeez, chill out. I sneak out that way all the time." She said grabbing his wrist and pulling him back down.

"Just be careful." He whispered gently touching her face. She had the most beautiful skin. And it scared the hell out of him to imagine that skin splattered with blood.

"I am careful." She said sternly, putting down her cards.

"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me. I don't think I'd be able to handle it." Lex said quietly. And he didn't. Chloe meant more to him than anyone in his life ever had, besides his mother and his little sister. And he had lost those two women. Wendy was safe in Atlanta, and all he had to worry about the moment was the blonde seated Indian style on his bed. If he ever lost Chloe.

"Xan, don't worry ok? If I fall, its because of my own idiocy and will have nothing to do with you. And if something should ever happen to me, like an accident or an illness or anything, and I don't make it, promise me, you'll mourn. Not that bogus repression shit your father is so keen on but real mourning that leads to healing. Cause I don't think I could bear it if you were hurting because of me. And if you feel like you need to, promise me you'll cry." Chloe said seriously.

He had to listen. He had to understand, because she knew that one day, she was going to have to go back home to 2002. And when that happens, she will have to leave him. It was an unfair blow after everything he had suffered through and all he had lost. But she had no control over when she would be pulled from 1997.

He didn't look at her. Instead he just studied the worn gray carpet. He truly had no desire to think about anything happening to Chloe nor did he want consider having to grieve for her. And he wasn't sure if he would be able to.

Chloe put her hand on his face and turned it towards her. "Promise me." She didn't take her hand away and she didn't really want to, his skin was so soft and warm.

"I promise." He said in a hesitant voice so unlike his usual confident tone.

"Good. Now finish the game." She said, pushing his cards into his hands.

"You are beyond bizarre." Lex said at her rapid change of topic. But then her atypical behavior had always appealed to him.

"Why thank you."

"Your pick, Clo."

Chloe pulled the card off the top of the deck and smiled. She very calmly pulled a card out of her hand and laid it face down. She then spread out her sets on the bed.

"Gin!" She shouted laughing almost hysterically. She'd never actually beaten Lex before. Chloe was drunk with the triumph.

"Read 'em and weep Luthor. I kicked your ASS!" She bubbled with laughter. Chloe was so elated that she lost her balance and went toppling off his bed. She hit the floor with a thud still giggling.

Lex didn't mind loosing. In fact, if she got like this every time she won, he'd let her win every time. Her face was turning red and her eyes were shining with happiness.

"Here. Let me help you up." Lex said hanging over the edge of the bed and holding out a hand to her. Chloe grabbed his wrist and pulled him down.

Lex toppled over the side and landed right on top of her. Her laughter died as she looked up at his face, which was so close to hers they were almost touching. His hands rested on the carpet beside her head.

"Congratulations." He whispered, his warm breath fanning her face.

"What's my prize for winning?" She asked hoarsely. He had beautiful lips, Chloe noted. And they were so close.

Lex didn't say anything. Instead he gently lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. It was soft and innocent and probably the most explosive kiss Lex had ever had. Carefully, he pulled away.

Fire raced through Chloe. Every nerve in her body was alive and at attention. When Lex had kissed her she had seen those fireworks everyone was always talking about. She wanted more but he wasn't moving. He just lay on top of her, not moving any closer or farther away.

"That's it? I am not impressed. That reputation of yours certainly seems to be more bark than -mmph!" Chloe's tirade was cut off by Lex's lips.

He ran his tongue along her lips, silently asking them to open. They did and his tongue entered her mouth, stroking and dueling with hers. Chloe let out a small moan from the back of her throat as she grasped the back of his head. Her fingers massaged the smooth hairless skin, and she deepened the kiss, turning it into something more passionate

Lex almost sighed at the feel of her hand on skull. Her hand felt so good and she tasted so amazing, like chocolate and raspberries, sweet with a zing just like her personality. It made him heady and weakened his famous self-control.

"We need to stop." He gasped, pulling away and sitting up. It pained him to say it, be he wouldn't let it be like this. Not when she meant so much to him.

"Why?" Chloe asked, as she sat up. Her eyes were cloudy and dreamy, and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

"Because I don't think you're ready to go any further." Lex whispered, his tone soft yet serious.

"You mean sex right? Not the making out, because I was really enjoying that."

"Yes. I was enjoying the making out too." He said smiling widely at her.

"Ok, so we won't go there, yet. But can we continue this? Because, you taste really good." Chloe said, blushing slightly.

Lex nodded and leaned into her. "I love kissing you." He sighed lowering his mouth to hers.

"I love you too." Chloe whispered in a voice so low it barely made a sound.

"What was that?" Lex asked pulling away sharply.

"Nothing, just kiss me."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 13

Chloe and Lex held hands, as they walked through the hall towards first period English. Chloe She had never realized how special something as simple as two sets of interlaced fingers could be, until now. It was a big badge large banner that screamed "Relationship!" and yet managed to be subtle.

People Passing students stared openly at them. Lex, for what she'd gathered, never publicly showed affection towards the girls he was with. The last time they'd anyone had seen him with anyone another girl had been at since he and Wendy had broken up in the beginning of his freshman year, when he and Wendy had broken up.

"So, I gather from all the whispers that we're dating now." Lex said in a voice that was filled with happiness but covered by a cool aloofness.

"Nope." Chloe said with a laugh.

"We're not?" Lex asked, while looking confused. He'd figured that after last night, they were a couple. But then, how many healthy relationships had he been in? He could count them all on one hand, if he cut of all every finger but his thumb and still have plenty of fingers to spare.

"Making out on the floor of a dorm room is not a date. It's not a date till we go somewhere off campus. Until then we're a couple," Chloe said before giving him a quick kiss on the lips, inciting a flurry of whispers from those around them. "But we're not dating."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that won't we?"

"We will."

"You free this Friday?" Lex asked softly. He knew she was. Ever since Wendy had gone back to Georgia she rarely did anything except hang out with him. Occasionally, Corinne would manage to invite her to one of the rave parties that were scattered throughout various dorms. But she never went to those without Lex.

Chloe bit her lip. "I don't know, let me check my schedule. Because I'm afraid I might be booked up clear up to next Wednesday."

He shot her a half-smile that he saved for when they were teasing each other. "You think you might be able to snatch a moment free up a little time for me? I know I'm not very high on your priority list, but do could you think you could at least try to squeeze me in to your busy schedule?"

"I'll have to see what I can do. Have your people call my people." Chloe said, in a slick tone, imitating the talent agents she'd seen in movies.

Lex laughed, drawing more stares from more passing students. Lex never laughed in school and so when he did, it drew the attention of everyone in hearing distance.

"I'll pick you up at eight." Lex said, before covering her lips with his.

~*~*~

Chloe quickly dialed Wendy's number rapidly as she stared at the array of shirts on her bed. As she waited, she and counted the rings. "Two, three, four." Chloe was about to give up when someone picked up.

"Hello?" It was a familiar male voice. God, did Nick EVER let anyone else answer the phone.

"I need to talk to Wendy, Nick. Its Chloe and it's a semi-emergency." Chloe said sternly.

Chloe heard Nick chuckle, a sound that grated on her nerves. She really disliked Wendy's older brother.

"Wen! You're friend Chloe's on the phone! She's got a date!" Chloe heard him yell to his sister, his hand over the receiver to muffle the sound.

Chloe heard a thunder of footsteps and heavy breathing then Wendy's voice in her ear. "You have a date?"

Chloe laughed. "Yes I do."

"With Lex?" Was the next question.

"Yes," Chloe said, unable to repress a wide grin. "I do."

Wendy squealed. Obviously someone's happy with the situation, Chloe mused. However the sound transmitting through the phone was rather like a bat's cry and it pierced her eardrums.

"Wendy!"

"Yeah?"

"Chill out."

"So how long have you two been an item?" Wendy asked cheerfully. She almost seemed happier about the newly formed couple than Chloe was.

"Since he kissed me last night." Another high pitched squeal filtered through the earpiece.

"WENDY!"

"I'm sorry! I'm just so happy for you two! I wish I could see how cute of a couple you guys make." Wendy apologized half-heartedly.

"Yeah, me too. But, Wendy, I need your help." Chloe said seriously.

"Why? And with what?"

Chloe hated having to say it but she forced the words out. "I don't know what to wear."

There was a long silence before her friend spoke. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Chloe sighed.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"No."

"Um, ok, that makes it difficult. What have you got so far?"

Chloe looked at her reflection in the mirror. She only had on a pair of rhinestone studded dress jeans and a white cotton bra.

"Dress jeans."

"There is such a thing?" Wendy asked, laughing.

"Wendy!"

"Ok, jeez relax. Have you got it narrowed down at all?" Her friend's cheery voice asked through the phone.

"Yes," Chloe answered with a sigh. She'd narrowed it down to two out of the ten relatively dressy shirts she owned. "I can't pick one. This is ridiculous! Choosing a shirt is VERY simple decision! Why can't I do this?" She sighed exasperated.

Wendy's voice laughed in her ear. "Because it's the first date, and no girl can ever choose an outfit for the first date with out help. What two shirts have we narrowed it down too?"

"A navy blue tank top with red flames on the bottom, it's clingy. And a forest green short sleeved button-down shirt." Chloe said, holding up each one in front of her, trying to decide which one looked better.

"Go with the blue, Chloe. It's a better shirt, and it will work no matter where he takes you, which could be anywhere. Plus, you'll just look better in it." Wendy said knowingly.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked, her voice tinged slightly by desperation. She'd been talking to Wendy for nearly an hour, and she'd been trying to get dressed for two. Usually, she wasn't an obsessive fashion freak but this was special. This was Lex.

"No, I'm not sure. But he won't care what you wear. He'd think you were beautiful if you wore a potato sack as a dress. Ok? So just put on the blue shirt, go do your hair, whip on a little mascara, and relax! You'll have a blast. You two are totally compatible. I've known it since the first time you two met."

"You're positive?"

Wendy laughed again " I'm positive. Now go make yourself pretty and call me when you get back. And if you have sex, call me after the cigarette."

"Wendy, you are a nut."

"Yeah and you know I'm not joking. I'm gonna go. Call me later. Bye!"

Chloe blinked in surprise as the other line went dead. She couldn't believe Wendy had hung up on her!

But she couldn't stall anymore now that she didn't have Wendy as her little excuse for procrastinating. She had no choice but to get changed.

She pulled the slinky tank top on and stared at the mirror for another fifteen minutes. "You really need to being so self conscious," Chloe told herself sternly. Her inner self ignored her outer self and she pulled her eyes back to the looking glass for another five minutes.

After the mirror episode, it was easy to get ready. All she had to do was follow Wendy's advice of doing her hair normally, which was just a quick brush through to get out the tangles, and put on some of the mascara Wendy had left behind.

What was hard was the waiting. It was half past seven, but it seemed like an eternity till Lex would show up at her door. She didn't know if she would be able to maintain her sanity for another half hour.

She was just about to give up waiting for Wendy to pick up when there was a knock on her door. Oh god, she thought, he's early.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 14

Lex stood on the other side of the door in a forest green tailored silk shirt and black dress slacks. Chloe rewarded his presence with what she hoped was a dazzling grin, but probably came off more of a shaky smile.

He shot her what truly WAS a dazzling smile, and extended his hand to her. Chloe slipped her hand into his, smiling brightly as her whole body tingled at the simple contact.

He laced his fingers with hers and lead her out of her doorway and down the hall towards the stairs. A few of her dorm mates stuck their heads out of their rooms as the couple passed by. Chloe assumed that they had heard the gossip the rumor mill was churning about Lex Luthor's newest conquest and wanted to see the new catch for themselves.

Lex ignored them completely. His attention was focused entirely on Chloe as they walked to his car. They didn't talk much in on the way there. Lex flat out refused to tell her where they were going and other than to comment on her appearance, the two mostly just enjoyed each other's silent company.

Half an hour after they left Hampton, Lex pulled the Jag into a parking space in downtown Boston.

Chloe smiled as he lead her into the medium sized restaurant, with the word CARMINE'S written in script on the windows and glass doors.

It was one of those places that was homey, yet and classy at the same time. The furniture was all Roman in style and design and red was everywhere The place was shrouded in read and filled with Romanesque furniture. The smell of pesto and tomato sauce floated through the air from the kitchens.

Lex walked up to the hostess and said something quietly into her ear. Chloe was slightly confused at first, she thought that he had made reservations. Then she saw him pull something out of his pocket. Chloe caught a glimpse of green and watched as he shook hands with the woman, transferring the money from his hand to hers. From the look on her face, it was probably more money than the hostess made in a month. The young hostess beamed at him.

Lex shot her a Chloe a quick wink as he walked back to her and the hostess soon joined them.

"Italian huh?" Chloe asked with a grin as a hostess with strawberry blonde hair lead them to a small secluded table near the back of the establishment.

There were other tables in the small isolated alcove, but they were all empty. And Chloe had the distinct impression after Lex's little "chat" with the hostess, they would remain completely separate from the rest of the patrons for the night.

"Yes, Italian." Lex said, giving her a heart-stopping smile. He pulled out her chair for her then sat himself across from her. "Italians are the true masters of romantic food." His tone mocked that yuppie up scale elitist voice she'd heard some many people in movies use when they were talking about art or something along those lines.

""No they aren't." She replied happily, giddy at just being out with him like this from merely the idea of being on date with him. "The French have romantic food. Italian food is not romantic, it's sexy."

"Is it now?" Lex replied seriously. "How exactly is Italian food more sexy than French."

"Well, in my opinion there is just something more....tactile about Italian food than French food, what with all different textures of the pastas and the spices. It hits the senses differently. It brings out a more sensual side where the elegance of French food brings out a romantic side in people. Plus, an Italian waiter is just more impressive than a French one. You get the smooth accent without the obnoxious snobbery." She said seriously, perusing one of the two the menu the hostess had given them.

"Yes, but where's the fun in that?" Lex chuckled.

"Its far more relaxing, and not that I don't like a good crème brûlée but I can think of far more interesting and tasty things to do with a shirtless you and a bucket of marinara sauce." Chloe said, blushing to the roots of her hair as she spoke. She could barely believe that she'd managed to make that statement as calmly as she had.

Lex raised an eyebrow and his eyes turned a few shades darker than they normally were. "You have my attention now." He said in a low husky voice.

"You have my attention now as well bellisima." An heavily accented male voice said from beside them.

Chloe dropped her menu in shock and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was their waiter, a handsome, twenty-something Italian with long black hair and roman features. Chloe made a small whimpering noise and put her forehead on the table.

The waiter laughed slightly. "My name is Marco. I'll be serving you tonight. Are you ready to order or do you just want a bucket of marinara sauce to-go?" Marco asked, raising a single dark eyebrow and grinning wickedly at the couple.

"We're ready, but have the marinara ready for when we leave." Lex said with a chuckle.

Marco nodded in acquiesce. "So, what can I get for you two tonight?" Marco asked merrily, his accent rolling over his words. Waiting tables was not his choice occupation, and usually, he didn't enjoy it. But this couple might be an interesting exception in his typically dull routine. Marco couldn't help but notice the way they reacted to each other. He would have needed to get Connie to handle his other tables so he could focus more on this one. Plus, the gentleman was wearing Armani, Marco noted, so his chances for a good tip were excellent. Not to mention that both members of the couple were strikingly attractive, also a plus for him.

Lex gently put his hand on her cheek and slid it down to beneath her chin, tilting her head up slightly so that he could see her eyes. "Chloe, I don't think you can read your menu if your head is on top of it."

Chloe sat up and gave him a shy smile. Her whole face had turned a bright shade of red and Lex thought it was cute, in an innocent way. Most of the girls he usually consorted with didn't have enough shame left to blush.

"I'll stick with the basics." Chloe said, turning towards Marco, but not looking him in the face. "Spaghetti and meatballs."

"What type of sauce?" The Italian asked as he scribbled down her order When Chloe just sighed at the question, he said, "I'll take that as the marinara. And for you signore?"

Lex shot a glance at his date, and the corner of his lip curled upward in a glimmer of a smile. "The same."

"Buono," Marco said, giving the couple a radiant grin. And with that, he snatched up the menu's and disappeared.

"Well, that was horrifying." Chloe said cheerfully. She'd put her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her palms.

"Really? I thought it was vastly amusing."

"That's because you are a sick, twisted sadist."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." He smiled at her. He'd been doing that a lot lately, smiling that is. And his facial muscles must have been getting in shape because it wasn't nearly as difficult as it used to be.

"So, can I ask you something?"

"Too late."

"Well, too bad. I'm gonna ask you anyway. Have you ever done the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti thing?" Chloe asked.

"What?" Lex blinked at her in confusion. What the hell was she talking about?

"In Lady and the Tramp, the two dogs go to an Italian restaurant and they eat spaghetti and they end up eating the same piece and when the get to the end, they kiss."

Lex stared at her and then shook his head, as if trying to dislodge something. Chloe was great, but sometimes the tangents she went off on made no sense. "Dogs? Clo, what are you talking about?"

It hit Chloe then that maybe he really didn't know what she was talking about. "Xan, have you ever seen Lady and the Tramp?"

"No. I haven't."

She gaped at him. She knew he'd had a hellish childhood but even a kid on chemo should have been able to see a Disney classic. "Did they keep you in a box when you were a kid or something? Because it's only like one of the more famous cartoon movies ever made."

"Last cartoon I saw was." He was silent for a long time before he finally said, "I actually don't remember the last cartoon I saw."

Chloe folded her hands on the table and leaned across the small table towards him. "We'll just have to remedy that now won't we?" She whispered softly before gently kissing him gently. Immediately, Lex's hand slid into her hair, tangling his fingers in it; he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

They continued to kiss, deeply, and passionately. It was the type of kiss, that in Chloe's opinion, every romance novelist must have experienced at least once in order to write that soft core porn that bored housewives read. It lasted until a loud cough jolted them out of their own private world.

Marco stood beside their table carrying their food holding their entrées and smiling at them. God, He kept sneaking up on them. Like he could just *poof* appear out of thin are like something out of a Harry Potter book.

"For signore and bellissima." Marco said, gracefully setting the entrées down in front of them. "And some extra marinara sauce, courtesy of the kitchens for bellissima." Marco said with a wink

"Grazie," Chloe said happily. Grazie was the only Italian word she knew, other than bravo or abracadabra, but she wasn't sure if that was actually Italian. One never could tell.

"Siete benvenuti, bellissima." Marco replied, flashing her a blindingly white smile.

"Huh?" Chloe asked, blinking at him and Lex chuckled.

"You're welcome bellissima. Now goda, enjoy." And with that, he disappeared again.

~*~*~

"So you want to try it?"

"Try what?" Lex asked, before he placed his pasta-filled fork into his mouth.

Chloe lifted up a ridiculously long, sauce-covered string of spaghetti. The sauce dyed her thumb and forefinger red but she didn't really care. "The noodle thing. You want to try it?"

Lex just laughed and shook his head.

Chloe waved the piece of spaghetti in front of him. "Are you sure? Its been a good twenty minutes since the last time you, "she swallowed slightly and ran her tongue slowly over her lips, "kissed me."

Lex reached out, took one end of the strand, and put it in his mouth. Chloe did the same and they each worked their way towards each other.

But before they were able to meet in the middle, the noodle cut itself on Chloe's teeth and Lex finished it off by himself. A bit of sauce managed to splash onto his cheek as he slurped it up in a rather ungentlemanly manner.

"Didn't work." She said sadly.

"Didn't have to work," Lex said, grabbing her by the back of the head and pulling her in for a kiss. God, she tasted so good. Although it may have been the food, but a part of him doubted it.

"Xan." Chloe sighed.

"Yes?" He whispered, pulling back from her slightly.

"You have sauce on your cheek." She answered softly, thoroughly enjoying the way his eyebrows shot up and his jaw gaped a little.

She slowly brought her right hand up to his face and wiped his cheek clean, running her fingertips over his skin one more time than was necessary.

Chloe licked the sauce off her fingers and beamed at him. "All better."

Lex reached out and tucked an errant strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Who's twisted now?" But dear God, she wasn't twisted. Just innocently alluring and incredibly sexy.

"Me? Twisted? But we twist together rather well don't you think? Kinda like a candy cane, only walking and talking and human and not red. Ok, so that wasn't the best analogy." Chloe laughed.

"I thought it was a good analogy bellissima." Marco chimed in. Chloe gasped in shock and jerked slightly. Lex just rolled his eyes.

"You care for some dessert? We have tiramisu, tortoni, cannoli and zabaglione. Or I'm sure I can find a candy cane for you, bellissima." Marco told them with a smile.

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli, to-go." Lex said seriously. Chloe smiled at his use of the quote. Of course The Godfather would have been a movie he'd seen and remembered. He was practically Michael Corleone himself.

"So that's two cannoli to-go. Buono. I'll bring you're check with the dessert. Grazie." And then he was gone again.

"That was kinda creepy." Chloe told him. And it took quite a bit creep Chloe Sullivan out. Even in the slightest way. Especially after seeing what she had seen in Smallville. Not to mention the fall backward through time.

"He is a little too quiet on his feet for comfort." Lex acknowledged.

"But fun. The whole night has been fun. The best night of my life really. Thank you Xan."

He shot her his brightest smile. God, she made him so happy it was unreal. He hadn't felt anywhere near this content since before he could remember.

Chloe beamed back. It was so good to see him happy. Lex had been unhappy far too much of his life to suit her taste. But tonight, tonight was a special night, a beautiful, magical night that she'd most likely never forget.

Mid-thought, Marco, the magical disappearing and reappearing waiter, returned. "Two cannoli and your check. Grazie, we are glad you chose Carmine's. And have a bella notte."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 15

Julian Luthor sighed and leaned against his locker. The holidays were coming, he thought as he pushed back his long dark hair back and waited for his roommate, Malakai, to stop sucking on the neck of the pretty Asian girl from one of their classes. And the holidays meant that he was going to have to leave Warwick Academy and spend them with either his father which, although he got on well with his father, was not something he enjoyed; or Lex, the older brother who hated his guts. Great choices.

"Kai, lets go man. I'm not going to stand here and watch you practically nail Sung-Yi in the hall." Julian said, frustrated when after a few minutes passed and Kai had not come near close to stopping.

Julian watched his older friend whisper something in Sung-Yi's ear and then sent her off.

"Jules, I can hook you up with her younger sister if you want. Li-Na is only a year or two older than you." Kai said with a wide grin, his bright white teeth practically glowing in his dark face.

Malakai Johnson was a cocky, self-assured, intelligent, eighteen-year-old black teen with a shaved head, a bright smile, a penchant for the gentler sex that went beyond what was natural, and a brother-like status with his fourteen-year-old roommate. He spent most of his time partying (Kai's slogan was "YAY, SEX!"), or trying to get Julian to party, which he had been doing since Julian was twelve. He was one of those students who were bright enough that everything academic came easily, leaving him ample time to have fun.

"You know I don't want your charity man. I'm happy with the freshman girls. At least they're my age." Julian protested as the headed through the halls towards the dorms. Unlike at his brother's school, the whole school was connected by indoor hallways.

"But you never actually go for them. I'm starting to worry about you, Munchkin." Kai said, ruffling Julian's hair until it became a dark rat's nest.

He shook his head slightly at the nickname. Malakai and several other of his fellow seniors had taken to calling him squirt in the 9th grade. The name had stuck within his close circle of friends, even though most students called him Jules. In fact, nearly everyone else called him Jules except for Lex and his father.

"I'm still young yet, Kai. Give me time. I'll catch up to you and my brother yet." Julian said through a laugh, while running his hands through his hair, trying to return it to the smooth state it had once been in before.

"Speaking of the bald batty bastard, you made a decision yet Jules?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kai."

"Course you do. You're a fucking genius. You ALWAYS know what I'm talking about. You always have." Malakai argued.

And Julian couldn't seem to find a good reply, because he knew Kai was right.

"I'm thinking I'll spend Thanksgiving through New Year's at Hampton. I just.I want to figure out why exactly he can't stand me. See if maybe I can fix it," Julian said softly.

Lex never spoke to Julian during the year, and when they were in Metropolis together during the summers, Lex went out of his way to avoid both his brother and his father. And when the two boys DID talk or interact, it usually started with Lex hurling vicious, cruel insults at him for no apparent reason. Julian was still trying to figure out what was up with him, but had yet to come up with anything and the imposed distance kept the youngest Luthor from finding out the cause behind the animosity.

Kai sighed heavily. Jules was a great kid. A little too smart, and too naive, for his own good, but a great kid all the same. He knew Jules better than he knew his OWN two brothers and it killed him to see how badly his blood sibling treated the boy. He'd nearly decked the bald Luthor the one and only time they'd met.

"Ya may not get an answer, Munchkin. He may still be as big an ass as he was last time you talked to him." Kai said carefully as they climbed the stairs to their room.

Julian sighed heavily and hung his head slightly. "I just have a feeling you know? Like, this certainty that he's changed or something. Maybe I'm going loopy but I still feel it. Besides he nearly died earlier this year. And Alex is pretty into the drug scene, so he may be dead by next Thanksgiving if he's not careful. And I don't want to miss a chance to fix things with him." He explained as they approached their room.

Kai unlocked the door, shaking his head as he did so. "I don't get you man. How can you love a guy who hates you as much as you're brother seems too?"

Julian shrugged sadly and collapsed onto his unmade bed the moment he got in the room. "Dunno." He answered seriously. "Everyone says that in personality wise I'm a replica of my mom. I can't NOT care about Alex. He's my big brother."

Kai dropped his bag in a corner and began digging around in his closet for a fresh shirt. "And what did Big Daddy Luthor say about that?"

Julian laughed at the mention of his father. Malakai loved thinking up weird nicknames for Lionel. It was kind of a twisted hobby.

"Um, Dad doesn't know yet."

"Oh shit Jules, he's gonna blow a gasket." Kai said, taking his turn to laugh. "Just make sure I'm here when you call the Manufacture Mogul, Munchkin."

"No promises. But if you're here, and not banging Sung-Yi in the weight room when I make the call, then you can eavesdrop."

Kai finished changing and took a deep breathing. "Speaking of which, I promised her I'd see her in the gym in," the teen checked the watch on his wrist, "half an hour. Which means I need to head out now or my little Chinese blossom will move right on to another brother, who can get there on time. You'll be ok, Munchkin?" Kai asked as he headed out of the dorm room.

"Yeah don't worry about it. And don't forget to use protection," Julian said in a mother-hen tone. Kai laughed, gave him the finger, and left the room, leaving Julian alone with his thoughts.

~*~*~

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad."

"Julian, how are you son?" Lionel asked his voice suffused with emotion that it usually lacked. Julian wondered vaguely why his dad never sounded like this when he talked to Lex.

Julian smiled. It was SO easy to play his father for what he wanted. "I'm fine, Dad. I'm working on the independent projects for most of my classes. You know, because I've surpassed the level of teaching they do in class, but need the credits."

"Did you pick a good topic son?" Which in Lionelese meant: does it have something to do with the wonderful world of power.

"Well, it's harder than just picking an intriguing topic. It has to incorporate a wide variety of subjects, history, science, math, and then English for the final paper. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with the impact of nuclear power on the global economy and international relations though."

"Hm, interesting choice." Bingo, Julian thought. You're topic has satisfied "Big Daddy Luthor". Now go for the kill. You aren't a member of the richest corporate hierarchies in the world for nothing, he told himself reassuringly.

"Hey, Dad? I need to ask you something." Damn, Julian thought. That sounded nowhere NEAR as certain as it should have.

"And what would that be son?"

Do or die, now or never. Come one Jules, he reassured himself silently. "Dad, the holidays are coming up." He stated, a little lamely.

"So I've heard. Nice to know you're not behind in current events," His father's voice was coated in sarcasm. God, didn't he even have any idea what the sarcasm meant? It came from a Greek word meaning "to tear flesh." Julian had looked it up when he was 8, right after Lena's funeral when Lex had made a sarcastic comment about the youngest Luthor. The day he'd found out what it sarcasm meant, he vowed never to use it, no matter what tactic his father or brother took.

"Dad," Julian started. and then He took a deep breath then and said, "I'm going to spend Thanksgiving through New Year's at Hampton with Lex." He didn't ask, because asking got him nowhere with Lionel Luthor.

"No you're not." A statement. Their family didn't deal in questions they used statements. And he had to have a damn good reason to revoke Lionel's decree.

"Dad, I finished up my midterms early and I turned in my term paper last Monday. The school has given me permission to leave and I'm going to spend the holidays with my brother. After all, YOU are always saying how important family is. I'll spend all summer in Metropolis. And I won't stay on campus for any break I get from classes I get next year, I'll spend in the city as well." It was a deal. And it was a pretty good deal in Julian's eyes. He just hoped his dad would take it and humor him.

"Easter included," Lionel bartered.

Julian fought the urge to laugh at the oddness of his family dynamic. He knew for a fact that his father never made deals with Lex, never gave his brother any leeway or room for debate. Often, Lionel never seemed to want the oldest Luthor child around, but with him, the youngest son, the golden child, he was trading holidays.

"Deal."

"And Julian, I don't want you fraternizing with that little bitch of his. I'm not going to sway on this one son. You talk to his whore and I promise you will regret it."

Julian blinked in surprise then smiled, grateful that his father was half a country away. Lex had a girlfriend, and she must be a real piece of work to make his father use such uncharacteristically strong language about a single person.

Julian nodded and then remembered that his father couldn't see him over the phone. "Alright Dad." He said, flat out lying to his father. Jules had a feeling that this girl, the one his father seemed to hate with such a passion, would be the key to getting to know Lex

"Good." Lionel said, it as though he had never doubted for a moment that Julian would comply.

The dark haired young man swallowed hard and said, "Dad, I've got to go. I promised Kai I'd meet a him in about ten minutes, and I need to get over there. Sorry."

"Not a problem son."

"Bye Dad." Julian heard the click of the phone hanging up on the other side and sighed. He'd just lied to his father. Twice. He'd never done that before. It made him feel very guilty and very.free at the same time. And the freedom bothered him more than the guilt.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 16

"It's a classic." Chloe said, as she pushed the play button on Lex's VCR. "I shouldn't have to make a deal with you in order to get you to watch a movie with me. Come on, get in the Thanksgiving spirit."

"You're a classic. But I told you my conditions, and the contract is nonnegotiable." He said seriously, while pulling her into his lap. That was the one and only term of the contract: closeness. He fought a smile as she reached behind her and ran her short nails lightly over his bare scalp.

"You are a spoiled brat." Chloe laughed as he kissed her neck.

"Yes I am, now shut up and watch your movie."

"I can't believe this. You're bitching about watching the ultimate war movie. A heterosexual male is complaining about Apocalypse Now. That worries me, Lex. I never thought I'd have to question your sexuality again." Chloe said with a fake sigh.

"You wanting to watch it as much as you do makes me question your sexuality as well. You'll have to be a little more butch to play on that team," Lex murmured. He nibbled lightly on her ear as the trees on the screen caught fire and the Doors' "The End" played.

"I'll give you two good reasons. One, great plot and story. Two, young Martin Sheen. He makes the blood and guts everywhere much more palatable."

"You wound me. I'm not enough to hold your attention?"

He did something really interesting with his tongue at the base of her neck and she shivered. Ok, he had her full attention now.

"Y-yeah."

"Good," Lex smirked. He turned her head back towards him and kissed her.

About an hour into the movie, someone was started knocking on the door, a loud quick knock raps that managed to somehow carry over the volume of the movie. Lex was ignoring it. He had Chloe in his arms, his tongue in her mouth, and his hand was working its way up the smooth expanse of her stomach under her shirt. That was much more important than whoever was standing outside his door.

"Xan, I think you should open the door. It's getting annoying and we can pick this up later." Chloe said softly, gently pulling away.

"I swear to god, I'm going to kill whoever is on the other side of that door." Lex muttered as he opened the door. He slammed it shut as soon as he saw the person on the other side.

"Go the fuck away, Julian." He growled through the door. How dare that little shit come here? Hampton was his sanctuary damn it. How dare the Wonder Boy invade his haven?

"Please open the door Alex. I just want to talk to you. Please." A voice called. It had an air of maturity and intelligence, but was underlain with youthful nervousness.

"Lex, that is SO rude! I can't believe you did that to a guest!" Chloe said shoving Lex away pulling open the door.

Lex leaned against the wall by his window, glaring and seething. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to keep a tight reign on his emotions as his relationship with Chloe progressed. At the moment, he knew that his anger was plainly displayed across his face. His composure was broken, and he hated it.

A boy about who looked to be about 18 or 19 years old stood in the hallway. He had long dark brown hair and classical features. His eyes were a were the same shape and cloudy blue-gray as Lex's but he looked like Lionel Luthor must have when he was younger.

"Hi, I'm Chloe Sullivan. I'm really sorry Lex was such an ass. But he can't help himself most of the time. Its genetics." Chloe said shooting a glare at Lex and smiling at the other teen.

"I know. I grew up with the same handicap. I'm Julian Luthor. Nice to meet you." Julian said kissing the back of her hand in an old world manner.

"Luthor?" Chloe choked. No wonder he looked so much like Lionel, and no wonder Lex had had such a violent reaction to his appearance at the dorms. Anyone who looked that much like Lex's father would make him uncomfortable.

"What the fuck are you doing here Julian? How did you get here?" Lex growled.

