Gemkat5
13th October 2003, 23:52
TITLE: Read Between The Lines- The BRAD Challenge
AUTHOR: ~Kat~
E-MAIL: gemkat5@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: the only thing I claim to own is the insane idea that formed this story. Everything else is borrowed.
SPOILERS: none
SUMMARY: The electricity in Smallville goes haywire causing the lights to go out and computers to crash when final reports are due, and spell check is taken for granted more so than anyone could imagine.
FEEDBACK: PLEEEEZE!!!!! I'm a needy Muse who likes to get FB! :biggrin:
RATING: PG-13/R for language.
PAIRING: Chlex! (does the word 'duh' mean anything?) :blinkkiss:
A/N: I wrote this in response to a post I read concerning Beta Reader Appreciation Day (Oct. 13th). This is dedicated to all the BETAS out there, particularly my main beta, David, who always has an ace up his sleeve to make a story flow better. Also to Impress, who always makes time-no matter how busy she is, and to ProlificPeggy who also helps me get rid of all those annoying squiggly lines with everything I write. This one is for YOU! YOU! YOU! and YOU! I hope I do you proud! (cause I didn't use a beta for this one!) ;) :goof:
Read Between The Lines- The BRAD Challenge
It was three forty-five in the afternoon. An unnatural hush settled over Smallville as every high school student vied for a computer to make finishing touches on their final exam reports. The reports were originally due on Monday. However, the principal, in his infinite wisdom, upped the due date to this coming Friday, which was the next day.
The football field was empty, chores were ignored, and the streets were teenager free. The library was packed, as was the Talon's upper level with computer access terminals, and every computer in Smallville High was in edit mode as fingers punched the keys in an effort to make a passing grade.
Chloe Sullivan sat at her desk in the Torch's office along with two other students when Clark came in.
"I thought this was restricted to official Torch personnel?" he asked at seeing the other girls.
Chloe turned in her chair. "It is, but I made an exception this once. They don't have computers at home and we all need to get these reports done," she explained, then added defensively at Clark's chagrined expression. "Have a heart, Clark, it's not like you don't have a PC at home! In fact, I bet you're already done your report!"
"It just needs to be printed out," he admitted with a sly grin.
"Well," Chloe beamed with tongue in cheek. "I'm not that far behind you. I just need to proof mine, then it's ready for printout!"
"I'm done!" One of the other girls exclaimed proudly and moved to the printer to collect her report as it started to print. "Chloe, thank you so much for letting me use your office," the girl said with heartfelt sincerity.
She held two of her several pages in her hand with the third one coming through the machine when all the lights flickered, came back on, flickered again, then everything went into darkness.
"What the hell?!" Chloe exclaimed. Her outcry was echoed by every student as the electric went out throughout the school. Frantic cursing and total upheaval was heard coming from nearby rooms as computers shut down, printers stopped printing, and unlike Chloe, not everyone saved their information to disc.
Chloe grabbed her diskette from the PC while the other girl cried out in a panicked frenzy as she stared at the page of her report hanging halfway through the printer rollers.
"I'm sure everything is fine," Chloe tried to console. "As soon as everything comes back on you can reprint it."
The girl turned to Chloe with a horrified expression on her face. "I forgot to save the last three pages."
"Oh," Chloe voiced, then gave the girl a sympathetic expression.
After sitting around for about fifteen minutes waiting for the electric to come back on, the girls packed up their things to hurriedly leave the school in search of another computer outlet.
"Try the Talon!" Clark called after them as they rushed out the door, and turned toward Chloe. "Lana said the power is fine over there," he said, putting his cell phone back in his pocket.
"Well, I'm heading home," Chloe stated. "I have to get this finished and I still have my editorial to do for tomorrow's column."
"I'm heading over to the Talon, Lana will probably need some help if a lot of people head over there for the computers."
"I wouldn't expect you to be anywhere else, Clark," she stated airily with a genuine smile.
~
Chloe pulled up to the curb, parking behind the Ferrari that sat in front of her house. Stepping into the house, she nearly hit Lex with the door when she pushed it open. He and Gabe were discussing business and Lex's hand had been resting on the door knob for him to take his leave. Chloe said a quick hello as she squeezed between them and headed for the stairs.
"I thought you were going to be at the Torch late tonight?" Gabe questioned, confused as to why his daughter was home so early.
"I was," she called back from halfway up the stairs. "But that was before the power went out in the school. I need my computer!"
Gabe turned back to address Lex. "It's a good thing we took the plant off that grid, or we'd have a serious problem right now."
"Put the plant on emergency stand-by anyway, just in case." Lex instructed. "Were you able to get that shipment out this morning as scheduled?"
Gabe answered Lex's question, then they continued their business discussion concerning a few minor issues.
