Title: A Post Apocalyptic Affair
Author: HumbugGirl
Email: humbuggirl@hotmail.com
URL: http://www.geocities.com/oddfiction
Pairing: Lex/Chloe, mentions Pete/Lana, Chloe/OC, Lex/OC
Characters: Chloe, Lex, Pete, Lana, OC
Rating: NC17 – violence, character death
Summary: The consequences didn’t just affect Lex in the long run.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Nothing to do with ‘Smallville’ belongs to me. They’re not mine. They will never belong to me either. This was just written for fun and because I love the characters.
Author’s Notes: 1) Once again this fic jumps around in the timeline. I can only hope that you can keep up. 2) I know practically nothing about the American political system so you’ll have to forgive me if some of the points in this fic are off. I’m English, I have an excuse. Just pretend it’s a work of fiction, which, unsurprisingly it is! 3) WARNING: character death. 4) Special note for the lists I’m sending this out on: this is actually a 1/1 fic but it’s had to be split for length.
Feedback: Please. Anyways loved, wanted and appreciated. This fic has taken me a very long time to finish up so I honestly would like some feedback for it.
THE CITY
There was a pale memory of warm cherry gold sunrises over waving young crops and dark silhouettes of well tended farm houses. Breezes would rustle the chorus of trees outside her bedroom window on sun drenched mornings when even the prospect of rising to face the mundane world beyond the safe haven of her home did not seem especially daunting. Sometimes she was shocked into a terrible lucidity by seemingly random thoughts that would crack her protective walls and cause a sudden rush of memories from a time when her biggest concerns had been what to wear to school the next day or whether she was going to have the next edition of the school paper ready on time or how to avoid the attention of the latest freak of the week.
Now when the sun rose it cast dim light through the thick blanket of dark clouds above and rarely bathed anything in its life giving light let alone fields of healthy crops. Oh she’d heard that somewhere up north, near to where the Canadian border had once stood that there was land fertile enough to grow food but the season was short and she had heard reports of the food having strange effects on those who ate it.
The old her would have been intrigued. The old her would have headed up there on a whim to investigate what had happened. Even now she could feel brief, sharp twinges of interest in her mind urging her to go but the blonde resisted knowing that the idea was impractical anyway. Gasoline wasn’t exactly the most readily available substance these days and public transport wasn’t what it had once been.
By her side there was a quiet mewing sound. Glancing down Chloe brushed dark locks that had fallen across the woman’s face away then lay her cool hand across the woman’s face away then lay her cool hand across her forehead. Dim eyes flickered open and focused on the woman sitting on the blankets beside her.
She remembered when those eyes had sparkled; when they had danced due to simple joys. She could remember when the world had been captivated by the eyes of the vice president’s wife as she played with her children at the family’s summer house while her husband looked on with a pleasant smile on his lips. She could remember the look in those gorgeous sable orbs when news of the first bombs destination had been given at the press conference.
Chloe had been sat in the audience that day, in among all the other reporters who had hustled over the moment the president had called the press conference. The man had stood there, proud and strong, a representation of everything that was good and kind and American. He was money and power incarnate, the leader of millions and the symbol of a generation. And when the words had come out of his mouth that they were under attack, at war was an alien nation he had made it all seem so calm, so rational. There had been no looting or rapes or other acts of violence only the quite confidence on the world’s part that their glorious leader would know what to do.
But Chloe could remember the eyes of that woman who had stood calmly beside her husband to the right hand of the president. The flicker of astonishment that had flooded through Lana’s eyes followed by her unconscious glance towards the man behind the podium and then towards her husband. There had been an expression of realisation there and momentary fear before she had managed to paint over it with the skill of someone born to be around politics.
“Chloe?” The voice was soft, a little marred by age but beautiful all the same. It brought back sounds of warm afternoons lazing around with her fellow students while listening to one friend or another ramble on and on about nothing special.
Quietly she replied, “Hey, you’re awake.”
“Yeah.”
The brunette stretched, her body nearly touching both the adjacent walls of the tiny room that they were in. Chloe had found the place nearly a week ago and so far it had proved sake. No one came near the building, preferring any one of the more desirable empty houses dotted everywhere about the city. It had been her plan to keep moving and to eventually leave the city limits entirely but now she was on the verge of achieving the aim Chloe found herself reluctant to do so. There were so many memories, both happy and sad attached to the place and Chloe was having a difficult time letting go of them now it became time to.
“Is Pete around?”
The sound of Lana’s voice made her jump slightly and Chloe bit her lip while reciting the line that she had said numerous times of late. “No. Sorry, honey, he’s not.”
With a distinct grace that always inhabited her actions Lana pushed herself into a sitting position. “Do you know when he’ll be back?”
