Title: A Chlex Story
Author: MitchPell
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Smallville, it's characters, DC comics, or the WB. I'm just using their stuff for a little bit of non-profitable fun.
Authors Notes: My thanks go out to Adri! The best Beta Reader ever! Finally I posted within a decent amount of time! Go me go! This wasn't a planned chapter. But I needed to establish more of Chloe/Lex friendship in order for the next chapter to work. This chapter takes place right after they get back from Christmas Vacation, so Wednesday the 2nd. It is also still within the two weeks in which Lex doesn't receive chemo. Gabby is still away visiting her family. I hope that helps you guys know when things are going on. Also, I think I covered all the major dances, I hope I didn't leave any out. If so, them I'm sorry. Like I've said before I've done a lot of research about the medical stuff, but if I've made any huge errors let me know. After all, I'm not an expert. I'm going to using any and all spoilers, so read at your own risk. This story is going to be a long one. I already know that it is going to span the course of 7 years, and probably longer. I appreciate any and all feedback. Tell me whatever you think: the good, the bad, the ok, the grammar errors, etc. Trust me, I need the help!!
Summary: Lex and Chloe just seem right for each other. I don't know why, they just do.
Email: mitchpell@yahoo.com
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Adri: Thanks so much for all the Beta work! I don't know what I would do without you! I'm sorry there was no Gabby in this one, but she will be back! Thanks for the review, and again for all the help!
Alicia: Wow! Your review was definitely a boast to my ego! I'm thrilled that you like the story so much! I'm glad you think that my independent chapters are my best, but unfortunately I'm going to have to use the episodes. It is just how my story is set up. But I'm going to try not to just copy from the episodes as much as I did before. If you are interested, I have a short mailing list that I use to email people to let them know as soon as I post. This might save you the time of having to check back so often! But I know what that is like! I do the same thing for my favorite stories. Just send my your email if you are interested in being put on the list. Thanks for review, I hope you like the new chapter.
Eliza: I'm glad you like the story. It is always nice to attract new readers. Here is your new chapter, and I'm happy to say that there is a lot of that beautiful Chlex magic! Thanks for the review!
Michelle: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
Dark Phoenix II: Thanks so much for the honest review. I really appreciate it when readers tell me what they didn't like. Unfortunately, I'm going to use all of the episodes as the backbone of this story. But I will try to make those chapters more of in between the scenes than actual scenes in the episodes. I'm sorry they're so long! I just can't seem to write short ones! Thanks for the review, and for pointing out what you didn't like. I'll try to do better!
j: Glad you like it. Thanks for the review.
RedWitch: LOL! Yeah, I hate Lionel too! But he is fun to hate! Oh don't worry Lex will be comforted. I'm not going to tell you how. But he will be. Thanks for the review!
Mikhelle: I'm glad you liked it. Don't worry there is plenty of Chlex in this one! I'm glad you like it even though it is gradual. And it is going to continue to be gradual, very gradual actually. LOL! I'm sorry, but I can't tell you when they're going to kiss. Thanks for the review!
Kate: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I'm going to post more right now! Yes, I'm going to stay episode related until the end of the first season. Thanks for the review! And don't worry I won't stop until it is finished!
Kista: LOL! I know. I love Chloe! I love Lex! And I love to hate, Lionel! Thanks, I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the review! Now go get some sleep!
Len: Wow! Thanks for putting my FIC up there with all the other great ones! I'm writing as fast as I can. I swear I am. Oh yes! That is one thing I don't really like, "instant and undying love!" Ugh! I just can't see that happening for either character. Don't worry, I will continue. I usually write a little every night! (Note the word little there!) As for you questions, I can't tell you, and I would gladly do it, but unfortunately I'm not a character in the story! Thanks for the review!
Leanne8582: Woohoo! I'm on another persons favorites list! *Does happy dance!* Don't worry. I swear I will not quit, no matter how long it takes! I will not walk away. It will be finished. But definitely not soon! (It is already 106 pages long, and I'm not even done with 1/3 of it!) You will get your closure! Thanks for the review!
Merrie: Easy, easy! Just calm down, and take deep breaths. Don't worry he will get a Chloe, I'm not sure when, but he will. (Ok, so I know, but I can't tell you!) I agree with you though, no one should go through that alone. Thanks for the review! And I'm glad you like it!
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Chloe sighed as she shuffled into the Torch office. It had been a very long day. Of course the first day back to class after a month long vacation was always rough. Her only consolation was that it was only a half-week, and she could get back to the Torch. It was the only thing worth coming back for. Because lets face it, she thought, I can see Clark and Pete outside of school just as easily as I can in class.
As she tossed her bag on the ground, she noticed a shoe-sized box setting on her desk. It was neatly wrapped in green wrapping paper that had little red cartoon Santa Clause's on it and long white and red curly ribbon. There was a little envelope attached to the box, with her name on it, as well. Chloe freed the envelope from the box, and pulled the card out. It was a simple white card with a gold outline of a small Christmas tree on it. She opened the card, and read the short message.
Miss Sullivan,
For Next Time.
Merry Christmas, Lex Luthor
P.S. I recommend you start with these shoes.
Chloe groaned. She was getting a bad feeling about what exactly she was going to find in the little green box before her. She took a pair of scissors out of her desk drawer and cut the ribbon, making sure to keep the curled pieces in tack. Then she proceeded to rip off the green wrapping paper. Tentatively, she removed the box lid and looked inside.
She shook her head and laughed at what she saw. Off to one side of the box, she found a pair of felt-soled black and white saddle shoes. On the other side, there was a package of those little cutout feet that you place on the floor in order to teach yourself basic dance steps. The package contained feet for the Waltz, the Fox Trot, East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop Swing, the Tango, and Salsa. There was also a mixed CD included with the songs labeled with their names, composers or band, and to what dances to use them with.
Chloe bit her lower lip. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the gift, but it was making her feel guilty. She hadn't expected anything from Lex; therefore she hadn't gotten him anything in return. And she had no idea what she was going to do about it. She didn't get to ponder her predicament long, though, because she heard Pete and Clark coming down the hall. She quickly stuffed the wrapping paper, ribbon, and card into the box then slammed the lid on top, and shoved it underneath her desk.
Chloe sat up just as the two walked in.
"Hey Guys!" She called out to them.
"Hey Chloe." Clark replied.
"Hey Chloe, did you happen to notice the latest addition to the Wall of Weird?" Pete asked as he plopped himself down into one of the chairs beside her.
Chloe gave him a funny look then turned to Clark.
"Don't ask me." Clark said. "He didn't tell me anything."
With a sigh, Chloe hoisted herself out of her chair and made her way over to the Wall. Clark and Pete followed close behind her.
"Now," Pete said, "I haven't been able to link it to the meteors yet. I'm almost positive they were involved. Because, there is no way this could have happened under normal circumstances."
Chloe scanned the Wall looking for the new clipping. She was just about to ask Pete where he stuck it, when she spotted it. Large red letters spouted off the words: 'Luthor Heir Makes Scene with New Bride at Annual Christmas Party.' It was the same picture that had appeared in the Daily Planet, the one with Lex and her lying on the floor. But it was from the front page of some tabloid she didn't recognize. Chloe turned and glared at Pete. "What the heck is this?" She demanded.
Pete smiled. "I got it while I was in Metropolis with my brothers during New Years. Isn't it great."
"No, Pete! It isn't great! I can't believe you would put this up here! Do you know how much crap my Dad gave me about this?"
"Yeah, well that's what you get for associating with Luthor." Pete shot back.
"Don't even try to blame this on Lex. I'm the one who tripped over my own feet. It wasn't like Lex pulled me down on top of him."
"Yeah, but if it weren't for Luthor, you're face wouldn't be strewn all over the Tabloids." Pete countered.
"You know what, Pete. I don't need this." She reached up and pulled the clipping off the wall. "Here," she said as she shoved the picture at him. "If you like it so much, I suggest you keep it."
Pete snatched up the clipping and hung it back up on the wall, just out of Chloe's reach. "That's ok, I already have one at home." He said. Pete walked back over to the chairs, snatched up his book bag. "See you later, Clark." He called over his shoulder as he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.
After Pete had left, Clark reached up to remove the clipping.
"Just leave it, Clark." Chloe said as she went back to her desk.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Chloe said.
