BACK-UP Newbatgirl's "Life Less Ordinary" (sequel to Nightswimming)

newbatgirl
1st September 2004 22:41

Life Less Ordinary (R) - Sequel to Nightswimming
*
A/N: This is the sequel to my fic Nightswimming. If you haven’t already done so, read that first, then meet me back here.

OK, for the rest of ‘y’all, this one picks up seven months after that one ended but it flashes back to various points during that time gap. Flashbacks will be in italics. If you get confused by anything just send me a PM or post here and I’ll try to clear it up. Feedback is my life source. Comment early and often. Thanks.

Title: Life Less Ordinary
Author: newbatgirl
Rating: R for a couple of love scenes, maybe some language.
Pairing: Chlex (There’s something besides Chlex?)
Disclaimer: Time Warner/DC can have them back when I’m done. There might be a few scratches on Lex, though. Hee-hee.
Summary: Seven months after a chance meeting ignited their old feelings, Chloe and Lex are trying to make their long-distance relationship work. Again, not really a song fic but loosely inspired by the song “Life Less Ordinary” by the band Carbon Leaf. Apologies to my fellow REM fans. Also, I have never seen the movie by the same name so it was not an inspiration to me.

Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
Live a live less sedentary
Live a life evolutionary with me

Chapter One

Offices of the San Francisco Chronicle…late afternoon…

Chloe tapped her foot impatiently as her editor skimmed over a hard copy of her latest story. Jen was perched on the edge of Chloe’s desk twirling a red pen in her hand and she seemed to be taking her damn sweet time about it as far as Chloe could see. And it was well after five, dammit.

Normally Chloe wouldn’t care what time it was, she wasn’t a clock-watcher and journalism wasn’t a clock-watching kind of job. But today was different. It was the Friday before a holiday weekend. A holiday weekend that Lex was coming to spend with her. He was planning to fly in that night, as soon as he wrapped up some important meetings. Judging from the last email he had sent her, he would arrive in a few short hours, giving her just enough time to finish up at work, fight the evil Bay Area traffic home, shower and change. So, of course, Jen-the-Anal-Editor-Thompson picked today of all days to be nitpicky about her diction!

Jen raised her eyes from the pages in her hand, and flicked her short brown hair from her eyes. “Am I keeping you from something, Sullivan?”

“Well, now that you mention it, it is getting kind of late.”

“Since when is…” Jen checked her watch, “five-oh-eight late for you? You work much later than this all the time. The layout staff swears you’re not human.”

Chloe moved things around on her desk. “Maybe I just have things to do this weekend,” she said vaguely. She had to be careful, Jen was not only her editor, she had become a close friend, and she could often tell when she was not being 100% truthful. Her relationship with Lex was not a secret, but it wasn’t something they wanted broadcast on the evening news either. So far the only people who knew were members of Lex’s staff who spoke to her occasionally…and Clark. Chloe hadn’t even told her father; that was something that didn’t sit well with her but she had her reasons.

“Hmmm, something or *someone* to do this weekend?” asked Jen, waggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, grow up, you perv.”

“Hey, watch your mouth there, young lady, I’m your boss, not to mention fifteen years old than you.”

“Fourteen.”

“Whatever, anyway, I’ve seen the signs. Hushed phone calls on your cell. Every once a while you, Ms. Workaholic, decide to cut out early, usually on a weekend. Then you come on Monday glowing like a Christmas tree, decorated, I might add, with a few love bites. Conclusion: you’ve got a guy stashed somewhere, am I right?”

“You have an overactive imagination.” Chloe retorted, trying and failing to stop herself from blushing. ‘Shit, I thought I covered those. Damn Lex and his lips anyway. OK, I sooooo didn’t mean that last part.’

“Hallelujah! Chloe Sullivan is being well and royally laid! So what’s with the secrecy? He’s not married, is he?

“No, he is NOT!” exclaimed Chloe then winced when she realized what she had all but given away. “Shit!”

Jen threw down the pages in triumph and wiggled a little against the desk. Chloe groaned. Her boss was thirty-seven going on twelve sometimes, particularly when it came to ‘hot scoops’ as she called them. Chloe realized that her personal life now qualified as one. ‘Shit.’

“Soooo…what’s his name, what’s he do?”

“Jeez, nosy much?”

“Ye-ah, a reporter, remember? We get paid to do the nosy thing here.”

Chloe looked at her watch again. “Well, this is my personal life, not a breaking story.”

“Sheesh, calm down, Chlo, I was asking as your friend, too? Why all the hush-hush?”

“Sorry, Jen. I know you care…it’s just…complicated. He’s kind of high-profile, so we really don’t want to shout it from the rooftops yet, you know?”

“OK, like that’s supposed to make me *less* curious! Now I need details. Define high-profile.”

“I’d really rather not.”

Jen pressed on, undaunted. “Movie-star high-profile or musician high-profile? Oh God, please don’t tell me he’s politician high-profile.”

“No, more like Fortune 500 high-profile.”

“Jesus, Sullivan, you’re dating a tycoon? Never would have thought that. Who is he?”

“Feyx fdoooother,” murmured Chloe.

Jen rolled her brown eyes. “Care to repeat that for us non-canines?”

“Lex Luthor.”

“WHAT!!!??”

“Shhhhh, please, Jen!”

“OK, OK, sorry. It’s just… You’re dating the head of Luthor Corp? Wow! How did you guys meet? How long have you been dating?”

“We’ve been dating about seven months now and how we met is…complicated.”

“Seven months! And you’re just telling me now? Sullivan, I thought we were friends!”

Chloe frowned. Now she felt guilty on top of everything. “I’m sorry, Jen…I had to…” She was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She looked at the Caller ID, it read ‘Lex – Cell.’

“Hello?” she said into the phone, feeling Jen’s eyes boring into her head.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m calling to tell you that the meeting ran late. I’m still at the office. I’m leaving in a few minutes but I still have to get to the airstrip and everything.”

“Oh, OK. So what time do you think you’ll get in?”

“Not until late, but likely before midnight. We’ll probably have to scratch having dinner out, though. I’m sorry.” said Lex. He actually did sound apologetic and it made her feel better. Chloe liked going out places with him when he visited, it made their relationship seem more normal. He wasn’t well known on the West Coast so they didn’t have to worry about tabloid reporters as they would have to in Metropolis.

“It’s OK, don’t worry about it. Do you need me to pick you up?”

“No, I’ll take a cab like last time, I’ll see you soon, OK?”

“OK. Bye”

“Bye.”

Chloe pressed the ‘end’ button with her thumb and looked up at Jen.

“That him?”

“Yeah, he’s running late. Looks like I’m not in too much of rush after all. So feel free to tear that story apart.” Chloe slumped back in her desk chair and bit her lip. Then she looked back up at her friend, remembering what they had been talking about before Lex called. “Jen, I’m sorry about not telling you sooner…”

Jen ruffled Chloe's hair a bit. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I can tell this isn’t easy for either of you. I understand. How often do you get to see each other?”

“Every couple of weeks, if we’re lucky. Things have been crazy lately, though. It’s been almost a month since he last came out.”

“Well, from the look on your face and the way you snatched up that phone, he’s worth it, isn’t he?”

Chloe didn’t hesitate before she answered. “Yeah, he is.”

Jen looked at Chloe for a minute. “Listen, why don’t you just cut out now, go home and take a long bath and relax until he gets in? You’ve been killing yourself here. I’ll finish editing this on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now, go.”

Chloe’s face lit up and she quickly snatched up her purse and phone and grabbed her suit jacket from the back of her chair. “Thanks so much Jen, I owe you.”

“Damn right you owe me. You and I have an appointment next Friday with a quart of mint chocolate chip and you’re giving me A to Z on this great romance. You got me?”

“You’ve got a deal.” said Chloe. It would actually be nice to have to someone to talk to about this.

*****

Lex began stacking the files he would need for the flight into his briefcase. He tried to keep the work he did while he was with Chloe to a minimum. That was their time. However, he tried to make effective use of the time during the flights. The reality was there were never enough hours in the day to do all he wanted to do at Luthor Corp. He closed his briefcase and shut off his desk lamp. It was already after seven in Metropolis. Traffic should be minimal so he should be able to get to the airstrip in good time. He was relieved that he had thought to remind his staff to put his suitcase in the limo that morning. Having to stop at the penthouse again would only delay him further.

As he rode the elevator down to where his car was waiting, his cell phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and checked the caller: ‘C. Kent.’

“Luthor.”

“Hi, Lex. It’s Clark.”

“Hi, Clark. What can I do for you?”

“Hey, do I usually ask you for something when I call?”

‘Yes, you do.’ “No, Clark, you don’t. Sorry, I’m just in a hurry to get to my plane.”

“Oh, I’ll try to make it quick then. It’s just that I’m sending out some resumes to some more newspapers and I was wondering…”

“You’d like to list me as a personal reference.” finished Lex.

“Well, yeah. What do you say?”

Lex sighed. This was the big difference between Clark and Chloe, Chloe would never ask him to do this and he respected her all the more because of that. Clark seemed to think nothing of it. Still, he did owe Clark a lot. When you got right down to it, his relationship with Chloe could be traced right back to Clark Kent, whether the younger man realized it or not. Which he probably didn’t.

“Sure, just give them my office number, not this one, OK?” The last thing Lex needed was Clark giving his private cell number to a newspaper of all things.

“Thanks, Lex. I really appreciate this. So…uh, where you headed?”

By this time, Lex was at his car and he paused as the chauffer opened the door for him and he folded himself in. “I’m heading to visit Chloe, Clark.” He waited for Clark’s inevitable clumsy reaction. Though he had told Clark about their relationship several months ago, he knew the younger man wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, no doubt in part because his own relationship with Chloe had become so strained.

“Oh, I see. Well…uh...tell her I said hi, OK?”

‘You could tell her that yourself if you weren’t such a coward.’ He almost said the words out loud but, really, he had had this conversation with Clark several times already. He really didn’t have the energy for it tonight. “I will, see you later, Clark.”

“OK, bye Lex.”

Lex tossed his phone on the seat next to him and leaned back. In just a few hours, he’d be with Chloe. And it would make all the difference in the world. Despite the distance and the obvious logistical challenges, with Chloe most things were surprisingly easy. They had just three rules: No extravagant gifts. No surprise visits. No interviews.

The first rule was hers and he was constantly trying to get a better handle on Chloe’s definition of ‘extravagant.’ His attempts to pull some strings to get her a larger apartment had resulted in their first real fight, and though the making up had been quite good he wasn’t willing to risk her wrath on that score again. Still, she accepted smaller gifts from him such as CDs or books he thought she would like, and, more frequently, lingerie. The latter because she insisted that it was a gift they could both enjoy. He certainly wouldn’t argue with her on that.

The second rule was his idea. He wanted her to know that he respected her privacy and her need to lead her own life. He knew how crazy he went when people invaded his privacy and he sensed that Chloe would feel the same.

The third rule was a mutual one. Chloe said she didn’t want to seem like she was exploiting their relationship to advance her career and Lex didn’t want to have to constantly be on guard about letting things slip in his conversations with her. Making it a rule was the obvious solution.

So with a few minor pitfalls along the way, things were working and they had been for seven months. A smile spread over his face as he recalled his first visit to see her, a little more than six months ago…

*****

Six months earlier…a private airstrip in San Francisco…

Lex looked at his watch for the third time. Chloe was late. Twenty minutes late. Five minutes was understandable, ten was a bit irksome. Twenty made him worry.

“Sir?” said his pilot from behind him, “Would you like me to call you a cab?”

“No, not yet. I’ll wait a little while longer…” replied Lex calmly. He was not used to waiting and from his last conversation with Chloe, he had thought she was as anxious to see him as he was to see her. She would have told him if she changed her mind…wouldn’t she? At least before he got on the damn plane and flew all the way… ‘Aw hell!’ he thought to himself. Lex was not used to self doubt. This would not do. He shifted a bit on his feet and checked his watch…again.

The sound of squealing tires caught his attention and he whipped his head around. Peeling towards him was a small red car, a modest, but sporty sedan. The blond hair visible through the driver-side window left no question as to who was behind the wheel. One of the airplane maintenance vehicles cut in front of the sedan in an attempt to get to the runway, and Chloe stuck her head out the window to tell the other driver exactly what she thought of the action.

“Sir, it looks like your ride is here.” said the pilot, trying very hard not to smile.

“Looks like.” replied Lex, dryly. “I’ll see you on Sunday…if I survive that long.”

“Good luck, sir” sad the pilot, before slipping away.

The car screeched to a halt a few yards from where Lex waited. Chloe popped out, talking a mile a minute and walking just as fast.

“Lex, I am soooo sorry I’m late. The mayor called a press conference late in the day and the reporter who usually covers the City Hall beat is on vacation and Jen asked me to do it and well, I couldn't really turn her down because she might not ask me again. So anyway, I did it and then I got caught in all sorts of hell trying to get out of midtown. Do you have any idea what traffic is like here at this time of day? Well, no, of course you wouldn’t but the point is…”

By this time she was right in front of him and he raked his eyes over her as she spoke. She was flushed and her hair was wild around her face, probably from speeding with the window open to get there. She wore a burgundy pantsuit and he could see the cream colored camisole she wore under the jacket peeking out just a bit. In short, she looked incredible. Even better than he remembered. Unable to stop himself, Lex caught her around her waist as she was mid-sentence and kissed her. Hard.

He felt her stiffen a bit then relax into the kiss, gripping his shoulders through his jacket. She opened her mouth against his, inviting him inside and he accepted immediately, pressing one hand against the back of her head to deepen the contact. She gave a soft moan and her hands drifted upwards to cup his face.

When she pulled back, he grinned at her. “You can finish telling me that story again whenever you want but I needed to give you a proper hello.”

Chloe was panting and even more flushed now. “Hello to you, too. Sorry you had to wait.”

His hands roamed over her hips. “It’s OK. You can make it up to me.”

They chatted about trivial things on the drive back to her apartment. Chloe pointed out landmarks, complained about traffic and shouted the odd obscenity at other drivers. Lex watched her.

When they arrived at her building, she parked and led him upstairs to her space on the second floor. She gave him a quick tour. Two bedrooms, one for her, the other converted into an office, kitchen, living room, decent view. Absolutely horrific Bay Area rent, she explained, but she was lucky since it wasn’t far from her office. She had decorated it nicely, as well. Colorful fabrics everywhere, overstuffed pillows on the sofa, several walls lined with brimming bookshelves and framed vibrant prints. Like Chloe herself, it wasn’t overly feminine but it was by no means a dull or streamlined space.

Chloe suggested that he shower and change while she made arrangements for dinner. Since Lex had been on the go since early that morning, a shower suddenly seemed like a great idea. It would unwind him enough to enjoy the evening out with Chloe no matter where they went. With that in mind, he pulled a clean dress shirt and pants from his suitcase, laid them on her bed and went to take a hot shower.

Some time later, Lex emerged, feeling much more relaxed. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went to Chloe’s bedroom to dress. She was nowhere to be found so he assumed she was still calling to get reservations for dinner or perhaps dressing herself. He pulled on his boxers, socks, pants and belt and then reached for this shirt…only to find it missing.

“Chloe? Did you see the shirt I left here?” No answer. “Chloe?” Lex listened more carefully. He could hear music coming from the living room so he walked in that direction, still shirtless and still sans his shoes.

He walked down the hallway towards the living room, now much darker than before. In fact the only light in the room seemed to be coming from two small table lamps flanking the sofa…and about a dozen small candles distributed around the room. Chloe was lighting the last of them, a large one in the center of the coffee table and she was wearing his shirt. And nothing else.

She raised the match to her lips and blew it out, then smiled when she spotted him in the doorway.

“Hi.”

“Hi, yourself. That’s my shirt.”

“So it is. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Won’t *I* be needing it?”

“I doubt it.”

“I thought we were going to dinner.”

“I thought it might be better if we stayed in…I ordered take-out. Should be here soon.” She rose and approached him, the French blue of his shirt contrasting nicely with her creamy skin. She stopped right in from of him and placed both hands on his bare chest. “We can eat out tomorrow. I’d rather stay in tonight and…make it up to you for this afternoon.”

“No argument here,” he whispered a second before covering her lips with his. They kissed slowly, savoring the taste and feel of one another and swaying slightly to the soft music playing, Lex ran his hands down her back, stroking her through the thin fabric.

When they finally parted, she grinned up at him. “Do you want your shirt back?” she teased.

“Nah. It looks better on you. You can keep it…for now. I make no promises about later, though.”

*****

Chloe’s Apartment…Later that evening…

Chloe shifted again on the sofa, a book open and virtually ignored on her lap. She had come home, and been bathed and dressed in one of her favorite *presents* from Lex for some time now. Chloe was not a patient person by nature. It was bad enough that she had not seen Lex for nearly a month but add in the fact that he was late and she was ready to crack.

Finally, she heard steps outside her door and a muffled knock. She was off the couch and in front of the door like a shot. She tore it open to reveal a rumpled Lex Luthor. He immediately stepped inside and set down his bag, then wrapped his arms around her. They stayed that way for a few moments, just holding one another.

“I’m sorry I’m late…” said Lex finally but she pressed her finger to his lips. “It’s OK. Do you want anything to drink? Some food?”

He shook his head. “No, just you.”

Chloe nodded. She slid her hands underneath the lapels of his jacket and pushed the garment off his shoulders. Catching it before it could fall to the floor, she tossed it on a nearby chair. Then she took his hand in hers and tugged on it. “Come, then.” He followed her without a word, letting her lead him to her bedroom, where they could shut out the rest of the world.

End Chapter.

newbatgirl
1st September 2004 22:43


A/N: With regards to flashbacks, except for the one in Chapter One, they are not in chronological order, so assume that they could have taken place anytime during the seven month gap. They’re arranged more according to theme than anything else.

Chapter Two

Chloe’s bedroom…later that night…

Lex gripped Chloe’s thighs as she eased herself on top of him. She was straddling him as he half-lay, half sat against the headboard of her bed. Their faces were only inches apart, and their eyes locked as she adjusted her body until he was fully sheathed within her. He gave a groan of unsatisfied pleasure at the action.

Chloe leaned forward and braced herself on his shoulders to kiss him deeply. As their mouths joined, Lex slid his hands up from her bare thighs to run them over her torso, encased but just barely in a short, deep blue nightgown. As much as he enjoyed seeing Chloe bare, sometimes he asked her to leave her provocative nightwear on as they made love. He loved the feel of silky fabric moving under his hands and between their bodies. It didn’t hurt to know that he had chosen them for her. It was almost as exhilarating as watching her move above him, as she was doing now. He pulled back from their kiss to do just that.

Her hair was now thoroughly tousled and her skin already turning pink from their movements. She rose up and down on him and smiled slyly when she saw him watching her. ‘That’s it,’ he thought. That was the image of her he kept in his mind during their weeks of separation. Knowing he could come back to her and see her like this kept him going during the long days and even longer nights alone in Metropolis.

Leaning forward, he began leaving wet kisses down her neck and across the areas of her chest left deliciously exposed by her nightgown. Skimming a finger across her collarbone, he pushed one thin strap off of her shoulder and let his lips follow the same path, licking and sucking the skin there. He smiled against her skin when he remembered her early light-hearted chastising of him for being careless of where he left his marks. She didn't seem to be all that concerned about it now. She moaned at the feel of his tongue on her flesh and bucked against him, tightening her muscles around him as she did. Lex’s body reacted immediately.

“Yes, Chloe…again…”

She repeated the action, smiling again when his eyes slid shut at the pleasure she caused him.

“God, I’ve missed being inside you,” he breathed, bringing his hands back to her hips so he could help guide her movements.

“I know, Baby...too long…”

Outwardly Lex didn’t react to her endearment, though he felt something deep inside his chest tighten. Neither of them were given to flowery terms, they rarely called each other anything other than their names. However, they broke many conventions when they were in bed.

Chloe’s head fell forward as she began to move faster. And Lex matched his upward thrusts to hers. He let her control the pace but he met her movement for movement, shifting slightly to give her just the angle he knew her body craved. Her pleasure was his; after countless times together he knew that fact better than he knew his own name. They moved like that for a long while, just enjoying the new pace and the pleasure it sparked.

Their mouths came together again, harder than before and as their mouths slid over one another’s, Chloe moved her hands to his back to pull him closer. Lex felt her soft, silk-covered curves against the firmness of his chest and the tension in his lower body threatened to explode.

‘No.’ he thought. ‘Too soon.’ He deliberately slowed his movements and with his hands on her hips, encouraged Chloe to do the same. She was reluctant at first.

“Lex, please…” she whimpered against his cheek.

“Shhh, Love, Don’t rush it…” he told her. She nodded and rolled her hips against him, each time harder than before. He felt what she was doing and moved his hand between their bodies to help her. His nimble fingers found their target and he began to stroke her, gently at first, and without stopping his own motions.

“Yes, again, Lex, please…”

He was more than happy to oblige, particularly when he saw her throw her head back in response and felt her tighten around him again. The more he stroked her, the more forceful and erratic her movements became. She was close, he could feel it and he was more than ready.

As if reading his mind, Chloe raked her nails over his shoulders. “So close, Lex.” she moaned.

“I know, let it go…just let it go.”

Their bodies slammed together again and again, forceful yet lingering as they each tried to prolong the pleasure of flesh meeting flesh. Soon, Lex felt her break against him, jerking almost violently. She let out a husky scream of his name that sent him over the edge. A fire swept through every nerve in his body. His vision grew cloudy as waves of pleasure centered where his body met Chloe’s washed over him, draining him of almost every ounce of energy. He growled something resembling Chloe’s name somewhere in his pleasurable haze. He felt her collapse on him and with his last remaining strength; he pulled her down close beside him.

“Ummmmm, I missed you,” she murmured when she was settled.

Inhaling deeply, Lex smoothed her dampened hair. “Yeah, I got that part.”

Chloe responded with a sleepy, frustrated grunt against his chest and he smiled. “And I missed you, too.”

*****
Some months earlier…Chloe’s bedroom…

As if on autopilot, Chloe folded another one of Lex’s shirts and placed it into his suitcase. He was standing behind her, she knew – she could feel his eyes on her.

“Chloe. You don’t have to do that. I’ll finish it when I’m dressed.”

She stole a glance at him but didn’t meet his eyes. He was buttoning his shirt.

“I don’t mind.”

“Yes, you do.”

What was she supposed to say? That the packing was busy work, something she could do for him so she wouldn’t have to watch him get dressed and ready to leave her? It didn’t make sense to her, how could she explain it to him?

Chloe felt him come up behind her and soon his hands were on her shoulders, causing her to shiver a bit.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, it’s not your fault.” His arms slid down around her waist and she covered his hands with her own.

“It’s just a labor dispute; I can call back and have someone else handle it.”

“It’s a major dispute and I know you. You want to handle this yourself and you’ll be mad as hell if someone else screws it up.” Chloe hoped the finality in her tone hid her pain. They were supposed to have another whole day together. Another day of doing absolutely nothing – together. Then came the blasted call on his cell.

He turned her in his arms. “You’re right, of course, but that doesn’t mean I want to leave.”

“Good, just because I understand doesn’t mean I want you to go.”

He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her urgently; she felt his frustration at the situation and she wondered if he felt hers.

“I’ll make it up to you?” he said when they pulled apart.

“I’m counting on it,” she replied, pushing on his chest, “Now go find your shoes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And when you find them, bring them here so I can beat you with them for calling me that, mister.”

“Ah, kinky. Now she tells me.” She heard him mutter as he went to search the living room for his shoes.

Shaking her head, Chloe turned back to his suitcase, still lying open on her bed. She spotted two items in the corner of the case. A t-shirt and sweatpants perhaps put there by Lex’s butler, thinking that he would need them to work out in on his trip.

‘Well, I took care of the exercise part…’ she smirked to herself, then a thought struck her and she pulled both items from the case. She shook them out and re-folded them properly. Just as Lex re-entered the room, she turned to her dresser and began to clear space in one of the drawers. Once she had done so, she reached for Lex’s clothes and laid them neatly in the drawer. Feeling Lex’s interested gaze, she fought to keep her voice neutral as she spoke.

“You should probably have something comfortable to wear for when you came back.” When he didn’t respond, she looked up; he was staring intently at her.

“What?”

“Nothing…” shaking himself a bit, then he reached into the case and pulled out a pair of white gym socks and tossed them to her. “Here, don’t forget these.”

Chloe caught them in the air with both hands, then she smiled.

*****

Chloe awoke slowly, becoming aware of the incredible warmth surrounding her. Smooth, firm warmth. ‘Lex.’, she thought as she raised her head. Sure enough, he was asleep beneath her, his arms wrapped loosely around her and his face turned slightly away.

Chloe tried to stretch a bit but the muscles in her body immediately reminded her of the previous night’s activities. ‘But what was a little soreness when you had Lex as a lover?’ He was attentive and caring and he knew instinctively when she wanted he him to be gentle…and when she didn’t. The dull ache in her lower body told her that last night had been somewhere in between.

Groaning slightly, Chloe extracted herself from his embrace to sit up and she looked down at herself. She was still wearing her nightgown. That made her smile a bit. She should have known that he’d want her to leave this one on, he loved her in blue. She leaned down to brush a kiss over his cheekbone and when she pulled back she ran her thumb over his still-swollen lips. He didn’t even stir. That was unusual. Lex was a light sleeper. He usually felt it when she got out of bed before him.

‘So tired,’ she thought. Between working and flying out to see her, he was probably wearing himself out. Trying to stamp down the guilt she felt at that, Chloe rose and went to her dresser. She opened *his* drawer, which now contained extra boxers, dress socks and other items, and pulled out his sweat pants and a t-shirt. She laid them on the bed beside him before tugging on her robe and heading to the bathroom.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth quickly and hung her toothbrush back in its place, next to his.

It was Saturday and still early but the paper was waiting outside her apartment door. Her paper, the Chronicle. She went to get it, and then padded into the kitchen to start the coffee. Coffee was a must and not just for her. Lex was not much of an eater in the morning but he needed his coffee.

