Truth ala Rockadaisy! (PG- for now) upd. 16 Jun 2006

A.N. RAAR! GO TRUTH! Think way back, to a galaxy long ago, when Smallville didn't suck and Chloe used to have half-way decent plot-lines. Think of this as nostalgic dreaming.




Lex’s eyes opened wide and child-like, gray and slightly hypnotized. "I want him to love me." A small gasp echoed in Chloe’s throat, leaving her truly speechless for the first time all day.

Lex blinked a few times in a stunned state of shock before turning on his heels and walking toward his desk. He sat down stiffly before lifting his head to Chloe.

“Well, I hope you’re satisfied with your interview. I’m sure the readers of the Torch will eat it up. In fact, you should consider taking this directly to the Daily Planet, they’d probably offer you a position on the payroll, if you play your cards right.” He stared coldly at his guest.

“Lex, I wouldn’t do that.” And yet she couldn’t deny that the thought had immediately crossed her mind. Chloe knew her methods weren’t right or fair, but who could resist the power of truth for the dull threat of its consequences? “I’m…sorry.”

“The door, Ms. Sullivan.” Lex nodded curtly toward the exit. “Goodbye.”

Chloe prepared to leave, sparing a quick look at the multifaceted emotions playing out on Lex’s face despite his desperate attempts to retain his composure. Doubting every step she took, she walked back toward Lex. “I don’t know if you know this...well, I’m sure you do. When you hired my father you probably did more background checking than if he were applying for a job with the CIA...but my mom left me. When I was twelve. She um...she didn’t really love me either. Well, she couldn’t have, because I guess then, you know, she wouldn’t have left.” Her face blushed bright red as Lex just kept on staring appraisingly at her in silence. “I’m babbling. I’m sorry. I’m going to shut up now.” He didn’t encourage her, but he didn’t tell her to leave again either, just kept staring at her with that weird look on his face. Taking this as encouragement, she continued. “I am sorry, Lex. I’m sorry that you’re hurt. But I don’t-”

“Who says I’m ‘hurt’?” He cut in thickly. “Save your nursing instincts, Ms. Sullivan. I’ve been through enough in my life to know better than to allow some teenage girl who’s more busybody than hard-hitting reporter material personal access to my emotions.”

Chloe clenched her fists to restrain her anger, trying to remind herself that she had been actually trying to comfort the cold, obnoxious man in front of her. “But I don’t regret asking. It was the million dollar question for the million dollar man.” She felt her anger softening a little as a slight quirk in his mouth signified his appreciation of the wordplay. But still. “You’ve really done nothing but cause trouble since you’ve moved out here. Well, either you cause it or it follows you around like a fangirl groupie, and not only that but now my best friend seems to enjoy nothing more than hanging out with you in your giant castle to watch you drink your scotch and talk shop with you about who knows what. And I wanted to know why. Why you’re doing any of this.”

He rose from his seat and pulled himself to his most imposing stature. With Lex stepping closer only to look down at her from his new height, she found herself shrinking back a little despite herself. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous.”

Chloe sputtered with forced incredulity. “I don’t think so. And don’t get me started on whatever weird relationship you think you have with Lana....” A thought crossed her mind suddenly, and caused a sick smile to curl across her lips. “Lex, was renovating the Talon really all that profitable of a business venture?”

The familiar glazed-over look filled his eyes, as if he had walked into a cloud, and his voice became dull and tired. “No.”

“No,” she repeated, thinking this over. “So did you invest because she was a friend of Clark’s?”

“Partly.”

Interesting. She quickly formulated one last question, wording it carefully so he couldn’t sneak his way around it. “Why else did you invest in the Talon?”

“I wanted Lana to think I was a good person.” Lex answered simply, and through the fog of honesty, his eyes snapped to alertness. He raised his hand to his head as if he had a headache and groaned. “Chloe, please, just cut it out.”

Chloe felt the heat of irrational tears building up behind her eyes. Not that she liked Lex, she didn’t. In fact, her feelings for him had never extended beyond pity and grudging admiration. But this wasn’t just Lex. This apparently was the true feeling of just about every male specimen in Smallville. And here even the mighty Lex Luthor was no different.

“Well, you’re after the wrong person.” She snapped spitefully, running off on an instinct. “She’ll never figure out his secret. Hell, she could hardly figure out how to work the television remote control.”

This comment raised an immediate eyebrow. “Secret?” Bull's-eye. He moved in to her and grabbed her forearm tightly in his hand. “Do you know, Chloe?”

She didn’t. She had her suspicions of course, but cold hard evidence? No. But that was only a few miles away, and she had all the time in the world with her newfound reporter’s...luck. “I ask the questions, but nice try. Have a good day.” She shook off his arm and turned to the door. “And, please, it’s Ms. Sullivan.”

That was great to bad this couldnt happen for real. :)



Hope :)

Update this please. So great need more.

This is awesome:D

More please!

It would be so nice if this was the way the episode unfolded, and even better if Lex took Chloe's advice and found a different way of trying to find out Clarks secret. The whole Lana thing is just awful and the sooner he realizes this the better. More, please.