When Chloe wasn't looking, Clark plucked the clipping off the wall, folded it up, and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he joined her over by her desk. She was just kind of sitting there, starring off into space or lost in thought, he wasn't sure which one. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that, my Dad gave me enough grief about that picture already. And I didn't need Pete adding to the mix."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you."
"I know." With that Chloe turned on her computer, and started to bring up different articles she was working on. Clark followed suit, and the two worked in comfortable silence for a while, until Chloe spoke up. "Clark, what do you do when you receive a gift from someone you didn't get anything for?" She asked him.
Clark looked up at her from his computer. "I don't know. I can't say that has ever happened to me." He told her.
"It's never happened to you?" She asked in disbelief.
"Not really. I mean, we usually send a family gift to anyone we know. It's usually just baked goods and a Christmas card. But everybody loves my mom's chocolate fudge and pies." He said. "Why?"
"Well, I got a gift today from someone I didn't get anything for. And it's eating away at my conscience."
"Who was the gift from?"
"I can't tell you that!" She exclaimed.
"Sure you can." He said while grinning at her.
Chloe couldn't resist that smile. Damn that Kent Charm, she thought. "Fine. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone."
"Scouts honor." Clark said.
"And you can't laugh." She added.
Clark merely held up the Scout's sign as a response.
Chloe rolled her eyes at him then took a deep breath. "It was Lex."
"Lex!" Clark said in a manner that earned him a glare from Chloe. "Wow, I didn't know you guys were that good of friends." He said.
"Yeah, well neither did I. I mean, its not like I wouldn't mind being better friends with him or anything like that. I just didn't think we were at the gift giving stage yet. And now I don't know what do to. It's not like I can just go out and get him something. Because, that would only make it seem like I only got him something because he got me something. And two, because what do you buy someone how already has everything they want. I thought about sending him a thank you card, but that just seems too impersonal. Then I thought, why don't I just go over and thank him personally, but all I would have to say is thank you. And I can picture this big moment of uncomfortable empty silence, which would be a very bad thing. So as you can see, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do about this." After finishing her rant, Chloe took a large much needed breath.
"Yeah," Clark said, "I understand you're predicament."
"Clark!" Chloe whined. "You have to help me."
"Well," Clark said after a minute. "Was it more of a personal gift, or a generic gift?"
"I wouldn't call it a personal gift, but it definitely wasn't generic." She told him while blushing ever so slightly.
"You could always just go over and spend the evening with him, as a way of saying thank you."
"Clark!" Chloe exclaimed.
"What?" Clark asked, generally confused. He thought about his words then his face turned about ten shades redder. "Geez, Chloe! That's not what I meant. I meant that you should maybe watch a movie or something."
Chloe couldn't help but laugh, but she stopped once she received the glare from Clark. "I don't know, Clark. I wouldn't want to intrude on him."
"You won't be. Trust me. Lex is really cool about stuff like that. At least he is when I go over. Plus you should see his entertainment system. It's awesome."
Chloe sighed. "I don't know. I'll think about it."
"Ok, well, I got to go. My dad needs me to fix the fence over in the south field. So, I'll talk to you later."
"Ok." Chloe replied. "Oh, Clark, wait! Do you have Lex's number?"
"Yeah."
"Could you give it to me, please. If I decide to go over, I just don't want to show up."
"Sure." Clark scribbled Lex's number on a post-it note real quick. "Bye, Chloe."
"Bye, Clark. And thanks."
"No, problem."
After Clark left, Chloe retrieved her gift from underneath the desk, and tucked the post-it note in it. She smiled. She kind of liked Clark's idea. She was definitely going to call Lex. She even knew what movie she would take. I could even take a certain pair of dance shoes, she thought. Chloe grinned as she shut down her computer and rushed to gather up her stuff. She would have to hurry up and get a hold of Lex, before he made plans for the weekend.
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Chloe sat on her bed, staring at her cell phone. She had called Lex's number twice already, but had hung up on the first ring each time. She knew it was immature, but she felt stupid. "It's Lex Luthor," she told herself, "millionaire-playboy, your Dad's boss. You just can't call him up and offer to spend an evening watching old movies and eating popcorn. He's going to think I'm a complete idiot."
Sighing, she picked up her phone again and dialed his number. She fought the urge to hit the disconnect button after the first ring, and actually allowed the phone to ring once more. Instead of a third ring, however, she heard a familiar voice say, "Lex Luthor." In a panic, Chloe quickly hit the end-call button. She flopped back on her bed, smacking herself in the head with her cell phone. "Idiot!" She yelled at herself. She heard a knock on her door, and sat up.
"Are you alright, Sweetheart?" Gabe called from outside her bedroom door. He had been on his way downstairs and had heard his daughter burst of frustration.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." Chloe called back.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked.
"No, that's ok. But thanks for the offer." She replied.
"Alright. But if you need me, I'll be downstairs."
"Ok, thanks."
Chloe let out a big sigh as she lay back down on her bed. Well, you can't call him back now, she thought. You already called three times, and he actually picked up on the last one. And he probably has caller ID, so he'll know it was the same number all three times. So it's not like I could lie and say it wasn't me. "Yeah, like I said before, Idiot." She mumbled.
She lay on her bed for a while, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to her dilemma, when her cell phone rang. Without looking at the number, she answered it.
"Hello."
"Miss Sullivan, is there something I could assist you with this evening?"
Chloe leaped up at the sound of his voice. "Lex!" She exclaimed. "What did you, I mean how did you."
"I have my sources." He said, interrupting her stuttering. "Now, is there a specific reason you attempted to contact me three times tonight? Or was this some sort of teenage game of which I happened to have the honor of being privy?"
"No!" She exclaimed. "Nothing, like that." She paused for a moment then asked. "Would you believe me if I told you I was having phone trouble?" She could practically hear him smirk on the other end.
"Not particularly." He replied.
"Ok, well, what if I said I was intimidated?"
"Intimidated?" He asked.
"Yes, intimidated. Because lets face it, Lex, you don't exactly send out the call-me-up-to-hang-out vibe." Chloe replied.
"The call-me-up-to-hang-out vibe? Miss Sullivan, are you saying that you endeavored to call me because you wanted to spend an evening in my company?" He asked, allowing some of his amusement to show in his words.
"That all depends."
"On what?"
"On your response."
"My response?"
"Geez! What are you, a broken tape player? Yes, your response!"
"In that case, I believe my answer is yes." When he received no reply, he asked, "Miss Sullivan?"
"Right, sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to say yes." She admitted, then added quickly, "Not that I didn't want you to say yes. It's just that.Well, never mind. Are you free this weekend?"
"I am available this weekend, yes."
"Then, what do you say about me coming over Friday evening? Say around six?" She asked with uncertainty.
"That should be fine."
"Alright, then I guess I'll see you Friday at six. Oh, and don't worry about food, because I've got that covered."
Lex hesitated for a minute then asked, "May I ask the purpose of this get together?"
Chloe smiled. "You'll just have to wait and find out on Friday. Bye, Lex." And with that she hung up. Chloe lay back down on her bed. "Well that didn't go as badly as I thought it would," she mused. "Now all I have to do is clear things with my father."
With a sigh, she hoisted herself off her bed and made her way downstairs to the living room. She found her dad sitting on the sofa watching "The West Wing." "Dad." She said while leaning over against the back of the couch. "Do you care if I go to a friend's house Friday night to watch movies?"
Gabe looked at his daughter quizzically. Chloe never said a friend's house unless she didn't want him to know where she was going. "Whose house are you going to?" He asked her.
Chloe took a deep breath. "Lex's house." She told him.
Gabe frowned. "Lex Luthor's house?" He asked in order to clarify.
"The one and only." Chloe said, trying to be humorous.
He sighed. "I don't know, Chloe."
"Why not? I thought you decided you were ok with Lex and I being friends?"
Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Chloe, it's one thing to meet up with Lex by accident in a public place, but it is a totally different thing to make plans go to his house."
"Come on, Dad. Nothing is going to happen. All we're going to do is watch some movies. That's it." At her father's hesitancy she added. "Please, Dad. Just trust me."
Gabe sighed. "Alright. You can go. But, I want you to know that I'm only allowing this because I agreed to trust you where Lex is concerned. However," he added, "I do not want this to become a regular thing. Got it!"
"Got it." She said then kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dad." She called as she headed back up towards the stairs in order to do her homework.