‘Man after my own heart.’ She thought, measuring out a pot. Then she heard water running in the bathroom and felt her pulse skip a bit. ‘Who am I kidding? He’s got it.’ The coffee had finished brewing by the time she heard Lex shut off the water in the bathroom. She poured two cups and added milk and sugar to hers and just sugar to his. She had just finished stirring when she felt his arm around her waist from behind.

“Morning.” he said against her neck.

“Good morning.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Only a few minutes, I didn’t want to wake you, you looked like you needed the rest.”

Lex took his coffee from her but didn’t comment. Instead, he kissed her neck again and sat down at the kitchen table with a part of the paper.

Chloe wasn’t about to let the subject drop that easily.

“How have you been sleeping lately?”

“About as well as usual.” came his cryptic reply and she growled a bit. She hated when he did that.

“Well, then you must be working too hard.”

“Chloe, I’m fine.”

“You’re worn out, Lex.”

Lex peered at her over a corner of the Chronicle. “Has it occurred to you that you wore me out, last night?”

“Flatterer, and yes it did.”

“And?”

“And, you, Mr. Luthor, have incredible stamina. I’ve seen you wake up ready to take on the world after a night far more strenuous than last night.”

“So you’re saying there was something wrong with *my* performance?”

She knew what he was doing, he was trying to distract her with quips, but it wasn’t going to work.

Chloe grabbed the paper from him with an exasperated sigh and slid onto his lap. “I’m not kidding, Lex. Between flying out here every few weeks and running Luthor Corp, you’ve been wearing yourself out.”

“I’m fine.” He raised her chin so her eyes met his. “Really. I just need to catch up on some rest, that’s all.”

“Well, what can I do to make sure you get some rest while you’re here?” Chloe reached up to lock her hands behind his neck.

“Wear a different nightgown.” Lex replied, running his hands over the silky material. Her robe and nightgown were a matched set and both pieces ended only mid-thigh.

“Lex, please be serious for minute.” Despite her protests, her skin was beginning to tingle wherever he touched her.

“I am being serious; you’re not leaving much to the imagination here.”

“Well if you had a problem with it, you should have gotten rid of it last night.”

Lex laughed against her cheek and sighed. “Fair point.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Caught that, did you?”

“I’m swift that way.”

“I knew I should stay away from fast women,” quipped Lex. He then shifted his demeanor and suddenly he was very serious. “Chloe, believe me when I say the best place for me to relax is with you. I sleep better when I’m with you. You don’t have to do anything special for me while I’m here, just stay close to me.”

Chloe could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes. ‘What is it with this man that he can make me cry with just a few words?’ Before she could even think about answering her inner query, he was kissing her again, knocking the breath and the ability for rational thought right out of her. His lips moved slowly and sensuously over hers, deepening the kiss when their need to taste each other became too great. Still, Chloe could feel that he was holding back. If he hadn’t been, they would have surely ended up on the floor. They kissed until the burning in their lungs signaled the need for oxygen. Chloe pulled back and blinked as she tried to recall what they had been talking about. ‘Something about staying close…’

“OK, you’ve got a deal.” she assured him. When she tried to get up to get her coffee, Lex tightened his arms around her waist. “Hey!”

Chloe smiled at him in understanding. “If you insist.” She reached over to pull her mug towards her and then snuggled closer to him. As he drank from his own mug, he rubbed her back with his free hand.

“Lex?”

“Hmmmm?”

“How long are you willing to do this?”

“Do what?”

“*This.* This long distance thing. The flying back and forth, the planning it takes for us just to see each other…”

“I’m willing to do this as long as you are, Chloe.”

Chloe gave a very unfeminine grunt of frustration. “You and your cryptic answers. Tell me the truth, are you sick of this? I think we both know this is not a normal relationship.”

“Who’s to say what’s normal? And who’s to say that either of us would want it anyway?”

Chloe raked her teeth over her bottom lip. He had a point. She detangled herself from him and got up to refresh her coffee. She also did it so she could think more clearly, which was next to impossible when sitting on Lex’s lap.

“Chloe, where’s this coming from?”

“I…I guess I just feel guilty, you’re taking the brunt of the distance part of this relationship. I feel like, in a way, I’m stringing you along. I’m not completely oblivious, Lex. I know I’m going to have to make some kind of decision about us at some point. We can’t go on like this forever…” She turned to see Lex opening his mouth but she cut him off.

“And no, you haven’t been pressuring me; you’ve been great. I’ve been thinking about this on my own for a while now. I love spending time with you and I miss you so much when you’re not here…”

“But?”

Chloe looked at him sharply.

“It wasn’t my turn to talk yet?” Lex asked with some humor in his voice. “I heard a ‘but’ coming in there.”

“No, you’re right, there’s a ‘but’. There’s so much here that I’m not ready to give up yet. My job, my…” she trailed off, not sure she wanted to finish the sentence out loud as she had finished it in her head.

“Your freedom,” finished Lex.

‘Damn.’ “Do you have to be a genius all the time?” Chloe grumbled, sinking back into a chair.

“Yes.”

“Of all the men in the world, I fall for the egomaniac.”

Lex smiled and crouched in front of her chair. “Chloe, I don’t want you to feel bad about me coming out here. It makes more sense this way. My job is just more flexible that way. And as for the future, I’m not going to lie to you, I want more. But whether that’s tomorrow or next year, that’s up to you. What I don’t want is for you to feel like you’re giving in to pressure or guilt from me or from yourself. And what I *really* don’t want is for you to give up something that’s important to you, especially your freedom.”

Chloe looked down at their hands, which had somehow entwined while he was talking.

“Give me a little more time,” she said after a long silence.

“What?”

“Give me a little more time and then I think I’ll be ready to…”

“Chloe, I just said…”

“No, Listen to me. I just need some more time to get my head together and I’ll be ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“For whatever comes next.”

Lex stared at her for a few long moments, and at first she thought he was going to fight her on this. Instead he shook his head and tightened his hands around hers. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.” Chloe then dropped his hand and stood up abruptly, her sudden movement causing Lex to fall backwards onto his ass. “And I want to tell my dad,” she declared, striding across the room towards the phone.

“Huh? What? Chloe! Wait a minute!”

“What?”

Lex scrambled to his feet, no easy task in his bare feet and on Chloe’s slippery kitchen floor.

“What are you doing? I thought that you wanted to keep this between us for a while. We agreed.”

Chloe pulled the phone off the hook. “I did and we did but now I want to tell him. I want him to know, I don’t like keeping things from him.”

Lex pulled the phone from her hands. “Are you sure about this? You did say that you were worried about he’d react. Especially after what happened…”

Chloe frowned. Her father didn’t exactly hold anything or anyone with the name Luthor in high regard anymore, even though Lex had done everything in his power to keep them safe after that awful summer in Smallville. That was why she had been reluctant to tell him about their relationship. ‘Well, one of the reasons.’

Chloe took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Whatever his reaction, I have to tell him.” She pulled the phone back from him pressed her thumb to the first button to begin dialing, only to have Lex pull it from her hands again.

“Oh, for the love of God, Lex! Give me the phone!”

“What do you say we tell him in person? Face to face? It might go over better.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Evidently, but I’m still right, it would go over better, wouldn't it?”

Chloe mulled the prospect for a long moment. She did owe her father an explanation for keeping this from him for so long, and she did owe him a visit. Between work and her time with Lex, she hadn't been up to Seattle very often in the past few months. “Are *you* sure about this?”

“Does he own a gun?”

“My father doesn’t believe in guns.”

“Then, I’m sure.”

“OK. In person it is, then.”

She watched as Lex used her phone to dial his pilot. He told him to get the plane and a flight plan ready to take them to Seattle later that day. Chloe decided that there were certainly worse things than having a plane at your beck and call. When Lex disconnected, he gave her a faint smile.

“We should get ready. The plane will be waiting for us.”

“I suppose I should have mentioned that Dad’s into cooking these days.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Knives. Lots and lots of knives.”

“Shit.”

End Chapter.

Chapter Three

Some months earlier…Luthor Corp offices…late evening

Clawing desperately at his tie, Lex burst through the door of his office. He pushed back on it so it slammed with a loud bang that suited his mood. Lex slumped into his chair muttering curses to himself.

‘Fucking jerks. What the hell do they expect from me? *I* saved this company and their asses and this is how they treat me? FUCK!’

The buzzing of his intercom interrupted his internal rant.

“Yes, Barbara, what is it?”

“Mr. Luthor, will you be needing me anymore tonight?” His poor executive assistant sounded terrified. She knew when he was in a bad mood and now was definitely one of those times.

“No. You can go home. Thanks for staying through the meeting…You may come in a couple of hours later tomorrow if you want.”

“Thank you, Mr. Luthor. Good night.”

Lex checked his watch and automatically did the time zone conversion in his head. ‘She might be home by now…unless she’s on a story. Better try the cell.’

He reached for his phone and punched one of the speed-dial buttons. She picked up on second ring.

“Chloe Sullivan.”

‘Full name. Must not have checked her Caller ID.’

“It’s me, can you talk?”

“Yeah, I just walked in the door, I had a few things in my hands…just let me put them...OK. Now I can talk. What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice.” ‘Understatement of the decade.’ Already he could feel the anger and tension dissipating from his tired body. She had that effect on him.

“Oh…right, you had your board meeting today…I guess it didn’t go too well.”

“You could say that.”

“Well, go ahead, vent. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Chloe, I’m not dumping this on you, it’s just the same old crap.”

"Well then who better to dump it on than your girlfriend?”

‘Shit.’

“You still with me here, Lex?”

“Yeah…it’s just that...that’s the first time either of us has used that term.”

“Oh, well, does that bother you?”

“No, you just caught me off guard. I can’t really think of a better term, can you?”

“Lover?”

“It’s certainly true but I think it’s too much information to just throw out at other people.”

“You’re right. Significant other?”

“Too clinical.”

“Partner.”

“Too vague, sounds like we’re playing tennis or forming a law firm.”

“Lady/Gentleman friend.”

“Those are fine, if we plan on having this relationship take place in a movie from the fifties.”

“I could get you one of those cute little fedoras that the men wore back then.”

“How about not?”

“Well, it sounds like we’re sticking with the old boyfriend/girlfriend thing, then.”

“Sounds like.”

“Maybe we should get pink and blue t-shirts made to that effect.”

“I’ll get my assistant right on it. Right after hell freezes over.”

Chloe’s laughter rang out over the line and Lex had to smile.

“So are you going to tell me about your meeting?” she asked, more seriously.

“It’s the same problem I’ve been having for months. There are these last two holdouts from my father’s old board and I can’t seem to get through to them. They never pass up a chance to tear me down. Our earnings are up, profits are up. What the hell do they want?”

“To unnerve you and they’re doing a damn good job.”

“What?”

“They’re probably telling you that your decisions aren’t sound and hinting, but not saying right out, that you’ll never run the company as well as your father did.”

“That’s exactly what they’re doing, constantly.”

“Good. They’re right.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lex, your father ran his company on blood and lies. If that’s the definition of running it well then you don’t want it. Ever. Am I right?”

“Well, of course not but...”

“It’s your company now, run it your way and it will succeed, I know it will. But, in the meantime, whatever you do, don’t let those two jackasses leave, you hear me? You need them on your board.”

Lex could see where she was going with this but he let her finish because he wanted to hear how she would say it.

“They’re your anti-conscience. Whenever they start getting too happy with what you’re doing, you’ll know you’re doing something wrong and you have to shift course. They’re your reminder of what you don’t want to be.”

Lex was silent for a minute as her words sank in, then he smiled. “Thanks, Chloe. I needed that.”

“Yeah, well, you would have probably figured it out on your own, when you calmed down.”

“Maybe.” ‘But it meant more to hear it from you.’

“Are you OK now?”

“Yeah, I just realized that my girlfriend is brilliant.”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘just’?”

*****

A quiet suburb, North of Seattle…later that day…

“Lex? Lex?”

He heard Chloe calling his name, and Lex snapped out of his memory.

“Hmmmm?”

“We’re here.”

Lex turned in the passenger seat of the rental car to look at the vaguely familiar two-story brick house surrounded by carefully kept gardens.

“It looks different from the pictures,” he mused out loud, then winced slightly when he realized what he had said. He turned back to look Chloe who, instead of glaring at him, as he had expected, was only smiling. Then he remembered that he had told her about having had her watched for the first year she and Gabe were in Seattle. She hadn’t been mad then, either.

“Dad went all ‘Bob Vila’ on it a few years back. New windows, new doors, completely gutted the kitchen.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and put her hand on her door. She looked at Lex expectantly. “Ready?”

“Not really. Are we sure he’s here?” Lex replied, undoing his own seatbelt. Chloe had insisted on driving since she knew the city better and Lex decided it wasn’t worth the fight.

“I called him while you were in the shower and told him that I was coming for a visit.”

“You didn’t happen to mention any other guests?”

“It didn’t come up.”

“Chicken.”

They both got out of the car and met on the sidewalk. Chloe shrugged at his jibe.

“Would you prefer that give him time to prepare an ambush? C’mon, we’ll get our bags later.” She took his hand and led him up the front walk, which was lined with colorful plants and flowers. “Dad’s pretty proud of his garden. He’s got loads of vegetables out back, too.”

“I don’t doubt it. I’m sure the diced up remains of your former boyfriends make excellent fertilizer.”

“Le-ex…” she said in warning tone.

“So, how come he never took a Ginsu to your little friend Mark?”

“I have no idea.”

“You know, right now would be a good time to tell me that you were kidding about the knives.”

Chloe fished in her bag for her keys. “I would, if I had been, but I wasn’t.”

Lex frowned. “Have you ever seen the Space Needle? Let’s go check it out. Right now.” He was only half joking.

“I’ve seen it. Many times.” replied Chloe, unlocking the door.

“Well *I* haven’t. Call me crazy but seeing one of the world’s most spectacular views is higher on my To-Do list than being filleted by Gabe the Samurai Chef.”

“Now who’s the chicken? This was your idea.”

“That was before you told me about the knives.”

“Quiet!” ordered Chloe, as they stepped into the foyer. “Dad?” she called out. “Are you home?”

“Chloe? Is that you? I’m in the kitchen.” Chloe began leading Lex through the house towards the kitchen.

“I was just making us some lunch…” From the kitchen came the distinct sound of something thumping against wood. Something that sounded suspiciously like a knife hitting a chopping board. Repeatedly.

Lex stopped walking and raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t we talk to him out here? Fewer sharp objects.”

Chloe smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You really are nervous, aren’t you?”

“No. Not at all.” argued Lex, wrapping his own arms around her. “I just happen to like my blood on the inside of my body. It’s a personal preference I’ve picked up.”

“Calm down.”

“I’m the epitome of calm, don’t I look calm?”

“The phrase ‘deer in the headlights’ comes to mind.”

Lex opened his mouth to respond but he heard Gabe’s voice drifting in from the kitchen again, and getting closer. Too late Lex realized that Chloe wrapped around him was probably not the first thing Gabe should…

“Chloe, sweetie, I was just chopping us up a…” said Gabe as he hurried in, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

“…Lex?” The older man stopped short when he saw that Chloe was not alone.

“Gabe.”

“Dad…”

“Chloe?”

“Well, now that the introductions are over…” said Chloe and then quickly shut up when both men glared at her.

Lex pulled one hand from around Chloe’s waist to extend it to his former plant manager.

“Gabe…nice to see you again.”

Gabe ignored the gesture and instead focused his gaze on his daughter. “Something you care to explain, Chloe?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“You don’t say.”

“Dad, Lex and I have been…seeing each other for a while now.”

“Seeing each other?”

Lex inwardly cringed. Gabe really wasn’t going to make this easy on them.

“Dating,” clarified Chloe with a voice so confident that Lex momentarily forgot which one of them ran the multi-billion dollar corporation.

“Dating? Since when? And don’t you still live in Metropolis?” he asked Lex who was caught slightly off guard at actually being acknowledged. He tried to hide it, though.

“Ah…since a few months ago and yes, I do.”

“So how…” began Gabe, then Lex’s words sunk in. “Months? MONTHS!?”

Chloe seemed to sense the coming explosion and immediately pushed on Lex’s chest. “Lex, I think now would be a good time for you to get our bags from the car.”

“Are you sure?”

“MONTHS?!”

“Pretty sure, yeah.”

*****

Chloe felt Lex brush a kiss on her forehead before he took the keys to the rental from her and slipped out the front door again. She felt her father’s intense gaze on her the entire time.

“Months?!” he repeated, as soon as the door shut.

“Please stop saying that.”

“I will when it stops being true. Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“Did I or did I not ask you if you were seeing anybody new?”

“You see, you really can’t call someone I’ve known for eight years ‘new’ per se.”

“Don’t you ‘per se’ me, young lady! That may have worked when you were a teenager… Jesus, when did this happen?”

“San Diego.”

“What San Diego? You mean that conference you went to six months ago?”

“Seven.”

Gabe glared at her and Chloe held up her hands. “Hey, you asked for dates, I’m giving you dates.”

Gabe crossed his arms. “So you’re telling me there was no conference?”

“Of course there was a conference. I was there for the conference and Lex was there on business. We ended up at the same hotel and we ran into each other. We got to talking…and things kind of progressed from there…” She decided in an instant that her father did not need the intimate details of their three days in San Diego.

“So you two started dating seven months ago and you’re just telling me now?”

“Would now be a good time to point out that I’m an adult and I really don’t have to tell you who I date and don’t date anymore?”

“No!”

“Didn’t think so.”

Both Sullivans turned at the sounded of the front door opening again and Lex re-entered, a bag in each hand. Chloe almost laughed at the picture he made. ‘Lex Luthor, Billionaire Bellhop.’

He set the bags down in the foyer with his trademark ease and rejoined the pair in the living room. He extended his hand again to Gabe with a look of determination on his face.

“Gabe?”

Gabe looked at Chloe who, in spite of herself, was looking at him hopefully.

Still frowning slightly, he reached out and accepted Lex’s hand but not before grumbling, “You both still have some explaining to do.”

*****

Gabe mumbled that they should go into the kitchen and get ready for lunch and he headed straight for the bathroom to splash water on his face. He needed to cool himself down if he was going to get through this meal with his daughter and…’Oh God.’

He bent over the sick and barely resisted the urge to dunk his whole head under the running tap. Cupping his hands under the cool stream, he splashed it over his cheeks and squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Seven months. Seven MONTHS.’ The words just kept repeating in his head. And if he was really honest with himself, they were sometimes followed by the words ‘You’re damn lucky this didn’t happen while she was in high school.’

Gabe Sullivan was no fool. A lot of people thought he had missed the attraction between his boss and his 17-year-old daughter so many years ago in Smallville, but he hadn’t. But what could he do about it? Forbid her to talk to him? He might has well have painted a big red target on Lex for all the good that would have done. No, his best defense, other than keeping a *very*close eye on her and her friends, was to subtly remind Lex every now and again of her accomplishments. Her *high school* accomplishments. He couldn’t flat out warn Lex off his daughter, especially when the young man hadn’t done anything wrong…yet, but it didn’t hurt to remind him of Chloe’s age as often as he could. As for Chloe, keeping an eye on her proved difficult, she was always off chasing some meteor story or another, or worse. He never dreamed that it would all blow up in their faces in the form of Chloe’s misguided alliance with Lionel Luthor, the devil himself. Now his son was in his house and he was dating Chloe. For the past seven months!

‘Oh God.’

Gabe straightened and looked in the mirror. ‘You can do this. Remember that’s *Lex* in there, not his father. Not his father.’ Gabe rubbed his hands on a nearby towel and squared his shoulders. ‘We’re all adults. We can do this. We’ll talk, we’ll have some lunch and some wine. What kind of wine does one serve with chicken when they’ve just been told that Lex Luthor is dating their daughter? Oh God.’

When he returned to the kitchen, Chloe and Lex were making a decent effort at setting the table. Not saying a word, Gabe retuned to the counter where he had been preparing the salad.

Handing Lex some glasses, Chloe turned to father and broke the silence. “Dad? What would you like to drink?”

‘Scotch, straight up.’ Gabe Sullivan was not a drinker but now seemed like a good time to start. He looked up from his cutting board to see the young couple staring at him and too late Gabe realized that he had said the words out loud. “Just a joke, sweetie. There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge.”

Chloe nodded warily and went to get the wine. Lex came up beside Gabe at the counter. “So, Chloe tells me that you’re a chef these days. What are we having?”

‘Your shiny little head. On a platter.’

“Dad, I don’t see the any wine in here,” came Chloe’s muffled voice from inside the fridge.

Gabe stopped chopping and gestured absently with the knife in his hand.

“Top shelf, Chloe, behind the juice.”

“Oh, I see it, thanks.” Gabe looked at Lex and realized that his gesture had brought the tip of his knife right under the younger man’s chin. The unflappable Lex Luthor was now standing stock still with his eyes fixed on the glistening blade. Gabe had to fight the urge to laugh. ‘Take that, Rich Boy.’

“Ooops. Sorry, didn’t see you there” said Gabe with an evil grin as he withdrew the knife. Slowly. And not before Chloe closed the fridge door and saw them.

“It’s…OK. My fault for standing so close to the cook. I’ll just…be over there.” Lex side-stepped away and took the wine bottle and corkscrew from Chloe.

After opening the wine, Lex excused himself to go the bathroom and as Gabe expected, Chloe immediately pounced him as him as he tried to get the food on the table.

“DAD!”

“Yes?” replied Gabe innocently.

“Ease up with the knife. You’re scaring him!”

“That worked out rather well, didn’t it?”

“Dad! Please!”

“So he’s scared, it might do him good to know what it feels like for a change.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, never mind. Sit down.”

“Not until you explain that comment.”

Gabe sighed deeply. “Do you have any idea how many nights I would lay awake in Smallville worrying about you? About you and him?”

Chloe’s green eyes were like saucers. “About me and Lex? You worried about me and Lex?”

“Sweetheart, I may have worked long hours back then but I wasn’t dumb or blind. By the time Lionel went to trial, you were in love with him and he was probably in love with you, too.”

Chloe opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.

“And then there were the nights I would lay awake after we got here worrying that Lionel would still find a way to get you, at least until the bastard dropped dead, that is.”

Chloe still couldn’t seem to find her voice.

“Chloe, I know you’re a grown woman and I know you think I’m being unreasonable but you have to look at it from my point of view. Lionel tried to *kill* you! He tried to kill both of us!”

“But, Dad, that’s LEX in there, NOT his father! You of all people should know that.”

“Well, he did a damn good impression of him six years ago, didn’t he? He fired me as part of some sick game with his father. The same game that almost got both of us killed.”

Gabe watched as Chloe’s eyes grow wide again looking at something over his shoulder. He spun around to see Lex standing in the doorway. His face was carefully blank and his hands were deep in his pockets.

For a moment, no one said anything, and then Lex calmly walked over to the table and looked expectantly at the pair.

“Are we eating?”

“Lex…” began Gabe.

“Well look at that, you got the name right.”

“Lex…”

“Look, Gabe. I didn’t come here for fight. We came so Chloe could tell you the truth because she hates keeping anything from you. I really didn’t expect you to jump for joy over this but I did expect you to give me a chance like you did in Smallville when no one else would. If you can’t do that, just tell me to my face. No games. I don’t play games anymore.”

“Are you done?” asked Gabe.

“No, I’m not. For future reference, I’d prefer you actually slit my throat before you compare me to my father.”

Silence hung over the room again. Finally Gabe ran a hand over his face and looked at his daughter.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Uh…I was scared of what your reaction would be?”

Gabe gave an ironic laugh. “Can’t imagine why you’d be worried about that. I guess I’m being an ass, huh?”

“No argument here,” said Chloe and Gabe shot a look at Lex.

“'Ass’ is as good a word as any…I could probably think of some more if you weren’t still holding that knife, though.” All three burst out laughing at Lex’s quip and the unbearable tension in the room seemed to break a little. With a sheepish look, Gabe put down his knife and extended his hand to Lex.

When he hesitated, Gabe added, “I mean it this time and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for overreacting and I’m sorry for saying what I said. I didn’t mean it. This is a lot to get used to for me. Can we start this over?” Lex took his hand and both men heard Chloe breathe a sigh of relief.

“Now can we eat?”

End Chapter.
Chapter Four

Pike Place Market, Downtown Seattle…later that day…

Chloe dragged Lex through the doors of the crowded public market. She was trying to keep up with her father. Gabe Sullivan was a man on a mission.

“Tell me again why we’re here,” Lex whispered into Chloe’s ear.

“Fish.”

“Fish?”

“Salmon to be exact. Dad said he wants to cook us a special dinner, to sort of make up for being a jerk about this earlier. He said he’s cooking my favorite and this place has the best salmon in the city.”

“I could have just taken us all out to eat, Chloe…”

Don’t even think that and whatever you do, *don’t* say that to him,” warned Chloe.

“Why not?”

“You saw him at lunch, he’s crazy chef guy these days. Telling him not to cook for us would be like punching him in the gut.”

“I think maybe you’re exaggerating a little bit.”

Both Chloe and Lex looked over to see Gabe Sullivan being greeted like a long lost son by the proprietors of the Pike Place Fish stand. There was much backslapping, handshaking, and joking.

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not.”

Chloe pushed him towards the stand. “Go.”

“What, go? Go where?”

“Over there with Dad. Go talk fish with him. Warm up to him. The whole point of doing this face to face was so you two could get to know each other again and he would feel more comfortable with us.” Chloe pushed on him again but he stood his ground.

“I *know* that. But I know nothing about fish.” Lex whispered through his teeth.

“Great, he can teach you. GO!”

“Wait, where will you be?”

“Ummm… there’s a great little place here that sells these awesome chocolate covered coffee beans…”

Lex rolled his eyes. “Say no more, but remember, I’m doing this for you.”

“I’ll remember and I’ll thank you later.” Chloe wiggled her eyebrows at him before shoving him one more time towards her father and a group of rabid Saturday afternoon shoppers fighting for their share of fresh seafood.

