Title: Not All Heroes Are Super Men
Author: Maddie
Rating: PG13
Archive: Yes, but please ask first.
Feedback: Always welcome
Pairings: Story does involve Lex and Chloe in a non-ship way
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes: Thank you to Tavia, Rachel and Sherry for beta reading and comments.
Summary: Chloe's relaxing summer afternoon is shattered by the arrival of bad news. And the bearer of that news is Lex Luthor.

****

Not All Heroes Are Super Men

Chloe balanced the sunscreen on top of her growing pile, ticking off in her mind what she had and what she needed. She wasn't sure why she was being so thorough. It wasn't like she was going to the beach; she was just venturing into the back yard. A yard that didn't even have the good grace to have a birdbath much less a human-sized pool. She could easily come back into the house for anything she needed but knew that if she did, she would never go back out. This was Chloe Sullivan's annual 'back to nature' expedition. It was the first day of summer vacation. Her time to strip down, get down, and catch some sun. Last year she lasted about 25 minutes before she was so stark raving bored she had to gather up her junk and return to the cozy cool of her room and her beloved computer. This year, she was going to make an honest attempt to get a tan so she didn't spent the summer sporting the Scarlet O'Hara white-as-a-sheet look. Not that she was that good at tanning, burning was far more likely, but she was determined. Just one more thing, she thought, balancing the stack that included her laptop, a blanket, pillow, CD player, CDs, and sunscreen. A beer.

Opening the refrigerator, she glanced around the mountain in her arms, doing a quick inventory of the refrigerator's contents. Gabe Sullivan was not what she would call a 'drinking man.' One brew was usually all he would consume, and she swore, he counted each and every bottle like he was taking inventory at the plant. But yesterday had been payday, and there was a brand new case of light beer in the fridge. A month's supply for her father. He wouldn't miss just one.

Snagging a bottle, she headed for the back yard, bumping the screen door open with her hip. She was immediately struck by the heaviness of the air. Thick and humid, she felt as though she was breathing liquid not gas. As soon as the moisture-laden air hit the bottle in her hand it began to sweat and slip from her fingers. Running down the last two steps and into the middle of the yard, she plopped her things unceremoniously onto the grass. Okay, step one; spread the blanket, then the Scooby Do pillow, laptop, CDs. She sat in the middle of the blanket, positioned the earphones on her head, selected her favorite CD, and cranked up the volume. After all, it was summer, time for loud music, convertibles and skinny-dipping. As her knee bounced to the rhythm, she twisted off the top of the beer and took a slow sip, savoring the chill brew, then began applying a lavish amount of sunscreen, the good stuff, 30 SPF; she wasn't going to burn and peel again this year. Getting that spot right in the middle of her back was always tricky. At times like this she could use...she paused mid thought. She could use a Clark, she smiled, continuing the thought. Settling down on her stomach she reached behind her and unfastened the top of her bathing suit. No strap marks for this girl. She figured she would lay on her stomach for fifteen minutes, then flip to her back. Then repeat it all. If she wasn't out of her mind with boredom by then, she'd call it quits. She closed her eyes and relaxed.

****

Chloe had just rolled over on her stomach so her back was now exposed to the sun for the second time. Her eyes closed. The music pounded a primal rhythm in her skull, while the heat of the sun called to some primitive part of her. She wiggled, her mind wandering. If she could visit some exotic, far off place, where would she want to be and with whom? Where would she find deliciously warm and sweat-slick men interested only in her? Images of sparkling blue green oceans and white sandy beaches dripping with palm trees came unbidden. Now all she needed was the right body. That shouldn't be difficult to imagine.

She was startled from her daydream by a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. Her eyes popped open and she immediately scrabbled for the top of her bathing suit. "Jesus, you scared the hell out of me." She blinked her eyes, momentarily unable to focus in the brilliant glare. When she finally did, she thought she would die of humiliation. Kneeling on the lawn beside her, an intensely serious expression on his face, was none other than Lex Luthor himself. Scooting backward on her blanket, Chloe fumbled to refasten her bathing suit top, feeling the flush of embarrassment burning her cheeks.

"What are you doing in my back yard?" She snapped, yanking the earphones from her head.

