A Smallville Christmas
~*~* Chapter Four ~*~*
Chloe arrived at the community hall where the show would take place at 8 am the morning of the first show. She was bouncing around the hall giving orders to the workers by the time Lex arrived, two minutes later.
"Lex. You're late!! My god man what were you thinking?!?! I thought I could count on you of all people to be punctual. oh I see. You are my god."
Lex smirked handing her the cup of scalding hot coffee that he had taken the two minutes buying. "I didn't think you'd have time to get it yourself. But if its not important." he took the cup back as she made a grab for it.
"Shush or you'll anger the gods." Chloe demanded taking the coffee.
"What gods?"
"The Gods of Coffee." Chloe replied with an 'I can't believe you didn't know that' look.
"Of course." Lex said with a nod. "So what are you having trouble with?" and off Chloe's glared amended with a "what are you having the MOST trouble with?"
"Well."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
After over seeing several activities to make sure they went according to plan Lex discovered that the huge wreath that was supposed to hang over the stage as a center piece hadn't turned up. He found Chloe reaming some guy over the lighting. The poor man looked like he was going to cry. Lex decided to distract the irate girl. "Its almost 10:30, what time is the wreath supposed to arrive?"
"10:30? Are you sure? Maybe your watch is fast." Chloe said shocked. "it was supposed to be here by ten!" Just then Chloe's phone rung. "Hello? Yeah, that's me. Okay, what??" Chloe closed her eyes while she listened to the person on the other end. She looked like she was about to cry. "No. That's not good enough. I wanted it three days ago and you said you couldn't make it until yesterday and it would be here today. Where is it?? No, I told you the ceremony is today. I don't care about the delivery drivers family problems, I have my own to worry about."
Lex took the phone off Chloe and talked to the man. After a while he hung up and looked at Chloe. "I'm sending my own people, hopefully it will be here before 11:30"
"11:30?!?! Its gonna take half an hour to set it up and we should be starting by then-"
"Chloe, let me worry about it. You go find someone to boss around and I'll take care of the wreath. Okay?"
Chloe glared at him. "Fine."
Once the clock struck 11:30, Chloe was stalking up to Lex ready to demand her wreath when the door opened and 3 men entered carrying the large object. Chloe shut her mouth, glared at the smirking Luthor in front of her and walked away mumbling about getting dressed.
Lex's men had the wreath set up within fifteen minutes and the hall was ready. But Chloe wasn't. Lex walked by what passed for Chloe's dressing room doing up his tie when he heard Chloe's voice muttering something. Lex walked over to the door of the room and knocked gently. "Chloe?"
"Come in."
Lex entered the room to find Chloe pacing around the small room breathing heavily, still dressed in the clothes she wore that morning. "Chloe, your not dressed."
"What!!!" Chloe looked down at herself to check if she was still wearing clothes. "Yes I am!"
"You're wearing that on stage?"
"No. Oh!! No. I'm not dressed. I'm not going on." Chloe told him.
Lex was stunned. "Why not?"
"Because there are going to be people there. Actual. Living. Breathing. People. People that are going to look at me. I can't do it."
"Yes you can." Lex assured her. "I'll be right there beside you."
"Lex I have never stood in front of that many people in my life. I don't think I've met that many people in my life. I'm not a drama student, I don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd do this."
"You were thinking that you wanted to give everyone the perfect Christmas, and your not going to be able to do it in here dressed like that." Lex picked up her costume and handed it to her. "Now get dressed. Be done in five minutes or I'll dress you myself."
Chloe stood with her mouth open and watched Lex leave the room. She got dressed quickly, feeling lucky she was the same size as the much hated Bethne.
Five minutes later, Lex knocked on the door again and Chloe let him in. She looked stunning. Her skirt reached halfway up her thighs and was hemmed with fur, her jacket was just shorter than her skirt with the same fur around the neck, hem and cuffs. Her shoes were red knee highs that accentuated her legs and left Lex almost gasping for breath. She wore the least amount of make-up she could, letting her natural beauty shine through. "You look amazing." He told her.
