A/N - Hope you like this update. Some interesting yet subtle character changes.
Chapter 9 – Holiday Flight
"Hey Lex, you're already in the South Pacific?" Chloe questioned Lex thinking maybe it was another ruse to throw her off that he was in town to see her.
"No, I actually went and saw my father. Chloe, he knows you're still alive and is planning something. I'm getting on the jet right now; pack some things that you need and be ready to leave when I get there."
"Oh God, Lex." Chloe's voice was broken and scared. She looked around the room and started throwing things in bags to take with her while she listened to Lex yammer orders to the jet pilots. "Lex."
"Just wait for my call." Lex hung up the phone. He picked up a glass from the table that had been set up and launched it against the back wall of the plane. "SHIT!"
"What?" Clark and Lois looked at elder Luthor dressed in an orange jumpsuit through a piece of glass.
Martha and Jonathon invited Lois to stay with them in lieu of going back to the city alone for the holidays. Clark didn't know if he minded or not. In one way, she was stubborn and irritating, but it made her interesting. On the other hand, she was adventuresome and met him at every challenge. He never remembered Lana playing basketball or trying to outrun him. Lois was different, better different.
"I have some information for you that might make your holidays really special." Lois just cringed seeing the scowling smile of Lionel. Lionel slid a small piece of paper through the tray with an address on it.
"What's this?" Clark looked at the piece of paper with an address and the name Juliette Jenkins.
"Let's just say you have time to make amends with that one girl that you never paid enough attention to." Lionel smiled again and walked away leaving Lois and Clark both wondering what in the world was in Dallas.
"Nah, I think he's setting you up." Lois looked at Clark and shook her head. "I don't think you should go. He knows you were one of the ones that testified against him and he hasn't gotten to you yet." Clark got up and started out to the car. Lois grabbed him by the back of the coat. "What are you planning?"
"A trip."
With that Lois started dialing the phone, "Hi, Mr. Kent, Lois here," Clark tried to rip the phone from her but she moved the phone away, "Clark is planning on trying to track down Chloe from a tip of Lionel Luthor's. Now I want to find my cousin as much or more than he does, but I am not going into THAT alone."
"Give the phone to my son, Lois." Lois handed the phone to Clark and started the ignition. "Clark, you come home now. I am not letting you go after this alone – Lois is right, for once."
Clark heard the phone on the other end click as he sat back in the seat. He glared at Lois and wondered why she couldn't be that adventurous.
What if Lionel is telling the truth. Chloe could be alive. I could tell her how I really feel.
"Clark, I told you she was alive. And if she's alive still after all this time, someone is taking care of her, just have faith."
"Lex."
"Yeah, he's still a snake – Lionel will tell you the truth but Lex lies right to you."
"No, he was protecting her," Clark sat up straighter in the car, "turn around and go to the mansion. Come on Lois, I have seen the way you drive."
Lois stepped on the gas as she shook her head. "Your dad is going to be mad."
The two walked into the main office of the Luthor mansion and the place was dead silent. "Lex," Clark called out in the office and the hallways.
Lois came around the corner, "Nothing. There's no one here – Clark it's Christmas."
"Lex doesn't celebrate the holidays; he's either here or on business." Clark started sifting though papers on Lex's desk looking for any kind of clue.
Lois flipped open the computer which was still unlocked. "He left somewhere in a hurry. You want to know anything about Luthorcorp now's your chance." She opened each minimized window until one caught her eye.
"You find anything?"
"No, if she's around Lex wanted her to stay hidden. Unfortunately, his father has more means than Lex does. Wait, Clark, look at this." They both looked closely at the computer and read the same address as Lionel had given them.
"You have a credit card?" Clark knew he could get there faster by running but that would be hard to explain to Lois who was adamant about going at this point.
"I'm already ahead of you." Lois pulled up an airline and started booking seats.
"Come on down. It's the blue car." Chloe looked out the window and only saw a late model 4-door. "Bring everything you can that you want. My men will be through to clean up right behind you."
Lex jumped out of the car dressed in jeans and a hooded top, completely out of character for him. Opening the trunk, he tossed in the stuff that Chloe felt was most important. "Lex."
"No talking, get in the car." Once he started driving he told her everything. He took Chloe's hand and could feel her tense up with every word that he repeated from Lionel.
"Lex, he's after both of us now?" Lex could feel her breathe harder as he drove. Usually calculated, he had no idea where he was going now. He just wanted to get as far away from that scene as possible. After a couple of hours, Chloe looked over at him and pulled his hood off. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know," he sighed
I don't know? Lex without a plan – what did his father do to really scare him like this?
"I just need some time to think."
Lex got off the interstate and headed to a small community. The place was smaller than Smallville and dreary. Lex stopped the car, and she leaned over on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him after seeing him lean over the steering wheel. "I'm sorry I caused all this."
He sat up and met her eyes with his. "You didn't cause any of this – I didn't protect you well enough." He caressed her cheek and jaw in his hand before pulling her in for a kiss. "I won't make a mistake twice." She closed her eyes as he deepened into the kiss and then pulled away. "Be right back."
Clark busted down the door to the fancy Uptown Dallas apartment. Empty. "Lois, it's empty, swept clean – either Lionel or Lex got here before us."
"Dammit." Lois picked up the phone, "Jonathon, we kind of took a detour."
"Where?"
"Dallas."
"Put Clark on the phone." Lois handed Clark the phone and cringed. "Clark, you disobeyed us directly. Now, get on a plane and get back here now." Clark hung up the phone and motioned for Lois to give up.
"There's nothing here. Let's go home."
Martha and Jonathon watched the special report on the television wondering if Clark or Lois had heard. The Luthorcorp jet at the Dallas airport went up in flames mysteriously after a well-dressed bald man and blond woman boarded.
Meanwhile, Lois and Clark could see flames and smoke coming from the opposite end of the airport right after their takeoff. Not until later did they know that Lionel had seemingly won by killing both Lex and Chloe before flight after finding that she had never died in the safe house fire.
In a small hotel room in Buffalo, Texas, Chloe gawked at the news while Lex was in the shower. She was so mesmerized by the television that the man wrapped in a towel walking back and forth didn't faze her.
"What is it?" She looked up at Lex's still wet body and blushed momentarily.
"Uhhh, we're dead. Well, I'm dead again." She saw Lex disappear back into the little bathroom. When he came back out, he was in a comfortable set of jogging pants and pullover. He laid down next to her putting his arm around her.
"I know." Chloe just buried her head in chest and cried. Lex put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
He just killed himself for me.
The two fell asleep in each other's arms to the story of the year; the billionaire son is really dead this time.
