Title: Wanted (1/?)
Fandom: Smallville
Genre: Angst/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Lex, hints of Chloe/Oliver, hints of Oliver/Dinah
Rating: R
Spoilers: to the beginning of season 10 to cover myself!
Summary: Sequel to ‘Nobody’s Pawn’.
Author Note: All comments and reviews are appreciated. For the sake of this fic, Oliver never exposed his identity to the world.
A big thank you to purple_moon123 for my awesome banner (onmy LJ). This whole Chlex series looks better for her work.
Dedicated to Solo, because she could do with a loving billionaire of her own.
Also, if anyone knows how i can move completed fic into the 'completed' threads, I would be really grateful for a few tips. I've tried to search the forum and failed.
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The dream was always the same.
She was tied to a chair, stripped to her underwear, and beaten as familiar faces surrounded her. They watched, but never lifted a finger to save her. She had been left to her fate and had to accept it.
There was so much fear. She was so scared that she could feel her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest.
The man she loved had been taken from her, she had exposed her own secrets, and put herself directly into harm’s way.
She could still taste the blood in her mouth as her lip was repeatedly split open.
There was so much pain, and not all of it was from the physical blows.
The dream used to come to her every single night since her escape, but their frequency had lessened in the last few weeks. Chloe was sure that it was down to no longer being alone in a cold bed.
Now, the bad feelings didn’t subside until she was pressed against her husband’s warm body, the heat from his skin helping to soothe away the tension. Sometimes he would stir and gather her into his arms, never waking.
If he knew about her nightmares he never mentioned them, and she didn’t have the desire to share.
Tonight had been no different. Chloe had woken with a small start, and she had instinctively curled into Lex. She was thankful that the sunlight seeping into the room meant it wouldn’t be long until the alarm sounded and she wouldn’t have to face the prospect of her dream continuing.
The bad feelings would fade along with the stars, and by the time the sun fully rose her nightmares would be forgotten.
Lex rolled onto his back, and his arm automatically found her, drawing her close. She let out a small sigh of contentment as she rested her head on his chest. Life had taken a long, strange journey for her to enjoy lying in the arms of Lex Luthor.
She had known him for almost a decade and during that time, there had been a rollercoaster of feelings.
As a young woman, she had admired him and enjoyed their witty banter. During his father’s trial there had been loyalty, faith and trust. Things swiftly spiralled downhill from there. Suspicion, distrust, jealousy and betrayal sped towards torture and hate. She had lost her dream of working at the Daily Planet, and he took a step closer to following in his father’s footsteps.
With so much death surrounding the Luthor name, Chloe had always believed that that was how her involvement would end, and it had. She’d just never believed that Lex would be the one beating her to the grave.
Now here she was two years later, both of them alive and well, living as man and wife. Chloe no longer hated him, and she knew the feeling was mutual. She had a greater understanding of the man beside her, and he was more complex than she could ever have imagined.
Life had taught her that things were never black and white, only many shades of grey. It had helped her to see a man who only wanted the truth and the power to make order from chaos. For so long she had believed him to be evil, but now she could see just how he had been pushed to the brink.
After a traumatic childhood and a loveless upbringing, many people in Smallville felt as though the apple simply hadn’t fallen far from the tree. Chloe had known even back then that Lionel hadn’t been the sole reason for the gradual changes she saw. There was one family to blame, and for a change it wasn’t Luthor.
Chloe blamed the Kents.
Martha had welcomed him with open arms, as only such a warm woman would. The only source of continual kindness in a household filled with mixed loyalties. She may never have hurt Lex directly, but she was the representation of a perfect mother - everything that he had lost. When his friendship with Clark died, he had lost the closest thing he had to a mother all over again.
From day one, Jonathan was clear how he felt about Lex. It didn’t take an investigative journalist to see the prejudice and thinly veiled contempt. He was yet another man in Lex’s life who thought he was worthless and judged him on everything apart from his own merit.
And then there was Clark. Having been on the same side of the Clark Kent Secrets Act, she knew how frustrating it was to have someone you care deeply about hide something so important about themselves from you. She had been Clark’s best friend, but to Lex, Clark had been the brother he’d never had.
