"It's a long story," Chloe said, brushing past him.
"Uh--" Clark looked at her in confusion, then turned to look back at Lex, who followed her into the apartment and shut the door.
"There was a break-in at LexCorp tonight," Lex said, shutting the deadbolt. "Whoever did it hit Chloe's office."
"So why are you *here*?" Clark asked, sitting down on his battered couch.
"Because if Lex is right, my apartment isn't safe." Chloe plopped down on the floor. "And I trust you."
"Okay." Clark ran a hand through his hair. "What do you need?"
It was really nice, Chloe thought, to have friends like Clark.
"Chloe needs a place to stay for the next couple of days, at least until we figure out what's going on and stop it. I've got security on it already, and there's a guard at your building should anyone stop by. But I don't want to take chances." Lex leaned against the wall.
"So kind of you," Chloe murmured. "Chloe can make her own decisions, thank you." Which she could--and leaving her apartment had been the right one to make at the time.
"I'm not disputing that," Lex said. "And, as you've chosen Clark's hospitality over my own--"
"For professional reasons," Chloe interjected. "I told you, I won't risk compromising my ethics."
Clark looked from one to the other, then shook his head and stood up. "I need coffee," he muttered.
"Can you make enough for two?" Chloe asked.
"Three," Lex added.
"I'm making a pot," Clark called back from the kitchen area. "A big one."
"Good idea." Chloe rubbed her eyes and rested her cheek against her knees. "God, I don't even want to think about going into work," she grumbled.
"I think it would be understandable if you took the day," Lex commented.
She looked up at him. "Will you be there?"
Lex nodded.
"Then so will I."
"Admirable of you."
"More like sheer bloody stubbornness." Chloe put her head down again.
"Well, that too."
Clark came back, carrying two mugs. He gave one to Lex and set the other one down by Chloe, returning a moment later with his own mug. "So I'm guessing this is related to the whole getting locked in the closet thing?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.
For the briefest of moments, Lex looked surprised. "You told him?" he asked Chloe.
"He's one of my best friends," Chloe retorted. "If I didn't trust him with my life, we wouldn't be here now."
Lex shrugged minutely, conceding the point. "We don't know yet, but it would be--foolish to ignore the likelihood that the two events are related."
Chloe sipped her coffee--instant, blech--and tried to make her brain focus, with minimal success. "Can I make a proposal here?"
"I'm flattered, Chloe, but I thought you wanted to wait." Lex looked at her innocently over his mug and she barely resisted the urge to turn five and throw something at him.
"Seriously. It's four in the morning and we're all wiped. Why don't we get a few hours sleep and meet to discuss this at--say--eight?"
"All of us?" Lex asked.
"Clark's part of this, Lex. If you trust me, you trust him." Chloe met his eyes steadily. When the hell had the two men become such strangers? She decided it was something she needed to find out. Soon.
Lex set his mug down on the battered coffee table and straightened up. "My offices, eight am?" he suggested. "I'll leave word that Clark is to be allowed in with you."
Chloe nodded. "Sounds good to me."
"I'll have to call Perry," Clark said. "But yeah, that should work."
"I'll see you two then." Lex inclined his head in a goodbye and flipped the deadbolt before leaving. The door shut quietly behind him.
"The bed's all set up--just let me grab a blanket and I'll crash out here," Clark said, getting to his feet.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm shorter. I'll take the couch." Chloe crawled onto it with some difficulty and curled up on her side. "Wake me at seven, kay?"
Not surprisingly, she didn't sleep well, haunted by dreams of faceless intruders and shadowy burglars. After the third attempt to sleep failed, she gave up and crept into Clark's bedroom. He was sprawled out on his stomach, one arm hanging off the mattress. "Chlo?" he murmured, turning to her. "What's wrong?"
"Couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"No, s'okay. C'mere." Clark shifted and patted the mattress next to him. Chloe crawled into the open space, closing her eyes. "Not like we haven't done this before," he mumbled, draping an arm over her.
It was warm and heavy and she felt Clark breathing against her neck and it was exactly what she needed--a friendly body to hold her in the night.