"Call me immediately if there's any problems," Lex stated, ending their conversation, and opened the door to leave just as the lights flickered throughout the house.
"Nooo!" The exclamation came loudly from upstairs. "Don't you DARE!" Chloe's voice was heard as the power flickered once more, then the house went dark. "YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"
Lex slid his gaze from the empty stairway to Gabe with amusement in his eyes. Gabe returned the gaze with flustered embarrassment.
"She normally doesn't use such language," Gabe said apologetically. "I'll call you if anything happens at the plant," he said, trying to urge the man out of his house before his daughter vented her truck driver mouth again.
"I don't 'be-lieve' this shit!" Chloe exclaimed, rushing down the steps with her bag, backpack, and jacket. "I fucking hate it here!" she yelled at no one in particular. Reaching the bottom step, she headed for the opened door without pause.
"Chloe," Gabe called to her as she slipped past them through the door, his voice full of distress. She spun on a dime and stopped to face her dad with a questioning, yet annoyed, expression on her face. "My boss is in the house, Chloe," he said tight lipped.
Gabe held his breath at the expression that came to her face. She took a step toward Lex and looked up at him defiantly. Gabe closed his eyes at what he was sure was going to come out of her mouth next.
"I'm sorry," she started in a patronizing tone. "Did I offend your virgin ears, Mr. Luthor?"
"Not at all, Miss Sullivan," he smirked. "Having trouble meeting your deadlines?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am, thanks to Smallville's wonderful power supply."
"If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."
"I'll keep that in mind," she replied with feigned sincerity, then turned to her father. "Daddy, I'm heading over to Pete's to use his computer." She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek then skipped down the steps to her car.
"I apologize, Lex," Gabe said as Chloe drove off.
"For what? It's always a pleasure to speak with your daughter. I find her unpredictable wit refreshing."
Gabe chuckled uncomfortably as Lex headed for his car with an amused
smirk on his lips.
~
Pete opened the door only to have Chloe brush past him in a rush. "I need your computer. Smallville is going shut down all over the place and..."
She stopped short at reaching the doorway to the Ross's living room to find three girls sitting on the couch.
"I wish I could help, Chloe," Pete said, stepping up behind her. "But I already promised these fine ladies that they could use the computer for their reports."
"No, Pete," she said blinkingly and shook her head. "You don't understand. I 'have' to get this done!"
"Everyone 'has' to get it done, Chlo! I'm sorry, I already promised. I can't let them down now!"
"You can't let 'them' down? What about letting 'me' down? I still
have to do the editorial for tomorrows Torch!"
"Chloe, I'm sorry, I wish I could help," Pete said, pleading with her to understand.
"You 'could' help. You're just refusing to," she snapped at him. "I thought you were my friend," she stated, her hurt feelings clearly showed in her eyes.
"Awe come on, Chlo, that's not fair," he called after her as she pushed him out of her way to leave.
"No," she barked, spinning around to face him. "What's not fair is depending on your friends, only to have them let you down," she said, and rushed out the door to head back to her car.
~
"Chloe," Mrs. Kent greeted, not sounding surprised at seeing the blonde at the front door. "Come on in. Clark and Lana are in the living room working on their reports."
"Thanks, Mrs. Kent." Chloe said with a smile and went to the living room. She already felt defensive about what happened at Pete's, now she had to compete with Lana too, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to win this one either. "Hi, guys," she announced with a cheerful and perky smile as she entered the room.
"Chloe," they both chimed with mild surprise.
"I don't suppose there's room for one more at your computer?" she
half asked pleadingly.
Clark and Lana exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other before Clark stood up. "I'd love to, Chloe, you know that, but Lana lost her entire report when the Talon's power shut down. She has to do the whole thing over again."
"Say no more," Chloe quipped with a smile, holding her hand for emphasis. "I'm glad I stopped here before going to the Talon," she chuckled. "I'll just catch up with you guys later, right now I have to find a computer, and I'm running out of options."
"Hey, you can try Pete's," Clark suggested hopefully, Lana nodded in agreement from the sofa.
"That was my next stop on the mental list," she voiced, keeping her trip to Pete's house to herself. "I'll see you later," she repeated, then headed once more back to her car.
~
After leaving the Kent Farm, Chloe called her dad to find out that the power still hadn't come back on at home.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, daddy," she said, practically in tears. "I must have called twenty people who have computers, either their power is out or they have a house full of people who are waiting in turn to finish their reports. Plus, I still have to work on my editorial for the Torch, and instead of being able to find out what's going on with the power grids, I'm driving around trying to find a computer!"
"You could use the one at the plant," Gabe suggested. "Lex did say he would help if you asked, why don't you call him?"
"Lex, of course!" she exclaimed. "Daddy, you are a life saver! Love you, bye!"
