Chapter 3

The limo pulled up to Diablos and Chloe briefly wondered if the name of the restaurant and Lex's presence were carefully orchestrated by Lex to reinforce his image or if fate was just doing it for him. They were ushered to the hotspot's best table right away while other patrons stared enviously at Lex and sneered at his obviously working class, improperly attired, albeit pretty companion. Chloe laughed to herself when the waiter became very confused upon seeing her sitting at the best seat. Lex ordered wine and some fish dish that Chloe was pretty sure were endangered species for both of them without bothering to look at the menu. If Diablo didn't have it, they would quickly get it.

"Gee Lex, your psychic ability is getting freakishly good. Thanks for not bothering to ask what I wanted, I like eating things that are working on extinction," Chloe sweetly said. Lex just smirked at her.

"So wanna tell me what I came here for?" The waiter, or whatever pretentious name they called themselves in rich places, came over and poured a small amount of the wine in a glass for Lex to taste. He nodded in approval and dismissed him as he took another sip of the wine, letting the rich burgundy swirl in his mouth.

"I'm willing to shut down my 33.1 facilities..."

"If?" Chloe asked waiting for one hell of a catch. He was wasting her time, their was nothing that she had or could do that was worth him giving up his obsession. What, did he think she had the keys to the kingdom of heaven or something?

"If you marry me?" Her brain was no longer working or she had officially gone insane because she had just heard Lex say he'd trade marriage for 33.1.

"What? Why? What? You are already married. Me? Have you lost your mind or am I the one taking a mental vacation?"

"Marriage is what I want in exchange for 33.1 because I want you and given our history, I do not delude myself into thinking you would come to me with out persuasion. And as for being already married, I'm not anymore. Lana has already signed the divorce papers since she resurfaced. She was just a tool and I'm thankfully done with her. My sanity and your sanity are still very much intact though we both know what it feels like to be questioned on that count." Chloe was now staring intently into her wine glass as if it would offer the meaning of life, or a least some sense into what was going on. He waited patiently as the minutes ticked by, content to just watch the play of emotions across her face.

"You want me?...As in sex?" Chloe squeaked out gauchely.

"Yes" Lex stated simply.

"If I do this and that is a major out of this world if, there would need to be conditions."

"I'm listening."

"No to marriage." Lex scowled deeply at her condition.

"It would be sex and only sex, no commitments and you would have to hand over all your research and the prisoners to be screened medically, you can't just release them back with no place to go and nothing to do."

"I could provide them jobs."

"No, you are to have nothing to with them and should you renege on the deal, it is over between us no muss no fuss and I go back to investigating every move you make. And this cannot be an exclusive relationship, I will not give up my life for you."

"You drive one hell of a bargain Chloe. The non-exclusivity, thinking of running back to Clark Kent?" Lex asked cruelly.

"Not at all and from now on Clark stays out of our conversations, but since you brought him up. Do I make a better tool to hurt him?"

"This is not about Clark, this is about you and me and no one else!" Chloe mulled over his last statement, not believing him in the slightest but after what she had seen in China, she couldn't just blow off this opportunity.

"I'll get back to you in a few days. I'd stay for dinner, but I've lost my appetite; I had Panda for lunch and that fills my stomach's endangered animal quota for today." Chloe stood up and glared at Lex and the dishes being set on the table and walked away. Lex picked up his fork and calmly ate his meal enjoying every bite.

Lex made his way to his bedroom in Metropolis after his satisfying meal. Opening his wardrobe, he tapped the side panel in a secret tattoo and the wardrobe slid silently to the side revealing an entrance to another room. Chloe's face shone brightly back at him from every space on the walls. He'd fallen into lust with her the first time they had met, but Clark had always stood in his way. He thought taking Lana would distract Clark enough so he could seduce Chloe but he never let the blonde out of his sight for long and then she started hating him. He allowed himself to collapse in a chair in front of his favorite picture. She was at Crater Lake in a simple black bikini and the sun was setting behind her making her glow a warm gold. But his favorite thing about the picture was her smile, a mysterious smile tugged at her lips and he desperately wanted to unravel her mystery or at least be on the receiving end of that smile. He grasped a hold of himself imagining her kneeling in front of him with that smile as she helped relieve him with her warm mouth. The prospect of his imagination becoming a reality had him coming within a few hard strokes. He showered and changed quickly and economically, going to bed with Chloe Sullivan that much closer to his grasp and Lex felt almost happy.

"Who's the new face?" Chloe inquired.

"Batman, the new hero of Gotham decided to join our ranks after some crazy guy tried to gas the whole city." Oliver responded not at all interested in talking about Batman but content to bask in the glory that was Chloe's attention.

"Think he'll let me check out some of his gadgets?" Chloe wondered aloud while Oliver's dirty mind went to Chloe checking out a different kind of Batman's gadget and resisted the urge to throttle the unwitting Bat. Oliver quickly sat down to start the JLA meeting before he gave in to physically removing Batman from Chloe's curious gaze. They always conducted the meetings in a round table discussion, each member contributing anything of importance that had happened or was going to happen and everyone contributed possible solutions. When it got to Chloe's turn, she nervously licked her lips unknowingly causing several members to groan inwardly at the torture of seeing her delicate pink tongue.

"I have something to tell you guys, Batman I don't think this is pertinent to you but it does involve 33.1 and something personal so it is your call whether or not you want to hear this." Batman had been interested in her since Oliver had gone on and on about her investigative skills, ability to hack just about anything and her amazing healing ability. After seeing her, his interest multiplied exponentially and anything personal she was willing to share; he was more than happy to stick around and hear it.