Looking into her dark eyes again Chloe reached across and brushed her hair away from her face. “He didn’t say when.”
It was the truth. When Pete had left he hadn’t said when he would be back. Of course, Chloe also knew that Pete wouldn’t be coming back. She had seen his lifeless body lying among the rumble of the building after it collapsed. She had been the one to hold Lana back and keep her from scrambling over the wreckage to reach her husband’s body. Sometime when she held the brunette woman while she whimpered in her sleep, occasionally muttering the names of her fallen friends, Chloe wondered whether it wouldn’t have been better to let Lana go that day. Instead now she was caught in some kind of limbo where at times she saw with perfect clarity the world around her and at other times she seemed to live outside reality. At such times it was almost as if Lana had entirely forgotten the events of the past few months.
It was something Chloe longed to do.
The memories were burned into her though. They stained every fibre of her being and made it difficult to breathe without triggering some thought that would cause choked back tears. She didn’t cry in front of Lana. That was a luxury that she could not allow herself because Lana would want to know why she was upset and with the other woman’s state of mind such as it currently was Chloe didn’t believe she was capable of taking in the truth and, well, it was tiring explaining things over and over again. It only made Chloe increasingly aware of the desperation of their situation.
Something was moving around near to the door of their safe haven and Chloe felt Lana tense. The blonde woman placed a finger to her lips to signal that her companion should be quiet. Lana nodded and clasped Chloe’s hand in her own making Chloe suddenly grateful that this time she appeared to understand the seriousness of their circumstances.
There had been times when she hadn’t; the last being a perfect example of such a time. Chloe could still feel what it had been like to swing the length of piping. She could still hear the hollow sound it had made on impact and smell the rich, sickly odour that had filled the air as blood had seeped from the man’s wound. He had been a scavenger, like many who wandered through the nightmare landscapes of the world’s cities. He must have been come across Lana while Chloe had been out collecting up rations for their journey and without realising what the consequences of her actions might be Lana had invited him into their hiding space. Chloe dreaded to think what might have happened if she hadn’t come along when she did. As it was Lana was still sporting a large bruise on her forehead from where she had been knocked unconscious.
She gestured for Lana to stay where she was, hidden underneath their blankets while she left the tiny room, her hunting knife that had been taken from a sporting goods store clasped tightly in one hand. The door to their haven made a brief squeak as Chloe pushed it open and the blonde woman paused, listening to see whether she could discern any sign that whoever had been wandering around outside was still there. When nothing followed in reply to the noise she had made Chloe slipped out and into the corridor. The building had once been a school though it now lay in ruin like every other place in the city. As she padded quietly along the corridor the blonde reporter found herself growing tenser and tenser at the sound of a fierce wind blowing outside. It rattled the delicate walls of the building around her so ferocious it was and several times Chloe found herself clinging to the wall to avoid its lashing tendrils as they swept in though the scattered windows.
Eventually she came to the cafeteria and it was there that she could see the first signs that there was indeed someone else present. Shallow puddles in the shape of footsteps made their way down the corridor, eventually continuing through the swing doors of the cafeteria. Chloe put one hand to the dirty glass and peered into the room beyond. When she realised that it was going to be impossible to get a full view of the room beyond she pushed open the door carefully and stepped inside.
A figure was sat at one of the tables in the centre of the room, nibbling at something clutched tightly in his two hands. He appeared to be tall, even while sitting, and his height, seemed to be greatly increased by the thinness of his frame. Still, despite the condition of his clothes, there tattered appearance and the fact they hung from his malnourished body there was an air about the man that belied an arrogance in him. The man sat at the table could have been an emperor and there was only one man on earth that Chloe had ever known with that sense of self assurance and confidence about him.
The man who had brought about the end of civilisation on earth, who had been believed to have been killed in the first attacks was alive and well and sitting only a few feet away from her. Anger coursed though her. It filtered out into every muscle of her being until she felt like screaming. Slowly Chloe tightened the grip she had been maintaining on the knife in her hands. Quietly she began to creep forwards covering the distance between them quickly and hoping that she had managed to keep from her eye line. At last minute she raised her arm with every intention of bringing the knife down and driving it into the centre of his back. The man spun suddenly, stopping her arm in mid air and pushing her away. Chloe stumbled, falling backwards and colliding with another long table. It screeched even as she yelped and went skidding away. The blonde woman landed with a bump then dived for the knife that had been knocked from her hand only to find herself covered with the man’s heavy body. She wriggled trying to get away but his drop on her was as iron and Chloe soon tired; tears of frustration and exhaustion rushing to her eyes.
