Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I own nada
Parings: Clark/Lana, Chloe/Lionel, Lucas/Other
Rating: PG 13 (but it might go up, I'll let you know if it does)
It had been two months since Chloe had come to LA to visit her cousin, with the odd phone call back to Smallville Chloe didn't really keep up with what was going on in her old town, Pete kept her up to date with everything that was going on with his summer vacation in New York visiting his relations and Clark kept asking why she just up and left like she did without telling anyone, little did he know that she had caught him and Lana in her office the day before she left. Now she was organising everything she had brought during her hiatus to LA so that she wouldn't have to do to much in the morning before she flew back home, to start a new year in school, to start a whole new chapter in her life that she knew no one would really understand and put her on the out's of the town more than she really was. Chloe was putting a photo of her, Clark, Lana, Pete and Lex in her bag when she stopped to look at it, it was taken just before summer vacation when everything was still simple and easy, Lex had just found out that another woman he wanted to marry wanted to kill him and keep his money luckily this time he found out just before he got to the alter with thanks to Chloe who decided to look into Helen one last time because she didn't trust her but was able to win Lex's trust by doing so cause he knew that there was someone who was looking out for him one way or another even if he didn't like the idea of Chloe going behind his back about it. Chloe stood there looking at the photo and realised that was one of the only times where no one was holding secrets from one another and she knew that once she got back it would only be a matter of time before her big secret came out as well. Chloe was interrupted from her thoughts from a voice from the doorway to her room.
"You ready?"
"Cor I still don't she why me?" Chloe said putting the photo in the bag before straightening up and smoothing out the dress that she was wearing, it was in a deep mauve colour, which reminded her of Lex, it had a modest neckline but was very low cut in the back, exposing most of her back and stopping at the small of her back. "Why didn't you ask Fred?"
"Cause one, Fred's going out with Wesley and he won't like the fact that Fred's going out with another guy and two, this is your final night in LA, and your gonna have fun" Cordy said sitting down on the bed
Chloe just looked at her as she moved things around her room
"Plus I have a date and his friend needed at date" Cordy added with a smile, who was dressed in a deep red dress with a low cut front and a modest cut in the back
Chloe just looked at her "I don't see why you just don't tell Sir Brood-a-lot how you feel about him"
Cordy just looked at her "Like you told that Clark guy"
Chloe shook her head "It's different"
"How?"
"Because I knew no matter how I felt about Clark he would never feel the same way and would only see me as his friend he goes to when he has no one else" Chloe said with acceptance, no pity was evident in her voice, Chloe took a deep breath and slowly let it out and joined Cordy on sitting on the bed "Great just what I need a blind date"
Cordy smiled and put an arm around Chloe's shoulder "Hey if my date's anything to go by, your date will be a hottie"
Chloe smiled "So do you know where they're gonna be taking us?"
Cordy shook her head "Nope, some function or another"
Chloe rolled her eyes, and thought to her self that if she was back in Smallville she would be sneaking in to functions both in Smallville and Metropolis to get information for some story or another, but tonight that was the last thing on her mind
"Damn girls your looking gorgeous" Gunn said entering the room, Chloe and Gunn had become close during her stay in LA, whenever she wanted to go somewhere and do something Gunn was always the first to come with, he was the only one who didn't comment on what people called her coffee addiction, and he reminded her of Pete in some ways and that she was going to miss him most of all when she went back home
"Thanks Gunn" Chloe said with a smile and a slight blush, Cordy just shook her head and stood up, straightening her dress out
"Well I just thought I'd come up here and tell you that your dates are here and Angel's downstairs giving them 'the talk'" Gunn said, with the last part with air quotes
Cordy groaned "We better get down there" Cordy said as she headed to the door muttering something bout how Angel always seems to embarrass her in one way or another
"Umm" Chloe said standing up and running to the bathroom, closing the door behind her
Gunn and Cordy exchanged a look "At least it's getting better" Gunn said with a shrug and slightly wincing hearing Chloe in the bathroom. Cordy looked at the door
"I'm gonna go down and repair as damage as I can that Angel has inflicted upon them, and keep them occupied as I can. Bring Chloe down when she's ready"
"You think she'll be up to it?" Gunn asked with a raised eyebrow
Cordy smiled, "She's a Sullivan, they're resilient, just like us Chase's"
Gunn nodded as Cordy left to go and meet her date for the evening, he sat on the bed to wait for Chloe to re-emerge.
