Title: The Worst Day Ever (formerly known as Bad Day)
Rating: PG-13
Author: hickchick
Disclaimer: I don't own them, don't claim to.
Summary: Chloe and Lex are having a bad day and need some comforting.
AN: This is for PMD, who also my beta. Thanks!
Enjoy!
Chloe was having a rough couple of weeks. It seemed like everything was going wrong for her. First of all, her dad still couldn't find a job anywhere in Smallville. Which meant that they had no money. So her dad had reduced himself to working at a local car-wash that paid no more than minimum wage.
Chloe swore she would do anything to help out, even if it meant working her entire summer vacation. She had been looking forward to a nice vacation time. But she quickly learned that life doesn't allow for vacations sometimes.
She dropped off a few job applications here and there, but nothing opened up. That was when things went from bad to worse. Her father received a lovely little eviction notice in the mail. It said that they had 30 days before the bank foreclosed on their house. If something didn't happen soon, they would be forced to leave Smallville. Chloe didn't want to leave; this had become her home. Plus, it was almost her Senior Year of High School. She wanted to be able to graduate with all of her friends.
Chloe hated to admit it but Lana was even helping out as much as she could. Her earnings from the Talon were the only reason they still had electricity.
"You know you always have a job waiting for you at the Talon if you choose to take it," Lana assured Chloe.
Chloe didn't know what was worse; working for Lana or being homeless. Chloe finally swallowed her pride and stepped up to the plate. She had no choice but to take the job. If it were just her, she wouldn't care so much, but it was her dad too. He had always worked so hard to provide her with everything she desired. She felt it was her sworn duty to do this for him.
She strolled into the Talon one day and announced to Lana, "I'll take that job if you're still offering it." Little did she know that was the beginning of the worst day of her life.
In that very same town, the bad boy billionaire known as Lex Luthor was also having a bad day.
He had begun his day promptly at 5 AM. From the moment he rolled out of bed, he knew it was going to be a bad day. He had to run his business, which was currently at war with his father's business. Lex knew that he could never beat his father but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. These past few weeks had been particularly stressful. He spent almost all of his time working and planning the next move for his company. He was just struggling to survive.
He was now at the office, having been at work most of the day. He had meetings lined up for the rest of the afternoon. Even a professional businessman like himself didn't like to spend their summer cooped up in an office. He knew that he just had to get away for a minute or he was going to go insane. He decided to head to the Talon and grab a coffee before he headed back to his incredibly boring and stressful life. He had no idea what was in store for him that day.
Meanwhile, at the Talon, Chloe was trying desperately to get the hang of being a waitress. But this, like many other things, didn't come to her naturally. She'd broken so many dishes and spilled so many orders and the day wasn't even half over.
Lana had been too busy to train her personally so she got this girl named Angela to do it. It seemed as if she was out to get Chloe. Every time Chloe would do something wrong, Angela would yell at her and embarrass her in front of the customers. Chloe wanted to ring Angela's neck. For the first time in her life she'd met someone more annoying than Lana. And all this time, she didn't think that was possible. None of the other waitresses were cutting Chloe any slack either. It seemed like they were all out to get her. She just wanted to give up.
"Chloe! How many time do I have to tell you, serve the coffee, don't drink it!" Angela yelled rather loudly.
"Come on, I paid for this stupid coffee and now you're telling me I can't drink it! This is an outrage!" Chloe yelled back at her, just as loud.
"You're only allowed to drink coffee on your breaks," Angela retorted.
The commotion caused Lana to come over and investigate. "What's going on here?"
"This bitch you hired thinks she can do whatever the hell she wants!" Angela commented.
"Hey! Who you calling a bitch, you stupid slut!" Chloe snapped back.
They were about to go at it when Lana grabbed Chloe by the arm and pulled her back. "Okay, okay, I'll handle this. Angela, could you excuse us, please?"
"Fine!" Angela snapped as she walked away, mumbling expletives.
"I can't do this Lana; it's too hard! And everyone hates me here!" Chloe yelled, very exasperated.
"Chloe, calm down. It's okay. I promise, it'll get better; just hang in there."
"Do I have to take orders from that mean hussy? Can't I just fire her?"
