fic for misformazing
For: misformazing
From: twistedlyn
Request: Angst, Dark!Chloe, Anything with Lex
Type: fic
Title: Loyalties Lie
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death, maybe
Summary: Things aren’t the way the seem.
A/N: Goes AU sometime during Legion, but takes place several years later. And doesn’t have much to do with what’s currently going on in the show.
"Loyalties Lie"
She chose this office because of the view it affords her, the rooftop of the Daily Planet. There’s something about that spinning globe that fascinates her. She can’t quite explain it, but it holds her attention like nothing else, especially now with the snow gently falling around it.
She’s pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of her office door opening behind her and a no nonsense voice saying, “He needs you, right away.”
She turns to see Tess Mercer standing in her doorway. The presumptuous redhead didn’t even have the decency to knock.
“L-Lena,” she hates the way Tess always trips over her name, “it’s urgent.”
“Alright.” She stands up and brushes past the other woman, walking out of her office and into the hallway.
There’s been tension between them ever since Lena returned to Metropolis. She doesn’t like the way her brother relies so heavily on Tess. And Tess doesn’t seem to trust her for whatever reason. Why would Tess not trust her? It’s obvious where Lena’s loyalties lie.
She walks ahead of Tess, past the tasteful Christmas decorations and stops at her brother’s office. She knocks once, loudly, and then opens the door.
“You’ve gone too far and this time you’re not getting away with it.”
In front of her are her brother and another man she’s never seen before. Their close proximity and body language suggest a heated argument. This is the urgent reason her brother needed her.
“What’s going on?” she asks. “Lex?”
Both men turn. They’re reactions to seeing her are quite distinct.
Lex takes a breath, his lip curling in a slight smile.
The other man freezes, the color draining from his face.
Her brother steps backwards and smoothes down a wrinkle on the sleeve of his silk shirt. “Clark, have you met my sister, Lena?”
The other man doesn’t answer. His eyes are wide open, like he’s frightened, like he’s seen a ghost.
“No,” Lena breaks the awkward silence, “we haven’t met.” She calmly, confidently crosses to them and extends her hand. “Lena Luthor.”
The man glances at her hand and back up to her face. His mouth opens but he doesn’t respond.
“Clark, don’t be rude,” Lex scolds. “Shake her hand.”
The other man reaches forward and takes her hand for a moment. It’s almost as if he’s making sure she’s real. Then he mumbles, “Clark Kent.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiles at him before turning to her brother. “I obviously interrupted something.”
“Not at all.” Lex casually walks behind his desk. “Clark works for the Daily Planet. He’s writing an article on us.” He glances at Clark. “Lena’s the new head of PR. She can answer any questions you might have.”
“Lex.” As if on cue, Tess enters. “The Geneva call went through. Line one.”
Lena can take the hint. She places a hand on Clark’s arm and guides him towards the door. “We’ll leave you to your call.”
“No, no.” Lex stops them. “Stay. Occupy my office. Give Clark all your attention.”
Having grown up a Luthor, Lena can interpret the code, the message her brother’s sending her.
Occupy Clark’s attention.
She’s a distraction. This Clark Kent is dangerous for some reason. He must have found out something. Lex needs time to hide the evidence. Lena will give it to him.
She closes the door as Lex leaves the office, then turns to face Clark. She’s in control of this situation. She can play him.
“I’ve known Lex a long time,” Clark blurts out, “he never mentioned he had a sister.”
“He never mentioned you to me.” She sits down on the leather couch and motions for him to do the same. She could have chosen the chair behind Lex’s desk, but this will be easier if there’s nothing separating them. “Maybe he kept us apart on purpose.”
Clark sits on the far side of the sofa. He doesn’t want the space between them, but he needs it. “Yeah, I think he did.”
“Why would he do that?” she asks.
He looks her over again, a frightened, hopeful cast to his eyes. Instead of answering her question he says, “You remind me of a friend.”
“I get that a lot,” she laughs.
“She died on her wedding day.”
“That’s a new one.” She changes her expression and lets her voice drop in tone. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It happened years ago,” he says, “but I still think about her every day.”
Lex has taught Lena to read the emotions others try to hide and this one is so easy to read. He was in love with that friend. He didn’t know it until after he lost her, but it haunts him now.
