Chapter 17
Lana pulled one denim clad leg underneath herself and sat back to inspect her handiwork. It had been difficult to conceal the dark circles under the eyes, which showed all the effects of an emotional night and broken sleep. The lips actually looked good, the slight swelling combined with a dark lipstick giving a bee stung, pouty look. Lana smoothed the sleeves of the sea-green dress with satisfaction and smiled encouragingly into the mirror.
Chloe stared at both their reflections, willing herself to get up and go downstairs. Knowing that she looked good and actually feeling it seemed to be two separate things to her at the moment. She just wanted to stay here, safely framed and contained by the mirror that her and her mother had chosen together when she was just a little girl. Looking into the glass, she could almost smell her mother's Anais Anais perfume, almost caught a glimpse of the swing of blonde hair in the corner as her mother stood to answer the door.
"You look great, Chloe." Lana searched her friend's eyes for something, anything, to show that Chloe was actually on the same planet as her. Trying not to show how worried she was, Lana stood and stepped back a pace. "Chloe, everything's going to be fine tonight. Lucas will take care of you. He's actually a great guy."
"I know." Chloe snapped back to the present with a jolt. "I'm ok, really." The two girls had spent most of the afternoon talking, and she did feel a lot better. She'd even been pleasantly surprised how little Lana had talked about her parents or Clark. It was good to have somebody to talk to, God knows, she couldn't have told her Dad about what had happened. She'd never be allowed out the house again, and Chloe refused to let Bruce Wayne and his stupid, hateful actions take over her life.
"Look at me, please." Lana tried to sound firm, not a natural tone for her but one that she felt was necessary if Chloe was going to stop drifting off and actually prepare herself for the experience ahead of her. Unwillingly Chloe dragged her eyes away from the mirror and swung around to look at Lana. "If there's anything you need tonight. Anything at all. I want you to call me and I'll come get you in the truck. At any time. Not that you'll need me to. But just so you know, ok?" Chloe was actually able to raise a smile at that one.
"I know. Thanks, Lana." Standing up, Chloe reached for her purse and automatically checked through the contents. "But as you say, I'll be fine. Its not the end of the world... for once!" Lana giggled a little and held out the lipstick for Chloe to put in her purse. Just as she reached for it, they both shivered a little at the sound of the front doorbell.
***************
An uncomfortable silence seemed to be the only thing between the father and son in residence at the Luthor mansion. Both men seemed to want nothing more than to stare into the big fire in the library and keep their thoughts to themselves. Lex sprawled in a leather armchair, in a pose that he had rarely adopted since his wild days in the city. If Lionel noticed anything unusual he said nothing, merely sipping his scotch, the picture of casual innocence. Both started out of their reveries at the sound of the doorbell.
"Our guests are here at last." Lionel looked pointedly at the clock over the mantle, which showed two minutes after eight. The boys had been due at eight promptly, and Lionel firmly believed that when people visited him, there was no excuse for tardiness.
"You greet them, Dad. I'm in no mood for pleasantries." Lex stood and headed for the stairs to the gallery above their heads. That way he could gain the second floor without having to see his father's visitors.
"That isn't polite, son." Lionel's voice was suddenly dangerous.
"I'll be down in a minute, Dad." Lex threw back over his shoulder as he disappeared into the upstairs corridor. Lionel grimaced and resisted the impulse to throw the cut crystal tumbler of scotch into the fire. Instead he stood and waited for the boys to be ushered in.
It was quite a surprise when, instead of one of the tall young men he was expecting, a petite blonde paused in the door frame before hesitantly smiling and coming forward to meet him. She was followed by his younger son, who also seemed less than confident as to his reception. Always in charge of the situation, Lionel smirked and held his hand out to Lucas.
"My boy! Its a pleasure. I'm so glad you decided to come visit your old Dad." 'Anyone would think that he cared about his long-lost son' Chloe thought with wonder at the audacity of the older man, having assiduously investigated all the details of Lionel's previous dealings with Lucas.
"Of course, Dad. I would hardly dare not to." Both men laughed, each with the knowledge that it wasn't even remotely a joke. "Dad, I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Chloe Sullivan." Lionel shook hands with Chloe, barely able to conceal his delight. So this was the girl that his eldest was being so mysterious about. She barely looked old enough to be out of high school.
"Ms Sullivan. How wonderful to meet you. I've seen you before, I think, at the coffee-house in town?" Casting an evaluating gaze over her, he began to appreciate the finer points of why his son had employed such an obviously inexperienced girl as a secretary. At first glance she seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but the more you looked at her....
"That's right, Mr Luthor. I hope you don't mind my coming unannounced." Chloe shifted a little under his gaze, forcing herself not to pull her hand away from his. He was looking at her like a meal in an expensive restaurant, and she felt as if he could see right through her. Finally he dropped her hand.
"Of course not. In fact its a pleasant surprise. And Mr Luthor is my son." Lionel quirked his lips at his own sense of humor. "I hope you'll call me Lionel." Chloe felt like retching.
