A/N: Another chapter out, and again it wouldn't be here without Blue holding my hand. Special Guest Star from part two of the call: Blue as Lois Lane
Chapter 10 ~ London Calling
Chloe brought her coffee to the table, sat down and absently picked up the Sunday morning issue of the 'London Times'. She lifted her cup and took a swig, spitting it out immediately when she read the headline on the front page.
LEX LUTHOR FILING FOR DIVORCE: famous American multibillionaire Lex Luthor officially announced filing for divorce from his missing wife Chloe Luthor - Sullivan.
"What the fuck!?" Chloe slammed the mug down on the table and skimmed over the article.
In a press conference early yesterday morning, Lex Luthor, multibillionaire, CEO of Lexcorp and world wide famous businessman, announced his filing for divorce. He stated that his wife had been missing for months now, since she had left their house, after a fight about private issues. Since she apparently showed no intention to return, Mr. Luthor would "see no reason to remain in the state of marriage"
Chloe had seen enough. She was breathing through her nose, her eyes blazing with fury and her nostrils flaring with the deep breaths she took. "That asshole! He wants a divorce? He can have it!"
She stalked over to her phone, ripping it from the set, punching in a number she hadn't dialed for over a year. After three rings, the other end of the line was picked up.
"Lois, it's me Chloe, I need your help and I need it now! Did you see what that asshole did? Have you been at the press conference? He's filing for divorce! This soddin' prick is actually filing for divorce! I can't believe it! I mean, yes I left him, but still, how dare he!?"
On the other end of the line and also on the other end of the Atlantic Ocean, a seriously confused Lois was looking first at her alarm clock, which flashed 4:00 am, then back at the phone in her hand incredulously. "Chloe?"
Chloe heard the sleepiness in her cousin's voice and looked across the room to the clock above her fridge. "Oh fuck, Lois sorry, I didn't mean to call so early, I'll... I'll get back to you later, maybe anyway. Sorry, forget I called."
Lois was instantly awake. "Chloe STOP!" she yelled into the receiver, praying to the powers that be that her cousin hadn't hung up already. After a few seconds, where Lois held her breath and was sure her heart had paused beating, she heard Chloe coming through again.
"Yeah?"
Lois breathed a sigh of relief. "Dammit girl, where have you been?" Now it was Lois' turn to go into serious rant mode. "I mean I know we haven't spoken too much when you were still here, mostly when I called you but, why the hell did you just up and leave? I mean one time I speak with you, you tell me everything is fine with you and Lex, then I hear nothing from or about you for months, but have to watch Lex Luthor becoming a fucking hell raiser, and then another few months later, I get a call from Perry, telling me to go to a press conference, concerning said hell raiser, where I have to hear that he is filing divorce from my cousin, whom I haven't spoke to in eight fucking months!" She took a deep breath after her rant, before continuing. "Chloe, I was worried sick! What happened, where are you?"
Chloe had flopped down on the couch, feeling really bad for what she had done to Lois. The girls had been close ever since college and only drifted apart slightly after Chloe had gotten married to Lex. She took several calming breaths and started to tell her story.
"I'm sorry I lied the last time we talked. I had to. It was all such a mess. I didn't realize at first how Alexander was changing. He seemed to be the same, even happier, after his father died and he seemed free and relaxed, at least when he was around me. He started to change under my very nose and I didn't see it, Lois." Her voice sounded bitter and tired as she retold the story. "It got worse with every day that passed. Once I realized, I fought it every step of the way, but I wasn't strong enough. I had to leave, Lois. But I knew he wouldn't let me." Chloe shook her head sadly, getting up from the couch and walking over to the fridge to get herself a drink. She didn't do that very often, but sometimes, she just had to. "The only chance I had was to totally vanish from this planet and delete everything Chloe Sullivan." She returned to the couch with a martini in hand.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Lois had stepped into the kitchen and set upon making herself coffee. "But why didn't you at least tell your dad or me for that matter?" She heaped three spoons of the dark brown powder, shot a quick glance at the clock on the wall and added another two spoons, before snapping the lid shut and starting the coffee machine.
