Title: Your Secret Side – Chapter Three
Author: winterfirestorm
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Pilot (if you can even call it a spoiler)
Keywords: Chlex, fluff, love letters, Chloe POV
Category: Angst/Romance
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but someone a lot richer. Sue them instead.
Author's Notes – And onto chapter three. Please review!
It was Saturday morning, and I was walking up to the Kent's house. I was here to talk to Mrs. Kent. I needed advice, and she was the one I would be asking for it.
"Hi, Mrs. Kent." I said walking into the Kent's kitchen.
"Hi Chloe, how are you?"
"I'm okay, I guess, but I was wondering if I could talk to you, if you aren't to busy…"
"Of course. What's wrong?"
"Did Clark tell you that I had received...love letters...?"
"He mentioned it, but nothing more than that."
"That's because I haven't really talked about it much to Clark or Pete, and my Dad doesn't even know about them yet. What I really need is another female to talk about it to."
"Sure. Sit down if you like. What's troubling you?"
I sat at their kitchen table and explained that not knowing who it was really was tearing me up, and that I thought I knew who was sending them.
"Who?"
"It sounds stupid in my head; it'll probably sound worse out loud."
"Why don't you try me?"
"It's someone you certainly won't suspect."
"Do I know them?"
"Yeah. Um, could you do me favour?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"I don't want to put you on the spot or anything, but if it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, could you read the letters I received? I want to know what you make of them before I jump to any conclusions of who sent them."
She nodded, and I passed her the two letters I had received. The letter I had just answered hadn't received a reply yet.
Mrs. Kent passed them back to me and sat for a moment. I didn't say anything. After a moment she answered.
"Well, they don't sound like something a teenager would write. There is one person who springs to mind, but he just doesn't seem like the type to send out love letters."
"Who?"
"He probably just came to mind because he left just before you came. Not that you're not good enough. I actually wonder if he's good enough for you..."
"Who?" I asked again.
"Well, I think it could be – and this is only a guess – but Lex Luthor."
I refrained from jumping up at yelling "Yes!" Someone else thought what I thought, and they weren't a teenager who was love struck!
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it says you going out would raise issues, and if you and Lex were to, well it would because he has a...reputation. And he would probably know about your unrequited feelings. He knows most things about the people around him."
"I thought it might have been Lex as well, but I thought it might've just been wishful thinking."
"I don't really know what to tell you..."
"Well, all the letters I've sent back were replied to within the day. I put one there yesterday morning. It was taken, but there hasn't been a reply yet..."
"Oh!"
"What?"
"Lex left on an urgent business trip to Metropolis this morning. That's why he came around, to tell Clark that he was going. That's another reason why he could be your secret admirer."
"Yeah...I just had an idea. Thanks, Mrs. Kent, you really helped."
"You're welcome. Come and tell me if anything turns out of all this."
"Sure."
I left, and headed towards the Luthor mansion. I needed to get in there, and have a look around.
"Hi, I'm sorry to disturb you but I was here last night and I think I left my purse behind. Could come in and get it?" I asked the housekeeper through the intercom at the gate.
"I don't remember you being here yesterday..."
"Well I came over late and left early, so no one but Lex saw me." I said, trying to sound as insinuating as possible.
"Do you remember where you left it?"
"Not really, but I was only in a couple of rooms. Could I just try and look for it?"
"Fine. But be as quick as you can please. Mr. Luthor doesn't allow visitors while he isn't at home."
"Thankyou."
This was even better than what I had hoped for. The housekeeper let me in, and I walked up the stairs and towards the library. I went in, and waited a moment until I thought she wasn't looking any more. I poked my head out around the door and looked out. She was walking off. Quietly I crept down the hall, heading towards his office.
After looking through all the drawers I decided that the letters weren't in here. Checking out the door before I left, I walked silently down the hall to a room that had its door shut. I opened it slowly, trying to make sure it didn't creak. Of course it didn't. All the doors in this place where probably oiled until they flew open with a single touch.
I saw my cheeks go red in the mirror on one of the walls. It was Lex's bedroom. I certainly hadn't deliberately tried to find my way here. Honest.
