Part Eleven
The sun was just rising as Lex carried Chloe into his office and laid her down on the settee next to the fire.
"This really isn't necessary Lex, I am absolutely fine", Chloe protested as he hit the intercom and demanded breakfast before sitting at the bottom of the sofa.
"Considering you risked your life for me, I think that this is the least I can do", Lex said, slipping her shoes off. It was unfortunate that her disguise had necessitated stilettos, although the effect had been rather impressive.
"Lex we have been over this before", Chloe tried to pull her foot away from him.
"Yes, and I have taken on board many of your suggestions. You will notice that didn't just say 'Well tough, this is how it is going to be'. Now if that isn't meeting you half way, I don't know what is", Lex smiled, still holding on her hurt foot gently.
"Good point, that is a lot of progress for two days", Chloe returned his smile.
"So, are you going to make an effort as well? Are you going to let someone else try to help you for once without putting up a fight?" He asked, caressing the sole of her foot.
"I don't know, going down without a fight doesn't sit well with me, you should know that", Chloe teased him, trying to ignore the tingles that his fingers were sending up across her skin.
"Well, if that is the case, I may be forced to tickle you", he threatened, lowering his voice to a menacing level.
It was on the tip of her tongue to declare that he wouldn't dare, but the look in his eyes said that he clearly would, and so instead she opted for, "How about just a token resistance then?" Her eyes sparkling with humour.
"Your token resistance has been noted", Lex held her ankle and gently rolled it in his hand, checking for breaks.
"I told you that it is alright, I just tripped nothing more. I don't even think that it is …" she broke off as she gasped, "twisted".
Lex looked down at her ankle intently, attempting to hide his smirk. Once he had his face under control he repeated the manoeuvre, this time ready for her reaction so he could look up in feigned concern, "Hurt?"
Chloe shook her head. "I told you, I just pulled it, if even that. This is not necessary and you certainly didn't have to carry me all of the way from the helicopter. I am surprised that you managed it".
Lex looked up at her offended.
"I just meant that it is a long way, not that you are weak. I doubt that even Clark could manage", she broke off with another gasp as Lex began to rub the sole of her foot.
He took umbrage at the idea that the farm boy might be able to do something that he could not; he would enjoy proving the contrary to her.
"I am surprised that you didn't hurt your back", Chloe continued, feeling that she needed to keep up conversation even if it was about nothing in particular, anything that to keep up the pretence that Lex's skilled ministrations were having no impact on her.
"I didn't hurt my back the other night, did I?" Lex asked as rubbed his way up her ankle. She had been correct, her ankle wasn't broken, sprained or even twisted, just pulled and tense but if he admitted that then he would give up his excuse to keep touching her. Besides, she was so determined not to let him see that she was affected by him, he was determined to make her gasp as she had before, maybe even moan.
"The other night? What are you talking about?" Chloe wondered, shifting slightly.
"I am talking about when I carried up in from the helicopter to the guest bedroom", Lex said looking amused. Had she really not figured out what had happened? Judging by the look of shock on her face, the answer was no.
"I didn't know that you had done that", Chloe admitted. "You could have just nudged me awake, I would have gone home", she added uncomfortably.
"I could have but you looked so peaceful and I didn't think that you had been sleeping much. Besides, I knew that there would be no problem waiting until the morning to talk", his hands travelled upwards to massage her calve.
"Or at least it could have waited, if you hadn't left", he squeezed her calve, "Why did you leave? How did you think that you got there to start with?"
Chloe did almost moan but she bit her lip, she saw Lex's smirk and knew that he was well aware of his effect. She couldn't pull away or she would look weak, instead she tried to focus on his questions.
"I left because I felt uncomfortable and I wasn't sure what I was doing there. I didn't remember waking up", she didn't add anything about her floating teddy bear dream which she had now worked out was him, "but I assumed that that was the only way that I could have got in. I thought that I was imposing".
