Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: This chapter is for Manta Rayz, I appreciate the long review. I'm glad you liked the story and I too have the same song stuck in my head for this fic. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this story. And yes this is a chlex story, sorry to disappoint those who wanted this to be a chlark. I did think about writing two versions (one chlark and one chlex), but I feel like it's such a cop out to be doing that all the time (I already did it with my other fic). So I guess what I'm going to do is ask those who wanted a chlark ending to suggest a plot, or any storyline they want, with Chloe and Clark as the main romantic pair. I have been trying to find a good solid plot that would fit Chlark to a tea but so far no luck, so if anyone is interested I'm completely open to any suggestions, I feel like I have to make up for making this a chlex (but I really am a chlexer at heart, I just have fun writing stories with Chloe as the main heroine). Anyway, enough with the babbling and onto the story.

Divided Devotions

Chapter 9

Lex was driving slower than his usual speed. He glanced sideways and knew the reason for his unhurried pace. He had precious cargo with him. And his precious cargo just smiled at him, he gave her a small smile in return.

"Tell me again why we didn't just take the helicopter?" Chloe squeezed his hand gently.

He looked at their intertwined hands, resting on the gear shift. She insisted on holding his hand when they first started their journey back to Smallville. He specifically chose to drive back so he could spend more time with her. It was possible that Clark and Lois already knew the cure; he deliberately made himself unreachable so he could savor his last moments with Chloe.

Clark had been trying to call him since he left the high school. He simply put his phone on silent once he and Chloe boarded the helicopter. He did not even bother checking his cell the entire time that he and Chloe were in Metropolis. He figured that Clark would probably harp on the fact that he was incommunicado but that was a minor detail, after all he managed to dominate Chloe's time for…he looked at his watch, almost five hours now.

And he still had an hour's drive ahead of him. The two hours before had been filled with interesting conversation. Even under the influence of meteor rocks Chloe was still capable of intelligent conversation. He deliberately made statements that he knew would gall her enough to start a debate between them. His discoveries about her during last summer came in handy. Chloe eventually realized that he was intentionally baiting her and simply pouted for a full minute before her good humor was once again restored.

"Driving back would give us more time together." He smiled at her charmingly.

Chloe giggled at his answer. "You're so sweet."

"I try." Lex smirked as he focused his gaze back on the road.

"You know you don't have to drive so slowly just because I'm here." Chloe lifted their hands and placed it on her lap.

"It's all part of having more time together." Lex remarked lightly.

Chloe beamed at him and stared out the window. "I had fun today Lex."

Lex spared a glance at her. "I'm glad." He replied quietly.

She looked at him and smiled, "So am I."

Clark had been pacing his loft for the last three hours. He hadn't been able to reach Lex. There was a good chance that Lex was purposefully being inaccessible. The bastard. He was probably savoring the last moments he had with Chloe. Now that they knew the cure, devoted Chloe was definitely on the way out of the picture.

He sighed as he wondered where exactly the two were. He had a feeling that Lex, with his infinite resources, could have whisked her away to some exotic location. Never bring her back.

Lois insisted that he head home after they took Coach Teague and Lana to the hospital. He was now certain that Lana and his coach were having, as clichéd as it was an affair. He was a little disappointed when he fully realized it. He loved her and to him Lana was the epitome of perfection. But this, this was proof that she wasn't. She was imperfect, as imperfect as the next girl.

He still harbored some feelings for her. That much he was sure. He wasn't built to just stop loving her. The distance, the time apart, it wasn't enough to erase all his passion for Lana Lang.

But the thing with Chloe…was it superficial of him to truly start seeing her when she was acting completely unlike herself? Was it bad taste to only consider Chloe as something more than a friend when she expressed her complete devotion to him? Okay so not just to him. And that's another thing; she was also devoted to Lex. Was there an actual basis for her choice? Was it possible that she also harbored feelings for Lex? And if she did then where did that leave him?

He sighed as he contemplated the new situation that he would be placed in once Chloe was back to normal. He shivered involuntarily as he remembered Lois' words. Chloe would be on a rampage once she realized that he hadn't done anything to discourage her attention. He just hoped that once she got over her revenge then she would be open to exploring a new level to their relationship.

Clark walked over to the window and stared at the horizon. He had a feeling that Lex took Chloe to Metropolis. He could make the trip in less than five minutes. Still he wouldn't be able to go into any of the places that Lex had access to. It just wasn't feasible. Then again he could just use his x-ray vision and check if Lex and Chloe were in any of the upscale locations at Metropolis. He could probably use his superspeed to rush in and grab Chloe and hightail out of the place. But then he would be exposing his powers. It really was a no win situation.

