A Smallville Christmas
~*~Chapter Two~*~ *The next day*
"Uh-oh. Here comes the Christmas Nazi." Pete whispered to Clark as Chloe made her way through the crowd afternoon crowd that occupied the Talon.
"I heard that." Chloe glared. "I don't get it, I just want a safe and happy Christmas, freak of the week free, and to spend the day with loved ones. That includes you two and Lana. So why is everyone giving me such a hard time about it?!?!"
"Who's giving you a heard time Chlo?" Clark asked.
"Well I just finished shopping for a certain picky person." Chloe glared at Pete. "Who couldn't make up their minds as to what to ask for. And then I figured I should get someone else a present as well and that took forever. God damn Christmas crowd."
"Who is that someone?" Pete asked curiously.
"Doesn't matter. And then we have that stupid cow Bethne who keeps making demands about hosting the charity show on Monday!!! I swear to god, if I could find a replacement this close to the show I would." Chloe sighed and collapsed in a seat. "And that reminds me, tomorrow is the only day I have free to look for a Christmas tree. Any one up for it?"
Both boys knew what tree shopping with Chloe was like. Hell on Earth. It had to be the right height, width, density and color. "You don't have a tree yet?" Pete asked incredulously. "But tomorrows Sunday!!"
"Don't get me started Pete."
"Why don't you buy one of those plastic ones from the store?"
"Why don't you move in with my dad?" Chloe asked sarcastically.
Lana's appearance prevented Clark from asking Chloe what she meant. "Are you ready to go, Chloe?"
"Go where?" Pete asked.
"Carolling in the hospital. We are doing it every night up til Christmas. You're welcome to join us." Lana said enthusiastically.
"I think I'll be able to live without that experience thanks Lana. And sorry Chloe, Clark and I have something we need to do tomorrow so we can't help you out."
"Okay, I'm ready." Chloe said, scribbling something in her planner and shooting malicious look at Pete. "Lets go."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
When Chloe got home, she was exhausted and her throat hurt, not just from the singing, but from trying not to cry over the people and children in the hospital that wouldn't be able to join loved ones for the special day. Hardly anyone knew that the reason Chloe tried so hard to make the day special was because she remembered the way her mother looked, lying sick in the hospital on that day, dying of cancer. Never again was Christmas going to be a sorrowful occasion in the Sullivan household, that was Chloe's mission every year. But there was nothing that could be done for those that lay there now. She could only bring a small ray of light, something a group had done for her mother, Chloe was only returning the favour to others.
"I hate Christmas." Chloe whispered into her pillow as tears of sorrow trickled down her face.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
The next morning Chloe awoke fresh from a good nights sleep and with a terrible craving for coffee that only the Talon could fix. Soon she was dressed and ready for the day that would be spent trying to find the perfect Christmas tree. Alone. Unaided. By herself. "Merry Christmas." She mumbled to herself as she got out of her gar and entered the Talon. "No. I am not going to feel sorry for my self. This is Christmas. The time of good will and cheer."
"Talking to yourself?"
Chloe jumped 10 feet and whirled around to face a smirking Lex Luthor. "Mr Luthor. It's not kind to scare people."
"Please, its Lex. And no, its not nice, I just thought you would have heard me calling out to you. But then again, you were talking to yourself." he smirked. "What was it about."
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about the best place to find a Christmas tree this late in the game." She said after placing her order to a waitress.
"Why don't you-"
"If you are even thinking about verbalizing your thoughts of plastic trees, I would seriously reconsider." Chloe interjected.
"Thank you for stopping me then. Why don't you allow me to send a live tree over then?"
"Because I want to pick it myself." Chloe said picking up the coffee the waitress left on the counter for her.
Lex nodded. "I understand that. And are Clark and Pete going with you?"
Chloe shook her head. "Apparently they have other things that need attendance. So I'm on my own." She turned her back on Lex and Clark and Pete, who were sitting at the table that Lex had obviously come from, a short distance from the counter to avoid telling the last part to Luthors face so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. She made the excuse of putting sugar in her coffee.
Lex wasn't fooled though. "Why don't I go with you then?" out of the corner of his eye he saw Clark wildly shaking his head and mouthing 'NO' and Pete making cut-throat actions with his spoon to try to stop him.
"And why would you want to do that?" Pete and Clark stopped the performance as Chloe turned around, and started sipping their coffee's casually.
"No one should be alone in doing Christmas activities."
Chloe thought about this. Lex probably didn't do anything for Christmas, what with his father being Satan and all. "Are you sure you want to?"
"Of course."
"Well.okay. We'll start now."
Clark and Pete hung their heads in defeat. Lex was a lost cause now.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
"Why not this one?" Lex demanded irritably.
"What the dead thing you're standing next to?"
"It's not dead. It's...different."
"Right. Let's keep moving, we're losing time." Chloe shook her head.
"Chloe, we have been looking at trees since 9 this morning. It's now 1:00 and you are still to find the right tree. There are hundreds of perfectly good ones right here!!"
"Where?" Chloe started to randomly gesture to the trees around her. "Too wide, too tall, too bushy, too short, too thin, too. well I'm not even going to dignify that pathetic effort with an answer."
Lex moved to a tree a few feet from Chloe. "What about this one?"
"What is that?"
"A Christmas tree." Lex exclaimed.
"Maybe in a few years, but right now it's a Christmas shrub." Chloe answered incredulously. "I can't believe you consider that a tree."
"I can't believe you don't consider that a tree."
Chloe was stopped from verbally beating Lex by the sound of her mobile ringing. Several non-sentences later Chloe hung up the phone. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"Bethne and Paige pulled out."
"Who did what?"
"Bethne was hosting the Christmas show tomorrow and Paige the day after that, they both pulled out!! Who is gonna host the show now?!?!"
