Title: Princess of the Tower.

Author: NickyJean

Summary: Chloe learns too much and the lengths Lex would go to protect her from his father.

Disclaimer: Once again, not mine. I'd be clever but I'm all tapped right now…

Distribution: Please tell a friend, then tell me…drop me an e-mail…then have at it…

A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner but my muse up and quit on me. Sure I'm happy for her, she was one of the final candidates on Zues' Bachelor, Who Wants To Marry a Demi-God show, but then she withdrew from the contest and eloped with Merce some cameraman for the show. Well I hear they're happy in Jamica now sunning on the beach. Well her happiness aside I went on the hunt for a new muse. After thousands of applications and hundreds of interviews, I finally found Portia. Well she a Sag like me so we're sure to either fight a lot or get a long great, who knows really. She likes chocolate and Taming of the Shrew and very into the whole Moonlighting romance concept. For those of you that are to young to remember that is a TV show that first got me into the sparky dating thing. She is happy to be of service and can't wait to get the ball rolling. This is her first dry run with inspiration so be kind…but not too kind both of us can take it. LOL

So on with the show.

****oh one more note. I did change a couple of things in the last chapter that I thought were inconstant so if anyone needs to re-read it be my guest…****

Chapter 10

April 2004

Bruce Wayne felt like an outsider, like he was outside looking in. The people milled around him. They smiled greetings and thanks that were sincerely meant, but he felt adrift in the crowd. He felt caught between two worlds. Slightly younger then Lex he felt much younger then the people that had gathered in the Kent home for the celebration. Yet unlike Lex, he didn't feel at complete comfort with the teens that partied not more then ten feet away in the barn. Despite the warmth, despite the welcome, despite the purest intent of both the Kents and Clark and Lana, Bruce felt a deep desire to escape. He walked out the door and just picked an aimless direction.

His mind wandered helplessly over the events of the last month and a half. Clark had called him out of the blue and asking for his help with the plant. Bruce was immediately intrigued at Clark's request. Of course, he wanted to help. He was nothing, if not his father's son and his father would never have let such an atrocity happen to a small town. He would have just sent lawyers to handle the deal, but the 'quaint little town' as Lionel once coined it, held a special place in his heart. Not to mention the fact that Lex Luthor was involved and that involvement alone required a personal touch.

Once he got to Smallville, the intrigue continued. First, the politician involved with railroading Lex, was one of the same politicians that had been in the LuthorCorp back pocket since he started running for office. That in itself might have been explained away, if Lex and Lionel were at each other's throats has they had been last year. But as far as anyone knew, they were getting along famously. Not to mention Lex was proving to be his father's son as well.

Stopping the plant from being closed was interesting to say the least. Dummy companies had to be set up to buy every scrap of metal when Lex refused the out right bid from Wayne Enterprises. Lex, for some odd reason, was willing to accept lower bids as long as they broke the company down and couldn't be traced back to Wayne Enterprises. It was like Lex was deliberately turning down the highest bids for anything and making every sale at a loss. Lex had an excellent business mind so his actions could have been called insane. But when all was said and done, Plant #3 was saved hence the celebration.

"Not enjoying the party," came a voice from the dark.

Bruce was so lost in thought that he was surprised to find himself facing a silver Ferrari and the unexpectedly smug face of Lex Luthor. Bruce took in the surroundings immediately cursing himself for his lack of attention. Two forms of music could still be heard floating on the air from the distance but the house and the barn were a great distance away.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked.

"Always straight to the point. I've always liked that about you."

"Always avoiding the question. I've always hated that about you."

"Touché, but unintentional I assure you." Lex said with a genuine smile, "I thought there was a party going on. I heard all of Smallville was invited."

"All but one, I'm sure," Bruce responded trying to analyze the adversary. "So again, why are you here?"

"I needed to talk to Lana." Lex offered. When Bruce eyed him suspiciously, Lex continued with a chuckle. "It's about the Talon. We own it together, but now that I won't be residing in Smallville anymore I figured I should get out of my partnership with her."

"You can't seriously be thinking of closing the Talon down like you did the plant?" Bruce couldn't believe that Lex was once again trying to take away people's livelihood. Well he could, just not so quickly after the loss of the plant.

"Have no fear, Wayne. I have a feeling if I did you would just bail her out with some dummy company."

Bruce didn't flinch at the obvious jab at the plan they had all came up with to keep the plant running. "I'd ask you what the Hell's going on here and why you're acting like a moron about the whole thing but I don't think you'd answer." Lex just smiled confirming Bruce's assumption. "So, I'll just focus on Ms. Lang and the Talon. What exactly are you planning now?"

"What are you doing her Lex?" Clark asked out of the blue, interrupting the two. Neither of the two-billionaire playboys saw him coming or even had the slightest clue where he came from in this open area of road about a mile from the rest of the crowds.

"I was just asking Lex here, why he wants to talk to Lana about her partnership with him and the Talon."

"You're not going to try to close her down too, are you?" Clark asked assuming the same as Bruce.

"With two such brave knights guarding her flanks, perish the thought." Both Bruce and Clark watched in silence, as Lex seemed to ponder over a thought. "Do you have a dollar, Clark?"

Every the white knight, Clark didn't even question why a man who could buy a country out right would need money and just dove in his pocket to retrieve the currency. When Lex had the dollar in his hand he pulled out some folded papers. "Here you go Clark," he said handing it to the young man and then turned to get in his car.

Bruce uncharacteristically snatched the papers from Clark's hand and scanned them quickly. "There documents giving you Lex's portion of the Talon for the agreed price of a dollar. Lana apparently signed it last year some time. In fact if I'm reading this right, it says that the only person Lex can sell it to is you and only for a dollar no matter the market price of the coffee shop."

"How did Lana talk Lex into a clause like that," Clark asked bewildered.

Bruce was the one who replied. "I don't think it was Ms. Lang's idea."

Lex said nothing as the two men stared in awe at the parchment. "Good evening gentlemen and enjoy the festivities."

~*~

TBC

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I know it was a quicky but that was the end of the thought and I didn't want to get into something entirely different without going into another chapter.