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Chlex Fanfic: Orchestrato, Chapter 8
Back again with more Chlex! And, er…*looks nervously left and right* you may not like me too much by the end of it, because they have a little tiff. Just a teeny one. :-\
I mean, come on. You didn’t really think I’d write an entire Chlex story without them having at least one little fight, did you? Worry not, though; I have great plans for the make-up scene. :-P
Enjoy! Stunning banner by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ctbn60. Thanks, Carol! :)
Title: Orchestrato
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlex
Rating: PG13 for now, NC-17 later
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here. Chapter 8
Realisation dawned in Lex’s mind as he stared at the papers in Clark’s hands, and he mentally heaved a sigh of relief. For a brief second there, he’d thought Clark had actually seen Chloe at the top of the stairway. Thankfully he was just acting on a very accurate hunch.
“Look at this,” Clark continued as walked over to Lex’s desk and spread out the newspaper he’d brought in, along with some printed pages. “I got these off a blog after the newspaper article referenced it. It has to be Chloe.”
Lex steeled his expression and sighed. “You’re grasping at straws, Clark.”
“It’s Chloe,” he insisted. “I’ve proofed her work enough times to know both her writing style, and the public issues that would interest her. And this story here is right on the money on both counts.”
“Let’s assume hypothetically that what you’re saying is true,” Lex said carefully, “…and Chloe is alive and in hiding, I hardly think she would risk discovery by running a public blog. Do you?”
Clark gave him a condescending look. “Please. This is Chloe we’re talking about. The blog may be public, but she’s shrouded her identity and made the website hack-proof. It’s her classic m.o.”
“Not exactly the actions of someone who’s trying to stay dead,” Lex rebutted, but Clark snorted derisively.
“You don’t know Chloe like I do. She couldn’t leave a story untold any more than she could probably resist the call of nature,” he replied. “And this particular subject, the city sewer refurbishment project? It’s something she’d been looking into for a while.”
“I’m sure she wasn’t the only reporter looking into it, Clark,” he said. “And I know losing her has hit you hard, but—”
“Stop lying to me, Lex! Chloe’s alive, and we both know it,” he said harshly. “I came this close to finding her, but she slipped through my fingers.”
Lex frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I found another safehouse,” he explained, making Lex’s heart sink. “There were dead guards all over the place and all Chloe’s things, including her computer and a makeshift wall of weird. But Chloe was gone. I need to find her before they do.”
Lex gritted his teeth in annoyance. Clark’s damned meddling was probably how they had managed to trace the safe house in the first place.
“Alright, Clark,” he began slowly. “Again, assuming Chloe’s alive and in hiding somewhere…don’t you think all your poking around is what’s actually putting her in danger?”
Clark’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You know something, don’t you, Lex?” he accused. “Of course you do; LuthorCorp paid for her funeral, after all, so you must know where she is.”
“Clark, you need to stop doing this to yourself—”
“Just tell me how she is,” Clark pleaded. “I need to know that she’s okay. Please, Lex.”
“I told you already, Clark - as far as I’m aware, she’s gone,” he said flatly. “So if that’s all you came here for, then we have nothing left to discuss.”
He got to his feet and ushered Clark towards the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy what’s left of my weekend, and that doesn’t include swapping ideas on non-existent conspiracy theories.”
“This isn’t over, Lex,” Clark warned. Lex studied him as he intently stared at his walls, almost as if he was trying to look through them. Lex deliberately averted his own gaze away from the top of the stairs where Chloe was sure to be hiding.
“This is a pretty old building,” Clark murmured. “You must have lead plates in the walls, right?”
Lex frowned. That was out of left field. “It’s possible; why?”
Clark shrugged. “No reason.” He squinted at the walls again, and Lex’s frown deepened.
“Something interests you in my tapestries, Clark?” he asked. “You’re not gonna find Chloe in any of them.”
Clark blinked and immediately guarded his expression. “I know that,” he mumbled.
“If I hear anything, though, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Lex responded. He opened the door for Clark to leave, which the younger man did - albeit reluctantly.
***
Lex watched from the window and waited until Clark’s truck had trundled down the road before heaving a sigh of relief.
