Karaoke At The Wild Coyote

banner by kneel4justice

Title/Link: Karaoke At The Wild Coyote
Author: Hughie87
Pairing: Chlark
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season six, 'Crimson'
Summary: Clark, Chloe and Karaoke. Need I say more?

Disclaimer(s):

1. All characters belong to DC Comics and the CW network.
2. 'Songs Like This' sung by Carrie Underwood and 'Take A Chance On Me' sung by ABBA
3. No baby, no matter how it gets here, is never shameful
4. While I use drinking in this story as a comedic device, I do not condone either underage drinking or getting drunk. If you are under twenty-one years of age, drinking any alcoholic beverage is illegal (in the U.S.). I know I'm no one's mother, but I'm saying it anyways. Getting drunk (smashed, wasted, lit, whatever word you use) is not only irresponsible, but dangerous to those around you and to your own health. Alcohol kills brain cells, so you must always drink responsibly. If you do get drunk, please have a designated driver or the number of a cab service. Okay, Mother Hen has spoken.

Karaoke At The Wild Coyote

Clark Kent had a lot of regrets. Things he'd done or things he hadn't done. Things he'd said or hadn't said. People he'd hurt or hadn't hurt enough. However, out of all of those regrets (and he did have a lot) there were two he regretted almost every day.

The first had happened when he'd been nine years old. He'd told his dad he hated him. Clark knew without a shadow of a doubt Jonathon Ken had gone to his grave assured of his son's deep and abiding love for him along with Clark's unending respect. Still, the thought that he'd ever spoken those words, even at such a young age, bothered Clark. The expression his dad's face had been the worst. This was his deepest regret.

The second regret was more recent. He'd never forget the day he stood in the loft, a sunset lighting him from behind, and told Lana he didn't love her. As time went on, he knew no matter what he told himself it had been true. He hadn't loved Lana; at least not with the love that would have stood the test of time. They had already begun to fracture after their first month of idyllic bliss, the month he'd been without powers and the only time he'd been able to be completely truthful with her. He didn't regret letting Lana go. It was the best thing for her. What he regretted was the result of his actions. He'd broke whatever remaining piece of Lana's heart she allowed to be seen. Because of him, she'd run to Lex. Now she was pregnant and about to marry a monster, all at nineteen years old. And it was ll his fault. He regretted this every time he glimpsed Lana's face from behind the tinted windows of one of Lex's black limousines.

Now, as Clark sat out on porch of the yellow farm house, absently swinging on the sturdy white porch swing, the night aging around the farm, he added yet another regret he would remember always.

Her eyes. Her mouth. Every line of her face trying to the pain as she stared ahead, refusing to face him and meet his gaze. And the words. Those sharp, hurtful crude words he'd whispered into the shell of her ear. Words, that had he been in his right mind, would have never crossed his consciousness, let alone his lips.

Lois got off lucky. She hardly remembered any of their red meteor induced romance. All she had was an air-brushed tattoo that would wash away in three or four days. Clark could take hundreds of showers in three or fours days and none of his memories would wash off and drain away.

He remembered his 'R' rated make-out session with Lois that still made him blush and cringe. He remembered what horrible things he'd accused his mother of. The feeling of power that rushed through his veins as he pushed Lex; the satisfaction of revealing the shameful reason for Lex and Lana's hasty marriage; the sense of entitlement and indignation as he spirited Lana away. Most of all, he remembered the delight: the pure unadulterated pleasure of seeing Chloe flinch with pain as he confessed his thoughts about her. He had reveled in the knowledge that he'd slashed her to the core just as deeply as she'd slashed him with her rejection when he came back to her from the Phantom Zone.

He'd wanted to hurt her. He wanted to cause her pain, make her see what she was missing by taking up with Jimmy and not him. Rub it in her face, that after all these years, he'd wanted her for a time and she was the one who missed her chance. However, that was absurd. Chloe was his best friend and his ally and he cared for her deeply. In the year since he'd found out that Chloe knew his secret, they had become so close that sometimes he found it hard to know where he ended and she began. The fact that she had found happiness with someone else ceased to bother him. All he wanted was for Chloe to be happy. No, Clark would never want to hurt Chloe. The fact that his Freudian Ego and inner Kryptonian would want to had him stumped.

Inside the house, Clark heard the phone ring. He ignored it. His mom had called earlier to tell him she'd made it safely back to Topeka so he didn't feel like moving from his melancholy seat upon the swing to see who it was. The answering machine rolled on and Clark growled as he heard the caller.

“Smallville, answer the damn phone. Clark, I'm serious. I can't get ahold of Chloe on her cell and-”

“Lois?” Clark said when he snatched up the phone. The moment she called him 'Clark' he knew something was wrong.

“Thank God. Clark, is Chloe with you?”

“No, why? What's wrong?” Clark asked urgently.

“I don't know. Call it Cousin's Intuition. She hasn't made it home from the Planet yet and it's Desserts & Depp night and she never misses Desserts & Depp night,” Lois explained hurriedly.

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Before I left the Planet. She was waiting for Jimmy and then she was going to meet me back here. That was a little past 6:30 and now it's almost eleven! I've called Jimmy but all I get is his voicemail. I've talked to a few people at the Planet and the latest someone saw her in the Bullpen was seven.”

“I'm sure she's okay, Lois. Have you called her cell?”

“Of course I've called her cell, Clark!” Lois exclaimed. “After the two hundredth mark I reached harassment status!”

“Okay, okay. Look, you stay at the Talon in case she shows up and I'll get in the truck and-”

“Has she called you?”

“I don't know. My cell has been off all day,” Clark told her.

“Could you check?”

“Yeah, hold on.” Clark laid the phone down, tempted to just hang it up and find Chloe without any added obstacles. He zipped up to his room and grabbed his phone. He waited as it powered up. In seconds he saw he'd had three missed calls: one from Lois and two from Chloe. Pressing a button, he started his newest voicemail. There was some muffled noise that sounded like country music and some rough, indistinguishable voices. Then Chloe's voice played in the recording.

“Crap! Instead of drunk dialing, I butt-dialed! Not surprising, would you look at this thing! Maybe I should channel my inner J-Lo!”