Very nice. It was some good reminicing time, remembering the past. When I didn't want to yell at the television every other second cause something stupid was happening.

You're going to continue right? Please?!!!! It's good, but why do they have to fight? :(

I assume that "for now" means there's more to come *hint :grin3: *hint

I can't wait to read more!! You will update again won't you? Please!!

oooh interesting, love it, can't wait to see where it goes from here

A.N.: Okay okay! Here's some more! I have a whole game plan now, so who knows how long this will go for! Yay! More distractions from classwork....




Lex grumbled deep in his chest as they prepared to lower his body into the liquid memory vat. It was strangely warm and thick, coating his body like a gelatinous second skin. Unfortunately, a necessary annoyance. Chloe’s taunting had all but pushed Lex over the edge, reaffirming the importance of regaining the memories lost to him from those few weeks. It’s amazing what unlimited resources and funding can do for scientific memory development on last minute notice. His breath caught as he was completely submerged, and he counted to ten in his head to clear his thoughts before the memories came flooding back.

“So my father arranged a green card marriage.” So far this was fairly typical. He was in his office, a place where he spent a fair deal of his time. But wait, his vision spanned out from the file in front of him up to a girl. Chloe was leaning forward onto his desk, blonde hair flipped out at the ends, the look in her eyes making her seem even younger than she already was, full of a strange mix of fear and the excitement of a new story.

“Yeah. Now, I tracked down the groom so I could ask him what he knew.”

“What'd the lucky guy have to say?”

She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling as if she were determining how to word her response. “It wasn't really what he had to say. It was more where he said it.” She spoke carefully. “He plays watch dog for the old Metron Pharmaceuticals building.”

“That's been shut down for seven years.” Metron had been a sub-section under LuthorCorp, and after years of watching its failure slip past his father’s radar, he had seen to it that the department be closed. He had signed the pink slips and locked the gates himself.

“Yeah, that's what I thought. But while he was in the process of telling me to get lost, I swear I saw what I think was a delivery truck pulling around back.” She watched him anxiously, checking in to see if he believed her and clearly anticipating further argument. Instead, he nodded solemnly.

“My father's been strangely stubborn about liquidating that property. Every market indicator says to sell, but he insists the neighborhood's about to be revitalized.” He liked the smile that spread across her face at the immediate acceptance of her theory.

“The only thing being revitalized in that neighborhood is the graffiti.” She said with a hint of humor. “Now, I think I can make some headway if you'll just come along with me...”

“Chloe, I think I should take it from here.” His voice came out sharper than he had intended it to, and he winced inwardly at the reaction it was sure to provoke. Chloe forced a smile over a look of obvious annoyance. ‘Oh great, here comes the female empowerment diatribe...’

“Lex, I'm perfectly capable-”

Lex jumped in to stop her. “This has nothing to do with your capability.” He reassured her. “I'm worried about your safety.” Chloe’s smile faded and she looked at Lex with some kind of emotion displayed on her face, something he couldn’t put his finger on. It made him feel uncomfortable, so he pushed it out of his mind and continued speaking. “When my father's involved with covert research, people tend to get hurt.”

Lex looked back at Chloe, relieved to see whatever feeling she had been experiencing before had erased its presence from her face. She looked professional and businesslike as she nodded in silent agreement. When she left his office, without another word, he suddenly placed the expression. Gratitude.

Lex shot up, his back arching painfully as he gasped for breath. Once he had moved through the shaking, panic-driven post-treatment phase, he was released from the glass testing area and given a towel to dry off with. He replayed the memory in his head, then filed it away for later use. Even though this certainly couldn’t be the big secret he was looking for, he somehow knew inherently that keeping track of Chloe and her involvement with himself and his father could only be helpful in the end.

A.N.: Hello? Please comment, folks, I need it for inspiration!!! LOL.



The dark room smelled strongly of embalming fluids and a hint of ammonia made his eyes burn. In front of him was a man who had only been under Lex’s employment for a few hours before he had found himself dead on a table in a mortuary. Chloe stood beside him, nearly as still as the corpse and just about as pale. She had already gone through shock, in the car on the way over here, as they passed the sign in front of the building. Her jaw had dropped open and she had exhaled audibly as they had pulled into the parking lot. Now, she appeared to have quickly come to terms with the man’s death, and Lex was almost impressed with the cold, business-like attitude she had taken on at the sight of her intruder’s body.

“How did he die?” She asked him quietly. He watched her face for an inkling of emotional expression, but failed to find anything of any use to him.

“Natural causes. Apparently his heart just gave out.”

“And you believe that?” No snort of disbelief. No skeptically raised eyebrow. Just Chloe, looking directly into his eyes.

Lex shook his head slightly and met her gaze. “Given what he was looking into, I doubt there was anything natural about his death.”

Somehow, the energy around them changed palpably, for no apparent reason he could see. Their eye contact had mutated, developed into some connection with far more on the line than their occasional conversations had previously held. They had forged some strange relationship based on this new common bond. They both needed to get Lionel Luthor out of the proverbial driver’s seat, and they needed each other to do it.

