WITNESS THE UNVEILING
Chloe's side burned. She was still feeling lousy and irritable, but she knew she had to go to school. There was no way that she could excuse her stab wound. If she told her father that she was going to miss classes and the Torch, her dad would get her to go to the doctor. He was still at that stage when every little hurt brought back memories of the parasite. Chloe was not going to let any doctor examine her to discover that she had that wound at her side.
She imaged herself saying, "I'm sorry, doctor. That was clumsy lil ole me, slipping the kitchen knife directly into my body."
Chloe had too much on her plate to have to face a round of sessions on suicidal teens.
It served to reason that she could be very upset when what she counted on did not happen. She expected something done right, and gave it to her best friend because she trusted him. She hauled herself out of her sick bed to lay out the Torch, only to find herself faced with a large white hole because Clark did not submit on time.
Chloe stalked around the school looking for Clark. She knew that she was pulling at her stitches, but did not mind. The important thing was to confirm that Clark really did not submit, so she could set to work on a last minute article. She was going to run a fever.
She had given up hope of ever finding him. Chloe decided to get a cup of coffee to calm her frayed nerves. When she saw him with Lana in the Talon, Chloe's temper flared. It was one thing to be in love. She was in love too. It was another thing to completely forget about your responsibilities. If she and Lex did that, Smallville would be run to the ground because of the downfall of the fertilizer plant.
"Clark, what happened to you?" she demanded, placing her bag on the counter. Of course, Clark Kent appeared dazed by how much Chloe was fuming. She shook her head. "Story deadline. Stop me when I'm getting warm."
Clark's eyes widened. "My article about the debate team. Oh, Chloe, I'm really sorry. I got caught up helping Lana. I'll give it to you first thing tomorrow morning."
"Unfortunately, I needed it tonight."
She had no time to talk to the two. Chloe had the information she needed. Chloe grabbed her bag and headed back out the Talon. She was going back to school, then typing something. anything. She had to produce an article so she wouldn't have to resort to blowing up the lunch menu.
She arrived at the school when it was almost deserted. As always, she was going to stay until the late hours for the school paper. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, urging herself not to cry. She lacked sleep and she felt awful. Now aside from the physical twinges of pain, Chloe was beside herself with regret. She yelled at her best friend. And her best friend abandoned her. He wasn't even there when she got hurt, like he had always been. At the back of her mind she knew that she couldn't blame Clark for it, but she couldn't help feeling like everything changed for the worse.
Clark was in love with Lana. She knew that. She had known it for a long time and made her peace with it. But now Clark was actually sacrificing their friend. He broke a promise to her to be with Lana Lang. Nothing knew except Chloe wasn't even sure of who she was and what was going to happen to her anymore. She wasn't first Gabe's daughter and then Clark and Pete's friend. She recognized that.
Chloe was a whole other person who was so insecure about her place in the hearts of the people she loved. Even as a child, Chloe recognized that although her father adored her beyond anything else, Gabe Sullivan was a task-oriented man focused on his work. She took a backseat. Clark and Pete were moving on with their lives, as was she. The man she loved assured her every day of his commitment to her but was proposing something that scared her, no matter how much she trusted him.
The light was on at the Torch office. Chloe opened the door and was surprised to see Lex inside. She slipped into the office and closed the door behind her.
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
Lex smiled at her from her desk. He closed his laptop and stood up. "I want you to take your blouse off," he told her smoothly, sitting at the edge of the table.
"Oh Lex. Not again!"
"You know there was a time when you wouldn't rebel at that suggestion."
Chloe walked towards him, stopping when she was standing between his knees. "I had something better to look forward to then." Even while complaining, her fingers undid the buttons of her blouse.
"It's for your benefit," Lex informed her, helping her take her arms out of the sleeves. "Don't you believe I can look at this medically? I want to see."
Chloe presented her side to him. Lex carefully removed the bandage. "That's what I'm afraid of."
He chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss. Lex inspected the wound, seeing if it's clean or if there were any signs of inspection. Chloe saw him reach for a small bag that he had brought with him. "So how was your day?" he asked, taking her attention away from his ministrations.
Chloe flinched when she felt something like cold cream being applied on the edges of the wound. "I know I opened it up," she admitted. His touch was gentle, but it still hurt. "I have been so depressed the whole day. Clark. My dad. Us."
Lex was silent while he finished dressing the wound. And then, he helped her into her blouse again. He touched her lips and nodded. "Just hold on, okay?"
