Title: Graduation

Author: Lucy Mars

Rating: PG-13 for one bad word.

Disclaimer: Oh, if wishing made it so…

Author Note: Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews of GOODBYE. Think of this as a prequel of sorts. I hope to have more out soon. Lets see what the muse grants me. This just may turn into an epic of sorts. Who knows. Most importantly, enjoy.

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"Congratulations."

Spinning around in surprise, Chloe smiled up at deep voice. "Hi, Lex."

"The cap looks nice on you." Lex grinned, running his fingers over the dark rim, "Actually, the whole outfit suits you. Higher education and achievement, very much you."

Bring her hand up to the customary cap, Chloe absently played with the golden fringe. "You don't look so bad yourself." Chloe observed playfully, "Very dark and mysterious. Very you, actually."

Feeling his lips turn upwards at Chloe's words, Lex shook his head with amusement. "Thank you, I think."

"It was a compliment," Chloe laughed looping her arm comfortably with Lex's and leading him through the throng of parents and students that were laughing and posing for pictures.

"Where's your dad?" Lex asked, letting Chloe lead him away from the chaos surrounding them. Usually he would do the leading, but he had learnt over the years that the Sullivan stubbornness rivaled, and usually beat, the Luthor stubbornness. It was easier just to let Chloe have her way. Not to mention, much more fun.

"He was here. Did his proud papa bit, took enough pictures to last him a lifetime and got called away." Chloe laughed walking along side Lex, "There was a problem at the plant, I think."

"I'm sorry," Lex told her sincerely, something that surprised him as much as it did Chloe.

"Why?" She'd learnt a lot about Lex over the years, and him being sorry wasn't something that came up often.

"I know how important today is…" Lex started, trying to figure out why on earth Chloe did this to him. She made him a fumble of words and emotions that he didn't understand.

"Bah," Chloe shrugged pushing the heavy doors open and tugging Lex into the silence of the empty school, "It's not that big a deal. He was here and he left. If you ask me, fate was working in my favor."

"How so?" Lex asked amused by Chloe's nonchalance about her missing father.

Giving Lex and mischievous smile, Chloe pulled her arm away from his and walked into the empty Torch office. "I love my dad, I do, it's just that he's been hovering."

"Ahh," Lex nodded in understanding, "papa bear doesn't want to let go of you yet?"

Snorting in an unladylike fashion, Chloe fell comfortably into her well-worn seat. "That's the understatement of the year."

Laughing, a not so foreign sound since he'd befriended Clark and Chloe, Lex sat down on Chloe's surprisingly barren desk. He wasn't use to seeing the Torch office so empty. The chaotic order that Chloe possessed, and therefore the office possessed was gone. As was the wall of weird. "Metropolis isn't that far away. He can still…"

"I'm not going to Metropolis," Chloe blurted out.

"What?" Lex asked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not going to Metropolis U." Chloe confessed.

"I thought that it was your dream to work at the Daily Planet," Lex pointed out, feeling a small sliver of panic work it's way through him, "I thought that you were going to go to Metropolis U, and camp out in the Daily Planet foyer until they hired you."

Laughing, Chloe took off her cap and tossed it at Lex. "Funny boy."

"I know," Lex smirked, "So where are you going?" he asked seriously.

Biting her lip, Chloe looked up at Lex nervously. "New York."

Letting out a low whistle, Lex unconsciously tightened his hold on Chloe's unsuspecting cap. "That's a long way from home."

"I won't be in Kansas anymore," Chloe answered.

"No," Lex agreed, "you won't be."

Letting silence fall over them, Chloe watched Lex out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know why, but she waited for a reaction. She waited for him to tell her something that would let her know that she was doing the right thing. She waited for him to ask her not to go. She waited... "You're the first person I've told." Chloe confessed.

His eyes snapping back into attention, Lex felt the corner of his mouth inch up at her confession. "Really?"

"Yeah," Chloe breathed.

"Not even Clark?" Lex inquired, feeling a ridiculous sense of pride swell through him.

"Not even Clark," Chloe confirmed.

"What's in New York that you can't get in Metropolis?"

"I don't know," Chloe confessed, "and that's the best part."

"Yeah?" Lex asked, smiling at his adventurous Chloe. His Chloe. That had a nice ring to it.

"Yeah," Chloe whispered. "I want to find myself. I want to…"

"You want to what?" Lex asked, leaning forward.

Looking up at Lex, Chloe found herself drowning in his clear eyes. "I want to lose myself."

