Life Less Ordinary (R) - Sequel to Nightswimming

[Kit Merlot]

NBG, I say the sappier the better :biggrin:

Beautiful chapter--Lex and Chloe are very sweet together.

Well done :chlexsign2:

[LarkLuthor]

I didn't get around to responding to this did I? Because I had to go to class. :tease: You'd think college would be more challenging. I keep getting bored.

Anyway, back on topic. Great Chapter! And if I ever move near you I want to babysit for you. Your munchkin is SOOO cute! Looking forward to the next chapter, it promises to be really fun!

Lark

[newbatgirl]

A/N: Here comes the first part of the visit to Metropolis. Still not sure if this part came out right but one can only have so many drafts. I'm splitting this chapter in half because it kind of took on a life of its own and it’s pretty long.

This chapter is for Prolific Peggy even though by some mystery of the Internet, she can’t read it here.

And finally, a warning to those who have offered to baby-sit, I may hold you to that so brush up on your Sesame Street characters!

Chapter Six - Part A

Lex's Penthouse…several days later…

"Please come in, Miss Sullivan."

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

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

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

"Thank you…William."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"No, I'm OK."

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

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

"On your right is the Media Room…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m sorry, did you say something?”

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

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

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

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

“I’m sorry, no. That’s not possible.”

“Well, what else you got?”

“Madam?”

“That’s just wrong.”

“Ma’am?” he said with a small smile.

“No way in hell.”

“Perhaps you have a suggestion?”

“I did, my name, Chloe.”

“That is not possible.”

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

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

“So what should I call you?”

“William, Miss.”

“No nickname?”

“No.”

Chloe grinned mischievously. “Would you like one?”

“Thank you, but no.”

“Now that sounds like a challenge.”

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

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

William only stared expectantly at her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hey.”

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

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

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

“And what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

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

“What is it?” she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course,” she replied with a smile.

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

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

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

"Almost done?" he asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I meant that in the best possible way."

"Of course. So where are we going?"

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

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

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

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

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

"You didn't even look at it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Good business?" asked Chloe incredulously.

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

"Good. Business?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You hate flowers."

"You missed that point by a fucking mile!"

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

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

"That's not what I meant."

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

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

Seconds later, he heard her door slam shut.

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

"Mint chocolate chip!"

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

End chapter.

[autumngold]

Excellent chapter!! I love how you show Chloe's discomfort in Lex's gigantic suite!! I just hope it doesn't make her feel that she isn't good enough for Lex!! Thanks for the great new chapter!! I can't wait for more!! By the way, I love Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!! :chlexsign4:

[chril1]

mint chocolate chip, funny

love lea
xxx

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: love it love it, but oh dear, whats going on, more soon!!!! :worship2:

[Kit Merlot]

I adore this chapter! Lex yelling "Mint chocolate chip!" is an absolute classic.

God bless his controlling little heart, he means well, but he should have relaized that Chloe wouldn't respond well to his changing where she lives :biggrin:

WELL DONE!

[hfce]

Chloe is giving me a damn headache. She needs to loosen up and get over herself. My God its as if Lex shot her or cheated on her. Get a grip. :tease: She is acting like a snob I am sorry to say. Sheesh. Sorry I had to vent but she bothered me this whole chapter. She needs to get over the fact this is Lex's way of being nice. He is not trying to buy her but show her how much he cares for her. He is not the enemy.


Hope

[AlabamaWorley]

Hmmm... I agree with Hope and Kathy. But, I was cringing for Lex the whole time Chloe was having her fit, so I'm going to have to go with "She needs to apologize and ask nicely next time," which is actually the same thing I tell my son when he tries to physically make me do something instead of saying please. :lol:

Excellent update, I just love this story!

[Blackberry]

argh argument!! -_-;