Downstairs
Cordy slowly made her way downstairs wondering why she was going on this date with a guy who wasn't the man she was in love with and would never see again 'Oh well' Cordy mused 'At least I'm gonna have fun for one night without any blood or ooze on her outfits for the night, and a plus side is to get Chloe out for some fun before she went home to face everything that was waiting for her' Cordy thought with a smile "Hi" Cordy said as she met her date and Chloe's date in the middle of the foyer "Angel leave the poor guy's alone no need to read the riot act" Cordy said with a smile at Angel, who was taking in her dress
"You look amazing" Cordy's date said with a smile, taking a hand a brushing a light kiss on her knuckles
"Thanks Lex, you look great yourself" Cordy said with a smile before adding "Well you did send us the dresses, so really you have great taste"
Lex just smiled as Cordy looked to the man on Lex's right "Cordy this is a good friend of mine Bruce, Bruce this is Cordy"
Cordy and Bruce shook hands "Bruce, Chloe will be down in a minute" and Bruce nodded as looked up the stair case where Cordy had come from
"So what is Chloe like?" Bruce asked, wondering who Lex had set him up with this time and how he was going to get him back for this "Lex said she is your cousin?"
Cordy paused as she watched Angel head over to the couch where Conner, Wesley and Fred was sitting watching what was going on "Chloe's smart, beautiful, and can be a little bit crazy" Cordy said the last part with a smile
"Only if you get in the way of her and her coffee fix" Angel called out
Cordy turned to look at him "You go in the way, and she did warn you and I still can't believe that your complaining about that"
"She got coffee all over my jacket" Angel said with a frown
Cordy turned to look at Lex and Bruce when Lex said something to Bruce "She sounds like someone I know back home"
Bruce raised an eye brow as did Cordy "Yeah?"
Lex nodded "She hadn't had coffee in like a day and a friend told me not too be in her way when she came into the coffee shop, needless to say I didn't listen and I ended up being pushed out of the way as she made her way to the counter"
Bruce laughed "Someone actually pushed you?" Bruce asked disbelievingly
Lex nodded "Lets' just say from that moment on I don't go anywhere near her unless she's had at least 2 cups in her" Lex said with a smile remembering all of the conversations that he had with Chloe over coffee at the Talon and wondering when she was going to come back so that they could continue there conversations because there was such a lack of it in Smallville
Bruce looked at Lex "I think I'm gonna have to come and visit you one of these days to meet this woman who pushed you around and still lives to tell the tale"
"You just might have to do that" Lex said with a blank face, wondering if Chloe and Bruce did meet would they hit it off cause she was just his type
"You were saying?" Bruce asked getting the conversation back to the original topic of his date
"Well she's blonde,"
Cordy was interrupted by Lex "Just your type Bruce" with Bruce just smiling at Lex knowing that he had a fascination with brunettes himself
Cordy continued, "Chloe can also be very blunt at times as well"
Bruce just smiled, beginning to like this girl already, without even having of met her yet "Oh I think I can handle her"
Upstairs
"Chloe you ok?" Gunn called out
"Yep" Chloe replied, walking out of the bathroom "If it gets too much I'll just come home" Chloe said answering Gunn's unspoken question
"So you think you'll" Gunn said, his head motioning to the bathroom
Chloe shook her head "There's nothing left" Chloe said grabbing her handbag and followed Gunn out of her room. They walked in silence until they were near the stairs and could see into the foyer and stopped when they heard voices
"The one with the dark hair is your date" Gunn explained seeing the look on Chloe's face, Chloe nodded "and the bald guy is Cordy's date" Chloe looked at Gunn and hearing the voices but not what they were saying, one of the voices where familiar, then it clicked 'it can't be' Chloe thought to herself