The moment passed and neither one of them moved. He stood, frozen in place, refusing to be the first to pull away from the connection. He was vaguely reminded of the childhood games of staring contests, and how they never seemed to be as driven as this one was. Her eyes burned into him, and right before he felt himself weakening, as if looking at her for another minute would somehow cause him to break in pieces, she went in for the kill. “How do I know you're not just playing me here?” She asked, her voice devoid of spite or wit. She asked him honestly, as if she already knew the answer. As if she had every right to believe he would stab her in the back, and was really only asking when.

“You're right, Chloe.” He drawled, annoyed by how difficult getting what he wanted from her was turning out to be. Maybe he was also a little irritated by her lack of response to what he had felt was a significant moment...well, that was to consider at another time. “I could be. I often bring high school girls to the morgue to show them what happens when trained professionals cross my father.”

The side of her mouth twitched slightly at his sarcasm, and she immediately shut off. He could see it in her face, she was done talking to him. Chloe stood stiffly for a moment before glancing at Lex with a shrug. “Well, there's nothing in my files worth killing for.” She turned on her heels to leave.

“We've got a corpse here that says you're wrong.” Lex called out behind her, a cheap attempt at regaining control of the situation, and he would be the first to admit it. But as he watched her stop before she reached the door and turn around to face him, he knew it had been worth it. He stepped closed to her and reached out a hand to her, debating what to do with it. Physical touch could be a good incentive towards a false sense of security. He decided on simply placing his hand on her shoulder, but was surprised when, instead of relaxing into his ‘comforting’ touch, her muscles immediately tensed up. “Chloe, you're involved in a very dangerous game,” he said silkily, just above a whisper. “I can protect you.”

“Yeah...” She looked down pensively at her shoes and Lex smiled inwardly. She was just a kid. A stupid kid, who had gotten herself in over her head, and somehow managed to come across something Lex could use to his advantage. He rubbed her shoulder gently with his thumb. Everything related back to seduction, and he was sure this particular seduction had been a success. She raised her head and met his eyes again, and he noticed how the green sparked light in the dimly lit room. Her mouth parted slightly, and he felt his eyelids lower on instinct as he tightened his grip on her arm.

“Like you protected him?”

Her voice cut through him and his eyes snapped open. He straightened his arm to push her away, but kept his grip on her shoulder. She had manipulated him. Since when did he leave himself open to attacks from little girls? Girls that were obviously too clever for their own good, which had probably gotten them in this situation in the first place. “Mason knew the risks of tangling with my father.” He growled. “You clearly don't. I'm the only choice you've got.”

She looked down as his hand on his shoulder, her features establishing her disgust. He felt the sting of her heated gaze and pulled his hand away sharply. Chloe spared him one last angry glare before leaving Lex and the late Mr. Mason behind in the mortuary. He had driven her there. How the hell was she going to get home, walk? Well, fine. Let her walk home and think about her hasty refusal of his help. Maybe it would put her in the proper frame of mind.

Lex woke up, his sheets damp with perspiration. He took in a few deep breaths to calm himself and let his weight fall into the familiar softness of his mattress. A few traces of guilt nagged at him for the way he had treated Chloe. She hadn't deserved any of punishments his father had been so eager to deal out to her, and yet that hadn't stopped him from following suit. His father. It had to do something with his father. His memory recall had been occurring more and more often, it would only be a matter of time before he figured out what Clark and Chloe were hiding from him, and when he did, he would make his father pay.

YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! That is so so so so good!!! Finally someone decides to write a fanfic where LEx regains his memory of his deal with Chloe. The next memory he will have will be when she tells him about her deal with Lionel concerning Clark and her finds on Morgan Edge rigth? Oh no matter, this is so good that whatever you put will be great. I've wanted a fic where Lex remembers and confronts Chloe about the fact that they had an arrangement together and that she's keeping stuff from him. Well looks like I found a pot of gold!!! I like the last sentence of the last chapter about how Lex will make Lionel pay. That is so cool!!! Please keep on writing!!!!

I love when Lex thinks he is getting an upper hand over Chloe but she just proves him wrong. I also like the way you are writting the story in his perspective, makes me feel like I'm in his head. I can't wait to see how the story will unfold.

Glad to see your continuing this story. Can't wait to read the next chapter.

Chloe sat in the Talon, scanning over rough drafts of articles. Well, she supposed they were really supposed to be final drafts, but until her fellow students learned the difference between “there”, “their” and “they’re”, nothing was approved until it had undergone the Sullivan red pen treatment. She glanced up as her coffee was set on the table next to her and mumbled a thanks to the young waitress. Taking the opportunity to recheck her surroundings, she was mildly surprised to see Lex sitting on the other side of the room. Not necessarily surprised to see him there, per se, but more surprised to see him with his head dropped onto the table in a full-on approximation of sleep. No one else seemed to be noticing anything out of the ordinary, but Chloe could hardly resist the opportunity to get a little closer to the conked out Lex Luthor.