"Then please call me Chloe." She was thankful when Lionel turned his attention to Lucas.
************
Lex paused at the top of the library stairs at the sound of a familiar voice. Thinking that he had been mistaken, he edged silently forward to the rail of the gallery and looked over. He was surprised and annoyed to see his brother standing there, totally exposed and in the lion's den as usual. The boy seemed to have a knack of getting himself into these stupid situations, and one day Lex might not be there to pull him out. Suppressing an angry sigh, Lex straightened and listened to the conversation going on beneath him.
"I'll ask Francis to set an extra place for dinner." Lionel moved to ring the bell beside the fireplace.
"Its ok, Dad. Bruce isn't coming." So Bruce had known about this too, and decided to keep well clear. Lex approved, thinking that if Lucas had been in possession of any of the brains he was born with, he would have done the same thing.
Suddenly the world seemed to drop away from him, and at the bottom of a dark tunnel he saw a well known blonde head, as the girl moved to stand beside Lucas. His stomach fell through the floor as he saw her fingers twine with Lucas' behind his back. Chloe was here, and she was holding hands with his brother. Shuffling back from the edge, Lex pressed himself against the shelves of books behind him and covered his mouth with one hand.
********
Chloe perched on the edge of the sofa, uncomfortably sipping a gin and tonic that Lionel had made for her. She'd never tasted gin before, and was sorry that she'd started now. Suddenly her attention was drawn by a noise above her head, and she glanced up to see Lex slink down the stairs with all the insouciance of a jungle predator. His black silk shirt caught the light and rippled like moonlight on water. Chloe felt her breath stop in her throat at the sudden urge she had to run to him. He caught her eye and smiled.
"Miss Sullivan. Great to see you." He reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards her, where she sat with her skirt pooled around her, the color bringing out the sparkle of her eyes. She was literally breathtaking, why had he never noticed before?
"Mr Luthor." She stood to greet him and was surprised when he put his hands on her arms and leant forward to kiss her softly on the cheek. A tang of cologne hit her nose, awakening strange sense memories, and she turned her head automatically. Their lips met imperfectly, brushing the corners of each others mouths and sending a spark of electricity directly to the base of Chloe's spine. An involuntary sigh escaped her as they pulled away, and Lucas felt a sting of jealousy as he saw the slightly glazed look in her eyes as she looked at his brother.
An unobtrusive cough was heard beside the door and Lionel smiled his most shark-like smile.
"Dinner is ready. Shall we?"
Lana pulled one denim clad leg underneath herself and sat back to inspect her handiwork. It had been difficult to conceal the dark circles under the eyes, which showed all the effects of an emotional night and broken sleep. The lips actually looked good, the slight swelling combined with a dark lipstick giving a bee stung, pouty look. Lana smoothed the sleeves of the sea-green dress with satisfaction and smiled encouragingly into the mirror.
Chloe stared at both their reflections, willing herself to get up and go downstairs. Knowing that she looked good and actually feeling it seemed to be two separate things to her at the moment. She just wanted to stay here, safely framed and contained by the mirror that her and her mother had chosen together when she was just a little girl. Looking into the glass, she could almost smell her mother's Anais Anais perfume, almost caught a glimpse of the swing of blonde hair in the corner as her mother stood to answer the door.
"You look great, Chloe." Lana searched her friend's eyes for something, anything, to show that Chloe was actually on the same planet as her. Trying not to show how worried she was, Lana stood and stepped back a pace. "Chloe, everything's going to be fine tonight. Lucas will take care of you. He's actually a great guy."
"I know." Chloe snapped back to the present with a jolt. "I'm ok, really." The two girls had spent most of the afternoon talking, and she did feel a lot better. She'd even been pleasantly surprised how little Lana had talked about her parents or Clark. It was good to have somebody to talk to, God knows, she couldn't have told her Dad about what had happened. She'd never be allowed out the house again, and Chloe refused to let Bruce Wayne and his stupid, hateful actions take over her life.
"Look at me, please." Lana tried to sound firm, not a natural tone for her but one that she felt was necessary if Chloe was going to stop drifting off and actually prepare herself for the experience ahead of her. Unwillingly Chloe dragged her eyes away from the mirror and swung around to look at Lana. "If there's anything you need tonight. Anything at all. I want you to call me and I'll come get you in the truck. At any time. Not that you'll need me to. But just so you know, ok?" Chloe was actually able to raise a smile at that one.
"I know. Thanks, Lana." Standing up, Chloe reached for her purse and automatically checked through the contents. "But as you say, I'll be fine. Its not the end of the world... for once!" Lana giggled a little and held out the lipstick for Chloe to put in her purse. Just as she reached for it, they both shivered a little at the sound of the front doorbell.
