Disclaimer: I own nothing here at all.
It has been a looooong time but here it is….
Chloe lay on her side next to Lex. Right now he was spooned behind her. His arm draped over her in a protective way. She wanted to turn over to look at him, but didn't want to disturb him. Then there was, of course, the little fact that she had to pee really badly. She half rolled/half stood off the bed in an attempt to not disturb Lex. Looking back at him, he was still asleep. She picked up his t-shirt and put it on before heading to the bathroom. Lex awoke to find Chloe gone. His first thought was worry and then suspicion. He was afraid she'd snuck out while he'd been sleeping. He was about to pick up the phone and call her when he heard the bathroom door opening. He looked up and there she was. Chloe looked at Lex with a shy smile.
"Hey." She said.
"I was afraid you'd left," Lex told her.
"No, just had to pee," Chloe said and then clamped her mouth shut. She couldn't believe she'd just said that. Lex probably didn't want to know about her bodily functions. She was nervous being around Lex after last night.
"Well, when you gotta go…" Lex trailed off with a smile. He continued to grin at Chloe and she couldn't stop from smiling back. Suddenly, the happiness built inside her and she ran to the bed, launching herself at Lex. His arms automatically went out to catch her and he embraced her tightly.
"I'm wearing your shirt." Chloe said dumbly.
"I know." Lex said. "I like it." He caught Chloe's gaze. "A lot." He smiled and leaned into kiss her. Easily she kissed him back. It felt so natural now, to just be here with Lex. Not worrying about the world and all their everyday problems.
"So, what are you doing today?" Chloe asked. It was Saturday, but she knew that Lex worked on the weekends.
"I don't know. That depends on what you're doing." Lex said. Chloe was somewhat sitting on his lap and they were looking at each other.
"I have to work. We rotate Saturdays and unfortunately, it's my turn," Chloe couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"What time?" Lex asked. He pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen into Chloe's face. Oddly he found himself not wanting to be apart from her. He finally had Chloe where he wanted her and now she was leaving.
"2-6." Chloe said.
"That's in an hour, Chlo." Lex grinned at her startled expression. "I can drive you to your apartment and to work then pick you up."
"That would be wonderful. But, Bessie will kill me if I'm late, so get a move on." Chloe said with a happy grin.
Chloe sat behind the counter at work. She could hardly suppress her happiness. It was odd how she could be so affected by one simple act. Last night with Lex changed something inside her. She felt different. She felt right. She also felt like her mind was buzzing. It almost felt as if there was something a little off within her mind. Not concerning Lex, that all felt right. Maybe she left the oven on in her apartment or something…she'd check later.
"Hello," An accented voice called Chloe out of her reverie. It was the British customer from earlier.
"Hi." Chloe said, standing up. "You're book hasn't arrived yet. We'll notify you when it does, Mr.Dunning."
He smiled at her. "Call me Jack."
"Jack, then. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Chloe asked beginning to fidget. She was getting a weird vibe from Jack Dunning.
"I was hoping to find a book about local history, that sort of thing," He told her with a smile.
"Sure. Right this way," Chloe got up and led him to the history section. "We close in about 15 minutes. I am just letting you know ahead of time so that I don't have to kick you out later," Chloe told him, softening the remark with a smile.
Jack grinned. "I cross my heart, I will leave before then," He crossed his hands over his chest, to emphasize the point.
"Ok," Chloe turned to go sit down at the counter. She looked up from her book to find Jack staring at her. The angle of his head reminded her suddenly of something. A flash of a memory, but too quickly it was gone. She felt a little dizzy and thought she might faint. She rested her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
"You alright?" Jack's question came to her. There was actual concern in his voice. He walked around the counter and stopped next to Chloe.
"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy is all." Chloe looked up to find him practically in her face. She almost fell off the stool backwards. "Customers aren't supposed to come behind the counter," Chloe explained. She tried to stand up, but another wave of dizziness swept over her.
