Tied Tied by Alexa Jones Spoilers: Teeny one for Zero. Disclaimer: Didn't think up these characters, don't own 'em. Summary: Lex and Chloe form a bond when they are kidnapped together... but will it turn into love? Author's Note: I owe an incredibly huge thank you to my amazing beta Kathryn for kicking my ass about this story. I love you for it hun, this story wouldn't be what it is without you. I also thank everyone else who gave it a read through. You know who you are. Also, somewhere I read a story that unfortunately had the same beginning premise as mine, but this story had been in progress since June, so to that author out there, I'm not plagiarizing. Chloe awoke slowly. Her mouth was dry. She tried to move her arms, but she couldn't. She blinked her eyes open. The ugly florescent light was glaringly bright. Her cheek was resting on something warm, smooth. Skin? Actually, it felt like her whole body was resting on this. Chloe lifted her head. Bad move. Whatever had happened, her head hurt. Her eyes eventually managed to focus. Chloe saw a pale, bald head, remarkably similar to Lex Luthor's. No, wait. It was his. And she was lying on his chest. His bare chest. He had no shirt. Just silky boxers. What mess had she gotten into now? Suddenly, Chloe realized she was in her underwear, too. To top it off, she was tied on top of him, unable to move. Oh shit. This couldn't be good. She peered at him. Lex's eyes were closed; it looked like he was still asleep. His breathing seemed deep and regular enough that he was still out. Knocked out? Unconscious? Drugged? Chloe had had thoughts before of Lex in minimal clothing, as much as she tried to deny herself. Sometimes it involved handcuffs. But, try as she did to comfort herself that this could be a dream come true, the thought didn't help. Chloe glanced about the room. There was virtually nothing in the room, aside from two doors. Where those led to, she had no idea. It appeared they were tied to a mattress low on the ground, but still with a headboard, conveniently enough to be tied to. Chloe studied it. It looked like her wrists were tied around Lex, and his arms were stretched above his head and handcuffed to the headboard. It seemed as if their legs were bound, too, with some sort of rope. She couldn't tell what it was made of. Chloe laid her head back on its previous resting place. She supposed she'd just have to wait until he woke up. She considered trying to wake him up, but decided it was best to let him wake up on his own. Then, perhaps, the less time she'd have to spend with him awake and in this situation. Lord knew what his reaction would be. Coolly professional, or merciless innuendoes? From the little amount of time she'd spent with him, she could imagine both. No sooner than Chloe had time to finish the thought, she heard his breathing change and he stirred. She froze, not breathing, as if she was perfectly still that he wouldn't notice a half-naked girl on top of him. Of course, he noticed right away. His eyes were still closed against the harsh light. "Off," Lex muttered thickly. Chloe was tongue-tied. She figured, based on his reputation, that in his haze he probably just thought he was waking up with some girl he'd randomly screwed the night before. He was probably irritated at waking up with someone so close. She didn't think Lex was the cuddling type, and doubted many women actually slept over. Lex tried to roll her off, not succeeding, and tugged his arms against the handcuffs. When that didn't work, he opened his eyes and she dared to look up to see his gaze settle on her face. "Umm, I can't get off," Chloe managed to say. She barely saw realization dawn on Lex's face, a slight change passing over his stony expression. "Chloe?" He sounded confused. "Yeah." Chloe watched him squint, taking in their surroundings, testing the restraints again. "What's going on?" Lex's tone had softened a bit, but he also didn't sound too pleased. "I don't know." She tried to hide the nervousness in her voice, something she was usually good at. She wasn't quite sure if she was convincing this time. "What happened?" Lex asked. "You don't remember?" This was bad. She was hoping he'd know. "No," he said. "Well, I don't remember." Yes, bad, very bad. Chloe had been counting on him knowing. His eyes closed briefly and he swallowed. His eyes opened again, staring at the ceiling. He didn't say anything. "Do you have any idea where we could be?" she asked tentatively. She couldn't stand the silence. She needed to know what he was thinking. "Not in the least." "How long have we been here?" Chloe wondered out loud. "I haven't a clue." "Well, someone had to have done this... but when are they going to come back?" "How should I know?" he asked irritably. "Who would want to do this? How could we have gotten like this? You don't know anybody who's angry with your family lately, do you?" She was rambling, but she couldn't help it. "I know lots of people who would want to do this," he snapped. "So be quiet already. I can't think with you asking me all the questions that I obviously don't know the answers to." The irritation in his voice was overflowing. His tone got to Chloe. "I'm sorry, but it's not my fault. I just want to figure this out, too!" She could hear the tears in her own voice. Oh shit. No. She was not going to cry in front Lex Luthor. Or on top of him for that matter. She could feel the water in her eyes, but thankfully none spilled over. Unfortunately, as hard as she'd tried to hide it, Chloe could tell he'd noticed. His expression softened slightly and he sighed. "Sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to yell at you." "S'okay," she replied quietly. Maybe the best thing to do was just not talk. Chloe closed her eyes again. Her head still ached. Chloe could feel his heart beating against her cheek. She wondered absently what his normal pulse was. Maybe she could gauge how he was feeling by how fast his heart beat. Either way, she couldn't say she minded listening to his heart. It was strangely comforting to know that at least she wasn't alone, even if that other person was Lex. Especially since she'd been harboring a secret attraction for him for awhile. Sure, she knew he could be ruthless. Chloe had heard about his supposedly dark past. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't deny that he was definitely intelligent... definitely above the cognitive level of most of Smallville's male residents. Sometimes, Chloe even thought that they might have some things in common, both being from Metropolis. Lex's voice interrupted her stream of thoughts. "Chloe?" She didn't respond, still stinging from the last time she dared open her mouth. "Chloe." he repeated louder. "What?" Chloe answered testily. Lex sighed. "I just wanted make sure you weren't hurt. I didn't think to ask you earlier." "Yeah, I guess so. Well, except for my head. It's sort of... pounding. But everything else is okay, physically." "Does this mean you're not okay mentally?" he queried. "Well, I'm kinda scared if you want to know the truth." And she was. She didn't figure there was any shame in admitting it. "And it's pretty embarrassing to be tied to you virtually naked, I don't see why that was necessary." She really needed to learn how to control her mouth. Chloe didn't know why she'd said that, especially since it was totally obvious and didn't need to be said anyway. He raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I suppose there is that." "And I'm so thirsty." Chloe licked her lips. "We're probably really dehydrated," she added. "Probably," he said dryly. "I wish whoever would bring us some water." "Well, if I see anyone, I'll be sure to request some." Chloe could tell his sarcastic sense of humor was kicking in. While usually she found it oddly appealing, right now all it was doing was making her feel incredibly stupid. Chloe squirmed uncomfortably. She had to pee, and Lex wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing to lie on, nice as it secretly was. He was a little bony. She shifted some more, trying to get a bit more comfortable and stop thinking about how badly she was starting to need a bathroom. Lex made a noise. "Stop moving." "Sorry," she said unconvincingly, "but I have to go to the bathroom." "That's too bad, but can't you stay still?" Chloe couldn't. That is, she couldn't until she felt the effect her squirming was having on his body. Lying on top of an attractive man was one thing, but lying on top of an attractive man with a growing hard-on was another. "Oh... sorry... I, uh, I wasn't... I didn't mean to...." Chloe hid her eyes from him. "It'll go away," he said absently, and then added softly, "Just don't squirm anymore." Nice as Lex seemed to be trying to be about the situation, he also seemed downright amused to see her embarrassed. His eyebrow had that little quirk. It did go down, eventually, but not soon enough for Chloe's liking. It seemed to be a continual reminder of how awkward the whole situation was. Not to mention that it was incredibly difficult staying still when she had to go so badly. Then, they heard the doorknob rattle. Chloe felt Lex tense beneath her. Two men entered the room. Chloe quickly scanned her eyes over them. They didn't appear to have anything with them. She didn't have a clue who they were. "What do you want?" Lex questioned them. He was using his business tone. If she hadn't been able to feel how stiff he was, she wouldn't have thought he was afraid at all judging by the absolute control in his voice. "Nothing you have to concern yourself with. We'll just be needing to keep you here for awhile." Lex shifted, staring them down best he could from his position. "Untie us then." "Oh, I don't think so." "I don't believe you're in any position to make demands, Mr. Luthor," the other man added "Why are we like this?" "We thought you might enjoy being tied to your girlfriend." The man chuckled loudly. "She's not my girlfriend," Lex insisted. "I don't know how she got involved in this, but you don't need her. You can let her go." "Like I said, you're in no position to make demands." "She has to use the bathroom," Lex added. The first spoke again. "Oh, c'mon, we can untie her, long as she doesn't leave and we have him secure enough. She can't get him out without a key." Chloe watched the second man consider. He glanced at Chloe. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "Fine." He withdrew a knife and kneeled down to the mattress, deftly sliced through the rope attaching Chloe to Lex, letting his hand glide along her thigh as he cut through the ties on her legs. Chloe trembled involuntarily. Lex felt her shake. "Don't touch her," he said and narrowed his eyes. Chloe recognized the warning tone in his voice. He used it often. At the same time, she hadn't imagined him getting so protective of her. "I thought she wasn't your girlfriend, huh?" "No, but she's my friend, and I don't want to see your hands all over her." The first man hit his accomplice's shoulder. "He's right, that's not what we're here for. We just tell the boss they're alright and give them some food like he said." He glanced at Chloe. "The bathroom's there," he said, pointing toward the other door in the room. The second man glared at Lex. He spun on his heel and left the room, returning with a large plate of something. He left it on the floor, and they both left. Chloe slowly pulled herself off Lex. Her muscles ached and she was so stiff from being in the same place for so long. She stood shakily, and now she was really embarrassed. He hadn't been able to really see her when she was lying on him, but now there wasn't a way around it. Not to mention the fact that the thought of how nice he looked tied down in just boxers flitted past in her mind. Oh, bad thoughts. She had to keep control of those. To his credit, Lex didn't seem to be looking at her. He'd turned his head toward the food. She vaguely remembered hearing his stomach rumble earlier. She headed toward the bathroom, happy to find some plastic cups on the sink. Now she was just thirsty. She took one of the cups, pouring some water from the sink into it. Hopefully the tap water would be decent here. She took a sip, the cool water feeling wonderful going down her throat. Then, Chloe felt bad, remembering that Lex was still disabled. "Do you want some?" she asked, poking her head into the room. He licked his parched lips. "Yeah." She refilled the cup and knelt beside him. He'd struggled to where he was almost sitting up, enough so that the water wouldn't spill. She held the cup for him and he drank in gulps. Chloe could tell that he hated being immobile like this. He was probably pretty frustrated that he wasn't able to take care of himself, that he wasn't in control. She set the cup down, picking up the plate of food that had been left. It looked relatively unappetizing, some sort of sandwiches on plain bread. She gingerly took a bite. It was dry and tasteless, but she was so hungry, she didn't care. She had no idea when the last time they'd eaten was. Lex was eyeing her sandwich. Again, Chloe felt bad for his predicament. She broke off a piece. "Here." She held it out to his lips. She saw a slight frown pass over his face, but he opened his mouth anyway. Yes, he was definitely hating the fact that she had to feed him. She munched on her own sandwich while feeding him some pieces of another, until he refused another bite. "This is ridiculous, I'm not going to be fed like a baby." Chloe smiled in an attempt to make him feel better. "You have to eat something." "I'm not hungry." "Still." "No." Chloe shrugged and finished hers. There wouldn't be any reasoning with him. Luthors were too stubborn. "More water?" she offered. He just shook his head. "I'm not sure I want to add to what I'm already holding." "You must be pretty uncomfortable." Lex actually cracked a smile for the first time that night. "I've been in worse situations," he said, "Once I was held upside in a straightjacket for a few hours." Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Really?" He nodded, and she wondered if she might ever be able to get the full story out of him. "Your arms must hurt," she said instead of pressing him about it. She figured it probably wasn't the best time. "A bit," he admitted. A big admission for him, to actually acknowledge he was in pain to someone else. Chloe, almost without thinking, boldly reached over and gently rubbed his bicep with her hand. To her surprise, he sighed and closed his eyes. Chloe gathered that he appreciated her ministrations, though he didn't say it outright. Using both hands now, she rubbed his shoulders until her own hands got tired. "Better?" He nodded and said, "Thanks." She studied the bonds keeping him to the headboard. "I wish I had a hairpin or something. I could try and pick the lock." He twisted his head around to try and get a look. "It's alright, Chloe, I'll be fine." Chloe yawned, the whole ordeal taking its toll. Lex regarded her. "You should get some sleep," he said gently. "Yeah," she agreed. She settled herself next to him, resting her head on her arm. The mattress was small, and while being forced to be so close to him earlier was awkward, voluntarily lying so close felt even more so. The air in the room had been getting progressively colder, and she shivered as a draft flowed over them. "Cold?" he asked. "A little." "Yeah, me too... rest against me, keep us both warm." Chloe balked. "No offense, Lex, but you're a little too bony for me to lie on you again," she joked. Lex gave her a look. "Not on top of me, this time you can just... well, snuggle." Lex had said 'snuggle.' On any other day, Chloe would've paid money to hear him say that. Yet, she still hesitated, and he sensed it. "If I was going to bite, I would have already," Lex drawled. Chloe sighed. "I know." She wiggled her way closer to him, until she was lying on her side pressed against his body. It was indeed warmer, and comforting to be close again, oddly enough. Chloe closed her eyes. She thought it would have taken her longer to fall asleep, especially since she had difficulties sleeping when she had a lot on her mind. Yet, she fell asleep almost right away, and didn't wake up until the door squeaking echoed through the room. Chloe realized that she was still halfway draped across Lex's body. Somehow during the night, she'd ended up with one of her legs over his and her arm across his chest. She wondered if Lex had minded since it wasn't exactly like he could have moved her. Chloe quickly pulled her limbs back to herself and looked up at him. Lex's eyes were open, staring at the door alertly, and she wondered if he'd gotten any sleep at all. Lex glanced briefly at her before turning his attention to the man coming in through the door. "Where's your buddy?" Lex asked, his tone far too provoking for Chloe's comfort. The man ignored his question. "I brought you some breakfast and a change of clothes." He set them aside, and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key. He unlocked Lex and stepped back, leaving the room without saying anything more. Lex lowered his arms slowly, biting his lip. Chloe figured it must have hurt to move them, even more so than it did to keep them up in one place for so long. Finally, he managed to stagger to his feet, muttering an, "Excuse me," before brushing past Chloe and making a beeline for bathroom. Then, Lex began making a careful inspection of the room. He searched every corner, looking for any object that they might use to escape, or looking for any weaknesses in the wall. Chloe watched him amusedly as he knocked on them while pressing his ear to the wall. "What are you doing?" Lex glanced at her and shrugged. "Seeing if the walls are hollow. I have no idea where we could be, or what this room is." Chloe just raised her eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure there's no way we can get out, Lex." Lex just shrugged again and smiled at her. "It can't hurt to try." Chloe shook her head and sifted through the clothes the man had left behind. It looked like there was a cotton tank top and some loose cotton pants for her, but only a pair of sweatpants for Lex. She didn't know what kind of sweet torture this was supposed to be, stuck in a room with an apparently permanently shirtless Lex. Lex finally stopped searching the room with a sigh, and retrieved the pants. A few moments later she heard the sound of the bathtub running. Chloe ate the breakfast, dry toast. When Lex emerged from the bathroom, Chloe gathered up her own change of clothes, but not before she almost