Chapter 24- I Miss You…I Think
"Mr. Luthor?"
"Yes," Lex replied snapping himself out of his thoughts.
"I asked what your plans were for Plant No. 3. As you know, it's turned over its first profit in years," the reporter said.
"I plan to keep doing what I have been doing. When the other plants cut their employees by twenty percent, I raised mine by the same amount. It worked, and will continue to work," Lex replied.
"Why are you trying so hard to keep it going?" another reporter asked.
"LuthorCorp Plant No. 3 is the major source of income for almost twenty-five hundred Smallville residents. Almost all of my employees are citizens of Smallville. If I closed it down, a lot of people would be out of a job," Lex answered, trying to focus on the questions.
"Mr. Luthor, I heard a rumor that you are dating the daughter of one of your managers," a reporter called out.
Lex grimaced inwardly. "This is strictly a business press conference. I don't discuss my personal life with anyone. I'm done here," Lex said leaving.
Lex made his way to his temporary office in his father's penthouse. He locked the door and sat at the glass desk.
Lex placed his hand on the phone as he contemplated calling Chloe. It had been two weeks since their 'falling out.' He didn't have the control to call her when he left for Metropolis. He had been too hurt and angry. He knew she would find out sooner or later from Clark.
Lex grimaced again as he thought of Clark. For once, Lex had no idea how to handle his problems. The easiest way out would be to ignore it. If he did that, Chloe would eventually go away.
He couldn't do that for three reasons. First, it wasn't the way Luthors handled their problems. A Luthor never ran from anything, or anyone. Second of all, was his friendship with Clark. If he hurt Chloe, that would hurt Clark. Therefore Clark would probably not be so fond of Lex anymore. Third, and most important of all was the fact that Lex just couldn't bring himself to hurt Chloe. There was something about her that he couldn't forget.
Chloe brought out Lex's softest side, but she could also make him so angry! Chloe was like fire. She was so passionate and spirited. Lex liked that, so he decided to try and fix the damage he had done.
Lex began to dial Chloe's cell phone and thought better of it. He grabbed the keys to his Porsche instead and left his office. His father would be angry if he left, but he'd get over it.
Lex drove his usual twenty to twenty-five miles over the speed limit all the way to Smallville. When his car flew past Clark's Lex did a double take. Chloe's car was in the driveway. Lex turned his car around and pulled in next to Chloe. He headed straight to the barn where he knew they would be.
"Lex!" Chloe exclaimed when he walked into the loft. Chloe was already a seat away from Clark, but she immediately scooted over another foot.
"I'll be in the house," Clark said sliding past Lex.
"Are you still angry with me?" Lex asked.
Chloe had missed Lex, but she wasn't ready to be nice just yet. "Angry, infuriated, enraged, irate, livid. Take your pick," Chloe threw at him.
"I deserve that," Lex said moving to stand beside her.
Chloe made no move to stand up. "Yes, you do," she said hotly.
"Will you forgive me?" Lex asked.
"For which of the many transgressions?" Chloe asked rudely.
"Chloe-" Lex said, beginning to get upset.
"Lex, you left town without telling me. I had to find out from Clark. How do you think that made me feel?" Chloe fumed.
"I didn't think you'd care. You were practically ignoring me," Lex said becoming angry.
"I was not ignoring you. You were gone for two weeks and you think you can say you're sorry and it will all be better. Well, it won't!" Chloe said, her voice raising a few octaves.
"You were practically ignoring me unless we were alone. And even then you still only talked about Clark," Lex said angrily.
"What are you talking about?" Chloe almost yelled. "One time! One time I talked about Clark."
Lex's voice boomed with his words. "All you ever do is talk about Clark. You talk about how you felt, what about me?"
"What's wrong with you?!?" Chloe shouted. "All I ever do is try to be better for you. I just can't do enough can I?"
"You don't care about me. You'll never care about me," Lex said grabbing Chloe's arms and pulling her off the couch. "The only person you'll ever care about is Clark!"
"Lex, let go of me!" Chloe yelled.
"I came here to apologize," Lex shouted, shaking Chloe. His fingers dug into Chloe's arms. "All I get for my affection is the cold shoulder."
"Lex! Stop it!" Chloe said. As he gripped her tighter, Chloe's anger turned to fear.
"I cared about you, and how do you repay me? By coming here!" Lex growled still shaking Chloe.
"Lex, you're hurting me," Chloe said beginning to panic.
"Let…her…go!" Clark fumed, his last word a shout.
Lex huffed and threw Chloe at Clark. Chloe shrieked.
"Chlo, go inside. My mom's waiting for you," Clark said, gently guiding her to the stairs. He never took his eyes off Lex.
Chloe fled down the stairs to the safety of the house.
"How dare you touch her like that?!?" Clark shouted, towering over Lex.
Lex shook his head to clear the fog. As he realized what he had just done he was mortified. "Clark, I-I didn't mean to-I don't know what happened- she made me so angry."