Lex had been desperate for love and for family, and finally thought he had found that in Smallville. Having that stripped from him again had finally pushed him over the edge. He finally lost faith in everyone around him, and the belief that he would ever truly be loved.
His proposal to her now made more sense than ever.
It was hard to believe that they had survived almost six months of marriage too. It was a record for both of them.
“Good morning.” A sleepy voice greeted her.
Chloe shifted to see Lex looking at her.
“Morning.”
“Didn’t you sleep well?”
She knew he was referring to the fact she was awake before him. It wasn’t unusual for him to wake before the alarm, but she was always reaching for the snooze button. Working from home had led her to sleeping late and working later. She just couldn’t shift her night owl patterns.
“Yeah. My brain isn’t going to let me sleep in today.”
“Busy day?”
“Only a couple of errands. I’ll be out with my camera today too, I need some new shots for my office.”
Since Lex had given her her own space within the mansion, she had put her new office to good use. Aside from the charity work which seemed to be mandatory of a Luthor wife, Chloe had rediscovered her love of writing.
Two month ago a publisher had bought her first book. Her time in Smallville had shaped her future, and now she was using it to secure her future. Aimed towards a teenage audience, her book series was to be planned around the bizarre happenings of a town called Sandy Acres. Names and small details were changed, but they were essentially tales from her days at Smallville High. There were people who would recognise themselves in the pages, but there would be no complaints unless they felt like exposing themselves to the world.
“Just remember to be back by six; the shareholder dinner is tonight.” Lex kissed her softly on the head before gently moving Chloe from his arms. She took the hint and rolled onto her back and watched him get up and move towards the bathroom.
Chloe sighed and pulled the covers over her head. She had forgotten all about the dinner and was in no way prepared. Lex insisted that she dressed in the latest fashions and to only wear the same outfit on occasion. She was in the public eye now, and as the wife of a billionaire she was expected to dress as such.
She had hoped to spend the morning photographically documenting the Kawatche caves, now it looked like after her trip to her doctor in Metropolis she would be shopping for a new dress. Her plans to play in the mud and scratching at walls was going to have to be put on hold until tomorrow. There was no way she would make it back in time to have enough light to take the shots she wanted. Maybe she could prevent the day from being a total waste and see if Lois was free for lunch.
Lying alone in bed wasn’t going to get her to Metropolis any quicker, and if she hurried she could jump in the helicopter with Lex.
Kicking the covers off, she sprang out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Maybe Lex would be generous and let her share his shower too.
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Chloe slid the bags under the table before taking her seat. Finding a dress for the evening had taken longer than expected, and she had made it to her table with two minutes to spare. She had only just accepted the menu when she saw Lois enter the restaurant.
She waved over to her cousin whose quick eye found her immediately. Chloe shook her head as Lois shooed away the hostess who was trying to take her coat from her.
“My God, what a morning!” Lois dramatically sighed as she flopped onto her chair.
“Your deputy editor still running you into the ground?”
“I swear, if they don’t fill the editor’s position soon, I’m going to apply myself.”
Chloe took a sip of her water and shrugged her shoulders. “Give some people a sniff of power and responsibility, and it will go straight to their heads.”
“You’re telling me! He’s been screaming for my piece on the Mayor all morning - I don’t even interview him until three!”
“It’ll settle down soon, Lo, I promise. The guy’s probably just anxious about his own job.”
“True.” Lois flipped open her menu and began flicking through the choices “And speaking of power hungry psychos, how’s my folically challenged cousin-in-law treating you?”
Chloe suppressed a snigger at the remark. One thing to upset Lex’s mood was to be reminded that he was legally related to Lois Lane.
“Everything is great, so stop fishing.”
Lois held her hands up in surrender. “Hey, I’m not fishing - honest. Just trying to make sure we really aren’t stuck in some strange alternate reality, and that you are in fact married to Lex.”
“Uh huh.” Chloe said, eyeing her cousin with both suspicion and amusement. One thing she could always guarantee from Lois was her honesty. “So, do you think they would let me order dessert first? Feel like I need the energy boost.”
“Still feeling like crap?”
Before Chloe could answer, the waiter approached. Only after their orders were taken did she continue. You never knew who was listening into their conversation, especially somewhere as public as this.
