A/N2: January 14, 2013: Another edit. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.
Chapter 18:
"I'm coming, I'm coming," a girl with long, dark hair yelled irritably. She reluctantly got up off her bed. She was more than ready to give a piece of her mind to whoever was incessantly knocking on her door.
She swung the door open wide and took a deep breath, ready to rip into the person.
"Chloe?" she asked, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What are you doing here? Are you crying? Come, come inside."
Chloe looked at the girl helplessly, letting herself be ushered inside the small, cramped dorm room.
She couldn't help it; she practically threw herself at the slightly older girl. "Oh Lois, I'm so glad I found you."
Lex paced the living room floor, furious. "I need to know where she is, damn it!" he yelled into his phone. He listened to his assistant reply, giving an unsatisfactory response. "I don't care if it's near impossible. Find her, now!" He snapped the phone shut and threw it onto the couch.
He walked around the room one more time before he followed the direction the phone had gone, plopping himself dejectedly onto the couch.
He put his head in his hands, feeling stupid all over again. Almost immediately after Chloe had left, he'd come to his senses and realized what he'd done.
If only he could blame it all on his father… but he knew better than that. His outburst was his fault and his fault only. He was the one who had lost his temper with his new, young girlfriend. Not Lionel.
His only excuse was that the meeting had made him so angry and frustrated. And then his father had, of course, made it worse with his words of 'encouragement.' In the end, he'd taken it out on her, and that was unacceptable.
Lex vowed, then and there, not to ever allow that to happen again.
He recognized and regretted every word he'd said to her. Chloe wasn't a distraction. She was, quite possibly, his salvation. He could see the joys of life when she was around.
Chloe was very welcome in his life; he only hoped that she'd still be in it when he had a chance to apologize profusely.
Now, all he had to do was find her so he could tell her just how sorry he was.
"No way? You and Lex Luthor?" Lois choked out around her cappuccino.
Chloe stirred at her coffee, giving her cousin, Lois Lane, a derisive look. "Geez, Lois, don't sound too surprised… Anyways, not anymore."
"Why not?"
Chloe looked around the busy coffee shop Lois had suggested visiting. It was full of people her age, or more likely, Lois's age. College students, that is. She didn't answer right away, so Lois continued.
"You two have gotten pretty close, as far as I can tell from what you've told me… He seems to care about you a lot," Lois reasoned.
When Chloe had arrived at her cousin's dorm room, Lois had quickly ushered her to the nearby shop, and Chloe had proceeded to tell her everything that had occurred between her and Lex.
"Hello? Did you miss the part where he blamed it all on me?" Chloe asked incredulously.
"Come on, Chlo. Give the guy a break. He just lost millions of dollars. Granted, he can stand to lose a few… But, I'd be pissed off too, if I were him," Lois stated logically.
She frowned at her older cousin. Since when had she become the reasonable one? She'd been counting on Lois to share in her indignation at Lex's affront of her. Instead of adding fuel to Chloe's fire, Lois was drenching it in water.
"Yeah… still, he shouldn't be mad at me. He was the one who offered me the ride and I sure as hell didn't lose him the money. I didn't do anything," Chloe argued stubbornly.
"You're right, he shouldn't have said the things he said," the dark haired girl agreed. Lois narrowed her eyes at her cousin then. "But… don't you think you should go back and at least let him explain and apologize…"
She crossed her arms over her chest, taking on a haughty air. "I don't want to. He should come find me, crawling on his hands and knees, to beg for my forgiveness… Maybe even kiss my feet, too."
Lois laughed. "Remind me never to get on your bad side…" She stood up, grabbing her bag. "Come on, Chloe. I'll give you a ride. You can make him kiss your feet when we get there."
Chloe blew out a breath. "Fine," she said, grudgingly.
"That was easy," Lois said happily. She'd been ready for more resistance.
"Well… I've got to go back sooner or later," she paused. "All my stuff is there."