Lex held both hands in front of himself in a conciliatory fashion. "Calm down, Miss Sullivan. I've been trying to reach you by phone for half an hour, but there was no answer."

"I couldn't hear it. The answering machine is working, why didn't you just leave a message?"

Chloe suddenly froze. The expression on Lex's face was one she hoped to never see. Whatever he needed to tell her he didn't want to tell by way of a machine.

"Miss Sullivan, there's been an accident at the plant."

"Dad?" she choked.

Lex took a deep breath. "He's been injured, along with four others. He's being flown to Metropolis General."

Chloe heard his words, but her brain was numb, refusing to process the information. Daddy, her daddy, was injured.

"How bad?" she was finally able to ask.

"We don't know yet. He was unconscious when the helicopter left. Get dressed. I have a plane waiting. We should be there shortly after the helicopter arrives."

Chloe didn't wait for him to say more. Jumping up she ran into the house, the screen door banging behind her. She splashed a handful of icy water onto her face to clear her thoughts, then tossed on a skirt and top, slipped her feet into sandals and dashed back to the kitchen, where she found Lex waiting. He opened the screen door and held it for her while she fumbled to lock the inner door. It was only then that she realized her laptop was still sitting in the lawn. Remembering her father's all too frequent lectures about taking care of her 'expensive toys' she grabbed the computer by its carrying case and set it inside the garage as they walked quickly past on the way to the drive. Half of her brain asking why she was taking the time when this was an emergency.

One of Lex's many cars was parked in her driveway, looking terribly out of place in the middle of Mundane, USA. But then, Lex always looked out of place here in Mundane. Chloe barely noticed what type of car it was this time. The thought registered that it was so low to the ground she felt like she was falling into it, and that it felt like power encased in steel. The interior smelled of leather, and Lex's cologne, and her damned sunscreen. Before she had even finished her feeble observations about the car, Lex had pulled out of the driveway and down the road, at a speed Chloe didn't even want to know. Part of her mentally screamed at him to slow down and another part screamed at herself to just enjoy the ride because it probably would never happen again. But most of her just wanted to know what had happened to her father and how soon she would get to see him.

Finally her need to know conquered her fear of hearing the worst and she asked, "What happened?"

Lex quickly glanced at her. She could see his jaw clench, and his knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. Chloe could have assumed the almost imperceptible reaction was a sign of guilt. Had the plant somehow slacked off on safety precautions that resulted in her father's injury? She wanted to think that was not the case. Her dad would never let anything like that happen. But Lex's reaction made her wonder.

"We aren't sure of all the details yet."

Chloe winced. That was a line right out of the LuthorCorp PR manual, and her mind screamed 'evasion', even as her mouth was moving to make her next demand. "So tell me what you know."

"Apparently, one of the pressure gauges in the methane transport pipeline was faulty. It continued to read a safe level of gas pressure long after the safety maximums had been exceeded."

Chloe could see Lex going over the details in his mind. Either he was working hard to get his cover story straight, or honestly attempting to piece together what happened.

"From what the other workers tell me, your father realized something was wrong when the rate of methane input to the mixing vats didn't correspond with the supposed pressure of gas in the lines. He deduced the system was in overload."

Dad would do that, she thought. He could be so anal about everything being in its place at work. At least he wasn't like that at home. Lex was still talking and driving so she tried to focus on his words.

"Your dad managed to evacuate the most endangered areas of the building, and at the same time partially lower the gas pressure by venting. Unfortunately, he never finished the job. As near as we can tell one of the pipe joints ruptured injuring your dad." Lex paused, and she saw him glance in her direction as though gauging her reaction. "A lot of people might have died if your father hadn't acted quickly and decisively."

"My dad saved the day?"

Lex nodded.

"The man of a thousand bad fertilizer jokes is today's hero?"

Much to her surprise she heard Lex chuckle. She didn't think Lex ever 'chuckled' about anything. Evidently her dad had no qualms about sharing his particular brand of bad humor with his boss. "The same," he answered.

Chloe was momentarily distracted from her concern about her father's injuries as she tried to work her brain around the idea of her father as a hero. Apparently, no one knew how badly her dad was injured; or else it was so bad they didn't want to tell her. Why else would she be getting a personalized escort form Lex Luthor himself?

