Haven
Chapter Two
News
Lex shuffled some papers on his desk. He'd been avoiding calling Nell Potter for almost two days. He wasn't the type to shy away from a challenge and convincing Nell to allow her niece to live at the Luthor Manor was definitely going to prove to be just that. He'd already told Helen about the change and she'd seemed okay with it. He'd informed his staff, so Lana's bedroom would be cleaned and redecorated to suit her tastes. All that was left to be arranged was Nell's acceptance to the proposal. He finally picked up the phone and reluctantly dialed the digits.
"Hello?" A soft, feminine voice came over the ear piece.
"Ms. Potter, this is Lex Luthor." He called her Ms. Potter out of respect for the woman who had raised her niece like her own daughter.. Hopefully her relationship with Dean was going well, so she'd be in a wonderful mood.
"Oh! Mr. Luthor! What can I do for you?"
"Have you spoken with Lana lately?"
She paused before answering, "Not for a couple of weeks."
"Ms. Sullivan and her father are moving to Metropolis this week, leaving Lana slightly homeless."
"She can come live with me."
"Or she can move into the mansion. I have plenty of rooms for her."
"No, Mr. Luthor. That wouldn't be very good on Lana's reputation. A 16-year-old girl cannot become roomates with a 21-year-old..."
"Playboy? I'm hardly a playboy anymore. I'm engaged to be married."
"I was going to say man, Mr. Luthor."
"Helen lives here as does my staff. I'll even let Lana have her own wing if that would make you feel better, Ms. Potter."
"I really don't know about this."
"Lana despises the idea of leaving Smallville before high school is over. I have no intention of leaving in the future and even if I did, Lana could still live here with my staff. She's a wonderful girl, an outstanding worker, and she's become a friend. I want to do this for her."
He said it with such finality that Nell realized it was futile to try to argue with Lex Luthor. He had obviously made up his mind. Of course, she could ultimately say no and he would have to accept her answer, but she didn't really think she would. Lex seemed so passionate about keeping her niece in Smallville, she found herself starting to trust the man. She sighed loudly.
"I'm okay with whatever Lana decides."
"She already said she wanted to."
"Well, this is simply a formality, isn't it?"
"If you said no, Lana would find somewhere else to live or she would unfortunately relocate to Metropolis. I'm just helping her shorten the process."
"All right. She can move into the mansion. We can work out some kind of rental agreement."
"You don't have to pay rent. Just buy her clothes and school supplies, expenses like that. She can have her room for free and food, unless she goes out for her meals."
"You really don't have to do that. It's really too much. You've already opened your home to my niece."
"I insist on this, Mrs. Potter."
"Fine. Thank you, Mr. Luthor."
"I'll go find Lana and tell her the good news. I'll talk to you later."
"Yes."
Lex replaced the phone back onto the cradle, relieved. In reality, that discussion went a lot easier than he thought it would. He'd believed that he would really have to use his charm and power of persuasion to get Nell to say yes. In fact, she gave up rather easily. He stood up, grabbing his keys to his porsche to find the stunning Lana Lang.
Lana walked down the school steps with Chloe, Clark and Pete lagging behind the two, carrying on their own conversation. Chloe had two more days at school, then she would stay at home to prepare for the move over the weekend. Her biggest fear was for The Torch and the possibility that it would die out without the proper care. Lana wasn't really the kind of newspaper editor it needed, afterall they'd seen what she'd done with it when she was in charge for that brief stint. Pete had football. Clark was totally unreliable. She didn't know who she would give the responsibility to. A screech of tires announced the arrival of Lex in a car that cost more than the majority of Smallville houses. He pulled up in front of the group and rolled down the window.
"Lana! I talked to your aunt!"
Lana leaned forward, her raven hair falling over her eyes.
"And?"
"Welcome to Luthor Manor."
Lana let out a squeal before jumping to embrace Clark. Lex had a small smile on his face, watching her excitement. In general, he never could picture Lana as a cheerleader, fluffing her poms in the air. Times like these, though, he definitely saw the spirit in her. Just making her this happy seemed to thaw a tiny section of his heart.
"You can move in when you're ready."
"How about this weekend?"
"Great."
Lex glanced at the clock, checking to see how long he had before his next meeting. 3:45 P.M.
"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Lang, you should be at work by now."
Lana shot him a sly smirk.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Luthor, talking to the boss is a great excuse to make to myself, considering I am the manager."
Lex let out a throaty laugh. He always sincerely enjoyed their conversations and looked forward to her new life at the house.
"I'll see you later, Lana."
"Bye, Lex."
He acknowledged the others before putting the car into gear, zooming away. She noticed that the three of them were preoccupied, staring at her.
"What?"
Clark answered for all of them.
"You just make Lex laugh. Lex doesn't laugh. Smirk, yes. Smile, occasionally. Laugh, never."