She averted her eyes from him, "I was not sure that you would have really wanted me here", she added in a smaller voice.
Lex's jaw tightened. He did not want Chloe's welcome in his home to ever be doubted, but he supposed that he could not blame her after everything they had been through that summer and how he had acted afterwards. He thought for a moment, she had to have worked it out by now didn't she? She was so smart, there was no way that she could miss it, but then again she hadn't worked out how she had got in bed either.
"Chloe", she started on her other foot. He wanted to say, "You know that I care about you, right?" But couldn't quite manage it, he paid more attention to the task, quite literally, at hand, and opted for saying, "you know that you are always welcome here, don't you?"
"Yeah, I had worked that out", she smiled, touched that he had said that. She knew that it took a lot to extract those words from him. For a moment she felt so connected to him and all warm and mushy. Then his hands slipped over her ankle and she remembered that this was Lex Luthor – even if he was very sweet sometimes.
Unable to stop herself any longer she let out a sigh of contentment. "And I hope that you know Lex", he looked up and she let him hang for a moment. She brushed her hand gently over his cheek, "That if the tycoon thing doesn't work out you could make a living as a masseur".
Lex guffawed. "I'll have to remember that".
"Well it might be good to remember if LuthorCorp stock takes a plummet after my article", Chloe joked, noticing that Lex was still working on her sore leg. He really was very good.
"Write what you like, for once I have nothing to be ashamed of", Lex shrugged.
"Very true, you were magnificent", Chloe commented. "Although I have to say that I didn't think that things would end like this last night, did you?" She asked as she reached into her bag for something.
"No, I can't say that I did", Lex admitted, curious as to what she was looking for.
Chloe led Lex down into the dining room, smiling slightly at the idea that Lex Luthor was not only in her house and staying to dinner, but almost seemed a little like a boy who was on his best behaviour. Then she wondered whether he had been invited to someone's home for dinner – not in a business sense – since he was, in fact, a little boy. She remembered how much he had longed to be part of the Kent family, she actually felt bad that she had never invited him before, or at least told Clark to invite him over for tea.
Lex looked around the room. Even now that the curtains were drawn the room was still light and airy. There were still boxes scattered around but the table was set and seemed to be a good piece of furniture, also walnut - Lex suspected that this was something that the Sullivans had brought for themselves as it seemed to match the table in the hallway.
"Looks like Dad already brought everything in", Chloe said, grabbing a roll from the plate in the middle of the table. "Oh, still warm", she moaned closing her eyes.
'Oh God", Lex groaned in that back of his throat. Chloe's head had fallen back slightly and he could trace the line of her neck down to her chest.
"Want a taste?"
"Pardon?" Lex blinked at her, certain that he must have misheard her.
"Do you want a taste?" She repeated her question, holding half of the bun out to him.
"Um, no thank-you. I can wait", Lex declined, running his hand over his smooth head.
"Well I can't, I'm starving", Chloe munched her roll. "Ended up sleeping through lunch", she said before realising what she had revealed, "Don't tell Dad".
"I won't, this time", Lex said, giving her a dark look.
Chloe pulled a face at him as she finished her bread and reached for another one.
"Any way I can help?" Lex asked. He had food brought to him every day without feeling any guilt, he paid people good money to wait on him, but he didn't feel right leaving it all up to Gabe.
She shook her head in the negative, her mouth too full to reply any other way. She swallowed a big portion and then said, "There's only the lasagne to go and Dad is on that. Nothing left to do, but eat", she ripped off another piece and popped it into her mouth.
"Yes, but you could have waited a few seconds trouble", Gabe said as he entered the room with the main dish.
"Hungry", Chloe announced between mouthfuls.
"Well then we had better eat", Gabe set his handiwork down and seating himself at the head of the table.
Lex pulled out the chair nearest to him and waited for Chloe to sit in it. With a "Thank-you kind Sir", she did. Lex then took his own seat, watching as Chloe bowed her head expectantly. A little confused he looked over to Gabe who said, "As the guest, would you do the honours Lex?"
