Part Six
It was a terrible business being a King in a land of fools who believed
themselves to be his equal. Lionel Luthor snorted. No one was a
Luthor's equal - an important fact that escaped his son. He had
thought that living in Smallville would bring that lesson home to his
son, as it had for him many years ago, but no, he had to make friends
with the Kent boy and earn the respect of the workers at the fertilizer
plant. The plant had never been more productive.
"Mr. Luthor, I can't impress upon you the importance of having your
son sign these papers as soon as possible." The condescension in the
lawyer's monotone voice transmitted smoothly over the speaker phone.
Lionel sneered at the man's affected self-importance. He knew how
important the papers were and he didn't need a pissant just out of law
school to remind him.
"I called to see if you've made any progress with Cristophe, Henderson,
not get an admonishment about my personal business," Lionel said
coldly. None of this would be necessary if Lex had done as expected
and ran the fertilizer plant into the ground where it belonged. Of
course, the real blame lay with his dead wife and blasted father. If
his father hadn't seen fit to gift Lillian with the 'family' business
on their wedding day and Lillian hadn't put that codicil in her will
in order to level the playing field between father and son then he
wouldn't have to go to such drastic measures.
Green Persuasion. Lionel opened his desk drawer and picked up a small
vial filled with green liquid that emitted a soft glow. It was a
horrible, silly name for something so powerful. That idiot Rothman
would make millions pedaling it as the new drug of choice for the club
scene. It had been tempting to invest - the drug did actually work and
the other possibilities for its use were intriguing - but Lionel
couldn't risk his empire by getting involved with a petty drug dealer.
Rothman Junior would screw up eventually and end up in jail and there
was no way Lionel was going to give the authorities a reason to start
snooping into LuthorCorp business.
"Basically Cristophe is waffling on the final details of the
contracts," Lionel tuned back into Henderson's drone. It was at this
point that the young man paused and made the mistake thinking that
reiterating his concern over Lillian Luthor's will would show his
initiative and perseverance. "The codicil in your wife's will was very
explicit, Mr. Luthor. If you don't have him sign the Smallville plant
back to you it could jeopardize your controlling interest in
LuthorCorp."
"Henderson, I don't need a pompous little bastard to tell me things I
already know. If you want to continue working for LuthorCorp than I
suggest that you iron out the final details with Cristophe and forget
about my personal business." Lionel snapped off the speaker phone.
His wife's will lay on the desk before him. Her wishes had been quite
clear. When he turned twenty-one Lex was to assume control of the
Smallville fertilizer plant. Of course when Lionel had handed Lex the
control, he had made it out to be a punishment for his son's immature
and sometimes illegal behavior. Lex had no idea that his father had no
choice in the matter. And it didn't stop there. If Lex successfully
ran the plant for a year than the codicil went on to give Lex Lillian's
shares in several companies that her father had owned and bequeathed
her upon his death. That would give Lex a controlling interest in
several key companies in the Luthor empire. Lionel was sure that his
son wouldn't hesitate to use his newfound power against him. The only
way to stop it was to have Lex sign the plant over to him and he
wouldn't do that willingly.
It was rare that Lionel misjudged people, but he had to admit that he
had seriously misjudged his son. He had taken him for a partying
playboy with only a hint of the Luthor ruthlessness. The truth was
Lex had it in spades. His son was not one to be trifled with and
Lionel couldn't help but be proud, but Lex was no match for the master.
He did have his mother's heart and he cared about people - a weakness
that would undermine Lex's quest for power and thirst to best his
father. Lionel only had to find out who was important to his son and
use them and then maybe this drug wouldn't be necessary.
