"Chloe" by KMP

 

"Here we are," Gramps said, pulling into a driveway. Clark's mouth hung open. The house was a rambling white Victorian, complete with blue gingerbread trim. There was a beautiful flower garden in full bloom that completed the picture.

 

Chloe got out of the car and slung her backpack over her shoulder with Clark at her heels. "Welcome to Sullivan Manor, Clark!" she said excitedly, waving her hands around and a big smile lighting up her face.

 

Clark looked around.  "Wow," he said under his breath. Chloe had said that her grandparents were pretty well off and lived in a historic part of Metropolis, but he wasn't expecting this.

 

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nana said with a smile.

 

"Four generations of Sullivans have lived here," Chloe said.

 

"Wow," Clark said again.

 

"Close your mouth, Clark," Chloe said walking past him. "It's summertime, and there are mosquitoes in Metropolis."

 

"Come on in," Gramps said, leading the way up the stone path through the front door.

 

This was the first time Clark had ever been invited to Metropolis by Chloe. Pete was supposed to come too, but three days ago he had been diagnosed with mononucleosis and was ordered to stay in bed. The three had been friends for years, but every time Chloe had gone to visit her grandparents, she had gone alone. Clark had a feeling that it hadn't been Chloe's idea to invite them. She had seemed a little hesitant about asking Pete and him, almost as if she wanted them to say no. As nosy as Chloe had always been about the goings-on in other people's lives, she was pretty closed-mouthed about her own, especially her life in Metropolis.

 

Clark was somewhat surprised when he met Eddie and Kay Sullivan, who insisted that he call them Gramps and Nana. They were much more laid-back than Chloe was. But they all had the same energy and Clark could see a part of both of them in Chloe. Gramps Sullivan was a round, jolly man, almost like Santa Claus, but without the beard and with salt and pepper hair. Nana Sullivan was a petite woman with gray hair that looks like it used to be blonde. Chloe looked like a younger version of her. She had the same fiery glint in her hazel eyes as Chloe did in hers.

 

It had taken a little bit of persuasion and begging to Clark's parents before they would let him go to Metropolis for two weeks on his own.

 

"Clark, that's the big city; there are all kinds of people out there," Jonathan said wearily. As much as he disagreed with a lot of his son's decisions, he didn't like to argue with him. He wanted to let Clark do what he wanted, but it was difficult to trust him with a secret so huge when he was still so young.

 

"Chloe's grandparents are going to be with us practically the whole time, Dad, and we're just going to the museums and the amusement parks," Clark said. "Maybe a ball game or two. What's the harm in that?"

 

"Yes, but you, Chloe and Pete are always getting into one dilemma or another," Jonathan persisted. "How much more in Metropolis?"

 

"There aren't any meteor rocks in Metropolis," Clark reminded him, his frustration starting to show.

 

"Clark, your father is just worried about you," Martha said in her soft, calm manner, trying to diffuse the tension. She looked at her husband. "Chloe's grandparents called this morning and specifically asked that Clark come and keep Chloe company. This means a lot to them."

 

Jonathan relented, but not without compromise. He gave Clark his mobile phone so he could call them anytime, and vice versa. Jonathan and Martha drove Chloe and Clark to the bus station that morning, and three hours later, Clark was stepping out into Metropolis on his own to stay with Chloe's family.

 

Nana opened the door to the house. After Clark gave his parents the obligatory phone call, Chloe took Clark on a grand tour of the house. It was built around 1910, but Chloe said additions and renovations made it virtually unrecognizable from the two-bedroom house it used to be. Sullivan Manor had a pool with a waterfall in the backyard, a hot tub, a guest cottage, the kitchen, a dining room, a library, a TV room ("With the surround sound, you feel like you're flying with Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun,'" Chloe explained wryly), Nana's sewing room, and an office where Gramps used to work but now uses just to smoke his cigars.

 

"My grandparents had four daughters and a son, my dad. Gretchen, Louise, Charlotte, Ellen, and Gabriel," Chloe explained as she led Clark up the stairs to the third floor. "They added the third floor when my Aunt Charlotte was born."

 

Chloe led Clark to the end of a hallway, where there was a door on each side and a door at the dead end. "Nana redecorated Aunt Charlotte's room as the guest room, and that's where you'll be staying" - the left door - "and I'm staying in my old room, which used to be Aunt Gretchen's room" - she nodded toward the right door - "and we're sharing a bathroom. Is that ... are you comfortable with that?" She looked a little anxious.