In less than fifteen minutes they had arrived at LuthorCorp's private airfield on the outskirts of Smallville. As they got out of the car, Lex handed the keys to a waiting employee, took Chloe gently by the elbow and steered her across the tarmac towards the waiting plane, the heat radiating off the blacktop rose in shimmering waves. Squinting against the glare of the sun, she found her jaw dropping in surprise. She had told herself never to be surprised by anything Luthor and when Lex had said "plane", she had assumed at worst a small prop plane, at best a Leer. Instead they were heading for a full-sized passenger plane, the LuthorCorp emblem emblazoned across the tail.

As they entered the cool interior of the airliner she heard Lex snap several quick commands to the crew, then she was being seated and told to buckle in. Her seat belt was barely secure before she felt the plane begin to move. Lex had dropped into a seat opposite her, taking out his cell phone as the plane began to roll down the runway. Chloe couldn't eavesdrop on his conversation over the whine of the jet's engines, so she blinked instead, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the interior light after the glare of the summer sun. She was surprised to note that the only conventional passenger seats were in two rows across the front of the main cabin. The rest of the plane was appointed like the main lobby of a luxury hotel. The central cabin was carpeted in a plush burgundy covering with a pile so deep she was tempted to dig her toes in to it. Cream colored armchairs and a couch almost the width of the plane's body filled the interior with the distinct odor of fine leather, and she wondered if Luthors ever sat on anything that wasn't covered with animal hide. The decor reminded her more of a board room than an airplane. Air Force One probably never had it so good, she thought.

Her other observation was that she and Lex were the only non-crew members on board. "Where are the others?" she asked bluntly as soon as Lex terminated his call.

"Others?" Either he really didn't understand her question, or he was feigning ignorance to cover his tracks.

"Other families? You said four others were injured." Chloe persisted.

Lex was quiet for a disarmingly long time. "The other workers' injuries were minor and probably won't require hospitalization. They were treated by the paramedics at the scene, then taken to Smallville Medical Center for a thorough examination."

Chloe was suddenly very uncomfortable. Being alone here with Lex Luthor, in what amounted to a very private flying apartment made her irrationally nervous. Despite the gravity of the situation, she wasn't sure she trusted Smallville's billionaire playboy. She wanted to be like Clark and believe that Lex's motives were on the up and up, but there was that lingering mistrust she had yet to find reason to ignore. Lex must have seen her squirm.

"Miss Sullivan, if you're uncomfortable being here alone with me, there is a young lady acting as flight attendant. I could have her join us."

Chloe felt herself blushing again. That was the second time Lex had made her blush. Her brain was doing the 'don't trust the pervert' routine against her will. Lex really was trying to help. The afternoon had gone so quickly from southern fried boredom to surrealist extreme, that her nerves were on overload, and she was beginning to feel disjointed and out of sync. "No, really, I'm okay," she finally managed to mumble.

"You don't sound okay," Lex said rising smoothly from his seat even though the plane hadn't yet reached cruising altitude. "I realize this has all been quite a shock. I can arrange for a place to lie down if you would like to, there's also a bathroom if you'd like to freshen up."

Lie down, Chloe thought, stifling an irrational giggle, God, I'll bet he's got a bedroom in this thing somewhere. Then she mentally slapped herself. Get a grip, Sullivan, her inner voice said, you're here because your dad is seriously hurt. Besides, Lex Luthor would never be interested in you. Not that way.

"Freshen up maybe," Chloe said, not at all happy with the shaky sound of her own voice, but wanting desperately to be alone so she could get her roller coaster emotions under control. Once again she heard Lex speaking to someone she couldn't see, and in a few moments an attractive young woman in a crisp flight attendant's uniform appeared.

"Annette will help you with anything you need," Lex said quietly.

Chloe nodded. She started to walk away with Annette, then turned sharply on her heel to face Lex Luthor. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what Chloe?"

"The personal escort. The royal treatment." Chloe snapped

Lex paused for a moment. "Because your father risked his life today. He turned a potential disaster into a manageable situation."