Her brother is a genius. He did keep Lena and Clark apart for a reason. How long has he known that Clark would be a threat? How long has he planned to use her as a distraction? How closely does she resemble this dead friend?
“So, this article you’re writing,” she stretches her arm out along the back of the sofa, “I gather it’s not something we’ll be pleased with.”
“No.”
“At least give us the opportunity to rebut any allegations you might make.”
He only nods, his eyes still dragging over her.
“What’s the article about?” she asks.
“There’s a warehouse…” he starts to say, but then stops, swallows and looks away. “What do you know about human cloning?”
“It’s illegal and unethical,” she answers quickly. “Luthorcorp has nothing to do with it.”
“That may not be true--”
“It is true,” she cuts him off. “I know there’ve been rumors. There’s an urban legend Lex cloned our baby brother, even implanted false memories. But that kind of technology doesn’t exist. It’s science fiction. Luthorcorp deals only with science.”
“I think if you looked a little closer at what Luthorcorp deals with you’d be surprised.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I know everything about this company. It’s my job.”
“But you’re new to the job,” he says. “What did you do before? Where were you?”
“I was in school,” she answers, “Europe. And then… and then I was in a car accident. I was hurt pretty badly. It left me in a coma.”
Why is she telling him all of this? He doesn’t need to know. It’s none of his business. But there’s something about the way he looks at her, a longing in his eyes. It feels like the one thing she’s always wanted.
God, she could fall in love with him. She hardly knows him and he’s a threat to Lex, but…
She won’t let it happen. Lena knows where her loyalties lie.
“So, there’s a break in your life,” Clark says, “before the car accident and after.”
“I guess,” she responds. “What are you getting at?”
Suddenly he’s moved across the distance between them. He grabs her hand and looks directly into her eyes.
“Things aren’t the way they seem,” he earnestly says.
“They rarely are.”
“But you deserve to know the truth. You need to know it. You want the truth, don’t you?”
“The truth about what?” She leans away from him. His intensity scares her.
He must pick up on that, because he backs off a little and chooses his words carefully.
“Search all the Luthorcorp files you can find. Look for cloning, human cloning. Don’t let Lex know what you’re doing.”
“I won’t find anything.”
“I almost hope for your sake you don’t.”
What does he want her to find? What is he afraid she’ll learn?
“I’ll do it,” she says, because he’s right. She does want the truth. She needs it, no matter what it might be. “For your article, I’ll look into it.” Then she hastily adds, “But you have to promise not to publish anything until we get another chance to talk.”
“Alright,” he agrees. “You’ll be careful? You won’t tell anyone about this?”
She nods and gazes into his pale green eyes. She could lose herself in his eyes.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” she says before she’s even aware she’s speaking. “I know we haven’t met before, but I feel like I can trust you.”
“You can,” he says back. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She’s falling under his spell. She can’t let that happen.
Quickly she stands up and looks away. “We should meet later in the week. Dinner maybe?”
“Dinner would be nice.”
She looks back at him, because she can’t quite stop herself. He’s smiling, a bright smile. She gets the feeling she would do anything for that smile.
“I’ll have my secretary call you and schedule it.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
They’re interrupted by the office door opening and Lex’s cheerful, too cheerful, voice saying, “How are things going?”
“It went well.” Lena turns to face him. “We’re done here.”
“You get the answers you’re looking for, Clark?” he asks.
“Not exactly.” Clark’s smile is gone. He’s turned cold in Lex’s presence. “I should go.”
As he’s walking towards the door Lex grabs his arm and says, “Merry Christmas, Clark. I hope you enjoyed you present.”
Clark gives him the cold eye again and without another word leaves.
Once they’re alone Lex asks, “You have him under control?”
She nods. “He won’t be printing any articles about us in the near future.”
Lex looks pleased. “Good.”
“And we’re having dinner later in the week,” she adds.
“No,” he says. “I think you need to leave the country, right away. I’ll put you somewhere he can’t find you.”
Oh. Lex’s plan in clear now.
It’s a trap. She’s the bait.
How dangerous is Clark Kent? What did he do to deserve this?
“Okay,” she says. “Just give me a few hours to get my things together.” She has files to download.
She needs to find out the truth, but she’ll go along with Lex’s plan.
Lena knows where her loyalties lie.