Lana was beaming with happiness and pride. "Well, I'm really just talented. I'm actually considering a career in stand-up comedy. Speaking of careers, I've got to get to The Talon before my excuse isn't valid anymore."
They all chuckled to themselves and Lana sped up in the direction of the coffeehouse.
Chloe pushed her blond hair behind her delicate ears. She was surrounded by boxes of every size when a light tap sounded on the door. She glanced up to find Clark standing in the door jamb.
"Hi."Clark started.
Chloe looked back down, continuing put books in a box.
"Hey."
She had to keep her hands busy. If she didn't keep her mind on other things she might find herself forgiving Clark due to his smooth words. She felt his presence beside her before she felt his warm hands on her arm.
"Chloe, please stop and listen to me."
"No, Clark, I'm tired of listening to you apologize, listening to you make everything I should hate you for sound reasonable."
"Chloe, your moving to Metropolis, I will hardly see you anymore. I can't let you go hating me. You mean too much to me."
"Right, Clark, I was just never a priority."
"You were. It's just things got complicated."
"I know. I know, the farm and everything. No. You always made time for Lana."
"Chloe, please."
"I don't want your excuses."
"They aren't excuses. Look at me, Chloe."
He touched her chin and turned her face to him.
"You mean everything to me. You were my first kiss. You were my best friend. You were always there. I can't stand you leaving. I can't stand you not forgiving me."
Chloe felt tears welling up in her eyes. She never cried and she hated doing it now. It only proved to Clark know hurt she was when he continually ditched her, providing everything she needed last. Still, it hurt her more to fight with Clark. He'd been a constant pal since seventh grade. He wasn't always reliable, but he always showed up to rescue her from the messes she seemed to get herself into. Chloe started to nod slowly and it took Clark a while to realize what she was doing.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Clark."
He pulled her into his arms, embracing her, willing to not let go. If he did, Chloe Sullivan might disappear. Chloe pulled away and stared up at his baby face.
"So, I think I'll trust you with The Torch. You'll keep it shining, won't you?"
Clark smiled, "Absolutely."
Chloe leaned back, her feet tucked up under her legs.
"Thanks. Now, since you're here, you want to help me pack. You are so strong and all."
"You don't have to flatter me. I'll help you anways."
"I would never resort to flattery, Clark. I have no idea what you're babbling about. I simply state the facts."
They laughed together as if the fight had never happened.
Chapter Two
News
Lex shuffled some papers on his desk. He'd been avoiding calling Nell Potter for almost two days. He wasn't the type to shy away from a challenge and convincing Nell to allow her niece to live at the Luthor Manor was definitely going to prove to be just that. He'd already told Helen about the change and she'd seemed okay with it. He'd informed his staff, so Lana's bedroom would be cleaned and redecorated to suit her tastes. All that was left to be arranged was Nell's acceptance to the proposal. He finally picked up the phone and reluctantly dialed the digits.
"Hello?" A soft, feminine voice came over the ear piece.
"Ms. Potter, this is Lex Luthor." He called her Ms. Potter out of respect for the woman who had raised her niece like her own daughter.. Hopefully her relationship with Dean was going well, so she'd be in a wonderful mood.
"Oh! Mr. Luthor! What can I do for you?"
"Have you spoken with Lana lately?"
She paused before answering, "Not for a couple of weeks."
"Ms. Sullivan and her father are moving to Metropolis this week, leaving Lana slightly homeless."
"She can come live with me."
"Or she can move into the mansion. I have plenty of rooms for her."
"No, Mr. Luthor. That wouldn't be very good on Lana's reputation. A 16-year-old girl cannot become roomates with a 21-year-old..."
"Playboy? I'm hardly a playboy anymore. I'm engaged to be married."
"I was going to say man, Mr. Luthor."
"Helen lives here as does my staff. I'll even let Lana have her own wing if that would make you feel better, Ms. Potter."
"I really don't know about this."
"Lana despises the idea of leaving Smallville before high school is over. I have no intention of leaving in the future and even if I did, Lana could still live here with my staff. She's a wonderful girl, an outstanding worker, and she's become a friend. I want to do this for her."
He said it with such finality that Nell realized it was futile to try to argue with Lex Luthor. He had obviously made up his mind. Of course, she could ultimately say no and he would have to accept her answer, but she didn't really think she would. Lex seemed so passionate about keeping her niece in Smallville, she found herself starting to trust the man. She sighed loudly.
"I'm okay with whatever Lana decides."
"She already said she wanted to."
"Well, this is simply a formality, isn't it?"
"If you said no, Lana would find somewhere else to live or she would unfortunately relocate to Metropolis. I'm just helping her shorten the process."
"All right. She can move into the mansion. We can work out some kind of rental agreement."
