Spoilers for Persona and Gemini... Hell! Much of S7.
I don't really plan to depart from canon at this juncture. To be honest, I like the challenge of keeping with it and (as hard as it may seem), making sense of it. So much on Smallville happens in Offscreenville, especially this season. I'm trying to give Offscreenville some footage.
Now we go back to the previous scene. Presented in Lexvision:
CHAPTER THREE
His eyes scanned the basement, looking for her. Looking for something to take his mind away from his failure. Taunting Chloe Sullivan may seem like a childish game, but it was all he knew of pleasure now.
The plan had changed. Plans often did, but never so drastically. It wasn't supposed to be him at The Daily Planet, not in person. He had to be now. Grant... Julian... No. Grant Gabriel wasn't Julian Luthor. He wasn't what he was supposed to be. Even with Julian's DNA, he'd wanted him with a history and personality all his own, one that could place him at The Daily Planet. One that could be believed.
He'd done too well. He should have programmed more loyalty. He'd thought the Luthor DNA would connect them, but Grant was too defiant, too separate from him. The successful experiment was as much a failure as the others. Maybe he should have known. Maybe Gemini was a mistake. Ares might have been a success if he hadn't been so invested in Gemini on the side. But it had been for him... and for Lana. He was building a family. Her clone wasn't supposed to die in an explosion. That clone was supposed to carry their child. Keep Lana safe from a future death in childbirth. He still wondered sometimes... If he'd let her in, if he'd told her, would she have understood? Trusted him? Stayed with him?
No. It was Clark, still ideal in her mind, still the only one she could care for. Not him. He was far from ideal. But he tried. Didn't anyone see that? His methods might be questionable, but the ends were impeccable. Lana's clone was supposed to carry the child. Julian's clone was supposed to be his right hand at The Planet. And both were gone.
Well, Grant wasn't. But he might as well be. He'd found that out at Luthorcorp. Grant had visited his father. He'd joined his father, his own father, against him.
Do you believe you have the right to recycle your dead brother as if he were part of some sick vanity project... What you've done is depraved. You disgust me... It's you I've lost.
It's you I've lost.
He was wrong, there. He'd lost his father the day Julian died. He'd lost him because Lionel thought he'd been the one to do it. Even when the truth came to light, that his mother had ended Julian's life in her sickness, Lionel Luthor was still unreachable to him. And now... He'd made it right. He'd brought Julian back. Grant wasn't supposed to know. Eventually, they could all have lived as if his history was true. In time, his father would... become his father again.
But now... He had to blame the failed clone for that. Him and his puppet, Lois Lane.
But he was here. He had The Planet. He had a great media outlet in his pocket. He had Chloe and her yapping annoyance of a cousin. He even had her little ex-boyfriend. All under his watch. Not under Grant's. He'd been seriously remiss in his duties. Too busy hobnobbing with Lionel to keep an eye on his three problems.
The three of them.
Three of an inner circle, a circle that seemed to revolve around Clark Kent. And his cousin. Can't forget her, wherever she is. She hadn't shown up for work at The Talon. No word. Nothing. He'd find her, too. He had people on it now. Right now his only concern was Chloe Sullivan. Where exactly was she? One of his men had told him a large man in a blue jacket had been to see her.
She'd been gone since. Was she off with him?
"Fucking Clark," he muttered. Why wasn't he off cuddling with the former Mrs. Luthor? He hadn't been around The Planet lately, but word had it this same red and blue hulk was a fixture around here. And always with Chloe. He just had to have everything.
He stopped at her empty desk as a chubby girl with curly hair walked by. "You."
She stopped, nearly dropping her papers. "Uh... Yes? Mr. Luthor... Sir?"
"Isn't someone supposed to be at this desk?"
"Um... I think she's on lunch."
"Who takes lunch at two in the afternoon?"
"I... Uh... some people might take later lunches." She glanced at her papers. "I wouldn't know, really. Totally busy, here. I've been undoing the alphabetical filing, like you said." She laughed nervously. "But um... No one is shirking their duties... Sir. We are, all of us, totally..."
He rolled his eyes and moved away, going for the elevators. He didn't think he could hear another totally right now. He'd rather just check his security footage and... He moved off to the side as he saw her, walking stiffly down the steps. She wasn't looking his way. She didn't appear to be looking at anything at all. The chubby girl approached her and started babbling about something or other. He wasn't near enough to hear.
He just waited. He had to get her alone. She'd been affected by him earlier. He could tell. He needed to feel that triumph again. Anything was better than the stench of failure that surrounded him.
The chubby girl left her in the break room and he smiled, moving forward. Was it childish and petty to torture her? Possibly. He couldn't resist. Having The Daily Planet under his thumb was sweet enough. Because she would know, they would all know, that he was watching. After the sex... Well, it only made it sweeter. There were so many new and exciting ways to make her writhe in agony.