***************
An uncomfortable silence seemed to be the only thing between the father and son in residence at the Luthor mansion. Both men seemed to want nothing more than to stare into the big fire in the library and keep their thoughts to themselves. Lex sprawled in a leather armchair, in a pose that he had rarely adopted since his wild days in the city. If Lionel noticed anything unusual he said nothing, merely sipping his scotch, the picture of casual innocence. Both started out of their reveries at the sound of the doorbell.
"Our guests are here at last." Lionel looked pointedly at the clock over the mantle, which showed two minutes after eight. The boys had been due at eight promptly, and Lionel firmly believed that when people visited him, there was no excuse for tardiness.
"You greet them, Dad. I'm in no mood for pleasantries." Lex stood and headed for the stairs to the gallery above their heads. That way he could gain the second floor without having to see his father's visitors.
"That isn't polite, son." Lionel's voice was suddenly dangerous.
"I'll be down in a minute, Dad." Lex threw back over his shoulder as he disappeared into the upstairs corridor. Lionel grimaced and resisted the impulse to throw the cut crystal tumbler of scotch into the fire. Instead he stood and waited for the boys to be ushered in.
It was quite a surprise when, instead of one of the tall young men he was expecting, a petite blonde paused in the door frame before hesitantly smiling and coming forward to meet him. She was followed by his younger son, who also seemed less than confident as to his reception. Always in charge of the situation, Lionel smirked and held his hand out to Lucas.
"My boy! Its a pleasure. I'm so glad you decided to come visit your old Dad." 'Anyone would think that he cared about his long-lost son' Chloe thought with wonder at the audacity of the older man, having assiduously investigated all the details of Lionel's previous dealings with Lucas.
"Of course, Dad. I would hardly dare not to." Both men laughed, each with the knowledge that it wasn't even remotely a joke. "Dad, I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Chloe Sullivan." Lionel shook hands with Chloe, barely able to conceal his delight. So this was the girl that his eldest was being so mysterious about. She barely looked old enough to be out of high school.
"Ms Sullivan. How wonderful to meet you. I've seen you before, I think, at the coffee-house in town?" Casting an evaluating gaze over her, he began to appreciate the finer points of why his son had employed such an obviously inexperienced girl as a secretary. At first glance she seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but the more you looked at her....
"That's right, Mr Luthor. I hope you don't mind my coming unannounced." Chloe shifted a little under his gaze, forcing herself not to pull her hand away from his. He was looking at her like a meal in an expensive restaurant, and she felt as if he could see right through her. Finally he dropped her hand.
"Of course not. In fact its a pleasant surprise. And Mr Luthor is my son." Lionel quirked his lips at his own sense of humor. "I hope you'll call me Lionel." Chloe felt like retching.
"Then please call me Chloe." She was thankful when Lionel turned his attention to Lucas.
************
Lex paused at the top of the library stairs at the sound of a familiar voice. Thinking that he had been mistaken, he edged silently forward to the rail of the gallery and looked over. He was surprised and annoyed to see his brother standing there, totally exposed and in the lion's den as usual. The boy seemed to have a knack of getting himself into these stupid situations, and one day Lex might not be there to pull him out. Suppressing an angry sigh, Lex straightened and listened to the conversation going on beneath him.
"I'll ask Francis to set an extra place for dinner." Lionel moved to ring the bell beside the fireplace.
"Its ok, Dad. Bruce isn't coming." So Bruce had known about this too, and decided to keep well clear. Lex approved, thinking that if Lucas had been in possession of any of the brains he was born with, he would have done the same thing.
Suddenly the world seemed to drop away from him, and at the bottom of a dark tunnel he saw a well known blonde head, as the girl moved to stand beside Lucas. His stomach fell through the floor as he saw her fingers twine with Lucas' behind his back. Chloe was here, and she was holding hands with his brother. Shuffling back from the edge, Lex pressed himself against the shelves of books behind him and covered his mouth with one hand.
********
Chloe perched on the edge of the sofa, uncomfortably sipping a gin and tonic that Lionel had made for her. She'd never tasted gin before, and was sorry that she'd started now. Suddenly her attention was drawn by a noise above her head, and she glanced up to see Lex slink down the stairs with all the insouciance of a jungle predator. His black silk shirt caught the light and rippled like moonlight on water. Chloe felt her breath stop in her throat at the sudden urge she had to run to him. He caught her eye and smiled.
"Miss Sullivan. Great to see you." He reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards her, where she sat with her skirt pooled around her, the color bringing out the sparkle of her eyes. She was literally breathtaking, why had he never noticed before?
"Mr Luthor." She stood to greet him and was surprised when he put his hands on her arms and leant forward to kiss her softly on the cheek. A tang of cologne hit her nose, awakening strange sense memories, and she turned her head automatically. Their lips met imperfectly, brushing the corners of each others mouths and sending a spark of electricity directly to the base of Chloe's spine. An involuntary sigh escaped her as they pulled away, and Lucas felt a sting of jealousy as he saw the slightly glazed look in her eyes as she looked at his brother.
An unobtrusive cough was heard beside the door and Lionel smiled his most shark-like smile.
"Dinner is ready. Shall we?"