Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: Such a long delay I know, for some reason I'm unable to write the next chapter for this story and another story that I've been working on. So I guess I've been stalling but yeah, here's the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate the feedback, hopefully you guys won't have to wait long for the conclusion. Fair warning, you are about to witness the...wrath of Chloe. I dedicate this chapter to all my wonderful and patient readers. Sorry for the long delay.
Divided Devotions
Chapter 10
Chloe frowned at her computer.
It had been a week since the entire meteor Gatorade debacle reached its conclusion. It had been a week since she developed the newest Chloe Sullivan avoidance technique. She liked to call it duck and run, well that method was mainly performed whenever Lex Luthor was within distance.
Chloe smiled ruefully as she thought about the fact that she acquired a Lex-dar. Her Lex senses were tingling at odd times but she was usually right to run when her Lex-dar went off. She had successfully managed to employ her evasive maneuvers and avoid the inevitable awkward conversation that Lex seemed intent to have with her.
Clark was harder to steer clear of. Mainly because they attended the same school and somehow he decided that his priorities once again included the Torch. And so she had to deal with his constant attempt at a meaningful conversation. In order to defend herself against his efforts she opted to use her tongue as a weapon, and no, it did not require her to shove her tongue in his mouth. She used her caustic wit to keep Clark at arms' length. Clark had been shooting her puppy dog looks but she refused to fall for it.
From everything that Lois told her Clark deserved every bit of her fury. And Lex too. Sure it was not their fault that she picked the two of them as the object of her devotion. But from what Lois informed her they had done nothing to fight off her advances. Ordinarily, if a guy took advantage of the fact that a girl's world revolved around him, she wouldn't really blame him. But this was Clark, innocent farm boy, her supposed best friend. And it was Lex, cool and collected Lex Luthor, who stayed away from anything remotely emotional. She expected better from them.
Chloe sighed as she kept her gaze on her laptop. Nothing.
"Hey cuz!" Lois breezed into her room.
Chloe waved a hand at her absently. She did a double take when she remembered where Lois was supposed to be. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't I just visit my favorite cousin?" Lois retorted as she plopped down on her bed.
"First of all I'm your only cousin; therefore you better not have another favorite. Second you drove for three hours just to see me. Methinks you're not here for social niceties." Chloe turned her chair so she could face her cousin and gave her a measured look.
"Okay, you got me." Lois raised both her hands in surrender. "I came here for the sole purpose of convincing you to let Luthor and Clark feel your wrath."
Chloe grinned at her statement. "I don't need convincing Lo." She turned her attention back on her computer.
"You don't? But-" Something kept Lois from finishing her thought. "Did you suddenly develop a flannel fetish?" Lois looked at her as if she lost her mind. Her entire room was filled with plaid flannel shirts in various colors, well mostly blues, reds and yellows.
"No." Chloe replied dismissively, her focus still on her computer.
"Did you rob a flannel store?" Lois picked up a flannel shirt beside her and tossed it with the rest of the clothes. It was then that she spotted a pile of blue jeans.
"No. I just robbed Clark's wardrobe." Chloe said absently as she shifted her attention back on Lois, who was looking at her incredulously. She grinned evilly once she fully realized what exactly captured Lois' attention.
"Why would you do that?" Lois had the beginnings of a smile in her expression; she had a feeling that it was part of Chloe's revenge.
"Just following your advice." Chloe leaned back on her chair and smiled in satisfaction as she eyed the plaid flannel shirts and jeans that littered her room.
"Explain." Lois sat back down on the bed and gave Chloe her full attention.
"Clark saw me wearing just his football jersey; I plan on returning the favor." She said simply.
"How did you get all these?" Lois waved a hand in the direction of the piles and piles of clothes.
"Clark's at football practice. I told Mrs. Kent that I needed a book that I loaned Clark, she was busy so she let me look for the book myself." She answered simply.
"Didn't she see you take the clothes with you?" Lois was smiling widely.