Snapping up in surprise, Lex felt a frown settle over his face. "You want to lose yourself?" he demanded, "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

"Because that way I can re-discover myself." Chloe answered, her voice a mere whisper, "I feel like I've lost myself in the mundane motions that I've gone through everyday for the past few years. I've forgotten what I wanted. I think that I've become nothing more than my wall, you know? I want to fall into the rest of the world and see where I end up."

"New York is a big city," Lex said lamely, breaking their moment of silence.

"I know," Chloe smiled.

"It's a big jump from Smallville."

"I grew up in Metropolis." Chloe shrugged, "I'm a city girl at heart."

"Still," Lex argued, "you've spent the past 5 years amongst farmers and cornfields. You're a small town girl now."

"I'll be okay, Lex." Chloe replied with more confidence than she felt.

"Yeah?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah."

"Scared?"

"No," Chloe lied.

Stifling his laughter, Lex silently raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," Chloe conceded, "a little bit."

"You'll be fine," Lex told her confidently.

"How do you know that?"

"Because," Lex said seriously, "you're Chloe Sullivan and you're going to conquer the world one day."

Laughing, Chloe playfully nudged Lex's knee with her hand. "I think you have me confused with you."

Giving her a full smile, Lex didn't pull away when she left her hand on his knee. If anything, he leaned into her touch. "Touché, Ms. Sullivan."

"I try," Chloe smirked.

"Come on," Lex said taking Chloe's hand and tugging her up.

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked tightening her hold on Lex's warm hand.

Pulling her out of the dark school and into the sunny day, Lex smiled devilishly. "It's a new day Ms. Sullivan, and we're going to celebrate." Lex told her, holding his car door open for her and tossing her cap into the back seats.

Her laughter washing over him like a warm breeze, Chloe slid into Lex's flashy car and watched as he ran over to his side of the car. "Where are we going?"

"After that tedious and monstrously long ceremony, what could you use right now?"

Pulling her long black gown off to revel a more Chloe-esque outfit, Chloe threw her gown carelessly into the back seat of Lex's convertible. "Coffee!"

"Exactly," Lex grinned pulling out of cement parking lot. "Say goodbye, Chloe. You're done."

Closing her eyes as the summer sun brushed over her growing smile, Chloe stretched her fingers to the sky and laughed, "I'm free from the idiocy and insanity of high school. No more jocks, teenage angst or mystery meat."

"A cause for celebration," Lex declared, zooming down empty roads of Smallville.

"Yes," Chloe agreed, "A cause for celebration indeed."

"The Talon?"

"Why the hell not." Chloe laughed, "One last drink with the passionless and lost student body that I've been stuck with for the last four years. Lets join them as they toast to their hopeless tomorrow's."

"The idiots," Lex deadpanned, "Celebrating while we devise a plan to take over the world."

"A joint effort?" Chloe smirked, "I work alone, Luthor."

"Make an exception?" Lex asked, giving Chloe a small smile, "I need a partner in crime."

"I suppose," Chloe sighed dramatically, "that if I was to have a partner in crime, you'd be the best choice."

"I'm honored."

"As you should be."

Stopping at a red light, Lex looked over at Chloe and it took all of three seconds for the two of them to burst out laughing.

"Do we really need anymore caffeine?" Chloe asked when she finally regained the ability to breathe.

"No, but we'll take it anyway. Won't we?"

"Absolutely."

"You going to tell me more about New York?"

"Maybe." Chloe said coyly.

"Maybe?" Lex asked, giving her an intrigued smile, "I'm giving you caffeine, Sullivan, when you obviously don't need any. A lesser man would suggest juice, or water."

"Banish the thought!" Chloe ordered.

"So you going to tell me about New York?"

Giving Lex a wanton smile as he parked his car deftly, Chloe slid off the cool leather seats. "Throw in a slice of chocolate cake and I just may tell you more."

"In that case," Lex replied jumping out of his car coming up to Chloe's side, "I'm buying you a whole goddamn cake."

Her attempt at a seductive expression failed miserably when Lex raised both of eyebrows suggestively.

Holding onto Chloe as she laughed, Lex watched with amazement, as her face seemed to glow along with the summer sun. What was he going to do without this snarky girl? "This town is going to be boring without you shaking things up."

Leaning against his strong chest, Chloe tried to catch her breath. "I'm gonna miss you, Lex."

"Who wouldn't?" Lex smirked.