"Always the grumpy one aren't you Alex? I just came for the holidays. I took a train and then a taxi. It's fairly simple to get from New Hampshire to Massachusetts. I got permission from Dad and the administration here, because I know you won't come home for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or New Year's, or spring break, or summer vacation. And since you are the only sibling I have left and Dad is a pain in the ass at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, I decided to keep you company. Not that I expected you to want me here, but still." Julian said with a shrug. His voice hid none of the pain and rejection he felt and his face was terribly honest despite all of its similarities the young man shared with his father physically.

"I think that'd be great. Lex didn't tell me he had a brother," Chloe said with a sad smile, which faded completely as she caught the furious look on Lex's face and the hurt in Julian's eyes.

"God, I wish I was surprised." Julian muttered, running a hand through his thick shoulder length hair. Lex snarled at the gesture.

Julian was shocked. His brother never took down his emotionless mask around anyone, especially himself and his father. The only person he'd ever seen get past it, aside from Lena, was that brunette girl he'd met a few years back.

"Why don't you just go back to New Hampshire?" Lex demanded, his voice filled with rage and tinged with something Chloe thought might have been jealousy.

"Because, unlike you my icy older brother, I want to have a connection and relationship with the members of my family. It's what most semi-normal, if slightly dysfunctional, people want. And you are what I have left of a family, Lex. Give me a chance for the next few weeks." Julian implored a little meekly.

"Go cozy up to our father, Wonder Boy. Chloe, I think you should go for now. Family matters."

"I'm not family to you?" Chloe asked in a deadly voice. After everything they'd been through together. After she'd sat beside him in the hospital and the talks where they had shared their inner thoughts and ESPECIALLY after having to meet his father.

"I think you knew what I meant, Chloe. I just don't want you to be here for this conversation. Believe me Chloe, you don't want to get involved with my brother." Lex said coldly, regaining his composure and control.

"Why not Xan? I like your brother."

"Everyone fucking likes him." Lex muttered angrily under his breath, his control slipping. Chloe shot him a baffled look.

"Look, it's not a problem. I'm staying in an empty room on the floor below this one. I just wanted to let you know I was here. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Chloe." He winked. "See you around." He said and quietly left the room.

"Xan? Are you alright?" Chloe asked, not touching him. He was angry, she had found it was best if she didn't touch people when they were angry.

"That little shit comes here and thinks he can build something. He's just like our father. I just need to figure out what he wants and get him as far away from here as possible."

"Xan, he's a teenager, just like us. Maybe he really does want to get to know the Lex that I know," Chloe protested.

"He's fourteen, and he knows what he's doing. He's been learning from our father since before he could talk." Lex snarled, facing the window.

Chloe was a little shocked by that. Julian was only fourteen? He looked and acted so much older than that. And she really had liked him. An honest kid, and she admired honesty. "He seemed really nice. I liked him, he-"

"Dammit, Chloe, of course you like him! Everyone likes Julian." Lex snarled, leaning his forehead against the cool glass plane. "He's the golden child, my mother's little angel, my father's little protégé! Star athlete since preschool, straight 'A' student four grades ahead of where he should be. A good kid who's still a virgin, never done drugs, never come home slobbering drunk, and has never been expelled. He's a fucking poster boy for Mensa and the National Honor Society, a shoe in for the freshman class of Harvard University next year. And I fucking hate him." He ground out not turning around.

"Xan! Jesus Xan, I didn't even know you had a brother, much less one who's as perfect as you say he is. I understand that you're jealous, believe me I know." Chloe said, remembering all the times she had wanted to rip Lana Lang's head off for being so perfect. She was a little shocked that he'd been so forthcoming about his feelings though. It wasn't like him, but then, he'd been surprising her quite a bit today.

"But you have a chance to get to know your brother. You missed out on that with your sister and mother, don't waste this chance. Because regret is one of the worst possible emotions a person can have. And you will regret it. You don't need to have that feeling when it comes to Julian, you already have enough that you hate yourself for." She said sternly. she really didn't want another weight on his shoulders. He had too much to carry already.

"How do you know?" He asked seriously. He was still so caught up in his anger that he didn't notice her moving closer to him.

"Haven't you learned yet that I know everything? Just try ok? No matter how sharp or conniving you think he is, remember that he's a lonely kid, just like you." Chloe said.

"I'm not lonely Chloe. I have you." Lex told her seriously, not turning to look at her.

Chloe stood behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Yes you do, and you always will. But you're still lonely when it comes to your family. And that's ok, but you don't have to be. Your brother took the effort to come here and you should put in the effort to get to know him."

"For you." He said quietly.

"For yourself, do it for yourself." She demanded resting her cheek on his back. Then she turned her head and planted a kiss between his shoulder blades.

"You are the most difficult female alive."

"Yeah, but you love me that way."

~*~*~

Julian rested his head against the door of his room and didn't bother to fight the tears. There was no one to see him, and no one to bother him about it, so he saw no reason to stop them.

It had hurt. God it had been utter agony to here the brother that he looked up to and admired talk about him like that.

Jules didn't understand it. Why did he hate him? What the hell was he supposed to fix? What was he supposed to change?

Silent tears turned into broken sobs and the boy slid to the floor. He knew his crying would accomplish nothing but for once he didn't have to face his father after an encounter with Lex and he could just let it all go. More of that unsettling freedom filled him as he ran out of tears.

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 17

"Tell me again, Sullivan, why you’re sitting at my table instead of off with your lover fucking in a broom closet?" Corinne demanded as she stared across the lunch table at the blonde. The ever-constant popping pink gum punctuated her sentence.

Chloe just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Lex and I are not lovers yet, Delaney." She replied using her friend’s, yes somehow she and Corrine had managed to become actual friends, last name the same way she had used hers.

"How can you fucking stand it?" The punker, whose hair had changed from its typical blinding green to an equally bright shade of purple, asked curiously. "Better question, how can he stand it?"

"Self-discipline I guess." Chloe said with a shrug.

"Yeah, and lots of private time." Corinne said with a laugh.

"Oh my god, where did you get that mind? Did you pull it out of a gutter in downtown Boston and just shove it in your ears?"

"Nope, it’s a gift. And I use that gift…to well, make people happy." The purple-haired punker said, between gum pops.

"They have a name for that you know?" Chloe said, raising her eyebrows in what she hoped was a Lex-like fashion.

"Yeah, but I mean slut? It’s such an ugly word. And it’s not what I am. Ya know that don’t you Sullivan?" Corinne said asked, suddenly serious.

"Of course, but you are a LITTLE more loose that the average debutant."

"Its just an eccentricity. And eccentricity is way more amusing than normalcy. So, why are you here, Sullivan, and not spending the free period making out with Luthor in a broom closet or something?"

Chloe shrugged and sighed heavily. Lex had disappeared before 5th period and she had no idea where he was. She figured that he was probably burning his brother in effigy or something else to defuse his anger.

"Some family problems have come up, and I’m not going to push him about it for the time being." The blonde said, toying with the mush on her plate that posed as food.

"Meaning that your going to wait till Lover Boy to chills out and then you’re going to meddle right?" Corinne asked twirling a purple strand of hair casually around her finger.

Chloe laughed. "You are far to perceptive for comfort."

"It’s yet another of my many gifts. Look, mind if I talk to him? You know, I have the whole wisdom that comes with age thing and I’m not dating him at the moment. So I‘m more detached than you."

Chloe waved her fork at Corinne and sighed. "Sure. Go for it. But don’t blame me for what he does to you."

"I can handle Luthor. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, Sullivan."

~*~*~

Julian was sitting on the carpeted corridor, leaned against the wall on Alex’s floor, waiting and half heartedly reading. It was pathetic, but it was the best way he could think of the catch his brother. Even if Alex was sleeping in Chloe’s room, which he wouldn’t put past him, he’d have to come back for supplies some time.

He was rereading his old, worn-out copy of 1984 when a girl appeared at the end hallway, the popping of bubblegum heralding her approach. His breath caught as he watched her walk down the hall.

He’d never seen a girl that looked like her up close before. Her hair was neon purple, she had piercing all over her face, and black tattoos were visible where her socks didn‘t cover. And she somehow managed to make that school uniform look sexier than a thong bikini.

Julian’s heart nearly stopped beating as she came to a stop at Lex’s door. She knocked once, a strong, loud knock that scrapped her spiked bracelets against the wood.

"Luthor, I know you’re in there. Open the fucking door." She said casually.

Julian blinked up at her from his spot on the floor. Usually, those words would be delivered with anger behind them. But the girl spoke calmly and didn’t seem ruffled in the least.

"He’s not here."

The girl turned to find the source of the voice before and looked down at Julian. "And you would know this how exactly?"

"Because I’ve been waiting for him for over an hour and he’s still not here." Julian said with a shrug.

The girl tilted her head and stared at him. His heart sped up as he watched those eyes, clear and intelligent, study him.

She blew a large pink bubble, let it pop, and then said, "You’re Luthor’s family problem Sullivan was talking about, aren’t you?"

"Um….I’m not exactly sure, but I probably am."

She smiled at him and then leaned over to give him her hand, which was covered in various rings. As he took her hand to lift himself up, he felt his whole body just freeze.

She gave him an odd look. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I’m fine." Julian breathed, pulling himself to his feet. "I’m Julian by the way. Julian Luthor, I’m Lex’s little brother."

Corinne shook his hand once before letting it drop. "Corinne Delaney. Only child, thank god. So you’re the brother huh? How much younger are you then than Luthor? 10 months? A year?"

Julian shook his head and sighed. "Three years. And please, call me Julian, or Jules. Everyone does."

Corinne just blinked at him. The she shook herself and then did another inventory of Julian. The boy did not look or act 14. He looked 17 and sounded 22.

"Ok Jules, why pray tell has the unknown Luthor brother decided to grace the halls and dorms of Hampton with his presence?"

"Family shit. Lex hates me, I’m here to see if I can change that and fix whatever it is that I broke. I don’t like that my only sibling hates the air I breathe and the ground I walk on." Julian said with a sad shrug. He had no reason to lie to her. And she was so…so something that he couldn’t seem to control his thoughts or words around her.

The purple haired girl gave him a grin, one that sent his pulse through the roof, and said, "Luthor is a shit sometimes. Don’t worry. Miller, Sullivan and I will straighten the bastard out for ya. Until then, I guess, you’ll just have put up with me until the Hairless Wonder shows up."

And with that, Corinne leaned against the wall with a thump and slid quickly to the ground. She sat on the carpet with her legs stretched out in front of her and picked his book up off the floor.

"I read it when I was a year younger than you are now. Great book. What do you think of it?" Corinne asked waving 1984 at him.

"I read it for the first time when I was 7. It’s one of my favorites.”

Corinne gaped at the younger teen. And it took quite a bit to make Corinne Delaney gape. “Seven?”

Julian smiled at her. She was so pretty, he thought as he answered her shocked statement.

“Yeah, seven. I found it in the library of Dad’s house in Metropolis and it piqued my interest.”

“Are you some kind of child prodigy or something?”

Julian gave her a small smile that flashed just the smallest tinniest bit of straight, white teeth. He’d never worn braces and had been graced with a naturally stunning grin. “My dad likes the term genius better. Lex uses freak and my mom used to say I was gifted. I tend to go with clever.”

Damn, he was something else, Corinne thought. She’d never been impressed by a guy like she was by Julian Luthor. He had so much charisma that for the first time since she had been his age, she wanted to do more with him than just have sex. It was unsettling, and at the same time more than a little fantastic.

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[Ellidyay]

Chapter 18

"Lex? What’s the problem? Why aren’t you in school?"

"I checked myself out for a goddamn personal day. When did you turn into the KGB, Sean?" Lex barked into his cell phone.

He’d been driving for over an hour and his anger had yet to diffuse on its own so he’d taken the situation in his own hands by calling one of his few real male friends. Lex wasn’t sure if Sean would be able to help, but at the very least he couldn’t make things any worse.

"Easy man. Please remember that you called me. I could be working on a client or making love to Ella if you hadn’t picked this very moment to call me on your way too expensive cell phone from your ridiculously opulent car. You're in the Jag, aren't you, Lex?" Sean laughed into his ear.

Lex didn't answer, but put his foot on the gas and sped the Jaguar up another good twenty miles per hour.

"I’ll take that as a yes. Man, what crawled up your ass and died?" Sean asked as he listened to the engine rev.

Lex sighed heavily and slowed the car down to the speed limit. He wasn’t in a death-defying mood really. It was more about release than escape. "Do you have siblings Sean?"

His friend laughed. "Yeah, three of them. But I thank god most of them only have a minimal presence in my life."

Lex didn’t answer and waited for Sean to continue.

"They were all older than me, way older. The youngest was ten years older than I am and the oldest had seventeen years on me. Cody’s a mama’s boy who lived at home with our parents until after I had gone to college. Zeke is an alcoholic do-nothing who lives off his unemployment check. And J.B. is a gay stockbroker married to a guy named Dwight. They adopted two kids from Somalia. So tell me Lex, what’s your family freak like?"

Lex smiled. He knew Sean was the right person to call. Wendy would have done, but he needed another guy to talk to.

"It’s my younger brother."

"Younger siblings are death. I know; I was one. But what makes Mini-Luthor so bad that you left a gorgeous five-foot-something blond with the hots for you all alone at a co-ed boarding school?" Sean asked in the same teasing voice he’d been using most of the phone call.

"He’s perfect," Lex growled angrily. The mere thought of Julian made his blood boil even though he was miles away from where his little brother by now.

"And your point is?"

"He’s everything I’m not and wish I were. You need more?" He asked, feeling even angrier. Sean was supposed to be sympathizing with him. That’s what friends did. Obviously, he had overestimated the tattoo artist’s value as a friend.

"Lex, everyone has a perfect relative. Every family has that single person who makes the pope look like Caligula. Just tell them to fuck off and get on with your sinful, imperfect life."

"If it was just that do you really think he would bother me so much?" Lex demanded.

Sean sighed, clearly exasperated. "Look man, I can’t read your fucking mind. If you have a problem, you have to tell me or your girlfriend or your therapist or someone. Because Professor Xavier does not exist and even if he did, I think you should know that I am not his love child. So, open your billion dollar mouth and tell me what the problem is or hang up and go back to your girlfriend, get laid, and unwind."

"He took something from me. I can’t get it back no matter how rich my family is or no matter how much power I attain. I can’t get what he took back." Lex said vaguely. It was close enough to the truth that he could get some semi-decent advice.


"Did he do it on purpose?" He asked seriously. Now that they were actually discussing the situation Sean let all the bullshit drop.

"I don’t know."

"That’s an unhelpful answer if I ever heard one but I’ll take what I can get. My advice, and whether you take it or not is this: talk to him. Get his side off the story, man, and then once you know the score, you can castrate him. My other piece of advice is to go home. Your woman is worried. I’ve been living with Ella long enough to know that when a man, just disappears without a word and there has been no fight a woman will worry."

Lex nodded even though the voice on the other side couldn’t see him. "Thanks Sean."

"Not a problem. That will be $69.95. No checks, cash or credit cards only. Thank you for using Sean’s Therapy Hotline."

Lex laughed, as he pulled his car off the road, which was nearly empty, and turned around. "Not a chance. I’d be getting a better deal if I called one of those psychic hotlines Dion Warwick is always promoting."

"Beware the psychics man. They’re all psychotic."

"I appreciate the warning. Now I’m going to let you return to whatever vice you were indulging in before my phone call interrupted."

"I was only watching Growing Pains, Lex. So don’t worry. You didn’t ruin anything monumental." Sean chirped.

"Good. I’m thrilled. Truly, the knowledge of your ability to survive missing a rerun is what keeps me going." Lex replied as he sped back towards Hampton.

"Anything for a friend, Lex. Anything for a friend."

~*~*~

If I were to say I’m unhappy about Julian’s arrival on my doorstep it would be one of the largest understatements ever spoken. I was, and am furious. Not just because of all the emotional bullshit his presence dredges up but also because Chloe had been so sexy at the moment. She’d been like cocaine and me in need of a fix. Being interrupted in the middle of said fix is not something that makes me cheerful.

But it’s more than that that makes me antsy when he’s around my girl. I don’t like him around the women I’m with. He’s so fucking innocent that he draws women like flies. On top of that he got blessed with the Luthor looks that skipped me over.

He doesn’t realize much of anything in regards to women. Although how he managed to stay pure with that nymphomaniac roommate of his, what’s his name Kite? Chai? Fly? It’s beyond me.

I didn’t even have a perverted roommate to corrupt me. I didn’t need it. By high school I was quite experienced with the wonders of sex and the joys of drugs. My father was less than thrilled to be sure.

And then, lets take a small look at his brain. The kid has been in Mensa since he was six. Funny, because when I was six I was confined to a hospital bed, nauseous, bald even then, skin and bones, slowly wasting away as cancer ate away at me from the inside out.

Call me shallow but I resent him for his childhood. I got sick when I was four years old. Four. I never got half the chances he had. He was running around the sprawling backyard of Luthor Estates in California when he was four. It’s not fair that he got to be an ordinary, or rather extraordinary, kid while I was sub par freak. And I hate him for it.

I hate him for a lot of things I probably shouldn’t. He has no real control over the fact that my father sees Jules as my replacement. He sees me as his spare son and his puppet. I’m not sure my dad even knows what love is. But whatever he has within him he saves for Julian.

And the Wonder Boy can’t help being perfect either. He can’t help that his IQ is up in the 170’s. He didn’t give himself the speed and endurance to be the star of the Warwick track team. Even though I still begrudge him for it.

But that’s not why I truly hate him. Not really. What I told Sean on the phone earlier is true. He took something I loved away from me.

I don’t know if it’s fair to blame him. But, through some sort of sick twisted survivor guilt, scapegoat complex, I do. His bullshit caused it. Whether or not he meant to do it, he was the cause and what happened to her is the effect. And now I’m left alone.

And after all of it, I’m supposed to hear him out. Chloe would want me to. Wendy would want me to, as I’m sure would Lena and Mom, if they were still around to make any decision as opposed to lying six feet underground in a pine box in the Metropolis City Cemetery.

But listening is not a skill taught to Luthors. Manipulation, self-control, the ability to exploit a weakness, lying, and getting away with murder are Luthor skills. And like any good Luthor, I excel in all of the above.

Which is why I sometimes wonder if Julian and another child were switched at birth. Julian doesn’t even use sarcasm for god’s sake! He’s so fucking sweet he makes my teeth rot in my skull with his very presence.

Although he does have the Luthor control: in spades. He hasn’t cracked in front of anyone since he was eight and Mom died. Since then the kid has put on a bigger act than all the theaters on Broadway combined.

So maybe he really is as sick as the rest of the family. It would be comforting if he was, but it still wouldn’t change my feeling towards him. If anything, it would probably make him more disgusting in my eyes. Because how anyone can turn out like him and share my DNA is beyond me.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 19

Sometime in the late afternoon, after Corinne’s hasty exit and the end of classes for the day in the late afternoon, Chloe had reached a state of worried anger. It had been hours and Lex had yet to come back from his little disappearance to god knows where. The symptoms of not knowing where he was or when he was coming back, and the furious mood he’d been in did nothing do assuage her worries.

She tried in vain to work on her trigonometry, a subject she neither enjoyed nor excelled in. But after awhile she knew it was pointless.

The worry this minor episode caused led her thoughts to a bigger, scarier things. Like the reality that she would disappear one of these days.

She wasn’t a physics expert. Chloe had no idea how or why she landed in 1997, but the fact of the matter was that she had. Suddenly and without any power over the time and place in which she had landed.

And if she was logical, which was difficult in a situation like hers but still possible, she had to accept the fact that at any moment she could be pulled through another hole in time.

The thought was unsettling and Chloe chewed on the eraser of the pencil she was hold but not using it as she thought. After all, who could work on sign, cosign and tangent when one was contemplating their future in the past versus their future in the future.

She didn’t like the images, of what it would be like when she left, that kept randomly popping into her thoughts without her permission. They scared her.

Because she’d seen that hollow, dead look in Lex’s eyes when he talked about his sister and mother. Chloe had no desire to put that look in his eyes because of her.

What she really needed was for Wendy to get her Southern ass back up to Hampton before she went home. She figured that she could convince her friend of the truth if she showed her enough of the evidence she had stored in the bag under her bed.

She was tempted, time and again, to tell Lex. But while she knew that in a few years, after driving off a bridge and being accosted/kidnapped/threatened/robbed/stalked by a vast number of meteor mutants he would believe her, the Lex she knew at the moment was not the type to embrace the supernatural.

So what to do? She could try and change the past, which her presence there alone might do, or she could nothing. But she had no idea what had happened to Lex between his junior year and his arrival in Smallville.

But maybe she could use the books and documents she kept under bed to convince Wendy when she came back. She wasn’t exactly sure what it would take to convince her but she had to try because she was going to need an ally when she got home.

Home. Odd but she didn’t think of Smallville as home anymore. Home was here in Massachusetts with Lex and Corinne and, when she got back, Wendy. Granted she missed her father desperately. Sometimes at night she would stare at the ceiling and see his face in the tiny dots in the plaster. But that wasn’t where she belonged anymore.

And the prospect of going back to the future scared her. For the first time, she wished she’d been more of a girly girl and read more time travel romances. At least then she’d have a small idea of how to handle the situation.

All she knew was that when she returned to 2002, she’d be a good semester ahead of her classmates and that Lex would not be her Lex anymore. He’d be someone colder; more introverted with no friends save for Clark Kent. He’d have no real connections to anyone and a reputation for partying hard and using harder.

She wished she knew what it was that would change him so much. Because not knowing how to prevent it really got to her.

And this whole affair with Julian made her uneasy. That situation was just a landmine of pain for both of the Luthor sons. But at least Jules seemed like he was willing to brave the possible emotional injuries.

And she had a sinking suspicion that Lex was going to avoid confrontation as much as possible. It wasn’t in Lex’s nature to avoid a challenge but this whole issue with Julian wasn’t a challenge. It was a source of pain and jealousy to be avoided at all costs.

And she couldn’t blame him for that. But she’d be damned is she was going to let it stay like that.

Chloe simply refused to leave him alone, without any family connections, when her time came. It wasn’t just that she wanted him to at the very least be able to carry on a civil conversation; she also wanted to help him mend fences.

She’d need Corinne’s help of course, and she’d have to call Wendy. But before Chloe started working on a plan she needed him to come back. And while she waited, she really needed to finish her trig homework. Stupid numbers, she thought as she rummaged through her bag for a calculator.

~*~*~

Lex was tired, bone tired. It has been an incredibly long drive back to Hampton and it had given him too much time alone with his own thoughts. A hollow ache seeped from his chest outward making everything in his body hurt. He was so exhausted emotionally, when he tried to breathe deeply, his lungs seemed to get tight and constrict making it difficult to breathe.

He needed to see Chloe, to remind himself that she was real and solid. He opened the door of her room quietly and saw her, sprawled on her stomach on the floor, her skirt rumpled about her. Her knees were bent put and were swinging back and forth as she chewed on the eraser of her pencil and stared at her math book.

He wished he had a camera, to capture that image. But instead him engraved the image into his brain, dropped to the carpet behind her, and silently moved up so that he was lying on the floor next to her.

"What are you up to beautiful?"

Chloe snapped her head around and stared at him. She opened and close her mouth like a dying fish a few times before he kissed her.

Chloe lost herself in him for a few minutes before jerking away and slapping him. "What the hell Lex? Where have you been?"

"Well if that’s the welcome I get I’ll go else where." Lex said, rubbing his cheek.

"You worried me. What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded.

"I needed space." Lex said vaguely.

"You are such a man."

"Thank god. Like I want to be a woman. I have no desire to give birth or have a period or be an oversensitive creature ruled by emotion," Lex replied with a grin.

"Better than a cold, insensitive, being ruled by his sex drive."

He laughed and pulled her into a hug. It felt so good to be home. Odd, to think of Chloe’s dorm room as home but he felt more at ease at Hampton, with her than he ever had at the Luthor Manor or any of the other of his father’s properties.

"Seriously Xan, where did you go?"

He sighed. She wasn’t going to let it drop was she? "I went for a drive to clear my head. So you didn’t need to panic over me."

"I didn’t panic. As a general rule, I never panic." Which was completely true. She was used to crises and it took more than him going MIA to send her into a panic. No, he’d have to get kidnapped by a vampire or a soul-sucking demon or, you know, get hit by a big rig for her to panic. "I worried."

"About me," he said, grinning smugly.

"No, about that new panda at the Boston Zoo. Yes about you!"

"I’m flattered."

"Yeah well, be careful that pride doesn't cause your head doesn’t swell up and explode. I don’t want to clean up itty bitty pieces of brain and skull." She said sharply as she ran a hand over his scalp. "Cause you have such a nice head."

"Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ll take good care of my head and I’ll take care of myself."

Chloe nodded. "Lex?"

"Yes."

"What’s going on with Jules?"

She heard him sigh deeply and pull away from her. Both physically and emotionally, he distanced himself. She hated it when he did that.

"It’s just sibling rivalry, Chloe. I don’t want you sticking your nose in this. Because its my problem and I’ll sort this out myself. Can you let me do that?"

Chloe sighed but didn’t answer because she couldn’t truthfully say that she would. And unlike Clark, she didn’t like outright lying to someone she cared for or loved like she did for Lex.

"Let’s not talk about this anymore."

Chloe nodded. "But later, I want you to tell me what’s going on with you. I can see that you’re hurting."

"I’m not."

"And now you’re lying to me. Lex, you can talk to me. I won’t sell your secrets or divulge your fears."

It bothered her that he wouldn’t trust her with this when he trusted her with so many other things. She understood it but that didn’t make it any easier for her to deal with.

"Can you wait? Just, give me some time?"

Chloe sighed heavily. No, she thought. Time was the one thing she couldn’t give him. Because unlike most people, she didn’t have forever. All she had with him was this moment, on the carpet of a dormitory, with Lex.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 20

This Thanksgiving was one of the best that Chloe had had since her mother got sick. She’d had a one great one with her father and the Kents, but this was right up there in the top three.

She had eaten Chinese food on the floor of her dorm room with Lex. They had gone with Chinese since Ching’s Chinese Cuisine was the only place open on Thanksgiving and also the only place willing to make a delivery out to Hampton.

She had tired desperately to convince Lex to invite his brother to eat with them. But he’d told her in no uncertain terms that Jules was not to come within ten feet of him on Thursday.

But, despite that little issue, it had been incredibly intimate and more fun than she’d had on Thanksgiving since she was about five. Only this year, the conversation was better.

She’d checked in on the younger Luthor later that evening and found he and Corinne laughing together in his room. Jules didn’t notice her but Corinne nodded and she slipped away without him noticing.

But Thanksgiving was the high point. For the next few weeks, things to steadily went steadily downhill.

Julian had once again taken to hanging out in and around Lex’s room, much to his brother’s annoyance. And once the younger teen had made it know that he was not going to move, Lex decided that he was no longer going to stay in his dorm room.

So Lex was now sharing a room with Pietro, the school drug dealer. It was not an arrangement that either Chloe or Wendy, when informed by telephone, was happy with.

Once the stalking tactic proved ineffective, Julian had taken to playing shadow, with Chloe’s help. She’d slipped Jules a copy of Lex’s class schedule one of the many afternoons she’d found him that he had camped out in front of the Lex’s door.

But that wasn’t working either, Chloe had realized, much to her dismay. Lex somehow managed to avoid Jules and still catch up with her in classes. She wasn’t sure exactly how he managed to do that, but it was definitely praise worthy maneuvering.

It was frustrating as hell for the "Get Lex to talk to Jules" squad. Chloe, who Jules came to in the halls between classes for advice on the situation, and a grudging Corinne were quickly running out of options.

"This is bullshit," Corinne declared at lunch, a full two weeks after Thanksgiving break. Jules had set foot in the cafeteria and before she and Chloe knew what was happening Lex had disappeared.

"Corinne its not-"

"Shove it Sullivan." Corinne interrupted, "This is fucking bullshit, you hear? Your boyfriend obviously doesn’t want to talk to the Brain. So why are we trying so damn hard?" She had taken to affectionately referring to Jules as "the Brain" and Julian didn’t seem to mind. In fact, as long as Corinne was talking to him, about him, or with him his troubles seemed minute.

"Because this needs to get fixed." Chloe argued.

"Are you his fucking therapist now? Cause unless you are, then it’s not your goddamn job to fix his family problems."

"I lo- care about him and this is hurting him."

Julian said nothing but smirked to himself. He’d liked Chloe since the moment he’d met her and over the past couple of weeks she’d grown on him even more. She got things done and wasn’t afraid to stick her nose in places where it might get broken when she wanted information. Coming from a scholarly perspective, he highly respected that about her. And besides, she loved his brother.

"Hey Sullivan, ask me if I give a shit," Corinne said drolly.

"I don’t have to, Delaney, because I know that you do. Plus, I think you get the same sick kick out of this as the rest of us," Chloe returned, quickly loosing patience. "We’re just not going at this the right way is all."

"Uh-huh." Corinne turned and looked Julian. "What have you got in your bag of tricks?"

Jules laughed and shook his head. "Lint and a few decaying moths. Strategy is Lex and Dad’s thing. I don’t usually play the combat games."

"Some help you are."

"Corinne!"

"What?"

Chloe just sighed and put her elbows on the table and her forehead in her hands. In that moment, she wished she were back in Smallville where her biggest challenge was figuring out where the latest mutant came from. It seemed so easy compared to this.

~*~*~

"Use the sitcom solution."

"What?"

Wendy’s voice sighed into her ear as if she were an agitated teacher about to explain a simple addition problem for the zillionth time to a slow-witted student. "Did you even have a TV in Smallville, Chloe?"

She laughed. "Yes Wendy, I had a TV. And believe it or not, we even had cable."

"Then I would assume that you’ve seen some sitcoms." Wendy said in that same explanatory yet impatient tone.

"Occasionally."

"Well, how does a conflict with a main character get resolved?"

Chloe said nothing. How the hell was she supposed to know? She didn’t pay that close attention to Will and Grace or Boy Meets World.


"Work with me Clo! You’re making this too difficult."

"Just tell me and then you wont have to keep aggravating yourself." Chloe chuckled.

"It gets fixed one of two ways. First, if it’s a guy and we’re lucky that Lex just happens to be male, you cut him off completely. No kissing, no hugging, no touching, nothing; at least nothing until he gets his shit together. And second, you lock the two warring parties in a small, enclosed space like a janitor’s closet or a storage locker until they work out their issues. One of those always works. Always."

Chloe rolled her eyes. That sounded to ridiculous to actually work in the real world. "You’re joking right?"

"No."

"Wendy."

She sighed again. "It will work, Chloe. I swear. You lock them in a broom closet and you let them working it out. And if for some reason it doesn’t work, you can tell Lex it was my idea."

"And the cutting off thing?"

Wendy laughed. "You’ll survive."

"Easy for you to say," Chloe muttered.

Wendy laughed again, harder this time. God, she wished she were back at Hampton. This whole thing would had to be quite the show.

~*~*~

Lex sighed as he headed to physics. This whole situation with Julian was getting more and more tense.

And he couldn’t make himself take Sean’s advice. Every time he got within a few feet of his brother, all he could see was his father’s face and all he could feel was years of rage all flooding through him at once.

And yesterday, Chloe had started avoiding him. She’d just looked at him with sad blue eyes and used a different route to get to her Spanish class than the one they took together. What was going on with her?

Lex was lost in thought until his legs went out from under him and he landed on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He almost laughed as he realized he’d never noticed that the ceiling was paneled before now. But the laughter died as a familiar face appeared above him and held out a hand.

"You ok, Alex?"

Lex ignored Julian’s hand and pushed himself off the floor, trying to shake whatever liquid he’d slipped in off his back.

"What are you doing here, Satan spawn?" Lex snarled.

The boy shrugged. "Wandering. I have nothing better to do. I walked down this hall, saw my older brother in a pool of kool-aide and decided to help."

Ever the good fucking Samaritan, Lex thought bitterly and looked down at the floor. Dear God, it was covered in a fruit-smelling, pinkish liquid. Dammit, it really was kool-aide

He touched the back of his head and it came away wet with the stuff and he cursed. He hadn’t fallen hard enough to hurt his back. But if he didn’t find something to clean the kool-aide up with, his head was going to be stickier than flypaper for the rest of the day.

"I don’t need your help," Lex spat as he walked down the hall towards the bathroom. He would stick his head under the faucet and try and get some of this gunk off before it dried and got sticky if necessary.

"Yeah, but you might want it or something," Julian insisted.

He let out a short, aggravated burst of air and turned to look at Julian as he reached for the door. He pushed the door open and ducked quickly inside.

And damn it, Julian followed him in.

"What exactly are you doing in here Alex?" Julian asked as the door slowly closed.

Lex looked around realized that he wasn’t in the men’s restroom at all. He was in the janitor’s closet that was right next-door.

Damn it, he’d been so distracted by the walking brain to the point that he’d gone in the wrong door.

He sighed. and spun around quickly, and made for the door. He would have left as well, if Julian leaned against it, forcing it shut.

"Alex, talk to me. Please?" Jules pleaded, trying to take advantage of the closed space.

Lex was getting angry, angrier than he had been since Jules had first showed up. Which was saying something given his usual level of control over his temper.

"Get out of my way you oversized freak before I knock you through the fucking wall. If I wanted to talk to you, although why on earth that particular desire would ever come over me is beyond me, I’ll let you know. Now move, Wonder Boy."

Julian said nothing and stepped to the side. He simply absorbed the verbal assault and filled it away, trying to detach it from his emotions. Years of practice was the only thing that made it possible. He looked up at his brother and decided that maybe he should just give out up.

Lex was fuming. As he ran his hand over his now sticky head, he was resisted the urge to curse a blue streak and reached for the doorknob instead.

