Couple(s): Chloe/Lex

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me.

Spoilers for: nothing

Author's Note: Thanks muchly for all the sweet reviews and comments!

How Soon is Now?

******

Turning herself in had been surprisingly simple; Chloe had gone to the local sheriff's station, said she'd murdered a man, and produced the gun. The sheriff had sent a team to investigate Guy's house, and they had found his body with the precise wounds she'd described. After she showed them the photos Guy had sent--as proof that she'd want him dead--they asked her name, and put her in a holding cell until her lawyer arrived.

When Corey, a kind, middle-aged, balding man, entered her cell, he immediately asked if she wanted to plea. "No," Chloe replied, "I don't want to go to trial, either. Isn't there a way to convince them that I'm guilty?" She didn't think she could handle being in front of a jury, and there was always the chance they'd acquit her--she refused to live with the guilt.

The lawyer smirked and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'll figure something out. As your lawyer, I should tell you that trial is the best way to go. However, as your friend, I'm inclined to respect your wishes; you feel you belong in jail for this crime, and I'll accept that. I have to ask why you're so set on being imprisoned, however." His dark eyes filled with warmth, and he leaned casually against the bars.

"I feel so guilty, Corey," she admitted with a sigh. Shifting on the uncomfortable cot, she continued. "Just because he raped me, I bloody shot him. That's not right."

"Clo," he whispered, "I'm so sorry." He and the Sullivans went way back; he'd known Chloe since she was a young girl, so her well-being was a huge concern for him. "Is the baby...his?"

Gabe, who had finally been told about the whole thing by Chloe herself, must have filled Corey in on the pregnancy. "I'm almost completely positive. Lex and I--after John and Lena were born--decided we didn't want any more kids; we now always...we're extremely careful." Her cheeks flushed; it was odd discussing her love life with her father's friend.

To his credit, Corey took that in stride. "I understand. If there's nothing else you need, I'll go talk to the police."

Chloe rubbed her temples to ward off an impending migraine. "Could you call Lex and ask him to come down? Visiting hours start at eleven." A pause, she smirked mirthlessly. "That is, if he doesn't hate me for doing this."

Squeezing her shoulder lightly, Corey smiled reassuringly. "I know Lex; he's a better man than anyone in this town--except you, I suppose--gives him credit for being; he'll forgive you. I'll be sure to give him a buzz."

"Thanks. You're the best."

After winking at her, he yelled for the guard. The doors slid shut with a *bang* and she jumped.

******

Martha was extremely proud of Lex; he was his usual self, despite the heartbreak he must have experienced. "Want some breakfast, Lex?" she asked, keeping her tone normal and cheerful; John and Lena were seated next to their father, eating their omelettes as though nothing had happened.

As far as they were concerned, nothing *had* happened; John had come downstairs, noticed that Chloe was gone, and said, "she's doing somethin' at the paper, isn't she?"

It had struck Martha that John was extremely intelligent to know what his mother did for a living, at the age of six and a half. Then she'd focused on the task at hand: coming up with a reasonable lie. She and Lex had agreed that it was best to not burden them with the truth; she didn't think they understood the concept of 'jail', anyway.

"That's right, John," Lex had said flatly, giving his son a hug. "Slept well?"

"Yup. Hi, Martha!" He'd wrapped his arms around her legs and beamed.

Ruffling his hair, she'd grinned as well. "Hey, you. Breakfast is on the table."

Lena hadn't said anything regarding Chloe's absence, instead she'd immediately starting teasing her brother mercilessly about something. For once, Lex had let her behavior slide.

Back to the present. Lex said that he did want his sausage and cheese omelette, then he thanked her with a tight smile. "Going to eat with us?" he wondered quietly. She usually refused, opting to take her meals in the kitchen.

That morning, she shrugged and brought her plate to the dining room. "Why not."

Meals were usually low-key at the Manor, unless one of the kids was particularly hyper about something, or Chloe was on a soapbox about a news story; so the virtually silent breakfast didn't make John and Lena suspicious.