The call ended on some more muttering and raw male laughter. Clark's eyes widened. Just where the hell was Chloe? And what was she doing? He played the message again and listened closely. In the background, he heard unmistakable bar noises. Then he heard a woman start singing off-key and someone yell out, “You suck!” followed by some boos. Clark furrowed his brows. A page went out over the crowd, some sort of cue and right before the call ended, very faintly, Clark heard Chloe say, “That's me! Hold this. . .”

Clark snapped the phone shut and slid it into his pocket. It was clear Chloe was at a bar, but where was this bar? He bounded back down the stairs and picked up the cordless phone.

“Lois?”

“What did you have to do, Clark? Read the manual?”

Clark rolled his eyes. “I got a call from Chloe. I think she's at a bar.”

“A bar? Why would she be at a bar? She's under-age!”

“She's probably not drinking, Lois. I think I heard Karaoke in the background. Do you know of any bars that have Karaoke that will let in people under 21?”

Lois was silent for a minute. “There's a few places in Metropolis, but Karaoke is usually done on Mondays or Thursdays. Fridays are prime pick-up nights.”

“The Wild Coyote does Karaoke on Friday nights. That has to be where she is,” Clark said.

“And how do you know this, Mr. Law-Abiding-Citizen? When have you ever set foot in a bar?” Lois asked with a snort. “Gentlemens' Clubs, sure, but bars. . .”

“The Wild Coyote is not far from here. I'll go check on her,” Clark said, ignoring Lois' pointed remark about an incident involving her, him, Chloe and a Senator who liked to visit an elite strip joint.

“I'll meet you there,” Lois replied.

“Lois, I'll be there and home by the time you even get out of the city limits. I'll call you with what I find.”

“Fine,” Lois growled. “I don't know why she'd be at a bar, though.”

“I guess we're going to find out.”

~ ~ ~

Clark hadn't bothered with the truck. If Chloe was here, Clark could catch a ride with her. Or judging by her voice, drive her home. Clark scanned the parking lot and caught sight of Chloe's silver Toyota haphazardly parked a few feet from the door. A cold chill ran through his body. What had his best friend gotten herself into this time?

Clark jogged to the door and pulled it open. A wave of noise rolled out and Clark steeled his senses. As he stepped inside, a song was just ending and a round of applause broke out through the crowd. The guy in tight jeans and a tacky cowboy hat shot a crooked grin and jumped down. Clark began searching the building but there were so many bodies pressed together and moving as one. He couldn't see Chloe anywhere.

He pushed his way to the edge of the dance floor, a tiny square completely filled with couples groping and hanging onto one another. As he sought out any blonde in the crowd, Clark avoided any eye contact. He could feel stares coming from all direction. Clark blushed a bright red when a slightly older woman sidled up to him and ran a long-nailed finger down his bare, muscled arm.

“Hey there, big fella. You lookin' for a partner?”

Clark sincerely hoped she meant a dancing partner. With his most respectful smile, Clark looked down at the woman. “Thanks, but I'm meeting my friend.”

“Guy friend?” The woman asked hopefully.

Clark shook his head. “No, a girl friend.”

The woman rolled her eyes and went off seeking better meat. Clark, still not seeing Chloe, pushed his way to the back. He was headed outside to call Chloe's cell and then listen for it to pinpoint the girl in the writhing, smoke-filled room when behind him, he heard a man start speaking into a microphone to be heard.

“All right cowboys and cowgirls, our next brave little buckle is back by popular demand for her third appearance tonight! Please welcome back to the stage, our most sultry swallow since Patsy Cline, with 'Songs Like This' by Carrie Underwood. . . The young, the talented, the sizzling saucy blonde, Chloe Sullivan!”

Clark stopped dead in his tracks and spun around. His mouth dropped open. Clark blinked and then shook his head. Chloe, usually a very modest girl, was up on the little stage surrounded by a sea of earth-toned cowboy hats that hadn't been there before. He wanted to rush the stage and yank her off, forcing her to stand behind him as they ran, not walk, out of this seedy hole in the wall. The thing was, his feet wouldn't move. All he could do was stand there and stare. Whoops and hollers went up from the almost all male crowd that had gathered in front of Chloe below the stage.

At a shout of, “Shake 'em baby!” Clark felt himself finally surge forward. Not as gently as before, Clark moved men and women out of his way as he shoved toward the front, his face in a mask of horror and anger. Chloe let out a howl and threw her head back, spreading her arms and jiggling her chest. Clark clenched his fists. Suddenly, he stopped. Her had head snapped up and she meant his eyes. A slow, cat-like smile spread across her face and she lifted the microphone to her lips.

“This next song is dedicated to my best friend, Clark Kent, who is standing right there!” Chloe exclaimed, pointing out into the crowd. People began to turn and a spotlight from somewhere above focused on him. Clark raised a hand in a single wave and smiled tightly. Chloe continued. “Clark, here, has the super ability to screw me over and break my heart even though we've never even dated!” The atmosphere changed and Clark cleared his throat. Chloe was clearly drunk and some of the other patrons, who weren't that far gone yet, shifted their eyes toward him. Clark stood, stranded, in the middle of the dance floor where most of the men had gathered. “So, Clark, this is for you. Listen close, because I mean every word,” Chloe ended on a snarl. “Hit it, Carl!”

Music started and Chloe began clapping to the beat, the crowd following her lead. Still dressed in her red heels and black skirt from work, she'd shed her blouse, revealing the blood red silky camisole that she had worn beneath that day and her tiny waist was cinched with a wide, brilliant blue metallic-looking belt. Her hair was even more curly than she usually wore it from the heat in the confined space, the temperature also giving every inch of her exposed skin a sexy sheen. Her eyes were bright from the liquor and her cheeks a rosy shade. She looked like an office seductress instead of the professional woman she was. Clark wanted to look away but couldn't, his eyes, like every other man in the room glued to her body.

But when she started singing, Clark eyes widened. Chloe, her eyes trained right on him, growled melodiously into the mic:

“Wanna find some boy, rip his heart right out. First man I see, gonna take him down. It ain't the Christian thang, to do they say, but someone somewheres gotta paaaaaaa-aaay!”

The crowd erupted into cheers.

“And if wasn't for guys like you, there wouldn't be songs like this! And if you hadn't gone and done me wrong I wouldn't go off like this! Yeah, even I'm surprised how easy sweet revenge rolls off my lipsss. If it wasn't for guys like you there wouldn't be songs like thisssss.”