"Honours?" He really hated being uncertain of what was happening around him. He could have sworn that he saw Chloe's shoulders shaking with silent mirth.
"I mean, would you care to say the grace?" Gabe explained kindly.
"Oh, um thank-you but I am not sure …"
"Go on", Chloe encouraged.
"Okay. Um", he thought back to prep school, they had always prayed there before eating. He could never remember which one was the Catholic and which was Protestant version of the prayer. Hoping that he had remembered the right one and was not about to offend the Sullivans he crossed himself and said, "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."
"Amen", they repeated and then traded slightly amused looks. Lex assumed that he had got the wrong one but no one seemed to mind.
"This smells amazing", Chloe said as her Dad began slice large portions of the lasagne and serve his daughter and guest.
"It does", Lex agreed, almost salivating as his plate was handed to him piled high with lasagne, salad and several rolls. "Where did you get it from? This looks better than what I get at the mansion".
"I made it", Gabe said, as if it were nothing.
At Lex's shocked look Chloe explained, "One day I told him that I fancied a brownie so he went immediately to the grocery store, brought a cook book and all of the ingredients and learnt how to make them. He had been cooking ever since".
"The next week she said that she quite fancied a plane", Gabe laughed at the memory.
"You tried your best", Chloe said as she cut up her lasagne.
"He didn't really? You didn't really try to build her a full plane, did you?" Lex asked in amazement. The idea boggled the mind but he had learnt that there were very few things that Gabe wouldn't do for his daughter. And he was sure that building a plane wouldn't have been beyond Gabe's intellectual capabilities, only his financial ones.
"No not really", Gabe laughed and pointed to a box down by Lex's foot. "Third one from the top".
Lex lifted the box onto the chair next to him so that he could riffle through it with greater ease. The first photo was of Chloe as a toddler being fed, by a hand that must have been Gabe's, with what looked like apple sauce smeared around her grinning mouth. The second was of her a little older pretending to fly in a red cape, being held up by her Dad. The third one was of Chloe sitting in a box with wings, painted to look like an airplane. She could only have been four then, he realised with a pang that the brownie incident must have been only a few weeks after her mother left. Well, Gabe had certainly stepped up. As he went to put that photo back he noticed a collage of photos beneath it.
"What's this?" He asked picking it up and handing it to Gabe.
"Ah, this is one of my favourites", Gabe smiled proudly down at it.
Lex ate some of his food and waited for the story that would no doubt accompany of the picture; he did not wait in vain.
"We went to the park with Lois and her family one day. I was helping Chloe with her sandcastle …"
"He was getting in the way of me building my sandcastle by smearing me with sun block", Chloe helpfully elaborated.
"I was helping her build her sandcastle when a nasty little boy knocked it over and Chloe felt the need to express herself on the subject. Her Aunt was taking lots of pictures and Lois made it into a collage for my Christmas present one year", Gabe explained and handed it back to Lex.
Lex studied it. Chloe looked very happy in the first picture building her castle with her yellow bucket and red spade, he couldn't see any sign of Gabe in the pictures, Chloe was the focus. Then the next one had her looking directly into the camera with a disgruntled expression, all evidence of her sandcastle obliterated. The next seven photos told the story of Chloe's pursuit of the boy until her Dad caught up with her, at which point there was a lovely picture of the look of concerned adoration on Gabe's face as he held his baby … who was smacking the boy on the head with her spade. The final picture was of Chloe and two other girls (who Lex supposed were Lois and Lucy) with ice creams looks rather pleased with themselves.
"I see that I will have to remember not to get on the wrong side of Chloe", Lex smiled and replaced the photos before continuing with his meal. "Although come to think of it, I think that I have heard that story somewhere before".
"Oh, the plant is filled with stories of my girl", Gabe beamed. "You may not have heard the one about the day that JJ got knocked off his chair though …"
"He doesn't need to hear that one, Dad", Chloe moaned.