"Well fuck." Lex muttered, trying the door once again, putting his weight behind it this time and jiggling the knob.

"What? What is it Alex?"

Lex looked at Julian. The irritation in his eyes had escalated to a simmering, powerful rage and Julian took an almost imperceptible step back. "The door won’t fucking open. We’re locked in."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 21

Corinne ran her hands through her hair and straightened the messy purple strands. Well, that had gone well.

She hadn't been sure at first. Miller's plan seemed incredibly implausible, and was likely to get someone hurt. But when Sullivan had told her, she'd been intrigued. Plus, she had the skills necessary for the plan to work.

Chloe may have set the trap with the spilled punch, which had been a beautiful thing to watch in Corinne's opinion. But Corinne had gotten the master key and the permission to block off the hallway, a task, which had not been as easy and had required the bestowing a few favors on the younger members of the maintenance staff. Not the most fun she'd ever had, but not all that bad at all. And now no one would be in that hallway for a long time, thanks to her efforts.

While they'd planned to lock the boys in the bathroom until they worked out their shit, the janitor's closet worked just as well. And then when one of the Luthor brothers had pushed the door closed, it had made making their job that much easier.

"I can't believe this is going to work," Chloe whispered as banging began from behind the door. She was amazed that it had indeed gone off without a hitch.

Corinne laughed, "Me either Sullivan. Me fucking either."

"How long to you think this will take?" Chloe asked, looking at her watch quickly. The last period of the day didn't get out for another hour and then the main academic building didn't shut down until nine.

"I don't know. But I'm not hanging around all night, waiting for the violence to start," As much as she liked the kid, and she did, Julian treated her with more respect than anyone she'd ever met, she saw no reason to sit around a locked door for hours. "Come on Sullivan, we gotta get to class. We'll check in on them every few hours."

Chloe smiled. "This is gonna work," She said again.

"Yeah, if they don't fucking kill each other first."

"Maim, Corinne. I don't think it’ll escalate to homicide." She replied dryly as she and Corinne walked away from the voice of Lex yelling through the door. They’d come back in a while but at the moment, they had to get to class. Chloe for one, had an end of term test to take.

~*~*~

Lex slammed his fist against the metal door, over and over again. The sound reverberated through the small closet, shaking bottles of Windex and drain cleaner shaking in their spots on the rusty metal shelves.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" Lex banged on the door again. Silence came from the other side. "Hello?" Nothing, Lex banged on the door again. He threw himself at the door, putting his weight into it. It didn’t even budge. "Let us the fuck out! Open the fucking door! COME ON! OPEN THE GODDAMN FUCKING DOOR!" Lex yelled, more for himself than the nonexistent person on the other side.

"Un-fucking-believable," Lex muttered, leaning with his back against the locked door. He sighed and slid down into a sitting position, somewhat defeated.

Julian watched the whole thing from where he stood in the middle of the small closet. He didn’t see any reason to repeat his brother’s performance since it was obvious that the door was not going to open and no one was going to come get them out in for the time being.

They both just stayed like that for a while. Lex rested his head against the door and closed his eyes, and Jules paced a little. But other than that, there was silence.

Until Julian realized that for the first time since the day he’d arrived, he had Lex in a situation where his brother couldn’t avoid him. This was the perfect opportunity to find out exactly what it was that made Lex treat him the way he did.

Jules wasn’t sure how to start. Corinne or Kai would have started it with a joke, or a crude observation. Lionel would open the conversation with a thinly veiled threat, and Lex would go with a sarcastic comment. But Julian wasn’t really up for any of those options. He liked honesty best.

"I wish you didn’t hate me, Alex."

At that Lex opened his eyes and lifted his head off the door. He didn’t argue but instead sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah well, if wishes were horses," Lex muttered.

Julian felt like Lex had slapped him. It was painful but he decided to keep going. The chance that he’d ever get to Lex corned and talking again was slim to none.

"I also wish I knew why you did," He said softly, looking down at his feet.

"I’m surprised that with a brain as oversized as yours you can’t just read my mind," Lex snapped. Julian was pushing him.

"You never used to be like this Alex."


Lex let out a low sound from the back of his throat. His control was slipping with every word Jules spoke.

"You used to be able to at least tolerate me, back when Mom and Lena were alive."

Lex’s hands were curled into fists. Lex curled his hands into fists, his fingernails digging in into the skin of his palms so hard they almost broke the skin.

Julian swallowed hard and fought back tears. The look on Lex’s face was one of powerful, barely harnessed rage. But at least he had a partial answer now. It stemmed from loosing their mother and sister.

"I miss them too, Alex. I miss Mom; and I really miss Lena."

Before Julian could blink, Lex was off the floor and launching himself at Julian. He pulled back his clenched fist and slammed it hard into Jules’s face.

Julian fell back on impact, landing on the dirty floor of the janitor’s closet, trying to catch himself. He failing miserably and Lex pinned him to the ground by straddling his little brother’s chest and grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"Don’t you DARE talk about Lena! You have no fucking right to miss her! NONE! You killed her you little shit!" Lex snarled, shaking the boy beneath him.

Lex could remember everything. Julian had been eight at the time and incessant. Constantly working on one project or another, he’d always needed something. At the time, Lex had been busy trying to catch up with all the schoolwork he’d missed because of his mother’s illness and the numerous out-patient checkups at the hospital to make sure that he was indeed still in remission. Lionel had been elsewhere doing what (and who) God only knew but when he was around, there had been constant arguments between the corporate tycoon and his oldest child.

Lillian had been too busy dying to do much to make the situation better, so Lena, very mature at all of ten years old, had played peacekeeper and go between. She understood her big brother better than anyone and had a skill for convincing their father to go easy. She had also taken Julian under her wing. So when he’d asked her to go with one of the help to pick up something for a project he was working on, Lena hadn’t thought twice about saying yes.

But she’d never made it home. And with a sick sense of survivor guilt and a need to find a source for something so senseless, he had blamed Julian. Because after all, it was just another thing he could resent him for.

"You’ve either had or taken everything I wanted or needed. Everything I want to be but can’t, every thing I want to have but don’t, is what you embody. I hate you because you lived the life I should have had!" Lex yelled, shaking his brother after every word.

"You had a childhood that was free and healthy while my body ate itself up from the inside out. When you were born, I was dying! And even though you grew up watching me waste away and in constant pain from the rounds of medication, you never, ever appreciated what you had," Lex laughed morosely. "And what’s fucking worse, is that Lionel fucking loves you. That cold son of a bitch loves you and if he could, if it weren’t too much of a hassle, he’d just have me eliminated by now," His voice was suffused with jealousy and rage. He slammed Jules down into the floor for emphasis. "You got to be normal where it mattered, Wonder Boy. And in all other area’s you got to be exceptional, and I got to be a bald, out of place freak. You get to be sane. You get to be whole.

"And you want to know why I hate you? I hate you because you," His voice shook, "you took the only person other than myself that understood me away from me. And then you got on with your life without a fraction of the damage I have, without any remorse. I hate you! God, I hate you because you get to be happy.”

"And when it mattered, you got everything and I got nothing! NOTHING!" He shook him one last time and then Lex just collapsed.

Lex’s whole body was shuddering and he buried his face against Julian’s shoulder. Lex felt tears in his eyes as he trembled all the way to his bones. God, it hurt so much. So much that he could barely breath, barely think and couldn’t speak, wouldn’t speak. If he said anything else, the tiny scrap of self-control he had left would snap and he’d start to cry. And he wasn’t going to cry, not in front of Jules. But he couldn’t stop shaking, he had nothing left in his emotional reserves to hold onto.

"Alex?"

Julian had no idea what to do. He hadn’t seen his brother like this in so long, if ever. He had no clue how to respond. He tried to remember what their mother had done when Lex had been in pain, especially right after the meteor shower.

Tentatively, he lifted a hand and gently stroked Lex’s shaking back. He was careful and barely touched him afraid that at any moment Lex would explode at him again, only this time with pure rage instead of answers.

But Lex didn’t react to the touch. He was too busy trying to pull himself back together to get angry at something so small. And since Lex didn’t pull away, Jules didn’t stop stroking his hand ever so carefully down his brother's back.

"Thank you Alex," Jules said quietly. It had been hard to listen to Lex rant like that. And he hadn't killed Lena, no matter what Lex thought. He had worshiped his sister almost as much as he had looked up to Lex. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

Lex said, nothing, but the shaking had subsided. He was perched motionless with his face in the soft fabric of Julian’s shirt. It was undignified but he couldn’t seem to make himself move.

"I’m glad you told me. I," Jules sighed, "I get it now."

And he did. There was a lot of jealousy and pain and resentment and anger in Lex. He’d had nowhere to channel it but at Jules since most of it stemmed from his brother. But now, now that Jules understood it, he could start to make things better.

"Let me try to fix things, Alex. I can’t make it perfect, but I can try. Please, Alex, let me try."

Lex took a deep breath. "Don’t even bother." He said, but he didn’t lift his head. He could talk without breaking now, but he couldn’t lift his head or move anything but his lips to speak.

Jules chuckled but continued the movement of his hand on his older brother’s back. "I have to bother, Lex. I can’t seem to help myself. It's a character flaw."

"You do seem to have a lot of them." Lex said tiredly.

"Yeah, I do. Including stubbornness and single-mindedness. I want to fix this, Alex. I need to fix this with you."

"I don’t give a shit about what you need," Lex snapped.

"You need it too. I wouldn’t have a black eye if you didn’t because you wouldn't have cared enough to hit me," Jules replied calmly. He was beginning to lose feeling in his legs and his eye had swollen up so much he could hardly see out of it. But that was alright, because he was finally, for the first time in years, making headway with Lex.

"You don’t know what the fuck I need, Julian."

"Maybe." Jules conceded. "But you haven’t moved yet, Alex; you haven’t pulled away. So maybe you need me as much as I need you."

Lex said nothing to that. Because despite everything he was feeling, he couldn’t pull away. So MAYBE, just maybe, Julian was right. After all, the kid was a genius and being right was nothing new.

[Dolphin1721]

I absolutley love the story. I read it over at ff.net at least four times. I'm so glad that you posted over here. Please, please, please update soon.

~Kira ;)

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 22

Chloe Sullivan

I can’t focus on my semester exam. It feels too early anyway, since we still have a few days until winter break.

How the hell was one supposed to focus on the Spanish preterit tense when the person, who one loves, is locked up in a janitor’s closet? Granted, I did the locking up, but sometimes you have to give out tough love.

And I do, love him that is. As stupid as it is to love someone like Lex Luthor, I can’t seem to help myself. It’s not like I can say, "Yes, I choose to love him,." It's more of a, "Dear God when did that happen? Why didn’t I stop it?"

Because he’s got something in him that I can’t resist. Charisma is the word for it. And underneath the charm, the Luthor name and money, the disinterested façade, and the cool control, he’s got substance, grit, humor, and courage. He has a brilliant mind and a good heart and honestly I don’t need more than that.

Which is not to say that he’s perfect. He’s not. He’s vain. He has a temper, a drug problem, and a lot of repressed rage. I’m not a shrink, but I know he’s got issues that I can’t and won’t, out of respect for him, touch on the ones I don’t even know about.

And that’s why Jules showing up is so great. It’s like a little surprise, a "Help your boyfriend sort out his shit" gift. And Jules was more than willing do all the work himself.

Jules is a great kid with more initiative than his brother. Even with that on his side, I have no idea exactly how this whole closet episode is going to end up, but I’m optimistic.

I never realized exactly how optimistic a person I was until I came here. I’ve always been open-minded and way too curious for my own good, but I didn’t realize that I was an optimist. And being surprised at yourself is more unnerving than being surprised at others. I know you really can’t get inside another person’s head, but you’re at least supposed to be in control of your own.

I’ve changed, a lot. Nothing to drastic, more of a lot of small changes, like the fact that I have gained the ability to let sleeping dogs lie instead of poking said dogs with sticks until I get what I want. Or the fact that I can just accept strange things, like my presence here in 1997, without needed to know the how and the why.

Not to mention self-reliance. Don’t get me wrong; I miss my dad so much it’s unreal sometimes. Yet spending all this time away from him has helped me to really grow up and break free. I’m my own boss, which is so much more work than I ever thought it would be.

And love. I thought, for years, that I was in love with Clark. Yeah, if that’s true love then this is insanity. Because I can see a future here, in this time. Even though I’m away from the people who I care for: my father, Clark, Pete, and even Lana. Nothing specific. But I can see the kind of life I would have, with Lex. It wouldn’t be easy, life never is, but it’d be a bright one.

I’m realistic though, on top of being an optimist. And the reality is, we’re together with an end date. Only he doesn’t know it. And when Lex finds out, it’s going to hurt him. I can’t elaborate more than that because you can never tell what Lex’s reaction is going to be. And I have no idea how or when I’m going to go, only that I will. It’s got to be a sixth sense or something because I’m sure of it.

So, like anyone who has half a brain, I’m preparing, myself and him. A difficult task when you’re dealing with others’ emotions. Not as easy to manipulate as a news scoop, I’ll tell you that.

And the risk involved is much greater. And putting them in that closet together definitely upped the stakes in the emotional gamble that I've taken with Lex and Jules.

What if I made it worse? What if someone gets hurt? And I’m not speaking metaphorically. I’m talking about Lex snapping and beating the living hell out of Jules, the way he attacked Donovan.

It could happen. It’s not completely outside the realm of possible. You get two explosive personalities in a small place for a long period of time and you tend to get explosive reactions.

But I’ve got a good feeling about it all. Jules wants to mend fences too badly to let Xan’s stubbornness get in the way. And if he gets past Xan’s defenses, with its antipersonnel fragmentation mines and phosphorous grenades, then Lex has one more person on his side.

Which is a good thing because the Lex I knew, the Lex in 2002, whose five years older and a thousand times colder than my Xan, has no one but Clark. Because that walking ass that is his biological father, that jerk doesn’t even deserve that title, does not count. He’d rather bring Lex to knees than give him a single kind word.

It makes me wonder what’s going to happen. Where will Wendy go? Where will Corinne go? Where will Jules go? What on Earth could isolate him like that?

I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. Because the “what if’s” will kill you. And I already have enough to worry about without them.

~*~*~

Wendy Miller

They caved. Hallelujah, the parental units finally caved!

I’ve only been hacking at their defenses for months, but and the enemy has finally succumbed to my sheer persistence. Bout time too, I was running out of options.

But I won, so I’ll be back at Hampton before Christmas! Go me! I should consider law school. I’d make one hell of a lawyer.

I can’t wait to get back. Atlanta has been about as much fun as watching pro golf. On TV.

I like my hometown, really I do. But since I started Hampton when I was fourteen, I’ve sorta lost touch with the people I used to spend time with. Coming back has left me with no one to talk to.

And public school is ridiculous. True the lack of uniforms is nice, but everything else is absurd. None of the teachers seem to have an original thought in their heads. The classes are like a semester behind us and they are teaching by the test. I’m like a semester ahead of all the classes. And they teach by the state's standardized test, which is monotonous and pointless. Not to mention it’s become the female populous’ goal to pump me for info on Lex, the famous Luthor son. As if I need that.

Worse than public school is living at home. Dad is oppressive. It’s all about control with him. He wants to know where I am and what I’m doing all the time. Mom is no help. She’s a total pushover to Dad’s whims; or at least she had been until recently. She finally grew some guts and convinced him to let me go back.

Worse than Mom and Dad, is Nick. That jerk. It’s as if he has no life. He should be out, doing something with his degree, but instead he sulks around the house doing nothing.

Actually, if you want to get technical, he doesn’t do nothing. He hangs around and annoys the shit out of me. He likes to throw little taunts, invades my personal space and my privacy, sneaking through my things looking for and taking God knows what. He always had to be the first to answer the phone so he can catch Lex and Chloe before they can talk to me. Being all around nasty is his sick little form of entertainment.

It’s the times when he’s quiet or still that I don’t mind him. I can look over and pretend that Micky is still alive and that he’s going to come in at any moment and plop down next to Nick on the couch the way he used to.

Speaking of the ghost of Christmases past, Mick is the reason I stopped going home on holidays, or rather going home at all. I usually spend Christmas with Lex in Metropolis. We typically spend it avoiding Lionel and slamming our families behind their backs.

Or we did until that time when Lex’s brother Julian was 12 he heard us talking though. I hadn’t seen a look like that in a kid’s eyes before. It was like Lex had kneed him in the groin and punched him in the face simultaneously and then spit on him.

Wakes you up when you see that kind of pain so close to the surface. Lex hides it, buries it beneath layers of composure and distance. At least he used to.

Chloe’s influence is changing him and I say "Halleluiah!" He’s nowhere near perfect and he was too fucked up to begin with to ever get where he should be. But hey, progress not perfection.

But they are so good for each other. I’ve known that since they first met. They have a chemistry that makes the air crackle around them. Of course, they couldn’t see it. The ones in the midst of unresolved sexual tension never can, but I sure as hell could. And now they’re together, which is great.

And now, Julian is at Hampton. Double great. And what’s more, they’re actually going to go through with that harebrained scheme of mine. I can’t believe I actually told Chloe to do that and I doubt it’ll work but according to her, nothing else was working.

But I guess I’ll find out when I get home. Home. I should go pack because I leave tomorrow. God, I can’t wait!

~*~*~

Corinne Delaney

I genuinely like Jules. It’s rare for me to really like a guy, but that kid just gets under my fucking skin. The little shit.

And it doesn’t help that he’s an even six feet tall with a swimmer’s body, the biggest, brightest smile I’ve ever seen, and a brilliant mind. He’s eighteen physically, emotionally, and mentally. He’s eighteen in every way but the stupid fucking chronologically. And the fourteen year-old kid, that’s right Corinne he’s still just fourteen, don’t fucking forget it, he effects me like no guy has since I was thirteen.

Back then I was young and stupid. I thought love and sex was the same thing. Justin was older than me by a three years and turned out to be a dickwad. That story definitely lacked a fairytale ending, but I learned a shitload about myself.

However thanks to Justin the Asshole, I learned that I like sex. I learned, that I like being kissed, and that I love being touched by someone else. Especially when he knows what he's doing. I learned that you can do what you want when you’re in bed with a guy and in high school they’re usually compliant. I found the power it can give you, both over a man’s libido and over his secrets, and I also found it to be a great way to burn calories and get relaxed at the same time. It’s the best type of exercise and therapy, sexual release.

Of course, my mother didn’t help to teach me otherwise. She caught me fucking some random guy at our beach house the summer after freshman year and managed to give me a slurred reminder between Bloody Mary’s to use birth control. Yeah, she was real damn helpful.

Since then, I’ve been pretty much uninhibited when it comes to fucking and all things carnal. That in turn has earned me a larger reputation than the tattoos, piercing, or hair jobs combined ever could have.

And these bitchy little near-do-wells love to condescend. Fucking hypocrites. The guys through around words like "whore", "tramp", and "slut" then proceed to meet me in the gymnasium equipment room for a quickie.

They show an utter lack of respect for their fellow freaking man, which that is one of the reasons I can’t wait to get the hell out of New England. Yuppie assholes the lot of them.

But Jules, Jules treats me with respect. He looks into my goddamn face when I talk and actually listens to what the hell I have to say. And there is a look on his face when he’s around me that I’ve never seen before on anyone else.

He looks at me the way a little kid looks at a present on Christmas morning. Like he can’t wait to open it and see what’s inside. It’s fucking creepy, in a way that gives me this annoying little warm feeling deep in my chest.

I’ve caught him staring at me. Nothing new, people stare all the time. It goes with the territory of wearing the stuff I wear, I expect it. But they don’t stare at me as if they are trying to open my head and explore what’s inside.

If I’m honest with myself, I love it when he looks at me like that almost as much as I like the way he looks at me when I come into the same room he’s in. It’s like he was in the presence of a rock star or something. And it makes me feel all... warm and fucking fuzzy.

A fourteen-year-old kid has reduced me to that. How the hell did that happen? I have no idea. And I’m not so sure I want to figure it out.

So I’m just gonna act on it, soon. Not as soon as we let him and Luthor out of that closet but definitely soon.

Screw him being young. I was young my first time. And I know I’d be his first. The kid is as green as grass. And like he’d turn me down. Nobody’s turned me down. Ever. And why would Julian Luthor when he’s so clearly in love with me?

Shit. He’s in love with me. Jesus H. Christ, what am I supposed to do with that?

More important question: how do I keep from falling for the little brainiac? I’m not quite sure, but I’ll think of something. I usually can come up with some solution to shit like that.

Yeah. I can handle that. Yeah, no fucking problem. None.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Chapter 23

"Ya’ll all rahght in theya?" A rasping voice asked.

Lex leapt to his feet and giggled jiggled the knob. Still locked. "No! We’re stuck. Let us out and I promise I’ll make it worth your while!" He usually didn't stoop to bribery as a first measure but he had been in that damm closet long enough to change his usual standards.

There was an indignant snort from the other side. "Now listen heya, boy, ya don’t need at buy meh off, ya rich lil’ shit. I jist came to letcha out and you’re sassing me. Fahne. Stay in theya."

The brothers heard the squeak of wheels and the jingle of keys as the janitor made to leave.

"Wait!" Jules, called, swallowing the pride Lex couldn’t seem to force down his throat. "We’re sorry! Come back!"

They’d been stuck in that damn closet for nearly four hours now and both of them were starting to get cabin fever. They hadn’t talked much since Lex’s explosion earlier. Though Lex would never admit it, Jules knew that they were both scared. The truce they had was new and fragile and easily shattered by a wrong word. The younger boy had not been willing to risk it.

"Ahll rahght. But ya’ll better show some manners. Ya weren’t raised in no barn and I know it."

There was another jingling of keys and a click as the door was unlocked. Lex gave a small sigh in relief. Finally, they were out.

On the other side of the door, as it swung open, stood their savior. He was a little man with bent arthritic hands, pale skin, which was covered with liver spots and wrinkles, and a Crimson Tide hat covering his thinning white hair. He wore a blue janitorial uniform with the name ‘Fred’ stitched into the right side.

Lex had never been so grateful to see a school staff member in his entire life.

"Accrodin’ ta what I heard, I was half ‘spected ya’ll ta have torn each other ta pieces." Fred said, rubbing his jaw with his hand. He looked them both over and noted the huge, swollen bruise around on Jules’ left eye.

"Made out fahne ‘ceptin’ the shinner." He lifted a gnarled finger and pointed at Jules’ black eye. "Best git yerself a stake fer that."

Jules smiled, and nodded. He was a nice guy. A little rough around the edges, but he seemed decent.

Lex on the other hand, didn’t notice the niceties, but did catch the fact that he had heard about there their situation from someone. He needed to know where Fred the Janitor had received his information.

"Whom exactly did you hear this from?"

"Two girls spoke ta me after class let out. Said I weren’t ta let yall out till you’d had some time to simmer. The blonde polite enough but a bit of a smart ass, but the other ‘un was a punk. Didn’t gimme no sass though, so I ‘pose she ain’t too bad."

Lex nodded. Julian recognized the cool as a cucumber look on his brother’s face from the business meetings of his father’s that he’d eavesdropped on. It was one of their father’s dad’s favorites, the seek and destroy look.

"Thank you." Lex said curtly.

Fred nodded, a hint of a smile in his eyes. The bald kid was ruffled. It was a nice thing to see in the richies, it took so damn much to phased them. The other kid was a class act though, obviously raised better than his pale friend.

"Thank you very much, Mr." Jules trailed off. "Fred."

"Dontcha worry you none. It weren’t nothin’. Needed a differ’nt broom anyway." He said with a smile, gesturing to the yellow handled broom in his hand.

"Well, thanks again." Jules said with a smile, noticing that Lex was already walking away. "Sorry about Lex."

"He looks a lil’ shook up. Don’t bother me. Ya richies aren’t usually big with the pleasantries. Don’t bother my ass none." Fred gave Jules a lopsided grin. "He’s getting’ away."

Jules’ head whipped around and he saw that Lex was already at the end of the hallway. He said thanks one more time and took off down the hall after him just before he turned down a different corridor.

"Alex?" He asked, not even winded when he caught up. Track was his forte and he was extremely grateful for that at the moment.

"Yeah?" Lex replied.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to my girlfriend."

"About?"

"Things." He replied vaguely.

"Don’t get too mad at her, Alex. She was just trying to help." Jules told him.

"Oh she was, was she?" Lex and Julian had exited the school building now and were heading across the campus to the dorms. Lex had a look on his face Jules had only seen when he was talking to their father.

"Yeah, she was. She just wanted you to stop brooding. She was trying to help."

"That’s really enlightening Julian. Why don’t you stop now, and save me the effort of yelling at you."

Jules nodded and followed his older brother to Winchester Hall. Lex had already exploded once today. Jules wasn’t sure it if that would make him more or less volatile. But the stinging on and around his left eye made him lean toward more.

~*~*~

She was walking the length of the room, trying to memorize the "To be or not to be" speech from Hamlet for her semester exam when Lex should showed up. The slamming open of the door had made her drop her script in the middle of the soliloquy.

Chloe looked into his face and fought a gasp. She hadn’t seen that look on his face since she’d come to the past. She’d only caught him with that _expression once or twice back in the present and it wasn’t one she’d ever wanted directed at her. It was a look of rage not quite as powerful as the one he had directed at Donovan during her attack or his father during Lionel’s visit, but it was definitely in the same ballpark.

"Lex."

He glared at her. "Chloe."

For the first time in ages, Chloe was at a loss for words. She was clearly caught with both hands in the cookie jar. She swallowed.

"You crossed some lines today, Chloe."

"Lex-"

"Shut up. I just spent the last four hours of my life sitting on the floor of a janitors’ closet. I get to talk." He ground out.

Chloe was silent. She watched as he started to pace like a large cat in a small cage, collecting himself. Then he stopped and turned on her.

"How dare you?" He growled. He couldn’t seem to stand still but he didn’t take his eyes off her. "I didn't ask you to lock me in a rank little room for hours on end. I didn't say 'Oh please Chloe help me mend fences!' If I had wanted that, I would have fucking asked or done it myself!"

His growling tone had escalated to yelling now. If the situation had been different Chloe would have laughed at the fact that she could push Lex out of control. Not many people could manage that. But at the moment, he was busy raging at her.

"You had no right meddling like that! I didn't drive to Smallville, find your dad, and make you reconcile do did I? Fuck, I expected more from you than betrayal like that! And for him, Chloe! Why?"

Chloe gaped at him. Betrayal? He thought she had betrayed him? Didn’t he know that she had done that for him.

"Because you were being a stubborn jackass, Lex. For god’s sake, a 14-year-old had you practically on the run! There were clearly issues there. I wasn’t going to meddle but when your brother came to me, to us for help, we helped. It’s not my fault you are such a thickheaded asshole that you couldn’t sit down and have a damn conversation with a 14-year-old kid without a push. And it took a hard push at that. For Christ's sake, you moved in with the school drug dealer."

"Don’t go nitpicking at my friends, Chloe. Pietro is good guy."

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. "Right. He’s the good drug dealer. Honest to God, Xan, it was effecting not just you and not just Jules but me too." She ran a hand through her hair and exhaled an aggravated breath.

"You should have sucked it up. This was none of your damn business!" Lex shot back.

"You made it my business! You made it my business when you started distancing yourself from me and moved into a place where you could fall back into drugs. It became my business when I could see your pain. I just wanted to help YOU. Not your brother; you! So fuck you, if you can’t see why I did it, you selfish prick. I was trying to help! I think it worked too or that janitor wouldn’t have let you out."

"You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, Chloe. I don’t know if I can forgive you for that."

Chloe glared at him, trying not to let the hurt that last statement caused show. "Did it work though?" She asked him gently. "I can handle the whole unforgivable thing if it helped. Did you and Julian talk?"

Lex sighed. Damn her. She got to him, with her concern and caring even when he was angry. "Yes, your sick little plan worked. Are you satisfied?"

"No, but I’m glad it worked out. You needed it." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and looked into his face. "I’m sorry you’re angry at me but I’m not sorry I did it. I’d do it again. I’d just have used a less stickier substance than Kool-Aide." She gave him a wide smile at that.

Chloe knew the second he caved. She saw it in his eyes and in his posture and in _expression on his face. She’d won, barely, and he would forgive her. She did a quick mental victory dance and waited.

"That was a bitch to get off." He said quietly. "I had to use some leftover Pinesol I found on the shelves."

She laughed and crossed the room to stand directly in front of him. "Not too unforgivable, right? Just a little unforgivable?"

He sighed and tucked a strand of blonde behind her ear. "Yeah, just a little unforgivable. Just, Jesus Chloe, don’t pull shit like that on me again. I don’t like being manipulated."

She nodded. She could understand that, after growing up in the Luthor household. "Next time I’ll tell you I’m locking you in a closet, so you won’t be surprised. Ok?"

He smiled at her then, the first smile since he’d come in days. In fact, it was the first since he had caught her lying on the floor working on her homework after his little escapade. "Yes, that would be fine."

Chloe smirked at him. "So, how’d it go? Either of you get hurt?"

Lex rolled his eyes at her, and grudgingly told her. But the smile that left his lips as he told her spoke, didn’t completely leave his eyes.

~*~*~

"You got fucking decked, Brain."

Jules smiled and tried not to bask to obviously in Corinne’s presence. He was sitting on her bed, in her dorm room. She was across from him, holding a baggie full of ice against his eye.

His depth perception was gone for the moment but he was so close he could smell her shampoo. He was getting pretty uncomfortable sitting that close to her. For all his brains and skills, he was still just fourteen and not in the best control of his body.

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"Got a mean left hook then, huh?" Corinne asked with a crooked grin.

"Yeah. He kinda caught me off guard. I could have taken him."

She smiled at him and readjusted the ice on his eye. "You don’t have to give me the tough guy shit. You’re a brain not a brawn. And all you need is a pair of horn rimmed glasses to finish off the effect."

"I am not a wimp." He argued, shifting uncomfortably. "I’m the captain the track team at Warwick. If he hadn’t surprised me-"

"Don’t defend your manhood to me." Corinne told him. "You don’t fucking need to. I’m just saying that I know you’d be way more happy happier in a library than on a football field or in a club or at a tattoo parlor. But ya got what you wanted done. That takes brass balls."

Another uncomfortable shift and another knowing smile. "Thanks."

Corinne pushed a stray strand of purple hand hair behind her ear with her free hand. Jules felt his heart skip a beat at the tiny gesture, another when she winked at him. "Don’t mention it, Jules." She said brightly. "Don’t fucking mention it."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Ellidyay]

Here it is y'all. Chapter 24. As far as is posted on FF.N. Which means that something is coming. A chapter- 25. For those of you how even REMOTELY care, Chapter 25 took me almost exactl 2 months to write and is my longest chapter so far. It should be posted by the end of the weekend, it all depends on if Mitch's RL lets her beta or not. Sorry it's taking me so damn long to get that chapter out. It was a tough one to do.

Rachael

Chapter 24

The plane bounced slightly as it touched down on the runway causing Wendy to chuckle as the snobby businessman next to her spilled some overpriced bottled water on his jacket.

"Welcome to Boston’s Logan Airport. The local time is 3:45, and it’s currently 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside with clear skies." The stewardess said with counterfeit joviality, from the front of the plane. "We hope you enjoy your stay here in Boston, or wherever your final destination may be. Thank you for choosing Delta Airlines, please fly with us again soon."

Wendy’s smile broadened. Today, not even the airline employee’s false cheerfulness could annoy her. Not when she was so close to her goal.

She rose from her seat, scooting past the businessman with the wet jacket, and grabbed her carry-on bag from the overhead rack. It fell to fast and crashed into the guy’s head. It took all her self-control to bite back the smile that seemed to have been permanently etched into her face as she apologized and hurried out of the plane.

Wendy laughed out loud as she entered the terminal at Logan Airport. People stared at her oddly as she jumped into the air in celebration, practically giddy. She was home. Hallelujah, praise God, she was home.

She couldn’t seem to stop laughing as she grabbed her suitcases from baggage claim. Nor could she curb her grin as she hailed a taxi, slumming, as her father would have said.

She’d be back where she belonged soon. And then, maybe things would go back to normal, now that she was away from her overprotective parents and her obsessive, incessant, noxious brother, who had torn out her heart after his twin’s death.

Lex was here and Chloe was here and stability was here. Here was where her life was. And it was elevating to come back to it.

"Where to?"

She gave the taxi driver her widest beaming smile. "Hampton Prep."

~*~*~

Lex’s dorm or hers? Wendy wasn’t sure. Her friends could be at either and she had no way of knowing without ruining the element of surprise.

She dug into her pocket and pulled out a quarter she’d gotten as part of her change and tossed it into the air. Heads Lex’s room and tails hers, Wendy decided as she caught it. She smiled as an eagle looked up at her from the coin.

Her and Chloe’s room it was. Good thing, because her bags were starting to get heavy. And even if they weren’t there, at least she could drop off her stuff before she continued on her search.

~*~*~

Music from one of Chloe’s weird CDs filled the room. Lex had never heard of Jimmy Eat World, or Staind, or Garbage before. But her mixes made for good make out music so he wasn’t complaining. Especially not now when Chloe had managed to get Corinne and his brother out of their hair for the entire afternoon and he had Chloe straddling his lap with her tongue in his mouth.

He loved that he could just kiss her for hours and not have it get old. The relationships he’d been in before her, with the exception of Wendy, consisted of pleasantries and sex. With Victoria, who he hadn’t even seen around campus in months, thank god, there hadn’t even been any pleasantries. Just traded insults and empty meaningless fucking.

