A/N: Sorry for the wait. Finals are really starting to get to me. But just two more days then I'll be able to finish the story. I'm only planning about one or two more chapters, maybe three.

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Disclaimer: Still not mine. But its fun to imagine what I'd do if it were. : )

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The Truth Always Comes Out

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A soft knock at the door broke Chloe away from her packing. She stiffened, hoping that it wasn't Lex. Obviously she was planning to say goodbye to him, but she needed time to prepare herself for it. It was so like him to show up and throw all of her plans into a tailspin.

She slowly walked towards the door with her cane. It still hurt like hell to walk, but she refused to leave that house in her chair. She may have had a broken heart, but she still had her dignity.

Opening the door, Chloe was surprised to see not Lex but his butler Enrique. "Miss Sullivan, Mr. Luthor has requested you have breakfast with him on the terrace."

Typical. He was planning a big show to let her down gently. Of all the nerve.

"Tell Mr. Luthor that I'll be down shortly, but I won't be able to have breakfast with him. I have other plans." Chloe said carefully so as not to betray the emotion that was threatening to come out. There was no reason to let Enrique know what was going on.

"Very well." With that he left her and Chloe walked over to the mirror above her dresser. Se studied her appearance carefully. The lack of sleep and swell of tears left her eyes bloodshot and puffy with huge bags and dark circles underneath. They stood out prominently in her face that was now pale and drawn with exhaustion. 'It's a wonder Enrique didn't die of fright when he saw me.' She pulled a bottle of Visine from her makeup bag and squeezed a few drops into each eye. While she waited for them to take effect, she applied concealer and blush to her face so she looked more like normal self.

Next she studied her outfit. Jeans and a bright blue tee shirt. Not terribly exciting, but it would do. Her hair was another story altogether. Since her accident she hadn't felt much like bothering with it and it showed. It was hanging limply around her shoulders since it had been a while since she'd had it cut or even trimmed. Thinking quickly she plugged in her hot rollers. Maybe if her hair was curled it wouldn't look so lifeless. While the rollers cooled she put on some pale pink gloss. She brushed out the spirals that were now falling around her face. She pulled the sides back and decided it was as good as it was going to get.

Squaring her shoulders she headed down to face the music.

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Lex continued pacing around the terrace. He glanced at his watch. Twenty minutes. What could she possibly be doing up there? Probably planning an escape. And exactly what were the plans that she mentioned to Enrique? Clark? Lois? Gabe? It was driving him crazy.

A slight tapping noise caught his attention. He turned and saw Chloe heading towards him with an irritated look on her face. The tapping was the sound of her cane hitting the floor. Lex's heart broke at the sight of this strong, vibrant girl in such a state. He also knew how much walking hurt her. But he knew that Chloe was doing this for him, so he wouldn't see her in her chair when he rejected her.

But that wasn't in his plans.

"Exactly how many terraces do you have in this place? I've been to four so far." Chloe snapped when she reached him. Lex felt himself grin involuntarily at the tone in her voice. It reminded him of the Chloe he had known for so long.

"Lex gestured toward the table and Chloe reluctantly walked over. He rushed over and pulled out her chair for her. Chloe hesitated before sitting down. She wished he wouldn't be so nice, it was making this even harder. She began twisting her napkin in her hand as the silence settled over them.

Lex stared at her as she fidgeted in her chair. It was so unlike her, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Her hair was curled, he had rarely seen it that way. It made her look…younger. More innocent than she was. More than she had been before him and his father. Her eyes didn't look quite right. They didn't have their usual sparkle. But that was nothing new. The traces of tears were still evident and he felt a tight clutching in his chest.

He started to speak but Chloe held up her hand to stop him. "Lex let me say this first. I'm sorry. I had no right to say what I said. You were trying to be a friend to me and I made you uncomfortable. I've always known that you don't return my feelings and never will. I've accepted it. Yeah it hurts, but I'll get over it. For now I'd just like to go back to being friends." By the time she had finished a few tears were had managed to slip down her cheeks. She turned her head away in an attempt to keep Lex from seeing them.

Lex felt as if the world were shattering around him as the tears leaked out of her eyes. Without thinking he got up out of his chair across the table from her and sat down in the one beside her. He reached his hand up and wiped the tears from the cheek that was still visible to him. She sucked in a breath.

"Lex please don't." she whispered.

"Chloe, I have to say this." he put his hand under her chin and turned her face to his. He wiped away the tears from the other side as he looked into the green eyes that he knew so well. "You told me something yesterday that you've obviously wanted to say for a long time." Chloe cat her eyes down so she wouldn't have to look at him any longer. "I wish you had told me sooner. It would have made me see what an idiot I've been."

Chloe's eyes snapped back up to his. She couldn't possibly have heard that.

