Smallville by Blaire (G-R)

[Blaire]

Title: Smallville
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chlex friendship, Chlionel interaction
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville (That belongs to those WB abusers), but if I did, it would go like this...
Rating: G - R
Author's Notes: This is based on Smallville. Not just the characters but the story lines also. This is not Chlexville. Chloe and Lex did not know each other prior to the Pilot episode although each episode will be rewritten with Chloe in place of Clark. So pretty much any interaction between Clark and Lex never happened. Oh, and the dialogue is very similar to each episode, but ya know, rewritten Chlex style Also, because I'm an ar-teest I get to do what I want and if I don't want to write in Lana or Helen or Victoria, I don't hafta. HAH!
Feedback: I'd really like some, yes. If you have some to spare, that is

Leafy Little Hamlet [aka Pilot]

She'd been so young when the meteors crashed down around her. So young when her mother had died in the field with her.

She barely remembered the small fluffy animal she'd chased into the corn fields and her mother following from a small distance behind.

The blow out resulting in a flat tire, which her father had dutifully stopped to fix. Her complaining of the heat in the car, her mother helping her out of the backseat, leading her off the road and toward the corn fields.

The small fluffy animal she'd named not five seconds after spotting it. And when it had bolted away with huge dark eyes, she'd gone off after it.

And just as she had reached it, she had felt the earth move beneath her tiny Keds. Her mother call out to her. The first rock landing barely a foot from her side.

Remembered falling to the ground, being covered by another body falling on top of her. Felt the tremors, heard the sky roar, peeked out from under blue linen to watch the rocks rain from the sky. Felt terror and cried out for her mother.

Only her mother was a lifeless shield, lying atop her only child, keeping her away from danger and chaos.

Only then did Chloe know what it was to love and lose. And as she grew to understand what her mother had done that day, she vowed never to let love rule over anything. Especially her head.


Chloe laughed as she watched Clark miss the bus once again and exchanged money with Pete. "I see Clark's punctuality hasn't changed much over the summer."

Pete shook his head and laughed and replied, "It's got to suck being late to class the first day."

Chloe looked up at the roof of the bus when she heard a strange thump on the top of it. "Pete, did you hear that?"

Pete looked over at her and then looked up at the bus' roof. "Hear what?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned over to look out the windows on the opposite side, taking a mental note of the strange breeze only blowing across a few feet of corn. "Never mind."

Pete grinned and slung his arm over her shoulder. "Ya know, I was thinking, since neither of us have a date for the dance..."

Chloe arched a brow at him and tilted her head, "What?" She prodded him to continue.

"That we could go together."

Chloe smiled and leaned back, getting comfortable under the weight of his arm. "I'd like that."

Pete smiled openly and squeezed her to his side just as they pulled up in the bus loop outside of school. "So it's a date?"

Chloe grabbed her bag and nodded. "Sure." She walked towards the front of the bus, Pete following close behind. "What about Clark?"

Pete hesitated a moment and then shook his head. "Who cares?" He mumbled under his breath. Chloe looked back at him and he shrugged. "He can come with us."

Chloe nodded and checked her bag for her camera. "Well, I've got to get to work."

Pete smiled as he watched her walk away.

"Hey, where's Chloe going?" Clark asked as he trotted up to Pete.

"A reporter's work is never done, Clark."

They both watched her as she walked into the school, Clark's attention wavering as Lana Lang came into view. "Hey, Pete. I gotta go..."

Pete smacked Clark on the shoulder as he laughed. "Yeah, yeah."

***

Lex Luthor's life had just gone from quite comfortably living in a city where he was easily recognized and fit in perfectly to living in exile in the middle of Podunk, Nowhere.

Lex downshifted, bringing his car to a halt outside of the newest LuthorCorp plant. A fertilizer plant. A shit factory.

Lex huffed out a breath as he got out of his car and muttered to no one in particular, "Thanks, Dad."

He faced the plant, and heaved a sigh. Suck it up and deal with it, Lex. Looked like it was going to be easier said than done.

***

Chloe Sullivan's first day of high school had not gone all that well. On her way home she pulled over to the side of the road right before the bridge and got out of her compact car.

She'd occasionally come here to watch the sunset and just think. Just hope a little that she was normal like everyone else. That she hadn't been affected by the meteor shower and that she could be a regular girl. As she leaned against the rail of the bridge from the walking platform and stared out at the pink sky she let her imagination take her away, let herself think of all the possibilities that were out there.

She didn't hear the car careening out of control until she felt the pressure of the wind change. She turned to see what was happening when the hood of the flashy car smacked into her legs and for a split second her eyes collided with wide eyed blue ones, staring back at her in shock.

