Chloe Sullivan, Private Eye
Summary: Years after her years in Smallville, Chloe Sullivan finds herself in the gritty world of underground Metropolis where she will embark on a journey full of steamy romance and deadly danger.
Chapter 1
Chloe Sullivan sipped at the same cup of coffee that she'd been drinking for over a half an hour. The coffeehouse came to life as people crammed into the small establishment to escape the pouring rain that had begun to fall outside. All of the people moved around in small crowds, none of them really socializing with each other.
The table that she sat at was round and plastic. The coffee shop had been going for a new age, artistic feel, but it appeared that they'd been on a low budget. There were coffee rings in random spots on the table and it had a sticky feel to it, so she stayed rested against the back of her chair.
The whole shop was done in the faux artistic decor, with bright colors and symmetrical patterns that almost made it a cozy place to be.
On the outside the place looked cozier than it was with a large bay window that allowed you to peer in as you walked down the crowded street.
Chloe had been one of the many people to look in from time to time, but she'd never tried it until the rain started to fall. But that wasn't the reason she went in at all. She was following someone, and that person had just happened to seek refuge from the storm in the small shop.
Her target sat two tables down from her with no company. He was a tall man with short, dark hair that had been spiked before the downfall, but now it was matted down to his head. His matching brown eyes darted around the room as he watched the countless people come in and out.
Chloe's eyes on the other hand, were all for him. She had her blonde hair flipped out on both sides and had a red streak down through her bangs. Her twenty-six year old figure looked much more mature than it had when she was younger, but the development fit her well.
At the moment she wore a black, slinky top that was mostly covered by a red hooded coat, and blue jeans. The shoulders of her hoody were still wet, but everything else was drying off.
Chloe looked down at her coffee, which had gotten cold by now and was nearly undrinkable, and sighed at the fact that she missed Starbucks. She was getting bored, and her mind was wandering.
She caught herself though, and her eyes darted back up to the man. He was up and half way across the room by the time she'd looked up, and she took a mental note to scorn herself later.
On the way out she also took note that her target had quite the cute butt. A smirk formed across her lips as she gave it some thought, and then she got up to follow him.
He walked out the door and took a left down the street. She waited a few seconds before she even started to make her way across the room, to avoid being spotted. She stood up and pushed her way through the crowd of people until she was outside in the pouring rain again.
"I think it just might be time for me to invest in an umbrella," She said to herself as she looked out onto her city.
Metropolis was alive in so many ways at that time of day. Work was just getting out for most, so traffic was horrible. Yellow cabs blocked up the roads for miles in all directions along with buses and a few privately owned cards that usually housed carpoolers.
And then there were the people that walked to work, but today they jogged. The less time in the rain the better. Most blocked their heads with anything they could find. Coats, newspapers, briefcases, and even portfolios all made great makeshift umbrellas.
Chloe, unfortunately, had nothing with her but a small tape recorder and camera, neither, of which she would use to block the rain.
She turned her body to the left side and spotted the butt she'd been looking for. He was jogging down the road against the flow of the walking traffic. She took off after him, matching his pace as best she could.
It was hard to keep her eyes on him through the falling sheets for rain that fell from straight down and the moving mass of people that were coming her way. Even the sunlight from the particularly bright noon made it harder to see as it caught each raindrop.
She could barely make out that he took a sharp left into an alleyway. She picked up her pace a little bit more to make sure that she didn't lose him.
She got to the alley in a quick sprint and barely stopped in time to turn without slipping on the wet pavement. Swinging her arms franticly to catch herself, Chloe pivoted on one foot and started into the alley.
She took two steps in before finding that her man was gone, vanished somewhere.
"Who are you and why are you following me?" A male's voice spoke from behind her.
She slowly turned around to find that her man was standing behind her, and his face was not amused.
"That was a nice move", she complimented him.
"Either that or yours are sloppy." He kept a demeaning tone. "I'll ask you one more time, who are you and why are you following me."
She looked at him and gave the answer some serious thought before she decided that the truth couldn't hurt.
"Chloe Sullivan, Private Investigator." The answer was short and sweet and it probably answered his question to the T.
The look that spread across his showed amusement and the smirk was very condescending. It was the kind of look you'd give a child if they'd just done something bad and cute at the same time.
"Well Chloe Sullivan, Private Investigator, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way now." She smiled, gave a little nod and turned his back to her, heading out towards the street.
The rain started to lighten up, making it easier to hear.
"Jason!" She couldn't think of anything to say that would keep him talking to her, so yelling out his name seemed like the only option.
He stopped; his back still turned to her.
"Did my ex send you to look in on me?" He was amused and didn't bother hiding it.
"No actually. It was an ex employer."
That got his attention. He turned around to face her and his face had changed quite a bit. From amused to almost worried.
"Ms. Sullivan, it was be advisable to drop this case and find a cheating husband to follow. Listen to me when I tell you that you don't want to get involved in my former employer."
"And is there a reason for this?" Chloe kept her stern face. She didn't scare easy because she'd had her share of dangerous run ins.
"If you enjoy living at all, if you have any reason to live what so ever, there are many reasons for you to stay away from them."