~
"Miss Sullivan," Lex chimed when Chloe entered his office. "What do I owe this pleasure?"
"Oh, I was just driving around and thought I'd drop by to see if 'your' electric went off like half of Smallville's," she said, her tone full of humor.
A half smile formed on Lex's lips as he glanced down at his desk. He looked like he was going to say something in response to her remark, thought better of it, and silently met her gaze once more.
"Actually," she stated seriously, stepping further into the room to stop halfway to his desk. "I need your help. I have to finish my final report for school. I haven't even 'started' my editorial for tomorrows edition for the Torch. And I think you have the only working, and quite possibly the only 'available', computer left in
Smallville."
"No problem," he said easily. "You can use the one in my study," he added, getting to his feet to show her the way.
"Oh," she exclaimed with surprise, making Lex pause to look at her. "I was just going to ask if I could use the one at the plant."
"Have you eaten?"
"Excuse me?" she asked with a confused shake of her head.
"Have you eaten?" he repeated.
"uh, no..." she replied, sounding baffled, then continued in an argumentive tone. "I don't have time for that right now. I have to get my work done! Can I use the computer at the plant or not?"
"No. But you can use the one in my study with the promise that you will eat something in the process."
She was confused by his generosity, and yet it soothed her hurt feelings of being snubbed by her friends. She met his gaze and smiled, her shoulders relaxing noticeably. "That, Mr. Luthor, is a promise I don't mind making at all."
~
"No, no, no!" Chloe exclaimed after she opened her report and clicked on spell check to edit it. Lex was barely out the door, and turned back around to look at the blonde behind his desk. "Fuck! This can't be happening to me!"
"Chloe?"
"You don't have a custom dictionary in Word." she explained, sounding very tired all of a sudden. "All the words I need for spell check are on my computers at home and at the Torch. You never even 'used' Word on this computer before, and I have ten pages to edit!"
"There's a wall full of encyclopedias behind you," Lex offered, glanced briefly at said wall, then let his eyes return to Chloe just as her mouth formed to verbalize her favorite four-letter word. "Don't say it," he warned. "In fact the next time you utter that expletive," he continued, moving to the side of the desk to lean
close to her. "I'll take matters into my own hands, or mouth, you could say."
She stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before finding her tongue. "I didn't think you were such a moralist," she quipped, turning her face away from his.
"I'm not," he stated, leaning closer so his lips were right by her ear. "But the word 'fuck' should come from the lips of a woman such as yourself only in a moment of passion." He leaned closer and took her earlobe between his teeth, slowly letting it slide from the gentle grip. Noting her slight jolt from the action, he took the lobe between his lips to suck gently on it before releasing it slowly from
his mouth. "The next time you say 'fuck' in my presence," he whispered. "I will show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Chloe sat in subdued silence well after Lex had left the room, her breathing still slightly irratic as her fingers unconsciously rubbed her earlobe that continued to tingle from Lex's attention. With a forced mental shake, she took a deep breath and started to edit her report.
~
"How's the report coming along?" Lex asked as he entered the study awhile later, bearing two cups of coffee from the Talon. His keen eyes noting that none of the encyclopedia's had been touched.
"I put it aside for the moment. I have to at least get this editorial started," she answered, then looked up at him. "Ooh, are one of those for me?" she asked hopefully.
Lex smiled and handed her the latte he picked up for her. He was momentarily and completely taken with her as he watched her pop off the lid and wrap her fingers around both sides of the cup. Her eyes closed as she breathed in the heavy aroma through the steam before tilting the cup to her lips to take a small savory sip of the still hot liquid.
"Mmm... Lex, thank you," she said, smiling up at him.
"You're welcome," he replied, wishing she would utter the word fuck so he would have an excuse for what his next intention was. He stepped around the desk to her side, leaned down close to her, and waited for her to turn her head to look at him.
"It won't work, Luthor," she stated, keeping her eyes focused on the monitor before her. "I haven't utter one expletive since you left."
"I was merely going to offer my assistance to look over your report while you focused on your editorial."
She turned her head to look at him, backing up slightly as she did. "Oh really?" she asked disbelievingly. She was about to apologize, thinking she was mistaken with her assumption, when a shy, little boy smile appeared on his lips at getting caught in a lie. "I thought so," she said smugly.
A warm feeling washed over her at the thought that he considered her attractive enough to want to try something like that with her. She turned back to the monitor, her thoughts diverting to what his lips felt like on her earlobe. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye wondering if she should tempt fate and say 'fuck' just to see what he would do.
"I'll leave you to your work then," he announced, abruptly moving away from her.
"Hey, wait!" she called after him, grabbing her disc from the desk to catch up to him at the door. "Who am I to turn down the help of a straight 'A' student and summa cum laude graduate from Princeton?"