Chloe nodded. "I'm holding on."
"Good." He kissed her on the lips. "It's the best that we can do right now. Just think of how much happier we'll be when this is through."
"My father will definitely get mad. You won't have a father-in-law to answer to," Chloe warned him.
Lex considered the sadness in her eyes, and decided to keep it light. "It seems only fair. I got rid of your father-in-law for you."
~~
Lex had never been more at peace with a decision his entire life. He went home with a spring in his step that had never been there before he was reunited with Chloe. He was going to the bank in Metropolis the next day and opening the Luthor vault. Lillian Luthor's wedding ring would see the light of day again, and grace another beautiful woman's finger.
The plan was hurried and brash, but Lex knew it was the most intelligent one he had ever thought of. After all, a wedding between himself and Chloe was imminent. This was only a matter of accelerating those plans. As long as his father had no idea about his plans, he and Chloe were safe. While Lionel stayed away, Lex had the assurance that he suspected nothing beyond the Helen Bryce scheme that he was fed.
Lex threw the doors open to his study. The keys were in his drawer, and he wanted to be prepared so that he could leave the minute he dropped Chloe off at the school tomorrow.
"Lex."
The voice paralyzed him, because it meant one thing. Lex looked up to see his father at the landing.
"It's been too long."
"And I thought we agreed to keep face to face contact to a minimum."
Lionel closed the book that he had been pretending to read. "For business perhaps. This is a social call." He made his way down the steps. "I've come to offer my congratulations on your engagement."
The way that Lionel had stressed the last word prickled at Lex's danger sense. He decided to play it out with Lionel, hoping that his father did not know of another level to what he was saying.
"I admit, I ummmm, well it hurt that I had to learn of your pending nuptials via the gossip pages of the Inquisitor."
Lex chuckled dryly, relieving the tension in his chest. "Come on, Dad. Since when has my personal happiness ever been of the slightest interest to you?"
Lionel headed to the bar and poured himself a drink. "So where is uhhhh ummmm."
"Helen," Lex provided.
The older man smirked and turned to his son. Lex knew right then, with Lionel's pregnant glance, that his father knew, and the plan was teetering in the balance. Lionel raised his glance to Lex. "Helen. Sure. Hmmm?"
Lex's voice held an edgy quality. He told his father, "Helen's out of town at a medical seminar. Otherwise, I suspect your visit would be putting her anger management techniques to the test."
The chuckle that Lionel let out then troubled Lex. Every grating sound seemed to whisper in Lex's ear, 'Bullshit. Bull bull bull shit, son.'
Lex saw his father looking at an article on his desk. He had made a habit of cutting out Chloe's writings and compiling them. He figured that his child would want to read some of the things that its mother had written years before. "But then, we both know you're not here to discuss my wedding plans." Lex latched at the idea. He did not need to hide Chloe. He had to put her out in the open. If Lionel saw that Lex did not seem bent in keeping her off limits, he would doubt whatever suspicion he had about Chloe.
"What is this?" Lionel read the printout. "Oh Lex. I'm surprised that you would put stock in the reportage of a high school newspaper."
Lex forced himself to carry on. "I usually don't. But I did some checking of my own, and lo and behold: It's true. What are you moving around in the middle of the night in unmarked trucks?" Put Lionel Luthor on the defensive and maybe, just maybe, he would forget how to attack.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
Lex breathed more easily. He had succeeded in veering Lionel away from the topic of his marriage. It did not bother him that his father was staring too intently at the piece of paper that had Chloe's name on it until his father swallowed another drink and said, "Give my regards to. ummm. uhhhh."
The grasping was for effect. His father was baiting him.
"Your fiancée," Lionel finished, leaving the vague title to unsettle Lex. Lionel strode out of the room.
~~
The office was a mess. The furniture have been destroyed and the computers smashed. Chloe walked around the office, picking up knick knacks that meant nothing to the property custodian but everything to the Torch. Chloe knelt to get some of the papers from the floor.
"Miss Sullivan."
She would have recognized the voice anywhere. Chloe quickly stood up and saw Lionel Luthor standing in the center of her plundered office.
"Mr. Luthor."
"Your principal told me you might be here. I hope I'm not interrupting you."
Chloe felt as if she were bring measured by the way that Lionel's eyes raked her from head to toe. "No, no. I mean. I'm-I've never entertained a billionaire before."