“It’s like a cold I just can’t shift. I saw the doctor this morning and he’s going to run a few tests, but he thinks it could be a virus. I’ve been ordered to take my vitamins, drink more fluids and cut back on the coffee.”
Lois snorted in an unladylike fashion. “Unlikely. Probably has more to do with the endless shopping hours.” She said, kicking at the concealed shopping bags under the table.
“Hey, I hardly ever shop. I’m too busy meeting my own editor’s demands. This was a one off wardrobe emergency.”
“So what’s in the bag? Something for the Lexcorp charity gala next week?”
“Dammit!” Chloe cursed. “I totally forgot about that. This dress is for the shareholder dinner tonight.”
“You know, thanks to having a cousin married to the CEO, I was given the job of covering the gala...and would you know, I have nothing to wear!”
Chloe rolled her eyes. Lois never could pull off subtle well.
“Hmm, would this be an attempt to have me front up the cash for a new outfit?”
“Think of it as another opportunity for some much needed Chlo-Lo time.” Lois said with mock seriousness.
“And you think Clark would be happy knowing that you’re wearing a dress bought with Lex’s money?”
Lois sighed and tried not to pout. “Technically, my cousin would have paid for it.”
“You know he won’t see things that way, Lo. Clark hates me enough as it is, I’m not giving him any more ammunition.”
“I think I’m the only person who understands why you married him, that much is true. It doesn’t mean that I’m not concerned.”
Chloe was grateful for the arrival of the waiter bringing their food. She waited until he was out of earshot before answering.
“I’ve told you this before, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Ignoring her lunch, Lois leaned forward and held her gaze. “Just let me ask this one more time, and if I’m happy with the answer, I swear you will never hear me say a word on the subject again.”
“Really? Lois, we’ve already-”
“Please.”
There was no way Chloe could refuse the pleading in her cousin’s eyes. She was still so grateful that she had her in her life, considering she married the enemy.
“I know the only reason you accepted his proposal was to hurt Oliver...I just need to know that it’s not just about that anymore. I can’t sit back and watch you waste your life because of that jerk.”
There was a need to carefully word her conversations, even still. She knew Lois would never act as the JLA’s earpiece, but she wouldn’t put it past someone bugging her bag or clothing. After all, the security feeds were still being streamed from her home. There was never any privacy.
“I’m happy, Lois. Oliver is far from my thoughts these days, and even that surprises me.”
“Look, screw Queen.” Lois said a little louder than intended, earning her a few hostile glares from the restaurant’s exclusive clientele “I want to know that you at least like Lex. I don’t want to see my baby cuz stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life.”
“I see the side of him that no one else does. How he treats me in public is no different from how he shows his affection at home. I truly believe he cares about me.”
“But how do you feel?”
Chloe was beginning to regret encouraging Lois’ venture into investigative reporting. ‘He helps the nightmares stay away’ wouldn’t mean enough to her cousin.
“I feel better for being around him and I enjoy our time together.”
Lois groaned with frustration.”Urgh, don’t twist your words with me. You’ve got to give me something here. Every week I’m defending you to the world, and I want to know if i’m feeding a lie.”
“You’re not feeding a lie, Lo. I’m happy because he makes me happy. I just won’t throw the ‘love’ word around anymore.”
Lois moodily began to stab at her chicken with a fork. “You owe me an answer, missy. I’ll drag the truth from you by christmas, or I swear to God I’ll beat it from you...”
“When I can think of a way to explain the way I feel without sounding like a crazy woman, you’ll be the first to know.” Chloe assured her.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Chloe tried not to laugh at her cousin moodily chomped her way through the thirty dollar salad. One thing that Lois Lane hated more than anything was being kept out of the loop. It made her wonder just how Clark hadn’t driven her crazy years before now.
“So even though I can’t buy your dress, we’re still on for a Chlo-Lo shopping day, right?” Chloe asked tentatively.
“Sure.” Lois gave her a small smile. “We don’t see enough of each other as it is.”
“You know, Clark might notice a new dress, but for as long as I can remember, shoes have never been on his radar.”
"I knew you wouldn't hold out on me for long." Lois grinned and happily forked another piece of chicken.
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Can't wait for the next installment!
Originally Posted by mama_kat
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