A/N: thank you for the reviews Kudelko and Tigerlily. Sadly school and my own human frailties are going to make updating this a little hard. So please bear with me. This is my passion, so I will be trying. But for now, Chapter Five…
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Title: Roadside-Show
Chapter Complete: February 12, 2003
"This is the last time I let you offer me a ride home, Ross," Chloe teased, leaning on the side of the ditched car.
"Oh yeah, this was totally planned Chloe," Pete rose from crouching at the blown tire, "Having fun?" he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Tons," she replied with the same sarcasm.
"Good," he kicked the defected tire.
She moved to lean next to him, speaking over his shoulder, "I don't think that'll fix it."
He had a wave of rage, but broke down to a laugh at her cute comment, "Why thank you…that really helped," he turned to face her, stretching a smile across his face.
"Don't you know how to change a tire, being a big, strong football player," the blonde laid it on thick, batting her eyes and pouting. But she couldn't she couldn't keep it up under his amused smile and broke off laughing.
He watched her head falling back in this laughter, the bright smile and wisps of blonde hair. Not to mention the heaving chest, "Well, you're a modern woman Chloe, can't you change a tire?"
"Oooh," he mouth curved in an 'O' shape, "A compliment Mr. Ross. I'm flattered," she patted his shoulder and giggled before turning serious, "No really…can't you change a tire?"
He shook his head with a proud smile on his face and a little shrug.
She laughed. Even in the middle of a kind of crisis she could have fun with Pete. Pure, normal fun. No worries or conflicts. She circled around to the other side of the car.
"What are you doing?" he leaned on the roof of the car.
"Doing what you can't," she replied in a sing-song voice from inside the car.
"You gonna change the tire?" he had a disbelieving tone, but curious nature.
"Something like that," she nodded, jumping back out to her feet, triumphantly holding her cell phone to her ear, "Need a tow," she spoke into the small plastic receiver.
Pete just smiled, watching the young reporter operate. The smoothness of her words and the way she stood with the air of importance. But what he liked best was how she swept the hair behind her ear and how she would chew her lip that little bit. She would do it while working at the computer and he would always watch her then too.
"Pete…what are you staring at?" Chloe was finished on the phone and had leaned against the car opposite him. His constant glare was making her self-conscious.
"Just you," he replied with the same smile.
She blushed a little and smiled a little shyly, "What?"
"I'm staring at you," his smile now more playful then determined.
She laughed, "Why?"
He leaned farther across the car's roof, motioning for her to do the same.
With a quizzical look she stepped on the seat to meet him, "Okie…why?"
He leaned in as close as he could, running his hand down her cheek. So many answers ran through his head; smart, beautiful, funny, but he settled on the one that summed her up perfectly to him, "Because you're so…Chloe." He smiled brighter, his eyes twinkled at her.
She tired to turn away and disagree in usual Chloe fashion, no one ever paid her real complements, but he wouldn't allow it.
"You're amazing," he tried leaning in that little bit more, the pair transfixed on each other. Pete wanted so badly to kiss those soft lips of hers, and Chloe too seeming to.
But the blare of a car horn sent them flying away from each other.
"You call for a tow?" the local bellowed from the pick-up tow truck.
The two looked away shyly, hopping down from the car.
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"I know you had something to do with that," Anna said in an accusing manner.
"What?" Lex shrugged innocently, just looking over at her quickly before returning his eyes to the road.
She laughed at the very idea of an innocent Luthor.
"You don't believe me?" he reached over for her hand, squeezing it and lacing their fingers together, glancing over at her.
"No," she pulled her hand away, teasing him.
He put both hands back on the steering wheel, "Is that anyway to act around our child," the words slipped out of his mouth and a smirk danced on his lips. He hadn't actually thought about how much having this child ment to him. He had never thought about it before…sure he had had some scares in his active past, but those were different. He was different. Not saying, at all, that he wasn't scared now. He was. He was terrified of repeating the past, living up to the Luthor name. He couldn't stand being any kind of father like his. Not that Lionel was any kind of father. But he wouldn't be like that. He wouldn't do that to another human being. With his child it was going to be different. He was given a chance, he wasn't sure what number he was up to now, but a chance. A chance to have a family and be a dad. He never really knew he wanted it.
