FALLING REDUX
Lex looked left and right. When he saw Mr. Reynolds stride out of the Torch office together with Clark, Lex immediately pressed himself against the wall. The principal vanished down the hall with the glum farmboy, giving Lex the freedom to cross to the newspaper office.
"Oh did you forget something, Mr. Reynolds?" Chloe swiveled in her chair, her legs flying as she propelled herself around. When she spotted Lex, the curiosity turned into open delight. She glanced at the door, and Lex automatically kicked it closed. She broke into a grin and ran forward, throwing her arms around his neck.
"You seem happy."
Chloe pulled his head down for a quick kiss and sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? For the first time since I handled this newspaper, I finally get some slack!"
He grinned down at her, not loosening his arms around her waist as he pressed her body against his. The last week had been a heaven of shared kisses and tender caresses. And although they never had the chance to make love again, mostly due to his irritating self-control, Lex had never felt anything remotely close to how much they had grown closer and more comfortable with each other as they had the last week. "Does it have anything to do with me?"
She met his grin with one of her own. "Not this time, no."
"Oh really?" he asked, dipping her briefly before releasing her. "Would you like to tell me the reason you're so happy? If any other guy is getting you to smile, then I should know who it is so I can size up the competition."
"Oh you never have to worry about competition, Lex." She pulled him by the hand towards the Wall of the Weird. "Look."
"I've seen the Wall before, Chloe. And really, I've accepted the fact that I can never compete with the Wall for your affections."
"Jerk," Chloe said lightly. "I mean, look at this article."
Lex frowned as he leaned to read the small letters. "One of your athletes died of progeria?" he asked. "That's odd. There were no symptoms before the day he died?" Chloe's smile disappeared, feeling shallow for her reaction. Lex immediately noticed the change in her mood. He understood her so well. Often, her judgment was clouded by her excitement over sensational stories. When someone brings the more serious matter to her attention, she becomes guilty for not thinking about it sooner. "So you're investigating it. That's good. You can find out if there's anything meteor-related about the death. No one else can. And the people need to know if they're living with dangerous rocks."
That relieved her somewhat. Chloe smiled and told him, "It's not just about my new theory. Well, yeah, it has to do with it, but. Well, do you remember the hard time Principal Kwan gave me about my apparent tabloid journalism?"
He nodded. "I only wish I was there when you needed a shoulder to cry on."
Chloe waved his words off. "Never mind the drama, Lex. I was just given the best encouragement I have ever been handed in this thankless job." She beamed brightly at him. Chloe sat on the desk. "Principal Reynolds is the best principal ever! Sure he has this closed campus policy that sucks, and he's very strict about Clark. But can you imagine how much I will accomplish with a principal who's not breathing down my neck about my theories?"
Lex smiled lopsidedly. "About that. I might be able to come and visit you here during my lunch hour anymore."
Chloe frowned. She had learned to enjoy the odd eleven to twelve o'clock meetings with Lex when they shared take-out that he brought with him because Clark and Pete's breaks were scheduled at twelve thirty. Therefore, she and Lex were able to spend the quiet hour eating together without anyone being the wiser. "The plant is going to keep you busy?"
"Not exactly. Your principal and I have a history that although I am not entirely too clear on yet, gives me the feeling that I should stay as far away from the school as I could."
Chloe frowned. "That's not fair. You have to be able to come here whenever you want."
"I thought that you were fine with Mr. Reynolds' policy? You were only moments ago declaring how much you like the guy."
"Not anymore if he's keeping my bald pirate away."
Lex grinned. "I sincerely hope that's not a fantasy I have to borrow a costume to fulfill."
"Of course not. It was an expression." Then she grinned at him. "And you won't need to borrow it, Lex. I'm sure you can buy your own."
"Tell me you're not serious."
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "As much as the thought intrigues me, I am much too new to this lifestyle to be reenacting role playing fantasies, Lex. We can talk about Mr. Reynolds' antagonism towards you some other time."
"So what did you have in mind for tonight then? We're still on right?"
"Oh yeah. You can't use the principal excuse on me to get out of our date," she told him grinning. "You so owe me one for everything I've had to put up with."
"I didn't intend to get out of anything," he assured her. "It just took a long time to put it together for security reasons. You know, reserving an entire restaurant, creating a diversionary rumor that would get the tabloid paparazzi scampering to the other side of the country to catch me with a luscious brunette, making my dad think I'm off to a business meeting..." he trailed off.
"Why, Lex, if I didn't know better I'd say you were ashamed of little old me." Lex started walking over to the door. Chloe watched with interest. "Where are you going?" she asked. The top of his shirt buttons were still undone and he had her lipstick smeared on his lips and across his jaw.
Lex pulled the door open and stood there, in plain view of anyone who happened to pass by. Fortunately, since it was study period for most of the students, nobody passed by the Torch office. Clark and Pete could pass by any minute now though. This was the period they usually took to pass their articles. Hopefully, the principal still had his eye on Clark, rendering him unable to move for fear of reprisal.