With a grin, Chloe turned on her heel and made a beeline for the specialty coffee and spice stand at the other end of the market.

Some time later she emerged from the stand, holding a large bag and munching happily on a few beans that the gracious shop owner had allowed her to sample. For once, she mused, fate had been on her side six years ago when her father was able to land a job in, of all places, the coffee capital of the U.S. All in all, it hadn’t been a bad move for them, despite the initial turmoil. Her father loved his new job and his new home. He had many new friends from the neighborhood and from the plant whom he went fishing with up in British Columbia several times a year. Chloe had only lived in Seattle a year before going off the college but it was nice to be able to come ‘home’ to this place. Although, truth be told, she wasn’t sure where home was these days.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of something wrapping around her legs. She looked down to see a pair of small, chubby hands clinging to her knees. The owner of said hands disappeared behind her.

“What the…” Chloe twisted her body to see who or what had suddenly attached itself to her and she caught sight of the culprit. Beaming up at her was a little girl, no more than two years old. The toddler giggled and circled around Chloe’s legs again, allowing her a better look. The little girl had an unruly mop of shiny brown ringlets and she wore blue denim overalls and a pink shirt.

“Hello there, what’s your name?” said Chloe, leaning down.

“Hi.”

“Where’s your mommy?”

“Hi.”

“Not really a master conversationalist, are you?”

The girl giggled again, showing off two rows of tiny white teeth. “Hi!”

“Alyssa! There you are…Thank god!” Chloe looked up to see a harried-looking woman running towards her, or rather towards the little girl, who promptly called out “Momma!”

The woman scooped up the child and squeezed her tightly in her arms. “Sweetie, you have to stop running away from me. It’s not safe,” she said reproachfully. Alyssa seemed to think nothing of it, however. She only smiled brightly and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

She turned to Chloe, “Sorry about this, she’s learned how to unbuckle her stroller straps and she climbed out before I could even stop her.”

“Don’t worry about, I’m glad she ran into me, it slowed her down enough so you could catch her.” replied Chloe, tilting her head to take a better look at the woman. She was older than she was but not by much. She and her daughter had the same hair and eyes. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. She’s also a handful. Do you have any…?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, not yet.” ‘Yet? Now where the hell did that come from?’

“Well, if you ever decide to have any here’s a tip: get good running shoes,” said Alyssa’s mother in a conspiratorial whisper. “You’re young, anyway, you have plenty of time before that happens.” She added absently. “Thanks again.” The woman breezed away and over her shoulder Alyssa gave a jaunty wave.

Chloe smiled faintly and waved back. ‘Time. Of course I have time.’ Of course, it hadn’t seemed like that a few months ago.

*****

Some months earlier…Chloe’s Apartment…early in the morning…

Chloe sat on the edge of the bathtub and tried to look everywhere in the tiny room but at the sink. More precisely, at the small plastic device on the sink. It was official; this was the longest five minutes of her life.

She could feel her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, pumping so hard she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She looked down, her fingers were trembling and she sat on her hands to still them.

She had been feeling run down lately and a little sick but she chalked it up to being tired and not eating properly. After all, she had been working hard on a story about the District Attorney’s conviction rate and had spent most of her time holed up in the dank basement of the county courthouse researching. She had put in so many long hours she didn’t even notice her period had not come until she was five days late. Chloe was hardly ever late.

After the first few moments of blind panic, she had tried to approach the situation rationally. She had pulled out her planner and backtracked to the dates of her last period and then to the dates of Lex’s last visit.

Then she had sat down because she felt decidedly dizzy.

She was on the pill but, as her high school health teacher had said repeatedly, “Nothing is 100% effective.”

‘Oh God.’

In her mind Chloe recalled hearing stories of women who were on birth control but got pregnant anyway because something as innocuous as sinus medicine reduced the efficacy of the pill.

The she had put her head between her knees.

After a few deep breaths, she regained control of herself and went to the nearest drug store. She bought three tests, just in case.

Following a restless night’s sleep, she got up early to take the test. Now she was awaiting the first results.

‘This can’t be happening. We aren’t even living in the same city, how can we have a child?’

Chloe had always considered herself to be pretty liberal about women’s rights but she knew in her heart that she would not even consider *all* of her options. If she was pregnant, she would keep the child…raise it herself. With or without Lex.

‘Lex…Oh God. What would he say? Would he be mad?’ She told him that she was on the pill from the start, right before their first time in San Diego.

But even if he wasn’t mad, she didn’t know if this was what he wanted. Yes, he cared about her but enough to have a child with her? Would he want to marry her? ‘You know he would.’ said her inner voice. The question was would she want to marry him?

‘Yes.’ said her inner voice before any other thoughts could run through her head. ‘Wait, what?’

She looked down at her watch. Five minutes were up. Swallowing hard, she reached for the test. No pink lines in the ‘test’ window. ‘Not pregnant.’

‘Not pregnant.’

Wiping all thoughts from her mind, Chloe quickly repeated the test with the other two devices.

‘Not Pregnant’ and ‘Not Pregnant.’

She left the tests on the counter and sank to the floor.

Later that day, she got her period. The initial relief she felt was followed by something completely unexpected. Sadness. Disappointment. ‘What the hell? I can’t handle this now. I don’t want this.’ Then why did she suddenly feel empty inside?

*****

Gabe, with the help of one of the proprietors of the seafood shop, was explaining the differences between Atlantic and Pacific Salmon to Lex, who decided five minutes in that it was certainly possible to know too much about fish. They were about to start in on the differences between farm-raised and wild salmon but the fishmonger had to step away for something urgent.

That something urgent turned out to be flinging large whole fish across the shop area to his colleagues, much to the delight of the shoppers and crowds gathered.

Lex turned to Gabe. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope, they’re world famous for this. People come from all over to watch them.”

“Throw fish?”

“There’s an art to it.”

“I’m sure.” Lex watched as one of the workers hefted a huge specimen to another fishmonger. “Think of the potential for injury if it isn’t done correctly.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Chloe was similarly impressed.” He signaled his selection to one of the counter people and watched as the man began wrapping his purchase. “So…?” he said to Lex.

“So…”

“This long distance thing, how are you guys making this work?’ Gabe asked a bit too casually.

Lex hesitated, choosing his words carefully. There were some things that a father just didn’t need to know about his adult daughter’s sex life.

“I fly out here every couple of weeks or so as our schedules allow for it. Phone calls, email, that sort of thing.”

“I see,” replied Gabe, handing over some money to the counter person. He had seen Lex reach for his wallet and shot him a death glare that left no doubt in Lex’s mind where Chloe had gotten hers from.

“Lot of frequent flyer miles, I guess?”

“I use my plane.”

“Oh…of course. Is that how you two got here today?”

“Yes.”

Gabe made a noise in his throat as he accepted his wrapped package and Lex smirked a bit. Gabe was probably having trouble wrapping his brain around the fact that his daughter’s boyfriend was whisking her around on his own jet.

“How long do figure you can keep that up?”

“That’s funny, Chloe asked me the same thing.”

“And your answer was?”

“As long as she wants me to.”

“That’s pretty cryptic.”

“That’s what she said.”

Gabe shifted on his feet. “Lex…I guess you know that this kind of caught me by surprise.”

‘I’d hate to think you *planned* the knife thing.’ “I caught that part.”

“Well, not so much the idea of you two, more the timing of it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Back in Smallville, I knew that you and Chloe…that you were interested in one another.”

‘O-kay, do some damage control, quick.’

“Gabe, I assure you, Chloe and I never did anything inappropriate when she lived in Smallville.”

“Calm down, I know that. I just thought you should know that I was aware that you cared about her more than you let on.”

Lex let out a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding. He looked around and watched as one of the fishmongers waved a large salmon at the crowd.

‘This is too surreal. I’m sitting there talking about *not* sleeping with the 17-year old daughter of an employee even though I wanted to at the time and these idiots are throwing fish over my head.’

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked finally Gabe.

“Are you kidding? I knew you hadn’t done anything. What would I have said, ‘Lex, that whole not dating my teenage daughter thing? Good job, keep doing that. Oh and can I have next Friday off?’”

“I see your point. Gabe, I was always aware of her age. I wouldn’t have taken advantage of her.”

Gabe looked at him intently for a while. “I want to believe you. I really do.”

“That's encouraging, I suppose,” replied Lex, with a dead serious tone that made Gabe laugh a bit.

The two men walked through the market for a while, each deep in thought. Finally Gabe broke the silence again.

“She’s an adult now and this is her decision but I’d be lying if I said that this was what I pictured for her.”

“This? Meaning me?”

“Meaning everything. I have an idea of what running that corporation of yours takes and I know you’re still trying to prove yourself to a lot of people. Pair that with the distance thing…”

“Don’t forget Chloe’s career. She’s not exactly a nine-to-five person either. You know that.” Lex added.

“Exactly, and I’m not sure it’s what I want for her.”

“What *do* you want for her?”

Gabe seemed to hesitate before answering. “I want…I guess I just want what any parent wants for their kid: for her to have a happy, safe and normal life.”

Lex let his gaze sweep over the crowded public market for a beat before retuning it to Gabe’s.

“How does two out of three sound?”

Chloe chose that moment to rejoin them and Lex noticed that she looked a bit dazed, as if she had been deep in thought. He chose not to comment on it.

She slipped her arm around his waist and smiled up at him. “So do you know everything there is to know about salmon yet?”

Gabe and Lex exchanged a look.

“Umm…guys?” said Chloe, when neither spoke. “What’s up?”

“Fish. Flying fish,” replied Gabe.

“World famous flying fish. Your father was telling me about the art of throwing fish.” added Lex, knowing that Chloe wouldn’t buy their misdirection. She was smarter than that. But he knew that she wouldn’t press them too hard for an explanation. She was smarter than that, too.

“So where to now?”

“Did you get your coffee, sweetie?”

She gave them a brilliant smile and held up her shopping bag. “Yup. At least a month’s supply.”

“Well, then we’re going home so I can show you guys what salmon should taste like.”

Chloe shot Lex an ‘I told you so’ look.

*****

Sullivan home…several hours later…

Gabe closed the dishwasher and turned it and gave the counter a final swipe. Dinner had been a success, the food delicious, if he did say so himself, and the conversation much less strained than it had been at lunch.

Chloe and Lex were obviously comfortable with one another. They had a teasing banter that hinted at intimacy without being too saccharine. Lex seemed genuinely interested in Gabe’s new job and his life in Seattle. He talked briefly about Luthor Corp and his inability to find plant managers as dedicated as Gabe. Something in the way he said it told Gabe it wasn’t a line. Chloe boasted about her recent stories including the fact that most of the San Francisco City Council was afraid of her. Gabe began to swell with pride at this and then glanced at Lex and noticed that the younger man was way ahead of him on that score.

After dinner, Gabe waved off their attempts to help with the dishes with the declaration that “No one else touches my pans.” They seemed to accept this without further explanation. Chloe grabbed his copy of the Seattle Times and Lex went upstairs to check his voice mail and email messages.

With the dishes done, Gabe went off in search of his daughter. He found her sprawled on the sofa deeply immersed in the paper, her legs hanging over the arms. It was a teenage stance she never quite grew out of. As he had done when she was sixteen, he tapped on her legs to get her attention, and then sternly motioned for her to put them down. She immediately obeyed, likely more out of habit than anything else.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Lex still upstairs?”

“Yeah, he had some things to check on.”

“Hmmmm.”

Chloe laid down the paper. “So, go ahead.”

“Go ahead with what?”

“You want to ask me some stuff about me and Lex. So shoot.”

“OK, Miss Smarty Pants. What am I going to ask?”

“Oh, I dunno…how he’s treating me…that kind of thing…”

“Shows how much you know, I wasn’t going to ask that.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “You weren’t?”

“No, it’s obvious he adores you. He’d probably buy you the world if you let him.”

Chloe actually blushed a bit, briefly. “Yeah, probably, but I won’t let him.”

“Of course not. But anyway, that wasn’t what I was going to ask you.”

“What were you going to ask?”

‘Do you love him?’ thought Gabe, but he decided against it almost immediately. He had embarrassed both of them enough today, and besides, he already had an inkling of the answer to that question.

“Are you happy?” he asked instead.

“Yes.” answered Chloe after a beat.

‘Just yes? The normally verbose Chloe Sullivan was giving a single word answer?’

“Well, I asked because I know this distance thing can’t be easy on either of you and then there’s all the stuff with Lionel, not to mention he eats, sleeps and breathes Luthor Corp.…”

“Dad…Dad…stop!” interrupted Chloe.

“What?”

“Just…‘yes.’ Yes, all of that is true plus God knows how much more, but the answer is still yes. We don’t know for sure where this is going but for now, we’re happy. OK?”

‘Oh, well then…’ “OK.”

“OK? That’s it?”

“That was my only question. Now can I have the Metro section?”

Chloe looked at him as him if he had grown another head. Meanwhile, they both heard Lex’s footsteps on the stairs.

As Lex entered the room, Gabe reached into his shirt pocket, only to find it empty. He looked up and saw Chloe smiling at him.

“I think you left them on the shelf where you keep your cookbooks. You used them to read a recipe. I’ll get them.”

“Thanks, sweetie.”

“You’re welcome, Daddy. Honestly, I don’t know how you ever find them when I’m not here,” she said, getting up from the couch.

“That’s why I have four pairs.”

Chloe stopped in front of Lex on her way out. “Anything wrong?”

“Nothing that can’t wait until I get back to the office on Tuesday.”

“Good,” she said with a smile before leaving to get her father’s reading glasses.

Lex settled on the couch and picked up the part of the paper that Chloe had discarded.

“You two staying until Monday?”

“That was the plan.” Lex replied, and then raised his eyes. “That is, if that’s all right with you?”

“I’m going to turn down more time with my daughter?”

Gabe leafed through the sections of the newspaper, squinting slightly because he truly could not see very well without his glasses.

“By the way,” he said, finding something that looked like it could be the sports section, “in answer to your earlier question, two out of three is fine with me if it’s fine with Chloe.”

Lex looked up briefly at Gabe, then back down at his paper, one side of his mouth was definitely curled upwards.

“That’s good to hear.”

End chapter.
Chapter Five

Chloe's apartment…the following Friday night…

"So…what do you think?" asked Chloe, before taking a huge bite of her ice cream.

"I think your life makes mine look like a particularly riveting game of Scrabble." grumbled Jen.

They were sitting in Chloe's living room, and Chloe was giving Jen the promised 'A to Z' on her relationship with Lex. She'd spared a few minor details, namely her pregnancy scare a few months earlier, but she did include the details about Lionel and all that happened in Smallville so long ago. Jen needed to know the whole story in that regard, Chloe decided.

"Oh c'mon, Jen. You and Tim have a great marriage."

"Yeah, but we go to the movies and we feed the cat. He doesn't whisk me off to luxurious inns in Napa on his jet."

"We've been over this, that's not why I'm with him."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. So where were we? Oh yes, you were feeling guilty for some ridiculous reason."

"It's not ridiculous," protested Chloe. "Lex has been killing himself for months to come out here and what have I been doing?"

"Besides having more sex than I've had in the last two or three *years*?"

"You are so going to be wearing this ice cream in exactly two seconds."

"OK, I'll stop, I mean it this time. You know if you feel so guilty, go see him for a change."

Chloe shifted on the couch. She had thought of that, too. It was the obvious solution. But could she do it?

"I don't know if I can. I may not even have the vacation time…"

"Bullshit, I'm your boss and I know you have the time. Sullivan, you have more vacation days stored up than the whole department. Now what's stopping you?"

"Nothing…I just…"

"Chloe, what are you afraid of?"

Chloe's gaze snapped back to her meet her friend's she opened her mouth but no sound came out.

"Chloe, you're one of the bravest people I know but I can't help but think that you’re letting the ghost of Lionel Luthor dictate your life."

"I'm not."

"Then what is it then?"

'I wish I knew,' thought Chloe. "Hand me the phone," she said extending her hand in Jen's direction.

"What are you doing…?"

"Just hand me the fucking phone before I change my mind!"

*****

Some months earlier…an Inn in Napa Valley, CA…very late evening…

Chloe took another long sip of the wine room service had sent up. It was delicious; of course the fact that it was her third glass might have something to do with that opinion. She was on the patio of their room in an unbelievably beautiful Inn in the Napa Valley. In the weeks prior, Chloe had been working day and night on a story. It had finally broken, much to the relief of everyone who had to deal with a rampaging Chloe during the time. When Lex arrived for his visit, he announced that he was taking her on a much-needed vacation, if only for a couple of days.

When she tried to protest that such a gesture violated their first rule, he argued that, like the lingerie, this was a present they could both enjoy. She had been packed a ready to leave less than an hour later.

After a day of exploring the Napa countryside, neither of them had been up to dinner out so they ordered room service. And, as was their habit when ordering in, the actual eating got interrupted by other things. Now they were both starving…and somewhat loosened up by the bottles of local wine that the innkeepers left lying about. She heard Lex moving around inside behind her, rummaging through the leftovers from their earlier dinner.

"Find anything?" she called over her shoulder.

"I found many things," replied Lex, stepping through the French doors, wearing only his pajama pants. "You know, I don't seem to recall ordering chocolate cake with dinner."

Chloe's head shot up at the mentioning of the word 'chocolate.' The fact that it was followed by the word 'cake' only served to hold her attention more.

"They sent chocolate cake?"

"Yes, maybe they just send chocolate cake to all couples who order room service."

"I knew there was a reason I liked this place."

Lex sat down next to her on the cool floor, where Chloe had spread a blanket. Gingerly, he set down a tray filled with several different foods.

"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for, so I just brought everything…cheese, fruit…"

"Lex, I thought you knew me better than that."

Lex rolled his eyes, "Yes, of course, my mistake…" he handed her a small plate with a large slice of chocolate cake and a fork. "There you go."

Chloe gave a derisive snort before digging in. "Silly man."

"So what have you been doing out here?" Lex picked up the half-empty wine bottle and raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides getting buzzed on the local wine, that is."

Chloe cut another bite of cake off her piece. "What? They didn't send it up for us to just *stare* at it. It's wine, you drink it."

"Clearly, and you didn't answer my question."

"I've been catching up on my stargazing. I'm a little behind." Chloe handed Lex the rest of her cake and began searching through the tray for something else to nibble on.

"Are you?"

"Yes, and I'm guessing that you are, too."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're a stargazer, too, though lately, I doubt you've had the time."

"That's a interesting assumption to make about me. Most people wouldn't associate me with something that…romantic."

"I'm not most people. Besides, you're sitting on a moonlit balcony eating chocolate cake and drinking wine with your girlfriend. Mr. Luthor, the jig is up."

Lex couldn't contain the smile and the eventual laugh that spilled from his mouth.

"Anyway," continued Chloe, re-filling her glass, "it's an assumption I made a long time ago. Anyone as interested as you are in unlocking any and all secrets of the universe has to be a stargazer. Right?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then smiled again. "You do get very philosophical when you're drunk, Miss Sullivan."

"I'm not drunk, just a little vuzzed."

"Buzzed."

"That's what I said."

"Well, if wanting to unlock the secrets of the universe makes me stargazer, wouldn't that have made my father one, too? I knew the man all my life and I think that's one term I could never apply to him. Maybe there's a flaw in your theory there."

"No, the theory is perfectly valid, you're wrong about your father."

"Pardon?"

"Your father never wanted to unlock the secrets of the universe. He just wanted to control it and he didn’t care how he did it. Nope, there wasn't a stargazing bone in his body." She leaned back against the wall, her wineglass in hand, satisfied with the alcohol-induced logic of her answer. "That's one way you're different from him."

"Just one?"

"Well, there are plenty of other ways."

Lex crawled a bit closer to her. "We have all night, why don't you tell me them?"

Chloe cocked her head to one side as she saw him getting closer. "I'd love too. Just bring some more of this wine on your way over, will you?"

*****

Lex tossed his watch on his nightstand and it skidded a bit, colliding gently with a framed photo positioned there. He then undid his cuffs and wearily began unbuttoning the front of his shirt.

It had been a trying week, it being one day shorter only meant he had to cram more into the four remaining days. He'd flown back from San Francisco late Monday night and managed only a few hours sleep before he needed to be in the office Tuesday morning for an early conference call. Even he thought he looked like death when he saw his reflection in the mirror that morning. Chloe would have pitched a fit. And, of course, argued with him on the very obvious point that the extra time had been well spent. Gabe Sullivan was now aware of their relationship and even halfway approved of it. While Lex knew full well that it wasn't the Middle Ages and he didn't need a father's approval to spend time with his grown daughter, it was good to have all the same. Very good. Well worth the lost sleep.

Sleep, that was what Lex needed now. He tugged his shirt off and then his pants, socks and shoes. He collapsed on top of the bedcovers in his boxers, trying to summon the energy to settle underneath them. Then the phone rang.

His head lolled to the side facing the telephone on his nightstand. Few people knew this private number; fewer still would dare dial it at this hour. He knew who it was.

He reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Did I wake you?" she asked, not bothering with a greeting.

"Would you be sorry if you did?"

"Perhaps, or maybe I'm just a jealous shrew, calling to make sure you’re alone."

"Oh, I'm alone, that you can be sure of, I'm tired and cranky and no one else would want to be around me at this time of night."

"Besides me."

"Besides you and no, you didn't wake me, although three more minutes and that would have been a different answer."

"I'll be quick about this then; I just need to ask you a question."

"And that is?"

"Do you have room in that penthouse of yours for a guest?"

Lex sat up in bed. He was awake now. He mulled her words for a beat, than answered "Depends on the guest, and the duration of the stay."

"If it were me, for about a week or so?"

He blinked. "Are you serious, Chloe?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, then I think something could be arranged," he grinned evilly, "Perhaps a cot or something in the study."

"A cot! You wouldn't dare!"

"You're keeping me awake at this ungodly hour and I can't make love to you. You're lucky it's not the floor!"

"Fine. Good night, Lex."

"Good night, Chloe."

End chapter.
Chapter Six - Part A

Lex's Penthouse…several days later…

"Please come in, Miss Sullivan."

Trying desperately not to gawk at her surroundings, Chloe accepted the butler's invitation, though she barely heard what he said after he closed the door behind her. Something about Mr. Luthor calling to say he was on his way.

Chloe had stubbornly refused Lex's offer that his limo pick her up from the airport. Instead she hailed a cab outside the terminal, like so many other people. Of course, those other people didn’t ask their drivers to take them to one of the Luthor Corp. Residential Towers, where Lex's penthouse took up the top floor. Chloe had almost choked on the words as she told the driver where to go.

Now she was standing in the foyer of said penthouse, probably looking like a first-class idiot to the butler, who she now realized looked familiar. Yes, he was the same butler from Lex's mansion in Smallville. She hadn't been so flustered during her frantic trips to his home in her final months in that town to have forgotten who opened the door for her.

"Thank you…William."

He looked somewhat surprised that she knew his name but he recovered quickly.

"Mr. Luthor asked that I show you around when you arrived, so you could make yourself more comfortable, Miss."

His emphasis on the final word led Chloe to believe that *Mr. Luthor* had also stressed that she not be called 'ma'am.'

Chloe looked around; the doorman who escorted her upstairs had already disappeared with her bags. She really hoped the staff wasn't going to keep doing that creepy disappearing and reappearing thing the whole time.

"Of course, please lead the way, I'd probably end up lost on my own," she replied. Just from the look of the foyer, she could tell that this home was nothing like the mansion in Smallville. There were no stone walls or stained glass windows anywhere. The room was bright and airy, in spite of its size, with an elegant, but not overly formal marble floor. On one side stood a dark wood end table topped with a vase and lamp that each likely cost more than Chloe's car.

"There's a powder room on your right if you need it, Miss."

"No, I'm OK."

"In that case, please follow me," said William, turning briskly. He was dressed, to Chloe's relief, in a crisp white shirt, black vest and slacks. If he had been wearing a tux or whatever it was butlers wore in the movies Chloe knew she would have turned just as briskly on her own heel and been out the front door.

They entered a long, narrow hallway with a door on either side of it and lined with small sconces and simply framed paintings.

"On your right is the Media Room…"

'OK, when he's with me, he watches HBO on my couch, at home he uses a *media room?* Good God.'

"…and on your left is Mr. Luthor's study."

'Now that I'd like to see…' She hesitated a bit but William ignored her and kept moving. Frustrated, she stepped more quickly to catch up. The hallway ended, leading into very large and bright room.

"This is the living room, Miss. Those," he said, pointing to two glass doors, "lead to the balcony."

Chloe knew her mouth was hanging open but she could not help it. The room was amazing.
The balcony side of the room was a wall of floor to-ceiling glass broken only by the balcony doors, and giving a spectacular view of the Metropolis skyline and nearby City Park. On her right was a large fireplace framed with a dark wood mantle. Throughout the center of the room, comfortable looking furnishings - low tables, plush chairs, and ottomans - were arranged. The furnishings were in muted, neutral tones and less formal in nature than she would have expected. Of course, all throughout the plane ride, Chloe's typically vivid imagination had been at a loss of just what to expect of Lex's home. All she really knew of his taste was what she saw in Smallville and that most of the time he seemed comfortable in her own tiny apartment. An apartment that, incidentally, seemed like a broom closet in comparison to his.

'Breathe in, breathe out.' she reminded herself.

"Through those doors is the dining room." Sure enough, when Chloe stuck her head into the doorway on her right, she found a large room, again lined with large windows, furnished with a large table and chairs.

William then pointed out the kitchen, large and bright with gleaming, stainless steel appliances and a small breakfast table at one end, in front of a huge window with a breathtaking view. Crossing the width of the penthouse, William pointed out the spare bedrooms, and a room that he stated was 'Mr. Luthor's fitness room' before finally leading her to the master suite.

Chloe swallowed as he led her through the door. The room was enormous, perhaps as large as her entire apartment. There was a bed, of course, and a large one at that, a California king or larger, plus other expensive looking furnishings, a large dresser, armoire and night tables. Towards the end of the room there was a sitting area with comfortable looking chairs positioned in front of another set of glass doors leading out to the balcony. The room was decorated in dark colors, mostly shades of deep blues and rich burgundies.

