When Chloe Met Eric

Notes: In her most recent story for the 'verse, Right Man: Right Job?, Caro introduced the character of Eric Daniels. You'll be getting to know more about him here and in future stories *g*. If you're curious what Eric looks like to us, go here for a peek. This story is set about one week after "Right Man: Right Job?" in the overall time-line.

Copious Thanks To:
celli for letting me play in your world
tstar78 for a phenomenal (and funny!) beta
shellah for helping me grasp the time-line
*hugs the entire BSV clan*

When Chloe Met Eric

Before the cab had braked to a complete stop, Chloe had already shoved cash through the slot in the plexiglass divider and turned to open her door. The heels of her boots clacked a staccato rhythm on the marble steps outside the building that housed Lex's campaign headquarters. She rushed toward the glass doors, pausing for a second outside them to smooth the bottom of the brown suede jacket she wore over her earth-tone patterned peasant skirt. Yanking the door open, she moved as swiftly across the lobby as she could without drawing undue attention, finger fluffing her hair as she went. Chloe was late for lunch with Pete, and considering how busy he was these days with settling into his new job, she uncharacteristically cursed an interview for a story that had lasted longer than she expected. Finding time to see her friends had become a challenge, given the hectic nature of all their schedules.

Striding into the outer office, she offered a wave to Lex's assistant, who was on the phone. Since she knew Pete expected her arrival, she mouthed, "I'll let myself in," to Kira and shoved the door open. "Sorry I'm late. My appointment ran long and my stupid cell battery died and-"

Chloe cut off her rambling apology when she noticed the only occupant of the room was definitely not Pete. For a moment, she thought she'd walked into the wrong office, but no, Pete's name and title were on the door. So that left the question -- who was this guy and what was he doing sitting behind Pete's desk like he owned it?

The man in question stood up and walked around the desk toward her, giving Chloe time to quickly appraise him; he was about Lex's height and age, very nice suit, dark blond hair cut short and styled into that professionally mussed look, blue-green eyes behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses. His voice resonated low in her ears, slightly clipped, as though he might be trying too hard to hide an accent.

Oh, wait. Voice. As in a conversation she should probably be paying attention to rather than scoping him out. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

He'd stopped a few steps away from her, and his expression bore signs of irritation. "I said, can I help you with something?"

Chloe swallowed the urge to reciprocate his borderline snide tone of voice. She *had* just barged into the office without being announced, and that had to look bad to someone who didn't know that she and Pete were friends. "I'm here to meet Pete for lunch. Kira was on the phone and I... I didn't know Pete had company."

He seemed to relax a bit upon hearing her explanation, though it was hard to tell. Chloe was going strictly on facial expression -- his jaw unclenched, which had to be a positive sign -- but his posture remained ramrod straight. He took another step forward and extended his hand. "Eric Daniels, Lex's press secretary."

Okay, that rang a bell -- the new guy. She remembered Lex talking about bringing in someone from the East coast who'd previously worked for some state senator. And he'd used Lex's first name. Interesting.

Chloe shook his hand and replied. "I'm Chloe, long time friend of Pete and Lex." She figured leaving off the press credentials for the moment was the best way to keep the conversation going. Eric Daniels seemed like the type to stiffen up even more once he found out that she was a reporter, and she feared that if he became any more rigid, the broomstick lodged up his ass might break and rupture some vital internal organs. She bit back a laugh and forced her smile to remain blandly cordial. "So, how do you know Lex?"

He released her hand and studied her, looking a bit intrigued. "What makes you think I know him?"

Chloe gave a quick shrug. "I've seen how most of Lex's employees behave around him. No one who's worked here for as short a time as you have would call him anything other than Mr. Luthor."

His expression remained neutral, other than a slight quirk of his lips. Chloe wondered what that meant, but chose to interpret it as him being reluctantly impressed. "Lex and I attended Princeton at the same time. We were in a few Poli-Sci classes together."

Chloe nodded. Eric Daniels being a trust fund baby fit with the attitude he wore along with his expensive cologne and tailored suit. "How long have you been in Metropolis?"

He folded his arms across his chest, which pulled the suit jacket taut across his shoulders. Not that Chloe was looking. "About three weeks."

"I'm sure Lex is fast-tracking you on the social scene, but if you like Chinese food, you need to check out The Asian Garden down on Front Street. It looks like a hole in the wall, but their Pad Thai is the best in the city." Chloe clamped her mouth shut and hoped the heat in her face didn't signify a full-fledged blush. What the hell? She certainly hadn't opened her mouth with the intention of offering dining tips. Something about this guy had thrown her seriously off her game.

Eric's arms unfolded, and he tilted his head as though he were searching for a hidden motivation behind her outburst of Zagat's Guide nonsense. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Chloe pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, just to have something to do with hands that suddenly wanted to fidget. "So... where's Pete?"

