Chapter Two

"It's official, I have never been this bored in my entire life," said Chloe, looking around the room at the whispering cliques of businessmen in matching suits. She thoughtlessly checked the straps of her black evening dress again; it was a nervous tic at functions like this. And this was definitely a function; parties were fun, this was a living nightmare.

"I don't think Lex wants to be here either," said Lana. "Look at him, he's practically asleep talking to that guy," Chloe followed Lana's line of sight and smiled lazily, Lex did look just as bored as she felt.

Dinner had been a success, the food had been rich and exquisite but now, Lex wandered from person to person making meaningless conversation. He would have shown every one of them the door after the meal but his natural curiosity about the "new division" had been piqued and he was subtly gaining information from every employee present. His eyes wandered to Lana and Chloe, both looked amazing, he had never seen them in eveningwear before and the change was astounding. They looked sophisticated and elegant; Lex could clearly see the women they would become after high school was over. Chloe seemed a little awkward in her black dress, constantly adjusting the spaghetti straps and obviously aching for denim but Lana was a picture of grace and poise; every bit the princess she was trying to escape from. His train of thought was broken by another question and as Lex began to answer, he wondered where Clark had disappeared to.

"Would it be rude of us to just leave?" asked Lana quietly, looking back over her shoulder in fear of being overheard.

"Yes," said Chloe bluntly. "It's Lex's birthday party and we're probably the only people in the room that he actually likes so we have to stay. Plus side though, free alcohol," Chloe grabbed two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and handed one to Lana, sipping at her own. Lana stared at her, a little dumbstruck but quickly relented and began drinking.

"Well, I suppose we can live like a Luthor for one night," she grinned, Chloe laughed and nodded. Why not? She would never be able to taste champagne this expensive again, she would probably never eat a finer meal in her life. Chloe and her father were not poor but she knew what luxury was and that she would never live in the lap of it as Lex did. She might as well enjoy it while she could.

"Do you think Clark's okay? He's been gone for ages,"

"Lana, this place is huge. He's probably got lost on his way back; he'll get here eventually," said Chloe, looking around the room and suddenly spying Clark enter the room from the door opposite them. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Lana looked up and smiled as Clark traversed the other guests to get back to his friends.

"I took a wrong turn on my way back from the bathroom," he explained, a shy smile playing on his lips.

"Guessed as much although I am surprised with the amount of time you spend here," sighed Chloe, looking past Clark for any sign of a waiter with drinks. The boredom was taking its toll on her, she wanted out and if she couldn't do that physically then she would do it mentally. She wasn't the perfect teenager, she had been drunk before and she remembered enjoying the buzz and the slight sway of the world. Anything would be better than this hell they were stuck in.

"Chloe, he's over there," said Lana, pointing across the room to their waiter. Chloe beckoned him over and liberated three glasses of Lex's finest champagne, abandoning hers and Lana's empty glasses in return; she passed the drinks around and held her own up in mock celebration.

"When did we start drinking?" asked Clark, staring into the champagne flute with a frown.

"When this party died horribly," sighed Chloe, downing half of her drink in one mouthful. "I love how champagne goes straight to your head. Clark, have you spoken to Lex tonight? What is the point of us being here if all he's going to do is ignore us in favour of these suits?"

"Suits?" laughed Lana. "When did you become all anti-establishment?" Chloe shrugged and laughed along with her, she wasn't attempting to be anti-anything, she was just a little irritated that Lex had been ignoring them all and that she was the only one bothered by it.

"Clark Kent?" came a voice from behind them, Clark spun around to face his addresser. It was a young man, slightly older than Lex but dressed just as impeccably. "My name is John Scott, I work at Luthorcorp,"

"Somehow, I don't think you're alone," smiled Clark, nodding up at the hordes of guests milling around the room. John looked at them and smiled, nodding in acknowledgement. "It was nice to meet you,"

"Clark, I did actually want to discuss something with you for a moment; if your beautiful lady friends would allow it," Chloe ignored the compliment but Lana smiled graciously and John escorted Clark away from them. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your relationship with the Luthor family,"

"What relationship?" stammered Clark, "I'm friends with Lex, that's all,"

"John," said Lex, striding forward to greet him. "How did you get past my security?" Clark frowned, taking a step back so Lex could get between them. "I'm almost impressed,"

"Come on, Lex. It was too perfect an opportunity to miss; how else could I get a sneak peek into the lifestyles of the super rich?" laughed John. Lex smiled with him and gestured to one of the waiters who obediently walked over to them.

