14. The Talon
Lana was person number four on the list. The last person that Chloe wanted to see. Ever. But they couldn't get a hold of Pete to find him. It was amazing how a person can disappear in such a small town when they didn't want to be found.
The Talon hadn't changed. It still looked like that bad scene from a mummy movie gone wrong. Lana still worked there. Lex had said that she bought him out of their deal after she came back with her rich boyfriend, but Chloe had expected that a rich boyfriend meant a Talon renovation. Chloe inwardly rolled her eyes when she realized that it was Lana Lang she was talking about inside her head, hell, Clark was a rocket scientist compared to Lana.
Lex's hand was on her back, guiding her in. Preventing her from turning around at the sight of the town's self proclaimed Parisian. Lana had gotten a hair cut. She looked all city. It didn't suit her personality at all - if she had a personality that was. A pink scarf was tied around her hair like a head band. In the world of Lana Lang, apparently pink was the new... pink?
"Lex, how nice to see you." She smiled sweetly. Chloe eyed her suspiciously. She was overly friendly to Lex. Not that she was possessive. Ok, well, she was possessive, apparently. "And who is your ... friend?" 'She said friend like I was a whore.' Chloe thought angrily. 'I am not a whore.'
"Actually that was why -" Lex began.
"- Chloe Sullivan. I believe we have met before." She cut him off. She held her hand out as if they had just met. She wished they had.
"Chloe - who?" Lana's eyes got big and teary. 'Wow, I thought she only did that to guys.'
"Sullivan." She repeated. 'Don't make me repeat myself again.' It was hard enough saying it once. She was fighting the urge to smack the tiny pink thing across the room.
Lana practically jumped across the counter to hug her. Chloe started to back up. 'No way. No weird girl hugging for me.' But Lex held her in place as if he knew that she was about to run out the door screaming like a mad - person.
Damn him. She was going to have a talk with him later. She filed the thought away for later as Lana gave her the biggest hug of her life. Seriously. The. Biggest. Hug. In. The. World. Chloe could hardly breathe. Lana was blubbering like an idiot. Saying something along the lines of how she thought Chloe had left her like her dead parents. Or abandoned her like Whitney. She couldn't figure out which it was now.
Lex seemed to be enjoying himself. He was chuckling at all the colours her face was turning she bet. Or he was enjoying the girl on girl action that was directly in front of him. She knew that a lot of the other patrons were.
"Can I get a coffee Lana?" She asked using up the last bit of oxygen in her lungs. Finally Lana let go.
A big sad smile graced the brunette's face. "Yeah. The usual, coconut latte?"
Chloe shook her head. "Just black is fine."
"And one for me." Lex said, his hand lingering on the small of her back.
Lana looked like she had been hit with the stupid stick. "Just black? Are you sure? Nothing to sweeten it?"
"Life isn't sugar coated Lana." She said softly. "I learnt that I like my coffee like life. No sugar added." Chloe gave a small smile, nobody in Gotham drank specialty coffees. They don't serve Lattes in the hospital. She'd learnt to live without them.
"Right." She still looked a little shocked. A light brown haired guy in jeans and a tee shirt came down from the upstairs apartment.
"There's somebody living upstairs again?" Chloe asked looking at her former roommate.
"Just me." Lana said smiling.
The guy came behind the counter and kissed Lana's cheek. "Hey hon." He said into her ear. Barely audible. Chloe heard it.
She had to admit Lana's boyfriend was kind of cute, in a "I-want-to-date- Lana-Lang-and-I-swear-I-won't-try-to-kill-her" way. Lex obviously had seen her check Jared, or Jason, what ever his name was out. His grip around her tightened, and moved to her hip. Lex toyed with her belt loop.
Chloe waited for Jason to leave before repeating Lana's words. "Just you?" Her eyebrow rose involuntarily. It was a habit she had gained from Lex. She couldn't stop it from happening. Just like she couldn't help it if she was falling in love with Lex.
Pete walked into the Talon. It had been a long time since he had visited Lana and Jason. When he seen the Porshe sitting outside, it's licence plate screaming Lex4 he had almost turned around and ran. As much as he hated the Luthors, he hated Lex more. It had been Lex's fault that Chloe was gone forever.