When she got up to his table, she actually worried for a moment that something might be wrong. His breathing was labored and shallow, and his eyes fluttered open, with the pupils rolling back towards his head. “Lex?” She asked hesitantly. “Are you asleep?” A silly question, but legitimate enough considering the circumstances. He hummed softly and his breathing steadied, and that was good enough for her.

A chuckle resonated thickly in her throat. “Rest up, Lex.” She said gently, extending her hand to rest it on his back but stopping inches before it reached him.

He was in the barn, sitting on...sitting on the ground. In the dirt and the hay.
Chloe was there again, leaning nervously against the opposite wall. She was watching him anxiously, her eyes never straying from their intense focus.

“Thanks for staying here with me.” He said to her softly.

“Oh, it’s- it’s no problem, Lex.” She grinned and it was large and artificial, not quite erasing the obvious worry etched out on her face.

“I know you don’t want to be here.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “No! No, Lex, that’s not it at all! I’m just-”

“Scared of me?” He interrupted dully. “Scared I’ll hurt you?”

“No.” She insisted, crouching onto her knees and crawling over to him. “I don’t think you’ll hurt me.”

He looked at her, an edge of resentment flickering in his eyes. “But you’re not quite sure, are you?”

She looked at him for a second before sinking into the ground beside him. “No, I guess I’m not. Do you plan on hurting me?”

He thought this over seriously. “No.” He conceded. “I don’t.”

“Well, then I’ll have to take your word.” His mind started to drift off into fogginess. Wait, was he in the barn? It kind of looked like his house. He- “I don’t like seeing you like this.” Her voice pulled him out of wherever it was he had gone. His neck hurt. “Not yourself.” He watched as she struggled to come up with things to say to fill the empty space.

“You don’t speak to me like I’m crazy.” He tilted his head to her. “I appreciate that.”

“I...well, I...” Chloe blushed and gestured awkwardly with her hands. “You’re an intelligent person. You don’t need people talking to you like you’re six years old or something.” She reached out and rested her hand on his knee.

Lex warmed at her touch. Felt happier than he had in awhile. Warmer. Safer. “Here.”

Chloe looked at him quizzically. “Here what?”

“You can hold him. But you have to be careful to support the head.” He folded her arms and gently placed a rolled up blanket in the cradle they created. “See? Like that.”

Chloe’s eyes filled with tears and they began to trail down her flushed cheeks. “Oh Lex...” She murmured in-between shaky breaths.

Lex frowned. “Why are you crying?” She didn’t answer, just continued to cry, clutching the blanket tightly to her chest. “Stop crying, you’re upsetting Julian!”

“I’m- I’m sorry, Lex!” Chloe hiccuped, tears still falling down her face.

“Stop it, you’re not doing it right! You’re scaring him!” He reached over to pry the blanket from her hands. “Give him back!” He shouted furiously. Wrenching it away from her, he cradled the blanket lovingly in his arms. “Shh. It’s okay. We’re going to leave now. It’s okay.” He glared at Chloe and shoved her out of the way. “You scared him!”

“Lex!” She gasped desperately, wrapping her arms around him tightly to prevent him from leaving. “Clark will be here soon.” She struggled with him, still sobbing, rolling around on the ground and trying to keep her grip on him. “Just sit still! Take some deep breaths and stay for a few more minutes. Please, Lex! Please just stay still!” Lex shoved her off of him and shot to his feet, blanket in his arms.

"Don't touch him!" Lex shouted at the top of his lungs. "Stop! You scared him! Stop!"

Chloe gasped and jumped back from him. "Lex?"

Lex lept to his feet and stumbled into the table. "What? Chloe?" He questioned breathlessly, looking around in a daze. Chloe had backed herself up until she stood trembling against the wall. "Chloe..." He echoed, taking a wobbly step toward her, but before his foot hit the ground she had raced out of the Talon.

Man that was good. Sorry I missed so many updates. I want more please... :beg:

Weird, I wonder why she's so upset about it?

Dear God, how did I miss three updates?!

This is a very intriguing story, because Julian and Lillian's deaths were the reason, along with having Lionel for a father, why Lex had such a horrible childhood.

I hope Chloe is able to help Lex, but I can understand why she was freaked out by his delusions.

Great work;)

Awww, the good old days. When Lex and Chloe actually had more to do than fawn over pink princesses and find information for overgrown farmboys.

Very good story! I'm looking forward to more. Soon, right? ;)

Oh my god! I am just so so so so so happy that you've updated an other chapter!!! I was right, the flash back he has keep on getting better and better. I like the small interaction between Lex and Chloe in the present (and in the visions too of course!!! ) I can'T wait to see what is going to happen next!!!! I hope there will be a discussion of some sort between Chloe and Lex soon, but I'll leave things up to you, because I know you'll continue to do a great job. Please please please write more soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

I just found this and I've got to say: WOW!! I missed all seasons (except for this one) and I'm really wishing that I hadn't. This is great!! Hope you update soon!!