Slowly she came aware that through her tears the man was attempting to make soothing sounds and she couldn’t help but wonder how he could behave so with the thoughts of all that had happened burning away inside of him. The grip on her wrists was released and to her own surprise Chloe found she had no desire to struggle away from him. Elegant fingers traced the lines of her face as their eyes met and she was startled by the depths of the anguish lingering in those blue orbs. She found herself fascinated by the way his tongue darted out to moisten cracked and yet still tempting lips and how his eyes made a quick survey of what he could see of her body.
“Chloe?” he asked hoarsely and at her slight nod of acknowledgement he let out a peculiar cry and buried his face in her neck. His lean frame shook as sobs ravaged him and in spite of better instincts Chloe brought her arms up until she was holding on to him as tightly as he had clung to her.
With a tired voice Chloe murmured, “Oh Lex.”
* * * *
THE CITY
For the first time in months, perhaps even in years, warmth finally enveloped him completely. It was a mass beneath his body that danced its tendrils deliciously over his back and shoulders in telltale comforting gestures that made the rest of the world disappear so he was left in a cocoon where nothing could touch his mind; where nothing was ever a danger. In that instant; in that moment of recognition and the peculiar acceptance that followed it the only thing which mattered was the small blonde woman beneath him.
He couldn’t believe she was alive. He just couldn’t believe it. It was like some sort of bizarre dream that wasn’t quite tangible enough to even appear real. He had seen her laying the flat on the floor at the bottom of the stair case himself; a thin trail of blood forming at the corner of her mouth and slowly making its way down her chin. For mouths he had blamed himself. He had been certain that if he had never been chasing her, following her with such determination because he couldn’t leave well enough alone, then she would never have slipped and fallen down the staircase.
They had been arguing as usual. It sometimes seemed that they were unable to be in the same room together without another fight breaking out. On some levels he supposed it was what they both expected because, after all they always came back for more. Once there had been something other than the fights; once there had been a peculiar sense of understanding between them. Lex had been certain that the blonde had been the only person in the world who truly understood his vision. Perhaps that had been the problem. She hadn’t really approved of the means he had used to reach the end and, in retrospect, he considered that she may have been right. Not that he would ever admit that to her of course. A smug Chloe Sullivan was something he wouldn’t be able to stand over this and besides, he still slung to some modicum of pride.
And here she was, alive and apparently well and collapsed beneath him, holding onto him despite all that had happened. Lex buried his face in her neck and breathed in the scent that was solely Chloe moaning appreciatively in spite the tears he could still feel rising into his eyes every time he thought about just where he was.
He still couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t quite believe it was really her so he found himself puling away to look into her concerned green eyes once again.
“Are you really you?” he asked feeling a little stupid that he was allowing himself to be seen when so weak and also noticing as he spoke that he seemed to have very little control over his voice.
A flicker of confusion brushed across her features but the blonde woman nodded all the same, seeming to sense what he needed. The hold on him suddenly released and she said, “Let me up please will you Lex?”
“You won’t run off?”
She shook her head but still he didn’t move until he had extracted a promise from her that she wouldn’t. To ensure it though he made sure that she promised twice and then slowly shifted his wraith like figure to one side so she could sit up. It took a moment to find a comfortable sitting position and by that time Chloe was already staring at him with those mirrors she seemed to possess as eyes and he ducked his head away so he wouldn’t have to look into them for any long period of time.
“Oh Lex,” she said coming to her knees before him and using her hands to turn his face up to hers. “What on earth happened to you?”
A low chuckle escaped him and he replied, “Didn’t anyone tell you? I destroyed the world.”
“You think I hadn’t noticed? I meant, where have you been? We all expected…”
“I know what was expected. I wanted the same thing. Apparently they didn’t see things that way though. Oh Chloe, I made such a big mistake.”
She sat back from him again and Lex could almost feel the gulf between them opening again. There had been a time when they couldn’t stand to be parted from each other in that special way where they would never have even have admitted it to each other. In the early days, back before his presidential campaign had even begun; before it was nowhere near beginning she had always been there ready to listen to him. Once she had been the one to encourage him and to some degree control some of his more unsavoury urges.
* * * *
SMALLVILLE
“Chloe Sullivan.”
The voice startled the small blonde reporter out of her thoughts. She looked up from the screen of her laptop and the irritating flashing cursor that had not moved from the past twenty minutes despite her ardent attempt to make it do so. It seemed however that ideas were determined to be thin on the ground today. Looking up she found herself looking up at the source of many a reporter’s inspiration as he smirked down at her. Chloe creased her brow and stared at him curiously as he slinked into the seat across from hers.
“Anything interesting to write about?” he asked.
Closing the lid on the computer she noticed for the first time that he appeared to have brought her over a refill of coffee. Without a word she reached across and picked it up. Hell, Lex Luthor could afford to buy everyone in town a cup of coffee so she really wasn’t going to complain. “You know there isn’t,” she replied taking a sip. “This town is even deader than usual.”