“You could have told him I was okay, you know,” Chloe said, startling him as she appeared at the top of the stairs. She stared pointedly at him, her eyes full of reproach. “Why didn’t you?”
Lex gave a nonchalant shrug. “Because he doesn’t need to know.”
“But he’s really concerned about me, and I don’t want him to worry.”
His eyes hardened. “This isn’t about what you want, Chloe, it’s about keeping you alive.”
“I am alive,” she snapped. “And I trust Clark; he can keep a secret.”
“Can he?” he said incredulously. “Chloe, he’s the one who keeps throwing up red flags as to your whereabouts and putting you in danger!”
“If he knew I was okay, he’d stop looking for me, don’t you get it?” she argued. “Damn it, I hate knowing that my friends are suffering like this because they think I’m dead.”
“Oh, I buy that Clark may be suffering, sure,” he scoffed. “At least he means well. But don’t for one second think that Lana’s shed any tears over your disappearance.”
Chloe looked hurt. “But she came here earlier to ask about me, didn’t she?”
“She came to pick up the keys to the Talon apartment,” he said stiffly. “Take off the rose-coloured glasses and look at your so-called friends with new eyes, Chloe. They’re only close to you because of what they can get from you.”
“That’s not true!” she cried. “No?” he challenged. “You’re barely cold in the ground — theoretically — and Lana’s only thought is to where she’s gonna live now that you and Gabe are supposedly gone. You call that friendship?”
Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “That’s enough.”
“And don’t even get me started on Clark,” he barrelled on. Christ, it was like opening a gate; every negative observation he’d ever had about Clark’s and Chloe’s relationship just tumbled out of him.
“He has you firmly stuck in the Best Friends corner and he dangles a kiss your way every now and then, but all the while, he chases after Lana like a dog in heat. He’s never gonna see you for the woman that you are, Chloe. It’s time you realised that.”
“You bastard!” she seethed, and spun on her heel and ran back down the corridor.
“Chloe, wait!” he called, cursing himself as he ran up the stairs behind her. Damn it, but he hadn’t meant it all to come out like that. He’d thought it, sure; of course it galled him that a smart young woman like Chloe wasted her life pining after Clark when he only had eyes for Lana, and he did think it was time Chloe learned a few home truths. But this wasn’t the way he’d wanted to go about it, and now he’d risked everything by upsetting her so close to the trial.
He frowned. Come to think of it, the trial had nothing to do with it; he just didn’t like seeing her so upset.
He got to her quarters and knocked on the door of her room. “Chloe?”
“Go away.” “I’m sorry,” he said, contrite. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”
“Why not?” she replied. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?” He sighed. “Chloe…”
“Don’t lie to me, Lex; it doesn’t suit you,” she said coldly. “I much prefer your brutal honesty.”
“Chloe, what I said…I was out of line, and I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologising,” she said, her voice thick and muffled. “I know I’m an idiot when it comes to Clark. I know Lana will never be as close a friend as I’d like. I know I’m stupid and pathetic, but I kind of hoped you wouldn’t agree with me on that one.”
“I don’t, Chloe, honestly,” he insisted, knocking on her door. “And you’re not all those things you said. Look, are you going to let me in, or not?”
“Not.”
He scowled. “I do have the keys to every room in the house, you know.”
“You wouldn’t invade my privacy that way,” she shot back smartly. “And if you do, I might just think twice about testifying against your father.”
Lex sighed again and ran his hand wearily over his smooth head. There was no getting through to her when she was in this mood.
“Alright, I’ll leave you be,” he said. “But I meant it when I said I was sorry, Chloe. Please forgive me.”
Silence.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he continued softly. “And this has nothing to do with my father’s trial. I respect and admire you for who you are, and I don’t like it when certain others don’t accord you with the same courtesy. That’s all.”
More silence.
“Will you at least join me for dinner?” he asked hopefully.
“I’m not hungry,” came the swift reply. “And if that changes, I’ll sort myself out.”
“I can do a lot better for you than crackers and cheese—”
“I said, I’d sort myself out,” she repeated tightly.
So either way, she didn’t feel like company. Lex exhaled deeply and made his way back downstairs. He’d still prepare something nice for her in case she changed her mind.
