III. Chloe
The car was moving slowly. It was odd to be in a slow-moving vehicle. She usually sped with Lex. He was the one who introduced her to the sheer exhilaration of tearing through a cornfield. She learned how to let the roof down and allow the wind to whip through her hair the first day she met Lex again back in Smallville. She had not done that in a long time. Since Lex decided to run for the Kansas senatorial seat, she had been stuck in Metropolis traffic, uneasy at the backseat of a limousine, hampered by traffic lights that dictated how she should ride.
Sometimes she just wished she and Lex could steal away for a weekend back in the leafy little hamlet that surprisingly took up the space of home in her heart. But on a week when she could hardly see her fiancé, let alone exchange words with him, how was she ever going to be able to convince him to escape with her to Smallville?
It was no wonder that Lucas became her closest friend, when the first time they met, she shivered with the coldness of his gaze. She lived in a city of millions of people and the ones she could talk to were nowhere in sight. She was forever surrounded by men who would scrutinize any person who came within spitting distance, and forever scan the crowds and buildings for any sign of hostility.
Even Lana Lang was a suspect in their eyes.
In that regard Chloe was amused. It was refreshing to see a group of men who were not swept off their feet by Lana's beauty.
She grinned and glanced at the man driving carefully beside her. He was the opposite of his brother in so many ways. He had grown up in the opposite side of the tracks, attended none of the schools that Lex did, and possessed none of the finesse with which Lex carried himself. At the same time, Lucas was so like Lex that she feared that one day, she would glance at him and see her fiancé. Lucas had grown up without the education, but he was every bit as intelligent. Lex had lived with Lionel, who may be as worse as the lot that Lucas grew up with. Without the breeding of expensive boarding schools that taught grace in movement through dancing and fencing lessons, Lucas nonetheless exuded the same smoothness and verve that his brother had.
Chloe scanned Lucas' profile against the headlights of other cars. They looked so different, yet so alike. He was still talking, and she slowly tuned back to listen to Lucas' argument.
"-and can you honestly tell me that you know any other man his age who is running a company as large, and maintains such a good reputation among his peers?"
Chloe could think of a couple, but she did not let it slip. Lucas needed to drone on about Lex's attributes, so she let him.
"And he honestly has the best intentions for the state, Chloe. He's running because of a lot of amazing ideals. Some of those he got from you," he told her.
She smiled. Lex told her the same thing every night. At least he used to.
He probably noticed that she had been silent for a while. Lucas took his eyes away from the road and glanced at her.
Their eyes met. His eyes made her smile even more. He was so passionate about his fight for his brother that she doubted that Lucas thought about much else since Lex saved him that night.
"Were you listening to a word a said?"
"I know all of those, Lucas. Do you think I would have stayed with Lex this long if I didn't appreciate everything you've told me about him?"
The sides of his mouth turned up. "Just making sure." He forced himself to look back at the traffic. Chloe felt as one of his hands covered hers and squeezed. "I may not like your threat about being godfather, but I can't wait to see Lex's kid," he murmured in the darkness of the Honda. "I hope it looks like Julian, since I never met him."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Right. The baby should look like a Luthor. After all, Lex would do all the work in this pregnancy."
"Are you offended, Chloe?" he asked in a teasing voice. Lucas turned at the next street and approached the house of the former senator, where the party for Lex was being held. "Don't be. You'd regret it if it's a boy and it's as pretty as you are. And Luthors tend to have male kids."
Chloe chuckled at her fiancé's brother. The moment he stopped, she shook off his hand and opened the passenger door simply because she did not believe that men should open doors for women unless the doors were heavy as vault doors were. She was safe now anyway. She had seen Lucas' own men posted around the perimeter.
Inside the car, Lucas followed Chloe's progress with his eyes. He turned off the ignition and looked down at his palm. The indentation marks left by the diamond on her ring seemed like small, raw bite marks on his skin.