"You never touch her or anyone else like that! I don't care how angry you get," Clark said, his eyes flashing.
"Clark, I-I-" Lex tried.
Clark could see that Lex was genuinely sorry. "What's wrong with you, Lex? Why do you keep acting like this?"
"I don't know…" Lex trailed off, not wanting to explain his doubts.
"Well you better find out, because if you EVER touch Chloe like that again I won't be responsible for my actions," Clark said.
"I-I don't know what to say. I was on my way to her house to apologize. When I saw her car here, all I saw was red," Lex said.
"Lex, there is nothing going on between me and Chloe. She likes you. I might even go as far to say that she loves you. Or did before this, anyway," Clark said. Then he added, "She could be the best thing to ever happen to you, but you'll lose her if you keep acting this way."
"I can't lose her, Clark. I love her," Lex admitted.
"Then you better go talk to her," Clark said walking down the stairs.
When Lex entered the house, Martha and Chloe were on the couch. Chloe was crying and Martha was holding her. Martha had an ice pack on Chloe's arms. Chloe gasped when Lex walked in, driving daggers into Lex's heart.
"Chloe can I talk to you?" Lex asked.
Martha brushed the hair out of Chloe's red eyes and looked at her as if to say 'you don't have to.'
Chloe looked at Martha. "Don't go far."
"I won't, sweetheart," Martha said following Clark out of the room.
Lex sat on the couch beside Chloe. "Chloe, I'm sorry. When I saw your car, I lost control. I didn't know what I was doing."
"You scare me, Lex. And no one does," Chloe said wiping her eyes.
"I scare myself. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's the last thing I had in mind," Lex replied.
"What did you have in mind?" Chloe asked.
"To see you. Apologize. Show you how much you mean to me. Make everything right between us," Lex explained.
"You have a funny way of going about it," Chloe said.
"It's just that when I saw you up there with Clark, something clicked. I came to tell you how much I love you, and you were with him," Lex said. "I just lost it."
"I noticed," Chloe said pressing the ice pack gently to her right arm.
"Oh, Chloe," Lex said. He looked ready to cry. When Lex reached out to Chloe she flinched and backed away. "Please?" Lex asked placing his hands gently on her arms. He ran his fingers lightly over the appearing bruises. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."
"I know," Chloe whispered.
"Come here," Lex said pulling Chloe to him.
Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around Lex. When Clark saw this, he knew he had lost his chance with Chloe. Chloe wouldn't leave Lex, not even if he hurt her again.
"Mr. Luthor?"
"Yes," Lex replied snapping himself out of his thoughts.
"I asked what your plans were for Plant No. 3. As you know, it's turned over its first profit in years," the reporter said.
"I plan to keep doing what I have been doing. When the other plants cut their employees by twenty percent, I raised mine by the same amount. It worked, and will continue to work," Lex replied.
"Why are you trying so hard to keep it going?" another reporter asked.
"LuthorCorp Plant No. 3 is the major source of income for almost twenty-five hundred Smallville residents. Almost all of my employees are citizens of Smallville. If I closed it down, a lot of people would be out of a job," Lex answered, trying to focus on the questions.
"Mr. Luthor, I heard a rumor that you are dating the daughter of one of your managers," a reporter called out.
Lex grimaced inwardly. "This is strictly a business press conference. I don't discuss my personal life with anyone. I'm done here," Lex said leaving.
Lex made his way to his temporary office in his father's penthouse. He locked the door and sat at the glass desk.
Lex placed his hand on the phone as he contemplated calling Chloe. It had been two weeks since their 'falling out.' He didn't have the control to call her when he left for Metropolis. He had been too hurt and angry. He knew she would find out sooner or later from Clark.
Lex grimaced again as he thought of Clark. For once, Lex had no idea how to handle his problems. The easiest way out would be to ignore it. If he did that, Chloe would eventually go away.
He couldn't do that for three reasons. First, it wasn't the way Luthors handled their problems. A Luthor never ran from anything, or anyone. Second of all, was his friendship with Clark. If he hurt Chloe, that would hurt Clark. Therefore Clark would probably not be so fond of Lex anymore. Third, and most important of all was the fact that Lex just couldn't bring himself to hurt Chloe. There was something about her that he couldn't forget.
Chloe brought out Lex's softest side, but she could also make him so angry! Chloe was like fire. She was so passionate and spirited. Lex liked that, so he decided to try and fix the damage he had done.
Lex began to dial Chloe's cell phone and thought better of it. He grabbed the keys to his Porsche instead and left his office. His father would be angry if he left, but he'd get over it.
Lex drove his usual twenty to twenty-five miles over the speed limit all the way to Smallville. When his car flew past Clark's Lex did a double take. Chloe's car was in the driveway. Lex turned his car around and pulled in next to Chloe. He headed straight to the barn where he knew they would be.
"Lex!" Chloe exclaimed when he walked into the loft. Chloe was already a seat away from Clark, but she immediately scooted over another foot.