The End
From: twistedlyn
Request: Angst, Dark!Chloe, Anything with Lex
Type: fic
Title: Loyalties Lie
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death, maybe
Summary: Things aren’t the way the seem.
A/N: Goes AU sometime during Legion, but takes place several years later. And doesn’t have much to do with what’s currently going on in the show.
"Loyalties Lie"
She chose this office because of the view it affords her, the rooftop of the Daily Planet. There’s something about that spinning globe that fascinates her. She can’t quite explain it, but it holds her attention like nothing else, especially now with the snow gently falling around it.
She’s pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of her office door opening behind her and a no nonsense voice saying, “He needs you, right away.”
She turns to see Tess Mercer standing in her doorway. The presumptuous redhead didn’t even have the decency to knock.
“L-Lena,” she hates the way Tess always trips over her name, “it’s urgent.”
“Alright.” She stands up and brushes past the other woman, walking out of her office and into the hallway.
There’s been tension between them ever since Lena returned to Metropolis. She doesn’t like the way her brother relies so heavily on Tess. And Tess doesn’t seem to trust her for whatever reason. Why would Tess not trust her? It’s obvious where Lena’s loyalties lie.
She walks ahead of Tess, past the tasteful Christmas decorations and stops at her brother’s office. She knocks once, loudly, and then opens the door.
“You’ve gone too far and this time you’re not getting away with it.”
In front of her are her brother and another man she’s never seen before. Their close proximity and body language suggest a heated argument. This is the urgent reason her brother needed her.
“What’s going on?” she asks. “Lex?”
Both men turn. They’re reactions to seeing her are quite distinct.
Lex takes a breath, his lip curling in a slight smile.
The other man freezes, the color draining from his face.
Her brother steps backwards and smoothes down a wrinkle on the sleeve of his silk shirt. “Clark, have you met my sister, Lena?”
The other man doesn’t answer. His eyes are wide open, like he’s frightened, like he’s seen a ghost.
“No,” Lena breaks the awkward silence, “we haven’t met.” She calmly, confidently crosses to them and extends her hand. “Lena Luthor.”
The man glances at her hand and back up to her face. His mouth opens but he doesn’t respond.
“Clark, don’t be rude,” Lex scolds. “Shake her hand.”
The other man reaches forward and takes her hand for a moment. It’s almost as if he’s making sure she’s real. Then he mumbles, “Clark Kent.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiles at him before turning to her brother. “I obviously interrupted something.”
“Not at all.” Lex casually walks behind his desk. “Clark works for the Daily Planet. He’s writing an article on us.” He glances at Clark. “Lena’s the new head of PR. She can answer any questions you might have.”
“Lex.” As if on cue, Tess enters. “The Geneva call went through. Line one.”
Lena can take the hint. She places a hand on Clark’s arm and guides him towards the door. “We’ll leave you to your call.”
“No, no.” Lex stops them. “Stay. Occupy my office. Give Clark all your attention.”
Having grown up a Luthor, Lena can interpret the code, the message her brother’s sending her.
Occupy Clark’s attention.
She’s a distraction. This Clark Kent is dangerous for some reason. He must have found out something. Lex needs time to hide the evidence. Lena will give it to him.
She closes the door as Lex leaves the office, then turns to face Clark. She’s in control of this situation. She can play him.
“I’ve known Lex a long time,” Clark blurts out, “he never mentioned he had a sister.”
“He never mentioned you to me.” She sits down on the leather couch and motions for him to do the same. She could have chosen the chair behind Lex’s desk, but this will be easier if there’s nothing separating them. “Maybe he kept us apart on purpose.”
Clark sits on the far side of the sofa. He doesn’t want the space between them, but he needs it. “Yeah, I think he did.”
“Why would he do that?” she asks.
He looks her over again, a frightened, hopeful cast to his eyes. Instead of answering her question he says, “You remind me of a friend.”
“I get that a lot,” she laughs.
“She died on her wedding day.”
“That’s a new one.” She changes her expression and lets her voice drop in tone. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It happened years ago,” he says, “but I still think about her every day.”
Lex has taught Lena to read the emotions others try to hide and this one is so easy to read. He was in love with that friend. He didn’t know it until after he lost her, but it haunts him now.