stopped in her tracks at the sight of him. He was lean, and the sweatpants were a size too big, hanging loosely on his hips. It was too sexy. Chloe hoped they were rescued soon, before she embarrassed herself if (when?) he ever caught her staring. Neither of them had any idea how long they'd been there. They knew it was at least two weeks, maybe even longer. Neither of them had expected to be held there that long. None of their attempts to find out more information about why they were being held had been fruitful. Lex had even tried to tackle one of the men, but he'd had a taser and had easily fended Lex off. So, for now, Chloe and Lex were always bored. The kinder man was nice enough to bring them reading material occasionally. However, they'd each read everything in the room. Some of it even twice or more. Since there was mostly nothing to do except talk, Chloe had gradually broken down Lex's barriers. At first, she had thought he was suspicious, being the reporter that she was. But now she didn't know if she could ever do another story on him. They'd become... close, since they'd been here. He still mostly refused to talk about his past, but he'd opened up about some present feelings: how he felt about living in Smallville, some of his work with the plant, and the like. In fact, Chloe would even say that they'd become friends. She figured twenty-four hours in the same room for two weeks would do that. They'd managed to find things to laugh about, even create a few inside jokes she knew none of their friends would understand when they got back. Today, they'd ended up talking about what they would do first when they got back to Smallville. If they'd even technically left. Although, neither of them liked to talk about what they might be missing. "You miss your dad, don't you?" Lex asked her. Chloe bit her lip. She hated how emotional she got in front of him. They might have shared a lot, but Lex was always so cool, calm, and collected that it embarrassed her to show that she might be scared. In some ways, Lex's bravado was comforting, in others it was infuriating. "Yeah. I miss everyone. I wonder if they're worried. I wonder if they think we're dead." "Yeah." Lex was silent a moment. "I don't miss my father. It's been kind of a relief not to have to deal with him." Chloe blinked. Lex hated talking about his family or his past. It might have been one of the first times he'd mentioned any feelings about them. "I guess that's looking on the bright side of things," Chloe joked. He smiled. Then, out of nowhere: "I can tell you have a crush." Chloe's mouth went dry. She thought she'd done rather well in hiding her feelings for him. "But don't worry, I haven't told Clark," he added with a slight smirk. Chloe sighed in relief. He was thinking she had a crush on Clark, although it was true, too. He didn't seem to know about her crush on him. She knew it was twisted to have a crush on both of them and even weirder since the two guys were such good friends with each other, but she couldn't help it. "Maybe he'll realize how much he likes you when you get back...." Chloe pretended to ponder on what he said. "He wouldn't know what he had 'till I was gone, huh?" "Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all those cliches," Lex said dismissively. Chloe shrugged. "Maybe it'll prove true." She got up to get a glass of water when she heard Lex call her name. She turned around. "What?" "You're bleeding," he told her quietly. "I am? Whe...." And Chloe felt her pants were damp and she looked down to see a red stain. "Oh, shit." How many more embarrassing things could happen in front of Lex? She stood there, trying to decide what to do. As far as she knew, there wasn't a tampon or anything of the sort anywhere. Lex noticed her mental deliberations. "We'll tell them you need some new pants and otherwise when they bring dinner," Lex said helpfully. At least he seemed understanding. She supposed it was the benefit of him being a few years older and mature for his age. She doubted Clark would have reacted as well. In the meantime, she stuffed some toilet paper in her pants, hoping it might take care of most of it until later. She sat back down, brooding to herself. She hoped she didn't get any cramps. It would be hell without any Advil around. She couldn't believe this had to happen now. In fact, she hadn't been expecting it. How long had it been? It had to have been awhile.... "Lex, do you know what this means?" He didn't even look up from a magazine he was re-reading. "That you're a reproductively mature female?" She glared at him. He could be so infuriating sometimes, especially when she was trying to be serious. "No... well... yes... but that's not all." He raised his eyebrow and glanced up at her. "What then?" "It means we've been here about a month... it had just ended the last day I can remember before we were taken here." He absorbed this information for a moment. They hadn't bothered keeping track of the days. They hadn't predicted they'd be here anywhere near this long. A few days at the most, not weeks! "I knew it felt like we've been here forever... but I just thought it was because it's so damn boring being stuck in here," Lex said. Chloe frowned. "How much longer are they going to keep us here? And there's no way I'm going to be able to make up all my schoolwork now... I'm going to be so behind!" Lex was tempted to roll his eyes, but he restrained himself. "I think missed assignments are the least of our problems, Chloe." "I guess," Chloe said, still frowning. At that moment, the door opened. The man that had been the kindest to them so far set their tray of food down. Lex spoke before Chloe had a chance. "Chloe's period started." It looked as if the thought hadn't occurred to the man judging by the surprise on his face. "Umm. Okay. Right. I'll be back then." Chloe nodded gratefully. True to his word, the man returned a few moments later with some new pants and a box of pads. "Found something, I hope these are okay." Chloe took the box and change of clothes. "Fine... thank you." She quickly went over to the bathroom and took care of business while Lex thankfully busied himself with dishing out the food. She went and sat in front of her plate, selecting a piece of rather flavorless chicken. She munched on it silently. Usually they discussed world issues or something equally stimulating that they both enjoyed over their meals, but tonight she didn't feel much like talking, despite Lex's attempts at conversation. He finally got the hint that she wanted to be left alone and went over to the mattress, flopping down onto it and picking up an old newspaper he'd already read twice. An hour or so later, Chloe got tired of thinking by herself about all the things she was missing at home. She saw Lex stifle a yawn, and she was reminded that she was getting tired. She crawled onto the mattress, snuggling against Lex's side. He idly stroked her hair for a moment while he finished an article, then tossed it aside. "Sleep?" he asked. Chloe just nodded. Lex rolled onto his side and pulled her close, adjusting the pillow so both of their heads could rest on it. It had become a ritual between them. Lex didn't always hold her, sometimes they just laid against the other for warmth. But lately, spooning had become the norm, as over time they'd become more comfortable with each other. For Lex, it was a protective thing- he felt like Chloe was his responsibility since it was most likely he was at fault for whatever reason there were here. Chloe didn't mind the attention. And she liked it far too much to risk telling him how she truly felt about him, lest he change his mind about their sleeping arrangements. For once, Lex fell asleep before Chloe did. She didn't think he slept much, though he was surprisingly patient and usually waited for her to wake up before he got up himself. He looked so much more peaceful, happier, with his eyes closed and face relaxed. And at least he didn't snore. Chloe just couldn't seem to stop thinking tonight, tired as she was. But at least it afforded her the rare opportunity to watch Lex sleep. Chloe was eventually able to drift off to a restless sleep. Chloe was sitting against the wall in the corner. Lex was flipping through a book on the mattress, but kept seeing Chloe fidget out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at the floor and fiddling with the corner of her shirt. She'd been acting funny ever since yesterday when they'd realized how long they'd been held here. "You okay, Chloe?" She glanced up at him. "Fine," she said softly. "You look tense." She shrugged. Lex put down his book. "Come here." "Why?" she asked suspiciously, looking up at him again. "Just come here." Chloe raised an eyebrow at him, but got up walked over to the mattress. Lex tossed his book into a nearby pile. "Take off your shirt, lie on your stomach." "What?" she practically screeched. "Why?" Lex shook his head and smiled to himself at her reaction. "Relax, Chloe. I was going to give you a massage, that's all." She blinked. "Oh." "If you want?" "Yeah, okay." Suddenly she thought of something. "Hey, what do I have to do in return?" He feigned hurt. "Does everything I do have to have a selfish motive?" She just looked at him pointedly. She didn't have to answer him. "Well, maybe this way I don't have to watch you fidgeting in the corner," he said, but grinned at her to let her know he was kidding. She regarded him a moment more before sitting on the mattress facing away from him. She didn't think that she would have ever wished she could have a bra until now Pushing aside any modesty, she pulled off her shirt and laid out on her stomach, resting her head on their only thin pillow. She was briefly startled when he straddled her, sitting lightly against her butt, but she quickly forgot any concerns when he began to softly rub her back. She figured Lex had gotten enough massages in his life that he probably could give a decent one in return when he tried. He began to work his hands into her back more firmly, and she couldn't help a small moan. It felt so good. She hadn't realized how many knots her muscles had until he seemed to find a new one. "It would be better if we had some massage oil, but I'm afraid I couldn't find any in here," he said jokingly. Chloe didn't care. "This has got to be even better than sex," she commented. Where had that come from? It was practically an open invitation for Lex to make fun of her. They'd talked about a lot of things, and inevitably, sex had come up once or twice. She'd tried to deny it, but eventually Lex had wrangled out of her that she was a virgin. Not that she was ashamed of it, but it was just that Lex seemed so much mature. Six years wasn't that huge a gap, but Lex's experience only seemed to make him older than he actually was. He smirked. "How would you know?" "I'm just guessing." "Ha. Well, I'm letting you know that sex is better." Chloe couldn't help her curiosity. "Really? How much better?" His thumbs worked circles around her neck. "A lot. Depends." "On what?" "Different things." "Like what? Lex began to think it was getting a little out of hand. Lex removed his hands and climbed off her, folding his arms. "I'm not discussing this with you." "C'mon, Lex...." He sat back against the wall. "No. I'm not having this conversation." She propped herself up on her elbows and turned her head around to look at him. "Why not?" "Because." "You know we've talked about sex before." "That's not the same. I wasn't going into explicit detail like this would require." "My poor little virgin ears, huh? I can handle it, Lex." He shook his head. "Change the subject." She sighed. "You're no fun." Lex rolled his eyes. "Chloe, you're better off talking with your father." "My father!" she squeaked. "You're insane, I'm not asking him this!" He grinned at her. She knew then that he was teasing her. She threw the pillow at his face, and he caught it, still grinning. She didn't know if she'd ever seen him smile this much. She was pleased that she could make him laugh, but still irked that he wouldn't give in and tell her. "I can't really explain it anyway." Chloe looked disappointed, but satisfied with the answer, much to Lex's relief. "Can you rub my neck some more then?" she requested hopefully. He decided to indulge her, handing her the pillow and once again straddling her. His hands gently worked the muscles in her shoulders. "I don't know how I let you talk me into these things," he said. "It was your idea in the first place." "Hmm. My mistake." He kept rubbing her neck anyway. She smiled into the pillow. Lex massaged her until he couldn't find any more knots. Chloe was starting to doze off she was getting so relaxed. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He gave her a few final strokes with his hands before he sat back against the wall again. Her eyes flitted open and she watched him sit back. He heard her mumble a barely audible "Thanks" before her eyes closed and she dozed off again. The next day, they were blessed with a deck of cards. Unfortunately, they couldn't agree which game to play. "C'mon, Lex, Go Fish is my favorite." "Really." "Well, second only to Bullshit. But you can't play with just two people." "I can." "That's impossible." But if anyone could pull it off, Chloe had no doubts it would be Lex. "Poker?" he suggested. "That's not that fun with two people either." "Strip poker is." Chloe glared at him. "I'm not playing strip poker with you." "Why? Embarrassed?" "No. It's just that I'm sure you're a better poker player and that I'd lose dismally." Lex grinned. "How about with Clark?" Chloe rolled her eyes and threw a card at him. "No, he's always been uncannily good at card games. It's like he can see through them or something." "What do you want to play then? And I'm not playing Go Fish like some ten year olds on a road trip in a minivan." "No, of course not, what a terribly mundane experience that would be." Lex shrugged. "I can't help the way I was brought up. Luthors aren't exactly the family vacation type." "Yeah." She sat and thought for a moment. "I know, let's play War," she offered. "War," Lex repeated flatly. "Yeah, you should like it, Lex. You get a chance to take over the other person's cards." "I'm familiar with the game, Chloe. However, the title is misleading, the game takes no skill. It's pure luck." "So?" "So that's not a war. A real war is about strength and strategy. This has no challenge to it." Chloe rolled her eyes again. "Leeexxxx," she drew out, "it's a card game. It's supposed to be fun. It doesn't have to be all complicated. Besides, we could probably play every game ever invented before we get out of here." Lex sighed. "Fine, I'll play. But next game we have to play something that involves some sort of cognitive abilities." Chloe grinned in triumph. She swiftly shuffled the cards and then dealt to both of them. Although the cards switched back and forth between them a number of times, Chloe finally managed to win all of Lex's. Lex threw down his last card angrily, muttering something about luck and rematches. Lex obviously didn't like to lose. "Geez, you don't have to get all uptight about it. It's just a game." "Things are never just games. There's always something more." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Lex, this was just a game. Just something to do to pass the time. There's no hidden meaning to it." He shrugged and let it go, but he clearly didn't agree. "It's late anyway. We should turn off the lights and sleep." Chloe sighed. "I'm not playing cards with you anymore if you're going to act like a baby and throw a tantrum when you lose." Lex shrugged again. "We couldn't figure out anything to play anyhow." Although it had been mostly playful banter, Chloe was getting frustrated. Frowning, she asked, "Why do you have to be so difficult?" Lex stood and strode over to the lightswitch, flipping it off with a flick of his wrist. The room was instantly pitch black. Lex made his way back to the mattress. "I'm not difficult. I'm just tired." "Difficult even when you're not tired." Chloe crawled onto the mattress next to him. She was a little pissed off at his attitude. She was trying to make the best of their situation and boredom and all he could do is spoil any of her attempts. Lex pulled her against him. "I'm just frustrated, Chloe," he said softly. "Not just with card games, but with everything." "I know." It didn't make her feel that much better, but she knew his words were his vague form of apology. "We can play tomorrow until I win, how's that?" Chloe couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, if you put it that way." The next morning, as usual, they were awakened by the sound of the door. Chloe had fallen asleep curled up against Lex's back. She wouldn't tell him, but she loved feeling his smooth skin. Upon seeing the two men enter the room, Lex rolled away and stood up to face them. Chloe reluctantly sat up. The meaner man walked over to them and kicked the mattress. He had a camera in his hand. Lex stared at it suspiciously. "What's this about?" Lex asked. The kinder man looked uncomfortable. The meaner one waved the camera around. "We're gonna take some pictures of you and your girlfriend." Lex didn't bother correcting the man anymore. He narrowed his eyes. "Why?" The man smirked. "That's not important." He wound up the camera. "Here's what's gonna happen... you're gonna make-out with your girlfriend there and we're gonna take a few pictures of it." Chloe's mouth dropped open. Lex crossed his arms defiantly. "She's not my girlfriend. And I'm not going to let you take pictures of us." The man pulled out a small gun from his pocket and smirked again. "I had a feeling you might say that, but I think you might want to cooperate." He turned and aimed the gun at Chloe. "Or someone might get shot." Lex moved to step in front of her. Lex, perhaps for the first time since they'd been here, showed uncertainty. He looked down at her quickly, and made a split decision. "Fine... fine...." He looked at Chloe again, who opened her mouth to speak, but she was unable to make her voice work, and she finally just nodded. Lex sat down next to her, placing his hands on the mattress on either side of her, and leaned in to kiss her, pressing his lips lightly against hers. Chloe wasn't exactly sure if she was supposed to kiss him back or not. After a few moments, Lex pulled away. The man laughed. "You can do better than that, I'm sure." Lex eyed the gun, then gently took Chloe's head in her hands and kissed her, firmer this time, slipping his tongue against her lips. Chloe's lips parted automatically and she couldn't help but kiss him back this time. Despite the danger, a part of her was thrilled at having Lex kiss her. She couldn't help but think in the back of her mind that he was definitely the best kisser she'd had. They heard the man speak again. "Take her shirt off." Lex broke the kiss and pulled away abruptly, sitting back on his haunches. "No. This sick game has gone too far." The man sighed dramatically. "We don't have to go through this again, do we?" he asked, pointedly tapping the gun against his thigh. Chloe could see the anger in Lex's eyes. She touched his arm lightly. "Lex... it's okay...." He didn't take his eyes off the man and the gun. "It's not, Chloe. I'm not going to let them subject you to this." Chloe bit her lip. She knew Lex well enough by now that he wasn't going to back off this one. She also knew from some of the stories he'd shared that these kind of confrontations tended to result in his injury. Chloe made a split-second decision, moving to sit in his lap and quickly slipping off her shirt. Brave as she was, it didn't stop her face from reddening bashfully. Lex sighed at her hasty decision and pulled her flush against him, shielding her from their view. Chloe had to stop herself from shivering at the feeling of her nipples scraping across his chest, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and his warm hands pressed against her back. Chloe didn't have any more time to think about Lex holding her; at the order of the man, Lex laid her back against the mattress and kissed her again. "Fondle her tit," the man commanded. Lex hesitated, but did so, gently spreading his palm over her breast. Chloe closed her eyes, pretending that she and Lex were alone, that he wanted her, wanted this. It almost made her forget where they were. Almost. "Like you mean it." Chloe felt Lex's muscles clench angrily, but he squeezed her breast more firmly, his thumb caressing over her nipple. The tiniest of moans escaped from Chloe's lips into Lex's kiss. She was embarrassed, but couldn't help it; she hadn't expected it to feel this nice. She just wished it was under different circumstances. They heard the nicer man speak: "Alright, that's enough, we have what we came for." The mean man made some sort of grumbling comment they couldn't make out. "No, we have other things to do. Let's go." The mean man scoffed. "Fine." The two men left. Lex stood up quickly and handed over her shirt. He angrily kicked a pile of books over, sending the pile scattering across the room. Chloe watched him uncertainly. She wasn't sure if she should say anything to him or not. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers. Eventually he turned, his hands on his hips. "Chloe, I'm sorry I had to put you through that." Chloe cracked a smile to hopefully reassure him. "It wasn't your fault." He scratched the back of his neck. "I should have stopped it." Chloe shook her head. "No, considering your track record in confrontations and personal injury, it was the smartest thing to do, Lex." He sighed. "Maybe you're right." He'd left it at that, gathering up the scattered reading materials before sitting back down against the wall. Later that night, they'd turned out the light and Chloe was resting on the mattress. She waited for Lex to come over as usual, but after a few minutes he still hadn't. "Lex?" she asked softly. "Hmm?" Chloe heard him answer. "Aren't you going to come sleep?" There really wasn't anything he could do without the light on; it was pitch black. Also, they tended to go to bed early, mostly out of sheer boredom, hoping sleep would help pass the endless time. She couldn't see him in the darkness, but she felt the mattress dip down as he sat next to her. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me that close tonight." "Lex, I don't blame you... I'm just glad it was you and not one of them." "Yeah," he said quietly. "That's true." Chloe felt him shift and then he was wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I'm not going to let it happen again," he muttered, partially to himself. The realization that it could happen again unnerved Chloe. All of a sudden the emotion of the day came rushing in, a delayed reaction. She was too confused, torn between secretly liking what they'd forced Lex to do and between feeling dirty about it. She choked back a sob. Despite her silent pact not to cry in front of him, she couldn't help the tears and her body trembled. Lex murmured something in her ear, and she couldn't make out what he said, but his tone and the sound of his voice soothed her. Lex started stroking her back softly, as he knew his backrubs always made her relax. Chloe was grateful, sighing quietly at his touch. She hadn't pictured him as the comforting type. But, then again, a lot of things about him seemed to have changed over the past month. Unfortunately, it just made him all the more attractive to her. A few mornings later, Lex woke up to Chloe tossing and twisting beside him. He was briefly annoyed that her restlessness had awakened him, but he could feel heat radiating off her body. He reached out and touched her forehead to discover she was burning up. Lex didn't know too much about medicine, but he was willing to bet that she had a fever, and quite possibly a high one at that. Chloe jerked awake at his touch. "Lex?" She opened her eyes and then groaned, curling halfway into the fetal position. "God, I feel terrible." "I think you have a fever, Chloe." She sat up, but then immediately dropped her head between her knees, groaning. "I feel like I'm going to be sick." She struggled to get to her feet. Lex jumped up and grabbed her around the waist, managing to halfway drag, halfway carry her the short distance to the bathroom. It was just in time, because as soon as her face was over the toilet, Chloe was emptying whatever contents her stomach could give. Lex pushed back hair from her sweaty forehead and cheeks, his arm wrapped around her waist for support the whole time. To Chloe, it seemed like forever before she was finished, and she couldn't decide whether she was grateful for Lex's help or embarrassed. She concluded to herself that she could be both, closed her eyes and slumped back against his hand that was now rubbing her back soothingly. "Any better?" Chloe smiled weakly. "Not much." Lex helped her back to the mattress. He sat back against the headboard, and she sat back against his chest. He tried to give her a glass of water, holding it for her, but she resisted drinking any. "Chloe, you have to drink something. It's the only thing we can do right now." Chloe just groaned. "Ugh, what's wrong with me? I feel horrible." "I don't know, I don't know," he murmured to her, "but you need to stay hydrated. Some water will make you feel better." It didn't, and as she drifted in and out of sleep, still half sitting, half laying against him, Lex noticed that she seemed to be getting even warmer. He touched her forehead again, was shocked by how hot it was. He made a split second decision, not sure if it was what he was supposed to do, but he knew that he couldn't let her fever stay that high. He swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bathtub, letting it fill with cold water. Praying that she wouldn't slap him for it, Lex grabbed the edge of her shirt and started to pull it off. Chloe wasn't very coherent, but became alert when he tried to remove her shirt. "Lex, what?" "Shh, Chloe," he soothed her. "You're too hot, you need a bath, okay?" "No bath...." she mumbled. "Please, Chloe, it's the only way I can think of to bring your temperature down." She frowned but nodded, allowing him to undress her and set her in the tub. She was too hot, felt too terrible to really care that she was now naked in front of Lex. She screeched as the chilly water hit her overheated skin. "Shit, Lex, it's cold!" "I know, Chloe, I know." Lex sat next to the tub, letting her soak, occasionally pressing his hand to Chloe's forehead to see if she was cooling down. Finally, when it felt like her temperature had returned closer to normal, Lex helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. Chloe swayed on her feet, leaned heavily against him for support. She managed to save what was left of her dignity and mostly dress herself. Lex took them back to the mattress, laying Chloe back down. She fell into a deeper sleep now that she was cooler, much to Lex's relief. All of a sudden, he heard a loud bang. He looked up sharply, startled, but Chloe was too out of it to awaken at the noise. Glancing down at her, he carefully got up without disturbing her, and crept to the door. He heard more noises, and shouts, and then the distinct sound of their door being unlocked. Tear gas filled the corridor. The nice man pushed open the door, turned and ran, calling back over his shoulder, " Get yourselves out!" "Shit," Lex muttered. He turned around, hoisted Chloe into his arms. She blinked and looked at him. "Wha's goin' on?" she mumbled, barely registering what was happening. "It's okay, Chloe. We're getting out of here." Her eyes fell closed again. "'Kay." He carried her down the hallway. It was a maze of walls and nondescript doors. Gas filled the air and he choked, barely able to see as he eyes watered profusely. At last, he found an exit, emerged into his first glimpse of sunlight in over a month. It was bright, too bright and he immediately squeezed his eyes shut against the harsh rays. He heard a voice shout out to him, "Put the girl down!" He opened his eyes, realized that there was a SWAT team surrounding him. Included in the bunch was his father and Mr. Sullivan. "She's sick!" he called back. An officer went up, took Chloe from his arms. An ambulance was already there, and she was hurried into the back of it, Gabe Sullivan running up to it. The SWAT team turned its attention to other fleeing people of the building. Lionel stepped towards his son. "What a mess you've gotten yourself into this time, Lex." Lex smiled, sweetly and sarcastically. "Good to see you again, too, Dad. And this is my fault how?" "I don't see how you're always allowing yourself to be kidnapped," Lionel said. "This has caused quite a stir." "I couldn't fix it." Lex narrowed his eyes. "They never told me what they wanted, Dad." Lionel raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Well, that may be," Lionel reached into his coat pocket and pulled out several glossy photographs, "but looks like you were well taken care of." Lex took the photos, and clenched his jaw upon the sight of Chloe and he in a compromising position. "This was staged. I didn't take advantage of her, Dad." Lionel shrugged. "I just hope that her father will believe that and not press charges," he replied. "We don't need any more negative Luthorcorp press, Son," he added before paramedics headed over to examine Lex. Lex closed his eyes briefly. Gabe Sullivan had seen the photos. "Shit." He was fucked. Chloe awoke slowly. She was confused, disoriented. She realized that the mattress had suddenly become more comfortable, and the feeling of starchy cloth covering her was almost suffocating. Plus, there wasn't the familiar heat of Lex's body nearby. "Lex?" she croaked out, opening her eyes. The room was bright and she squinted. Upon seeing her father, Chloe remembered that she was in a hospital, that they'd somehow escaped or been rescued, she couldn't distinguish which was more the truth. "Where's Lex?" Her father cringed at Chloe's words. "It's okay, sweetie, he's not going to bother you anymore?" Chloe blinked and lifted a hand to rub sleep out of her eye. "Bother me? Where is he?" Her father sighed. "He was admitted to the hospital soon after you, but I don't know if he's been released yet. And frankly, I don't really care." "Oh." Her father sounded angry, Chloe thought. "It's over, sweetie... you don't have to worry about Lex anymore." "Worry... no... he saved me." "He saved you?" Gabe repeated dubiously. "He... he took care of me...." Chloe hesitated, wondering exactly how much she should say about what happened during their captivity. She doubted her father would appreciate knowing what Lex had had to protect her from. "Especially when I got sick," she finally added. Chloe's father clenched his jaw. "Chloe... I was going to wait until you were a bit better to tell you, but you'll find out sooner or later, so I might as well just tell you now. We saw... we saw pictures... I know what that... that bastard did to you." Chloe closed her eyes and groaned in dread as she set her head back against her pillow. It was the worst thing she had imagined. "Dad, cliche as it sounds, it's not what you think." "No? Looks pretty conclusive to me." "It's not like that." "You don't have to defend him, whatever he did, it's not your fault." "No, it's not. And it's not his either," Chloe snapped. "I don't know the whole story, but those pictures must be blackmail. They forced him to do that at gunpoint, Dad." "They were sent as proof that you were alive." "I'm telling you the truth, Dad." Her father nodded wearily. "It doesn't matter, anyway. We won't have to have anything to do with him anymore. I'm quitting the plant." Chloe gave a small gasp. "What? It's a good job, you can't quit on account of Lex." "Whether what those pictures show are his choice or not, I can't work there, not now. I just can't." Chloe nodded. She supposed that she hadn't given much thought on how her father would view Lex, even without those pictures, just the mere fact that he had gotten her involved. She dimly remembered Lex saying something along those lines, he suspecting that her father would feel that way. "Anyway, sweetie... it's good to see you getting better, you get some rest, okay? I'll be back a bit later. Chloe nodded. "Okay, Dad." She watched her father leave, sighing heavily. She fell back into a restless sleep. In her dreams, she was back in that dark room. Someone was on top of her again, but it wasn't Lex. It was one of the men, and her father stood in the corner, angrily waving bunches of black and white photographs in his fists. Lex had been released yesterday, suffering from only from eye irritation from the tear gas, but he'd been told that Chloe wasn't allowed to have any visitors besides immediate family. He suspected it was something Gabe Sullivan had insisted upon more so than hospital policy, since she wasn't in critical condition. He'd tried to use his influence to evade the rules, but although he'd managed to persuade the hospital staff, Chloe's father was a different story. Gabe had refused to let Lex so much pass under the doorway when he'd attempted to visit. So, he'd staked out the room, waiting to go see Chloe until Gabe left. He was striding down the corridor towards her room when he heard her cry out. Swiftly, he entered her room, seeing Chloe tangled in the blankets and sweating. She was tossing, her eyes moving rapidly beneath her eyelids. A nurse was already in the room, attempting to wake her. Lex sat on the bed to her side, cautiously reaching a hand out to touch her shoulder. "Chloe? It's just a dream, wake up." Chloe still thrashed, and Lex made an instant decision. He climbed in the bed, sitting behind her and propping her against him. Holding her tightly, Lex began to whisper in her ear. The nurse was about to protest Lex's abrupt action, but Chloe miraculously began to calm. Her eyes fluttered open, surprised to see Lex, a smile spreading over her face. "Lex...." "Hey. You were having a nightmare. You were tossing and turning so hard we were afraid you were going to hurt yourself." Chloe's face flushed. "Yeah, bad dream." Lex stroked the back of his hand along her cheek, gently brushing away a sweaty strand of hair. "Want to talk about it?" Chloe glanced at the nurse that was still standing by, looking rather dumbfounded about the whole situation. She felt comfortable enough to talk to Lex, but she didn't want anyone else overhearing. "Maybe later." Lex nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. Suddenly, Gabe appeared back in the room. "What the hell are you doing?" he seethed angrily. "I thought you left, Dad." Chloe glared at him. "A nurse summoned me back. She said you were probably having a nightmare?" "Yeah, I guess I was, it's fine," Chloe answered dismissively. "Obviously it's not fine. Obviously there are lingering problems because of this man." Gabe practically spat his last words. Lex, of course, didn't flinch. "Listen, Gabe, you know that I'd be happy to pay for any psychological counseling that might be necessary as a result of-" Chloe cut in angrily. "I don't need any-" "Leave, Mr. Luthor," Gabe interrupted. Chloe crossed her arms in front of her. "I want him to stay." Lex glanced down at Chloe. "It's alright, Chloe." "Lex...." "I'm not about to get between you and your father." With that said, he slid out of the bed, his eyes leveling with Gabe's briefly in a cold stare before gliding past and exiting the room without another word. Chloe watched him go, biting her lip. She was upset and angry. "Dad... God, you didn't have to be so rude." "I don't want you to have anything to do with him. He's bad news, you should have learned that by now." "It wasn't his fault this happened, Dad. And you just don't get it. Lex and I are friends." "Friends?" Gabe choked. "We spent quite a bit of time together, obviously. We got to know each other. We have a lot in common. And we're friends, but just friends, so you don't need be all uber-protective on me." Gabe was about to make a retort, but at the last moment changed his mind and held up his hand. "Honey, we can talk about this later, okay? Right now you need to rest and not worry about it." Chloe sighed. She didn't think she would get any rest as long as this was unresolved, but she was too tired to argue either way. She nodded wordlessly. Her father smiled and reached over to pat her hand. She allowed it for a few moments, but then pulled back her hand and rolled over away from him. She had a feeling that her father wasn't going to be leaving this time. When she awoke again a few hours later, she was greeted by Clark's brilliant grin. Chloe couldn't help but return a big smile of her own. "Clark!" "Chloe! Oh, you don't know how glad I am that you're okay." Chloe smiled again. "Me too." "Are you feeling any better?" She was actually. "Yeah, not too bad. Enough that I can't wait to get out of here. My dad won't bring me my iBook. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to get online?" Clark laughed. "Knowing you, I'm surprised you actually survived without it." Chloe giggled. "I know, do you think they'd believe me if I said I got sick from internet withdrawal and only having the internet now would I make a full recovery?" He shook his head. "Probably not, but stranger things have happened in Smallville." Chloe frowned wistfully. "Speaking of, has anything weird happened since I've been gone? How's the Torch? How is everyone? Argh, I'm so behind, Clark." "Hey, relax." Clark touched her arm. "Nothing worth mentioning, I've sorta been trying to keep the Torch running smoothly, everyone is fine." "Any good gossip I missed out on?" Clark grinned sheepishly. "Well, umm... Lana and I... we're sorta going out now." Chloe tried to hide her reaction, but her smile faded ever so slightly. "Going out? Really, congrats Clark. How did this miracle come about?" "Well, we were sorta working on the Torch together, trying to figure out everything. And, I guess one day we were talking, and she said she realized that life could change at any moment. And she kissed me." "Oh. Wow." Chloe struggled to hide her disappointment. Of all things, the fact that the Torch, her passion, had been the catalyst for losing Clark to Lana hit her hard. Apparently Lex was wrong when he'd said that maybe Clark would realize what he was missing. "So you have a girlfriend now, huh?" Clark shrugged. "I don't know if I'd really call her my girlfriend. I don't know. I guess she is." Chloe faked a smile. "Well, that's great Clark. I'm glad things finally worked out between you two." She just hoped that she sounded convincing, but she was hurt that Clark hadn't realized he had any feelings for her after all. The next day, Chloe was released. She had a few days to rest at home before school began. Chloe was hoping to catch up so she could still move on a grade, but she knew it'd be a lot of hard work. Weeks of missed schoolwork were a lot to make up. It had taken her a few days, but Chloe managed to convince her father to keep his job at the plant. Lex had promised that he wouldn't treat him any differently if the kidnapping hadn't happened and if he wasn't his daughter's friend. Eventually, Chloe had worn her father down and at last he seemed to believe that she and Lex were indeed honest friends. Gabe had even relented enough to allow Lex to come visit her at home. She hadn't seen Lex since that day in the hospital. She had to admit, she really missed him. Not to mention the fact that her father was being overly protective and strict about letting her out of the house, and she hadn't gotten to see many people. Clark and Lana had come over a few times, but Chloe honestly hadn't really wanted to spend time with them together. She just wished that Clark would have come alone once or twice. She liked Lana, but it was still somewhat painful to see them together. Lex knocked on the door to their house. Chloe bounded down the stairs to answer it. She surprised herself by throwing herself at him and hugging him. She hadn't planned on it, not really sure how Lex (or her father for that matter) would react, but something came over her. Lex's eyebrows raised, but Chloe knew by the grin he gave that his look was more of amusement than surprise. "It's good to see you too, Chloe," he said, and Chloe thought she might have seen the slightest twinkle in his eye. She guessed that he really was happy to see her again. She smiled widely at him. "You can't believe how socially deprived I am cooped up in this house." Lex glanced around. "Try living somewhere five times as large with just as many people." Chloe knew it was Lex's subtle way of letting her know that he felt lonely at times too. He would never admit to anyone, but she knew he still felt like an outcast and a fish out of water in Smallville, and that much of the time he hated the castle in which he lived. Lex settled down on the couch and Chloe sat across from him in an easy chair. "Lex, would you think me insane if I told you that I missed you these past few days?" Chloe asked. Lex tilted his head. "Considering we spent so much time together, yes. But I missed talking with you too." Chloe's heart sank a bit. He only missed "talking with her." She didn't know if he missed her and their closeness or not. Putting on her best face to hide her disappointment, she leaned forward eagerly and said, "So." Lex raised an eyebrow. "So?" Yet, Lex recognized the familiar reporter visage and knew she was fishing for details about their kidnapping. Chloe grinned. "Tell me what you found out." "Well, apparently someone was upset at my father," Lex began. "Go figure. But they didn't take into account all the other times I've been kidnapped and my father never paid any ransom. My father never accepted those photographs as proof that we were alive- he said they could have been taken anytime. So, they kept playing a game back and forth, until our captors finally got lazy and made a mistake, and the authorities were eventually able to figure out where they were keeping us." Chloe nodded slowly. "Your father has so much money though." "Yes." Lex shrugged. "Needless to say, he's not the greatest soul on earth." "At the same time," Chloe reasoned, "I guess I can see how he can't negotiate with anyone... I'm sure you'd be kidnapped even more than you already are." Lex laughed. "Highly likely." Chloe didn't have anything to say back to that. They sat silently for a moment, before she ventured a new topic. "I guess you heard about Clark and Lana, right?" Lex nodded. "Yes... I'm sorry, Chloe. I know you liked him. And I know that you weren't too fond of Lana before, either." Chloe shrugged. "It's okay. I guess I was just expecting him to pay a little more attention to me when we got back is all." "If it's any consolation, I thought he would, too. I really don't know what he sees in Lana." Chloe smiled. "That's what I've been wondering all this time." "I only encouraged him to pursue her because I figured it was his decision to make, as to who he liked. But I think he made the wrong choice." Chloe smiled at his words. She had become familiar with Lex's subtle way of speaking his feelings, but this time she couldn't tell if he was only talking from Clark's point of view or his own as well. They talked for awhile longer about all the changes that had happened in Smallville since they had been gone. Although Chloe had talked about them with others, it was good to be able to share it with someone who she knew would feel just as left out of the loop. Eventually, Lex had to leave. Chloe walked him to the door. He was just about to leave when he paused, turned, and slipped something out of his jacket pocket. "I wanted to give this to you before, but I didn't have an opportunity." Chloe took the business-type card from him, examining it curiously. It read: LEX LUTHOR in embossed, scripted letters. Flipping it over to the back, it had a phone number printed. "That's my personal phone line. If you need to call for anything, don't hesitate." Chloe glanced up at him. "Alright." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Hey, how come you couldn't give it to Clark to give to me earlier?" "Because I didn't want him to know the number." Chloe raised her eyebrows. "But I thought you and Clark are good friends." "We are... but sometimes I don't necessarily want to talk to anyone if I don't want to be bothered... but this phone I always answer. No matter what." Chloe smiled softly. "Thanks, Lex." Lex smiled back. "Don't mention it." He left then, leaving Chloe to wonder about the mystery that was Lex, how many different phone lines he had, and who else he might have ever given this number to. Later that night, Chloe couldn't sleep. She wasn't used to sleeping alone anymore, and all her multitudes of stuffed animals couldn't make up for it. She never thought in a million years that she'd have trouble falling asleep because Lex Luthor didn't hold her at night anymore. At first, they'd done it more as a necessity than for comfort reasons- it had gotten cold at night and sharing their body heat was the only way for them to stay warm enough. Now, she was perfectly warm in her own bed, but it felt too strange to be alone without that feeling of him with her. Little did she know that Lex had the same problem. Chloe might not have known it, and it certainly didn't make sense considering their frightening situation, but in those two months of captivity he'd gotten some of the best sleep he'd had in years. Before she realized what she was doing, Chloe snuck out of the house and to her car, and drove to the Luthor mansion. She didn't even bother to change out of the cotton sleeping pants and tank top she wore to bed. The sleepy butler was surprised to see her, but told her that Lex was watching TV in his bedroom. He buzzed Lex to see if he would admit the visitor. Lex agreed, and she made her way to the bedroom door, knocking on it lightly. She opened it slowly after hearing him call to come in, seeing him lounging on his bed wearing some silky pajama pants. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm still not used to wearing much clothing, yet," he said, gesturing to his lack of a shirt. She smiled. "It's alright, I'm so used to seeing you without one I barely even noticed." His lips quirked into a small smile too. "I figured." "Not that I'm any better dressed anyway," Chloe added. He looked over her attire and shrugged. He'd barely noticed it either. "So, Chloe, what brings you here so late?" She glanced at her feet, suddenly feeling foolish for coming over. "Well... I couldn't sleep." "Oh? You're not still having nightmares or anything?" He studied her, concern in his voice. "You know I told your father thatd Id pay for you to see a psychiatrist." Chloe sighed. Lex thought money could fix anything. "No, not nightmares. It's not that." "Then what?" he asked gently. "I... I think it's because I'm not used to sleeping... umm, sleeping without you." She braced herself for his reaction. She expected to see him raise his eyebrow or one of his other commonly used 'no comment' facial expressions. Instead, he crossed the room to her and pulled her into a loose hug. "To be honest with you, Chloe... I haven't been able to sleep much either." Chloe's face registered her surprise. Lex Luthor didnt go around suddenly hugging people. Not even her. She pulled back from him. "So it's not a regular habit for you to watch infomercials at one AM then?" He grinned and shook his head. "Not until lately, no." "Do you mind... can I stay here tonight?" she asked hesitantly. "I don't mind... but I can't say the same for your father," he replied. "I don't want you getting in trouble." Chloe frowned. "I know, but... it's not like we're... like that...." Even if Chloe wanted it to be different, it was still true. There wasn't anything between them. They'd never done anything sexual, voluntarily at least. Lex rubbed his hand over his head. "I know, we know, but he's not going to understand that... could cause both of us, especially me, a lot of problems." Chloe nodded. "Yeah... well... I guess I'll head out then." She tried hard to hide the disappointment. She turned toward the door. Lex bit his lip; he saw that Chloe felt rejected, and he was surprised he cared- normally he didn't have a problem turning people away. He made a split-decision, probably one he would regret, and stopped her by reaching out and grabbing her arm. Chloe turned back around, slightly startled. "What time does your father wake up?" Lex questioned. Chloe bit her lip to think. "Umm, 7?" Lex walked back to the bed and sprawled himself out on it again before saying, "We'll just have to make sure to get you home by that time then." He picked up the televisions remote and clicked it off. Chloe smiled and sat on the bed next to him. She knew he'd agreed, but she wasn't sure exactly if he wanted to be as close as they'd been before. Lex noticed her uncertainty, and pulled her to spoon against him, wrapping his arm over her waist. Chloe relaxed against him, and they were both asleep in no time. Sleep like neither of them had had in weeks. The shrill beeping of Lex's alarm at 6 woke them up. Lex groaned and rolled over, hitting it groggily. "Chloe." Chloe just shut her eyes tighter and didn't move. "Chloe, you have to get back." She mumbled an incoherent response. Lex sighed. How that girl made it to school on time he never knew. In their captivity, shed always taken so long to wake up and finally get out of bed. He threw the covers off, grabbed her around the waist and lifted her out of the bed. "Go." "Argh, Lex." She glared at him in protest, but put on her slippers. He followed her out to her car, and she paused before climbing in. "Can I come back tonight?" He sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea we make this a habit, Chloe." "Of course it's not a good idea, but that's not what I was asking." Lex grinned. She'd been with him far too much; she was starting to pick up some of his personality. "We'll see." And he left it at that, closing her car door and walking back up to the house. Luckily, and perhaps miraculously, Chloe managed to return to her bed without her father hearing. He didnt seem to suspect a thing as she later watched him sip his morning coffee and mull over the newspaper. It had only been a few hours of sleep, but she felt more rested than she had in the 2 weeks since she'd been rescued. Although she'd been forced to take an incomplete for the previous quarter, the next had begun and she had plenty of homework to occupy her. But, around 8 o'clock that night, she started thinking about how she would be able to sleep that night. She picked up the phone and began to call Lex's special number, but hung up several times before she could finish dialing all the numbers. 'Wait until he asks you,' Chloe muttered to herself. But, being Lex, would he ever actually call her, even if was what he wanted, too? Chloe didn't think he would. In fact, she was almost positive he wouldnt. Finally, she quickly punched in the numbers and squeezed her eyes shut, before she could lose her nerves again. She heard the phone ring twice and then a click as he answered brusquely, "Lex." "Hi, umm, it's Chloe. Is this a bad time?" "Chloe, hello... no it's fine." His tone immediately softened upon hearing her voice. "'Kay... I know you're busy and all, I don't mean to bother you." "Chloe," he said firmly, "you're not bothering me. I have a few minutes." She smiled to herself in relief. "Good," she replied. "However, I'm willing to place a rather large sum of money on guessing that you're calling to ask if you can sleep over tonight." Chloe tried to think up a quick excuse. "No, I...." It didn't work. "Well, yeah," she said sheepishly. He didn't answer right away. "Listen, Chloe... I would be lying to you if I said I didn't want to... I slept better last night than since we were released... but we have to adjust. Get back to normal. It's not possible to keep this up." Chloe wasn't about to take that for an answer. "Why, why not?" "Well, for one, it's not practical to have to keep waking up early to make sure you get home before your father wakes up," he said pointedly. "That's a lousy excuse," Chloe responded. "It's better than getting no sleep at all." She had him there, but Lex was just as quick a thinker. "Secondly, I doubt my girlfriend would appreciate another girl sleeping with me. Especially if my girlfriend were to spend the night." Chloe got slightly flustered. "But... I didnt know you... you don't have a girlfriend... do you?" He chuckled. "No. Not yet, at least. And I dont necessarily call women that spend the night girlfriends either. I'm not going to hide from you the fact that I enjoy a woman's company. " Chloe was glad he couldn't see her face turn pink. "Oh. Right. I see." "I'm sorry, Chloe." He knew he was being a bit crude by insinuating about all his affairs, but he couldn't deny the truth in them either. "Listen, I have to get back to some paperwork." "I know, Im sorry to have called you." "Chloe, I gave you my private number for a reason. You know you can call me anytime you need to talk, alright?" "Alright," Chloe answered quietly. Lex felt a little bad, strangely enough. Normally he had no problem refusing offers if they didnt completely please him. Compromise was not a word known to the Luthors. "Chloe... I'm not trying to reject you. It's just better this way, for both of us... you have to understand that." "You don't have to lecture me like Im a little girl, I understand," she snapped. Lex was silent a moment. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Anyway, like I said, I have to get going." "Yeah, okay... bye." Chloe hung up the phone without waiting for his answer. She wasn't sure if she was more upset by the fact that he had said no or that she felt incredibly dumb for even bothering to bring it up again in the first place. Chloe hastily brushed a tear that fell down her cheek. She'd thought that maybe, just maybe there was the possibility that he didn't think of her as just a silly high school girl. She thought by the end of their captivity, after all they'd been through and talked about, that he might see her differently. But, deep down, she knew he was right. A relationship with him would never work, and it was best that she lose her attachment to him. But the thought of what was best didn't console her in the least. It was too hard to let go. She'd shared so much with him, he'd seen her like no other guy ever had. Vulnerable, sick, naked, asleep, to name a few. He'd been so protective of her, always wanting to shelter her from their captors. She knew he'd tried to shield her from as much worldly evil as he could. Plus, what they had together in that room was very intimate, despite the fact that they'd kept things platonic. She couldn't help but feel that they'd been quite physical, even if it wasn't sexual. Even that one time, when they'd been photographed, she couldn't call it romantic. The most difficult thing was having to let go of that closeness she felt with him, crush or not. As much as she tried to deny it now, she'd liked it. Now she felt like she was missing something, missing that connection they share. Or that she thought they'd shared. She didn't want it to end. Clark and Chloe sat in the Talon after school one afternoon. Clark blew on his mug of simple coffee. Chloe set her foamy drink down loudly. "I don't understand, Clark, I spent all week studying for that test and you look over your notes five minutes before and you get the same score I did. That's not fair." "Life isn't always fair." Lex's voice cut into Chloe's argument. She blinked, startled, and turned around to see Lex behind her. "Why do you always sneak up on people and interrupt their conversations, Lex?" She was a bit flustered and surprised, since she hadn't seen him since her last embarrassing phone call. She hadn't had time to compose herself with his sudden arrival, to put on her mask of flippancy and pretend he didn't affect her. Lex's mouth quirked upwards. "Do I?" "All the time. And you know it," Chloe responded. "Is that true, Clark?" Lex asked. Clark smiled, amused at both Chloe and his earlier conversation, and now this one. "Well, yeah, I have to side with Chloe on this one, Lex." Lex slide into the booth, nudging Chloe slightly to get her to move over. "I guess I have to concede then." Chloe smiled in satisfaction. Lex seemed to be in a good mood and didn't appear to have any lingering resentment towards her about their last phone call, which made her feel more at ease now. Although, Lex was better at masks than she was, by far. "You're not having trouble with a class, are you, Chloe?" Lex questioned her. "No, I did fine. It's just that Clark here can do just as well with no studying." "Well, Chloe, the secret is to not let your competitors know how much harder you worked, only to let them know that you succeeded as well," Lex spouted. "We're not competing," Clark protested. Chloe shrugged and sipped some of her coffee. "You know I'm naturally competitive, Clark." Lex leaned toward Chloe's ear. "If you need any extra tutoring to beat Clark, I'd be happy to help," purposely whispering loudly enough for Clark to overhear. Chloe laughed. "I know you had incredibly prestigious schooling, Lex, but do you really remember details about the evolutionary split of Neanderthals and humanoid species?" "Of course. I specialized in it for a time." Clark raised his eyebrow as was about to say, "Really?" but before he had the chance, Chloe poked Lex in the side with her elbow. "You did not!" "You don't know all the details about my studies, Chloe." "Whatever, I can see right through you." Obviously Chloe had spent enough time with Lex to be able to see through his coolly delivered, straight faced bluffs. Something that surely many a businessman would pay big money to learn how to read the Luthors like that. Lex half-grinned and picked up his mug of coffee. Chloe elbowed him again. "Don't pretend you're right. You know you didn't fool me." Lex merely sipped his steaming coffee carefully. Clark studied with intense interest the two of them interact. There seemed to be a real comfortable familiarity between them. Much more than had ever been between Chloe and himself. Maybe even more than there was between he and Lana now. Not to mention how he was baffled about the way Lex was tolerating Chloe's elbowing. He knew Lex was not a touchy-feely person, not even with people he liked. Lex had always made it very clear to people he definitely did not like that they were to have no physical contact with him whatsoever. Clark was surprised at how well Lex was taking it. Lex sipped at his coffee again, giving Chloe a warning glance when she hadn't stopped elbowing him. Any other person might have ceased immediately under the intensity of Lex's look, but Chloe managed to get in a few more jabs before she gave up when Lex proceeded to ignore her. Lex chose instead to strike up a conversation about a new play in Metropolis. Clark had never seen Lex so patient with anyone before. He seemed almost fondly tolerant of Chloe's antics, like he was used to them and it was a game that perhaps they'd played before. Clark also couldn't deny that there seemed to be a distinct chemistry between them. Almost sexual. If Clark hadn't known them, and had seen them like this, he might have easily mistaken them for lovers. Eventually, Lex excused himself and bid them both farewell. Once Clark heard the squealing of tires that signaled Lex's departure from the Talon's curbside, he leaned forward towards Chloe. "Okay, Chloe, what's going on between you two?" "What do you mean?" Chloe said with honest innocence. "C'mon, I was watching the way you guys act around each other." Chloe blinked. Was it that obvious that she liked Lex? She'd always thought she did a decent job of disguising her interest in him. She sipped her coffee as cover. "We're not going out, Clark, if that's what you're saying." "It sure looks that way." Chloe sighed. "Not you, too. It's bad enough my father still doesn't really believe me. What do you want me to say, Clark? I told you the truth, it's just that... well, I guess Lex and I got to know each other very well. More than a month of spending twenty-four hours in a small room will do that. It just turns out that we have a lot in common and we shared a pretty traumatic experience. If that doesn't make people close, I don't know what would." "Sex?" Clark offered. Chloe glared at him. "We haven't had sex. We're not having sex, and we're not going to have sex." Unfortunately for me, Chloe mentally added. Clark raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. It's just that sometimes, well, you act differently around him." Chloe cringed inwardly. She must be really transparent if Clark of all people noticed. "Differently?" "Yeah, flirty, I dunno." Chloe paused. "I wasn't flirting." However, her hands fiddling nervously with the coffee cup gave her away. "Hey, Chloe... I was just asking, I didn't mean to put you on the defensive. Even if there was something, I'd want you to be able to tell me. I mean, we're good enough friends for that, right? You know I'm good with secrets." Clark reached out and placed his hand over hers to emphasize his point. Chloe glanced up at him. "I know," she said softly. "Truth is, I do like him. I sorta did even before we were kidnapped. But the other truth is that he doesn't like me. I'm sure he thinks I'm too young for him, or maybe I'm not busty like Victoria or any of the other rich girls he's been seen with. Not to mention my father works for him." Clark smiled sympathetically. "If it makes you feel any better, Chlo, I've never seen him act like that with those rich snobs as he does around you. I don't think he looks at you like he does other girls. And I think that's a good thing. I wouldn't rule out that he doesn't have feelings for you." "But romantic feelings?" "I can't say for sure, but like I said, I wouldn't rule it out." Chloe bit her lip. "You think I should ask him out? Or at least ask him how he feels?" "I don't know. I don't know if it would be a good idea anyways, Chloe. He's a lot older than you are. I mean, I know he's my friend and all, but I also remember one thing he told me. He said, 'Relationships aren't always about love' or something to that effect. That doesn't sound like your type." Chloe shrugged. "I know his playboy reputation, Clark. He even admits to it. But that doesn't change the way I feel. I knew all that before I started liking him." Clark nodded. "Nobody can tell you what to do. But just be careful." Chloe smiled. "Thanks, Clark. Hey, maybe you would talk to him? Maybe get an idea if he feels anything for me?" Clark laughed. "I can, but you know Lex will see right through it." Chloe bit her lip. He was right. "Probably. But then again, Lex is the one that always says to take risks right?" Clark groaned. "I can't even tell you how many times he told me about that with Lana." Chloe frowned slightly at the mention of her name. Admittedly she was still bitter about Clark and Lana's relationship. She'd always known Lex was a longshot, but now it seemed like Clark, the slightly more attainable one, had escaped her, too. Chloe was over watching a movie at Lex's mansion. Clark had been over, but had left early, saying he hadn't finish up his chores and his parents would kill him. Chloe knew it was more an excuse to leave them alone and she wasn't sure if she wanted to thank him or throttle him. After Clark left, an exhausted Chloe had ended up with her head resting against Lex's shoulder. She'd been testing the waters, thinking he might protest, but surprisingly enough, he didn't. She'd leaned against his shoulder often during their captivity, but Lex seemed to avoid being too close now. Chloe hoped it was only for appearances, knowing that people didn't understand their relationship. She hoped it wasn't that he had outgrown or disregarded whatever closeness they'd had. It was late when the movie ended, and she amazingly persuaded him to let her spend the night. He must have been too tired to think straight. "But this is the last time, Chloe," he warned as she headed toward his bathroom to change into an old t-shirt he gave her. She returned from the bathroom, yawning sleepily and collapsing onto his mess of pillows on his bed. "Wha'ever you say, Lex." He shook his head endearingly. He climbed into his bed behind her, pulling the covers over both of them. She shifted until she settled back against him, and she pulled his arm over her. "Comfortable?" he asked, amused, loosely wrapping his arm around her waist. "Mmhmmm...." She was already half-asleep. The next morning, Chloe awoke surprised to see that he had left. She wandered down to the study, still her makeshift pajamas, to find him fully dressed, casually stylish as always, and reading a newspaper. He glanced up at her. "Sleep well?" She nodded. "Yeah, for once. You?" He nodded back affirmatively. "But remember what I said, Chloe, this was the last time. People will talk. I hope you thought of a good excuse to tell your father considering how worried he probably is." Chloe paused. She had a feeling she was going to regret her words, but she decided to speak her mind anyway. "You know," she said softly. "If I was your girlfriend, you wouldn't have to worry about what other people think." Lex, caught off guard, set down the paper and looked up at her. "What are you saying, Chloe?" She licked her lips. "I guess... I'm saying I want to be your girlfriend." Lex sighed. "I like you, Chloe... but...." Chloe lowered her eyes. "But not like that." "No... as much as a try and deny... I do like you, as you say, like that... but it won't work out." "Why not?" "I don't make it a habit to date high school girls. I didn't even do that when I myself was in high school." "I'm 16, I'm legal... give me another reason." "Well, I hate virgins." Chloe inwardly cringed at his statement. She instantly regretted him ever knowing that about her. Not that she was ashamed of it, it was just one more thing for Lex to hold against her. "Why?" "They're shy, inexperienced, they don't know what they're doing. The sex is horrible. They take everything too personally." "If I go out and screw somebody, will you go out with me then?" Lex snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Chloe." "Well, it would take care of that particular obstacle." Lex rolled his eyes. "Alright. I told you I do like you, Chloe. And that's why I won't. Because all of my relationships are mostly just about fucking, business, or both, and you're too good for that. I'm not going to let your first time be with me, it should be with someone who you can rely on. Who cares about you." "Since when do you get so sentimental about sex?" He looked at her coolly. "I don't. But I do know sixteen year old girls tend to take it to heart." "Ah, see, you just disagreed with yourself?" Lex crossed his arms. "How is that?" "Because, if you were really as cruel as you want me to believe, you wouldn't care how I felt about it and you'd do it anyway. No matter if I would take it to heart or not." For once, Lex couldn't think of anything to say. She had him caught there. "And," Chloe continued, "If you say that you care about me too much for my first time to be with you, isn't that realization enough that it will be different?" "No. You're naive to think so." He winced as he said that. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh. Chloe knew she should've been hurt, but she just got angry. "I don't see why this is so difficult. I like you, you say you like me. There shouldn't need to be anything more than that." Lex sighed. "You're too young for me." "My age doesn't matter," Chloe countered. "You told me before that I'm one of the few women who could ever keep up a decent conversation with you." "Even so, I'm in the public spotlight. People would talk. I don't want to put you through that." "I don't care, I'll deal. I don't think you're giving me enough credit." Lex crossed the room and poured himself a drink, despite the fact that it was still morning. Chloe waited for another rebuttal, but he just stared at a painting on the wall, sipping scotch. "We went through a lot together," Chloe argued. "We can't ignore it now that it's over." Lex finally turned back to her. "I know." Chloe knew about some of his past relationships from the stories they'd share in captivity. She knew he'd never really loved anyone. Chloe walked over to him, stopping only inches from him. "I think you're scared. I think you care about me more than anyone else before, and you're too chicken to face it." Lex set his glass down loudly and met her eyes. "I'm never too afraid to go for what I want." Chloe realized it was pointless to argue with a Luthor; he would never back down just because he wouldn't want to lose an argument. So, she'd just have to put her feminine charms to work, and see if they could negotiate another way. "Except now," she murmured huskily. She swiftly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. Hard. If Lex was surprised at her forwardness, he didn't show it. He kissed her back, slipping his tongue forcefully into her mouth, and lifting her up, pushing her roughly against the wall. Lex wasn't about to be outdone by anyone, not even Chloe. Chloe groaned and kissed him back hungrily. She pulled his shirt out of his pants, running her hands up under it and over his skin, the warm, smooth skin of his back that was so familiar to her. It was Lex's turn to groan, and he ground his hips into her. Chloe felt his growing erection, could tell this was going far, and fast... but she wasn't about to back down. She wanted him, and if she lost her virginity against a wall in Lex Luthor's study, well, who said life wasn't full of surprises? A part of her, too, wanted to see exactly how far Lex would take it. He'd said, after all, that he didn't do virgins. She would see if would he hold true to his word. His hand found its way under her shirt, cupping her breast, making her moan into his mouth. The first and only other time he'd done this, she'd thought it had felt good... but Lex had had to be coerced, and now, with his enthusiasm, she couldn't have imagined how much better it would be. Suddenly, her shirt was gone, breasts bared to him, and she scrambled to unbutton his. It was like a race, a competition, over who could make the other forfeit first. Chloe managed to tear open his shirt despite a few remaining buttons, running her hands all over his chest. How long she'd wanted the license to do this. All those days and nights seeing him with no shirt, having to practically sit on her hands to stop herself from touching him like this. Lex's hands squeezed her breasts. Chloe gasped, burying her head in his shoulder and biting it, hearing him make a small grunt as he felt her teeth close over his skin. Chloe wrapped a leg around his ass, pulling him close. His arousal was unmistakable now, and Chloe began to grind herself against it, trying to scratch the insatiable itch that was building within her. Lex could feel himself rapidly losing control. Where on earth this Chloe had come from and who had taught her to make-out like this he didn't know. One thing he did know was that he was about five seconds from unzipping his pants and shoving himself as hard as he could inside her. Lex abruptly pushed her leg off him, and stepped back, letting her slide none too gently onto her feet. They stared at each other, both breathing hard. Chloe, in the back of her mind, thought that it should have been somewhat awkward to just glare at each other, both of them half naked. But she didn't care. "You proved your point, Chloe," Lex said finally. "Now go home before something more serious happens." Chloe crossed her arms in front of her breasts and shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving just because you can't handle it." Lex scoffed. "I can handle it just fine. But I'm not going to be responsible if later you have regrets." "I thought you knew me better than that... I don't go around placing blame on people." Lex sighed heavily and ran his hands over his head, linking them behind his neck. He sat on a sofa like that, eyes fixated on something. Chloe slipped her shirt back on while waiting patiently for him to respond. "I can't make promises about our relationship, Chloe. You'll have to understand that," Lex said finally. Chloe sat next to him, running her hand down his arm. "I'm not asking you to." Lex regarded her curiously. "Why would you want this anyway?" Chloe hesitated before finally answering. "I guess it's just because I can't let go." Lex wasn't exactly sure what it meant. He had a general idea; he felt the same. One thing he knew, he did care enough about her to want to protect her from himself... despite what Chloe said, he didn't know if anything could stop him from being who he was deep down. It was hard to change. He hoped she recognized that. "On one condition," Lex spoke at last. "What?" "No sex." Surprise passed over Chloe. "We're not going to have sex? Did I just hear that right?" "Yes." "But what if I want to?" "Then you'll just have to be patient." "Lex, I want you," Chloe insisted. "I think you want me, too. So why not? Because you hate virgins?" Lex shrugged. "Not exactly." "If that's true, what's holding you back?" "I told you my relationships were all about sex." His expression softened. "I want this one to be different." Chloe had to smile at that. "So, are you talking about everything? Or...." "I'm mostly inferring intercourse, I think. I'm not that righteous," he said admittedly. "I can't believe you, of the two of us, is saying that," Chloe laughed. "I have this sneaking suspicion that it's going to be more difficult for you than for me, Lex." He smirked. "It's highly likely. But take it as a compliment. I'm doing it for your benefit." Chloe was about to protest; she didn't need to be sheltered like that. She didn't want it either. Yet, she figured she had to let him win on one point. She would take it. "I'll try and remember that." She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly. He returned an equally soft kiss. "So... can I sleep here again sometime now?" Lex laughed. "If