Clark had forgiven her. Excused her instinct-driven, answer-hungry behavior that had once again sent her chasing on the heels of the elusive mystery that is Clark Kent and then saved her with some miracle injection, which had erased all traces of truth serum. Her best friend, her own personal superhero. Clark had always been there to save her, pulling her out of strange situations with meteor crazed crushes and God knows what else, but he couldn’t protect her against Lionel. Because then she would have to fully explain what she had done, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to do that. She could never explain to Clark—perfect, morally aligned Clark—the amazing rush of power she felt at the thought a man like Lionel Luthor could actually need her. He had appreciated her talents and her drive. Had recognized what she now knew to be emotional weakness and taught her, in his own way, to replace vulnerability with strength. Clark knew that she had betrayed him, but didn’t know how easy it was to do. How could she ever tell Clark that a small but significant part of her had actually enjoyed researching him, trading information with Lionel, feeling like she was capable of something great? She couldn’t. Ever. And so now she had painted herself into a corner, and she was on her own. How on earth was she supposed to handle all this by herself?

Sure, she knew she was responsible for her current situation, but for a personal superhero, Clark sure let her down a lot.





Lex had stopped memory treatment. It was useful, he had learned some very interesting things. Things about his family, his childhood, his friends- things he could hardly believe, but had to because, after all, they had come out of his own mind. But despite the success of the treatment, he now recognized with the blessing of hindsight his Luthor-like denial of when it was time to say “when”, and yet somehow he had been pulled out of it. Another mysterious save. Another event that remained a hazy blur in his mind. Something else he couldn’t remember, and this too seemed to involve both Clark and his father. Lex was getting sick of this game.

So the call from Chloe came right on time.

She marched into his office like a woman with a mission, shoulders squared, chest out. He smirked in his own rare breed of appreciation and gestured for her to take a seat. “So you have information that could put my father in prison.” Not a question. His memory treatment had provided him with a ground base to start on, now all he needed was for Chloe to fill in the blanks.

She smiled wryly. “So did you before he obliterated those seven weeks of your memory at Belle Reve.”

“You know what he was trying to hide?”

Chloe bit her lip, and nodded. “Lex, your father murdered his parents.” She stared at a spot just above his head, unable to look at him. She looked guilty, full of business bravado with a touch of pity. “In a tenement fire. He hired a crime lord named Morgan Edge to do the dirty work.” She scowled, her mouth twisting unpleasantly. “You got Edge's confession on videotape, but Daddy Dearest destroyed it.”

He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the news. His father was not a pleasant man by any circumstances, and Lex knew multiple deaths could probably be traced directly or indirectly to him, if one had the connections to see past the thin-veiled covers, but to kill his own parents... well, Lex could deal with that. He wondered if maybe he had had been unfortunate enough to inherit the same particular genes, if one day he would prove himself capable by murdering his own father. Unpleasant thoughts. He crossed the room. “Then there's no proof.” Lex grumbled coldly.

He turned at the noise of Chloe clearing her throat. A sly grin spread across her face. “Only the voicemail confession of Lionel Luthor himself.” She laughed, now utterly pleased with herself. “He tried to scrub it out, but erased voicemails are like deleted computer files, and someone with enough pull and the right password can resurrect them from the cyber graveyard.” She waited expectantly for her due praise, her arms crossed over her chest.

Lex’s eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. “Why didn't you come to me sooner?”

He watched her bristle with anger at the accusation behind the words. “Your psychiatrist didn't accidentally wrap her car around a tree!” She spat defensively. “You showed me the investigator's body on a slab in the morgue. Luthor family politics can get a little grim.”

Lex took a moment to collect himself, rubbing his temples to relieve the pressure now threatening to split his head in two. After he had managed to regain his composure and slightly distract himself from the impending migraine, he turned to Chloe, a vision of indignation with her arms crossed and her head tilted with a challenge.

“Chloe.” He said softly. “It means a lot you're willing to do this for me. But if you come forward, you're putting yourself between my father and the FBI. That's not a very safe place to be.”

A trace of fear flitted over her expression and she spontaneously grabbed his hand. He could feel her shaking, and felt a strange desire to grab her, to hold her, just to keep her steady and find some solid ground. “I know,” she agreed, squeezing his hand tightly. “But... I can't get out from under your father's grip by myself.” She looked highly stressed, and it made a small part of Lex lighten, Chloe was never very good at asking for help. “Besides,” she added brightly, the high-pitched tone coming off as harsh and abrasive under the force of it, “I know you won't let anything happen to me.”

She said it like a joke. A wide, fake smile and an unspoken question. He squeezed her hand back and did his best to appear confident. As if his father couldn’t just swoop in and destroy them both at any time. No, that wasn’t quite true. Lionel Luthor would go directly for Chloe, and both of them knew it.

Who exactly was Lex trying to be? Thinking he could take down his own father. There was something undeniably disturbing about it, and he felt like he was a child again, cowering under his father’s strong presence. Weak and...inadequate. He tightened his hands into fists, and was surprised to feel a weight in one of them. Chloe was still there, her hand curled small in his own, waiting for Lex to finish. She smiled at him thinly.