***
Chapter 9…
I mean, come on. You didn’t really think I’d write an entire Chlex story without them having at least one little fight, did you? Worry not, though; I have great plans for the make-up scene. :-P
Enjoy! Stunning banner by
ctbn60. Thanks, Carol! :) Title: Orchestrato
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlex
Rating: PG13 for now, NC-17 later
Warnings: Some chronology-shifting with the events of Episode 4.1 (Gone)
Timeline: Safehouse Summer of Love, End of Season 3/Beginning of 4
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Lex inexplicably bonds with Chloe whilst keeping her survival a secret from the world
Feedback: …makes me squee. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here. Chapter 8
Realisation dawned in Lex’s mind as he stared at the papers in Clark’s hands, and he mentally heaved a sigh of relief. For a brief second there, he’d thought Clark had actually seen Chloe at the top of the stairway. Thankfully he was just acting on a very accurate hunch.
“Look at this,” Clark continued as walked over to Lex’s desk and spread out the newspaper he’d brought in, along with some printed pages. “I got these off a blog after the newspaper article referenced it. It has to be Chloe.”
Lex steeled his expression and sighed. “You’re grasping at straws, Clark.”
“It’s Chloe,” he insisted. “I’ve proofed her work enough times to know both her writing style, and the public issues that would interest her. And this story here is right on the money on both counts.”
“Let’s assume hypothetically that what you’re saying is true,” Lex said carefully, “…and Chloe is alive and in hiding, I hardly think she would risk discovery by running a public blog. Do you?”
Clark gave him a condescending look. “Please. This is Chloe we’re talking about. The blog may be public, but she’s shrouded her identity and made the website hack-proof. It’s her classic m.o.”
“Not exactly the actions of someone who’s trying to stay dead,” Lex rebutted, but Clark snorted derisively.
“You don’t know Chloe like I do. She couldn’t leave a story untold any more than she could probably resist the call of nature,” he replied. “And this particular subject, the city sewer refurbishment project? It’s something she’d been looking into for a while.”
“I’m sure she wasn’t the only reporter looking into it, Clark,” he said. “And I know losing her has hit you hard, but—”
“Stop lying to me, Lex! Chloe’s alive, and we both know it,” he said harshly. “I came this close to finding her, but she slipped through my fingers.”
Lex frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I found another safehouse,” he explained, making Lex’s heart sink. “There were dead guards all over the place and all Chloe’s things, including her computer and a makeshift wall of weird. But Chloe was gone. I need to find her before they do.”
Lex gritted his teeth in annoyance. Clark’s damned meddling was probably how they had managed to trace the safe house in the first place.
“Alright, Clark,” he began slowly. “Again, assuming Chloe’s alive and in hiding somewhere…don’t you think all your poking around is what’s actually putting her in danger?”
Clark’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You know something, don’t you, Lex?” he accused. “Of course you do; LuthorCorp paid for her funeral, after all, so you must know where she is.”
“Clark, you need to stop doing this to yourself—”
“Just tell me how she is,” Clark pleaded. “I need to know that she’s okay. Please, Lex.”
“I told you already, Clark - as far as I’m aware, she’s gone,” he said flatly. “So if that’s all you came here for, then we have nothing left to discuss.”
He got to his feet and ushered Clark towards the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy what’s left of my weekend, and that doesn’t include swapping ideas on non-existent conspiracy theories.”
“This isn’t over, Lex,” Clark warned. Lex studied him as he intently stared at his walls, almost as if he was trying to look through them. Lex deliberately averted his own gaze away from the top of the stairs where Chloe was sure to be hiding.
“This is a pretty old building,” Clark murmured. “You must have lead plates in the walls, right?”
Lex frowned. That was out of left field. “It’s possible; why?”
Clark shrugged. “No reason.” He squinted at the walls again, and Lex’s frown deepened.
“Something interests you in my tapestries, Clark?” he asked. “You’re not gonna find Chloe in any of them.”
Clark blinked and immediately guarded his expression. “I know that,” he mumbled.
“If I hear anything, though, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Lex responded. He opened the door for Clark to leave, which the younger man did - albeit reluctantly.
***
Lex watched from the window and waited until Clark’s truck had trundled down the road before heaving a sigh of relief.