"Then why aren't you back at the plant managing the situation? Think about the PR. That's what Luthors are best at isn't it. Spinning everything to their advantage." For a moment Chloe could have sworn her words stung as hard as she wished they would. She could not control the burst of anger. Her father might very well be dead, and it might be Lex's fault. Did she imagine the flicker of hurt in his eyes before he glanced away from her?

"I have an office full of PR men to do that," he answered quietly.

"So you have time to escort me to Metropolis." Chloe could feel the flash of anger subsiding in the wake of Lex's calm response.

"Hasn't Clark ever told you, I'd do anything to help my friends."

Before Chloe could open her mouth and insert her foot again, Lex's cell phone rang. He turned to answer and as she was led towards the rear of the plane, she overheard his comments.

"I'm sorry. You will have to tell Mr. White that there will be no interviews granted at this time."

****

Chloe stood in a restroom, as large as her bedroom, staring into the mirror. She felt wretched. She was scared to death about her father and embarrassed to death by the way she had just treated Lex, who had been nothing but gracious. She wasn't sure which would be a more traumatic way to die, by fear or by embarrassment. The face that stared back at her from the mirror was disheveled and starting to turn decidedly pink from her sojourn in the sun. Her hair was a mess, and she couldn't even remember if she brushed her teeth this morning. What she needed more than anything was a very large cup of coffee. Sitting on the toilet seat and leaning her head against the edge of the sink, she wished she could turn back the clock about twelve hours and start again.

For some reason, she found herself staring mindlessly at the towels draped there for her convenience. They were so soft and thick she would need two of her towels at home to equal one of these. She half expected a ridiculous "LL" monogram down in one corner, but apparently, the Luthors had more class than that. They were burgundy, like the color of blood, and which made her wonder if her dad had been bleeding when they carried him from the plant. Aching fear and uncertainty pressed down on her. Chloe didn't know how long she sat with her head resting on the cool edge of the sink. She was vaguely aware of a knock at the door and a woman's voice right before she heard the door swish open. "Miss Sullivan," the voice said.

Chloe looked up blearily. Then she felt firm hands on her shoulders, urging her to stand, leading her to the main cabin, and pushing her into a seat.

"We're going to be landing soon, Chloe." She looked up, this time into Lex Luthor's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Chloe blurted. "I haven't behaved well."

"Understandable."

Chloe felt her face begin to crumple. She would not cry, she told herself. She would not cry in front of Lex Luthor. She would not. Famous last words, she thought. I won't cry. I won't cry. I won't, she chanted like a mantra. And she probably would not have, had it not been for the arms that slipped gently around her, drawing her into a shoulder that seemed, at that moment, perfect for crying on. She let the tears get the better of her for about five minutes, before she drew away, sniffing loudly, and feeling very unsettled. She didn't take Lex for the comforting type. The cool, aloof, and emotionless type, but not the comforting type.

He handed her a box of tissues, a very concerned expression on his face.

"Why did you do that?" Chloe asked.

He shrugged. A slight smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. "You keep asking me that. You looked like you needed it. Feel better?"

Chloe nodded. She did feel better. Some of the tension was gone, but not the worry.

"Good. Buckle in. We'll be landing soon."

"Lex," Chloe wasn't certain what she wanted. "Thank you."

Lex nodded. "Buckle in, Miss Sullivan."

****

Twenty minutes later Lex was leading her down the main concourse of Metropolis International Airport. He had skillfully diverted a bevy of curious reporters as they'd entered the terminal, answering their questions in curt monosyllables, suggesting they discuss the matter with his press representative in Smallville. He refused to say about Chloe except her father had been injured and he was escorting her to the hospital. He fiercely defended Chloe's privacy, for which she was grateful. The last thing she needed was her face plastered across the evening edition of the Inquisitor, labeled as Lex Luthor's newest acquisition. Which was not to say that wouldn't happen anyway, she just didn't want it to happen unless there was something to back up the claim. She didn't want the fame if she couldn't have the fun, she thought. And she wasn't sure she would ever be able to handle the fun part.

Leaving the terminal, she was once again assailed by the blindingly hot sun, before she was ushered into the rear of a limousine that had to be at least a block long by her calculations. She settled into one of the side seats as Lex sat along the rear of the passenger area. He looked as comfortable as she felt out of place.