"I'm sure you have." He looked around at the damage while Chloe considered what he meant by the statement.
She had to believe that Lionel meant nothing. Chloe wore the cloak of the high school reporter. It was the safest character she could manage with the man. "You'll have to excuse the destruction. I was recently vandalized."
Lionel nodded sympathetically. "So I heard. By the same men who hijacked my truck, I think."
"Eric Marsh owned up to the robbery of the truck and assault. He said he didn't have anything to do with the Torch."
Suddenly, the chips felt into the right slots. Chloe looked at Lionel Luthor, and considered her presence in her office, of the reasons why he would bother to come.
"Well, it's not easy to understand the criminal mind."
In Lionel's eyes, Chloe read the warning that accompanied his sentence. It was undoubtedly a threat against her.
"I'll come to the point, Miss Sullivan. I'd like to help you rebuild. I've instructed the LuthorCorp Foundation to make a donation to your school--the funds are specifically earmarked toward rebuilding and updating the journalism department."
She felt ice form around her heart. Lionel Luthor knew. "The struggling editor in me wants to just leave it at "Thank You" but...the journalist in me has to ask "Why?"
"I'm impressed with your." A grin that knew too much. "Willingness to explore alternative ideas, options. We're after the same thing, Miss Sullivan--the truth. You know, um, journalists are the midwives of history. Perhaps, with my help, we could, uh... make history together."
Chloe took the card that Lionel handed to her. She watched Lex's father leave. Chloe took out her phone and with trembling fingers, dialed Lex's number.
"Chloe," Lex answered on the other line. He heard her gasping breathing. "Chloe, what's wrong? Is it your side? Does it hurt?"
"Lex," she said quietly, sniffling, "Lex, your father was here. Your father is following me, Lex."
"Chloe, calm down. Where are you?"
"At the Torch! And I think he had my office vandalized to have a reason to come to me, Lex. He knows."
"Calm down, Chloe. I'll be right there. Trust me. He won't ever be able to hurt you," he assured her. "Just stay put and I will be there before you can even count to ten."
Lex opened the door of the Torch office to find Chloe sitting on the floor at the center of the ruins. He sat in front of her and waited until she moved closer. Lex wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "We'll think of something else. We always do."
Chloe's side burned. She was still feeling lousy and irritable, but she knew she had to go to school. There was no way that she could excuse her stab wound. If she told her father that she was going to miss classes and the Torch, her dad would get her to go to the doctor. He was still at that stage when every little hurt brought back memories of the parasite. Chloe was not going to let any doctor examine her to discover that she had that wound at her side.
She imaged herself saying, "I'm sorry, doctor. That was clumsy lil ole me, slipping the kitchen knife directly into my body."
Chloe had too much on her plate to have to face a round of sessions on suicidal teens.
It served to reason that she could be very upset when what she counted on did not happen. She expected something done right, and gave it to her best friend because she trusted him. She hauled herself out of her sick bed to lay out the Torch, only to find herself faced with a large white hole because Clark did not submit on time.
Chloe stalked around the school looking for Clark. She knew that she was pulling at her stitches, but did not mind. The important thing was to confirm that Clark really did not submit, so she could set to work on a last minute article. She was going to run a fever.
She had given up hope of ever finding him. Chloe decided to get a cup of coffee to calm her frayed nerves. When she saw him with Lana in the Talon, Chloe's temper flared. It was one thing to be in love. She was in love too. It was another thing to completely forget about your responsibilities. If she and Lex did that, Smallville would be run to the ground because of the downfall of the fertilizer plant.
"Clark, what happened to you?" she demanded, placing her bag on the counter. Of course, Clark Kent appeared dazed by how much Chloe was fuming. She shook her head. "Story deadline. Stop me when I'm getting warm."
Clark's eyes widened. "My article about the debate team. Oh, Chloe, I'm really sorry. I got caught up helping Lana. I'll give it to you first thing tomorrow morning."
"Unfortunately, I needed it tonight."
She had no time to talk to the two. Chloe had the information she needed. Chloe grabbed her bag and headed back out the Talon. She was going back to school, then typing something. anything. She had to produce an article so she wouldn't have to resort to blowing up the lunch menu.