Distantly she heard the bell on the door of the shop open. That was followed by an outraged Lois screaming at Jack to get away from Chloe. It was all Chloe remembered before the black swept over her.
"Chloe…Come on, Chlo, wake up," Chloe began to drift back into her mind and was filled with warmth when she realized it was Lex calling out to her. His hand was brushing through her hair, his scent filling her nose.
"Maybe we should slap her," Lois offered from her other side, "What? It's what they do in the movies," she added when Lex shot her a glare.
"We're not going to slap her. I think she's coming round now." Lex bent in close to Chloe. Lois's phone rang and she went to answer it. "Come on, sweetie. Wake up for me." Lex whispered to her gently.
"Lex." Chloe opened her eyes and found herself staring into his. They were filled with worry that quickly changed to relief.
"What happened?" Lex asked after helping her into a chair. He squatted on the floor in front of her so that they were on eye level.
"I don't know," Chloe shook her head. "I was just sitting there and got really dizzy."
"Lois said something about a man standing next to you," Lex watched her face closely to make sure she was still alright.
"Yeah. Jack Dunning. He ordered a book and was checking on it. He was in here when I began to feel sick," Chloe finished, not adding the fact that Jack gave her a slightly creepy feeling. "Nothing really happened. I probably just need food or something."
"I know something we could try." Lex said with a lecherous grin. Chloe laughed.
"Well, Lex you've managed to revive her. I really appreciate that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take Chloe home and put her to bed." Lois walked up and began glaring at Lex. Once again, old feelings surfaced. Lois had no specific reason for not liking Lex, but rather, a smattering of second hand accounts that all named him as a villain.
Lex stood up and looked at Chloe to judge her reaction. He could sense her hesitation. She was reluctant to tell Lois about their relationship. Rationally, he couldn't blame her. None of her friends would appreciate their dating. However, emotionally it hurt him deeply.
"I think we need to take her to a hospital. It could be more serious than a simple dizzy spell." Lex was offering both himself and Chloe a way out. Going to the hospital would be an indirect way of letting Lois take her home. Chloe was saved from answering the question when a commotion in the back drew their attention.
Bessie came out of the storage room and looked over at Chloe with obvious relief. "When they called me, I was totally freaking out! Thank god, you're ok!" Bessie ran over and hugged Chloe. "Oh, and I found these two hanging around out back. I assume their friends of yours, at least that was their claim," Bessie told her as Lana and Clark came out of the back room also.
The group sat and talked for a few minutes. They discussed her new job, apartment and caught up on the current gossip. Chloe kept stealing glances at Lex. He was sitting among the group, but looked so alone. It broke her heart. It was literally an ache in her soul. It was something she'd never experienced before.
"Chloe, can you come over here a second?" Bessie asked her as she walked over to the register. Chloe stood up and walked over to her.
"What's up?" Chloe asked, stealing a glance at Lex.
"I wanted to know that you were really ok. You seem a little out of it still," Bessie told her. Bessie began to put money in the money bag. Chloe stared at Lex and thought about her question.
"So your thing, the thing you wanted more than anything," Chloe turned to look at Bessie, "was it worth it?"
Bessie smiled. "I won't lie. It was a hard road. Sometimes I thought I must have been crazy to even try and pursue it. But when is anything in life ever easy? People who never live, never take risks, can never find true happiness. Why do you ask?" Bessie asked.
"I found it. My thing, it was right there in front of me the whole time," Chloe finished and looked over at Lex.
"Right. Chloe let me ask you something," Bessie stopped putting the money away and looked at her seriously. "If I told you that it wasn't worth it. That it made my life miserable and I wish I'd never pursued my dream, would you still want to pursue yours? Would it be worth it?"
Chloe paused a moment before answering. "Yes." She said simply.
"Well, then go to it!" Bessie said with a grin.
a/n: Hey all. I don't know if you guys are even reading this! But I hope you are! I love reviews so please review and I will try to post within a week. I finally found the direction for this story and am writing it again. So, sorry sorry sorry for the looooooong delay!