With Chloe it was different. With Chloe he wanted to waste hours just talking to her, or sitting next to her, or making out with her. Making love, because with Chloe that’s what it would be making love not just sex, to her was something he thought about often. And how could he not when she looked so amazing all the time and even holding her hand set him on fire, but it wasn’t necessary. Not really.

"Xan," Chloe breathed in between kisses. Lex shivered at the sound of his name on her lips and the feel of her fingernails scraping gently across the sensitive skin of his scalp.

Fuck it, he thought deliriously. Lex pulled away from her and yanked her Hampton sweater up over her head. Once it was off, he recaptured Chloe’s mouth and set to work on the buttons the went all the way down the front of her white shirt. He trusted Chloe to tell him when to stop; she had before. And he was sure she would again.

Once he had a few of the buttons undone, he pushed the material aside and began kissing the juncture where her neck and shoulder met. From there he moved on to the shoulder itself, with Chloe sighing happily and continued to run her fingers across his hairless head.

Lex still only had four buttons undone when the door opened and a voice said wryly. "Wow, clearly, you guys didn’t miss me all that much."

Lex and Chloe looked over at the voice with slightly glazed eyes. Chloe recovered first.

"Wendy?"

"Hey Chlo." Wendy grinned at her.

Chloe was up and off Lex in a heartbeat, catapulting herself at her friend. She hugged Wendy tightly as she babbled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Atlanta! How’d you get here? Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? How was your trip?"

"Easy girl." Wendy laughed, hugging her friend again. "I’m here because my piece of crap public school is out for Christmas break. So I’m back to bless you all with my presence." She shot Lex a grin and a wink. "As to how I got here, they have this new-fangled contraption. It’s called a plane. You see it’s like a big metal bird that-"

"Flies through the air with the greatest of ease. Thank you for the lesson, teach." Lex said with a wide smile, the one that made Chloe’s heart skip a few beats and was rapidly becoming more and more common. "Welcome back, Wen. You’re asshole father didn’t give you too much shit did he?"

"Dad said I had stay in Atlanta until the end of the semester. He didn’t say which school, and while you two have a few days left. So, he couldn’t really argue."

"Crafty like a fox, Wen."

"But much more human shaped luckily."

"I missed you." Chloe chimed in.

Wendy smirked and nodded and gave her another quick hug. "Clearly, you were busy with other things so you only missed me in small doses." She laughed. "It’s a good thing I came in when I did. You two looked like you were having a little too much fun."

"Yeah, thanks for showing up without calling. Don’t know what we would have done with out you." Lex replied wryly, still not rising from his seat.

Chloe suddenly remembered that her shirt was hanging open and made a small, undignified squeak and pulled her shirt closed at the collar.

"Come on, Clo." Lex argued in a slightly plaintive tone. It wasn’t a whine, because Luthors even ones on the outs with their forbearers, did not whine. "I was loving the view."

"Love the view later, talk to our long lost friend now."

"So much for my evening," Lex muttered.

"You don’t love me anymore, Lex? I’m pretending to be hurt."

Chloe laughed at the mock pout on Wendy’s face. "What are you doing at Hampton? You need to be at Julliard."

"Yeah, but all the men there are either gay or…well they're too creative and usually too attractive to be available. Speaking of unavailable jailbait kinda way, how’s the boy who would be a freakin’ genius?"

"Jules? Not here." Lex said curtly.

Wendy nodded, but noticed that Lex’s tone was a little less harsh. But more important than that, he’d used Julian’s nickname. Wendy glanced at Chloe who gave her a smile and nodded.

"So, things are getting better between you and the kid?" she asked.

"Yeah." Again with the abrupt answers. At least they weren’t venom coated anymore. Ah well, baby steps.

"Where is he? I haven’t seen him in ages."

"He’s probably off with Corinne somewhere." Chloe chuckled. "Puppies are cute."

Lex and Wendy both blinked at her.

"Puppies? You know, puppy love? Never mind, you two are hopeless."

"I get it, but Corinne? Are we talking about Corinne Delaney? Tattoos, piercing out the wazoo, death by metal make up, green hair Corinne Delaney? The one you slept with sophomore year?"

"Her hair is purple now," Lex corrected with a smirk.

Wendy shook her head sending brown curls flying. "Whatever. But we are talking about the same Corinne right?"

"Right."

"I come back and it’s like an episode of the Twilight Zone."

"All that’s missing is Rod Sterling and the haunting theme music." Chloe mused, just enjoying the banter. It had been ages since the three of them had indulged in a full conversation. Granted, she felt a little bit like she was living in a Scoobie moment on Buffy, but that was only a mildly peculiar realization.

"Be lucky we’re not in To Serve Man. I’m simply glad I’m not being eaten by malevolent aliens." Lex observed coolly.

"Definitely."

"But just so I’m up to speed, you two are together. Donovan and the British bitch from Slutonia have been leaving you guys alone. Little Luthor One and Little Luthor Two have patched things up. And Julian has the hots for the campus goth. Right? Does anyone feel like we’ve moved from a demilitarized zone to Disney World?" Wendy asked.

"I liked the Twilight Zone analogy better." Lex said.

"Yeah, me too." Chloe agreed. "Put it the other way and it seems like the other shoe is just waiting to drop."

Wendy gave her a meaningful look and tried to meet her eyes. Chloe shrugged but refused to meet Wendy's gaze. Lex just shook his head and sighed.

"Quiet or you’ll jinx us."

"You’re superstitious now Xan?"

"No." Lex protested but he looked a little chagrined. "It’s just that Murphy’s Law acts up more when encouraged. I speak from experience."

"Fine no more jinxing. Just help me unpack." Wendy declared. "Lex, you’ll be doing the heavy lifting."

Chloe laughed as Lex mumbled something under his breath about annoying brats from the South. Things felt right again, really right, for the first time since Wendy had left earlier in the semester.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[asharnanae]

:biggrin:

OH YAY OH YAY OH YAY AYAY!!!!!!!!!

WOHOO! I LOVE THIS STORY!!, it finnaly found its way hear. I have been following it avidly on FF.Net, but I am glad it is now hear to! I cant wait for the next update, please make it as soon as you can! :worship2:

[happy bunny]

:yay: Love it, love it, love it. :yay: Now gimme something new.

[Impress]

glad you brought this over....now where's the new stuff?

[Val]

I absolutelly love it! :biggrin:
I can't wait for the next chapter...

[scifichick774]

*dances*

From the bits and pieces I've read of 25, it should be a good one. Really looking forward to it.

[Ellidyay]

A/N: Sorry I took so long. I had mean writers block and then it turned out WAY longer than any of my other chapter, woohoo. Anyway, enjoy the story, I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to Mitch, Merry, Sabby, Kris and Selua for all their hel. Ya’ll rule!

And to everyone here on N-S, happy now? Its new! LEAVE A REVIEW! And enjoy!

PLEASE review!

Chapter 25

Chloe had never spent Christmas away from her family before and truthfully she was enjoying it a lot. The school had been attacked by the staff and was now filled with as many politically correct, vibrant yet mercifully non-tacky, decorations as possible. The result was an eyesore of Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa decorations which clashed horribly on the walls and ceiling.

But she liked it. She liked the overall feel of the mostly empty school. Several students were staying over the break that weren't in Chloe's circle of friends but that didn't bother or surprise her. The upper curst of society seemed to have a problem with the concept of family in general.

But her little makeshift family was there. She missed her dad, more than she had almost the entire time she'd been in 1997, but other than that everything was pretty good.

Everyone went their separate ways for the most part of the morning of Christmas Eve, getting their presents together, writing cards, or in Lex's case simply waiting for one of the security guards to buzz him with a package.

But by two-ish Wendy, Chloe and Lex were stretched out in the more spacious student lounge/recreation room and were well into the beginning of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Charlie Brown as looking for the perfect Christmas tree when the door opened again.

"Luthor! Can I have a sec with you please?" Corinne called as she entered the student lounge.

Lex blinked as the upper classman burst in, interrupting the conversation he’d been engaged in with Wendy and Chloe about the pros and cons of Charlie Brown's tree selection. He nodded but did not move from his spot on the rec room's aged couch. He was too comfortable what with his feet propped up on the opposite arm of the sofa and Chloe curled up on his chest. It was probably the most comfortable Christmas Eve he'd ever experienced.

"What about?"

"The state of affairs in Spain." Corinne drawled sarcastically. She blew a huge pink bubble with her ever-constant gum and popped it loudly, just to punctuate her annoyance. "It's none of their business, dumb fuck. So, crawl out from beneath Sullivan and get your ass out here. We need to have a fuckin' chit-chat."

Chloe chuckled as they both stood up. "Good luck."

"Thanks." He kissed her forehead quickly before following his friend out of the room and into the hallway.

Corinne was pacing. She looked almost nervous, a feeling Lex doubted anyone had ever seen on balls-of-steel Corinne Delaney.

"What is it?"

Blunt is good. Blunt worked for Luthor, both of them. Blunt had worked for her for years. So why was being blunt with Lex so fucking hard? It wasn't like she was trying to sleep with him.

She sighed. Bite the fuckin' bullet Delaney.

"I'm going to fuck your brother tonight."

Lex gaped at her, pole axed. He was frozen for a few moments before he regained his composure and ability to speak. "Come again?"

"Your brother. I'm gonna deflower him tonight. Christmas present and all. But it’s courtesy to give an ex-fuck a heads up before you do his brother. So, this is your heads up."

More obnoxious pink bubbles were blown and popped as she spoke. Lex noted through the haze of dismay and confusion how the bright pink of the gum seemed to go well with her purple hair.

"You know Julian is a minor right?"

"And you weren't?"

"There's a difference between fifteen and newly sixteen, and fourteen and eighteen. You know it's illegal."

"Jules is older than you in every way that counts." Corinne bit back. "He's got more smarts and class and looks than anyone I've met, older or younger. Chronological age just hasn't caught up time wise with the rest of him." She shot him a glare that would have stopped his pulse if looks could kill. "And since when did the Bad Boy of Hampton give a shit about the law."

Lex smirked at her. She'd succumbed to a real-live crush. He felt torn between pride and a strong desire to flat-out point and laugh.

"Since I stopped getting a rush from breaking it I suppose. Just…" Lex sighed and ran his hand over his smooth scalp in a characteristic gesture of agitation. "Try not too hurt the kid. He's got thin skin."

Corinne smiled slightly at that, the silver ring in the center of her bottom lip glinting as she did so.

"So you're starting to care for the Brain. That's cute."

Lex glared at her. "Just as long as you don't fuck him in my room and I don't have problem, clear?"

"As my mother's precious fuckin' crystal."

"Good."

"Have fun with Sullivan tonight. I'll be droppin' by the student lounge to grab him at about 10ish."

Lex rolled his eyes in disinterest. "Good luck. Be gentle, he's new to the game."

Corinne gave him the same shark's grin Lex remembered from their one brief encounter during his freshman year. "I know. I'm looking forward to it."

~*~*~

"So what did Corinne want?" Chloe asked, moving to make room on the couch for Lex.

"Hm? Nothing. Just to talk about next semester." Lex said roughly. He'd had a vivid and very disturbing image in his head of his brother and Corinne locked together in a way that was DEFINITELY illegal in the state of Massachusetts ever since the beginning of their little "chat".

"Mmhm. Mr. Luthor, I think you're lying." Chloe laughed.

"Chloe, how can you say that? Don't you trust me anymore? I'm cut to the quick." He said as he put a hand on his chest in mock hurt. “Besides, how do you know if I’m lying or not?”

"Your mouth was moving, Alex." Julian chimed in.

"Shut the hell up, Jules. I don't want to hear a WORD out of you. When'd you get here anyway?"

"Chill out, Alex. I got here a few minutes ago while you were talking to Cori." Julian told him with a shrug.

"Oh, Jules, she's Cori now?" Wendy jibed, chuckling at him.

A red blush spread across his face like wildfire. "Wendy."

”That is so cute.” She laughed.

The blush

~*~*~

"Presents?" The brunette asked, triumphantly holding up a black garbage bag that apparently held everyone's gifts. She must have procured them some time during dinner, which had consisted of Chinese take out that had cost more to deliver than the meal itself.

"Wendy." Lex said, slightly impatient.

Wendy grinned widely at Lex, Chloe, and Julian who were looking at her with wary eyes.

"Please? Can we please do presents? You guys want to, I know you do. Unless…" Wendy gave Chloe a meaningful look. "You're not the 'we must wait until first light Christmas morning' type are you?"

Chloe nodded. She was in fact the 'wait till first light type.' She'd been waking her father up at o-dark-thirty for as long as she could remember on Christmas mornings. But her dad wasn't here.

"I am, but I can make an exception this once. Since you asked me so very very nicely."

"Groovy."

"This 1997, right? We didn't just fall back in time to '65 did we? " Jules joked from his slightly distanced spot in one of the overly filled lounge chairs.

Lex rolled his eyes and Wendy laughed but Chloe schooled her face into a careful non-reaction.

"Keep it up, and you won't get any presents." Wendy warned, holding the bag of gifts tight to her chest like a slightly schizophrenic female version of Santa.

"I'm sorry Wendy. I'll be good. I promise." Jules said sincerely.

Wendy smiled and sat down on the floor.

"Who wants to go first?" She asked digging into the bag, though she didn't bother waiting for an answer

"Who died and made you St. Nick?" Chloe asked as her friend read the name written on the gift.

"Santa. I pushed him off the roof. He landed funny."

Lex let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head at his best friend. She was a nut. He'd missed her like crazy when she'd been in Georgia.

"So whose is that?"

Wendy looked back down at the present and smiled. "Mine."

"Books." Lex said from his spot on the couch.

"Gee, thanks for the surprise. I would never have guessed." Wendy joked, pushing her brown curls out of her face.

"He helps where he can." Chloe told her with a wide smile.

"I noticed."

"So Wendy, what is it?" Jules asked curiously, tipping his chair forward so he could see better.

"Lex, god, thank you." Wendy breathed, tracing the title of the book. "First edition David Copperfield."

"You only want me for my money."

She laughed, clutching the rare book to her chest. "Well you never disappoint." She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Lex. It’s fantastic."

"Yeah, yeah, enough." Lex said feeling thoroughly uncomfortable at the warmth in her eyes. He had a hard enough time accepting that kind of deep affection from Chloe in private let alone Wendy in front of his brother and girlfriend. "Who's next."

Wendy grabbed again and came out with an oblong package in green and silver wrapping paper. A wicked smile crossed her face, one that was mirrored on Chloe's.

"This if for Jules, from Chloe and me, I mean Chloe and I." Wendy corrected, tossing the present to Chloe who caught it deftly.

Chloe rose from her seat beside Lex and handed the gift to Jules, giving him a quick, tight hug. "Enjoy it, Jules." She told him seriously, and kissed his slightly rough cheek. "Merry Christmas."

Jules blushed and ripped through the paper, and gaped. "What the hell is it? Some sort of demonic yo-yo?"

Chloe laughed. "It's a Skip-It. You don't look exactly like the frolic in the daisy's type, so we got you a frolic promoting gift."

Jules turned the Skip-It over in his hands and studied it. A crease appeared between his eyes and a "what do I do with this crazy thing" expression crossed his classical features.

"You put it around you're ankle, swing it around, and jump over it. Jesus, Julian, you are a freak." Lex said blandly.

"Lex, Christmas! Be nice."

"Christmas Eve." Lex corrected with a grumble. "I've got another couple of hours till Christmas."

"True, but we've started it early, so try for me ok?" Chloe asked, petitioning him with bright, warm eyes. "I'll make sure you get a cookie later," she joked.

He sighed heavily and nodded holding out his hand to her. She returned to her spot on the couch beside him.

"Better be a really impressive cookie."

"Super special." She promised laughingly. "With green and red sprinkles, and frosting. The works. Scouts honor."

How did she do that? How did she get inside his head and his heart so thoroughly? He didn't usually bend or change because he was asked. But here he was, agreeing to make peace, yet again, because of the little blonde in his arms that was smiling in contentment and victory.

"Lex yours is next."

"Who's it from?" He asked, distracted. Chloe's eyes were so damn blue, and she was whispering something into his ear that he couldn't really understand about Ebenezer Scrooge and the Carol Kane version of the Ghost of Christmas present. He was getting very befuddled very quickly.

"It's from your girlfriend."

"Huh?"

"Here." Wendy scooted forward and slapped a small, tightly wrapped gift onto Lex's chest. "Enjoy."

"Go on, open it." Chloe said, sitting back on the couch so he could open his gift. "Please."

Lex sat up a little straighter. "What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you! That defeats the purpose."

"But it cuts down on the suspense." Lex replied, causing his brother to chuckle.

Lex pealed the paper away quickly and stared at the small package in his hand.

"Playing cards?" What? He hadn’t expected or even wanted anything expensive, not from Chloe. He knew that whatever she would give him would have meaning, but he would like to at least understand it.

"You have to look at the cards, Xan."

He slid the cards out of their small case and quickly sifted through them. It was a trick deck, which contained all hearts like the deck Frank Sinatra used in that mind control movie The Manchurian Candidate. But he doubted it had anything to do with the movie. The message was much clearer than that.

Chloe smiled at him and winked. He swallowed hard, in what he hoped was a less than obvious way and pulled her roughly into his arms.

Her gift was emotional and corny and very obvious. It was a clear statement of what she was really giving him. Her heart.

"Thank you."

God, was that his voice? It was too scratchy to be his voice.

"It was yours to begin with. That's sorta like a certificate of ownership. Couldn't find a good symbolic warrantee though."

"That's ok. I'm not worried about returns."

She kissed him, once long and deep, earning them a giggle from Wendy and an uncomfortably cleared throat from Jules.

"Merry Christmas, Lex."

Wendy and Jules exchanged conspiring smiles as Chloe and Lex seemed to fade into their own little world.

"Here," Wendy said softly, not wanting to disrupt the kissing session that had broken out. "It’s from Lex I think."

Jules smiled as he rose from his chair and took the slim wrapped box. "Thanks."

Wendy watched as he made short work of the wrapping paper and opened the white box. A single tie-dyed shoelace sat on the bottom.

Jules lifted the string out of the box and held it up to the light to get a better look. He heard Wendy make a low angry sound in the back of her throat and suddenly Lex and Chloe were being broken apart and Lex was receiving a specialty Wendy Miller Death Glare.

"What?" Lex and Chloe blinked at her, both looking thoroughly confused and upset at being interruption.

"You gave your brother a shoelace for Christmas?" Wendy looked angry. She figured her anger was vicarious because Julian didn't seem to be upset.

"Wendy, don't get mad at him," Julian pleaded, trying to avoid a fight. He hated the fights that usually sprang up at Christmas time. "He must have had a reason."

"Did you?" Chloe asked. Her tone wasn't accusing, merely questioning and curious. Bless her, Lex thought, for not jumping to conclusions.

"Yes."

"What?" Wendy demanded, more composed than she had been a few minutes ago but still incensed.

Lex sighed and ran his hand over his head. "It's Lena's, Jules."

Jules blinked and looked down at the small tie-dyed shoelace in his hand. And in his minds eye he could see the pair of shoes they came from. White Keds sneakers that Lena had decided were too dull with plain white laces. She had used her allowance, which had been considerably smaller when they had been younger, and bought the laces especially for that pair of sneakers. She'd worn them so often the soles had given out. Only their mother's insistence had protected the Keds from Lionel and the garbage.

"Alex…"

Lex nodded once at his brother and then looked away. He wasn't big with the mushy words. That one explosion in the janitor's closet was about as much as he could give verbally for the next oh, ten years or so. But he could do this, unspoken forgiveness. It was the most he could manage.

Julian smiled widely at him, understanding. This was definitely the best present Alex could have given him. It meant possibility and hope. It meant that his brother was going to forgive him, even if his original motivation was irrational.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Wendy gave Chloe a befuddled look. "We missed something didn't we?"

Chloe shook her head. "It wasn't for us anyway. So don't worry about it."

~*~*~

Over the course of the next hour the rest of the gifts were doled out and conversation became more steady and fluid.

Lex received an autographed Metallica tour shirt from Wendy, along with a laughingly friendly taunt of the concert he had missed. He'd chuckled and thrown the cardboard box she had packed it in at her but had not given up the shirt.

The girls had received candles from Jules, who wasn't the best person on the planet when it came to dealing with girls, even friendly girls. But he'd done the best he could and the scented candles had earned him hugs for thoughtfulness.

Corinne arrived just as Chloe was opening her present from Lex. The goth lingered in the doorway as her friend opened the black fuzzy jewelry box. She smiled slightly at the mixed look of dismay and delight on Chloe's face as she lifted the necklace out of the box.

It was a pendant, with a good-sized yet elegant, green gem in the middle and small diamonds surrounding it. Lex kissed her hand once then put the necklace carefully around her neck.

Luthor really was a romantic, Corinne realized as she listened to him tell his girlfriend what the green stone was. It was a moldavite from the Czech Republic where a meteor or comet crashed to earth millions of years ago. She watched as he touched her right hip very gently and whispered something her ear and Sullivan started to cry.

The part of her that had once believed in Santa Clause and the tooth fairy wanted what she saw in Lex's eyes as he gently wiped away Chloe's tears. The part that occasionally flipped through dime romance novels in bookstores ached to have whatever it was that Luthor and Sullivan seemed to have found so young and so quickly.

She sighed heavily. Which seemed to be all it took catch Julian's attention. He looked over in her direction and gave her a glowing grin before rising and walking towards her.

"Merry Christmas," said Jules softly.

"Very merry." She said, summoning a reckless grin to cover her earlier emotional indulgence. "Come on, let’s go. I've got a present for you.”

"Really? What?"

~*~*~

"WHAT?!"

Corinne chuckled. He looked utterly terrified. "You heard me, Brain."

"B-b-but why? Why on earth would you want to…to…"

Corinne put a reassuring hand on his arm. "It's like in Risky Business, Jules. If you can't say it you can't do it. There are lots of reasons why I want to have sex with you."

Poor boy, she thought amusedly. His eyes were going to pop out of his head and roll across her dorm room floor if they got any wider.

"Why?"

"You don't own a mirror do you?"

Uh-oh. The deer in the headlights look was not a good one for him to be having right now.

"Julian, do you want me?" she asked carefully. He was about the same height as she was so she looked directly into his eyes as she asked him her question.

His mouth opened slightly, as if he were going to say something. Then he stopped, licked his lips and tried again.

"Yes."

"Then know that I'll take care of you. You don't have anything to worry about."

Jules’s head was buzzing. Corinne had basically offered herself up to him. It was like a dream come true. He'd get to hold her, and kiss her, and touch her, and love her. He was young but damned if he didn't recognize what he felt every time she entered the room. He was so in love with her. He couldn't turn her down, even if he wanted to. And he didn't.

"I don't want to disappoint you."

She smiled at him widely. "Don't fucking sweat it, Brain."

He nodded but couldn't stop his body from shaking. She wasn't even doing anything and he felt like he was going to fly apart at any moment.

Underneath her fingers, she could feel him trembling.

"Are you scared?" asked Corinne as she ran her hands up his arms and lightly over his chest and shoulders, feeling his body through the awful reindeer sweater that had apparently been given to him as a gag gift from a classmate back at his school.

"Who me?" He chuckled with false bravado. "Yeah. I'm terrified."

Her hands slid down the hem of the sweater and she slid them beneath the fabric. "Why?" The question was posed as she yanked the offensive winter garment up and over his head.

"I've never done this." Jules replied in a shaking voice. "I…"

Corinne pulled his t-shirt; an equally bad number with a snowman scholar-complete with horn-rimmed spectacles and a book, off next and threw it over her shoulder and into the depths of her room.

She ducked her head and very gently kissed his collarbone. The kid was young and she'd need to start slow, or as slow as the situation would permit.

"You've got nothing to be afraid of." She told him quietly. "I'll take care of you." She'd said those words just moments before but felt the need to reiterate.

He looked at her with warm dark eyes. "I trust you." He said rocking into her to complete the statement, throwing her off a balance.

"Good. Then get ready, Brain. I'm gonna rock your fucking world."

Jules tucked a strand of purple behind her ear and stroked her jaw with his thumb. "You already do."

Again with the lack of balance. She had to shut him up. She didn't know if she could handle any more of those sincere, softly spoken words. It wasn't likely, that she knew.

"Flattery will get you everywhere. Now shut up and kiss me."

And he did.

~*~*~

Corinne reached into one of the drawers in her nightstand and fished around for a few minutes. A little while later, she came up with a less than fresh looking pack of cigarettes.

Jules stared at her in confusion. "You smoke?"

"Only after sex." She told him, smirking around the Lady Slim between her lips. "Not too fond of smoking on a regular basis, stinks shit up. But I liked the cliché. So my policy is that any fuck that involves a particularly good orgasm deserves one. And what we did deserves at least two."

Jules gave her that amazingly bright smile that got into the parts of her heart she thought had been cauterized when the label of campus slut had been made official. He saw something in her that her own parents had never seen. A part of Corinne wondered vaguely if the other Luthor felt that same warmth and acceptance when Sullivan smiled at him. And the part of her that Jules's smile touched, the same part that had appreciated the affection that passed between Lex and Chloe earlier in the evening, hoped he did.

Jules ducked his head as he spoke, his face flushing pink with embarrassment. "So…it was really good for you? You don't have to lie."

"No. The chorus of 'Oh god, yes' and 'Don't stop, fuck Jules, don't ever stop' were my way of making you feel better." She took another long drag on her cigarette, exhaled and then smashed the white cylinder out viciously on the wood of her nightstand. "It was really fuckin' good. You made up for lack of experience in enthusiasm and sincerity. You have definite talent, Jules."

But Jules wasn't listening. He was watching her move. He loved the way her piercings reflected the light of the single lamp that sat on her desk. He loved the way her purple hair looked almost black in the dimness.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Jules told her softly, as he reached out to touch her face. He traced her cheekbone, one of the few places on her face not peppered with rings and studs, with his thumb and just looked at her. "Thank you. You have no idea what you gave me means to me, Cori. No idea."

Corinne shrugged, trying to find the strength of will not pull away from his hand or panic. Not that she could go far without getting out of bed all together.

"First time’s a fuckin' big deal for almost everyone. I figured that shit wouldn't to be any different for you." Distance is good. Distance will keep it clinical.

She couldn't let him get attached, for her sake or his. He was too young, and too innocent despite what they had just done. He did not need to be fixing onto her, not at his age. She was the type who taught young men the ropes, not the kind they brought home to mom and dad. It was just who she was. It had never bothered her before now.

"It’s not that it was my first time, Corinne. It’s that my first time was with you." He told her seriously, resting his elbow on the pillow and his head on his hand.

Corinne wrapped the sheets tighter around her and looked extremely uncomfortable. There was that panic that had been waiting patiently earlier. It felt so damn good to hear him say that.

But this shouldn't be happening. She'd made a mistake. It was wrong on so many levels. It had to be wrong. Because what she was feeling couldn't be right.

"You're getting fucking warm and fuzzy on me, aren't you? Dammit, Jules…"

"I'll stop." He said softly, lying his head back down on the pillow but not looking away from her. "But…I care about you, Cori. I care a lot about you. More than I do about almost anyone else. And I thought I should tell you."

Corinne had a deer in the headlights look to her as she stared at him. "Are you going to tell me that you're in fucking love with me?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"On whether or not you would freak and kick me out of your room if I did."

"Holy fucking shit." Corinne muttered darkly, running a hand through her hair in agitation. Then she dropped back onto the pillow and rolled onto her back, staring hard at the ceiling.

"Why are you so scared?" Jules demanded.

"You're a kid Jules! A kid! You're fourteen goddamn years old! You may look twenty and act thirty but you are a fourteen-year-old kid! What we just did can get me arrested in some states. And no matter how smart you are, you are too young to know what love is." Corinne snapped, not rising or turning to look at him. She didn't know if she could have gotten it out if she'd been looking into his handsome open face.

"That is bullshit and you know it. I know what's in my own damn head a hell of a lot better than you do. And as far as love goes, I recognize it a hell of a lot better than you do."

"We've known each other all of a month. I can't love you in a month." Denial, denial Delaney, she heard a small voice in the back of her mind taunt. It's not just a river in Egypt, my friend.

"And? Romeo and Juliet knew each other all of a night. I was blown away by you the first time I saw you."

"And they had the best ending, didn't they?" Corinne replied sarcastically. "Tragic heroine is not one of my life's aspiration thanks." Cause that's where this Graduate style affair was going, she realized. Hopefully it would end more like the Anne Bancroft movie and less like the Shakespearian play.

She shook herself. God, even her thought process was getting fucked up. They were works of fiction…this was real life damn it! And it wasn't so easy as just waxing poetry or showing up in time to stop a wedding. It was a hell of a lot more complicated than that.

"That's not the point. The point is having something or someone you loved enough to die for. Not the death itself."

"You are an idiot."

"It's Christmas, Corinne!" Julian rose from the bed and began pacing the length of her room wearing only his boxers, exasperated. "It's supposed to be a time about love. And I am 'in fucking love' with you. I'm the real fucking deal." He was quickly going from a little annoyed and very frustrated to full out furious and Corinne's cursing had rubbed off on him. "I am not going to break your heart or run away. I don't work that way. I'm straight foreword and young but I know myself. I've known myself since I was five. I grew up too damn fast, didn't get to be a real kid. Now you won't let me enjoy for one whole damn night of a perk that comes with being an adult."

"I'm a perk?" Corinne asked. For some reason, hearing Julian call her that hurt her more than all the times she'd been called a slut and a whore by others.

"No, Cori," He said, stopping in front of her. "Recognizing that what this is, is me loving you is a perk. You are a gift from a God I nearly rationalized out of existence." Jules sighed and pulled on his jeans and began to scan the room for his shirt.

Her breath caught in her throat. And for a few moments she couldn't speak. And when she did, it was probably not the smartest thing to say. "You're a poet on top of a genius huh, Brain?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ah, there was his shirt. How on earth did it get to the top of her bookshelf?

Corinne swallowed around the lump in her throat. She supposed that was pride and fear. But then, emotions weren't her strong point and never had been. But if he walked out that door…She didn't want to think about what it would mean to loose him. The very idea made her chest ache. "Don't leave."

Jules was trying to pull his shirt down; it had caught on the corner of a Latin textbook, refusing to look at her. "I should go." He said quietly.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry he chanted as he pulled on his long-sleeved shirt. Stay calm, Julian. You're a Luthor you can stay calm. She can't break you.

Don't cry, she thought desperately, you can do this. Just don't cry. Try, you fucking emotional retard. Try. "Stay, please."

He caved so fast his head spun. God, he would do almost anything for her. Anything except stop loving her.

"Alright."

He turned slowly to look at her, and sighed. She was so beautiful sitting there in bed, tousled and glowing. And…smiling at him.

"Thanks. Now take off that ugly-ass shirt and get back here." She said and held open her arms to him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[tigerbaby]

That was just so sweet.

[scifichick774]

Wow. I read the snippets, but man. Seeing it all put together like that - very nice. Very emotional on all sorts of levels. And I know your muse is a bitch, but please try to write more soon.

[hfce]

Aww that was so nice..... :wub:


Hope :biggrin:

[sabby]

You know I love it and that I keep bugging you endlessly about updating one way or the other. *sighs* Gotta love the Cori/Jules. Keep writing on it hon. I'll see ya.

hugs,
Sabby

[ghostwriter]

*sigh* sooo cute at the end. All so good. And i'm not surprised it took you so long but it was definately worth the wait :wub:

:chlexsign4:

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: I dont care how long I wait for the next update, this story ROCKS!!!!! you are a genius!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! :worship2:

[Tandy]

:yay: :yay: :yay: yay! Yay! A new chapter! Thank you! Thank You!

It was such an awesome chapter! Jules is so adorable and the chlex... oh the fic is just incredible all together!


TAndy

[Val]

That was so sweet! :wub:
I like Cori/Jules too! And can't wait to read more Chlex, when is Chloe gonna tell anyone shes from the future? More soon. :yay:

[Impress]

ok, that was too sweet. good work. and while I like Cori/Jules....I want more Chlex. lol. Can't wait for more.

[buffiy18]

Very cute chapter. I loved the emotional paralells between Lex and Cori. This is one of my favorite fanfics ever. Hope to have more Chlex next time around :chlexsign2: .

[happy bunny]

In answer to your question, I'm more than happy; I'm ecstatic.

To get a new update, and one as cute and touching as that, is just wonderful. This fic is seriously one of the best ones I've ever read. So please, no matter how long it takes, keep writing it; it's more than worth the wait.

Anyway, I was wondering what was happening in present time while all of this happened. Is it going to be that she wakes up in the present in a hospital and no time had elapsed? Or is she actually going to have disappeared? I'm also wondering if this changed Lex (and hoping that it did) and if, once she goes back to the present, they will ever get back together.

Anyway, I loved it, and feel free to keep the happy stuff coming.