 

"Sure," Clark said. Chloe grinned and opened the door to his room. There were twin beds, a dresser with a boombox on top, and a bookshelf of books and pictures. He placed his duffel bag on a hope chest at the foot of the bed. A door to the side revealed a closet with a few coats hanging inside, and another door led to the bathroom.

 

"Just remember to lock both doors when you're using the bathroom," Chloe said as he peeked inside and saw another door directly opposite. "This isn't the Brady Bunch, you know." She flopped down on the bed.

 

Clark just grinned. The house was huge. Chloe's grandparents were awesome. He could definitely get used to this. He wandered over to the bookshelf to examine the pictures. One in particular caught his eye: It appeared to be a picture of Chloe at age six or so, in a pink tutu and shiny black tap shoes, beaming for the camera with another, darker-haired girl dressed in an identical outfit.

 

Clark picked it up and showed it to Chloe. "Chloe, will you sing 'The Good Ship Lollipop' for me?" he asked with a teasing grin.

 

Chloe dove across the bed, lunging at Clark's hand. But Clark was faster than her and held it over his head. "Give me that!" Chloe said, finally standing on the bed and grabbing it. "Before I came to my senses," she offered in explanation, "my cousin and I took singing and dancing lessons. Thank goodness we grew out of that phase," she added in a mutter.

 

Before Clark could tease her with another smart-aleck remark, a voice came from the intercom on the wall. "Chloe, Clark." It was Nana. "There are sandwiches in the kitchen for lunch."

 

Chloe jumped up and pressed a button on the intercom. "Thanks, Nana." She turned to Clark. "Ready for lunch?" she asked with a smile as she sat back down on the bed lazily.

 

Clark cocked his head and looked at Chloe with a scrutinizing eye. She was leaning back on the bed, propped on her elbows. She looked different, relaxed. She wasn't headed somewhere or researching something. She was just Chloe for once. "You seem so happy to be here," Clark said.

 

"My grandparents are the best," Chloe said simply, shrugging. "And I'm glad you're here with me." She held out her hand, and Clark pulled her to a standing position, and they headed down the stairs for lunch.

 

***

 

Chloe couldn't believe her luck. She had invited Clark and Pete at her grandparents' persistence. The last time she was here was for Spring Break, and she spent most of it focused on her laptop, putting the finishing touches on the following week's Torch. The only time she went anywhere was for her internship and when her cousins were around. Her grandparents were worried this time, especially since none of Chloe's cousins were coming until the end of the summer and she wouldn't have any company. In any case, she was secretly glad that it was only Clark who had come on the trip. Her grandmother knew how she felt about him because the last time she was there, all she could talk about was The Torch and Clark Kent, Clark Kent and The Torch. Chloe couldn't help it. Nana was so easy to talk to.

 

Chloe sighed as she rummaged through her suitcase, searching for her swimsuit. Nana had suggested an afternoon at the pool, winking at her. Chloe wasn't trying to be obvious about her crush on Clark. She didn't think she was, but Pete caught on quickly too. Pete said he knew from the first time Chloe had met Clark.

 

"You get all glassy-eyed when he comes around," Pete had said.

 

"I do not," Chloe replied defensively.

 

"Good comeback, Sullivan," Pete said, knocking her on the shoulder in a playful manner. "Got another one up your sleeve? You're usually much quicker with the retorts than that."

 

"I do NOT like Clark," Chloe repeated, even though her flushed cheeks, she was sure, contradicted her words. She knocked Pete's shoulder harder.

 

"It's OK - I won't tell," Pete said, laughing.

 

That was last summer. So much had happened since then. She was much closer to Clark than ever, but unfortunately for her, he was closer to Lana Lang than ever. Chloe didn't think this trip would be an opportunity for a romance, but she secretly held out hope. And this trip was certainly getting her closer to Clark than Lana could.

 

She found the red bikini that she had just bought and contemplated wearing last year's black one-piece instead. She wasn't one to try to show off her body, but she tried it on last week when she was at the mall and had loved it. In the store. Where it belonged.

 

"Come on, Chlo', get over it," she whispered to herself. She dressed in the bikini. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was pale because it was still early summer, but not bad. She brushed out her hair and washed the makeup off her face. With a towel wrapped around her waist, she headed downstairs. She spotted Clark climb out of the pool and dive in again, a vision of muscles and red swim trunks.

 

Chloe closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath to steady herself. "Take it easy, Chlo'," she whispered to herself.

