Spoilers: General to the end of season five.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended. No money is made and the only purpose is enjoyment. I do not own the characters or the show Smallville, and at this point I wouldn't pay a dollar for it.
A/N: The result of a chatroom session in which we were being rather bloodthirsty. It's a friendly place! R rating for language that's not so polite, and a grisly death - because it's not a proposal without a grisly death!
Jimmy took a sip of champagne, just a tiny sip, just enough to make his throat wet. Wet his whistle, so to speak, though he thought the first person to say that would have had a long bout of explaining. He crossed his legs, frowned at his trousers, then uncrossed them. He should have insisted on picking Chloe up, but she was stubborn and wanted her stories finished. She would meet him, and he had needed to double check that everything was perfect.
He couldn't afford this proposal more than once - probably was stretching his pay too thin doing it once. But he loved her and they were going to be together all their days. She was special. She deserved this gesture.
The modest diamond settled in a gold ring in a velvet box felt too immaterial for something that cost so much. He worried it would fizz away and he'd be left offering Chloe nothing except his nervous urge to talk too much.
He took a sip from her glass this time, making sure the two showed an even amount. He didn't want Chloe to think he'd been impatiently waiting for her. She was commited to her career. He was commited to his own prospects at The Daily Planet, so he understood.
Her glass tasted a little bitter, but he wrote it off as his own misgivings. He was nervous and impatient; but also very uncomfortable in his suit.
He kept having unpleasant flashbacks to junior high dances, and shrugged it off. He was fine. He had the whole restaurant to himself and would be calm when she arrived.
He was happy to have found someone on his own level. After he got out of school he didn't feel ready for college or a real job, but internships seemed okay. He was there to learn and people had to teach him. They might resent the responsibility and scoff at his inexperience, but they had to cut him some slack.
The senior reporters treated the newsroom like their living room, shoes off and cursing as they snuck booze into their coffee. The junior reporters made their niche in the lunch room. No senior reporters would be caught dead not having an important lunch meeting during the week, even if it was just fast food with a relative.
The interns, though not banned from those groups, were not welcome. They inhabited the basement, and tiptoed in the upper ranks. Some tried to act confident, but they just ended up being overly loud and getting dismissed to their dank corner.
Chloe wasn't there to make friends. She went up to get her assignment and left the newsroom without a backward glance. She set to work with the phone under her chin, one hand flipping through notes and the other typing. She didn't hide her displeasure at some of the grunt work, but she gleamed with pride when given a good opportunity.
She could look so pretty when she was in the midst of chaos, her hair smooth and her teeth holding a pen while she fumbled for her notepad. And he really didn't mind that she worked so much. She was trying to get ahead, just like he was. Similar goals were a good sign for a marriage.
He took a sip from each glass and refilled them slightly. It was hard not to worry sometimes. Chloe got into trouble too often for an intern, and he didn't understand how it happened without her knowledge. She was smart, so she knew there was danger. She just expected Clark knowing where she was headed would be enough precaution.
Sometimes late at night, Jimmy called to make sure she was home safe. The phone rang for a long time before she wheezed out a hello, and he always asked her why she sounded so out of breath. Running across her small apartment was not a major undertaking. She insisted she was fine. He suggested she get checked for asthma or a cold, but she demurred.
Poor Chloe worked so hard sometimes they barely had sex in a month. That was okay, because they were a mature, loving couple, but he missed her. He liked having her in his arms. He liked listening to her talk in her sleep about how she knew he'd never let anything happen to her. He cuddled her close when she mumbled 'I love you.'
She never said it when she was awake, but Chloe had been hurt before. She was shy about some things. She didn't want to upset her father by moving in with him. Her mother was gone and she didn't have a lot of boyfriends. Jimmy was pretty sure he was her first and only lover. It was touching how modest she was, and he wanted her to feel comfortable, so he would ask her to marry him, then she could move in.
When they were going home together every night, surely their sex life would pick up, and she would feel safe enough to tell him how much she cared. His parents and Chloe's father would help them put a small down payment on a nice, practical SUV instead of her dinky little car. They could save up for a mortgage in a downtown co-op with a second bedroom for a nursery. That was all in the future, of course, but it was the kind of night where the future seemed to be bubbling up like a still lake that suddenly decided to swell up on its banks.
