Title: New Game.

Author: Lucy Mars

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: see Prologue.

Summary: It was a new game now. New rules. New players and new losers.

A.N: Thanks for all the great feedback. I'm glad that people are enjoying this.

Chapter #1:

Seven Days Ago.

"How about the fish, love?"

Her face easily taking on the shade of green that reminded Louis of the endless nights of his youth and the even longer morning after's that followed, Chloe raised her hand as an objection. "Not today, I don't think so."

"Are you all right, pet? You look awful."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe immediately regretted it as she fought against the nausea that followed. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Only the ones I adore," the grinning Englishman assured her, "Seriously pixie, you look a little green around the edges. Are you not feeling well?"

Breathing deeply as she washed down the cold water that Louis handed her, Chloe offered him a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just coming down with something, I guess."

"And here, I was bloody positive you were invincible."

Laughing lightly as the warm spring air washed over them, Chloe let her eyes wander over the crowded streets of Metropolis. "Hardly,"

Following the slightly wary green of her eyes as she scanned the masses strolling along the open streets, Louis bunched his brow with concern. "What is it?"

Snapping out of whatever trance it was she'd fallen into, Chloe blushed slightly at being caught ignoring her companion. "I'm sorry, just spaced out for a second."

Unconvinced, Louis grasped Chloe's cold hand gently. "What's wrong? And don't bother lying, love. I can tell that something's off. So come now, out with it."

"You're going to think I'm being silly," Chloe protested.

"I promise I won't laugh too hard."

Chuckling despite her unease, Chloe glanced quickly at the people around them before bringing her attention back to Louis and his patient stare. "I can't seem to shake this feeling that I'm being watched."

"Of course you're being watched, love. You're the media's darling. The press are always trailing you…"

"It's not that. This just feels off somehow. I know I should feel safe, with the amount of guards you, Lex and Lionel have trailing me," Chloe sighed with a careless wave to the man stationed discreetly in their vicinity, "but I don't. Don't even try denying it, Louis. Did the three of you honestly think that I wouldn't notice the revolving door of men and women you have following me around Metropolis like the freaking men in black?"

Smiling like a little boy full of mischief and mirth, Louis sat back with an air of nonchalance. "I plead the fifth. Now tell me why you don't feel safe? Has someone approached you? Did someone try something?"

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't seem to shake."

"Have you talked to Lex about this?"

"No," Chloe laughed uneasily as she fiddled with her breadstick, "it's silly, Louis. He's so busy with the Stratford deal; I'm not going to distract him with nothing. Don't worry about it, okay? It's nothing."

Letting the subject drop, Louis tried for a safer topic. "How is your latest project coming along? It must be pretty important if you would abandon little old me to spend all day in that little red room of yours."

"Feeling a little neglected?" Chloe teased.

"How do you think I felt when you told me you would rather play with a bunch of negatives instead of attending a brilliant party thrown by yours truly?"

Sipping her soup gingerly, Chloe smiled over the rising steam. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"How?" Louis questioned suspiciously.

"You'll see,"

Narrowing his eyes at the way her green orbs danced with amusement and washed away the anxiety that plagued her earlier, Louis couldn't help the delight that spread over his own face. "What no good are you up too, pixie?"

"Patience," Chloe smiled, "Just be patient. I promise the wait will be worth it."

"Patience isn't exactly a virtue I possess, love."

Shrugging her shoulders, Chloe gazed longingly at the elaborate sandwich set in front of Louis and frowned down at her bland soup. Whatever nausea she was feeling earlier had suddenly been replaced by this insatiable craving for food, any food, and for some crazy reason, she suddenly wanted a pickle.

Recognizing the look on Chloe's face, Louis sighed dramatically as he handed her his plate and motioned for their waitress.

"Thanks," Chloe grinned as she bit into the chicken sandwich. "This is delicious,"

"I knew there was a reason I ordered it," Louis commented dryly as he sipped his wine.


***


"Chloe?"

Silence.

"Chloe?"

More silence accompanied by the muted sound of a briefcase landing on the scarlet chair that Chloe couldn't help but buy when she caught site of it in a small store on the lower east side and just knew that the two of them would fit perfectly together in it.