She arrived at the school when it was almost deserted. As always, she was going to stay until the late hours for the school paper. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, urging herself not to cry. She lacked sleep and she felt awful. Now aside from the physical twinges of pain, Chloe was beside herself with regret. She yelled at her best friend. And her best friend abandoned her. He wasn't even there when she got hurt, like he had always been. At the back of her mind she knew that she couldn't blame Clark for it, but she couldn't help feeling like everything changed for the worse.
Clark was in love with Lana. She knew that. She had known it for a long time and made her peace with it. But now Clark was actually sacrificing their friend. He broke a promise to her to be with Lana Lang. Nothing knew except Chloe wasn't even sure of who she was and what was going to happen to her anymore. She wasn't first Gabe's daughter and then Clark and Pete's friend. She recognized that.
Chloe was a whole other person who was so insecure about her place in the hearts of the people she loved. Even as a child, Chloe recognized that although her father adored her beyond anything else, Gabe Sullivan was a task-oriented man focused on his work. She took a backseat. Clark and Pete were moving on with their lives, as was she. The man she loved assured her every day of his commitment to her but was proposing something that scared her, no matter how much she trusted him.
The light was on at the Torch office. Chloe opened the door and was surprised to see Lex inside. She slipped into the office and closed the door behind her.
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
Lex smiled at her from her desk. He closed his laptop and stood up. "I want you to take your blouse off," he told her smoothly, sitting at the edge of the table.
"Oh Lex. Not again!"
"You know there was a time when you wouldn't rebel at that suggestion."
Chloe walked towards him, stopping when she was standing between his knees. "I had something better to look forward to then." Even while complaining, her fingers undid the buttons of her blouse.
"It's for your benefit," Lex informed her, helping her take her arms out of the sleeves. "Don't you believe I can look at this medically? I want to see."
Chloe presented her side to him. Lex carefully removed the bandage. "That's what I'm afraid of."
He chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss. Lex inspected the wound, seeing if it's clean or if there were any signs of inspection. Chloe saw him reach for a small bag that he had brought with him. "So how was your day?" he asked, taking her attention away from his ministrations.
Chloe flinched when she felt something like cold cream being applied on the edges of the wound. "I know I opened it up," she admitted. His touch was gentle, but it still hurt. "I have been so depressed the whole day. Clark. My dad. Us."
Lex was silent while he finished dressing the wound. And then, he helped her into her blouse again. He touched her lips and nodded. "Just hold on, okay?"
Chloe nodded. "I'm holding on."
"Good." He kissed her on the lips. "It's the best that we can do right now. Just think of how much happier we'll be when this is through."
"My father will definitely get mad. You won't have a father-in-law to answer to," Chloe warned him.
Lex considered the sadness in her eyes, and decided to keep it light. "It seems only fair. I got rid of your father-in-law for you."
~~
Lex had never been more at peace with a decision his entire life. He went home with a spring in his step that had never been there before he was reunited with Chloe. He was going to the bank in Metropolis the next day and opening the Luthor vault. Lillian Luthor's wedding ring would see the light of day again, and grace another beautiful woman's finger.
The plan was hurried and brash, but Lex knew it was the most intelligent one he had ever thought of. After all, a wedding between himself and Chloe was imminent. This was only a matter of accelerating those plans. As long as his father had no idea about his plans, he and Chloe were safe. While Lionel stayed away, Lex had the assurance that he suspected nothing beyond the Helen Bryce scheme that he was fed.
Lex threw the doors open to his study. The keys were in his drawer, and he wanted to be prepared so that he could leave the minute he dropped Chloe off at the school tomorrow.
"Lex."
The voice paralyzed him, because it meant one thing. Lex looked up to see his father at the landing.
"It's been too long."
"And I thought we agreed to keep face to face contact to a minimum."
Lionel closed the book that he had been pretending to read. "For business perhaps. This is a social call." He made his way down the steps. "I've come to offer my congratulations on your engagement."
The way that Lionel had stressed the last word prickled at Lex's danger sense. He decided to play it out with Lionel, hoping that his father did not know of another level to what he was saying.
"I admit, I ummmm, well it hurt that I had to learn of your pending nuptials via the gossip pages of the Inquisitor."
Lex chuckled dryly, relieving the tension in his chest. "Come on, Dad. Since when has my personal happiness ever been of the slightest interest to you?"
Lionel headed to the bar and poured himself a drink. "So where is uhhhh ummmm."
"Helen," Lex provided.
The older man smirked and turned to his son. Lex knew right then, with Lionel's pregnant glance, that his father knew, and the plan was teetering in the balance. Lionel raised his glance to Lex. "Helen. Sure. Hmmm?"
