Title: My Best Friend
Author: Imp
Rating: PG
Category: Friendship
Spoilers: Anything through season two is fair game.
Summary: Chloe's best friend
Disclaimer: Don't own smallville or any of the characters. If I
did, well let's just say Fi, Kris, Sabby, and Blue would be giving
there smut muses quite a work out.
Archive: BT2, anyone else please ask.
Feedback: If you feel like putting fingers to keyboard.
A/N: This is a challenge from the list mom at BT2.
Dedication: For Peggy, thanks for the challenge, for Kris because
she complained I never write anything, and for Fi, well just because.
*********************************
Chloe Sullivan sat at her desk looking but not seeing, the newspaper spread out before her. It was the summer before her last year in college and Chloe had chosen to take a paid summer internship at Smallville’s only newspaper, The Ledger. Many people, her cousin
Lois and Perry White especially, had been surprised when she had turned down the internship at the Daily Planet. But when she had explained to Mr. White that she felt it would aid her journalistic skills if she were familiar with the inner workings of both a large
and small newspaper, he had seemed to understand. She couldn’t be certain, and one rarely could with someone like Perry White, but she thought that maybe he had been a bit impressed with her answer.
Chloe focused once again on the front-page article and a smile spread across her face.
LexCorp’s Expansions Revitalize Smallville, by Chloe Sullivan.
She slowly traced her fingers over the ‘by Chloe Sullivan’ unable to stop the warmth that flowed through her. The fact that millions wouldn’t be reading her article in no way hampered Chloe’s sense of
pride and accomplishment at having her first real front page story. She in no way felt guilty at having used her relationship with her father and her friendship with Lex, to gather information that the other reporters at the Ledger hadn’t been able to get. Any reporter worth their salt knows you use whatever connections and skills you have to get a story.
The only thing that could mar the moment, if she allowed it, was the fact that she didn’t have Clark, Pete, or even Lana to share her joy with. Her relationship, friendship or otherwise, with the farm boy
had never gotten back on track after their falling out. She remembered how pissed she had been at the way he had been treating her and that once again he had chosen Lana over her. She could also remember crying herself to sleep that night, but waking up the next
morning feeling freer than she had in a long time.
Thoughts of Clark naturally led her to thinking about Lana, the town princess. The one everyone seemed to think was all sweetness and innocence had betrayed her. Or at least that’s how Chloe had seen it. They had made a pact to not let Clark interfere with their
friendship. Chloe had always thought that meant they would at least discuss getting into a relationship with Clark before it actually happened. Instead Lana had gone to Clark on his birthday and kissed him. Chloe had to discover them in Clarks Fortress of Solitude kissing. And even after she had confronted Clark, Lana never once said she was sorry for not telling her. Chloe had never been able to bring herself to be close to Lana again.
But of the three, the loss of Pete’s friendship hurt the
worst. She had been relieved when she realized that Pete wasn’t going to choose Clark over her. Nor was he going to choose her over Clark. And Chloe was fine with that. She had needed Pete to help her get through the teenage soap opera their lives seemed to have become. And he did. Though they didn’t hang out as much, since Pete had to divide his time between her, Clark, and Lana, Pete was still her best friend. Still, she wasn’t able to stop the slightly hurt feeling when she saw Clark, Pete, and Lana hanging out much like her,
Pete, and Clark did. Nor was she able to stop a sense of abandonment when the three of them would go see a movie she wanted to see or would have movie nights at one of their houses. But something good did come
out of the time Pete spent with Clark and Lana. Her relationship with Lex Luthor changed.
It started out slowly. They seemed to run into each other more often. At first it was just verbal judo. Not that she minded. She always enjoyed those rare moments when they would match wits. Then they
started meeting for coffee. Eventually, they started hanging out, watching movies, playing games, (she still finds it funny that until she came along, Lex never played go fish). Soon they were opening up to each other. They talked about everything and about nothing. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to call the other late at night to discuss a particularly bad day.
Through out it all she still had Pete. Or rather she thought she did. But Pete had an inherent distrust of all things Luthor. It wasn’t long before Pete began making comments about her relationship with Lex. He made no effort to hide the fact he didn’t like that she was friends with a Luthor and seemed to go out of his way to point
out every wrong ever done by anyone with the last name Luthor. Chloe had asked him to leave Lex out of their friendship. She pointed out that her relationship with Lex shouldn’t affect them just like his relationship with Clark didn’t affect them. For a while it seemed to
work though Chloe could tell he still didn’t like it. Everything came to a head one day when Pete demanded Chloe chose between him and Lex. To this day Chloe still can’t figure out what set Pete off. At
the time Chloe had been too shocked and then angry to do anything but leave the Talon where they had been talking. Her first thought had been to talk to her best friends. She immediately headed to Lex.
She had been fortunate enough to find Lex working from home that day. He patiently sat and listened to her. When she was done she just looked at him. What he said surprised her.
“If ending our friendship is the only way to save your friendship with Mr. Ross then consider our friendship at an end.”
Chloe could only stare at him open-mouthed. Finally she managed to sputter out a rather confused “What?”
“Chloe, I know how much Mr. Ross means to you and how important it is to you not to lose your best friend.”
That was a moment of revelation for the future reporter. She had never once asked Pete to choose between her and Clark but Pete had demanded she choose between him and Lex. And here Lex was ready to give up their friendship so she could be happy. In that moment she made a choice.
“You’re right Lex,” she remembered saying, “I can’t lose my best friend. I can’t lose you.”
It had been one of the few times shock had registered on a Luthor’s face.
******************************************
“Are you Chloe Sullivan?”
The deep voice of the man standing beside her desk snapped Chloe out of her memories.
“Yes, I’m Chloe Sullivan.”
“Please sign here.”
It was only then that Chloe realized the man was carrying a package. She took it from him and didn’t bother to see if he had left before she opened it. When she saw the contents, tears came to her eyes. Within the tissue was a matted and framed copy of her article. She noticed the note attached and wiping any tears before they could fall, opened it.
By Chloe Sullivan. Has a nice ring to it. I know you got the first issue right off the presses but I wanted you to have one that wouldn’t yellow with time. Hope you like it.
Lex
PS Meet me at the mansion for dinner so we can celebrate.
Chloe’s heart warmed with love. Yes she may have lost Clark, Pete, and Lana, but Lex was worth more than the three of them combined. Chloe quickly gathered her stuff, including the framed and unframed copies of her article, and headed out to celebrate with her best
friend.
The End.
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