you really must," he replied playfully. Chloe kissed him again. She had a feeling she could get used to kissing him whenever she wanted, but then reality hit and she glanced at her watch. "My dad's going to be so mad." Lex stood up. "You should get going then. I'll take you back." "I'm surprised he hasn't called here frantically yet." Lex look turned slightly guilty. "I called him last night and told him where you were." Chloe's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding, right? What did he say?" "The usual, how dare I, what did I think I was doing, etcetera." Chloe sighed. "Why did you do that, Lex?" "Like you said, we had nothing to hide." "Yeah, but we do now." "No." Lex shook his head. "That's another condition. You have to tell him. Like you said, it's legal, and he may not like it. But I don't want to have to sneak around, especially when he's my employee." "Lex, he's never going to let me go out with you. He's going to ground me forever, and he can do it, our relationship being legal or not." Lex shrugged. "We'll just have to convince him otherwise." Chloe put her face in her hands and groaned. "I don't even want to think about what he's going to do when I get home." "Putting it off won't make it any better." Lex touched her shoulder. "Let's go." Chloe changed into the clothes she'd worn the night before, then followed him down the hallway to the garage, and to one of his many cars. "At least choose one that looks slightly less richly rebellious than usual?" Lex grinned. "Your father has seen most of my cars." "I know, but it might help if you try and look a little more responsible." Lex shrugged and agreed. The drive was fairly quiet, Lex glancing over at times to see Chloe staring out the window. Her father was gardening in the yard, stopping to glare at them driving up. Chloe got out of the car slowly. Her father strode over angrily. Chloe held up her hand. "Dad, we were just watching movies and I fell asleep. Clark was there, too, nothing went on." He father's arms were crossed, features tense. "So I heard from Lex." He glanced at Lex pointedly. "Thank you for bringing her home." A hint to leave. "I'm apologizing about the words exchanged earlier, but this is something I need to settle with my daughter now." Chloe could tell he was struggling to be decently polite to his boss. "Fortunately, I make it a point to separate work relationships from otherwise, or you would be out of a job right now, Gabe," he answered un-phased. "Which I hope you will keep in mind, because Chloe and I have decided we'd like to begin dating." Chloe shot him a disgusted look. Gabe looked mildly surprised, then angry. He stared at Chloe. "And, this, of course, would have nothing to do with the fact that you spent all last night at his mansion?" Chloe shifted her feet uncomfortably. "We had a talk in the morning, that's all." "Really, in the morning? What spurred on this sudden 'talk'?" "Nothing inappropriate, I assure you," Lex spoke up. Gabe turned his stare toward Lex. "And what exactly do you define as inappropriate?" Lex ran his hand over his head. "We haven't been intimate in any way." "We just kissed, Dad," Chloe added cautiously, not sure if that would help or hurt the situation. Gabe clenched his jaw as he absorbed the information. "Listen, Gabe, we're only telling you this because we don't want to hide our relationship from you. I'd hoped that by being honest you might see my intentions for your daughter are honorable. I don't consider her a meaningless fling, as you might have heard about my other relationships." Chloe's father sighed. "And I'm supposed to be grateful, right?" "You don't have to like it, but we wanted you to know." Gabe glanced at them both. "Well, obviously if you really wanted I can't stop you, short of locking Chloe in her room until she graduates." Chloe's face lit up hopefully. "Is this your way of saying it's okay, Dad?" Gabe shook his head. "I don't like it, honey. A father never likes to see his daughter make mistakes," he said, looking straight at Lex. "But it will be your mistake to make." Chloe smiled. "But you're still in trouble for not calling me yourself last night. So I think you've seen enough of each other for the weekend. We'll see about later," Gabe added. Lex nodded. "I'll call you Sunday night, Chloe." Chloe frowned, but she figured it worked out better than she had hoped. "Okay," she replied softly. She wanted to kiss him, touch him, anything, but she didn't want to do anything that would make her father change his mind. Lex turned back toward his car. Chloe lifted her hand in wave, then stepped into the house. Her father was right behind her. "Chloe, I want to have a talk with you." Chloe sighed. "Dad, you've already made it abundantly clear you think I'm making the mistake of my life. Do we really have to go through it again?" "No, you're right. But I have some things to add. Because as your father, I have to try and at least make sure the mistake isn't as big as it could be." Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Dad...." "Honey, you and I both know Lex's reputation. And he's lot older than you. He's going to expect... things." Chloe groaned and hid her face in her hands. "I don't believe this," she muttered. "And, so if you do... decide... to do anything, which I hope you don't, not for a long time, but... at the very least, make sure you're very careful. Just promise me that, Chloe." She sighed, her face red. "Alright, I promise." "And I don't want to see your schoolwork suffer. You still have a lot to catch up on. I know new... love," Gabe choked out, "is exciting. But your grades are more important." "I won't, Dad, don't worry." Chloe was bored the whole weekend. But, inside she felt giddy. She could hardly wait for Sunday night when Lex would call, when she could talk to him again. Finally, it was Sunday night, and the phone rang. Chloe ran to the phone and pounced on it. Her father laughed, despite himself. "Hello?" "Hi, Chloe. Good to hear you're still alive after this weekend." "Barely. He's been pretty good about it, I guess, but he did give me this mini sex talk. That almost killed me." Lex laughed loudly. "I'm sorry." Chloe pretended to be offended. "It's not funny, Lex!" There was a pause between them. Finally, Chloe spoke. "You still haven't changed your mind about us, have you? I've been so worried you're going to change your mind." "No, no, I haven't changed my mind. In fact, if your father permits it, I was hoping to take you out tomorrow night." "Oh?" A smile spread over Chloe's face. "I'll ask him. What are you thinking of?" "Some coffee. Just a small date. Unless you want our first one to be something more exciting." Chloe giggled. "No, sounds wonderful. I still need to catch up on all the coffee I've missed drinking." Miraculously, Gabe agreed to their date without much of a fuss. He emphasized her curfew more than usual, however. "It's a school night, Chloe. Just coffee, and if you finish your homework before you go." The coffee tasted extra good that night. Lex took them to a coffee place in the next town over for a change of scenery. She noticed some disapproving glances from a few other tables. She wasn't sure if it was because they thought he was too old for her or because he was Lex Luthor. Lex noticed as well. "Does that bother you, Chloe? I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it." She blew on her coffee. "It's strange, but I don't mind. I'd rather be with you than care what others think of us." They finished their coffee, both ignoring more looks as they left and got in his car. "This has been such a great night, Lex," Chloe said. "Do you have to take me back so soon?" "You know what your father said, Chloe. Just coffee." "I know, but I missed you. I think that was the longest weekend of my life." Lex smiled. "Alright," he gave in. "We'll swing by my place first. But not for long." "Okay," she agreed happily. They ended up on his couch, Lex putting on some soft music, and lazily kissing each other. They laid side by side, bodies rubbing against each other softly as their kisses grew more passionate. Eventually, Lex pulled back reluctantly from her lips, rested his chin against her forehead. Chloe felt his growing hardness against her thigh. Lex shifted away until his erection no longer was touching her. "Sorry, Chloe," he apologized. "It doesn't bother me, Lex." "Hmm. I wasn't certain if it would make you uncomfortable or not." Chloe laughed. "You would wake up with one all the time; I could feel it." "I didn't know if you noticed." "Well, it was pretty obvious. And then there was last weekend, and oh, the first day we were kidnapped." "Yeah, but then I didn't really care too much if you were uncomfortable or not," he admitted quietly, slightly ashamed of how he had been so inconsiderate of her. Chloe just grinned. "I figured. It's okay." She rubbed herself sensually against him. Lex bit back a groan and his hand gripped her hip, pressing down to keep her still. "Is that your way of getting revenge?" "Maybe," she replied, pleased that she could make him react like that. He loosened his hand on her hip, began to stroke her back. They lay quietly a few moments before Lex glanced at his clock on his wall. "If I drive fast enough, we'll just have enough time to get you back before your curfew." Chloe sighed, and reluctantly got off the couch, smoothing her clothes. Lex had no problem with driving fast, and they did indeed return in time. He kissed her chastely at the door, then drove off as unnecessarily fast as how they'd arrived. Her father was watching TV as she passed by, a smile on her face. "How was it?" he asked politely. "It was fine." She tried to sound nonchalant, but her widening smile gave her away. They still didn't sleep very well without each other. Chloe knew there was no way her father would allow her to stay over, and over the next few weeks, it became their routine for Chloe to go over after school, and they'd take a nap. Once, Clark had dropped by. The butler had been told Chloe was over, and that they weren't to be disturbed until dinner. Dinner, however, was only a few minutes away, so he allowed Clark in. Clark flashed to x-ray vision before opening the door to the living room, just to make sure he wouldn't stumble upon anything he'd rather not see. All he saw were two skeletons curled up together. They looked asleep, fully dressed. He opened the door quietly. Lex looked more relaxed and peaceful than Clark had ever seen him, and Chloe had a tiny smile on her face. Lex woke up at the slight door creak, sat up, and invited Clark to stay for dinner, but Clark decided to leave them alone and politely declined. He had to admit, they made a cute couple, and they seemed to be right for each other. Maybe a Luthor could change after all. One day, Lex called Chloe to make another date for the next weekend, but he wouldn't give any hints about what they would do. "C'mon, Lex. What if my father asks?" "I want it to be a surprise, but if he needs to know, then I'll divulge my plans." "Okay. But next weekend? Why not tomorrow?" Lex chuckled. "I know, I want to see you, too. But I have to go to Metropolis for some business. I won't be back until Friday afternoon." "Oh." Chloe couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. "Don't worry, Chloe. I'll give you some calls to help pass the time." "I'm going to hold you to that." Lex did call her, mostly every night. He was waiting for her when school let out on Friday. She was walking with Clark when she spotted him, leaning oh so sexily against his Porsche. Lex opened the door for her. "Ready?" Chloe nodded and bounced once in the leather seat. "So, what are we doing?" "Riding." "In the car? That's it? That's your big plan you couldn't tell me about that kept me in suspense all week?" Lex laughed. "No. We're going horse-back riding." Chloe wrinkled her nose. "I've tried riding before, Lex. I'm horrible. Those creatures never listen to what I want them to do." Lex grinned and shifted gears. "Then you haven't had the right instructor. I'll teach you." Chloe looked doubtful. "I'll have to take your word for it." "That's partly why I went to Metropolis. There was this fantastically bred colt I just had to take a look at." "I didn't know you liked horses." "I enjoy the sport. I used to play polo," Lex said. "I'm surprised with your extensive research skills you haven't found that out before, Chloe." "Yeah, me, too. So you bought him? I didn't think the mansion had a place to keep horses." "It doesn't, not yet. But I'm boarding him for the time being in the Lana's stable. They offered me the use of any of their horses as well." "Oh. Well, as long as I don't get the horse I did last time I rode with Lana and Clark." "Fair enough." He glanced over at her. "You don't have to pretend to like the idea if you don't want Chloe. I can go riding some other time." She reached over and touched his arm. "No... like you said, maybe I just need the right teacher." He grinned and winked at her. Lana met them when they arrived and helped pick out a different horse for her than last time. Lana also loaned her some of her old breeches and boots for her to wear. When Chloe returned from changing into them, Lex raked his eyes over her approvingly. Chloe blushed slightly. The skin-tight pants hugged her curves and slender legs. Lex had changed into some cream breeches and tall black boots. She couldn't help but cast an appreciative eye over him as well. Lana headed toward Lex and rubbed the new colt's nose. They started discussing his bloodlines, and Chloe began to feel slightly left out as Lana raved over Lex's new purchase. Apparently, he was a gorgeous chestnut who'd had a dressage champion sire. They were using terms she didn't understand, but she made a mental note to look up later. Finally, Lex seemed to notice her impatience. "Thanks for your assistance, Lana. We'll be back in a few hours." Lana nodded and waved them out the gate into a grassy green field. Chloe sat nervously in her saddle. "This saddle looks different than last time, Lex." "Probably, it's an English saddle. It's my preference." "What's the difference?" Lex smiled endearingly. "It's a different style of riding." They rode along, Lex occasionally giving her gentle tips. "You'll find it's easier to keep your foot in the stirrups if you keep your heels down." "Down?" Lex nodded. "Yes, a little more. And put your legs back a bit, you want to keep your body aligned." "Like this?" "Sorta." Lex suddenly dismounted. He went to her side, his hands stroking down her calves as he positioned her leg and then adjusted her heel, letting his hands linger. "There. That's perfect." Chloe shivered slightly at his touch. "I definitely think I like you teaching me to ride more than Clark or Lana." He grinned knowingly at her, and remounted and continued on. They eventually made a large circle around back to the Lang's. The sun was starting to set and it was beautiful. Lex seemed to spot something in the field, then told her, "Wait here a second." Lex signaled his horse and he took off. Chloe sat there on her horse, confused. She watched as Lex galloped toward a low log in the field, and expertly guided his horse over it. It was a magnificent jump, the horse's legs folding gracefully beneath him, Lex raising in his seat slightly and sliding his hands forward along his colt's neck as they cleared the log. She smiled at him as Lex cantered back to her and stopped in front. "That was great, Lex." He smiled back. "Not a big jump. But I just wanted to get a feel for him. I think I made a wise choice in buying him." "It looked fun. I didn't know you knew how to jump over things." "It is fun. I can keep giving you lessons, if you want. Eventually you'd be able to jump that, too." "I think I might like that," she said, her smile growing. "Good," he replied, pleased that she seemed to have enjoyed herself after all. They put the horses away and she changed back into her original clothes, returning the breeches to Lana. Then, they headed back toward his mansion. Once inside, Lex grabbed Chloe and pulled her close, kissing her long and hard until Chloe felt dizzy. "I've wanted to do that all day," he murmured to her. Chloe smiled. "Me too... but now I feel all grimy and sweaty from riding." He nodded in agreement. "C'mon then." She followed him curiously up the stairs and down the hallway to the bathroom. He pulled off his polo shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pants followed suit. Chloe turned away and was about to find a different bathroom, but Lex halted her with a hand on her shoulder. "Stay, Chloe. We'll take a shower." "I thought... I thought you said we weren't going to have sex." "A shower isn't sex, Chloe." "Well, no... but... I mean, there's still nudity 'n stuff." "I've seen you naked before, Chloe." "I know that." She couldn't forget how he'd taken care of her when she had been sick, not to mention the two times she'd ended up topless with him. Lex grew more serious. "From our previous conversations, it sounded like you were disappointed in my decision. I don't understand why you're being so hesitant right now." "I guess I just wasn't expecting it." Lex nodded slowly. "If you're not ready for anything, Chloe, then you need to say so, because otherwise I'm going to assume that I'm the only one holding us back and whatever I decide to do is okay with you. So let me know right now where you stand." Chloe reached for the buttons on her shirt and began to slowly unbutton them. "I'm fine. I would have had sex with you before if you hadn't pushed me away. I was just confused about what you meant just now." He glanced at her skeptically. "Honestly, Lex." He finally nodded agreeably. He supposed he'd given her mixed signals. Lex decided he'd have to be more obvious with her; she didn't have the experience and knowledge he did about the way things worked. They finished undressing and got in the shower. The hot water washed over them both, washing away the dust from their ride. Lex leaned down and kissed her lips, his hands trailing down her side to her hips where he rested his hands lightly. Chloe was shivering at his touches. She casually looked over Lex's body, trying not to be too obvious, but she was so curious. Seeing him naked made her excited and nervous at the same time. "You're trembling, Chloe," Lex said as he pulled away from their kiss. "Well, I take showers with naked men all the time, you know," she said sarcastically. He moved his hands up to her shoulders and stroked them down her arms. "Chloe," he said in warning tone. "I