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bantha_fodderThe Little Voices (three ways that Chloe and Lyle meet), by Pen.
Smallville/The Pretender, Chloe, PG.
I wrote this for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zeplum a couple of weeks ago, because she was feeling down. It's pretty indulgent, and is completely unbetaed.
**
i - This World, Landlocked
Chloe pauses, her hand on the door. In the distance she sees Clark, some guy leaning close. Clark shakes his head, speaks; Chloe edges closer.
"-you're talking about, Jarod," she hears.
"Clark," the guy says. "It's okay. I understand what it's like to be far from home."
She gasps, and both men turn to face her. She blushes, meet's Clark's eyes. He frowns. She averts her eyes, and they both turn to look at Jarod, but he's disappeared.
**
She doesn't give Jarod another thought, caught up as she is with deadlines and conspiracies and the jostling of cubs for Perry's good will. She doesn't give him a thought until she looks up at the podium; sees Lex, smiling and triumphant, and sees Jarod, grinning behind him, mouth to wrist.
She thinks about him then.
**
Jarod Richards, she reads, security advisor. He went to NYU, she reads, worked in Gotham and in Asia. His CV is flawless, perfect for Lex's company, especially when she finds a photo of him shaking hands with Harvey Dent post accident. One of her guys finds a thank you note from the mob boss Gugino, and she knows he really is perfect for Lex.
There's something not quite right, though, and she keeps on digging.
She worries for Clark.
**
He's perfect for Lex, maybe too perfect, and when he turns up at the Daily Planet she corners him.
"Stay away from Clark," she says. "He's no threat to Lex."
Jarod blinks. "I'm just trying to help," he says, no expression at all.
Chloe rolls her eyes and turns away.
Later, she loiters outside the LexCorp building, waits whilst the wind messes up her hair and freezes her to her bones, and eventually follows Lex, follows Jarod. Downtown, they inspect a rotting old building, and when Mercy disappears Jarod turns on Lex. Their muted, harsh whispers don't quite reach Chloe, and she edges further.
The cry of "Jarod" across the lot, though, she hears just fine, and she turns, watches as a woman in fucking ridiculous heels runs, and watches as Jarod runs away.
Lex stares, bemused, and Chloe turns, heads back the way she came; doesn't want to get caught by Lex, by Mercy.
She pauses by a wall. Jarod stands beneath a lamp. "You are such a fucking moron," the woman says; pushes Jarod into the shadows, gun pushed into Jarod's thigh.
"Hey!" Chloe yells. He might be a scumbag, she thinks, but a gun is just too much. Jarod looks up, his face flushed, his lips pink. "Oh," she mouths.
Chloe runs.
**
Clark doesn't show up, and she turns straight to Lex and his bizarre underlings. Mercy leans against the door. "He's expecting me," Chloe says. Mercy smirks, pushes the door open.
"You shit," Chloe starts. "What has Jarod done with Clark?"
"The usual," replies some new guy, and Chloe turns.
She blinks, and the new guy fiddles with his gloves, flexes his left hand. "What do you know about Jarod?" the new guy asks; he's friendly, and he smiles, but Chloe can see the threat lurking beneath his skin.
Lex leans forward; "nothing," he says, his hand heavy, a warning upon her wrist. "Chloe's never even met Jarod, Lyle."
She listens to Lex's warning; keeps her mouth shut.
Lyle hums, fiddles again with his glove. "See that you keep it that way," Lyle says. "I'll see myself out."
As the door swings shut, she whirls to face Lex. "What the hell was that?" she demands. Lex looks around, shushes her with a finger upon his own lips.
"Lyle is more powerful than I am, Chloe," he says, softly. "And if Clark's with Jarod, then I'm sure he's fine."
"If?" Chloe raises an eyebrow. "You mean the man with the fake past has disappeared?"
Lex laughs. "Of course you figured it out before I did," he says, half to himself. "Of course you did."
"And why did he disappear?" she prompts.