"You ok?" Gunn asked, seeing the look on her face as if she was trying to figure out some question or another and not liking the answer she kept coming up with
"Yeah I'm fine" Chloe nodded "Blind date nerves is all"
Gunn nodded then they made there way down the stairs, as they did so Chloe's suspicions ended up being correct. Everybody had there backs to the staircase when Gunn and Chloe made there way down to the foyer when Bruce made the statement that he could handle her, Gunn smirked and shook his head knowing that there's not too many people who could actually handle Chloe
"You think?" Chloe said, breaking up the conversation and everyone turning to her. Cordy had a smile on her face, as did Bruce but Lex had a look of shock and surprise on his, the infamous Luthor mask not present with Chloe just smiling, knowing who everyone was in the room and who her mystery date was for the evening
"You must be Chloe" Bruce asked, breaking up the silence that had consumed the foyer for a few seconds
Chloe nodded and walked towards Bruce as Gunn joined the others on the couch to watch what was going on
"Chloe Sullivan" Chloe said holding her hand out to Bruce, not looking Lex in the eye, as Bruce took it and planted a light kiss on her knuckles
"Bruce Wayne" Bruce said introducing himself
"I know" Chloe said with a smile
"How?" Cordy asked with a raised eye brow, realising that Chloe somehow knew her date by the looks that gave Chloe when she came down the stairs
Chloe smiled "This is Bruce Wayne, of Wayne enterprise's in Gotham City" Chloe explained as Cordy nodded
"Chloe probably has a file on you at home with another file list of questions she wants to ask you" Lex said speaking for the first time
Chloe smiled at Lex "Lex"
"Chloe" they both said in an even tone, with no emotion, but also indicating that they both had questions that needed to be asked of one another
Bruce had a look of puzzlement on his face at Lex's statement, as Chloe and Lex exchanged pleasantries with one another
"That is beside the point Mr Luthor"
"Ah back to Mr Luthor now is it?" Lex asked with a smirk wondering what Chloe was thinking
Chloe smiled "No, I just thought I'd use it for old times sake"
Bruce continued to look between them "You guys know each other?"
"That we do" Lex replied "Chloe was the one I was telling you about"
Bruce smiled and at the story that Lex had just told him bout the woman who had pushed him just for a cup of coffee
Chloe raised an eye brow at Lex "And what may I ask did Mr Luthor tell you about me Bruce?"
Bruce smiled "Nothing bad I promise"
Chloe smiled "I don't think Lex knows anything bad about me anyway, I was just intrigued that Lex was telling some one about me that's all"
"And why wouldn't he?"
"Because I'm a reporter and Lex hate's reporters" Chloe said with a smile
"Not all just most" Lex replied with a smile of his own
"So I'm an exception to the rule then" Chloe asked with a smirk
"Only ones who fall out of my windows, then yes" Lex said with a smile, both knowing that the incident at his place the first time she had tried to interview him, ended up with her being thrown out of the window by some robbers and a concussion and a broken arm, at one stage it was a sore subject for Lex to either talk or joke about but after Chloe was able to convince him that she didn't hold him responsible at all for it, they were able to joke about it
Cordy looked shocked "You fell out of a window?"
Chloe shrugged "No big deal, no harm no foul, it wasn't like he tried to kill me or anything, it wasn't even his fault"
Chloe and Lex just smiled, both knowing the amount of times since his arrival to Smallville that they both had nearly been killed, Chloe in particular, but she almost always able to get herself out of any trouble she got herself into unlike Lana who needed to rescued every other week.