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Lex glanced at his watch. It was a quarter after six, and Chloe still hadn't shown up. He was starting to worry that she wasn't going to come at all. It really shouldn't surprise me if she doesn't, he thought. The girl couldn't even bring herself to call me. What makes you think she will be able to force herself to come over? He sighed, and opened up a file containing the plants financial records. His father wanted an update on Monday, and Lex still hadn't finished reading over the reports. It certainly wasn't what he had planned on doing this evening, but he didn't see any reason to sit around wasting time.
Lex frowned as he looked over the reports. Now that he thought about it, maybe Chloe's father wasn't going to let her come. Since, Lex wasn't currently receiving chemo, he had been going into the plant. And on Friday afternoon, Gabe had confronted him in his office. He had seemed rather unhappy with the situation.
"Just what exactly are you're intentions towards my daughter, Lex?" He had demanded.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Gabe." Lex had told him. He had been somewhat awed at the extremely pissed look on his plant manager's face.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now just why are you so interested in my daughter?"
"Gabe, my interest in your daughter is purely one of friendship. Nothing else, I assure you."
Gabe had given him an assessing look. "You may be rich and powerful, Mr. Luthor. But if you harm one hair on her head, your money won't be able to protect you."
Lex had merely smirked at him. "I'll keep that in mind." He had told him. Gabe had grunted then left the room.
Lex sighed, shaking away the memory, and returning to his work. He had just got himself settled, when there was a knock at the study door. "Come in," he called.
Ann opened the door, and stuck her head inside. "Mr. Luthor, Miss Sullivan is here." She informed him.
Lex suppressed his smile, and instead raised an eyebrow and made a small gesture with his hands. "Well, show her in." He said.
Ann hesitated a minute, then nodded.
Lex shook his head, when Ann left the room, and began putting his work away. She had been giving him funny looks ever since he had informed her that Chloe was coming over for the evening. Apparently, she didn't approve. And she wanted to make sure that he knew where she stood on the matter. Personally, Lex didn't give a shit what she thought. He finished filing away his paperwork, and started heading towards the door, when Chloe walked in carrying an open box.
"I have Chinese food and the Star Wars Trilogy." She announced as she walked in the door. "Oh, and I'm sorry I'm late, but the guy at Chef Wu's was really slow. Then I ran into Pete in town, and we had this whole make up session. So, sorry, about that."
"It's quite alright." He gestured towards the box and asked, "Would you like me to help you with that?"
"That's ok. I got it. It's not very heavy."
They stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence, until Lex cleared his throat. "Well," he said. "I suppose we should move this into the entertainment room."
Chloe smiled. "Lead on." She told him while gesturing with the box.
Lex smirked at her before exiting the study, and heading down the hall towards the entertainment room. Chloe followed right behind him, taking in the various pieces of art, and the shear grandeur of the mansion. It was amazing she thought, but it was dark, kind of damp, and cold. She shivered a little. "Geez, Lex. It's freezing in here."
Lex chuckled a little. "Well, this is a castle, Miss Sullivan. Albeit, a smaller one, it's a castle nonetheless. Therefore, it doesn't exactly come with central heating." He said as he pushed open a set of oak doors and led Chloe into a large room.
"How do you.?" Chloe trailed off when she entered the room Lex had led her to. The first thing that caught Chloe's eye was the large flat screen TV that hung on the wall opposite a tan leather couch. The TV was connected to an impressive surround sound system, and DVD/VHS player. As she continued to scan the room, she noticed an identical couch setting in front of an equally large TV, which was connected to an X-box, and a Play-Station 2. That TV was also hooked up to the surround sound, as was the 24 disk stereo she saw. "Wow!" She said as she took in the room. "Clark wasn't kidding. You do have an awesome entertainment room."
Lex just smirked at her. "You can set your stuff down over there." He said as he gestured towards the glass coffee table that sat in front of the couch over by the TV with the DVD/VHS player.
Chloe did as he said then plopped herself down on the couch, and started to situate various takeout boxes. Lex sat down beside her on the opposite end of couch, and picked up her Star Wars collection. "You know, I have these on DVD. If you're interested." He told her.
"Is it the original or special addition collection?" She asked.
"I have both."
"I would prefer to watch the originals." She said with a smile.
"Of course." Lex said. He picked up one of the remotes on the coffee table and pointed it at the wall. The wooden panels folded back to reveal a whole wall full of DVD and VHS tapes. He smirked at Chloe's wowed expression, and then went over to the shelves of movies.
Chloe shook her head then said, "Um, I think I have everything we need but drinks."
"I think I can handle that," Lex said as he set his Star Wars collection on the table. "I'll be right back." He told her. He walked over to another section of wall, and opened it.
Chloe stared at him while he removed a bottle of Ty Nant from what she figured was a fridge. "Would you like water, Coke, or Mountain Dew?" He asked her.
"Water is fine." She replied. "Though I don't picture you as much of a pop drinker."
"I'm not." Lex told her. "I just keep those around for when Clark comes over.
She watched as he walked back over to the couch. "So, you can hook up all this," she said as she gestured around the room, "but you can't get a decent heating system put in here?"
"Actually, Miss Sullivan, I did have a heating system installed in the most frequently used rooms in the house. But unfortunately, this place is so drafty, that the system almost has no effect. Which, is why, I usually light a fire as well. It doesn't do much, but it helps."
"I see." Chloe said then fell silent.
Once again, Lex broke the silence. "So, Chinese food and Star Wars." He said in an amused tone, to which Chloe just nodded. "You know, you still have yet to tell me the nature of this little get together."
Chloe blushed a little. "I got your gift." She told him.
"I was wondering about that." He said. "You hadn't said anything, and I was concerned that the janitor I left it with had failed to leave it on your desk."
She smiled at him. "No, I got it. Oh! Before, I forget." She said. "This is for you."
Lex raised an eyebrow at her, and took the card Chloe handed him. His name was written neatly on the front of the red envelope. Lex easily opened the unsealed envelope and removed the card. It had a picture of a big cow standing in a green field on the front of it. And the outside read, 'Sorry, to have missed your birthday." Lex looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You know, it isn't my birthday." He told her.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I figured it wasn't." She said. "But you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a decent Christmas card almost two weeks after Christmas. So, this is the best I could do."
Lex chuckled lightly then opened the card. The inside read, 'But I couldn't get things Mooving.' There was also a small note from Chloe as well.
Lex,
Yes, I know it probably isn't your birthday. But you'd be surprised at how hard it is to find a decent Christmas card so long after Christmas. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the gift. It was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. So, in order to express my gratitude, I thought we could spend an evening indulging in our love for Star Wars. Plus, that's the only thing I know we have in common.
Thanks again, Chloe
P.S. I hope you like Chinese food!
P.P.S. Do I even want to know how you knew my exact shoe size?
Lex looked back over at Chloe and smiled. "You're quite welcome Miss. Sullivan, but you didn't have to do this." He told her, trying not to sound ungrateful.
"I know," Chloe said as she grinned at him, "but I wanted to." She watched Lex close the card and place it back in the envelope. "So! I wasn't sure what you would like, so I just got the basics. You know, fried rice, chow mien, sweat n' sour chicken, teriyaki chicken, egg rolls, and of course fortune cookies." She paused for a moment and looked at him worriedly. "You do like Chinese food, don't you?" She asked.
Lex laughed. "Yes, Chloe, I like Chinese food."
"Good." She picked up one of the boxes of chow mien and some chop sticks then gestured towards the TV. "Well," she asked, "are we going to watch Star Wars or not?"
Lex looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was my gift." He said. "Therefore, I don't believe I should be the one responsible for getting up and putting in the movie."
Chloe looked up from her chow mien and said. "True, but I'm sure that your stuff is so high tech, that I wouldn't know what I was doing. Therefore, you'd have to get up, anyway, in order to assist me. So, you might as well do it yourself, since you will have to remove yourself from the couch either way."
He couldn't help but smile, though he tried hide it by standing up and walking over to the TV. Chloe was one of the few people he knew, who was brave enough to order him around. And in a way, he found it refreshing. Lex turned on the TV and DVD player then popped the first disk in. Returning to the couch, hit a few buttons on a remote to start the movie, grabbed a box of fried rice and teriyaki chicken, some chopsticks, and leaned back into the couch, propping his feet on the coffee table.
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While watching the movies, they each sat in their respective corners of the couch. Lex sat at one end, reclining into the back of the couch with his feet still on the coffee table. And Chloe sat at the other, leaning up against the arm, with her knees bent, and her feet on the unused cushion between them. They were chatting amiably, providing their own commentary to the film, while nibbling at the various containers of Chinese food.