Anna's light-heart sank. 'Our Child' the words were a punch in the chest, especially since the paternity was still unknown. And she had to tell him of that.
"We should talk," she purposely avoided his eyes when he looked over at her.
"What's wrong?" his tone had become serious reacting to the change in her, "Anna?" Her stillness and avoidance disturbed him. He kept turning from the road to her in a hope that she would tear herself away from the window and look at him, "This reticence is less then attractive…makes me nervous honestly."
"It'll wait until we get back to the mansion," she didn't look away from the glass. Almost searching for the words and nerve that she needed to say this, to strip him of how happy he seemed.
"No it won't," he steered the luxury car off to the side of the road, pulling into a ditch, "I want to know what's going on with you." He turned the little bit he could in the compacted car to face her.
She bit her lip, holding back on saying what was going through her head about how he didn't care so much when he left her in that bed. He didn't want to know what was going on with her then. She just stared blankly out the window still, not moving to acknowledge his attempts here.
"Anna, please," he reached for her, restricted by the seat belt over his shoulder. He quickly unfastened it and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Please tell me. Anna what is it? Is it the baby?"
She scoffed, "Is that all you care about?" her voice was cracking; balancing between tears and anger. Mentally she damned the roller-coaster of hormones for every reaction she had.
"What?" he was confused now.
"I'm sorry," she finally turned to him, her eyes clouded with a twirl of emotions which seemed to take their toll on her body. Quickly she was out of the car, racing against her nausea; she staggered a few steps before retching next to a fence post.
"Anna," he was startled by the actions of her body. He had never experienced this before and rushed to her, rubbing her back, "You alright?"
"Don't," she stepped away from him, using the fence for support. She knew it wasn't hormones this time, or the baby. It was simple nerves. She was terrified to say what she had to. "Lex," she looked up at his confused and concerned face then back to the ground, "Um…" she stuttered, putting her arm around her stomach. And in one deep breath blurted, "It-might-be-your-fathers."
Anna didn't see Lex's reaction, her eyes were squeezed shut. But the confession hit the millionaire. He stumbled slightly like someone had knocked the wind out of him. His face went as stone as his recovered stance, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his overcoat. There were no words. His mind had gone blank, cold, dark and black. Just blood rushed past his ears.
Hearing no reaction she sunk to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. Curling up to protect herself. She buried her head against her knees and let herself cry.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly the colours came back. How stupid he was for ever thinking anything good could come into his life. It all had to be tainted, by his father.
"Get up," he held a hand out to Anna at his feet.
She just looked up at him. Her cheeks slicked with tears and eyes struck in fear.
"Come on, get up," he handed a handkerchief to her, repeating the order.
"I'm sorry," she wiped her eyes, "it was all too close together. Happened too close to clearly tell…"
He waved her off. Wanting her to stop explaining as he walked away to the car, "This isn't easy for me," he confessed.
"Think it is for me?" Anna jumped to her feet, "I'm pregnant and don't even know who the father is." She had rushed to face him at the car, "It could be the child of the man I love or that of someone who makes me want to die. My whole body is ripped in two!" Her eyes were pleading, then enraged, "I could have made it easy for you. I could have just lied. Go on letting us think it was yours – no questions, no doubts. Or hell, I could have just gone right to him! Use this baby for all it's worth right?" she was shaking and yelling and even crying. She could have just ripped her hair out in frustration, "I'm confused and I didn't want to hurt you."
"Damn it!" he slammed his fists on the roof of the little silver car, "You did."
They stared at each other, silent except for the slight echo off the car between them.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so confused," she broke into sobbing. She couldn't stand any ground anymore, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
He rounded over to her side, cradling her falling figure in his arms, "I don't know either," he spoke into her hair, his face twisted in confusion.
She turned the slightest bit to look at his face, one hand caressing his cheek and her fingers trailing down his lips, "Just say you still love me…"
"I still love you," he replied without thought, kissing the fingertips that graced him.
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A/N: Sadly, updates will be few and far between for a while because school has decided to pile on the essays…and I don't really feel like failing out. So, faithful readers, do be patient. I will be back…I will be continuing. I have too many ideas in my head to not write them.