Chlexville

Season 1

Episode 3 : MR. HOTHEAD AND MS. BULLHEAD

Lex Luthor saw the flash of gold from the end of the corridor. With a newfound bounce in his stride, he walked over to the young woman who was entering his plant manager's office. He knocked rapidly on the open door to alert her of his presence.

"Oh good evening Mr. Luthor!" she greeted. He smirked and arched his eyebrow before closing the door behind him. "You're the one who wanted the drama of posing as strangers," she reminded him.

"The plant is relatively private. But I suppose Smallville is small enough that what happens here can reach the outside world," he drawled. "I gather you're here to pick up your father?"

Chloe nodded. "His car is in the shop. Why is he getting off so late?" She felt comfortable enough to ask her dad's boss such a pointed question.

"We're encountering some problems." Lex took a seat on the couch at the side of the office. He slumped down, finally able to take a more relaxed posture with only her as witness. She frowned and sat down beside him, encouraging with her eyes that he share what was bothering her. "The plant shows twenty percent lower profit than what was predicted.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and bit her lower lip, an action he was aware meant that she was thinking hard. "Have you thought about increasing the workforce? I know it's unusual but—"

Her words brought a grin to his lips. "While the rest retreat, we go full on and corner the market for when the demand rises again. Great minds think alike, Chloe."

"Well, never let it be said that I am of inferior intellect than Lex Luthor," she answered back.

"Debatable." Chloe frowned in confusion when she saw him open his briefcase. Lex drew out a copy of the recent edition of the Torch. He holds up the front cover. "You're dealing with the high school Mafia here, Chloe. The football players have a power all to themselves. They can hurt you if they want to."

"Oh they tried!" She told him about the incident earlier that morning when a jock threw the football directly at her. "Luckily, Clark caught it just before it hit my camera."

"And before it hit you!" Lex growled. "Cameras can be replaced easily. You could have been seriously hurt."

She fidgeted under his scrutinizing eyes. "I'm fine. Didn't touch a hair on my head."

"Lucky for him."

Chloe shivered at the cold fury in his voice. She knew that player, and both his parents and older brother worked at the plant. She had to be careful not to mention his name to Lex. She didn't want to be responsible for ruining the entire family's livelihood.

"Chloe, you'll have to stop this investigation and retreat."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I don't see you retreating just because you failed to reach a certain amount of money, Lex," she told him. "That's your thing. Let me do mine."

Lex let out a frustrated sigh. "You can be pretty bullheaded!"

"And Lex…" She grinned and rubbed the top of his head with her palm. "Be careful because your cool façade is slipping again. See… you've got a hot head. Ouch!"

Lex shook his head while chuckling. He was about to tell her that her father would be a while longer because of everything they had to settle when her phone rang. She seemed worried and curious at the same time, something that scared the hell out him.

"Lex!" she turned to him. "Tell my dad I need to go. I'll call him later if he still needs to be picked up." Chloe slung her bag over her shoulder and started for the door.

"Where are you going?"

She waved at him while she rattled off the words. "Spontaneous combustion. Principal Kwan's car blew up mysteriously. I'm off to investigate."

"Chloe, I just told you to be careful."

"Relax, Lex," she called out, already at the end of the corridor. "I'm just seeing if I can get any information out of Clark, once more in the scene and the savior of the night!"

About an hour later, Lex decided to call Chloe to make sure she had not encountered any dangers posed by football players. When she answered, she was breathless. "Where are you, Chloe?" he demanded over the phone.

She talked in stage whisper, and this increased his anxiety over what she was doing. "I'm gathering facts."

"Where's Clark?"

"I left him and Pete in the Beanery. I'm trailing the jockstraps to a late night meeting!"

Lex tossed down the report he was going over. "Stay right where you are. I'm going there!"

"Lex, cool down. I know what I'm doing." She gasped. "Oh wow. The sprinklers are… sprinkling these huge bursts of flames!"

"Dammit, Chloe, I'm going there now!" He frowned at the message appearing on his phone. "Shit. My father has the best timing. Chloe, I want you to—"

"Say hi to your dad for me," she said cheerfully. "Bye bye." Chloe shut down the phone and started taking pictures of the weird phenomenon.

Lex rubbed his temples with his fingers.

~~

Chloe stumbled in the darkness of her living room. She had no idea who would be ringing her doorbell at one in the morning. Her father was still in the plant attending a very late and urgent meeting with the heads of the different departments in order to get a complete employee evaluation. Apparently, Lex had caved despite what they talked about. She peered through the peephole and was amazed to see who it was on the other side.

She pulled the door open to see Lex Luthor rubbing his hands together to ward away the cold. "What are you doing here? At this hour?" she hissed. Chloe looked around anxiously for curious eyes before letting him in.

They walked to the kitchen where she started making a pot of coffee. Lex was unusually quiet. He also exuded a cold fury that terrified her. When she finished loading the coffeemaker, she sat down in front of him and waited for him to speak. It had to be really important if he was willing to break his own rules and let people see that they actually knew each other. Although one in the morning was very late in Smallville, some people could still accidentally glance out their windows and see Luthor visiting her house.

"I talked to Clark at the Beanery," he said flatly. "He told me about the fire at the Torch office." Chloe shivered at the reminder. She had really thought she wouldn't make it out, especially when the flames seemed to just burst higher when she was trying to escape. "You suspected the coach having to do something about the fires. How can you be so stubborn, Chloe?" His voice rose just a notch, and it confirmed to Chloe just how angry he was.

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "Well one of us has to!"

"What?"

Chloe stood up and poured them both a cup of coffee each. "I heard you're letting go of people, Lex," she told him wearily. "Dad was calming down a lot of people today."

Lex sighed. Chloe noticed the way he looked her over thoroughly from her head to her toes. "You're not hurt?"

"Lex," she said as she sat back down, "it's our will and determination that we admire in each other. That's why we got along. Don't fault me for mine when it's suddenly inconvenient. And don't forget yours."

He closed his hand over hers. "Just promise me you'll call next time. I don't want to lose my friend."

There was no way she could be irritated with those since, pleading eyes. She grinned and sipped her coffee.

"You're not getting off just by grinning to me, Chloe."

"Fine. I promise!"

"Good." He sipped his coffee and screwed his mouth in distaste. "For someone addicted to the stuff you are awful at making it. We really have to do something about that."

"Build a coffee house," she said teasingly.

"Ugh. One financial problem at a time!"

~~

Clark was missing and she suspected that the coach had something to do with it. Chloe talked to Mr Kent about her suspicion.

"All right. I'll check the locker room. You check the school."

Her heart was pounding as she looked for Clark, yelling his name and hearing her voice echo to her. Chloe tremulously reached for her cellphone. "In danger, call Lex," she repeated to herself like a mantra.

"Hello. May I speak with Lex Luthor?" Chloe turned around at the sound, but there was no one behind her. She gripped the phone tightly, feeling more secure knowing that she was about to get a hold of Lex.

"I'm sorry but Mr. Luthor is in a meeting with his father."

"Oh."

When she slipped the phone back in her bag, she remembered that Lex had the jobs of twenty five hundred employees on his shoulders. She shouldn't demand too much of a busy man's time. She hoped he mopped the floor with his father's butt though.

end