"Lex, what are you doing?" she hissed, when it became apparent that he was not going to move. Chloe jumped off the desk and ran towards him, pulling him inside the office and slamming the door shut. "You are so insane!"
"I am merely showing you that I am willing to tell the entire world about us."
"What about my reputation? You were the one harping on about my reputation being destroyed."
"If you're starting to get insecure about all the secret, I won't be too much of a prude." Lex took her arm and pulled her toward him. "And I knew there wasn't anyone there. When Mr. Reynolds was principal at Excelsior, no student loitered in the corridors. If they needed to go to the bathroom, they held it in just so they would not be required to explain to the principal why they were out of the classrooms during class hours. I took the chance that he hadn't changed."
"I could kill you," she sighed. "And I'll miss this. Oh I have an idea!"
"What is it?"
"You can woo Mr. Reynolds."
"I think that you might need some more mature clothes soon, but all in all, you're still a prettier than Mr. Reynolds so no thank you."
"Ass," she muttered with a very flattered grin. "I mean you have to get to Mr. Reynolds' good side. Oh! I read in his profile that he's very concerned with updating resources so that his students can be competitive with the best schools out there." Lex nodded. That seemed just about right. "And I'm sure he's seen the awful state of our technology here. You can donate something. My dad was talking about how LexCorp was buying an entirely new computer system for the plant. Maybe you can donate the old computers to the school. Your garbage is still the end of our rainbow."
"Chloe," he started. The day after they discussed the upgrade of their system, the old computers were hauled to different charities and handed over to minor LuthorCorp branches. When he saw how excited she was at the idea, he decided that another eight hundred thousand dollars worth of new computers would not be remiss. "I think that's a good plan. I'll propose that to the principal later."
Chloe filed away some articles into the steel cabinet. "And then everything can go back to normal and you can still visit me because you're not blacklisted anymore."
"Are you sure you can make it tonight when you've got this big investigation going, sanctioned, no matter how indirectly, by the principal?" Lex could already see the rapt absorption in her eyes as she scanned through a piece of paper regarding the progeria casualty."
Chloe blinked up at him and Lex suddenly imagined her as a middle-aged woman, with black-rimmed glasses over her eyes, still solving mysteries. He had never thought of himself as the supportive husband, but he thought that for her he would step back and wait by the sidelines. "I think I can manage it, Lex. Really."
He nodded and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you then."
Lex looked left and right. When he saw Mr. Reynolds stride out of the Torch office together with Clark, Lex immediately pressed himself against the wall. The principal vanished down the hall with the glum farmboy, giving Lex the freedom to cross to the newspaper office.
"Oh did you forget something, Mr. Reynolds?" Chloe swiveled in her chair, her legs flying as she propelled herself around. When she spotted Lex, the curiosity turned into open delight. She glanced at the door, and Lex automatically kicked it closed. She broke into a grin and ran forward, throwing her arms around his neck.
"You seem happy."
Chloe pulled his head down for a quick kiss and sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? For the first time since I handled this newspaper, I finally get some slack!"
He grinned down at her, not loosening his arms around her waist as he pressed her body against his. The last week had been a heaven of shared kisses and tender caresses. And although they never had the chance to make love again, mostly due to his irritating self-control, Lex had never felt anything remotely close to how much they had grown closer and more comfortable with each other as they had the last week. "Does it have anything to do with me?"
She met his grin with one of her own. "Not this time, no."
"Oh really?" he asked, dipping her briefly before releasing her. "Would you like to tell me the reason you're so happy? If any other guy is getting you to smile, then I should know who it is so I can size up the competition."
"Oh you never have to worry about competition, Lex." She pulled him by the hand towards the Wall of the Weird. "Look."
"I've seen the Wall before, Chloe. And really, I've accepted the fact that I can never compete with the Wall for your affections."
"Jerk," Chloe said lightly. "I mean, look at this article."
Lex frowned as he leaned to read the small letters. "One of your athletes died of progeria?" he asked. "That's odd. There were no symptoms before the day he died?" Chloe's smile disappeared, feeling shallow for her reaction. Lex immediately noticed the change in her mood. He understood her so well. Often, her judgment was clouded by her excitement over sensational stories. When someone brings the more serious matter to her attention, she becomes guilty for not thinking about it sooner. "So you're investigating it. That's good. You can find out if there's anything meteor-related about the death. No one else can. And the people need to know if they're living with dangerous rocks."
That relieved her somewhat. Chloe smiled and told him, "It's not just about my new theory. Well, yeah, it has to do with it, but. Well, do you remember the hard time Principal Kwan gave me about my apparent tabloid journalism?"
He nodded. "I only wish I was there when you needed a shoulder to cry on."