"I'll be in the house," Clark said sliding past Lex.
"Are you still angry with me?" Lex asked.
Chloe had missed Lex, but she wasn't ready to be nice just yet. "Angry, infuriated, enraged, irate, livid. Take your pick," Chloe threw at him.
"I deserve that," Lex said moving to stand beside her.
Chloe made no move to stand up. "Yes, you do," she said hotly.
"Will you forgive me?" Lex asked.
"For which of the many transgressions?" Chloe asked rudely.
"Chloe-" Lex said, beginning to get upset.
"Lex, you left town without telling me. I had to find out from Clark. How do you think that made me feel?" Chloe fumed.
"I didn't think you'd care. You were practically ignoring me," Lex said becoming angry.
"I was not ignoring you. You were gone for two weeks and you think you can say you're sorry and it will all be better. Well, it won't!" Chloe said, her voice raising a few octaves.
"You were practically ignoring me unless we were alone. And even then you still only talked about Clark," Lex said angrily.
"What are you talking about?" Chloe almost yelled. "One time! One time I talked about Clark."
Lex's voice boomed with his words. "All you ever do is talk about Clark. You talk about how you felt, what about me?"
"What's wrong with you?!?" Chloe shouted. "All I ever do is try to be better for you. I just can't do enough can I?"
"You don't care about me. You'll never care about me," Lex said grabbing Chloe's arms and pulling her off the couch. "The only person you'll ever care about is Clark!"
"Lex, let go of me!" Chloe yelled.
"I came here to apologize," Lex shouted, shaking Chloe. His fingers dug into Chloe's arms. "All I get for my affection is the cold shoulder."
"Lex! Stop it!" Chloe said. As he gripped her tighter, Chloe's anger turned to fear.
"I cared about you, and how do you repay me? By coming here!" Lex growled still shaking Chloe.
"Lex, you're hurting me," Chloe said beginning to panic.
"Let…her…go!" Clark fumed, his last word a shout.
Lex huffed and threw Chloe at Clark. Chloe shrieked.
"Chlo, go inside. My mom's waiting for you," Clark said, gently guiding her to the stairs. He never took his eyes off Lex.
Chloe fled down the stairs to the safety of the house.
"How dare you touch her like that?!?" Clark shouted, towering over Lex.
Lex shook his head to clear the fog. As he realized what he had just done he was mortified. "Clark, I-I didn't mean to-I don't know what happened- she made me so angry."
"You never touch her or anyone else like that! I don't care how angry you get," Clark said, his eyes flashing.
"Clark, I-I-" Lex tried.
Clark could see that Lex was genuinely sorry. "What's wrong with you, Lex? Why do you keep acting like this?"
"I don't know…" Lex trailed off, not wanting to explain his doubts.
"Well you better find out, because if you EVER touch Chloe like that again I won't be responsible for my actions," Clark said.
"I-I don't know what to say. I was on my way to her house to apologize. When I saw her car here, all I saw was red," Lex said.
"Lex, there is nothing going on between me and Chloe. She likes you. I might even go as far to say that she loves you. Or did before this, anyway," Clark said. Then he added, "She could be the best thing to ever happen to you, but you'll lose her if you keep acting this way."
"I can't lose her, Clark. I love her," Lex admitted.
"Then you better go talk to her," Clark said walking down the stairs.
When Lex entered the house, Martha and Chloe were on the couch. Chloe was crying and Martha was holding her. Martha had an ice pack on Chloe's arms. Chloe gasped when Lex walked in, driving daggers into Lex's heart.
"Chloe can I talk to you?" Lex asked.
Martha brushed the hair out of Chloe's red eyes and looked at her as if to say 'you don't have to.'
Chloe looked at Martha. "Don't go far."
"I won't, sweetheart," Martha said following Clark out of the room.
Lex sat on the couch beside Chloe. "Chloe, I'm sorry. When I saw your car, I lost control. I didn't know what I was doing."
"You scare me, Lex. And no one does," Chloe said wiping her eyes.
"I scare myself. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's the last thing I had in mind," Lex replied.
"What did you have in mind?" Chloe asked.
"To see you. Apologize. Show you how much you mean to me. Make everything right between us," Lex explained.
"You have a funny way of going about it," Chloe said.
"It's just that when I saw you up there with Clark, something clicked. I came to tell you how much I love you, and you were with him," Lex said. "I just lost it."
"I noticed," Chloe said pressing the ice pack gently to her right arm.
"Oh, Chloe," Lex said. He looked ready to cry. When Lex reached out to Chloe she flinched and backed away. "Please?" Lex asked placing his hands gently on her arms. He ran his fingers lightly over the appearing bruises. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."
"I know," Chloe whispered.
"Come here," Lex said pulling Chloe to him.
Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around Lex. When Clark saw this, he knew he had lost his chance with Chloe. Chloe wouldn't leave Lex, not even if he hurt her again.