About halfway through the second movie, Lex produced a bag of Twizzlers from what seemed out of nowhere.
Chloe looked at him for a minute then asked, "Aren't you going to at least offer to share your Twizzlers with me?"
"No." He said never taking his eyes off the TV. "I don't share my Twizzlers." He deadpanned.
Chloe huffed in disbelief. "The greedy rich boy finally shows himself. And here I thought he was just a rumor." She said while crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the TV.
Lex stole a glance at her from the corner of eye, and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. He cleared his thought. "I'm sorry, Miss Sullivan. But if there is one thing I refuse to share it's my Twizzlers. It's nothing personal."
"It's all right." Chloe said, the irritation obvious in her voice. "It's not like I really wanted your stupid not-so-pleasantly-tasting candy anyway."
"If you didn't really want any, then why did you insist that I share them with you?" He asked.
"Because!" She exclaimed. "You're eating them." When he just looked at her, she continued. "Of come on, haven't you ever seen someone eating something, and then want to have the same thing simply because the other person had it?"
"No," Lex told her, "I can't say that I have."
Chloe huffed again. "Whatever." She mumbled.
Lex couldn't hold it back anymore. He tried to keep laughing silently, but failed miserably. He turned his head away from her, trying to hide his amusement.
Chloe heard him laughing and somehow stopped herself from kicking him. "You're such a jerk!" She said starting to laugh a little herself.
Lex merely smiled at her then offered her her own bag of Twizzlers, which she readily accepted.
"You really are a jerk, you know that don't you?" Chloe asked.
Lex smirked at her. "Yes, Miss Sullivan. I'm well aware of that fact.
******************************************************
It was 11:30 pm by the time the second film ended. "I think we need some dessert." She announced.
Lex raised an eyebrow at her. "Just what did you have in mind?" He asked.
Chloe grinned her squinty-eyed smile. "How about sundaes?" She asked.
"Sundaes it is then." Lex replied as he got of the couch. "Follow me."
Chloe followed Lex through several halls of the mansion, before they arrived in the kitchen. Chloe wasn't the least bit surprised at how modern it was. There was a huge stainless steal fridge setting beside a matching stove and the walls were lined with white ceramic counters, and wooden cupboards. There was also a wood furnished island in the center of the room with a few matching stools surrounding it.
"Have a seat." Lex said as he motioned towards one of the stools at the island.
Chloe sat on the stool and watched as Lex retrieved everything they would need in order to make the sundaes. "I'm surprised you know where to actually find things in here." She said in a teasing manner.
"As I said before, Miss Sullivan, I'm full of surprises." Lex said as he set vanilla ice cream, Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Redi Whip, and Maraschino Cherries on the island. He then retrieved two bowls and two spoons.
They continued to build their sundaes' in comfortable silence. After applying her chocolate syrup, Chloe reached for the Redi Whip. She shook the bottle then compressed the trigger. However, little pieces of the foamed whipped topping flew everywhere. Chloe looked at Lex, whose shirt was sprayed with whipped cream. "I'm so sorry, Lex." Chloe said through her laughter.
"Yes, I can see just how sorry you truly are." He replied, slightly annoyed with the young girl. Which only seemed to amuse her even more. Lex decided two could play at this game. He reached over and picked up a fairly large chunk of whipped cream and smudged it across Chloe's forehead.
Chloe eye's went wide when felt the cold topping on her forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Lex, who was smirking at her. "This means war!" She declared and began to spray Lex with the Redi Whip, laughing at the expression on Lex's face.
After he recovered from the initial shock of the Redi Whip bombardment, Lex sprung at Chloe fighting her for control of the can of whipped cream.
"No!" She shouted through her bouts of laughter.
Eventually, Lex managed to wrestle the can from her grasp and began to extract his revenge.
Having been stripped of her weapon, Chloe grabbed the first thing her hands found on the counter. The cherries. She grabbed a big handful of cherries and started throwing them at him. One cherry hit him square in the eye causing him to stop his Redi Whip assault. Having gained the upper hand, Chloe took her chance and sprung for the can.
The two wrestled for control, before falling to the ground, and their contact with the floor knocking the Redi Whip out of their battling hands. Lex got to his knees and scrambled for the can. Chloe grabbed a hold of his sides and tried to pull him back. However, as soon as she touched his sides, Lex collapsed on the floor and tried to remove her hands.
Chloe recognized that reaction immediately. Taking her chance, she straddled him. Lex was momentarily stunned when Chloe climbed on top of him. He looked into her eyes, to see her looking at him positively evilly.
His eyes widened in what could only be described as horror. "You wouldn't dare." He told her.
But Chloe just smiled and dove in, attacking his rib cage with her figures.
Lex immediately started laughing. He tried to fight her off, but to no avail. He was laughing so hard, his eyes started to water. "Chloe! Please!" He managed to squeeze out between gasps of breath. "Stop! Please! Stop!"
"Never!" She declared triumphantly, and then proceeded with her onslaught.
Just then the door to the kitchen burst open, and Lex's two bodyguards came rushing in, guns drawn. As soon as he heard the door burst open, Lex pushed Chloe off of him and rolled over on top of her, shielding her body with his. He heard the two men call out that everything was clear, and then risked looking up at them.
"Are you alright, Mr. Luthor?" Mr. Rains, Lex's head of security, asked.
Lex stood up and glared at them. "Of course I'm alright! What the fuck were you thinking?" He demanded.
The men holstered their guns then Rains started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor. But we heard all the commotion, then you were telling someone to stop. I'm sorry sir. It was a mistake."
Lex couldn't help but blush a little bit, but figured that the cherry juice on his face probably hid it well. "Just get out." Lex told them coldly.
"We are very sorry, sir." He started to say, but stopped when Lex gave him a pointed glare. "Sorry, Sir." With that the two existed the kitchen.
Lex turned back to Chloe who was sitting on the floor. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah," she said, looking up at him. "I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that."
Lex made a slight snorting sound. "Yeah, me neither." He extended a hand to Chloe and helped her up off the floor. "I suggest we abandon the sundaes." He said.
"Agreed." Chloe said with a smile.
"Come on," he said. "I'll show you a place were you can wash up."
"Ok," Chloe said. "She started to follow him back out in the recesses of the mansion when she glanced at her watch. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "It's midnight! My father told me to be home by eleven. I have to go! God, I'm surprised he hasn't called already!"
Lex nodded. "Of course." He said, hiding his disappointment.
They went back to the entertainment room, and Chloe picked up her videos then Lex walked her to the door. "Thank you, Chloe. It was a very nice evening."
"You're welcome, Lex." She said before she started towards the car. "I'll see you around." She said as she opened her door.
"Most definitely, Miss Sullivan." He replied.
She smiled at him then got in her car and drove off.
Lex watched her drive off, before turning back and going inside. He walked back to his study and sat down at his desk. He wasn't tired, and planned on working on his report until Conan came on. His phone rang, on the business line. It was Gabe. Lex sighed then picked up the phone.
************************************************************
Chloe got home about 15 minutes later. She came in the door to see her father sitting at the kitchen table, with the phone beside him.
"I just got off the phone with Lex. He told me that you had lost track of time, and were on your way home." Gabe turned and looked at his daughter. "What the heck happened to you?"
Chloe blushed. "We kind of had a food fight."
Gabe looked at her unconvincingly.
"It's a long story." She mumbled. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be late. We really did lose track of time. I'm sorry."
"You know, Chloe, I wasn't too thrilled about you going over there in the first place. Your breaking my rules isn't going to help matters."
"I know, Dad. And I really am sorry. It won't happen again."
"Yes, well of that I'm most certain."
"Dad! You're not going to forbid me from going over again are you?" She asked in disbelief."
"Chloe, my rules were very simple. Be home at eleven. That was all you had to do."
"I said I was sorry. You know, you never act this way when I miss curfew at Pete's or Clark's?"
"We're not talking about Pete or Clark, Chloe. We're talking about Lex."
"I don't see any difference." She told him.
"Well, I do." Gabe sighed. "Look, I'm tried of fighting you about Lex Luthor. Now, I'm your father. And whether you like it or not, I make the rules. If I say you can't go see Lex, then you can't see Lex. End of discussion."
Chloe couldn't believe it. She was shocked. She sighed. "Fine, Dad." Fighting back tears, she turned and left the room, heading up the stairs.
TBC.