He closed his eyes to ease his agitation. Clark could hear someone's car driving towards the farm. He half-hoped that it would be them. He used his x-ray vision and saw that it was only Lois. She was finally on her way back from the hospital. He wondered what she would say once she found out that Lex was still MIA.

He breathed in deeply and made a decision. He was going to Metropolis. He had a strong feeling that Lex brought her there, maybe to show her the extent of his influence. Clark knew if it came to money and power that Lex would win hands down. But he had a fighting chance. Chloe liked him even before she met Lex. Now he had to go and find her so they could restore the world back to its normal axis.

Clark sped away from the barn and bypassed Lois as she was walking towards the house.

Everything had been smooth sailing. Too smooth in fact that he should have known that it was too good to be true.

The car was slowing down. He stepped on the gas and there was no effect. Chloe looked at him quizzically, probably wondering if it was all part of his plan. He shook his head imperceptibly, as if to say that no; it wasn't part of his master plan.

He looked at all his gauges and saw nothing wrong with it, at least from his perspective. But then there was a cloud of smoke coming out of the hood of the car. Lex cursed as he realized that the car probably overheated. There was no reason why it should though. He kept all his cars well-maintained. Although he hadn't used this particular car since he moved to Smallville.

The car made a whirring sound that worried him. They hadn't stopped just yet but the car was moving erratically. Chloe would have lunged forward if it hadn't been for her seatbelt. She held onto the arm rest while still holding onto his hand and gave him a concerned look. Lex squeezed her hand reassuringly. They finally came to a complete stop and he let out the breath that he wasn't aware he that he was holding. He turned to face Chloe and she too was wearing an expression of complete relief.

Lex let go of her hand reluctantly so he could get out of the car to check what exactly went wrong with his car. He heard Chloe follow after him as he lifted the hood. He felt the heat as the smoke he saw earlier obstruct his view of the engine.

"What happened?" Chloe was already beside him; her gaze was focused on the car.

"I'm not sure." He replied curtly. "I think it's merely a case of overheating."

Chloe laughed softly at his response. Lex eyed her curiously. Her reaction was not the one he was expecting. She seemed amused by the situation.

"I can't believe that your car, a luxury car owned by the one and only Lex Luthor, would overheat. It's a tragedy, the moment that a man such as yourself is plagued by the problems of a common man." She shook her head in mock disapproval, her eyes sparkling with uncontained mirth.

Lex cleared his throat, "I believe, despite my circumstance, I am not exempted from problems that plague the common man. However, since I am as you stated, Lex Luthor, I happen to have a fleet of limos at my beck and call. We are not going to be stranded in nowhere land for long, unlike the common man." He smirked at her and she simply grinned at him in return.

He took out his phone fully prepared to make the necessary phone call to get him and Chloe out of the unwanted situation. His focus was elsewhere that he did not see Chloe turn her back on the open hood of the car.

She placed a hand on the car to fully support herself as she leaned her hip against the vehicle. She somehow managed to miscalculate that her hand ended up on top of the radiator cap, which was still blazing. She yelped in pain and Lex whirled around and saw her clutching her hand.

"What happened? Are you okay?" His phone fell to the ground, forgotten entirely as his focus centered on her.

He took her hand gently in his and inspected the burn. Chloe swayed dangerously to the left that he grabbed hold of her waist to keep her from falling onto the hard concrete. He supported her weight and walked to the side of the car so she could sit.

Once he made sure that she was sitting comfortably on the car he went to the trunk to take out his first aid kit. He rushed to her side and grimaced at the welt that developed on the palm of her hand. He applied some disinfectant on her injury and then carefully wrapped her hand with the gauze.

His heart was pounding as he attended to her. His self-recrimination was already on overdrive. If he hadn't been so fixated on his phone call she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Lex inhaled sharply, he was getting so worked up and he couldn't help but feel unsettled by the fact that he became so unsettled. He had become emotionally attached to her over the course of the three days. Too attached.

He raised his gaze to finally meet her eyes. The glazed quality of her green orbs did not escape his attention. He raised a hand to caress her cheek; he could not help but be worried. She was reacting strangely to the burn. He pressed a gentle kiss on her lips to reassure himself that she was just fine. When he finally pulled back she had a confused look on her face.

"What happened?" She asked him sharply.

Lex was momentarily speechless, his shoulders tensed at her tone. For the last three days not once had she used that tone with him. But before he could respond someone interrupted him.