And then she was free falling from the weight of the car ramming into her and she was splashing into the water, her open mouth forming a scream even as she sucked in what felt like half of the lake.

She was amazed that she didn't black out, but when she resurfaced after kicking her way back up to the light of the setting sun she gobbled in a large breath and choked. It didn't take her long to realize that the person in the car hadn't come back up yet.

She untangled herself from her backpack and let it sink back into the water as she sucked in another deep breath and dove back under.

She followed the twin red beacons on the bumper and upon reaching the car, saw the man inside, unconscious.

Chloe grabbed the roof of the car and pulled with all of her meteor induced strength, shoving enough of the metal back to where she could reach in and pull out the young man.

She held him across his chest, under her arm, as she kicked her way back to the surface and then dragged him with what little strength she had left to a dry spot on the bank. She fell to her knees beside him, checked for a pulse, and silently wished for everything to be okay.

She leaned her head down, covering his lips with hers and followed what rusty CPR skills she had until he started sputtering water and choking in air.

She sat back in relief and let the hot tears stream down her cheeks as she smiled down at him and watched his blue eyes flutter into focus.

"Hi."

Lex opened his eyes from darkness, had literally felt the life leave his body and then return with a renewed force, and saw the face of an angel. When she spoke her voice was so crisp, so clear it sounded like heaven to his ears.

Then as he stared into those deep hazel eyes he remembered seeing them before.

"I could have sworn I hit you." His voice choked out.

Chloe smiled and stared down at him, pushing her wet hair away from her face. "If you did..." Her smile faltered as she thought about that and then she turned to look over her shoulder at the gaping section of guardrail missing. "If you did, I'd be dead." Her whispered words struck Lex like lightning and he let his head fall back to the ground.

Ten minutes passed and the place was swarming with cops and a waiting ambulance. Chloe, who had already been checked out and was sitting on the bank where she'd pulled Lex to, sat wrapped in a blanket, trying to keep the chill off her bones. Occasionally her eyes would dart back up to the bridge and thoughts would race through her mind. How was it possible? How had she survived that? They were questions she wanted answers to. Sure, she had known she was different since the meteor shower, but being hit by a car at 60 mph would have killed her. Should have killed her.

"Chloe!"

Chloe's head whipped around as he father came running down the incline.

When he reached her he fell down beside her and pulled her into his arms. "God, Chloe. Are you all right?" His hands worriedly ran over her arms then up to her head checking for any injuries.

"I'm fine, dad." Chloe laughed a little as she tried to stop her fathers roaming hands. "Dad, I'm fine." She finally caught his hands and held them in hers.

Gabe huffed out a breath and let his face flush with the anger he felt. He turned his head in the direction of the nearest officer. "Who was the maniac that was driving that car?"

"That would be me."

Gabe whipped his head around so fast, Chloe's shot back to avoid it hitting her.
Lex stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Lex Luthor."

Gabe looked down at the offered hand glared at the man. "Where'd you learn how to drive? The Mario Andretti School of Racing?"

Lex had the good graces to look away even as Chloe grinned. "It's okay, dad." Chloe patted his hand and started to stand up. Gabe caught her at her elbow and helped her to her feet.

Lex watched the display of affection with something akin to wonder. He cleared his throat and said, "If there's anything I can do to repay you..." His words trailed off as Gabe directed Chloe around him and led her up the small hill to where he was parked.

Gabe couldn't stand to let it go at that and threw the comment over his shoulder, "You could start by driving slower."

Chloe giggled and looked over her should at the Luthor heir. Her laughing eyes met his and he felt his lips start to curl at the corners. Chloe figured it was a start, but by the look on his face, he needed to learn how to smile more often. She turned back around and snuggled into her dad's side, letting him lead her to the car.

The next day Chloe walked home from the bus stop and came to an abrupt stop in her driveway. "Holy shit." Her words whispered in awe. She hurried past the cherry red car in her driveway and ran into the house, throwing her new book bag towards the wall of the hallway.

"Hey, dad!"

Gabe poked his head out of the kitchen and looked at his daughter. "Before you even ask, yes, it's yours."

Chloe's eyebrows rose as she grinned and leaned back far enough to look out of the front screen door to see her prize sitting in the driveway. "Is this one of those near death experience presents?"

Gabe laughed and shook his head. "Not from me."

Chloe bounced where she stood, "Well? Who's it from? Publisher's Clearing House make their rounds today?"

Gabe took a slice of apple and popped it into his mouth before nudging a purple envelop towards his daughter.