Chloe felt the butler’s eyes on her and she realized that he had asked her something.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?”

“Yes, Miss, I said that the master bathroom was though that door, if you’d like to change from your journey.”

“Is that your way of saying that I smell like the inside of an airport?” she quipped, and was rewarded when the butler actually cracked a smile.

“Of course not, Miss. It was only a suggestion.”

“That ‘Miss’ thing of yours has got to go. Any chance of you calling me Chloe?”

“I’m sorry, no. That’s not possible.”

“Well, what else you got?”

“Madam?”

“That’s just wrong.”

“Ma’am?” he said with a small smile.

“No way in hell.”

“Perhaps you have a suggestion?”

“I did, my name, Chloe.”

“That is not possible.”

Chloe groaned and flopped into one of the chairs in the sitting area. “You’ve got this proper butler routine down pretty well, don’t you?”

“I should hope so, Miss,” replied William dryly, and Chloe narrowed her eyes.

“So what should I call you?”

“William, Miss.”

“No nickname?”

“No.”

Chloe grinned mischievously. “Would you like one?”

“Thank you, but no.”

“Now that sounds like a challenge.”

“If you say so, Miss. Do you need anything else?”

Chloe quirked an eyebrow. “What, do I actually have to dismiss you or something?”

William only stared expectantly at her.

“Oh, God, I’m never going to get used to this. I’m fine, thanks, William. I think I’ll just hang out in here for a while.”

“I’ll let Mr. Luthor know where you are when he arrives.”

William exited, thankfully without bowing or anything to that effect. Chloe sighed and swing her legs over the arm of the deep chair, in an effort to make herself more comfortable. She took another look around the room. It was comfortable, not sterile, as she had feared, but everything was just too perfect, too precise. She felt like she had been transported into a two-page in Architectural Digest. The only thing that was comforting was that the room smelled vaguely like the scent she associated with Lex - clean, soapy and slightly musky.

Still, she decided, looking out the glass doors to the balcony and beyond, she could get used to this view. Kicking off her boots, she padded to the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, shivering as the chilly wind sliced through her sweater. Hugging herself slightly, she looked at the city below, the city she grew up in. From her vantage point she could see Metropolis City Park, where her father used to take her to play and for picnics. Just outside the park was an old movie theater where they would catch classic movies on Saturday afternoons. On the other side of the park, Chloe recalled, were the funky shops she used to frequent to keep her wardrobe up to par, even during her Smallville years. Further down she could make out the distinctive outline of the Daily Planet building, once the physical embodiment of her dreams and ambitions, most of which were now just memories to her. Metropolis had many memories for her, some happy, some decidedly not.

Never would Chloe have dreamed that she’d be standing over it all, not only in a Luthor Corp. Building, but in the bedroom of Lex Luthor himself. She shivered again and not just from the cold then stepped back into Lex's suite. Once she was inside again, she moved restlessly around the room, running her hands along the uncluttered.surfaces. Not surprisingly, Lex left few personal items lying about. No ties, no cufflinks, no dog-eared books.

There was a single framed photo on the end of the dresser and Chloe recognized it as a larger version of the one Lex carried in his wallet – a professional portrait of him and his mother taken when he was about eight years old.

Chloe could find no other photos…wait…there was another. Across the room on the nightstand sat a small framed photo. Chloe crossed the room in several quick strides to see it. She picked it up and smiled, sinking down onto the bed. It was the two of them, taken months before in Napa. They were standing on one of the inn’s terraces, overlooking a vineyard, both looking cool in their t-shirts and sunglasses. Another guest had offered to take their picture and Chloe had handed over the camera readily. After she developed the pictures, she had mailed him the copies without comment. She had not expected him to frame one of them. In fact, she hadn’t allowed herself to expect anything at all. She had only mailed the copies because it seemed like the obvious thing to do.

She heard the door open behind her and she turned in time to see him enter.

“Hey.”

“You got here sooner than I thought, I had hoped to beat you home,” he said, crossing the room to the bed. She set the frame down as he did so.

“Well, it gave me some time to look around…mmmph,” she murmured against his mouth as he leaned down to kiss her.

“And?” He broke the kiss and sank next to her on the bed.

“And what?”

“About the penthouse, what do you think of it?”

“Um…it’s big, I guess…I don’t know, I’m no expert on penthouses. I haven’t exactly seen very many.”

“I’m not asking you about other ones, I’m asking you about this one.”

Chloe suddenly felt uncomfortable under Lex’s gaze and she got up from the bed to put some space between them.

“What does it matter what I think? It’s your place. Hell, it’s your *building*.” Chloe turned her back on him to look for her boots. “Anyway, we already know that we don’t exactly have the same standards as far as apartments are concerned.”

“Chloe…” his tone was slightly strained, almost warning. She knew she probably should have brought it up but it just spilled out, when she felt him pushing her, even if he hadn't meant to.

“What?”

“Never mind…forget it. We should start getting ready soon anyway. You brought something to wear?”

Chloe smiled and dropped her boots to crawl onto the bed again.

“Of course I did, and wait till you see it…I think you’ll like it.”

Lex made an approving noise in his throat as she crawled over his body, pinning him to the bed with her own. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tangled one in her hair to bring her mouth down to his. He rolled them over so he was on top and Chloe felt the tension between them melt away as they kissed. It always did.

Her hands went to his waist to pull his shirt from his pants. Lex sucked in a breath and pulled back as soon as her hands touched his bare skin. She had already begun working on the buttons of the shirt when she realized he had stopped moving. She looked up and found him staring down at her. He ran a hand over her forehead to brush back some strands of hair, but he didn’t move.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing…I’m just glad that you’re here.” He leaned in to brush her lips gently. “Chloe, I…”

There was a knock at the door and Lex cursed under his breath. “Yes?”

“Mr. Luthor, your assistant is on the telephone, she says she has that call from London you’ve been expecting.”

“Right,” called Lex turning back to Chloe. “I need to take this, I’ve been waiting all day for this call. That OK?” he asked, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“It’s fine, I should get ready anyway.”

Lex got to his feet and adjusted his clothing. He called out through the closed door, “William, I’ll take the call in my study.” To Chloe he said, “Well, finish this later?”

“Of course,” she replied with a smile.

After he left, Chloe let out a deep breath and flopped back onto the bed. She had a pretty good idea of what Lex would have said to her if they hadn’t been interrupted. She just had no idea what she would have said in response.

*****
Some months earlier…Chloe's apartment…early morning

Lex leaned against the frame of the door leading to Chloe's spare bedroom/office.

"Almost done?" he asked.

"Two minutes…" replied not bothering to look up from her laptop. "Jen wants me to double check some of my quotes for this piece, she's worried that this one is going to annoy some fairly important people."

"Chloe Sullivan annoying people with her work, now there's a shock."

This time she looked up at him and grinned. "Well you know what they say 'If you can't annoy somebody with what you write, there's little point in writing.'"

"Exactly who is the 'they' that say that?"

"Ah…doesn’t matter…it's a good quote, though." replied Chloe, absently, as she hit the 'send' button on her email and shut down her laptop. "All done, now we can go."

She ran her eyes approvingly over Lex. "Jeans *and* sneakers, Mr. Luthor? Wonders never cease."

"I'm just following orders; you did say to put on some clothing that looked less 'uptight Wall Street'?"

"I meant that in the best possible way."

"Of course. So where are we going?"

"Insider's tour of San Francisco, mostly on foot. I hope those fancy sneakers are broken in."

Lex pulled a folded brochure from his pocket and handed it to Chloe. "Do we have time for a slight detour?"

Chloe furrowed her brow and took the brochure from him. "Mission Hill Luxury Apartments? What is this, Lex?"

"Nothing much, I just called a colleague of mine who owns some properties out here and it turns out that they have a vacancy. So I thought…"

"Not interested," said Chloe, shoving the brochure back into his hand as she walked past him. He followed her into the living room.

"You didn't even look at it."

"I don't need to; I'm happy where I am. Here." She shoved her feet into her sneakers and pulled a Berkeley sweatshirt over her head.

"You're always complaining about the rent for this place."

"So what, like the rent on 'Mission Hill Luxury Apartments' is going to be much better?"

"I worked that part out, you'll pay what you pay for this place but you'll get so much more. More space, more light…"

"Wait, back up the truck. You 'worked that part out'? How exactly did you do that?" Chloe's tone sent off warning bells in Lex's head.

"The property owner and I… do a lot of work together, he considers this good business."

"Good business?" asked Chloe incredulously.

"Chloe, will you just look at the place? It's a loft, ten-foot ceilings, doorman, hardwood floors…"

"Good. Business?"

"Yes… Anyway, I figured we could swing by and take a quick walk-through on our way to wherever it is that we're going. If you don't like it, I'm sure he has other places."

Chloe grabbed the brochure from him and crumpled it in her hand.

"What the fuck! What are you, my realtor now? Let's get some things straight, you do not go behind my back and pick out apartments for me. You do not even think about making any decisions for me concerning my life. I am dating you. I am not a project, I am not an acquisition, and I am not fucking good business! Are we clear?"

"Chloe, you are overreacting, I was not trying to make decisions for you, I was trying to help. You are always saying that the rent you pay here is outrageous. And you said it took your landlord weeks to fix your shower."

"So you go from leaky shower to 'I'm going to find Chloe a whole new place to live' without thinking to consult *Chloe* somewhere in the middle?"

"I'm talking to you now. At least I started talking, you started yelling."

"Pardon me; I get a little testy when people try to run my life."

"Just because I try to do something nice for you doesn't mean I'm trying to run your life."

"Nice? Nice is getting me flowers or remembering my favorite flavor of ice cream. *This* is controlling."

"You hate flowers."

"You missed that point by a fucking mile!"

Lex ran his hand over his face. "I cannot believe you are reacting this way. I just wanted something better for you. Better than this…"

"Is that what this is about? Is my place not good enough for you? It isn't up to your standards?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I'll have you know that *I* have paid the rent on this place for the past two years, with money I earn from a job that *I* got - all by myself. Now if this place isn’t up to your usual standards, Mr. Luthor, no one is asking you to stay." With that, she shoved past him and stomped towards her bedroom.

"Chloe, wait. Just listen to me…" Lex tried to stop her but she wrenched her arm from his grasp.

Seconds later, he heard her door slam shut.

"Fuck!" he screamed, flopping down on the sofa. The sound of the slamming door echoed in his head and made it hurt so badly he couldn’t think straight. Lex shouted the first words that popped in his brain.

"Mint chocolate chip!"

"Go to Hell!" yelled Chloe from behind the door.

End chapter.
Some time later…

Lex heard Chloe's bedroom door open and her steps on the hallway floor but he didn't look up. He was sprawled on her sofa with his eyes glued to the television. The only mildly interesting thing he had been able to find on any of the 200 channels was a History Channel documentary. It suited his mood.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her pick up the discarded brochure and smooth it out before dropping it on the coffee table. Then she stood on front of the couch and motioned for him to move his legs. He did, once again without tearing his eyes from the television. She sat next to him and neither of them said a word for a few minutes.

Finally Chloe broke the uncomfortable silence.

"What in God's name are you watching?"

"History's Greatest Natural Disasters."

"Why?"

"It was this or the American Kennel Dog Show."

Chloe picked up the remote and hit the 'power' button.

"We should talk."

"Yes."

Chloe chewed on the corner of her lip for a minute before sighing heavily. "I'll go. There is a teeny, tiny possibly that I may, just may, have overreacted to the apartment thing."

Lex sat up a little at his end of the couch. "Teeny tiny?"

"Yes, teeny tiny." Chloe replied with steel in her voice.

"O-kay, teeny tiny. Whatever."

"Anyway…" she continued with a glare. "I should have at least heard you out and I apologize for that. And for the yelling."

"Chloe…"

"*However* my point about the way you handled it is still valid."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Weren't you just apologizing to me?"

"I was."

"But then at the end, you really weren't."

"I was, but I was also pointing out your culpability in the matter."

"Which is?"

"The trying to run my life thing."

"Chloe, I am not trying to run your life, please stop saying that I am."

"I'll stop when you stop doing it."

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, as apologies go, this one falls a bit short."

"I'll say."

"You think I need to apologize here?"

"Yes, and I'm still waiting."

"What do I need to apologize for? You said yourself, you overreacted."

"A little bit, but you still implied that the way I've chosen to live isn't good enough."

Lex held up his hands. "No, I didn't mean it that way; I am not going to apologize for you misinterpreting what I say."

"And think."

"I don't think that."

"Oh really, Sherlock?" said Chloe, crossing her arms. "You said that you wanted something better for me, better than this… Exactly how was I supposed to interpret that?"

Lex looked confused, a very rare look for him. "I just meant that I wanted…I wanted…Aw, fuck!” he muttered, slamming his palm against his forehead. “I’m an ass.”

"We have a winner."

"Chloe, I don't know what to say."

"'I'm sorry' is good start."

Lex frowned. This was unfamiliar territory for him.

"'I sincerely apologize' is a good alternate if you feel the need to use more syllables, what with your big brain and all."

Lex covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile but it was too late. "You're insane, you know that, right?"

"Says the man who thought that yelling 'mint chocolate chip' was an effective way to end an argument."

Lex pulled her closer to him on the couch. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm sorry if I implied…"

"Ahem." interjected Chloe

"And * thought* even if it was unintentional, that this place wasn't good enough for you. I care about you and my inclination is to make sure you have the best of everything."

"That's very sweet of you, Lex. But for now, can we just agree to let me decide what's best for me?"

"…"

"Lex!"

His face broke into a grin. "I’m thinking! OK, I agree. And I really am sorry."

"See? Lightning didn't strike when you said it." quipped Chloe as she pressed her lips to his.

Their kiss became deeper and soon he tried to pull her closer but she resisted and broke away.

"One more thing…I'm guessing this need to buy me the best of everything isn't going to be an easy habit to break so I think we need some rules."

"Rules?"

"Yes, Rule #1: No extravagant gifts."

"You're going to have to be more specific there."

"No apartments... or big stuff like that."

"That's still pretty vague by my standards."

"Oh for the love of…you know what? We’ll work out the details later. It's late, we still have to do our sight-seeing and then we have to come back here and have lots of make-up sex, so we should get going."

"Agreed," replied Lex.

Neither of them moved. Not an inch. Finally Chloe broke the silence again.

"Here's the thing, the Golden Gate Bridge has been there for over a century. I don't think it's going anywhere."

"So, if we switch the order of those things…"

Chloe leaned back onto the couch and pulled Lex on top of her, "Brilliant plan…"

*****
Lex's penthouse…later that evening…

"Chloe, I can call ahead and arrange for us to go in the back entrance and avoid all the photographers," offered Lex as he fastened his cuffs. He was speaking loudly, as he was in his closet/dressing room and Chloe was on the other side of the wall in the bathroom, fixing her hair… and whatever else she did to get ready.

"Nope, we'll do the paparazzi walk and get it over with," came her reply. "We have to do it sooner or later, might as well do it now. Fast and painful, like pulling off a Band-Aid."

"You know, a lesser man might be offended that a woman was describing an evening out with him in such a way."

"Good thing you're not a lesser man."

"Good thing." Lex turned to put on the tie he had chosen, only to find a different one was currently draped over his suit. It was a nice one, but not the one he selected.

"Chloe!"

"Hmmm?"

"What happened to the tie I was going to wear tonight?"

"I picked a different one."

"And why did you do that?" Lex was partially amused, and partially annoyed what Chloe had done. On one hand, it was very nice to have her here, in his home, bantering with him as they got ready for an evening out. It was more than nice; it was something straight out of one of his better dreams. On the other hand, dammit, he could pick his own ties!

"The one you picked didn't go." she called out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Didn't go? Chloe, I'll have you know that I've been dressing myself for quite some time now, and I know for a fact that that tie went perfectly well with my shirt and my suit…"

Chloe stuck her head into the dressing room and Lex could see that she was all but laughing at him.

"Calm down, Rich Boy. I know you can dress yourself just fine. Of course your tie didn't clash with your outfit; however it did clash with *mine*."

"Oh."

Chloe snickered and her head disappeared again.

Lex automatically began to arrange the tie she chose around his neck without further protest. Now that was a good reason if he ever heard one… God, he'd make sure the *car* didn't clash with her outfit if it meant she had a good time tonight… Though neither of them had dared say it out loud, tonight was obviously huge step for them. They would be seen in public in Metropolis for the first time - many people would see them and jump to the logical conclusions about the relationship. Perhaps some of them would even recognize her from six, now closer to seven, years ago. No pressure.

He slipped into his jacket and checked his reflection in the full-length mirror one final time before looking at his watch.

"Chloe? Are you almost ready?"

"Two minutes… Damn, I left my earrings on the dresser. Can you get them for me?"

Lex walked to the bedroom and spotted two small gold items on the dresser. He scooped them up and turned towards the bathroom, then he froze.

"Wow." he said.

Chloe was standing in the doorway with her hand outstretched, but Lex barely registered the gesture. He was busy taking in the rest of her.

She was wrapped, quite snugly, in a sleeveless, gold silk dress that ended just below her knee. She had piled her hair very loosely on top of her head and applied only slightly more make-up than she usually wore. She did a little spin for him when she caught him staring.

"What do you think? I guess you're not the only one who can dress themselves, huh?"

Lex only moaned a little in response when her little pirouette reveled that the dress dipped very low in the back, revealing a great deal of creamy skin. She obviously remembered what he had liked about her little black dress in San Diego.

"My earrings?" she said, extending her hand again.

"Huh?"

"Earrings. The pieces of jewelry in your hand that I asked you to bring to me."

"Right, earrings. Here." Lex handed them to her, one at a time, so she could put them on. "You look incredible, Chloe. There's no way we can sneak into this thing unnoticed now."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess, although I didn’t pick this dress to attract anyone's attention but yours." Chloe smoothed her hands down the front of the silky fabric.

"You already had mine…" replied Lex as he circled behind her. He dropped a kiss on the back of her neck, smiling when she shivered. She always did. "The dress certainly doesn’t hurt, though. You won't be cold?"

Chloe shook her head and held up her wrap, a black and gold brocade coat about the same length as her dress.

"Perfect," replied Lex. "Ready?"

"Not really, but if you can deal with Gabe the Samurai Chef, I can do this." Lex laughed as he slipped his arm around Chloe's waist and led her out of the suite.

End Chapter.
Chapter 7

Metropolis Planetarium…later that evening…

Chloe blinked rapidly as she felt Lex guide her through the throng of impeccably dressed people in the entrance of the new Metropolis Planetarium.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Sure, vision’s overrated anyway.”

“Sorry, I should have told you to look slightly above the line of photographers. Minimizes the glare of the flashbulbs.”

“I’ll know that for next time. How long does this last? I still can’t see.”

“Give it a few more seconds.”

Sure enough, with a few more blinks, Chloe was able to see shapes again and then finally Lex standing in front of her.

“Better?”

“Much. There were more of them than I thought there would be.”

“They couldn’t miss this. This grand opening is a big event with a pretty exclusive guest list.”

“So how’d you rate an invite?” teased Chloe.

“Funny.” replied Lex, helping her out of her coat. “Luthor Corp. was major donor to the renovation of the museum and especially to the addition of the Planetarium.”

Chloe smiled at him. “Stargazer.”

“Don’t let it get around.”

While Lex handed her coat to the attendant, Chloe looked around at the gleaming new space.

The new Metropolis Planetarium and Space Research Center was a unique facility, a seemingly impossible combination of technology and beauty. The building was an essentially a ten-story glass cube lit by a strategic combination of its own light and the night sky. Suspended in the middle of the cube was a huge aluminum clad sphere surrounding by scale models of the planets and other objects in the solar system. Chloe knew from the plans Lex showed her that inside that sphere was a virtual-reality powered theater which projected the actual positions and brightness of millions, if not billions of celestial objects.

“Wow.”

“Amazing isn’t it?”

“The plans you showed me didn’t do it justice, this is incredible. I’m sure there isn’t anything like this anywhere else in the world.”

Lex slid his arm back around her waist. “I told you Metropolis had its own unique advantages.”

“Subtle as a ton of bricks, Luthor.”

Lex only grinned at her. “Come, let’s look around,” he said, leading her through the glass and steel doors.

The reception celebrating the grand opening was based in the center hall of the first level, though the well-heeled guests we encouraged to stroll through the entire facility, up the sweeping ramps, through all the sparkling new exhibits.

The Metropolis elite in attendance had reached deep into their pockets to help raise the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to build the Planetarium. Now they wanted to make sure that they got to celebrate it’s opening… and that their names were spelled correctly on the gold donor plates lining the entryway. And, of course, a few photographs of them in their cocktail party best wouldn’t hurt either.

Chloe was a giddy as a twelve year old. She was itching to push through the crowds and climb, three inch heels and all, to the top of the catwalk surrounding the great sphere and poke into the galleries and rooms flanking the center hall. But, she knew that before she could do that, she had to attend to her role as Lex’s date.

Lex apparently noticed her excitement. “Don’t, worry. We’ll get to see all of it. We just need to make a few rounds first,” he said.

Chloe nodded and looked at the faces around her. She recognized some politicians, business executives and city social climbers from seeing their images in the newspapers. She steeled her stomach, reminding herself that back home she would have no qualms about talking to any of their West Coast equivalents for a story. But it was another thing entirely to try to relate to them while on the arm of Lex Luthor, to act as if she were one of them.

She snapped her attention back to the present in time to hear Lex introduce her to the director of the museum. He gave only her name, making no attempt to explain their relationship. She bit back a laugh as she remembered their ‘girlfriend/boyfriend’ conversation from months earlier.

They repeated the action with several more people as they moved about the room. Waiters were circulating among the guests with trays of hors d’ourves and glasses of wine, both of which were being as consumed at an astonishing rate. Chloe remembered what Jen had told her before her first assignment at a Bay Area high-society event. “No one appreciates free food and drink as much as the rich do. Mind that you don’t let your fingers linger too long on the canapé trays, they might get chomped off.”

None of the people Lex and Chloe greeted at first seemed too curious about who she was, to her immense relief. They greeted her politely, for the most part, though some made no attempt to hide their obvious scrutiny of her from head to toe.

‘So much for refined manners.’

She had just begun to relax when she heard a raspy voice purr Lex’s name.

“Lex! Aren’t you going to say hello?”

They turned in tandem to see a middle-aged society matron with a botox-frozen smile hovering near them. Chloe tensed immediately and Lex squeezed her hand reassuringly, even as he extended his other to the woman.

“Gloria, hello. I must not have seen you there.”

The woman ignored Lex’s hand and leaned in for a stiff hug that put *Chloe* downwind of her overpowering scent, a heavy mixture of cigarette smoke and heavy perfume.

Lex stepped out of her embrace smoothly, but quickly. “Gloria Brooke, Chloe Sullivan. Gloria is the Chairperson of the Metropolis Arts Committee. They raised a lot of the funds for this place.” Lex explained.

“It’s nice to meet…” began Chloe but Gloria immediately cut her off.

“It’s nice to see you here *with* someone Lex. If you showed up to another one of these things stag, I think there was going to be an intervention.”

Inwardly, Chloe did a little touchdown dance at the words, even though the bitch had cut her off to say them.

Gloria pressed on, raking her eyes over Chloe, “I don’t believe we’ve met before. Did you say your name was Sullivan? There’s a Randall Sullivan in the State Legislature. Any relation?”
She was obviously assuming that whomever Lex was with would be *connected*.

“No, no relation. I don’t live in Metropolis.”

“Oh really, then how did you two meet?”

‘Hell-o, nosy much?’ thought Chloe.

“Chloe and I are old friends, we go back a few years,” replied Lex, smoothly.

Gloria ran her eyes over Chloe. “Well, you can’t go back that far. Chloe looks like a very *young* friend to me.”

“Good genes,” replied Chloe. Lord, she wasn’t *that* young. It’s not as if she was still a seventeen-year old with a massive crush.

“And what do you do, Chloe?”

“I’m a writer.” Chloe wasn’t sure if the crowd would part like the Red Sea if she said the word ‘reporter’ so she decided to err on the side of caution for a while.

“Very interesting. Well, I hope to see more of you, both of you. As an *old friend* of Lex’s, I hope you have some good stories to tell. He’s still such an enigma to us.” Gloria looked pointedly at Lex., who only shrugged.

“We’ll see.” Chloe said, cryptically.

Gloria scampered away, calling out greetings to people in her raspy voice.

Lex caught Chloe’s eye. “Wasn’t too bad, right?”

“We’ll see,” repeated Chloe, as she took a glass from a passing waiter and took a large gulp.

*****

News that Lex Luthor had a new “friend” traveled through the room at the speed of light as and soon many of the guests in attendance were ‘causally walking by’ for an introduction.

Lex watched with admiration as she conversed easily with all of the people, even those who seemed intent on getting both of them to give away more information about their relationship. Still, she weathered it admirably. Lex observed, refusing to lower herself to the levels of ass-kissing and pandering already rife in the room, stating her opinions on various topics openly yet succinctly, and without hint of apology or even hesitation. Chloe could think on her feet, Lex knew, she always could. That was why when he got called away to pose for photographs with the other major donors, he didn’t worry about leaving her on her own… Well, he didn’t worry much.

He returned just in time to see a red-faced man backing away from Chloe before finally turning and fleeing at high speed.

Lex approached and put his hand on her back. He caught her eye. “Do I even want to know?”

“Short version: he offered to give me a tour of Metropolis' finest hotel rooms.”

“He said that?” Lex immediately began compiling an alphabetical list of the specific ways he was going to cause the man pain.

“No, of course not, he just said that he would *love* to show me the sights of the city. I know that tone."

"He's married with three children!"

"That what I told him…in slightly more aggressive words. Pig. I hate politicians!" grumbled Chloe.

"How are you holding up, otherwise?"

"Not too bad actually. It's funny to watch everyone try to figure out who I am. I actually thought people might remember the name from the trial."