The car was moving slowly. It was odd to be in a slow-moving vehicle. She usually sped with Lex. He was the one who introduced her to the sheer exhilaration of tearing through a cornfield. She learned how to let the roof down and allow the wind to whip through her hair the first day she met Lex again back in Smallville. She had not done that in a long time. Since Lex decided to run for the Kansas senatorial seat, she had been stuck in Metropolis traffic, uneasy at the backseat of a limousine, hampered by traffic lights that dictated how she should ride.
Sometimes she just wished she and Lex could steal away for a weekend back in the leafy little hamlet that surprisingly took up the space of home in her heart. But on a week when she could hardly see her fiancé, let alone exchange words with him, how was she ever going to be able to convince him to escape with her to Smallville?
It was no wonder that Lucas became her closest friend, when the first time they met, she shivered with the coldness of his gaze. She lived in a city of millions of people and the ones she could talk to were nowhere in sight. She was forever surrounded by men who would scrutinize any person who came within spitting distance, and forever scan the crowds and buildings for any sign of hostility.
Even Lana Lang was a suspect in their eyes.
In that regard Chloe was amused. It was refreshing to see a group of men who were not swept off their feet by Lana's beauty.
She grinned and glanced at the man driving carefully beside her. He was the opposite of his brother in so many ways. He had grown up in the opposite side of the tracks, attended none of the schools that Lex did, and possessed none of the finesse with which Lex carried himself. At the same time, Lucas was so like Lex that she feared that one day, she would glance at him and see her fiancé. Lucas had grown up without the education, but he was every bit as intelligent. Lex had lived with Lionel, who may be as worse as the lot that Lucas grew up with. Without the breeding of expensive boarding schools that taught grace in movement through dancing and fencing lessons, Lucas nonetheless exuded the same smoothness and verve that his brother had.
Chloe scanned Lucas' profile against the headlights of other cars. They looked so different, yet so alike. He was still talking, and she slowly tuned back to listen to Lucas' argument.
"-and can you honestly tell me that you know any other man his age who is running a company as large, and maintains such a good reputation among his peers?"
Chloe could think of a couple, but she did not let it slip. Lucas needed to drone on about Lex's attributes, so she let him.
"And he honestly has the best intentions for the state, Chloe. He's running because of a lot of amazing ideals. Some of those he got from you," he told her.
She smiled. Lex told her the same thing every night. At least he used to.
He probably noticed that she had been silent for a while. Lucas took his eyes away from the road and glanced at her.
Their eyes met. His eyes made her smile even more. He was so passionate about his fight for his brother that she doubted that Lucas thought about much else since Lex saved him that night.
"Were you listening to a word a said?"
"I know all of those, Lucas. Do you think I would have stayed with Lex this long if I didn't appreciate everything you've told me about him?"
The sides of his mouth turned up. "Just making sure." He forced himself to look back at the traffic. Chloe felt as one of his hands covered hers and squeezed. "I may not like your threat about being godfather, but I can't wait to see Lex's kid," he murmured in the darkness of the Honda. "I hope it looks like Julian, since I never met him."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Right. The baby should look like a Luthor. After all, Lex would do all the work in this pregnancy."
"Are you offended, Chloe?" he asked in a teasing voice. Lucas turned at the next street and approached the house of the former senator, where the party for Lex was being held. "Don't be. You'd regret it if it's a boy and it's as pretty as you are. And Luthors tend to have male kids."
Chloe chuckled at her fiancé's brother. The moment he stopped, she shook off his hand and opened the passenger door simply because she did not believe that men should open doors for women unless the doors were heavy as vault doors were. She was safe now anyway. She had seen Lucas' own men posted around the perimeter.
Inside the car, Lucas followed Chloe's progress with his eyes. He turned off the ignition and looked down at his palm. The indentation marks left by the diamond on her ring seemed like small, raw bite marks on his skin.