A/N: Sabby: So this is the part where Chloe has to convince Gabe, it's short, but I think you'll like it.
A/N: Blue: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Gabe. Or his reaction. Just a mini-update and then let the games begin.
"YOU WHAT," Gabe thundered. Chloe winced at her father's reaction, but she couldn't say she was surprised by it.
"I convinced Lex to live with me for the two weeks that you're gone," Chloe repeated. She sat on the couch and watched as her highly agitated rather paced in front of her.
Gabe was sure he was hearing things. His daughter did not just tell him, twice, that she had convinced his boss to stay with her for the duration of two weeks. He flaunted his arms to the side and shot her an incredulous look. “Why? He's my boss, you've hardly had contact with each other, and why the hell would he stay with you anyway? As far as I remember he has a huge castle and endless staff doting on him.”
"He's homeless, too," she said. When her father crossed his arms and glared down at her she continued. "I'm serious, apparently there are mutant rats in the Manor and he can't stay there. He was going to go to a motel but then I told him about *this* situation and," she shrugged, "well, it seemed to make more sense to have him here." Chloe stood up and took a deep breath. She knew her father wasn't going to want to hear what she had to say next. "Besides, Lex fits all of the criteria you set forth before. And, I know that you like and trust him."
Gabe grumbled under his breath. He really hadn't left much to argue with there, except “He's my boss.”
"Sooooo," Chloe strung out the word. She really didn't understand why that bothered her dad so much. "He obviously doesn't have a problem with it, so why would you? It's not as if he's going to be rifling through your stuff when you're not here. I'm sure Lex won't even be around that much. I mean, he will be working at the plant." She walked over to her father. "Please, Daddy. I don't want to stay with the Kents and, besides, Lex *does* need a place to stay."
Gabe could feel himself turning into a pile of mush at the look in his daughter’s eyes. He let go of a long breath. “You know I'm not comfortable with this. And what if he makes the moves on you? I mean, trusting him with work is one thing, but...” Gabe trailed off, shaking his head lightly.
"The moves?" Chloe knew that it was a real concern of her father's, but the way that he had put it sent her into a fit of giggles.
Gabe's head jerked up and he made an indignant sound. “I do not see what's so funny about this.”
Composing herself, Chloe said, "I'm sorry, Dad. It's just that. Well, I'm not exactly his type am I? I'm not an Amazon brunette with homicidal tendencies. In all the time that I've known him he's never been inappropriate with me." She looked at her father. "Also, and I’m not just saying this, I think he respects *you* too much. He would have to know that you'd kill him and then quit."
Gabe sighed. “No actually, I would quit, then kill him, but that's not the point. I just hope that you know what you're doing there. I trust you sweetheart and I expect you to tell me the moment Lex does anything inappropriate or you get too uncomfortable with the situation.”
Seeing that her father was caving, Chloe tried to put a serious look on her face to replace the joyful one that was trying to burst forth. She nodded, "I will, Dad. But, you don't have to worry about it. It won't happen." She launched herself at the father. "Thanks." When she let him go she saw that she had half an hour to get Lana's room ready. "Lex is coming over at eight so I better get moving on making the guest room habitable."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Close to half an hour later, Chloe came back down the stairs. She saw her father's bags at the front door and he was sitting on the couch staring at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't you have left by now," she asked, keeping her voice even. She realized that her father probably wanted to have a few words with Lex. Words that would, no doubt, embarrass Chloe to the point of wanting to die.
Gabe pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked up at his daughter, then at the clock on the wall behind her. “Shit.” He jumped up from the couch and hurried to the wardrobe to get his coat. 'Dammit, now I’ll be lucky if I arrive in Metropolis on time to catch my flight.' He pulled his trench coat on hurriedly. “Ok, he's lucky he's coming late, you know I would have wanted to talk to him, but as it is I'll probably have to break every speed limit from here to Metropolis to get to my flight in time. I'll call you tomorrow morning. I love you, be a good girl” He rattled his words off while he ran to Chloe hugged her, ran back to the front door and grabbed his suitcases.