Author: MitchPell
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Smallville, it's characters, DC comics, or the WB. I'm just using their stuff for a little bit of non-profitable fun.
Authors Notes: My thanks go out to Adri! The best Beta Reader ever! Finally I posted within a decent amount of time! Go me go! This wasn't a planned chapter. But I needed to establish more of Chloe/Lex friendship in order for the next chapter to work. This chapter takes place right after they get back from Christmas Vacation, so Wednesday the 2nd. It is also still within the two weeks in which Lex doesn't receive chemo. Gabby is still away visiting her family. I hope that helps you guys know when things are going on. Also, I think I covered all the major dances, I hope I didn't leave any out. If so, them I'm sorry. Like I've said before I've done a lot of research about the medical stuff, but if I've made any huge errors let me know. After all, I'm not an expert. I'm going to using any and all spoilers, so read at your own risk. This story is going to be a long one. I already know that it is going to span the course of 7 years, and probably longer. I appreciate any and all feedback. Tell me whatever you think: the good, the bad, the ok, the grammar errors, etc. Trust me, I need the help!!
Summary: Lex and Chloe just seem right for each other. I don't know why, they just do.
Email: mitchpell@yahoo.com
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Adri: Thanks so much for all the Beta work! I don't know what I would do without you! I'm sorry there was no Gabby in this one, but she will be back! Thanks for the review, and again for all the help!
Alicia: Wow! Your review was definitely a boast to my ego! I'm thrilled that you like the story so much! I'm glad you think that my independent chapters are my best, but unfortunately I'm going to have to use the episodes. It is just how my story is set up. But I'm going to try not to just copy from the episodes as much as I did before. If you are interested, I have a short mailing list that I use to email people to let them know as soon as I post. This might save you the time of having to check back so often! But I know what that is like! I do the same thing for my favorite stories. Just send my your email if you are interested in being put on the list. Thanks for review, I hope you like the new chapter.
Eliza: I'm glad you like the story. It is always nice to attract new readers. Here is your new chapter, and I'm happy to say that there is a lot of that beautiful Chlex magic! Thanks for the review!
Michelle: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
Dark Phoenix II: Thanks so much for the honest review. I really appreciate it when readers tell me what they didn't like. Unfortunately, I'm going to use all of the episodes as the backbone of this story. But I will try to make those chapters more of in between the scenes than actual scenes in the episodes. I'm sorry they're so long! I just can't seem to write short ones! Thanks for the review, and for pointing out what you didn't like. I'll try to do better!
j: Glad you like it. Thanks for the review.
RedWitch: LOL! Yeah, I hate Lionel too! But he is fun to hate! Oh don't worry Lex will be comforted. I'm not going to tell you how. But he will be. Thanks for the review!
Mikhelle: I'm glad you liked it. Don't worry there is plenty of Chlex in this one! I'm glad you like it even though it is gradual. And it is going to continue to be gradual, very gradual actually. LOL! I'm sorry, but I can't tell you when they're going to kiss. Thanks for the review!
Kate: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I'm going to post more right now! Yes, I'm going to stay episode related until the end of the first season. Thanks for the review! And don't worry I won't stop until it is finished!
Kista: LOL! I know. I love Chloe! I love Lex! And I love to hate, Lionel! Thanks, I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the review! Now go get some sleep!
Len: Wow! Thanks for putting my FIC up there with all the other great ones! I'm writing as fast as I can. I swear I am. Oh yes! That is one thing I don't really like, "instant and undying love!" Ugh! I just can't see that happening for either character. Don't worry, I will continue. I usually write a little every night! (Note the word little there!) As for you questions, I can't tell you, and I would gladly do it, but unfortunately I'm not a character in the story! Thanks for the review!
Leanne8582: Woohoo! I'm on another persons favorites list! *Does happy dance!* Don't worry. I swear I will not quit, no matter how long it takes! I will not walk away. It will be finished. But definitely not soon! (It is already 106 pages long, and I'm not even done with 1/3 of it!) You will get your closure! Thanks for the review!
Merrie: Easy, easy! Just calm down, and take deep breaths. Don't worry he will get a Chloe, I'm not sure when, but he will. (Ok, so I know, but I can't tell you!) I agree with you though, no one should go through that alone. Thanks for the review! And I'm glad you like it!
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Chloe sighed as she shuffled into the Torch office. It had been a very long day. Of course the first day back to class after a month long vacation was always rough. Her only consolation was that it was only a half-week, and she could get back to the Torch. It was the only thing worth coming back for. Because lets face it, she thought, I can see Clark and Pete outside of school just as easily as I can in class.
As she tossed her bag on the ground, she noticed a shoe-sized box setting on her desk. It was neatly wrapped in green wrapping paper that had little red cartoon Santa Clause's on it and long white and red curly ribbon. There was a little envelope attached to the box, with her name on it, as well. Chloe freed the envelope from the box, and pulled the card out. It was a simple white card with a gold outline of a small Christmas tree on it. She opened the card, and read the short message.
Miss Sullivan,
For Next Time.
Merry Christmas, Lex Luthor
P.S. I recommend you start with these shoes.
Chloe groaned. She was getting a bad feeling about what exactly she was going to find in the little green box before her. She took a pair of scissors out of her desk drawer and cut the ribbon, making sure to keep the curled pieces in tack. Then she proceeded to rip off the green wrapping paper. Tentatively, she removed the box lid and looked inside.
She shook her head and laughed at what she saw. Off to one side of the box, she found a pair of felt-soled black and white saddle shoes. On the other side, there was a package of those little cutout feet that you place on the floor in order to teach yourself basic dance steps. The package contained feet for the Waltz, the Fox Trot, East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop Swing, the Tango, and Salsa. There was also a mixed CD included with the songs labeled with their names, composers or band, and to what dances to use them with.
Chloe bit her lower lip. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the gift, but it was making her feel guilty. She hadn't expected anything from Lex; therefore she hadn't gotten him anything in return. And she had no idea what she was going to do about it. She didn't get to ponder her predicament long, though, because she heard Pete and Clark coming down the hall. She quickly stuffed the wrapping paper, ribbon, and card into the box then slammed the lid on top, and shoved it underneath her desk.
Chloe sat up just as the two walked in.
"Hey Guys!" She called out to them.
"Hey Chloe." Clark replied.
"Hey Chloe, did you happen to notice the latest addition to the Wall of Weird?" Pete asked as he plopped himself down into one of the chairs beside her.
Chloe gave him a funny look then turned to Clark.
"Don't ask me." Clark said. "He didn't tell me anything."
With a sigh, Chloe hoisted herself out of her chair and made her way over to the Wall. Clark and Pete followed close behind her.
"Now," Pete said, "I haven't been able to link it to the meteors yet. I'm almost positive they were involved. Because, there is no way this could have happened under normal circumstances."
Chloe scanned the Wall looking for the new clipping. She was just about to ask Pete where he stuck it, when she spotted it. Large red letters spouted off the words: 'Luthor Heir Makes Scene with New Bride at Annual Christmas Party.' It was the same picture that had appeared in the Daily Planet, the one with Lex and her lying on the floor. But it was from the front page of some tabloid she didn't recognize. Chloe turned and glared at Pete. "What the heck is this?" She demanded.
Pete smiled. "I got it while I was in Metropolis with my brothers during New Years. Isn't it great."
"No, Pete! It isn't great! I can't believe you would put this up here! Do you know how much crap my Dad gave me about this?"
"Yeah, well that's what you get for associating with Luthor." Pete shot back.
"Don't even try to blame this on Lex. I'm the one who tripped over my own feet. It wasn't like Lex pulled me down on top of him."
"Yeah, but if it weren't for Luthor, you're face wouldn't be strewn all over the Tabloids." Pete countered.
"You know what, Pete. I don't need this." She reached up and pulled the clipping off the wall. "Here," she said as she shoved the picture at him. "If you like it so much, I suggest you keep it."
Pete snatched up the clipping and hung it back up on the wall, just out of Chloe's reach. "That's ok, I already have one at home." He said. Pete walked back over to the chairs, snatched up his book bag. "See you later, Clark." He called over his shoulder as he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.
After Pete had left, Clark reached up to remove the clipping.
"Just leave it, Clark." Chloe said as she went back to her desk.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Chloe said.
When Chloe wasn't looking, Clark plucked the clipping off the wall, folded it up, and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he joined her over by her desk. She was just kind of sitting there, starring off into space or lost in thought, he wasn't sure which one. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that, my Dad gave me enough grief about that picture already. And I didn't need Pete adding to the mix."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you."
