Pairing: Chlex friendship
Spoilers: None that I could think of..
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, though to have Lex on eternal loan would be truly appreciated.
Summary: Simplicity is the key. This is the answer to Impress' The Art of Simplicity.

Have Chloe introduce Lex to a simple pleasure in life. It has to be something he has never done before...like walking barefoot in the grass or having a popsicle.

A/N: Always love the feedback! Ü

Next Saturday

Even before stepping into the helicopter that was waiting for him at the top of the Luthorcorp building, Lex could already feel the beginnings of a massive tension headache.

'Why do I do this to myself?' he wondered, pinching the bridge of his nose while taking deep breaths. 'Why do I always go to these masochistic meetings with Dad?'

He simply sighed, leaned his head back and tried to ignore the bright, sunny day that he felt was insulting to his misery.

No meteor freaks this week. No emotional torture from Clark. No incessant whining from Lana.

It was a Saturday morning and Chloe Sullivan is bored to death.

"Lana's working, Clark's doing chores, Pete's too far away, and that day," Chloe looked outside longingly, "is just begging to be enjoyed. There MUST be something to do today!"

Suddenly, her face lit up as the proverbial light bulb clicked in her head.

"Hmmm…Now all I is an old tire and very long rope. I only wish Lex won't mind." thought Chloe as she grabbed her keys and shrugged on her jacket.

Lex burst into his study, eyes training in on his target. In less than six strides, he had flung his briefcase onto the sofa, took off his coat, tossed it to a chair, got to his mini-bar and began opening a bottle of scotch.

"God, I need a drink." he muttered as the pounding in his right temple took on a faster and more erratic tempo. As he was about to take a drink from the bottle itself, he heard a knock.

"Mr. Luthor…"came the muffled voice of one of his security personnel.

"GO. AWAY! Didn't Enrique tell you not to bother me right now!" bellowed Lex after setting down the bottle, his hand gripping the neck but still haven't drunk from it. 'That man would be fired as soon as this headache stops.' Lex opened the three top buttons on his shirt and roughly massaged his right temple, but still couldn't get rid of the pain.

"See? I told you. He doesn't even want some company right now. So if you could just ease up on that grip…" a female voice piped up.

Lex's ears suddenly perked up. Only one woman would have the guts to stand up against his security. He quickly strode across the room and yanked open the study's door.

"Chloe…I mean…Ms. Sullivan." Lex amended, interpreting the shocked look on her face as one of annoyance rather than surprise.

"Oh hey, Lex! I was just leaving since you obviously don't want anyone around…," said Chloe, struggling to get free from the vise-like grip on her upper arm.

"She was caught trespassing near the lake, sir. Michaels and I have confiscated the tire and rope in her possession." interjected the guard.

"A tire and some rope. What the hell!" frustration clearly taking over Lex's voice.

"If you'd hand them back, I'll show you what I'm up to." Chloe bargained, looking straight in Lex's eyes.

Lex paused for a moment and returned the glare. "Give the items back, and then show me where you found her." he ordered, not breaking his stare.

"Yes sir." the guard replied and walked off in the direction of the kitchen.

When the guard was out of earshot, Lex crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the doorframe. "What are you really up to, Chloe?"

"You just can never wait, can't you?" said Chloe, raising an eyebrow and mirroring his stance.

Before he could reply, the guard returned with the tire and rope. "This way, sir." the guard beckoned.

"After you, Chloe."

And the three of them went out the kitchen door and followed the trail to the lake.

When the guard finished setting up, Lex could only stare at it and purse his lips in irritation.

"What the hell is that?" Deadpan. Chloe stuck her hands in her pockets and shifted on her feet, thinking of the safest way to answer his question.

"Well, Lex, it's a swing…" said Chloe quietly, trying to read Lex's features from the corner of her eye.

No response other than crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. She took that as a sign to continue.

"You sit in it, like this…" Chloe headed to the improvised swing, thread her legs through the hole and sat down. "Then you get someone to push you, or you get your own momentum." Chloe set her legs on the ground, now with the tire circling her waist, walked back a bit till she was on her tiptoes, grabbed the rope from which the tire was hung on a tree branch, and quickly jumped to sit as she forced the tire to swing forward.

Chloe looked back at Lex and flashed him her trademark smile. 'Lex may be a grump about this, but I came here to have my fun and I'm not gonna let him ruin it' she thought.