"Not likely, at least not without someone to refresh their memories." replied Lex. "Someone will make the link eventually; we'll just have to be ready for it."

Chloe nodded in agreement. "My money's on your buddy Gloria. She's been racking her brain all night trying to figure me out. What'd you do, date her daughter or something?'

"Not to my knowledge, but my college years are still kind of hazy for me," said Lex, not really joking. He traced small circles on Chloe’s bare back as he spoke.

Chloe shot him a look, but then decided to drop it, "Anyway, she's seems to have overtaxed her brain on the matter and I think she's calling out the big guns."

"Big guns?"

Chloe motioned to a super-slender middle-aged redhead across the center hall.

"I saw her talking to Liz Myers and looking in this direction. They could have at least tried to be more subtle. Geez."

"Myers? The Planet gossip columnist?"

"One and the same, Gloria s probably asked Liz to figure out who I am for her."

"Ah… how did you know that was Liz Myers?" Lex asked. Chloe hadn't been back to Metropolis in over six years and she seemed to know a frightening amount of detail about the city.

"Intern, remember? Not to mention my *very* brief stint as a columnist. She said the same thing to me every day of my internship. 'Do you work here?' and 'Iced coffee, black.' In that order."

"Think she'll remember you?"

"She couldn't pick me out of a lineup, but she'll probably have her assistant do a search of the Planet's database before morning."

"So…tomorrow's edition, then?"

"Probably."

They looked at each other for a moment and Lex squeezed her hand. "Well, is the fact that it will be the Planet getting the scoop comforting at all?"

"Not really, but I suppose it could be worse. It's just been along time since I've looked at other reporters and felt like we were on opposite sides. Hard to get used to again."

Lex leaned in to kiss her lips briefly, when he pulled back, he saw someone standing directly behind Chloe.

"Speaking of other reporters…" Lex whispered.

Chloe spun around…to come face to face with Clark Kent.

*****

Some months earlier…Lex's study…

Lex frowned slightly as the next lines of text appeared on the screen of his laptop. He immediately began typing his response. He was *talking* to Chloe. She was still in her office working late on a story so they were messaging instead of using their phones. Chloe didn’t like talking where her coworkers could overhear her.

ArabicaBeanz: Please don't make this into a thing.
AJL1980: I'm not making it into a thing, I'm just saying I'm not thrilled with the idea.
ArabicaBeanz: Why not? It's my job.
AJL1980: I know it's your job, but that doesn't mean I am *thrilled* when you do something dangerous.
ArabicaBeanz: It's called investigative journalism and it wasn't that dangerous.
AJL1980: Pretending to be a college student in a bar and picking up guys to see if they try to slip you a date rape drug sounds pretty dangerous to me.
ArabicaBeanz: Well, when you put it that way…
AJL1980: Chloe, I'm being serious here.
ArabicaBeanz: I know, I know. FYI, I wasn't alone. Jen sent another reporter along to keep an eye on me in case anything went wrong.
AJL1980: Good. I'm still not thrilled about it, though.
ArabicaBeanz: Well, I'm sorry you feel that way but it's my job.
AJL1980: I know that
ArabicaBeanz: And I'm going to do it, whether you're *thrilled* about it or not.
AJL1980: I know that, too.
ArabicaBeanz: So what are you saying then?
AJL1980: I'm just saying be careful. Sometimes staying in one piece is more important than the story.
ArabicaBeanz: Now you're just talking crazy!
AJL1980: Chloe, please
ArabicaBeanz: Well, since you asked so nicely…I'll *consider* your input...

There was a knock on his study door and Lex looked up from his laptop.

"Yes?"

William entered "Sir, Clark Kent is here to see you."

Lex suppressed an eye roll. He had tried calling Clark three times in the last week and gotten no returned calls. Now the farm boy just decided to drop in unannounced.

"OK. Send him in."

AJL1980: I have to go, Clark's here.
ArabicaBeanz: Woo-hoo
AJL1980: Be nice.
ArabicaBeanz: Aren't I always?
AJL1980: No.
ArabicaBeanz: Then why should I start now? I'll call you when I get home.
AJL1980: Thanks. Good luck with the story.

Lex looked up in time to see Clark shuffle in. The flannel and jeans were gone, replaced with the khakis and rumpled shirt and tie of a small-time reporter, but he was still Clark.

"Hey, Lex. You weren't busy, were you?"

"I was, but since you're so difficult to get a hold of these days, I figure I should talk to you when I have the chance."

"Oh…sorry about that. Some things came up in Smallville that I had to take care of…" Clark replied, vague as ever. "Uh…my parents say 'hi'."

Lex raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Well, my mom does, anyway."

"I thought so. I have to hand it to your dad, Clark. When he makes his mind up about someone, it stays made up." Jonathan Kent was as thickheaded as ever when it came to all things Luthor. At least there were some constants in the universe.

"Yeah, well…What did you want to talk to me about?"

One corner of Lex's lips curled up. "We don't talk as much as we used to these days, Clark, but I still consider you a friend. You know I don't have many people in my life that I can apply that term to."

Clark only looked at him expectantly so Lex continued.

"A few months ago, I went to San Diego on business. While I was there I ran into someone. Someone we both know."

"Who?"

"Chloe Sullivan."

Clark's eyes widened and it took him a few seconds tried to get the words out of his mouth. "Chl-Chloe Sullivan?"

"Yes, she was there on business as well, and we spent some time together. She…mentioned that you two don't really communicate very much anymore."

"That's not true…"

"Clark, a Christmas card and a few forwarded emails is not communicating. Look, I know that what Chloe did upset you but you know as well as I do that she's more than paid for her mistakes. She's the one who had her life uprooted, not you, if I recall correctly."

"She made a deal with your father…"

"Because she felt betrayed by you. You and your *secrets.*" Lex said pointedly.

Clark shifted in his seat. Though they never talked about it, Clark knew that Lex knew more about his abilities than he let on. But so far, Lex had honored their friendship and kept quiet. Of course, it was always *there* hanging over them.

"Lex, why are you bringing this up now? That was six years ago, your father's dead. And Chloe lives halfway across the country; I doubt she wants much to do with me anyway."

"Chloe and I are dating."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You're dating Chloe Sullivan?"

End chapter.

A/N: The building described herein is inspired (I made some modifications) by the Rose Center for Earth and Space aka the New Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. If you ever get an opportunity to visit it, do not pass it up. In the meantime, visit http://www.amnh.org/rose to see pictures of how truly breath-taking it really is.

Chapter 8

"You're dating Chloe Sullivan?"

"Funny how things work out, eh?"

"How could you guys be dating? She lives in California!"

Lex smirked. "Well, the telegraph is very reliable these days and the stagecoach delivers mail every two weeks."

Clark glared at him. "You're joking about this?"

"I'm just trying to lighten you up a bit, you look a little stunned. Is there a problem, Clark? Do you have a problem with Chloe and I dating?"

"Uh…No, I…I guess I'm just surprised. I never pictured you and Chloe together. Is it… um, serious?"

Lex only smirked at him and Clark seemed to decide not to ask anything more on that point.

"So… if you and Chloe are together, why do you care if she and I are friends?"

Lex leaned forward at his desk, propping himself on his elbows.

"Because, as much as I consider you a friend, Clark, I won't have you continuing to play this martyr card where Chloe is concerned."

"I don't know what you're talking about." said Clark but Lex ignored him.

"Chloe has a lot going for her now but this one mistake from her past still weighs on her, even if she won't admit it. I would hope you would not continue to make things worse by making her feel guilty, especially after all this time. Clark, each of us had our roles back then and we all played them. Let's not forget that. Let's also not forget that in over six years, any *sensitive* information that Chloe found has stayed hidden. I don't think that *anyone* has ever shown her appropriate appreciation for that." Lex looked pointedly at Clark for a beat before continuing.

"You've come to me a number of times in the past few years for my help. Now I'm asking you for this. I'm only going to ask once."

Lex let his words sink in. Even someone as dense as the farm boy would have to see the implication. Lex would not stand for Clark treating Chloe with anything less than full respect.

"So what do you want me to do?" whispered Clark.

"Stop being an ass for one thing. We can move on from there."

*****

Metropolis Planetarium…later that evening…

Clark dipped his napkin in a glass of club soda and rubbed furiously at his tie. He cursed under his breath, that damn waiter should have told him that the shrimp thing was so… drippy. Now how was supposed to look like a serious journalist at this thing with cocktail sauce on his tie?

“Dammit’ Clark slowed down his rubs when he remembered that, with his, strength, he’d rub right through the tie in no time. Mentally he thanked his mother for always talking about club soda as a stain cure all when he looked down and found the spot just about gone. Just about would have to do for now.

Clark was already more than a little uncomfortable to be covering this event for the Metropolis Star, a small weekly paper that had hired him shortly after he finished at Metropolis U. The pay was awful and the tiny paper's circulation hardly worth writing home about but it was a job and it gave him experience. And experience was what all the editors at the larger papers had told him that he needed to get before they'd even think about hiring him. With Lex Luthor as a personal reference or not.

Usually Clark enjoyed the work, even though, working at a weekly, he felt he was more often recording the news, than reporting it. Either way, though, it got his name into print. At events such as these, and more precisely, among people such as these, he never felt comfortable. Something about rubbing shoulders with the Metropolis elite made him uneasy, perhaps because many of them with their power and wealth, reminded him eerily of Lionel Luthor.

When his editor assigned him this opening, Clark had almost begged off or given some half-hearted excuse. But he knew it would not be good for his career so he came and set about getting enough facts about the place to string together in story before leaving, preferably as soon as possible.

He tossed the used napkin onto the bar, ready to do just that, when he spotted a familiar bald head in the crowd a few feet away. Lex. Clark wasn’t surprised to see his friend here; this was his crowd after all, and he was major contributor to these things. But Clark was unprepared for to see Lex wrap his arm around a small blonde at his side.

‘No…’ thought Clark. 'It can’t be… She’s…'

The blonde turned slightly to say something to Lex and Clark nearly choked. It was Chloe all right, but not the Chloe Sullivan he remembered. The Chloe that Clark remembered had certainly been attractive. All flippy hair, soft curves, and quick smiles. Of course, as a teenager, Clark’s taste had run to darker hair and longer limbs so he seldom thought of Chloe as anything more than a pretty friend, at least not without some meteor-driven inducement. *This* Chloe was not someone many men would be able to miss, even him. She exuded, no…radiated sensuality.

‘It’s the dress.’ Clark thought to himself, in an attempt to convince himself that he was not thinking of Chloe Sullivan as some kind of sex object. The gold silk she wore was making things look… different, that’s all. He cleared his mind and focused on making his way over to great the couple.

When he was just a few feet a way, Lex leaned down to kiss her and Clark hesitated again. Perhaps now was not the time. But it was too late. Lex spotted him as he straightened up from kissing Chloe.

Lex. Kissing. Chloe. Clark had tried not to think about Lex and Chloe being together despite the fact that he had known about it for months. He just could not wrap his brain around the idea. Now he had no choice.

Lex said something to Chloe and she turned around, her familiar green eyes wide.

Lex saved them both from the uncomfortable silence that was sure to follow. “Clark, good to see you. Are you here for work?”

Clark nodded. “Yeah…I’m um... here on assignment for the Star.” Suddenly he felt a bit inadequate; he knew that Chloe worked for a far more prestigious paper. “Hey, Chloe. How are you?”

“Hi, Clark. I’m good, thanks. You?”

“I’m fine. You, um… look really great. A lot older… um, I mean in a good way, of course…” Clark felt his cheeks coloring. This wasn’t going well.

Chloe smiled and rolled her eyes. “I know what you mean. Thanks, Clark.”

“Didn’t we go over how to compliment a woman when you were 16, Clark?” quipped Lex.

Clark relaxed a bit at the joke. “Yeah well…So, what are you doing in town?” he asked Chloe.

“I needed a vacation,” replied Chloe, leaning back into Lex a bit. “And Lex needed a date for this thing. We decided to help each other out.”

“How long are you in town for?”

“A week,” replied Chloe, her eyes flashing back at Lex. “Maybe less if my host makes good on his threat to make me sleep on a cot in his study.”

Watching the two share a look, a thought shot through Clark’s mind. ‘OK, maybe it’s not just the dress.’

“I warned you before you came out here, you decided to risk it anyway.” shrugged Lex.

From the looks between them, Clark doubted that Chloe would even get to see Lex’s study during her stay, let alone sleep there. ‘And I really need to stop thinking about that, right now.’

“Um… Chloe? Do you think you and I could chat somewhere? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” Clark’s eyes darted briefly to Lex, who only nodded, almost imperceptibly.

“Sure, why not?”

“You don’t mind if I borrow your date, do you Lex?” Clark asked, in attempt to keep things light.

“The fact that you think I have *any* say over what she does only proves to me that you two have a lot of catching up to do, Clark.” To Chloe he said, “You want another drink?”

“Club soda this time. I need to pace myself if I’m going to make it through this night.”

“Coming up.” Lex leaned down and placed a quick, chaste kiss on her lips before disappearing through the crowd, leaving her alone with Clark.

The smile she had given Lex faded from Chloe’s face as he left and she turned to Clark with a carefully blank expression.

“Let’s take a walk, there are too many ears around here,” she said.

As the walked away from the center hall, Clark cleared his throat. “So…you and Lex?”

“Yeah, funny how things work out, huh?”

“That’s weird, that’s what he said.”

Chloe shrugged.

“I never would have… uh… figured you two for a couple.”

“Then it’s a good thing it wasn’t your call.” said Chloe, her smile contrasting with her somewhat chilly tone. By this time they reached the area where the floor began to slope gently up into a catwalk, near the great sphere. “Well, we’re reasonably alone, now. What did you want to talk about, Clark?”

Clark inhaled deeply them immediately regretted it because he caught a whiff of the body wash or lotion or whatever it was that Chloe was wearing he was distracted by the thought that it smelled very familiar, comforting even.

“Clark?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’ve been meaning to call or email or something to talk to you about this but I couldn’t find the right words. I guess I just better say it. I’m sorry for the way I treated you, Chloe.”

There, he had said it.

“You’re going to need to be more specific there, Clark.”

OK, not quite the response he had been hoping for. “I mean… um… Look, this isn’t easy for me, Chloe.”

“I wasn’t aware that it was supposed to be easy,” she replied.

Clark blinked and tried to regroup. “I meant that I was sorry for how I reacted to the whole Lionel thing. You’ve apologized more times than I can count and then after everything that happened with him trying to get back at you… I made it worse by treating you like you deserved all of that. I realize that now.”

Chloe stared at him for a beat before looking away. “Come to this realization all by yourself, did you?”

“Does it matter?”

She let her eyes slide back up to his face. “No, I guess it doesn’t. Not after all this time.”

“I really am sorry, Chloe. It wasn’t fair of me to treat you as if I couldn’t trust you… when it was really me hiding things from you, Lex, and everyone else.”

This was it. There was no turning back now. Chloe had clearly not been expecting that, judging by the way her eyes widened. He had finally surprised her. She seemed to relax a bit, hopefully letting down the carefully constructed shield that had been there before.

“Well, of all the things I expected you to say, that wasn't one of them."

It was now Clark's turn to shrug at her.

"You should know, I haven’t said anything," she continued. "Despite all that’s happened and how angry I’ve been at you over the years, I never did that. I know what’s at stake, Clark.”

He nodded at her, unable to speak. In spite of everything, he still owed Chloe Sullivan a lot.

“I also know that it must get pretty lonely at times. Right?” she added.

“Yes, it does,” breathed Clark.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You don’t have to apologize to me anymore, Chlo. I mean it.”

Chloe nibbled on her lower lip and looked up behind her, at the great sphere, then back at Clark. All of a sudden she looked very young to him, more like the Chloe he remembered.

“I haven’t been upstairs yet,” she said. “Care to show me around?”

“I’d love too.”

Clark grabbed her hand lightly in his and led her up the ramp. Like the most of the structures in the building, the ramp itself was an exhibit. It was designed as a “cosmic pathway” transforming time into footsteps. The ramp told the story of unfolding time, from the Big Bang 13 billion years ago to the present. Every time you moved an inch up the ramp, 3.6 million years went by. It was humbling just to walk on it.

Clark knew from the Planetarium brochures that the pathway was supposed to invoke a sense of awe at the sheer size of space and time and even make the visitor feel incredibly small and alone comparatively speaking. Oddly enough, Clark found himself feeling quite the opposite.

They walked in silence just reading the descriptions along the path and taking it all in. Finally Chloe spoke.

“Do you know…where?”

“I have an idea. I’ve gotten messages and some other clues about where I come from. I learned a lot that year I took off after college, in fact.”

“If you ever want to talk about it… I know you must have your parents and everything but if you ever need anyone else, I’m here. I’m not a big believer in fate, you know. I think we make our own destiny in one way or another but I like to think that you’re here for a reason. Maybe… maybe by talking about it with someone else, you can figure it out.”

“I appreciate that, Chlo. It means a lot that you understand this and Lex too. I’m glad that you both still want to be my friends.”

Chloe nodded. They had reached the top of the ramp. The entrance to the space theater was at their right and a small crowd had gathered waiting for the next show to begin.

Chloe looked over the railing down to the floor beneath them. “Lex will probably be wondering where I am. I should get back.”

“Yeah, and I should get going. Can I stop by the penthouse and see you before you leave?” She nodded in response.

Clark squeezed her hand again and leaned down to kiss her cheek. When he straightened, he gestured behind them at the theater, “Someday I’d like to show you…where. At least as much as I know anyway.”

“Anytime, Clark. I’d really like that. I’ll see you around.”

Chloe turned and began descending the ramp again and Clark called out to her.

“Chloe!”

She turned, looking up with one of the bright smiles he only now realized he had missed terribly. ‘It’s absolutely not the dress,’ he thought.

“Yeah?”

“Lex is a lucky man.”

‘You’re damn right he is!”

*****

Lex's penthouse…that night…

"You know, if this were in my apartment, I might never leave it. I can't believe you hardly ever use this," remarked Chloe as she raised her cupped hand and let the water slip through her fingers.

They were sitting in the large whirlpool bath in Lex's master bathroom. When they returned from the reception Lex had suggested that a long soak was the perfect cure for the tension of the evening. He received no argument from Chloe. And that hardly ever happened.

Lex ran his hands over Chloe's damp shoulders, as she was tucked securely in front of him in the two-person plus tub.

"I never seem to have the time for much more than a shower. Besides, this really isn’t very much fun without someone to share it with."

Chloe only laughed in response, a low, sexy sound from her throat that turned Lex on even more than their current positions already had. Determined not to rush things, he tried for some distraction.

"What did Clark have to say?"

Chloe snorted. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"No, why do you *need* to ask, given that you were probably behind his coming to me at all."

Even though he knew she could not see him, Lex rolled his eyes. "I'm not even going to try to deny that, but in my defense, I did tell him to stop being an ass, that could refer to almost anything."

"Nice way to talk about your best friend!"

"He is a friend and I think I know him well enough to say such things in complete honesty. And you still haven't answered my question."

"Short version: we agreed to put the events of the past…where they belong. I wouldn't say that we're the best of friends, but we know where we stand on the essentials. That’s all that matters."

Lex made a noncommittal sound against her shoulder, which seemed to amuse Chloe.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" she asked.

Lex slid his hands lower. "Very."

"Are we still talking about Clark?"

"Who?"

Chloe's laugh turned into a gasp as Lex ran his thumbs over her nipples, gently as first, then he cupped her breasts with both hands and she sank further into his embrace.

"Now I believe I said something about relieving some tension…"

Chloe threw her head back against the crook of his neck and arched into his hands. Her own hands gripped roughly at his legs under the water in an attempt to anchor herself.

"Still…pretty…tense."

"Well, that won't do at all."

Lex could tell Chloe was trying to formulate some sort of response to keep up her end of the banter but his tongue was tracing the ridge of her ear and one of his hands had now reached her lower stomach. He let his fingers dance across the smooth flesh for several long moments until she whimpered impatiently. Figuring that it was about as close to a plea as he was going to get from her at this point, Lex moved his fingers lower to her center, which was even warmer than the surrounding water. He relished the shudder that ran through her the second his fingers found their target and she spread her legs to give him better access.

With practiced hands, he probed and pressed. Though the water added something to her pleasure, he was sure, it also made it difficult to gauge *all* of her reactions to his touches. So Lex closed his eyes and relied on his other senses to tell him how to bring Chloe to where he wanted her to be. He could feel her body start to tense up around his fingers; hear as her breathing got shallower and her words more clipped and more demanding.

"Just…a little more… more…"

“Show me…” he whispered, directly into her ear. She didn’t hesitate. She covered his hand with one of her own and guided his at the pace she needed. He felt her seize up in his arms for a long moment, then collapse back against him, sighing his name.

Even though own body was getting closer and closer to needing a similar release, Lex held her for a few minutes as her breathing slowed. Then he turned her in his arms kissed her deeply.

"Bedroom?" he said against her lips between kisses. He was very surprised when she shook her head.

"No…right here."

:"Here?" his voice came out an octave higher on the syllable because Chloe chose that moment to wrap her fingers around his length.

"Yes, here. You know you want to. You've wanted to since that hot tub in San Diego."

Well, he sure as hell wasn't going to deny that.

"If I recall, it was you who put the brakes on that time, at least until we got up to my room."

"Well, I'm as adventurous as the next woman, but I wasn't about to let our first time be in full view of half of the California Press Association. They were staying at our hotel, too, remember?"

Lex grinned at the thought as he positioned her against the side of the tub. He leaned over her, teasing her with the way he was pressed against her in all the right places. Lex reached over her and turned one of the knobs that controlled the whirlpool settings. The tub jets sprang to life. Chloe moaned slightly through a bright smile when the warm water bubbled up around them.

“Brilliant.”

“Damn right,” replied Lex, covering her lips with his as he drove himself into her.

*****

Chloe reveled at the feeling of being filled again. The warm water pulsating around them only added to the sensuality of the moment. Why hadn’t they ever done this before? Oh right, she did not have a hot tub in *her* apartment.

She tightened her muscles around him immediately and smiled when he responded with a deep thrust into her.
‘Perfect.’ thought Chloe. True she was young, but she’d had enough lovers before Lex to really appreciate what she had with him. Particularly as they became more and more familiar with each other’s bodies. Case in point… she ran her short nails across the smooth skin of the nape of Lex’s neck. His reaction was immediate.

“Ummmm…”

She then moved both hands down to his chest and stroked his nipples with the pads of her fingers. He moaned again and she was positive that the sharp jerk her made against her wasn’t entirely voluntary.

“Are you trying to tease me, sweetheart?” he rasped.

“Now why would I need to do that, seeing as that I already have you right where I want you?” she whispered back.

They kissed again and Chloe felt Lex slow down and lengthen his movements. The warm water splashed up around their faces each time his body moved against hers. He was torturing her, plain and simple. But it was such exquisite torture. She felt his hands skim down the length of her body to her hips, holding her in place. They parted breathlessly and Lex ran his mouth down her neck, catching some of the water droplets with his tongue.

“Don’t stop…” she pleaded, knowing that any request that he move faster would fall on deaf ears. It was clear that he wanted to prolong the pleasure of this time for as long as possible.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Over the next several minutes, the room grew foggy from the heat of the water and their faces began to glisten with perspiration as well as water. Chloe knew it was sweat because she could taste the saltiness on Lex’s check as she pressed open-mouthed kisses there. She gave up trying to distinguish his moans from hers. It didn’t matter.

His hold on her body was not so tight that she could not try to give as good as she got, and judging by the way he kept choking on her name, her efforts were pretty successful. She doubted that either of them could hold out much longer. She ran her hands down to the small of his back and focused all of her energy on clenching her muscles around him…repeatedly.

“Jesus, Chloe…easy. I won’t be able to hold back…”

“So don’t…I can’t either…”

He leaned forward against her, changing his angle to ensure that when he went over the edge, she would follow. Sure enough, Chloe could feel the tension begin to spread across her body. First in small waves, then in larger tremors that made her vision grow spotty. Her final release came and she threw her head back against the edge of the tub. Even in the water, she could feel it when Lex peaked and the rush of heat filled her.

They were both still trembling when Lex let his head fall against her shoulder, taking in deep breaths of air. Chloe licked her lips and took in some much-needed air as well. Her arms and legs felt like dead weight, both from the water and from utter fatigue. Running her fingertips up and down his back, she finally found her voice. “Lex?”

“Hmmm…?”

“I’m not tense anymore.”

End chapter.
Chapter Nine

I won't make demands.
We could walk without a plan.
-Life Less Ordinary, Carbon Leaf

Daily Planet Metro People page…Liz Myers…

…but the real talk of the night was apparent end of Lex Luthor’s self-imposed celibacy. The young billionaire showed up at the event with a very attractive young blonde “friend” on his arm. But was she a new friend or perhaps and old one? Dear readers, I pride myself on my memory and I knew right away who the lady in question was. A quick trip to the Planet archives confirms it. It’s none other than Chloe Sullivan who Planet readers last saw testifying against Lionel Luthor in the infamous murder trial that sent the mogul to prison for the final months of his life and put Lex in charge of the billion-dollar family empire. Ms. Sullivan was but seventeen when she faced down Luthor senior in a courtroom, she’s all grown up now and last night she helped the young CEO give the Metropolis elite lessons in PDA. Never let it be said that Lex Luthor doesn’t repay his debts…

*****

Somewhere in Metropolis…the following day…

“Where exactly is this place, Chloe?” Lex asked.

Chloe gave him a mock glare. “Same place it was the last two times you asked me, ‘just a little further.’”

“We could have taken the car, you know.”

“What fun is there in that? I can’t get a feel for how the city has changed in the last six years if I’m holed up in a car.”

Lex decided to leave it at that. From the look on Chloe’s face as they executed a tandem pedestrian slalom across a crowded avenue, she obviously enjoyed walked the streets of Metropolis. Who was he to deny her the experience?