*****
Hospitals were horribly boring. Chloe sighed and stared up at the
white ceiling that looked yellow in the dim light. Visiting hours were
over and she had convinced her father to go back home, that she was
fine. Chloe shifted to get more comfortable on the hard hospital bed
and winced as pain shot up and down her arm. Okay, maybe she wasn't
completely fine. Her arm hurt like hell, her head ached, and every
time she closed her eyes men in black ski masks grabbed her and pushed
her and she felt like she was falling. But her father didn't need to
know that and neither had Clark. The poor guy had looked so guilty
that Chloe had wanted to cry after one look in his puppy-dog eyes.
And then she had immediately felt guilty because if it hadn't been for
her, she and Clark wouldn't have been at Luthor manor that night. It
had seemed like a good idea at the time, telling Clark that Lex had
agreed to an interview. It had gotten her best friend off her back
about accepting a 'ride' to Metropolis with Lex and it had been a
chance to see Lex again. It had also been an excellent way to maneuver
Lex into said interview. Chloe smiled. Poor Lex had been cornered
and he had known it. He had looked cute all flustered. Of course, on
Lex flustered was a slight lift of the eyebrows and a questioning tilt
of his head. Still, it was sexy as hell.
Staring at the ceiling and thinking about Lex was hardly a productive
use of her time, pleasant, but not productive. Chloe pushed the button
that elevated the head of her bed. On the side table among the cards
and flowers was her laptop and mini-recorder. Her father had finally
agreed to bring them in after she had whined and pouted for an hour
earlier that day. She might as well get some work done since sleep
seemed to be eluding her despite the pharmacological help. She hadn't
had a chance to listen to the Rothman tape yet. Chloe plugged in some
earphones and rewound the tape.
"I think he's more interested in using it to control his son."
Rothman's voice came in clearly on the tape. Chloe sighed with relief.
She had been afraid that the tape wouldn't pick up anything through the
vent. "But whatever he wants it for, I'm going to make sure he pays
for it. This shit isn't cheap to produce."
"I don't know about this stuff." Vince sounded uncertain. "It freaks
me out with the weird green glow. Are you sure it's safe? What's in
it?"
Chloe's ears perked up at Vince's questions. They were ones that she
was curious about the answers to herself. In the background she could
hear soft whispers and rustling. She couldn't think about that, she
had to pay attention to Rothman. Of course, it would have been too
easy if he had answered the bartender's questions. Instead he started
talking about the club. It was nothing that really interested her -
liquor orders, cover receipts, band bookings, and reviews they had
gotten in few party magazines. She and Lex were kissing while they had
been talking business. The sound of her soft gasp confirmed it. His
hand was on her breast. Chloe closed her eyes. Her skin tingled with
each muffled moan and the haunting memory of each caress. Her breath
caught in her throat and she forced it out in a long breath. Lex had
been the first man who had ever touched her and kissed her that way
and she had no basis of comparison, but it had been pretty amazing.
Even now, just thinking about it and listening to their background
noises on the tape aroused Chloe's senses. It was like Lex was there
with her - his lips on hers, his tongue doing delightful things in her
mouth, and his hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.
Chloe opened her eyes. Lex was standing by her bed. He took his hand
from her shoulder once he had her attention.
"Visiting hours are over." Chloe unplugged her earphones. Her blush
swept up her cheeks as hot, furious, and uncontrollable as a brush
fire. "But I guess that doesn't matter much for you, huh?"
"I do tend to visit after hours." Lex sat down in the visitor's chair.
He looked exhausted and a bit beaten up. "I wanted to tell you that we
caught the assholes who did this to you."
"We meaning you and Clark?" Chloe asked the question, but already knew
the answer. The bruises and cuts on Lex's face and hands were answer
enough and now she knew where Clark had disappeared to. Her heroes.
"Is he as beat up as you?"
"You know Clark, not a scratch on him." Lex smiled tiredly and wiped
a hand over his face. He had been running on anger the last few days
and it was finally catching up to him. He really should be at home in
bed, but he had wanted to see Chloe. She would be released from the
hospital soon and then he would need valid excuses to see her. He
didn't want to spend his time with her talking about Clark and his lack
of injuries. He reached into his overcoat pocket and brought out a
small box. "Here. It might not make you feel like a winning piece of
horseflesh, but I hope you like it."
