Title: Wanted (2/?)

Fandom: Smallville

Genre: Angst/Romance

Pairing: Chloe/Lex, hints of Chloe/Oliver, hints of Oliver/Dinah

Rating: R

Spoilers: to the beginning of season 10 to cover myself!

Summary: Sequel to 'Nobody's Pawn'.

Author Note: All comments and reviews are appreciated. For the sake of this fic, Oliver never exposed his identity to the world.

Dedicated to Solo, because she could do with a loving billionaire of her own.

Chloe was running late. Even after making a mad dash home from Metropolis didn't have her keeping to her schedule. She had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her lately, it was if her brain had taken a vacation.

What she needed was a coffee. A double shot of espresso with a touch of almond syrup could get her through anything.

The kitchen staff were busy with preparations for the evening's shareholder dinner, so Chloe made her way to the machine herself. As great as the mansion staff were, none of them could quite get her favourites right.

As the coffee maker warmed, she slipped on her heels for tonight. She was sure she must have looked ridiculous standing there with her hair done, full makeup and heels, only to be wearing one of Lex's shirts. Luckily, no one ever mentioned Mrs Luthor's strange quirks. Maybe it was because most of them liked her, and the rest remembered her from her Smallville years.

The smell of fresh coffee hit her nose, and instantly Chloe felt better. There was no time for a half fat caramel cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles today. Their guests would be arriving shortly and she still needed to get into her dress.

Picking up her beloved shot of espresso, Chloe inhaled its aroma appreciatively before raising the small cup to her lips.

"I'll take that, thank you."

As quick as it was there, her cup was snatched from her hands. Chloe turned to the evil bastard who would dare deprive her of her lifeline.

"Lex! Give that back!"

Ignoring her protests, Lex proceeded to throw the hot beverage into the nearest sink.

"Doctors orders were to cut down on the caffeine, right?"

"Do I even want to know how you found out that I had an appointment today?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, resisting the urge to poke him in the chest.

"Your doctor is not on my payroll, if that's what you're thinking."

Chloe glared at the man. She didn't care how handsome he looked in his suit for the evening; he was in her bad books.

"Lois told me." he told her by way of explanation.

"Since when do you speak to my cousin?"

"Since she calls me in the middle of a very important meeting, telling me how concerned she is for your welfare. I'm just glad I took the call in my office, otherwise the board would have heard a ten minute tirade of abuse."

Chloe relaxed slightly, unfolding her arms and leaning back against the kitchen counter. "She's over protective, and far too interested in poking her nose where it doesn't belong." She said affectionately.

"For once, I am perfectly happy for her interference." Lex walked to the refrigerator and pulled out some orange juice, and poured a glass. "You should have told me you weren't feeling well."

Lex pushed the glass into her hands, before putting an arm around her waist and gently guiding her from the busy kitchen.

"It's nothing, the doctor said it's probably a virus. I've been working hard lately and my immune system is revolting as a result. It's no big."

Once finally away from the noisy preparations, Lex closed the door behind him and turned Chloe to look at him. He lightly gripped her upper arms, and held her attention with concerned eyes.

"It is to me." He said softly.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think it was that big of a deal. You have enough to deal with at the moment, and a sniffle isn't something I thought you needed to be bothered with."

A small look of confusion crossed his face, and he released one of her arms to cup her cheek. "You know I care about you, right?"

She gave him a small smile, "I know that, Lex."

It wasn't a lie. There was a trust there now; two people working towards familiar goals can lead to that. Lex was an amazing liar, but her bullshit detector normally saw right through it. He was genuine, and when Lex cared for something, he protected it, no matter what. As crazy as it sounded, he was her best friend; and friends cared.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Despite her heels, she still had to stand on her toes to kiss him briefly on the lips.

"Just don't hide things from me, Chloe. That's all I ask." Lex returned her kiss with one of his own, his lips clinging to hers for longer.

"Well, that and maybe a promise not to wear this outside of the bedroom." He said, playfully tugging on the shirt she was wearing.

"It's the only thing in the wardrobe that I could wear and then take off again, without ruining my hair. Besides, It's not that bad." She said looking down at herself. The crisp blue shirt fell to her knees at least.

"The looks of guilt I received when I caught them staring at my wife, are the only reason three of my staff still have their jobs."

Chloe rolled her eyes. He was prone to exaggeration.