"Only about ten more minutes, and we'll be at the hospital," Lex said. "I've asked the hospital staff to alert me as soon as they know anything definite about your father's condition."

"Can they do that?" Chloe asked, brushing a wayward strand of hair from her eyes. "I mean release information to someone who isn't the next of kin?"

Lex looked at her, one eyebrow raised slightly.

Chloe didn't need a verbal answer. She already knew what it would be. When your money practically built the hospital, you could get whatever information you wanted.

At that moment, Lex's cell phone rang. He answered before it could ring a second time. Chloe watched his face as he listened. He was far too serious, and far too quiet. There was a clutching tension in her chest and her stomach knotted.

"Okay," Lex finally said, nodding as if the person on the other end of the call could see him. "Okay. I'll handle it. Thank you."

Lex terminated the call, and turned towards her. Chloe could feel the tears beginning to well in her eyes again, and she blinked rapidly.

"That was the hospital," Lex began.

"It's bad news," Chloe interrupted, choking back a sob.

"No." Lex slid closer to her. "NO. Your father has regained consciousness and is asking for you."

"Asking?" Chloe could not believe how stupid she managed to sound.

"Yes."

"Oh, thank you." And much to her surprise, and apparently his, in a very uncharacteristically Chloe Sullivan fashion, she wrapped her arms around Lex Luthor, and gave him a very exuberant hug. A hug. She told herself she probably would deny that part of the story later, but she hugged Lex Luthor. And when she pulled away, she was crying again, this time in relief, and from somewhere, Lex produced yet another box of tissues. Chloe made a mental note of the fact that he apparently kept them stashed everywhere, which meant he dealt with more sobbing females than he let on. "He's awake?" she asked again, as her fit of tears subsided into an annoying case of hiccups.

"He's not completely out of the woods, Miss Sullivan, nor will he be out of the hospital for a few days."

"Did they tell you how badly he's hurt?"

"Your father has a concussion, several cracked ribs and a punctured lung as well as a badly broken arm that will require surgery to set. But, it appears his head is sufficiently hard that he will come through it all with no lingering problems. I've arranged accommodations for you in a hotel near the hospital, so you can stay here with your dad until he is released."

Chloe leaned back into the deep cushions of the limo's interior and let his words wash over her. Her dad would be all right. Her dad would be all right! She fought the urge to giggle. She'd already done more 'uncharacteristically Chloe' things in front of him than she ever dreamed, and refused to add giggling to the mix.

It was then she realized that her hand still rested lightly on his forearm and her thigh was tightly pressed against his. She could feel her face reddening as she slid back to her original place on the seat straightened her skirt and brushed her fingers through her hair.

"So, um," she said, attempting to sound blasé. "There is one more thing I wanted to ask."

"Why does this suddenly sound like a reporter-type question?"

"Not really reporter, this really is just a curiosity thing," she said, feeling the undeniable and very familiar urge to snipe at Mr. Lex Luthor. "How can you wear long sleeves in this sweltering heat, when everyone else is baring as much skin as possible?"

"Why, Miss Sullivan, I live in an air-conditioned home, work in an air-conditioned office, drive an air-conditioned car."

"I see," she nodded, trying very hard to pretend to be serious. "But you have to go outside sometime."

"Let's just say, I was born a red-head. Even before...I lost my hair I didn't take kindly to the sun."

"Freckles?" she questioned, as though it was the biggest scoop she'd ever landed.

This time it was his turn to chuckle softly, "No, thank God, I was spared freckles. I just burn to a crisp."

"Like a lobster."

"Boiled."

"Broiled for me," Chloe replied smiling. And as their limo rolled up to the front entrance of Metropolis General, Chloe Sullivan was undeniably glad, that her world had gone full circle and was once again back to what she called normal. Her father would be all right. She had survived the trip to Metropolis with Lex Luthor, while making only a moderate fool of herself. Yes, she thought. Everything was going to be just fine. Her only regret was that the Torch wasn't printed during the summer, because she certainly knew what her headline story would be. She would tell the world all about her dad and another man named Luthor. She'd let them know that all heroes aren't supermen, and that courage as well as kindness often comes from the most unlikely and unexpected people.

End