"I'll do my best," Chloe said as she opened the door for her father....and came face to face with Lex. 'So close..' she thought. "Hi, Lex, you're right on time." Chloe looked over her shoulder at her father and he gestured with his head that she should leave the room. "Let me take one of your bags," Chloe gripped one of the suitcases that Lex had and tore it out of his grip. Casting one last glance over her shoulder, she ascended the steps.
Gabe looked at the younger man all the speeches he had thought of while brooding on the couch now forgotten in the stress and getting to his destination on time. “I'd have a lot to discuss with you, but long story short, I trust you with my daughter. You mess up, you die, and no I don't care that you're my boss and could fire me for this. Goodbye, Lex.”
Lex watched as Gabe wooshed past him in a flurry of trench coat and suitcases and disappeared in his car before he could get a word in. Lex shook his head and closed the door behind him. 'Here goes nothing,'
Chloe placed Lex's bag by the foot of the bed and walked back to the top of the stairs. He was still standing near the door, clearly uncertain of what to do now or where to go. "I'll show you to your room," Chloe said. She also had the urge to affect a fake British accent, but she was able to control it.
Lex nodded and picked his duffel bags up. Following Chloe up the stairs he looked at the various pictures adorning the wall. He also noted a few empty spots where he assumed had been photos that featured Lana. When Chloe stopped short in front of a door and hesitated for a second with her hand on the handle, Lex lingered a few steps behind, giving her a questioning look. “Having second thoughts already?”
"No," Chloe said. While she hadn't lied to Lex, she *had* failed to mention that the guest room was Lana's old room. And, since both she and her dad had been very busy as of late, it had remained exactly as Lana had left it. Deciding to just let Lex see the room first and yell later, she opened the door and nodded towards the room, indicating that Lex should enter.
Lex stepped forward and into the room. The duffel bags dropped to the floor as he tried hard to keep his facial expression in check. “I take it, this was Lana's room,” he stated dryly. The room was drowned in every shade of pink man had created. Glaringly pink walls, a lighter shade of pink bed, covered by a rose-pink comforter. Even the desk on the wall to his left was pink, as was the wheeling chair in front of it. The only non-pink thing in the room was the white doors of the closet.
"Yeah," Chloe said, tailing behind Lex. "I'd offer to try and fix it for you, but short of setting fire to it." Chloe shrugged. She walked over to the closet and opened it. "But, it does have plenty of closet space." She smiled and then sat on the bed. Looking up at him she asked, "You can rough it in here, right?"
Lex smirked and swept the room with another glance. “As long as you don't drag me out before the rooster crows to clean stables, I can live with the surroundings. I'll only use it to sleep and in the dark the color scheme won't be quite as obtuse.”
Chloe chuckled. She placed her arms behind her and leaned back on the bed, tilting her head up. "Do I look like I get up at the crack of dawn? Besides, look out the window. Dad and I don't own any cows, horses or other various farm animals." Chloe shuddered at the thought of having to live on a farm.
Lex shrugged one shoulder a smile tugged at his mouth as he watched Chloe shivering probably caught up in the mental image of having to get up early to milk cows. “Just making sure, now is there anything else I need to know?” He strode over to the door, holding the handle with one hand. He wasn't telling her to leave him alone, but was pretty sure his body language was enough to convey the message.
"Nope," she said, shaking her head. She pushed herself off of the bed and walked over to the open door. "Bathroom is down the hall to your left and my room is down the hall to the right. Feel free to use the phone and you can set your laptop up at Lana's desk. Holler if you need anything." Pausing at the threshold of the door, Chloe locked her eyes with Lex's. "Thanks, Lex." She said softly. She walked out of the room, grabbing the doorknob as she went. Her hand brushed over Lex's as he released his grip on it and she shut the door after her.
Lex turned away from the door, shaking his head slightly. He was beginning to think that maybe they'd get along after all. She'd been pretty polite so far and respected his boundaries; and her snark was a rather pleasant way to take his mind off the ever present problems that seemed to follow him from work.
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