A/N: Hey remember me? If not, I don't blame you. I've been stuck in writer's block land for a while and had absolutely no idea what I was doing with this story. Hopefully, I've beaten it. But I didn't do it alone. I want to give a HUGE thank you to Zannie for helping me brainstorm and letting me bounce ideas off her. You're the greatest!

Disclaimer: If it were mine, it would be much different.

"Exactly what are we doing here Lex?" Chloe asked from her spot inside the elevator. She was determined to stay right there, where it was nice and safe.

"You're a bright girl Chloe. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Lex replied as he walked into his apartment, leaving the door standing wide open.

Conflicting thoughts began to run rampant through Chloe's mind. On the one hand, if she left she wouldn't be doing something she'd regret. However, her notorious curiosity began to flare up, and besides she hadn't brought enough money for a bus ticket if she left. Giving her determination the heave ho, she slowly walked into Lex's penthouse.

He was standing at a bar in front of the window when she walked in. "I see you've decided to join me after all." he said keeping his back to her.

"Yeah, well you're my ride remember?" she said. Trying for the banter that had always been so natural for the two of them she added, "Or did your desire to prove your so-called softness spread to your brain?" Not her best, but it may distract him.

Lex smiled to himself. She was trying to divert his attention from the task at hand. It was almost cute. He turned to face her, placing his hands in his pockets. "Proving my 'softness' wasn't the desire I had in mind when I decided to bring you here." he stated as he drug his eyes slowly up her body.

Chloe had to fight back the urge not to squirm under his gaze. The look on his face was more intense than anything she had ever seen before and she desperately wanted it gone. There was only one way to do that; make him angry.

"Here as in your penthouse, or here Metropolis?" she asked. She walked over to the large leather couch, giving her an excuse to get away from that look.

"Just what are you implying Chloe?" he asked, reminding her of when he'd asked Clark that same question.

"Nothing, just wondering if you often lure unsuspecting young girls to your penthouse under false pretenses."

Lex tensed slightly. If she hadn't been watching him so closely, she wouldn't have seen it. "I never made it a secret Chloe."

It.

The fact that he wanted her.

No, he hadn't made it a secret. After that day in the caves Lex had been crystal clear that he was interested in her for one thing, and one thing only.

And God help her, it didn't sound all that bad.

"No you didn't. But I'm beginning to think that concussion I gave you affected you more than you realize." she told him.

Lex extracted his hands from his pockets and walked over to the couch. Slowly, deliberately, he stared into her eyes as he sat down next to her. A little too close for her comfort's sake. She swallowed hard.

"This isn't the remnants of the concussion talking Chloe. It's four years of slowly cumulating tension refusing to be ignored any longer." He spoke carefully, dragging out each syllable so as to make everything clear.

"I'm not one of you bimbos Lex," she said bluntly, "I refuse to play this cat and mouse game with you."

"No games. I'm being honest. I want you."

The stark look of honesty in his eyes was too much. She had only seen that look on his face once before. "I want him to love me." It came barreling at her from deep within her memory, and she closed her eyes against the surge of emotions threatening to pull her under.

Lex began to run his fingers lightly up her arm, barely ghosting his skin against hers. She felt him lean closer and his scent invaded her senses. "I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't sure you felt the same way."

Chloe's eyes shot open, locked onto his. Her pulse was pounding in her eyes, her heart threatening to force it's way out of her chest. Lex leaned closer, slowly closing the gap.

She blinked and something caught her eye. "Lex?"

Startled slightly by her interruption he stopped.

"What is that?" she asked, her eyes focused on something over his shoulder.

He turned around and scanned the room for whatever had drawn her attention. Then he spotted it. A blinking red light barely hidden within his bookcase. Chloe got up and walked over toward it, bending down to examine its cause. Without warning she pulled a book and several priceless artifacts from the shelf and threw them to the floor. The sound of shattering porcelain added emphasis to the anger smoldering in her eyes as she spun around to face him. "What is this?" she demanded brandishing the tiny camera at him.

Lex walked to her, taking the camera from her hand. "Chloe I…"

"Save it Lex." she snapped pulling the camera out of his grasp. "You almost had me there for a second. I thought you were being honest with me."

"I was." he told her.

"Does the pleas of honesty usually come after the camera discovery? Or do you wait until the videos are found?" she spat. She threw the camera at him, stalking over to the couch and grabbing her purse. "You can find someone else to star in your little home movies Lex. I have no ambition to be the next internet download-a-thon."

Chloe walked to the door, not caring how she got home. She just wanted away from Lex. Before she could make t to the still open door Lex had latched onto her hand and spun her around to face him.

"Chloe I didn't do this. I swear." he said.

"Next time, try a little more of the sad puppy eyes and someone may actually believe you."

Lex released her hand and stepped back from her. He felt as if she'd just slapped him. He opened his mouth to respond, but a low-pitched whirring noise drew his attention. Both he and Chloe looked at the camera that was now lying on the floor as it began to smoke.

Before she knew what was happening, Chloe felt Lex throw her to the floor and cover her body with his own. Then everything blew apart.

………………..

"Listen, I have to get up there." she pleaded.

"I'm sorry miss. Mr. Luthor left very specific instructions. Absolutely no interruptions." the doorman told her.

She stamped her foot in frustration, something she hadn't done since she was ten. If she didn't get up there now it would be too late.

"You don't understand," she practically cried, "Mr. Luthor is in danger. I have to warn him."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the sound of shattering glass cause them both to look up. Smoke was billowing from the top floor of the building. Lex's floor.

"Oh God." she whispered.

The doorman turned back to her before running into the building. Retreating back into the crowd, she did the one thing she was raised never to do. She admitted defeat. She was too late. Everything was going to happen just as it had before.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

………………..

"I assure you I'm fine." Lex insisted.

"I'll be the judge of that Mr. Luthor." the doctor said calmly as she continued her examination of him.

After the explosion, security managed to get in and extract him and Chloe from the debris. They were immediately whisked to Metropolis General despite both of their protests.

"Alright, I'll just get you something for the pain and you'll be good to go." the doctor told him.

"Finally." he muttered. The door clicked behind her and he pulled out his phone to see if there were any leads on who was behind this.

The door opened again and he turned, expecting to see the doctor but instead found Chloe there looking pale and frightened.

"How are you?" she asked tentatively.

"Fine. My back's sore from the debris falling on me, but I'll live. Are you okay?" he moved towards her and she instantly stepped back. "Chloe…"

"Lex don't." she said somewhat angrily. "I'm glad you're okay and I'm sorry that I accused you, but it doesn't change things. My father was right, everyone was right. You're dangerous."

"Chloe…" he whispered.

But she interrupted him again. "Lex I've risked my life for you and had it threatened because of you more times than I can count. I can't do it anymore."

Every fiber in Lex was screaming at him to say something, anything, to make her stop. Hearing it made it too real. He was slowly losing her, her trust in him, and he was breaking on the inside.

Slowly, she walked towards him. Still clad in her dress from the dinner and covered in dirt and ash, she looked younger and more injured than he could express. She reached up carefully and placed her hand against his cheek. He closed his eyes, savoring the contact before opening them again.

"I do care about you Lex." she said softly. "But not enough to die for you."

Without another word she pulled away and quietly left the exam room without looking back.