"I know." With that Chloe turned on her computer, and started to bring up different articles she was working on. Clark followed suit, and the two worked in comfortable silence for a while, until Chloe spoke up. "Clark, what do you do when you receive a gift from someone you didn't get anything for?" She asked him.
Clark looked up at her from his computer. "I don't know. I can't say that has ever happened to me." He told her.
"It's never happened to you?" She asked in disbelief.
"Not really. I mean, we usually send a family gift to anyone we know. It's usually just baked goods and a Christmas card. But everybody loves my mom's chocolate fudge and pies." He said. "Why?"
"Well, I got a gift today from someone I didn't get anything for. And it's eating away at my conscience."
"Who was the gift from?"
"I can't tell you that!" She exclaimed.
"Sure you can." He said while grinning at her.
Chloe couldn't resist that smile. Damn that Kent Charm, she thought. "Fine. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone."
"Scouts honor." Clark said.
"And you can't laugh." She added.
Clark merely held up the Scout's sign as a response.
Chloe rolled her eyes at him then took a deep breath. "It was Lex."
"Lex!" Clark said in a manner that earned him a glare from Chloe. "Wow, I didn't know you guys were that good of friends." He said.
"Yeah, well neither did I. I mean, its not like I wouldn't mind being better friends with him or anything like that. I just didn't think we were at the gift giving stage yet. And now I don't know what do to. It's not like I can just go out and get him something. Because, that would only make it seem like I only got him something because he got me something. And two, because what do you buy someone how already has everything they want. I thought about sending him a thank you card, but that just seems too impersonal. Then I thought, why don't I just go over and thank him personally, but all I would have to say is thank you. And I can picture this big moment of uncomfortable empty silence, which would be a very bad thing. So as you can see, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do about this." After finishing her rant, Chloe took a large much needed breath.
"Yeah," Clark said, "I understand you're predicament."
"Clark!" Chloe whined. "You have to help me."
"Well," Clark said after a minute. "Was it more of a personal gift, or a generic gift?"
"I wouldn't call it a personal gift, but it definitely wasn't generic." She told him while blushing ever so slightly.
"You could always just go over and spend the evening with him, as a way of saying thank you."
"Clark!" Chloe exclaimed.
"What?" Clark asked, generally confused. He thought about his words then his face turned about ten shades redder. "Geez, Chloe! That's not what I meant. I meant that you should maybe watch a movie or something."
Chloe couldn't help but laugh, but she stopped once she received the glare from Clark. "I don't know, Clark. I wouldn't want to intrude on him."
"You won't be. Trust me. Lex is really cool about stuff like that. At least he is when I go over. Plus you should see his entertainment system. It's awesome."
Chloe sighed. "I don't know. I'll think about it."
"Ok, well, I got to go. My dad needs me to fix the fence over in the south field. So, I'll talk to you later."
"Ok." Chloe replied. "Oh, Clark, wait! Do you have Lex's number?"
"Yeah."
"Could you give it to me, please. If I decide to go over, I just don't want to show up."
"Sure." Clark scribbled Lex's number on a post-it note real quick. "Bye, Chloe."
"Bye, Clark. And thanks."
"No, problem."
After Clark left, Chloe retrieved her gift from underneath the desk, and tucked the post-it note in it. She smiled. She kind of liked Clark's idea. She was definitely going to call Lex. She even knew what movie she would take. I could even take a certain pair of dance shoes, she thought. Chloe grinned as she shut down her computer and rushed to gather up her stuff. She would have to hurry up and get a hold of Lex, before he made plans for the weekend.
************************************************************
Chloe sat on her bed, staring at her cell phone. She had called Lex's number twice already, but had hung up on the first ring each time. She knew it was immature, but she felt stupid. "It's Lex Luthor," she told herself, "millionaire-playboy, your Dad's boss. You just can't call him up and offer to spend an evening watching old movies and eating popcorn. He's going to think I'm a complete idiot."
Sighing, she picked up her phone again and dialed his number. She fought the urge to hit the disconnect button after the first ring, and actually allowed the phone to ring once more. Instead of a third ring, however, she heard a familiar voice say, "Lex Luthor." In a panic, Chloe quickly hit the end-call button. She flopped back on her bed, smacking herself in the head with her cell phone. "Idiot!" She yelled at herself. She heard a knock on her door, and sat up.
"Are you alright, Sweetheart?" Gabe called from outside her bedroom door. He had been on his way downstairs and had heard his daughter burst of frustration.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." Chloe called back.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked.
"No, that's ok. But thanks for the offer." She replied.
"Alright. But if you need me, I'll be downstairs."
"Ok, thanks."
Chloe let out a big sigh as she lay back down on her bed. Well, you can't call him back now, she thought. You already called three times, and he actually picked up on the last one. And he probably has caller ID, so he'll know it was the same number all three times. So it's not like I could lie and say it wasn't me. "Yeah, like I said before, Idiot." She mumbled.
She lay on her bed for a while, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to her dilemma, when her cell phone rang. Without looking at the number, she answered it.
"Hello."
"Miss Sullivan, is there something I could assist you with this evening?"
Chloe leaped up at the sound of his voice. "Lex!" She exclaimed. "What did you, I mean how did you."
"I have my sources." He said, interrupting her stuttering. "Now, is there a specific reason you attempted to contact me three times tonight? Or was this some sort of teenage game of which I happened to have the honor of being privy?"
"No!" She exclaimed. "Nothing, like that." She paused for a moment then asked. "Would you believe me if I told you I was having phone trouble?" She could practically hear him smirk on the other end.
"Not particularly." He replied.
"Ok, well, what if I said I was intimidated?"
"Intimidated?" He asked.
"Yes, intimidated. Because lets face it, Lex, you don't exactly send out the call-me-up-to-hang-out vibe." Chloe replied.
"The call-me-up-to-hang-out vibe? Miss Sullivan, are you saying that you endeavored to call me because you wanted to spend an evening in my company?" He asked, allowing some of his amusement to show in his words.
"That all depends."
"On what?"
"On your response."
"My response?"
"Geez! What are you, a broken tape player? Yes, your response!"
"In that case, I believe my answer is yes." When he received no reply, he asked, "Miss Sullivan?"
"Right, sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to say yes." She admitted, then added quickly, "Not that I didn't want you to say yes. It's just that.Well, never mind. Are you free this weekend?"
"I am available this weekend, yes."
"Then, what do you say about me coming over Friday evening? Say around six?" She asked with uncertainty.
"That should be fine."
"Alright, then I guess I'll see you Friday at six. Oh, and don't worry about food, because I've got that covered."
Lex hesitated for a minute then asked, "May I ask the purpose of this get together?"
Chloe smiled. "You'll just have to wait and find out on Friday. Bye, Lex." And with that she hung up. Chloe lay back down on her bed. "Well that didn't go as badly as I thought it would," she mused. "Now all I have to do is clear things with my father."
With a sigh, she hoisted herself off her bed and made her way downstairs to the living room. She found her dad sitting on the sofa watching "The West Wing." "Dad." She said while leaning over against the back of the couch. "Do you care if I go to a friend's house Friday night to watch movies?"
Gabe looked at his daughter quizzically. Chloe never said a friend's house unless she didn't want him to know where she was going. "Whose house are you going to?" He asked her.
Chloe took a deep breath. "Lex's house." She told him.
Gabe frowned. "Lex Luthor's house?" He asked in order to clarify.
"The one and only." Chloe said, trying to be humorous.
He sighed. "I don't know, Chloe."
"Why not? I thought you decided you were ok with Lex and I being friends?"
Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Chloe, it's one thing to meet up with Lex by accident in a public place, but it is a totally different thing to make plans go to his house."
"Come on, Dad. Nothing is going to happen. All we're going to do is watch some movies. That's it." At her father's hesitancy she added. "Please, Dad. Just trust me."
Gabe sighed. "Alright. You can go. But, I want you to know that I'm only allowing this because I agreed to trust you where Lex is concerned. However," he added, "I do not want this to become a regular thing. Got it!"
"Got it." She said then kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dad." She called as she headed back up towards the stairs in order to do her homework.