"Lex approached me last night" but before she could finish her sentence the JLA members all burst out questions so rapidly she couldn't even pin point who was saying what.

"Did he hurt you?"

"What did he want?"

"Did he know you were in China?"

"What did he do?"

"I'll kill him!"

"Guys, relax. As you can see I'm in one piece. He had a proposal for me."

"Probably an indecent one." Bart snorted.

Chloe blushed faintly, cleared her throat and said,

"Yes, actually it was indecent. He said he would shut down all his 33.1 facilities if I married him."

"NO!" was the resounding reply from every JLA member, even Batman chimed in on that surprising Chloe. 'Geeze is there anyone that Lex hasn't already pissed off.'

"I wasn't exactly asking your permission guys and I'm not marrying Lex Luthor." The members all let out a sigh of relief.

"But I am considering a relationship of sorts if he hands over all his research and hands all his 'patients' over to us as well as shutting down all the facilities."

"You can't trust him, you can't believe him!" Oliver shouted at her.

"If he doesn't do it, he doesn't get me and I still get to keep my own life, I can still work with you guys. The good this would do way out weighs the evil, I can't dismiss this lightly."

"Chloe we will get him, we will shut down all his facilities, you don't have to do this." Victor tried to reason.

"He is building facilities faster than we can find them and tear them down."

"We're not letting you do this" AC ground out.

"Again, not asking your permission. You guys saw what he was doing in China. Well, I felt what he was doing to them when I healed those people. I had a stay at a five star hotel when Lex took me compared to what he has done to others. I only felt their pain for a few minutes, but they have been there for weeks, months, maybe years." Tears slid down her anguished face remembering how their pain had racked her body and she couldn't imagine withstanding it for a long period of time over and over again. And she realized she'd already made her decision, she would go to him to set them free.

"There is nothing we can say to stop you." Batman accurately deduced.

"No, I'm going to do this." Her tone pleaded for understanding but held firm in her decision. Everyone was quiet.

"So, are you gonna take away my super hero decoder ring?" Chloe weakly joked.

"I need to talk to you in private." Oliver demanded.

"Not now, finish your meeting, I'm gonna give you guys some time." Chloe turned on her heel and left, understanding their reaction but hurt by their silence. She was gone before anyone could figure out what to say that wasn't 'please don't do this.' The meeting quickly dispersed, everyone lost in their own thoughts as to what to do or say from this new development. Batman intercepted Oliver's attempt to escape quickly to go hunt down Chloe.

"You can't change her mind. Don't worry, it won't last. Chloe would make any man happy, but Lex will screw it up. He's incapable of allowing himself to stay happy for long." With that Batman exited the secret conference room, leaving Oliver to stew over his mysterious words.

Oliver found himself at Chloe's apartment an hour later. He didn't even know if she was there, he was just hoping. She answered the door looking freshly showered, but her eyes were red like she had done a good deal of crying too. Oliver gathered her up in his arms and hugged her tight, burying his face in her vanilla and honey scented hair. Before he knew it he was kissing her desperately and passionately, trying to tell her physically why she shouldn't go to Lex. She tore herself away from his lips and backed away from him.

"I have to Oliver, I can't be selfish."

"So you are going to give up being with anyone for him?"

"No, he does not have exclusivity over me. I just need you to know, whatever happens between us, won't change what I'm going to do." Oliver spun away and punched the wall, his whole being raging at the unfairness of it all. He looked back at Chloe, she looked so lost and sad, she was too young and innocent for Lex to be playing these kind of games. Wordlessly he picked her up and took her to her bed. He laid her down and molded himself against her prone form, holding onto her like she was going to disappear at any moment.

"Oliver?" Chloe called out hesitantly, confusion evident in her voice.

"Sshh. Just let me have this Chloe, let me just hold you awhile." Chloe finally relaxed in his embrace and soon they were both dreaming, taking comfort in each other's presence.

Chloe woke up slowly, without opening her eyes she knew Oliver had left. She could feel the emptiness. She grumpily glared one eye at her clock willing it to be wrong, but after a minute the clock won and she rolled out of bed. Taking the fastest shower she'd ever had and dressing in record time, she bemoaned the time constraint not allowing time for her morning coffee. Opening the door, she felt herself squashed against a solid wall of hard muscle.

"Chloe!" Clark exclaimed excitedly, taking their coincidental timing as another sign that they belonged together.

"Clark, what are you doing here? I'm sorry that came out rude, but I have exactly one minute to get to work before Perry gives my desk away to some other flunkie. Can we talk later?" Clark silently handed her a cup of ambrosia, well it was ambrosia to her, coffee made just the way she liked it.

"I could totally start a religion worshipping you right now." Chloe eagerly downed the coffee in mere seconds.

"Wanna lift?"

"Your god status and my worship has officially begun!" Chloe joked with him as she stepped into his arms.

"Lunch today?" Clark asked as they stopped in an empty alley next to the Daily Planet. Chloe was still a little nervous to be around him but he did just save her ass and most importantly fed her coffee.

"Sure, the usual place. Thanks a million Clark." Chloe said giving him a super bright smile as she hurried through the bustling doors. The imaginary force that had been crushing Clark's heart lessened at her smile and caused a goofy grin to appear across his face. 'There is hope' he thought.