like this. Seriously, I don't know why I'm trembling," she said honestly. She pressed her hands against his chest, enjoying the feel of him, and she kissed him again, biting his lower lip, tugging at it with her teeth, purposely being a bit rough with him to emphasize her point. He grinned and bent to suck some water off her neck, whispering in her ear. "I realize this is new to you, but you don't have to be embarrassed, Chloe. Remember, I've seen you before." She blushed slightly. "But you weren't looking at me then like you are now." "You're beautiful." It was the first time he'd told her that. It made her break into a smile. "I don't think I compare to any other girls you've been with." He didn't directly answer her question, but said, "I'm not with them anymore." He grabbed some soap and lathered it in his hands, turning her around and washing down her back. "That says something, doesn't it?" Chloe leaned back into his touch. "I 'spose." He finished washing her back, and she turned around. She pressed her body close to his, felt her erect nipples scrape along his chest, felt his erection poke her. Lex groaned and cupped her ass, pulling her even tighter against him. Their kisses deepened, grew more frantic. Chloe found herself against the slick wall and she ground her hips against him. She found it impossible to tell whether the hot wetness she felt between her thighs was her or the water. Lex felt his cock slip between her thighs, felt himself against her soaked curls, realized that accidental entry was all too possible. "Fuck, Chloe." He took a step back, reached for the water handle and shut it off. Chloe was breathing heavily, her body flushed from the steam and arousal. "I'm okay, Lex." "We're too close like that." He stepped out and grabbed a towel, wrapping it loosely around his waist, had a hard time getting it to stay with his erection. Chloe frowned. She couldn't believe he was going to leave her hanging like that. "Lex, you can't... can we... finish, some other way?" From things she'd heard, Lex would surely be getting blue balls and not want to stop. He walked out into the bedroom, gripped his hands over the back of a chair in an attempt to calm himself. Chloe followed him, placed her hands gently on his back, towel around herself as well. "Lex?" He turned around to face her. "This is moving faster than I originally intended for tonight," he admitted. Chloe smirked. "And who was the one who warned you about the shower?" Lex shook his head. "Smartass." "We've spent a lot of time together, Lex. Maybe not dating, but we know each other. I don't see why we should wait any longer." He considered her words. His balls ached and there was nothing he wanted more than some sort of release. Finally, he leaned down and kissed her. "On the bed, then." They backed toward it, ended up lying on it, towels slipping and pushed off onto the floor. Lex kissed her again, his tongue slipping past her lips, lazily exploring her mouth while his hands explored her body. Chloe was starting to make the cutest noises in the back of her throat, especially each time he allowed his hands to brush over her breasts. Chloe had never felt this aroused, didn't know it was possible to feel this much. Everywhere he touched her made her throb, she felt warm and tingly over her whole body. And then Lex moved down her body, his hands gently pushing her legs apart, his mouth kissing its way up her inner thigh. It suddenly hit Chloe what he was about to do and she panicked. She pressed her legs tighter together. "Lex...." While she found his baldness oddly appealing, right now she really wished he had some hair she could grab onto and pull him back up. He glanced up in surprise. "It's okay, Chloe." Chloe shifted. "I'm... I don't know." She couldn't think straight. She wanted it so bad, but she was scared, didn't know if she wanted him that close to her. "I want to do this for you, Chloe. I'm not expecting anything back if you don't feel like it." Chloe glanced at him. Lex could read the nervousness in her eyes, but he could also see she wanted him. "Trust me?" She nodded and relaxed a little, allowing him to part her legs once more. He caressed her hip soothingly, his other hand gently rubbing her mound. Chloe couldn't help but arch into his touch, and then his tongue was on her clit and she cried out at the pure pleasure of it. The sensations were unbelievable and she whimpered at each stroke of his tongue. Soon Chloe was squirming uncontrollably, and Lex could tell she was getting close. He was impressed by how quickly she was going to come, how sensitive Chloe was. He slid a finger inside her, hearing her gasp, and applied a bit of firm suction to her clit. It was all she needed. Chloe shuddered hard, feeling herself clench around Lex's finger, moaning continuously through her orgasm. Her body relaxed against the bed and she dimly realized that Lex was resting by her side now, placing soft kisses over her face. He would have kissed her lips, but he wasn't sure how she would react to tasting herself. Eventually, she seemed to come back to herself and blinked, turning her head and smiling languidly at him. "I knew you'd enjoy it," Lex said smugly. Chloe managed to shrug her shoulders, couldn't bring herself to care about anything at the moment. At last, she realized Lex was still swollen; he was dripping even. "Do you want me to...?" Lex licked at her collarbone, tasting the salty sheen of sweat on her skin. "You don't have to. But if you want to." Chloe realized that she did. She sat up, pushing him on his back. Lex rested his hands behind his head, propping his head up so he could watch her. His neglected cock jumped just at the anticipation of someone touching him at last. Chloe reached out and grasped him, gave him a few light strokes. It was good, so good, but soon Lex was craving more contact, and her touch was too soft. He reached down, closed his hand over hers, showing her how to stroke him harder, squeeze him where he liked it. His hand left hers and she kept going. Chloe hesitated a brief second, then curiously touched her tongue to his cock and licked the tip. "Shit, Chloe!" Lex had closed his eyes momentarily, they flew open and his hips jerked and he was lucky that Chloe had backed up enough that he didn't hit her. He hadn't been expecting that, and he certainly didn't expect it when she took his head into her mouth again and start sucking. He hadn't thought she'd actually go through with it, but she was and in her inexperience, her teeth accidentally scraped his sensitive flesh, and he winced, pulling back. Chloe let him slip out of her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Lex groaned. "It's okay, keep going," he said, hints of desperation in his voice. She gripped him at the base, tried drawing him deeper in her mouth this time. Lex moaned appreciatively, realizing that he was not going to last any longer, and that he didn't want to try. However, Lex did know that he didn't want to climax in her mouth; he didn't think Chloe could handle it just yet. "God, Chloe," he grunted. He managed to pull back out of her mouth just in time. Chloe, thankfully, seeming to know what he was trying to do and kept stroking him with her hand and his semen spilled out onto his stomach. Chloe watched, utterly fascinated. Lex had slumped back into the bed, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought to catch his breath. She smiled and grabbed a tissue from his nightstand, gently wiping up his stomach. Then she crawled up his body, settled herself half on top of him. He still seemed rather non-responsive. "Lex?" He managed to crack open an eye at her. "Mrmm?" "Was that okay?" "Yeah... yeah, was good." Chloe almost beamed. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tighter against him. He had his eyes closed again, he was breathing deeply and steadily now. She knew him well enough from their captivity to know that he was falling asleep. She shook his shoulder gently. "Lex?" "What?" he mumbled. He was trying to be more sensitive, but he hoped Chloe wasn't going to be a big talker after sex. "I should get going." Lex lifted a hand and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" He glanced at the clock. "Shit. Okay." He sat up, blinking rapidly a few times. Chloe watched him amusedly. "Do you always get knocked out like that?" She called out as she padded into the bathroom to gather her clothes. "Usually." He shook himself awake, pulled on a pair of pants. They finished dressing, and Lex drove her back. Chloe leaned over and kissed him before she got out of the car. "I really liked it, Lex." He smiled and returned her kiss. "I did, too." "We can do it again, right?" He laughed. "Try and stop me." "Tomorrow?" He laughed again. "We'll see." She grinned and gave him a final kiss before heading inside. True to her word, Chloe didn't let her schoolwork suffer. If anything, Lex pushed her to do it more than her father did, and would sometimes offer his help. And she kept up the Torch just as much as before. Lex found himself growing more and more attached to Chloe. The thought scared him. He'd liked being around previous girlfriends, even missed them if they were apart for an amount of time. But he'd never felt like he wouldn't be able to survive without them. What scared him even more was that the thought of being without Chloe scared him. And, despite occasional hints and seductional sabotage attempts from Chloe, Lex had kept his no-sex resolution. Lex pondered that what had been holding him back the most was how their relationship was evoking new emotions from him. Maybe he was worried that if they finally slept together those feelings would intensify even more. He wasn't sure if he was ready to deal with that. Lex sat at his desk, drumming his fingers on his closed Powerbook. Finally, he reached for the phone and dialed Chloe's number. "Hello?" "Hey, Chloe." "Lex! Hi. I was just thinking about you." It made him smile to know that; almost embarrassed to admit it to himself. "I've been thinking about you, too, Chloe. There's something I want to tell you." There was a pause. "Oh? Okay." She sounded worried. "It's not bad, Chloe," he chuckled. "I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about sex." Chloe laughed. "You're a man, Lex, you always are." "Yes, but, I mean, I was thinking about it with you." He paused, letting it sink in. "Everything." "You mean, you're thinking you want to....?" "Yes." Chloe grinned into the phone. "Well, I don't know, Lex," she teased. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for that." He sighed. "You're incorrigible, you know that?" "Yep." "Seriously, Chloe. What do you think?" "I think you know I want to, Lex." "Okay. Good. I was thinking, maybe, if you could get your father to agree to let you spend all night with me." Chloe almost choked. "Lex, as much as I would like that, there's no way he would say yes." "Perhaps we can use a little white lie... I'll say that I'm taking you out for a night in Metropolis, that we won't get back until early morning." Chloe snorted. "Like he's going to go for that either." "Doesn't hurt to ask." "With my dad, it does." "Well, either way I would like to take you to Metropolis for a real night out. We would just come back to my place earlier than we'll say we would. I don't want us to have to rush things, worrying that you need to be home. We can fall asleep for once... it'll be nice." "I know, I'm sorry, Lex." She knew he was sometimes irritated that she usually had to go so soon after fooling around. "It's not your fault," Lex soothed. "I understand how difficult fathers can be." Chloe smiled to herself. "I'll ask him." Tonight was the night. Finally deciding on a dress that looked appropriately sexy, but one that her father would let her out of the house in, Chloe made last minute touch-ups to her makeup. Meanwhile, Lex waited for Chloe downstairs. Gabe glanced at Lex, and finally spoke. "Listen, Lex, I'm not naive. I know what's going to happen tonight, if it already hasn't." Lex opened his mouth to speak, but Gabe held up his hand. "Wait, let me finish. I'm not going to give you a moral lecture about it, but I just want you to understand that my daughter is everything to me. Chloe's all I have... after her mother left... so I'm just asking you to take care of her." Lex nodded slowly. "I understand." Then the corner of his mouth quirked upward. "Don't worry, I haven't knocked up anyone so far." Gabe didn't know whether to laugh or be worried, but Chloe chose that moment to come down the stairs before he could come up with a response. Chloe could tell there had been a few minutes of uncomfortable conversation between Lex and her father while she had been finishing up, and her father didn't even know their real plans for later. At least, that's what she thought. Chloe still couldn't believe it when he'd agreed to let Lex take her to Metropolis for a night out and come back the next morning. Gabe had said something to the effect that he knew Lex had his own place and if they had really wanted to do anything, they could have had countless opportunities by now. Chloe almost felt like she was disappointing him. But it felt right, too, and she wasn't going to let him make her feel guilty. It was time. She smiled brightly at them to try and lighten the tension in the room, maybe even to cover up her own nervousness. It wasn't everyday that you knew later that night you were going to lose your virginity. Lex walked up to her and kissed her forehead chastely. "You look beautiful, Chloe." She smiled. "Thanks." She gave a wave. "Bye, Dad. I'll see you in the morning." The limo was wonderful, and only made Metropolis at night more stunning. Chloe sometimes missed being away from it, but now she could appreciate the city that much more. Dinner was delicious, and probably ridiculously expensive. Lex wouldn't even let her so much as glance at the bill. "Don't worry about it, Chloe." "I'm not, I'm not... I'm just curious." "You don't want to know, trust me." Lex grinned at her and stood, offering his hand to lead her onto the dance floor. Chloe accepted, and they slowdanced together to a soft song, her head resting against his chest and his hands holding her hips loosely. A smile passed over her lips as Lex dropped a kiss into her hair. Nice as it was, Chloe lifted her head and whispered, "Let's go, Lex." Lex winked and threaded his fingers with hers as they left the dance floor and returned to the limo waiting for them on the curb. They were fairly quiet on the limo ride back, snuggled together in the backseat. Instead of bits of foreplay like Lex had imagined might happen, Chloe stared out the window as the Metropolis skyline slowly disappeared into the horizon. Lex observed her silently, figuring that she was probably just nervous about later. They'd both had a good time, but he'd thought she was a little on edge. Truth was, he felt a flutter in his stomach, which unnerved himself even more. He'd realized that he really wanted to make it good for her, instead of just doing whatever he needed to get off. She was one of the first few people that he'd actually cared whether they truly enjoyed a sexual encounter with him. Once back inside the mansion, Chloe announced she was going to take a shower. Lex grinned and started to move toward her, but she held up her hand. "Alone," she laughed. Lex gave his best puppy dog look and flopped on the couch, flipping on the TV. "I'll be waiting then." Chloe took a quick shower. In a small way, she was stalling, but it gave her an excuse to freshen up with some of the body wash she knew Lex liked. After drying off, she wrapped herself in one of Lex's silk robes and padded down the hallway to the living room. Lex was indeed still there, seemingly absorbed in a stock market program. "That's so boring, Lex," she teased. "What twenty-two year old guy watches that?" Lex turned his head at her voice, smiling as he saw her. "That's a matter of opinion, Miss Sullivan." Chloe shook her head and sat down next to him. She leaned herself against his shoulder, and Lex loosely hung his arm over her. Chloe looked at him expectantly for a few moments, but Lex didn't move. "So," Chloe said, breaking the silence. They'd been sexual with each other before, of course, but this time she felt so different. She wasn't sure at all where to start. Lex seemed to understand Chloe was waiting for him to initiate the rest of tonight. "Let's just watch some TV for now." Chloe was satisfied with that, but waited for a moment of opportunity before snatching the remote and finding an old favorite movie of hers on TV. She had a feeling she'd never be able to watch it again without thinking of the last few moments before she had sex. They sat quietly on the couch, content to just enjoy each other's company. They'd gotten done with dinner fairly quickly, and they had almost all the time in the world since she didn't have to be back until morning. Even though it was one of her favorites, Chloe couldn't concentrate on the movie. Lex glanced down at her, finding Chloe's concerned expression. "What's that face for?" Lex inquired. Chloe blinked and was jerked out of her thoughts. "I'm not making a face." Lex smirked at her. "You're making that face when you're thinking too hard about something." Chloe shrugged. "It's nothing," she mumbled. "Chloe... don't keep things from me... not now." Lex regarded her patiently. "Lex...." "C'mon, tell me," he encouraged her. "It's just... well, I didn't want to say anything, but... I'm kinda worried it's gonna hurt." "It might," Lex answered nonchalantly, trying in his own way to comfort her by not making a big deal out of it. It wasn't the reassuring response Chloe was hoping to hear after confessing her fear. "You don't care?" He sighed and drew her into his arms, settling her in his lap. "Of course I care. But it's reality, Chloe." He didn't have any experience with nervous, first-time teenage girls; he wasn't quite sure what she wanted him to say. He'd never put much thought to what the other side went through during sex before. She frowned. "Never mind, I shouldn't have said anything." She was looking for some sympathy, not a lecture. "I forgot how much you hate virgins," she added somewhat disappointedly. Lex sighed, not wanting to bring up things he'd said in the past and spoiling the night. "I'm not implying that. But, it might not hurt at all. You don't know." Chloe just bit her lip. "Hey." He rubbed her arm softly. "That's not to say we won't take it easy, okay?" She nodded, but she didn't look convinced. He kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it, Chlo." She cracked a faint smile. "If you say so." He bent his head to kiss her. "Believe me... you're going to feel so good you're not going to mind whatever discomfort may occur at first." Chloe shivered at his promise, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Lex kissed her again, a more passionate one this time. Chloe returned his kiss. It was hard to think negatively when he kissed her like that, and she was glad for it. Lex settled his hands on her waist, and gently lifted her off his lap. She stood up and Lex followed. Their eyes locked, and they headed toward the bedroom. Lex lifted her onto the bed, and Chloe fell back onto her back. Lex crawled over her, kissing her lips before nibbling his way down her neck and along her collarbone. His hands caressed down her body, stopping at the ties to the robe. Slowly, Lex unknotted them, and parted the robe so it exposed Chloe's soft, creamy skin. He continued nipping down her body, occasionally applying little kisses. He licked lightly along her thighs, but stayed away from where he knew Chloe liked his tongue most. Chloe groaned. "You're such a tease, Lex." He grinned and sat back, casting his eye over her. "You are just so beautiful." His words sent tingles down her spine. He said it to her all the time, and it still always had the same effect. Lex stood back then, his hands working on the buttons of his shirt, pulling it off. Next, he undid his belt buckle, pulling it through before dropping his slacks and boxers at the same time. Normally, Chloe liked helping Lex undress, but tonight was perfectly content to lay back and watch him, admiring him like he had just done to her. "Would you be offended if I told you that you're beautiful, too?" Lex merely chuckled as he climbed back on to the bed, resting on his side, trailing his fingers along the length of her body, making her shiver. He never answered her, just continued the slow seduction of her body. He kissed her lips, long and slow. Chloe hadn't ever told him so, but he suspected that kissing was perhaps her biggest turn on. He'd planned on plenty of kissing tonight to help put her at ease and build as much arousal for her as possible. Chloe kissed him back, his lips still surprisingly sweet from the dessert they'd had earlier. His hand gently stroked across her stomach and upwards, skimming a slight touch over her breast, causing Chloe to sigh in his mouth. He cupped her breast, his thumb lightly flicking across her nipple. Chloe gasped, pressing herself into his touch. "Lex...." Lex repeated the action before leaning his head down to take a nipple in his mouth. Chloe shuddered against him, reaching out to grasp his erection. Lex held back a moan and removed her hand, but trying not to offend her. He knew if she touched him he wouldn't be able to last long enough to make things good for her. "No, Chloe... tonight's about you." Lex meandered his hand down to her curls, his finger finding her clit and slowly stroking it. She whimpered and squirmed closer to him. Lex scooted further down her body to have better access, slipping two fingers inside her and his thumb replacing his finger on her clit. Her gasps and moans were telling him that she was getting close to her peak. Then, he felt her tighten around his fingers and he knew she'd come. She was hot and wet, and he knew that another time in the future she might be ready for him, but he wanted to make certain that for her first time she was as wet as possible. As if she knew what he was pondering, Chloe murmured, "Lex... I want you inside me now." "Not yet, sweetie, not yet." Chloe groaned. He was driving her crazy. He removed his fingers from her, rubbing all along her body. She opened her mouth to protest, but Lex kissed her before she had a chance. His smooth, firm body was rubbing against hers, his hands caressing her everywhere for what seemed like hours, her arousal building again quickly, and it was some of the longest, sweetest foreplay they'd ever had and Chloe didn't know how much longer she could stand it. Luckily for her, Lex felt much the same way. He was making himself insane, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold off without being too rough with her later. He took his hands from where they were currently pinching her nipples and lightly ran his fingers inside her again. Chloe made a tiny whimper and pushed her hips against the contact. She was more than wet enough now, Lex figured, and so after hastily rolling on a condom, he moved directly on top of her, hovering above her flushed body, gently widening her legs apart with his knees, before settling himself against her, his penis poised to enter her. He pushed himself ever so slightly inside, but he could feel her resisting him, her face looking tense. "Relax, Chloe," he soothed. Chloe just exhaled and closed her eyes. She could feel him trying to slowly, gently nudge into her. It felt... odd. "You have to relax for me, baby." "Easy for you to say," she muttered. He wasn't the one that had to be penetrated. Lex halted his attempts to enter her. "I'm not going to do this until I feel you relax." Chloe sighed impatiently. "I'm trying." Lex backed off her, and Chloe made a noise of protest, pulling on his shoulders. "Lex...." He always had to be such a control freak; it was maddening. "Shh." He stroked her stomach softly. She was anticipating too much, and he knew it would just make it more difficult for her to accept him. He dropped tiny kisses along her belly, his hand moving down to stroke her inner thigh. He caressed his thumb along her clit. Chloe gasped and bucked up against his hand. He crawled back up her body, his hand still rubbing her. Her eyes had closed again in pleasure, her mouth open slightly. Soon, Lex could tell that she was getting close to coming again and she seemed to have forgotten about his penis again resting against her entrance. Lex decided it was probably best not to give her time to think about it, so he slide in with one smooth thrust. Chloe's eyes snapped open and drew in a sharp breath. Lex didn't move again just yet, and he was looking into her eyes. "Tricky," she muttered. He smiled at her. "But it got you to relax." Chloe couldn't help but smile back. "Isn't bad actually." He kissed her, his hand lazily caressing her breast, making her arch into him. "See." He loved how sensitive she was to all of his touches. Chloe mumbled a non-committal response and pushed her hips against him. "More?" "Mmm hmm." Lex starting thrusting slowly, groaning at how tight she was. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to disregard virgins after all. Eventually, their tempo increased. Chloe had been so close earlier, and it didn't take long at all to bring her back to where she was writhing against him. Lex shifted a few times, experimenting with angles to find out exactly where she liked him. Lex figured he'd found just about the right spot when she moaned low in her throat, "Ohh... Lex... again." He repeated his thrust, and she moaned again. Soon she was gripping his shoulders, tightening with each of his thrusts. He felt her begin to shudder and she cried out as she found release for the second time that night, arching into him until her orgasm subsided. The feeling of Chloe's already tight channel convulsing around him was enough to send Lex over the edge moments after her. "Oh, Chloe...." He struggled to keep from collapsing on top of her, gasping as he tried to get his breathing to return to normal. A few moments later, he rolled off her, quickly disposed of the condom, and settled against her side, draping one of his arms over her stomach and the other above her head, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm guessing that it was better than a massage?" he asked, remembering the comment she'd made during the massage he'd given her. Chloe grinned. "Mmm... maybe." He pinched her side teasingly and she squirmed, swatting his hand. Lex gave up, and they lay quietly for a few minutes. Lex honestly had never felt this connected with another person. He'd never felt any real emotion from sex, for him it had always been purely physical. He hadn't realized that actually caring about the person could make such a difference. "I changed my mind about virgins... this was good," he admitted. The side of Chloe's mouth lifted to a smile. "Yeah?" He nodded and gave her a final kiss. Chloe could see that he was getting sleepy, and she rolled onto her side, snuggling into his chest. Lex gently stroked her back, his hands stilling after his breathing deepened and he drifted off to sleep. Chloe traced a pattern on his chest until she, too, fell asleep, her last thought being that he was finally hers. The next morning, Chloe awoke first. She was surprised to see Lex still asleep. A part of her had suspected that he might have left, maybe with regrets. Chloe gazed at Lex's peacefully sleeping form. She couldn't believe that last night, she'd truly had him. She wished that she could lie there forever and look at him, but unfortunately nature called. She carefully disentangled herself, managing not to wake him in the process, oddly enough. Lex wasn't a heavy sleeper. Chloe grinned to herself, wickedly thinking that she must have tired him out. She tiptoed to the bathroom. Her hair was a mess, and she ran a hand through to smooth it. She stared at herself in the mirror then, wondering if she looked any different now. She knew she didn't, not on the outside. But in her eyes, she thought her face had more wisdom to it. She definitely felt different, a dull ache between her legs that wouldn't let her forget what they'd done last night. "Penny for your thoughts." Chloe jumped, startled at Lex's sudden appearance, but smiled. She guessed she had woken him up after all. "Is that all my thoughts are worth? I think you can afford more." "Million dollars for your thoughts?" He grinned at her. She laughed. "I wasn't really thinking anything." Lex came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head, looking at her through the mirror. "Chloe? Not thinking? I find that hard to believe." "Alright. But it's kinda silly. But I was just wondering if I looked any different. I sorta feel different." Lex pretended to scrutinize her closely. "If you do, I think you look more beautiful." Chloe smiled. Lex tilted his head and leaned down to kiss her neck, licking her skin delicately. Chloe sighed and leaned back against him. "Come back to bed, Chloe," he whispered in her ear. "I wish, but I think I have to get home soon. I don't want to give my father any reason to not let me stay over again." Lex nodded, but looked disappointed. Chloe knew he got tired sometimes of having a girlfriend who still had to answer to parents and make curfews. Not that he'd ever actually come out and said that, to his credit. "And, honestly, I don't think I could really take another round of last night right now," she added. Lex massaged her shoulders gently and smiled sympathetically. "Feeling sore?" At Chloe's confirming nod, he said, "Don't worry, you won't always feel this way afterward." Lex suddenly grinned wickedly. "Although, sometimes...." Chloe laughed and swatted him playfully. Lex seemed to know a lot about her body. Of course, he certainly had the experience, she reminded herself. But that thought still left her slightly unsettled. Lex didn't seem to notice the slight change in her mood. He kissed the top of her head. "I'll just get dressed and I'll drive you home." Chloe watched him leave, then turned back to the mirror. Hopefully her father wouldn't suspect anything. Hopefully one day he'd understand how much she liked Lex. Chloe played it cool as her father asked her what they'd done. Some dinner, dancing (but not at a club, of course). She hoped the slight glow to her cheeks would only show that she was happy, which was true, but there were some things about the evening she was not going to tell her father. Thankfully if Gabe noticed anything, he didn't say so. The next afternoon, Chloe brought over her laptop to the mansion, wanting Lex to look over her research paper that was due Monday. She sat at his desk, eyeing the Powerbook that sat off to the side jealously. She knew if she asked, Lex would buy her one, but she didn't want to take advantage of him just because he had the money. She thought it was one of the things that Lex appreciated about her, too, that she never asked for special favors, just because he could. Lex came up behind her and leaned over her shoulder, his breath tickling her neck. "Want me to look over it, yet?" She shook her head. "It's almost done, but not quite." Lex rested his hands on her shoulders and massaged them gently until, with a flourished keystroke, Chloe announced she was done. She plugged in her laptop to Lex's printer and hit the print icon. Lex took the papers, along with a ridiculously expensive red fountain pen and sank into his leather chair, his eyes slowly scanning across the pages. Chloe watched him. He'd read her Torch articles all the time, and she knew he liked them, but she really wanted to impress him with her analytical writing. Finally, Lex finished. Chloe looked at him expectantly. "It's very good," he said, "for a high school paper." "What do you mean, for a high school paper?" "Well, I mean, it's fine for your age and level of writing," he elaborated. "If I helped you improve it, your teachers might accuse you of plagiarism." Chloe frowned. "But, what, it's not good outside of high school?" Lex sighed. He'd suspected he was going to get in trouble for giving his honest opinion. "I'm not saying you're a bad writer, Chloe, just that you haven't had the years of experience yet. That's all." Chloe shrugged. "Alright, fine." Lex walked over and kneeled next to her, giving her a soft kiss. "C'mon, Chloe. It's good." "You're just saying that." Lex rolled his eyes. "I'm not. Anyway, now that you finished your paper, I thought I'd reward you," he offered, an evil glint in his eye. Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Mmm, and what did you have in mind?" Lex grinned. "I think you can guess." Chloe laughed and straddled his lap. Her hands moved to the front of his pants, and, unzipping his pants, slid her hand inside to touch him. "Do I guess right?" she purred into Lex's ear. Lex almost jumped at her sudden actions. "Fuck, Chloe. What happened to the shy little virgin I knew?" Chloe smirked. "She was ruined," she murmured into his ear. "A terrible tragedy." Lex grinned. "Are you still sore?" he questioned softly, hoping she wasn't and he could continue on with his plan. Chloe smiled wickedly. "Not at all," she answered, squeezing her fist around his erection. Lex fought back a moan and lifted her into his arms, carrying her up the stairs and to his bedroom, where a servant had earlier lit a fire and there were soft blankets and pillows arranged in front of it. Chloe smiled in delight at the scene. Perfectly romantic. Lex undressed her slowly, touching her soft skin everywhere, savoring with his eyes each new part of her body revealed to him. The fire's light danced across her sweat-shined skin. He licked a path down her body, to between her legs to the spot where he knew Chloe wanted him to kiss most. Much as Chloe was loving all the attention, she soon grew impatient of Lex always having control. She sat up, pressing her body against him, nibbling at his earlobe before saying, "I want to try being on top, Lex." Lex raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "If you want." He laid back as if offering himself, and she straddled him, placing tiny kisses all over his chest. "Do you know what do?" Lex asked. Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know how innocent you think I still am, Lex; I think I can figure it out." Lex grinned. He decided he liked it when she got a little snarky in bed. "It's all you then, Chlo." "Good," Chloe replied, biting his nipple hard enough to make him squirm. Lex Luthor rarely squirmed. Chloe reached for a nearby condom. Despite Chloe's earlier claims of knowledge, Lex was still surprised at how expertly she put it on. Then, Chloe eased herself onto his cock slowly, her eyes fluttering closed as she stretched to accommodate him, but it was so good. Lex made a choked noise low in his throat. She was still so tight; it was all he could do to concentrate on being still and let her lead. Chloe rocked forward experimentally, gradually leaning forward so that her breasts brushed against his chest, grinding herself against his pelvis and Lex knew she was discovering it put pressure on her clit. Lex gazed at her with heavy lidded eyes, the sight of Chloe using his body for her own pleasure, shamelessly without restraint, when just the other day she'd been nervous about him inside her, was too sexy to bear, and Lex had to shut his eyes to keeping from coming and ruining Chloe's pleasure. Chloe sat back again, now lifting herself up and down. "I can touch you, Chloe, if you want," Lex offered. "Yeah," Chloe breathed. "Touch me, Lex." He complied, his fingers finding her clit and skillfully working it until her movements became erratic and she nearly screamed as orgasm overtook her. Chloe practically collapsed onto his chest, breathing hard. But Lex kept his hand between their bodies. "Come again for me," he whispered huskily, his fingers still circling her clit lazily. "I can't." "Yes, you can," he murmured. "Concentrate on it, sweetie, just feel." Chloe whimpered, thrusting herself against his fingers and on his cock, and she came just as Lex finally lost control, and they shuddered together amidst the moans and harsh breaths. Chloe lay back on his chest while he soothingly stroked her back with his fingertips, both of them silent. She listened to his heartbeat as it gradually slowed to normal pace, not unlike that first fateful night. She smiled to herself, still not quite able to get over the fact that she was responsible for his rapid heartbeats this time. They seemed to have come full circle. The rhythm of it was lulling her to sleep, and Chloe knew that Lex had to be falling asleep as well. But not before he quietly whispered, "I love you," and drifted off to his dreams. Chloe just smiled. "I love you, too," she whispered back, not sure if he'd heard her reply. It didn't matter. She had a feeling he knew. He might have taught her about sex, but Chloe Sullivan had taught Lex Luthor to make love. THE END. If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Alexa Jones Also, why not join Level Three, the Smallville all-fic list? Back Level Three Records Room