"I couldn't, Lois. If I had told anyone, Lex would have found out and neither you nor I would have been safe. I was sure he would come after me and he did, didn't he?" Chloe asked, a little unsure. In a way, she had wanted Lex to find her, to apologize and ask her to come home. 'Yeah, sure. No chance in hell that would ever happen,' her mind scoffed.
Lois snorted into the receiver that was now clamped between her ear and shoulder, pouring herself a cup of coffee while simultaneously lighting up a cigarette. "Can't tell for sure if he did, but if the tons of money he spent on private eyes and tracking devices for phone and email are anything to go by, I'd say he definitely tried to find someone. And I can't think of anyone else he would spend a good million dollars for, just to find out their whereabouts."
Chloe chuckled at that. "When did you start smoking again? I thought I talked you out of it?" She chucked down her drink and contemplated the thought of Lex trying desperately to find her, yet failing miserably. 'Damn I'm good,' she thought, 'Maybe a little too good. See where it got ya?' the evil voice in her head piped up. Chloe groaned.
Lois scoffed, taking the cigarette out of her mouth and exchanging it for a healthy swig of coffee. "Hmm, heaven," she murmured, before answering her cousin. "I picked it up again when your father started calling me on a weekly basis about two months ago, sick with worry, because his baby girl had vanished from the face of the planet, pun intended." She made her way over to the couch, flopping down on the worn fabric and pulling the ashtray from the table, laying it down on the couch beside her.
Chloe sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fuck. Lex must have told him I was gone. And he probably made it sound like it wasn't on purpose or because he was being an utter son of a bitch! Is he ok? Dad I mean?" She was worried her dad might have had a heart attack.
Lois took a long drag on her cigarette before answering Chloe. "I wouldn't use the term 'ok' to describe Gabe. He's beside himself with worry and he's been calling Lex everyday for updates. Now that this story has broken, he's more confused than anything else. Let's just say that you may have to worry about Gabe more than Lex."
"Fuck," Chloe cursed under her breath. "Listen, can you tell Dad that I'm ok? But get it through his thick skull that none of this is to seep through to Lex. Oh, and I need you to do me a favor, Lois." She trailed off, waiting for her cousin's answer.
"Of course, I can tell your father that you're fine. But, I hope that you do realize that he's going to ask me approximately three hundred questions about our conversation. He's even worse than you sometimes, I swear. And, sweetie, the minute that Gabe knows you're fine, Lex will, too. He'll be able to tell from the way your dad is acting. As for your other request-" There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Chloe heard her cousin sigh.
"Why do I think that this favor is going to be something illegal or very unwise?" she asked, not really expecting an answer from her cousin.
"Double Fuck and Shit." Chloe hadn't thought about that. "Ok, forget about telling my Dad, he'll just have to suffer through it. Listen, the favor I want to ask you is, well actually it's two favors." Chloe took a deep breath. "Ok, first, I need you to get me the number of Samuel Steinberg. He's Alexander's old lawyer and I'm sure he's involved in this. I trust Sam with my life and I need to talk to him." She waited for confirmation by Lois.
"Sure, Chloe, whatever you say. Of course, in my sleep addled state, it took me a second to realize who Alexander was, I'll never get used to that. And the second thing?" she asked as she wandered back to her bedroom.
"Well, the second thing is the slightly illegal one," Chloe mumbled before continuing a little louder. "Do you still know Kenny from the phone company? And more importantly, does he still owe you?" Chloe crossed her fingers hoping that was the case.
"I don't know if I want to answer this question," Lois said, hesitantly. She was always up for a good story and if laws had to be broken, so be it. However, she could see where Chloe was going with this and wasn't sure if she wanted to be at the business end of a Luthor lawyer. 'Hey, you only live once,' she thought. She sighed, "Yes, I still know him. And, by now, he owes me about three. So, just tell me what I have to do so I can start plotting."
"The thing is none of the phone calls between you and me or me and Sam respectively can show up on the call reports. In short, they never can have happened! He has to do this for me; otherwise, Lex will get to me faster than you can say 'Pulitzer'."
