Title: Surprise, Surprise.

Author: Lucy Mars

Disclaimer: Bah! They're not mine!

Chapter #3: New Age.

Breathing in the crisp morning air, Chloe slowly strolled through the overflowing streets of Metropolis. Everywhere she looked people were rushing by with agendas, appointments and places to be. They all had a place to be, people to meet and a life to live. She had nowhere to be, and nowhere to go. She had no one to meet. She had no one.

"Shouldn't you been at school?"

Her eyes flashing up to Lex, Chloe changed her mind. This morning, as unusual as it was, she had somewhere to be. That was where ever Lex led her. "Hmm?"

"School," Lex repeated, "Don't you have school today?"

"Don't you have work?"

"Answering a question with a question?"

"No," Chloe shrugged, "just curious."

"I've got a meeting this afternoon, and then it's back to the quaint cornfields of Smallville." Lex answered, holding the door open to his favorite café. This was a place he spent countless mornings, afternoons and endless nights in when he went to Metropolis U. This was his private place. A place he'd never shared with anyone one. But, Lex reasoned, Chloe wasn't just anyone else.

"Oh," Chloe mumbled, feeling a curious sensation of disappointment settle in her, "you're going back today?"

Leading Chloe through the buzzing café, Lex gave Chloe a small smirk. "I do live there."

"Of course." Chloe blushed taking a seat, "Still haunting the halls of that castle of yours?"

"Always." Lex grinned ordering two black coffees.

"I graduated last year."

"What?"

"You asked about school," Chloe clarified, playing with a package of sugar, "I graduated last year."

"Early." Lex pointed out needlessly, "You finished a year early?"

Shrugging, Chloe watched as the pure white crystals spilt onto the worn wood table. "I had all my credits and I didn't want to stay any longer. So I graduated a year early."

"Are you in university?" Lex asked gratefully accepting the steaming mugs of coffee from their waitress.

Looking up at Lex, Chloe reminded him, "School costs money."

Well, did he have insensitive jackass stamped on his forehead, or what? "You're smart. You could have applied and received a scholarship from Luthor Corp. or Wayne Enterprises even. You could go to any school you want to."

Looking down into the murky depths of her steaming black poison, Chloe sighed heavily, like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, which she probably did. "I could."

"But," Lex surmised from her tone of voice, "you won't."

"Not 'won't.' Can't."

Raising a confused eyebrow, Lex watched Chloe carefully. "Can't?"

Struggling to find the words, Chloe put her coffee down. How could she explain this when even she didn't know why she hadn't done just what Lex had suggested. "I can't," Chloe confessed sadly, "because I don't know what I want to do anymore."

"What happened to your holy grail?" Lex teased, hoping to get a smile out of Chloe. He loved her smiles. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. "What happened to your dream of becoming an award winning investigative journalist for The Daily Planet?"

"It died." Chloe confessed.

"What?" Okay, this was uncharted territory. Lex could accept this new version of Chloe, but didn't the reporter gene come standard?

"It died," Chloe repeated. Her dream of becoming a reporter died just about the same moment her father did. All her dreams died with him. What was the point in doing something that she only ever wanted to do, because it made her father proud. How did she do something for a person who was dead?

"Are you sure?"

Glancing at Lex in surprise, Chloe couldn't help but grin at the astonishment flashing in his eyes. "It's not that surprising, is it?"

"It is." Lex assured her, "This new version of you, the clubbing, the drinking and dancing, the tattoo, I can accept, but you without the reporting desire…it just throws me. Give me a second to pull myself together."

Hitting Lex playfully, Chloe drank her perfectly black and potent coffee. "Was that all you saw me as? A reporter?"

"A snarky reporter." Lex grinned.

"I'm still snarky."

His grin never fading, Lex replied easily, "Thank god,"

"I'll never lose my snarking capabilities," Chloe promised him, "don't worry."

"Well, I suppose I'll take comfort in the fact that you're still a snarky caffeine addict. I don't know what I would have done if you'd lost that too."