"I like the flowers you sent, Lex, you didn't have to get me anything
else." Chloe took the package. She awkwardly untied the ribbon and
opened the box with her good hand. It was a beautiful necklace. A
delicate gold chain held an amber pendant. Encased in the fiery amber
was a golden quill.
"I would have had the quill embedded in a piece of meteor rock, but
that seemed a bit too Lana." Lex shifted nervously. "Do you like it."
"Yes." Chloe knew that she really accept the gift, her father would
have a fit if he knew, but she wanted it. She wanted to have something
that would forever remind her of Lex. "Will you help me put it on?"
With a smile of relief, Lex helped Chloe put on the necklace. He had
been afraid she wouldn't accept it. As his fingers brushed over her
neck, he couldn't help but recall the heated caresses they had
exchanged in Rothman's storage room. Her skin was so soft. What would
she do if he kissed her right now? Would she kiss him back? The
reality of their lives came back to Lex when Chloe looked up at him
and smiled. Her eye was still fairly black and swollen. She was
battered, broken, and in the hospital because of him. Those guys had
broken into his home because he was a Luthor and Chloe had been hurt
because she had been there. He wasn't good enough for her and he
never would be.
"Thank you, Lex." Chloe wished she could give Lex a hug, but he moved
away so quickly. He looked so sad all of a sudden. "Is something
wrong?"
"No, nothing that can be changed." Lex gave Chloe a reassuring, but
remote, smile. He was a Luthor and there was no place for a wonderful
girl like Chloe in his life. He would only hurt her or the people
around him would do the job for him. It would be best for both of
them if walked out of this hospital room and had nothing more to do
with her, but he couldn't let her go. Not yet. He was too selfish
and he only hoped that she wouldn't get more hurt because of it.
*****
The disturbed dust sparkled like tiny fairy lights in the afternoon sun
that shone through the window of the Talon. Usually Lana delighted in
such sights, but now she only sneezed. It was wondrous enough that
Lex had accepted her proposal to open the Talon as a coffee house. She
wondered why he had been so generous, actually she worried about it.
Lana glanced over at Clark. He and Pete were moving an old bench to
the junk pile they had created near the back.
"So, Clark, how is Chloe?" Lana tried to ask the question as casually
as she could. Chloe had shown up on occasion, but hadn't been much
help due to her arm. Coincidently, Lex had always been around to offer
Chloe a ride home when she tired out.
"Good. Her cast comes off next week." Clark immediately dropped his
end of the bench once he noticed Pete had let go of his. Apparently
the bench was heavy, judging from his friend's dubious look. Clark
smiled uncomfortably. "She's really sorry she can't help out here
more."
"Yeah." Lana bit her lip. She wasn't exactly sure how Clark would
react to the idea of a relationship between Lex and Chloe. They were
both his friends, but Clark had a tendency to be overprotective of
Chloe and that might not be misplaced if Lex was concerned. "Has Chloe
ever said anything about her date with her cousin's boyfriend's
brother? Has she gone out with him again?"
"I don't think so." Clark frowned. "She hasn't really said anything
about him. When she got back, I just asked her why she had went with
Lex to Metropolis and she told me about the interview. Then everything
happened...."
Pete snorted. "Funny how when everything happens a Luthor is involved
but rarely is the one who gets hurt."
"Pete, it's not Lex's fault that those guys broke into his house and
hurt Chloe. He was really concerned about her, called in specialists
and everything." That wasn't exactly true, Lex had been more than
concerned, he had been frantic - scared even - over Chloe. Clark had
never seen him lose it like that. If he didn't know any better he
would think....
"Do you think maybe Lex and Chloe like each other? As in more than
friends?" Lana ventured.
"No," Clark and Pete both practically yelled.
