Title: Graduation

Author: Lucy Mars

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be playing with the life size versions.

Couple: Chloe and Lex.

*Thanks so much for the reviews guys. ;]

Chapter #2:

"Shouldn't you be in class?"

Smiling to herself, Chloe didn't bother to open her eyes. "Shouldn't you be at work, oh, in another state?"

"I asked first."

Feeling the bench shift when he sat down beside her, Chloe opened her eyes slowly against the brilliant morning sun. "Are you 12?"

"Again," Lex smirked, "I asked first."

Laughing, Chloe tipped her head back against the warm iron of the bench and let the sun wash over her smiling face. "I am in class."

Watching Chloe with amusement, Lex took her coffee and sipped the hot liquid gingerly. "Either school has really changed or you're lying."

"This is a class on life."

"Really?"

"Is that doubt I sense, Luthor?"

"No."

"Amusement?"

"Possibly."

"Intrigued?"

"Always."

"I'm working on my writing."

"Doesn't writing involve paper, pen and I don't know, opening your eyes?"

Smirking at Lex and his glistening head, Chloe took her coffee back. "I'm people watching."

"People watching?" Lex laughed as Chloe's eyes shone with laughter.

"Looking for interesting characters." Chloe clarified, "For my creative writing class, I need to find an interesting person and stalk them."

"Stalk them? Isn't that illegal."

Hitting him lightly, Chloe took in Lex's usual attire; black pants, crisp shirt that flowed like liquid on him and a smirk to top it all off. "Shut up."

"Do you have class today?"

"No," Chloe smiled, "Do you have work today?"

"No," Lex smirked, "Have breakfast yet?"

"Does coffee count?"

Laughing, Lex took Chloe's coffee and finished it off. "No,"

"I was going to be a hotdog later."

"It's 9 in the morning," Lex pointed out.

"Yeah, they'll be fresh." Chloe told him seriously.

"I'm not going to let you eat a hotdog for breakfast."

"Excuse me? Let me?"

Recognizing the glare that she was giving him, Lex quickly backtracked. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that you need more than mustard and mystery meat for breakfast."

Feeling her lips curve forward, despite her efforts, Chloe felt disgustingly pleased that Lex knew how she ate her hotdogs. Ketchup wasn't her condiment of choice. "They happen to be staple foods."

"I'm sure they are," Lex grinned, "but how do pancakes sound instead?"

"I guess," Chloe sighed dramatically, "For you I'll skip my Friday morning breakfast."

"Come on," Lex grinned grabbing Chloe's hand and leading her out of the park, "lets get some food."

Following Lex through the stone path that led them out of her favorite little park and back into the commotion of the city, Chloe tugged Lex's hand gently.

"What?" Lex asked turning around to look at

"Lou's going to be crushed I'm going to have breakfast with you."

"Lou?" Lex asked, feeling his stomach constrict with trepidation. What the hell kind of name was Lou? Who would be sadistic enough to name their kid Lou? Who the hell was Lou?

Oh, screwing with Lex was so much fun. "Yes, Lou."

"Who's Lou?"

"My Friday morning man."

"You're Friday morning man?" Lex echoed.

Smiling innocently at Lex, Chloe pointed at the overweight, middle aged, balding hotdog vendor across the street. "He's going to be crushed when I don't show up today. Lou and I have a weekly ritual."

Shaking his head, Lex couldn't believe how easily he'd been played. God, he missed her. "Do you now?"

"We do."

Flagging down a taxi, Lex held the door open for Chloe. "Do you have a thing for balding men?"

"Maybe," Chloe laughed touching Lex's head before sliding into the car, "but don't worry, you're the only bald man in my life."

"I'm honored." Lex deadpanned.

"Of course, that's only till Lou loses the rest of his hair. Which I don't think will be that much of a wait."

Rolling his eyes, Lex sat back and watched Chloe laugh as New York passed by. He couldn't think of any other way to spend his day.

`~`~`~`~`~`

"You still haven't told me why you're here."

Looking up from his omelet, fork halfway to his mouth, Lex looked like the little boy with his hand in the cookie jar. "What?"

"You still haven't told me why you're here." Chloe repeated.

"A random trip." Lex lied.

"Random?" Chloe echoed, trying to mask the sudden aching in her heart. Of course this was a random trip. He wouldn't fly all the way out here just to see little old her. Maybe if Chloe gave herself sometime, she could figure out why that hurt so much.

Swallowing hard, Lex nervously played with his fork. "I didn't have much to do today, so I got on a plane and ended up here."

"Of all the places you could have landed, funny you found yourself in my neighborhood."

"Will the wonders never cease?" Lex laughed, trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't ready to know why he ended up here.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Chloe muttered, forcefully stabbing her pancakes.

Watching Chloe scrape at her breakfast with a vengeance, Lex asked the wrong question. Not because he didn't want to know, but because he wasn't ready to know. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chloe lied.

"Chloe,"

"Just drop it, okay?"

No it wasn't okay. "Okay."

Quietly picking at her food, Chloe studiously avoid looking at Lex. There was no need for him to know what she was feeling, when she didn't even know what she was feeling. Instead, Chloe watched with avid fascination as the sunlight reflected off of her glass and shimmered across the linen clad table. Dancing against the white tabletop, the sparkling specs of light flowed over Lex's still hand and climbed up his arm when her ice cubes rattled in their cool vessel. Following the mesmerizing light up to Lex's seemingly calm face; Chloe was glad that she could see her own uncertainly reflected back to her in his eyes. She wasn't the only one confused and excited about what they were doing. "When do you need to get back to Smallville?"

"Anytime," Lex smiled, letting out the breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. Relief washed over his rigid muscles when Chloe granted him a small smile. "How much time do you have?"

"For little old you?" Chloe teased.

"Yeah," Lex grinned, remembering their conversation the month before at the Talon, "for little old me."

"All the time in the world." Chloe declared with a dramatic sweep of her hand.

"I'm flattered."

Smiling, Chloe reached over and stole a piece of Lex's omlete. "As you should be. This is a good omlete."

"It is." Lex grinned, "You can get it the next time we come here."

Her face lightening up at what he said but didn't say, Chloe smiled coyly. "Maybe I will."

`~`~`~`~`~`

So…whatcha think?

-Lucy