Chlex Fanfic: Orchestrato, Chapter 1
*tap-tap* Are there any Chlexers out there? Because I got a li’l sump’n sump’n for y’all! :)
This is the first chapter of my first ever Chlex fic, and even though I think I have a great premise, I’m nervous as heck. I’m sure I’ll be more comfortable writing Lex in a romantic situation as I go along, though.
Hope you all like it, and I’d love to know what you think! *bites nails* :-/
Here goes! Gorgeous banner by ctbn60. Isn't is fantastic? I love it!! Thank you, Carol!!! *smishes you* :-)
Title: Orchestrato
Author: BabyDee1
Pairing: Chlex
Rating: PG13 for now, NC-17 later
Warnings: Chloe & Jimmy never got it on, so Chloe’s still a V. ;-)
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. :)
Author’s note: written for the lovely kitmerlot1213, who won a Chlex story from me in an auction and has patiently waited for this story for almost two years! Sorry it’s taken me so long, Petal. I hope you like what I come up with. :-)
Orchestrato: Taken from the verb Orchestrate; to plan, arrange or cleverly manipulate diverse elements (usually of a piece of music) to achieve a desired effect.
Chapter 1
The unexpected knock on the door made Chloe Sullivan looked up sharply from the article she was working on. She swallowed, her heart pounding furiously as it had done the day she and her father had been hurriedly bundled underground and hustled into this secret location.
“Who is it?” she queried fearfully.
“It’s me, Lex,” she heard from the other side of the door, and heaved a sigh of relief.
She could relax; it was just Lex. It usually was, but after feeling the heat from the last safehouse singeing her hair as the building exploded, she could never be one-hundred percent sure.
“I know we’ve gone through your witness statement with a fine toothcomb,” he was saying, “…but we only have a month until the trial, so I just want to go over it again with you; make sure we haven’t missed anything.”
“Uh…sure,” she replied, getting to her feet and verifying his identity through the spyhole before opening the deadbolts. “Come on in.”
There were three manned security entrances to get through before reaching the main door of the safehouse, so she was pretty certain it was safe to let her benefactor in without fear that he might have been followed. Lex stepped into the room holding a slim briefcase, and she quickly glanced out into the hallway before bolting the door shut behind him.
“No Williamson today?” she asked, referring to the stern attorney that always accompanied him when they were running lines.
Lex shook his head with an amused grin. “No. I got the feeling on our last visit that your tolerance for his smarmy mock cross-examinations was wearing thin.”
“Gee, ya think?” she replied snarkily. Williamson had questioned her about her Daily Planet internship and the computers that Lionel had given her for the Torch. He’d referred to them as expensive gifts and preferential treatment, and to her intense embarrassment had proceeded to impugn her integrity in Lex’s presence by implying that there’d been more to her ‘relationship’ with Lionel than met the eye.
She’d been horrified - and nauseated. “Mr Williamson, what you’re insinuating is creepy and disgusting,” she’d retorted sharply. “Not to mention completely untrue.”
“We have to be prepared for any and all eventualities that the other side might produce, and I don’t want any ‘surprises’ in court,” was the curt reply.
“But I never had anything to do with Lionel Luthor like that, and I can prove it!” she’d protested.
“Virginity is not per se proof of innocence, Ms Sullivan,” the lawyer had dryly replied, making her face heat up in embarrassment. “Didn’t you ever hear of Monica Lewinski’s infamous blue dress?”
Lex had managed to keep a straight face but his eyes had glittered with amusement. Needless to say, Chloe had been very displeased, and when the coffee she’d prepared for Williamson had ‘accidentally’ contained two spoonfuls of salt instead of sugar, he’d realised just how much.
Lex chuckled, no doubt remembering the undignified arc of coffee that had sprayed from Williamson’s mouth after the first and only sip. “I didn’t want to wear down your good nature before we get to court,” he remarked jovially. “It’s just me today; is that okay?”
“It’s fine,” she said with a shy smile. “More than fine.”
He smiled back. “Good.” His silver eyes narrowed as a small frown furrowed his smooth brow. “You look troubled; are you alright?”
She gave him a rueful glance. “I’m okay.”
Lex folded his arms and gave her a disbelieving look. “Really, Chloe?”
She sighed. “I miss my Dad,” she finally replied glumly. “And my freedom, but it is what it is, I guess.”
He sighed. “Chloe, you know it’s not safe for you if anyone thinks you’re alive.”