They were headed to what Chloe had termed “one of her favorite spots in Metropolis.” At least it had been when she had been a teenager. They had already visited City Park so she could show him where Gabe had taught her to ride a two-wheeler, followed by a trip to her favorite diner for brunch. Lex noticed that she was in a much better mood than she had been when she read Liz Myers' column in the Planet that morning. Perhaps it was worsened by the fact that Chloe had spotted the column before ingesting any caffeine but she had very nearly snapped. In fact, when she had first looked up from the page, Lex had feared for all breakable items within a 25-foot radius. Thankfully, he was able to calm her down. He reminded her that they had been expecting those kinds of implications, and even far worse ones. It wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. His reassurances had worked, she balled up the paper, downed three cups of coffee and demanded that he reacquaint her with the city.

Her mood remained positive throughout he first part of their day, with the obvious exception of when they tried to exit his building and they were confronted by half-a dozen photographers. A few snarled “No comments” on his part and the fast reflexes of his chauffeur got them away from the situation in seconds and thankfully, they were not followed.

“Here we are,” said Chloe, gripping his hand and bringing him back to the present. Lex looked up in time to the see the sign over the doors before Chloe pulled him inside. “GRAND USED BOOKS – LARGEST COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS IN THE MIDWEST.”

Once inside, Lex was hit with the slightly musty scent of leather. The building was immense, probably taking up more than half of a city block, and the space was dominated by rows up rows of tall shelves. In between the shelves were well-worn sofas, chairs, and tables. It certainly wasn’t your run of the mill chain-mega-book store. There wasn’t a coffee bar in sight and most of the clientele seemed to be either tweed-wearing professor-types or Birkenstock-wearing student-types.

“Ever been here before?” she asked.

“No, never.”

“I find that hard to believe that someone who has such a love affair with leather-bound great works would have missed this place. I hear their rare section upstairs is like Mecca for collectors.”

Lex continued to look round as he replied. He loved that she knew him so well. “Well, keep in mind that I don’t always acquire my “leather-bound” great works myself. I employ a service that knows what I’m interested in.

Chloe made a tssking sound at him. “You’re missing half the fun that way, you know.”

Lex shrugged. “How do you know about this place?”

“Are you kidding? This place has a better selection than most of the libraries in this town, and they don’t care if you curl up and stay all day. When I was a teenager, my allowance didn’t go very far so the next best thing to buying all the books I wanted to read was to come here.”

As they made their way down the rows of shelves, Chloe gestured to a worn wingback and ottoman in a corner. “I read ‘All the President’s Men’ in that very chair in a single weekend, barely stopped for meals.”

Lex looked from the chair to Chloe’s beaming face. “Woodward and Bernstein. Why I am not surprised? Is that what made you want to be a reporter?”

“That, among other things.”

And she chided him about her cryptic responses. Lex made a mental note to press her about the “other things” later. Now he was just content to watch his girlfriend acting like a kid in a candy store and she explored the shelves.

It had been too long since he had spent a day like this; unplanned, unmeasured, simply letting time unfold. It seemed that the only time he really did that was when he was with Chloe.

For the next forty-five minutes they explored the bookstore. Lex made a beeline for their History section and was pleased to discover a first-rate collection of slightly worn texts. When she caught him inspecting the slightly frayed ages of the covers, Chloe rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby, a few nicks and scratches add character.”

Lex followed her to the cooking section and helped her pick out a present for Gabe, a nearly new copy of ‘What Einstein Told His Cook.’ He felt the perfectionist in Gabe would appreciate it.

They then drifted to the travel section. Chloe spotted a book on the English countryside on one of the top shelves and she was up the ladder before he could even respond. As she backed down the ladder, prize in hand, Lex laid his hands on her waist to help her down the rest of the way. He wrapped his arms around her and looked over her shoulder at her selection.

“Planning a trip? I hope you weren’t thinking of going without me,” he teased.

“Why? Are you scared some wealthy duke with a castle would snatch me up?” she teased back.

“Now, don’t sell yourself short. You wouldn’t settle for anything less than Prince William himself.”

Chloe spun in his arms and leaned up so that her lips were hovering just under his. “Nah, Wills is too green for me. I prefer my men a little more…experienced.”

‘God,’ thought Lex as they closed the gap between their lips. ‘How was it possible for it to feel this good with the same person all the time?’ It didn’t get boring or repetitive. It just got better. He was sinking further into the kiss when he heard a snapping behind him and out of the corner of his eye saw a flash.

They pulled apart immediately, in time to see a young photographer grin at them.

“Great shot, guys. Thanks.” With that he turned and sped through the rows of shelves. Before Chloe could stop him, Lex took off after him. ‘Little prick…he’s got some nerve...I’ll break that fucking camera with my bare hands…’ thought Lex as he pushed through the glass doors of the store. H looked one way down the avenue, then the other. It was too late; the little jackass has disappeared into the crowd. With his camera. “Fuck!” muttered Lex.

He hadn’t been at all surprised when the photographers had been outside his building that morning, it had happened before. He just didn’t think they would go so far as to follow him and Chloe throughout the day. ‘Chloe. Fuck.’

He made his way back through the store to the travel section and found Chloe on the floor sitting cross-legged, her back against the shelves. She didn’t even look up when he arrived and mirrored her position next to her on the floor.

“Catch him?”

“No. He disappeared into the crowd. Couldn’t see which way he went. Look, Chloe… I didn’t think they’d…”

“It isn’t your fault,” murmured Chloe. Her eyes were fixed on somewhere else. She wouldn’t look at him and Lex didn’t know what to say. The quiet, carefree mood of the day was definitely gone. He didn’t even know why he had taken off after the kid with the camera. Usually he didn’t give a rat’s ass what the papers printed about him, most of it was lies anyway. But he knew that it upset Chloe. He looked over at her face. She, in turn, was looking over at a group of children in the nearby children’s section. They laughing and looking at picture books while a store employee set up a puppet show.

“Lex? When you were a kid, did they follow your family around like that? Taking pictures?”

Lex was slightly startled at her question but he quickly put two and two together when she didn’t move her gaze back to his. He swallowed hard and tried to remember.

“Sometimes, but usually only at big events like a new plant opening. Or when we’d go on a family vacation. Most of the time my father invited them. He wanted them to take pictures of his ‘perfect family’. The press was different back then, though. They’re more aggressive now and there’s a bigger market for the tabloid crap.”

It was the truth, perhaps not what she wanted to hear but it could not be helped. The little prick who took their picture just now probably already had a buyer for his shot of he and Chloe’s impromptu make-out session between the shelves. God knew why, he wasn’t a move star. People did seem to have a fascination with the money part, though.

“Did it bother you? All those people trying to get a piece of you?”

“I got used to it, didn’t really think of it most of the time. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s not always like this, Chloe. Right now we’re some idiot’s idea of news. It’ll be like that for a little while and then the news cycle will end, and they’ll move on to someone else and leave us alone. You of all people should know how that works.”

Chloe’s eyes swung back to his. “Don’t compare me to them! I don’t follow people around and invade their privacy. That’s not the kind of reporter I am.” She tried to stand up but Lex grabbed her arm.

“I didn’t say that you did! I just meant that you know how the news cycles work. This will blow over after a few days. I’m sure of it.” Chloe relaxed and sagged against the shelves again. Lex let out a breath. He should have chosen his words more carefully. He knew what a short fuse Chloe had, particularly now.

“Hmmmph… news cycle. Doesn’t bother you to have someone refer to your life as part of a news cycle?”

“To tell you the truth, I rarely even think about it.” He stared levelly at Chloe. “You think it would bother you?”

Chloe gave an unsteady laugh. “Guess it would be pretty hypocritical of me to say yes, but it’s the truth.”

“It’s not hypocritical, you just said, you’re not like them.”

“Yeah, well, maybe *they* don’t see it like that. Maybe the Liz Myers’ of the world get a big kick out of the idea of me wanting to hide from them.”

“We won’t have to hide. Like I said this will blow…”

“Blow over, I know,” finished Chloe. “But for how long, until the next museum opening? Until the next slow news day? I’m not sure I can live like this, Lex.”

This was definitely not the conversation he wanted to have with Chloe on the floor of a bookstore but he didn’t know which would be worse, stopping now, or letting her continue. They at least had some privacy, the sheer size and layout of the store meant there wasn’t anyone within earshot. Not anymore.

“I’m not sure I can get used to it or that I could…” Chloe trailed off and her eyes darted back over the children's section.

“Chloe?” Lex didn’t recognize his own voice when he said her name. He could barely get it out of his rapidly closing throat. “What are you trying to say?”

“I need to tell you something. This is probably the absolute worst time and place for this to come up but I’m going to say it anyway or I might not get it out.”

Lex nodded for her to continue.

“A few months ago, for a little while, I thought I was pregnant,” she began, then added, very quickly, “I wasn’t. I was sick or stressed or something, not pregnant but it freaked me out.”

Lex closed his eyes for a minute. The words ‘pregnant’ and ‘Chloe’ kept running through his brain and pretty soon he couldn’t picture anything else. Chloe, pregnant with his child. The image in his mind made his heart beat so fast, he was sure she could hear it. In a voice that he hoped was relatively normal, he asked, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

She didn’t answer.

“Chloe? Why didn’t you tell me?” he repeated.

“I was completely freaked out in the beginning and I didn’t know for sure. Then the tests came back negative and I kept thinking that telling you would be upsetting both of us for no reason.”

“For no reason? Chloe… God. You thought I would get upset? Why?” Did she really think that of him?

“Because… we never talked about anything remotely like this, Lex. We don’t even live in the same city. Did you expect me to just drop this on you? Over the telephone?”

Lex raised his head to look her in the eye. “What if the test had been positive? You would have told me, wouldn’t you?”

*****

Chloe felt her eyes widen at his words. “Of course I would have told you! You don’t think that I would have gotten…that I would have done *anything* without telling you, do you?”

Lex shook his head a bit. “I didn’t mean that, it came out wrong. I know you would have told me. I just wish you had told me as soon as you even thought there was a possibility. How long did you think…?”

“Just a day, less than that even.”

“Still, you didn’t have to wait alone.”

“I know that now, Lex. Just, at that time, I didn’t know how to even bring it up.”

She watched as Lex mulled her words, watching the movement in his jaw as he swallowed hard before speaking again.

“Did you think that I would have been angry? That it wasn’t what I wanted?”

“I didn’t know what to think. We never talked about it and we had only been together a few months. For all I knew, you don’t even want kids… Come to think of it, I still don’t know.” There, that was the easiest way she could manage to get the question out. He seemed to get the drift right away, judging from the way he looked at her quickly, and then looked away.

“If you had asked me that five or six years ago, I would have said ‘No’ because I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for me to be a decent father given the one I had. But a lot can happen in that time and I’ve learned to put most of what he did and didn’t do as a parent in the past where it belongs.”

“And now?”

“Now? Now I think, if I can be unlike him in so many other ways, why not this one?” He was smiling faintly when he turned to look at her again. “What I’m saying is that in the last year or so, I’ve definitely become… more open to the idea. It doesn’t scare me as much as it used to.”

Chloe doubted that anyone had ever gotten a more honest answer from Lex Luthor and she didn’t know what to say as a reply.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I would have kept it,” she blurted out without thinking. “With or without you.”

“Without me wouldn’t have been an option, at least not as far as I am concerned. But that wasn’t what I asked you.”

No it wasn’t. It was only fair that she be as honest with him as he had been with her.

“I’ve thought about it, of course but sometimes it’s really hard for me to picture myself that way. The two most prominent examples of mothering that I’ve seen have been non-existent in the case of my own and the apple-pie baking super mom in the case of Mrs. Kent. I know myself well enough to know that I’m not the latter but who knows about the former?”

“Would you trust that *I* know you well enough to know you’re not the former?”

Chloe smiled. “Thanks. I hope you’re right.”

Leaning closer to her, he added. “I do, however, think you would be the world’s most frightening Soccer Mom.”

“Ha, like you would be any less terrifying as a Soccer Dad?” she shot back, laughing. Lex soon joined her.

Then, the reality of the conversation they had been having seemed to settle over both of them at that moment and they both leaned back against the shelves, watching the group of children laugh at the puppet show nearby.

“Lex? I wouldn’t have brought it up at all if I wasn’t open to the possibility that you and I could… at some point…” she felt Lex wrap his hand around hers when words failed her.

“I know. At some point…”

“It just really scares me how *public* things might be for us.”

“I know that, too. We don’t have to settle anything now, Chloe. Just relax.”

“OK.”

Sitting up a bit, he asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

Chloe grinned. “Can we stay and watch the rest of the show?”

In reply, Lex wrapped and arm around her shoulders and settled back against the shelves, letting her lean on him as they watched the rest of the puppet show.

*****

Lex’s penthouse…several days later…

The next few days passed more quickly than Lex could have imagined. They attended two more public events, a party at a local restaurant given my one of his business associates, and an art gallery opening. The number of photographers waiting outside his building dwindled and they had no more “run-ins” with overly aggressive ones. Of course, that may have been due to the fact that they choose their outings carefully, sticking to places that were off-the-beaten path.

Clark visited them twice at the penthouse and Lex noticed that the tension between he and Chloe had dissipated considerably. Lex also noticed that Clark seemed to be watching their interaction very intensely. Lex stamped down the urge to say to his friend. “Snooze, you lose, buddy” but he felt that it might be twisting the knife just a bit. Clark seemed well enough aware of what he had passed up. Lex also knew it wouldn’t be an issue between the three of them. That’s why he only felt a *small* surge of possessiveness when Clark hugged Chloe goodbye at the end of his second visit. He was only human, after all.

But now the week was over and Chloe would be leaving within the hour. She had agreed to let his limo take her to the airport but had insisted that they say their goodbyes at the penthouse. Chloe hated public goodbyes, of that Lex was well aware.

He strode wordlessly towards the master bedroom and watched her from the doorway as she finished the last of her packing. Even in that she was stubborn. She refused to let William pack her bags, insisting that the man had handled her underwear enough. Lex had forgotten to warn her days earlier that William would naturally be doing her laundry as well as his. She had let forth some very colorful words when she found the neatly folded piles of lingerie.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him as he watched her arrange items in the suitcase.

“Shouldn’t I be doing that for you? You always seem to end up doing it for me.”

“That’s because your idea of packing is to shove everything in haphazardly and let William sort it out later. *I’m* the one who has to unpack this when I get home so I’d just as soon do it myself,” Chloe replied, jokingly.

“Suit yourself.”

He eased up next to her and pointed to the nearly full case. “Is William taking this as a personal affront to his butlering abilities?”

“He’ll get over it. I promised him that I’d get my sports editor to get him a 49ers jersey, signed by the quarterback.”

“William’s a football fan?”

Chloe flashed him a grin. "Everyone has a passion, Lex.”

“Hmmm, some of us more than one.”

Chloe only smirked a bit as she closed her suitcase. "I think that’s everything.’

“Not quite.” Lex tossed a small box at her, which she instinctively caught in her hand.

The panicked look in her eyes told him instantly what she thought it contained.

“Relax, it’s not what you think. It’s just a gift.”

He watched as she cautiously opened the box and removed a single key on a brass key ring and looked up, her face a mixture of confusion and relief.

“It’s a key to the penthouse. I want you to know that you can come back anytime.”

“What happened to Rule #2?”

“Rule #2 is for you, Chloe. I will always respect your privacy but I want you to keep that key and use it, whenever you want.”

Chloe slipped the key into her pocket and reached up to lock her hands around his neck. She kissed him gently and neither made an attempt to deepen it. Much.

“Why are you being so patient with me?” she asked when she pulled back. “Why aren’t you ranting and raving and making ultimatums?”

“Would it work?”

“Not a chance.”

“Well there you go. Besides, I thought it was fairly obvious how I feel about you. Do you need me to spell it out?”

“No, you’re right. You don’t need to.” She stepped back to slip her jacket on. “Do you need *me* to?”

Lex’s breath caught in his throat and he briefly considered telling her that yes, he did need it. Except that he didn’t, not really.

“No, you don’t have to either.”

“My feelings for you now aren’t the issue, Lex. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I had a feeling.”

Chloe pulled her hair out of her collar and shook her head, apparently having some kind of internal conversation.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s nothing; I shouldn’t have even thought it.”

“But you did, so tell me.”

“It occurred to me if the test had been positive, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. My fears wouldn’t matter anymore; it would have simply been a matter of doing what was best for the circumstance. Do you know what I mean?”

“I know exactly what you mean, Chloe. But as much as I want you, I don’t want you like that. Call me an idealist but I’d prefer that your decision to keep me in your life be based on something other than circumstance.”

End chapter.
Chapter Nine

I won't make demands.
We could walk without a plan.
-Life Less Ordinary, Carbon Leaf

Daily Planet Metro People page…Liz Myers…

…but the real talk of the night was apparent end of Lex Luthor’s self-imposed celibacy. The young billionaire showed up at the event with a very attractive young blonde “friend” on his arm. But was she a new friend or perhaps and old one? Dear readers, I pride myself on my memory and I knew right away who the lady in question was. A quick trip to the Planet archives confirms it. It’s none other than Chloe Sullivan who Planet readers last saw testifying against Lionel Luthor in the infamous murder trial that sent the mogul to prison for the final months of his life and put Lex in charge of the billion-dollar family empire. Ms. Sullivan was but seventeen when she faced down Luthor senior in a courtroom, she’s all grown up now and last night she helped the young CEO give the Metropolis elite lessons in PDA. Never let it be said that Lex Luthor doesn’t repay his debts…

*****

Somewhere in Metropolis…the following day…

“Where exactly is this place, Chloe?” Lex asked.

Chloe gave him a mock glare. “Same place it was the last two times you asked me, ‘just a little further.’”

“We could have taken the car, you know.”

“What fun is there in that? I can’t get a feel for how the city has changed in the last six years if I’m holed up in a car.”

Lex decided to leave it at that. From the look on Chloe’s face as they executed a tandem pedestrian slalom across a crowded avenue, she obviously enjoyed walked the streets of Metropolis. Who was he to deny her the experience?

They were headed to what Chloe had termed “one of her favorite spots in Metropolis.” At least it had been when she had been a teenager. They had already visited City Park so she could show him where Gabe had taught her to ride a two-wheeler, followed by a trip to her favorite diner for brunch. Lex noticed that she was in a much better mood than she had been when she read Liz Myers' column in the Planet that morning. Perhaps it was worsened by the fact that Chloe had spotted the column before ingesting any caffeine but she had very nearly snapped. In fact, when she had first looked up from the page, Lex had feared for all breakable items within a 25-foot radius. Thankfully, he was able to calm her down. He reminded her that they had been expecting those kinds of implications, and even far worse ones. It wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. His reassurances had worked, she balled up the paper, downed three cups of coffee and demanded that he reacquaint her with the city.

Her mood remained positive throughout he first part of their day, with the obvious exception of when they tried to exit his building and they were confronted by half-a dozen photographers. A few snarled “No comments” on his part and the fast reflexes of his chauffeur got them away from the situation in seconds and thankfully, they were not followed.

“Here we are,” said Chloe, gripping his hand and bringing him back to the present. Lex looked up in time to the see the sign over the doors before Chloe pulled him inside. “GRAND USED BOOKS – LARGEST COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS IN THE MIDWEST.”

Once inside, Lex was hit with the slightly musty scent of leather. The building was immense, probably taking up more than half of a city block, and the space was dominated by rows up rows of tall shelves. In between the shelves were well-worn sofas, chairs, and tables. It certainly wasn’t your run of the mill chain-mega-book store. There wasn’t a coffee bar in sight and most of the clientele seemed to be either tweed-wearing professor-types or Birkenstock-wearing student-types.

“Ever been here before?” she asked.

“No, never.”

“I find that hard to believe that someone who has such a love affair with leather-bound great works would have missed this place. I hear their rare section upstairs is like Mecca for collectors.”

Lex continued to look round as he replied. He loved that she knew him so well. “Well, keep in mind that I don’t always acquire my “leather-bound” great works myself. I employ a service that knows what I’m interested in.

Chloe made a tssking sound at him. “You’re missing half the fun that way, you know.”

Lex shrugged. “How do you know about this place?”

“Are you kidding? This place has a better selection than most of the libraries in this town, and they don’t care if you curl up and stay all day. When I was a teenager, my allowance didn’t go very far so the next best thing to buying all the books I wanted to read was to come here.”

As they made their way down the rows of shelves, Chloe gestured to a worn wingback and ottoman in a corner. “I read ‘All the President’s Men’ in that very chair in a single weekend, barely stopped for meals.”

Lex looked from the chair to Chloe’s beaming face. “Woodward and Bernstein. Why I am not surprised? Is that what made you want to be a reporter?”

“That, among other things.”

And she chided him about her cryptic responses. Lex made a mental note to press her about the “other things” later. Now he was just content to watch his girlfriend acting like a kid in a candy store and she explored the shelves.

It had been too long since he had spent a day like this; unplanned, unmeasured, simply letting time unfold. It seemed that the only time he really did that was when he was with Chloe.

For the next forty-five minutes they explored the bookstore. Lex made a beeline for their History section and was pleased to discover a first-rate collection of slightly worn texts. When she caught him inspecting the slightly frayed ages of the covers, Chloe rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby, a few nicks and scratches add character.”

Lex followed her to the cooking section and helped her pick out a present for Gabe, a nearly new copy of ‘What Einstein Told His Cook.’ He felt the perfectionist in Gabe would appreciate it.

They then drifted to the travel section. Chloe spotted a book on the English countryside on one of the top shelves and she was up the ladder before he could even respond. As she backed down the ladder, prize in hand, Lex laid his hands on her waist to help her down the rest of the way. He wrapped his arms around her and looked over her shoulder at her selection.

“Planning a trip? I hope you weren’t thinking of going without me,” he teased.

“Why? Are you scared some wealthy duke with a castle would snatch me up?” she teased back.

“Now, don’t sell yourself short. You wouldn’t settle for anything less than Prince William himself.”

Chloe spun in his arms and leaned up so that her lips were hovering just under his. “Nah, Wills is too green for me. I prefer my men a little more…experienced.”

‘God,’ thought Lex as they closed the gap between their lips. ‘How was it possible for it to feel this good with the same person all the time?’ It didn’t get boring or repetitive. It just got better. He was sinking further into the kiss when he heard a snapping behind him and out of the corner of his eye saw a flash.

They pulled apart immediately, in time to see a young photographer grin at them.

“Great shot, guys. Thanks.” With that he turned and sped through the rows of shelves. Before Chloe could stop him, Lex took off after him. ‘Little prick…he’s got some nerve...I’ll break that fucking camera with my bare hands…’ thought Lex as he pushed through the glass doors of the store. H looked one way down the avenue, then the other. It was too late; the little jackass has disappeared into the crowd. With his camera. “Fuck!” muttered Lex.

He hadn’t been at all surprised when the photographers had been outside his building that morning, it had happened before. He just didn’t think they would go so far as to follow him and Chloe throughout the day. ‘Chloe. Fuck.’

He made his way back through the store to the travel section and found Chloe on the floor sitting cross-legged, her back against the shelves. She didn’t even look up when he arrived and mirrored her position next to her on the floor.

“Catch him?”

“No. He disappeared into the crowd. Couldn’t see which way he went. Look, Chloe… I didn’t think they’d…”

“It isn’t your fault,” murmured Chloe. Her eyes were fixed on somewhere else. She wouldn’t look at him and Lex didn’t know what to say. The quiet, carefree mood of the day was definitely gone. He didn’t even know why he had taken off after the kid with the camera. Usually he didn’t give a rat’s ass what the papers printed about him, most of it was lies anyway. But he knew that it upset Chloe. He looked over at her face. She, in turn, was looking over at a group of children in the nearby children’s section. They laughing and looking at picture books while a store employee set up a puppet show.

“Lex? When you were a kid, did they follow your family around like that? Taking pictures?”

Lex was slightly startled at her question but he quickly put two and two together when she didn’t move her gaze back to his. He swallowed hard and tried to remember.

“Sometimes, but usually only at big events like a new plant opening. Or when we’d go on a family vacation. Most of the time my father invited them. He wanted them to take pictures of his ‘perfect family’. The press was different back then, though. They’re more aggressive now and there’s a bigger market for the tabloid crap.”

It was the truth, perhaps not what she wanted to hear but it could not be helped. The little prick who took their picture just now probably already had a buyer for his shot of he and Chloe’s impromptu make-out session between the shelves. God knew why, he wasn’t a move star. People did seem to have a fascination with the money part, though.

“Did it bother you? All those people trying to get a piece of you?”

“I got used to it, didn’t really think of it most of the time. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s not always like this, Chloe. Right now we’re some idiot’s idea of news. It’ll be like that for a little while and then the news cycle will end, and they’ll move on to someone else and leave us alone. You of all people should know how that works.”

Chloe’s eyes swung back to his. “Don’t compare me to them! I don’t follow people around and invade their privacy. That’s not the kind of reporter I am.” She tried to stand up but Lex grabbed her arm.

“I didn’t say that you did! I just meant that you know how the news cycles work. This will blow over after a few days. I’m sure of it.” Chloe relaxed and sagged against the shelves again. Lex let out a breath. He should have chosen his words more carefully. He knew what a short fuse Chloe had, particularly now.

“Hmmmph… news cycle. Doesn’t bother you to have someone refer to your life as part of a news cycle?”

“To tell you the truth, I rarely even think about it.” He stared levelly at Chloe. “You think it would bother you?”

Chloe gave an unsteady laugh. “Guess it would be pretty hypocritical of me to say yes, but it’s the truth.”

“It’s not hypocritical, you just said, you’re not like them.”

“Yeah, well, maybe *they* don’t see it like that. Maybe the Liz Myers’ of the world get a big kick out of the idea of me wanting to hide from them.”

“We won’t have to hide. Like I said this will blow…”

“Blow over, I know,” finished Chloe. “But for how long, until the next museum opening? Until the next slow news day? I’m not sure I can live like this, Lex.”

This was definitely not the conversation he wanted to have with Chloe on the floor of a bookstore but he didn’t know which would be worse, stopping now, or letting her continue. They at least had some privacy, the sheer size and layout of the store meant there wasn’t anyone within earshot. Not anymore.