"Nope, I took garbage bags with me, stuffed all his clothes in them and tossed it outside the window." Chloe smiled in remembrance. If Clark decided to tattle on her she would just give Mrs. Kent the unabridged account of how Clark acted during her vulnerable state. She was certain that Clark's behavior would not be well-received at the Kent farm.
"Yeah but you forget, he probably has a change of clothes in his locker, he's not completely deprived of all his clothes." Lois pointed out reluctantly, she didn't want to burst her cousin's bubble but if Clark still had a change of clothes then she was not likely to see the farm boy in only his football jersey.
Chloe snickered in reply. "I sneaked into the boy's locker room and took that too."
Lois flopped back onto the bed and laughed boisterously. "Bravo dear cousin! I knew you had it in you. Will you be acquiring any photographic evidence?" She sat back up and looked at Chloe expectantly.
Chloe shrugged. "For posterity you mean? I'm still thinking about it. Probably not."
Lois frowned in disappointment, "Why not? You mean to tell me that you're going to all this trouble and you're not even going to save the memories?"
"It wouldn't be fair, you're probably going to steal the 'evidence' from me and post it somewhere just because you're so intent in humiliating Clark. If I didn't know any better I'd say you like him." Chloe eyed Lois critically.
Lois snorted at her declaration. "I don't like Smallville. He just deserves everything that's coming. And if I can be instrumental in doling out his punishment then so much the better."
Chloe grinned; disbelief tainted her entire tone as she replied. "Right Lo. Anyway, I'm not going to take a picture." She said with such finality.
"Fine. So what else is in store for the farm boy?" Lois said grudgingly as she frowned slightly at the combination of Chloe's words.
"I had to carry a sign that says that he's number one for days. I'm thinking that he should the same thing for me. What do you think?" Chloe refocused her attention back on her computer.
Lois cackled at her idea. "Can I have a picture of that one?"
"I'm pretty sure that someone from school will take a picture of that one, it won't be coming directly from me so I'm basically free from guilt, so I say go for it." Chloe shrugged as kept staring at her computer.
"So, what about Luthor?" Lois was evidently satisfied with her revenge on Clark and decided to broach the topic of Lex Luthor.
"What about him?" Chloe replied casually.
"What does the great Chloe Sullivan have in store for the bald billionaire?" Lois got up from the bed and walked over to the desk; she rested her hip at the edge of the table and looked at Chloe expectantly.
Chloe just shrugged. "That's the thing. I can't seem to think of anything for him." She answered admittedly.
"Why not?' Lois' brows furrowed. She had no idea why it would be harder to exact revenge from Luthor. She pursed her lips as she continued to think. She had a feeling that Chloe was just averse to the idea of doing something to him, which was odd since she didn't seem to hesitate at all when it came to Clark.
"I thought maybe I could get someone from the Sheriff's department to keep issuing him tickets whenever he parks his car. Or maybe put a block on his credit cards so that when he buys something his cards will be declined." Chloe counted off the ideas swirling inside her head.
"Then why don't you?" Lois' eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at her.
"Well I suppose it's not fair if I expose him to public humiliation. It's not like with Clark, I made a fool of myself in front of the entire school with him. With Lex it was more of a private indignity, to shame him in front of an audience…I don't think so. Lex is first and foremost an extremely proud man. Besides, he can easily resolve the parking tickets and my 'friend' from the Sheriff's would probably get in trouble. And any business that Lex patronizes would be a fool to let a simple thing like a credit card get in the way of a profit, you and I both know that Lex practically reeks of money." Chloe concluded simply. All her arguments seemed valid, but the suspicious look on Lois' face was enough to make her uncomfortable.
"I think you're just taking it easy on him. And I have no idea why." Lois gave her a no-nonsense look.
"Why would I take it easy with him?" Chloe glared at Lois. She basically gave Lois the condensed version of her devotion to Clark and Lex. She told her basically everything, well minus a few kisses. She kept majority of her devotion to Lex from her cousin, partly because it was humiliating but mostly because it was truly private.
Lois was a bit unimpressed with the way that both men acted and she was practically screaming bloody murder when she found out that Chloe was less than ecstatic at the thought of causing both men bodily harm. But she gave Chloe her space; she had hoped that Chloe would eventually join her in revenge mode, it would seem that she had, but she was still reluctant with doling out Lex' punishment.