Laughing, Chloe quickly finished her coffee. "Probably kneel over in shock like the old man you are. Thank god for small favors, huh?"

"Yeah." Lex smirked, "Thank god for small favors. Well, since you're not in school, what do you do all day?"

"Work," Chloe shrugged, "I've got this job up the East side of town as a waitress. It's not the best job in the world, but it pays the rent."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do, you know, after you find another dream?"

"Right now," Chloe sighed, "I'm just living it one day at a time."

How new-age of her. "In the moment?"

Smiling, Chloe reached over and stole Lex's coffee. "In the moment," she confirmed.

"Don't you want to go get a degree?" Lex asked, signaling their waitress for a refill. He had loved university. The entire experience had been one that he would never forget. The atmosphere of learning and teaching had been that he particularly enjoyed. The frat parties hadn't been that bad either. Lex just knew that Chloe would regret it if she never went. She was like this sponge that soaked up everything…and everyone.

Regarding Lex with a glint of amusement in her eyes, Chloe leaned over their table and asked in him in a stage whisper, "Are you into saving lost little girls now?"

"Side hobby." Lex answered without hesitation, "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Smirking, Chloe put her hand solemnly over her heart. "Cross my heart. Your secret is safe with me."

'She should think about a career as a thespian,' Lex thought, smiling at Chloe and her terribly earnest face. "Good."

Chuckling lightly, Chloe waited for their waitress to leave before perching her face on her hand and smiling at Lex. She couldn't honestly remember the last time anyone had been able to make her smile like this. "Lex?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad that you're here." Chloe told him seriously. Her face, her tone and her body language left no room for doubt. Lex hadn't misheard her.

Getting over his initial shock, Lex wasn't surprised when he heard the words tumble out of his mouth. "Me too."

`~`~`~`~`~`~`

"You really don't need to walk me up to my apartment," Chloe laughed, turning around to smile at Lex.

"Keep on walking," Lex ordered, looking around their surroundings uneasily, "If you're not going to take me up on my offer, at least let me see you to your apartment safely."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe climbed the last flight on stairs. Getting to her door, she turned to Lex and gushed sarcastically, "Oh thank you for seeing me to my door. I don't know if I could have made it this far without you."

"Shut up," Lex commanded good naturedly, "Chloe, my offer still stands."

"Lex, I'm not moving into your penthouse. For one, I could never afford it."

"Pay me what you pay for this place." Lex offered, "I'll need a month in advance of course."

Waving Lex away, Chloe shook her head. "I'll be fine, Lex. You'd better get going. Or you'll be late for your meeting."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Lex asked feigning hurt.

"Never," Chloe laughed, "I just need to get ready for work. My boss doesn't like it when I'm late."

"All right," Lex conceded looking down at this watch, "I'll go. But you call me if you need anything. Even if it's just to talk."

Fingering the crisp business card, Chloe smiled sincerely. "I will."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye," Chloe laughed, watching Lex back down the dark and narrow hall. "Go," Chloe ordered, when Lex turned around to make sure that she was all right. Her eyes following him until his bald head disappeared, Chloe tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. It was nice seeing Lex again and talking to him, but Chloe needed to be seriously, she wasn't going to see him again. Sighing, Chloe let herself into her small apartment and closed the door. She was alone now. She might as well get used to it.

`~`~`~`~`~`~`

Navigating the overflowing streets of Metropolis, Lex looked out at the jammed streets with disdain. For the umpteenth time since he'd arrived in the concrete jungle that was Metropolis, Lex found himself longing for the simplicity of Smallville. He missed the open roads, the cornfields, his ivy encased castle and even the cows. What a scary thought.

Of course, now that Lex knew that Metropolis had something that Smallville didn't, he had a feeling that he'd be coming to the city a little more often than not. Frowning up at the red light that glared down at him, Lex gave into the urge that had been eating away at him since he'd walked Chloe up to her apartment. Flipping his cell phone open, he dialed a familiar number. "It's Lex. I have something for you to do."

***

TBC.