Okay I got kind of bored writing C&C so I kind of sidetracked for awhile during my trip around the Northern part of Luzon... This is a spawn of my imagination while I was traveling... AU in a sense... Futurefic, more like... i'm still in the process of making the second section... The next chapter WILL be longer... and lemony...
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville - any part of it whatsoever. This story is merely for entertainment and not for money-making purposes!
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The sun slid through the window onto Chloe Sullivan’s sleeping eyes. It was a while longer before it seemed to register on her consciousness for she turned over in a groan, but to no avail. The rays found her drowsy and not too elated by waking up. It had been six years since she’d graduated and four since she’d left Smallville for the flashy life of Metropolis. It hadn’t all started off as a great life in the city, however.
Her dreams of becoming a reporter were ultimately crushed by the sudden realization that that aspiration was connected to her past. Oh sure, she had always wanted to become a journalist, traveling to dangerous countries, or beating other writers to the prints by getting the first scoop on the latest and hottest news. It all grew so distant, however, when graduation day finally came and she found herself looking backwards all the time. No, a reporter’s life was not for her.
Instead, she went for something slightly more practical – that being creating some sort of business. She was well read and she was in tune with the intellectual wants of those around her. Because of this, she opened a small bookstore called “Book Haven” that quickly became a big hit amongst the crowds of the city. She began to open strings of her store in key places, becoming the growth of her success. She soon held ownership to almost ten different outlets of “Book Haven” in six cities.
This business did not appeal to her in such a way that she was ultimately satisfied. She still wanted to write, but not in the snooping sense. She wanted to teach children as well. What more than to teach? So apart from running the book stores, she taught on a regular basis.
That morning she woke up, she was utterly tired but sated. It had been a whole week since the last day of school for the year and summer began. She had told her employees that she would take a month off and her cousin – who had control of the company as well – would be the boss in the meantime. It was officially the first day off in a whole two years. Stretching her limbs, she smiled in satisfaction as the reality of the situation came into play.
Rolling out of the softness of her bed, she lazily made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She would have her coffee out today, just to take away the order of things. Coffee at home was far too tedious at the moment and she needed to do something to break that. She turned on the shower head and hummed as she began to wash herself.
~~ o0o ~~
Lex Luthor rubbed his eyes before smoothing a hand over his bald head. He had been up all night doing paperwork for the corporation that needed to be finished by eleven that morning. Well, he thought bemusedly as he shifted the papers into order and glanced at the clock that read six a.m., there would be a few satisfied board members today. Sighing, he placed them in a clean folder and dropped it in the middle of his desk. Six years had past since his father died and frankly, it was definitely good riddance. The Luthor Corp had grown since he had become its full owner and he was damn proud of what had become of it.
He couldn’t say the same for himself, however. In fact, he thought he was have damn rotten luck when it came to himself. He was in a stage in his life where he wanted to be with someone that didn’t want his money; someone who was under a class other than supermodel bimbos that wanted the limelight. Quite frankly, his relationships those days came and went like the flutter of wings against the windowpane. He had just broken things off with Paula Burdock a couple of weeks back and it was not a pretty separation. She tried using him to her own advantage, but he had been wary with her and knew her game. It got to a point where she would demand outright for items that were downright expensive – the largest yacht with state of the art equipment was her last one. He was glad that he finally found her husband, who was trying hard to keep the information of their marriage from the public. After that, there was a big blowout, which was finally ended through the court – although he would have hoped that it would be sooner. The couple came out with a ten thousand dollar payment. They were outraged, but would not press even more, knowing just how influential Lex Luthor was.
He sighed. He wished he didn’t have such a complicated life. Believing that he deserved a break from all the craze he was constantly under, he left his work on the desk and freshened up before he headed out for some good coffee. It was a good fifteen minutes walk to his destination, but he didn’t mind. He liked the exercise anyway. The café was small and comfortable, providing the customers with homey couches and a tension-free atmosphere while giving them the satisfaction of good caffeine-loaded coffee. When he went through the doors of his destination, he took a long breath and exhaled in contentment as the coffee wafted into his lungs. He moved over to the counter to make his order.
He didn’t recognize her at first. Her dirty blonde hair had been grown out of its cropped style to a bit farther than her shoulder. From behind, she looked like any other woman he would have probably encountered. Her style of clothing had also grown a bit more expensive. However, her height was, if not the same, just slightly more than the last time he’d seen her. As he came up to queue, he couldn’t help be look appreciatively at the small package in front of him. He was, after all, male and human. The voice was what seemed to register in his brain. He was good with remembering things. And this woman – no matter how annoying she was before – was definitely someone he’d remember.
She was about to turn around when he questioned her. “Chloe Sullivan?”
She froze at her name and turned with a disbelieving look on her face. When she did, he saw the realization spring into her blue eyes. “Why, if it isn’t Alexander Luthor.”