"No, you can't fire her, she's your superior," Lana said, trying to keep her voice down so the customers won't hear.
"What? You're crazy!" Chloe practically yelled. "Why is she my superior?"
"Um, I don't know; maybe because she's been working here since it opened and you just started today," Lana commented.
"Whatever," Chloe said. "Will you fire me?" Chloe asked, hopefully.
"No."
"What if I spill coffee on one of the customers?"
"I would suggest you not do that; they might sue us," Lana said, before she took a deep breath.
"Look, just try to get through the rest of the day without breaking anything and starting any more fights. Okay?"
Chloe nodded. If she didn't need this job so badly, she would have quit hours ago.
Another waitress walked up; she seemed to be in a bad mood. "Watch out for Baldie at Table 7. Mr. Luthor is not in a good mood today. He complained about everything from his coffee not being hot enough to the service being slow. And the cheap ass only left me a dollar for a tip! A dollar! He's like the richest man in Smallville and he gives me a dollar."
"Sylvia, calm down. He can do whatever he wants. He practically owns this place," Lana said to her.
Lana turned her attention back to Chloe, as she grabbed a tray full of coffee off the counter and handed it to Chloe. "Take this to Table 3 and try to be careful."
Chloe took the tray and nodded. She decided she wasn't going to screw this up. She needed this job; their futures depended on it.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even see Lex rise from his table just as she was about to walk by. She tried to stop herself but it was too late, she had already crashed into him. It seemed that everything was moving in slow motion, as the coffee spilled all down the front of Lex's clean and expensive shirt and pants. The cups landed on the floor with a loud crash at their feet.
"Damnit!" Lex yelled, as he looked down at the mess.
Everyone in the whole place turned around to look at them. They all gasped, and then, it was total silence.
"I'm sorry," Chloe mumbled.
She would never forget the look on his face. She had never seen him look so angry in her life.
"Yes, you should be," Lex said rather harshly. This really was turning out to be one of the worst days of his life.
"Can I get a towel here?" he yelled to Lana across the room.
Angela jeered at Chloe, with a nasty look on her face. "Can you do anything right, Chloe?" she asked in a condescending manor.
Lex looked at Chloe, with rage in his eyes. "You know I was just sitting there thinking what else could possibly go wrong today?" Lex let out a fake, sarcastic laugh. "Well I guess I got my answer."
"I'm sorry," Chloe said again. She didn't know what else to say. She already knew that she had screwed up; she didn't need Lex to remind her of that.
"Is that all you can say? Is that the extent of your vocabulary today, Miss Sullivan? You usually have a hand full of nasty comments for me. And since when are you a waitress? What, did you trade in your computer for an apron?" Lex ranted at her.
"Well it seemed like the only option left after you and your father screwed up any chance for my dad to ever find another job," Chloe yelled back at him, on the verge of tears.
Lana walked over with the towel and tried to help Lex dry off but he grabbed the towel from her.
"Lex I'm so sorry about this. I'm sure she didn't mean
to do it," Lana apologized.
Lana turned back to Chloe. "Way to go, Sullivan Chloe."
"I want you to fire her and I never want to see her here again," Lex demanded, in a stern voice, as he clenched his jaw.
All the other waitresses started clapping and cheering.
Lana looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Chloe, but you brought this upon yourself. Now clean this up and then you can leave." Lana said as she threw a towel at Chloe.
Chloe dropped to the floor in front of Lex and began to pick up the pieces of broken glass. She finally let free the tears she couldn't hold back any longer. She tried hard to contain herself but a sob escaped her lips. Her vision was so blurry, she could barely see. Lex had never yelled at her like that before. Most people would have been afraid of him after receiving such a thrashing, but Chloe was more hurt than anything. She had never admitted it to Lex, but she had a crush on him. And she figured she had just ruined her chance of ever having anything more with him.
Lex looked down at her. It was obvious she was crying; he could tell by the way her body shook. He hadn't intended to make her cry and he mentally cursed himself. Chloe had never been anything but nice and sincere towards him. And here he was yelling at her for making one little honest mistake. When he gets in one of his bad moods, he never stops to think that someone else might be having a bad day as well.