Chloe rolled her eyes as she could practically tell what was going on in Lois' mind. She was not hesitating in getting back at Lex. But she was a firm believer that the punishment must befit the crime. "You better stop soon Lo or your brain might melt or something." She jokingly said since Lois was still absorbed with her own thoughts.
"So what are you going to do with Luthor?" Lois asked grudgingly.
"I don't know. Maybe squash his car with one of Uncle Sam's tanks. You think he'll loan me one?' Chloe's eyes sparkled mischievously. The idea had merit. It can be done in the privacy of Lex' own home and it was not like the man couldn't afford to just buy another one.
Lois laughed at her outrageous suggestion. She did not believe for one second that Chloe would even go so far as to ask her father for the tank. But she had to applaud the idea. It would be a great way to exercise her wrath. If for one second she believed that Chloe was serious she would be the first to offer her driving skills. She could already imagine the look on Luthor's face once he saw one of his sports cars trampled by a tank.
Chloe laughed as well as she saw the disbelieving expression on Lois' face. She did not have the heart to tell Lois that she really was just in the mood to give Lex a sound scolding. After all the man may have enjoyed her devoted self but Lex did a lot of things for her while she was in her vulnerable state.
For the first time she was truly glad that she did not just forget everything. Remembering the unpleasantness of acting like a complete airhead with Clark was not something she wanted in her head. But the entire deal with Lex was completely different. She never thought that Lex would behave the way that he did when he dealt with her in her devoted phase.
After the initial mortification of remembering her attempt to seduce Lex, a few things stood out. Actually one encounter stood out the most: the trip to Metropolis. Just before she got her cure, Lex took her to the Daily Planet. She mentioned it to Lois in passing. What she failed to tell her was what happened on top of the building, when she was mere feet away from the globe that she had so admired in all her life.
The emotion. Lex acted completely out of character by asking her not to hate him after all was said and done. She could distinctly remember the sincerity of his plea. It was heartfelt; she could not and would not doubt that part. Her heart broke a little as she recalled the way he asked her why she picked him, as the object of his devotion. She was not going to deny that her answer to his query was anything but the complete and utter truth. She meant every word, sure she probably would never had said them if she had not been under the influence of the meteor drink but she was glad that it was said. She just hoped that Lex actually believed her.
"How about you seduce him?" Lois suggested offhandedly. It was the most ideal revenge. After all it wouldn't be a public affair and she had a feeling that the impact would be greater than anything that Chloe was bound to come up with.
"What?!" It was Chloe's turn to look at her as if she was insane.
"You heard me. Seduce him, and then leave him hanging." Lois grinned evilly. The idea was gaining merit.
"I am not going to seduce him." She gritted out angrily. Lois and her ideas were simply appalling.
"Why not?" Lois eyed her curiously. She had a feeling that Chloe was hiding something from her. And it had something to do with Luthor.
"Because." Chloe replied stubbornly. If she set out to seduce Lex she wouldn't be able to stop, she admitted to herself. During her state of devotion she went further with Lex than with Clark. If she closed her eyes she could even recall the feel of his lips on hers, his hands all over her body.
"That's not a good enough excuse Chlo. I'm not suggesting that you strip naked and seduce him. Just get him all hot and bothered and then leave." Lois said encouragingly. She had a feeling that Luthor was not the type of man that women just leave unsatisfied. It truly was the greatest revenge, if only Chloe was more receptive to the idea.
"No." Chloe uttered with such finality.
"She took all of my clothes!" Clark said for the second time.
Lex fought his desire to laugh as he took in his friend's expression.
Over the course of the week after the entire meteor drink debacle, the two of them had taken to hanging out at the Talon every afternoon. The first time happened accidentally. Clark was suffering from major Chloe withdrawals, while Lex was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They saw each other at the Talon and with unspoken agreement they sat on the same corner and discussed the various ways that Chloe was likely to mangle their bodies.