His mouth quirked slightly. “By all means call me Lex. I’m more accustomed to it than Alexander.”
“Sure, no problem. I prefer it in comparison to Alexander anyway,” she admitted, making a face. “It’s far too formal for my taste.”
He chuckled and made his order before turning back to her. She watched him with the same curiosity as she had when he had first met her all those years back in Smallville. He waved his hand to an empty table for two. “Would you like to sit with me?”
She gave a slight smirk. “Are you sure you want to have my snarky company so early in the morning? I’ve been told that it’s not a good way to start a day.”
Lex laughed. “Charming as ever, I see.”
She nodded with a small smile and walked over and promptly took a seat. He followed suit and took the seat opposite of her. There was a moment of silence that fell upon them as they regarded each other idly. It was he who spoke first. “So how are you?”
“I’m doing fine,” she replied, her expression warm. “Couldn’t be any better I suppose.”
“Yes. I hear that you’ve taken a hand in business.” He propped his elbows on the table and linked his hands, watching her over them. She seemed to be unruffled by his knowledge of her achievements and looked straight at him with an unwavering gaze.
“True,” she replied, folding her hands on the table and glancing down at them. “It’s quite profitable actually. I’m planning on spreading it farther in the country to see how successful it becomes before deciding whether to go world wide. I also teach on the side.”
“So I’ve read.” There was a slight pause before he gave into his own inquisitiveness. “But what happened to the dream of being a journalist?” he couldn’t help but ask.
She smiled sadly to that and looked off in a different direction. Her gaze turned wistful before she shook her head and looked back at him. “Just this and that. Nothing really. The desire to write in that sense just left, I guess.”
“Was it,” he hesitated. “Clark?”
She laughed silently to that and gave him a merry look. “No, he had nothing to do with it. Although he and the journalist dream have both been tucked into the past, it holds nothing in my future. The art of words, however, never will leave my heart.”
“It seems quite abrupt for such a dream to be thrown away so quickly. Haven’t you always wanted to be a news reporter?”
She looked at him sharply, but just as quickly she sighed and became wistful again. “Like all things, when someone dies, dreams have a habit of going with them.”
“Gabe has passed away…” he was half statement, half question – to which she nodded. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know. I was…”
“Yes, you were here in Metropolis. I don’t blame you for not knowing. You’re busy with you’re life and we were in a little town called Smallville. Word from such places doesn’t get as far as here. The meteor shower was probably the only thing that was heard throughout the world about that place.”
He nodded and leaned back in his chair, allowing the information she had just provided to sink in. He knew she didn’t need his pity. He remembered that the time when his father died, he resented people’s sympathetic glances as they watched him during his father’s wake. It took all in his power not to smash their faces in – men and women alike. So, with Chloe, he just watched and observed and gave her the company as she revisited the painful times. There wasn’t much else he could do apart from that.
As he watched, he began to notice differences. Her natural habit of asking far too many questions had left and in its place was the demeanor of a very mature woman. She was quiet, pensive and not outspoken and brash. She still hinted a bit of her old self, but she was more refined. How old was she? he asked himself. She couldn’t me farther than her mid-twenties. And already so successful… how like him.
The presentation of their orders by their waiter cut off his thoughts. When he left, Chloe had taken her coffee into her grasp and took a small sip. Black, he thought surprised. He hadn’t believed her to be a black coffee lover. And yet there she was, sitting in front of him as he nursed the cup in her hand, the cream and sugar spared on her saucer as she almost sighed over the dark liquid that slid down her throat. Her tongue flickered out to take the droplets left over on her upper lip. Something in him changed at that moment. There was something sensual about the action and her preference to the type of coffee he liked to have – something that caused a click in his head. He had been brought into swift awareness, causing him to shift, involuntarily.
“I see that some things never change,” he said abruptly, intending to create small talk before he began to really gawk at her.
She placed her cup down and looked at him with a questioning look. “What do you mean by that?”
He indicated the cup of steaming liquid in front of her as his mouth quirked in a small smile. “Your addiction to coffee.”
In answer she gave an un-ladylike snort. “Drinking coffee is not an addiction. It’s just something we regular coffee-drinkers like to call a ‘habit.’”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, before he took a drink of his own. “You’re quite a character, Chloe.”
“And what about you? I believe you have questioned me quite enough. How is business with you? From what I hear from the papers, you’re company is still growing.” She eyed him thoughtfully, thumbing the handle of the ceramic cup.
“Ah yes, the papers,” he said. “My life is under more scrutiny than I could have imagined.” He sighed and took another swallow of his drink. “It is just as the papers say. We’ve been expanding more and more. Investing on a variety of things… really nothing interesting if you ask me.”