 

Clark was swimming laps in the pool. It felt good to stretch his muscles out, enjoying the combination of the cool water and the warm sun on his back. He dove under, relishing the weightless feeling of being underwater. He floated to the bottom and pushed off with his toes, breaking through the surface.

 

As he lifted his head, he caught sight of Chloe walking through the back door wearing a red bikini and a bright blue towel wrapped around her waist. Her blond hair was brushed out, and she wasn't wearing makeup. Clark noticed how pretty she was, probably for the first time since he'd met her. She sat down in a lawn chair, slung the towel from her waist on the back of the chair, and started applying sunscreen to her arms and legs.

 

She looked up and noticed Clark staring at her bare legs. "I would say 'take a picture, it lasts longer,' but I'm trying to avoid clichés today," she said, without the usual snippiness in her voice. It was almost half-hearted.

 

Clark blinked and looked away. He snapped out of it. "What took you so long?" he asked.

 

"I couldn't find my swimsuit," she said. She sat at the water's edge gingerly and dangled her feet in the pool.

 

"Hey, we match," Clark commented, noting her red bikini and his red shorts. "Is that all you're going to do?" he added with disgust, as she continued to sit on the pool's edge without any sign of going in.

 

"Yeah, so -" she started to say, but she was too late. He had grabbed her arm and pulled her in all the way, submerging her.

 

"After the whole Sean Kelvin fiasco, I'm glad you're able to jump in a pool again," Clark said after Chloe resurfaced.

 

Chloe pushed her sopping hair from her face and scowled. "Ugh, don't remind me."

 

Clark turned over on his back and floated for awhile. He was enjoying being with this Chloe, the Metropolis Chloe. Take her out of the weirdness of Smallville and away from the Wall of Weird, and she was just Chloe. He looked over at her, near his feet, fiddling with the strap on her swimsuit. He looked straight up, the sun momentarily hidden by a puff of calm, white cloud.

 

Clark felt a hand grab his ankle and pull. "What the -?" But all he got was a mouthful of water. When he came back up, Chloe was laughing.

 

"Now we're even," she said with a grin.

 

Clark tilted his head and looked at Chloe, so carefree and happy. "So tell me about your Metropolis," Clark said. Chloe climbed into a floating lounge chair and pushed the other toward Clark. He got in and floated next to her.

 

"Nothing much to tell, really," Chloe said. "It's crowded, it's fun, it's busy." Chloe didn't look like she wanted to talk about it.

 

"Where did you go to school?" Clark said. "Near here?"

 

"Yeah. Metropolis Day Academy." It was obvious she didn't want to talk about school. Clark switched tactics.

 

"Where's the Daily Planet offices?"

 

Chloe's face lit up. Clark noticed that when she threw her head back, her blue eyes twinkled in the sun's reflection. "My dad used to drive me every morning when I interned there. We'll go tomorrow. You can meet the crew. And we can get coffee at Butch's across the street."

 

"Butch's?" Clark's tone was incredulous. There were coffee shops called Butch's?

 

"Yes, Butch's. I suppose you think 'The Beanery' isn't that funny a name for a restaurant, either." Clark couldn't disagree. "They make the best Milky Way mochas this side of the solar system," Chloe continued, making patterns in the water with her hand. "And they have REALLY good apple Danishes." Chloe knew Clark couldn't resist apple Danishes.

 

"You know what, Chloe?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I think I like Metropolis."

 

***

 

Nana watched the two teenagers from her armchair through the living room picture window. She was reading a book, but the sound of laughter made her turn toward the backyard. They were drifting lazily in the lounge chairs, teasing each other. Clark pulled at Chloe's chair, capsizing it. Chloe came up sputtering, and upset Clark's chair in revenge. The two proceeded to play a game of chase, which culminated in a very loud splashing match.

 

"She looks like she's having fun," Gramps said, taking a seat in the armchair opposite from Nana.

 

"I was concerned," Nana said. "But not as much as before they came. Every time she visits, she insists on spending time only with us. She never calls Gwen Sumner anymore."

 

"I'm sure she's just letting things cool off after that scandal," Gramps said reassuringly. He picked up the newspaper on the coffee table and skimmed the front page.

 

"That was over a year ago, Eddie," Nana reminded him.

 

"Chloe trusts us enough to tell us if there's anything we need to know. Besides, maybe she thinks we're just getting old." Gramps chuckled behind his newspaper.