"He had an emergency come up. That's why you found me at his desk when you came in. He asked me to forward some information to his palm pilot account."

The word "emergency" sent all of Chloe's thoughts racing to Lana and Laura. She took a step forward, eyes widening. "What happened?"

She couldn't have been more surprised when his expression curled into a derisive smirk. "Sorry, Ms. Sullivan. You're not getting the story any sooner than the rest of the press corps, despite your 'connections' in this office."

Chloe realized the significance of how he addressed her almost instantly. She hadn't given him her last name. "Look, I just want to know-"

He held up a hand. "Please, I'm not an idiot, and I'd appreciate you not treating me like one."

Chloe's eyes flew wide, anger flushing her cheeks deep pink. "I'm not. This has nothing to do with-"

"With the fact that you're a reporter and chose to not mention that minor detail when you introduced yourself? I knew who you were the second you walked in the door. It's part of my job to know."

If looks could kill, Chloe would be much happier at the moment. "Pete is my *friend*, you arrogant jerk! When you said 'emergency', I-"

"Thought you could take advantage. I got that part on my own, thanks." He advanced on her, and Chloe was too busy seething with rage to say anything before he continued. "I must admit to being amused by your little tap dance -- asking questions about me, offering advice on restaurants. You're quite charming, and it probably would have worked on someone else, so..." He clapped his hands in a slow rhythm that screamed sarcasm. "Bravo."

Chloe shot daggers at him with her eyes, closing her hands around his to stop the clapping before the sound drove her to do something more drastic. Nerves tingled up her arms upon making contact. Chloe decided that restraining herself from judo flipping him to the ground had to be the source of the sensations. Her voice shook in her throat, rasping out low and angry.

"I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt since you're new here and whatever bio you have on me can't possibly have given you all the facts, but you need to back off right now. No matter how highly Lex thinks of you, or how much better than me you *think* you are because of that silver spoon you've got stuck up your ass, I don't put up with being treated like this. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?"

He leaned in closer, bringing his face level with hers, his sea colored eyes glinting angrily behind his glasses. "You want to know who I am, Ms. Sullivan? I'm the man in charge of making sure that Lex Luthor is elected Mayor of this city, despite his unfortunate knack for befriending reporters. I knew about you and Clark Kent before I took this job, and I looked on it as a challenge, but let's be clear on one thing -- I don't trust anyone until they earn it, particularly people with access to potentially destructive information and the means to disseminate it."

That did it. The last thread of control Chloe had reining in her temper snapped. Suddenly realizing that her hands still gripped his and that the clasp had tightened, she flung his hands away from her, poking one finger into his chest to emphasize her words. "You son of a bitch. You have *no* idea the kind of stories I've buried out of loyalty to both Lex and ... others. I could have written an exposé *years* ago detailing the things I know, some of which I'm certain you don't have the first clue about. Regardless of what you seem to believe, some reporters think there are more important things in life than Pulitzers. No one, *no one* questions my loyalty to my friends, you got that?"

Without waiting for a response, Chloe turned on her heel and stalked to the office door. With her hand on the knob, she spun around and shot him an acerbically saccharine smile. "And do me a favor. If you decide to give a version of this speech to Clark? Please let me know ahead of time so I can get a jump-start on your obituary."

Back in the outer office, she saw Kira hanging up the phone and approached her desk. "Hey, Kira. Can you tell me if Pete's emergency was family related?"

Kira shook her head, holding out a message pad slip to Chloe. "No, it's a problem with a speech Lex has to give this afternoon. That was Pete on the phone."

Chloe scanned the note, which said that Pete would call her about rescheduling lunch late next week. Part of the tension she'd been holding drifted away.

"Good. I was worried it had something to do with Lana or the baby." Movement caught her eye, and her peripheral vision revealed Eric Daniels leaning in the doorway between the offices, listening to them. She didn't bother acknowledging his presence. "Thanks, Kira."

Chloe walked out the door, refusing to look back or respond when his dryly spoken words followed her.


"Interesting meeting you, Ms. Sullivan."

--*--

Chloe spread the Chinese takeout containers on the kitchen table in Lana and Pete's apartment. Laura had gone down for her afternoon nap a while ago, so she and Lana had a little free time while the baby slept. Despite knowing they were okay, she'd felt compelled to call Lana and ask if she was available for lunch. Just seeing them had made her feel better, and she figured some of her lingering tension could be blamed on low blood sugar. Three cups of coffee do not an adequate breakfast make. Chloe's stomach snarled in knots over being empty and filled with additional bile from her encounter with Lex's most arrogant employee.

Lana set two glasses of lemonade on the table and took the chair next to Chloe's. "I'm glad you came over."

