Epilogue

Several years later …

Chloe wound her way amongst the people in the crowd, stopping only to nod at a few people, a fake smile plastered on her face. These kinds of events had never really been her thing; they were only made bearable usually by her husband's presence. Unfortunately being the President of the United States came with certain responsibilities which simply could not be avoided and meant that he was travelling more than ever before. She was proud of him, but sometimes remembered their time in Smallville fondly, when they had had so much time to just be together.

Still this was what she had signed up for; she couldn't say that she hadn't known what she had been getting herself into when she had married him.

Chloe tore down the path towards her father and Lex, springing first into one man's arms and then the other. "Did you see me?" She asked them both excitedly.

"Yes", they both answered, Lex happily, her father a little mistily.

"It's alright Dad", she consoled him, giving him another hug.

"I know baby, it is just so hard to believe that you are all grown up and have just graduated from Yale, it seems like only yesterday I was bringing you home from the hospital.

"Dad", she complained but still smiled. "I'm only graduating, it is not as if I am getting married or some …" She saw the looks passing between her father and Lex. "You are going to propose to me?"

"Well, that was the plan", Lex chuckled as he took the ring box out of his pocket. "It was supposed to happen tonight at dinner but I suppose that here is as good a place as any". He got down on one knee, not paying any attention to the fact that there were still other people milling around congratulating their own graduates.

"We have been together for just over four years now, and I know that things haven't always been easy between us. I work a lot and you were here studying but I wouldn't trade a single second of it. I have been sure that you were the only woman I wanted to spend my life with since we met in the club that night …" he saw Gabe's face, "in that church club", he covered.

Gabe looked pleased with that.

"But I waited to do this so that you would have the chance to spread your wings and finish your education. You know what my plans for the future are, and I know what yours are and I think that we can make them work together. It is important for me that you know that this is not something that I have not considered and that if you are not ready I can wait …"

"Well I can't", Chloe said and knocked him to the ground as she kissed him.

Gabe looked away uncomfortably, he was going to lose his little baby … He liked Lex but there was no question that he wasn't good enough for her, no one was. But his one consolation was that his daughter would probably end up running the country through him.

She scanned the throng as she reached the bar and perched herself on a stool. Her contact would be arriving soon and she had already worked out all of the possible exits from the building in case they had been followed by anyone she wasn't expecting.

Everything looked in order, the most difficult part would be losing her security detail if they came to suspect anything. She might be a spy in her own right, but very few people knew that. To her security team she was just the first lady, and they knew that Lex would have their heads if anything happened to her.

She smiled as she saw the youngest agent entering the bar. It was not so strange that he would be there; this was a private function for the rich and influential after all, there was security everywhere, that was why this was the best place to meet. Chloe turned back around and pretended not to have noticed him as he approached her.

After all these years of waiting she was finally going to be able to solve the only mystery that had ever escaped her. She felt a thrill go through her, for a moment she thought of Lex and wondered whether she was doing the right thing but squashed the thought. This was her job and she wasn't going to give it up for any man, besides, she had warned him years ago that she wouldn't give up.

The agent turned informant coughed to get her attention and then greeted her, "Good evening Mrs Luthor".

"Good evening Simon", she smiled at him. She had decided that there was probably nowhere that they wouldn't be seen, there was so much security around her everyday so in plain sight would be best. No one would think that she plotting against her husband, or worse doing something silly like having an affair, if she did it in the open. They would all naturally assume that it must be above board.

He lowered his voice slightly as he said, "It wasn't easy but I got the codes".

Chloe smiled, "I got others. Shall we?"

"After you", he said taking a step back so that she could pass. As Chloe left the party she nodded to several more people and Simon noticed that most eyes in the place were on her, especially those of her security detail.

"How do we lose them?" He asked her in a whisper.

"We don't, unless they smell something fishy", she replied back as she smiled to someone as they passed, "that would look suspicious. It is the same reason why we met here rather than you just coming to the White House - that would have looked odd too. The mere fact that we are out in the open means that people will think that we have nothing to hide".

"Right", he said, he felt like he should be taking notes. He didn't want her to think badly of him and so he tried to remain calm as they entered the limo and drove to the White House. They chatted of this and that knowing that they could be overheard by the driver. Once they were back at her home she led him into the family living room and told her other staff that they might retire – she added with a whisper that she wanted to talk with Simon alone, her main body guard Clark Kent (a.k.a. the man of steel) had asked her to keep an eye out for his prodigy while he was away that week.

As soon as she had closed the door she clicked a button on a remote in her pocket.