Chloe flipped open the envelop and pulled out the expensive look stationary inside it and read out loud,

<i>"Dear Chloe,
Drive safely.
Always in your debt,
The maniac in the Porsche."</i>

Chloe squealed and held the envelope to her chest and she jumped up and down. "I got a new car!"

Gabe smiled and shook his head. "You didn't even ask me if you could keep it."

Chloe stopped bouncing and her mouth fell open, staring at her dad incredulously. "You're kidding, right?" At his raised eyebrow she started laughing, "Oh, man. That was good; you had me for a split second."

She turned in a circle and snatched the keys out of her father's hand as he jangled them.

"I'm going for a spin."

"Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse from the counter. "Yes, dad. My first stop will be Lex's."

Gabe nodded and sipped at his iced tea.

While he didn't like the idea of letting Chloe accept such an extravagant present, he knew Lex Luthor was going to be his boss for the time being and there really wasn't any reason to start pissing off the big dogs. Besides, the look of adoration on Chloe's face after seeing that Bug had been priceless.

***

Chloe walked through the halls of the mansion on the sprawling grounds of Luthor estate.

"Hello?" She called out to what appeared to be an empty house. For such grand extravagance, and such priceless antiques lying around you'd think these people would have some security. True there weren't many kleptomaniac's around but even she was getting ideas as she walked past what she was sure was thousands of dollars of vases and knick knacks.

She wound her way around the halls until she came to the first open door she'd seen. Hesitantly she stepped in and looked around. "Hello?"

She heard the clashing of swords as two people came into view through another open door, sparring. Chloe watched in awe as the two people moved with such a fluid grace. Suddenly one of them pinned the other to the wall and then just as quickly she had a fencing sword flung at her like she was a dartboard.

Chloe froze and opened her mouth on a silent scream as the pointy end of the bigger than normal dart pierced the wall beside her head.

Lex sucked in a breath and pulled the mesh gear off of his head. "Chloe?" When she just moved her eyes to look over at the sword and then back over to him, Lex made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat and started toward her. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

Chloe let out a nervous giggle and said, "Well, I should hope not!"

At the blank stare she received from Lex as he pulled his sword out of the wall she cleared her throat. "I mean, I like myself the way I am, and no offense but if I ever get any body piercing I don't want anything that big being poked at me." Those last few words ran through her mind again and she flushed a nice pink color. Lex smirked as she thinned her lips together, clamping them shut. She was definitely cute in a down home kind of way. "Anyways, I rang but no one answered."

Lex lifted an eyebrow at her before he strolled back over to his fencing partner and setting down his gear. "How'd you get through the gate?"

"It was open."

Lex turned around and studied her for the first time. She was wearing a pair of low slung jeans and a relatively tight red shirt. With her flippy blonde hair and her pretty curved lips she didn't seem all that angelic. At least not as much as she did yesterday.

Lex started through the door and out into the hallway, motioning with his head for her to follow. As she did, the silence grew unbearable and she commented, "This is a really great place."

Lex laughed and looked down at her as he led her to the stairs, "Yeah, if you're dead and in the market for something to haunt."

Chloe backtracked and said, "I meant...it's roomy."

Lex stopped on one of the middle steps of the staircase and spread his arms wide, "It's the Luthor ancestral home. Or so my father claims."

Chloe nodded and followed him up the stairs, trying not to stare at his ass on the way. Really, that ass was worth more money than she'd make in her lifetime. Chloe felt behind her for her own ass and wondered what it would feel like to have such an expensive ass.

As the walked into a study Lex asked, "So, how's the new ride."

Chloe grinned as she watched him take a drink out of an expensive bottle of water. "Actually that's why I'm here." She held up the keys and jingled them.

"And?"

Her smile grew bigger and she walked over to him, then rose to her toes and gave him a solid hug. "It drives beautifully." She pulled back and laid a small kiss on his cheek. "I just wanted to thank you in person."

Lex watched her turn around and walk over to the wall, studying the various selections of art hung there. "I was afraid you were going to tell me you couldn't keep it."

Chloe turned back around to look at him, watched him through a towel over his shoulders. "What would possibly make you think that?"

Lex shrugged. "Not many people would accept a gift from a Luthor and not wonder about the strings attached."

Chloe grinned and dropped the keys into her purse. "I'm sure my dad wasn't ecstatic about it but he couldn't very well say no."

When Lex took another sip of water and raised his eyebrows for her to go on, she shifted from one foot to another.

"He's the plant manager for the LuthorCorp plant here."

"Gabe Sullivan?"

Chloe nodded.

"I knew that name sounded familiar."

She smiled and shrugged. "Just make sure all your other employees don't find out about it. They might want a heftier Christmas bonus when the time comes."