"He was going to expose me for the villain I am," he replies. "You'd have liked him. Then he disappeared at high speed last night, chased by a woman in stilettos."
"Yeah," Chloe clicks her teeth. "I think I met her."
Outside LexCorp, a hand drops upon her shoulder.
"You saw my sister," Lyle grins, his breath heavy on her ear. In front of her, two suits loiter with intent.
"I don't know what you mean," she says.
"My sister," Lyle repeats. "With the stilettos and the killer legs, Miss Sullivan."
"Ah," says Chloe, and her stomach drops.
ii - Into the Middle Distance
"You moron," she says, storming into Lex's office. "Did you even stop to think about how stupid this was? Of course not, because you're a moron."
Lex's chair swivels around, and a grin that doesn't belong to Lex greets her. "Lex can be quite foolish, it's true."
"Who the hell are you?" she asks.
He stands; offers a hand to shake. "Mister Lyle," he says.
"I suppose you're another of Lex's preppy high school friends?"
"I'm from far more humbler origins, Miss Sullivan. I'm from the Centre."
"Oh," Chloe says. "The think tank."
Lyle grins.
iii - The Grass Growing Green
She hears a rumour on the grape vine, kids disappearing, a think tank with all the answers. The Centre, she discovers, is a private organisation out of Delaware that makes a whole lot of money selling answers.
In a dirty diner she chews on a fingernail, reads the information on her screen. A hand clicks her laptop shut. "What the fuck?" she asks of the gloved hand in front of her. Looks up.
"Miss Sullivan," says an older dude as he slides in opposite her. "I'm Mister Lyle, and I think I've got some information that might interest you."
END
Smallville/The Pretender, Chloe, PG.
I wrote this for
zeplum a couple of weeks ago, because she was feeling down. It's pretty indulgent, and is completely unbetaed.**
i - This World, Landlocked
Chloe pauses, her hand on the door. In the distance she sees Clark, some guy leaning close. Clark shakes his head, speaks; Chloe edges closer.
"-you're talking about, Jarod," she hears.
"Clark," the guy says. "It's okay. I understand what it's like to be far from home."
She gasps, and both men turn to face her. She blushes, meet's Clark's eyes. He frowns. She averts her eyes, and they both turn to look at Jarod, but he's disappeared.
**
She doesn't give Jarod another thought, caught up as she is with deadlines and conspiracies and the jostling of cubs for Perry's good will. She doesn't give him a thought until she looks up at the podium; sees Lex, smiling and triumphant, and sees Jarod, grinning behind him, mouth to wrist.
She thinks about him then.
**
Jarod Richards, she reads, security advisor. He went to NYU, she reads, worked in Gotham and in Asia. His CV is flawless, perfect for Lex's company, especially when she finds a photo of him shaking hands with Harvey Dent post accident. One of her guys finds a thank you note from the mob boss Gugino, and she knows he really is perfect for Lex.
There's something not quite right, though, and she keeps on digging.
She worries for Clark.
**
He's perfect for Lex, maybe too perfect, and when he turns up at the Daily Planet she corners him.
"Stay away from Clark," she says. "He's no threat to Lex."
Jarod blinks. "I'm just trying to help," he says, no expression at all.
Chloe rolls her eyes and turns away.
Later, she loiters outside the LexCorp building, waits whilst the wind messes up her hair and freezes her to her bones, and eventually follows Lex, follows Jarod. Downtown, they inspect a rotting old building, and when Mercy disappears Jarod turns on Lex. Their muted, harsh whispers don't quite reach Chloe, and she edges further.
The cry of "Jarod" across the lot, though, she hears just fine, and she turns, watches as a woman in fucking ridiculous heels runs, and watches as Jarod runs away.
Lex stares, bemused, and Chloe turns, heads back the way she came; doesn't want to get caught by Lex, by Mercy.
She pauses by a wall. Jarod stands beneath a lamp. "You are such a fucking moron," the woman says; pushes Jarod into the shadows, gun pushed into Jarod's thigh.