He chuckled low in his throat and leaned back in his seat. “I almost feel sorry for you Chloe.”
“Chloe?”
Lex raised his eyebrows at her. “I thought we agreed we would be less formal.”
With a shrug of her shoulders she replied, “We did; I just wasn’t certain you were actually going to do it.”
“It doesn’t seem such a dramatic change. It actually seems rather a natural one.”
Meeting his eyes Chloe said, “I agree. So what did you mean anyway?”
“Pardon?”
“You mentioned something about feel sorry for me.”
“Oh yes, what I meant is that you seem to have an unusual amount of luck for coming across things to write about. Normally when you least expect to.”
It was Chloe’s turn to raise her eyebrows and she said in teasing, hopefully seductive tones, “Do you have something for me Lex?”
He smirked again. “And what would you do if I had?”
‘Be eternally grateful’ was her initial thought but the idea of speaking those words out aloud to Lex brought up a few too many interesting consequences for Chloe to want to think about. Well, at least not while he was sat across from her and could see the full range of emotions that they wrought across her features. So instead Chloe sipped at her coffee and said, “I think that depends on what the information is going to cost me.”
The observation didn’t seem to surprise Lex. At least he did not show any sense of surprise but from experience Chloe knew that did not necessarily mean anything.
“I can’t just be telling you out of the goodness of my heart?”
Chloe smiled at him. “If you were then I’d be disappointed in you.”
The young man chuckled. “I suppose you would be,” Lex said. “Although what that says of what you think of me is less than complementary.”
She frowned. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“Then I feel much better,” he replied.
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“You’re right.”
“So answer.”
Lex picked up his cup of coffee and drank from it before replying. “The only thing I will ask of you Chloe is that you keep an open mind in the future.”
His answer surprised her noticeably and unable to stop herself Chloe said, “That suggests to me there is a bigger story involved here.”
“I assure you there isn’t.”
“Not yet but…”
“But…” Lex said. “Well I’m sure you understand me.”
Looking him in the eye Chloe said, “And what makes you think that I’d be interested in such a deal?”
“Because in the future it may be beneficial to you.”
The idea made Chloe think. He was all but offering a permanent source at LexCorp which may prove to be very, very useful in the future. It was tempting; almost unbelievably so and she looked back at Lex she realised that he knew how tempting it was to her. Of course he realises, Chloe thought and narrowed her eyes from him. “Okay Lex,” she said. “Just what have you got?”
“We have a deal?” he asked.
After a moment’s final thought Chloe nodded. “We do.”
* * * *
THE CITY
Hugging her knees to her chest Lana silently reminded herself that Chloe had said to stay put. She tugged at the cuffs of her jumper nervously. Of course that had been forever ago, much longer than what Chloe normally disappeared for and as the minutes continued to time by on the Rolex watch strapped to the small brunette’s wrist she was beginning to develop the unsettling feeling that perhaps this time Chloe wasn’t coming back. The idea was somewhat terrifying to her. It wasn’t like what had happened with Pete… But no, she wasn’t going to think about that.
“He’ll be back soon,” Lana whispered into the dim room and jumped at the sound of her own voice.
This wasn’t right though, Chloe being gone so long. She couldn’t remember the blonde woman ever having been gone so long before. With an ageless sense of grace the brunette pushed herself into a standing position. She draped a blanket about her shoulders and bent to pick up the torch that Chloe had left with her. She just couldn’t dismiss the thought that perhaps Chloe had been hurt and with that thought in mind Lana had decided that she should go looking for her friends. After all, it was what a friend would do. Chloe might need her help. She might be hurt or something although what that something was Lana knew she didn’t want to think about.
If she was wrong of course Chloe would no doubt be very mad but Lana reasoned with herself that it was worth the risk. Chloe looked after her so she should look after Chloe.
As quietly as she could manage Lana exited their tiny safe haven making sure the door closed after her. Clutching her blanket about her she began to wander down the corridor, the wide beam of torch light reaching far out into the distance before by luck along following the same path that Chloe had. She cowered away from the windows, scared by the sounds of the storm outside. A glimmer of concern filled her that perhaps this had not been such a good idea about all and she half wondered whether wandering back to their room wouldn’t be the best option open to her but the thought was dismissed as the sound of voices came to her, sounding alien in the peculiar silence of the corridor.
The brunette stopped and backed up a few paces to peer in through the door from which they were coming from. Her eyes slowly widened and she felt a cry catch in her throat. Pushing through the door she stumbled over the debris strewn floor to where the pair still sat. Dropping to her knees she wrapped her arms around the startled man. “Lex,” she said. “I thought you were dead! Why haven’t you been to see us sooner?”
It was true. The last time she could remember seeing him was slumped against a wall; completely unresponsive. Seconds later Pete had taken hold of her hand and dragged her away from the body and she had never caught sight of him since. Very few people had and… and Lana doubted that they were alive now anyway.
