Title: Recovery 8/8

Author: Amanda

E-mail: ficklemuse02@yahoo.com

Summary: Set in the summer between Season 2 and Season 3 - looks at what our favorite Smallville residents have been up to in the three months since 'Exodus'.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody. (But oh, what a glorious notion... owning Luthors....*sigh*) Smallville belongs to Millar/Gough etc.

** ** **

Lionel's Penthouse:

"I thought you understood you were to keep a low profile while you worked for me. Did I not make myself clear?" Lionel demanded angrily as Clark walked in.

"What's the matter Lionel? I got Lucas back for you in one piece. Sure that one piece is a little mangled but I think it beats what the Vango brothers wanted to do to him."

"Not that. I would not consider groping a /b for the Daily Planet in my limousine as 'low profile'."

"How do you know what I was doing in your limo?" Clark asked nonchalantly.

Lionel pressed a button on the remote he held and a black and white surveillance screen popped up. "This is how. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Clark studied his image critically before answering. "The camera really does add ten pounds?"



"I'm not amused Clark. I hired you to do a job and not to be distracted by the first pretty face you see. And my plans for Miss Sullivan most certainly do *not* include you."

"Are you gonna send me to my room without any supper *DAD*?" Clark snickered. "And I don't care what your plans are for Chloe. I don't need your permission to do anything I want. With Chloe or to Chloe. Face it old man. I can give her things you just don't have."

Lionel's voice hardened to the tone that normally sent his competitors cowering under conference tables. "Listen to me carefully *son*. Although I would hate losing you as an ally I have priorities. Those priorities even take precedence over my business. I will not have my legacy interfered with by you or anyone else. In fact-" Lionel leaned forward, his gaze unblinking. "I would hate to be the man fool enough to try." He sat back and exhaled. "A wise man Clark knows his limits. He always pushes those limits in order to better himself. It's his nature to push the envelope. But a great man knows how far to push and to never let his desires exceed his grasp."

"You have no idea what kind of man I am Lionel. I'm something you've never seen before. I've walked through tornadoes without so much as a scratch. There is nothing that exceeds my grasp." Clark shoved his finger into Lionel's chest, knocking the older man backwards. "You might wanna remember that before you give me any more orders."

** ** **

Los Angeles:

Lex snapped his cell phone shut with a loud *crack*. "I need to go back to Kansas. Tonight."

"Okay. Not words you normally hear in everyday conversation." Cordelia drawled.

"True. But it's not every day my father is dating a 17 year old and my brother's been shot." Lex replied crisply. "I hate to leave before you find my sister but there's just too much going on at home for me to be away." Lex began stuffing papers into his briefcase. "You'll update me every day?"

"Wait. I'm still stuck on the part where your father is dating a 17 year old."

Lex shook his head. "Don't try and wrap your brain around it. It'll only hurt." Lex snapped his briefcase shut with a sharp *snap*. "Luthor family dynamics are complex to say the least."

"Sounds like a Jerry Springer episode waiting to happen." Cordelia snorted.

"And that's only the half of it."

"You know," Cordelia folded her arms and leaned against the wall casually. "You never did tell me what Lorne saw when he read you."

Lex offered a small, enigmatic half smile. "A man's destiny is his own Miss Chase."

"Oh great. Big with the cryptic are you? Maybe it *is* time for you to go back to Kansas before you start driving a GTX and hone your brooding skills."

Lex just looked at Cordelia oddly for a moment before returning to his packing.

** ** **

142 North Provemont Avenue:

Chloe unlocked the apartment door and flicked on the hall light before dropping Lois' mail on the table in the entryway and shrugging out of her jacket. A whole week and no sign of Clark. But she wasn't completely Kent-less, Clark's father called about eight times a day.

Glancing at the blinking answering machine, Chloe revised her estimate. "Make that ten times a day." She muttered before pressing play.

"You have ten new messages." The answering machine chirped.