"Chloe has more sense than that. Any interest she would have in Luthor
is purely journalistic." Pete was fairly certain that what he said was
true. Luthor was charming, smart, and rich which might turn some
girls' heads, but not his Chloe. She was too in love with Clark for
that, but he could hardly offer that up as a reason why she wouldn't be
interested in Luthor.
"She's too young. Chloe isn't Lex's type." Clark shook his head.
"What?" Lana frowned at both boys. She couldn't believe how obtuse
they were when it came to seeing Chloe as a girl. No wonder she had
such a warped view of herself as unattractive if this was the reaction
she got day in and day out. Maybe a thing with Lex wouldn't be such a
bad idea - as long as it didn't go too far. "Pretty, witty, and smart
girls aren't Lex's type?"
"Well..." Clark scratched his head and shrugged. "Maybe it wouldn't
hurt to keep an eye on them. Lex would never hurt Chloe...."
"The hell he wouldn't," Pete interrupted furiously. "We need to do
more than watch them. You have to talk to him, Clark, and let him know
that if he does anything to Chloe we're going to kick his ass."
This wasn't exactly what Lana had wanted when she had brought the
subject up. She had wanted someone to be looking out for Chloe, not
bullying men who were interested in her. "I think that it's a good
idea to talk to Lex, Clark." Lana smiled. "And we'll all just keep an
eye on things and make sure that they don't get out of hand."
"Okay, I'll talk to Lex. He'll just tell me I'm insane and that he
and Chloe are just friends." Clark picked up a garbage bag they had
filled with debris and hauled it to the dumpster out in the alley. He
didn't know why the thought of Lex being interested in Chloe bugged
him. Lex was a good guy despite what other people in Smallville said
about him and he was Clark's friend. There was no reason why it should
bother him if Lex was attracted to Chloe, but it did.
*****
"Luthor has the drug. Are you certain he is going to use it on his
son?" Joseph Rothman glared at his son. The boy was reckless and
irresponsible, but his worst crime was that he was also stupid. His
one smart child unfortunately had been born female and therefore
susceptible to the Luthor charm. Although, she had proven to be useful
in the end.
"I can't think of any other reason why he would want it. Frannie
seemed to think that Lex was the target when I told her about Lionel's
interest in the drug." Nicholas knocked back his drink in one gulp.
He was standing behind the bar of his empty club. Bacchanalia wouldn't
open for a few hours yet. He refused to look in his father's direction
even though he was sitting at table a few feet in front of him. The
old man would just be glaring at him anyway. Even when he was doing
things right, he was doing them wrong in the old man's eyes. "She was
going to tell Lex."
"Yes, and you had to try and stop her on your own instead of calling
me." The accusation infested Joseph's words. He didn't even have to
say 'screw up' anymore, it was ingrained in their every conversation.
"She would have listened to me without the benefit of a drug. I was
her father."
"It wasn't my fault Frannie died! That batch of the drug was
defective. Used too much of the green shit in it. How was I supposed
to know it would make her think she could fly?" Nicholas downed
another shot.
"Nothing is ever your fault. That's why you'll never succeed." Joseph
looked down at some papers he had laid out on the table before him. He
shuffled them and put them in his briefcase with a smile. It was a
copy of Lillian Luthor's will. At first he had been outraged when
Francesca had taken a job with the LuthorCorp law firm at Lex Luthor's
recommendation, but now he saw the advantage. She had been about to
take these papers to Lex, but her brother had prevented that from
happening. Instead providence had been allowed to place them in his
hands and he would use them to decimate Lionel Luthor. "You made sure
that your transaction with Luthor was recorded?"
"Yes." Nicholas watched as his father left the club without even
saying good-bye or enquiring about its success. He had done everything
the old man had ordered him to and had done a little something on his
own. He had made sure that Lionel Luthor had went home with a vial of
the defective drug. Lex was going to find out if he could fly.
to be continued....