 

Nana hesitated because her head told her she was right. And yes, Chloe did look happy. It used to be that during the summer, Chloe's classmates, dozens at a time on occasion, would crowd the pool and hold barbecues on the terrace. Or hold snowball fights out front and build snow forts during the winter. But this past school year had been different. Until now. She was not holed up in her room with a laptop, or sitting in Butch's Coffee House with the Daily Planet and three or four cups of coffee to last her the entire day. In any case, this Clark Kent seemed to be a very good friend to her. Nana only wished that Chloe would tell her what had caused this change.

 

***

 

That evening after dinner, Clark got ready for bed as he listened to the sounds in the bathroom. Running water, overhead fan, and toilet flushing. When he saw the thin sliver of light from the bottom of the doorway go out, he knocked gently.

 

"Go ahead," Chloe called.

 

Clark brushed his teeth and washed his face. After he finished, he noticed Chloe's door was ajar. He knocked on it.

 

"Come in," Chloe said.

 

Clark had not been in Chloe's room. The sight surprised him. The walls were covered in a pink flowered wallpaper, and the hardwood floor was covered with a rug patterned with pink roses. Frilly pink and white curtains covered the windows. Two beds had matching pink striped duvets and pink lace-trimmed pillows. One bed was covered with pink and white stuffed animals. The only sign of the Chloe he knew were the Daily Planet front pages displayed on the walls as another teenage girl would display posters of the latest boy band. And, of course, her laptop on the desk, turned off for once. The Daily Planet above her bed had a headline that screamed, "Meteor Shower Terrorizes Smallville," and the ones over her white wooden desk read, "Nixon Resigns" and "Mourning Princess Diana." A corkboard was filled with news clippings, which Clark assumed was her miniature Wall of Weird. Chloe, in her olive camouflage-printed pajamas, looked totally out of place.

 

"Not a word about the room, Clark," Chloe said, kicking off her slippers and sitting on the bed next to the window. "My cousin and I share it when she's here. She lived here first, so she picked out the décor."

 

Clark hid a smile. "I didn't say anything."

 

"I can see the Barbie jokes on your lips," Chloe said. "Put them away before I bludgeon you with ..." She looked around the room, but couldn't find anything sufficient. "With something pink. Living in a bottle of Pepto Bismol is not my idea."

 

"Oh, come on, Chloe," Clark continued in a teasing voice. He walked around the room. There were lots of pictures of Chloe as a child, mostly with a brown-haired girl he assumed was the cousin she shared the room with. They were on the bookshelves, on the desk. More pictures of Chloe in tutus, Chloe in Halloween costumes, Chloe smiling with her grandparents and other members of her family.

 

"How old is your cousin?" Clark asked.

 

"Umm, she's a year younger than us," Chloe said, not paying attention. She took today's edition of the Daily Planet from her nightstand and started cutting off the front page. Clark had seen her do that plenty of times at home. She kept all the front pages, except for the ones she hung on her walls, in a series of scrapbooks.

 

Clark moved over to the nightstand, where there was only one picture frame. He sat on the bed opposite from Chloe and noticed with surprise that it was a picture of Chloe and himself. He remembered that day. Clark had snatched Chloe's new digital camera from her, and he and Pete had played keep-away. Finally, Chloe jumped on Clark's back. Clark had handed the camera to Pete as Clark and Chloe laughed heartily, him struggling with her on his back. Pete had snapped the picture and here it was, preserved for all eternity.

 

"Hey, how come I've never seen this picture?" Clark said, picking it up and showing it to her.

 

Chloe looked up. Her eyes grew wide for a split second before she snatched the picture from Clark's hand and placed it face-down on the nightstand. "Oh, um, I forgot." She looked at the small travel clock on her next to her bed and saw that it was ten o'clock. "Hey, look, it's ten. Time for bed." She jumped up and yanked on Clark's arm, maneuvering him toward the bathroom.

 

"Chloe, it's the third day of summer and it's ten o'clock," Clark complained. "Are you serious?"

 

"As a coronary," Chloe said. "We're waking up at six to get the first edition of the Planet and get a cappuccino."

 

"Do you not sleep?" Clark said, pausing in the doorway to look at her.

 

Chloe pretended to hesitate, then said, "No." She pointed to his bedroom.

 

"OK. But I refuse to get up that early just for a newspaper."

 

"OK," Chloe said.

 

"Don't wake me up," Clark warned.

 

"Yes, Clark," Chloe said, turning around and snuggling under the covers.

 

***

 

Chloe's alarm began beeping at six, but she had been awake for a half-hour. She ran out of the shower wearing only a towel, pulling on her bathrobe and picking up her clock. She slung her towel around her shoulders. Without turning the alarm off, she headed for the bathroom again, but this time going through to Clark's room.