[marrycherry]

Originally posted by happy bunny@Sep 5 2003, 04:26 AM
.......I was wondering what was happening in present time while all of this happened. Is it going to be that she wakes up in the present in a hospital and no time had elapsed? Or is she actually going to have disappeared? I'm also wondering if this changed Lex (and hoping that it did) and if, once she goes back to the present, they will ever get back together......
oopsss!! i didn't think about that, but anyway i love this fic it's terrific and so sweet the way Lex treats Chloe :wub:

but i really would like more Chlex ..are you sure you don't want smut in this one *shakes head to take mind out of the gutter* ..didn't work :biggrin:

i'll wait paciently for another update

[Brittany]

:biggrin: So glad to read new chapters, they were great! Please update soon and this time have more Chlex!!!! ;)

[vardaquareien]

:yay3: You updated! You Updated! :yay3:

[Czech Angel]

This is definitely one of my favorite fics. Iv'e been wondering about that too. You know what's going to happen when Chloe goes back to her own time.
Anywhoo, we won't know until you update.*hint,hint*

:chlexsign4:

[Sunflow]

I love this story! This was one of the first Chlex fics I've read - I remember I was furious because it was so interesting but it wasn't finished. Now I have to find the place where I stopped reading, or maybe read it all over again, and then give a proper review :)

Sunflow

[lunaluthor]

happy happy happy happy Luna :wub: :wub:
what an update I want more and real soon :yay: :yay:

[ColumbiaBlue]

I love this story!! :wub: And I agree, more Chlex would be awesome! And the whole thing with Corinne and Jules, SOOOOO cute!!!! Can't wait for the next update!

[eurydices falling]

Psssssssssst.

I got $500 (monopoly money only) for an update and it can be all yours.

[Charmingjen]

I totally love this story. Like some others I have been reading it at FF.net. I'm just waiting patiently for an update! Hmm..I don't have monopoly money but I have ice cream does that work?

Update soon please!

Jen

[Kit Merlot]

I love this story. I am glad that Wendy is back and Julian and Corrine are adorable together. Also, the Chlexy goodness is equally awesome.

Keep up the great work :biggrin:

[Sab_Luthor]

GOOD GREAT MAGNIFICIENT
BUT SERIOUSLY CAN4T WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE PLEASE?

[autumngold]

Please, please, please update soon!! :yay2: :yay2: I love this story! How much longer does Chloe have to be in the past? Will Lex remember her in the future? Please update soon!! :chlexsign3: ;) :chlexsign1:

[Lilith The First]

I really love your work and lex is so damn sexy and 'inspiring'.... I think I'm falling for 'your' lex, or better, Xan....

[randa]

i think its time for an update....please? :worship2:

randa

[ColumbiaBlue]

*ahem* *ahem* UPDATE!!! :huh: Please? :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen:

[Ellidyay]

A/N: Wow, long time no update huh? Well, see…the thing is…I had this paper…and I had this other Buffy idea…and Zoë (my muse for those of you who don’t know) refused to cooperate…and…and….ok. So I have no excuse except a lack of drive and a fear that in finishing this chapter I’d be that much closer to the end. Ah well, hopefully my momentum is back now. Doesn’t mean there will be a new chapter super soon, as I have two fics WITH deadlines, school, and then a half a dozen other fics WITHOUT deadlines. But I’m trying.

Thanks: Selua, Kris, and Sabby, thank you all SO much for all the moral support and encouragement. When I doubt myself, you guys make me keep going. Mitch… you’re a goddess, a queen, and such a fantastic beta and friend.

And to the reviewers…I got ya’ll wondering about Chloe and Co. don’t I? Mm-hm. You will all get answer…..Eventually. *zippers lips shut* Note, I'm thrilled Corinne and Jules went over so well with you guys. But as requested, the Chlexyness is back. Woohoo.

Also, I love to read your observations. You guys tend to point out things I’ve forgotten I even wrote or included. It’s beyond cool to see the things that catch you guys’ attention. Thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed and will review. It means SO much to me and is one of the things that keeps me writing.

Enjoy the chapter and please review.

Ellidyay(Rachael)

P.S.: Forgive the pun. I couldn’t resist.

Chapter 26 New Years Eve 1997

A piece of black fabric soared through the room and landed on Chloe's head distracting her from her computer work. She chuckled and picked up the dress, if it could even be called that, and studied it.

"Lex, what the hell is this?"

He was leaning against the door to her dorm room, smirking. One of those devious, 'I have a master plan for world domination' smirks that were most commonly employed by Disney villains.

"It's a dress," He told her, stating what he thought was clearly obvious.

She shook her head in dismay. "It's mesh held together with bands of nylon."

"Same thing." He replied seriously.

She fought the urge to laugh. "This is Corinne's, isn't it?"

God, he thought, she’s so hot when she’s being intuitive. "I asked Jules to steal one of her more interesting outfits and this is what he came up with."

Chloe twirled the dress around on her hand. "Any particular reason, or do you just have a thing for your brother's girlfriend's dresses?"

She stopped spinning the garment to give him a serious look. "You're not a closet transvestite are you? I can handle it if you are, I wouldn't dump you over that. But if you are, Xan, we're going to have to set some guidelines about my clothes. Because I don't share my lingerie."

The fact that she said it with a straight face, duly impressed Lex. "Only at a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but don't worry I have my own corset."

He smirked at her narrowed eyes. She was studying him, trying to gauge how straightforward he was being.

"It's funny, because I actually believe you're telling me the truth on this."

He almost sighed. She knew him too well for her own good.

"Will you model it for me?" Chloe asked, batting her eyelashes at him suggestively. "I bet your legs would look *great* with fishnets and heals."

He laughed out loud at that. God love her, she was fantastic. He seemed to have adopted a permanent smile whenever she was around. And forget God, he loved her whether or not there was a supreme being involved or not.

He'd been dealing with that, or rather not dealing with it, for months. Since she had first kissed him, and possibly before. He'd been slammed in the face with it when Donovan had assaulted her. It was just easier to push it down when she wasn't in immediate, deadly danger. That didn't change the fact that the feeling was still there, waiting for him like some nasty bird of prey.

He'd decided on Christmas that he was going to tell her. When she'd given him that ridiculous deck of cards, he'd made his decision. He just hadn't realized he'd made the decision until a few short hours ago.

"Maybe later. But you need to get dressed."

Chloe held up the dress again, placing it over her face and staring at him through the gauzy fabric. "In this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's New Year's Eve and we're going out."

"Oh, ok." She agreed then froze at the realization of what that meant. "Wait, you want me to wear this in public?"

~*~*~

"I will not wear this." Chloe mumbled as she looked at herself in the mirror of the first floor bathroom. There was no way hell she would go outside in this. *Especially* not in the middle of a New England winter. What the hell did Lex think she was, out her freaking mind?

"No shit, you won't wear that." Corinne snapped, as she entered the lavatory and caught sight of Chloe. "That is my fucking dress. Where the hell did you get that?"

"Um, one of the Luthor brothers filched it, I think. Lex wanted me to wear it." She shrugged. "If I do this I figure I can play the pity card and get him into his Dr. Frankenfurter costume some time in the near future."

"His legs look fucking great in fishnets." Corinne murmured, suddenly distracted by the mental image. She shook her head, sending her loose purple hair flying around her face as her mind screeched back on track.

"It had to be Jules." She breathed, and Chloe winced at the deadly look that spread across her friends face. "That little shit. He can sleep in his own room tonight. Nosy, kleptomaniac little fucker, I'll cut his fucking balls off if he ever takes my stuff again."

Chloe didn't hold back her laughter as Corinne went off on a tirade. She was just glad she wasn't the one that wrath was directed at. "Hey, Corinne?"

"What?!"

"Since you don't want me to wear this, I'll just take it off and give it back." Chloe said, all the while thanking a merciful god for providing a plausible excuse.

"Oh, no. If the Brain went to the trouble of fucking stealing it out of the back of my goddamn closet then you're going to wear the damn thing. And you're going to freeze your Kansas ass off for putting it on in the first place."

Chloe almost cursed. Damn it. And she would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for that meddling sadism Corinne employed.

"And since your fuck-buddy has decided that he wants you to play me for the night," She tossed Chloe her purse, which was nothing more than a smaller version of her typical black, punk and Goth symbol embossed cloth backpack. "The make-up that goes with the dress is in there."

"But, won't you need this?" Chloe asked, looking at the bag as if it might suddenly bite her.

"We're going to the same damn place, Sullivan. Jesus Christ, you think I'd miss out on New Year’s Eve at the Pravda if I've got to be stuck in this boring ass city? Hell no."

"The what?"

"The Pravda 116. It's the best Boston's got to offer. They throw this big fucking party on New Year's Eve that goes till the sun comes up. It's about as big as gets around here as far as shit to do on New Year's." She gave a nostalgic sigh. "I miss New York. Now there were some a-fucking-mazing parties."

Chloe was busy sorting through the multitude of oddly colored makeup supplies. She'd been a supplier to the lone Goth in Smallville but she'd never been into the style herself. She still wasn't. And despite her relatively good grasp on the arts of cosmetics, she was clueless as to what to do with some of the items.

"Corinne, what the hell do you need yellow lipstick for?"

"You weren't fucking, listening were you?"

Chloe puffed up with indignation, or as much as the barely-there dress would allow. "I was too listening…sorta."

Corinne sighed. "Give me the stuff. I'll do it for you."

Chloe looked at her skeptically. She'd seen Corinne's make up. She had no desire to come out of this looking like Brandon Lee in The Crow.

"Don't fuck around. Just give. It's time for a crash course in the value of glow in the dark yellow."

"Corinne," Chloe started in protest.

"Don't make me make you my bitch."

Chloe held out the bag.

~*~*~

Jules and Lex were less than comfortable under the deadly glare of the Winchester Hall security guard. The guard, a rather masculine looking woman, looked ready to kill both of them. Her glare made it apparent that their presence in the girl's dorm on her shift was an affront to her dignity.

"How long are they going to be?" Jules asked.

Lex rolled his eyes. Jules grated on his nerve. He would have left him if Wendy, and in her own blunt way Corinne, hadn't put up such a huge protest when he said he wanted to leave him behind. "I don't know."

"Prep takes time. Plus, we trade stories in the bathroom. And with you two as their significant others, it could be awhile."

Jules looked fascinated. "What sort of stories?"

Lex couldn’t help but roll his eyes yet again. Amazing. His kid brother had been in Corinne's clutches for a week and he still didn't have a clue.

"We need to get going." He muttered in attempt to halt the conversation between Wendy and his brother before he was faced with mental images he did not need following him all night.

"That works well, because Chloe and Morticia Addams are back." Wendy pointed out, gesturing towards the two women emerging from the hall.

Lex's jaw dropped at the site of his girlfriend in that dress. Forget the Pravda, he was ready to drag her up to her dorm room and do things to that curvy form that would make even the ever-so-jaded Corinne blush.

The dress really was what she had described earlier: two bands of a black nylon fabric covering the necessary areas and holding together three sections of fishnet-like mesh. The bottom third of the dress clung to her legs until just below her knee and the top segment was long-sleeved with a collar, which came up to just below the base of her throat. It would have been modest on a dress made of any other material. Her face was a study of dramatic shades of purples and blues that brought out her eyes and gave her an almost otherworldly beauty.

"Lex?"

A hand, Jules's or Wendy's he wasn't sure since he wasn't focusing on the hand, waved in front of his face but he was still frozen, staring at Chloe.

"Lex?"

"Damn," was all he could manage. All the blood that usually powered his higher brain functions had abandoned its post to power his lower extremities.

Wendy winked at Chloe, who was fidgeting under Lex's dazed scrutiny. "You did good kid," the brunette whispered and gave her a thumbs up.

"Damn."

"Alex, I think you've said that already."

"Damn."

Chloe was beaming. She felt like quoting Sally Fields at the Oscars with her little "you like me" spiel.

"Lex?"

He seemed to snap back into awareness at the sound of her voice. "Hm?"

"You are going to lend me your coat right? It's like 10 degrees outside, I'll become a Chloe-sicle."

Lex's eyes seemed to glaze for a moment at the idea of an actual Chloe-sicle. He shook it off quickly and walked over to her while he shrugged off his coat and when he reached her he wrapped it around her mesh-covered shoulders.

"You look amazing." He murmured before catching her mouth with his and kissing her, hard. He once again entertained the idea of hauling her up to her room and forgetting the whole club idea but nixed the idea when he heard a distinctly female throat being cleared.

Lex nodded and pulled back.

"Yeah, well my cross-dressing boyfriend has good taste. Although his transvestite and burgling tendencies worry me a little." She teased, snuggling into his coat as the group, with Wendy practically pulling them along, headed out of the dorm.


~*~*~

"You on the list?"

"Luthor."

The bouncer, a huge bald man of Mediterranean heritage, glanced quickly at the list then checked something off on his clipboard.

Chloe stood next to Lex, shivering. "If it's not heated in there, I'm g-g-going to k-k-kill you." She growled with chattering teeth.

"I'll help you hide the body." Wendy added as the bouncer continued to scan his list. "That's what friends do."

"Put away the proverbial butcher knife for a second, ok? We'll get inside in a moment, won't we?" Lex said confidently.

The bouncer nodded once and unhooked the velvet rope and let the group enter. A collective groan could be heard from crowd of people waiting in line.

Chloe had never actually been in an actual nightclub before. Sure, she'd driven past plenty of them in the car when she'd lived in Metropolis. But she'd moved to Smallville before high school and had never been able to go. Smallville had too many boring civilians and cracked-out monsters to be that much of a party town

But thank god, it was heated inside. Not overly so but enough to bring feeling racing back into her limbs with an acuteness that was almost pain. But at least she was warm again.

They didn't stay in the front section of the club, a well-lighted bar like area, very long. Instead they went straight through the double doors towards the back and emerged into a huge dim room. Strobe lights pulsed and music blared from surround sound speakers. A mass of bodies writhed and twisted on the dance floor. And the entire place seemed to glitter.

Jules took a deep reverent breath and shouted over the music. "Cool!"

Lex laughed. Chloe couldn't hear it over the noise but she could feel his body shaking slightly against her back.

She reached up and backward and pulled his head down to hers so she could speak directly in his ear. "Dance with me?"

He turned his face to the side and kissed her cheek quickly. "That's why we're here." He said, before grabbing her hand and pulling her with him out onto the dance floor.

"Hey Xan?" Chloe yelled to be heard over the pulsing techno beat.

"Yeah?"

"Think we can get them to play Time Warp?"

~*~*~

Wendy sighed and leaned against the bar, watching her friends dance. They looked like they were having a blast. Chloe and Lex were joined at the…hell she didn't have enough time to name every body part they were touching. Even Corinne, who was doing her best to look disinterested, was enjoying herself with the young scholar. She envied that they were out there on the floor, having such a fantastic time, just a little.

Wendy was all for dancing, just not without a partner. Which, at the moment, was a problem. At least until a drink, an odd blue concoction with a silver strip of tinsel on the side of the glass appeared in front of her.

She looked up questioningly at the bartender who pointed at the end of the bar. A man with red hair, or what would have been red if the lights didn't keep shifting, smiled at her and lifted a hand in a wave.

Ignoring the drink, she rose and walked towards the man. When she reached him, she held out a hand. He took it, placing a cool, soft hand that, thank god, lacked a wedding ring in hers and allowing himself to be drug unceremoniously onto the dance floor.

~*~*~

"All right, all right. Everyone out there who's a wild child, we got exactly five minutes to midnight. That's right ladies, you only have five minutes in which to ditch your husbands and find a new man," The DJ declared. "So, here's one for the lovers out there while we count down to '98."

A new song started, quieter than the last previous melodies. People could hear each other talking now and the tune seemed to calm down the crush of people who were out on the dance floor of the Pravda.

"I've never heard 'Isn't It Romantic' mixed quite this way before." Chloe murmured her head resting on Lex's shoulder as they swayed to digitally backed Ella Fitzgerald.

"New experiences are good for the soul." Lex replied, running a hand through her hair. His other arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, holding her to him.

"Then my soul must be in tip-top condition by now." She laughed. "I've experienced lots. Can you rebate these experiences for like, shopping sprees or something?"

"Not in the U.S. I think there's a place in Mexico where you can though."

"Well saddle up the ponies, caballero. Let's go. I want a burrito anyway." Chloe closed her eyes and smiled against his chest. She could stay like this forever, in Lex's arms.

"You're amazing. Did you know that?"

Chloe lifted her head and blinked up into serious blue eyes. When had the conversation turned serious on her? She was flattered and definitely feeling warm-fuzzies, but also…confused. "Xan?" She whispered as the song drew to a close.

"I thought you should know," He said softly, "How much you mean to me."

"All right, all right. T-minus one minute and counting to the big 9-8, party animals. Find your girl, find your guy, and get ready for the ball to drop!" The DJ declared to the milling crowd.

Lex ignored the voice and slid his hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I love you, Chloe."

Bang, there it was. Out in the open, big as life and as totally sincere as only non-coital declarations could be. Lex Luthor loved her, Chloe Sullivan.

Why couldn't she talk? What had happened to her vocal cords? Why the hell weren't they working damn it? She needed to say something back. Something like "I love you too," or "I love you with everything in me," or maybe "take me home, right now." She wanted to tell him how much she felt and she wanted to cry she was so happy.

But she couldn't. The words seemed stuck in the back of her throat. And around her, the people were cheering and counting down to the New Year.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Chloe pulled Lex down and kissed him, long and hard and with everything, every feeling she had. She couldn't make her voice work but her lips and tongue were in perfect working condition, thank you very much.

They stayed melded together at the mouth until long after the pulsating dance music began again. And when they finally broke apart for air, she could talk again.

"I love you too."

And then he smiled, a huge smile that reached all the way to his bright blue eyes. And Chloe almost did start to cry.

"Xan," she said as she wiped the yellow lipstick, that had rubbed off of her, off his mouth, "Take me home."

She laughed at the look on his face. She would have compared it to winning the lottery if he hadn't already been rolling in more money than one person would ever need or use.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Chloe swallowed, and nodded. She was utterly serious which was almost too hard to believe. "I am."

Gently, Lex weaved them through the crowd until they reached his brother and Corinne who were dancing in a way that could probably get them both arrested back in Kansas. Lex ignored their lewd motions and caught Corinne by the shoulder.

"What the fuck, Luthor?"

Lex grabbed her hand and pushed his keys into them. "We're leaving. Bring the Jag back in one piece or I'll kill you."

Corinne looked down at his keys cynically. "Luthor-"

"Don't leave Wendy here. And do not let Jules touch anything in my car. Clear?"

"Fuck, ok. Go, have fun or whatever." She winked at Chloe. "Wear a condom."

Chloe blushed. "Let's go."

Corinne and Jules smiled as they watched them leave.

Corinne laughed. "They are so gonna fuck. About goddamn time."

Jules nodded. On this, he was inclined to agree with her.

~*~*~

Lex's bedroom looked different than normal. Everything seemed more real, more vivid. It was like everything had come into sharp focus around her.

"Chloe?"

She turned quickly, hugging his coat around her. He stood in the middle of the room in a dress shirt and black slacks looking absolutely delicious. But his eyes were soft and warm.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to, Chloe." Lex said softly, moving towards her like one would approach a scared wild animal: slowly and cautiously. "Don't think that we have to, that I need you to. If you're not ready, we won't."

Chloe smiled, warmed by the acceptance and love in his eyes and voice. "I am ready, Lex. Just go slow, and I'll figure it out as we go along." And then she let his coat slide off her body and onto the floor.

To Be Continued…

[scifichick774]

Hee! You updated! Boy, Mitch got back to you quick, didn't she? I'll say it again - this was a great chapter. Loved it. Now if only your muse will let you keep working on it...

[Gina41283]

i loved it!!!!!! lol please update soon!!!

[hfce]

Yes you finally updated about damn time. ;) That was great and I want some smut darn it.



Hope :)

[Impress]

great updated. seriously hope Zoe let's you get back to this one soon.

[staysixkid]

:biggrin: God...how i *love* this fic!

Awesome update!

[autumngold]

I am so so glad you updated!! :biggrin: And what an update!! I love the fact that Lex and Chloe admitted their love for each other!! :wub: Please update again soon; just forget about real life for awhile~~ :biggrin:

[ColumbiaBlue]

Yaaaay!!! You updated!! :yay2: :yay2: :yay2: Although it was cruel to just leave it there... it was excellent!!! Don't let real life keep you from updating again for too long.

~Manda

[Missing_You1028]

amazing chapter. update soon plz!!

[sylvia]

Finally an update! I've been following this fic from FF.net and it's one of my favourite stories ever =) The plot is unique and I especially like how you've written Lex, as you've dealt with a lot of his 'issues' very well in this fic.

Can't wait to see what happens after Chloe ends up back in 2003.

Update soon!

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: fantastic update!!! but aghhhhh!! di ya have to stop right there!!!!!

[nickielh]

I agree with Slyvia a great story and I too can't wait to see what happens when Chloe goes back. Hope to have another update soon.

Nickie

[Pieper]

Fantastic Story. I really love it. Can't wait for a update.
Femke :wub:

[celticangel]

You Updated!! :love: But how could you leave it there. :nono: Update soon please. :worship2:

[buffiy18]

I love your updates :wub: and never mind waiting for them. Life happens... as it should.

This chapter was :ohmy: ... I don't know how to describe it... great... fabulous... I don't know but I really enjoyed reading it.... and the end... OMG!!!!!!!!!!! I hope the next chapter picks up where this one ended.
:chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: :chlexsign2:

[Lilith The First]

oh my God... well, I don't think I've ever reviewed to one of your sotries, but I've been following it, and ... well, i'm reviewing it now, ok? ^__-
I think you write wonderfully and as in all these chapters I've reviewed just this one I don't have any rights to tell you to ^go sit at your pc and write ancother chapter now and what do you mean with you're hungry??? write!!!!!!^

instead, being the rational person that I am I'm just going to thank you for the emotions your story makes me feel.

thank you.

[Sab_Luthor]

wow that was a great update
i loved it a lot
thanks
seriously i thought you were dead here you are with an update
but damn i waited it
so don't let us wait too long for the next one please

[Merrie]

I ABOSOLUTELY ADORE THIS FIC!!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR UPDATING!!!
ok, sorry about the shouting, but I'm really really liking this fic. Heck, I've always liked, but now I'm beginning to obsess with it in a not too healthy manner....or something. ;) And I really really do love Corinne. The scene between her and Chloe over the application of the proper makeup to go with the 'dress' was absolutely fabulous!!! I loved the RHPS references!!! Lex in fishnets??? :biggrin:
I'd pay to see that, most definitely!!! I began to feel a bit sorry for Wendy in this chapter though, she was the fifth wheel. Thanks for pairing her with the mysterious red-headed guy for a dance, at least. :blinkkiss: The scene where Lex finally tells Chloe he loves her? *melts* That was so great!!! Now, bring on the next chapter, and bring on the smut!!!!

-Merrie

:chlexsign3:

[vardaquareien]

Thanx for updating! I love this ficcy! I turned into a big gooey puddle when Lex told her he loved her! Awwwwww :wub: How could you end it there though? That's just evil, I hope you update this soon or I'm liable to go insane....well, more insane?

[WolviesLover]

Word! Updatation! This story rocks on so many levels. I agree with the others. I'm dying to find out what'll happen when Chloe gets back to her own time! Btw, I love Corianne and Jules. They're so adorable together. More soon!

[drina]

Good stuff. Is it perverse of me, but i would really like chloe to go back to her real time soon, coz i love to see what would have changed.

[happy bunny]

I'm sure you already know from all my other reviews how much I love this fic, but just in case you don't:
:wub: I LOVE THIS FIC! :wub:

The banter between everyone is perfect and helps keep the mood light, even when the topics can start to get more serious. The way you explain Lex, show all the crappy things he has to face, is a great insight into his character at the present and why he behaves the way he does. But I can't help but wonder how Chloe's eventual departure will affect him. Could she be the reason why he becomes so emotionally detached? Like, if she were to disappear -be sent back to her actual time- right after they have sex, if he were to wake up and she was gone; could that be what broke his heart so much that he became the way he is? And if it is how will present Lex react when he sees Chloe?

Don't mind my rambling, this is what happens when I'm forced to stay up until the wee hours of the morning writing papers. Anyway, absolutely love it and can't wait for more!

[Val]

Ok, I absolutelly ADORE this fic! Thank you so much for updating it!
I can't wait to see more! Hopefully Zoe wont make us wait much!

[sosostris]

Ok. I read this fic in one go. I love it!

You have got me caught up in the circular time travel arguement, and i've been thinking about it all. alot. leading me to think that since chloe and lex now know eachother in 97, the future has forever been changed, and regardless of when chloe goes back to the present, lex will still have the memories of going to school with chloe in 97. unless this 1997 exists on a different sequential time plane than the present 2003. argh. did that even make sense to anyone else? that is probably why it is a circular arguement...

anyways, despite me mulling over the physics of your story, i really do like it. i am glad that lex beat jules up. he needed to vent the anger...me? a bitter sibling? never!
i can't wait to see how you finish the story, so i can stop thinking about the possible outcomes and which is theoretically more probable, and what will result in the best chlexy goodness. update soon!

[carebear72884]

:chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: This story is wonderful, and such a neat idea, having chloe go back in time. update soon. i cant wait. :chlexsign2: :chlexsign2: and you just had to leave it hanger there, didnt you, update now. i want to know what happens in 2002 :ohmy:

[marrycherry]

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAV FICS EVER!!!!

I LOVE THE UPDATE (AND THE CHLEXINESS OF COURSE)

BUT WHY DID YOU STOP THERE.....NOW YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO POST AN UPDATE REALLY REALLY SOON RIGHT????


:chlexsign3:

[ghostwriter]

A point for the time argument. If chloe went back in time then wouldn't lex already have the memories from before, so chloe had already met him....

Ahhhhhhh i'm confused, it's a bloody paradox... *whimpers* my head hurts

[nickielh]

Maybe Lex figures out that she time traveled or something so when he does meet her for the first time at the Torch he knows she doesn't know him. So now he is waiting for when she does. Did that make sense?

Nickie

[SinnerSaint]

*whimper* I need another update ! I am dying here !!!

[Kit Merlot]

I love this story :biggrin: I am so happy that Lex and Chloe finally admitted their love for each other. Next chapter--PLEASE!!!

[gina]

I just read the whole thread and I'm loving this fic! Such a cool premise! I'm so anxious to see what will happen when Chloe returns to the year 2002. Eek, I'm so impatient! Anyways, please update soon! :biggrin:

[jwest]

Aww... I just found this story and it's so great. Definately one of my favorite Chlex pieces, I think. Anyway, can't wait for the next part!

-Jen

[ColumbiaBlue]

:huh: *ahem ahem ahem* Could you um... maybe like... um,oh, i dunno... maybe like UPDATE OR SOMETHING?! Please?! Pretty pretty pretty please? I understand that real life has an annoying little habit of getting in the way but I'm dying here! Please update soooon!

~Manda :blinkkiss:

[sylvia]

Maybe Lex figures out that she time traveled or something so when he does meet her for the first time at the Torch he knows she doesn't know him. So now he is waiting for when she does. Did that make sense?

Hm yeah it makes sense to me, but I never thought about it that way before. It would be sweet, Lex waiting for Chloe to recognise him from 1997.



*ahem ahem ahem* Could you um... maybe like... um,oh, i dunno... maybe like UPDATE OR SOMETHING?!

And I second that :)

[Sab_Luthor]

* Tic, Tac, Tic, Tac* it's time to, update

[Not An Addict]

Gah! See, I've run into this problem again. I keep telling myself that I'm going to wait to read this until you've finished, because I CAN'T STAND THE SUSPENSE! But then inevitably I break and read what you've posted and now I feel like a crackhead being told that they can't get their next hit. *whimpers* Please, I beg of you, update soon. I need my Chlexy goodness; and I need Wendy to get a man!! I loves me my Wendy. So yeah. More please, and . . . ugh, my stomach is in knots wondering when Chloe's going to go back. Have I mentioned I'm not good with suspense? More! Pretty please?

[venus1978]

Please please please update...

making people beg isnt very nice.

[Clannadlvr]

*sniffles* *wimpers* *straight out cries*

PLEASE UPDATE PLEASE!!

I just read this whole fic all at once and I'm dying for the update...especially when Lex and Chloe finally "consumate the relationship." I know a couple posters have said something about how Chloe will get sent back to the future...and I have to agree, I'm seeing some sort of Buffy-esque ultimate moment of happiness that turns everything around. But I can't wait to see if I'll be right or wrong.

Can you just even drop us a post to hint when you'll be doing the next post? Pretty please???

Can't wait to read more!

[Sab_Luthor]

hello
update
you have to
:chlexsign3:

[bec]

i remember this story up untill the last update which was ages ago but now ive read that to and im telling u right now to get ur butt back in here and UPDATE! or feel my wrath :devil:

[Béatrice]

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

This is stupid but I was happy that my name was mentioned by Lex. I'm, in a way, the reason why he loves reading Dante! :cute:

[Lilith The First]

I fully believe Lex will know that Chloe is from 2002/3/4 (aaaarrrrgggghhhh!) before she actually returns to her year. I think he will wait for her to remember ... :wub: :wub:

::lilith images Chloe calling Lex "Xan", and then Lex will smile and... :blush: Lilith is a romantic::

I love this fic, don't rush , take your time , write when you can and then update. we will wait. :worship2: :worship2:

[sylvia]

Yeah that's right - take your time. But hurry up with it!

;)

[Shay]

GGGGGRRRRRRRR! Update needed!

Shay

[SinnerSaint]

*cough cough * Please update * gasp , wheeze * I am dying painfully and only an update will save me .....*faints and falls to floor*

[autumngold]

Originally posted by SinnerSaint@Dec 28 2003, 08:08 AM
*cough cough * Please update * gasp , wheeze * I am dying painfully and only an update will save me .....*faints and falls to floor*
It's now a medical emergency!! You have to update soon!! Please!! :chlexsign4:

[krissilee06]

Love it!! :wub: You have to update REAL SOON. Your story is so good :worship2: , and I cant wait to see what happens when and if she ever gets back to real time (ya know w/ lex and everything) I so excited!! :biggrin:

krissilee06 :chlexsign4:

[Charmingjen]

Hey girlie....I finally read your update. Wow, I have to say that was an amazing update! I really like it when Chloe calls Lex "Xan" it seems more meaningful. I'm really curious that after they have sex...if they do, what will happen when she returns to her time? The feelings she'll have, if she remembers. How heartbroken and torn apart she could be.....

I totally can't wait for another update!

;) Jen

[Blackberry]

:huh: I am in awe with this one... This is... I need more!! It's such an enjoyable story, all that verbal judo between everyone and the humor is great... it's really addicting!! an update... your audience demands an update!! :biggrin:

:yay2: :chlexsign2:

[sexi_angel_babee]

wow... this fic is sooooooooooooooooooo~ good... I can't wait for the next update... reading this fic is like reading a freakin novel.... the writing is soooo good... :worship2: i just started and i couldn't stop reading till i was done... wow.. the author has great talent for writing... it just makes me want more and more! :worship2: I can't wait for the update... :chlexsign3: yeah... i also wanna kno wut happens at the end when she goes back to 2003... i bet wut has happened in 1997 changed the whole future... :D i bet lex and chloe's married or sumthing.... that would be great :drool: lol... yeah... can't wait for the next update

[xxasaxx]

Update soon PLEASE!!!!! :chlexsign4:

[Kendrix03]

I love this fic. Can't wait for an update and like Charmingjen I'll like to know how the future is going to be affected.

[SuperScribe]

:crygreen: Kill me now.

Without resolution... I will perish.

Please, oh, please update soon!

[ColumbiaBlue]

Why? :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen:

Why haven't you updated? :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen:

WHHHHYYYYY? :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen:

~Manda :blinkkiss:

[Sab_Luthor]

please come back :crygreen: :crygreen:
please update
you want me dead or what
up :crygreen: :crygreen: daaaaateeeeeee :crygreen: :crygreen:

[Gaia]

[SIZE=14][COLOR=orange]Please UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lilith The First]

whines you have-en't upda-ate-ed.... :crygreen:

please update soon, even if the chapter isn't as long as the others... we need an update because your Chloe and your Xan (it sounds more meaningful than Lex) are among the best I've ever read!

(Really, the best are you and Scifichick774!)

[Cartagena]

Adding my request to the long list of others


PLEASE UPDATE SOON.....thanks.

[Sab_Luthor]

hummm hello
are you DEAD?
no i ask coz it's been a long long long loooooooooooononnnnnnnnnggggggggg
time since the last update
so please COME BACK AND UPDATE

[Ellidyay]

A/N: Hello guys! Dreadfully sorry about the delay but there are two reasons for that. 1) I left the country for a fantastic week in Mexico and then turned around and went to S. Florida for another week, then came back and had school. 2) I had to get some help with- the love scene. Yes there is one and yes I needed help. Please know that this is my first everwritten love scene and I did the best I could. Thanks for understanding.

WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of sexual activities. You were warned.

Thanks: A huge thanks to Sabby, a banana, and two raw eggs in a bag for all their assistance on the development of a virgin’s knowledge. This chapter would have sucked big time without her *coughs* tutelage and would have taken foreverwithout her pestering. Thanks for sharing what you know. Thanks to Mitch for her fantastic beta, as always. She doth kick the ass. And a tremendous thanks to every single solitary person who reviewed the previous chapter. All the pushing definitely helped me write faster. ^-^ I love to read what you all have to say.

For the love of god! PLEASE REVIEW! Its what keeps me writing!

Chapter 27- A Night Before and Mornings After

Lex looked at her like a kid on Christmas morning, like she was a gift he'd been wanting all year and couldn't bear to wait another second to open. And Lex was meticulous when it came to his presents, careful with the wrapping paper, anxious to see what was within but not destructively so.

Lex held out a hand to her. "Come here."

His voice was low and sultry and Chloe nodded as she took a few steps forward. He met her and took her hand in his, gently running his thumb over the back of her hand before pulling her into his arms.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and tipped her chin up with the other. "Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Very sure right?"

She smiled at him with false bravado. "Super sure." And she was sure. But she was also scared shitless.