Leaning forward, his hot breath tickled the shell of her ear. "And seeing you in this outfit is doing little for what self control I have left."

The hand still holding her arm slid slowly down her body, before stopping at the curve of her ass. Chloe was proud that she didn't make a noise as he gave it a firm squeeze, instead just giving him her best smirk and look of amusement, while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Please, don't tell me you are seduced by such an obvious cliche."

"Not often, I'll admit. I think I can blame it on the fact I've been worrying about you for most of the afternoon."

Chloe sighed, and she physically sagged in his arms. "You're not going to let this go are you?"

"You know I won't. Perhaps, if I annoy you enough, you won't keep things from me in future."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're a broken record, Lex. I should have told you, I didn't, and I'm sorry. Okay?"

"Okay." He gave her a final kiss, before letting go of her. "Now hurry up, you're running late."

Chloe reluctantly unwound her arms from around his neck and started to move in the direction of their bedroom. "I'd move faster if I had coffee!" She yelled over her shoulder, as she shuffled along quickly in her heels.

"Your stash will be under lock and key by morning." Came the reply.

Chloe turned to face him as she reached the staircase. "You're talking grounds for divorce, Luthor."

He gave her a slow smile as he readjusted his tie. "I'm confident you won't follow through on your threat; you're starting to like me too much."

Without waiting for a response he turned, and headed back into the kitchen. She was sure he was going to take care of any future access to her favourite machine.

She had always known the Luthors were evil.

The night had started like many other shareholder dinners. Lex tried to charm the room, keeping those he needed to on good terms, all while Chloe smiled brightly, kept her snarky remarks to herself and stood by his side.

And she was bored to tears.

As hostess, it was her job to entertain some of the wives who had joined their husbands for had once prided herself on being able to talk to anyone, a handy skill as a budding journalist. However, if she had to listen to one more conversation about luxury spa holidays or the latest fashions, she was going to pick up one of Lex's ornamental swords and start swinging.

She should have known long ago that she should be careful what she wished for - certainly her brief encounters with Zatanna should have taught her that.

"I see these events are as stimulating as ever."

The appearance of Tess Mercer at her shoulder surprised not only herself, but Lex too. Chloe saw the way his spine stiffened slightly, and how his eyes kept drifting in their direction from across the room.

"Tess."

"Mrs Luthor." The redhead responded with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked pleasantly, but the hostility was clear in her voice.

"I have a right to be here. Lex may have had me removed from the board, but I'm still a shareholder." Tess grabbed a champagne flute from a passing server and took a small sip.

When Chloe had married Lex, she was sure that all past connections would be left behind. Finding out that Tess was in fact his baby half-sister, shouldn't have been as much of a shock as it was.

Luckily for her, the Luthors weren't the kind of family to get together once a week and have Sunday dinner. She and Tess were 'frenemies' at best, and the thought of having to socialise with the woman left her skin crawling.

She hoped that her sister-in-law was here just to protect her own financial interests, and was here without any other kind of agenda. Chloe knew that Tess was working with Clark, and there was a good chance that the other woman had been sent here as an agent of the JLA.

"You look well."

The kind comment took Chloe aback. Compliments were a rare thing between them.

"Is that a surprise?" Chloe took a sip of her own drink, while mentally listing through the rooms Tess would have had access to prior to entering the hall.

"If you listen to some current theories, you are currently bound and gagged within some elaborate Luthor dungeon."

Two weeks ago, Chloe had finally disconnected the JLA's connection to the mansion's security feed. She had grown tired of being constantly watched, and had been satisfied that they had seen enough to know that she was there willingly. Victor's repeated attempts to gain access to the feed, and now this wacky statement, had shown her that there was still a solid interest in this house.

She was disappointed. If only this much time and effort had been put in while she really was tasting her own blood, locked in a dark, damp room.

"I'm glad to prove current theory wrong."

Tess gave a small gesture with her glass in Chloe's direction. "It was never one I held."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. Tess wouldn't beat around the bush. She told it like she saw it. "Really?"

"I know you married Lex by your own free will. Unfortunately, my beliefs fall on deaf ears."

"You're telling me you're the only one who believes I married Lex for love?"

Tess genuinely laughed at the question. "God, no."

"Then I don't understand."