************************************************************
Lex glanced at his watch. It was a quarter after six, and Chloe still hadn't shown up. He was starting to worry that she wasn't going to come at all. It really shouldn't surprise me if she doesn't, he thought. The girl couldn't even bring herself to call me. What makes you think she will be able to force herself to come over? He sighed, and opened up a file containing the plants financial records. His father wanted an update on Monday, and Lex still hadn't finished reading over the reports. It certainly wasn't what he had planned on doing this evening, but he didn't see any reason to sit around wasting time.
Lex frowned as he looked over the reports. Now that he thought about it, maybe Chloe's father wasn't going to let her come. Since, Lex wasn't currently receiving chemo, he had been going into the plant. And on Friday afternoon, Gabe had confronted him in his office. He had seemed rather unhappy with the situation.
"Just what exactly are you're intentions towards my daughter, Lex?" He had demanded.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Gabe." Lex had told him. He had been somewhat awed at the extremely pissed look on his plant manager's face.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now just why are you so interested in my daughter?"
"Gabe, my interest in your daughter is purely one of friendship. Nothing else, I assure you."
Gabe had given him an assessing look. "You may be rich and powerful, Mr. Luthor. But if you harm one hair on her head, your money won't be able to protect you."
Lex had merely smirked at him. "I'll keep that in mind." He had told him. Gabe had grunted then left the room.
Lex sighed, shaking away the memory, and returning to his work. He had just got himself settled, when there was a knock at the study door. "Come in," he called.
Ann opened the door, and stuck her head inside. "Mr. Luthor, Miss Sullivan is here." She informed him.
Lex suppressed his smile, and instead raised an eyebrow and made a small gesture with his hands. "Well, show her in." He said.
Ann hesitated a minute, then nodded.
Lex shook his head, when Ann left the room, and began putting his work away. She had been giving him funny looks ever since he had informed her that Chloe was coming over for the evening. Apparently, she didn't approve. And she wanted to make sure that he knew where she stood on the matter. Personally, Lex didn't give a shit what she thought. He finished filing away his paperwork, and started heading towards the door, when Chloe walked in carrying an open box.
"I have Chinese food and the Star Wars Trilogy." She announced as she walked in the door. "Oh, and I'm sorry I'm late, but the guy at Chef Wu's was really slow. Then I ran into Pete in town, and we had this whole make up session. So, sorry, about that."
"It's quite alright." He gestured towards the box and asked, "Would you like me to help you with that?"
"That's ok. I got it. It's not very heavy."
They stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence, until Lex cleared his throat. "Well," he said. "I suppose we should move this into the entertainment room."
Chloe smiled. "Lead on." She told him while gesturing with the box.
Lex smirked at her before exiting the study, and heading down the hall towards the entertainment room. Chloe followed right behind him, taking in the various pieces of art, and the shear grandeur of the mansion. It was amazing she thought, but it was dark, kind of damp, and cold. She shivered a little. "Geez, Lex. It's freezing in here."
Lex chuckled a little. "Well, this is a castle, Miss Sullivan. Albeit, a smaller one, it's a castle nonetheless. Therefore, it doesn't exactly come with central heating." He said as he pushed open a set of oak doors and led Chloe into a large room.
"How do you.?" Chloe trailed off when she entered the room Lex had led her to. The first thing that caught Chloe's eye was the large flat screen TV that hung on the wall opposite a tan leather couch. The TV was connected to an impressive surround sound system, and DVD/VHS player. As she continued to scan the room, she noticed an identical couch setting in front of an equally large TV, which was connected to an X-box, and a Play-Station 2. That TV was also hooked up to the surround sound, as was the 24 disk stereo she saw. "Wow!" She said as she took in the room. "Clark wasn't kidding. You do have an awesome entertainment room."
Lex just smirked at her. "You can set your stuff down over there." He said as he gestured towards the glass coffee table that sat in front of the couch over by the TV with the DVD/VHS player.
Chloe did as he said then plopped herself down on the couch, and started to situate various takeout boxes. Lex sat down beside her on the opposite end of couch, and picked up her Star Wars collection. "You know, I have these on DVD. If you're interested." He told her.
"Is it the original or special addition collection?" She asked.
"I have both."
"I would prefer to watch the originals." She said with a smile.
"Of course." Lex said. He picked up one of the remotes on the coffee table and pointed it at the wall. The wooden panels folded back to reveal a whole wall full of DVD and VHS tapes. He smirked at Chloe's wowed expression, and then went over to the shelves of movies.
Chloe shook her head then said, "Um, I think I have everything we need but drinks."
"I think I can handle that," Lex said as he set his Star Wars collection on the table. "I'll be right back." He told her. He walked over to another section of wall, and opened it.
Chloe stared at him while he removed a bottle of Ty Nant from what she figured was a fridge. "Would you like water, Coke, or Mountain Dew?" He asked her.
"Water is fine." She replied. "Though I don't picture you as much of a pop drinker."
"I'm not." Lex told her. "I just keep those around for when Clark comes over.
She watched as he walked back over to the couch. "So, you can hook up all this," she said as she gestured around the room, "but you can't get a decent heating system put in here?"
"Actually, Miss Sullivan, I did have a heating system installed in the most frequently used rooms in the house. But unfortunately, this place is so drafty, that the system almost has no effect. Which, is why, I usually light a fire as well. It doesn't do much, but it helps."
"I see." Chloe said then fell silent.
Once again, Lex broke the silence. "So, Chinese food and Star Wars." He said in an amused tone, to which Chloe just nodded. "You know, you still have yet to tell me the nature of this little get together."
Chloe blushed a little. "I got your gift." She told him.
"I was wondering about that." He said. "You hadn't said anything, and I was concerned that the janitor I left it with had failed to leave it on your desk."
She smiled at him. "No, I got it. Oh! Before, I forget." She said. "This is for you."
Lex raised an eyebrow at her, and took the card Chloe handed him. His name was written neatly on the front of the red envelope. Lex easily opened the unsealed envelope and removed the card. It had a picture of a big cow standing in a green field on the front of it. And the outside read, 'Sorry, to have missed your birthday." Lex looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You know, it isn't my birthday." He told her.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I figured it wasn't." She said. "But you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a decent Christmas card almost two weeks after Christmas. So, this is the best I could do."
Lex chuckled lightly then opened the card. The inside read, 'But I couldn't get things Mooving.' There was also a small note from Chloe as well.
Lex,
Yes, I know it probably isn't your birthday. But you'd be surprised at how hard it is to find a decent Christmas card so long after Christmas. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the gift. It was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. So, in order to express my gratitude, I thought we could spend an evening indulging in our love for Star Wars. Plus, that's the only thing I know we have in common.
Thanks again, Chloe
P.S. I hope you like Chinese food!
P.P.S. Do I even want to know how you knew my exact shoe size?
Lex looked back over at Chloe and smiled. "You're quite welcome Miss. Sullivan, but you didn't have to do this." He told her, trying not to sound ungrateful.
"I know," Chloe said as she grinned at him, "but I wanted to." She watched Lex close the card and place it back in the envelope. "So! I wasn't sure what you would like, so I just got the basics. You know, fried rice, chow mien, sweat n' sour chicken, teriyaki chicken, egg rolls, and of course fortune cookies." She paused for a moment and looked at him worriedly. "You do like Chinese food, don't you?" She asked.
Lex laughed. "Yes, Chloe, I like Chinese food."
"Good." She picked up one of the boxes of chow mien and some chop sticks then gestured towards the TV. "Well," she asked, "are we going to watch Star Wars or not?"
Lex looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was my gift." He said. "Therefore, I don't believe I should be the one responsible for getting up and putting in the movie."
Chloe looked up from her chow mien and said. "True, but I'm sure that your stuff is so high tech, that I wouldn't know what I was doing. Therefore, you'd have to get up, anyway, in order to assist me. So, you might as well do it yourself, since you will have to remove yourself from the couch either way."
He couldn't help but smile, though he tried hide it by standing up and walking over to the TV. Chloe was one of the few people he knew, who was brave enough to order him around. And in a way, he found it refreshing. Lex turned on the TV and DVD player then popped the first disk in. Returning to the couch, hit a few buttons on a remote to start the movie, grabbed a box of fried rice and teriyaki chicken, some chopsticks, and leaned back into the couch, propping his feet on the coffee table.
******************************************************
While watching the movies, they each sat in their respective corners of the couch. Lex sat at one end, reclining into the back of the couch with his feet still on the coffee table. And Chloe sat at the other, leaning up against the arm, with her knees bent, and her feet on the unused cushion between them. They were chatting amiably, providing their own commentary to the film, while nibbling at the various containers of Chinese food.