I glanced around, thinking of where to look. I headed towards a tall set of drawers. Opening the one at the top, I saw that it contained nothing but extremely well organised socks. Opening the next, I averted my eyes, hoping not to see more than I had to. Just my luck that I had opened his underwear drawer. Glancing down I saw the corner of something white peeking out from underneath a pair of boxer shorts. Oh well, at least I knew what to buy him next Christmas – not that I could afford the type he would wear anyway. Using two fingers I grabbed the piece of paper, managing not to touch anything other than it. I was quite proud.
Unfolding the piece of paper, I knew what it was before I read it.
Looking back at me was my own handwriting. I carefully put them back, and closed the drawer. That was when I saw the doorknob turning.
"Crap." I cursed under my breath. I took a fleeting glance of the room. Running across the room, I got into the cupboard. Not exactly original, but there was no where else to go.
I held my breath and peeked through the gap in the door. A person came into view. I would've gasped if I hadn't been trying to be as silent as possible.
It was Lex. He was standing where I had been seconds ago, removing the letters from his drawer. I couldn't stand it anymore; I had to ask him for the truth. Taking a deep breath I opened the door and stepped forward. He spun his head around so fast I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash.
"Chloe," he said, "What are you doing here?"
He regained his composure extremely quickly, I will give him that.
"Um..." I hadn't thought about what I was actually going to say to him, "I wanted to ask you a question..."
"So you hid in my cupboard? If it wasn't for what Clark had said to me, I would've been in Metropolis by now, so you would've been waiting a while."
"Well, that wasn't exactly my first objective, but it is now. Why are you back anyway?"
"Actually I needed to see you…Would you like to talk about all this in another room of the house?"
"Yeah, that'd be better." I said with relief.
He led me silently down the hall, and into his office. He sat down behind the desk, motioning to me to take a seat. I did.
"So what did you come here for?"
"To...uh, look around."
"You could've done that while I was here you know."
"I was looking for something in particular actually."
"And what that be?"
"The letters you have in your hand. Did you send them to me, or are you holding them for someone else?"
Lex turned slightly pink, though it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Maybe I imagined it. I guess there really is a first time for everything.
"You really do get straight to the point, don't you?"
"Of course."
"It was me."
"Oh my God."
"Maybe we should forget it, pretend it never happened?"
"Why? Do you regret sending them to me?"
"No, but as I've said the opposition to us even sitting here having this conversation would be extraordinary."
"I can't believe it."
"Believe what?"
"About you being 'Anonymous'."
Lex was silent, so I continued. "Why are you back here anyway? Mrs. Kent said that you were going to Metropolis."
"I was going to go, but something Clark said to me stopped me half way there."
"What did he say that was so life changing?"
"I asked him how he knew Lana was the one he wanted to be with so badly. He told me he just knew."
"That's all?"
"Then he said when you find the right person you feel as if you would do anything to be able to be with them, even if you don't tell them."
"But why did you come back?"
"Because I decided that if I had made the right choice to send you those letters then I should be able to tell you who I was, without worrying about what people would be saying when they found out."
I just sat there for a moment, stunned into silence. He was acting just like the rest of us with, a side of us that we kept secret. The Lex Luthor I knew just didn't say things like that. The Lex Luthor I knew guarded his feelings with an electric fence, guard dogs and armed guards, and you knew if you tried to find out what he was really feeling there was an extremely high chance of you not coming out of it alive. I told him just that.
"To most people that would be true. Since Clark saved my life that day on the bridge though, I've been learning how to trust people. Only those people I trust see this side of me but I think you should definitely be one of the people who have."
"Thanks, I think."
"It's Clark you should be thanking."
"Does he...know you sent them to me?"
"He's the first one I consulted about it. I was thinking about just telling you. He came up with the idea of the letters, so I would know how you felt about it. I asked him if he could just drop some no so subtle hints about the matter, but he said you were quite sheltered about that sort of thing."
"I am a little. If he'd asked me about just someone on the street I would say whether I liked the look of them or not, but when it comes to someone we both know, I would've denied it all."
"That's what he thought, so I came back here and wrote you the letter."
"So that's why the famous Lex did an extremely teenager like thing – because he got advice from a teenager."
"Exactly."
"So...what do we do now?"
"Would you like to go to the Talon with me now, so we can talk? I'll organise a proper first date later?"
"I'd love to."
Lex got up and headed towards the door. I followed. I was excited, and not just because of the date, but because of our future. We were both tenacious people. No matter what we did together maybe we could change part of this world. Starting here.