"Demerits for bad alliteration." Lex chuckled as he lowered his mouth to hers.

He leaned down to kiss her while running his hands over her dress. It looked amazing on her, but there seemed to be no means of getting it off. Until he found the zipper that ran along the sole seem in the back. And Lex was an expert at zippers. With either fingers or teeth, he could get the little fuckers open in no time flat. But this time it wasn't a race. It was Chloe's first time, so slower was better.

Gradually, Lex worked the zipper all the way down from the base of her neck to her just below her hips. He was so distracted by her very presence, the smoothness of her skin beneath his fingertips, the sweet taste of her tongue dancing in his mouth that he didn't even notice as she worked the buttons of his shirt until he felt her hand snake under the fabric.

His shirt was off him in a matter of seconds. He’d had to let go of her so he could get the sleeves off, but had quickly returned to the task of getting Chloe's dress off.

Deciding enough was enough; Lex grabbed the shoulders of the dress and slid it down her arms until the long sleeves caught on Chloe's wrists. A gentle tug and the dress pooled around her waist.

He gaped at her, taking his time to fully appreciate the fact that Chloe had truly great breasts. They were full, high, soft looking, completely unfettered by a bra due to the nature of the dress, and just aching to be touched and kissed.

Chloe felt heat explode on her neck and blush spread up and down from that focal point as Lex stared at her. She swallowed hard as reality crashed down on her. She and Lex had made out countless times before, and he'd touched and fondled her breasts before as well. But never without her top on. He was seeing her for the first time. What if she looked stupid? Or he didn't like what he saw? Or-

"You blush all over." Lex noticed with smile. His fingers trailed down her neck, over her collarbone, until they rested on one of her breasts. "You are so damn beautiful, Chloe."

"Thank God." Chloe laughed, practically melting with relief. She wondered why she'd worried in the first place. She trusted Lex. He'd never laugh at her unless she wanted him to. He'd never turn her away unless she needed him too. She was safe with him.

"It's ok, Chloe." He told her warmly as his fingers caressed the bare skin of her breast gently, his thumb occasionally stroking over her nipple. "It's all right to be shy. This is big and new."

"Yeah," Chloe's hands stroked over his hairless chest and stomach. His skin was so smooth, smoother than hers. It reminded her of an infant's skin it was so soft. "Very big."

"And you're doing great." Lex encouraged. "And you're gorgeous, Chloe. So beautiful." He murmured before bending down and replacing gentle fingers with his mouth.

Chloe gasped at the wet heat of his mouth on her breast. His tongue traced odd and erratic patterns over her nipple and she shivered, glad that he knew what he was doing.

"Oh…" Chloe let out a shocked sigh as he bit her gently. "That's new."

She felt him breathe rapidly against her skin, and looked down at him. It was an odd perspective since what she mainly saw was the top of his hairless scalp, but if she leaned her head back and turned it just right she could see that he was smiling, chuckling against her skin.

"You're laughing at me." She mumbled, a little breathless as he turned his attention to her other breast.

She watched him simply shake his head in denial, and decided to accept that. After all, in a situation she could give him a little leeway.

Eventually, he pulled back from her and stood up. Lex smiled down at her and cupped the side of her face in his hand. His thumb gently traced her cheekbone.

"You stopped?" Chloe asked in confusion. She looked up at him, trying to understand why he'd left her. It had felt surprisingly good; she hadn't wanted him to stop.

"Yeah."

"Um, any reason?"

"Cause Chloe, it’s foreplay. From the Latin meaning to play before." Chloe stuck her tongue out at him. The sight not only made Lex laugh but also increased his already aching arousal. "This isn't the main event."

"So there's more." She observed.

"You're still wearing your dress, Chlo. Of course there's more."

"It's not my dress. You stole it from Corinne." She slid her hand down his chest and stomach to rest it rather tentatively on the waist of his pants.

Lex laughed again. "I know. Which is why we need to get it off you."

"You're lucky she didn't castrate you for taking it," Chloe mused as Lex eased the dress down her hips.

"So are you."

"Hardy har." Chloe shot back as the dress finally landed in a heap at her feet.

Lex put a finger on her lips. "Hush for a second. Just let me look at you."

Black panties. She was wearing black lace panties that clung low on her hips and just barely covered the comet tattoo on her hip. He felt his mouth go dry. Where in god's name had she dug those up?

Chloe shifted nervously under his scrutiny, suddenly unsure. He was staring at her like she'd grown a tumor or something. "They went well under the dress. Everything else I have is too bright." Chloe said in a rush, feeling ridiculous and insecure.

"No. I…they're great. I'm just surprised."

Chloe chuckled nervously. "What do you know, I surprised Lex Luthor."

Lex met her gaze. "You're constantly surprising me. I love that about you." He smirked. "I especially love it when the surprise involves black lacey underwear."

She grinned, feeling more confident but still vulnerable. This whole thing, while fascinating and sexy wasn't fair. And she said so. Chloe had always been one to speak her mind.

"You still have your pants on."

Lex lifted a single eyebrow and gave her a somewhat smug smile. But amusement and laughter danced in his eyes. "Keen observation, Chlo."

"So how is that fair when I'm nearly naked and you're," she waved a hand at him, "Not?"

"You can fix that." Lex replied simply.

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Luthor?"

He beamed, actually beamed, at her. "Do you want it to be one?"

"Well, seeing as I've always been a fan of a good challenge…”

He pulled her back into the circle of his arms and kissed her again. Chloe really loved kissing Lex. But kissing him and getting the top button of his pants undone turned out to be a lot more work than it should have been. And after a few failed attempts at multitasking, she broke from his mouth to focus on the task at hand.

"Gottcha!" Chloe hissed triumphantly as the button came free and she slid the zipper down, carefully. She'd seen There's Something About Mary. Those little buggers could be dangerous.

"Mission accomplished." Chloe declared, before pushing the slacks down over his hips.

Watching the fabric slide down his legs and land in a heap around Lex's feet, Chloe surveyed her boyfriend's choice of underwear and giggled.

"Joe Boxers? I have to say Xan, I was expecting silk." She feigned a long-suffering sigh. "Oh well. You can't have everything."

"They're comfortable Chlo," Lex sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment. "Picky, picky. But since they offend you so much, we'll have to fix it, won't we."

Chloe nodded as she swallowed and then said, with more confidence than she felt. "Off they go then."

He might have said something but it was drowned out by what was most definitely a bona fide caveman growl as Lex pounced. Chloe laughed as the two of them went falling onto his bed. The mattress didn't give nearly enough and they landed with a soft thump.

"Oomf." Chloe gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.

Sane Lex seemed to have reemerged for the moment and he looked down at her with concern in those gorgeous blue-gray eyes. "Did I hurt you?"

Chloe shook her head. "Nope. Just let me up for a second. I'm falling off the bed."

He did as she asked and she scrambled up to sit on the bed. Lex was about to pull her back into his arms when she held up a hand to stop him.

"Not with those on." She laughed. They were cute boxers but they needed to come off, sooner rather than later.

"Are they really that offensive, Chloe?"

"No. I just want to know what you look like naked."

Lex opened his mouth, closed it, swallowed, and started again. "Then I guess I should thank you for your honesty." And then, under her watching eyes, as he divested himself of the 'offensive' garment.

"Oh."

"Chloe?"

"Oh god."

"Chloe?"

"This just got very real." She mumbled.

Lex shook his head and moved slowly towards her, as if he expected her to bolt at any second. He sat next to her, close but careful not to touch her.

"It wasn't real before?"

"No…yes…I… it was more new before." Chloe said shakily. "Now it's like…five alarm, wake up and smell the coffee real."

"Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Just a little…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Scared."

Lex reached out and pulled her close to him. "That's understandable. Hell, that's normal. And if you're not ready, we'll stop right here, right now."

"What if I'm ready and scared?"

Lex smiled. "Then I'd say you've got at least one up on a lot of people. If you really are ready then I can promise that we'll take our time. There's no reason to rush this, Chloe."

"I am ready, Lex."

"But it's all right if you aren't."

"I know that. But I am. I'm just…this is a huge thing Lex. This is sex. You only have one first time."

"I know that. Do you trust me, Chloe?"

She nodded her head emphatically.

"Then trust that I'll stop if you ask me to and that I'll make this good for you if you don't."

"I do trust you, Xan. I love you."

He smiled warmly at her and stroked her jaw with a gentle hand. "That's good to know."

Chloe shut her eyes and let herself simply enjoy his touch. She took several more calming breaths and when she opened her eyes again she felt more together than she had since Lex had stripped her of her dress.

"You with me, Chloe?"

"Yep, I'm here." She turned her head and kissed his palm. "Hey Lex?"

"Hm?"

"You're bald everywhere."

For the very first time since she'd known him, Lex blushed. She watched as he ran his hand over his head in nervous agitation. "Yeah. Meteor radiation. I was a kid. If it grosses you out then we can-"

Chloe moved over him as he spoke and pushed him back onto the bed. "I think it's hot."

He gave her a somewhat confused look and then graced her with a megawatt smile that made him look very young. "You think so? No one's ever…liked that about me. It's just been one more thing that made me a…"

"If you say freak I'll have to slap you and that will kill the mood." God, her poor Xan. Not enough people saw how beautiful and strong he was. It just wasn't fair.

He gave her a sad disbelieving smile and Chloe shook her head at him. "You know I trust you. How 'bout you? Trust me?" she asked as she moved slowly down his body. She licked and kissed his hairless skin as she waited for an answer.

It took Lex quiet awhile to reply. He was a little distracted by the feel of her skin sliding against his, her lips kissing his body, her messy blonde hair tangled around his fingers. "God help me, you're the only one I trust anymore."

"Hm…" Chloe had made her way down past his hips and was sitting on his smooth legs. "You're way too coherent." A friend had once said if a man could get out a complete thought in bed, you weren't doing it right.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Chloe repeated the mantra silently, hoping The Little Engine That Could wouldn't be offended. She lifted her right hand to her mouth and licked her palm as an older and wiser friend she'd met online not long after hitting puberty and curiosity, the same one who had told her the adage about coherency, had suggested.

Lex moaned at the sight. She looked down at him and chuckled. Ok, so that was a good move apparently.

Chloe leaned forward and carefully ran her finger over the head of his penis. When she heard him hiss she smiled and mentally patted herself on the back for her journalistic knowledge-seeking ways. It had definitely gotten her some good advice, she thought as another few tentative strokes over the head got her a buck and a low moan.

Encouraged by his response, she locked her legs around his and wrapped her hand around his shaft. She did her best to be careful, to apply enough pressure without squeezing too hard and hurting him. He groaned as she started to move her hand up and down and she looked up at his face.

"This ok?"

"Chloe…"

She smirked at that, knowing she was on the right track. She sped up a little and when her hand reached the top of his shaft she let her thumb brush over the head of his penis. His bucking moan heartened her and she tried for a faster speed but her strokes became somewhat erratic. A groaned "yes" egged her on and her other hand wandered his body, caressing exposed skin now slick with sweat.

"Chloe."

"Lex." She sighed back, caught up in her own power over him. That she could make him feel this good was a heady experience.

"God, Chloe stop!"

Chloe let go immediately and stared down at him in confusion. And hurt. "Did you not like it? I can do something else. I'm sorry."

Lex shook his head. "Too much. Liked it too much."

"Huh?" Chloe looked at him in confusion and then her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh."

"Yeah." Lex beckoned her upwards with a gentle tug on her hand. She complied readily, happy to be back by his side.

Lex held her for a minute, putting his fragmented brain back together. Once he could form a complete thought he kissed her and rolled her over so that he was on top.

"Your turn."

"My turn?"

He nodded and his hands snaked down to her hips. He slid his hands under the straps of her panties. "I want to see your tattoo, Chloe."

"Well it’s not going anywhere."

He nipped gently on her bottom lip. "Lift your hips."

She did as he asked and was actually surprised when he moved down her body and pulled her panties off.

Chloe sighed as she watched him fling them into the depths of his room. God save her, she'd never be able to find them if they landed in his mess of a closet. "They're gone now."

"I'll help you look later." Lex promised before planting a quick kiss on her tattooed hip. He outlined the image once with his fingers before tracing over the outer most line with the tip of his tongue. Chloe shivered.

"Since Sean gave you that damn tattoo, Chloe. That's how long I've wanted to do this." Lex told her as his fingers resumed their study of her inked skin.

"Feels good." Chloe mumbled. She didn't know that she could get that turned on just from the feel of his hand on her hip.

Lex moved back up her body and kissed her slowly. "This will feel better."

"Prove it." Chloe taunted.

"Leading me into temptation." Lex muttered against her neck as his hand slid between her thighs to touch her.

Chloe jumped slightly as his fingers touched her intimately. His touches were light and quick and shallow, not even really entering her. His hands were warm and his touch was …fuck, hot. She shifted her legs to give him better access and sighed.

A Luthor never lets an opportunity pass him by. This was one of the many things that had been drilled into Lex's head from a young age. This was the first time he'd ever truly seen the value in that policy. And since Lex was a Luthor, born and bred, he accepted her invitation and slid a single finger inside her and moved his thumb to rub her clitoris.

Chloe bucked her hips against his hand. "Holy shit."

"That good then?" Lex chuckled.

"Xan."

He dipped his head down and kissed her collarbone quickly. "More?" He asked. She shuddered again and let out a soft whimper in answer.

"Xan."

"I'll take that as a yes then." He whispered moving his kisses down to her breast to distract her as he added another finger.

Her low, throaty groan was his reply, and Lex grinned against her skin as she writhed underneath him.

Chloe's mind was hazy. She couldn't really see much aside from the blurry image of the rough ceiling above her. It was a just too much.

Two of Lex's long and, oh god, ridiculously talented fingers were moving quickly and smoothly in and out of her while his thumb manipulated her clit with a skill born of practice. But Chloe wasn't able to focus on exactly what he was doing. She was too busy being rocked by the sensations he was pulling from her, pleasure that echoed through her body and strained her muscles. He changed his speed slightly and Chloe bucked and groaned underneath him.

She heard Lex chuckle in her ear. But his laughter faded as he began to suck on the ear lobe near his lips. Combined with a well-timed movement of fingers and thumb Chloe rocked against his hand and gasped as she came.

It was like a small explosion starting at her center and spreading in sharp, beautiful spasms outward. She sighed heavily as her body shuddered and calmed.

Lex gently withdrew his fingers from her as he smiled down at her. She'd been gorgeous with her eyes shut tightly and her lips slightly parted. He was a little surprised though. He'd figured his fiery Chloe would be a screamer. Instead she's gotten one up on him again with a quiet but desperate passion that awed him.

"You ok?" He whispered, not wanting to break the quiet. The room, the bed, the atmosphere was peaceful, soothing. And Lex was struck with the ludicrous idea that if he spoke louder than a whisper that that peace would shatter and dissolve.

But Chloe was grinning at him with heavy-lidded eyes, clearly still recovering from her orgasm. "I'm so good," she whispered back and then leaned up for a kiss.

Lex's tongue coaxed hers gently. Their kiss was slow, gentle, warm, and full of love. Love. He'd never made love before. He had fucked, screwed, banged, had sex, and gotten laid countless times before but it seemed the old adage was true. Being with someone you loved made all the difference in the world.

"You ready?" Lex asked her in that same quiet voice.

She nodded in response and leaned up to kiss him again. If sex was even a fraction as good as what he'd just done then she had no objections what so ever.

"Hang on, one second." Lex got up off her and leaned toward the edge of the bed, pausing to look back at her. Her head lay on the pillow, her blonde hair messy around her face. One hand was palm up resting on the pillow near her face while the other was still clutching the sheets. Her breasts rose with every breath she took and she was giving him a Mona Lisa smile. "Don't move. Stay just like that."

Lex slid across the mattress and hung over the side of the bed. He ferreted around desperately under his bead, searching. He felt like cheering when his hand hit the box of condoms he kept there.

He rose with the foil wrapped package seconds later. She hadn't moved anything but her head, which had rolled on the pillow to better follow his movement.

She watched Lex intently as he tore the packaging open and covered himself with the condom, grateful he'd remembered. It sure as hell had slipped her mind.

"Chloe?" Lex asked as he lowered himself over her once again.

"Yeah?"

“Are you one hundred percent sure? You can’t take this back,” He warned. He didn’t want this to be a regret, something she’d looked back at and think ‘I wish I hadn’t’.

She reached up and ran her hand gently over his smooth, bald head. She wasn’t afraid of his differences, his freakishness, and his faults. She accepted all of him. “I am one hundred and fifty percent sure.” Her hand slid down his skull to the nape of his neck. “I love you, Xan.”

Lex had heard somewhere, a movie or a TV show, that if a man says ‘I love you’ before or during sex he was lying. Well, fuck them, he thought defiantly. He’d told her before; he was going to tell her again now, and later, when it was over. He was going to hold her tightly and tell her again. Get all his bases covered.

“I love you too, Chlo.”

He reclaimed her mouth with his. And then, carefully, so as not to hurt her, he entered her. He did his best to go slow, to not hurt her, to make her first time good, but she was so tight and so hot and so good he had to bite down painfully on his lower lip to keep himself grounded.

Chloe’s breathing quickened to a pant. It was alien, having him inside her. It was still good though, very good. But it was almost too much, how big he felt inside her. She was worried briefly that she’d rip in half. Her worry escalated as he slid farther into her and stopped.

But she looked up at him with questioning eyes. “Why did you stop?”

“This is going to hurt.” Lex said as he peppered kisses on her face. “I’m so sorry. I can’t not make it hurt. But, it’ll be all right.”

“I trust you.”

Lex thrust his hips forward quickly. Chloe gave a sharp cry of pain at the same time that Lex groaned in pleasure. But he was expecting this. She wasn’t the first virgin he’d ever been with. He knew to give her time. To be patient. In the end, it would be more than worth the momentary discomfort.

Despite her best efforts to hold up the illusion of strength, a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and rolled down the side of her face. She turned her head, so he wouldn’t see, so he wouldn’t stop even though it hurt.

Lex’s heart broke as he watched her put on a brave face even as she cried. She was so tough. She made him so proud.

Gently, he wiped the tears that escaped the corners of her eyes away with his thumbs. He planted a gently peck on her lips as he tried to soothe her.

“You ok?”

She didn’t answer for a while. She just laid beneath him, breathing, adjusting to the feeling of him inside her. After a few minutes, during which time Lex was slowly going crazy, she answered him.

“I’m ok.” Chloe told him evenly.

“Sure?”

She laughed and he groaned as her muscles clenched around him. “XAN! Come on.” Chloe experimentally lifted her hips and Lex moaned, low and long and began to move.

It was slow and soft. Neither of them was in that big a hurry. Instead of rushing head long into a wild climax, they gradually built up the pleasure between them. Kisses were smattered on every part of the body with reach. Hands roamed on skin, gliding on the fine sheen of sweat that coated their skin. His hand slid between their bodies to touch her and heighten her pleasure.

And when Chloe succumbed to her orgasm, after what seemed like an eternity of languid lovemaking, colors exploded behind her eyelids. She moaned softly as she thrashed beneath Lex. Her neck arched back and she gave a low whimper as her body shook with blissful spasms.

The contractions of her inner muscles around his penis trigged his own, much louder climax. He called her name as shudders wracked his body and he came.

A little later, when his brain was working again, Lex pulled out of her carefully, so as not to hurt her. He pulled off the used condom and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. With the last of his sapped energy, he moved slightly so he wouldn’t crush her and collapsed. His head rested on her chest where he could hear her heart beating beneath his ear.

“Lex?”

He smiled against her breast. “Yeah?”

“That was…amazing.” Chloe sighed and he felt her chest move beneath his head.

He chuckled. “Mm-hm.”

“Xan?”

“Hm?” He was tired and the fact that she had begun rhythmically running her fingertips up and down the back of his hairless scalp was lulling him further.

“Happy New Year.”

Lex kissed the side of her breast and sighed, content and truly happy for the first time in his recent memory. “Love you, Chloe.”

“Love you too, Xan.”

~*~*~

“Cori…”

“Say it again.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. Let me go now?”

“Let me go now what?”

“Ma’am.”

Corinne laughed and unlocked the fuzzy handcuffs from around his wrists. She loved messing with Jules’s head. He was so easy, so fun. Brilliant and a challenge, but refreshingly naïve. And responsive as all get out.

“Good boy.” She kissed him quickly, not giving him time to play with the silver hoop in her lip, something he’d grown very fond of very fast. Corinne stretched out on top of Julian, feeling a lot like a cat. “What did we learn from this?”

“That you are hideouslyhideously kinky and spend way too much of your parent’s money on sex toys?”

Corinne laughed and began kissing Jules’s chest. She liked that Julian could make her laugh. “The other fucking lesson, Brain.”

“Don’t steal your shit.” Jules recited with a wide smile.

She nipped his collarbone in approval. “Smart boy.”

“That’s what they tell me.” He buried his now free hand in her purple hair. He loved her hair. He didn’t know what was in it but it was always vivid and soft.

“Yeah, something about lame ass test scores and dumbfuck GPAs.” Corinne mumbled as she cuddled against his side. Shit. Cuddling. Non-sexual intimacy wasn’t something she was very comfortable with. Yet there she was, voluntarily cuddling with a 14-year-old boy. God, she was going to burn in hell. Ah well, at least she’d gotten in some good orgasms before hand.

“This is my best New Years so far.” Jules whispered in her hair. Dancing, drinking, and then some really, really creative sex with a woman he adored. If life could get better right that moment, he didn’t know how.

“And you have so damn many to go by.” Corinne rolled her eyes at him.

“I love you.”

Jules sighed as he felt her entire body tense up as he said the words. He was used to it by now. But that wasn’t going to stop him. In less than a week he was going back to New Hampshire. And he wanted to beat how he felt into Corinne’s thick head before he went back to school. Or rather, before he left school. He was graduating early. He only had to return to school and get his paperwork in order before heading off to Harvard for the spring semester.

“You don’t have to say it back.” He soothed. Sometimes he felt so much older than she was. She was wounded, a lot like Lex was wounded. He’d give anything to heal them. But he took what love he could get from both of them.

Corinne shrugged. She didn't love him. She loved fucking him, and she loved talking to him, but she didn’t love him. She didn't love anyone.

"Doesn't mean I will stop saying it though."

"Shut up Jules." Corinne mumbled, kissing his chest and moving to suck on one of his nipples.

"I love you." He gasped, shivering at the sensation. He wanted to cry when she lift her mouth from his body.

"Fuck me."

"Make love to you."

"Whatever."

Jules shook his head and rolled her over. He grabbed a fresh condom from the nightstand, covered himself and said once more, before entering her, "I love you."

~*~*~

Silence. Awkward silence. Long awkward silence. Long awkward silence after five, no six mind-blowing orgasms. Ok, so that was all right then. She could handle this.

Wendy mentally berated her self. How fucking stupid was this? A one-night-stand with someone who’s last name she didn’t even know, on New Years Eve? Jesus, she couldn’t even use a drunken haze as an excuse.

“So…” Wally, his name or so he’d told her, started. “You a Boston native?”

Wendy turned her head on the pillow and started at him. “Let’s not do this ok?”

He blinked at her. He had green eyes. Not greenish-blue or greenish-brown but really green eyes. She didn’t know if those green eyes needed corrective lenses but she did know how they looked half lidded and hazed with pleasure.

“Do what?”

“Awkward pillow talk. I liked the awkward silence more.” She told him frankly. She then decided to take a page from Corinne the Campus Slut’s book. “The sex was great but that’s all it was. Great sex.”

“You are a really cynical broad. I didn’t notice that earlier.” He noted.

“I am not cynical. But I am realistic.” Wendy’s sexual experience was limited and not all that fulfilling. “And besides, you don’t really know me anyway.”

She’s lost her virginity at the age of 15 to an 18-year-old college freshman she’d meant over the summer after her first year of high school. He’d been sweet and patient but inept and the whole thing had been less than satisfying. And he’d been less than committed. Since then she’d only been with two other boys. Both times, a let down, emotionally and physically. She just wasn’t expecting more from no last name Wally.

“I want you phone number.”

She laughed. “I like that you’re direct. But giving you my phone number could get you so arrested.”

A lone corner of his mouth quirked upward into a smirk. “Seriously?”

“I’m too young for you.”

“How young?”

“Too?”

“Seriously.” Wally pushed jovially.

“Seventeen.”

She watched as he gaped at her. “Seriously?”

“Is that your favorite word?”

“It’s climbing the charts,” He coughed.

Wendy eyed him clinically. He looked ready to swallow his tongue. “Do you have a last name?”

“West.” He choked out. “Wally West.”

“Miller. Now we know each other.” She chuckled. “Can you lend me twenty bucks?”

“Wha?” She was going too fast for him, and he was a master of all things quick, tapped right into the Speed Force itself. He was the Flash, goddamnit. No one was supposed to be able to run circles around him, not even mentally.

“I need a cab.”

"Wendy…I can give you a ride." Or a head examination, or something.

She sighed and rose from the bed, taking the comforter with her as she went. “Look, I appreciate it, I really do. But lets not pretend this is something it’s not. Just lend me some cab fair. I’ll pay you back.”

Wally studied her as she ferreted around his studio apartment, looking for her clothes. Seventeen. She was seventeen. Jesus H. Christ on a bicycle she didn’t act like a seventeen year old in bed, she didn’t talk like one with her razor sharp wit and intelligence, and she seemed pretty damn mature. But then, he was always jumping the gun. “When’s your birthday.”

“April.” He heard her reply. Wally did some fast math. Four months until she was legal. He wasn’t a patient guy by nature. He liked to go fast, for instantaneous results. Four months was a long time. And he didn’t know her that well. But…but last night she’d fit in his arms so perfectly at the Pravda. And after the party had winded down a little, they’d talked for hours at a little café that declared itself a 24 hour joint but actually shut its doors at three am.

“I want your phone number.”

She reentered his line of sight. Her clothes were rumpled and messy and her curly brown hair hung around her face. She looked like a Hollywood starlets with a Roman nose.

“You’re psychotic. Typically I find that attractive in a man but I do have limits when it comes to jail.”

Wally studied her, taking a quick inventory of her and liked what he saw. She was real, she was solid, she had a kick ass sense of humor, and she was probably the best lay he’d ever had. Of course he was nearly ten years her senior but hey, they’d work out the kinks eventually.

“I’m serious.”

Wendy was balanced on one foot as she struggled to pull on her knee high stocking. “Son of a bitch!” The delicate fabric had a large run going from heel to knee. “Damn it. What were you saying?”

“I want to call you.”

“Well, you can call me Wendy. Or Miller. Or my brother Nick’s favorite ‘Beak Face’ if you’re feeling suicidal.”

“I mean on the phone. Preferably at a later date, to arrange a get together for dinner. Or perhaps to discuss the weather or President Clinton.” Wendy eyed him warily. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he’d mentioned politics. Seriously bad move on a non-date. Nice one, Wally. He wondered if he were fast enough to physically kick himself in the ass.

Wendy looked at him in abject horror. “You’re not a Republican are you?” She shuddered. “I feel so unclean.”

“Wendy, I was just giving you an example.”

“You aren’t a Republican, right?”

“Wendy.” Wally grinned at her “No I’m not, but that’s not the point. The point is I want to get to know you. And once you walk through that door, I can’t do that unless you leave me a phone number.”

Wendy studied him. “You’re a stalker.”

“No, I’m a rapist. Give me your number.”

Wendy gave an unlady-like snort. “Oh yeah, real convincing argument. How bout…no.”

“How about you give me your phone number and I’ll give you your wallet.” Wally offered. Faster than sight, he shot out of bed, grabbed her discarded purse from where it lay by his front door and was back in bed before she had time to even realize he’d moved.

“How about if you don’t give me my goddamn purse, you’ll be bleeding so badly not even the entire cast of ER will be able to put your skinny Irish ass back together.” Wendy warned, stalking toward him in rumpled clothes and bare feet.

He laughed and waved her bag at her. “I’m of Scottish ancestry actually but good guess. It’s the hair right?”

“It’s the smarmy attitude and propensity towards strong but weird ass drinks.” She stood by the side of the bed, glaring at him. “Give me the bag you Duncan MacLeod wannabe asshole.”

He laughed at that, holding her purse over the side of the bed away from her. “You’re a sci-fi geek! That’s so hot.”

She leaned across the bed, over Wally to reach for her bag. He dropped it off the other side of the mattress and onto the floor and Wendy realized her mistake. He wrapped arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him.

“You melted when I kissed you last night.”

“Because you got me pissface drunk first.”

“You had one drink last night, Wendy.” One hand stayed securely locked around her waist as he moved the other in front of her face, holding up his index finger. “One.”

“Fine. But I did not melt.”

Wally smiled. Smugly. She wanted to slap that smug little grin right off his gorgeous face. “You melted. And I wonder…” He leaned up and Wendy was reminded that the only thing that covered him was a thin white bed sheet.

“What?”

“If you’ll melt again in the day.”

“I’m not the Wicked Witch of the West. I don’t melt.”

Wally leaned up quickly and caught her lips with his. And goddamn it, she melted. Her bones turned to liquid and she sank down onto him as her arms gave out on her.

“Give me your number.” He whispered when they broke apart. “I can wait till April. Can you?”

“April?”

Wally bit her bottom lip gently. He reached into his nightstand and grabbed for the small notepad and pen he kept there.

“Yeah. Give me your phone number, Wendy.” He quietly demanded, kissing in quick soft pecks.

She gave a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

Wally mentally cheered in triumph as she scribbled a number on the piece of paper. Four months. The Flash wasn’t typically a patient man, but for Wendy Miller, the smart, savvy, high school aged firecracker, he would wait.

~*~*~

Lex was staring up at the ceiling. His eyes studied every bump in the roof as his hand stroked Chloe's hair absently. He wondered how much damage it would cause if-

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, burrowing deeper into his side.

"Waiting for the roof to fall on us and kill us both."

Chloe snorted. "Wow. How morbid of you."

"I've never had anything good happen that wasn't followed by something really, really shitty." Lex bent his neck to kiss the top of Chloe's head. "So I'm waiting for the roof to collapse."

"Or the foundation of the building could crumble and send us crashing down to the first floor in nothing up our birthday suits. OH! Or a rabid bird could fly in the window and infect us."

"Birds don’t get rabies, Chloe."

"Bird flu then." Chloe sighed. "You think you'd be grateful. I gave you, what I think, was really fantastic sex. And you're worrying. I'm insulted."

"Way to toot your own horn." Lex joked, tangling his hand in her messy blond hair.

Chloe snorted. "Speaking of horns, you could do with some more volume control. Why I do declare, Mr. Luthor you'll rouse the neighbors." She joked with a phony Southern accent.

"There are no neighbors. And I can't help it," He told her softly. "You drive me wild."

"That sounds like a line."

"I already have you in bed, Chlo. At this point I don't need lines."

"But they don’t hurt." She teased. She felt warm all over, safe and happy in Lex's arms under the covers.

Lex's hand trailed down to her neck and stroked her nape. It was a little ticklish and Chloe squirmed.

"What are you doing?

"Checking your tag, because you must have been made in heaven." He winked at her. "Baby."

Chloe burst out laughing. She laughed until she couldn't see straight, until she couldn't breathe. And Lex was laughing to. She felt blessed to hear it, because as beautiful as the sound was, it was so rare that it almost didn't exist.

"I'm going to marry you, Chloe." Lex said seriously, when they had calmed a little.

Chloe blinked up at him. "We're too young to be talking about this, Lex."

"Well, I am." He kissed the tip of her nose. "After college. I just thought I should let you know ahead of time."

Chloe's heart broke but she nodded. Lex's comment about the roof collapsing had hit to close to home for her so she’d tried to shrug it off. But she couldn’t shake this feeling of apprehension. Like the minutes were slipping away before she could really live them. And she was worried, terrified that she might not get much longer with Lex. But...

"Good to know.” She said, her voice hoarse with emotion. “With an offer like that, how can I not accept?"

"Love you so damn much, Chloe."

"Same here, Xan." She squeezed him, maybe a little too hard and buried her face in his warm skin.

~*~*~

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Luthor?”

Lionel looked up from his paperwork at the sound of the new voice in his office.

Well, the Sanders boy was looking better. Apparently the surgeons Darren had hired to fix his son’s nose and cheek bone had done a good job because if Lionel hadn’t know the damage his own son had done to the young man standing before him he would never have noticed the tiny suture scars.

“Yes, I did.”

“May I ask why, sir? And on New Year’s Day?”

Lionel nodded. He definitely approved of the young Sanders boy. He had the manners, etiquette, and skill Lex lacked and the ambition Julian seemed to have cast aside in favor of scholarly pursuits.

“You know of the relationship between my son and the young Miss Sullivan, do you not?”

Donovan tightened his hands into fists and clenched his teeth. Of course he knew. They’re relationship, was like a slap in the face, adding insult to injury.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“What about them, Mr. Luthor? It’s not as if I can do anything about it.”

Donovan swallowed hard at the sight of the shark’s smile that spread across Lionel’s face. He was one scary motherfucker, Donovan thought as he suddenly knew where Lex got the ferocity it had taken to damage his face as much as he had.

“You have…less than savory connections at Hampton. Contacts who would be willing to…get their hands dirty.”

Donovan simply nodded.

“I’m entrusting you with the assignment of…removing that blonde tart from Hampton.” Lionel cleared his throat once and gave him a meaningful look. “Permanently. I trust you to handle the details.”

Holy shit on a stick. Donovan shook his head slightly to clear it before searching Lionel’s face. Was he serious?