~*~Chapter Two~*~ *The next day*
"Uh-oh. Here comes the Christmas Nazi." Pete whispered to Clark as Chloe made her way through the crowd afternoon crowd that occupied the Talon.
"I heard that." Chloe glared. "I don't get it, I just want a safe and happy Christmas, freak of the week free, and to spend the day with loved ones. That includes you two and Lana. So why is everyone giving me such a hard time about it?!?!"
"Who's giving you a heard time Chlo?" Clark asked.
"Well I just finished shopping for a certain picky person." Chloe glared at Pete. "Who couldn't make up their minds as to what to ask for. And then I figured I should get someone else a present as well and that took forever. God damn Christmas crowd."
"Who is that someone?" Pete asked curiously.
"Doesn't matter. And then we have that stupid cow Bethne who keeps making demands about hosting the charity show on Monday!!! I swear to god, if I could find a replacement this close to the show I would." Chloe sighed and collapsed in a seat. "And that reminds me, tomorrow is the only day I have free to look for a Christmas tree. Any one up for it?"
Both boys knew what tree shopping with Chloe was like. Hell on Earth. It had to be the right height, width, density and color. "You don't have a tree yet?" Pete asked incredulously. "But tomorrows Sunday!!"
"Don't get me started Pete."
"Why don't you buy one of those plastic ones from the store?"
"Why don't you move in with my dad?" Chloe asked sarcastically.
Lana's appearance prevented Clark from asking Chloe what she meant. "Are you ready to go, Chloe?"
"Go where?" Pete asked.
"Carolling in the hospital. We are doing it every night up til Christmas. You're welcome to join us." Lana said enthusiastically.
"I think I'll be able to live without that experience thanks Lana. And sorry Chloe, Clark and I have something we need to do tomorrow so we can't help you out."
"Okay, I'm ready." Chloe said, scribbling something in her planner and shooting malicious look at Pete. "Lets go."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
When Chloe got home, she was exhausted and her throat hurt, not just from the singing, but from trying not to cry over the people and children in the hospital that wouldn't be able to join loved ones for the special day. Hardly anyone knew that the reason Chloe tried so hard to make the day special was because she remembered the way her mother looked, lying sick in the hospital on that day, dying of cancer. Never again was Christmas going to be a sorrowful occasion in the Sullivan household, that was Chloe's mission every year. But there was nothing that could be done for those that lay there now. She could only bring a small ray of light, something a group had done for her mother, Chloe was only returning the favour to others.
"I hate Christmas." Chloe whispered into her pillow as tears of sorrow trickled down her face.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
The next morning Chloe awoke fresh from a good nights sleep and with a terrible craving for coffee that only the Talon could fix. Soon she was dressed and ready for the day that would be spent trying to find the perfect Christmas tree. Alone. Unaided. By herself. "Merry Christmas." She mumbled to herself as she got out of her gar and entered the Talon. "No. I am not going to feel sorry for my self. This is Christmas. The time of good will and cheer."
"Talking to yourself?"
Chloe jumped 10 feet and whirled around to face a smirking Lex Luthor. "Mr Luthor. It's not kind to scare people."
"Please, its Lex. And no, its not nice, I just thought you would have heard me calling out to you. But then again, you were talking to yourself." he smirked. "What was it about."
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about the best place to find a Christmas tree this late in the game." She said after placing her order to a waitress.
"Why don't you-"
"If you are even thinking about verbalizing your thoughts of plastic trees, I would seriously reconsider." Chloe interjected.
"Thank you for stopping me then. Why don't you allow me to send a live tree over then?"
"Because I want to pick it myself." Chloe said picking up the coffee the waitress left on the counter for her.
Lex nodded. "I understand that. And are Clark and Pete going with you?"
Chloe shook her head. "Apparently they have other things that need attendance. So I'm on my own." She turned her back on Lex and Clark and Pete, who were sitting at the table that Lex had obviously come from, a short distance from the counter to avoid telling the last part to Luthors face so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. She made the excuse of putting sugar in her coffee.
Lex wasn't fooled though. "Why don't I go with you then?" out of the corner of his eye he saw Clark wildly shaking his head and mouthing 'NO' and Pete making cut-throat actions with his spoon to try to stop him.
"And why would you want to do that?" Pete and Clark stopped the performance as Chloe turned around, and started sipping their coffee's casually.
"No one should be alone in doing Christmas activities."
Chloe thought about this. Lex probably didn't do anything for Christmas, what with his father being Satan and all. "Are you sure you want to?"
"Of course."
"Well.okay. We'll start now."
Clark and Pete hung their heads in defeat. Lex was a lost cause now.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
"Why not this one?" Lex demanded irritably.
"What the dead thing you're standing next to?"
"It's not dead. It's...different."
"Right. Let's keep moving, we're losing time." Chloe shook her head.
"Chloe, we have been looking at trees since 9 this morning. It's now 1:00 and you are still to find the right tree. There are hundreds of perfectly good ones right here!!"
"Where?" Chloe started to randomly gesture to the trees around her. "Too wide, too tall, too bushy, too short, too thin, too. well I'm not even going to dignify that pathetic effort with an answer."
Lex moved to a tree a few feet from Chloe. "What about this one?"
"What is that?"
"A Christmas tree." Lex exclaimed.
"Maybe in a few years, but right now it's a Christmas shrub." Chloe answered incredulously. "I can't believe you consider that a tree."
"I can't believe you don't consider that a tree."
Chloe was stopped from verbally beating Lex by the sound of her mobile ringing. Several non-sentences later Chloe hung up the phone. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"Bethne and Paige pulled out."
"Who did what?"
"Bethne was hosting the Christmas show tomorrow and Paige the day after that, they both pulled out!! Who is gonna host the show now?!?!"