Lex listened at his phone. His assistant had phoned him with five minutes to spare in his hour ultimatum.
"Last we heard," he was saying. "She was seen at the Metropolis University with a Lois Lane, her cousin, we believe."
"Last you heard? That's not good enough," he bellowed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor. We'll keep looking," the man replied, voice wavering.
Lex hung up the phone without another word. He slipped the phone into his jacket pocket. He was ready to go out and search for her himself. Met U was his best lead.
"Are you sure you want to go up by yourself?" Lois asked from the driver's seat of her SUV.
Chloe looked up at the building they were parked illegally in front of. "Yeah, I think I should talk to him alone," Chloe replied pensively.
"I can wait out here for you," Lois suggested.
She shook her head. For one, she didn't want her cousin getting a ticket on her account. For another, she secretly hoped she and Lex could work it all out. She really did care for him.
"Don't worry. If I need you I've got your number," Chloe assured.
"All right. Either way, call me and let me know how it goes, ok?"
"Sure," she said, reaching across to give her a hug. "I'll see you later."
She stepped out of the car and ran up the few stairs to the building's door. The doorman standing there instantly recognized her and let her in, no question. Up the elevator she went, she reached the top a few minutes later, feeling increasingly antsy.
Just as she stepped out of the elevator, Chloe saw a distinctly familiar bald headed man coming her way, head down as he walked.
"Lex!" she exclaimed eagerly.
She watched him lift his head abruptly; he took three quick steps towards her. She caught the look of relief in his eyes before she found herself crushed in his embrace.
"Oh God, Chloe, I was so worried," he murmured into her hair. "Where'd you go? Are all right? I'm so sorry. What can I do to—"
"Lex!" she croaked out, cutting him off. "Can't breathe… need to breathe…"
He held her a bit too tightly. She wouldn't have minded, though, if she could breathe.
Lex pulled back slightly, loosening his grip. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.
She pulled away from him, taking his hand. "Come on. Let's go inside."
They entered the living room and Chloe stood there, arms crossed over her chest, this time protectively. She waited for an explanation.
"Where'd you go? I was so worried about you. How'd you get—" He started in again with his rapid-fire questions.
"Lex…" she warned.
He gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, Chloe… Absolutely none of what happened during my meeting was your fault."
She continued to wait expectantly; she wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. "And…" she prompted.
"And… you're not a distraction. Well, you are, but one I wholeheartedly want and need," he continued with a small smile. "I was frustrated and furious with my dad for rubbing it all in… And I just snapped I guess. I took it out on the first person I saw. I know it's no excuse, but I really am sorry."
She let out a sigh, dropping her arms to her sides. Chloe didn't have firsthand experience with the man, but she had heard how infuriating Lex's father could be. So she could understand his frustration. "I understand."
"So, you can forgive me?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes," she told him. "Just… the next time you're in a bad mood, talk to me and maybe I can help you fix things or just make you feel better. Ok?"
He stepped towards her, closing the distance. She didn't back away, allowing him to take her hands in his. "Ok," he assured. Tentatively, like he was afraid she'd disappear, Lex reached a hand out to touch her cheek, caressing her skin lightly. Chloe leaned into the small contact, craving his touch. Taking that as encouragement, he kissed her, a long lingering kiss that told her just how much he cared for her.
When they pulled apart, Chloe leaned her forehead against his chest, attempting to catch her breath.
"So," Lex said, sounding pretty breathless himself. "I'm going to assume you're still my girlfriend?"
Chloe answered him with another kiss.
Original A/N: That's it for this chapter. This story is almost coming to a close, a few more chapters to go. Sorry if it has any mistakes, typed it up at 1:30am, so…
Not to confuse anyone, this is my way of Lois entering Smallville. She hasn't appeared in it yet. And this story takes place around Season 2 or 3.
Thanks for the reviews! And please keep the comments coming.