Without a word, without even realizing what he was doing, Lex pulled her in and pressed his mouth to hers. She stood still, unexpectedly passive, and returned the kiss. The softness of her lips against his built his confidence in a strange way, made him feel stronger, like he was something bigger—more powerful—than before. They took what comfort they could from the moment and then both pulled away sharply. It was over as quickly as it had started and he released her hand, giving her silent leave. Neither person deluded themselves to think the kiss meant anything more than a promise of loyalty. Or anything less.

He could still taste her chapstick after she had left the mansion. He gently rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand and sat down at his desk. It was already past ten and he had a game plan to formulate.

How did I miss this story? I cannot wait for more. Update, please!

hey..

u must update this soon:devil:
i really like it

evenmore..
u have nice title huh??
hehhe
:grin3:

EEK!!! You need to update this now. I love it. :D

Hope :)

loved this story hope you add lots more soon

Oh My Word! I adore this story and the direction you've taken the plot after truth. I always thought there was sooo much wasted potential there. Please write more. Soon. :)

Oh wow, seriously great story! I've never actually seen the episode called truth, although I have seen a clip of it. Can't wait to read the rest of your story :D

I am fascinated...........Please update soon.........

A.N. i feel like i should apologize. this story has moved WAYYY beyond the confines of the episode 'truth', though it hasn't left the 3rd season yet. oh well. no real chlex in this chapter, but there's some good stuff coming up, so yeah. ta da!




Lex watched as the strangely attractive blonde girl left the barn, then turned his attention to Clark. His friend smiled shyly and took a seat on the couch.
“I thought you'd be out celebrating. Your dad's finally behind bars.”

Lex winced at the boy’s naiveté. Clark has been involved in enough dangerous situations with his father that you’d think he’d know better by now.
“My father has a battalion of lawyers more powerful than Caesar's army. He'll be out on bail in less than 48 hours.”

Clark laughed in child-like disbelief as he got up to climb the stairs up to the loft, leaving Lex to trail along behind him. “I don't think the judge is gonna let a murderer back out on the street.”

“Clark, the only way he'll be denied bail is if there's evidence at his bail hearing that he's an imminent threat to society.”

“What about Chloe's voicemail? The one with your dad's confession on it. That could be pretty damaging.”

Lex sighed in irritation. He had a million things he could be doing, and even the worst of them was far more pleasant than having to speak down to Clark as if he were explaining the situation to a five-year-old. If only Clark would just agree to testify, he could be on his way. “It will be for the grand jury. But in order to deny him bail, they need eyewitnesses,” He looked at Clark dully, then added, “people who have seen my father actually inflict harm. Unfortunately, anyone who's been privy to his darkest moments is either dead or unwilling to come forward.”

Clark looked down guiltily, then snapped his eyes back up as if afraid Lex had witnessed his little internal conflict. Like Lex missed anything.

“I'll come forward.”

Lex feigned refusal, carefully wording his argument. “I appreciate the support, Clark, but they need an eyewitness.”

“I saw him at Belle Reve.” He continued. Lex looked at him slyly. He already knew that, had seen it pulled from one of his memories. “I saw him order the doctor to increase your electroshock voltage. Even when the doctor said it could turn you into a vegetable.”

Lex ground his teeth together violently. That, he hadn’t predicted. “How could you have seen that?” He asked stiffly.

Clark clearly saw the anger behind Lex’s tense figure and immediately turned to the defense. “I snuck in to try to save you, but I was too late.” He took a step back as Lex moved in toward him menacingly.

Forget that. He shouldn’t have even been surprised that Lionel would gamble with his own son’s life just to save face… but Clark had been there and he watched. Watched and never said a word. He focused his anger on Clark, using information he had pieced together from his flashbacks to regain lost ground.

“You knew all along my father murdered his parents, didn't you?” He asked calmly. “And you never told me.”

His friend’s face blushed deep red. “Lex-“

“I always assumed there was a tacit agreement among friends to share that kind of information with each other.” He continued his accusation with sharp ferocity, causing Clark to affect a wounded look, and Lex knew what argument would be coming next.

“Not when it can get your friend killed. Lex, your father threw you into a mental institution and fried your brain. If you found that out all over again, I thought he might kill you, and I couldn't live with that.” His blue eyes seemed so wide and honest that Lex found himself wanting desperately to believe him. The weakness only lasted a minute, all it took was a quick count of the many times Clark had lied—right to his face—with that same look. There’s always some reason or another, but when it came down to it, Clark was dishonest and Lex was sick of feeling like some scorned child left out of all the fun. He was tired of being lied to, he could figure out the truth himself. But that didn’t mean he would turn down Clark’s offer to stand trial. No, that was exactly what he needed. He rested a hand lightly on the flannel-clad shoulder.

“You're a good friend, Clark. If you tell the judge what you just told me, my father will be exchanging his Armani for an orange jumpsuit.”

Clark’s face split into a grateful smile, and it was all Lex could do not to slug him. “I'll be there. You can count on it.”