Chloe danced along the stage, waving her hands emphatically, under-cutting the words. She crossed the stage to stairs, swaying and strutting to the wildly appreciative males in front of her as she took them step by step. Clark moved forward slightly to keep a better view on her as she disappeared in the crowd on the dance floor. She started to sing again, running her free hand along many of the guys shoulders and chests.

“Broke my TV, pawned my guitar, after maxing out, my credit cards. You lied much too much, and you lied again! Caught you on the couch with my best frieeeeeennnnnnnd!”

Chloe had made it to the edge of the dance floor, mere steps from Clark. She spun to face him and began circling him like a jungle cat, graceful and every thing about her seeming to roll as she walked.

“And if wasn't for guys like you, there wouldn't be songs like this! And if you hadn't gone and done me wrong I wouldn't go off like this! Yeah, even I'm surprised how easy sweet revenge rolls off my lipsss. No, if it wasn't for guys like you there wouldn't be-”

Chloe put one foot in front of the other, arriving to stand right in front of Clark, poking him in the chest with her index finger with every word.

“Songs like this one that tell the whole world just what a jerk you weeeeerrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Chloe pushed him and Clark actually stumbled back a little, so stunned at the way Chloe was behaving. She danced around to the music for a bit, Clark now getting angrier by the second. She was under-age, she was drunk, she looked like sex-on-a-stage and she was bashing him in song. And the way the men were looking at her was making him even more angry that he'd swear steam was coming from his ears. Clark clenched his fists again and breathed through his nose as Chloe turned back to him.

“And if wasn't for guys like you, there wouldn't be songs like this! And if you hadn't gone and done me wrong I wouldn't go off like this! Yeah, even I'm surprised how easy sweet revenge rolls off my lipsss. Well, if it wasn't for guys like you there wouldn't be songs like thisssss. No, if it wasn't for guys like you there wouldn't songs like thissss.”

Chloe dropped the microphone at his feet, one hand on her hip as she eyed Clark with a lifted brow, a challenging gleam in her eye.

Clark muttered under his breath, “And that's enough of that.” Clark bent at the knees, put a shoulder into Chloe's waist and surged to his feet, Chloe squealing as her feet left the ground. With Chloe thrown overClark's shoulder, medieval style, kicking her legs and beating his back, Clark turned and walked easily through the parted crowd.

“Clark Kent put me down now!” Chloe screamed as some music began to play again. He passed many patrons, each averting their eyes while they hid smirks or giggles behind hands and drinks. Clark could feel Chloe's head bobbing against his back.

“I'm gonna be sick!” She told him.

“Maybe you should have thought of that,” Clark growled.

“I didn't think you were going to show up and pull a Rock Hudson! Put me down now!!” Chloe accompanied this sheirk with a furious kicking of legs. Clark dodged a heel. When he was almost passed the actual bar, a young guy stepped in Clark's path. He crossed his arms and glared at Clark. Clark glimpsed Chloe's phone and purse on the scuffed wood to the guy's right.

“Where do you think you're going?” He asked in a threatening voice.

Clark's hackles rose when he realized that this was the guy that had probably been plying Chloe with all the drinks, probably counting on an easy conquest.

“As you can see,” Clark started calmly, Chloe still fighting in his grip, screaming for him to put her down. “She's had quite enough for tonight.”

“Who are you, her father?” The guy snorted.

“Excuse me,” Clark said, trying to side-step the guy. A hand came out and pressed into Clark's chest.

“The lady wants to be put down. I say, you put her down,” the guy growled.

Clark grabbed the guy's wrist, exerting a little pressure. He watched the guy's eyes widen and he tried to discreetly yank his wrist away.

“Are you the guy whose been buying her drinks?” Clark demanded angrily.

“What if I am?” The guy spit back, clinging to his bravado.

“Because she's under-age. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm taking her home.” Clark let the guy go, pushing him away and roughly into the bar. The guy came back up his fists raised in boxing fashion. The bartender grabbed the guy's shoulders.

“Let 'em go, Zach. It ain't worth it.” He looked at Clark. “I don't want no trouble. I didn't know she was under twenty-one.”

“Now you do,” Clark snarled as he reached out and grabbed her phone and purse. Chloe had settled down and Clark wondered if she'd passed out. As he walked, he glanced down and saw Chloe's limp arms swinging. Yep, Clark thought with a groan, she's out.

~ ~ ~

Very gently, Clark seated an unconscious Chloe in the front seat of her car. Sliding into the driver's side, Clark fished the keys out of her purse and started the soft engine. Pulling out of the parking lot, he started home to the farm house. He could drive her on into Smallville and drop her off with Lois who was probably far more efficient than him at curing hangovers, but Clark was afraid Chloe would need to hurl between here and there and that freaked him out a little. Having never been sick like that before, the idea of someone else throwing up terrified him. The farm was closest so the farm was where he was headed.

On his way, he called Lois from Chloe's phone. The conversation was not pleasant. Lois harangued him why Chloe was at the bar, why she hadn't called Lois, why her little cousin was even drunk! Clark answered all her questions with an 'I don't know, Lois'. And he didn't. He really didn't. Lois agreed to Chloe staying the night at the farm, the Talon and the morning noise not something that would be pleasing to Chloe when she awoke.

“I'll have her call you in the morning Lois, to prove she made it through the night,” Clark assured her.

“Are you sure you're up for this?” Lois asked before they hung up. “It could get pretty nasty between now and 8 A.M.”

Clark looked over at Chloe, still zonked in her seat. Something had happened that pushed Chloe over the edge and Clark had the nagging suspicion it was him. Especially with the song and dance back there. Chloe was the only one he had yet to work up the nerve to apologize to for his behavior at the engagement party. He not only wanted to take care of her, but needed to. Sort of an atonement for last night.

“I'm good, Lois. I'll talk to you later.” Clark clicked off as he pulled into the drive.

Parking, Clark came around and maneuvered Chloe out of the little car and into his arms. Cradling her, he walked up the stairs and into his house. He went straight upstairs and laid Chloe on his bed. Sitting on the foot of the bed, Clark took a foot in his hand and slid off a red pump. Reaching for the other one, he felt Chloe stir. Worried what she might think if she was coming to, Clark took off the second shoe and stood, coming to tower over her head. Her eyes fluttered opened and stared up at him with questioning eyes.

“Clark?” She muttered uneasily.

Clark held up a shoe as if it explained everything.

Her brows creased more. “What am I doing here?”