"Thank you. I'm kinda hoping they'll either be more focused on you or my outfit than my performance." Chloe shyly admitted. She felt almost naked compared to Lex who was looking fantastic in a black suit and Christmas Red shirt.
"You'll do great." Lex told her. "Ready to go? People are already lining up at the door."
Chloe took Lex's offered arm and took a deep breath. "Lets do this."
Chloe smiled as Lex lead her through the backstage crowd, allowing the buzz of pre-performance jitters to course through her body. Everyone backstage was full of energy and ready to give the performance of a lifetime, it made Chloe feel a lot better. And by the time the pair made it to stage right she was feeling pretty damn good.
Until she saw the crowd finding their seats. "Oh my god. Lex there are actually people here. Lots of them." She stammered.
"From what I've heard you've been organising these for at least three years. You should've known there would be people." Lex smiled at her.
"Yeah but I was too busy backstage to actually see the amount. And now I know that I am gonna be one of the people that they are staring at. I don't think I can do it."
Lex took the young girl by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Breathe, Chloe, breathe. You'll be fine. There is no way that you can screw this up. It's all on the cards on the podium. I'll be right there beside you. You'll be fine." Lex told her slowly and calmly.
"I'll be fine?"
"Perfect."
The guy acting as Chloe's replacement as director chose that moment to tell them they were on.
"I'm not gonna be fine. I over think things. What if I stuff something up because I over thought it?"
Lex decided to give her something else to think about. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers running his hands around her back and rubbed them over her shoulder blades. He pulled away before Chloe had a chance to respond. Lex grabbed her hand and pulled her on stage and into the publics view as soon as the lights changed, signalling their entrance.
Still in a daze Chloe stepped up to the microphone and said the line that had panicked her most. "Hello everybody, I'm Chloe Sullivan and this is my co-host Lex Luthor. Merry Christmas and welcome to the show."
~*~* Chapter Four ~*~*
Chloe arrived at the community hall where the show would take place at 8 am the morning of the first show. She was bouncing around the hall giving orders to the workers by the time Lex arrived, two minutes later.
"Lex. You're late!! My god man what were you thinking?!?! I thought I could count on you of all people to be punctual. oh I see. You are my god."
Lex smirked handing her the cup of scalding hot coffee that he had taken the two minutes buying. "I didn't think you'd have time to get it yourself. But if its not important." he took the cup back as she made a grab for it.
"Shush or you'll anger the gods." Chloe demanded taking the coffee.
"What gods?"
"The Gods of Coffee." Chloe replied with an 'I can't believe you didn't know that' look.
"Of course." Lex said with a nod. "So what are you having trouble with?" and off Chloe's glared amended with a "what are you having the MOST trouble with?"
"Well."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
After over seeing several activities to make sure they went according to plan Lex discovered that the huge wreath that was supposed to hang over the stage as a center piece hadn't turned up. He found Chloe reaming some guy over the lighting. The poor man looked like he was going to cry. Lex decided to distract the irate girl. "Its almost 10:30, what time is the wreath supposed to arrive?"
"10:30? Are you sure? Maybe your watch is fast." Chloe said shocked. "it was supposed to be here by ten!" Just then Chloe's phone rung. "Hello? Yeah, that's me. Okay, what??" Chloe closed her eyes while she listened to the person on the other end. She looked like she was about to cry. "No. That's not good enough. I wanted it three days ago and you said you couldn't make it until yesterday and it would be here today. Where is it?? No, I told you the ceremony is today. I don't care about the delivery drivers family problems, I have my own to worry about."
Lex took the phone off Chloe and talked to the man. After a while he hung up and looked at Chloe. "I'm sending my own people, hopefully it will be here before 11:30"
"11:30?!?! Its gonna take half an hour to set it up and we should be starting by then-"
"Chloe, let me worry about it. You go find someone to boss around and I'll take care of the wreath. Okay?"