“I’m not sure I can get used to it or that I could…” Chloe trailed off and her eyes darted back over the children's section.

“Chloe?” Lex didn’t recognize his own voice when he said her name. He could barely get it out of his rapidly closing throat. “What are you trying to say?”

“I need to tell you something. This is probably the absolute worst time and place for this to come up but I’m going to say it anyway or I might not get it out.”

Lex nodded for her to continue.

“A few months ago, for a little while, I thought I was pregnant,” she began, then added, very quickly, “I wasn’t. I was sick or stressed or something, not pregnant but it freaked me out.”

Lex closed his eyes for a minute. The words ‘pregnant’ and ‘Chloe’ kept running through his brain and pretty soon he couldn’t picture anything else. Chloe, pregnant with his child. The image in his mind made his heart beat so fast, he was sure she could hear it. In a voice that he hoped was relatively normal, he asked, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

She didn’t answer.

“Chloe? Why didn’t you tell me?” he repeated.

“I was completely freaked out in the beginning and I didn’t know for sure. Then the tests came back negative and I kept thinking that telling you would be upsetting both of us for no reason.”

“For no reason? Chloe… God. You thought I would get upset? Why?” Did she really think that of him?

“Because… we never talked about anything remotely like this, Lex. We don’t even live in the same city. Did you expect me to just drop this on you? Over the telephone?”

Lex raised his head to look her in the eye. “What if the test had been positive? You would have told me, wouldn’t you?”

*****

Chloe felt her eyes widen at his words. “Of course I would have told you! You don’t think that I would have gotten…that I would have done *anything* without telling you, do you?”

Lex shook his head a bit. “I didn’t mean that, it came out wrong. I know you would have told me. I just wish you had told me as soon as you even thought there was a possibility. How long did you think…?”

“Just a day, less than that even.”

“Still, you didn’t have to wait alone.”

“I know that now, Lex. Just, at that time, I didn’t know how to even bring it up.”

She watched as Lex mulled her words, watching the movement in his jaw as he swallowed hard before speaking again.

“Did you think that I would have been angry? That it wasn’t what I wanted?”

“I didn’t know what to think. We never talked about it and we had only been together a few months. For all I knew, you don’t even want kids… Come to think of it, I still don’t know.” There, that was the easiest way she could manage to get the question out. He seemed to get the drift right away, judging from the way he looked at her quickly, and then looked away.

“If you had asked me that five or six years ago, I would have said ‘No’ because I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for me to be a decent father given the one I had. But a lot can happen in that time and I’ve learned to put most of what he did and didn’t do as a parent in the past where it belongs.”

“And now?”

“Now? Now I think, if I can be unlike him in so many other ways, why not this one?” He was smiling faintly when he turned to look at her again. “What I’m saying is that in the last year or so, I’ve definitely become… more open to the idea. It doesn’t scare me as much as it used to.”

Chloe doubted that anyone had ever gotten a more honest answer from Lex Luthor and she didn’t know what to say as a reply.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I would have kept it,” she blurted out without thinking. “With or without you.”

“Without me wouldn’t have been an option, at least not as far as I am concerned. But that wasn’t what I asked you.”

No it wasn’t. It was only fair that she be as honest with him as he had been with her.

“I’ve thought about it, of course but sometimes it’s really hard for me to picture myself that way. The two most prominent examples of mothering that I’ve seen have been non-existent in the case of my own and the apple-pie baking super mom in the case of Mrs. Kent. I know myself well enough to know that I’m not the latter but who knows about the former?”

“Would you trust that *I* know you well enough to know you’re not the former?”

Chloe smiled. “Thanks. I hope you’re right.”

Leaning closer to her, he added. “I do, however, think you would be the world’s most frightening Soccer Mom.”

“Ha, like you would be any less terrifying as a Soccer Dad?” she shot back, laughing. Lex soon joined her.

Then, the reality of the conversation they had been having seemed to settle over both of them at that moment and they both leaned back against the shelves, watching the group of children laugh at the puppet show nearby.

“Lex? I wouldn’t have brought it up at all if I wasn’t open to the possibility that you and I could… at some point…” she felt Lex wrap his hand around hers when words failed her.

“I know. At some point…”

“It just really scares me how *public* things might be for us.”

“I know that, too. We don’t have to settle anything now, Chloe. Just relax.”

“OK.”

Sitting up a bit, he asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

Chloe grinned. “Can we stay and watch the rest of the show?”

In reply, Lex wrapped and arm around her shoulders and settled back against the shelves, letting her lean on him as they watched the rest of the puppet show.

*****

Lex’s penthouse…several days later…

The next few days passed more quickly than Lex could have imagined. They attended two more public events, a party at a local restaurant given my one of his business associates, and an art gallery opening. The number of photographers waiting outside his building dwindled and they had no more “run-ins” with overly aggressive ones. Of course, that may have been due to the fact that they choose their outings carefully, sticking to places that were off-the-beaten path.

Clark visited them twice at the penthouse and Lex noticed that the tension between he and Chloe had dissipated considerably. Lex also noticed that Clark seemed to be watching their interaction very intensely. Lex stamped down the urge to say to his friend. “Snooze, you lose, buddy” but he felt that it might be twisting the knife just a bit. Clark seemed well enough aware of what he had passed up. Lex also knew it wouldn’t be an issue between the three of them. That’s why he only felt a *small* surge of possessiveness when Clark hugged Chloe goodbye at the end of his second visit. He was only human, after all.

But now the week was over and Chloe would be leaving within the hour. She had agreed to let his limo take her to the airport but had insisted that they say their goodbyes at the penthouse. Chloe hated public goodbyes, of that Lex was well aware.

He strode wordlessly towards the master bedroom and watched her from the doorway as she finished the last of her packing. Even in that she was stubborn. She refused to let William pack her bags, insisting that the man had handled her underwear enough. Lex had forgotten to warn her days earlier that William would naturally be doing her laundry as well as his. She had let forth some very colorful words when she found the neatly folded piles of lingerie.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him as he watched her arrange items in the suitcase.

“Shouldn’t I be doing that for you? You always seem to end up doing it for me.”

“That’s because your idea of packing is to shove everything in haphazardly and let William sort it out later. *I’m* the one who has to unpack this when I get home so I’d just as soon do it myself,” Chloe replied, jokingly.

“Suit yourself.”

He eased up next to her and pointed to the nearly full case. “Is William taking this as a personal affront to his butlering abilities?”

“He’ll get over it. I promised him that I’d get my sports editor to get him a 49ers jersey, signed by the quarterback.”

“William’s a football fan?”

Chloe flashed him a grin. "Everyone has a passion, Lex.”

“Hmmm, some of us more than one.”

Chloe only smirked a bit as she closed her suitcase. "I think that’s everything.’

“Not quite.” Lex tossed a small box at her, which she instinctively caught in her hand.

The panicked look in her eyes told him instantly what she thought it contained.

“Relax, it’s not what you think. It’s just a gift.”

He watched as she cautiously opened the box and removed a single key on a brass key ring and looked up, her face a mixture of confusion and relief.

“It’s a key to the penthouse. I want you to know that you can come back anytime.”

“What happened to Rule #2?”

“Rule #2 is for you, Chloe. I will always respect your privacy but I want you to keep that key and use it, whenever you want.”

Chloe slipped the key into her pocket and reached up to lock her hands around his neck. She kissed him gently and neither made an attempt to deepen it. Much.

“Why are you being so patient with me?” she asked when she pulled back. “Why aren’t you ranting and raving and making ultimatums?”

“Would it work?”

“Not a chance.”

“Well there you go. Besides, I thought it was fairly obvious how I feel about you. Do you need me to spell it out?”

“No, you’re right. You don’t need to.” She stepped back to slip her jacket on. “Do you need *me* to?”

Lex’s breath caught in his throat and he briefly considered telling her that yes, he did need it. Except that he didn’t, not really.

“No, you don’t have to either.”

“My feelings for you now aren’t the issue, Lex. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I had a feeling.”

Chloe pulled her hair out of her collar and shook her head, apparently having some kind of internal conversation.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s nothing; I shouldn’t have even thought it.”

“But you did, so tell me.”

“It occurred to me if the test had been positive, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. My fears wouldn’t matter anymore; it would have simply been a matter of doing what was best for the circumstance. Do you know what I mean?”

“I know exactly what you mean, Chloe. But as much as I want you, I don’t want you like that. Call me an idealist but I’d prefer that your decision to keep me in your life be based on something other than circumstance.”

End chapter.
Chapter 10

Chloe’s apartment…Two months later…

Chloe opened the door to her apartment and stepped to the side so Jen could enter.

“Alright-y, we’ve got dashing British men in period costumes starting in 45. Are you ready to go?” she asked, looking Chloe up and down. When Chloe frowned a bit, she asked. “What’s up? I thought we were doing the rainy day chick flick thing. You OK?”

“I’m fine…do you mind if we see a later showing? I need to talk to you.”

“Uh-oh, that sounds ominous. But OK, we can catch the later showing. What do you need to talk about?”

Chloe led Jen to her living room and picked up a packet of papers from her coffee table. She handed them to her boss without a word.

Jen scanned the first few sheets before looking up again. “Chloe, this looks like the lease agreement for your apartment.”

“That’s because it *is* the lease agreement for my apartment.”

“O-kay…why I am I holding it?”

“Because it’s my problem. I can’t sign it.”

“Well, I have to say this is certainly the most unique way anyone has ever asked me for raise…”

Chloe blew a puff of air upward to get the hair out of her eyes. “I am not asking you for a raise, you dolt! I can’t sign the lease because I’m not sure if I want to be here for another year or if I want to be with Lex!”

“Oh, well that’s completely different then,” Jen dropped her purse on the coffee table and flopped down on the nearest sofa. “OK, shoot.”

“What do you mean, ‘shoot’?”

“Tell me what’s on your mind. Or would you prefer that I sum up? On one hand, you’ve got a handsome, smart, caring, and obscenely wealthy guy who’s nuts about you and clearly wants more out of your relationship. Oh, let’s not forget the insane amount of great sex.”

Chloe crossed her arms. “You know, if it’s all the same to you, I would prefer Supportive Friend Jen right now over Sarcastic Friend Jen.”

“Well, that’s too bad. You’re coming between me and Jeremy Northam in riding britches so you’ll get Sarcastic Jen and you’ll deal.”

Chloe hesitated a bit then sat on the sofa opposite her friend. Jen may be blunt at times, but she cared about her. She wouldn’t steer her wrong.

“Glad you see it my way…so where was I? Oh, so on the other hand, you’ve got your job, your apartment, your friends, and everything else here in San Francisco, right? Did I miss anything?”

“Me,” whispered Chloe.

“Excuse me?”

“You forgot me.” Chloe repeated more loudly. “*I’m* here.”

Jen blinked at her friend. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you move to Metropolis to be with Lex, don’t *you* go with you?”

“Not necessarily. That’s the point.”

“Oh. This is starting to make some sense now,” said Jen. Chloe noticed that she seemed to be looking at her more intently now, as if she were seeing her for the first time since she entered her apartment. Chloe knew that she didn’t exactly look her best, even for a rainy day chick flick. She was in one of her rattiest pairs of jeans and a sweatshirt. All bad signs to anyone who knew her.

“So, this isn’t about Lionel and everything that happened?”

“No. Well, maybe it is and it isn’t. Nothing’s simple, Jen. I know in my head and in my heart that Lex isn’t his father. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“So what are you worried about? What’s holding you back?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I trust myself to make this decision.”

“Huh?”

“Look, this might sound crazy to you but this life that I have here, working in journalism, supporting myself, it’s what I always pictured for myself, for as long as I can remember. True, I pictured it being in Metropolis and the Daily Planet, but the rest is the same. *I’m* in control of it and I don’t have to answer to anyone…”

“Except me.”

Chloe smiled faintly. “Except you. And I don’t have to depend on anyone else.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “This thing with Lex, I didn’t see it coming and I sure as hell didn’t think it would be as strong as it is. Part of me thought we’d have fun for a few months and then get tired of each other. Shit, Jen. I didn’t expect to need him this much.”

“And that’s the part that scares you?” there was very little trace of questioning in Jen’s voice.

“Yeah, I guess. But like I said, it isn’t that simple. There’s the fact that I could do this, give up everything I have here to be with him and it could all be a colossal mistake. We care about each other now, but what about six months from now, or a year from now? And then there’s the fact that if I do move to Metropolis, the second I step off the plane, I will cease to be Chloe Sullivan. I’ll be Lex Luthor’s…”

Chloe stopped abruptly when she saw Jen raised her eyebrows at her.

“His whatever. It doesn’t even matter. I got a glimpse of what it would be like when I went there two months ago and I’m not sure I can do it. I might not be able to leave my apartment without people taking pictures of me, let alone be able hold down another reporting job. I’m not sure I could live like that! Pair that with the fact that the last time I had to make a choice this important, I nearly got my father and me killed!”

“So basically you’re dealing with some complex shit here?” quipped Jen and she was rewarded with an intense yet watery glare from Chloe.

Jen reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of tissues. She crossed the small room to sit in front of Chloe. With frightening efficiency, she began to wipe away the lines of tears on Chloe’s face that had fallen during her speech.

“OK,” she said when finished. “Now sit up straight.”

“Huh?”

“Sit up straight!”

Chloe obeyed immediately. That voice Jen used was scary.

“Now what do you expect me to say to you about this whole thing, Chloe? What do you think I know that you don’t?”

“Well…you’re married. You’re happy. At some point, you decided that Tim was the one for you.”

“I see, and how do you think that happened?”

“Didn’t you just know?”

“Like in an instant?”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“No?”

“*Pudding* is instant, Chloe! This is a relationship. It doesn’t work like that. If you wait around for a guarantee, you’re going to be waiting a damn long time!”

Chloe shot up off her sofa. “You’re making fun of me now? I’m not looking for a guarantee; I’m just looking for some kind of sign that I’m not making a huge mistake!”

“Well, you’re not going to get that either. Sit down.”

Chloe crossed her arms again.

“Sit down!” There went the scary voice again, so Chloe obeyed.

“Listen to me. I would love to tell you that you’re going to love Lex forever and he’s going to love you, but I can’t. People change. They don’t say so in those asinine romance novels or in those ridiculous fairy tales we grew up with, but people fall out of love. You have to decide if you’ll be able to handle it if it happens. In the meantime, both of you have to be working hard to make sure it doesn’t. I know that sounds hard but I can’t explain it any other way. It’s a risk that you just have to decide if you’re ready to take. Anyone who says it’s anything different is selling something.”

When Chloe didn’t speak, she continued. “Now, as for how much being Lex Luthor’s *whatever* will change you, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. The Chloe Sullivan I know won’t let some two-bit paparazzi bottom feeders define who you are. You’re better than that and smarter than that. You wanted advice from someone who’s married then here it is. There are two people in your relationship, you and Lex. That’s who you worry about. You’re two equal parts of the whole. Never forget that. Everyone else can kiss your ass. You got me?”

Chloe felt Jen grab her hand. “Chloe, this may not be what you wanted to hear but I think it’s what you *need* to hear.”

Chloe nodded and stared at her hands. In her mind, playing like scenes on a screen, she saw herself and Lex. The last time she had seen him in Smallville. Meeting him in the elevator in San Diego. Kissing him goodbye at the airport. In fact, she saw all the times in the previous ten months that they had said goodbye to one another.

‘Take your chances when you can.’ That’s what she had promised herself when she and Gabe had survived Lionel’s attempt on their lives. She was doing a pretty poor job of being true to that promise.

After a few minutes, she rose from the couch and moved swiftly to the end table to retrieve the telephone. She glanced back at Jen, who looked perplexed.

“What are you doing? I just gave you the Rolls Royce of pep talks. Don’t you have anything to say? Who are you calling?”

“You’ll see,” replied Chloe as she dialed. She waited as the telephone rang. Once. Twice. The party picked up after the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Daddy? It’s me”

*****

Gabe’s home outside Seattle…Same day…

Gabe looked up from the small mountain of onions he was chopping when he heard the telephone ring. He looked around for the handset. He was ‘in the zone’ when it came to cooking right now, so if it wasn’t destined to go into his pot of three-alarm chili, it didn’t exist. ‘Where did put that…’ When it rang again, the traced the sound to the dishtowel beside him. “Ah-ha!” He picked it up and uncovered the cordless telephone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Daddy? It’s me,” he heard Chloe’s voice say. ‘

“Hey sweetie, how are you?”

“I’m OK. Are you busy right now?”

“Never too busy for you. I was just making some chili. Some of the guys from the plant are coming over to watch the playoff game and we can’t do that on an empty stomach, can we?”

“No, I guess you can’t.”

“Anyway, what’s up with you? Lex not around this weekend?”

“No, he’s in Metropolis. Actually, Dad, that’s what I wanted to talk about…”

“I’ll cut right to it. Dad. I don’t think I want to do the long-distance thing with Lex anymore. He’s too important to me.”

“So what are you saying, Chloe?”

“I’m saying… I’m saying that I want to move to Metropolis to be closer to him. And before you ask, I don’t know if we’ll be getting married or living together or what yet, I just know that it’s what I want to do now.”

“I see. Does he know this yet?’

“No, I just decided it a minute ago. You were the first person I called.”

Gabe rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. It had been hard when she left for college, even harder when she moved to San Francisco, but this… This was it. She was really going to be across the country, living her own life. With Lex.

“Daddy, you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I don’t know what to say. I’d be lying if I said I was thrilled about you being so far away from me. We’ve always been a team.” He paused to clear this throat before continuing. “But I want you to be happy and you said you were happy with him so there it is.”

“I’ll miss you, Daddy. I might not be as close by as I am now but you know Lex does have a jet after all.”

Gabe could hear the shakiness in her voice as she spoke. “Yeah, I had heard something to that effect. I’ll miss you too, Choe.”

“And it’s Metropolis, not Madagascar, it’s not *that* far away.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re right.” Gabe decided he needed to end this call soon. These…damn onions were stinging his eyes.

“OK, I’ll let you get back to your chili, Dad. I just wanted you to know…”

“Thanks, you’ll call me when you know some more about when you’ll be moving and all that, right?”

“Of course I will, I love you.”

“I love you too. Oh, and Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for calling me first.”

“I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Bye, Dad”

“Goodbye, Chloe.”

Gabe switched off the telephone with his thumb and breathed deeply.

‘Damn onions.’

*****
Chloe’s apartment… several days later…

Lex slipped the key Chloe had made for him on his previous visit into the lock and pushed on the door. The apartment was dark but he didn’t think it was strange given that it was very late. *He* was very late. He wondered if Chloe had fallen asleep waiting for him.

Sticking with that theory, he decided not to disturb her by putting on the lights, instead he made his way to her bedroom in the dark, operating on memory to get him there without breaking his neck. Luckily for him, it was a small apartment.

Once in Chloe’s room, he could just make out her sleeping form on the bed in the faint light streaming in from the window. Lex quickly stripped down to his boxers, leaving his clothes on the floor. He climbed into the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She moaned a little in response.

“Lex? What time is it?”

“It’s late, we got delayed because of some bad weather over the Rockies. Sorry.”

“It’s OK…we won’t have that problem anymore.” came her sleepy, but surprisingly lucid, reply.

Lex nodded against her shoulder, already half-asleep himself, until her words sunk in.

“Wait, what did you say?”

Chloe rolled over and buried herself into his side. “Less flying… no need to…we’ll be both in the same place.”

Lex shot up in bed. “Chloe, what are you talking about?”

He heard her laugh from her side of the bed. “You didn’t turn on any lights when you came in, did you?”

“No, I didn’t want to wake you. What’s going on?”

Chloe laugh again and Lex felt the bed shift slightly, and then he heard the snick of the bedside lamp switching on.

Lex blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change, then he looked around the room. Boxes. Lots of boxes. Suitcases. Nearly all of the items in the bedroom were in some stage of being packed into boxes or suitcases.

“What the--?” he muttered. He moved to turn to Chloe but she was off the bed like a shot and he de-tangled himself from the sheets to follow her through the bedroom door.

“Chloe, come back here!”

She laughed and ran down the hall into the living room, with Lex only a few steps behind. He caught her around her waist but not before she could switch on the light in that room as well. This room was similarly stocked with packed and half-packed boxes. There were tarps over her sofas and her framed prints were down from the walls.

Lex looked around the room then down at Chloe. “If this is some elaborate joke, you’d better tell me right now.”

“It’s not a joke, Lex. I’ve made up my mind.”

“Made up your mind?”

“ I don’t want to live my life between your visits anymore. I want to live it with you. Are still up for this?”

Lex couldn’t answer her, he couldn’t even think straight after he words sunk in, let alone verbalize a response. Instead he decided to show her. He used his body to push her towards the nearest wall and leaned down to press his lips none too gently to hers.

A part, albeit a tiny part, of Lex’s brain was telling him to be gentler but he couldn’t stop himself from pouring all of his emotions into the kiss. He felt himself nearly devouring her mouth with his own, holding her face in place with his hands. Judging from the way she was clawing at his shoulders and kissing him back just as fiercely, she didn’t mind one bit. He curved his fingers into her hair and rained a series of scorching kisses over her cheeks and jawline before returning to her mouth, ready to retire rational thought for the rest of the night. But there were some things he needed to know first. He pulled back, pushing her arms down gently to put some breathing room between them.

“Wait a second, what about your job?”

“Freelance…for a little while…” said Chloe, trying to resume their kissing, but Lex would let her, not until he made sure he knew what was going on.

“What do mean ‘freelance’?”

Chloe let out a heavy sigh when it became obvious Lex wanted her to speak.

“Jen’s going to throw some freelance assignments my way and she’s already made some calls to some publications she knows in the mid-west to see if they’ll do the same. I’ll keep busy, believe me.” She leaned up for another kiss so Lex almost missed her next sentence. “Mark even said he would have some assignments for me every once and a while.”

Her lips were already on his when Lex’s brain registered her words. “Hmmmph? Wait, what? Mark? Your little friend Mark?” He immediately bristled at the idea of Chloe working with a man she had a “thing” with, even if it was a “little thing.”

“Aw, fuck! I knew I should have waited to say that part. Yes, Mark. *That* Mark.”

Lex tried not to scowl, he really did. He failed quite spectacularly, though.

“Get that look off your face right this second, Lex Luthor. Would you rather have me living out here and not working with Mark, or living with you and working with him?”

Lex responded by lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his hips. “Good point,” he said, striding towards the bedroom. “When did you decide this anyway?”

“A few days ago.”

“A few days ago, and you’re just telling me now?”

Chloe reached up and locked her hands behind his neck. “Well, it would have been kind of hard to do *this* over the telephone, and that’s the best part of telling you, don’t you agree?” She hesitated. “You’re not upset, are you?”

“Of course not,” replied Lex, laying Chloe on the bed, and settling over her. “What do I have to be upset about? You just agreed to move in with me.”

He watched as her eyes widened comically. “Hey, I said I was moving to Metropolis, I didn’t say I was moving in with you.”

“Yes, you did. I heard you say it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.” His lips were at her collarbone right now and he really didn’t think this “argument” would last much longer.

“No, I did not!”

“Did.”

“Did not!”

End Chapter.
Epilogue

Luthor Penthouse… four years later…

Lex burst through the doors to his Penthouse, so dizzy he could barely stand. Still, he forged on. The place was a disaster. The vase and table in the entryway were smashed to bits. As he moved through the hall, he saw that the doors were wide open, revealing ransacked rooms, his study, the media room, both filled with smashed furniture and debris. In the hallway itself, the paintings were ripped from the walls and the lights smashed. When he reached the living room, Lex saw that the room was in a similar state. The fabric on sofas and chairs had been slit open and shredded, the tables broken in pieces. The pictures on the mantle had been taken down and smashed in their frames. All but one.

Moving as if on autopilot Lex moved towards the balcony doors. A picture of Chloe taken on their honeymoon was taped to the glass. She smiled back at him, frozen in time in her white sundress. Next to the picture, written in something reddish brown were the words: HOW MUCH IS YOUR WIFE WORTH TO YOU, LUTHOR? I GUESS WE’LL FIND OUT.

The next thing Lex knew, he was in the lobby of the building again, trying to get to his car to go…somewhere. To do something…anything, to find Chloe. He panting and gasping, probably because he kept forgetting to breathe. As he pushed through the doors, he found himself suddenly surrounded by reporters. The pushed and pulled at him, shoving their cameras and microphones in his face, shouting horrible words.

“Do you know who has taken your wife?”

“Do you think she is still alive?”

“Who would have done this?”

“Has there been a ransom demand?”

“How could this happen?”

“How could someone get to her?”

“Why didn’t you keep her safe?”

And it all faded to black…everything except the words…

*****

Lex woke with a start, panting and blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming into the bedroom. Their bedroom. He immediately looked to his left and found Chloe sleeping at his side.

It was a just dream. Another fucking dream. He sank back into his pillow to catch his breath. These dreams, nightmares really, of someone taking Chloe to get to him, were not new. He had started having them shortly after she moved in with him. They had been very infrequent, seeming to happen only when he was really stressed at work or something to that effect. In the past several months, they had become more frequent, happening more than once a week. If they happened any more frequently, Chloe would worry and he could not have that. Not now.

He rolled over on to his side to run his hand down her bare arm, causing her to shift a bit in her sleep but she did not wake up. She was sleeping on her side, facing away from him.

Lex was no psychiatrist but he knew why he was having these dreams more frequently now. And he also knew that therapy or anything like that wasn’t the remedy. He was, and always would be, a man of action. He had to *do* something to make these dreams stop. He would do it today.

Placing a kiss on her shoulder, Lex got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and adjusted the knob until it was shooting out an icy stream of water, which he then splashed over his face. Eyes closed, he let the shock of the water temperature freeze away the lingering feelings that his dream had let behind. Running his left hand down his face, he felt the cool metal of his wedding ring against his cheek. He felt better.

He felt like himself again, in control, content, and most of all, grateful for every minute of the past few years.