It was a terrible business being a King in a land of fools who believed
themselves to be his equal. Lionel Luthor snorted. No one was a
Luthor's equal - an important fact that escaped his son. He had
thought that living in Smallville would bring that lesson home to his
son, as it had for him many years ago, but no, he had to make friends
with the Kent boy and earn the respect of the workers at the fertilizer
plant. The plant had never been more productive.
"Mr. Luthor, I can't impress upon you the importance of having your
son sign these papers as soon as possible." The condescension in the
lawyer's monotone voice transmitted smoothly over the speaker phone.
Lionel sneered at the man's affected self-importance. He knew how
important the papers were and he didn't need a pissant just out of law
school to remind him.
"I called to see if you've made any progress with Cristophe, Henderson,
not get an admonishment about my personal business," Lionel said
coldly. None of this would be necessary if Lex had done as expected
and ran the fertilizer plant into the ground where it belonged. Of
course, the real blame lay with his dead wife and blasted father. If
his father hadn't seen fit to gift Lillian with the 'family' business
on their wedding day and Lillian hadn't put that codicil in her will
in order to level the playing field between father and son then he
wouldn't have to go to such drastic measures.
Green Persuasion. Lionel opened his desk drawer and picked up a small
vial filled with green liquid that emitted a soft glow. It was a
horrible, silly name for something so powerful. That idiot Rothman
would make millions pedaling it as the new drug of choice for the club
scene. It had been tempting to invest - the drug did actually work and
the other possibilities for its use were intriguing - but Lionel
couldn't risk his empire by getting involved with a petty drug dealer.
Rothman Junior would screw up eventually and end up in jail and there
was no way Lionel was going to give the authorities a reason to start
snooping into LuthorCorp business.
"Basically Cristophe is waffling on the final details of the
contracts," Lionel tuned back into Henderson's drone. It was at this
point that the young man paused and made the mistake thinking that
reiterating his concern over Lillian Luthor's will would show his
initiative and perseverance. "The codicil in your wife's will was very
explicit, Mr. Luthor. If you don't have him sign the Smallville plant
back to you it could jeopardize your controlling interest in
LuthorCorp."
"Henderson, I don't need a pompous little bastard to tell me things I
already know. If you want to continue working for LuthorCorp than I
suggest that you iron out the final details with Cristophe and forget
about my personal business." Lionel snapped off the speaker phone.
His wife's will lay on the desk before him. Her wishes had been quite
clear. When he turned twenty-one Lex was to assume control of the
Smallville fertilizer plant. Of course when Lionel had handed Lex the
control, he had made it out to be a punishment for his son's immature
and sometimes illegal behavior. Lex had no idea that his father had no
choice in the matter. And it didn't stop there. If Lex successfully
ran the plant for a year than the codicil went on to give Lex Lillian's
shares in several companies that her father had owned and bequeathed
her upon his death. That would give Lex a controlling interest in
several key companies in the Luthor empire. Lionel was sure that his
son wouldn't hesitate to use his newfound power against him. The only
way to stop it was to have Lex sign the plant over to him and he
wouldn't do that willingly.
It was rare that Lionel misjudged people, but he had to admit that he
had seriously misjudged his son. He had taken him for a partying
playboy with only a hint of the Luthor ruthlessness. The truth was
Lex had it in spades. His son was not one to be trifled with and
Lionel couldn't help but be proud, but Lex was no match for the master.
He did have his mother's heart and he cared about people - a weakness
that would undermine Lex's quest for power and thirst to best his
father. Lionel only had to find out who was important to his son and
use them and then maybe this drug wouldn't be necessary.
