Disclaimer: If I owned anything involving the show, I'd have Chloe and Lex together already! But I don't so they're not.

Summary: At a confusing point in both their lives, Lex and Chloe decide to become friends, with unexpected results.

Rating: PG

Notes: Ok, I think all you Chlexers are gonna like this part (atleast I hope so). Left it with a itty bitty cliffhanger. And I know that I didn't go too indepth with Lex's feelings or thoughts, but I'll try and put that in the next part. OH! And if anyone can tell me how to slant the words, that would be a big help to me! LoL Thanks.

Part 5

He leaned against the door frame, watching as she rushed around the Torch office, ever present coffee cup in hand. He briefly wondered how such a small woman could digest so much coffee. She finally noticed him there and both smiled.

"Charles. What can I do for you," she asked, digging through her filing cabinet. He held up a sheet of paper and she motioned to the desk with her head. "Just put it there please."

He did as he was told and placed his article on the cluttered desk. He wrote the sports article for the newspaper, but to be completely honest, it wasn't sports that he was interested in. He really liked her, and after seeing her talk and flirt with Lex Luthor for a while, he knew he'd have to tell her how he felt before it was too late. Before, it was Clark who held her heart, but now, she was friends with Lex and she could tell that they kind of liked each other. Now was his chance.

"So Chloe," he said, walking over to where she stood. "What're you doing after school today?"

She sighed. "Absolutely nothing. I'm gonna be home alone on a Friday night. How sad is that?"

He chuckled. "Well, you could...go out with me tonight," he said hopefully.

"You mean like on a date?"

"Well yea," he answered with a laugh.

"Um...sure! Why not?" she replied, smiling.

A huge grin took over his face.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 8, we can catch a movie and then maybe go out for coffee after," he said happily, walking towards the door.

"Hey, that's not fair. You know my weakness!"

"Who doesn't? Eight?"

"Eight," she said in agreement and watched as he left. She stood there for a while, wondering if what had just happened had really happened. She thought Charles was a great guy, but didn't know if she liked him like that. But maybe she did...she didn't know. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice Lex walk into the room.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She jumped in surprise as he appeared in front of her with, surprise surprise, a coffee cup in his hand.

"That's all my thoughts are worth? I'm sure you can afford to pay more," she replied, now calm. "Is that for me?" she asked, motioning towards the coffee.

"Actually no. This is for me."

"And where is my coffee?" she asked, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. He reached over to where she had last placed her coffee from earlier and held it out to her. "Smartass," she muttered and grabbed the coffee. "Not that I don't enjoy the company, but what are you doing here at...11:30? Most of my friends are trying to get out of high school." (A/N: yea that's right! I used Clark's line from Craving. sue me...no please don't!)

"Well," he started as he leaned against her desk and crossed his arms. "I've got to be in Metropolis in a few hours and I knew you'd be here and not in class, so I stopped by. But next time, I'll remember to bring two coffees."

"Smart man," she said with a smile and a nod and started digging in her filing cabinet again.

"So...who was the guy I saw walking out of here?"

"Sports writer and my date for tonight," she said quickly, still searching for the file she needed. If she would have looked up at him just then, she would've seen the whisper of a frown that flashed over his face before quickly being replaced with his usual smirk.

"Well, looks like you're busy and I've got to get going, so I'll see you later," he said, pushing away from the desk and walking towards the door. "Have fun on your date." He walked out and she sighed, wishing it was him who had asked her on the date.

"*No! Charles is a great guy and you're going with him. Be happy someone actually asked you out. Don't sulk because Lex Luthor doesn't like you...here it is!*" She grabbed the file and walked over to her desk, getting to work.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was five minutes to eight and Chloe was upstairs, just finishing getting ready. She heard a knock on the door, then Lana call out her name. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and jogged down the stairs, grabbing Charles' hand, and leaving the house before her dad could question or talk to him about anything. They climbed into his car and left for the movies.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once they got their tickets, they walked over to the concession stand and got a bucket of popcorn and 2 drinks. As he was paying, she thought she saw a baldhead in the corner of her eye, but she just shook her head, telling herself that now wasn't the time to be thinking of Lex. Ever since that night, she'd been thinking of him more and more, and to be honest, it kinda scared her. She knew Lex could never like her. A 16-year-old high school reporter.

"*And you thought Clark was always out of reach,*" she thought sarcastically. "*Stop it. You're here with Charles. Don't screw this up!*"

He handed her her drink and started walking when she saw Lex walking towards her. She began to smile, but then let a small frown play at her lips when she saw a brunette hanging off his arm.