He leaned against the doorway as a short man ate his donut. He glanced from him to her back. "Bit of a long lunch, don't you think?"
*********************
He stared from the coffee puddle, sloshed over the edge of her cup onto the counter, to the box of sugar on the floor. She fucking ran away? It wasn't even his finest ammunition. He couldn't even smile. It was a hollow victory, too easily won. She'd stood before him with lifted chin and superior gaze through more than that since he'd been here.
He stalked to the door, looking left, then right before seeing a flash of blonde as the supply closet door closed. He wasn't finished with her yet.
He pushed the door open, staring at her back. "Hiding out, Sullivan?"
She didn't turn, but there was some movement as her hand dug on shelves, finally grasping a box of staples. "Just needed these."
He closed the door. He didn't want her running off with a flimsy excuse. He wanted to see what was behind her eyes. He wanted... Fuck! He was probably past denying that he wanted to have her again. He could wait. It was only a matter of time. Sex that raw, that ferocious, didn't come easily. She probably knew it more than he did with her limited experience. It wouldn't be today, however. She wasn't ripe for it yet. "Long lunches," he drawled, hoping for a glimpse of the other thing he wanted from her. The truth. Her secrets. "Extended stays in the supply closet... What's an employer to think?"
"You can think what you want, Luthor."
He moved closer, studying her back as she turned. She was getting snippy now. Funny, considering she'd taken everything he'd thrown at her with a false smile up to this point. She jumped upon facing him. Jumpy, too. What exactly had happened on her extremely long lunch? "I'm trying to decide."
Her stance stiffened before him. "Decide what?" Yes. She was on edge.
"What I want to think," he answered. "I don't want to think a bright, young girl would just shirk her duties. I just wonder what's behind all the running off." And with Clark. Every fucking thing seemed to revolve around him. "And didn't Clark stop by?" He was probably pushing it. But what excuse would she give? This wasn't The Smallville Ledger and Chloe wasn't assigned to the farm report. "Why exactly..."
She grabbed him, then, pushing her lips against his.
He hadn't expected this... but he'd take it.
He gasped against her, pushing back against her lips, pushing her backward... And then she was pushing harder. He let his tongue taste her as he moved backwards, something solid at his back. And they were in the damned supply closet, of all places. Anyone could come in for toner and her damned tongue was down his throat. He'd never thought it would be so soon... he was nearly unsure what to do with this development. He was so sure he'd break her down some dark night, when they were nearly alone in this building. Not here and now with people milling about outside.
She didn't seem to care about that. he felt her hands on his, placing them on her hips. Something was off. This wasn't what he planned. He grasped her shoulders and pushed.
She tried to lean in again. "No... Don't... Just please..." Begging? This wasn't what he wanted.
Crying?
He didn't fuck girls that cried. Furthermore, he'd rarely seen Chloe Sullivan cry. "What's wrong with you?" It couldn't be him... This. It was hardly a drop in the bucket as far as his plans for her. This wasn't... All thought left when she touched him, cupped him. He was hard. No surprise. He was always hard these days.
Her eyes were steady on his. "Does it matter?"
His head hit the wall as his eyes shut. Maybe he sometimes fucked girls that cried. His plans changed with the wind, after all. "Not really." He leaned forward, finding her lips blindly.
He moved his hands down, squeezed her waist. Her hand was still rubbing him, brushing him. He wondered if she'd be impressed if she knew he'd jacked off to that night. She should be. It wasn't something he often had to resort to. He didn't even have to hire relief. Any night in any club with a head as recognizable as his and he could have his pick. But he didn't want his pick anymore.
Fuck it. Plans had to evolve, after all. Whether he had her in the afternoon in a dim closet or some future night in an empty bullpen didn't natter, really. He moved one hand to the door, to the lock.
"Yes... Now." There it was again. Raw need. Of every fuck in his life, the only one he was ever sure of was Chloe Sullivan. Nothing to gain, everything to lose... And yet she still came for him. It made everything else pale. Made every other fuck nothing more than a society game. Because this...
This was real. This was bad for both of them. And so good...
"God," his voice was a reedy gasp. "Chloe..."
He'd threatened to make her writhe. And she was writhing now, all over him.
He pushed her backward, beyond the shelves, one eye seeking out a nice, sturdy wall. He shoved her against it, moving her hand out of the way and lifted her slightly so he could press his cock against her where it was hot and, he suspected, wet.
"Fucking pants," he groaned into her mouth. He wished she'd worn a skirt, then he could feel her.
He'd known it would come to this, but it was supposed to be later. He had so very much to do. He had to track down Kara Kent. He had to deal with Grant. He hadn't expected this so soon. It was hard to squeeze in. She'd seemed so puffed up in her purity. He didn't think she'd let him in again. To think that she would... it opened up a whole other world to him.
Who was to say he couldn't have a break now and then? His life was hard work. He deserved this.
From the way she was practically climbing him, she needed a break as well... A break from what?