"Lex!" Clark was on his way to Metropolis when he happened to see the very expensive car sitting idly by on the side of the road. It just so happened that the car belonged to Lex. He came to a halt when he saw Lex crouched down on the passenger side, looking at Chloe intently. "What's going on?"

"Clark?" Chloe's brows furrowed as she looked at him. She frowned slightly as she looked at Clark and then at Lex.

Clark stopped in his tracks at her expression. She looked confused and slightly agitated. The frown she was sporting was a look that hadn't been directed at him for the last three days. Had Lex unwittingly discovered the cure? That was the only explanation he could come up with. "What happened?" He directed his question to Lex.

"She accidentally placed her hand on top of the radiator cap." Lex replied slowly.

"I did?" Chloe was still confused.

"Oh." Understanding dawned on Clark's face. So she was cured. He looked at Lex meaningfully as he jerked his head to the other side of the car. Chloe was busy examining her injury that she failed to see the unspoken communication between the two men.

Lex and Clark walked over to the driver's side.

"Direct contact with heat?' Lex inquired coolly.

Clark nodded. "Coach Teague got better after he touched a hot pipe."

"Did he remember everything?" Lex asked with such interest. So far Chloe hadn't expressed any memory of what they had been doing prior to her accident.

"I don't think so. When we took him to the hospital he was wondering what happened." Clark answered calmly. Chloe was back to normal, he felt a mixture of relief and regret at the thought. "Why are you guys here anyway?" Clark looked around their surroundings. They were half an hour away from Smallville.

"I could ask you the same thing." Lex countered.

"I was…taking a walk." Clark rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

"Right." Lex gave him a skeptical look. "My car overheated. A tow truck's on its way and I have a town car coming as well."

Clark nodded. "So did you take her to Metropolis?" He glared at Lex as he posed the question.

Lex met his stare unflinchingly. "Yes I did."

Chloe cut off Clark's reply. "Would somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" She had walked over to them and was looking at them sternly, her uninjured fist resting on her hip; she looked quite intimidating in her current pose.

Lex kept mum he was not about to tell her all the gritty details, not when she was in pain and would likely inflict her own on them should she realize what she had been up to for the last few days. Clark refrained from answering as well. He fully intended on keeping Chloe from exploding, until he could come up with an explanation that would not result in his untimely demise.

"Well?" She looked at them expectantly.

"Chloe, this isn't the right time to start the Spanish inquisition. Once we get your hand checked then we can talk." Clark tried to placate her.

She simply raised her brow at his answer, "I don't think so. I want an answer now."

Before they could go further with the conversation the tow truck arrived. Clark breathed a sigh of relief while Lex' rigid shoulders relaxed slightly.

Chloe folded her arms across her chest as she watched relief course through their expressions. "I'm not just going to let this go." She glared at the two of them as she walked back towards the passenger side of the car and grabbed her purse.

Silence overwhelmed the car as they set a course towards Smallville. Instead of a town car, Lex' minions brought him his Aston Martin. The three of them ended up inside the car, an uncomfortable quiet settled over them.

Chloe took the backseat, mainly because she was the only one small enough to fit. Clark was sitting up front, next to Lex. His body was half-turned in her direction as he kept staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably. Her earlier ire was diminishing as the minutes ticked by. She couldn't help but feel that she had done something wrong.

"Do I have something on my face Clark?" She snapped at her best friend, who was still staring at her.

"Um…no." Clark answered tentatively.

"Then would you quit staring at me." She said softly, for Clark looked thoroughly chastised. "Same goes for you Luthor." She muttered impatiently. She had seen Lex look at her through the rearview mirror more times than she was comfortable with.

Lex merely smirked in reply and she couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes at his response. Clark shifted in his seat and Chloe raised a brow at her best friend's obvious discomfort. She did not like being kept in the dark. But for some reason it was as though Clark and Lex made a silent pact to keep quiet. Which was a miracle actually, after all as far as she could remember the two had been at odds.

She marveled at the tense silence that settled over the car after her comment. The first few minutes of the drive there was an obvious relief in the two's expression. But now she could feel waves of animosity between the two.

'Yep, most awkward car ride ever.' She thought to herself as she leaned back and stared out the window.

Chloe kept looking at the passing scenery and felt an immense relief at seeing the apartment complex that she and her dad lived in. Despite her desire for answers, like how exactly did she end up in a car with Lex Luthor and how did Clark manage to walk so many miles away from the farm? Her need to be alone was overpowering her curiosity.

Maybe she shouldn't know what happened. Lex and Clark were acting weird. While she was used to the weirdness that was Clark, the fact that Lex was uneasy was enough to worry her.