"*Geez Lex. Just for once, I'd like to see you date someone who's not a brunette. Maybe a redhead...or better yet, a blonde.*" She wanted to smack herself, but thought better of it when she realized Lex was talking to her.

"What was that?"

Lex smirked. "I said, what movie are you two going to see?"

"Bruce Almighty. You?"

"Same," he replied, which caused them both to smile and Charles to grab her hand and start walking abruptly towards the door. When she sent him a questioning look, he just shrugged.

"Movie's about to start," he said sweetly and he held the door open for her and Lex's date, but closed it before Lex could walk through it. This caused Lex to smirk.

"*Hmm...this could get interesting,*" he thought as he opened the door and found the three in the aisle, wondering where everyone was going to sit. Lex's date, who Chloe found out was named Christine, took her seat first, then Lex, then Chloe, then Charles. Charles had tried to sit next to Lex, but Chloe just laughed and sat down, her elbow bumping Lex's as she set her drink in the holder. Their eyes met and just then, the lights dimmed and the movie started.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All through the movie, they couldn't stop laughing and Chloe was delighted to see that Lex was laughing along with them, smile staying plastered on his face. There were times when she couldn't take her eyes off of him, becoming mesmerized with the way the light from the movie played upon his handsome face. Charles obviously noticed this because he soon after placed his arm around Chloe's shoulder and pulled her closer, causing Lex to glare at him, but Charles didn't seem to notice, or just decided to ignore it. Soon after that, Charles' cell phone started ringing, causing many people to yell and even one person to throw popcorn at them, which was highly amusing to Chloe and Lex. Charles answered the call as quietly as he could and, after finishing the convo, turned to Chloe.

"My sister's been in an accident. It's nothing too serious but I need to go. I hate to leave you but..." he whispered to her and she smiled sympathetically at him.

"It's ok. I understand," she replied. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and got up, walked down the stairs and sent her a small smile before walking out the door. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, hoping his sister was going to be okay. She told herself not to worry about it too much, he said it wasn't that serious. She turned her attention back to the movie, but in the corner of her eye, she saw Lex staring at her. She turned to him and...was he actually blushing?!

She leaned closer and whispered "Enjoying the movie?"

He nodded and continued to stare at her, moving closer and closer until she felt his warm breathe on her lips. Christine shot out of her seat.

"I'm leaving," she shouted in a British accent, which reminded Chloe of Victoria. She sent a death glare in Chloe's direction before saying, "Don't bother coming after me Lex. I'll find my own way home."

"Do whatever you want! Just get out of the way," a disgruntled moviegoer shouted from the back. Christine huffed and walked away, and Chloe and Lex just laughed. They watched the rest of the movie and left the theater, both climbing into Lex's car and taking off towards her house. He pulled into the driveway and they both got out and walked to the front door. Chloe laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I left here with Charles and came back with you," she said, shaking her head. "That seem strange to you?"

"Not at all," he replied softly, moving closer to her.

"Um...what are you doing?" she asked, and realized how dumb the question really was.

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss? I thought that's what happens at the end of the date," he said in a playful tone. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't really a date, that they'd just been together by coincidence, and that she had left and was supposed to come back with Charles. But she really wanted to kiss him, so she just shrugged and nodded, taking a step forward and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. He brought his head down and placed a soft, tentative kiss on her lips. A thousand sensations ran through her body as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. When the need for air became too much, they pulled apart and she closed her eyes as he ran his fingers delicately through her hair.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said and, after placing one more small kiss on her lips, reluctantly let go of her and walked back to his car, driving off. She sighed and walked into the house. Lana was in the kitchen and was smiling to herself. Chloe eyed her suspiciously.

"What are you so happy about?"

Lana laughed. "Oh nothing."

Chloe shook her head at Lana and started walking up the stairs when Lana called her back.

"Chloe...don't I get a goodnight kiss?" she asked in a masculine sounding voice, clearly trying to keep from laughing.

"Lana..." Chloe said in a warning tone and Lana just laughed.

"I'm just messing with you. Get some sleep. But remember...you're telling me everything in the morning. Everything."

Chloe sighed. She was in too good of a mood to argue. "Whatever."

Chloe climbed the stairs, changed into her pajamas, and climbed into bed. She tossed and turned for a while, wondering what was going to happen next, what was going to change between her and Lex, and what she was going to tell Charles.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside, Charles walked back to his car, fuming with anger. He'd seen the whole encounter between Chloe and Lex and he hated himself for thinking she'd ever choose him over Luthor. But he hated Lex even more for stealing Chloe away from him. He climbed into his car and drove away.