Chloe waved his words off. "Never mind the drama, Lex. I was just given the best encouragement I have ever been handed in this thankless job." She beamed brightly at him. Chloe sat on the desk. "Principal Reynolds is the best principal ever! Sure he has this closed campus policy that sucks, and he's very strict about Clark. But can you imagine how much I will accomplish with a principal who's not breathing down my neck about my theories?"
Lex smiled lopsidedly. "About that. I might be able to come and visit you here during my lunch hour anymore."
Chloe frowned. She had learned to enjoy the odd eleven to twelve o'clock meetings with Lex when they shared take-out that he brought with him because Clark and Pete's breaks were scheduled at twelve thirty. Therefore, she and Lex were able to spend the quiet hour eating together without anyone being the wiser. "The plant is going to keep you busy?"
"Not exactly. Your principal and I have a history that although I am not entirely too clear on yet, gives me the feeling that I should stay as far away from the school as I could."
Chloe frowned. "That's not fair. You have to be able to come here whenever you want."
"I thought that you were fine with Mr. Reynolds' policy? You were only moments ago declaring how much you like the guy."
"Not anymore if he's keeping my bald pirate away."
Lex grinned. "I sincerely hope that's not a fantasy I have to borrow a costume to fulfill."
"Of course not. It was an expression." Then she grinned at him. "And you won't need to borrow it, Lex. I'm sure you can buy your own."
"Tell me you're not serious."
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "As much as the thought intrigues me, I am much too new to this lifestyle to be reenacting role playing fantasies, Lex. We can talk about Mr. Reynolds' antagonism towards you some other time."
"So what did you have in mind for tonight then? We're still on right?"
"Oh yeah. You can't use the principal excuse on me to get out of our date," she told him grinning. "You so owe me one for everything I've had to put up with."
"I didn't intend to get out of anything," he assured her. "It just took a long time to put it together for security reasons. You know, reserving an entire restaurant, creating a diversionary rumor that would get the tabloid paparazzi scampering to the other side of the country to catch me with a luscious brunette, making my dad think I'm off to a business meeting..." he trailed off.
"Why, Lex, if I didn't know better I'd say you were ashamed of little old me." Lex started walking over to the door. Chloe watched with interest. "Where are you going?" she asked. The top of his shirt buttons were still undone and he had her lipstick smeared on his lips and across his jaw.
Lex pulled the door open and stood there, in plain view of anyone who happened to pass by. Fortunately, since it was study period for most of the students, nobody passed by the Torch office. Clark and Pete could pass by any minute now though. This was the period they usually took to pass their articles. Hopefully, the principal still had his eye on Clark, rendering him unable to move for fear of reprisal.
"Lex, what are you doing?" she hissed, when it became apparent that he was not going to move. Chloe jumped off the desk and ran towards him, pulling him inside the office and slamming the door shut. "You are so insane!"
"I am merely showing you that I am willing to tell the entire world about us."
"What about my reputation? You were the one harping on about my reputation being destroyed."
"If you're starting to get insecure about all the secret, I won't be too much of a prude." Lex took her arm and pulled her toward him. "And I knew there wasn't anyone there. When Mr. Reynolds was principal at Excelsior, no student loitered in the corridors. If they needed to go to the bathroom, they held it in just so they would not be required to explain to the principal why they were out of the classrooms during class hours. I took the chance that he hadn't changed."
"I could kill you," she sighed. "And I'll miss this. Oh I have an idea!"
"What is it?"
"You can woo Mr. Reynolds."
"I think that you might need some more mature clothes soon, but all in all, you're still a prettier than Mr. Reynolds so no thank you."
"Ass," she muttered with a very flattered grin. "I mean you have to get to Mr. Reynolds' good side. Oh! I read in his profile that he's very concerned with updating resources so that his students can be competitive with the best schools out there." Lex nodded. That seemed just about right. "And I'm sure he's seen the awful state of our technology here. You can donate something. My dad was talking about how LexCorp was buying an entirely new computer system for the plant. Maybe you can donate the old computers to the school. Your garbage is still the end of our rainbow."
"Chloe," he started. The day after they discussed the upgrade of their system, the old computers were hauled to different charities and handed over to minor LuthorCorp branches. When he saw how excited she was at the idea, he decided that another eight hundred thousand dollars worth of new computers would not be remiss. "I think that's a good plan. I'll propose that to the principal later."
Chloe filed away some articles into the steel cabinet. "And then everything can go back to normal and you can still visit me because you're not blacklisted anymore."
"Are you sure you can make it tonight when you've got this big investigation going, sanctioned, no matter how indirectly, by the principal?" Lex could already see the rapt absorption in her eyes as she scanned through a piece of paper regarding the progeria casualty."
Chloe blinked up at him and Lex suddenly imagined her as a middle-aged woman, with black-rimmed glasses over her eyes, still solving mysteries. He had never thought of himself as the supportive husband, but he thought that for her he would step back and wait by the sidelines. "I think I can manage it, Lex. Really."
He nodded and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you then."