"We're alike in many ways, Chloe. We find ourselves plucked from obscurity and drawn into the orbit of powerful men, no matter how hard we fight. We want to save the world, and trying to help only every leads to sacrifice on our part." Tess took another large sip of her drink before turning to face Chloe square on. "And we both belong to the 'Screwed Over by Oliver Queen' club."

Chloe finished her own drink. Tess was the one person she hadn't imagined having this conversation with.

"That's the only reason you think I married Lex?"

"Isn't it?" Tess arched her eyebrow; only now did it seem eerily familiar, after matching the same expression to Lex's. Chloe could kick herself for not seeing the similarities before now.

"I don't think I should dignify that with a response."

"I did the same thing, Chloe. Oliver hurt me, so I did what I could to upset him the most, and ran straight into the arms of Luthorcorp. The irony was, I didn't know just how close I already was to his enemy. If I had been aware of it, I would have used that information to the fullest."

"I'm not like you, Tess."

"Are you sure? You're not a selfish person, and you certainly aren't motivated by greed. With your history, we all know there was no deep, hidden love between you and Lex. You've always been motivated by purpose, and what greater purpose than seeing those who let you down suffer?"

Chloe placed her empty glass on a passing tray, and picked up a full one. She was going to need all of the Dutch courage she could get to make it through this evening.

"I'm a good actress, I can admit that; but not even I could fake a marriage."

"Credit where it's due, you're certainly doing better than my brother's previous spouses." Tess smirked.

"I don't have to listen to this. If you are here for business, then by all means stay. If you're here just to insult me, or my marriage, then feel free to leave." Chloe stood her ground, determined not to walk away like someone who was ashamed of their actions.

She hated that her marriage was seen as only a plan for revenge, but it was more than that. They were genuinely enjoying each other's company, respected and trusted each other, all with the added bonus of an amazing sex life. Wasn't that what most marriages hoped for? It was certainly more than she had had with Jimmy, and that was with a man she had loved for over two years.

"I'm not here to make a judgement. I just hope that you don't hurt yourself in the process. Power is attractive, and so is Lex. Just make sure you're not so tightly caught in his web that you can never break free."

With those final words, Tess left her alone and went to mingle amongst the other shareholders, her professional smile once again in place.

She let out a small sigh of relief, glad to be freed from that conversation, and gracefully made her way over to Lex. At least beside him she wouldn't have to deal with any judgements alone. As much as she hated to admit it, it was nice to be able to rely on someone else again.

His arm automatically found its way around her lower back, bringing her close to his side.

The warmth of his touch, and the now familiar scent of his cologne, helped her to relax. Listening to his smooth voice, she was lulled into a comforting sense of security, and soon forgot about the awkward conversation with Tess.

After five minutes, it was announced to the room that dinner was about to be served, and they were invited to the dining room to take their seats.

Chloe made to follow the crowd, but a gentle grip on her elbow kept her back. "Lex?"

"Is everything alright?"

She gave him a small smile, hoping it would ease some of the concern on his face. "Sure, why wouldn't it be?"

"I saw Tess talking to you."

"It's nothing to be worried about, I can tell you about it later." She slid her hands up his arm, and gently pulled him in the direction of the door.

Lex begrudgingly allowed her to lead him. "I know you will; because given the company my sister chooses to keep, I don't trust her with you."

"Are you scared that she'll talk some sense into me, and whisk me from the premises?" She asked in a mocking voice.

When she wasn't given the sarcastic reply expected, she looked up to see his eyes focused forward, and his jaw set.

"Are you kidding me, Lex? You actually think that's going to happen?"

When he didn't reply, she let go of her hold on him. "I thought you had more faith in me than that."

"I know how fragile things remain between us. The only thing that keeps you by my side is the knowledge you're hurting someone else. If Tess convinced you otherwise, you wouldn't need to be here."

"I'm here because I want to be. You know I've come to care for you. This isn't an act for me anymore." It wasn't unusual for her to show devotion to her friends, but she had surprised herself with how passionately she had spoken.

He reached for her hand again. "I'm sorry. It's hard to ignore old insecurities."

"You've told me that we're in this for the long haul. It might be time to start listening to yourself." She gripped his hand tighter, "I'm not in the habit of breaking promises."

"This has to be the most bizarre relationship I've ever been in."

"And I'm yet to make an attempt on your life. I think that says something for the strange."

She was given one of his rare smiles, before he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, the vultures are waiting."

Moulding herself to his side, she put an arm around his back and walked with him to the dining room.