Lex pulled to a stop and Clark had the door open even before Lex lifted the emergency brake. Clark opened the door for her with such flourish and he even went so far as to offer her his hand as she climbed out of the car. She gave him a questioning look as she took his hand, Lex was standing patiently beside Clark, waiting for her to disembark as well.

She shook her head in annoyance and made her way towards the one bedroom apartment that she shared with her dad. Clark and Lex were following after her which only added to her aggravation. "It's still light out, you two don't need to walk me up to my door. I'm sure I can get there all on my own." She spoke impatiently. She wanted the two out of her hair. Her head was pounding and her hand felt like it was on fire. All she wanted to do was to drink some Advil, bury herself under the covers and sleep for hours at a time.

Clark fixed his stare on his shoes while Lex raised a brow at her comment.

"I'm fully capable of getting into the apartment all by my lonesome. You two can go on your way." She looked at them meaningfully, hoping that they would take the hint and leave already.

Lex was staring at her with such intensity that she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"Hope you feel better Chlo'. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Clark looked at her hopefully.

Chloe nodded dismissively as she opened the door. She stepped inside and spared a final glance at the two men. She sighed huffily as she shut the door. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the door, trying to compose herself. She breathed in deeply and went up the stairs. She felt utterly drained and she had no idea why.

She entered their current home and tossed her keys onto the nearest available surface. She went straight to her room and was thankful that her dad was still away, job hunting. He told her that he was going to Gotham City. She sincerely hoped that he found something soon.

The room that she claimed as her own was a mess. She distinctly remembered that her room was in a better condition. Her desk was cluttered with sheets upon sheets of paper. Her bed was unmade and her closet looked like a tornado hit it. On the floor was huge garbage bag, full of what she could only assume were clothes.

Chloe walked over to her closet to inspect the contents. She was appalled at what she saw; gone were her eclectic clothing, full of vibrant colors. It had been replaced with tank tops and short skirts. They all seem to come in just four colors, blue, red, purple and black.

"What the hell!" She held up a particularly short dark blue skirt. The material was sparse to say the least, she held it to her body and saw that it only ended mid-thigh. She threw the skirt back in the closet in disgust, since when did she start wearing clothes from dirty coeds are us?

Her gaze fell on the mirror at the corner of her room. Her eyes widened at the sight of her reflection, she was wearing a lavender tube top and a black skirt that barely grazed the top of her knees. It was not possible that she did not take notice of her outfit until now. She clawed at the garbage bag in front of her and grabbed the first thing she touched, her rattiest shirt. She hastily put it on as she tried to get over the mortification at wearing such indecent clothes in public.

"Breathe Chloe." She told herself quietly. She turned her back on the disaster that was her wardrobe and walked over to her desk. Just like her closet, the mess on her table was color coded. She had sheets of purple and blue paper. She picked up a sheet and read what she wrote. She let out a choked laughter at what she read. It was a detailed schedule but it merely had two names written down. Lex and Clark. She didn't have the Torch penciled in at all.

She frowned as she continued to read her 'schedule'. It appeared that her time was divided equally between her best friend and her father's former employer. In the morning she put Clark as her 'priority', she even had his football practice schedule all written down. Apparently her evenings were reserved for Lex. "What the hell happened to me?" She rubbed her hand over her face.

Chloe sat on her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "I was talking to Coach Teague..." That was the last thing she could remember. She uncovered her eyes and looked at the calendar hanging on her wall. She checked her cell and saw that it had been three days since her last memory.

She picked up another piece of paper and glanced at it idly. Her eyes widened even more as she read the list. 'Surprises for Lex', the paper proclaimed. She crumpled the paper and threw it at the general direction of her trash can. Her gaze fell on another piece of paper and this time written across it was 'Surprises for Clark.' Chloe growled as she gave the sheet the same treatment as before.

She got up from the chair and marched out of her room. She went into the bathroom and grabbed some pills and headed for the kitchen, filled a glass with water and downed the pills without much thought. She went back into her room and fixed her bed so she could sleep comfortably. She needed some sleep. She couldn't deal with what she had seen for last fifteen minutes. She fluffed her pillows and got underneath the covers. Sleep would be a good idea.

Chloe inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

She closed her eyes but instead of drifting off to sleep, she was assaulted by images of herself: standing over Lex, straddling his leg while wearing nothing but a leather jacket and only her underwear; wearing nothing but a football jersey and straddling Clark; kissing Clark, making out with Lex; dinner in bed with Lex and a picnic lunch with Clark and Lex; cheering on Clark during football practice.

Chloe rose from her bed abruptly. "Oh crap!"

TBC