Shaking her head with amusement at his overgrown ego, Chloe grabbed Lex's hand and dragged him into the overflowing coffee shop. "Come on, let's see what you can get out of me, Luthor."

"I like a challenge."

"How much time have you got?" Chloe asked weaving through the crowd of jubilant graduates with a grace and ease that could only come with years of experience.

Sitting down at the booth they always seemed to migrate to, Lex effortlessly flagged down a waitress who was across the room with his impervious stare. "For you?"

"Yeah, for little old me."

"For you Sullivan, all the time in the world."

Her eyes sparkling with mirth and little bit of something else that neither of them understood yet, Chloe impulsively leaned across the small table and kissed Lex on the forehead.

"What was that for?" Lex asked, bringing his fingers up to where Chloe had kissed him. God, he could just imagine how red his face was getting. Self-control seemed to fly out the window when he was with Chloe.

Titling her head to the side, Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "For being you."

"Are you telling me that all I have to do for you to kiss me, is be me?" Lex asked with mock surprise.

"A shock, isn't it?" Chloe laughed wiping off the lipstick that she'd left on his bald head.

"You couldn't have told me this earlier?" Lex demanded feigning annoyance.

"It's not my fault you're a slow learner."

"Better slow than dense."

"True." Chloe agreed.

"So you're leaving for greener pastures, huh?"

"I don't know if anything gets greener than Smallville."

Rolling his eyes at her lame attempt at a joke, Lex looked up at the waitress who finally seemed to materialize.

"What can I get you, Mr. Luthor?"

"The biggest two cups of coffee you can get your hands on."

"Anything else?"

Giving Chloe a quick devilish grin, Lex turned to the unsuspecting waitress. "How many chocolate cakes do you think you can get me?"

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"I think that I've reached my caffeine limit." Chloe groaned looking down at her empty mug and the empty coffee pot that their waitress had long ago decided to leave for them.

Leaning back against the worn booth, Lex shook his head with amazement. "Who knew it was possible."

"I'm just as shocked as you are."

"Want more cake?" Lex teased.

"No," Chloe laughed looking at the cake that was still sitting on their table, "we've eaten half of it already. I don't think either of us need anymore caffeine in our blood."

"You still haven't told me when you're leaving for New York."

"Not for another five weeks. You're stuck with me for a little while longer."

"I think I'll survive. The question, how are you going to live with the excitement and anticipation?"

Leaning across their table, Chloe asked playfully, "You going to entertain me? Help keep my mind off of my impending departure?"

Resting his arms on the table, Lex raised an amused eyebrow. "Depends on your definition of entertain."

Feeling her face flush at the sudden proximity of Lex's face, Chloe tried to rationalize her impromptu urge to grab his beautiful face and kiss him. It was the caffeine that's all. Yeah. Uh huh. If she told herself that enough, she would begin to believe it. She was sure of it. Of course, she could always just blame it on the caffeine and kiss the sexy bastard. "Getting kinky in your old age, Lex?" Banter. Banter was safe ground. It was what they did.

"Maybe,"

Her face inching closer to his on it's own accord, Chloe licked her lips nervously. "Maybe?"

"It's entirely possible." Lex acknowledged, feeling the warmth of Chloe breath tickle his lips.

Letting out the breath that she was holding, Chloe was ready to throw caution to the wind and just jump, but it seemed that her karma sucked.

"Can I get you anything else, Mr. Luthor?"

Watching Chloe pull back in surprise, Lex suppressed the growl rising through his chest. "No, thank you." he told the waitress tightly.

Taking a moment to get her breathing under control, Chloe couldn't help but laugh lightly.

"What's so funny?" Lex asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing," Chloe lied.

"No, what?"

"I was just thinking that there is something you can do to entertain me."

"And what is that?"

Mischiefs dancing in her eyes, Chloe looked out the window they were sitting by.

Following her eyes, Lex smiled in understanding. "Chloe Sullivan, our own little wild child. Who knew."

"I like to go fast."

"Do you, now?"

She was flirting with him, and she loved it every second of it. "I do."

"It doesn't get any faster than that." Lex grinned tossing her his keys.

Catching them effortlessly, Chloe gave Lex a blinding smile. "You sure you can handle it?"

"You promise to hold my hand if I get scared?" Lex asked following Chloe out of their booth.

"I promise." Chloe laughed grabbing Lex's hand in hers.

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So? Whatcha think? Review and tell me. I do realize that this has taken on an AU theme of sorts, but I'm okay with that. ;]

-Lucy