Lex smiled and leaned against the edge of the wet bar. They stared at each other for a moment before Chloe felt a blush rise to her face and she cleared her throat. "Well, I should be going." Lex rose from the edge of the bar and stood there, staring at her. "Thanks for the car."

He nodded and watched her walk out of the room.

Maybe being exiled to Smallville wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Chloe was on her way to the school for an afternoon session of putting her first Torch edition together when she spotted the large crowd formed outside of the local garage. With thoughts of a possible story in mind she put on the brakes, snatched up her camera and ran to the first familiar face she saw. "Pete."

"Chloe, check it out. It's the third accident like this in one week."

Chloe looked around, snapping pictures here and there. "Did you happen to notice that they're all former jocks?"

Pete narrowed his eyes and raised his head, indicating the man standing across from them, "Who's the weirdo."

Chloe shrugged and lifted her camera to take his picture. "I don't know, let's check him out."

Not even ten minutes later she was sitting on the edge of her seat in the Torch office and had uploaded the creepy onlooker’s photo and ran it through an image search.

"His name is Jeremy Creek."

Clark and Pete listened to her as she told them the whole story of Jeremy being the freshman scarecrow a decade ago and that he'd been found in the cornfields unconscious after the meteor's had struck. She went on to tell them about how a few days ago there had been a major power surge in the hospital he'd been staying in with a coma. And that when the lights had come back on, Jeremy had been declared missing.

"So what? You think he came back to pay revenge on all the jocks?"

Chloe tapped her bottom lip with her finger. "No, I think he's only going after the ones that did that to him."

Clark shook his head. "Okay. Say he is getting revenge. Who would he go after next?"

Pete handed Clark the article about Jeremy Creek. "I say we look for all the most popular jocks in his school that year."

***

Chloe had just ended a phone call with one of her contacts, trying to locate the next victim of one very pissed off meteor mutant, and let out a surprise squeak as she was grabbed from behind.

"Hey, what's going on?"

She heard Pete's yell as he ran up to her attackers and then she felt the ground leave her feet and felt the cold bite of metal as she landed in the bed of a truck.

"What the..." Her voice was cut off as she stared up into the face of Whitney Fordman and someone behind her tied a gag over her mouth.

"Maybe now you'll learn to butt out of everyone else's business, Sullivan."

Chloe struggled against the two guys holding her down and was only partially aware of a wet cloth being placed over her nose.

Then all she saw was darkness.

Chloe woke up to rope biting into her wrists and her waist. The cold air against the upper torso had her shivering.

She lifted her head enough to open her eyes and moaned around the dryness in her throat.

"It never stops."

Chloe rolled her head to the side so she could see the person standing at the edge of the corn. "Help me."

Jeremy shook his head and walked up to her, staring up at her lifeless body. She felt as if all her muscles had turned to jell-o.

"You're better off here."

As he started away, Chloe began to panic. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Homecoming dance," he answered, "I never made it to mine."

Chloe watched him walk away and choked back a sob as she tried to move her arms. They'd been in one place so long that it hurt to even shift just a little.

Lex was making his way back home from a long day on the job when he drove past the cornfield. He absently ran his hand over his bald head and glanced to the edge of the swaying corn.

He slammed on his brakes as a man stared back at him.

The same man from nearly a decade ago that he'd seen tied up in that exact cornfield when he'd been tied to a pole like a scarecrow.

Lex got out of his car and blinked, the image of the man disappearing. He shook his head and had just decided that maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him when he heard it.

"Help me."

The voice was so whispered, so strained. He grabbed a flashlight out of the emergency kit in the trunk of his car and started through the field.

"Hello?"

Chloe swallowed down a sob and repeated herself. "Help me, please."

Lex came to the clearing and just stared up at the sight before him.

Chloe Sullivan was tied to the post her shirt ripped open in the front, revealing a torn lace bra and a bright red "S" was painted on her skin, most of it dripping down into the waistband of her dirt caked jeans.

Finally looking into her eyes with his own terrified ones he whispered her name. "Chloe." He made a disgusted sound in his throat as she stared at him and whimpered his name. "God, who did this to you?"

As he untied her Chloe started to fall to the group, her limbs weak from being in the same place so long. "A few people at school." She paused and was grateful that Lex hefted her body up into his arms, "thought it would be funny."

Lex narrowed his eyes as he carried her back to his car from the way he'd come.

"High school hazing?"

Though she didn't answer his question as he slid her into the passenger seat of his car he thought her heard her murmur under her breath.

"What?"

"The dance. We have to get to the dance."