"Yes he does", her Dad answered her cheerfully, "it has everything: a conflict, drama, a compelling lead".
"You have heard enough of my stories, for today. I want to hear some of yours", Chloe addressed Lex.
"Oh, this should be good", Gabe looked over at Lex with considerable interest. Lex was just trying to think of a way to get out of this one when he noticed Chloe slipping more salad onto her father's plate and removing one of the rolls while he wasn't looking.
"I …" he trailed off.
"Yes, she does that when she thinks that I am not looking", Gabe told him, obviously working out what was confusing Lex. "But she should know that daddies see all!" He said in a scary monster voice.
Chloe ignored this last comment and said, "Yeah, I got the idea from the fairy that keeps putting meat on my plate".
"A fairy keeps putting meat on your plate?" Lex was certain that he had to have misheard that.
"Yes, it is the only explanation we can think of for how extra meat keeps getting onto her plate when she did not put it there, or when she put the meat that I originally put there back on the centre plate while my back was turned", Gabe said with a feigned innocent look.
"Sure it is", Chloe rolled her eyes, "now stop stalling", she prodded Lex with her foot under the table.
"Tell you what, tomorrow you can ask me whatever you like", Lex offered. The warm, fuzzy family feeling that he had been experiencing came to an end then as he realised that he was about to betray the man who had invited him to dinner. He didn't know how much Gabe knew, but that night he was going to take his daughter away and however hard he tried to protect her, it would not be as safe for her as being upstairs in her room asleep.
After dinner Gabe refused Lex's offer to help washing up and demanded that they all go and watch Friends – Chloe's favourite TV show that was about to come on. Apparently it was a tradition in the Sullivan household that every Friday after dinner, Chloe went upstairs to change into her pyjamas – because she put her washing in then – and then they watched Friends followed by the Simpsons. Lex had glanced at his watch and realised that they would have time, the wink that Chloe gave him as she left the room made him realise that she knew they had too. They didn't have to leave for another hour and a half and she clearly wanted to keep her father as calm as possible. It wouldn't do them any harm to try to relax either; nothing would be gained by going over the plan yet again.
Chloe came down a few minutes later in her robe and for a moment Lex thought that maybe she had decided that she could leave it to him, but then he saw the glint in her eye and knew that that would never happen. Chloe had a plan, and Lex spent most of the hour trying to work out what it was. In fact, he still hadn't worked it out by the end of the Simpsons when he got up saying, "Time I got going. Thank-you for having me and I look forward to working with you again, Gabe" and extended his hand to him.
"Same here and you are welcome here anytime", Gabe shook his hand.
Chloe smiled at Lex from across the room and waved.
"Well I had better get back to unpacking", Gabe said and started to walk Lex out. Then as if it were an afterthought turned to Chloe and said, "If you are planning on going upstairs take off your robe off to reveal your dress underneath, then climb out of the window when you think that I have gone to bed, I wouldn't recommend it. 1. I had the tree cut down as it was growing too close to the house. 2. We have an alarm system. 3. It is chilly out and you will need to take a coat".
"Dad?" Chloe's jaw dropped.
Gabe smiled almost sadly and walked over to her. He cupped her face in his hands, "Please don't lie to be baby. I know that you don't want to worry me, I don't like being worried either. If there were anything that I could do to stop you going then I would do it, but we both know that you are 17 now. What you do is your own decision and I know that you wouldn't be doing this if you weren't sure that you were helping people. Unfortunately I know that I cannot stand in your way, because if I do you will just do it anyway", he kissed her forehead.
"Promise me you'll be safe", he demanded as he hugged her fiercely.
"I promise Daddy", she hugged him back. "What we do tonight will help many people".
"Well then I suppose that there is only one question to be asked, what are we doing?"
"No", Lex replied honestly, "I did not that things would happen like they did last night, or that we would end up like this".