"Should I be impressed at you doing your homework, Miss Sullivan?" he asked, though his tone suggested he was indeed impressed at her knowledge of his background.
"It's just surface information," she replied a little nervously. "I heard you mouthing off one day about some topic or another, I don't remember what it was about, but you sounded too smart for your own good, so I did some checking."
"And?"
"And... I stand corrected. You truly are too smart for your own good," she grinned at him with a wayward shrug. "I wouldn't mind the help if the offer still stands," she said, holding out the disc to him.
He took the disc from her and walked out of the room. Pausing just outside in the hall. "Chloe?" she looked up at him questioningly from behind the desk. "What grade do you think this report is worth?" he asked, holding the disc up for emphasis.
"The way it is now, I'd be lucky to get a 'C'. After I clean it up..." she shrugged. "Maybe a 'B+'?"
He nodded and headed for his office, leaving Chloe to finish her editorial.
~
Lex walked into the Talon, amazed at how packed the place was. With a thorough glance around the room he found the cliché he was looking for and headed toward them.
"Lex!" Clark exclaimed, still laughing at something Pete had said just before he came into earshot.
"It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves," he stated with a smile of his own as he glanced around the table of smiling faces, noticing Chloe wasn't among them. "I heard the grades for the final reports were given out today and I thought I'd drop by to see how everyone did," he said, then looked at them expectantly.
"I 'aced' that bad boy!" Pete exclaimed triumphantly.
"And you did that all on your own?" Clark asked with a chuckle, implying otherwise.
"OK, OK," Pete conceded with his hands in the air. "I admit that Gina, Tracy, and Hana helped a 'little bit' with some grammar."
"That's what I thought," Clark laughed, then looked up at Lex. "I got an 'A' on mine," he stated modestly, then looked to Lana on his right, placing his arm around her shoulders.
"I have to be honest and say," Lana started to explain, giving Clark a warm smile. "That I wouldn't have done as well as I did without Clark's help, but... I also got an 'A'!"
"Excellent work. Congratulations," Lex complimented. "And how did our intrepid reporter do on her final report?" he asked casually enough without drawing suspicion for his asking about the blonde in her absence.
"We don't know," Lana replied with a frown. "She refused to tell us, then left school as soon as the last bell rang. I don't even know where she went," she finished, looking at the boys for their responses.
"I have no idea where she went either," Clark added.
"Probably on the trail of another hot story," Pete suggested with a shrug.
Lex nodded agreeably. "I'll talk you later," Lex stated in general and made his way to the exit.
~
"Miss Sullivan," Lex stated, entering his office at the mansion. "You have your friends at a lose as to your mysterious disappearance after school today."
"OK, so you're 'not' going to ask me what I'm doing here?" she
inquired, completely ignoring his statement.
"I figured it was to tell me how exceptionally well you did on your final report," he grinned at her. She chuckled lightly, but gave no other response. "Chloe?" he prompted when she remained silent.
She pushed away from his desk to stop directly in front of him before meeting his gaze with hers. "I got a fucking 'A'," she beamed at him mischievously.
Lex raised his brows in feigned surprise, "Very eloquently put, Miss Sullivan, congratulations," he complimented. "However, need I remind you what I said I would do if you used that expletive in my presence?"
"No, I remember quite well what you said you would do," she replied suggestively, stepping closer to him. "But I find myself wanting proof."
"You want proof?" he asked, sounding slightly incredulous that she would doubt him.
He reached out his hand, letting his fingers run through her hair to the back of her neck, and brushed his lips against hers. He pulled back slightly to gage her reaction and found her wanting more. He claimed her lips fully with his.
Within seconds she pressed herself against him, her hands slid up his chest, over his shoulders, and locked behind his neck. Their tongues dueled, exploring each other's mouths, darting in and out as they took turns gently biting and sucking on each others lips. Lex pulled back to gaze at Chloe's flushed face.
"I'll give you more proof than you'll know what to do with," he said breathlessly.
"I was hoping you would," she whispered back, just as breathless. She pulled him down to her to taste the sweetness of his mouth as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
~
The editorial Chloe wrote for the Torch was a big success, even the principal gave positive recognition toward it. Chloe titled it, 'Finding Friendships in the Dark'. She introduced her article by addressing how people come together to help others out of pure courtesy to be of assistance to someone in need.
She then continued more specifically to describe how everyone at Smallville High pooled together when the electric went out by inviting other students into their homes whom they otherwise wouldn't have even said 'hello' to.
She went on to describe how sometimes a good person is lurking just out of sight, waiting to be found and hoping for the chance to prove themselves worthy of your friendship.
She concluded her piece by acknowledging a new found friend, someone who showed her that Word 'isn't' perfect, the musty smell of old books 'can' be appreciated after you sneeze a few times, and coffee is always better at two in the morning when shared with someone who listens to every word you utter.