Clark sat down, the bed dipping under their combined weight. “You were at the Wild Coyote and I went and got you,” he told her.

“I was having fun,” Chloe said, glaring at him.

“You've never liked that kind of fun before. What happened tonight?” Clark questioned, not sure if he'd get any kind of coherent answer, but asking all the same.

Chloe looked over his shoulder. “Jimmy broke up with me,” she said flatly.

Clark's mouth dropped open. “Why?”

Chloe's eyes snapped back to him, fury boiling in them despite her trouble focusing on him. “Because even though I chose him, he knows I would rather be with you,” she hissed.

Clark sat back, gauging Chloe's face, wondering how much of this was her and how much was the liquor.

Tears gathered in her eyes, making the hazel-green sparkle with pain. She looked off over his shoulder again. “You want to hear something sad?” Her voice was so quiet Clark had to strain to hear it. “Lana is pregnant with Lex's baby and about to marry him and you still only see her.” She blinked and Clark watched two tears roll down her flushed face. She rolled over, putting her back to him. “The worst part? Sometimes I catch myself wanting to be Lana, just to see you look at me just once like you look at her.”

“Chloe,” Clark breathed, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Chloe tensed under his touch. Then she reached up limply and pushed his hand away. “Leave me alone, Clark. Haven't you already hurt me enough?”

~ ~ ~

Clark stayed seated on the bed behind Chloe until he was sure she'd gone to sleep. Once her breathing evened out, he picked her up in one armand pulled back the sheets on his bed with the other. Nestling her back in, Clark pulled the blue sheets over Chloe's bare shoulder. He could see drool already pooling on his pillowcase and smiled. She looked like a little doll.

“Because even though I chose him, he knows I would rather be with you.” Clark replayed the statement over and over in his head. Kicking off his boots quietly, Clark settled into the rocker in the corner of his room, his eyes trained on the bed and woman in it. “Sometimes I catch myself wanting to be Lana, just to see you look at me just once like you look at her.”

Did she mean it? Did Chloe want to be with him? Then why had she pushed him away? Clark remembered that day. He allowed himself to relive Dark Thursday; the panic, the insecurity, the utter loss he felt as he watched his adopted home planet shrink smaller and smaller as he traveled to the Phantom Zone. He let himself feel all those feelings wash over him. He remembered the moment Chloe had come to him, surging up on her tip toes to kiss him good-bye. Clark had felt her love for him all the way down to the soles of his boots. As he watched Earth diminish before his eyes, he thought of his mom and his friends and Chloe. He thought of the moment the two of them had finally let go, broke through the boundaries they'd imposed on their friendship and shown each other what was beneath. And then he'd returned, but not to the hero's welcome he expected. Clark could tell himself that it didn't bother him, but the fact of Jimmy Olsen bothered him greatly.

After his mother brought him back to himself in their barn the night of Lex and Lana's engagement party, the next day Clark had walked the entire length of the Kent farm, mulling things over in his mind. He did bottle things up. There was only so much he felt he could confide in his mom since she'd began splitting her time between Smallville and Topeka. Chloe got all that and whatever else was left over. And although Chloe was his closest friend (more than a friend, really) he still could not tell her everything and anything as she so often told him he could.

How could he tell Chloe that even though Lois bugged the absolute hell out of him, he still found her unnervingly attractive? That his red-blooded male side wanted her purely for the way she filled out a blouse and skirt? He could never admit that to Chloe. More than that, how could he tell Chloe that Lois' attentions were welcomed only because he was still smarting from her snub?

How could he explain to Chloe his need for his mom to remain single and alone? That deep down he wanted her to continue to mourn Jonathon's death with him forever so he wouldn't feel so trapped by his grief? Or that what needled him the most about Lex and Lana's impending nuptials was not his all-burning love for his high school crush but the unspeakable point that Lex gave Lana something Clark could not?

Or, finally, how much he wanted Chloe herself? How she'd began to take over his mind and thoughts and dreams for months? He'd clung to Lanain his need to throw up a barrier against the inevitable intimacy that was forming between himand Chloe despite Jimmy. A connection to another person Clark had always craved but was terrified of bound him to Chloe like glue. When she kissed him, he'd realized all his power and strength and confidence rested in the form of this tiny girl, no higher than his shoulder. Clark could no longer exist without Chloe than a heart could exist without a brain. She was everything to him.

How could Clark tell Chloe all that when she'd passed him over for someone else? Easy. She hadn't. Clark leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knee caps. Chloe had been just as scared as he had been of what was between them. Only, she was more scared of how Clark would hurt her than him admitting she was what gave him a reason to continue. He'd hurt her in the past, how would this time be any different?

“It will be different,” Clark whispered forcefully to himself. It would be different because he knew who and what she was to him. Clark could see what he hadn't before. She was his will, his soul, his purpose. She gave him all those things plus a reason to be better. He wanted to be worthy of her love, be the man she believed he could be. And he could be that man because it all started with her.

Clark sat back and closed his eyes, a contented smile on his face. Morning would come and the sun would shine brightly on a new chapter in their lives, one they would write together.

~ ~ ~

Pounding.

An agonized groan sounded and Chloe grabbed her head. That damn pounding! Chloe squeezed open a bleary eye. She blinked a couple times to focus. She found the source of the blasted pounding. Chloe glared. Shelby sat with his mouth open, panting with his doggie smile, his tail thumping loudly against the hardwood of the bedroom floor.

This wasn't her bedroom.

Chloe moaned as she rolled over gently, holding her temples and begging from the ache to stop. She looked around. This was definitely not her bedroom. This was not her apartment. A sense of panic took over until she spotted Clark, his big body slouched in a rocking chair, fast asleep. Chloe smiled softly at the sight of him.

What was Clark doing asleep in a rocking chair?

Steeling her head and her stomach, Chloe slowly, painfully sat up. She closed her eyes and pressed the heel of her hands to her closed lids, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Oh man, Chloe groaned inwardly,what did I do? She lowered herhands and opened her eyes, one at a time. The sight blurred and Chloe blinked again, bringing the room into focus again.

She took stock of her surroundings. She was in Clark's room, in Clark's bed and Clark was in the rocker. Chloe wiggled her shapely brows in thought. She looked down. She was relieved to see she was still dressed. She wondered momentarily where her dove gray silk blouse had gone, but was thankful she somehow retained her camisole, her belt and skirt. The shoes where heaped haphazardly by the night table and Chloe couldn't be sure, but she was certain she'd worn some flesh colored fishnets to the office the other day that were gone, too.