"Cute." A smirk breaking through his cool façade. "Leave us", he addressed his guard. With a nod, the guard walked back towards the mansion.

"So why here, Ms. Sullivan? Surely there are other trees from which you could set this up. And why aren't you with Clark?" he paused for a beat, "…or Lana?" he added, narrowing his eyes.

"Well…"Chloe still hasn't stopped swinging, bending and stretching her legs with each swing so as to not lose her momentum. "…first, you have the sturdiest trees that also offer a lot of shade. Second, my world doesn't revolve around Clark. And third, I already live with Lana. Surely I could use a break from her."

"Riiiight" drawled Lex, nodding his head.

"Whatever, Luthor. I'm enjoying this day and no mood of yours is going to darken it" said Chloe smugly. She bent her knees more as she swung back, and stretched her legs more forcefully as she swung higher, her hair flying wildly.

"Woohooooo! C'mon Lex, dontcha wanna try?" Chloe changed her position and was now standing on the inner rim of the tire, still swinging.

"Ah, nah. Never mind, this is too childish for your taste anyway, right?", said Chloe, clearly taunting him as she again changed her position on the tire and was now sitting on its outer rim.

Lex hasn't said a word all this time, his eyes just following the pendulum-like motion. After a few more swings, he ambled over to the front and grabbed the tire by the inner rim with both hands as it swung towards him.

He glowered at her, gnashing his teeth, deliberating whether he should take up the challenge or not.

'Oh, shit. I pushed him too far. I am so gonna get it now. Oh, well. Bring on the guards.' Chloe squeezed her eyes close and waited for the rough hands that would pull her down and haul her ass out.

Yet there were no pulling, no shouting, heck, the tire wasn't even moving. Chloe opened one eye and looked down at Lex, only to find him genuinely smiling. Finally breaking the silence, he said

"My turn."

Chloe let her grin go up another megawatt notch as she jumped down from the hanging tire. She placed herself where Lex had once silently stood, and assumed his cool stance with a raised eyebrow as Lex thread his legs thru the hole and settled himself down.

Lex lightly placed his hands on the outer rim and waited, looking ahead at the lake. After a few seconds, he glanced at Chloe with a pointed and said impatiently, "Well?"

"Well what?" Chloe asked, crossing her arms tighter.

"A little help here?" Lex motioned towards his back.

"The magic word 'please'?" prompted Chloe.

"Um…" Lex looked puzzled. "A little help…NOW!"

"Luthor…" said Chloe exasperatedly, dropping her crossed arms and placing her hands on her hips instead.

"Sullivan…" he countered, matching her tone.

"Ugh. You're impossible!" she huffed, marching to stand behind Lex and pulling back the tire. She noticed that his whole body suddenly went rigid.

"You know, Lex, this branch could probably support 2 more swings with your weight on them," she chuckled. He didn't seem to hear her, but responded by tightening his hold on the outer rim instead.

"Relax, Lex. Trust me?" she whispered.

And with that Lex visibly loosened up. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and pulled back a bit further. And taking Lex's slight nod as her cue, Chloe released the tire. She then scrambled to sit down amid the tree's roots and leaned back on its trunk.

Lex seemed to have picked up Chloe's technique so well, bending and stretching his legs with each swing that he got higher and higher in no time. But as he swung higher, the rigidity of his posture returned and his jaw seemed to have set once again.

Chloe, sensing the change, piped up, "Geez, Lex, relax!" her eyes following his progress. "And, yes, it's perfectly normal to grin like an idiot!" she added cheekily.

"I refuse to grin like an idiot!" he replied through clenched teeth. Lex glowered at her, yet did nothing to stop swinging.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one swinging like his life depended on it" she retorted. "And besides, it's my turn anyway."

"Uh-uh" he shook his head no.

"Excuse me?" she said incredulously, narrowing her eyes.

"My branch, my tree, my swing," a smirk graced his features.

"This isn't preschool, you big bully!" Chloe stood up and dusted her jeans.

Seeing that Lex has chosen to ignore her, Chloe whined, "C'mon Lex! My turn!" stomping her feet for good measure. 'God, I sound like Lana', she berated herself.

"Now who's sounding like a preschooler?" he sneered and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing at the sight of a sulky Chloe.

"The magic word 'please'?" he prompted and turned his head again to stare at the lake.