THE END 1/1
AUTHOR: ~Kat~
E-MAIL: gemkat5@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: the only thing I claim to own is the insane idea that formed this story. Everything else is borrowed.
SPOILERS: none
SUMMARY: The electricity in Smallville goes haywire causing the lights to go out and computers to crash when final reports are due, and spell check is taken for granted more so than anyone could imagine.
FEEDBACK: PLEEEEZE!!!!! I'm a needy Muse who likes to get FB! :biggrin:
RATING: PG-13/R for language.
PAIRING: Chlex! (does the word 'duh' mean anything?) :blinkkiss:
A/N: I wrote this in response to a post I read concerning Beta Reader Appreciation Day (Oct. 13th). This is dedicated to all the BETAS out there, particularly my main beta, David, who always has an ace up his sleeve to make a story flow better. Also to Impress, who always makes time-no matter how busy she is, and to ProlificPeggy who also helps me get rid of all those annoying squiggly lines with everything I write. This one is for YOU! YOU! YOU! and YOU! I hope I do you proud! (cause I didn't use a beta for this one!) ;) :goof:
Read Between The Lines- The BRAD Challenge
It was three forty-five in the afternoon. An unnatural hush settled over Smallville as every high school student vied for a computer to make finishing touches on their final exam reports. The reports were originally due on Monday. However, the principal, in his infinite wisdom, upped the due date to this coming Friday, which was the next day.
The football field was empty, chores were ignored, and the streets were teenager free. The library was packed, as was the Talon's upper level with computer access terminals, and every computer in Smallville High was in edit mode as fingers punched the keys in an effort to make a passing grade.
Chloe Sullivan sat at her desk in the Torch's office along with two other students when Clark came in.
"I thought this was restricted to official Torch personnel?" he asked at seeing the other girls.
Chloe turned in her chair. "It is, but I made an exception this once. They don't have computers at home and we all need to get these reports done," she explained, then added defensively at Clark's chagrined expression. "Have a heart, Clark, it's not like you don't have a PC at home! In fact, I bet you're already done your report!"
"It just needs to be printed out," he admitted with a sly grin.
"Well," Chloe beamed with tongue in cheek. "I'm not that far behind you. I just need to proof mine, then it's ready for printout!"
"I'm done!" One of the other girls exclaimed proudly and moved to the printer to collect her report as it started to print. "Chloe, thank you so much for letting me use your office," the girl said with heartfelt sincerity.
She held two of her several pages in her hand with the third one coming through the machine when all the lights flickered, came back on, flickered again, then everything went into darkness.
"What the hell?!" Chloe exclaimed. Her outcry was echoed by every student as the electric went out throughout the school. Frantic cursing and total upheaval was heard coming from nearby rooms as computers shut down, printers stopped printing, and unlike Chloe, not everyone saved their information to disc.
Chloe grabbed her diskette from the PC while the other girl cried out in a panicked frenzy as she stared at the page of her report hanging halfway through the printer rollers.
"I'm sure everything is fine," Chloe tried to console. "As soon as everything comes back on you can reprint it."
The girl turned to Chloe with a horrified expression on her face. "I forgot to save the last three pages."
"Oh," Chloe voiced, then gave the girl a sympathetic expression.
After sitting around for about fifteen minutes waiting for the electric to come back on, the girls packed up their things to hurriedly leave the school in search of another computer outlet.
"Try the Talon!" Clark called after them as they rushed out the door, and turned toward Chloe. "Lana said the power is fine over there," he said, putting his cell phone back in his pocket.
"Well, I'm heading home," Chloe stated. "I have to get this finished and I still have my editorial to do for tomorrow's column."
"I'm heading over to the Talon, Lana will probably need some help if a lot of people head over there for the computers."
"I wouldn't expect you to be anywhere else, Clark," she stated airily with a genuine smile.
~
Chloe pulled up to the curb, parking behind the Ferrari that sat in front of her house. Stepping into the house, she nearly hit Lex with the door when she pushed it open. He and Gabe were discussing business and Lex's hand had been resting on the door knob for him to take his leave. Chloe said a quick hello as she squeezed between them and headed for the stairs.
"I thought you were going to be at the Torch late tonight?" Gabe questioned, confused as to why his daughter was home so early.
"I was," she called back from halfway up the stairs. "But that was before the power went out in the school. I need my computer!"
Gabe turned back to address Lex. "It's a good thing we took the plant off that grid, or we'd have a serious problem right now."
"Put the plant on emergency stand-by anyway, just in case." Lex instructed. "Were you able to get that shipment out this morning as scheduled?"
Gabe answered Lex's question, then they continued their business discussion concerning a few minor issues.
"Call me immediately if there's any problems," Lex stated, ending their conversation, and opened the door to leave just as the lights flickered throughout the house.