With a sharp nod, Lex’s phone rang- right on time. As he answered the phone to a recorded alarm, he excused himself from the barn and walked back to his car. He would have his father behind bars and all the answers he could ask for, it was just a matter of time. He really shouldn’t be angry with Clark. After all, he had the loyalty of Clark’s best friend. Something Clark could hardly hold onto himself.

Darn, no Chlex in this chapter, but I look forward to it coming soon!

It's nice to see people's thoughts and reactions to things that actually happened on the show. I have a fondness for that, for seeing deeper into a character than the show can/does show us. It's fun to write too.

Good story, quite interesting and I'm really looking forward to where you take it in regards to the Chlex relationship. Going farther than the show ever did with the extreme possibilities that they set up and then left lying on the dirty ground in a haphazard pile of uselessness.

Woohoo that was good. More please.. :beg:



Hope :0

I can't believe I missed this...

Continue please, and quickly.

So I have seen this episode now, and yeah I really like your story. Cant wait for an update :)

No chlex but still very good. Ah the naive farm boy...you have to love him....or throw him a stick so he'll go away. Anyway, you did a great job with this chapter (obviously! You already did a great job with the last chapters so...) This story is great and I'ld just love to read more, so please please please please please please please write more soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

A.N. If this sucks, please don't kill me. It's 2 am, I'm up with jetlag and may be partially insane from lack of sleep. I'm sorry. Love you all.



Chloe raised a hand to her face, rubbing sleep away from her eyes. It was God knows what hour in the morning and she had been awakened with a hasty, annoyingly vague phone call from Lex Luthor himself, requesting her presence at this little sleepover study session. So now she was reading over the thick pile of papers cluttering her lap as she sprawled sideways over a chair in his office. Lex kept glancing up at her from the mess of files on his own desk, as if he had forgotten she was there. Never saying a word, just gulping down quick sips of some expensive liquor that she was sure tasted disgusting. And expensive. She should have turned off her phone before she went to bed.

“Find anything?” Chloe asked.

“Johns Hopkins. The Mayo Clinic.” He stood up and passed the file to her. After the papers were in her hand, he moved away to pace slowly around the room. “My father has knocked on the door of every major medical institution in the western world and was sent home each time without a cure.”

Chloe took a peek inside the file and scanned over the company names printed at the top of the first sheet of paper. She watched the black ink print blur and spin around in front of her. If she was going to pull an all-nighter with Lex Luthor, he could at least have the courtesy to offer her some coffee.

She took a breath and gave herself a sharp pinch on the leg in hopes of shocking herself awake. “I'm sensing you're having second thoughts.” She peered at him sharply over the mess of papers and watched as his body stiffened under the force of her scrutiny. He always felt like he had to be so tough and in control, he didn’t realize she was in the middle of this too, suffering alongside him. ‘But you have a home to go to,” she chided herself silently, ‘and a dad that loves you.’ “Lex, I understand if you want to back out. I mean, he needs to be punished for what he did, but he's still your father. And he's dying.”

“Yeah,” he mocked coldly. “And he's going to draw his last breath in prison, not the VIP suite at Metropolis General.

Chloe grumbled softly, but nodded. She had very little patience for Lex’s pseudo-cynical diatribes. She had seen him at his weakest points- fighting for his father’s love in the secrecy of his own office, rocking a blanket in his arms as he mourned his lost brother… you don’t forget these things. But she let it slide. It was late, she was tired, and they had both been through a lot. Even discounting the thick tension that had existed between them since that impetuous kiss thing that had happened… never mind that. Mistake. Well, not quite a mistake. More like… a handshake. A really nice handshake. She shook herself out of the fantasy of more such handshakes when she realized Lex had crept up behind her, dropping another file into her lap. As she flipped it open, she felt his hands grip her shoulders strongly.

“Only if you're still willing to go through with this.”

She scanned over the paper. A polaroid of a small safehouse was pinned to the top with a paperclip. Distinct directions for Chloe and her father were numbered down in separate columns. There was a black and white copy of an identification card…a man who looked vaguely familiar. Underneath the copy, small red letters spelled out “COMPROMISED”. The next page was a list of contact numbers. His hands radiated heat on bare skin, and left the rest of her skin feeling unpleasantly chilled. She fought the urge to shiver. “I don't think I like the sound of this.” Her head turned toward him sharply, in a demand for more information.

He released her shoulders only to swiftly appear by her legs, which were still dangling off the opposite arm of the chair. “Chloe, a dying man has little to lose. My father used a bizarre blood platelet cocktail to raise the dead, then pinned the murders of the research team on his son. Who knows what tactics he'll use to avoid going to prison?”

Chloe shrugged, beginning to feel uncomfortable sprawled out casually while Lex loomed over her. This wasn’t the plan, and Lex’s immediate willingness to gamble with her family’s safety was jarring. “Yeah, but the FBI guaranteed our safety.” She stressed. “I mean, they're putting me and my father in protective custody until after the trial.”

He brought a hand to her knee and squeezed it gently. Chloe felt the blood rush to her face. “Then what?” He demanded, with a harder squeeze.