"Next time, make an appointment and I'd be happy to give you the tour personally," Lex turned to the waiter. "Please ensure that Mr Scott is removed from the building and escorted off the property immediately," The waiter, if that's what he could be called, nodded wordlessly and grabbed John roughly by the arm, escorting him from the room. Lex turned to Clark and offered a half smile, snaking a hand over his head and taking comfort from its smoothness. It was a familiar move; he practiced it often.

"What was that about?" asked Clark, his eyes still resting on the doors John Scott had just left through. "Who was that guy?"

"That was a reporter for the Inquisitor, they've been trying to get in here for months," explained Lex. "I don't know why he would want to talk with you though, what did he ask?"

"Nothing," said Clark honestly, his eyes wide with shock at Lex's nonchalance at the invasion of his home by a reporter. "He just said he wanted to talk about my relationship with your family. I thought he worked for you,"

"I think that our uninvited guest has become far too adept at his meddling. I'll call my man at the Inquisitor in the morning; Mr Scott will be finding himself unemployed by the end of the week,"

"Lex," said Clark, the astonishment evident both on his face and in his tone. "Is that really necessary?" Lex smiled reassuringly, Clark would never have a head for business, he was far too eager to see the good in people. He had been brought up trusting and innocent by his adoptive parents, attributes that Lex often found himself jealous of.

"I think it's time the representatives of Luthorcorp headed home," he said, glancing across at Lana and Chloe as a drunken IT manager tried to impress them with his juggling skills. "I want to spend the rest of my birthday with the people that matter, not the mindless drones my father surrounds himself with," Clark smiled widely as Lex intercepted the IT manager and began to thank everybody for coming. Clark watched him in wonder, wishing that he could be so sure of himself, so confident. Maybe then he would be able to open up, admit his feelings for once. Maybe he would feel more at ease with his powers if only he had an ounce of Lex's charm, Lex's charisma, Lex's confidence.

"Looks like we're having a private party," grinned Lana, still drinking champagne. "Lex must have overheard you bemoaning the suits,"

"Do you think he'll lend me a sweater?" asked Chloe idly, ignoring Lana's statement. "I hate this dress," Her head was light and felt full of champagne bubbles and her only coherent thoughts were how badly she wanted her jeans and how well-developed Clark was starting to look in his hired suit. She had always noticed his incredibly muscular physique and attributed it to the farm upbringing; all that lifting and baling hay was always going to have a flattering effect on his biceps. She shook her head slightly, not enough for anyone to notice, she could acknowledge Clark's appeal but if she continued with this train of thought, she would end up exactly where she didn't want to be. It had taken her a long time to get over Clark Kent and now she had, things were feeling a lot clearer. She couldn't deal with the fog again.

"I'm sure he'll have a sweater lying around somewhere," said Clark, smiling at Chloe's obvious desire to escape eveningwear. "He's probably got hundreds," Lana giggled softly to herself and Clark wondered if she was drunk yet, her and Chloe had seemed to be on a mission to get inebriated.

"Right," said Lex, bursting through the doors dramatically and addressing Chloe, Lana and Clark in a roaring impersonation of his father. "The last of the guests have departed and I have retired the staff for the evening so it is time for us to retire ourselves to the lounge. Maybe we can salvage something from this disaster," Lana clapped her hands excitedly and stepped forward, anything would be better than standing in this room without a word to say.

"Lex, could I borrow a sweater?" ventured Chloe; Lex shot her a dazzling smile that made her blush involuntarily.

"Miss Sullivan, you can have anything you want tonight. Anything at all," He put his arms around Chloe's shoulders and began walking her towards the lounge with Clark and Lana following behind them. "Come on, you teenage alcoholics. Who wants some of the finest scotch ever made?"