Title: The Elusive Catch
Category: Smallville/The Listener
Genre: Humor/General
Ship: Chloe Sullivan/Toby Logan
Rating: PG
Prompt: #03 - Whisper
Word Count: 868
Summary: Giving in, Chloe meets Toby for coffee; words, secrets and understanding are exchanged.
The Elusive Catch
It's driving him crazy. All his life he wanted to shut out the whispers; the little tangents that escaped others minds and infiltrated his. It was an overwhelming relief when he realized he could. But now, he's trying his best to keep that connection open, to be the ear that hears the cries of the helpless. They scream, he answers, but when he gets near her… he gets nothing. Nobody has even been that way; there was always something; a thought, an image, a fraction of a sentence. But she was blank; he reaches and he focuses and nothing comes through.
"For a guy who supposedly knows everything, you sure tune out a lot," she muses from across the table.
He shakes his head. "Sorry…" Frowning, he stares at her.
She smiles and for a moment, any irritation over her ability to escape his reaching powers is lost. The sun is filtering through the window, making strands of her hair glint like gold. Her eyes look a shade deeper of green; they swirl with intelligence and snark.
"I'm surprised you called," he admits.
She cocks a blonde brow. "It was either call you or spend the next however long dodging you as you tried to track me down."
He half-grins. "You were getting good at eluding me."
With a shrug, she wrinkles her nose. "I've spent a lot of my life being chased… Eventually, I either had to get good at being elusive or get dead."
He frowns; wishes he could just search her thoughts for the answer without having to ask.
"Any special reason you get chased so much?" he finally asks aloud.
With a laugh, she leans her elbows on the table top. "A new one every week."
He waits, wondering if she'll specify but when she doesn't he grows weary with his lack of ability. He should like it; it makes this like any other conversation; just two regular people. But he wants to know more and he's not used to asking.
"So what is it you do, anyway?"
Her eyes narrow. "I could ask you the same."
He frowns. "This isn't gonna get anywhere if we just keep circling questions."
With a sigh, she tucks her hair behind her ear. "I do a little of everything… I've recently cut ties back home and upon moving here I've gotten back into my usual trouble… I work as a freelance reporter when I can, but mostly I'm in it for the fun of solving mysteries and saving people." She smiles knowingly. "A thrill I'm sure you know all about…"
"And what is you think you know about me?" he asks, his voice low so he can't be overheard. He hopes she'll take the hint, because the last thing he needs is her outing him to a café full of strangers. Why he thinks she knows he has no idea, but there's something about the glint in her eyes.
She smirks. "I've spent most of my life figuring out everybody else's secrets… Some I've kept and others I've let the world know about. But you should know… when it comes to heroes, my lips are sealed." She stares at him, her gaze searching his. "And you, Toby Logan, are just the kind of hero I'm used to."
He chews the inside of his lip, thinks it would be smart to get the hell out of there and never lay eyes on Chloe Sullivan again. But then, he finds himself saying, "I can hear people's thoughts… Sometimes… they need help… So I give it to them…"
Her smile is slow and there's no surprise there. "So what am I thinking?" Her head tips to the side, encouraging him.
"I don't know," he admits, brows furrowed. "You're the first person I've never been able to read before…"
With a gentle chuckle, she nods. "A running theme to my life."
"So?"
She cocks a brow.
"What were you thinking?" he has to ask. He stares at her, eyes wide, a thirst for what goes around in that head clawing at him in desperation.
She grins mysteriously. "I guess you'll never know."
With that, she stands, drops a five on the table for her coffee and a tip. "You ever need a helping hand in that hero business… I'm available." She frowns. "I don't play sidekick though, just the occasional partner."
He nods, wonders what he could say to get her to stay a little longer.
She turns to leave but then pauses, steps back and leans low until her mouth is close to his ear and whispers, "I don't let just anyone catch me, Toby… I'm a bad-guy magnet. It might just be safer if you keep to your business and I keep to mine."
And then she was gone, and he was left grinning.
When was the last time he stuck to keeping safe?
If she thought the bad guys were giving chase, she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.
Finishing off his coffee, he rises from his table and drags on his coat. He has some more chasing to do… He wonders just what kind of reward he'll get when he actually catches her.