*****

A Waterfront Hotel, San Diego, CA…three and half years earlier…

Lex signed the check-inform that the hotel desk clerk slid towards him with the beginnings of a smirk in his face. Beside him, Chloe was talking into her cell phone to her father. From the sound if it, it wasn’t an easy conversation.

“I honestly don’t know, Dad. It all depends on when Lex finishes his meetings… That’s the reason we’re out here in the first… Oh, he did, did he?”

Lex’s ears perked up at the sudden change in her tone. Maybe he should have mentioned the brief conversation he had with Gabe the other day in which he mentioned their trip and foolishly said that they *might* be able to swing up to Seattle on the way back to Metropolis.

Lex shot Chloe an apologetic smile and he steered them away from the front desk. She only glared in return and continued talking into her phone. “Well, I can’t tell you when or if we can make it. These meetings seem to run over sometimes… and boyfriends seem to have a habit of falling off the Coronado Bridge… Fine, I won’t, Dad, even though he deserves it.”

‘Big, big present for Gabe next time I see him.’ thought Lex.

“I’ll call you when we have a better idea, Dad… Love you, too. Bye.”

Chloe switched off her phone and turned on her most withering glare at Lex as they arrived at the familiar elevator bank. “Forget to tell me something, *dear*?”

“That blouse looks lovely on you?”

“Oh, bite me,” growled Chloe thorough a grin as she punched the ‘UP’ button.

“Not until we get upstairs…In my defense, I did say ‘might.’ Is it my fault that he took that to mean ‘definitely will’?”

Chloe ignored his innuendo. “Well, now you’ve gone and done it. He’s expecting us to be there now. I swear, I could hear chopping in the background. He’ll probably cook for the next three days in preparation.”

“Hopefully not that chili,” murmured Lex, rubbing his stomach at the memory.

“It would serve you right if that’s what he made. You’d be more careful about what you say to him next time. He jumps on any sign of weakness, you know.”

“Not unlike some other people I know.” muttered Lex, as his eyes darted around the lobby. He then curled an arm around Chloe’s waist and pulled her closer to him.

“So we fly up to Seattle, it’s not a big deal. In the meantime,” he said leaning down to speak into her ear, “our suite has a hot tub, I made sure of it…”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Chloe reached back with her hand and leaned on the ‘UP’ button again, while still maintaining close contact with Lex’s body.

“Where the hell is this elevator coming from, Mars? Hurry up!”

Lex only smiled at her impatience. Chloe was pretty damn near insatiable, even after six months of living together. Getting her to move in with him had not been an easy sell. But it had been an enjoyable one.

The elevator chimed and Chloe was too wrapped up in Lex to notice the hotel employee who slipped out and directed the only other guest waiting for the lift to take another one.

Lex led Chloe into the elevator and let her press the button for their floor.

“What time is your meeting with your CalChip division people?”

Lex didn’t get to answer because the elevator lurched to a stop at that moment, causing Chloe to stumble a bit at his side.

“What the hell?”

“I think we’re stuck.”

Chloe groaned. “Can’t we just have a normal, quiet weekend away?” She looked around the elevator and spotted the emergency panel. Glancing up at Lex she grinned, “There’s a phone. Would you prefer to deliver the threats to whoever answers yourself or should I do the honors?”

Lex waved his hand at her with mock gallantry. “By all means, go ahead.”

Adjusting the shoulder strap of her purse, Chloe strode over to the panel door and tugged on it. She frowned slightly when it didn’t budge and she then used both hands to try to pull it open. Meanwhile, Lex leaned against the wall of the elevator and made no attempt to help her.

When the door finally flung open, Chloe had to tilt her head to avoid it swinging back in her face. Lex knew the second she saw what was waiting inside the recess of the panel. Her head whipped around to look at him.

“ You didn’t!”

“All evidence points to contrary.”

With one hand over he chest, Chloe reached into the panel and extracted a small black velvet box. From where he was standing Lex could see that her hand was shaking.

“You set all of this up, didn’t you?” she said, rather than asked.

Lex shrugged. He really did have meetings with his CalChip division, but they could have easily been handled as conference calls. However he had been racking his brain on how to ask Chloe to marry him for weeks and then the opportunity to take things back to where they started presented itself. He could not pass it up. And, of course, if Chloe’s answer was what he hoped it would be, they truly would have good reason to swing up to Seattle for a visit with Gabe.

He noticed that she still hadn’t opened to box and worried that it might be bad sign.

“I’ll give you hint: it’s not a key this time.” he said. “But it’s still yours if you want it.”

She threw her arms around his neck, kissed his cheek and then buried her face in his chest.

“I want it,” she said, sniffling against his lapels. “Believe me, I want it.”

It was some time before the hotel got its elevator back.

*****

Luthor Penthouse… same morning…

Chloe groaned a bit as she came awake, the stiffness in her limps being what she was most aware of at first. Then she felt a little chilly. She rolled over and found the reason, her favorite source of warmth, her husband, was no longer in the bed.

With no small amount of effort, she sat up in their bed, silently cursing her choice of nightwear as the blankets slipped further down her body. Lex had never stopped selecting ‘presents’ for her and the one she had worn to bed last night, a rose-colored silk chemise, did little to keep her warm. Leave it to Lex to track down sexy nightwear for her, even in the size and state she was in. Before she could even think about summoning the will to get out of bed, Lex appeared in the bathroom doorway.

“You’re awake?”

“That’s a relative term. I thought you were sleeping in today?”

“I did, it’s after seven.”

“You’re insane. I can’t believe I married a morning person.” She tried to lay back down but the action proved to be difficult. Lex was at her side in an instant.

“Easy, there.” he said, climbing back into he bed and leaning her against him. “You okay? Anything hurt?”

“Lex, I have a *person* inside me playing soccer with my internal organs. It stings a little.”

Seeing the panicked look that crossed his face, she decided to take pity on him. He really did feel helpless about this stuff and it was a feeling he wasn’t used to.

“I’m kidding. I’m okay. My legs are just a little stiff from being still too long. And I’m a little cold.”

“Let’s see what we can do about that.” Lex looked both relieved and amused as he pushed some pillows behind her so she could sit up, then began running his hands down her bare arms to warm them. “Better?”

“Mmmmm, much….” sighed Chloe. Certainly there were easier things in the world than being eight months pregnant but all in all, it really wasn’t too bad. Her morning sickness had been very mild and only lasted a few weeks. She had no freakish cravings or food aversions. So far the only things she could do without were the frequent trips to the bathroom, the leg cramps, and of course, the no coffee thing. Now the whole husband waiting on her hand and foot thing as she got closer to her due date thing was definitely a plus. She could get used to that.

“Are you staying here today?” she asked, sinking back against the pillows.

“Yeah, I just have some calls to make, and a short meeting. Then I’m all yours. How about you?”

“I need to finish that article for the Post, then I’m done: officially on maternity leave. I have a short meeting of my own and then *I* am all yours.”

“Sounds good.” Lex hands drifted down from her arms to run shamelessly over her breasts and down towards the rounded swell of her stomach.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked teasingly.

“Warming you up.”

“Ah…I see. A completely selfless act.”

“I didn’t say that.”

He traced the contour of her breasts with his fingers, a satisfied smirk on his face. She had gone up at least a cup size since the start of her pregnancy and Lex had been doing a very poor job at concealing his delight with that fact. Being careful not to put his weight on her, he leaned down to kiss the smooth skin of her chest, then lower to her kiss her breasts through the thin fabric of her nightgown. Chloe leaned back to give him more room and he moved lower still, placing his cheek against her stomach. He was still for a long moment before looking back up at her face.

“No kicking?” he sounded disappointed, which Chloe thought was adorable.

“No, he seems to be asleep. He sleeps when I’m awake so he can be awake when I want to sleep,” grumbled Chloe. The “he” was out of habit, the really had no idea what the gender of their child was so Chloe alternated, referring to the baby as ‘he’ on some days, ‘she ‘ on others. She outright refused to call their baby ‘it.’

“Sorry,” murmured Lex, placing his check to her stomach again. “You must be tired.”

“S’okay. If he keeps me awake now, he can keep *you* awake after he’s born.”

Before Lex could think of a witty retort, he was distracted by a loud gurgling sound from Chloe’s abdomen. He looked up, amused and she beamed back at him.

“Sorry to cut this little love-in short but we need to be fed.”

*****
Kitchen… two hours later…

Lex heard the soft slosh of water hitting a cup followed by the gentle tink of a spoon hitting the side of said cup. Not bothering to look up from his newspaper, he said, “She won’t drink it.”

William ignored him and continued stirring the liquid in the cup.

“You’re wasting your time…” continued Lex.

“It’s ‘Cinnamon Spice.’ Mrs. Chloe likes cinnamon.”

“Doesn’t matter, she‘s still not going to drink it. She didn’t drink the others.”

“You never know, sir; she may like this one.”

“She didn’t like the Earl Gray, Lemon and Ginger, English Breakfast, or any of the other dozen kinds you’ve given her. Frankly I’m surprised you didn’t give up after the whole Peach Mango fiasco.”

“Sir, Mrs. Chloe cannot have coffee and I know that…upsets her. I am simply trying to provide a reasonable substitute.”

Lex rested his chin on his hand. “You see, that’s where you’re mistaken. There is no such thing as far as Chloe is concerned.”

“We’ll see, sir.”

“Fine, go ahead. Just don’t blame me if you catch her on the wrong end of a hormonal spike and end up wearing that Cinnamon Spell.”

“Cinnamon Spice,” corrected William, calmly lifting the tray.

“There was a time, not so very long ago, when you actually listened to me, William.”

“Well, at least you have your memories, sir.”

With that, William disappeared down the hall leaving Lex to wonder when his wife had even had the time to educate his butler in the Art of Snark.

The doorbell ringing interrupted his musings. A quick check to his watch confirmed Lex’s suspicions as to who it most likely was.

Seeing that William was occupied with trying to convert Chloe into a tea drinker, Lex answered the door himself. Sure enough, it was who he expected.

“Hey, Clark. Right on time…for once,” he said with a good-natured smirk.

“You said it was important.” replied Clark, as he stepped past his friend.

“It is, Clark. It is.”

*****
Three years earlier…

Gossip about the date and location of the Luthor wedding began almost immediately after Chloe appeared in public sporting a brilliant, but not obnoxious diamond on her left hand. Liz Myers began speculating publicly in her column that the wedding was going to be grander than anything the town had ever seen. She had good reason to believe that. After all, she knew for a fact that the soon-to-be Mrs. Luthor had asked her fiancé’s secretary to contact the banquet managers of the largest four-star hotels in the area about a “special event.” Liz had each of these hotels on her speed dial, just in case.

What Liz didn’t know was that shortly after she received each hotel’s proposal, the soon-to-be Mrs. Luthor promptly threw them into the trash. And, she would double over in laughter the following morning as she read Liz Myers’ conjectures in her column, clearly pleased with herself

“You’re evil,” Lex would say.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Chloe would answer, not bothering to hide her smile.

Needless to say, most people assumed that the Luthor wedding would be an event Metropolis would not likely forget, least of all the 200, no 250, no wait, 500, of their closest friends and associates who would be invited. That may be why no one ever suspected that the wedding would be what it was, a small gathering of less than 50 people in, of all places, Gabe Sullivan’s well-maintained backyard in Seattle.. A large white tent was erected, just in case the weather did not cooperate but, as luck would have it, the wedding came on one of Seattle’s few sunny days.

The menu was chosen by the father of the bride and that in itself was a concession. Gabe’s first wish had been to cook everything himself and it took several conversations with Chloe and Lex to convince him that he could not possibly give the bride away and poach several whole salmon simultaneously. He grudgingly settled for the task of hiring the caterer.

There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen mostly because Chloe and Lex didn’t see the point. Lex didn’t think a best man was necessary and Chloe said she owed Jen too much to make her wear a “butt bow.” That was that.

The groom wore a black suit, not a tuxedo. The bride wore a cream colored, ankle-length silk dress and flowers in her hair instead of a veil. The couple said their vows very succinctly under a cloudless sky.

After kissing his wife for the first time, there was very little Lex remembered about the day. It was all a blur, but a very pleasant one. He remembered shaking hands, hugging, some music, some food, some dancing, and his wife. Mostly, he just remembered that last part.

One conversation, or rather, two, did stand out however. The first occurred when he was dancing with Jen while Chloe danced with Clark. Jen laughed at something over his shoulder.

“What’s so funny?” he asked her.

“Your buddy Kent, over there. He’s got a quite a crush on the bride.” She pulled back to look Lex in the eye. “You do realize that, right?”

Lex looked over at Clark and Chloe and all he could do was smile. Lex had no reason to do anything else. Chloe loved him, that Lex knew as well as his own name. Clark would just have to get used to the irony of it all. “Yes, I do realize that,” Lex answered.

“Does that bother you?”

“Not at all, I like to think of it as the universe evening itself out.”

Jen laughed so hard that some of the other guests turned to stare.

A short time later, Lex made his way to get a drink while Chloe danced with Jen’s husband, Tim. There, Lex ran into a red-eyed Gabe Sullivan. Gabe looked like he wanted to say something but when he opened his mouth no words came out. Lex smiled and handed him a glass before reaching for one of his own.

He raised his glass to Gabe. “I keep my promises, Gabe. Two out of three.”

Gabe returned the gesture…and the smile. “Two out of three.”

*****

Lex’s Study…later that morning…

Clark let Lex led him to his study and sat down across from his desk when Lex indicated he should. Even though they had been friends for years now, Clark still felt like he needed to wait for Lex’s permission on that score.

“Do you want something to drink?” asked Lex, as he seated himself. “Soda? Water? Apologies, but we’re all out of coffee.”

Clark smiled. “How’s she doing with that?”

“Better than expected. Though I have no doubt that I’ll need to have some ready for her soon after she delivers.”

“Probably, but make sure it’s the good stuff. And, no. I’m OK. What did you need to talk to me about?”

Clark observed as Lex’s laid back demeanor vanished in the blink of an eye.

“This isn’t easy to explain… Let me start at the beginning. Ever since Chloe moved in with me four years ago, I’ve had bodyguards watching her.”

“Bodyguards? Why?”

“Because, to be frank, Chloe is a target. It doesn’t take a whole lot of brainpower to see what she means to me and to conclude that I’d be willing to spend my last dollar to prevent anyone from hurting her. Given that I have a great many dollars, you can do the math.”

“But…who would do that to Chloe…or to you?”

“Don’t be naïve, Clark. There are plenty of people who would be willing and able to cause us that kind of pain. Some of my father’s old business associates are still running around, perhaps wanting payback. I do business with powerful people everyday and while I don’t operate as he did, I do piss people off from time to time. And, then there are the run-of-the-mill whackjobs that simply want to be instant millionaires and don’t mind getting their hands dirty to do it.”

“I see your point. Does Chloe know…?”

“Chloe’s aware of the danger and the fact that it’s only increased since she’s been pregnant. While she doesn’t enjoy being shadowed, she understands the need for precautions."

“Has anyone threatened her?”

“No, not yet, but I don’t intend to sit around waiting for some maniac to warn me that he’s going to hurt my wife or my child to get to me.” Lex rose from his desk and circled it to stand in front of Clark. “That’s why I wanted to speak to you.”

“Me?”

“The bodyguards I’ve hired to watch Chloe and the baby are the best. Former Secret Service, ex-Seals, that sort of thing. They watch this building when we’re here, and keep a close eye on her when she leaves. As much as I trust their abilities, each one of them has a major flaw.”

“And that is?”

“They’re only human.”

Clark’s eyes widened at the implication. “Lex? You don’t mean…”

“Clark, you can see things they can’t, hear things they can’t, and you’re faster and stronger than any ten of them put together.”

:”But…”

“I’m not asking you to watch her 24 hours a day, Clark. I know you have your own life but she *is* my life. As our friend, I hope you understand that. All I’m asking is for you to act as backup, a silent member of my security team if you will.”

“How?”

“All of the members stay connected to a central location by GPS communications device. I’ll give you one and if a situation arises, you’ll be contacted and briefed immediately. It will be up to you to determine how you can best use your *abilities* to help.”

Clark’s mind was spinning. Chloe and Lex were his friends. They had protected his secret for years now, just as they had promised; how could he possibly refuse them now? But could he handle the responsibility? And now it wouldn’t be just them…

“And the rest of the team? What do they know about me and my abilities?”

“They’ll know nothing but a code name and number. They’ll assume that you’re simply one of them, in a separate location. Only Chloe and I know what you can do.”

“Chloe agreed to all of this? She knows that you’ve asked me to do this?”

“She doesn’t know all the details yet, but she will. You of all people should know that you can’t keep anything from Chloe for too long, even if you wanted to.”

Clark smiled, breaking the tension a bit. “I do know that.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll do it Lex, for you and her and the baby. I won’t screw this up, I promise.”

“Let’s hope we never get a chance to test that promise. Believe me Clark, I’m hoping we never need to contact you. You should know that I do feel some remorse for taking advantage of you like this but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t ask you and something happened that could have been prevented.”

He slipped his hands into his pockets and circled his desk again, business face in place. “Stop by my office at LuthorCorp tomorrow morning and I’ll give you the device.”

Clark blinked at his friend’s change in demeanor. They might as well have been discussing the latest sports scores. And still, one thing nagged at his brain. “Lex, you said that Chloe and the baby were targets, but aren’t you worried that someone might come after you, too?”

Lex smirked, “My security team looks out for me but they know their priorities. Yours are the same. Chloe and the baby come first.”

*****

Clark rubbed his neck as he left Lex’s office. He had stopped by the Penthouse thinking he’d been asked there simply to chat with his friends about their impending parenthood. He’d been in the apartment twenty minutes and he’d already been drafted into a covert paramilitary operation and some could argue that he hadn’t even spoken to the scariest Luthor yet.

As he leaned against the study door trying to get his bearings, William emerged from the media room, tray in hand and deep frown on his face.

:Hey, William,” piped Clark.

“Hello, Mr. Kent. Would you like a cup of cinnamon tea? There’s *plenty* of it.”

“No, thanks. I’m more of coffee guy.”

Clark could not be sure but it sounded like William was growling at him for second there. The moment passed and William gestured to the room behind him. “Mrs. Chloe is in the media room if you wish to see her.”

“OK, thanks.”

Clark shook his head a little as the butler retreated down the hallway. Weird. He then pushed on the heavy door to the media room and paused to regard the image Chloe made.

She was seated on one of the sofas, propped up by a small collection of pillows. Her laptop sat on a small table near her side and she was reading from a printed sheet, every so often she would mark the sheet with a pen she twirled in her right hand. It reminded him so much of how remembered her looking when she would sit in the Torch office for hours editing copy, rewriting pieces, and generally making sure everything was perfect.

Of course, *this* Chloe wore a brightly patterned maternity blouse and her other hand was resting across her middle, absently stroking her belly. It was a startling reminder that his best friend was going to be a mother in a few short weeks. She, who had given him his first kiss in the eighth grade. Was it possible for something to feel as if it were a lifetime away and like yesterday at the same time?

“Hey Mom, whatcha working on?”

She looked up startled for a second and then her face broke into the familiar smile.

“Hey, Clark. Don’t call me that. I’m not *your* mom, so it creeps me out.”

“Sorry,” said Clark, walking to her side of the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Large. And a little tired. Just moving around poops me out these days.”

“Well you look beautiful. Being pregnant really suits you.”

‘Thanks, let’s hope I can do the rest of it. The real mom stuff.”

“I think you can.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Well then, it’s settled. If Clark Kent thinks I can, then I can.”

Clark sat down near her and laughed with her for a beat, then looked at the sheet in her hand. “You didn’t answer my question, what are you working on?”

“Oh, this? Article for the Washington Post. It’s my last one before I take my maternity leave.”

“Haven’t we heard that before?” teased Clark.

“I mean it this time, I wouldn’t have done this if it were any other paper but it’s the Post. I mean, c’mon. You don’t just turn them down.”

Clark stamped down the bit of jealousy he felt at that. He had only just gotten an entry level-reporting gig at the Planet and even eight months pregnant, Chloe was landing pieces in the Washington Post. He peered over her shoulder at some of the copy.

“How do you find all the great stories, Chlo?”

“A good reporter doesn’t find great stories, Clark. A good reporter makes them great,” said Chloe automatically as she laid her copy down.

“Been talking to Perry White again, I see,” grumbled Clark, good-naturedly.

“Pearls of wisdom from the man himself,” shrugged Chloe

“He’d give his left kidney if you’d come work for the Planet exclusively.”

“He said that?”

“That’s almost a direct quote, Chloe.”

Chloe waved off the thought. “It’ll never happen anyway. It’s too much of conflict of interest for me to be full-time on any paper. With LuthorCorp growing like it is, it wouldn’t look right. Nah, it’s better for me to choose my assignments, spread myself around a bit. Anyway, I like freelancing. It’s exciting. I’d probably die of boredom in a news room.”

“If you say so. What did you want to talk to me about?”

Chloe gave him a grin that made him nervous and produced a steno pad from the table at her side.

“Speaking of exciting, you, Mr. Kent, have been a busy boy.”

“What do you mean?”

She began to read from her steno pad, “Four nights ago, foiled robbery attempt of a jewelry store on the Lower East Side. Same night - stopped a gang from cracking into an ATM on 7th and Vine. Three nights ago, mugging on 2nd, mysteriously stopped in progress, seems the mugger’s gun vanished into thin air. Two nights ago, ambulance carrying a heart patient blows out its two rear tires, yet still manages to get to the hospital safely, and in record time. The driver swears he wasn’t steering the whole time. Should I go on?”

Clark felt the heat flood to his cheeks. “No…you can stop there. How did you…?”

“Oh please, Clark! You haven’t exactly been all that careful. Granted, I know what to look for since I know what you can do but it’s only a matter of time before someone else picks up the pattern.”

“Well, then I’ll just be more careful,” replied Clark. He really did not want to discuss this now.

“You’ll be more careful? Clark, are you crazy? This isn’t Smallville. The places where these things have happened aren’t just open fields and school gyms. They have security protocols, cameras, and surveillance equipment.”

Clark opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off.

“I know you think you’re fast enough so you won’t get picked up but not always. You have to slow down at some point. Besides, some places aren’t even using standard systems. They’ve switched to infrared. Not to mention the fact that there are millions more people in this city. There are always people around, anytime of day. You’re going to be seen, Clark, and, eventually recognized. You need to protect yourself.”

Clark rose up from the couch to pace the room. He hadn’t thought of all that, not really. If he was really honest with himself, he tried not to think about those factors most of the time. So far, he had been lucky. Chloe was right, though. Someday his luck would run out.

“Well, what do you propose I do, Chloe? I can’t just stand by when people need help.”

“I know that. Lord, do I ever know that,” she muttered with a grin, and then she appeared to be looking at something over his shoulder. He turned to look behind him and found that he was standing almost directly in front of one of Lex’s beloved Warrior Angel comics, mounted and displayed on the wall.

He wrinkled his brow in confusion and then turned back to Chloe to find she still had that strange look on her face. ‘What the hell--?’

“Ever consider hiding in plain sight, Clark?”

“What?”

Clark had to remind himself to blink as Chloe explained her idea more fully. When she was finished, he swallowed hard, “I doubt that’s what my biological father had in mind for me when he sent me here.”

“You have to make your own destiny, Clark,” she replied.

He looked at her sharply. “You’re not the first person to tell me that.”

“It’s good advice.”

*****
Lex and Chloe’s bedroom…some time later…

Chloe was lying on the bed reading a baby book when Lex found her several hours later. She was marginally comfortable, as it was one of the few times during the day when she didn’t have to pee, didn’t feel ravenous, didn’t have pins and needles in her legs, and didn’t feel her baby’s feet pressing on her diaphragm. It was as close to heaven as she could get for the time being.

“Hey there.” said Lex as he settled onto the bed next to her. “What are you doing?”

“Reading about labor and delivery.”

“Again?”

“Trying to psyche myself up. Get in the zone.”

“Are we talking about delivery our child or scoring a field goal?”

“Very funny,” said Chloe laying her book down and smoothing the fabric of her shirt against her stomach.

Lex ran and hand through her hair. “Sweetheart, I know you’re nervous about the delivery but it will be fine.”

“I guess. I know millions have woman have done this before yadda yadda. It’s still a little scary though. I’ve never been big on pain. I probably should just apologize now for the names I’m going to call you and any wounds I will inflict.”

Lex leaned back against the pillows, and looked at his wife. “You know, maybe I dismissed your football analogy too soon. I wonder if it’s too late for me to get my hands on some of that protective gear.”

Chloe smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Wiseass. Fine, be like that. Be sure they include a cup.”

“Ouch. Evil woman.”

Suddenly the fabric of Chloe’s blouse shifted a bit and she groaned at the fluttering in her belly. “So much for peace and quiet. Your little demon is awake.”

Lex sat up in an instant and placed his palm against her stomach. Chloe felt the fluttering again and watched as Lex smiled. He felt it too. “What is she doing in there?”

“Feels like triple somersaults to me but I’m a little biased.”

Les pushed up her blouse so he could have his hand on her bare skin to feel the movements better. They sat like that for a few minutes until the activity quieted down.

Chloe saw Lex lift his gaze to her eyes questioningly. Too cute.

“Relax, I think she’s going back to sleep.”

Nodding, he leaned back on his heels. “So, how was your morning?”

“Productive.” she said, thinking of her *meeting* with Clark. “I finished my article.” ‘Created a superhero,’ she added to herself. “You?”

“About the same.”

From the look on his face, she could tell there was more it than he was saying and that he knew there was more to her story.

“We’ll fill each other in later?”

“Deal.”

Lex lay back down on the bed so his face was about level with Chloe’s middle, and settled his hand on her body protectively.

“We should probably decide on a name soon.”

“I know… we still have time, though,” replied Chloe, feeling a little sleepy

“And we should talk about when you’re going back to work,” Lex continued.

“I know… we will. Let’s just relax for now… and enjoy the peace and quiet. Doesn’t happen often.”

“Sounds good….Love you.”

“We love you, too.”

The End. ( Really!)