He pulled away from her suddenly, glancing furtively towards Chloe who had recovered from her initial shock. She now looked as if she was about to shout and Lana backed down quickly explaining her reasoning. Still when she had finished speaking Chloe looked to have placated some. Once again she was looking at Lex with concern. Sensing the disquiet in the room Lana looked from one to the other. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
* * * *
METROPOLIS
There was a quiet hum of voices in the background along with some familiar melody from the restaurant orchestra. Occasionally the sound of glasses clinking or cutlery on plates would break though it all along with that of laughter and overall it made for a very pleasant dining atmosphere. That was if you dining partner had already turned up and you had been able to order your meal. In both cases Chloe felt she could confidently tick the ‘no’ column. Glancing up though she noticed that the man she had been waiting for was now casually snaking his way through the chairs and tables behind a flustered looking maître d' while successfully ignoring the curious glances of the other diners.
“Here you are Mr Luthor. Forgive us for the delay,” the flustered man said then quickly turned away as Lex just stared at him blankly, the look on his face evidently suggesting that perhaps apologies weren’t enough and he would prefer the man’s first born child instead as compensation.
Once the man had left he bent, placing a brief kiss on her cheek and said, “Chloe, you’re looking lovely tonight,” before seating himself across from her.
From any other man it would have sounded trite but coming from the young Luthor’s lips it somehow sounded very right. Chloe let a smug grin drift onto her face. She knew she was looking good; God knows she had puzzled over the right outfit for this meeting for long enough to do so; spending more than half of the time wondering why she was making the effort. Lex always said she was looking nice – or something along those lines – every time they met. It had become a pleasant tradition between them but it was nice to know he probably meant it this time.
“Lex,” she replied letting a degree of irritation show in her voice. “I’ve been waiting for three quarters of an hour. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to bother showing at all.”
Looking her over again, letting his eyes linger momentarily on her somewhat daring neckline he said, “The staff here are incompetent.”
“You picked the place,” she pointed out.
“It used to be such a nice place to dine. I believe there is new management though… How many are there then?”
“Oh?” Chloe asked raising an eyebrow.
He leaned back in his chair and managed somehow to make the action relaxed, stylish and attractive all in one sweep. “Photographers,” Lex replied softly.
With a smile Chloe said, “Three. They’ve been trying to get a good picture ever since you walked in.”
“And to think I asked for a discrete table. Have they managed it?”
“I believe that the Planet’s man may have a charming one of you kissing me.”
“And you?”
She scoffed at the idea. “You know I don’t record our conversations.”
For a moment he just looked at her and there was no expression in his eyes. It was a somewhat fear inspiring sight but Chloe held his gaze anyway as she knew that one of the reasons that he continued to meet her like this was that she refused to be intimidated by him.
“I could get the pictures quashed if you want,” he offered suddenly.
Chloe shrugged. “There have always been pictures Lex. A new set doing the rounds won’t make that much difference. They may even impress my editor.”
“I seem to remember that you last editor was less than impressed with the rumours.”
“This one is different.” She smiled. “He once suggested in front of a room full of office staff that I ‘cultivate’ my relationship with you.”
Lex smiled a little in a rare gesture. “What did you say?”
“I told him that our relationship was ‘cultivated’ as much as it was ever going to be and that if he wanted more then maybe he should talk to you.”
“Thanks,” the man replied dryly.
“It shut him up.”
Tentatively Lex asked, “You like New York then?”
Chloe nodded. “Yes, I like it and no, I don’t feel like moving back to Metropolis.”
Reaching for his glass of water Lex took a sip. “I wish you’d give it up altogether.”
“You’re being selfish again,” the blonde answered.
“Hardly. You’re being demanding instead. You know I can’t be seen to be permanently involved with a reporter.”
“You know I never really did understand that…”
“Don’t be ridiculous Chloe. It’s impractical for both of us. It always has been.”
“I’m not ready to give it up yet Lex. I’ve worked too long and hard to do that. Besides, I think the White House would be too big for me – I’d get lost all the time.”
Chloe watched as his initial surprise was covered by amusement and a chuckle escaped him. It made her eyes sparkle. “I should have known you would have found out about that.”
“We should make this a celebratory diner; it’s not every day my lover decides that he’s going to be president.”
Frowning Lex replied, “Don’t be bitter Chloe. You knew all along that it was something I wanted to do.” He paused looking at her as her eyes dipped away from his face. “It’s still all very hypothetical at the moment anyway…” he began.
“You’ll do it.” The conviction in her voice surprised him. “We both know there are no maybes involved. You will be president Lex and you’ll be a splendid one. I just… I just wish you’d wait a few more years. You’re still so young…”
“I’m twenty-nine Chloe. I have the time, the money and the backing. It’s time to get the ball rolling. I don’t want to be in my dotage when it happens.”