“Mr. Luthor, how permanent are we talking about here?”

“I simply want her gone from the campus and out of my son’s reach. I do not want to know the specifics.”

Apparently, Donovan had read him wrong. The guy was probably thinking more along the lines of a drug bust than a murder. Good, because he had no desire to waste twenty-five to life on anyone, not even the bald wonder and the kitten.

Lionel said nothing.

“Sure thing, Mr. Luthor. I know a guy.”

“Excellent.”

Donovan shivered. He wasn’t afraid of very much. His father’s high position in society gave him free reign to do pretty much whatever he wanted, including what Lionel was asking of him, if he chose to. And in this case, he chose to because Lionel Luthor reminded him of a combination of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons and the shark from Jaws. And you didn’t screw with that.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Clannadlvr]

Eeep!!! *jumps excitedly*

Oh my gosh! You updated!!

And it was so weird too because I was just rereading your story for fun and then all of the sudden I noticed that page 7 had much more to it....including an update!!!

Great job with the love scene between Xan and Chloe. You really made their first time seem so believable, with all the stops and starts. It's great to see Chloe, a character who has so much bravado, showing her innocence and nerves, and having those feelings respected and cherished by the man she's with. Excellent.

Oh, and I really do think of this Lex as "Xan." There are times when I have to remind myself that these are the same Lex and Chloe we've known- to be honest, I'd like you to kick up the snark level for Chloe, just like it was in the beginning of your story. Snark is ALL about the sexual tension, which we know these two have in spades, and I think it would be more true to Chloe's character- But in any case, I think these new characterizations of Lex and Chloe ARE so interesting because they are in this odd situation, exploring themselves as people, and finding each other. We're seeing sides of them, especially Lex, that we've never gotten to see before.

All and all, a very interesting, well thought out read!

But please don't make us wait so long for an update again!!

And I'm burning with curiousity as to how you're going to work out the whole time warp angle. Please don't tell me that this is some sort of alternate reality that will have no affect on the future!! I want to see how Chloe effects Lex in the present.

:yay:

[hfce]

Yeah you finally updated. The smut :clap: :drool: good.... but the rest of it :crygreen: I dont want her to go. More please....




:chlexsign2:

[Charmingjen]

Holy f'n god, that was amazing. I'm in awe and so excited I waited to find out! OMG I think I'm still in shock from the whole chlex scene. That was amazing, I loved it, I don't think there are words to describe how awesome this chapter was. I mean it so rocked! Great!, Fantastic! I :heart: it! :yay3:

[autumngold]

Like all of your chapters this one is excellent!! I loved Wendy and Wally!! Don't even get me started on how beautiful Lex and Chloe were together!! I'm so scared for her though!! Please let Lex save her from Donovan!! I can't wait for your next update!! Thank you for this story!! :chlexsign4:

[Val]

OMG you updated! Thank you so much! :biggrin:
I really loved this chapter and i'm really curious to see how and when chloe will go back to her own time, will she tell Lex before leaving? Will he remember her from his past in the future? Will this change their futures? I wanna knooooww! Please don't wait so long to update! Love this fic! :worship2:

[staysixkid]

Bravo girl! Damn excellent update! And again...I can not express how much i love your writing! :)

[sosostris]

an update! it was defiantly worth the wait.
the lex deflowering chloe scene was perfect.
and wendy with wally west! that was sublime.
i can't wait for an update. but i will. as long as it takes.

[eurydices falling]

KICK ASS!!!

promise i'll properly review later :biggrin:

[xxasaxx]

Finally an update. And a great one at that ;) Can't wait to see what happens with all of the couples. :chlexsign3:

[ColumbiaBlue]

WOOT!!! WOOT WOOT WOOT!!!! :yay: :yay: :yay: That was a kick ass update!!! And can I say, FINALLY!!!


With either fingers or teeth, he could get the little fuckers open in no time flat.

:pclol: OMG!!! I had a total giggle fit over that line. I dunno, something about Lex refering to zippers as "little"fuckers"... :goof:

PLEASE don't make us wait long for another update!

~Manda :blinkkiss:

[Not An Addict]

*SCREAMS*

*tackle hug*

Oh my god oh my god oh my god. That was so incredibly fantastically wonderfully AMAZINGLY good! The love scene was . . . WOW. No words. I actually have no words here. I can't believe that's the first one you ever wrote. It was . . . perfect. Absolutely perfect. You're amazing.

And you gave Wendy a guy! But not just any guy. YOU GAVE WENDY WALLY WEST!!!!

*tackle hug again*

You're my hero. ^_^ Even if I can see doom lurking on the horizon . . .

[Queen Of Tact]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!! I so luv u right now!!!!!!! What a great update!!!!!!!!!!! I was so so so happy to find it....... I thought I was going to have to leave u another little no saying you better update before i have to hunt you down and glue u to the computer........ So saying that please please please please please please don't make me have to wait so long for the next update.....

CC

[Claudia]

Finally! Ive been waiting forever for an update and it was totally worth the wait!
You just have to update FLIAODimensions and the new year will be even better than it has been so far!
:worship2:

[jwest]

I'm so glad you finally updated. The part was worth the wait. I loved Chloe and Lex together, and Jules and Corrine are so cute. So happy to see Wendy got Wally (my alltime favorite superhero), although I really hope we don't have to wait till April for his next appearence. All your couples in this fic are so great together. And Lionel! He's really living up to his magnificient bastard title, isn't he? I can't wait to see what'll happen in the next part!

[scifichick774]

*sigh*

It's almost heartbreaking when you know what's to come. Spoilers can be a bitch.

The Jules/Corinne bit was really nice, but made me push my lips into a tiny pout because I know where you're going with it.

The Wendy/Wally stuff was great. So glad you've incorporated him into the storyline.

And, as much work as you put into the smut, I actually liked the second Chloe/Lex scene better. Maybe I'm just getting burned out on smut, but the second scene really pushed the emotional buttons and they both seemed really in character.

Well done.

[marrycherry]

GREAT UPDATE!!!!!!!

I LOVE THE SCENE WITH LEX AND CHLOE (so sweet :wub: )


hope you update soon
:chlexsign4:

[katspell]

:worship2: I just found this, and I must say I LOVED IT!!!! I'm waiting for the shoe to drop. Will Chloe end up back in her own time, and if so... when, and what will Lex remember?????

PLEASE update as soon as possible.

[sylvia]

I really love the way you write Chlex. Thanks so much for updating!

[vardaquareien]

As much as I love smut, (and we all know how much I do :blush: ) this was too beautiful to be called smut. It was a gorgeous love-making scene. Really tender and realistic!

I loved the Wendy/Wally scene coz I love the Flash (although this makes the Flash heaps older than Superman which is a bit weird).

I'm scared for Chloe and Lex. Both because of their foreboding scene together and because of the MB hiring Donovan.

And as always I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen to tie this all back to the present day. *sigh* I love this ficcy!

[Blackberry]

*Holds in breath, trying to calm fluttering heart* :wub: Oh wow, I'm in awe! That was hella kick-ass! I really liked it before but now I like it even more! :biggrin:

And oooh that damned cliffhanger! Damn Lionel and his dirty scheming ways! Love the character portrayals - parallel to the series! ^__^

Can't wait for your newer update! Will be waiting patiently....... as possible....

:chlexsign3:

*squirms in seat*

[gina]

Wow. That was so amazing! I just loved everything about this chapter! The Chlex scenes were perfect! Wendy and Wally are incredibly cute together, I'm so happy she got a guy! And that last scene gave me chills, I have a horrible feeling of what's to come.

I adore this fic and I'm dying to find out how all this fits into present day! Please update soon!

[ghostwriter]

i almost don't want to know what happens but i don't have that much self control so i'll settle for a quick updte and then i can concentrate on the good bit and try and forget the sad bits... the means PLEASE update :biggrin:

[buffiy18]

:yay: Great update!!!! Chloe and Lex were beautiful! I found myself pasing myself as I read the chapter... I didn't want it to be over :chlexsign3: I am feeling so bad for Lex when Chloe leaves :dry:

I can't believe that Lionel is such an @$$. I soooo hate him.

I'm glad to see Wendy has a guy. Looking forward to reading more about them, although I don't want to see any less Chlex.

This is one of my favorite stories. You do an excellent job with each and every chapter.

:chlexsign2:

[Impress]

that was fab hun. simply fab.

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: fantastico!

[sexi_angel_babee]

(wipes a tear) oh my gosh.. dat was beautiful.. that was so worth waiting all this time... wow... just beautiful

[Lilith The First]

this was... it was...

no sorry, I'll have to read it twice and than maybe I'll review...

but... wow.

[SinnerSaint]

Its a miracle !!! This update has totally revived me !!! I have the strength to go on now and can wait patiently for another update !
Seriously though it was just fantastic ! It went above and beyond what I expected .

[celticangel]

LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! :worship2: :worship2: Wow great chapter. Can't wait for the next part. :wub:

[Lilith The First]

Ok, I read it again and again...

and still, all I can come up with is 'wow'. I love this chapter so much that i cannot say anything else. now... well... why aren't you already typing the next??? kidding, just kidding.

I love how this story is developing and I hope that Chloe will soon return to the 'present-future', because I cannot wait for that part where she tells it to Lex/Xan..

and the Flash bit was really wonderful...

:wub: loved every part of it!

:worship2:

[Kit Merlot]

This was an excellent update! I loved how romantic Lex was with Chloe, but I feel a vague sense of unease. I hope Donovan isn't successful when he tries to hurt Chloe. And Lionel needs a severe beating!

Wonderful update--WELL DONE :biggrin:

[peepsRfun2eat]

:worship2: :worship2:

i have no idea how i never found this story before, but let me say was fucking awesome.
ok i love jules/corrine, and their realtionship. then the chlex is awesome, and that last scene between them and chloe knowing it can't last :crygreen: . sorry *sniffling* it was just so foreboding.

then the whole Wendy finally getting some and with the Flash? loved it!

i hope donovan screws up the MB's plan to hurt chloe and lex. but i sort of want to know how this will affect lex and how he reacts to her in the future.

ok please update!

[randa]

(i knew there was a reason for lex's obsession with brunetts)

i absolutly loved every single bit of this update :yay:
now i im going to try and be patient while waiting for an update, but i lost all of my patience long ago so its gonna be hard.

by the way.... :worship2:


randa

[carebear72884]

wow, i got so tried of waiting for an update, but it was well worth it, that chapy was sooooo good, i cant wait for more, so you better hurry up and update, i am so worried about chloe, and i cant wait for her to go back to the future. more please

[KawaiiRyu]

Woot! A new update! *happy dance* But DAMN if that wasn't some GREAT smut! *wide grin* Awesomely written, very tastful--I can't wait for more! :yay:

[marrycherry]

PLEASE UPDATE I'M DYING HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
:chlexsign3:

[Clannadlvr]

*sighs*

Ok, I NEVER do this. I NEVER beg for an update with multiple posts. Yeah, sure, sure, I might ask someone to "update soon" in a post I leave them but I never, ever, leave multiple posts with whiny little messages.

Ahem:

[comence whine

Please, please, please, WHAT do I have to do to get you up update? Hmmm? What would you like? Chocolate cake? World domination? Heck, I'm not sure if you've read my fic...but if there IS a fic you'd like me to update, I'd try to get the whole darn thing finished if it would mean you'd update!!!

/end whine]

*sighs desperately*

Hon, this fic has had me hooked since the very first lines. I love the AU approach with Lex and Chloe...especially since we get to see a Lex before he was hurt in some sort of way that makes him the emotionally guarded character we see in SV. Also, we get to see Chloe and Lex unfettered by the crew at the Talon and Smallville high. We're seeing Chloe and "Xan" in a completely different environment.

And that's such an intriguing way of handling their characters.

So, anyway...the point is...if you can, I'd love an update. *smiles*

[ColumbiaBlue]

[comence whine

Please, please, please, WHAT do I have to do to get you up update? Hmmm? What would you like? Chocolate cake? World domination? Heck, I'm not sure if you've read my fic...but if there IS a fic you'd like me to update, I'd try to get the whole darn thing finished if it would mean you'd update!!!
/end whine]

What she said!

~Manda

[MagnusXXN]

Very nice.

Love this whole story, and I'm cursing myself for not reading it sooner. Can't wait for an undate.







): )

[autumngold]

Can I add my begging to everyone else's? Please, please, please, please, please update soon!! I can't wait to find out what is going to happen in the next part!! I know your updates are always well worth the wait, but please end our suffering soon!! :chlexsign1: :biggrin: :chlexsign1:

[sexi_angel_babee]

no, seriously... where's the update? is the author dead? in a coma? come on..... this story's so good.... u gotta continue... all this time, i still can't get over how good this fic is...

[WolviesLover]

Oh my. Chloe.. :crygreen: Great chapter. Loved the Corinne interaction as always. She's getting to be my favorite character, actually. More? Pleeease?

[dce]

Okay, now I *really* need another update&#33; <hint, hint> :angel:

[sabby]

wow. This was great&#33; You know I love this story and especially the original characters in there. I love that you had Wendy not believe her but still being a friend trying to help Chloe get over whatever issue it was. That was true to character&#33;

Excellent chapter and I like the abruptness of the end and what happened to Chloe. I definitely can&#39;t wait for the next chapter, and you know it&#33; Love the story and knowing what&#39;s to come, I can&#39;t wait til it gets here.

I love your portrait of a younger Lex and the way you built up and showed the relationship between him and Chloe. Can&#39;t wait to see the story unfold from one chapter to the next till everything comes together in the end.

hugs,
Sab

[roslyn]

Originally posted by scifichick774@Mar 25 2004, 03:19 AM


I knew what was coming and was still impacted. That&#39;s how well the Chloe death scene came across - so kudos for that.



she&#39;s kidding right? that wasn&#39;t really chloe&#39;s death scene, was it? You have to come back and update like right NOW

I have to know what happens next&#33; please tell me chloe and xan will be okay&#33; please, they have to be. and Wendy definitely needs to be included&#33; please, please, please update&#33;


Roslyn

[serenitysea]

^

I don&#39;t remember reading anything about a death scene. Nope. No sirree. *shakes head*

After all, this is Chloe. She&#39;s fallen out of windows before. Remember? Hmm.


If what Scifi says is true... Lex is going to flip a shit. He really, really is.

And that is one Luthor I don&#39;t even want to be within a 50 mile radius of.

[Michelle]

For the love of god, I will give you my first born, a years supply of chocolate, all my money, my brother, my computer, JUST PLEEEEASSE CONTINUE PLEASE NOW RIGHT NOW PLEASE&#33;&#33;&#33; Phew, sorry. That was my alter ego, Jed. As you can tell, he&#39;s the smart one. You should listen to him. This was a great great chapter, I felt bad for Chloe. But I&#39;m glad you didn&#39;t make Wendy believe her straight away, that wouldn&#39;t have made sense. Beautiful job, as usual. Please listen to Jed, he really knows what he&#39;s talking about ;) .

Hugs, Michelle.

[LarkLuthor]

May we please have an update soon? PLEASE&#33; PLEASE&#33;&#33;&#33; :worship2: :worship2:

Hi Jed&#33; I just love meeting people&#39;s alter-igos, muses, and evil twins. Anyway, I have a question. If you&#39;re going to trade your computer for an update how will you read the update?

Lark

[happy bunny]

You really are going to make us beg for more, aren&#39;t you?

I&#39;ll do it; I have no pride. *begs shamelessly for an update*

I know you&#39;ve got it there somewhere. Come on, copy and paste is your friend. :biggrin:

Just... sometime soon, please? I&#39;m loving this story and I really need to find out what happens.

[sexi_angel_babee]

where&#39;s the update.... come on u kno u wanna update... yea, no one answered my question about the fountain pen thing.. :crygreen: WUT DOES IT MEAN?&#33;?&#33;?&#33;?&#33;??&#33;?&#33;?&#33; the FOUNTAIN PEN&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; it&#39;s drivin me nuts... sumone answer&#33;

[katspell]

happily joins update chant.

[ColumbiaBlue]

AAAAAHHHHHH&#33; Update&#33; Update now&#33; You&#39;re killing me&#33; You have to update and make everything better cause she just CAN&#39;T go like that&#33; *Slinks back into a corner, balls up, and starts rocking back and forth* Nononononononononononononono&#33; NO&#33;

*ahem*

Um... Update? Please? :biggrin:

~Manda :blinkkiss:

[campbti]

God this is just amazing. Normally I don&#39;t get into the otherwordly stories, but you are great. The younger Lex is so real, so much anger and need. And Chloe... perfect. I love all the characters especially Corrine. Please update... you just can&#39;t leave it there, it read twenty something freakin&#39; chapters and I need closure.... UPDATE soooooooon. :crygreen: :crygreen: I need more&#33;&#33;&#33;

[Ellidyay]

A/N: You wanted it, you got it. Hope ya&#39;ll like it. It&#39;s been stirring in my head for ages and finally got purged on paper. I hope it meets with approval.
Also, brownie points to the first person who can tell me the fountain pen reference from the last chapter.

Thanks: Thanks to Kris, Sabby, and Mitch. I love you guy ad you are such huge helps.

Review:Please please please please leave me a review. I want to know what everyone thinks. PLEASE&#33; THANK YOU&#33;

Chapter 29 - ...Of The End

By the time Wendy made it to Winchester Hall the crowd was already starting to disperse. She cursed under her breath as she pushed her way through the remnants of the crowd to the line of police tape and remaining spectators. When she came to the front she was standing right next to Corinne.

The goth was standing, shell shocked, staring at the bloodstained grass and mulling police.

"Corinne, what happened?"

Black painted lips opened, closed, and then opened again. They closed once more as Corinne swallowed in an attempt to speak. "She fell."

"She fell?" Wendy stared at the taller girl. "Who fell? Corinne, what&#39;s going on?"

"She fell. And they...tried. Vice Principal Trendle got a call on her cell a few minutes ago from the hospital. She died before they could even get her there. Dead on arrival."

Died? Wendy was beginning to seriously worry. Someone had died? What was going on here? "Who died?"

"Sullivan." Corinne said, still looking shell-shocked. "It was Sullivan.

"No."

"Miller, I- " Corinne started but she was cut off.

"No&#33;" Wendy screamed. She started to run towards the building but a policeman caught her. "It wasn&#39;t her&#33; How dare you&#33;" She struggled to get herself free of the cop&#39;s strong grip. "Let me go, goddamn it&#33;"

"You were friends weren&#39;t you? With Miss Sullivan?" he asked, his voice filled with sympathy and pity. "I&#39;m sorry for your loss." His grip on her arms loosened as he spoke.

"No," she whispered, her eyes darting over to Corinne. She still looked shell shocked but was able to meet her gaze and nod in confirmation. A single black tinted tear rolled down the goth&#39;s face. "NO&#33;"

Wendy jerked free of the cop&#39;s weak grip and tore off into the building. She raced up the stairs six flights of stairs and into her dorm room.

Jesus, it was cold. The window was gone, nothing but bits of glass still valiantly clinging to the window frame. And freezing February wind blew into the room dropping the temperature.

Wendy looked at Chloe&#39;s made bed, which she hadn&#39;t slept in it the night before, and her messy closet. It was as though at any moment her friend would walk through the door and start talking about classes or Lex.

"Oh god." Wendy breathed at the thought. "Lex." She looked frantically around, desperately seeking answers. "What am I going to tell Lex?"

~*~*~

The whole campus was buzzing. Someone had fallen. The cops were here. The word "died" was floating around and people had gathered near Winchester Hall.

Lex found out before he ever made it back to his dorm and took off towards the dormitory. He needed to check on Chloe and Wendy. He needed to be sure

When he got there, police tape was everywhere and there was a small crowd watching the police mull around.

Lex worked his way to the front of the crowd. There was blood in the grass, turning brown as it dried.

"Do you know what happened here?" Lex asked a tall, heavyset boy who stood near him.

"Some girl fell through a window on the top floor. I heard she died." He said as he shivered in the icy February weather. "It&#39;s really awful, man."

Lex didn&#39;t wait to hear more. He quietly worked his way through the crowd and moved around to the entrance of the building. He snuck easily inside and climbed up the stairs to Chloe&#39;s floor.

He wasn&#39;t exactly sure what he&#39;d been expecting to see when he opened the door to the dorm but Wendy sitting on Chloe&#39;s bed trying to stop her tears was not it. "Wendy?"

"Lex, I..."her voice broke on a sob.

"Wendy?"

Wendy looked wildly around the room. "There&#39;s been an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Lex asked, trying his best to remain calm. "Wendy, where is Chloe?"

"She fell.”

“What do you mean she fell?”

“She must have tripped or something,“ Wendy said, sounding slightly hysterical as she pointed to the broken window.

Lex blinked, unwilling to believe what he was hearing. This was a dream. A nightmare. And he was certain that if he waited long enough, he would wake up and Chloe would still be here. He would find that none of this was real. None of it.

"Wendy, I think you&#39;re confused. You must have heard wrong. Because she can&#39;t be dead. I just saw her a few hours ago.” He gestured wildly towards the window, angry at her lying to him like this. How dare she, of all people, try to pull this bullshit with him? “The cops have to have seen the window. It&#39;s just vandalism."

Wendy had to be wrong she had to be.

"Lex," her lower lip trembled and a fresh flood of tears poured down her face. "Lex, please…look at the window. Listen to the police. If you have to…go down and look at the…the blood. Corinne saw…she saw…" She stopped as her voice hiccupped on a sob. "She&#39;s gone, Lex. She&#39;s really…oh, God."

“She is not gone&#33; She’s not…” Lex trailed off. Pain ripped through his chest. The same pain he&#39;d felt with his mother had died.

Wendy was still crying, on the verge of hyperventilating. "Lex, she saw, Chloe. Corinne saw her bo-," Wendy couldn&#39;t even say the word out loud. "When she fell. I&#39;m so sorry. I&#39;m sorry."

And then he could see it. In the way Wendy was sitting curled up in a ball, in the look on her face, in the tears in her eyes. It was real.

"No."

Lex took in a shuddering breath. It wasn&#39;t fair. Every time he loved someone, they were torn away from him. God, why Chloe? Why? Goddamn it, this was not fair&#33; She was so vibrant and bright. And with the reality of the situation sinking in, he felt like all the color was draining from his world.

"No."

"Lex." Wendy said, her words broken by sobs. "I&#39;m…Lex, I&#39;m sorry."

"Get out."

"Please, Lex, I lost her too."

"Get. The. Fuck. Out."

He didn&#39;t hear Wendy run out of the room, crying. He didn&#39;t hear the door slam shut. He just heard a rush of white noise that blocked everything else out.

Like a zombie, Lex moved to through her room. Her pictures, her books, her clothes, everything was as she&#39;d left it. His fingers touching everything she&#39;d once touch, trying to capture a piece of her that still reminded in the cold room.

He was completely numb, as if he were a stranger in his own body. And whatever was running the rest of him moved him to lie down on her bed. He could smell the scent of her hair in the fabric of her pillowcase.

A rush of images of Chloe assailed him. Her eyes, her smile, her laugh, her smart mouth. The first time he saw her comet tattoo. He saw her in his boxers and Metallica shirt, claiming the garments and his heart as her own. He could taste her in his mouth and smell her around him. He could feel her in his arms. He could see the faint bruises on her hips left by his fingers from their lovemaking.

She was so vibrant. So beautiful. How could she be gone?

God, he couldn&#39;t do this. He couldn&#39;t imagine facing the world without her. How was he supposed to keep going?

It was all too much. He just broke. He tucked his knees up to his chest as his body was racked with harsh sobs, his face buried in her pillow. And he lay there until he heard the footsteps of policemen thumping down the hall to her room sometime later to finish their investigation.

~*~*~

Wally was sitting at home when the phone rang. His boss was on vacation so he&#39;d cut out of work an hour early and was home in time to catch a rerun of the Simpsons. Using his speed he muted the TV and grabbed the phone, answering before the first wring tone was done.

He tucked the headset in the crook of his neck before speaking. "Y&#39;ello?"

"Wally?"

He sat up at the sound of Wendy&#39;s voice. Usually this was the point where he would have smiled at getting her phone call and made a cocky innuendo. But this time her voice was wavering and shaky. "Wen?"

"She&#39;s dead. Jesus Wally, she&#39;s dead. And Lex has locked himself in his room, and Corinne&#39;s disappeared, and I just need you right now."

She always went so fast. It was hard for him to keep up with her sometimes. "Whoa, baby, slow down. Slow down. Lets take this from the top. Who is dead?"

"Chloe, my friend Chloe."

More than a regular run-of-the-mill around-campus friend, Wally surmised from the utterly broken quality of Wendy&#39;s voice. "This girl, she&#39;s your best friend isn&#39;t she, babe?"

Wendy didn&#39;t answer him. Instead she whispered. "She fell."

A mental image of splattered internal organs made Wally wince. "Jesus, baby, I am so sorry." Wally suddenly realized that it had been over a month since he&#39;d held her. And he suddenly wanted nothing more than to have her in his arms, safe.

"Lex is having a melt down. I tried. I tried everything. But he won’t...he won’t let me help him." God, she sounded so hopeless. "It&#39;s like he&#39;s dying inside. Like he&#39;s dying with her."

Lex. Lex Luthor. That name Wally recognized. He was one of Wendy&#39;s close friends and from the sound of it he was Chloe&#39;s significant other as well. Jesus Christ on a crutch, this must be hard for him. But for some reason, it bothered him more that Lex&#39;s grief was hurting Wendy than that the man was in pain itself. "At least he knows you&#39;re there for him."

"He doesn&#39;t. He&#39;s shut me out. And...I can&#39;t go to Chloe for advice about it because-because...Wally?"

Wally swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "Yeah, baby?"

"How soon can you be here? I just," She sighed heavily. "I need to see you. Please."

His heart tightened in his chest at the sound of her, so small and sad. It was so different from his Wendy: strong, spunky, and full of spark.

"Where are you?"

"Hampton Prep."

"I can be there fifteen minutes." Lie. He could be there in fifteen seconds but that would be a wee bit suspicious.

"Please. I need you."

"Coming, baby."

He made it to his car, a sleek black number built like him- for speed, in less than a second. And it only took him ten minutes to get to Hampton Prep. Wendy was waiting for him in the visitor parking lot.

He was out of his car and had her in his arms in the blink of an eye. And then he heard her crying. She was sobbing, heartbroken into his rumbled shirt. He hugged her tighter as her hands fisted in the fabric and her sobs reached a plateau and became a soft keening cry.

Wally kissed the crown of her head and soothed her hair. He rubbed her back with gentle hands. He let her cry herself out. He let her do anything to help her deal with the pain. "I know it hurts, baby. I&#39;m here, Wendy."

She chuckled on hitching breath. She&#39;d cried so hard she&#39;d started hyperventilating. But she was calming now. "Thanks, Wally. I wouldn&#39;t have known you were here if you hadn&#39;t told me just now."

Wally could tell she was joking when she kissed him. He could tell she was still hurting when she shoved him into the back seat of his car, clutching at him and needing to feel alive. And Wally knew she would heal when, in the afterglow, she told him about how she&#39;d met her best friend, Chloe.

~*~*~

Gary Noble and Francis Humfrey were both on their way to being well and truly shitfaced. And after watching a girl, bleeding internally and in critical condition, grow transparent and then disappear into thin fucking air both men felt they were entitled.

"Weird shit,” Humfrey muttered for the umpteenth time before downing another shot of Jack.

"Very,” Noble agreed for the same numbered time.

Both were experienced EMTs, Noble had been working for seven years and Humfrey for five. So both men had seem some freaky things before, including a guy who managed to get a live hamster stuck in a very embarrassing place. But that was nothing compared to today.

They&#39;d been a little over ten minutes from Sacred Heart when she&#39;d faded out like a specter in a ghost movie. Panicked and confused, they&#39;d called Gary&#39;s uncle. People always gave Noble shit for being the nephew of the hospital administrator. But he&#39;d gotten his job on the sweat of his brow. He just had a higher power to call on with the shit hit the fan.

Hal Noble had put his nephew on hold for three minutes as he speed dialed the hospital&#39;s leading benefactor. Mr. Luthor&#39;s advice had been succinct and very helpful. After receiving his instructions, Noble had contacted his nephew, instructing him to pull up to the morgue entrance. No sense in stopping up ER traffic with a body that wasn&#39;t there.

Neither knew that Hal had then called Hampton Prep&#39;s Vice Principal&#39;s direct cell phone to deliver the "bad news." The body used in her stead, a Jane Doe suicide, had been exhumed from the morgue. Within twenty-four hours "Chloe Sullivan" had been buried in a small grave in Harbor Cemetery. They did know that the girl had been marked as dead on arrival.

Gary Noble and Francis Humfrey went, once, to visit the grave, about two days after the false body was buried. Gary thought it was nice of Humfrey to have brought the girl flowers. And as he watched his friend lay the white lilies under the simple words Rest in Peace on a plain headstone with no date only her name, Noble wondered where she was.

~*~*~

"Alex are you ok?" Julian asked looking at his brother. He&#39;d been in the same sprawled position on his bed with the same CD on repeat for days.

Corinne had called him at school. She hadn&#39;t called him, per say. She&#39;d just left 27, and he&#39;d counted, messages on his machine. And when he&#39;d finally gotten in touch with his sort-of girlfriend later that evening, he&#39;d fallen flat on his ass at the news

As soon as he&#39;d pulled himself off the floor, he&#39;d gone to the dean of students, explained that his "sister-in-law" had just died and his brother would need him. He&#39;d gotten his reading assignments from his professors up through the next three weeks(most of which he&#39;d already finished) and was on a train to Boston the next day.

He&#39;d talked to Wendy and Corinne (who had needed what she called a &#39;funeral fuck&#39; first, which had involved her pretending not to cry into his shoulder as they made love) and they&#39;d told him the situation.

Lex was not speaking to either of them anymore. Apparently once the reality of the situation had sunk in, Lex had sort of lost it. That was nearly a month ago and Julian was starting to worry and Lex was starting to smell.

"No." Came the deadpan reply. But it was better than nothing. It was the first time in weeks Lex had said anything to anyone.

Jules sighed and admitted to himself that it had been a really stupid question to ask. His brother had just lost the most important person in his world.

"Can I do anything?"

"Julian, shut the fuck up and go away. And if you tell Dad about any of this, I will beat you so hard, you won&#39;t be able to walk for a month." Lex growled.

"You would have to get up to do that. And I haven&#39;t seen you move in three days." Julian answered smiling slightly.

"Go to hell, Wonder Boy."

"I can&#39;t. You look like a skeleton, Alex. You haven&#39;t eaten in a week. You haven&#39;t slept in almost two weeks. All you do is lay there, starring at the fucking ceiling, and listening to her CDs. You&#39;ll burn them out at this rate you know," Julian said, hoping to get a rise out of him. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but notice that Corinne&#39;s cursing was rubbing off on him.

"I made copies," Lex said not moving a muscle.

Julian grabbed him by the front of his Metallica shirt and jerked him out of bed. Lex&#39;s legs, weak from disuse, gave out and he crumpled to the floor.

"You are a disgusting mess. At least change your shirt for Christ&#39;s sake," Julian said, looking down at his older brother.

"Yeah and you are an annoying, geeky, oversized rodent." Lex sighed and leaned his head back on the edge of his bed. "She took my clothes when she left, after we made love. She wore a pair of my boxers and this shirt even though it was freezing out. She didn&#39;t give them back. She wore them more in the month she had them then I did in a year," Lex said quietly. "Sometimes I think I still smell her scent in the fabric."

He could feel the pain of loss rip through his chest. He wanted her back. He needed her back. But all his money and power and connections couldn&#39;t bring back the dead. Just like none of it could give him back his mother or his baby sister.

"Alex," was all Julian could manage at that. He sank down on the floor next to his brother. He didn&#39;t touch him, knowing there was no way in hell Lex would accept it, but his closeness offering support anyway. And for once, Lex took what he offered.

"I was always better when I was with her. She changed me, made me feel alive. And I can&#39;t stop loving her even through she isn&#39;t here and missing her is killing me inside." He chuckled sadly. "I can&#39;t believe I just said that to you of all people."

"I won&#39;t exploit the fact that you&#39;re in mourning. You have to know that. And you know she wouldn&#39;t want you to hurt. She did everything she did to make you happy; and now you&#39;re here wasting away from pain. Try to let go." Julian said softly.

"Remember what it was like when we lost Mom and Lena?" Lex asked him in that same dead voice he&#39;d been using through the whole conversation.

I remember you, Jules thought. I remember you angry, hateful, and reclusive. I remember hearing you crying through the door of your locked room. Don&#39;t hide from me like you did then. But he didn&#39;t say all that. He simply said, "Yes."

"Did the pain ever go away for you, Jules?"

Julian sighed heavily. He wasn&#39;t one to lie when asked a direct question. "No"

"Then you have a vague idea of what I&#39;m living in right now. This..."Lex gestured at the room to indicate the almost visible despair that filled the room, "is never going to go away. And despite what people say, the ache never eases up. You just grow accustomed to it. When I&#39;m used to it, I&#39;ll be back to my old asshole self. And I&#39;m sure you’ll be ecstatic."

"For what its worth Alex, I&#39;m here for you."

"I know Jules, now get out."

"You getting back in bed?" Julian asked before he headed out of Lex&#39;s room.

"Yeah, but I think I&#39;m going to shower first."

Julian shook his head and left the room. Lex would be all right. He always was. He had to be.

~*~*~

Chloe woke with a gasp. Her eyes darted around, desperate for something solid.