"My turn, NOW!" Chloe roared, then immediately pursed her lips to refrain from giggling at her use of Lex's earlier reply.

"Uh-uh" he refused again. He whirled his head around to laugh in her face like the school bully in The Simpsons, "Ha-ha!"

"You…!" Chloe quickly shrugged off her jacket and stood in front of him. After taking a deep breath, she muttered, "You asked for this, Luthor."

And as Lex swung forward, Chloe snatched the rope and pulled herself up to sit on the outer rim…and Lex's hands.

"Ow!"

"Hah!"

"Get. Off, Chloe!"

"Nevah! My swing!"

"Chloeeeeeee!"

"Not hearing youuuuuuu!"

"Sullivan", Lex growled.

Chloe looked down. "Luthor", she said blankly.

"Sullivan…" Lex's voice turned serious.

"Alright, alright" Chloe surrendered. "Just drag your feet on the grass this time so we could stop swinging."

Lex did as she instructed and they quickly swung to a stop. Chloe climbed down and Lex pulled out of the hole.

"Let's sit here for a while."

Lex lowered his head and found Chloe patting the grass next to her. He hesitated, glanced back at the direction of the mansion, and then shifted his gaze to the swing. He shrugged and sat down next to her. They both pulled their knees to their chests and rested their arms on the bent knees. They sat like this for a few minutes, each tried to catch his own breath.

It was Chloe who broke the silence.

"Lex…um…not meaning to pry, but, what were you so pissed about back there?" she inquired, her head tilted towards the mansion.

Lex groaned and covered his face with his hands. 'Nothing ever gets past this woman.' Lex peeked from between his fingers and sighed to himself, "Might as well…"

"Another masochistic meeting with my father in Metropolis" he answered, now staring at the swing. "I developed a tension headache even before we landed here. And I was about to drink my scotch when you arrived."

Chloe looked at him blankly for a few seconds then whacked him on the head with her jacket and caught him off guard.

"What the hell!"

Chloe whacked him again. "Haven't you learned anything?" And again. "At all!" And still another hit. Lex feebly defended himself, still shocked at her questions.

"You ended up in Belle Reve, got your brains fried, and lost 7 weeks worth of memories! Catch a clue, Lex!" Even Chloe can't believe how hysterical she had become.

"I'm perfectly aware of that incident, Ms. Sullivan." He had reverted back to his cold demeanor.

"Don't give me that 'Ms. Sullivan' crap, Lex", she emphasized his preferred appellation. "You manufacture enough of the stuff!" She put on her jacket grudgingly.

"And I can get my daily dose from Clark, thankyouverymuch" she added quietly.

"Why do you care?" he grumbled more to himself than to her.

Chloe suddenly froze, as if someone slipped an ice cube down her spine.

"Because I just do, Lex. Since when was it a crime to care for someone, even though they're only a friend of a friend?" she answered stiffly.

"Why do I bother?" she shook her head as she stood up and dusted her jeans. She strode over to the swing, took out her Swiss knife, found the biggest blade, and had barely raised her hand to begin slicing through the thick rope when it was jerked back.

Unknown to Chloe, Lex followed her movements after she stood up. His eyes widened as the blade caught a ray of sunlight, so he rushed over and snatched Chloe's wrist. "Wait! What are you doing now!"

"Preserving my pride, whaddya think!" she spat out, not wanting to look at him.

"Chloe, I'm sorry." Still not looking at him. "Don't cut it down." Lex touched her chin with his thumb and index finger, guided it to the right so that they'd be face to face.

"Don't cut me off." Lex blinked and felt himself flinch at his own words. Did he just say that?

Chloe didn't seem to notice it, but she looked Lex straight in the eye and said, "Then stop drinking, Lex. Please. There are other ways to relieve those tension headaches."

"What tension headaches?" Lex reflexively brought his right hand up and patted his temple.

"Exactly", she replied. "Fresh air and a natural high."

"Wow."

"So...", Chloe tucked her Swiss knife back into her pocket. "Next Saturday?" she looked up expectantly.

"Definitely next Saturday", he grinned. 'Note to self: Get Enrique to set up another swing.'

Chloe returned the gesture, waved goodbye, and headed back to the mansion. She smiled wistfully and resisted the urge to turn around when she heard a series of whoops and hollers that came from the direction of the lake.

She just discovered an alternative stress reliever for Lex Luthor.

Simplicity was the key.

End