He licked dry lips and drained both glasses, the sharp taste and fizz growing on him. It was like a really odd gingerale, and Jimmy could drink gingerale. He refilled the glasses and wiped Chloe's with his napkin. He was getting a little impatient to see her and the ring was feeling too heavy. Maybe it was too soon. She probably wouldn't say no, but would he regret asking this early? They already knew they would end up together, so why make it official before they had to?
Chloe was lovely and very sweet, but she had problems. Clark Kent was always hanging around and taking her strange places to do secretive things. It wasn't normal ex-boyfriend behaviour. Her cousin Lois, who had been hired for the real newsroom, was just a bitch. Chloe's father was unjustifiably paranoid about who she dated, and asked awkward questions about Jimmy's intentions all the time. And Chloe had once said something about her mom being in an institution.
She had a lot to offer, but she wasn't going to get too many guys interested in her when they had to pass that kind of scrutiny from her family and friends. Her father had to stop prying into their lives, and Clark needed to go away fast. Lois was a necessary evil, but since they saw her at work they didn't need to hang out with her afterward.
Chloe didn't have much of a life, and neither did he, but once they were an official engaged couple they could meet other couples. Their time could be spent with real grownups, young people who were certain and mature, unlike Clark with his weird impulse control issues. Jimmy would swear the guy just ran off at any time of day or night. Even Chloe had no excuses for him, or her rude cousin. As for her father and uncle, they had missed her taking a dangerous job with Lionel Luthor when she was sixteen. She was better off without her circle for a while.
Jimmy loosened his tie and realized his cheeks were flushed with anger. Chloe was taking her time, just like every other date. She always needed to do one more thing or make another phone call. She always had an errand or needed to go to the gym. He was never her top priority. She had yet to make him a wonderful meal or devote a whole day to being with him. She was always doing ten things at once. Even when they were in bed he could feel her thinking things she should be too mindlessly pleasured to think. He was a little sick of her wishy-washy attention. There were promises, but no payout.
He stood up and paced a little, drinking first one and then the other glass dry. His eye were blurry and he realized he was drinking too fast on an empty stomach. There was a gourmet meal sitting cold in the kitchen as he wasted more time on Chloe's inconsiderate workoholic tendancies.
He sank into his chair and pulled it closer to the table to pour more champagne into her glass. He let out a gruff sigh and leaned on the table disconsolately, wondering when she'd show up. He knew better than to try calling. When he called her the phone was off or she was screening. When anyone else called she was picking up instantly. One time she interrupted kissing to talk for ten minutes to a person calling her cellphone looking for Alexander the Great's Pizza. She looked up a number for him and everything.Then they talked randomly about a novel she was reading. She actually took out the book and told him page numbers to pay attention to. It was ridiculous.
Jimmy scrubbed his hands over his face and fought back the second thoughts. The proposal wasn't really that important to him, but he hadn't expected Chloe to skip it without a good excuse. He had an alarmed moment where he thought she might be in the hospital again, then pushed the excuse away. If she was, it was her own fault for seeking out trouble. It was like the Luthors – she got herself into a huge mess with them and it would forever haunt the people around her. When he told her about his run-in with Lex, she actually scolded him for being reckless. She told him she could handle the Luthors but he had to leave them alone. They were dangerous even when you had a 'relationship' with them. She actually called it a 'relationship.'
Chloe told him he was interfering with her dealing with things a lot. She hid her planner and password locked her computer. She had a locked drawer at work and several in her apartment. Modesty was one thing, but he was suspicious about her needing a locked drawer in her bathroom. What did she even keep there? She had a full wardrobe of expensive clothes and he only ever saw her wearing her work suits or jeans. She didn't take his concerns seriously and got mad at his attempts to heal their love. It wasn't his idea- it was Dr. Phil's!
She didn't even let him have a spare key to her place, and he knew he had spent at least an hour waiting her hallway as a result. She didn't trust him! Lois had a key, and she killed a cactus! Clark had a key and he wasn't even a close friend anymore. Her father had a key. The neighbour who took in Chloe's mail had a key and here he was – her boyfriend of years, all ready to propose and he couldn't even get into her apartment to look for her if she didn't show up.