"Are you so preoccupied by your work that you can't spare two seconds to come out of your darkroom to say hi to your fiancé?" Lex called out playfully as he made his way to the darkroom that he'd had commissioned for Chloe so that she could work at home. Frowning when he realized the red light outside the door wasn't on Lex felt the lines crease his face even farther when he didn't see any signs of Chloe.

"Chloe?" he called out urgently now.

This time the eerie silence that Lex found himself immersed in was broken by the muffled sounds of a lunch making an untimely reappearance, much to the distress of the mistress of this very manor.

"Chloe?"

His steps rapid and clipped against the hardwood floors, Lex hastily threw their bedroom doors open and strode past the clutter that had spilt from Chloe's hands when she'd sprinted for the bathroom, to find his fiancée unceremoniously knelt over the white porcelain bowl tucked conveniently in the corner of their master bathroom.

"Jesus," Lex breathed kneeling behind Chloe as she purged the hateful contents of her heavy, and at one point delicious, lunch. This answered the question about whether or not she was still feeling sick.

"I should have stuck with the soup," Chloe whimpered miserably as Lex wrapped his arms securely around her quivering frame.

Stroking her back as she expelled what her body could not and would not hold, Lex waited until she had nothing left before gingerly carrying her over to the sink. Running the cool water, he pressed a cold towel to her clammy neck as she tried to rinse out her mouth. Pushing sweaty hair aside, Lex cupped her face gently. "How do you feel?"

"Awful," Chloe whispered leaning into his touch.

Even green around the edges and flushed and ashen all at once, she was beautiful. "If it's any consolation, you look wonderful."

Laughing lightly, Chloe let Lex lead her out of the washroom and into bed. "If you think you're getting lucky tonight mister, I'd hate to disappoint you…"

"Oh, but you never disappoint," Lex smirked adorably as he pulled her shoes off.

"Damn right," Chloe grinned, tugging Lex into bed beside her. Curling up against his firm yet yielding chest, Chloe closed her eyes and let Lex's steady heartbeat and soothing hands distract her from the rollercoaster ride currently occupying her stomach.

Pressing cool lips to her clammy forehead, Lex held his fiancée close as she struggled with the queasiness that plagued her. "Still not feeling so great?"

Sighing, Chloe burrowed deeper into Lex's chest as the low rumbling of his voice soothed away the tension of her stomach. "Is that the understatement of the year, or what?"

"It's been a week of this, Chloe."

"I know," she sighed miserably, "Trust me though, it feels like a lot longer."

His lips quirking up at the displeasure and exasperation etched across her face, Lex rubbed her back gently. "You really should go to the doctor."

"But I don't want too," Chloe moaned, cracking an eye open to look up at Lex.

Unable to contain his laughter, Lex quickly quelled it when Chloe's eyes shifted from misery to annoyance. Who would have known that the great and fearless Chloe Sullivan had a thing against doctors? A thing which translated into unadulterated fear and meant that she avoided them at all costs. "You may not want to but I think we've reached the point where you need to."

Pouting adorably, Chloe knew she had no choice but to admit defeat but that didn't mean that she was going down easily. The Sullivan stubbornness rivaled the Luthor stubbornness. "It's nothing. Just some stomach bug that's rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune times."

"How about we let the doctor decide that?"

"How about we don't and say we did?"

"Chloe," Lex sighed tangling their fingers together, "Go see Dr. Phillips, if not for you, then for me. I worry about you."

Moving so that she was straddling him now, Chloe frowned down at Lex. "Now you're just playing dirty."

"So long as it gets you to the doctor,"

A hint of a smile edging along the corner of her lips, Chloe pressed a teasing kiss on Lex's smirk. "How dirty are you willing to play to get what you want?"

His hands exploring the ivory expanse hidden beneath her ebony sweater, Lex pretended to be deep in thought as he lit fires where he willed. "Oh Miss Sullivan, you'd blush at the mere thought of what I'd be willing to do to you so that I can get what I want."

Arching painfully into his touch, Chloe exhaled a shuddered breath that Lex knew well. Her voice breathless to her own ears, Chloe gazed down at her fiancée through hooded eyes. "How about you let me decide that for myself?"

Weaving his fingers into her silken strands, Lex pulled Chloe down so that he could whisper against her lips, "With pleasure,"


TBC.