Disclaimer: Smallville and Superman are not mine. My choice to alliterate their eventful lives is because Joe, Jerry, Alfred and Miles created something that inspired me.
Note: Hey um, I know I wrote this before and this has been up for a while now. It's just that I had an idea on how to go further with my story so I tweaked it a little bit. This is my take on the famous death of Superman, with Smallville in context. I broke a few rules of the comic storyline. Oh well, that the reason for fanfiction anyways.
Chapter 3
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Chloe stepped outside and vacated her father's truck. Looking at the manor, she felt worried that bringing up the topic of Clark Kent would agitate Lex in his period of grief. It has been only a few days since the wake and Chloe Sullivan has already began her mission of accusation.
The Luthor mansion was big. To her it was a trophy of Metropolis banquet feeders who need to tell farmers from Kansas that having a place like this meant they had shinier shoes than others. Still, it was kinda exciting.
With her digital Kodak draped on her neck, the intrepid sunshine rang the doorbell and waited for a snappy dressed butler to attend her needs.
Lex veered the door open.
"Chloe?" he asked in a contorted facial grimace.
"Yes. But enough about me." she replied. "Of all people," continuing, "why would Lex Luthor be the one who greeted his guests at the first moment?"
"The maids took a day off."
She replied with an "Oh" like it was valid reason. Although in her head this reporter couldn't help but think that the rich kid was expecting someone else right until when she came. Lex welcomed her inside. And, in tradition of his sweeping gentleness, he asked Chloe if she wanted anything, offering her to accompany him with lunch. There was no resisting there, she thought, if she said yes, then it would somehow break the ice there.
He guided her inside those expensive walls where she stared at the paintings that hanged on them. Hmm, she told herself, no Titanic self-portraits drooping around.
"Kitchen's open Sullivan. Feel like pesto?"
"Problem solved Lex." she answered smiling, exchanging glances.
They sat on the dinning table. On one end was Chloe while Lex occupied the other. It's distance seemed the entire occasion was something formal, therefore making the only conversation that's likely surface out of this is uncomplicated small talk. Chloe didn't want small talk, she need Lex in his most vulnerable moment if she was to get something out of him.
For a moment it was silent. Lex didn't like silence.
"So.. how many years has it been Chloe, since we last met?"
"Graduation.. I think?" she replied.
"That was about what? Ten years ago?"
"Twelve."
"It's been a while then."
"Man I remember that graduation," Lex chuckled, "Clark had to sit next to Lana. You know after Kent comes Lang. And heh, all the time Clark kept on – "
"How did Clark die Lex?" Chloe eyes changed from flirt to reporter mode in an instant.
Beat.
"Wow, I'm amazed. Our reporter didn't even have to wait for Pesto to bring that up." Lex sneered, proving much that this was one topic he didn't exactly need to hear.
"C'mon Lex what happened there." she retorted seriously.
Tilting his upper body toward Chloe he said, "Someone close to me died alright. You want to give me pity I can take that but I don't need someone to tell me that I had something to do with it."
"You were the last one with him. I did the math. You're our one and only genius who's out to get Superman and Clark has always been a grey area of clouds. I suspect that you suspect Clark was Superman and that you sent that robot get him." Chloe's eyebrows are now raised.
"Superman died a week before Clark. They might be the same person or not. All I know is the person whom I saw die was my friend – not Superman."
The butler arrived soon with Pesto. It smelled to perfection. Maybe a little lunch would swell down any unpleasantness that was inevitably brought out a moment ago. Lex, the cultured man that he is, placed his napkin and grabbed the utensils. Chloe soon followed and even requested for some Bordeaux.
They both waited until everything calmed down so they could talk again. Until that happened Chloe and Lex sat, eating lunch in very trivial silence.