Lex shook his head. "Chloe, we need to get you to a doctor."

Chloe rolled her head against the buttery soft leather of the seat and watched him get settled on the driver's side. "Later. Now...dance."

Lex opened his glove compartment and grabbed a stick of gum, hoping it would at the very least soothe her throat, her voice was so hoarse.

"Chloe..."

He started to argue but she put her hand over his on the gear shift between them. "The dance, Lex."

Lex clenched his jaw and nodded before taking off.

After she'd gotten the piece of gum unwrapped and in her mouth, she chewed slowly and started doing the buttons on her shirt with shaky hands.

She didn't miss the way the Lex's jaw worked. Left, then right. Left, then right. She was sure he wouldn't have any molars left when he was done grinding them.

"I'm okay, Lex."

Lex nodded sharply and continued to drive.

Chloe couldn't believe her eyes. When her and Lex arrived at the school and found their way into the gym they simply stood there and stared.

Everyone was fine. People were dancing and laughing and having a great time and no one appeared to be in any kind of danger.

Lex met her gaze and shrugged. "Maybe he had a change of heart."

Chloe glared at him before turning her head to look out in the crowd.

"Maybe." She said with a shrug.

"Chloe! I've been looking all over for you." Pete ran up to Chloe and gathered her into his arms, holding her close. He set her back and held her at an arm's length. "Jesus, you look like hell."

It was then he noticed a pair of eyes watching him curiously and he turned to look into the face of Lex Luthor.

Pete nodded, one of those ridiculous things men did, Chloe thought, and Lex returned his nod with one of his own.

"Well, since everything seems to be in order here, I'll just be going."

Chloe put her hand out to Lex, touching his arm with her fingertips. "Thanks."

Lex shook his head. "For what?"

Chloe licked her still dry lips and smiled softly. "For saving my life."

Lex laughed and squeezed her hand with one of his before letting go of it. "I guess we're even now?"

Chloe nodded with a smile that quickly turned into a frown. "But you can't have the car."

Lex grinned at her and turned around, walking out of the gym.

Pete slung an arm around her shoulder and watched him leave. "So, he's not what caused you to look like this, right?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, he really did save me."

Pete looked after the youngest Luthor and thought maybe after an apple fell from the tree it could roll quite a ways away if it had enough momentum.

"I'm going to guess you don't really want to dance?"

Chloe shook her head and leaned against Pete. "I just really want a shower."

"That an invitation?"

Chloe laughed and elbowed Pete in the ribs.

"Not in your lifetime, bud!"

[Blaire]

A/N: I may have forgotten to mention this before...but...Clark is still super alien geek. So the storylines that end abruptly like the one before did when Chloe and Lex got to the dance and everyone was fine, is because Clark is behind the scenes taking action. Chloe is not the alien or super girl or whatever. She was, however, affected by the meteor shower with strength. She's just discovering this though so sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Her story will be told later, though. So just for you curious people, that's her big secret. Also, if you get a chance, go back and watch the pilot. The Lex from the pilot isn't even half as hot as the Lex we get to see in season 5. *Rawr*

"Bug Boy"

Chloe stopped abruptly as she entered her bedroom. She slung the towel she was using to dry her hair onto her computer chair and eyed the little gold box sitting on her bed with apprehension. She kept her eyes on it as she moved toward her bed, dropping onto a corner of her mattress and tucking the edge of the towel wrapped around her body between her legs.

Warily, she pulled the little blue ribbon and opened the lid.

Chloe gasped with delight as dozens of blue and green butterflies fluttered out.

"Wow." She whispered into the empty room.

So beautiful. She laughed in delight as one landed daintily on her finger and she got up from her bed to open the window. Once open she let the butterflies free, watching them escape, all except the one perched on the tip of her index finger.

She smiled and studied its wings before it too flew away.

Chloe walked back over to her bed and peeked inside the box for a note.

There wasn't one.

"A car first and now this?" Chloe asked herself. No, this didn't seem like something Lex would do. Sure, she'd saved his life, but then, he'd saved hers too.

Pete was another possibility however unlikely since she'd been with him since the dance until he followed her home.

Chloe shrugged and put the box on her nightstand, then changed into the loose t-shirt and thick wool socks she'd grabbed from her dresser.

She was too tired to list all her possible admirers. She'd work on it tomorrow.

Chloe woke up the next morning to the loud pounding of a fist on her bedroom door.

"Wake up, honey. Farmer's Market in fifteen minutes. Get up and get ready."

Chloe groaned and rolled over, ignoring the sunlight streaming through her window. "I'm up!" She yelled over to the door.

