Author note: Wow a creative title! I'm impressed with myself...

The Seeds of Evil

by S. Ann Smith

Chapter seven: Grounded from Coffee

Chloe found almost nothing on Selena Kyle.

She also found that Arkam was an asylum, mostly for deranged psycho criminals,a dn the not so sane population of Gotham City.

It was as if Selena Kyle had merely vannished after high school. Hiding under rocks are always effective. Her mind thought idly as she read the information that was now shining off of her computer screen.

Arkham Asylum,in Gotham City, houses the town's critically insane, and most dangerous criminals.

Just the one statement tempted Chloe. 'Critically insane' didn't seem to fit Selena Kyle's profile, and so she decided to explore all options- which just so happened to be Chloe's territory.

"So, either Selena Kyle is insane, or a criminal." She frustratedly mumbled aloud to herself.

"Looking for more insnae criminals? Don't we have enough on our hands?" Chloe jumped in her office chair when she heard the male voice behind her. She turned to see the smiling face of...

"Pete." She was both relieved to see him because he wasn't Clark, and wanted to stab him with a pen for scaring the living bejeezus out of her. "What are you doing here?" she suspiciously furrowed her eyebrows at the silly grin plastered on her bestfriend's face.

"Stalking the elusive Marrissa Compton- I really need a date for the dance." He smiled, he had successfully imitated the Crocodile hunter. This caused Chloe to roll her eyes, Pete could have any girl in the entire school-save her and Lana- and he chose to chase after the hard to get ones.

"Can you correspond for me at the dance?" It was pete's turn to furrow his eyebrows.

"Why? You aren't going?"

"No, I think I have other plans." She bit her lip and looked towards the computer screen nervously.

She knew very well that she couldn't tell Pete about her and Lex- Pete would probably kill him- If of course, Pete found out, and if there even was a 'her and Lex'. Judging from the past few days, there was.

"Like?" He urged not noticing her lapse.

"I might be busy- other Torch stuff, and some other stuff." She smiled sympathetically. Still looking at the screen she tried to pay littlye or noattention to the dirty thoughts of 'other stuff' she could possibly be doing the night of the dance. Most of these involved chocolate, whipping cream and strawberries.

"Okay," he paused, "but you owe me big time."

"Lunch and coffee for a week?" she asked as if these deals were made regularily.

"You got yourself a deal." He grinned cheekily and anxiously looked out the door way. "I gotta run. I'll pick the camera up later." He said as he quickly ran out the door, chasing and cutting off Marrissa Compton in the process.

Chloe smiled. Pete will always be chasing down some poor girl or another. I he didn't he woldn't be pete- He'd be Clark. She smiled satisfied at her very true analogy.

She logged off of her computer, feeling like she had accomplished nothing, and headed into the maze of students to her locker, and evidently, her car keys.

She really really needed a coffee.

Her wish was granted at the Talon. A happier Chloe left with a glorious gift from the coffee gods. Just when she was feeling better about accomplishing nothing- her cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

"Chloe?"

"Dad?"

"Would you mind explaining to me why there is a dozon red, and white roses, along with a dozon coffee plants sitting in our living room right now-that are for you"

Chloe almost choked on her coffee. "Uh..."

"And why is my boss giddy. You wouldn't have any idea as to why that is? Would you?"

"Lex is giddy?" She was holding back her laughter, as she walked out the big front doors. Lex Luthor- giddy, not words you would expect to hear in te same sentance.

"Are you... are you dating Mr. Luthor?" he asked cautiously. She wasn't expecting that one.

"Which one?" she asked just as cautiously. Oh shit!Oh shit! her brain began to panic, and her dad immediately knew.

"Young Lady! You are going to be grounded until-" His voice seemed both mortified and angry at once.

"Until?" she asked meekly, no cheeky responce, none was necessary. She knew that she would be in even more trouble if she said anything else.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but it will be a very very long time-Hello Mr. Luthor." her father's voice became very welcoming, or was that cold, and sarcastic-either way it gave Chloe the creeps. "Would you like to speak to your girlfriend, or should I finnish grounding her first?"

Lex gave an indecipherable answer, and as she figured, spoke into the phone. "Hi."

"You were giddy?"

"Gabe, didyou give Chloe the notion that I was giddy." Lex asked, his voice muffled.

She heard her father's muffled answer- "Yes"

"I wasn't giddy." he nakedly denied.

"Then what were you?" she asked raising her eyebrow, knowing very well that he couldn't see it. She pulled into her driveway, stopping at her mailbox.

"Lana already got the mail." he said softly, making her feel like a complete idiot.

"I thought you were just the obvious police not psychic." She countered. Nobody makes Chloe Sullivan feel like an idiot- even Lex isn't blessed with that option. "Aha! I've got mail."Chloe said triumphantly.

"I know." she looked at the return address of the small letter in her hand. it was from Lex.

"Hey! No fair!" she said with the smallest of hints of false anger. "Why are you sending me mail?"

"Just read it, I have to go. Bye." he said quickly into the phone.

"Bye." she said softly, dissappointed that he had to leave.

Her dad came back on to deliver her sentance.

"No Talon, Torch work is to be done at home. Lana will be watching you when I can't-" he was cut off by his very angry daughter.

"No Talon?! Why are you punnishing Lana?" She asked as she entered the house.

"I'm not! She isn't dating a man six years her senior! Her face isn't plastered across america." he snippily replied, much in Chloe fashion.

"Can I at least spend an hour at The Talon?" she begged. It was horribly bad. Chloe Sullivan was reduced to begging. Wouldn't Pete love to see that. He'd probably pay big tickets to see that one.

"We have coffee at home."

"Not Talon coffee." She said it like it was a gift from the gods.

"Fine. Open and close with Lana, an hour in total." He spoke as if it was his idea in the first place.

"Thank you Daddy." She said her mood slightly higher than it was prior to her new restriction. She could handle an hour a day in the Talon, idiotically drinking hot black coffee until her sentance was up. Chloe decided as she flipped through the Ledger sitting on the table. "I gotta go Daddy, I've gotta do my chores, or the warden might arrest me." She said smiling into the phone.

"Bye Sweetie, See you at six."

She hung up the phone, and more closely scrutinized the paper infront of her. She dropped her purse when she read the headlines of page two.

'Local man dead on Lex Corp property'

She desperately needed a coffee. What had happened that night at the address that she and Lex had stopped at breifly before their date? She wondered as she idly fingered the letter in her hand.

She opened the cream envelope desperate for answers.

Dearest Chloe,

TBC...

Ohhh another cliff hanger... ^_~