Lex's voice held an edgy quality. He told his father, "Helen's out of town at a medical seminar. Otherwise, I suspect your visit would be putting her anger management techniques to the test."
The chuckle that Lionel let out then troubled Lex. Every grating sound seemed to whisper in Lex's ear, 'Bullshit. Bull bull bull shit, son.'
Lex saw his father looking at an article on his desk. He had made a habit of cutting out Chloe's writings and compiling them. He figured that his child would want to read some of the things that its mother had written years before. "But then, we both know you're not here to discuss my wedding plans." Lex latched at the idea. He did not need to hide Chloe. He had to put her out in the open. If Lionel saw that Lex did not seem bent in keeping her off limits, he would doubt whatever suspicion he had about Chloe.
"What is this?" Lionel read the printout. "Oh Lex. I'm surprised that you would put stock in the reportage of a high school newspaper."
Lex forced himself to carry on. "I usually don't. But I did some checking of my own, and lo and behold: It's true. What are you moving around in the middle of the night in unmarked trucks?" Put Lionel Luthor on the defensive and maybe, just maybe, he would forget how to attack.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
Lex breathed more easily. He had succeeded in veering Lionel away from the topic of his marriage. It did not bother him that his father was staring too intently at the piece of paper that had Chloe's name on it until his father swallowed another drink and said, "Give my regards to. ummm. uhhhh."
The grasping was for effect. His father was baiting him.
"Your fiancée," Lionel finished, leaving the vague title to unsettle Lex. Lionel strode out of the room.
~~
The office was a mess. The furniture have been destroyed and the computers smashed. Chloe walked around the office, picking up knick knacks that meant nothing to the property custodian but everything to the Torch. Chloe knelt to get some of the papers from the floor.
"Miss Sullivan."
She would have recognized the voice anywhere. Chloe quickly stood up and saw Lionel Luthor standing in the center of her plundered office.
"Mr. Luthor."
"Your principal told me you might be here. I hope I'm not interrupting you."
Chloe felt as if she were bring measured by the way that Lionel's eyes raked her from head to toe. "No, no. I mean. I'm-I've never entertained a billionaire before."
"I'm sure you have." He looked around at the damage while Chloe considered what he meant by the statement.
She had to believe that Lionel meant nothing. Chloe wore the cloak of the high school reporter. It was the safest character she could manage with the man. "You'll have to excuse the destruction. I was recently vandalized."
Lionel nodded sympathetically. "So I heard. By the same men who hijacked my truck, I think."
"Eric Marsh owned up to the robbery of the truck and assault. He said he didn't have anything to do with the Torch."
Suddenly, the chips felt into the right slots. Chloe looked at Lionel Luthor, and considered her presence in her office, of the reasons why he would bother to come.
"Well, it's not easy to understand the criminal mind."
In Lionel's eyes, Chloe read the warning that accompanied his sentence. It was undoubtedly a threat against her.
"I'll come to the point, Miss Sullivan. I'd like to help you rebuild. I've instructed the LuthorCorp Foundation to make a donation to your school--the funds are specifically earmarked toward rebuilding and updating the journalism department."
She felt ice form around her heart. Lionel Luthor knew. "The struggling editor in me wants to just leave it at "Thank You" but...the journalist in me has to ask "Why?"
"I'm impressed with your." A grin that knew too much. "Willingness to explore alternative ideas, options. We're after the same thing, Miss Sullivan--the truth. You know, um, journalists are the midwives of history. Perhaps, with my help, we could, uh... make history together."
Chloe took the card that Lionel handed to her. She watched Lex's father leave. Chloe took out her phone and with trembling fingers, dialed Lex's number.
"Chloe," Lex answered on the other line. He heard her gasping breathing. "Chloe, what's wrong? Is it your side? Does it hurt?"
"Lex," she said quietly, sniffling, "Lex, your father was here. Your father is following me, Lex."
"Chloe, calm down. Where are you?"
"At the Torch! And I think he had my office vandalized to have a reason to come to me, Lex. He knows."
"Calm down, Chloe. I'll be right there. Trust me. He won't ever be able to hurt you," he assured her. "Just stay put and I will be there before you can even count to ten."
Lex opened the door of the Torch office to find Chloe sitting on the floor at the center of the ruins. He sat in front of her and waited until she moved closer. Lex wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "We'll think of something else. We always do."