Jimmy picked up the champagne bottle and took a big gulp, rather liking the taste. He licked his lips and pushed his gelled hair back from his forehead. He didn't know why the nice normal girls were too good for him. They just weren't interested in anyone who wasn't a bodybuilder or a music producer. They were only concentrating on finding a buddy to help them or impress their friends. He offered a real connection, and got to see the Lex Luthors of the world scoop up young women and discard them hours later. Every benefit or party he'd attended included watching Lex drag a young woman away, then bring her back less than an hour later.
Once, he thought he saw Lex approach Chloe, but she laughed him off and walked away. The bald billionaire had turned cold hostility in his direction, but Jimmy had stood his ground. He was Chloe's boyfriend. He was her support system at The Daily Planet. He was the man who had taken her virginity and introduced her to adult relationships. He would stand up for himself. The staring match went on so long he nearly walked over to confront Luthor, but the older man gave in first. He turned away to flirt with a brunette, and Jimmy sneered through the rest of the night. Lex wanted to pick a fight, and Chloe meant nothing to him.
Slouching, Jimmy pulled his tie off entirely. He took another swig of champagne and thought about his options. He didn't have to wait for Chloe to show. He could just pay his money and acknowledge the night as the ripoff it was. He didnt want to marry her anymore. She was a selfish bitch who didn't care who she hurt. She was a liar and he had caught her in lies. She was never there for him. She never saw his point until he explained it. He didn't even think she was that smart, but she happened to be lucky with interviews and have powerful sometimes friends.
“Stupid cunt,” he muttered to himself. He had never gotten as much reaction from her sexually as he deserved. She was frigid half the time and couldn't come to save her life. She didn't even like to cuddle like a normal girlfriend. Sometimes she was out of the bed before he was aware she was moving. What kind of life did she have that she had to run from his few dates with her to another meeting? It was sickening to think how much he'd put up with and even more sickening to know he wasn't going to propose when she arrived – he was going to dump her. He had wasted all this time and money just to see it trampled.
A footstep toward the table caught his attention, and he looked up to tell the waiter once more that he was still waiting and keep the food warm. But when Jimmy focused, he saw the familiar, sardonic face of Lex Luthor and his back stiffened. He tried to stand and stumbled right into his foe. With a polite shove, Lex put him back in his chair. “She's not coming,” he said without a greeting. “Chloe does not want to see you privately again. She never loved you. She does not want to marry you. Any questions?”
There were a lot of questions, but only one that he could form into words. “What the fuck did you do to her?” He wasn't fond of Chloe but she didn't deserve to have whatever Luthor would unleash on her to punish him for looking into his plans. The businessman smiled complacently.
“What the fuck, indeed,” he smirked. “I'm the one who spends most nights in her bed. The locked drawers in her bedroom hold my clothing. The drawer in the bathroom has our condoms and toys. Lambskin, if you wondered. Extra large. She warms it up so well it's like nothing. I know what you're thinking,” he said, and paused to sniff at the glasses.
Jimmy wasn't thinking a damn thing, but he didn't argue. “Lambskin doesn't have the best reputation for reliability. Very true. The thing about it is, I know you're not good enough to be playing someone on the side, and I know Chloe doesn't cheat on me with anyone but you. Which means if she falls pregnant, it's my little future reporter making her lose her breakfast. I'm rather open to the possibility. We're going to be together for the rest of my lifetime, anyway. We might as well make some heirs to terrorize the world after we're gone.”
Lex strolled around the table and the photographer did his best to follow the motion. His hand clutched the champagne bottle and he tried to judge if he could heft it with accuracy. “But you're wondering why Chloe ever stayed with you. She has me, my enormous cock and utter devotion to her and any future children – who will be brilliant and gorgeous. She has my money if she had any use for it. She has my protection – except for the baby thing. She has my support to use whomever she sees fit, in whichever way suits her. She had some unfounded concerns you might be able to find out my secrets,” Lex mused. “And to wit, no chance in Hell.”
Jimmy put his hand to the table and pushed himself up, holding the bottle casually. He pretended to be pouring the wine, but he was watching for his opportunity to clock Lex. The other man paused and plucked the bottle away. “Let me get that. Now, Jimmy, she found out you know nothing, which is to be expected,” he mused, “But you had my lover and I want you dead. You don't have that long.” Lex finished pouring and handed both glasses to Jimmy, who fumbled to hold them with numb fingers. “I poisoned one but you drank from both, so you should probably sit down before you fall. There's some chance your mother can have an open casket funeral.”