"Nooo!" The exclamation came loudly from upstairs. "Don't you DARE!" Chloe's voice was heard as the power flickered once more, then the house went dark. "YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"
Lex slid his gaze from the empty stairway to Gabe with amusement in his eyes. Gabe returned the gaze with flustered embarrassment.
"She normally doesn't use such language," Gabe said apologetically. "I'll call you if anything happens at the plant," he said, trying to urge the man out of his house before his daughter vented her truck driver mouth again.
"I don't 'be-lieve' this shit!" Chloe exclaimed, rushing down the steps with her bag, backpack, and jacket. "I fucking hate it here!" she yelled at no one in particular. Reaching the bottom step, she headed for the opened door without pause.
"Chloe," Gabe called to her as she slipped past them through the door, his voice full of distress. She spun on a dime and stopped to face her dad with a questioning, yet annoyed, expression on her face. "My boss is in the house, Chloe," he said tight lipped.
Gabe held his breath at the expression that came to her face. She took a step toward Lex and looked up at him defiantly. Gabe closed his eyes at what he was sure was going to come out of her mouth next.
"I'm sorry," she started in a patronizing tone. "Did I offend your virgin ears, Mr. Luthor?"
"Not at all, Miss Sullivan," he smirked. "Having trouble meeting your deadlines?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am, thanks to Smallville's wonderful power supply."
"If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."
"I'll keep that in mind," she replied with feigned sincerity, then turned to her father. "Daddy, I'm heading over to Pete's to use his computer." She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek then skipped down the steps to her car.
"I apologize, Lex," Gabe said as Chloe drove off.
"For what? It's always a pleasure to speak with your daughter. I find her unpredictable wit refreshing."
Gabe chuckled uncomfortably as Lex headed for his car with an amused
smirk on his lips.
~
Pete opened the door only to have Chloe brush past him in a rush. "I need your computer. Smallville is going shut down all over the place and..."
She stopped short at reaching the doorway to the Ross's living room to find three girls sitting on the couch.
"I wish I could help, Chloe," Pete said, stepping up behind her. "But I already promised these fine ladies that they could use the computer for their reports."
"No, Pete," she said blinkingly and shook her head. "You don't understand. I 'have' to get this done!"
"Everyone 'has' to get it done, Chlo! I'm sorry, I already promised. I can't let them down now!"
"You can't let 'them' down? What about letting 'me' down? I still
have to do the editorial for tomorrows Torch!"
"Chloe, I'm sorry, I wish I could help," Pete said, pleading with her to understand.
"You 'could' help. You're just refusing to," she snapped at him. "I thought you were my friend," she stated, her hurt feelings clearly showed in her eyes.
"Awe come on, Chlo, that's not fair," he called after her as she pushed him out of her way to leave.
"No," she barked, spinning around to face him. "What's not fair is depending on your friends, only to have them let you down," she said, and rushed out the door to head back to her car.
~
"Chloe," Mrs. Kent greeted, not sounding surprised at seeing the blonde at the front door. "Come on in. Clark and Lana are in the living room working on their reports."
"Thanks, Mrs. Kent." Chloe said with a smile and went to the living room. She already felt defensive about what happened at Pete's, now she had to compete with Lana too, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to win this one either. "Hi, guys," she announced with a cheerful and perky smile as she entered the room.
"Chloe," they both chimed with mild surprise.
"I don't suppose there's room for one more at your computer?" she
half asked pleadingly.
Clark and Lana exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other before Clark stood up. "I'd love to, Chloe, you know that, but Lana lost her entire report when the Talon's power shut down. She has to do the whole thing over again."
"Say no more," Chloe quipped with a smile, holding her hand for emphasis. "I'm glad I stopped here before going to the Talon," she chuckled. "I'll just catch up with you guys later, right now I have to find a computer, and I'm running out of options."
"Hey, you can try Pete's," Clark suggested hopefully, Lana nodded in agreement from the sofa.
"That was my next stop on the mental list," she voiced, keeping her trip to Pete's house to herself. "I'll see you later," she repeated, then headed once more back to her car.
~
After leaving the Kent Farm, Chloe called her dad to find out that the power still hadn't come back on at home.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, daddy," she said, practically in tears. "I must have called twenty people who have computers, either their power is out or they have a house full of people who are waiting in turn to finish their reports. Plus, I still have to work on my editorial for the Torch, and instead of being able to find out what's going on with the power grids, I'm driving around trying to find a computer!"
"You could use the one at the plant," Gabe suggested. "Lex did say he would help if you asked, why don't you call him?"
"Lex, of course!" she exclaimed. "Daddy, you are a life saver! Love you, bye!"
~
"Miss Sullivan," Lex chimed when Chloe entered his office. "What do I owe this pleasure?"