"Right", she marched back over to him. "I made sure that there was fake footage on the security cameras for all of tonight, so we can move around this room and the adjoining one (Lex's office) freely. We just have to click the button as we leave and all will be well".

"Great", Simon said a little nervously as he handed the codes over to her.

"Simon, are you alright?" Chloe asked looking at him worriedly. "You don't look well".

"I'm fine". She didn't look convinced. He started to sweat. "I am just a little nervous, it is not every day that I break into confidential files", he explained.

"Really?" Chloe looked surprised, "You should try it more often. I like to do it with breakfast in the morning, gets the brain going much better than Sudoku or crosswords, I find".

He laughed nervously but stopped when he realised that it didn't appear to be a joke.

"Well come on, and don't worry we aren't doing anything really wrong and you won't get in trouble for it", she assured him.

"I know", he muttered under his breath as he watched Chloe run over to Lex's safe, take out his laptop and begin to hack her way in. It really was quite impressive just how far she could get without the codes; it was only at the very last minute that she actually needed them. As she typed the code that he had he had given her, she inquired conversationally, "You said that they were hard to come by?" She looked over the top of the laptop at him.

"Not really?" He said, paling. Then tried to correct, "Yes".

"Oh no", she groaned as she read his expression. The laptop started flashing at her, a warning message filling the screen.

"Fuck it", she swore.

"I'm sorry", Simon moaned as he took a few steps back, "they were already on to you, they said that I had to do it or else I would get in trouble. They won't hurt you, they work for the President after all (even if not directly) and you are his wife …" he trailed off as he saw a figure come out from behind the curtains.

He was shrouded in shadow and Simon couldn't make out exactly who it was, but there were any number of advisors who would have liked to see Chloe's influence over Lex curtailed, any number of them who could be behind this.

"Get out", the figure snarled, before adding, "and turn the lights on fully, on your way out; I want to be able to see the first Lady when I deal with her".

Cursing himself for his cowardice, Simon did as he was told. Once outside the office he made to leave the building completely but his conscience pulled him back. He was torn. On the one hand his duty was to his country and to the President, the First Lady had been hacking into confidential files without her husband's knowledge and the man who had approached him originally with this proposal had been a high ranking military officer. He should just do as he was instructed. On the other hand, this man might be out for personal gain, he might try to blackmail the First Lady or even try to hurt her.

Damn it. It had all seemed so clear when the proposition had been made to him, now he was having doubts that he was on the right side. He had to at least check that she was alright before he left. He pressed his ear to the door and listened hard.

"What the fuck do you think that you are doing?"

"Hacking into top secret files, what does it look like? And since when do you use that kind of language with me?"

Simon gulped, the woman had guts, he would say that much for her.

"What do you think that your husband would have to say about that?"

"Depends on his mood, anything from laughing to a threat about spanking that he is too much of a pussy to carry out".

"Is that so?" There was a snarl and the sound of heavy footsteps.

"What are you?" She questioned and then yelped.

As Simon heard the First Lady's exclamation, his hand found its way to his gun. He couldn't let her get hurt, if that man had laid a finger on her then he had to intervene. But what if he hadn't? What if she had just seen a spider or something?

"Stop backing away from me or you'll get a lot more of the same treatment".

"Promises, promises", she did not seem particularly concerned.

"Are you seriously rolling your eyes at me?"

"Yes, I'm not afraid of you!"

"You hack into private government files, get your hands on classified information …"

"Clearly I did not get my hands on classified information!"

"Well, no, but only because I outmanoeuvred you".

"Meh, for today possible but tomorrow is another day".

Simon breathed a little more easily, it didn't sound as if he were actually going to hurt her.

"Tomorrow? You'll be lucky if you can fucking walk tomorrow once I get through with you".

That was it, Simon could not let anyone threated her with serious physical harm, screwing his courage to the sticking post and knowing that his career was probably over after he crossed the man he kicked the door open and shouted freeze as he burst into the room, gun drawn.

The light was on and he could make out the scene clearly. He turned scarlet.

"Get out".

"Yes Mr President", he gulped.

As the door closed Lex nuzzled his wife's neck, "It is so hard to find good spies".

"I know darling, that is why you have me".

He laughed, "Yeah, my special agent blonde".

"Lex", she breathed, "there is something that I have to tell you … I'm naturally a brunette".

The End

Thank-you very much to my readers especially those of you who reviewed – I'm not looking anyone in particular, but you know who you are. I hope that you enjoyed it and will keep an eye out for my upcoming Chlex fics. :D