Pete checked out the back view of Lex's new eye candy. He had to say, Lex had good taste in women, and cars. But that was it.
"Luthor." Pete said bitterly as he walked towards the counter. "Can I have my usual Lana." He said politely to the brunette in front of him.
"How's the cream corn business going Pete?" The voice said behind him.
"It's fine Chlo'." Then he swung around to look at where the voice had come from.
No.
No way.
It couldn't be her.
She smiled. It was the smile he had seen in his dreams since her funeral. The smile he had been dying to see again.
It was her.
"Ch... Chloe?" He sputtered.
Chloe. She ran to hug him even though she was right there. She felt good in his arms. He missed her. He hadn't seen her forever. Then it hit him. He had checked her out. She looked good for somebody who had been dead for too long. Too good.
"But how. Luthor, you didn't pull some strange meteor rock mojo to bring her back did you?"
Lex chuckled, but shook his head. No.
"Then how?"
"I've been living in Gotham City."
"The Creep Capital of America. Figures. Of all things kooky. Gotham has more kooks than Smallville and Metropolis put together." He said into her hair. She smelt like strawberries and coffee. God he missed her. She laughed.
Lex watched how Chloe's body language changed when she saw Pete. The weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders now. He had helped her release her demons. She didn't need him anymore. She was free again.
He exited the coffee shop, after leaving a ten for their coffees. He smiled when he got into the car. She was free from her personal evils now. No more nightmares. No more hiding in the shadows for her.
He just had to figure out how to get out of the shadows himself now, and the one person who he thought capable of helping him. Well, he was leaving her to live her life now.
She was free now and that was all that mattered. He had thought selflessly for once. He helped a person and didn't even have an ulterior motive. He put the car in gear, and was about to drive away when there was a soft knock on his window.
"You forgot something." Chloe said softly.
He mentally checked his pockets. Nothing was missing.
"What is that?" He asked as she moved around the car, and into the passenger seat.
"Me." She said closing the door behind her. She gave him her 100 watt smile. The one that brightens up her whole face. The one that makes her look so beautiful.
Oh God.
He was falling in love with her.
Lana was person number four on the list. The last person that Chloe wanted to see. Ever. But they couldn't get a hold of Pete to find him. It was amazing how a person can disappear in such a small town when they didn't want to be found.
The Talon hadn't changed. It still looked like that bad scene from a mummy movie gone wrong. Lana still worked there. Lex had said that she bought him out of their deal after she came back with her rich boyfriend, but Chloe had expected that a rich boyfriend meant a Talon renovation. Chloe inwardly rolled her eyes when she realized that it was Lana Lang she was talking about inside her head, hell, Clark was a rocket scientist compared to Lana.
Lex's hand was on her back, guiding her in. Preventing her from turning around at the sight of the town's self proclaimed Parisian. Lana had gotten a hair cut. She looked all city. It didn't suit her personality at all - if she had a personality that was. A pink scarf was tied around her hair like a head band. In the world of Lana Lang, apparently pink was the new... pink?
"Lex, how nice to see you." She smiled sweetly. Chloe eyed her suspiciously. She was overly friendly to Lex. Not that she was possessive. Ok, well, she was possessive, apparently. "And who is your ... friend?" 'She said friend like I was a whore.' Chloe thought angrily. 'I am not a whore.'
"Actually that was why -" Lex began.
"- Chloe Sullivan. I believe we have met before." She cut him off. She held her hand out as if they had just met. She wished they had.
"Chloe - who?" Lana's eyes got big and teary. 'Wow, I thought she only did that to guys.'
"Sullivan." She repeated. 'Don't make me repeat myself again.' It was hard enough saying it once. She was fighting the urge to smack the tiny pink thing across the room.
Lana practically jumped across the counter to hug her. Chloe started to back up. 'No way. No weird girl hugging for me.' But Lex held her in place as if he knew that she was about to run out the door screaming like a mad - person.
Damn him. She was going to have a talk with him later. She filed the thought away for later as Lana gave her the biggest hug of her life. Seriously. The. Biggest. Hug. In. The. World. Chloe could hardly breathe. Lana was blubbering like an idiot. Saying something along the lines of how she thought Chloe had left her like her dead parents. Or abandoned her like Whitney. She couldn't figure out which it was now.