Apparently Chloe was doing everything in her power to avoid him. He felt truly slighted when he heard that Chloe was actually speaking to Clark and a little relieved when he found out that Chloe was using her smart mouth to keep Clark from initiating an actual heart to heart with her. He was accustomed to listening to Clark whine and complain about Lana, hearing him talk about Chloe was a bit disconcerting, especially since he could not do the same thing.
But for the first time in a long time he felt hope for his friendship with Clark. This hope was reinforced when Clark asked him to do something with the Lois situation. And he used his considerable influence to get Lois out of Smallville, and far from Chloe. He knew very well how much Lois wanted to see him and Clark suffer the wrath of Chloe. His success of getting her back into Met U did wonders with his friendship with Clark.
And he could not be more grateful, since Chloe was doing everything in her power to stay as far away from him as humanly possible. Still it did nothing to keep him from trying to talk to her. But apparently the blonde one had incredible senses when it came to him. She successfully managed to leave just before he got near her.
And now Clark was telling him that Chloe's revenge was already in action. Well at least her revenge on Clark. He couldn't help but feel a little left out; after all he was part of the entire debacle.
"How did she manage that?" Lex asked coolly as he observed the irritated look on Clark's face.
"She went to my house and told my mom that she wanted to get her book back. I never even borrowed a book from her. My mom let her look through my room because she was busy and then poof, all my clothes were gone. She even sneaked into the boy's locker room and took my clothes there. I had to go home in my football uniform." Clark shook his head in disbelief. "And when I went over to her house she told me that she wanted to see me in just my football jersey. Can you believe that?" Clark looked at him expectantly.
Lex nodded, he could believe it. After all Clark mentioned seeing Chloe in his jersey. Chloe seemed like an eye for an eye kind of woman.
"She even told me that Lois wanted photographic evidence." Clark was completely appalled.
"She's back then." Lex commented, that would be bad for the both of them, Lois was the more intense one of the cousins. And the one intent on exacting revenge.
"Yeah, I was hoping that after you sent her back to Met U she wouldn't be back for a very long time. But she's here for the weekend. At least she's staying with Chloe." Clark took a sip of his coffee, a break from his complaining.
Lex' brow furrowed. "Isn't the apartment a tad small for three people?" He wished that Gabe took his job back at the plant.
Clark shook his head. "Nope, Mr. Sullivan is at Gotham, I think he got a position at Wayne Enterprises. So I think that's why Lois is staying with Chloe. The evil smile that she flashed me before I went home, I think Chloe's not finished with me yet." Clark shivered involuntarily.
Lex cleared his throat and nodded again. He wondered if Chloe would ever acknowledge his existence again. This avoidance crap was getting on his nerves. He didn't want to have to resort to extreme measures to get her to talk to him. "Better you than me." He muttered quietly.
"I have a feeling that you'll be getting yours soon. With Lois there, she won't stop until Chloe goes after you too." Clark was fully convinced that Lex would eventually feel Chloe's wrath. "I didn't even tell you what she did with the entire cheerleading team."
Lex focused his attention back on Clark. He informed the principal of the school that he wouldn't be funding the new uniforms for the cheerleading team. But he was interested in knowing what Chloe had done to the source of all their troubles.
"She placed an ad in the Torch that had the entire team visiting the office the entire day yesterday. I guess she told them about their girlfriends so all of my teammates are basically free agents now." Clark grinned as he remembered the temper tantrums that the entire cheerleading team indulged in after their boyfriends broke up with them unceremoniously.
Lex shook his head in amusement. Of course Chloe was going to make sure that the cheerleaders paid for what they unwittingly did to her.
Lois breezed into the Talon and smiled when her eyes landed on them. She marched over to them purposefully. She sat next to Clark and her smile widened when Clark frowned. "You got your clothes back." She commented offhandedly as she picked a cookie from the plate in front of her.
"Yes." Clark replied snidely. "I have a feeling that you had something to do with it."
Lois' brows rose at his accusation. "Chloe did that all on her own. I just got back yesterday and her entire room was already full of flannel. You need to update your wardrobe by the way." She grabbed Clark's cup and drank from it rudely.
