It wasn't about love or friendship or any of the sweet things that inspire thoughts of lace and hearts and flowers. It was more about lust and loneliness and passion, and Chloe thought that actually meant more.

She grinned as she tipped back her glass of wine and let the sweet, though somewhat bitter, tasting liquid take over her mouth. She giggled loudly, leaning forward and clutching her stomach. Her previous three glasses of wine and one glass of scotch had already taken effect, and she was more than just a little tipsy.

"Lex, Lex..." she said, reaching out for the man's hand. Lex Luthor put down his own wine glass, and pulled the blonde girl off the floor where she had been sitting and up into his lap. Chloe delightfully threw her arms around his neck. She was a very congenial drunk.

"Did anyone ever tell you?" she whispered into his ear in a raspy voice that made Lex shiver, "That your bald head is very sexy?" As if to prove her point, Chloe started rubbing it and kissing it, causing Lex to moan and lean back in his chair.

"Chloe, you drive me wild, you know that?"

"Yes." She giggled again, letting his kisses wander down to his face, and soon his mouth. Lex buried his hands in her blonde hair, pulling his close to her, kissing her, tasting her...nothing had ever been this nice...

Things went like that often. They talked, the drank, they made love, and then Chloe went home. Neither of them spoke of the obvious connection, the obvious chemistry, outside the walls of the Luthor mansion. On the outside, it was like nothing had changed. Secretly, they worried if they did bring it up, things would change.

But things did change.

The light, lustful happiness was not in the air on the cool October night while Chloe drove toward the mansion. Settled over her was a feeling of disgust, fear, confusion, and shame. Slowly, unconciously, she let her hand wander to her middle and slip under her red shirt. She drove like that, her palm pressed against her stomach. Her breath was shuddery. It was almost more than she could grasp. It was hard to believe such a thing, especially when you were not even suspecting it.

Taking her hand away from her abdomen and wiping away salty tears, Chloe shook her head and concentrated on the road. There was no use crying over spilt milk. What was done was done.

She was having Lex Luthor's baby.

For some reason, though, even that thought sent a slight chill of excitement run up her spine.

Chloe pushed all her thoughts away as she pulled up toward the home and stopped the car. Well, it was now or never. Briefly she thought of taking the never and driving off into the distance, but she didn't want it ever to be said that Chloe Sullivan was a coward. Putting her car in park, she thought briefly to her future. Would she really have a baby in less than a year? It was hard to wrap her mind around that.

Lex was waiting for her there in his study, wine glasses already set out, and soft jazz music coming from the stereo. He didn't notice her uneasy attitude. He reached for her like it was any other day, and it threw him off when she pushed him away angrily.

Immediatly Lex turned the music down, before he took a seat in his chair, one eyebrow cocked up. "Would you like to tell what the hell your problem is?" he said coolly, smirking.

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut; just Lex's voice caused anger to flame up in her chest. "God, you're such a bastard. Did you have to practice being such a nonchalant smartass, or does it just come naturally?" She shook her head, not waiting for an answer to the rhetorical question. She sat down on a plushy couch, letting her head fall back and closing her eyes. "This is so much harder than I thought it would be."

Lex stared at her for a moment, then stood up and sauntered across the room. "I'm sorry," he said as he sat down next to her. He raised his hands, and Chloe fliched, her eyes flying open. "Shh..." he said in a calming voice, and he began to rub her shoulders. Chloe moaned, falling back to him. As he rubbed, he leaned in and started to kiss her neck.

"Lex..."

"Shh. No words." He let his hands slid up under her shirt so he could rub her back, and he kissed her shoulders.

"Lex..."

"Chloe..." he mocked sweetly, pulling her into his chest.

Chloe sighed; she could get used to this. Perfectly sober, cuddling. Nice. But she had to say something. She had to do what she had come here to do.

"Lex...I'm pregnant..."

The hands stopped massaging, and the kiss were brought to an end. Chloe gave a small gasp as the warmth that had surrounded her suddenly disapeared as Lex drew back, and there was only coldness.

She cried herself to sleep that night.

Chloe Sullivan was tough. Chloe Sullivan was resilient. But for a brief second, she had thought that maybe Lex loved her. Maybe he would respond to her news in a loving, joyful way. Maybe he wouldn't freak out and tell her that she should leave.

Which was exactly what he had done. And that just caused her heart to just...wither.

When she woke up in the morning, she had made a decision. It was just too painful. The idea of going telling her family and friends, going through a pregnancy, and having a baby, all while having Lex despise her, was too much. She couldn't do it.

She wasn't going to.

Chloe decided to skip school that day. She had more important issues to attend to. As she drove up to the Luthor mansion for a second time in twenty-four hours, she dried her eyes. She wasn't going to Lex see her cry again like he had seen last night.

He wasn't even awake yet, she discovered. Not really giving a fuck, she picked up a glass of water sitting on his nighttable, and tossed it in his face.

"I need money for an abortion."

This got his attention. Lex sat straight up, knocked a few expensive, silk-covered pillows to the floor. "Chloe? What? ...are you serious?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, impatient. She was eager to get the money, get the job done, and get on with her life, sans Lex. "Of course I'm serious. It's what we both want, isn't it? For this to have never happened? We can make it like it didn't."

Lex put a hand to his head, and feel back into his mattress, closing his eyes. "This isn't something I wanted to wake up to. Listen, I've had a lot of time to think about things..."

Tears started to well in Chloe's eyes, and she turned around as if she was angry. "Cut the crap, Lex," she said, her voice slightly wavering, "You haven't had a change of heart, you've simply had time to think up a good speech to make you not sound like such an awful man. This is what we both want. Just cough up the money and I'll be on my way."

Lex stared at the back of her head, watching her wring her hands, and periodically wipe her eyes. She wasn't ready to be a mother. She was a small, blonde, beautiful woman with a bright future. Slowly, he nodded his head. "Alright. Do you...do you want me to go with you?"

Chloe turned around, her eyes red and puffy. "Are you insane? I'm having this thing done so no one will ever find out. If Lex Luthor walks into an abortion clinic with me, it will be all over the Inquisitor before we even leave. It's something I'd like to do alone." There was a certain coldness in her voice that struck Lex's heart.

"Okay." He didn't know what else to say.

It was cruel really.

Chloe stood on the sidewalk in Metropolis, almost shaking, and clutching her purse tightly. It was a cruel thing, putting a baby store across the street from the clinic. Chloe vaguely wondered how many other girls had stood in the same exact spot she stood, watching the mothers go in and out, holding their stomachs and tiny babies. Looking joyous and happy and posessing the wonderful glow of motherhood.

Could she really go inside and kill all that?

She placed her hand on her stomach. Was there really something in there? A living thing?

'I need a sign.'

She stood there for a moment, leaning against her car, waiting. A sign. This was where something dramatic was supposed to happen. Like have Lex drive up in his Porsche and tell her to hop in, baby and all, he loved her. Or at least feel the baby kick. (Which was very unlikely at one month.)

But there was nothing.

Chloe headed up to the clinic, trying calm herself. Soon thing would be normal again, soon things would all be over...

She dropped her purse.

She cursed under her breath lightly. She leaned down to pick it up...

And there was a little girl, standing there, clutching the black bag. She had brown braids and big green eyes. "Here," she said, holding it up, "You dropped this."

Chloe stared at her for a moment, as she silently took the purse. The girl's mother stood there next to her, and slowly, a sad smile came across Chloe's face. She touched the girl's cheek.

"Thank you."