Gabe pressed his forehead against his daughter's bedroom door. "But are you really up? Or are you just staring up at the ceiling?"

With a mumbled excuse Chloe rolled over and sat up on the edge of her bed. "Happy now?"

Gabe replied that he was indeed and she heard his footsteps traveling down the hallway.

As Chloe got dressed, her mind kept returning to the present the night before.

Fifteen minutes later she was filling a travel mug so she could wake up on the way there. When her dad walked into the kitchen she pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at him. "Hey dad, did you notice anything strange last night?"

Gabe raised his eyebrows as he took a sip from his own coffee mug. "What kind of strange?"

Chloe shrugged as she grabbed her purse and made for the door. "When I got home last night there was a present sitting on my bed."

Gabe stopped in mid-stride and looked at his daughter. When she continued to stare back at him he huffed out a breath. "Well? What kind of a present?"

Chloe grinned as she walked out the door and over to her dad's car. "It was a gift wrapped box of butterflies."

Gabe locked the front door then followed Chloe down to the car. "I didn't let anyone in."

As he started the car, Chloe just looked out the window. "Well as far as I can think, it was either Lex Luthor or Pete."

Gabe smiled as he paid attention to the road in front of him. "Ahh, yes, well, who would you rather it be?"

Chloe elbowed her dad and continued her musings.

It wasn't long before they reached the Farmer's Market and once there Chloe hopped out of the passenger side of the car and waved goodbye to her dad.

Less than five minutes passed when she caught up with Pete. "Hey."

Pete slung an arm over her shoulders as he led her over to the Kent produce stand.

She caught the twinkling sound and saw the pretty bright colors out of the corner of her eye. She turned to where a butterfly wind charm was blowing softly in the breeze.

"Did you get me a present yesterday?" When Pete just stared down at her, Chloe sighed. "I didn't think so."

Pete raised a brow at Clark and shrugged, then got back to the conversation they were having about the football team.

Chloe made her way over to the wind chimes and gently touched the stained glass wing of a butterfly.

"Did you know that butterflies only live about 8 hours?"

Chloe jumped in surprise; turned towards the voice and came face to face with Lex Luthor.

"Is that right?" At the regal lift of his brows she smiled and sent a butterfly spinning. "So they're like the rock gods of the insect world?"

Lex laughed and touched a butterfly. "I suppose so."

Chloe bit at her bottom lip in indecision. "I really appreciated the present, Lex."

Lex looked at her in surprise. "Did you hit your head last night?" When she just looked at him in confusion he went on, "You already thanked me for the car."

Chloe shook her head, "Oh, no. Not the car." She stopped herself when Lex's expression turned to confusion.

"Then what present?"

Chloe waved her hand in the air to shoo away the topic. "Never mind. I just got a present from an anonymous person and I figured...well, you're really the only one I know who could pull something like that off."

Lex leaned forward, "What was it?"

"Excuse me." Chloe and Lex both leaned away from each other at the intruding voice. "Chloe?"

Chloe searched through her memory to place a face with a name. "Greg?" She asked cautiously. At his smile, she smiled in relief. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you without your glasses."

"I got contacts." His smile spread and she seemed to size him up.

"Well, they suit you." She grinned and looked from Lex to Greg and back again. "Oh! Greg, this is Lex. Lex...Greg. So," Chloe turned to Greg and tilted her head to the side, "what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with my English paper."

Chloe hissed through her teeth. "Mr. White getting to you, huh?"

He nodded and laughed. "Yeah, and I thought you know, with you being a reporter, you'd have to have some basic writing skills."

Chloe laughed and missed the surprise on Lex's face at the admission. "I'd be happy to help you out."

"Cool. So, my house tonight? 7 o'clock?"

Chloe cleared her throat. "I think the library would be better."

Greg nodded, "Library tomorrow, then?"

Chloe smiled. "Sure. Sounds good."

He grinned and looked from Lex to Chloe, "It's a date then."

Chloe pursed her lips as she watched Greg walk away.

"So that's how high school boys do it these days?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and hit Lex lightly with the back of her hand before she turned to face him. "And how did you do it in high school, Mr. High and Mighty Luthor?"

Lex grinned as he leaned in close and whispered, "I did it in many different ways, Chloe."

Chloe shivered as he pulled back and caught his smile. She made a disgusted sound as she turned and started walking away, sure he was following her. "That was just mean, Luthor."

Lex laughed behind her and thought about the earlier comment the boy had made about her being a reporter. He'd have to follow up on that lead.

The next day Chloe hurried through the halls of school towards the Torch office. As she rounded the corner and started down the stairs her shoulder knocked into another body. Chloe mumbled an apology as she raced to her destination. "Chloe!"