What day was it? She remembered going to the office. She remembered working on her expose of a Smallville Organics company who used FDA unapproved meteor rock in comestic products. She certainly remembered her break up Jimmy. She also remembered driving home in tears, not for the pain the break-up caused, but the pain it hadn't caused. And her shame. How humiliated Jimmy must have felt this whole time knowing that she was with him just because she couldn't get Clark. Chloe turned her head over to look at her best friend, the man she loved. It was his face that had Chloe passing the Talon, passing his house. She spotted the Wild Coyote and yanked her wheel, throwing gravel as she sped in and parked. After that, a complete blank. Why had she even gone? She was underage. Chloe whimpered and laid her face in her hands. What had she done? Close to tears once more, Chloe cleared her throat and fought them back. She didn't think she wanted to know.

With a pounding head, Chloe threw back the covers and swung her legs off the bed. She swayed. Maybe moving wasn't such a good idea. Chloe clutched the edge of the mattress and fought the urge to be sick. Not here, not in front of Clark, not on Clark. The dizziness and nausea passed. She released the breath she'd been holding. Shelby padded over and laid his head on Chloe's knee.

“Hey, Shelby.” Chloe patted the dog's head and then tried to shoo him away. He wouldn't budge. “Come on, Shelb.” Chloe whined petulantly. She wanted a shower and a toothbrush before she faced Clark. As if assigning himself her warden, Shelby moved to sit right between Chloe's legs, his front paws over Chloe's knee, resting back on his haunches,

“Shelby,” Chloe hissed with exasperation. The sound of Clark's snoring, a gentle snughffle, snughffle every few seconds, halted. And then a wakeful snort was heard. Chloe looked over Shelby's head to where Clark was. He was awake and looking at Chloe with the sleepy eyes. A warm glow seemed to spread over Chloe as Clark's face melted into a giddy grin as he yawned and tried to stretch his long limbs in the confining wooden rocker. The sun was just peeking up over a hill, giving his thick, dark chocolate colored hair a golden hue.

Clark reclined back in the chair, the ironic grace of a large man written ineverymove he made. His grinned slid into an easy smile that sent Chloe's heard pounding, his eyes in contented slits. “Morning,” he murmured, clasping his hands over his t-shirt covered ribbed abdomen.

“Morning,” Chloe returned, matching his early morning tone.

“How ya feelin'?” Clark asked, his voice slightly slurred from slumber.

“Not that hot,” Chloe admitted. “I feel like I was dunked in sweat and then spent the night in an astray.” Chloe lifted a corner of her satin camisole and sniffed. She waved a hand in front of her nose. “And I've got the smell to prove it.”

“You did have one wild night,” Clark replied, his voice sounding a little more alert.

“So I gather from the headache and missing articles of clothing,” Chloe said with an easy smile. “Did I somehow get ahold of Lois' lipstick?”

Clark leaned forward, lacing his fingers between his knees. “Oh no, you did this all by yourself.” He leaned over and pushed Shelby gently down off Chloe's knees.

“Didn't know I had in me,” Chloe responded sarcastically. “Don't think I want to know, either.”

“I didn't know you could sing like that, Chlo,” Clark said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Sing?” Chloe croaked. She put a hand to her throat. “I. . . Sang?”

“With a mic and everything. Like a sultry swallow, I think is how he introduced you,” Clark informed her, barely holding back a laugh.

Chloe pulled the sheets up and buried her face in them. “No more!” Her cry was muffled. She began to laugh as she pulled the sheets down, revealing her red and tired eyes. She brought a hand up to her temples. “It hurts to laugh.”

Clark rose from the rocking chair only to sit back down on the edge of his bed facing Chloe. He placed a big hand on her bare shoulder. Chloe stifled a gasp at the warmth of his hand. “Chloe, why didn't you come over last night?”

Chloe looked down, fingering the hem of the bed-sheet. “What do you mean?”

“Chloe,” Clark admonished. “I know what happened with you andJimmy.”

Chloe still didn't meet Clark's eyes. She wondered fleetingly how he found out. She hadn't even told Lois yet. “It's no big deal.”

“If it caused you to go drinking when it's illegal, then yes, it was a big deal,” Clark countered.

“Clark? Could you just get me some aspirin?” Chloe asked, meeting Clark's eyes.

Clark smiled. “Sure.” He squeezed her shoulder and stood. In seconds, he was back with the aspirin and a glass of water. Chloe took both gratefully, sipping the water slowly.

The two talked for a little bit, each carefully avoiding the reason Chloe had gotten drunk.

“How do you feel?” Clark asked again.

“A little better. But I'll feel much better after I get a shower and some fresh clothes,” Chloe answered.

Clark stood again. “The shower is all yours. And there should even be fresh towels in there, too.”

“Thanks, Clark, but I need some clean clothes and I don't think-”

Clark disappeared and re-appeared again, blowing back Chloe's hair and causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. “Clark, you have got to stop with Speedy Gonzales routine. At least until I get my equilibrium back.”

“Sorry,” Clark said with a sheepish grin. He held some clothes out to her. “Here. You forgot these the last time you spent the night. Mom went ahead and washed them. I've been meaning to bring them to you but just never found the time.”

Chloe opened her eyes and looked at some loose blue jeans and a plum colored long-sleeved shirt. She took them and turned them over in her hand. “Clark, I haven't seen these since you helped me study for my Psychology final over a year ago!”

“I've been busy,” Clark said again with a grin.

Chloe shook her head. She started to stand. Clark quickly braced his hands on her waist and steadied her. The world spun and Chloe laid her forehead against Clark's shoulder and clung to his biceps, breathing through her nose. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and blew out a breath.

“You okay?” Clark asked with concern. “Maybe you should lie back down.”

Chloe shook her head. “No, I'll be fine. Lois Lane is not the only one in the family who can shake off a hangover.”

“You've been hungover before?” Clark asked incredulously.

Chloe snorted, stepping away from Clark and standing on her own. “Lois and I loved Mary Poppins growing up. Let's just say that the cough syrup was never left out of the medicine cabinet again.”

“How did you get drunk on cough syrup?” Clark asked as he and Shelby followed Chloe to the bathroom. She turned in the doorway to face him.

