Make Damn Sure- Chapter 4

Thanks for all of the reviews and support! All of you should get out there and write more CHLEX! Sorry for the delay on the update but, I was in the process of moving back to South Carolina from the wonderful city of Chicago where I was going to college. Lots of driving, packing, and fighting with the family. But, everything is working itself out and with all of the emails I was getting about reviews I just had to come back to this story! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Chlex would be all over the airwaves if I did, though...

Chloe's first thought was

"OH MY GOD! I JUST THREW UP ON LEX LUTHOR!"

Her second thought, however, was much less panicked and more rational. Her reporter instincts kicked in and she found that there was a story here.

"What is Lex Luthor doing here? And why?"

She had not pulled away from Lex, yet. In fact, she was still hunched over in his arms. Staring at his throw-up covered shoes. Her cheeks began to burn in shame but, as she was still dunk, mostly she just felt the humor of the situation.

"I just threw up on the most eligible bachelor in the world!"

Inwardly, she was laughing her ass off. It wasn't until she felt Lex escorting her out of the club that she realized that she was laughing outwardly too.

And then, Chloe got angry.

'What the hell does he think he's doing! I am not some child to be put in time out! I am a grown woman! Where the hell did Josh go?! ….Jay, damnit! I DO NOT NEED MY EX-SEMI FRIEND TAKING ME ANYWHERE! ESPECIALLY ONE WHO HAS ALMOST GOTTEN ME KILLED MANY A'TIME!'

This rant, however, was in Chloe's head. Her body was currently in Lex's Porsche.

'Maybe I should be saying this out loud….'

"LEX! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

She shouted. Apparently, Lex wasn't expecting this because the Porsche swerved left and then righted itself as Lex glared at the road.

"I was under the impression that I was rescuing you."

"You aren't the hero of this story, LEX! And I am no damsel in distress! I had everything under control!'

Lex let out an ironic bark of a laugh that infuriated Chloe even further. She thought mutinously that even if she was sober, she would probably want to hit him.

"Ah, yes. That was abundantly clear, Chloe. I beg your pardon. Of course your plan for the night included falling over drunk with some ape pawing at you!"

He chuckled.

And Chloe snapped. Everything came tumbling out at once.

"STOP THE CAR YOU BASTARD! I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE PUTTING ME DOWN! DO NOT DARE CONDESCEND TO ME LEX LUTHOR!

ANYONE ELSE BUT, NOT ME! NOT WITH WHAT I KNOW! NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO PATRONIZE ME! NOT YOU! NOT LOIS! NOT CLARK! NO ONE!

I HELP EVERYONE! RESPONSIBLE CHLOE! DEPENDABLE CHLOE! JUST STOP THE FUCKING CAR! I WAS HAVING FUN! FOR ONCE! WHO CARES WHERE

THE NIGHT WAS GOING?! I COULD HAVE HANDLED IT! MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THAT WAS ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR! FUCK YOU AND GODDAMN

YOU FOR RUINING THAT LEX! GODDAMN YOU!"

Chloe was breathing hard. Her cheeks were red and her eyes hard. Lex stopped the car. Chloe got out and slammed the door. Out on the street, she started walking. And realized that she had no idea where she was.

'Could I have been any more wrong about this night?!'

She opened her black clutch and pulled out her cell phone. No battery.

"Great. Just freaking great!"

"Chloe."

That voice.She turned to it automatically. Lex was still behind her. Standing by his car.

'Why the hell is he still here?'

" Chloe, let me take you home. This isn't something that I was planning on doing tonight."

"Well, sorry to ruin your plans of sexual conquest but, I'm fine."

"Chloe! Just get in the car!"

"Is that an order, Mr.Luthor? I'm not Mercy or Grace or Lana! I'm not on your payroll and I won't abide by your rules!"

Within a second, Lex was right in front of her. His eyes burning with sudden anger and his hands wrapped tightly around her upper arms; gripping furiously.

"Watch what you say, Ms. Sullivan! You don't know anything about my life or my rules!"

Lex spat this out, as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Chloe didn't miss that they were back to last names.

"Oh, I know a lot more than you think I do Luthor. I know better than anyone what you're capable of now…."

The wind whipped around them. Two figures on a bridge in Metropolis. Each furious at the other and with themselves. For how the night had gone. For how their lives had gone.

"Let go of me, Lex. Now."

Slowly, Lex unclenched his fingers from their bruising embrace and took a step back. The memory of what had been said was still lingering in the air but, Chloe thought that if she could do anything right now, she would just go to bed and pretend it never happened. She felt so tired.

"Let me take you home, Chloe. Just let me take you home. And then we can forget each other again."

"Ok."

Lex tried to be as calm as possible. It really was hard. Considering that Chloe Sullivan, who he still couldn't believe looked the way she did in that red dress, had just hurled on his shoes.

'Oh yes, Lex. This was exactly how you planned to see more of her. Good job.'

He didn't miss that his inner voice had just taken a decidedly feminine tinge a la a certain petite blonde. He didn't, however, feel like analyzing this new fact and , instead, shifted his grip on Chloe's arms to a more comfortable one.

"Oh fuck. There goes my night."

This intelligent comment came from Jay, Lex realized. Who was still in front of them. Watching along with the bartender from his position behind the bar and about 15 of the other clubbers.