“You’ll hardly be that.” She let out a long sigh and felt the sinking feeling return that she had been harbouring ever since finding out about Lex’s decision. Suddenly she reached across the table covering one of his hands with her own. “Let’s get out of here. I’m not hungry anymore anyway so why don’t we just head back to your place and you can think of some more interesting ways to convince me why this is a good idea.”
Lex drew in a deep breath and once more Chloe felt his eyes roam over what he could see of her. She let out another heavy sigh, one filled with satisfaction at the sudden lust that she saw in them.
“Did you have a coat?” he asked and stood quickly.
* * * *
THE CITY
The look on Lex’s face when he saw Lana was one so startled that Chloe actually felt sorry for him. Chloe’s own expression was one of annoyance as she realised that she had a few things still that needed explaining to the man. He was yet to fully understand all that had happened.
Lana’s excitement over seeing Lex again surprised Chloe. It was entirely unexpected. If they ever met again Chloe had expected fireworks on Lana’s part but the other woman seemed nothing but glad. She hadn’t known that the brunette had managed to block things out so completely and although she found herself glad that Lana was not reacting as badly as she had suspected she would do there was a part of her that was still disappointment that *something* more dramatic didn’t happen.
“We should go back to the cubby,” Chloe suggested climbing to her feet. Once on her feet she used her hands to dust off her clothes before reaching down and holding out her hand to the man who was still seated on the ground. He looked up at her with round eyes but made no gesture that he was going to move. “Lex,” she said. “We shouldn’t sit around out in the open like this. Please?” His hand rose up from the ground and Chloe clasped it quickly, helping the man to his feet. He wobbled a little as he stood, back straightening out and betraying his proud nature although there was still the haunted look about his eyes that informed her he felt anything but proud anymore.
She led him back through the corridors as if leading a child with Lana moving ahead of them but never out of their sight for longer than a few seconds at a time. Lex seemed to cling to her, sometimes standing entirely too close although the intrusion into her space wasn’t unwelcome like she had half believed it might be. Instead she found herself enjoying the warmth his proximity brought her and when it seemed like they were going to be forced to part even if it were only for a minute then Chloe felt a sensation not unknown to her when she was around Lex or even thinking about him; her heart giving a little ache of regret. It only brought about other, more realistic feelings though as well as memories that Chloe had to push away before they crept onto her features and betrayed her to him. Lex seemed… fragile somehow and she had no desire to see how far she might push him before he cracked despite what the more perverse parts of her mind were suggesting.
That thought in itself made her tremble and with it came the sudden memory of the only other time she had seen him weakened such; an urgent telephone call from Metropolis during which she heard a small hoarse voice on the other end of the line muttering, “Chloe? Can you come?” and she had been on a plane to the city with a hastily packed overnight bag even before really thinking through what it was she was doing. In Metropolis she had angrily rented a car, snapping at the man behind the rental desk as he had the nerve to ask her whether she had had anything alcoholic to drink while on the plane even though she had indulged, trying to get the sound of Lex’s frightened voice out of her head. That was something she had certainly not going to admit to the man behind the desk though so Chloe had just shot him her best ‘don’t you dare’ look and had promptly been given a nearly new car to drive.
Arriving out front of the apartment complex that Lex lived in Chloe had suddenly wished that she had put more thought into her plan as she found herself confronted with about a hundred journalists and photographers and more than a couple of freaks and lunatics milling around. Parking her car and climbing out she had gained a few interested looks but no real specific ones until she had reached the front of the crowd and spoken to the security guard. Then everyone had suddenly become very interested in her as it become clear that for whatever reason Chloe was going to be able to make it past security and probably up into the home of the elusive billionaire Lex Luthor. Chloe slipped past them though easily enough. As a reporter herself she knew all the tricks and was able to avoid any potential annoyances; her mind focused on other matters anyway.
On reaching the front door to the penthouse that Lex had lived in for years she leaned on the doorbell, anxious to get inside, the feeling one increasing with time when he failed to appear as did any servants. Eventually Chloe reached for the door handle and to her surprise she found that it had been left unlocked; not the wisest thing in the world for a Luthor to do. Inside the apartment was dark, cold even and somewhere in the background Chloe thought she could hear the air-conditioning unit running away even though it was probably only a couple of degrees above zero outside. At the best of times the apartment was never exactly warm and welcoming but at that moment Chloe had the distinct impression that no one had used it in about a hundred years and the dry atmosphere of death seems to linger around her even though she knew that was a stupid, silly even, thing to think. Stepping inside though it somehow seemed difficult to breathe and moving through the rooms one by one Chloe felt herself growing all the more panicked as she failed to find the person she was looking for; failed to find anyone actually.