Her leg jerked on instinct. She squirmed in the chair until she was hugging her legs against her chest, a childish gesture of defense, but one that brought a modicum of comfort nonetheless. “Lex, are you trying to scare me?” She asked, shooting him a quick glare of annoyance. Unfortunately, her typically on-point banter was weakened by a yawn that had managed to escape. She caught a sly smile flit across Lex’s face. It suited him. She returned the smile reluctantly. There came a point where even Chloe Sullivan was too exhausted to hold a grudge. She’d deal with this in the morning.

“I'm worried about you, Chloe.” Lex admitted softly. “I want you to have all the facts before you walk into that courtroom.”

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut tightly, silently building herself up for what she would have to do. It would tear her life apart…and her father’s. But as much as she wanted to—would have loved to—put the blame on Lionel Luthor, she knew she had gotten into this one herself. She felt warm, Scotch-scented breath tickle her face and when she opened her eyes, Lex was kneeling closer, inches away. She swallowed hard and looked him in the eye. “Your father's intimidated me long enough.” She caught the moment of hesitation spark in Lex’s face. A moment of uncertainty. “I'm not backing down.” She concluded. Lex hardened before her eyes.

“Oh, don’t do that, Lex.” She broke the intensity with an annoyed swat in his direction. “I came out here in the middle of the night for this and now you’re going to be all pissy.”

“ ‘Pissy’?” Lex echoed, disbelieving.

“Yeah. Sulky. So just stop.” She rose her arms up above her head and arched her back into a stretch. “As fun as this has been, I think it’s time for me to go home. You know, my home? That place I used to live before I met the whole Luthor clan and got involved in their messy shenanigans and disturbed…” Her half-joking ramble was cut off as Lex leapt forward and kissed her. Her eyes widened in surprise but she quickly found herself reciprocating, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer, as close as he could possibly be. Suddenly, the alcohol-infused warmth he seemed to radiate couldn’t spread through her quickly enough. After a moment, he moved his lips down her jawline and along her neck and Chloe gasped for oxygen like she had forgotten the human instinct of breathing. Her head fell back as his lips touched softly near her ear.

“Stay.” He whispered, kissing back up toward her cheek.

“Wha'?” She mumbled, having also apparently lost all capacity for speech.

“Stay.” He said a little louder, pulling away slightly to look at her. “Stay here.”

“Lex, I…I can’t.” Well, maybe not all capacity for speech. “I can’t just stay here all night. My dad will freak if I’m not there when he wakes up. I do still go to school and we- ” Lex quickly pressed his lips back against hers and her argument turned into a muffled grumble. With a gentle shove, she pushed him away. “I have to go.” She jumped to her feet and scrambled to pull on her sweatshirt.

“Chloe just wait a second.” He pulled the sweatshirt back away from her and held her arms still. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s been a rough couple of weeks and I shouldn’t have done that. Stay until it’s a little later in the morning. It’s dark, and- no offense- but your car is a piece of crap. Just stay.” Chloe stared at him blankly and he started to fidget. Not the kind of fidgeting normal people do, just small, subtle movements that only a well-trained eye could catch in the most stressful situations. It was strangely comforting.

“My car is not a piece of crap.” She insisted quietly. “It’s a classic.”

“For Christ’s sake, Chloe, will you just-” Chloe pitched herself forward and placed a surprisingly soft kiss directly on his mouth. So light, Lex wasn’t quite sure what had just happened.

"I'll sleep on the couch." She said simply, before balling up her sweatshirt into a makeshift pillow and kicking off her shoes.

Oh, and the Chlex it is a'comin'. It was a good chapter, it didn't suck at all. I love the interaction between them. I also really like how strong you have Chloe being. She doesn't just gaze at Lex and sigh dreamily, wishing she was in a relationship with him. It's nice to see the relationship grow slowly into something more.

More! More! More kissing! No sleeping on the couch! Kiss again! NOW!

Ahem, sorry, I'm a little hopped up on goofballs. ;) No, seriously, I love a slow buildup to the Chlex, and I'm *not* a smut-aholic like sooooome people on these boards. :P But a little more mush would not be remiss. :)

Your writing does not suck. That last scene was so sweet. Aww, make 'em kiss again, won't you? :D

YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Another super great chapter!!!!!! I loved the tension in this one. Things are heating up! I like the fact that Chloe says that she would like more "handshake" from Lex. This chapter is very well written, like always. You put interesting details and you can pratically see what's going on when you read your fic, so it's really good. I like the fact that you put that scene so late at night that Lex actually woke her up!!!! I thought it gace a weirdness to the situation as it makes you wonder what Lex actually wants and what's going on in that pretty bald head of his. Anyway, please please please please please write more soon!!!!!!

This chapter was great. More please.. :beg:



Hope :)

great so far i can't wiat for more please update soon.

Yay!! I love the updates :) please upload a new part soon!

ohh that was interesting, I look forward to read what happens next

Good snark and byplay between them. So sad it didn't work out though

Wow, poor Lex, having Chloe spend the night at his place. Hope you haven't given up on this.

aww cute! You ever going to update? Would love to read more