CHAPTER SIX

Disclaimer in Chapter One

Chloe stopped at the base of what was once LexCorp's Smallville headquarters.  It had only been five months since Lex had disappeared, and almost every symbol of his hard work into this plant had been erased.

"By his own father, no less," she sneered.  Finding enough resolve to face the older Luthor one more time, she entered the building and found her way to his office.

"Lionel," she greeted him casually as she walked into the room.  "You rang?"

"Ah, Chloe, prompt as always," he slyly smiled. "I have news for you."

Chloe certainly hoped that it was good.  At least, for her plan.

When Lex pursued his wedding to Dr. Bryce, she thought that maybe after he came back from the honeymoon, she could reconcile with him again.  They would have been working all sides of the LuthorCorp inner circle.  But given the circumstances, that plan did not come into fruition.

It would have been a hell of a plan.  They discovered that Helen was the secret employee on Lionel's payroll, and Derek knew this when he was giving that report that revealed Ian Randall to be the first test subject of the cloning project.  He and Lex decided to keep it from her for the time being while she worried about the Ian situation.

She was finally briefed when Lex asked her permission to align himself with Bryce under romantic pretenses.

"You don't have to ask my permission," she told him as they sat up in his bed.

"Yes," he replied, taking her hand.  "But your blessing would mean a lot."

"My blessing for you to woo another woman into your bed?" she asked, trying to toy him.  "That's just a little too weird for me, Lex."

Maintaining a serious look on his face, he held on to her hand and placed it over his heart.  "She'll never have me, Chloe.  I'm already taken."

She nodded.  "I know, Lex.  It's just…I was never good at sharing."  She flashed him a shy grin, earning a laugh.

"Oh, that I know already," he assured her.  "But I think that if we want to have an in, we.."

"Yes, Lex," she interrupted him.  "I was also there for the brainstorm, remember?"

An awkward silence followed with Lex still gripping her hand.  Chloe knew that while she was not completely comfortable with the idea of Helen being the Lex's public girlfriend, she was fully cognizant of the fact that he needed Chloe's support.

"She'll want proof of your loyalty," she pointed out.

Though it was not a declaration of her approval, it was as good as it got, and Lex accepted that.  "What would you suggest?"

"Misdirection," she replied.  "Let her, and indirectly your father, know that you barely have a clue about Clark's abilities.  We can set up some sort of obsession room downstairs that will have her intrigued for a while."

Lex grinned.  "Did I ever tell you that your manipulative side always turns me on?"

Chloe internally beamed at the memory that spurred a nightlong series of 'activities'.  Quickly pushing the thoughts into the back of her mind, she forced herself back to reality.

"So what news do you bring, Lionel?" she prodded.

The Luthor patriarch grinned as he moved his line of sight from her to behind her.  When she finally turned around to see what caught his attention, she lost sensation to every muscle in her body and nearly dropped her bag.

Almost nothing could come out of her mouth, except for a barely audible whisper.

"Lex."