“I know,” she said resolutely. “I understand that, Lex, I really do; and I know Dad was taken to a separate safehouse to better protect us, but I just…” she trailed off, mortified to realise that she was on the verge of whinging. Here she was, alive but by the good grace of God and Lex Luthor…and she was metaphorically stamping her feet and throwing her toys out of the pram.
God, he must think she was an ungrateful brat.
She looked up at him and smiled. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? I was about to make a fresh pot of coffee; would you like some?”
He nodded. “Please. The good stuff, if you have any.”
“Hey, you stocked the place; it’s all good stuff,” she murmured, and he laughed, his grey eyes twinkling with controlled humour.
“Well, I know you like your coffee,” he joked, surveying her with a searching gaze. “Just make sure you remember to eat something once in a while.”
Chloe’s skin tingled as he studied her, his piercing eyes seeming to penetrate her layers of clothing. She folded her arms across her suddenly achy breasts and managed to maintain her poise as she went to the kitchen. As soon as she was out of his sight, however, she took a deep breath and rested her hands on the counter.
Lex had a way of…unsettling her. Something about those storm-coloured eyes and the way he looked at her as if he was looking through her had her tingling in places she’d rather not think about. She’d never really thought about Lex that way, but having spent a lot of time in close quarters with him over the recent weeks, she’d begun to notice things about him; inane things, like how his eyes appeared to have silver flecks in them in bright sunlight, or how firm his chest muscles looked when the fabric of his shirt stretched across them, or how his trousers clung softly to his firm thighs…
She shook her head and forced her brain back onto a safer topic. What was she doing in the kitchen, anyway? Right - coffee.
She took her time filling the percolator, then placed two cups on the marble workstation while she waited for the water to heat. Outside she could hear Lex opening his briefcase followed by the soft sound of rustling paper as he sorted out the necessary documents.
Chloe sighed. It had been a monotonous two months. After the shock of almost getting turned into human fertiliser, she and her father had been sequestered in this safehouse for six weeks before her father was moved to a separate location for safety. She’d been pretty much living solo for the last two weeks, save for the weekly check-ins by her Uncle Sam and the scheduled appointments with Lex and her attorney; and during those brief sessions it was all business.
So it was a pleasant surprise to have Lex drop by solo this afternoon. Not that it meant he was here to keep her company on a social level, but it was nice to see another human being every now and then without being interrogated or mock cross-examined. And, she thought with a blush, it was nice to have someone look at her with blatant male appreciation in his eyes. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to, but she could definitely get used to it. It felt…good.
The percolator hissed, and she turned it off and poured two cups of coffee; one with cream and sugar for herself. She placed the mugs on a tray with a plate of assorted cookies and carried them back out to the living room.
“Here you go,” she said brightly, handing him a steaming mug. “Arabica; black, no sugar, right?”
“You remembered,” he murmured with a smile as he took the mug from her hands.
"Meh, there’s little else to stimulate my brain these days apart from your coffee preferences, even if I do tend to forget when it comes to Williamson’s,” she said with a cheeky grin. “Cookie?" She held the platter of assorted treats out to him, and he plucked one off the corner of the plate with a smile.
"Thank you. I'm quite fond of these ones."
She glanced at the cookie in his hand. "You like gingernuts?"
A wry smirk lifted his lips. "I prefer the term 'ginger biscuits', personally."
Automatically her gaze dropped to his groin and she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing a deep scarlet. "Of course." Inwardly, she burned with embarrassment. It was no secret that Lex had had bright red curly hair before his accident. Why, oh why did she have to make her errant thoughts obvious by glancing at his crotch? God only knew what he must think of her by now.
But he seemed unfazed by her brief scrutiny. “And you? What are your favourites?” he queried to diffuse the tension as he bit into the biscuit.
“Oh, I’m trying not to encourage that train of thought,” she said with a shudder as she daintily patted her hips. “Not until I can get to a gym, at least.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the way you look, Chloe,” he said, his voice deepening as his gaze lazily ran over her curves. “I actually quite like it.”
And just when she thought the sexual tension in the room couldn’t possibly get any higher, he had to go and say something like that. She could feel her nipples tingling and tightening beneath her sweater, something that was now happening far too often whenever Lex was in the room.
Quickly she took a huge sip of her coffee, scalding her throat as she swallowed. There. Better for her throat to scald with coffee than her loins to burn with lust. She’d been on her own for far too long, that was the problem.
“Can we get started on the witness statement?” she suggested hesitantly.
Lex raised a pale brow at the sudden change of topic but didn’t object. Chloe steeled herself for the barrage of questions due to follow, thankful for the distraction. At least, for the meantime.
***
Chapter 2…