"Chloe? Calm down, Sweetheart. It&#39;s all right. You&#39;re all right."

"Dad?" Chloe stared stupidly at her father. Her father was standing next to her bed, stroking her hand. "What are you doing here?"

Gabe smiled at her. "You got hit by a car. A truck actually. You&#39;re lucky to be alive, let alone so healthy. It&#39;s a miracle." Her father kissed her hand. "Clark brought you to the hospital."

"I missed you Daddy,” Chloe said softly. And she had. But she still had to be sure of what was happening. "What&#39;s the date?"

Her father smiled indulgently at her. "October twenty-third. You&#39;ve only lost two days. You were so very lucky, Chloe. "

"The date, Daddy. With the year." Something felt different. Things were different. Hell her father was standing right in front of her.

Gabe looked down at his only child with concern but indulged her. "June 23, 2002."

She was back. She could practically hear Christopher Lloyd yelling &#39;back to the future&#33;&#39; Which meant she had hadn&#39;t had a chance to tell Lex, to tell anyone what was happening. This was not good. Not good at all. "Oh shit."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[michelle_19781997]

Yeah an update. I can&#39;t wait until she see&#39;s Lex again. That should be an interesting conversation.

[Calliope]

:biggrin: What a wonderfully sad update&#33; But, an update all the same. Poor Lex. I hope he realizes he hasn&#39;t really lost Chloe. :chlexsign2:

[gina]

Wow. That was so heartbreaking. Poor Lex and Wendy. I was so relieved to find out that Chloe didn&#39;t actually die but returned back to the future. And now I&#39;m eagerly awaiting what will happen between Lex and Chloe&#33;

Thank you for the amazing, albeit sad, update&#33; Can&#39;t wait for more&#33; :)

[Val]

Gah you actually made me cry&#33; I don&#39;t usually, if ever, cry in fics&#33;
Poor Lex and poor Wendy&#33; I cant wait to see what chloe will do now. Will Lex have changed in this reality?
I NEED more&#33; Please dont take so long to update, pleeease?

[carebear72884]

wow, oh wow, now what??? i need to know what happens when she sees lex. i need to know if she still has the tattoo, and i need to know now, i need to know if lex knew ever since he moved to smallville who chloe was and if he was just waiting for her to go into the past and come back, or has everything changed becasue she went in to the past so is future lex the same lex we all know and love, or is he diffrent now becasue chloe went into the past...please update my brain is going nuts, i need to know asap&#33;&#33;

[campbti]

OH my God, thank you for the update. ok, now apologize for making me cry. :crygreen:

that was so wonderful and horrible. you have to update again SOON&#33;&#33;&#33; I can&#39;t go long not knowing how it ends up. Will Lex know her, was he waiting, did it really happen, (if this is a dream sequence, I beg you change the ending and make it something else). I beg you to update. PLease, Please, Please. :worship2:

[Clannadlvr]

oh my gosh.

babes, I knew what was coming down the pike. I knew, in some small way, what to expect.

But then I read this and you broke me. You completely broke me.

I can&#39;t even imagine what Lex of the present day is like now...after suffering a loss like that. Did he ever move to Smallville? Has he recognized Chloe for who she is?

I...*damn*

Ok, I&#39;ll review this again when I can a little bit more coherant. I&#39;m going to give myself a few hours and read some more...but...just...wow.

You&#39;ve done an amazing job with this. It was so worth the wait.

[Blaire023]

*wipes the tears away.*

I&#39;m crying. You...you made me cry. Big fat alligator tears.

*sniffles*

Poor Lex.

~B

[Queen Of Tact]

Sweetie I love it, but u already know that, and you also know i&#39;m going to beg till i get more..... Love the story hon&#33;&#33; Great job...


CC

[absentia-varia]

:biggrin: YAY&#33; an Update,
I really love this story, its the only one ive actually reviewed so far...

I cant wait to see what happens next, now that Chloe is &#39;Back in the Future&#39;&#33;

Update as soon as you can&#33;
:chlexsign2:

[Béatrice]

:biggrin: Yahoo&#33; A great but sad update&#33;&#33;&#33; Now I want more &#39;cause I need to know what&#39;s going to happen when Chloe and Lex will meet each other. How will she explain him?
Please update soon. :yay:

[LarkLuthor]

Now we get to the interesting part. How this affects the real world. Will we have wait ages and ages for the next part? I&#39;m almost afried to listen to the answer to that.

Lark

[sylvia]

That was incredible. Lex&#39;s emotions are so raw and so real... you nearly made me cry&#33; -sniff- I love the way you show each of the characters dealing with the loss. But I can&#39;t wait to find out how you resolve everything&#33; What on earth will happen when Chloe and Lex meet again in 2002?

[pop55]

Hey&#33;&#33;&#33; you can&#39;t stop like that, it&#39;s so unfair&#33;&#33; please update soon&#33;&#33; I can&#39;t wait for more.

This update was so wonderful :crygreen: :crygreen:

:chlexsign4:

[katspell]

That was soooo good. Poor broken Lex. Snaps to Jullian for trying to help. Poor everyone. K, so, Chloe is back in her own time... Whats she going to do now? phonecalls????? "Hi, Wendy, this is Chloe. I told you I was from the future." Wow, that would go over like a lead ballon. And Lex, what about poor poor Lex..... :crygreen:

[Impress]

what they all said.

great and sad update. need more of this story soon.

[mimi71884]

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

OH MY&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; MY OH MY&#33;

What? You can&#39;t leave it like that&#33; you just can&#39;t&#33; OH DEAR&#33;


ARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH i&#39;m just gonna :goof: DIE :goof: without an update soon&#33;&#33;&#33;

PLEASE don&#39;t make us wait too long... i really love this fic. so so original.
can&#39;t wait to see how her future was affected by this. i hope lex isn&#39;t too much of an asshole. will her recognize her?
PLEASe come back soon and end our suffering&#33;&#33;&#33;

Please restrain yourself from fucking up the tables... thanks - Jules

[Blackberry]

:ohmy: noooooo i want mooooore&#33;&#33; that was so horribly awesome I can&#39;t get enough of this story I must read more more more more more more more&#33;&#33; eeeeeep&#33; I love your story so much&#33;

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; :) Hopefully more to come... really really soon.......

BB

[asharnanae]

:crygreen: :worship2: :biggrin: damn&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; :worship2:

[autumngold]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the update&#33;&#33; Did Chloe really go back to the past or was it all a dream? Why doesn&#39;t Lex remember her? I can&#39;t wait for your next chapter&#33;&#33; If I beg will you update soon? Please&#33;&#33; :worship2: :worship2: :yay2: :chlexsign4: :yay2:

[celticangel]

Great update. I can&#39;t wait for the next part. Update soon PLEEEEEASE&#33;&#33; :worship2: :chlexsign3:

[Not An Addict]

It&#39;s like a birthday miracle&#33; A . . . kind of depressing miracle, but still. ^_^ And yes, I know you posted this yesterday, but even so. I&#39;m counting it as a birthday present anyway. ^_~ Poor, poor Lex. My question, of course, is this: if Chloe went back in time and met Lex back in the day, then he should have recognized her as soon as he met her. He wouldn&#39;t all of a sudden have new memories appearing out of nowhere. So I guess what my question is, is this: did he perhaps hear her name before seeing her, realize it was her, and realize that for whatever reason she didn&#39;t remember him? Perhaps he&#39;d talked to Wendy about the last thing she and Chloe spoke about, heard about the whole "I&#39;m from the future" thing, and has been biding his time until Chloe left and came back? Or did the whole thing not happen at all? (If it&#39;s that last one, my birthday present will become several of your vital organs.) I need to know&#33; Need more. Please? Pretty please? *batts eyes*

No patience for platitudes and praise. Want more. Give it. Now. ^_~

[MissMed03]

Well that must suck, waking up Lex-less.
How will this affect the "real" Lex?
Update soon... I can&#39;t wait to read more...

[moultipass1]

:ohmy: What... how... That... But... I mean... wow&#33;
ok, able to form complete sentences now... I think.
That was so sad&#33; :crygreen: I think you couldn&#39;t have described Lex&#39;s reaction to something like that any better&#33;
I know you just updated, but I can&#39;t wait for next part&#33; :blinkkiss:

Moultipass :chlexsign4:

[Sab_Luthor]

oh my please please i need you to update please i very need one
i need to know if he will remember her
i need to know what will happen
please update soon don&#39;t take forever
i beg you please

[ghostwriter]

now what needs to happen is:
1. Wendy needs to tell lex what chloe told her
2. Chloe needs to get her butt over to the masion and talk to lex
3. then there needs to be a big renunion

But don&#39;t make me cry again *scrubs away tears* (damnit i&#39;m still crying) :crygreen:

Now get back here and update :worship2:

[marrycherry]

AMAZING UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

please update soon i wanna see today Lex&#39;s reaction

:chlexsign3:

[Kendrix03]

WOW&#33; That was an incredible update. It raises so many questions? Are the past and present continuing independent from each other? If yes, Chloe being in the past would not effect her &#39;dimension&#39;. Could both times come together and if they could wouldn&#39;t Lex be completely different? There are just so many question that can only be answered by another update.

[tiff]

you can&#39;t leave it like that&#33; well, actually you can but please don&#39;t? because i&#39;m confused too and wanna know what&#39;s going to happen. i need to know. please i need to know&#33; so yeah another update&#39;d be nice, please....and thank you, oh yes, and i love this story it is amazing and it would be even more amazing if right after i posted this comment another chapter was up. :biggrin:

[lunaluthor]

this is the first story I&#39;m reading since my last visit months ago and it was worth it, fantastic updates so far hope you are posting asap :yay: :yay: :yay:

[crazygirl]

Poor, poor Lex. My question, of course, is this: if Chloe went back in time and met Lex back in the day, then he should have recognized her as soon as he met her. He wouldn&#39;t all of a sudden have new memories appearing out of nowhere. So I guess what my question is, is this: did he perhaps hear her name before seeing her, realize it was her, and realize that for whatever reason she didn&#39;t remember him? Perhaps he&#39;d talked to Wendy about the last thing she and Chloe spoke about, heard about the whole "I&#39;m from the future" thing, and has been biding his time until Chloe left and came back? Or did the whole thing not happen at all?

Just what I was thinking. I can&#39;t wait to find out :eyebrows:

[Charmingjen]

Holy f&#39;n shit. I cried&#33; I did, I actually sat down and started reading it, and by the end of the first two paragraphs, tears were flowing like running faucets. That was just an amazing update. The pain that everyone was feeling, the torment of her death and how it affected Lex, was just great. I&#39;m still in awe from this chapter. I loved it so so much&#33;

Now my question is, what&#39;s going to happen with Lex now in the future. When Chloe went back, she changed things. She changed the flow of the past, and what will Lex think now. He has to have memories of her. The questions keep rolling around in my head, I can&#39;t wait for the next chapter&#33;

:heart: Jen

[kirt30]

:yay: hurry the fuck up and add the next part i really want to now what happens next :yay:

[vardaquareien]

WOW&#33;&#33;&#33;

Poor Lex&#33;&#33;&#33; I just wanna give him a great big hug, the poor guy&#33;....and then the ending&#33;&#33;&#33; Ahhhhhh&#33; She&#39;s finaly gone back to the future&#33;&#33;&#33; Now what? Will he remember it? Will it be like a "trousers of time" situation? (ie the two separate times existing parallel to each other). Will none of it have ever happened? Ahhhh ou can&#39;t leave it there&#33; You&#39;ve gotta update this soon&#33; Please&#33;&#33;&#33; My sanity depends on it&#33; (or what&#39;s left of it ;) )

[Mystykitty]

[FONT=Geneva]Ok...this is my first post on a message board but I have been reading Time Warp on FF.net and waiting for an update...then I find it here on N-S the second day I am a member.
Thank You Thank You Thank You for updating this fic. In fact its what got me started on Chlex and now I am addicted.
Please Please Please Please add an update. I can&#39;t wait to see how you resolve the time paradox issue. Lex didn&#39;t know her before and now he has to right? And if he knew her before he has to know her now and...I hate time paradoxs but I am positve that the way you resolve it everything will be fine.
It has to be. I command it
Ok well update soon and I will continue to worship the ground that you walk on :worship2: .
Mystykitty

[Ellidyay]

Thanks: Mitch and Sabby for their help, love, and support.
Review: Pleae let me know what ou think

Chapter 30 - Unexpected

New York City, NY § early July, 1998

Jules had never been to Greenwich Village before. His father tended to keep him and his brother, not that Lex had ever did what he was told, in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But Corinne&#39;s apartment was in the Village so there he was, standing on the street like an idiot, trying to find his girlfriend&#39;s new apartment. It was Independence Day and they were supposed to head to the Statue of Liberty for the fireworks later. Of course, there would be no fireworks if he could not find where Corinne lived.

"You lost, hun?"

Jules turned and blinked. The voice that had asked him had most definitely been male, heavily lined with a Brooklyn accent. But a large Hispanic woman was standing in front of him.

"I&#39;m sorry?"

"You&#39;re lost, aren&#39;t you cutie?"

Jules blinked at the smiling transvestite. He&#39;d never actually met a real cross-dresser before and felt the ridiculously embarrassing urge to ask her questions. But he contained his fascination and instead shot her a smile that had worked for his brother for years.

"I&#39;m looking for 6th and King. Is that near here? My girlfriend&#39;s directions weren&#39;t that specific..." Jules trailed off sheepishly.

"You&#39;re not a city boy are you?"

"I am. Just not this city."

"Come on cutie. It&#39;s just a couple blocks away. Let Tasha walk you there,” Tasha said, smiling widely. The cross-dresser had a smile that was infectious and Jules found himself smiling back. "So you&#39;ve got a girlfriend huh? I can hear hearts breaking all over the country."

"Yeah, well Corinne&#39;s special."

"Delaney? You&#39;re dating Delaney? That crazy pink-haired bitch on 6th?" Tasha whistled low and long. "You&#39;re more man than I am, cutie. That girl is a hard ass."

Jules smiled warmly. Her hair was pink now? Maybe his girl was softening up a little. "I know."

Tasha laughed, a low deep man&#39;s laugh. It unnerved Julian a little coming out of such a feminine presence, but it was nice nonetheless.

"You are just too much, Hun. Very sweet how much you dig your woman. Every girl should have that."

"Thank you."

"How old are you, Hun?"

"Old enough,” Jules said vaguely, looking around at the street. Fifteen was old enough...for Corinne. But he pushed the age difference out of his mind to focus on the street instead.

Eclectically dressed venders stood at intervals on the street, as did homeless panhandlers. The door to a store selling used vintage clothes was open and the thick smell of incense and marijuana floated out, making him feel slightly nauseated. The buildings looked older and more lived in than the clean stones in the Upper West Side. The whole place seemed more alive than anywhere he&#39;d ever been in his life.

"So, you&#39;re jailbait huh?"

Jules laughed at that. Tasha was sharp all right. He winced as his laughter caused a cramp to radiate through his stomach.

He paused on the street and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Jesus. He&#39;d hoped that the cramps would go away on his weekend off. But apparently the ulcer school was giving him didn&#39;t take weekends.

"You ok, cutie?"

Jules said tightly "Yeah. I&#39;m fine."

"Yes, you certainly are." Tasha purred, “and lucky for you and your Manson-worshiping girlfriend, we&#39;re here. Corner of 6th and King. Home of Corinne ‘Tough Bitch’ Delaney. Watch your equipment cutie, she might cut it off. She&#39;s...I hate to use the term &#39;a scary cunt&#39; but hey, if the stiletto fits..."

Jules chuckled at that. "She&#39;s scary in a sexy kind of way. But thank you so much for all your help. I&#39;ve always heard New Yorkers were rude."

"They are, Hun. But by nature, many of us queers are very sweet and/or helpful when faced with a man as tall, dark, and handsome as you. Even if you are straight." Tasha shrugged her large shoulders. "But hey, nobody&#39;s perfect."

Jules laughed. "That&#39;s what I&#39;ve been told."

"Enjoy the fireworks." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and leaving him, startled on the street, to enter on his own.

Jules hoped briefly that his ulcer wouldn&#39;t make an appearance while he was with Corinne. It&#39;d been too long since he&#39;d seen her and he didn&#39;t want to focus on anything else. He&#39;d just steal some Pepto-Bismol from her medicine cabinet and everything would be fine.

Cambridge, MA § late-December 1998

Julian froze in the hall, biting his lower lip as pain washed over him from his stomach upwards. He braced himself against the nearest brick wall and struggled to breathe through the agony that seized his abdomen.

Six months. Six fucking months this had been going on, the stomach pains and the nausea that seemed to steal his energy and his ability to function, sometimes for hours at a time. He&#39;d thought it was just a stress reaction to the more intense college curriculum and new environment, considering they had begun right before the beginning of the summer semester. Then when the pain had intensified he&#39;d thought it was from the pressure of the fall classes. But as excruciating pain wracked his body, he realized that it couldn&#39;t be just stress.

"Hey, are you all right?"

The girl who had her hand on his shoulder was sweet-faced and blonde; she reminded him of Chloe.

"Chloe?"

"No," the blonde said gently, pushing sweaty hair out of his face. "I&#39;m Erica Wells. You&#39;re Julian Luthor right? You&#39;re in my human anatomy class."

"Oh." That one word took so much work.

"Are you ok?"

He licked his lips in order to speak and tasted copper. He&#39;d drawn blood he&#39;d bitten down so hard. That was...interesting.

"I don&#39;t think so,” he gasped as another spasm of pain shock his body.

"Damn." Erica looked around at the throng of coeds moving through the halls of Harvard on their way to classes. "What&#39;s wrong?"

He couldn&#39;t even see the girl anymore. He wanted to be home, in Metropolis. He wanted to be lying in bed with Corinne in her apartment in New York, listening to her ramble with her trash mouth about anything. He wanted to be fighting with Lex about his rapidly escalating alcoholism. He wanted to be doing anything besides slowly slipping down the wall and into a heap on the floor.

"Help...help me."

"I will. I promise." Erica told him, clearly panicked now. "Just hang on. I&#39;ll call an ambulance. Just...don&#39;t die."

He was able to manage one small nod before he passed out.

~*~*~

Julian&#39;s face was stinging, or at least it should be stinging. He was on the three most wonderful words in the English language; next to &#39;I love you.&#39; Patient-controlled analgesia.

Because he was *sure* he&#39;d just seen Corinne smack him across the face. He just couldn&#39;t feel it. God bless opiate painkillers, he thought with a sigh.

Except...she was crying. And that wasn&#39;t good. He didn&#39;t like to see his best girl in tears.

"Corinne?"

"Six months? You&#39;ve been having these pains for six fucking MONTHS and you didn&#39;t tell anyone? Why? God knows what the fuck the lab results are going to come back with. What if you&#39;ve got something? God damn it&#33;"

"Cori...when did you get here?"

She was at NYU majoring in....he wasn&#39;t exactly sure what Corinne was majoring in. Neither was she apparently but she wasn&#39;t supposed to be back in Massachusetts.

"Last night. I drove. They put you under and did tests all day yesterday." Her voice was shaking.

"Any word?" He asked, his voice was more stable now as the haze started to burn away

He watched her swallow once before speaking. "Soon. They said soon. They wanted to be sure. They...they didn&#39;t want to come in with information that wasn’t absolute."

He held out a hand to her and she grabbed it tightly, desperately with both hers. She kissed it gently and he smiled at the touch of her lip ring against his skin.

"Not looking good?"

"You passed out from sheer fucking pain on your way to class, Brain. That in itself is not good&#33;" She snapped.

Jules didn&#39;t answer though. He was trying to think of something comforting to say when a pair of doctors arrived.

"Hey." He was usually more articulate than that but he was using most of his lucidity on thinking and Corinne.

"Hello, Julian,” said the first doctor. He was an older black man, thin and wiry with close buzzed white hair and wire frame glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. Beside him stood a younger white woman with curly auburn hair and a solemn expression.

He continued when Jules nodded at him. "I&#39;m Dr. Caleb Morres and this young lady is Dr. Sarah Greenberg. She&#39;s your general physician."

"And what are you?" Corinne demanded.

"You first my dear." Dr. Morres prompted.

"I&#39;m Corinne Delaney. I&#39;m the fiancée."

Jules turned quickly to look at her. Fiancée? What the hell? Ah well, he thought with a smile, why fight the clandestine?

"Well, unfortunately I&#39;m the oncologist. Mr. Luthor&#39;s oncologist." A sad look permeated his warm brown eyes. "I&#39;m sorry, Mr. Luthor, but there&#39;s no easy way to say this. I&#39;m afraid you&#39;ve been diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer."

Jules&#39; grip tightened on Corinne&#39;s hands as the bottom dropped out of his world.

~*~*~

"God, only 6 to 10 months? Good thing we&#39;re not playing craps with those odds, huh?"

"They don&#39;t joke about shit like this, Jules&#33; You know that&#33; You were premed&#33; You&#39;re almost done with your BA and all you take is fucking science classes. So you know they&#39;re not joking&#33;" Corinne yelled. Her black eye makeup had smeared and run, leaving black streaks down her cheeks from crying.

"I&#39;m sorry for being flippant. Just...coping. Come here, Cori." Jules beckoned holding out his arms to her. She nodded and climbed onto the bed with him, tucking her head against his bony shoulder. She noticed how much weight he&#39;d lost since the last time she&#39;d seen him now that she was in his arms.

"I don&#39;t want to loose you. I&#39;ll be so fucking pissed at you if you die on me, Brain."

"I love you."

"Yeah." Say it, she thought frantically. Just say it back. Come on Delaney, he&#39;s fucking dying. You know you love him. If ever you can say it...now is the time. "I love you too."

Jules tightened his grip on her. "I&#39;m gonna try and fight, Cori. I will. But, there isn&#39;t much...."

Hope. There wasn&#39;t much hope. By stage three patients had 6-10 months with treatment if they were lucky. All that Dr. Morres could do was slow down the growth and metastasis of the cancer. Survival would take a sheer miracle.

"I called your brother on the drive down,” Corinne said, abruptly changing the subject

"What did Alex say?"

"He said he was coming. It&#39;s a long ass way from L.A. to Cambridge," she said gently. "But he is coming."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Jules, he&#39;s gonna be mad as fuck when he finds out you&#39;re sick."

Jules rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, wincing as it moved the IV beneath his skin. "Why do you think that, Cori?"

"Cause you&#39;re all he&#39;s got left, J."

"I am?"

Corinne kissed his collarbone through the fabric of his hospital gown; much like she had the first time they&#39;d made love. "Yeah, Brain. You sure as shit are. And you&#39;re all I&#39;ve got left too."

"Don&#39;t say that,” he whispered, tightening his grip on her. "Don&#39;t let me be that."

"It&#39;s your fucking fault. You did this to me, made me need you. Now you&#39;re going to pull a goddamn Nicholas Sparks ending on me. And I&#39;m fucking ticked off at you." She finished in a whisper. It hurt too much to speak normally.

"Love you too, Corinne. Love you too."

~*~*~

"How dare you, you little shit?"

"Alex, calm down."

Lex looked like a wild animal with its foot caught in a trap. Ready to gnaw his own limb off to get out of the situation.

"Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down. I’ll calm down when I goddamn feel like it, you repulsive little freak."

Jules felt tears well in his eyes as Lex paced. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and most likely a hangover. Desperate and panicked and angry, those were words that would describe his older brother right now.

"Look, Alex, its all right."

"No its not&#33; You&#39;re fucking dying, Jules&#33; You&#39;re DYING&#33;" The desperate look in his eyes seemed to grow even more intense.

"Yeah."

"How can you just take it?" Lex demanded, furious.

"It&#39;s not like I can do anything about it. I&#39;m starting chemo in right away, but that&#39;s not a sure thing. You know that."

Of course Lex knew. Lex knew all about chemo. He knew all about the fire of chemicals shooting through veins, the nausea, and the grotesque experience of watching your hair fall out in clumps. Although Lex had been a kid when he&#39;d gone through it. Always a small and fragile child, the treatments had left him so damn week he could barely walk around his hospital room on *good* days.

Julian was strong. He was a teenage athlete in peek physical condition. Surely it&#39;d be easier on Jules&#39; body than it had been on his own.

"You can never know." Lex muttered.

"I can feel my body attacking itself. I&#39;m just trying to be up-beat."

"You&#39;re just being a pussy."

Julian stared at his brother and suddenly realized this was harder for Lex to accept than it was for him. Chloe had died less than a year ago and Lex still hadn&#39;t picked up the pieces of his life. Instead he&#39;d run away to the other side of the country to get shitfaced and "study" at UC Berkley, until he&#39;d gotten expelled and moved on to UCLA.

"Takes one to know one."

"That&#39;s so 4th grade."

Jules gave Lex a smug smirk. "I was what, three, in fourth grade? Cut me some slack, here. I&#39;m sick."

For one brief second, Julian could see all of Lex&#39;s pain in his eyes.

"I&#39;m sorry I didn&#39;t tell anyone sooner. You have no idea how sorry, Alex."

The trapped look was back on Lex&#39;s face and Jules realized that for the time being, he had lost him again. "You die and I&#39;ll kick your ass, Wonder Boy." He growled, furious.

Julian winced as the door slammed shut with a bang. "I love you, too, Alex."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

[Clannadlvr]

I...uh...but..

*wails*

Ok, ok, well I guess we know what happened to Jules now, don&#39;t we? I love how you&#39;re wrapping up the past so that we can understand Chloe&#39;s position in the future.

But...Corinne...Lex...Jules...*wails*

On the bright side...

YOU UPDATED&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; Thank you&#33; I hope you do so again soon&#33;&#33;

[mimi71884]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;
This can be applied to 2 situations:

1) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
AN UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW&#33;


2) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON&#33;??&#33;?
I like jules, damn. poor poor lex.
are you sure this should be in the romance category?&#33;? ;)
it&#39;s getting pretty damn angsty, if you ask me.

Anyway, thanks for the great update, can&#39;t wait for you to write some more, it&#39;ll be fabulous as usual...


Keep it up&#33;&#33;&#33; :chlexsign3:

[Maha]

:crydevil: See what you&#39;ve done to this devil?&#33; See?

[katspell]

OMG, that is no, I don&#39;t like that at all. Get over here and fix it dammit... GRRRRRR :crygreen:

[asharnanae]

:crygreen: oh wow, now theres a heart wrenching twist I didnt expect&#33;&#33;&#33; damn but that was an excelent chappy&#33; damn, but i need more, please&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; :worship2: :worship2: :worship2:

[Queen Of Tact]

OMG&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

Ok that didn&#39;t come out right, let me try it again...

OMFG&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

Ok, that&#39;s better.........



No not my Jules&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

You can&#39;t do this to me *cries* See your making me cry again......


Please please please please post more soon...


CC

[autumngold]

Not Jules, please not Jules&#33;&#33; Poor Lex&#33;&#33; To lose both Chloe and Jules, that is too cruel&#33;&#33; Will Lex even be interested in Chloe if he realizes who she is, or will she just bring back a horrible time in his life? :chlexsign4: Thank you so very, very much for the new chapter&#33;&#33; I can&#39;t wait to find out what will happen next&#33;&#33;

[tiff]

Noooooooooooooooo&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; But yes, an update. But then again nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo&#33; Things were going so well and then *boom* all falls to the sh***er. Please post more soon...please....

[carebear72884]

Originally posted by mimi71884@Apr 27 2004, 01:25 PM
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;
This can be applied to 2 situations:

1) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
AN UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW&#33;


2) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON&#33;??&#33;?
I like jules, damn. poor poor lex.
are you sure this should be in the romance category?&#33;? ;)
it&#39;s getting pretty damn angsty, if you ask me.

Anyway, thanks for the great update, can&#39;t wait for you to write some more, it&#39;ll be fabulous as usual...


Keep it up&#33;&#33;&#33; :chlexsign3:
I couldn&#39;t have said it better my self, update now&#33;&#33;

[Val]

Oh God&#33; Poor Jules&#33;&#33;&#33; You can&#39;t kill him off&#33; Lex and Cori NEED him&#33; :crygreen:
And I need to know whats going on with Chloe back in 2003&#33; Please MORE soon&#33; And let Jules be alright&#33;

[Béatrice]

This is a sad chapter&#33; :crygreen: Poor Jules. Poor Lex.

[kirt30]

well that was unexpexted, but what happens with the chlex

[absentia-varia]

:crygreen: Oh no... Not Jules&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

But it would explain why Lex is bitter in the future, loosing Chloe and Jules in a couple of years...

I&#39;m glad you updated but that was so sad&#33;

[Blackberry]

*shakes head*. :crygreen: nooooo&#33;

This scenario was inevitable but... nooooo&#33; :crygreen: you&#39;ll have to update soon to dispel this angsty feeling amongst us&#33; *sniff* nooo.... Julian is so awesome too.....

[Not An Addict]

*sniffle*

*holds back tears*

I see how it is. I say I won&#39;t read in the angst section anymore, so you just cleverly disguise it and slip it in here. DAMN YOU&#33;&#33; *weeps* It&#39;s just not right. And I have the horrible feeling that Jules is NOT going to get better. Evil bitch. That&#39;s fine, it&#39;s fine. Just, for the love of god, post the next chapter soon&#33; I can take the pain, but I can&#39;t take the suspense.


P.S. Just kidding about the &#39;evil bitch&#39; thing. Kind of. ^_~

[hfce]

:crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen:

[Mystykitty]

I have major mixed feelings about you right now :tease: . First you do this wonderful thing and update one of my favorite stories :blinkkiss: <YAY>

and then you kill of Julian??
How could you??
It makes me be filled with sadness... :crygreen:.

I must inform you that if you don&#39;t update very soon and make everything better I&#39;ll hunt you down and force you to listen to me whine about how you killed of Julian and how you need to hurry up and write more...Scared? You should be.

Well now that you have that threat hanging over your head I&#39;ll let you get back to writing. Which you should do quickly (I am already getting ready to hack into the computer system to hunt you down).

Cat

PS::I love your story... :wub:

[ColumbiaBlue]

*bursts into hysterical sobs* What are you DOING? Are you TRYING to kill me here? Huh? Is that it? Cause you&#39;re well on your way of doing so with this&#33; First Chloe and now cute, sweet little Jules?&#33; Jeeze, how do you sleep at night?&#33;?&#33;?&#33;?&#33;?&#33;

*ahem*

*sniff sniff*

Okay, I&#39;m better now I think... Update soon?

*bursts out crying again* WAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIILLLL

~Manda :blinkkiss:

[Impress]

Originally posted by mimi71884@Apr 27 2004, 01:25 PM
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;
This can be applied to 2 situations:

1) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
AN UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW&#33;


2) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH&#33;&#33;&#33;"
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON&#33;??&#33;?
I like jules, damn. poor poor lex.
are you sure this should be in the romance category?&#33;? ;)
it&#39;s getting pretty damn angsty, if you ask me.

Anyway, thanks for the great update, can&#39;t wait for you to write some more, it&#39;ll be fabulous as usual...


Keep it up&#33;&#33;&#33; :chlexsign3:
Yeah I think that covers it.

[eurydices falling]

Christ of King&#33; I just...I mean you know you&#39;re a kick ass writer and my review is just redundant, but DAMN. Not my Jules (that came out far more punny than it should have). There is no need to stick to canon. It&#39;s AU so Jules can survive. I just want to make sure you know that so you think before going crazy and killing perfectly good characters. Hey isn&#39;t this around the time Lana&#39;s little ghost friend dies? If u gotta kill someone, get Blana not her little pal. I can handle Blana death. OK i&#39;m going to my fanfic gods alter to pray for happy endings now.

[campbti]

First, THANK GOD YOU UPDATED.... This story is haunting me, I am a tortured soul in need of more, and by more I mean MORE UPDATES. I like the way you are tying up the past, but PLEASE...... I need to know how it ends. I need this to work out, I have cried and balled over this story.

Excellent work, all of it. The emotion is very, right there. Perfect. Keep up the great work. :worship2:

JUST FASTER&#33;&#33;&#33; :chlexsign4:

[Leila]

:ohmy: *shakes head* No, no, no, no, no&#33; I won&#39;t accept this. HERE Is what will happen:

- Jules makes it through kemo, lives, and he and Cori get married and live in New York.

*quietly* okay, I know I&#39;m just in denile but COME ON&#33; You can&#39;t kill Jules...it&#39;s just...it&#39;s just so...so SAD&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

Poor Lex&#33; No wonder he ended up so fucked up later on. It hasn&#39;t even been a year since Chloe "died" and now his little brother&#39;s going too? Man, that&#39;s harsh.

You have GOT to update soon. I want to know what happens with Chloe and Lex&#33; Stop keeping us in such suspence, it really hurts. GREAT, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, WONDERFUL story&#33; :worship2:

[michelle_19781997]

Poor Jules. I don&#39;t want him to die.

[lunaluthor]

please don&#39;t let him die and I will be a very good girl I promise :crygreen: :crygreen:

[Charmingjen]

*tear* I have to say I was cracking up in the beginning, that was funny, but then everything got so serious. Juian is totally awesome, and now....now this&#33; Ugh...and Corrine and Lex, Jules is all they have. (Yeah for Corrine saying she was Jules&#39; finacee) I thought it was written very well. I loved the interaction with Lex/Jules at the end, and with Jules saying I love you too. That was really nice.

I&#39;m with everyone else on the whole wrapping the past up. I&#39;m still utterly curious as to the future with Lex/Chloe and is first reaction to seeing her for the first time in the future...that is...if he does see her....

Once again, such an amazing update. You rock&#33;

:heart: Jen