Disclaimer – Nothing. Not mine at all.

AN. – This is totally AU. Lex and Chloe have never met.

Chloe tapped her fingers slowly on the counter while she held a coffee pot in her other hand. She gazed tiredly across the room trying to see if anyone needed a refill, but the few people who were there seemed to be finished and ready to go. Chloe sighed and lay the coffee pot on the counter. It had been a long and tiring night and to make it worse, she hadn't gotten any tip. Working part time at this cafe was the last thing she wanted, but she needed the money to pay for her apartment and studies. She was already two weeks behind with her apartment, and she knew if she didn't pay the rent soon her landlord would kick her out. Sometimes she regretted leaving Smalville. If she didn't leave, her life would of been so much easier and she wouldn't be living the way she did now. But she made a choice. A choice to earn her own living, to take care of herself. She remembered how proud of herself she was when she got on the bus to Metropolis and waved good bye to her love ones. She was so sure she would make it in Metropolis and in the beginning everything seemed to go the right way for her. But sending money to her father every month, and trying to pay the rent with a lousy job as a waitress, wasn't good at all. And if that wasn't enough she had to pay for her own studies. Her parents insisted on paying for her studies, but she refused. She didn't want to live off her parents money and not be able to support herself.

Chloe snapped out of her thoughts as a tall handsome man entered through the door. He sat down at one of the table near the window and placed his suitcase gently on the table. Opening it, he reached for a piece of paper and a pen. He shook his head as he signed it.

Chloe smiled softly as she approached him with the coffee pot and was about to pour him some coffee. But he cupped his hand over the cup and shook his head. He looked up and their eyes met for a short moment before he smiled and gazed away.

"I'll just have a glass of ice tea", he said dryly.

Chloe nodded and felt a blush coming. She hurried towards the counter and grabbed a pot of ice tea from the fridge, but stopped as she heard a female voice behind her.

"Why are you blushing?"

Chloe turned around and met a familiar face. It was Cathie Saul, her co- worker and friend.

"I'm not blushing" she trailed off. "It's just warm in here".

Cathie laughed out loud. "Who is he?" she asked and pointed at the same man sitting beside the window.

Chloe swallowed hard. "How should I know?"

"Be real Chloe. I saw you talking to him and when you came to get the ice tea you were blushing" Cathie teased.

"I'm not blushing", Chloe said and started walking back towards the man.

"You're blushing Chloe Sullivan", Cathie yelled after her.

She ignored Cathie's last comment and clutched the pot harder between her fingers. She grabbed a glass and poured the ice tea into it. The man was now putting the piece of paper and the pen back into the suitcase. He looked quite handsome where he was sitting. His facial features were incredibly defined – his jaw strong, his eyes intense, and cheeks sunken. And he wore an elegant suit that fitted him perfectly. He was indeed handsome and very sexy, Chloe thought.

Placing the glass on the table, she smiled shyly.

"If you want anything else you can just call for me" , she offered.

The man nodded. "If it isn't any problem, can you just leave the ice tea here?"

Before she could answer, a young boy ran into her, knocking her over. The ice tea left her hands and landed on the mans white shirt. He rose quickly and it looked like he was about to yell at her, but he sat down beside her and gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned look on his face. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

She tucked her hands around his arm and tried to pull herself up, but a string of pain shot through her leg making her scream.

"Yeah, it hurts right here", she said and pointed at her ankle.

The door behind the counter opened and Chloe's boss came out. His face fell momentarily when he saw her on the floor with her feet in her hands.

"What the hell happened?" he yelled as he approached a hurting Chloe. "Get up and get to work. We have a lot of customers waiting for their orders".

She nodded quickly and pulled herself off the floor. She grimaced as pain shot through her ankle again. A hand grabbed her arm gently as she was about to walk back to the counter. It was the handsome man.

"Excuse me, can't you see that she's hurting?" he said and clenched his fists firmly.

"So I see, but that's not my fault is it?" he retorted with a smile. "It's her own fault she's so clumsy".

She watched as the two men argued. Sometimes Lou, her boss, could be a real bastard.

"It wasn't her fault. A little child bumped into her making her fall and sprain her ankle". The man said.

Chloe noticed his jaw tightened and he kept clutching his fists. Who was this man? They didn't even know each other and still he stood out for her.

"Chloe are you just going to stand there? Get back to work." Lou said loudly making her heart skip a beat. She nodded quickly.

"No she not going back to work", the man exclaimed. Chloe looked surprised at him. What was he doing? She couldn't afford making Lou mad and she couldn't afford losing her job.

Lou breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. Then he gazed at her with an angry look.

"Chlo, are you going back to work or not?"

Chloe glanced at the man next to her. He had an intense look in his eyes and he seemed to be angry as hell. Then she turned to face Lou again.

"Yes…I am", she hesitated.

"No you're not. I'm not letting you work for this ass of a man", he protested.

Chloe shook her head. " You don't understand…I h.." she was able to say before the man lifted her up into his arms, and strolled slowly towards the exit. She could see Lou standing there with his mouth open and banging his hands on the table in anger. She couldn't help but smile as she was carried out of the cafe by this handsome mysterious man.