"Hey!" Chloe yells. He might be a scumbag, she thinks, but a gun is just too much. Jarod looks up, his face flushed, his lips pink. "Oh," she mouths.
Chloe runs.
**
Clark doesn't show up, and she turns straight to Lex and his bizarre underlings. Mercy leans against the door. "He's expecting me," Chloe says. Mercy smirks, pushes the door open.
"You shit," Chloe starts. "What has Jarod done with Clark?"
"The usual," replies some new guy, and Chloe turns.
She blinks, and the new guy fiddles with his gloves, flexes his left hand. "What do you know about Jarod?" the new guy asks; he's friendly, and he smiles, but Chloe can see the threat lurking beneath his skin.
Lex leans forward; "nothing," he says, his hand heavy, a warning upon her wrist. "Chloe's never even met Jarod, Lyle."
She listens to Lex's warning; keeps her mouth shut.
Lyle hums, fiddles again with his glove. "See that you keep it that way," Lyle says. "I'll see myself out."
As the door swings shut, she whirls to face Lex. "What the hell was that?" she demands. Lex looks around, shushes her with a finger upon his own lips.
"Lyle is more powerful than I am, Chloe," he says, softly. "And if Clark's with Jarod, then I'm sure he's fine."
"If?" Chloe raises an eyebrow. "You mean the man with the fake past has disappeared?"
Lex laughs. "Of course you figured it out before I did," he says, half to himself. "Of course you did."
"And why did he disappear?" she prompts.
"He was going to expose me for the villain I am," he replies. "You'd have liked him. Then he disappeared at high speed last night, chased by a woman in stilettos."
"Yeah," Chloe clicks her teeth. "I think I met her."
Outside LexCorp, a hand drops upon her shoulder.
"You saw my sister," Lyle grins, his breath heavy on her ear. In front of her, two suits loiter with intent.
"I don't know what you mean," she says.
"My sister," Lyle repeats. "With the stilettos and the killer legs, Miss Sullivan."
"Ah," says Chloe, and her stomach drops.
ii - Into the Middle Distance
"You moron," she says, storming into Lex's office. "Did you even stop to think about how stupid this was? Of course not, because you're a moron."
Lex's chair swivels around, and a grin that doesn't belong to Lex greets her. "Lex can be quite foolish, it's true."
"Who the hell are you?" she asks.
He stands; offers a hand to shake. "Mister Lyle," he says.
"I suppose you're another of Lex's preppy high school friends?"
"I'm from far more humbler origins, Miss Sullivan. I'm from the Centre."
"Oh," Chloe says. "The think tank."
Lyle grins.
iii - The Grass Growing Green
She hears a rumour on the grape vine, kids disappearing, a think tank with all the answers. The Centre, she discovers, is a private organisation out of Delaware that makes a whole lot of money selling answers.
In a dirty diner she chews on a fingernail, reads the information on her screen. A hand clicks her laptop shut. "What the fuck?" she asks of the gloved hand in front of her. Looks up.
"Miss Sullivan," says an older dude as he slides in opposite her. "I'm Mister Lyle, and I think I've got some information that might interest you."
END
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The Little Voices (SV/Pretender, Chloe)
Date: 2007-07-03 05:58 pm (UTC)Eep! Oh, Chloe. This is one time when you really, really shouldn't dig.
I'm not sure if you're trying to avoid Britishisms when writing in these fandoms or not, but if so, "whilst" strikes me as one (in waits whilst the wind messes up her hair).
It's rather unsettling how well these 'verses cross over--thanks for writing!
~
Re: The Little Voices (SV/Pretender, Chloe)
Date: 2007-07-04 02:12 pm (UTC)I do try and avoid Britishisms etc when writing these fandoms that are set in the US, but for some reason always forget that "whilst" and "learnt" and such aren't common in usage in the US.
I love melding these sorts of universes, it's so much fun! Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed it!