“And apart from Luthor Corp, how have the fates been treating you?” It was actually an indirect way of saying ‘how has your love life been’ but she hadn’t wanted to be that blunt so she took a euphemistic approach to it.
He seemed to pick up her hidden message for the next thing she knew she heard his quiet laughter become slightly bitter. “It’s been hell, if you ask me. I can’t help but feel jumpy about everyone I meet.”
“Oh yes, I read about your last – ahem – relationship,” she commented with a little cringe. “Not fun at all. What a wretched woman.”
“She really was.” Lex chuckled. “I don’t remember why I even got together with her.”
“One way or the other, it happens I guess,” Chloe said with a shrug. “I think you’ll forever be stuck with meeting people like that. It comes with the territory.”
“Ah, but you, Chloe, are not like them.”
“What makes me different from all the rest, then, if you cannot trust anyone? Couldn’t you think that I could end up extracting information and money from you?”
He shrugged. “I know you’re not one to exploit others. It’s not in your nature. You’ve had too much experience of others being hurt because someone had used another individual to get what they wanted.”
She digested that for a moment and nodded in approval. “You know me better than others I know here. It’s – actually quite nice, frankly enough.”
“You’re nice to be around,” he replied and finished off his coffee.
She was taken aback by his comment, questioning herself whether it was honesty or just a little compliment he threw regularly to women and tried to ignore the tingling that it caused inside her. Coughing slightly, she gave an weak grin before noticeably changing the subject in order to avoid more bewilderment. “So what brings you here to this less than extravagant café?”
He almost smirked at her attempt to move their conversation at a peripheral direction but he kept it in, and played along. “Oh, I thought I’d break the tedium. I needed the caffeine, too. This place was decent – even for my refined taste –” he smirked then “– so I came in. And it’s a good thing I did, too.”
He gave her a piercing once-over and when his eyes flicked back up to her face, she was blushing profusely. It was obvious she was not too used to a man’s attention. The reason why that would be with her looks was beyond him. She cleared her throat in attempt to regain some of her composure before she looked back up at him. He glanced down at his watch and swore under his breath. Giving her an apologetic smile, he said, regret heavy in his voice, “I truly am sorry, but I have a meeting to catch in half an hour.”
She shook her head, though there was still a hint of disappointment in her expression as she smiled. “No, it’s quite alright. It was nice meeting you again though, Lex.”
Hmm… I like my name on her lips. Before he thought anything of it he went to stand beside her. “Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me? Tonight, perhaps?”
Her jaw dropped slightly before she pursed her lips together again. Flustered by his invitation, she stared down at her half-full cup. “Uh… I – I don’t know…”
“Judging from your reaction, I’m almost sure that your other –” he paused, searching for the right words “– experiences with men were not so great. But,” he added quickly when he saw her eyes grow wary. “I am certainly not like them. I will not leave you hanging. It is not in my nature to let someone as pretty as you get away.”
She looked down again, the rosiness that crossed her cheeks making her look even more tempting than ever. He waited patiently, but gained no reply as she was still unsure of what to say. What could she say? Here was a man who she would have refused to acquaint herself with and now, here he was flirting with her!
“I’ve never groveled before, but I’m willing to try…” he coaxed – bringing her out of her reverie – feeling like nudging her, but not doing so.
Her eyes shot back up at him with raised eyebrows. Then she swiveled her body around so she faced him fully and folded her arms. She looked up at him expectantly, but she got no verbal answer from him and him from her. With unflickering eyes she said, “Well? Go ahead.”
He blinked at her. The laughter came bubbling out of nowhere but it came, startling not only Chloe, but also other customers. No one would ever believe him capable of doing such a thing and there she was, gullible as can be, expecting him, Lex Luthor, owner of Luthor Corp, to beg for her to go out with him. She seemed to catch on with the whole scenario and she, too, emitted a giggle.
“You have to have dinner with me, Chloe,” he insisted after the laughter ebbed away, leaving a smile on his face. “You’ve rejuvenated my day. And I thought it would be boring as hell. Give me something to look forward to.”
She beamed up at him and nodded. “Of course, I believe dinner would be lovely.”
“Good… no, wonderful.” He grinned almost foolishly as he took out a card and pen to scribble an address. “Come to my place at seven. I’ll make it worth your while by making dinner myself.”
She gave him a surprised look as she took the card he had just written on. “Oh? I never would have thought you would be the ‘cook it yourself’ type. Not with all the service you’re constantly presented with.”
“I made it a point to be fully independent of anyone. It comes in handy now and then. Now being one of them.”
“Hah.” Taking in the last bit of coffee left in her cup, she got up and regarded Lex with a critical eye. Ah, there’s that reporter’s look. He chuckled inwardly, his eyes twinkling in merriment. That was a definite rarity, he thought to himself as he made his way out onto the streets again. Must be the coffee…
TBC...
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