Her head whipped around and she pasted on a smile. "Hey, Greg."

"I've been waiting for an hour; I thought you'd forgotten about me." His sheepish smile nearly made Chloe roll her eyes. And then she remembered.

"Oh, the library. I'm so sorry. I just have a billion things on my mind, is there any way we can get together after school?"

In her mind it wasn't a question. She really needed to finish the paper's layout before the end of her lunch period.

As she turned back around to start off to her destination a hand landed on her shoulder. "Hey. Are you blowing me off for your boyfriend?"

Chloe stared dumbstruck at the boy in front of her. "I...what?" Her brows knit together as she shook her head. "No, I'm not blowing you off. I have to finish up some stuff for the Torch's edition."

She saw the tick in his jaw as he nodded.

Chloe turned around and rolled her eyes thinking, 'boyfriend, what boyfriend?'

When she reached the Torch office two people were waiting for her. Both of whom she was surprised enough to see that she stopped mid-stride. Lana sat on the red vinyl couch in one corner, flipping through a fashion magazine; Lex on the other side of the room, hovering over her drawing board, flipping through pages of old articles.

Chloe cleared her throat and looked from Lana to Lex. "All right, if this is an intervention I want a clear pathway to the door."

Lex smirked and turned around, leaning against the layout board. He motioned with his hand for Lana to go first.

Lana smiled at Chloe and stood up, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I actually wanted to talk to you about Saturday night." Chloe shook her head in confusion. "The uhm..." Lana cleared her throat and held her head up high, "With Whitney in the cornfield."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, it isn't you who should be apologizing." She walked over to her desk and swung her bag off her shoulder, letting it plop down onto her desk. "And he's lucky I didn't press charges."

Lana nodded solemnly before letting go of her hair. "I realize that, and I know he should be the one in here, but I just wanted you to know that I don't personally have a problem with you."

Chloe arched a brow and looked up from her keyboard where she was typing in her passwords. "O-kay."

Lana smiled and clasped her hands together. "So we're okay then? Friends?"

Chloe glanced away, over to Lex, silently pleading with him to save her. When he continued to smile and look away Chloe shrugged. "Ah, sure."

Lana rushed over to her and hugged her. "Good. I'm glad."

Chloe nodded and patted the other girl awkwardly. When Lana bid her farewells and rushed out of the room Chloe shuddered.

"It's not nice to just stand by while I get accosted."

"Are you claustrophobic around the color pink?" Lex questioned as he walked over to her desk.

"I wouldn't call it that." She opened a file and glanced up at him, grinning. "I'd call it nauseated."

Lex ruffled her already flippy hair before she could jerk away from him. "Next time I'll know to keep copious amounts of the color far from you."

Chloe smoothed her hair back down and shrugged out of her jacket.

"So, what did you want, Luthor?"

"Last name basis, Sullivan?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and started typing, talking to him all the while. "Only when you get cocky. Then I'm going to have to resort to using your last name. Oh, and did someone stop by here to see me?" Chloe asked off the top of her head.

Lex stared at her fingers as they flew over the keys. "Yeah. The "It's a date" guy from yesterday stopped by. What did you do, stand him up?"

Chloe looked up from her monitor and smiled. "Accidentally."

Lex rubbed at his chest where his heart was. "Ouch. That's got to be an ego killer."

Chloe laughed and flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Actually I think when he saw you in here he came to the conclusion that you were my boyfriend." Chloe looked up at him to see the shocked expression on his face. She laughed again as she questioned, "How's that for your ego?"

After talking to Chloe about how she got into reporting and what not it was eventually time for him to take his leave.

As he drove the winding roads home from the high school his thoughts returned to her earlier comment about that Greg guy thinking he was her boyfriend. Which was absolutely preposterous. Lex shifted into next gear as he chuckled. She was what, 15 years old? Yeah, that probably wouldn't go over well with the residents of Smallville, people who already thought of him as a pariah.

Lex glanced down to switch the radio on when the car shook with the force of something landing on the roof of it.

Lex's hands jerked on the steering wheel and the car flipped and skidded to a stop.

It took him a few moments to gain his bearings, he was upside down, eternally thankful that he had been wearing his seatbelt once again. Lex groaned as he unbuckled himself and crawled out through the window. Once on his feet, he swayed a moment before righting himself and then he felt the air being pushed out of his lungs as someone tackled him from behind. After a few seconds of wrestling with the person he flipped them over and leaned one knee against their chest.

"Greg?"

He stared down into the boys face and yelled as the boy opened his mouth. He ducked out of the way right before a sticky web was shot at him. When he rolled back onto his feet and looked around, he was alone. And yet another one of his cars was wrecked.