Bruce and Cordy just nodded both not knowing how to take this information "May I say Chloe that you look absolutely beautiful this evening"
Chloe blushed and smiled "Thanks Bruce" Chloe looked at Bruce "May I say that you are looking very handsome this evening"
"You may" Bruce said with a smile
"All I can say is Lex has great taste when it comes to dresses" Cordy said
Chloe looked at Lex and smirked "I would either say that he has a great eye for a straight male of the female form and the type of dresses that look amazing on it or there is something he is neglecting to tell us" Chloe said with a smile
"And that would be Miss Sullivan" Lex asked wondering what was going through Chloe's mind at that moment and after asking that question realising that it was a dangerous one to ask her
"Well Mr Luthor" Chloe said with a smile, Lex began to feel worried with that smile that Chloe was giving him, "One might think that you have a fetish for dresses"
"Only on the female form Miss Sullivan" Lex said, getting at where Chloe was probably going with that statement, and if he didn't say something he knew that an article in the Torch would be 'Lex likes dressing in woman's clothing' or something like that.
Chloe just smiled knowing that Lex had caught where she was going with her statement
"And here I thought that the inquisition wouldn't start till I saw my father" Lex said with a smile
Chloe frowned "What? Your father is going to be there tonight?"
Lex nodded "Not to mention Lucas"
"I haven't met him yet"
"Well tonight's your chance" Lex thought, hoping that they would never meet because with those two in the same room at the same time talking to one another, conducting some scheme or another he was in serious trouble with their knack of finding things out and breaking into places they shouldn't be
"You sound like you don't want me to meet your baby brother" Chloe said with slight frown
Lex nodded "Well you know what he got up to last time he was in town"
Chloe nodded "So you are just trying to protect me from the Luther junior then?" Lex just looked at Chloe "I think I can handle your brother, if I can handle a conversation with you that is"
Lex just looked at Chloe and started to wonder what trouble her and Lucas is going to get up next time he was in Smallville
Cordy interrupted there conversation "So I take it you know Lex's family?"
Chloe nodded "You could say that, everyone knows who Lex's dad is and not too many people know Lucas" Chloe explained
"And Lex's dad would be?" Cordy asked wondering who this man is
Chloe sighed and looked at Lex and Bruce not believing that she didn't know who Lionel Luthor was "Lex's dad is Lionel Luther, CEO and President of Luthor Corp"
Cordy nodded "And what type of person is your dad?"
Chloe, Bruce and Lex all looked at each other wondering how to explain what type of person Lionel really was, but them all thinking different things
"Let's just say Bruce and I will have to keep a close eye on you with him around"
Cordy looked to Chloe for a further explanation "He's a womaniser" Chloe said easily knowing that it was the truth, Lex just looked at Chloe wondering how well she knew his father because her statement sounded as if she knew him personally and as far as he knew Chloe had never met him outside the Luthor company picnic's.
Lex looked at Chloe "Miss Sullivan, could you please refrain from asking too many questions this evening"
Chloe looked at Lex with mock offence "Why Mr Luthor you better not be saying what I think your saying"
"And I would be saying?"
"That I would be looking for a story form this evening"
"And your not?'
Chloe shook her head "No I'm not, I'm on holiday's until I go back to Smallville, then I'll be back to normal"
"And that would be?" Lex asked with a raised eyebrow
"Hounding you for an interview every other week" Chloe said with a smile, which Lex returned.
Bruce and Cordy just looked at one another, both realising that they should pair off for this evening seems that Lex and Chloe seemed to be in their own little world
"And I would have to keep turning you down" Lex said easily
"And it would be a normal week in Smallville then" Chloe said shrugging her shoulders
Bruce looked at his watch "We've got to go or we'll be late, you two can continue this in the car if you like" Bruce said with a smile
Chloe and Cordy looked at the guys on the couch who were watching the two couples in the middle of the foyer "Night" they both said before linking arms with their respective dates
"Don't wait up" Cordy called out. Lex and Cordy following Bruce and Chloe out of the hotel and realised how low the back of her dress really was, and decided that he was going to have a tough time keeping both his father and brother away from her, dressed like that. Once the doors was closed Gunn commented to the others "I wish we had popcorn for that"
"Lex and Chloe seemed to know each other pretty well" Wesley commented
"You don't think?" Fred asked
Gunn shook his head "No I don't"
"And I didn't get that sense from the two of them either" Angel said "Enough of that, we have a demon in the sewer to take care of" Angel said getting up with the others following.
A/N: So what did you think? Please review