"You don't have to pay rent. Just buy her clothes and school supplies, expenses like that. She can have her room for free and food, unless she goes out for her meals."
"You really don't have to do that. It's really too much. You've already opened your home to my niece."
"I insist on this, Mrs. Potter."
"Fine. Thank you, Mr. Luthor."
"I'll go find Lana and tell her the good news. I'll talk to you later."
"Yes."
Lex replaced the phone back onto the cradle, relieved. In reality, that discussion went a lot easier than he thought it would. He'd believed that he would really have to use his charm and power of persuasion to get Nell to say yes. In fact, she gave up rather easily. He stood up, grabbing his keys to his porsche to find the stunning Lana Lang.
Lana walked down the school steps with Chloe, Clark and Pete lagging behind the two, carrying on their own conversation. Chloe had two more days at school, then she would stay at home to prepare for the move over the weekend. Her biggest fear was for The Torch and the possibility that it would die out without the proper care. Lana wasn't really the kind of newspaper editor it needed, afterall they'd seen what she'd done with it when she was in charge for that brief stint. Pete had football. Clark was totally unreliable. She didn't know who she would give the responsibility to. A screech of tires announced the arrival of Lex in a car that cost more than the majority of Smallville houses. He pulled up in front of the group and rolled down the window.
"Lana! I talked to your aunt!"
Lana leaned forward, her raven hair falling over her eyes.
"And?"
"Welcome to Luthor Manor."
Lana let out a squeal before jumping to embrace Clark. Lex had a small smile on his face, watching her excitement. In general, he never could picture Lana as a cheerleader, fluffing her poms in the air. Times like these, though, he definitely saw the spirit in her. Just making her this happy seemed to thaw a tiny section of his heart.
"You can move in when you're ready."
"How about this weekend?"
"Great."
Lex glanced at the clock, checking to see how long he had before his next meeting. 3:45 P.M.
"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Lang, you should be at work by now."
Lana shot him a sly smirk.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Luthor, talking to the boss is a great excuse to make to myself, considering I am the manager."
Lex let out a throaty laugh. He always sincerely enjoyed their conversations and looked forward to her new life at the house.
"I'll see you later, Lana."
"Bye, Lex."
He acknowledged the others before putting the car into gear, zooming away. She noticed that the three of them were preoccupied, staring at her.
"What?"
Clark answered for all of them.
"You just make Lex laugh. Lex doesn't laugh. Smirk, yes. Smile, occasionally. Laugh, never."
Lana was beaming with happiness and pride. "Well, I'm really just talented. I'm actually considering a career in stand-up comedy. Speaking of careers, I've got to get to The Talon before my excuse isn't valid anymore."
They all chuckled to themselves and Lana sped up in the direction of the coffeehouse.
Chloe pushed her blond hair behind her delicate ears. She was surrounded by boxes of every size when a light tap sounded on the door. She glanced up to find Clark standing in the door jamb.
"Hi."Clark started.
Chloe looked back down, continuing put books in a box.
"Hey."
She had to keep her hands busy. If she didn't keep her mind on other things she might find herself forgiving Clark due to his smooth words. She felt his presence beside her before she felt his warm hands on her arm.
"Chloe, please stop and listen to me."
"No, Clark, I'm tired of listening to you apologize, listening to you make everything I should hate you for sound reasonable."
"Chloe, your moving to Metropolis, I will hardly see you anymore. I can't let you go hating me. You mean too much to me."
"Right, Clark, I was just never a priority."
"You were. It's just things got complicated."
"I know. I know, the farm and everything. No. You always made time for Lana."
"Chloe, please."
"I don't want your excuses."
"They aren't excuses. Look at me, Chloe."
He touched her chin and turned her face to him.
"You mean everything to me. You were my first kiss. You were my best friend. You were always there. I can't stand you leaving. I can't stand you not forgiving me."
Chloe felt tears welling up in her eyes. She never cried and she hated doing it now. It only proved to Clark know hurt she was when he continually ditched her, providing everything she needed last. Still, it hurt her more to fight with Clark. He'd been a constant pal since seventh grade. He wasn't always reliable, but he always showed up to rescue her from the messes she seemed to get herself into. Chloe started to nod slowly and it took Clark a while to realize what she was doing.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Clark."
He pulled her into his arms, embracing her, willing to not let go. If he did, Chloe Sullivan might disappear. Chloe pulled away and stared up at his baby face.
"So, I think I'll trust you with The Torch. You'll keep it shining, won't you?"
Clark smiled, "Absolutely."
Chloe leaned back, her feet tucked up under her legs.
"Thanks. Now, since you're here, you want to help me pack. You are so strong and all."
"You don't have to flatter me. I'll help you anways."
"I would never resort to flattery, Clark. I have no idea what you're babbling about. I simply state the facts."
They laughed together as if the fight had never happened.