The kitchen phone rang, startling Lex; Chloe would have no way to call, Gabe never called for him, Lex's business partners and friends--such as Clark--used the cell number. Tossing a bewildered frown in Martha's direction, he hopped up to grab the receiver. "Hello?"

"Lex, it's Corey Fieldman."

*Oh.* "Corey, hi. What's going on?" He had to have news about Chloe.

"I'm at the sheriff's station; they've got Chloe in custody. She asked me to report in."

*She really did it. My wife put herself in jail.* "Okay." It hadn't quite sink in.

Garbled voices in the background; Corey was apparently on a payphone. "Yeah, she wants you to come down; visiting hours begin at eleven."

That gave him an hour. "Eleven. Alright; I'll be sure to do that. Thanks for the update."

"You bet. Bye, now." Click.

******

He found it easy to block out the voices of the other prisoners and their guests; he was so intent on speaking to Chloe that nothing else seemed to matter. After two minutes of waiting on the other side of the bulletproof plastic divider, phone receiver in hand, he saw her approach.

It had been less than twenty-four hours, but she already appeared disheveled. Still, even in the bright orange prison uniform, she was beautiful. "Hi, Lex," she greeted him tiredly.

"Hi, Clo," he returned. "I'm not going to ask you to explain yourself."

Her jaw set, and she gripped the phone tighter. "Good. Don't make me feel even guiltier."

Holding up his free hand in defeat, he swore he wouldn't. "What I don't understand is why they believed you killed someone, even with evidence and a confession. It's pretty easy to fabricate a story." He was momentarily reminded of Club Zero, but then blocked that memory out of his mind.

Chloe shrugged. "I guess they can never be too careful these days." A sardonic smirk crossed her mouth. "Besides, most of the town is still afraid of you; if Lex Luthor's wife says she murdered someone, they aren't going to contest her confession."

Her ability to already make jokes about the situation seemed a bad sign; it meant she was comfortable with her decision. A tiny part of him still wanted to payoff the police and get her back. The rest of him said that he had to respect her wishes. "How many years did you get?"

"Thirty; confession lowered the number." There was no noticeable fear in her voice or on her face. She was fully prepared to see it out. "I know what you're thinking, and my answer is no. You aren't going to buy our way out of this."

Lex visibly swallowed. He'd forgotten how well she could read him. "I understand." Pause. "John and Lena don't know where I am right now. They saw you weren't at home this morning and assumed you were at *the Ledger* for some reason or other. Would you like them to know?" To his horror, he was getting choked up. *Won't cry, won't cry* he told himself.

Chewing on her lower lip, Chloe weighed her response carefully before speaking. "It's up to you. I don't think they're old enough to comprehend jail and crime, but whatever you think is best."

"But no pressure," he shot back sarcastically.

"Sorry. I just don't know if they should be burdened with all this." She rested her chin on her unoccupied fist. "You will come visit again, right?"

A blaring voice over the PA announced that the visitors had two minutes. "Of course, Clo. I love you." His voice lowered to a whisper, despite the growing din of the others in the room.

"Love you, too." A tear fell down her cheek, and she rolled her eyes. "Damnit, I'm so pathetic."

"You're not," he assured her.

One minute. People were beginning to get up.

In movies and TV shows, Lex had always found it a sappy, trite thing to do. However, when faced with the prospect of never touching his wife again for several decades, he understood why it was done; taking a deep breath, he rested his palm against the plastic. She did the same, and they held each other's gazes until a buff female security guard marched over.

"Let's go, Sir." The guard tapped his shoulder with her club then moved on to talk to other stragglers.

"Bye, Lex," Chloe whispered. "Take care. Give my love to the kids."

"Bye, Clo. You take care as well. I'll do that." One last wave, and she was being led back to her cell.

******

A/N: I'm aware that it seems unlikely that they would just arrest her, but it *is* Smallville; stranger things have happened. I only wrote it like this to avoid trial; that would screw up my plot considerably.