Eventually she found him, sat on the floor in a pair of rumpled boxers and nothing else before the huge widescreen television that dominated the entertainment room. His back was to it and stark picture flooded across the screen and danced over him in the dark of the apartment while the volume was turned right down. Lex’s face was eerily blank, even more so that the usual stoic expression she was used to seeing on his features and it only took Chloe seconds to realise he was looking at nothing; his eyes were focused on absolutely nothing.
She lay her bag down cautious beside the couch and shook off her coat, folding it over one of the arms with too much care before turning around again and approaching him. There was something about Lex in this state that seemed to radiate power – even more power than usual because it was primal and Chloe had the distinct impression that should Lex let it get away from him then nothing would ever stop it. Even when she crouched before him the man said nothing, just readjusted his gaze slightly though no life returned to it and looked at her until Chloe found herself flinching away. To cover the movement she sat down on the floor in front of him and almost instantly he was reaching out, taking hold of her arms and pinning her against the floor while his body loomed over hers. For a moment they had held the position and then he had slumped over her, his body naturally fitting against hers and his face buried against her chest. Chloe waited for what seemed like forever and then she let out the breath he hadn’t realised she had been holding and wrapped her arms about his shoulders and held him too her.
In the morning Chloe got up and left finding Lex already gone and seeing a flickering image of him on the television addressing some people at a live press conference. He was dry eyed but serious; the very epitome of what people have come to expect the Luthor name to mean but there was no doubt in her mind that this was events of that morning. It told her to go and before she realised it she was back home in her own apartment, the only sign that she had ever been away being the airline tags on her bag.
* * * *
THE CITY
Lex could only imagine that the room had been a tight fit with just the two of them and with three it was very nearly impossible. Arms tangled and legs kicked out and by the time he eventually managed to get to sleep he was pined up against the wall, lying next to Chloe who had her back to him and with Lana on the other side of the blonde, cradled in the other woman’s arms. Still, he found he couldn’t really complain. After months of having virtually no contact with any other human being laying next to Chloe and being able to breathe in her unique scent was like a little piece of heaven to him although the constant of it all made him feel like it was entirely too much all at once. Waking though the room seemed large somehow. At first Lex believed it was because she had turned to face him and curl there bodies closer together. His arms wrapped more fully around her and hers about him so they seemed to take up less room but there was something else… something else entirely.
Slowly he sat up and squinted around in the darkness as the last dregs of sleep slipped from his mind entirely. He was still numbed from hunger but Lex became instantly aware that someone was wrong; Lana was gone.
Seeing the young woman he had known reduced to such circumstances had hurt him even more than it had hurt him to see Chloe in the same situation. While there was guilt connected with both it was less so with Chloe because she at least knew that she had managed to cope with the change but Lana… Lana was a mess and at the moment Lana was a missing mess and that he determined from observations over how close an eye that Chloe kept over the other woman was probably a bad thing. Looking down at Chloe’s sleeping expression Lex winced a little before reaching out to shake her gently. With a groan she rolled over, out of his embrace and mumbled something that he wasn’t quite sure of.
“What is it?” she asked finally when he roused her.
“Lana’s gone.”
“What?!” she exclaimed loudly and sat up sharply. Her eyes whipped around in the darkness and she was suddenly on her feet. Lex was slower to his feet and by that time she had the door open and was looking out into the corridor beyond. “Damn-it! I hate it when she does this.”
“Does what?”
Chloe turned to him, an exasperated expression on her features. “She wanders off sometimes and I have to go and look for her.”
Raising an eyebrow he asked, “So you know where she might have gone?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“On what she’s looking for.”
Lex frowned. “How do you mean exactly?”
Biting her lip Chloe looked away from him. “She has a tendency to wander off looking for Pete.”
There was a pause as Lex let the information sink in then said very slowly, “But isn’t he…”
“Yeah. We have to go and look for her.”
“Chloe,” he objected glancing down the corridor, a daunting sensation sinking into his heart briefly. “Its pitch black out there; we’d never find her.”
She shot him a sour look and walked off down the corridor.
* * * *
LONDON, ENGLAND
“…And in other news, Senator Alexander ‘Lex’ Luthor was today formally impeached by the…”
Chloe looked up from her computer scene and towards the large television mounted on the wall a few feet away. A rustle for noise from the other end of the newsroom had impeded her from hearing the entire report but the blonde guessed that she had a fairly good idea about what it was about, especially when a short clip came up of Lex walked down the steps in front of the apartment building where he was still living whenever he was in Metropolis. The look on his handsome features was not a happy one and when Chloe spotted the smaller form of Pete walked after him with a similar look on his face her suspicions were confirmed. It seemed that after all these years Lex had finally been caught out on some of his less reputable dealings. In truth it was less than surprising.