“Sugar is not the only thing that helps the medicine go down. Codeine helps, too,” Chloe quipped. “You planning on chaperoning?”

Clark realized she couldn't shut the door. He looked back at her and grinned. “You know Chloe, even if you did choose Jimmy, he didn't deserve you.” Clark leaned in and kissed Chloe softly on her lips before he turned and walked down the hall, descending the stairs.

Chloe stood there, mouth slightly open, clothes held limply in her hand, staring after him. Slowly, she turned and shut the door behind her, leaning her back against the wood.

“I must still be drunk,” she whispered.

~ ~ ~

Chloe stepped gratefully under the heated spray. What exactly had she done last night? She remembered walking into the bar, not sure what she was going to do, just wanting to be somewhere loud and boisterous, hoping to drown out the thoughts in her head.

Her relationship with Clark had always been a sore spot with Jimmy. At first, it was just off-hand remarks about Clark needing to get his own girlfriend, that Chloe Sullivan was a taken woman. Then the annoyance began to turn into anxiousness, the anxiousness into paranoia. It was true. To any outsider, she and Clark had an unhealthy co-dependent relationship. What Jimmy didn't understand and what Chloe just couldn't explain, was that the connection she and Clark shared went beyond friendship. She was his secret-keeper, his protector, his best friend. And Clark was. . . Chloe stopped. Clark was everything. Tears mingled with the water running down her face.

One moment. One moment was all it took. One moment of hesitation and all her carefully constructed denials came tumbling down. She could still see Jimmy standing there, tears in his eyes, needing her to prove him wrong.

“Can you really tell me if you had the choice you wouldn't rather be with him?”

How had he seen? Had he seen right through her? Had Jimmy always known he was the second choice? The stand-in? Chloe wanted to say what Jimmy needed to hear, but she couldn't bring the words effortlessly. They finally came out by force. She wanted to Jimmy to be the one, but he wasn't. He never even stood a chance against Clark Kent. Who did?

Her thoughts had plagued her and she all wanted was for them to stop! And then, Zach had appeared. The answer to her prayers. Zach, a has-been football star from a neighboring town, the name escaping her. Chloe knew what he'd been after. She even welcomed it. And then the drinks started. Soon, time began to get blurry and she couldn't decipher what had happened and what was conjecture.

Chloe lathered her hair with shampoo, kicking herself as she became giddy at the thought of smelling like Clark. Vaguely, she did remember singing. Songs about revenge seeking women and 'in your face, sucker' came to mind. Not typical break-up songs for girls who had been dumped. No, not for her. Each one was a strike at Clark. Clark and his sickeningly knee-melting grin. Clark and his tight, protective hugs. Clark and his damn vulnerability; emotional and physical. Clark and the way that even when he hurt her, all she wanted to was wrap him in her arms and soothe his pain away.

Chloe struck the shower curtain.

The jerk hadn't even apologized for what he said to her! And Chloe hadn't even expected it! Why? Because he was Clark. She seethed. More at herself than anything. She knew what she'd been doing, too, the minute she kissed Clark in the Planet. She knew she was opening that door she thought she'd shut, locked and barred. She'd seen the hope in his eyes as he came striding toward her after the world had been righted. Time slowed as she ran to meet him, feeling him catch her in his arms. He looked down at her and Chloe knew what he wanted. Clark wanted her. But with Clark Kent, her heart was too high a price to pay. She'd handed over her heart once before and even so many years later, still hadn't gotten one piece of it back. That small piece rested in Clark's back pocket, obviously where she did, too. She was better off hoarding what she had left. Because in the end Clark would leave (he always did) and this time, Chloe may never get her heart back. So, she'd chosen Jimmy.

“You know Chloe, even if you did choose Jimmy, he didn't deserve you.” Where had that come from? And Clark kissing, well, pecking her. Had something else happened that she needed to know about? Chloe wracked her brain. She barely remembered Clark strolling into the bar and throwing her over his shoulder, saving her from her bad choices.

Her headache almost gone, Chloe took a deep breath and retraced all her steps. The word 'choose' echoed over and over in her brain. At the edge, another blurred image from last night. Clark, standing over with a red pump, his mouth moving. Chloe zoned in on this image, forcing her mind to bring up more. Clark sat on the bed.

“Jimmy broke up with me.”

“Why?”

It was right there. . . Chloe closed her eyes. And then she had it. Her eyes flew open.

“No,” she moaned.

“Because even though I chose him, he knows I would rather be with you.”

The conversation came back in crystal clear quality. Chloe shut off the water, her body still covered in soap. She had to get out of here. The kiss. Clark knew. But what did it matter? He said himself he was still in love with Lana after he'd broken free from that Phantom a little over a week ago. He'd even kidnapped her and brought her back to the barn and begged for her to marry him, as Lana had confided over lunch the next day. Still, if Chloe wanted to save any of her pride and dignity, she had to scram before Clark tried to let her down easy. Chloe rolled her eyes. She had that speech memorized she could recite it to herself.

Chloe scrambled out of the shower. She swiped a towel and dried herself quickly. Grabbing the clothes, she struggled the jeans over her still damp skin. Once dressed, she peeked out the door. Seeing the hallway was clear, she scampered out and tiptoed to Clark's room. She spotted her pumps and put them on. As quietly as she could in three inch heels, Chloe made it down the polished wood floor to the front stairs, taking a chance that Clark was in the kitchen or on the sofa in the den. Her clothes from last night balled under her arm, she started down the stairs, avoiding the few stairs that squeaked. She would send Lois back for her purse and phone.

Keys!

Chloe halted on the final step. Her keys. She was trapped. She looked to her right. Clark was sitting on the sofa facing away from her, the TV on and showing some hunting show. Chloe craned her neck. Suppressing a glad shout, she glimpsed them on the counter by the backdoor. Her heart sank when she realized there was no way to get them without being seen. She glowered at the back of Clark's head.

Back up the stairs she went. Maybe, Chloe thought, she could sail down the stairs, grab her keys and scurry out the door, calling out a cheerful goodbye before Clark even knew what was going on. Once out, she'd run to her car. Clark, as fast as was, really wouldn't fight to catch her when she was in her car. At the top of the front steps, she turned to the left and started down the back stairs. Her heart beat faster with each step down. Then it was in her throat when she hit the landing. At the final stair she stopped again and took a breath. She could see her keys.