“You-you ca-can't-” he stuttered, but there was no doubt he was poisoned. The fuzzy feeling in his head was turning into weakness so stark it was like feeling himself go flat. The two glasses dropped and he had some hope a waiter would come out and call an ambulance. Lex saw the hopeful gaze and chuckled.
“I own this city. I own the state if I want it. No one is coming, least of all to help you.”
There was a pause, some noise, then the low whisper Jimmy picked his head up to hear. Blood was dripping off his face and he watched it spiral down. No, that wasn't right. It didn't spiral, only looked that way. He was dizzy.
When he got his eyes pointed at Lex, the other man was holding someone around the waist. She – the woman – was calm, not struggling. Jimmy looked painfully up and Chloe met his eyes. “Jimmy, spit out the blood. I want to tell you something,” she said, sounding fairly normal. He groaned as a huge gout of blood and something more solid spattered from him and dribbled off his chin. “Jimmy, it's Chloe. Do you know me,” she asked. He nodded. Chloe might save him. She was a whore and a liar, but she might save him.
“I never loved you, not even that first time. You gave me nothing, and in turn I know I gave very little,” she said. “But I never wanted it to come to this. I poisoned your glass. You should die quickly.” Lex started and she turned to her lover. “What?”
He pointed to Jimmy's sweating, gore-covered face. “I poisoned the other glass,” Lex told her. He let her step back and study the mess of glass on the floor. There was no way to tell one from the other, and apparently not much difference.
“My glass,” she murmured. “Just in case I fell in love with him at the eleventh hour?” The mockery was soft, but clear.
Jimmy looked at Lex, who had shrugged. “You are mine, Chloe. We're agreed on that. If you had decided to be with him I'd prefer you dead. I wouldn't have let it happen by accident. But this way . . . I have control.”
She regarded him with a neutral expression, then sighed. “Your love is sick and wrong. Will yours be fast?”
Lex watched Jimmy struggle to stop the flow of his insides coming from his mouth. “Fast enough. The bleeding is expected. Messy, though. I'm glad we didn't do this at your place,” he remarked.
Chloe nodded. “Mine causes seizures that cause a stroke. Thirty seconds or less. But I think yours got there first. Are those chunks of kidney he's coughing up?”
Jimmy was on his knees in the glass when his body seized. He was thrown to his side. The shredded knees of his pants showed blood, but most was being choked out of his mouth and nose like a perverse fountain.
Chloe took a step forward over crunching glass, and listened to the gurgling noise of her ex boyfriend's death. His hand scraped along her ankle, perhaps unconsciously, but she kicked it off. No mercy was available from her at the moment.
“Would you have let me die like this, Lex,” she asked. He ran his knuckles down her spine.
“Only if I had to, and not just like this. I would have held you, and made it easier. It's not a matter of ceasing to love you, more of wanting to keep loving you. And I did tell you there was no use in letting him down easy. Once a proposal is out there it's impossible to take back. He's better off.”
She rolled her eyes as Jimmy's internal organs gave a big, ugly growl. Chloe assumed he'd voided his bowels and skittered back to stand next to Lex.
“Please tell me we didn't kill someone just because you're mad I won't let you propose?”
He shook his head. “No, he was a threat. A weak threat, but he had publishing connections. We couldn't leave it to chance. I'm not mad at you. You did what you did to protect me,” Lex replied.
Chloe nodded. “You know that. I'm asking if you believe it,” she told him. “Or if you think I might have really loved the short intervals of tiny dick, indifference intercourse.”
He chuckled and they both tilted their heads to see Jimmy's upper body curl from his lower body. He gasped a final time and lurched to his back. His hands curled up like knots and he went slack. They waited until he was definitely gone to continue.
“I'm not mad,” Lex grumbled.
“And this isn't overreacting,” she said dubiously. “You make it awfully hard to screw around. Guilty.”
He nodded and gathered her to his chest. “I know. There's still the food. Do you want it wrapped up to go?”
Reply With Quote
Re: Questions to Pop, R, October 15, 2009
Bookmarks