Chloe went on to describe her plan to Lois. "I need to talk to Sam, because I have to find out if Lex can go through with the divorce, even if I don't come out of hiding. I distinctly remember a law, but I'm not sure, so I have to ask Sam. After that I will decide how to react but I will definitely need your help in any case. Also, when I email you, which I most definitely will, you have to delete the messages immediately after you read them and see to it that they can't be restored." Chloe took a deep breath. "I know I sound paranoid, but I know Alexander, he will go to any lengths and he will find me, if there is a snowball's chance in hell."
"Chloe, I don't think you're paranoid," Lois said as she flopped down on the bed. "However, you are going to owe me, big time for this one. You can give me some of the numerous millions from your divorce settlement and we'll call it even." Lois paused for a second, mulling over the situation. "Unless," Lois said, slowly. "The whole reason that you're this upset is because, even through all of this, you still love Lex and never thought that he'd actually give up on you." Lois held her breath, interested in the reaction that she was sure to get from her cousin.
Chloe was silent for a minute. She didn't know how to answer her cousin truthfully without seeming incredibly stupid and retarded. "Lois, it's difficult I…" She trailed off, realizing that her hands were shaking.
Lois's voice softened. "It's ok, sweetie. I don't need an answer now. But, I do think it's something that you have to think about. The two of you get so caught up in beating the other one that you don't consider the price of winning. Just...just promise me you'll think about it?"
"I…I know what I feel, but I think it wouldn't make any sense if I tried to explain." Chloe whined, hating herself for it.
"Chloe, since when have you started explaining yourself to anyone, especially me? I just don't want another mistake to be made, that's all," Lois said, pulling back her sheets and climbing into bed.
"You don't understand Lois. I do love him, or better said, I love the person he was before his father bit the dust and everything went down the fucking drain!" Chloe shouted.
She realized for the first time that she had to get this off her chest. "I think about him constantly, I was on edge for the first two months, every time his name fell or I saw a man resembling him in a crowd. I dream about him every night, about the time when we were everything to each other and nothing else mattered. I haven't dated since I left him, well once but it was a total prick, because I can't stop comparing every single man I meet to him. I wake up in a sweat from nightmares of the last days I was with him. I can't sleep or eat properly, all I do is work and I started drinking for heavens sake! Me, who vowed never to touch any alcohol! I'm going insane without him, wondering every day when he will finally realize what he's done to us and return to the man he used to be. And after all this, after all the shit I've been through! He's filing for a fucking divorce! He's giving up on me. He never cared at all!" Chloe was breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face. She let them fall, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. "I just want to make him hurt like I do."
To say that Lois was stunned at her cousin's outburst would have been a vast understatement. She had never heard Chloe get so emotional about anything. "Ok, Chloe, between you and me, we'll make him rue the day that he was born. We'll make him beg on his knees for forgiveness, all the while realizing what a huge mistake he's made. And then, we'll go get drunk."
Chloe laughed through her tears, grateful for the unknown talents of her cousin. Lois had a way to make light of any situation and find a solution for every problem, especially when Chloe herself couldn't find a way anymore. "Ok, ok. Just call Sam, as soon as possible. Can you make it til…" She trailed off, checking the clock above the fridge again and calculating the time difference. "9 am your time? I'll call you then and get the number, then I'll call Sam and after that, I'll call you again, and we'll make a game plan. And please, make sure Kenny is informed before I call Sam, can you do that?"
"I'll take care of everything, Chloe. Kenny will come through, don't worry. And, I'll be waiting for your call," Lois said. "Take care of yourself, Chloe. Somehow, it'll work out. I love you."
"I love you, too, Lois. Thank you. I'll call you in about 4 hours then. Bye." Chloe hung up the phone and expelled a long breath.
'Fuck this is gonna be hell and back for the both of us. Why did you have to play that card Alexander? What did you expect?' Chloe got up from the couch and made her way over to the bathroom to take a shower.
"Fuck Sundays!" On her way, she picked up the newspaper from the table and ripped it to shreds, letting the pieces fall behind her back.