*****
Hospitals were horribly boring. Chloe sighed and stared up at the
white ceiling that looked yellow in the dim light. Visiting hours were
over and she had convinced her father to go back home, that she was
fine. Chloe shifted to get more comfortable on the hard hospital bed
and winced as pain shot up and down her arm. Okay, maybe she wasn't
completely fine. Her arm hurt like hell, her head ached, and every
time she closed her eyes men in black ski masks grabbed her and pushed
her and she felt like she was falling. But her father didn't need to
know that and neither had Clark. The poor guy had looked so guilty
that Chloe had wanted to cry after one look in his puppy-dog eyes.
And then she had immediately felt guilty because if it hadn't been for
her, she and Clark wouldn't have been at Luthor manor that night. It
had seemed like a good idea at the time, telling Clark that Lex had
agreed to an interview. It had gotten her best friend off her back
about accepting a 'ride' to Metropolis with Lex and it had been a
chance to see Lex again. It had also been an excellent way to maneuver
Lex into said interview. Chloe smiled. Poor Lex had been cornered
and he had known it. He had looked cute all flustered. Of course, on
Lex flustered was a slight lift of the eyebrows and a questioning tilt
of his head. Still, it was sexy as hell.
Staring at the ceiling and thinking about Lex was hardly a productive
use of her time, pleasant, but not productive. Chloe pushed the button
that elevated the head of her bed. On the side table among the cards
and flowers was her laptop and mini-recorder. Her father had finally
agreed to bring them in after she had whined and pouted for an hour
earlier that day. She might as well get some work done since sleep
seemed to be eluding her despite the pharmacological help. She hadn't
had a chance to listen to the Rothman tape yet. Chloe plugged in some
earphones and rewound the tape.
"I think he's more interested in using it to control his son."
Rothman's voice came in clearly on the tape. Chloe sighed with relief.
She had been afraid that the tape wouldn't pick up anything through the
vent. "But whatever he wants it for, I'm going to make sure he pays
for it. This shit isn't cheap to produce."
"I don't know about this stuff." Vince sounded uncertain. "It freaks
me out with the weird green glow. Are you sure it's safe? What's in
it?"
Chloe's ears perked up at Vince's questions. They were ones that she
was curious about the answers to herself. In the background she could
hear soft whispers and rustling. She couldn't think about that, she
had to pay attention to Rothman. Of course, it would have been too
easy if he had answered the bartender's questions. Instead he started
talking about the club. It was nothing that really interested her -
liquor orders, cover receipts, band bookings, and reviews they had
gotten in few party magazines. She and Lex were kissing while they had
been talking business. The sound of her soft gasp confirmed it. His
hand was on her breast. Chloe closed her eyes. Her skin tingled with
each muffled moan and the haunting memory of each caress. Her breath
caught in her throat and she forced it out in a long breath. Lex had
been the first man who had ever touched her and kissed her that way
and she had no basis of comparison, but it had been pretty amazing.
Even now, just thinking about it and listening to their background
noises on the tape aroused Chloe's senses. It was like Lex was there
with her - his lips on hers, his tongue doing delightful things in her
mouth, and his hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.
Chloe opened her eyes. Lex was standing by her bed. He took his hand
from her shoulder once he had her attention.
"Visiting hours are over." Chloe unplugged her earphones. Her blush
swept up her cheeks as hot, furious, and uncontrollable as a brush
fire. "But I guess that doesn't matter much for you, huh?"
"I do tend to visit after hours." Lex sat down in the visitor's chair.
He looked exhausted and a bit beaten up. "I wanted to tell you that we
caught the assholes who did this to you."
"We meaning you and Clark?" Chloe asked the question, but already knew
the answer. The bruises and cuts on Lex's face and hands were answer
enough and now she knew where Clark had disappeared to. Her heroes.
"Is he as beat up as you?"
"You know Clark, not a scratch on him." Lex smiled tiredly and wiped
a hand over his face. He had been running on anger the last few days
and it was finally catching up to him. He really should be at home in
bed, but he had wanted to see Chloe. She would be released from the
hospital soon and then he would need valid excuses to see her. He
didn't want to spend his time with her talking about Clark and his lack
of injuries. He reached into his overcoat pocket and brought out a
small box. "Here. It might not make you feel like a winning piece of
horseflesh, but I hope you like it."