'Damage control, Lex. You don't need this kind of publicity. ' Playboy Luthor Takes Advantage of Drunk Woman' Not exactly the most clever headline but it will take stocks down.'

"It's okay. She just needs to get home."

Lex spoke these words to the crowd and it dissipated slightly. By the time Jay left and the onlookers' attention was elsewhere, Lex realized that Chloe was shaking.

'Oh fuck. She's going to be sick again…..wait, is she laughing?'

Lex began maneuvering the woman who was currently in hysterics out of the club. It wasn't very easygoing as Chloe kept slipping and stumbling even with his support and people were still partying on within the club.

'Great. I've now dealt with all of the different sides of Chloe.'

Lex still remembered the rebellious Chloe of years before when she was scampering around town for a day in sexy tops and making out with Clark well, everywhere.

Finally outside, Lex was able to avoid the photographers and get Chloe, still laughing, into his silver Porsche. It was when Chloe stopped laughing and Lex saw the angry look on her face that he started speeding.

"LEX! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

The words were slightly slurred but, the volume took Lex off guard for a second. He swerved into the next lane and sped past another car; eager for this to be over.

'Try to do a good thing….'

"I was under the impression that I was rescuing you."

'Of course, I was trying to pick you up first.'

"You aren't the hero of this story, LEX! And I am no damsel in distress! I had everything under control!"

' Oh sure, I'm sure Ape-Jerk would have shown you a really good time.'

"Ah, yes. That was abundantly clear, Chloe. I beg your pardon. Of course your plan for the night included falling over drunk with some ape pawing at you!"

Lex laughed at this thought. And at his night, in general. All he wanted to do was escape work and the icy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Somehow, his night had become about Chloe.

He was suddenly aware that Chloe was breathing harder. He looked over and saw that her face was red in anger. And then, the rant came.

Lex couldn't really understand all of what she was saying, she was loud, angry, and (though less so now) still quite inebriated. The gist of it was that he, Lois, and Clark were all misusing Chloe. And that he was a pretentious asshole.

'My words, not hers.'

Lex stopped the car. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. He didn't need this. Chloe Sullivan was not his friend. She had been Clark's friend, Lana's friend, Pete's friend. But to him, she had been something not quite definable. A resource. A motivator. His conscience. His guilt. His ward. But that hadn't been true for awhile now. So why was he trying to help her now?

'Wait. Where is she?'

Lex got out of the car and saw Chloe lurching down the sidewalk. Fumbling with her cell phone and cursing at it.

"Chloe."

'I can't leave her here. I owe her more. '

'I don't owe anyone anything!'

' With her you do. This will square it.'

'Why? What do I owe her for?'

'For using her. Even back then. Not really caring about what she had to say unless it affected Clark or Lana or your own business.'

" Chloe, let me take you home. This isn't something that I was planning on doing tonight."

'Might as well be honest. I just wanted to get laid tonight. Still can if I get this over with.'

"Well, sorry to ruin your plans of sexual conquest but, I'm fine."

'Fuck. She knows you too well!'

"Chloe! Just get in the car!"

"Is that an order, Mr.Luthor? I'm not Mercy or Grace or Lana! I'm not on your payroll and I won't abide by your rules!"

Lex wasn't sure why he suddenly felt so angry with the blonde reporter in front of him. But he was. He was furious.

'She has no right!'

If Lex was honest with himself, he would know that the reason he felt this blind rage and was shaking Chloe with such fury was because, even drunk, she was dangerously close to the truth.

"Watch what you say, Ms. Sullivan! You don't know anything about my life or my rules!"

'No one knows. No one can handle it. Or ever will be able to.'

"Oh, I know a lot more than you think I do Luthor. I know better than anyone what you're capable of now…."

Lex was stunned. What was she referring to? The past? His relationships? His business? The operations and experiments? What did she know? What!

"Let go of me, Lex. Now."

'She can't know anything. It was a bluff. Said in anger mixed with alcohol. Nothing.'

Lex let go of Chloe's toned arms, taking note of the silkiness of her skin even in this state of mind. She was beautiful still.

'Damn.'

Lex suddenly felt so tired with it all.

"Let me take you home, Chloe. Just let me take you home. And then we can forget each other again."

' Say no. Just walk away.'

"Ok."

They walked back to the car. Lex took off his jacket and put it around Chloe's wind chilled shoulders. As he opened her door, he was rewarded with a small, ironic smile.

'You threaten her. Hurt her. And then open her door for her. Real good Luthor. You schizophrenic you.'

Lex sped off again and then realized that he didn't know where Chloe lived anymore. He had kept track for awhile but, she had recently moved. His sources hadn't said where yet.

"Chloe? Where do I go?"

He looked over at her and was surprised. Chloe was fast asleep in the seat, curled up under his suit jacket.

' Oh come on…..'

"Chloe? Chloe?! CHLOE!"

Lex tried saying her name louder but, she just mumbled gibberish.

"shulsdkpsdps……lexstupkadkjafd."

'Passed out. Great. I'll have to take her to the penthouse.'

Lex turned at the next light and made his way back to his plush home with the passed out Chloe Sullivan sleeping peacefully beside him.

'Could I have been anymore wrong about this night?'

So, our two favorite characters have had their first conflict. However, Chloe has hinted that she may know more about Lex's current business dealings than he thought possible. Or is she just talking about his new way of dealing with people? Lex is faced with an even bigger problem though-he has to take Chloe home with him...more drama before the romance can come! Review!