He pulled back, holding her against the wall even as she pushed back with her hips. He ignored it... with all his strength and held her steady. "I hear Clark's around an awful lot."
Her eyes narrowed. "He's my.. friend," she finished, though her voice seemed to break on the last word.
"And that explains it all? Is that why he's always..."
Her hips pushed back hard, very hard, pushing him away. "I don't have to answer..."
He moved to her again. "As a matter of fact, you do. I own this paper and I have a right to know why a non-employee is constantly..."
"Fine." She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "If my friend's visits are inappropriate, I'll.."
"No," he cut in quickly, then smiled. He didn't want to give too much away, after all. He didn't want Kent to stop coming around. He needed to keep his eye on him somehow. He couldn't exactly post a team outside the Kent farm. He needed answers. The girl. It was her that pulled him from the water. He knew it. And then she shows up in Smallivlle with the name Kent. The name of the boy who'd pulled him from the river in much the same way so long ago... It was all so close to coming together. He didn't want to stop the momentum now. "It's not really a problem. I just... I never see his name in the log. Protocol must be observed, Sullivan."
She stared long and hard at him. They both knew she wasn't buying it. "I'll be sure to tell him," she said slowly. "I'd better get back to..."
"Now, that's not necessary." He moved in again, leaning a hand on either side of her. "As your boss, I'm sure I have the authority to give you a nice, long break." He leaned toward her neck... but she was gone. Standing to his right, her eyes boring into the floor.
"As my boss," she nearly growled, "you should know better than anyone how much work needs to be done." She pursed her lips, finally meeting his eyes. "Am I supposed to shirk it off to be your plaything? I'm not drunk enough for that."
"Oh, so we're admitting it happened now? Is this a new development? Here, I thought that night was never to be spoken of and yet you take the first chance you get to throw it in my face."
Her eyes flashed. "And you take every opportunity to rub it in mine."
"Me?" He smiled. "I didn't say a w..." And she did it again. Her hands were on either side of his face, her tongue in his mouth. He took the opportunity and quickly pressed her against the wall again, wondering why he'd interrupted this in the first place. He lifted her legs to either side of his hips, shoving against her, feeling those almost electrical sparks that raced from his crotch to his limbs. Was it the hate that got her? These last months, he'd been more of a bastard than his father could dream of being and here he was... rewarded.
Of course, it felt like more of a punishment when she pushed him away again. "No," she gasped. "I can't..."
"The hell you can't." She turned her lips away from his and he moved his mouth to her jaw, nibbling just a little. Right now, she was more than answers, more than power... She was solace. A reward. His entire fucking life and nothing had gone right. Couldn't he have just this?
"NO!"
He stumbled backward, bracing himself against the shelf. That said it all. Story of his life. He couldn't have anything he wanted. "Don't have to yell, Sullivan."
She stared at him, hugging her arms. "You wouldn't stop."
"Stop what? Making you wet with my unworthy..."
"Just stop!"
"You can't just walk away from this."
"Watch me," she hissed, folding into herself and moving to the door.
"You know I won't let you."
She stiffened, but didn't turn. "Then fire me."
He almost laughed. Did she honestly think he would? No. Not now that he had her just where he wanted her. "You think that would make this go away?"
"It would be a start."
"You can't deny it," he said to her back. "Whatever's between us, we're not clear of it and you know it as well as I do." He moved closer. "That one night... That wasn't some one-time deal. It was just the beginning."
"Then this is the end." Her voice was hard, but she trembled slightly. "This was... an aberraton. But it ends here."
"You're lying to yourself." He placed his hands on her shoulders, ran them down her arms. "I lied, too. Remember when I told you it felt good? It did, but that wasn't all there was to it. Do you want to know why it felt so good?"
"No. I'm actually pretty sick of hearing your voice, so..."
"It wasn't just the hate," he went on unfazed. "And it wasn't just two miserable sacks like us fucking the loneliness away."
There was along silence before she spoke, slightly choked. "Then what?"
He chuckled and moved back, letting his hands fall away. "It's not so easy, Sullivan. I want you to think."
"Okay, then." her voice was stiff and superior again as she turned back to him. "That may take a while so why don't you give me some thinking room." She advanced on him. "As in stay... the hell... away." She glared one last time before turning back to the door.
"You know where to find me when you've figured it out, Sullivan."
She only slammed out. He found himself smiling as her shadow grew smaller in the glazed glass. So close to... A loud beeping assaulted his ear and he pulled his cell from his pocket. It was Gina.
GG in office. More calls to Luthorcorp.
His good mood evaporated. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Maybe there was time. He moved out of the supply closet, rushing to the elevators, only stopping once to glance at her. She was at her desk, her head in her hands. At least something was going his way. Now for part two. He had to get Grant away from his father. He was taking him away as sure as his mother had taken Julian from him long ago. He could fix it. He could buy some time.
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CHAPTER FOUR
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