"Sully- I tried to get a hold of you at the Planet but that idiot Olson cut me off before I could leave a message. Looks like I'm gonna be here for a few more days. One of the guys got arrested for some public nudity so we've got to bail him out before we can come home. When you leave just drop the keys off with Larry next door. He said he'd water my plants and bring in the mail. Sorry for being gone most of the time you were in town squirt but I'll make it up to ya' next summer k'? Be careful." *BEEP*

Chloe smiled and erased the message before listening to the others. When she was through she stowed the remains of her Thai dinner in the fridge and stripped out of her clothes before donning one of Lois' kimonos. A nice cool bath was just what the doctor ordered. She'd forgotten how unholy hot a city could be without any trees. Every day she got out of the office she felt wilted.

Whatever else Lois' small one bedroom apartment lacked, the bathroom was Chloe's idea of heaven with a genuine claw foot bathtub at the crowning jewel complete with a nice bath pillow suctioned at one end. She opened the bathroom door to find the small space already illuminated by a half dozen lit candles, and there in the midst of a tub filled with more bubbles than she'd ever seen before was Clark Kent reading the previous month's Cosmo.

He looked up at her surprised gasp with a wicked grin on his face. "Hey. I took this quiz. It says I'm a selfish lover." He crooked one bubble covered finger at Chloe. "Why don't you come here and find out if they're right?"

Clasping a hand over her heart, Chloe tried to keep it from crawling out through her chest. DAMN Clark was sneaky. "Clark?"

He waved his arm. "I got all this ready for you thinking you'd be home at a decent hour…" He affected a pout. "You could have called to tell me you'd be home late."

"Gee Clark, if I'd known there was a naked man waiting for me I might have come home sooner." Chloe shot back before tugging on the kimono tie. Something about the way Clark was looking at her made her feel completely naked even though she was perfectly covered.

Clark cocked an eyebrow. "You know, I thought that birthmark of yours was the cutest thing on your body. But now I can see I was wrong…"

Chloe knew she was losing whatever cool she had, but Clark was *leering* at her. Clark was *naked* and *leering* at her. "Wh-what are you talking about?" 'Calm down Chloe. It's not like he can really see anything through the robe… right?' She told herself.

"The birthmark's cute. But the blush that starts at your knees and goes alllll the way up is even cuter."

Chloe clutched the neck of the kimono even more tightly. Figures. All she had to do to get Clark to notice her was to wrap herself in red meteor rock. The stuff was obviously some sort of geological aphrodisiac. She could make a fortune selling alien Viagra on late night infomercials…

Chloe knew she was babbling in her brain, but it was so much nicer than facing the fact that if she wanted to get the class ring off Clark's finger she would have to a.) take off her kimono and b.) get in the tub with Clark.

"How do you know about that birthmark?"

"More questions? Chloe you need to lighten up! Don't you ever get sick of asking so many questions?"

"Sure. Right about the time I get the answers." Chloe met Clark's gaze evenly. "I'll get in, but only if you turn your head."

Arrogant from getting his own way, Clark did as he was told, turning back only when he felt the slick glide of Chloe's legs against his own. "In case of rough water parts of me double as a floatation device."

"I don't care what you say I'm not going to ask you which parts."

Clark chortled and picked up a bar of soap and a washcloth. "I'll scrub your back if you'll scrub mine…" He deftly turned Chloe so that she was sitting with her back to him. She drew her knees up to her chest as he inspected the small bruises from the previous week. "Did I do those?"

"Well *duh*! Funny, but I don't have a lot of guys grabbing me in the backs of limos." Chloe closed her eyes and tried very hard not to lean into the light strokes over her back.

DAMN.

Damn Pete for not telling her Clark was allergic to the rocks.

Damn Clark for keeping another secret.

Damn Lana on general purposes.

Damn Clark for humming 'Rubber Ducky' while he washed her back and blowing little bubbles off his hand.