“Well, Clark,” Chloe started hurriedly. “I gotta run. Bye!” Chloe made it across the kitchen, not even turning her head. With one hand she grabbed her keys and with the other slung open the door.

She shierked when she found Clark on the other side of it, barring her escape route.

“Damn,” she muttered.

~ ~ ~

Chloe clutched her keys in one hand while looking up at Clark. He stood before her, crossing his arms in the way he knew made his size a little bit more intimidating. Chloe swallowed.

“You know, Clark,” she began snottily. “I don't need a lecture. My stomach and temples did enough lecturing this morning.”

“I wasn't going to lecture you,” Clark said easily. He knew she was going to bolt. He knew the moment she'd remembered what she'd said last night. A quickening of her heart beat followed by a sharp intake of breath. He sat on the couch and waited. He'd heard her come down the front stairs. He anticipated she'd see her keys and then try the back. She'd stood on the stairs. When she took another big breath, he knew it was time to move. He raced out the front to arrive at the back just as she opened the door.

Chloe bit her lip. “Okay. Then, I'll see you later.” Chloe stepped to side. Clark moved with her. “Clark!” She exclaimed in irritation.

“You remember, don't you?” Clark asked.

Chloe squinted at him. She tousled her damp hair. It was beginning to dry and curl naturally at her chin. A soft strand tickled the side of her mouth and Chloe dashed it away. “Clark, I must have had a Jack Daniels Lobotomy last night because I don't remember anything.”

“You don't remember telling me Jimmy broke up with you?”

“No,” Chloe answered stubbornly.

“You don't remember telling me he broke up with you because you would rather be with me than him?” Clark asked, a little anger creeping into his voice.

Chloe swallowed. “No.”

Clark breathed through his nose. “You don't remember telling me you sometimes want to be Lana to have me see you?”

Chloe glared at Clark. “I have to go.” She swung around and started for the front door.

“Chloe, we need to talk,” Clark said, tagging along behind her.

“No, we don't, Clark!” Chloe threw over her shoulder. “You can save the 'I don't feel the same way' speech. I know it by heart so I'll save you the trouble and tell it to myself on my way home!”

She made it out to the front porch, stomping down the steps. Clark didn't super-speed after her. He took all the steps in one stride. He caught Chloe's arm and spun her around, yanking her closer.

Chloe fought against him. “What are you doing, Clark?”

“What I should have done the moment I came back to you from the Phantom Zone.”

Clark's lips fell on Chloe's. Clark had her wrapped so tightly in his arms, Chloe tried to fight but couldn't. She didn't even want to. She kissed Clark back, the way she'd wanted to ever since that day he'd come to find her. Clark's arms hugged Chloe's waist, a hand pressed against her back as Chloe's own arms draped around his broad shoulders, clinging to him. Clark tasted the saltiness of her tears and felt the wetness on his own cheeks. She was still crying. He pulled away from her and gazed down.

Chloe opened her eyes. “Why did you do that?” She asked with deep sadness as she looked down at her purse and clothes she'd dropped when he kissed her. She wanted to be strong enough to walk away.

“Because I want to be with you, too,” Clark answered thickly.

Chloe hung her head. “No, you don't, Clark. You just think you do. I was drunk last night. I should have never said those things.” She lifted her head and looked at him with a vacant stare. “You don't owe me anything.”

Clark wanted to strangle her. “I know I don't owe you anything, Chloe. I don't want to be just your friend anymore.”

“You're more than my friend,” Chloe replied.

“I want to be more than that.”

Chloe searched his eyes. “What about Lana, Clark? You sat right in that house and told me you still loved her. At her engagement party, you were a regular Roman claiming your Sabine woman.”

“And do you remember what I said to you?” Clark reminded.

“I've pretty much tried the past forty-eight hours to forget,” Chloe responded coldly, pulling away from him. "Hence the drunk fog of last night."

“Chloe, it may have come out wrong, but I meant what I said.” Clark gripped her shoulders gently. “I have thought about you and I. More than I should have.”

“Then what has stopped you?” Chloe demanded.

“Jimmy! You pushed me away for Jimmy.”

“I didn't push you away!”

“Well, that's what it felt like!” Clark yelled, stalking away from her. As he turned to face her again he said, “Why didn't you give us a chance, Chloe?”

“Do you really not know the answer to that?” Chloe asked indignantly. “You still love Lana!”

Clark crossed to Chloe, taking her hands in his. He shook his head. “I don't love Lana. At least, not that way anymore. It's just hard to think that Lex can give her something that I never could.”

“You asked her to marry you, Clark,” Chloe said quietly.

“To stop her from making a terrible mistake. But I don't want Lana. I realize know I did all those things out of anger. I was angry at my mom from moving on with her life without my dad. I was angry at Lana for being able to find in Lex something that I was lacking. And I was angry at you. . .” Clark trailed off.

“Why are you angry at me?”

“For not wanting me. For choosing Jimmy over me. For choosing him over us.” Clark continued on when he saw Chloe open her mouth. “I clung to Lana just like you clung to Jimmy. I was scared of needing you so much, of finally finding that with someone just like you were scared of me hurting you again. I won't hurt you this time, Chloe. I mean it.”

“Clark-”

“Do you know you bite your lip when you get nervous?”

Chloe clamped her mouth shut, hiding her top teeth as they worried her bottom lip.

“And you get these two little wrinkles in between your eyebrows when you worry. You roll your eyes when you think I'm being dense or stupid. Your mouth flattens into this thin line when you disagree with me and I can always tell by the exasperated sigh you make when you don't like what I've just said.”

Chloe swallowed.

Clark smiled. “You swallow when you don't know what to say to me, as if you're trying to but time to get the words right. Your eyes light up when I walk into a room and your heart speeds up. Your smile softens when I touch your hand and you tap your foot to the rhythm of 'Jingle Bells' when you're impatient. I don't know why, but you do.”

“What is this all supposed to mean, Clark?” Chloe questioned.

“It means I see you, Chloe. I've always seen you. You don't have to be Lana for me to see how amazing you are. And I don't want to think about it anymore. I want to know what you and I can be together.”

Chloe stared at Clark. His eyes, so open and honest, pleaded with her. He held her hands tightly, careful not to hurt her. He looked so. . . Vulnerable. Chloe broke away from Clark. She backed up, holding his stare. She bent and picked up her clothes and purse. She stood for a moment and then turned and trudged to her car.

