Chapter 6: Chloe the Arsonist
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"No really, I'm a friend of his," Chloe explained for what seemed like the hundredth time.
The young girl stood outside one of the most exclusive jewelry stores in Metropolis, the brisk wind whipping her hair around her face wildly. Of course Lex would ask her to help him ring shop and then forget to tell the store's manager about her. Chloe sighed, thinking about Lex's bizarre life. The guy had finally found himself a bride, three days before the due date no less. Now all he had to do was propose to whoever it was and this whole thing would be over with. Unfortunately the man who had it all was apparently lost when it came to tasteful jewelry.
"Just go in let me in and I can show you that I really do know him," Chloe tried again.
The woman looked down at the girl's colorfully patched jacket and black streaked hair with distaste. With a frown she shook her head, her perfectly sculpted raven hair swinging side to side.
"Mr. Luthor didn't mention having company," she stated firmly.
"Yeah well Lex has a lot on his mind, so at the moment he's not the sharpest pencil in the box." Chloe sighed.
The woman let out a Lana-like gasp at Chloe's informal attitude. "I don't think I can help you... why don't you try the jewelry store at the mall?" the lady said as she began closing the door.
"Hey! I drove all the way here from Crapville. I'm not going anywhere."
Chloe maneuvered her way through the gap in the doorway, into the lavish store. Many of Metropolis's elite were wandering around, sipping their champagne and gazing at fine jewelry.
"What do you think you're doing?! Please leave before I call security!" the woman's shrill voice called, extremely agitated.
Chloe turned around, rolling her eyes, "Give me a break, you wouldn't actually-"
"SECURITY!!!"
Chloe jumped as somebody gripped her upper arm.
"Is this girl the causing a scene miss Vivian?" a man asked. The woman nodded.
"Please do your job and get rid of her. We can't have her approaching our customers, especially Mr. Luthor." Vivian stated.
"Well, won't Lex be thrilled when he hears he's your favorite," Chloe said sarcastically, struggling against the guard.
"Come quietly and maybe there won't be any charges," a large security guard said to her.
"Let go of me you corrupt government minion!" Chloe snapped as the guard pulled her away. Her reflex reaction caused her elbow to jerk backwards directly into the man's stomach. She attempted to get away but instead, was rudely knocked to the ground.
"Suspicious character apprehended," the man said into an earpiece, holding her face down.
"This is ridiculous! I haven't done anything!" Chloe protested, pinned on the floor, the guard's arm on her back. "All I wanted to do was look at the stupid jewelry, not set fire to the building!"
The security guard's eyes widened in horror.
"Backup! I need backup! A threat has been made on the building, we need to evacuate immediately," he said, pulling out his handcuffs and securing them around Chloe's wrists with a click.
"This is absurd! You people are such idiotic hypocrites, this establishment's practices goes against everything this country-"
"Sullivan?!" came a surprised question.
Chloe's eyes that were still at ground level saw a pair of black Italian shoes facing her.
"I'd recognize those cow crap shoes anywhere. Where the hell have you been Lex Luthor? First these morons wouldn't let me in, and then they accused me of arson. Was it the jacket...? Forgive me, I never knew it screamed arsonist! I guess it makes sense though, I mean I *did* buy it when I was going through my Lana-is-my-sister phase, which was almost as bad as my let's-apologize-to-Clark-for-things-I-never-did phase not that I have issues or anything.. and will someone please do something about the large man who is trying to break my arm?"
"You moron, get off her!" Lex snapped at the guard, who immediately stepped up and backed away from Chloe.
"You know her Mr. Luthor?" Vivian gasped.
Lex didn't bother answering the woman, and lightly held onto Chloe's waist as he awkwardly helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah sure, never better." she said bluntly, trying to cover up her heated uneasiness at having Lex's hands against her, especially since her own were confined behind her back. Lex sensed this and quickly withdrew his hands with a small smile.
"Keys." Lex stated, before the guard fished out his keys and handed them to Lex.
Lex unlocked her cuffs and handed them back to the guard.
"Hey, give those back," Chloe said, snatching the cuffs back and inspecting them, "These are awesome."
"You're not keeping the cuffs Sullivan" Lex said with a smirk. "I won't dare ask what you need them for. Besides we need to sue these people, maybe even take down the company, wouldn't you like that better?" he smiled.
"Mr. Luthor I-" Vivian began, but was silenced by a glare from the man.
"Very chivalrous, Lex but quite unnecessary. I'll tell you what..." Chloe said to Vivian.
"Let me keep the cuffs and we'll call it quits?"
"That's fine with me... " the guard said as he cancelled the backup call and apologized to Chloe before making a quick exit.
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. I'll even give you a free gift bag," Vivian smiled.
Lex looked at Chloe strangely and smiled. "I'm going to ask you about those cuffs for later, right now I think we should get you home and-"
"Relax Lex, I'm fine. We came here to find you a ring and that's what I intend to do.
Lex laughed, "Whatever you say, but we'll be going to a different store... and this time try not to get arrested Sullivan?" he asked patronizingly slow.
Chloe rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll be at my car." she said turning to leave, still fascinated be the cuffs.
"I'll be there in a second," Lex said, watching Chloe leave. He couldn't believe she'd almost been arrested and still managed to keep a souvenir. Lex turned back to Vivian with a shake of his head.
"Miss Sullivan may be in a forgiving mood, but I assure you that I am not."
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Hmm... call this a filler chapter. I'm building up to the part where Lex takes Chloe for the *real* ring shopping then announces who he intends to marry, then ... well, I won't tell you the entire thing just yet, lol.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"No really, I'm a friend of his," Chloe explained for what seemed like the hundredth time.