"I like the flowers you sent, Lex, you didn't have to get me anything
else." Chloe took the package. She awkwardly untied the ribbon and
opened the box with her good hand. It was a beautiful necklace. A
delicate gold chain held an amber pendant. Encased in the fiery amber
was a golden quill.
"I would have had the quill embedded in a piece of meteor rock, but
that seemed a bit too Lana." Lex shifted nervously. "Do you like it."
"Yes." Chloe knew that she really accept the gift, her father would
have a fit if he knew, but she wanted it. She wanted to have something
that would forever remind her of Lex. "Will you help me put it on?"
With a smile of relief, Lex helped Chloe put on the necklace. He had
been afraid she wouldn't accept it. As his fingers brushed over her
neck, he couldn't help but recall the heated caresses they had
exchanged in Rothman's storage room. Her skin was so soft. What would
she do if he kissed her right now? Would she kiss him back? The
reality of their lives came back to Lex when Chloe looked up at him
and smiled. Her eye was still fairly black and swollen. She was
battered, broken, and in the hospital because of him. Those guys had
broken into his home because he was a Luthor and Chloe had been hurt
because she had been there. He wasn't good enough for her and he
never would be.
"Thank you, Lex." Chloe wished she could give Lex a hug, but he moved
away so quickly. He looked so sad all of a sudden. "Is something
wrong?"
"No, nothing that can be changed." Lex gave Chloe a reassuring, but
remote, smile. He was a Luthor and there was no place for a wonderful
girl like Chloe in his life. He would only hurt her or the people
around him would do the job for him. It would be best for both of
them if walked out of this hospital room and had nothing more to do
with her, but he couldn't let her go. Not yet. He was too selfish
and he only hoped that she wouldn't get more hurt because of it.
*****
The disturbed dust sparkled like tiny fairy lights in the afternoon sun
that shone through the window of the Talon. Usually Lana delighted in
such sights, but now she only sneezed. It was wondrous enough that
Lex had accepted her proposal to open the Talon as a coffee house. She
wondered why he had been so generous, actually she worried about it.
Lana glanced over at Clark. He and Pete were moving an old bench to
the junk pile they had created near the back.
"So, Clark, how is Chloe?" Lana tried to ask the question as casually
as she could. Chloe had shown up on occasion, but hadn't been much
help due to her arm. Coincidently, Lex had always been around to offer
Chloe a ride home when she tired out.
"Good. Her cast comes off next week." Clark immediately dropped his
end of the bench once he noticed Pete had let go of his. Apparently
the bench was heavy, judging from his friend's dubious look. Clark
smiled uncomfortably. "She's really sorry she can't help out here
more."
"Yeah." Lana bit her lip. She wasn't exactly sure how Clark would
react to the idea of a relationship between Lex and Chloe. They were
both his friends, but Clark had a tendency to be overprotective of
Chloe and that might not be misplaced if Lex was concerned. "Has Chloe
ever said anything about her date with her cousin's boyfriend's
brother? Has she gone out with him again?"
"I don't think so." Clark frowned. "She hasn't really said anything
about him. When she got back, I just asked her why she had went with
Lex to Metropolis and she told me about the interview. Then everything
happened...."
Pete snorted. "Funny how when everything happens a Luthor is involved
but rarely is the one who gets hurt."
"Pete, it's not Lex's fault that those guys broke into his house and
hurt Chloe. He was really concerned about her, called in specialists
and everything." That wasn't exactly true, Lex had been more than
concerned, he had been frantic - scared even - over Chloe. Clark had
never seen him lose it like that. If he didn't know any better he
would think....
"Do you think maybe Lex and Chloe like each other? As in more than
friends?" Lana ventured.
"No," Clark and Pete both practically yelled.