“Chloe?” Clark watched Chloe unlocked her car and open the door. He sprang into action. He jogged to the car. He took the hand that held the key. “Chloe, I know you're scared-”

“Wrong, Clark,” Chloe snapped, looking up at him. “I'm terrified. You will be able to walk away from this. You have before. I won't be able to. I never have been. Every time, you take a little piece of me with you. I can't take that chance. I have to go.”

Chloe yanked her hand from Clark's and sank into her seat. Clark watched her start the car and back out. Chloe refused to wipe her eyes until she was out of the Kent driveway.

~ ~ ~

“Lois, what are we doing here?” Chloe groaned as Lois swung her Ford into the packed Wild Coyote parking lot.

“Well, you had so much fun last week being a Country Star,” Lois replied as she unbuckled her seat belt. “I thought maybe we could do it again, sans the liquor.”

Chloe sighed. She grabbed her purse and left the car, following behind Lois. “I was looking forward to seeing Mamma Mia and eating some Raisinets.”

“Oh, you can listen to bad ABBA songs any day,” Lois smirked as she waited for Chloe outside the door. “We really need to find you a new retro band.”

Chloe stopped and looked at Lois in shock. “That's not why I want to see it!” She denied.

Lois cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“'Dancing Queen' got me through a very tough time,” Chloe quipped as she grabbed the door and pulled it open, the smell of cigarette smoke making both her and Lois cough. “We'll be dead from second-hand smoke in ten minutes.”

“Think positive.” Lois pushed Chloe inside.

The two girls moved inside. Lois looked around expectantly. Chloe squinted at her cousin in suspicion. “You meeting someone?”

Lois shot Chloe a secretive smile. “Why don't you go grab a table down in front while I grab some waters. We'll get a good look at the talent.” Lois gave her a wink and moved off to the bar.

Chloe blew out a breath and squeezed through the crowd. She found a vacant table off toward the left hand side of the stage. She sat down, trying to slightly hide her face, not knowing if any of the patrons here had witnessed her embarrassing American Idol episode.

“All right, so,” Lois startled Chloe as she appeared at her side with two bottles of water, setting one down in front of Chloe. “I talked to the bartender and he says there is a new guy about to take the stage who seems promising. Looks like we got here just in time.”

“I wonder what his blood alcohol-level is?” Chloe asked sarcastically as she took a sip of her water.

A few minutes later, the host for the night took the stage, the crowd welcoming him with a whoop!

“We've got a special performance for you tonight, folks! Seems like this young stallion had some trouble with his filly a couple of days ago and hopes this will convince her to 'take a chance'. Chlo, this is for you.”

Chloe's head snapped up as water shot from her mouth in surprise. She grabbed some napkins and quickly sopped it all up, glancing over at Lois who was trying not to laugh.

“What have you done?” She asked in dread.

“Just listen.”

Chloe looked back to the stage. A tape of ABBA began playing and to her utter disbelief, Clark Kent, in his jeans and a red t-shirt, took the stage. Chloe's heart skipped a beat. He looked so nervous and over-grown, standing on the stage, clearing his throat. His eyes searched the space and finally landed on her. He swallowed and Chloe couldn't hold back a shaky smile.

Clark missed his beat and had to rush the beginning.

“If you change your mind, I'm the first in line, honey I'm still free, take a chance on me.”

He wasn't that bad, but he was nervous and his voice broke and his eyes danced wildly but remained on her. Chloe felt tears gather as she pressed a hand to her mouth.

“If you need me, let me know, gonna be around, I've got not place to go, if you're feeling down, if you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown, honey I'm still free, take a chance one me. Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie. If you put me to the test, if you let me try.”

Lois could no longer hold in her laughter. A boisterous guffaw burst from her mouth and Chloe elbowed her. Laughter at Clark and his antics bubbled in her belly and she clamped her mouth shut. Clark, seeing Chloe's eyes shimmering with laughter and tears felt his confidence soar.

He bellowed into the microphone, the crowd no longer booing but clapping and cheering him on, many glancing at Chloe with cheerful smiles.

“Take a chance on me! That's all I can ask you honey, take a chance on me!”

Clark, more emboldened now than he'd been by Red K, jumped off the stage and went to stand right in front of Chloe. Chloe looked at him, giggling and smiling while Lois sang loudly along with Clark the next verse to one of Chloe's favorite songs.

“We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we're together. Listen to some music, maybe just talking, get to know you better. Cause you know I've got so much I wanna do, when I dream I'm alone with you, It's magic.”

Clark hit a knee, making sure he was eye to eye with Chloe. He took her hand and pulled it to his chest. Chloe cupped his cheek with her other one, fingering his skin.

“You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair, but I think you know, that I can't let go.”

Chloe forgot about the other room full of people. She pulled Clark close and kissed him. Clark dropped the microphone and wrapped his arms around Chloe, kissing her back. Cheers and hollers and whistles went up from the crowd, Lois whopping the loudest of them all.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lois swiped the mic from Clark and leapt on stage, picking up where Clark left off, leading the whole bar as everyone sang.

Chloe pulled back, Clark still on his knees in front of her chair and looked at him. He scooted closer, able to almost touch his nose to hers.

“So, does this mean we're going to try this?” Clark asked hopefully.

Chloe bit her lip, her eyes smiling back at him. She brought a hand up and smoothed some strand away from his forehead, letting her fingers continue to tunnel through his hair. “How can I say no when you humiliated yourself like that?”

“I was counting on that,” Clark replied.

“Clever,” Chloe said.

“I know you're scared, Chloe. I am, too. I don't want to screw this up,” Clark admitted.

“You won't,” Chloe told him.

Clark looked at her, letting her see just how afraid he really was. “How do you know?”

Chloe put her hands on Clark's shoulders. If he could get up onstage and sing that horrible song, in public, just to try and win her, she would demolish her walls, brick by brick in order to give them a chance.

“I won't let you.”

“I love you, Chloe.” Clark looked as surprised by his admission as Chloe was to hear it.

She swallowed, causing Clark to grin. “I love you, too, Clark.”

Clark got to his feet, pulling Chloe with him. He kissed her sweetly. As Lois brought down the house on the final verse, Clark held Chloe in his arms and they danced slowly to the faint melody playing around them.

Clark laid his cheek against Chloe. Looks like all that pining did pay off, he thought. Hers and his.