He leaned down, so he was at eye level with her, but she refused to look at him.
"Chloe." He spoke as gently as he could. "I'm sorry."
She finally looked up at him. "It's nothing, I'm fine."
He could see the tears streaming down her cheeks and her face was slightly red. The sight of her like that almost caused him to break down in tears. And the fact that he knew he was the reason for her tears made him feel worse.
"No, you're not." He offered his hand to her and she took it. "Here, let's go sit down."
He helped her to a nearby booth and then sat down, across from her.
"I'm very sorry for the way I spoke to you, Chloe. That wasn't called for," Lex said, as he looked into her hazel eyes. He wanted so badly to just reach over and wipe away all of her tears.
"It's okay; we all have bad days," Chloe commented with a weak smile.
She was very relieved that Lex was no longer angry with her. Maybe she hadn't ruined things between them after all.
"I guess I should learn to be more considerate of others on my bad days. You look like you were having a pretty rough day yourself."
What he wouldn't give to reach over and cup her cheek in his hand.
"Yeah," Chloe said, as she wiped the remainder of her tears from her face. "Just when I think things couldn't get any worse, you walked through the door."
Lex couldn't help but laugh. "I guess it's like a cosmic explosion when two people who are having a bad day run into each other."
Chloe laughed and nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry about ruining your pants. I heard they have these new pants that are stain resistant now. They're probably expensive, but I'm sure you could afford it," Chloe rambled on. "I'll replace them, if you want me too, and your shirt as well."
"That won't be necessary, Miss Sullivan" Lex said, with a smile. "And it's no big deal; I have a change of clothes in the limo. Besides, it would be nice to smell like coffee all day; at least it will keep me awake," Lex joked.
The truth was, every time Lex smelled coffee, he would think of Chloe. He figured that if he kissed her right now, she would taste like coffee.
Just then Angela walked by with a snide look on her face. "I thought you were supposed to be cleaning this up. So why don't you get off your ass and get to it."
Lex looked at her with a stern face. "Can't you see we're talking here. Now be a good little waitress and get back to work. Oh, and you can start by cleaning up this mess." Lex motioned towards the floor.
"But that---that's her job," Angela said, as she pointed at Chloe.
"Well, last time I checked, she doesn't work here anymore," Lex snapped.
Chloe couldn't help but smirk at her. "I have been wanting to do that all day."
"What? Tell her off?" Lex asked.
"Yes."
Lex laughed. "You know, I was having the worst day until I came here," Lex said.
He had always seemed to notice that running into Chloe made all his days seem a little brighter. That was one reason for his frequent visits to the Talon. He knew that Chloe had a coffee addiction and that he would most likely find her there.
"Me too," Chloe replied, as she tried desperately to keep her eyes on his face. She couldn't help but notice that his wet shirt was clinging to his nicely sculpted chest. She smiled at the thought of kissing his coffee-covered chest. She could mix her two favorite things, Lex and coffee. Her thoughts were cut short as Lex began to stand up.
"Well, it's always a pleasure talking with you Chloe, but I have to be going," Lex said, as he winked at her.
"Bye, Lex. And, I'm sorry about spilling coffee on you."
"It's okay. I look forward to seeing you again, Chloe."
Chloe nodded and watched as Lex walked over to Lana and told her something. He then walked over to the waitress he blew off earlier and handed her a $20 bill. He gave Chloe one last look and then, walked out the door.
A few moments later Lana walked over to Chloe. "Lex wanted me to tell you that you are officially rehired."
"Thanks."
"Oh, and here." Lana hands her a cup of coffee. "Compliments of the bald man from Table 7."
Just as Chloe was about to take her first sip, she looked out the window to see Lex, beside the open door of his limo. He smiled at her before getting in.
Maybe this day wasn't the worst day of her life after all.
Later that miserable day, Chloe was still at the Talon, cleaning. It was Chloe's duty as the new girl to close. Chloe mentally cursed Lana, Angela, and all their little waitress buddies, as she swept the floor. She was so tired that all she wanted to do was to go home and fall into bed. And never have to think about being a waitress ever again. Chloe's very close to dropping everything and quitting on the spot when she heard a knock at the door.