Lex pulled out his cell phone, which thankfully, hadn't been harmed in the crash. As he dialed his security he thought of something else. "Shit." He muttered as he thought of the fucking weirdo getting to Chloe. It was then he noticed another vehicle rumbling down the road.

Clark's eyes narrowed as he came upon the flipped car and pulled his truck to a stop behind it. He was out of the door and running to the car before he noticed the man standing off to the side, yelling into the cell phone.

"Hey." Clark said by way of greeting. "Do you need some help?"

Lex shook his head and came running over. "I need a ride back to the high school."

At Clark's blank look he tried to explain. "I need to warn someone about this guy." Clark invited him along and on the way to the school; Lex told him what he had seen.

Clark stared at him for a moment. "Are you sure you don't have a concussion."

Lex rolled his shoulders. "No. I think I'd know if I had one."

Clark shrugged. "So who are we off to save?"

"Chloe...Chloe Sullivan." Lex was currently on his phone, already having called a tow service and his security to get to the high school right away, he tried calling information to get the phone number of the school.

"Chloe's one of my best friends."

Lex raised his eyebrows and looked over at the boy beside him before flipping his phone shut. "Do you know her number?"

"Well, sure." Clark recited it and Lex called Chloe's cell, swearing in aggravation when he got her voicemail.

As soon as he hung up his phone rang. "Luthor."

"Sir, we've arrived at the school but there's no sign of her here."

Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think. "Did you check with the main office? See if maybe she's in a class right now?"

"Yes, sir. We've covered all the bases."

"All right. I'll be there shortly."

Lex hung up the phone and did a silent prayer. He'd just met the girl and already he was bending over backwards to help her. 'You're getting soft, Lex.' His inner voice decided to torture him. He knew why he was going to so much trouble instead of just letting his people handle it. Chloe Sullivan was a breath of fresh air, and she was his only friend in this crappy little town. It was pathetic, but it was the truth.

Once they reached the school Lex ran through the halls with Clark by his side to the Torch office. When they reached it Lex informed his security of who had her. He went to a shelf and pulled out a yearbook, flipping through the pages. He remembered Chloe saying that he'd once had glasses.

"Shit." He tossed the yearbook aside. "I can't find him."

"What's this guys name again?"

Lex growled low in his throat. "Greg something."

Clark thought about it and remembered seeing them talking to Greg Arkin at the Farmer's Market. "Greg Arkin?"

Lex nodded to his security people whose hands had immediately gone to the phones on their belts. "Do you know where he lives?"

Clark nodded and started out of the office, running down the hallway.

Once they got to the house and realized it was empty, Lex ran his hands over his head and took a moment to think. Clark was one step ahead of him and checking the windows.

"I don't think they're here."

Clark looked over his shoulder. "We should still go in and check."

For some reason Lex just didn't feel it in his gut that Chloe was in that house so he shook his head. "They aren't here. Is there any other place he might have taken her?"

Clark leaned against the window for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, when we were kids we used to play in Greg's tree house."

Lex ran to the back of the house and looked around at the wooded area. "Which way is it?"

"Straight down the path."

Lex started off at a dead run and Clark stared in awe for a moment. He knew who Lex Luthor was and he knew that Chloe had saved Lex's life but he didn't realize until that moment that somehow Chloe had forged a bond with one of Forbes richest men in the nation.

Using his super speed he got to the tree house way before Lex did.

Lex ignored his labored breathing as the tree house came into view. He let his adrenaline carry him up the wooden ladder and stopped at the entrance at the sight of Chloe.

Lex fell to his knees beside her and clawed at the web cocoon wrapped around her body. As soon as the web was cleared from her face he tilted her head back and started mouth to mouth.

Chloe gasped as air filled her lungs and she struggled to breath. She finally got her eyes to stop fluttering and opened them to look up into startling soft grey ones. "Lex?" Her voice was hoarse and she swallowed convulsively.

Lex held back the tears of relief that built behind his eyes. Instead he helped her struggle out of the rest of the web and gathered her into his arms, rocking her and holding onto her.

Chloe's arms went around his neck as she held on. She buried her face into the soft material of his shirt and sobbed, realizing how close she'd come close to actually dying.

"Lex." Chloe pulled back, letting the tears stream down her face. "Thank you."

Lex shook his head and laughed. "It's like a twisted game of tag, isn't it?"

Chloe laughed and leaned into him, leaning heavily on something that felt too incredible to be real.

[gecko]

love it, can't wait for the next part. loved lex's line "it's like a twisted game of tag, isn't it?"
great work!