Chloe glared at him. "Fine."
Once the clock struck 11:30, Chloe was stalking up to Lex ready to demand her wreath when the door opened and 3 men entered carrying the large object. Chloe shut her mouth, glared at the smirking Luthor in front of her and walked away mumbling about getting dressed.
Lex's men had the wreath set up within fifteen minutes and the hall was ready. But Chloe wasn't. Lex walked by what passed for Chloe's dressing room doing up his tie when he heard Chloe's voice muttering something. Lex walked over to the door of the room and knocked gently. "Chloe?"
"Come in."
Lex entered the room to find Chloe pacing around the small room breathing heavily, still dressed in the clothes she wore that morning. "Chloe, your not dressed."
"What!!!" Chloe looked down at herself to check if she was still wearing clothes. "Yes I am!"
"You're wearing that on stage?"
"No. Oh!! No. I'm not dressed. I'm not going on." Chloe told him.
Lex was stunned. "Why not?"
"Because there are going to be people there. Actual. Living. Breathing. People. People that are going to look at me. I can't do it."
"Yes you can." Lex assured her. "I'll be right there beside you."
"Lex I have never stood in front of that many people in my life. I don't think I've met that many people in my life. I'm not a drama student, I don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd do this."
"You were thinking that you wanted to give everyone the perfect Christmas, and your not going to be able to do it in here dressed like that." Lex picked up her costume and handed it to her. "Now get dressed. Be done in five minutes or I'll dress you myself."
Chloe stood with her mouth open and watched Lex leave the room. She got dressed quickly, feeling lucky she was the same size as the much hated Bethne.
Five minutes later, Lex knocked on the door again and Chloe let him in. She looked stunning. Her skirt reached halfway up her thighs and was hemmed with fur, her jacket was just shorter than her skirt with the same fur around the neck, hem and cuffs. Her shoes were red knee highs that accentuated her legs and left Lex almost gasping for breath. She wore the least amount of make-up she could, letting her natural beauty shine through. "You look amazing." He told her.
"Thank you. I'm kinda hoping they'll either be more focused on you or my outfit than my performance." Chloe shyly admitted. She felt almost naked compared to Lex who was looking fantastic in a black suit and Christmas Red shirt.
"You'll do great." Lex told her. "Ready to go? People are already lining up at the door."
Chloe took Lex's offered arm and took a deep breath. "Lets do this."
Chloe smiled as Lex lead her through the backstage crowd, allowing the buzz of pre-performance jitters to course through her body. Everyone backstage was full of energy and ready to give the performance of a lifetime, it made Chloe feel a lot better. And by the time the pair made it to stage right she was feeling pretty damn good.
Until she saw the crowd finding their seats. "Oh my god. Lex there are actually people here. Lots of them." She stammered.
"From what I've heard you've been organising these for at least three years. You should've known there would be people." Lex smiled at her.
"Yeah but I was too busy backstage to actually see the amount. And now I know that I am gonna be one of the people that they are staring at. I don't think I can do it."
Lex took the young girl by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Breathe, Chloe, breathe. You'll be fine. There is no way that you can screw this up. It's all on the cards on the podium. I'll be right there beside you. You'll be fine." Lex told her slowly and calmly.
"I'll be fine?"
"Perfect."
The guy acting as Chloe's replacement as director chose that moment to tell them they were on.
"I'm not gonna be fine. I over think things. What if I stuff something up because I over thought it?"
Lex decided to give her something else to think about. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers running his hands around her back and rubbed them over her shoulder blades. He pulled away before Chloe had a chance to respond. Lex grabbed her hand and pulled her on stage and into the publics view as soon as the lights changed, signalling their entrance.
Still in a daze Chloe stepped up to the microphone and said the line that had panicked her most. "Hello everybody, I'm Chloe Sullivan and this is my co-host Lex Luthor. Merry Christmas and welcome to the show."