Lana's tone of voice made it clear that the comment was a vast understatement. Chloe giggled and opened the container of Kung Pao Chicken, fishing out a peanut with her chopsticks. "Yearning for conversation with people who no longer schedule their days around airings of Sesame Street?"

Lana had a pea pod held up to her mouth and popped it in, answering after she swallowed. "That obvious, is it?"

Chloe set her lemonade down and gave Lana's free hand a quick squeeze. "Don't worry. It's our secret." She delved into her lunch again, coming out with a large piece of sauce covered chicken. "So, have you met Lex's new press secretary yet?"

Lana shook her head. "Eric? Yeah. I've put in a little time with him at campaign headquarters since he started. Pete invited him over for dinner on Thursday. Why?"

Chloe snorted quietly. "He's about as much fun as a train wreck, isn't he?"

Lana blinked. "I get along with him fine. Pete seems to like him, and he and Lex are old friends from college. I didn't realize you'd met him."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It wasn't planned. I went to see Pete, and Daniels was there skulking around Pete's office."

Lana's eyes widened, and she choked on the sip of lemonade she'd just taken. "Skulking? Maybe you'd better tell me everything that happened."

By the time Chloe finished the story, she'd eaten two thirds of her lunch and didn't want more of it. She dropped her chopsticks into the box and shoved it away. "So, there you have it. He was a complete jerk, and I loathe the fact that I'm going to have to deal with him. It's the first time I've regretted having the secondary city beat assignment at The Journal."

Lana sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "Chloe..."

Chloe knew that tone of voice. "What? I didn't do anything and that... that windbag attacked me. For no reason!"

Lana didn't look appeased. "And not mentioning that you're a reporter was completely innocent. You're not mad because he happened to be more clever than you?"

"No!" Lana raised a brow, and Chloe slumped back in her chair. "Maybe. A little. But that still doesn't excuse him treating me like Mata freakin' Hari just for walking into Pete's office."

"No, but let me be the devil's advocate here. Pretend you're him-"

"I'd prefer pretending to be Marilyn Manson."

"Chloe."

Chloe sighed, knowing she probably had a pout on that would rival one of Clark's finest. She started gathering the containers and putting them into the empty takeout bag. "Okay, I'll pretend that I'm a stuck-up blowhard who blurts out insults without cause."

Lana censured Chloe with her eyes and continued. "So, you're new on the job, and someone bursts into your superior's office. You know this person is a reporter, so you might be suspicious right off the bat that she feels comfortable letting herself in without knocking or having the receptionist announce her."

Chloe dropped the bag into the trashcan under the sink and returned to her chair, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. "I suppose, but-"

Lana interrupted her attempted defense. "And then, she introduces herself, leaving out the fact that she's a reporter. She doesn't even mention her last name." Lana stood up and walked over to the sink to rinse out her empty glass. "Now, considering what you know, are you inclined to trust her?"

Chloe knew this, had said something similar to herself, in fact. But she'd gotten so angry over the rest of the conversation that the legitimate source of his suspicion laid obscured under her hostility. She followed Lana's path to the sink and turned on the tap. "No, I'm not."

Lana gave her a look and walked out of the room. Chloe blew out a heavy exhale and ran the glass under the water. She put the cup in the drainer and started speaking again when she heard Lana's footsteps returning. "It's just... I'm going to have to *work* with this guy, Lana. And he's such an egotistical as-"

The sound of Lana clearing her throat had Chloe turning around. Laura was perched on Lana's hip, sleepily scrubbing her eyes with a fist.

"-tronaut. Astronaut," Chloe improvised, mouthing an apology to Lana before walking toward them.

When Laura saw Chloe, she gurgled and reached for her, little fists closing on empty air in a "gimme" gesture. "Co-ee!"

Lana handed the baby over, and Chloe swung her up to blow a raspberry on her round tummy. Laura giggled happily, waving her fists in the air, until Chloe brought her back down. The baby immediately reached for the earring dangling from Chloe's left ear. "Oh, so it's not me you wanted, it's my jewelry. I feel so used."

Spotting a stuffed toy on the counter, Chloe fetched it and got Laura's attention away from the earring. While the baby cooed at the toy and kissed it, Chloe slipped the earrings off and secreted them in her jacket pocket. When she dropped the toy, Laura suddenly found something new to play with, batting at Chloe's hair with a chubby fist. Chloe took the hand and kissed it, making a smacking sound that had Laura grinning and gurgling with laughter again.

"You're going to make a great mom one of these days, Chloe."

Chloe whipped her head around and stared at Lana, not sure how to answer at first. "Maybe." She looked away, choosing to fix her eyes on Laura, who had caught a bit of Chloe's hair with her fingers and was toying with it.

"One of these days."

-- End --

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