But most of all - damn herself for *still* being tempted by Clark's new attitude even when she knew it wasn't really him talking.

Damn. Damn. Damnity damn damn.

When Clark laid his hands on Chloe's shoulders and began massaging them and occasionally slipping a hand down to *not* her shoulder she decided it was time to make a move.

"Where have you been this week?" She asked with a slow sigh before leaning back.

"Here and there. Lots of work to do and not enough time to do it."

"You never did tell me what kind of work you're doing…"

"Mostly errands." Clark placed a kiss on the back of Chloe's neck. "I'm not gonna do it for long. It's just until I get some real money saved up."

"Like what kind of real money?"

"Don't worry about it babe. I may not be Daddy Lionel but I'm not exactly in the poorhouse either."

Chloe craned her neck and glowered at Clark. "One more time. There. Is. Nothing. Going. On. Between. Me. And. Lionel."

"I know." Clark grinned and stole another kiss. "He's got 'plans' for you…"

Chloe toyed absently with Clark's hand where it rested below water on her stomach. "Lionel had plans for me? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you gotta worry about Chlo'. I can deal with Lionel." Clark pulled Chloe back tighter against his body. "I'll take care of everything. All you gotta take care of is *me*."

For a minute Chloe let herself be caught by Clark's intense gaze. As she slipped the ring off his hand, she shook off the strange feeling. "I am Clark. I really am."

Clark seemed to curl in on himself and his head thrashed from side to side before he opened his eyes again and blinked blearily. "Chloe? What … what happened?"

Reaching outside of the tub, Chloe grabbed two towels and wrapped one around herself before draping the other one over Clark. "It's okay Clark. We're going to get dried off and then I'm taking you to the hospital okay?" Tentatively she reached out and brushed Clark's cheek with her hand. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes trustingly.

** ** **

Metropolis General Hospital:

Chloe watched as the door shut on the last of the reporters from the Planet and the Inquisitor. She'd called hospital security on the Inquisitor reporters and traded favors with the Planet ones to give the Kents some privacy. They'd arrived with Pete and Lana in tow two hours after Clark had been admitted.

She walked down the hospital corridor in time to overhear Mr. Kent talking with Clark's doctor.

"Dr. Meyers, Clark hates hospitals. He's terrified of them. I would really rather take him home. You're not really doin' anything for him anyway except monitoring him and giving him fluids. His mother and I can do that back in Smallville."

"Mr. Kent, you can take your son home first thing in the morning. But I won't sign him out until then. There's really no telling what sort of effect trauma like your son's experienced might have had." The doctor spoke softly and kindly. "I know you must be anxious to have your son home safe, but give him one night of rest here before you take him back to Smallville."

"Alright Doctor. If you think it's in Clark's best interest…" Mr. Kent nodded after a moment. Once Dr. Meyers left, he turned his attention to Chloe. "Chloe. I can't – I can't even begin to thank you for what you did for Clark. I know he probably didn't make it easy for you, and I just wanted you to know- if there's anything I can…"

"Mr. Kent? Clark's waking up!" Lana poked her head out of the hospital room, a wide smile gracing her face. "He's waking up!"

Mr. Kent squeezed Chloe's shoulder. "Excuse me."

Chloe watched them through the hospital room window. Clark's mother and father on one side and Pete and Lana huddled together on the other side. Clark seemed so relieved and happy it made a jagged lump form in Chloe's throat.

"I heard about young Mr. Kent." Lionel remarked from behind Chloe. "How thrilled his parents must be to have him home again."

Chloe whirled around. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I hoped to offer my congratulations to the Kents of course." Lionel nodded to the hospital room. "But this looks like a scene for family no? Why don't you let me drop you off at home? We can discuss plans for next summer's internship."

Chloe gave the Kents a long look before stepping into the hand Lionel placed on the small of her back as he led her down the hospital corridor to the elevator.

She never looked back.

** ** **