“You could have told him I was okay, you know,” Chloe said, startling him as she appeared at the top of the stairs. She stared pointedly at him, her eyes full of reproach. “Why didn’t you?”
Lex gave a nonchalant shrug. “Because he doesn’t need to know.”
“But he’s really concerned about me, and I don’t want him to worry.”
His eyes hardened. “This isn’t about what you want, Chloe, it’s about keeping you alive.”
“I am alive,” she snapped. “And I trust Clark; he can keep a secret.”
“Can he?” he said incredulously. “Chloe, he’s the one who keeps throwing up red flags as to your whereabouts and putting you in danger!”
“If he knew I was okay, he’d stop looking for me, don’t you get it?” she argued. “Damn it, I hate knowing that my friends are suffering like this because they think I’m dead.”
“Oh, I buy that Clark may be suffering, sure,” he scoffed. “At least he means well. But don’t for one second think that Lana’s shed any tears over your disappearance.”
Chloe looked hurt. “But she came here earlier to ask about me, didn’t she?”
“She came to pick up the keys to the Talon apartment,” he said stiffly. “Take off the rose-coloured glasses and look at your so-called friends with new eyes, Chloe. They’re only close to you because of what they can get from you.”
“That’s not true!” she cried. “No?” he challenged. “You’re barely cold in the ground — theoretically — and Lana’s only thought is to where she’s gonna live now that you and Gabe are supposedly gone. You call that friendship?”
Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “That’s enough.”
“And don’t even get me started on Clark,” he barrelled on. Christ, it was like opening a gate; every negative observation he’d ever had about Clark’s and Chloe’s relationship just tumbled out of him.
“He has you firmly stuck in the Best Friends corner and he dangles a kiss your way every now and then, but all the while, he chases after Lana like a dog in heat. He’s never gonna see you for the woman that you are, Chloe. It’s time you realised that.”
“You bastard!” she seethed, and spun on her heel and ran back down the corridor.
“Chloe, wait!” he called, cursing himself as he ran up the stairs behind her. Damn it, but he hadn’t meant it all to come out like that. He’d thought it, sure; of course it galled him that a smart young woman like Chloe wasted her life pining after Clark when he only had eyes for Lana, and he did think it was time Chloe learned a few home truths. But this wasn’t the way he’d wanted to go about it, and now he’d risked everything by upsetting her so close to the trial.
He frowned. Come to think of it, the trial had nothing to do with it; he just didn’t like seeing her so upset.
He got to her quarters and knocked on the door of her room. “Chloe?”
“Go away.” “I’m sorry,” he said, contrite. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”
“Why not?” she replied. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?” He sighed. “Chloe…”
“Don’t lie to me, Lex; it doesn’t suit you,” she said coldly. “I much prefer your brutal honesty.”
“Chloe, what I said…I was out of line, and I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologising,” she said, her voice thick and muffled. “I know I’m an idiot when it comes to Clark. I know Lana will never be as close a friend as I’d like. I know I’m stupid and pathetic, but I kind of hoped you wouldn’t agree with me on that one.”
“I don’t, Chloe, honestly,” he insisted, knocking on her door. “And you’re not all those things you said. Look, are you going to let me in, or not?”
“Not.”
He scowled. “I do have the keys to every room in the house, you know.”
“You wouldn’t invade my privacy that way,” she shot back smartly. “And if you do, I might just think twice about testifying against your father.”
Lex sighed again and ran his hand wearily over his smooth head. There was no getting through to her when she was in this mood.
“Alright, I’ll leave you be,” he said. “But I meant it when I said I was sorry, Chloe. Please forgive me.”
Silence.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he continued softly. “And this has nothing to do with my father’s trial. I respect and admire you for who you are, and I don’t like it when certain others don’t accord you with the same courtesy. That’s all.”
More silence.
“Will you at least join me for dinner?” he asked hopefully.
“I’m not hungry,” came the swift reply. “And if that changes, I’ll sort myself out.”
“I can do a lot better for you than crackers and cheese—”
“I said, I’d sort myself out,” she repeated tightly.
So either way, she didn’t feel like company. Lex exhaled deeply and made his way back downstairs. He’d still prepare something nice for her in case she changed her mind.
***
Chapter 9…