"Chloe has more sense than that. Any interest she would have in Luthor
is purely journalistic." Pete was fairly certain that what he said was
true. Luthor was charming, smart, and rich which might turn some
girls' heads, but not his Chloe. She was too in love with Clark for
that, but he could hardly offer that up as a reason why she wouldn't be
interested in Luthor.
"She's too young. Chloe isn't Lex's type." Clark shook his head.
"What?" Lana frowned at both boys. She couldn't believe how obtuse
they were when it came to seeing Chloe as a girl. No wonder she had
such a warped view of herself as unattractive if this was the reaction
she got day in and day out. Maybe a thing with Lex wouldn't be such a
bad idea - as long as it didn't go too far. "Pretty, witty, and smart
girls aren't Lex's type?"
"Well..." Clark scratched his head and shrugged. "Maybe it wouldn't
hurt to keep an eye on them. Lex would never hurt Chloe...."
"The hell he wouldn't," Pete interrupted furiously. "We need to do
more than watch them. You have to talk to him, Clark, and let him know
that if he does anything to Chloe we're going to kick his ass."
This wasn't exactly what Lana had wanted when she had brought the
subject up. She had wanted someone to be looking out for Chloe, not
bullying men who were interested in her. "I think that it's a good
idea to talk to Lex, Clark." Lana smiled. "And we'll all just keep an
eye on things and make sure that they don't get out of hand."
"Okay, I'll talk to Lex. He'll just tell me I'm insane and that he
and Chloe are just friends." Clark picked up a garbage bag they had
filled with debris and hauled it to the dumpster out in the alley. He
didn't know why the thought of Lex being interested in Chloe bugged
him. Lex was a good guy despite what other people in Smallville said
about him and he was Clark's friend. There was no reason why it should
bother him if Lex was attracted to Chloe, but it did.
*****
"Luthor has the drug. Are you certain he is going to use it on his
son?" Joseph Rothman glared at his son. The boy was reckless and
irresponsible, but his worst crime was that he was also stupid. His
one smart child unfortunately had been born female and therefore
susceptible to the Luthor charm. Although, she had proven to be useful
in the end.
"I can't think of any other reason why he would want it. Frannie
seemed to think that Lex was the target when I told her about Lionel's
interest in the drug." Nicholas knocked back his drink in one gulp.
He was standing behind the bar of his empty club. Bacchanalia wouldn't
open for a few hours yet. He refused to look in his father's direction
even though he was sitting at table a few feet in front of him. The
old man would just be glaring at him anyway. Even when he was doing
things right, he was doing them wrong in the old man's eyes. "She was
going to tell Lex."
"Yes, and you had to try and stop her on your own instead of calling
me." The accusation infested Joseph's words. He didn't even have to
say 'screw up' anymore, it was ingrained in their every conversation.
"She would have listened to me without the benefit of a drug. I was
her father."
"It wasn't my fault Frannie died! That batch of the drug was
defective. Used too much of the green shit in it. How was I supposed
to know it would make her think she could fly?" Nicholas downed
another shot.
"Nothing is ever your fault. That's why you'll never succeed." Joseph
looked down at some papers he had laid out on the table before him. He
shuffled them and put them in his briefcase with a smile. It was a
copy of Lillian Luthor's will. At first he had been outraged when
Francesca had taken a job with the LuthorCorp law firm at Lex Luthor's
recommendation, but now he saw the advantage. She had been about to
take these papers to Lex, but her brother had prevented that from
happening. Instead providence had been allowed to place them in his
hands and he would use them to decimate Lionel Luthor. "You made sure
that your transaction with Luthor was recorded?"
"Yes." Nicholas watched as his father left the club without even
saying good-bye or enquiring about its success. He had done everything
the old man had ordered him to and had done a little something on his
own. He had made sure that Lionel Luthor had went home with a vial of
the defective drug. Lex was going to find out if he could fly.
to be continued....