Her brother is a genius. He did keep Lena and Clark apart for a reason. How long has he known that Clark would be a threat? How long has he planned to use her as a distraction? How closely does she resemble this dead friend?
“So, this article you’re writing,” she stretches her arm out along the back of the sofa, “I gather it’s not something we’ll be pleased with.”
“No.”
“At least give us the opportunity to rebut any allegations you might make.”
He only nods, his eyes still dragging over her.
“What’s the article about?” she asks.
“There’s a warehouse…” he starts to say, but then stops, swallows and looks away. “What do you know about human cloning?”
“It’s illegal and unethical,” she answers quickly. “Luthorcorp has nothing to do with it.”
“That may not be true--”
“It is true,” she cuts him off. “I know there’ve been rumors. There’s an urban legend Lex cloned our baby brother, even implanted false memories. But that kind of technology doesn’t exist. It’s science fiction. Luthorcorp deals only with science.”
“I think if you looked a little closer at what Luthorcorp deals with you’d be surprised.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I know everything about this company. It’s my job.”
“But you’re new to the job,” he says. “What did you do before? Where were you?”
“I was in school,” she answers, “Europe. And then… and then I was in a car accident. I was hurt pretty badly. It left me in a coma.”
Why is she telling him all of this? He doesn’t need to know. It’s none of his business. But there’s something about the way he looks at her, a longing in his eyes. It feels like the one thing she’s always wanted.
God, she could fall in love with him. She hardly knows him and he’s a threat to Lex, but…
She won’t let it happen. Lena knows where her loyalties lie.
“So, there’s a break in your life,” Clark says, “before the car accident and after.”
“I guess,” she responds. “What are you getting at?”
Suddenly he’s moved across the distance between them. He grabs her hand and looks directly into her eyes.
“Things aren’t the way they seem,” he earnestly says.
“They rarely are.”
“But you deserve to know the truth. You need to know it. You want the truth, don’t you?”
“The truth about what?” She leans away from him. His intensity scares her.
He must pick up on that, because he backs off a little and chooses his words carefully.
“Search all the Luthorcorp files you can find. Look for cloning, human cloning. Don’t let Lex know what you’re doing.”
“I won’t find anything.”
“I almost hope for your sake you don’t.”
What does he want her to find? What is he afraid she’ll learn?
“I’ll do it,” she says, because he’s right. She does want the truth. She needs it, no matter what it might be. “For your article, I’ll look into it.” Then she hastily adds, “But you have to promise not to publish anything until we get another chance to talk.”
“Alright,” he agrees. “You’ll be careful? You won’t tell anyone about this?”
She nods and gazes into his pale green eyes. She could lose herself in his eyes.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” she says before she’s even aware she’s speaking. “I know we haven’t met before, but I feel like I can trust you.”
“You can,” he says back. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She’s falling under his spell. She can’t let that happen.
Quickly she stands up and looks away. “We should meet later in the week. Dinner maybe?”
“Dinner would be nice.”
She looks back at him, because she can’t quite stop herself. He’s smiling, a bright smile. She gets the feeling she would do anything for that smile.
“I’ll have my secretary call you and schedule it.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
They’re interrupted by the office door opening and Lex’s cheerful, too cheerful, voice saying, “How are things going?”
“It went well.” Lena turns to face him. “We’re done here.”
“You get the answers you’re looking for, Clark?” he asks.
“Not exactly.” Clark’s smile is gone. He’s turned cold in Lex’s presence. “I should go.”
As he’s walking towards the door Lex grabs his arm and says, “Merry Christmas, Clark. I hope you enjoyed you present.”
Clark gives him the cold eye again and without another word leaves.
Once they’re alone Lex asks, “You have him under control?”
She nods. “He won’t be printing any articles about us in the near future.”
Lex looks pleased. “Good.”
“And we’re having dinner later in the week,” she adds.
“No,” he says. “I think you need to leave the country, right away. I’ll put you somewhere he can’t find you.”
Oh. Lex’s plan in clear now.
It’s a trap. She’s the bait.
How dangerous is Clark Kent? What did he do to deserve this?
“Okay,” she says. “Just give me a few hours to get my things together.” She has files to download.
She needs to find out the truth, but she’ll go along with Lex’s plan.
Lena knows where her loyalties lie.
The End