"I don't believe you." Clark took his cup back and glared at her, wishing that she would just go away.
"No matter, I have it on good authority that Monday is going to be a good day for you." She smiled mischievously as she leaned back on the chair.
"Whatever." Clark grumbled dismissively.
"What's happening on Monday?" Lex inquired casually.
"I won't ruin the surprise. As for you," She turned to Lex, "you'll get yours soon." Lois said confidently.
Lex just smirked, "Looking forward to it."
"I'm sure you are." Lois scowled at him. "Anyway, I'm just here to impart the news and also I'm waiting for Chloe. She should be back by now." She glanced around the shop, hoping to see a sign of her cousin.
"Where is she?" Clark asked eagerly.
"With Jason Teague." Lois answered dismissively.
"What would she be doing with him?" Clark's brow furrowed as he waited for Lois' answer.
"None of your damn business." Lois informed him haughtily as she got up from the booth and walked out on them.
Lex and Clark exchanged looks and both shook their heads in exasperation. Lex looked outside and saw Lois standing with Chloe and Teague. He saw the coach place a hand on Chloe's arm and his eyes narrowed at the fact that Chloe did not shrug off the man's touch, instead she smiled up at him and said something that made the other man laugh.
Clark saw the direction that Lex was focused on and his own eyes narrowed as he saw the three talking animatedly. Since when was Chloe acting all buddy-buddy with the football coach, the same football coach who almost slapped her.
Before either of them could react, Chloe patted the hand on her arm and then proceeded to walk away with Lois. Jason was smiling widely as he waved goodbye to the two girls.
"You're not going to even try and get Chloe to talk to you?" Clark broke the overwhelming silence that settled over them.
"No. I believe Ms. Lane has sufficiently put my mind at ease. I am, as she said, going to get mine soon." Lex replied as he leaned back on the chair.
"Might as well get it over with right?" Clark grabbed a cookie from the plate and munched thoughtfully. "Besides, if she could easily forgive Coach Teague then she could forgive us as well." Clark said, trying to convince himself as much as Lex.
Lex raised his own cup, "Here to hoping."
Lex was sitting comfortably in his office, a glass of scotch in his hand.
After his afternoon coffee with Clark he headed back to the manor and tried to keep his attention on the mountain of paperwork lying wait on his desk. The entire week before had so focused on Chloe that he was a bit behind with his own work. And the week that followed her recovery was filled with trepidation of her reaction to everything that had occurred.
She avoided him like he was the plague. And he had a feeling that it was not just because of how she acted during her devoted state. He couldn't help but feel that there was more to her continued evasion.
When Lois bluntly said that he was next on Chloe's hit list he felt a rush of anticipation. Because that would mean that she hadn't just forgotten about him. That he was going to have the opportunity to apologize profusely for enjoying her devoted phase and then convince her to give him a chance.
He inhaled sharply as he thought of the ways that Chloe would enact her reprisal.
Lex closed his eyes as he allowed the silence to lull his entire being. It was the calm before the storm. He smiled in remembrance of how Chloe stole all of Clark's clothes and forced him to stand before her, wearing only his football jersey. He recalled the blush that tainted his young friend's cheeks when Clark told him that Chloe laughed uproariously at the sight that he supposedly made.
Chloe was obviously matching her revenge with their transgressions. His amusement disappeared as he remembered everything that occurred between them. If she was indeed matching her vengeance with their offense then he was bound to get the worse of the deal. Clark's experience with devoted Chloe seemed more tame than his, not that he would ever admit that to the farm boy.
A hesitant knock on his door broke him from his thoughts. He glared at the offending wood and heaved a heavy sigh. "Come in." He responded shortly.
The door opened slowly and Lex' breath caught at the sight that greeted him. Once again he found Chloe Sullivan under the roof of his own house. "Chloe." He uttered quietly.
Chloe shifted uncomfortably, his stare was extremely unnerving. She cursed Lois for the nth time for deliberately leading her to this path. It was all Lois' brilliant idea, from the plan of seduction to the outfit that she was wearing. She gave Lex a small smile as she walked over to stand before him.
"Hi Lex."
TBC