She was asleep before she finished that thought.
"Uh--" Clark looked at her in confusion, then turned to look back at Lex, who followed her into the apartment and shut the door.
"There was a break-in at LexCorp tonight," Lex said, shutting the deadbolt. "Whoever did it hit Chloe's office."
"So why are you *here*?" Clark asked, sitting down on his battered couch.
"Because if Lex is right, my apartment isn't safe." Chloe plopped down on the floor. "And I trust you."
"Okay." Clark ran a hand through his hair. "What do you need?"
It was really nice, Chloe thought, to have friends like Clark.
"Chloe needs a place to stay for the next couple of days, at least until we figure out what's going on and stop it. I've got security on it already, and there's a guard at your building should anyone stop by. But I don't want to take chances." Lex leaned against the wall.
"So kind of you," Chloe murmured. "Chloe can make her own decisions, thank you." Which she could--and leaving her apartment had been the right one to make at the time.
"I'm not disputing that," Lex said. "And, as you've chosen Clark's hospitality over my own--"
"For professional reasons," Chloe interjected. "I told you, I won't risk compromising my ethics."
Clark looked from one to the other, then shook his head and stood up. "I need coffee," he muttered.
"Can you make enough for two?" Chloe asked.
"Three," Lex added.
"I'm making a pot," Clark called back from the kitchen area. "A big one."
"Good idea." Chloe rubbed her eyes and rested her cheek against her knees. "God, I don't even want to think about going into work," she grumbled.
"I think it would be understandable if you took the day," Lex commented.
She looked up at him. "Will you be there?"
Lex nodded.
"Then so will I."
"Admirable of you."
"More like sheer bloody stubbornness." Chloe put her head down again.
"Well, that too."
Clark came back, carrying two mugs. He gave one to Lex and set the other one down by Chloe, returning a moment later with his own mug. "So I'm guessing this is related to the whole getting locked in the closet thing?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.
For the briefest of moments, Lex looked surprised. "You told him?" he asked Chloe.
"He's one of my best friends," Chloe retorted. "If I didn't trust him with my life, we wouldn't be here now."
Lex shrugged minutely, conceding the point. "We don't know yet, but it would be--foolish to ignore the likelihood that the two events are related."
Chloe sipped her coffee--instant, blech--and tried to make her brain focus, with minimal success. "Can I make a proposal here?"
"I'm flattered, Chloe, but I thought you wanted to wait." Lex looked at her innocently over his mug and she barely resisted the urge to turn five and throw something at him.
"Seriously. It's four in the morning and we're all wiped. Why don't we get a few hours sleep and meet to discuss this at--say--eight?"
"All of us?" Lex asked.
"Clark's part of this, Lex. If you trust me, you trust him." Chloe met his eyes steadily. When the hell had the two men become such strangers? She decided it was something she needed to find out. Soon.
Lex set his mug down on the battered coffee table and straightened up. "My offices, eight am?" he suggested. "I'll leave word that Clark is to be allowed in with you."
Chloe nodded. "Sounds good to me."
"I'll have to call Perry," Clark said. "But yeah, that should work."
"I'll see you two then." Lex inclined his head in a goodbye and flipped the deadbolt before leaving. The door shut quietly behind him.
"The bed's all set up--just let me grab a blanket and I'll crash out here," Clark said, getting to his feet.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm shorter. I'll take the couch." Chloe crawled onto it with some difficulty and curled up on her side. "Wake me at seven, kay?"
Not surprisingly, she didn't sleep well, haunted by dreams of faceless intruders and shadowy burglars. After the third attempt to sleep failed, she gave up and crept into Clark's bedroom. He was sprawled out on his stomach, one arm hanging off the mattress. "Chlo?" he murmured, turning to her. "What's wrong?"
"Couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"No, s'okay. C'mere." Clark shifted and patted the mattress next to him. Chloe crawled into the open space, closing her eyes. "Not like we haven't done this before," he mumbled, draping an arm over her.
It was warm and heavy and she felt Clark breathing against her neck and it was exactly what she needed--a friendly body to hold her in the night.
She was asleep before she finished that thought.