The young girl stood outside one of the most exclusive jewelry stores in Metropolis, the brisk wind whipping her hair around her face wildly. Of course Lex would ask her to help him ring shop and then forget to tell the store's manager about her. Chloe sighed, thinking about Lex's bizarre life. The guy had finally found himself a bride, three days before the due date no less. Now all he had to do was propose to whoever it was and this whole thing would be over with. Unfortunately the man who had it all was apparently lost when it came to tasteful jewelry.
"Just go in let me in and I can show you that I really do know him," Chloe tried again.
The woman looked down at the girl's colorfully patched jacket and black streaked hair with distaste. With a frown she shook her head, her perfectly sculpted raven hair swinging side to side.
"Mr. Luthor didn't mention having company," she stated firmly.
"Yeah well Lex has a lot on his mind, so at the moment he's not the sharpest pencil in the box." Chloe sighed.
The woman let out a Lana-like gasp at Chloe's informal attitude. "I don't think I can help you... why don't you try the jewelry store at the mall?" the lady said as she began closing the door.
"Hey! I drove all the way here from Crapville. I'm not going anywhere."
Chloe maneuvered her way through the gap in the doorway, into the lavish store. Many of Metropolis's elite were wandering around, sipping their champagne and gazing at fine jewelry.
"What do you think you're doing?! Please leave before I call security!" the woman's shrill voice called, extremely agitated.
Chloe turned around, rolling her eyes, "Give me a break, you wouldn't actually-"
"SECURITY!!!"
Chloe jumped as somebody gripped her upper arm.
"Is this girl the causing a scene miss Vivian?" a man asked. The woman nodded.
"Please do your job and get rid of her. We can't have her approaching our customers, especially Mr. Luthor." Vivian stated.
"Well, won't Lex be thrilled when he hears he's your favorite," Chloe said sarcastically, struggling against the guard.
"Come quietly and maybe there won't be any charges," a large security guard said to her.
"Let go of me you corrupt government minion!" Chloe snapped as the guard pulled her away. Her reflex reaction caused her elbow to jerk backwards directly into the man's stomach. She attempted to get away but instead, was rudely knocked to the ground.
"Suspicious character apprehended," the man said into an earpiece, holding her face down.
"This is ridiculous! I haven't done anything!" Chloe protested, pinned on the floor, the guard's arm on her back. "All I wanted to do was look at the stupid jewelry, not set fire to the building!"
The security guard's eyes widened in horror.
"Backup! I need backup! A threat has been made on the building, we need to evacuate immediately," he said, pulling out his handcuffs and securing them around Chloe's wrists with a click.
"This is absurd! You people are such idiotic hypocrites, this establishment's practices goes against everything this country-"
"Sullivan?!" came a surprised question.
Chloe's eyes that were still at ground level saw a pair of black Italian shoes facing her.
"I'd recognize those cow crap shoes anywhere. Where the hell have you been Lex Luthor? First these morons wouldn't let me in, and then they accused me of arson. Was it the jacket...? Forgive me, I never knew it screamed arsonist! I guess it makes sense though, I mean I *did* buy it when I was going through my Lana-is-my-sister phase, which was almost as bad as my let's-apologize-to-Clark-for-things-I-never-did phase not that I have issues or anything.. and will someone please do something about the large man who is trying to break my arm?"
"You moron, get off her!" Lex snapped at the guard, who immediately stepped up and backed away from Chloe.
"You know her Mr. Luthor?" Vivian gasped.
Lex didn't bother answering the woman, and lightly held onto Chloe's waist as he awkwardly helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah sure, never better." she said bluntly, trying to cover up her heated uneasiness at having Lex's hands against her, especially since her own were confined behind her back. Lex sensed this and quickly withdrew his hands with a small smile.
"Keys." Lex stated, before the guard fished out his keys and handed them to Lex.
Lex unlocked her cuffs and handed them back to the guard.
"Hey, give those back," Chloe said, snatching the cuffs back and inspecting them, "These are awesome."
"You're not keeping the cuffs Sullivan" Lex said with a smirk. "I won't dare ask what you need them for. Besides we need to sue these people, maybe even take down the company, wouldn't you like that better?" he smiled.
"Mr. Luthor I-" Vivian began, but was silenced by a glare from the man.
"Very chivalrous, Lex but quite unnecessary. I'll tell you what..." Chloe said to Vivian.
"Let me keep the cuffs and we'll call it quits?"
"That's fine with me... " the guard said as he cancelled the backup call and apologized to Chloe before making a quick exit.
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea. I'll even give you a free gift bag," Vivian smiled.
Lex looked at Chloe strangely and smiled. "I'm going to ask you about those cuffs for later, right now I think we should get you home and-"
"Relax Lex, I'm fine. We came here to find you a ring and that's what I intend to do.
Lex laughed, "Whatever you say, but we'll be going to a different store... and this time try not to get arrested Sullivan?" he asked patronizingly slow.
Chloe rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll be at my car." she said turning to leave, still fascinated be the cuffs.
"I'll be there in a second," Lex said, watching Chloe leave. He couldn't believe she'd almost been arrested and still managed to keep a souvenir. Lex turned back to Vivian with a shake of his head.
"Miss Sullivan may be in a forgiving mood, but I assure you that I am not."
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Hmm... call this a filler chapter. I'm building up to the part where Lex takes Chloe for the *real* ring shopping then announces who he intends to marry, then ... well, I won't tell you the entire thing just yet, lol.