“However,” the broadcaster went on to say. “Senator Luthor is appealing against the charges made against him claiming a party wide conspiracy to prevent him from running in the next presidential election. Before the charges were brought against him, Senator Luthor had been ahead in the opinion polls and with the massive presence of the Luthor billions behind him his campaign had looked promising.”
The blonde reporter easily phased out the rest of the report. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before anyway either from her sources, the news or even from Lex himself on the odd occasion that he had actually deigned to call. Unfortunately the phone calls were getting fewer and farther between than they had for years. In her head, Chloe knew she was at least partially responsible for the change, her own stern stance on his decision to run for president had put more than a few blockages between them. It seemed that if they ever managed to find the time to talk then they would inevitably end up discussing his campaign and subsequently an argument tended to develop. It wouldn’t even be one of their better arguments, the type that normally led to long nights under the covers and faces flushed with passion. Instead they would just get angry and it would be a lucky occurrence if one of the other of them didn’t march straight off in a huff.
A presence behind her shoulder drew Chloe out of her thoughts and she half turned to see Miller stood behind her. Tall, arrogant and with Hollywood refined good looks, Miller was one of the other reporters who had been shipped out to England when the newspaper they worked for had opened up offices in the capital. He was also more than a little overbearing and although they had been out for drinks once or twice Chloe had received the impression that he was just as intimidated by her as she was by him and an unspoken mutual decision to be nothing more than friends had passed between them.
“You know him,” Miller observed still looking up at the television screen. There was something in his voice, something that sounded suspiciously like envy that sends a thrill of journalistic delight through her. No one ever denied that they were in a competitive profession.
“What makes you think that?”
Miller redirected his gaze towards her. He suddenly looked sheepish, moving from one foot to the other. “I caught sight of a picture once when I was over at your place. I was… looking for a pencil,” he explained leaving Chloe in no doubt that it hadn’t been a pencil he had been looking for. “And I went into the drawer in your desk and it was sat underneath some papers. I had to move them aside to look for the pencil and it sort of, came into view I guess. It was a picture of you and he, you and Lex Luthor and you were on the deck of a boat or something somewhere.”
“Did you make a copy too?” Chloe said a little harshly. She shot to her feet and pushed past him, grabbing her purse on the way and walking towards the exit.
“Aw, come on Chloe,” he said, following her even as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. “You’d have been interested too.” She shot him a wry look in reply as their short ride down to the ground floor ended and the ping of the elevator signalled the doors opening. As she wandered through the lobby of the office building where the newspaper was located and out into the surprisingly sunny day Chloe was unsurprised to find that Miller continued to follow her. “So how do you know him?”
“You didn’t do a background check?” she asked sarcastically then turned right and headed down the street. There was no doubt in her mind that he would continue to follow her now and she half wished she had not bothered to say anything.
He winched calling out, “That’s a little below the belt,” then hurried to catch up with the small woman’s stride.
“Didn’t you?” she repeated and he winced again.
“There didn’t appear to be anything to find,” he admitted finally. “Just a couple of pictures…”
Chloe felt a smug grin filter onto her face. “Well then I guess that’s your answer,” she said.
“My answer to what?”
“The question you were going to end up asking anyway,” Chloe answered, dodging out of the way of an irate looking shopper even as she saw her goal – the coffee shop – in sight. Feeling a burst of unexpected energy the blonde hurried over just in time to grab the last of the outdoor tables then waited for Miller to slump into the seat opposite.
“How do you know I was going to ask a question at all?” Miller asked after they had ordered. The question made Chloe raise her eyebrows at him. “Okay, okay… but you’re not going to get out of it that easily. I’m intrigued… in that photo you both looked rather cosy.”
“I haven’t seen him in months,” Chloe said giving in. “We’re not involved.”
“Were you ever involved?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking,” she answered and hoped to god it was true. If there was one person she knew who would discover a lie eventually it would be Miller.
He nodded reluctantly, the conversation pausing as their waitress reappeared with their drinks. Chloe smiled at the girl as she recognised her and saw that the she had managed to get her order just right. Sometimes being a regular was brilliant.
“Are you going to see him again?” Miller asked as he watched Chloe savoured the coffee.
Chloe shrugged. “If I do, I do.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “No guarantees.”
“Chloe…” he began, leaning forwards and placing his elbows on the table. “Have you ever thought that maybe…”
“Yes?”
“I mean, you’re friends with Lex Luthor – that’s got to mean something right? You could be out of here… You could have any job…”
Chloe smirked and pushed herself to her feet. “You don’t think I haven’t thought about that? Dig a little harder Miller - I’m pretty sure Lex can’t have caught everything about us before it leaked into the media.”
* * * *
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