"Last summer I realized something that nearly knocked me off my feet. You were important to me. More so than I had planned on. That made you a target. Why do you think my father arranged to have the safe house blown up? Because I betrayed him. And poisoning me wasn't enough. He knew I would survive. But he knew that the thought that you had died because of me would cause me a pain far greater than any that could come from the poison. If he merely wanted you dead he would have been more subtle. The explosion was a message for me. He figured out what you meant to me before I did. So I decided that we'd both suffered enough and let myself have the closeness that summer. We both needed it. But I knew from the start that once the trial was over, it would end. My father still had the power to destroy lives from behind bars. If he thought that I'd been using you to get my way and then discarded you, he might leave you alone. And he did. He was having me watched. And I couldn't risk your life again. You mean too much to me."

Chloe sat in disbelief as Lex explained his distance to her. Suddenly she felt a rage bubble up inside of her.

She stood up and glared down at him. "You expect me to believe that? Lex you've never lied to me, why start now? You've been avoiding me because you got what you wanted from me and now you've moved on to Lana. Just like Clark, just like everyone."

Lex couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Lana?" he asked. "You think I'm interested in Lana? You can't be serious."

"Lex, I'm a lot of things But I'm not stupid. I've seen the mooney cow eyes you've been making at her all year. You hang on her every word just like everyone else in this town. I should have seen this coming. Everyone in my life eventually turns to Lana. Don't try and insult my intelligence by making up some story about wanting to protect me."

Lex stood to face her. He was starting to get angry as well. "I've been using Lana to get what I need. Information and the crystals. And you should know better than anyone how everyone dotes on Lana. I knew if I wanted to get anywhere with her I'd need to act the same. She's so used to having every guy under her thumb she would be too suspicious if I didn't act the same way."

Chloe snorted. "Pretty right on about Lana, but it doesn't fly Lex. When you had that accident and split in two, your evil side tried to kill me. And Lana? He wanted her to move in with him. There's a big difference there."

"Listen to what you just said Chloe. My evil side. My good side wanted your help. And do you know why. Because you know the best and the worst in me. You know my secrets better than anyone. That's why the evil side of me wanted you dead when you caught on to what happened. You were dangerous. Lana? She was just a girl I happened to have power over. A warm body, nothing more."

Chloe wavered a bit. She wanted to believe him so bad she felt like she could reach out and grab it. Lex could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to process what he'd said. But would she believe it?

Lex suddenly reached down and took hold of her hand. It was so small. She looked up into his eyes. He was suddenly struck by how tiny she actually was. She had a way of taking over a room, that her stature was never really relevant. His heart thumped at everything she had endured because of him. The pain and heartbreak had left scars on her that no one, let alone a girl her age, should have to carry.

"You don't believe me." he stated. It was written all over her face. She thought he was patronizing her. Lying to her. His own heart broke again.

"Chloe I can't make you believe me. But I've been completely honest with you. The rest is up to you."

Chloe looked over the beautifully set table. Everything perfect, just so. Like Lex. From the outside he was perfect, but on the inside…he was more damaged than she could ever know. She spotted a tiny crack on one of the crystal glasses and thought of the cracks she'd seen in Lex during the time she had known him. Those cracks had left him lacking for something that made it very possible he was lying to her. It also could make his reasons for his behavior over the last year true. But which one was it?

"Lex…are you telling me the truth? Or what you think I need to hear so I can accept the fact that you don't want me." Chloe asked slowly.

Instead of the answer Chloe had been expecting Lex put his hands on either side of her face. "Chloe, I have never lied to you. I protected you as my friend before. Now I want you as so much more. If you'll have me."

A huge sob racked Chloe's body and she collapsed against him. She cried into his cheat and he whispered soothing words into her hair. Without warning she jerked her head up and looked him straight in the eyes. "Lex, if you mean this…that's it for me. No going back."

Lex looked down at Chloe's face, streaked with tears and full of hope. How could he be anything other than completely serious. "I mean it."

Fresh tears poured down Chloe's face as she did what she'd been dreaming of for so long. She slipped her hand to the back of Lex's head and pulled his mouth down to hers. She poured all of the love and trust she had for him into that kiss and willed him to feel it all.

Lex was so shocked at first that he couldn't react. When he recovered, he responded with so much passion that Chloe's knees buckled. He slid her hand around her back to both hold her upright and pull her closer. She clutched at his shoulders so tightly as he wound his hand into her hair, he thought they might fuse together. But he didn't care. He had never felt anything like this before. Chloe was offering him exactly what he'd been looking for and he refused to let go.

Air was becoming an issue and Chloe finally had to pull away before she passed out. She leaned her forehead against Lex's chest as she gulped air into her lungs. Lex simultaneously ran his fingers through her hair and rubbed circles on her back. She slid her hands around to rub his back. She'd done it. Lex wanted her like she wanted him. It was too good to be true. Chloe only hoped that she wasn't setting herself up for the biggest fall of her life.

Lex was thinking along the same lines as Chloe. She had such faith and love for him she was willing to ignore her instincts. She thought he was lying to her, but wanted him anyway. She knew the darkness in him but she loved him just the same. He only hoped he wouldn't disappoint her.

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A/N: Well, any good? I'm paranoid about this chapter. Let me know what you think.