Lex seemed to be enjoying himself. He was chuckling at all the colours her face was turning she bet. Or he was enjoying the girl on girl action that was directly in front of him. She knew that a lot of the other patrons were.
"Can I get a coffee Lana?" She asked using up the last bit of oxygen in her lungs. Finally Lana let go.
A big sad smile graced the brunette's face. "Yeah. The usual, coconut latte?"
Chloe shook her head. "Just black is fine."
"And one for me." Lex said, his hand lingering on the small of her back.
Lana looked like she had been hit with the stupid stick. "Just black? Are you sure? Nothing to sweeten it?"
"Life isn't sugar coated Lana." She said softly. "I learnt that I like my coffee like life. No sugar added." Chloe gave a small smile, nobody in Gotham drank specialty coffees. They don't serve Lattes in the hospital. She'd learnt to live without them.
"Right." She still looked a little shocked. A light brown haired guy in jeans and a tee shirt came down from the upstairs apartment.
"There's somebody living upstairs again?" Chloe asked looking at her former roommate.
"Just me." Lana said smiling.
The guy came behind the counter and kissed Lana's cheek. "Hey hon." He said into her ear. Barely audible. Chloe heard it.
She had to admit Lana's boyfriend was kind of cute, in a "I-want-to-date- Lana-Lang-and-I-swear-I-won't-try-to-kill-her" way. Lex obviously had seen her check Jared, or Jason, what ever his name was out. His grip around her tightened, and moved to her hip. Lex toyed with her belt loop.
Chloe waited for Jason to leave before repeating Lana's words. "Just you?" Her eyebrow rose involuntarily. It was a habit she had gained from Lex. She couldn't stop it from happening. Just like she couldn't help it if she was falling in love with Lex.
Pete walked into the Talon. It had been a long time since he had visited Lana and Jason. When he seen the Porshe sitting outside, it's licence plate screaming Lex4 he had almost turned around and ran. As much as he hated the Luthors, he hated Lex more. It had been Lex's fault that Chloe was gone forever.
Pete checked out the back view of Lex's new eye candy. He had to say, Lex had good taste in women, and cars. But that was it.
"Luthor." Pete said bitterly as he walked towards the counter. "Can I have my usual Lana." He said politely to the brunette in front of him.
"How's the cream corn business going Pete?" The voice said behind him.
"It's fine Chlo'." Then he swung around to look at where the voice had come from.
No.
No way.
It couldn't be her.
She smiled. It was the smile he had seen in his dreams since her funeral. The smile he had been dying to see again.
It was her.
"Ch... Chloe?" He sputtered.
Chloe. She ran to hug him even though she was right there. She felt good in his arms. He missed her. He hadn't seen her forever. Then it hit him. He had checked her out. She looked good for somebody who had been dead for too long. Too good.
"But how. Luthor, you didn't pull some strange meteor rock mojo to bring her back did you?"
Lex chuckled, but shook his head. No.
"Then how?"
"I've been living in Gotham City."
"The Creep Capital of America. Figures. Of all things kooky. Gotham has more kooks than Smallville and Metropolis put together." He said into her hair. She smelt like strawberries and coffee. God he missed her. She laughed.
Lex watched how Chloe's body language changed when she saw Pete. The weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders now. He had helped her release her demons. She didn't need him anymore. She was free again.
He exited the coffee shop, after leaving a ten for their coffees. He smiled when he got into the car. She was free from her personal evils now. No more nightmares. No more hiding in the shadows for her.
He just had to figure out how to get out of the shadows himself now, and the one person who he thought capable of helping him. Well, he was leaving her to live her life now.
She was free now and that was all that mattered. He had thought selflessly for once. He helped a person and didn't even have an ulterior motive. He put the car in gear, and was about to drive away when there was a soft knock on his window.
"You forgot something." Chloe said softly.
He mentally checked his pockets. Nothing was missing.
"What is that?" He asked as she moved around the car, and into the passenger seat.
"Me." She said closing the door behind her. She gave him her 100 watt smile. The one that brightens up her whole face. The one that makes her look so beautiful.
Oh God.
He was falling in love with her.