"Oh, I was just driving around and thought I'd drop by to see if 'your' electric went off like half of Smallville's," she said, her tone full of humor.
A half smile formed on Lex's lips as he glanced down at his desk. He looked like he was going to say something in response to her remark, thought better of it, and silently met her gaze once more.
"Actually," she stated seriously, stepping further into the room to stop halfway to his desk. "I need your help. I have to finish my final report for school. I haven't even 'started' my editorial for tomorrows edition for the Torch. And I think you have the only working, and quite possibly the only 'available', computer left in
Smallville."
"No problem," he said easily. "You can use the one in my study," he added, getting to his feet to show her the way.
"Oh," she exclaimed with surprise, making Lex pause to look at her. "I was just going to ask if I could use the one at the plant."
"Have you eaten?"
"Excuse me?" she asked with a confused shake of her head.
"Have you eaten?" he repeated.
"uh, no..." she replied, sounding baffled, then continued in an argumentive tone. "I don't have time for that right now. I have to get my work done! Can I use the computer at the plant or not?"
"No. But you can use the one in my study with the promise that you will eat something in the process."
She was confused by his generosity, and yet it soothed her hurt feelings of being snubbed by her friends. She met his gaze and smiled, her shoulders relaxing noticeably. "That, Mr. Luthor, is a promise I don't mind making at all."
~
"No, no, no!" Chloe exclaimed after she opened her report and clicked on spell check to edit it. Lex was barely out the door, and turned back around to look at the blonde behind his desk. "Fuck! This can't be happening to me!"
"Chloe?"
"You don't have a custom dictionary in Word." she explained, sounding very tired all of a sudden. "All the words I need for spell check are on my computers at home and at the Torch. You never even 'used' Word on this computer before, and I have ten pages to edit!"
"There's a wall full of encyclopedias behind you," Lex offered, glanced briefly at said wall, then let his eyes return to Chloe just as her mouth formed to verbalize her favorite four-letter word. "Don't say it," he warned. "In fact the next time you utter that expletive," he continued, moving to the side of the desk to lean
close to her. "I'll take matters into my own hands, or mouth, you could say."
She stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before finding her tongue. "I didn't think you were such a moralist," she quipped, turning her face away from his.
"I'm not," he stated, leaning closer so his lips were right by her ear. "But the word 'fuck' should come from the lips of a woman such as yourself only in a moment of passion." He leaned closer and took her earlobe between his teeth, slowly letting it slide from the gentle grip. Noting her slight jolt from the action, he took the lobe between his lips to suck gently on it before releasing it slowly from
his mouth. "The next time you say 'fuck' in my presence," he whispered. "I will show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Chloe sat in subdued silence well after Lex had left the room, her breathing still slightly irratic as her fingers unconsciously rubbed her earlobe that continued to tingle from Lex's attention. With a forced mental shake, she took a deep breath and started to edit her report.
~
"How's the report coming along?" Lex asked as he entered the study awhile later, bearing two cups of coffee from the Talon. His keen eyes noting that none of the encyclopedia's had been touched.
"I put it aside for the moment. I have to at least get this editorial started," she answered, then looked up at him. "Ooh, are one of those for me?" she asked hopefully.
Lex smiled and handed her the latte he picked up for her. He was momentarily and completely taken with her as he watched her pop off the lid and wrap her fingers around both sides of the cup. Her eyes closed as she breathed in the heavy aroma through the steam before tilting the cup to her lips to take a small savory sip of the still hot liquid.
"Mmm... Lex, thank you," she said, smiling up at him.
"You're welcome," he replied, wishing she would utter the word fuck so he would have an excuse for what his next intention was. He stepped around the desk to her side, leaned down close to her, and waited for her to turn her head to look at him.
"It won't work, Luthor," she stated, keeping her eyes focused on the monitor before her. "I haven't utter one expletive since you left."
"I was merely going to offer my assistance to look over your report while you focused on your editorial."
She turned her head to look at him, backing up slightly as she did. "Oh really?" she asked disbelievingly. She was about to apologize, thinking she was mistaken with her assumption, when a shy, little boy smile appeared on his lips at getting caught in a lie. "I thought so," she said smugly.
A warm feeling washed over her at the thought that he considered her attractive enough to want to try something like that with her. She turned back to the monitor, her thoughts diverting to what his lips felt like on her earlobe. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye wondering if she should tempt fate and say 'fuck' just to see what he would do.
"I'll leave you to your work then," he announced, abruptly moving away from her.
"Hey, wait!" she called after him, grabbing her disc from the desk to catch up to him at the door. "Who am I to turn down the help of a straight 'A' student and summa cum laude graduate from Princeton?"
"Should I be impressed at you doing your homework, Miss Sullivan?" he asked, though his tone suggested he was indeed impressed at her knowledge of his background.