"Who's there?" Chloe asked, as she walked over to the door.
"It's Lex," said the voice on the other side of the door.
Chloe unlocked the door and let him.
"Hi, Chloe. Sorry, I forgot my key," Lex greeted, as he steped inside. "You still at it?"
"Yeah, a waitresses' job is never through," Chloe joked. "The new girl always gets stuck with the worst shifts."
"So I'm assuming Lana isn't here?"
"You'd be assuming correctly," Chloe replied.
"Ah well, I had some forms for her to sign but it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Lex said. "Okay, well, I guess I'll let you get back to cleaning up."
"Or you could stay, if you want to. I wouldn't mind the company," Chloe said, hopefully.
"Well I don't have to be home just yet, so, sure."
Lex walked over to help Chloe stack some chairs onto the tables.
"Thanks, Lex, but you really don't have to do this."
"I don't mind. I mean this is partly my establishment. I should pitch in with the work too."
Chloe sighed as she realized just how tired she was. "Do you mind if we take a break?"
"Not at all. It has been quite a long day."
The two retreated to a nearby booth and sat down, across from each other.
All of a sudden, Chloe groaned and placed her head on the table.
"What's wrong?" Lex questioned, a little concerned.
"I was just thinking that I'm going to have to do this again tomorrow," Chloe said, without even picking up her head.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad was it?" Lex asked.
Chloe finally picked up her head and gave him a dirty look. Lex couldn't help but laugh.
"Have you ever worked for Lana?" Chloe snarked.
"No, and I sincerely hope I never have to," Lex replied.
Chloe just stared at him with her bright green eyes. He couldn't help but notice how a piece of her unruly blonde hair fell over them. Without even thinking, Lex reached over and tucked the hair behind her ear. He gently brought his hand down to caress her cheek.
Chloe unintentionally leaned into his hand. It felt so nice to have Lex touching her face; she hoped that he would never stop. She could tell that they were having a moment and she never wanted it to end. She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Lex leaned across the table and placed his lips upon hers. It was a short, simple kiss and yet, perfect in every way.
Lex sat back down in his seat as he searched her eyes to try to read what she was thinking. At first he wasn't sure she liked the kiss; that was until she started smiling.
"Lex," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Oh nothing; I just like saying your name," Chloe commented. Then she burst out laughing.
"That was so cheesy," she said, as she brought her hands to her
face to cover her blushing. "I'm sorry; it's been such a long day and I think I'm going a little crazy."
"Well, if this is your crazy, then I think I want some more of it," Lex said.
"Right, I bet," Chloe said, as she peered at him.
"Chloe, I was thinking about it today, and I realized that your father has always worked very diligently for me. Could you tell him that he has a job waiting for him at Luthor Corp?"
A smile spread across her face. "You're giving my father his job back?"
"No, actually, I'm giving him a promotion. He'll have an even better job than before and, of course, an increased salary."
"Oh my God!" Chloe squealed as she jumped up, ran to Lex's side of the table, and gave him a big hug. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for this."
"It's my pleasure, Miss Sullivan" Lex said, as she continued to embrace him.
"This is so wonderful. Now I can quit my job here."
Lex laughed. "Yeah, I figured you'd like that."
Chloe finally pulled back. "Thank you, Lex. I really mean it."
"It's no problem. I mean, after all, I wouldn't want you to lose your house.
"You knew about that?"
"I know about everything that goes on in Smallville," Lex replied.
He looked down at his watch and sighed. "I'm so sorry, but I really must be going, Chloe." Lex stood up.
"It's okay; thanks for stopping by---even though you were looking for Lana," Chloe said.
"I have a confession to make," Lex whispered, as he brought his hand to her face. "I knew you'd be here."
Lex leaned down and placed a passionate kiss on her lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Chloe," Lex said, when he had pulled back.
"Of course," Chloe said, as she walked him to the door.
"Bye, Chloe," he said, as he walked out the door.
"Bye, Lex," Chloe replied.
She sighed to herself as she watched him go. What a way to end the worst day of her life, Chloe thought. Any day when you receive kisses from Lex Luthor is no bad day at all.
The End