About halfway through the second movie, Lex produced a bag of Twizzlers from what seemed out of nowhere.
Chloe looked at him for a minute then asked, "Aren't you going to at least offer to share your Twizzlers with me?"
"No." He said never taking his eyes off the TV. "I don't share my Twizzlers." He deadpanned.
Chloe huffed in disbelief. "The greedy rich boy finally shows himself. And here I thought he was just a rumor." She said while crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the TV.
Lex stole a glance at her from the corner of eye, and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. He cleared his thought. "I'm sorry, Miss Sullivan. But if there is one thing I refuse to share it's my Twizzlers. It's nothing personal."
"It's all right." Chloe said, the irritation obvious in her voice. "It's not like I really wanted your stupid not-so-pleasantly-tasting candy anyway."
"If you didn't really want any, then why did you insist that I share them with you?" He asked.
"Because!" She exclaimed. "You're eating them." When he just looked at her, she continued. "Of come on, haven't you ever seen someone eating something, and then want to have the same thing simply because the other person had it?"
"No," Lex told her, "I can't say that I have."
Chloe huffed again. "Whatever." She mumbled.
Lex couldn't hold it back anymore. He tried to keep laughing silently, but failed miserably. He turned his head away from her, trying to hide his amusement.
Chloe heard him laughing and somehow stopped herself from kicking him. "You're such a jerk!" She said starting to laugh a little herself.
Lex merely smiled at her then offered her her own bag of Twizzlers, which she readily accepted.
"You really are a jerk, you know that don't you?" Chloe asked.
Lex smirked at her. "Yes, Miss Sullivan. I'm well aware of that fact.
******************************************************
It was 11:30 pm by the time the second film ended. "I think we need some dessert." She announced.
Lex raised an eyebrow at her. "Just what did you have in mind?" He asked.
Chloe grinned her squinty-eyed smile. "How about sundaes?" She asked.
"Sundaes it is then." Lex replied as he got of the couch. "Follow me."
Chloe followed Lex through several halls of the mansion, before they arrived in the kitchen. Chloe wasn't the least bit surprised at how modern it was. There was a huge stainless steal fridge setting beside a matching stove and the walls were lined with white ceramic counters, and wooden cupboards. There was also a wood furnished island in the center of the room with a few matching stools surrounding it.
"Have a seat." Lex said as he motioned towards one of the stools at the island.
Chloe sat on the stool and watched as Lex retrieved everything they would need in order to make the sundaes. "I'm surprised you know where to actually find things in here." She said in a teasing manner.
"As I said before, Miss Sullivan, I'm full of surprises." Lex said as he set vanilla ice cream, Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Redi Whip, and Maraschino Cherries on the island. He then retrieved two bowls and two spoons.
They continued to build their sundaes' in comfortable silence. After applying her chocolate syrup, Chloe reached for the Redi Whip. She shook the bottle then compressed the trigger. However, little pieces of the foamed whipped topping flew everywhere. Chloe looked at Lex, whose shirt was sprayed with whipped cream. "I'm so sorry, Lex." Chloe said through her laughter.
"Yes, I can see just how sorry you truly are." He replied, slightly annoyed with the young girl. Which only seemed to amuse her even more. Lex decided two could play at this game. He reached over and picked up a fairly large chunk of whipped cream and smudged it across Chloe's forehead.
Chloe eye's went wide when felt the cold topping on her forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Lex, who was smirking at her. "This means war!" She declared and began to spray Lex with the Redi Whip, laughing at the expression on Lex's face.
After he recovered from the initial shock of the Redi Whip bombardment, Lex sprung at Chloe fighting her for control of the can of whipped cream.
"No!" She shouted through her bouts of laughter.
Eventually, Lex managed to wrestle the can from her grasp and began to extract his revenge.
Having been stripped of her weapon, Chloe grabbed the first thing her hands found on the counter. The cherries. She grabbed a big handful of cherries and started throwing them at him. One cherry hit him square in the eye causing him to stop his Redi Whip assault. Having gained the upper hand, Chloe took her chance and sprung for the can.
The two wrestled for control, before falling to the ground, and their contact with the floor knocking the Redi Whip out of their battling hands. Lex got to his knees and scrambled for the can. Chloe grabbed a hold of his sides and tried to pull him back. However, as soon as she touched his sides, Lex collapsed on the floor and tried to remove her hands.
Chloe recognized that reaction immediately. Taking her chance, she straddled him. Lex was momentarily stunned when Chloe climbed on top of him. He looked into her eyes, to see her looking at him positively evilly.
His eyes widened in what could only be described as horror. "You wouldn't dare." He told her.
But Chloe just smiled and dove in, attacking his rib cage with her figures.
Lex immediately started laughing. He tried to fight her off, but to no avail. He was laughing so hard, his eyes started to water. "Chloe! Please!" He managed to squeeze out between gasps of breath. "Stop! Please! Stop!"
"Never!" She declared triumphantly, and then proceeded with her onslaught.
Just then the door to the kitchen burst open, and Lex's two bodyguards came rushing in, guns drawn. As soon as he heard the door burst open, Lex pushed Chloe off of him and rolled over on top of her, shielding her body with his. He heard the two men call out that everything was clear, and then risked looking up at them.
"Are you alright, Mr. Luthor?" Mr. Rains, Lex's head of security, asked.
Lex stood up and glared at them. "Of course I'm alright! What the fuck were you thinking?" He demanded.
The men holstered their guns then Rains started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor. But we heard all the commotion, then you were telling someone to stop. I'm sorry sir. It was a mistake."
Lex couldn't help but blush a little bit, but figured that the cherry juice on his face probably hid it well. "Just get out." Lex told them coldly.
"We are very sorry, sir." He started to say, but stopped when Lex gave him a pointed glare. "Sorry, Sir." With that the two existed the kitchen.
Lex turned back to Chloe who was sitting on the floor. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah," she said, looking up at him. "I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that."
Lex made a slight snorting sound. "Yeah, me neither." He extended a hand to Chloe and helped her up off the floor. "I suggest we abandon the sundaes." He said.
"Agreed." Chloe said with a smile.
"Come on," he said. "I'll show you a place were you can wash up."
"Ok," Chloe said. "She started to follow him back out in the recesses of the mansion when she glanced at her watch. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "It's midnight! My father told me to be home by eleven. I have to go! God, I'm surprised he hasn't called already!"
Lex nodded. "Of course." He said, hiding his disappointment.
They went back to the entertainment room, and Chloe picked up her videos then Lex walked her to the door. "Thank you, Chloe. It was a very nice evening."
"You're welcome, Lex." She said before she started towards the car. "I'll see you around." She said as she opened her door.
"Most definitely, Miss Sullivan." He replied.
She smiled at him then got in her car and drove off.
Lex watched her drive off, before turning back and going inside. He walked back to his study and sat down at his desk. He wasn't tired, and planned on working on his report until Conan came on. His phone rang, on the business line. It was Gabe. Lex sighed then picked up the phone.
************************************************************
Chloe got home about 15 minutes later. She came in the door to see her father sitting at the kitchen table, with the phone beside him.
"I just got off the phone with Lex. He told me that you had lost track of time, and were on your way home." Gabe turned and looked at his daughter. "What the heck happened to you?"
Chloe blushed. "We kind of had a food fight."
Gabe looked at her unconvincingly.
"It's a long story." She mumbled. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be late. We really did lose track of time. I'm sorry."
"You know, Chloe, I wasn't too thrilled about you going over there in the first place. Your breaking my rules isn't going to help matters."
"I know, Dad. And I really am sorry. It won't happen again."
"Yes, well of that I'm most certain."
"Dad! You're not going to forbid me from going over again are you?" She asked in disbelief."
"Chloe, my rules were very simple. Be home at eleven. That was all you had to do."
"I said I was sorry. You know, you never act this way when I miss curfew at Pete's or Clark's?"
"We're not talking about Pete or Clark, Chloe. We're talking about Lex."
"I don't see any difference." She told him.
"Well, I do." Gabe sighed. "Look, I'm tried of fighting you about Lex Luthor. Now, I'm your father. And whether you like it or not, I make the rules. If I say you can't go see Lex, then you can't see Lex. End of discussion."
Chloe couldn't believe it. She was shocked. She sighed. "Fine, Dad." Fighting back tears, she turned and left the room, heading up the stairs.
TBC.