"It's just surface information," she replied a little nervously. "I heard you mouthing off one day about some topic or another, I don't remember what it was about, but you sounded too smart for your own good, so I did some checking."
"And?"
"And... I stand corrected. You truly are too smart for your own good," she grinned at him with a wayward shrug. "I wouldn't mind the help if the offer still stands," she said, holding out the disc to him.
He took the disc from her and walked out of the room. Pausing just outside in the hall. "Chloe?" she looked up at him questioningly from behind the desk. "What grade do you think this report is worth?" he asked, holding the disc up for emphasis.
"The way it is now, I'd be lucky to get a 'C'. After I clean it up..." she shrugged. "Maybe a 'B+'?"
He nodded and headed for his office, leaving Chloe to finish her editorial.
~
Lex walked into the Talon, amazed at how packed the place was. With a thorough glance around the room he found the cliché he was looking for and headed toward them.
"Lex!" Clark exclaimed, still laughing at something Pete had said just before he came into earshot.
"It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves," he stated with a smile of his own as he glanced around the table of smiling faces, noticing Chloe wasn't among them. "I heard the grades for the final reports were given out today and I thought I'd drop by to see how everyone did," he said, then looked at them expectantly.
"I 'aced' that bad boy!" Pete exclaimed triumphantly.
"And you did that all on your own?" Clark asked with a chuckle, implying otherwise.
"OK, OK," Pete conceded with his hands in the air. "I admit that Gina, Tracy, and Hana helped a 'little bit' with some grammar."
"That's what I thought," Clark laughed, then looked up at Lex. "I got an 'A' on mine," he stated modestly, then looked to Lana on his right, placing his arm around her shoulders.
"I have to be honest and say," Lana started to explain, giving Clark a warm smile. "That I wouldn't have done as well as I did without Clark's help, but... I also got an 'A'!"
"Excellent work. Congratulations," Lex complimented. "And how did our intrepid reporter do on her final report?" he asked casually enough without drawing suspicion for his asking about the blonde in her absence.
"We don't know," Lana replied with a frown. "She refused to tell us, then left school as soon as the last bell rang. I don't even know where she went," she finished, looking at the boys for their responses.
"I have no idea where she went either," Clark added.
"Probably on the trail of another hot story," Pete suggested with a shrug.
Lex nodded agreeably. "I'll talk you later," Lex stated in general and made his way to the exit.
~
"Miss Sullivan," Lex stated, entering his office at the mansion. "You have your friends at a lose as to your mysterious disappearance after school today."
"OK, so you're 'not' going to ask me what I'm doing here?" she
inquired, completely ignoring his statement.
"I figured it was to tell me how exceptionally well you did on your final report," he grinned at her. She chuckled lightly, but gave no other response. "Chloe?" he prompted when she remained silent.
She pushed away from his desk to stop directly in front of him before meeting his gaze with hers. "I got a fucking 'A'," she beamed at him mischievously.
Lex raised his brows in feigned surprise, "Very eloquently put, Miss Sullivan, congratulations," he complimented. "However, need I remind you what I said I would do if you used that expletive in my presence?"
"No, I remember quite well what you said you would do," she replied suggestively, stepping closer to him. "But I find myself wanting proof."
"You want proof?" he asked, sounding slightly incredulous that she would doubt him.
He reached out his hand, letting his fingers run through her hair to the back of her neck, and brushed his lips against hers. He pulled back slightly to gage her reaction and found her wanting more. He claimed her lips fully with his.
Within seconds she pressed herself against him, her hands slid up his chest, over his shoulders, and locked behind his neck. Their tongues dueled, exploring each other's mouths, darting in and out as they took turns gently biting and sucking on each others lips. Lex pulled back to gaze at Chloe's flushed face.
"I'll give you more proof than you'll know what to do with," he said breathlessly.
"I was hoping you would," she whispered back, just as breathless. She pulled him down to her to taste the sweetness of his mouth as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
~
The editorial Chloe wrote for the Torch was a big success, even the principal gave positive recognition toward it. Chloe titled it, 'Finding Friendships in the Dark'. She introduced her article by addressing how people come together to help others out of pure courtesy to be of assistance to someone in need.
She then continued more specifically to describe how everyone at Smallville High pooled together when the electric went out by inviting other students into their homes whom they otherwise wouldn't have even said 'hello' to.
She went on to describe how sometimes a good person is lurking just out of sight, waiting to be found and hoping for the chance to prove themselves worthy of your friendship.
She concluded her piece by acknowledging a new found friend, someone who showed her that Word 'isn't' perfect, the musty smell of old books 'can' be appreciated after you sneeze a few times, and coffee is always better at two in the morning when shared with someone who listens to every word you utter.
THE END 1/1