 

He was sleeping on his stomach wearing only his pajama bottoms. His blankets had fallen on the floor. Chloe pushed away her desire to gawk at his muscles again and held the clock directly over Clark's ear.

 

After about three solid seconds of shrill, repetitious beeping Clark picked up his pillow and flung it over his head, drowning out the noise. And yet it persisted.

 

"Chloe! Are you crazy?" he mumbled. But she didn't say anything. She continued to hold the clock radio resolutely near Clark's head until he sat up.

 

"Oh good, you're awake," Chloe said brightly. She switched off the alarm.

 

"What in the name of everything that is good and right are you doing in my room so early in the morning?" Clark looked up at his friend in the shadows. "And didn't I tell you not to wake me up?"

 

"I didn't wake you up," Chloe said innocently. "My alarm clock did. Sorry it was so loud," she added with fake sincerity.

 

Clark made a face. "All right, I'm up. Give me ten minutes to shower and we can go."

 

Chloe jumped up and squealed with delight. She ran back to her room to get changed. "We're going to the Daily Planet building, so look nice," Clark heard her say through the door.

 

***

 

It was almost seven in the morning when Chloe and Clark headed out. Clark had done as he was told and wore khakis, a white short-sleeved polo and oxfords. Chloe was looking particularly summery with an olive green skirt and a cream-colored V-neck shirt with a red design on it. On her feet were her usual military boots. The subway station was about three blocks from Sullivan Manor, and the ride took twenty minutes. Chloe said there were already copies out everywhere, but "the good edition is distributed downtown." They ran into a crowded Butch's to get Milky Way mochas, then headed across the street to the Daily Planet.

 

The Daily Planet building was on the corner of Byrne Avenue and Berling Drive. A huge metal globe hung over the entrance conspicuously. Clark and Chloe entered the building, with Chloe keeping up a steady chatter on the history of the Daily Planet, the building it was housed in, and the security system.

 

Chloe walked up to the security guard posted at the desk and smiled. "Hi, Kirk. How are you?"

 

"Sully! Where have you been?" Kirk stepped out from behind the desk to give Chloe a hug.

 

"My dad moved us to the country," Chloe told him. "Kirk, this is my friend Clark. Can we go up to the newsroom? I just want to say hi."

 

"Of course. Just give me your driver's licenses and sign here, please." Clark and Chloe handed over their licenses and signed the guest ledger.

 

As they entered the elevator, Clark inquired, "Sully?"

 

Chloe laughed. "Yeah, a nickname one of the reporters came up with last summer. Some movie with Christopher Reeve and the editor's nickname was Sully." She pushed the button for the fourth floor.

 

"I'm learning new things about you every day," Clark said.

 

"Just because you're around someone every day, doesn't mean you know everything about them," Chloe said cryptically.

 

Clark looked at her with a questioning expression on his face, but he didn't have time to ask anything as the elevator doors opened to a large, bustling newsroom. People were running around, talking loudly on the phone and pounding away on their computers. There were no cubicles. The desks seemed to be arranged in a haphazard manner in various clusters on the open floor.

 

As Chloe led Clark by the arm through the throngs of people, some called out, "Sully!" as if they were old friends and Chloe would wave back to them.

 

"For someone who holds such animosity toward the popular set, you sure have picked up a fan following around here," Clark remarked.

 

"Oh, I just showed a little initiative when I was working here," Chloe said vaguely. She reached the other end of the newsroom, where there were a row of doors to offices. She knocked on the one marked, "Dave Feldman, City Editor."

 

"Come on in," a gruff voice said.

 

Chloe opened the door. The man inside was in his sixties, with a balding head and wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt and tie. He had a friendly face that instantly smiled when he saw Chloe's face.

 

"Sully!" he exclaimed, opening his arms out.

 

"It's great to see you, Feldman," Chloe said, hugging him. "This is my friend, Clark Kent."

 

"Nice to meet you, Clark. I'm Dave Feldman. Are you a budding journalist, too?" Feldy asked.

 

"No," Clark said. "Well, I'm not sure yet. Today I'm just doing a day in the life of Chloe Sullivan."

 

"We're here to pick up the downtown edition," Chloe said. Feldman took a copy from his cluttered desk and handed it to Chloe.

 

"How's ... what did you call it? 'The leafy little hamlet'? Smallville?" Feldman inquired, sitting in his seat and gesturing for the two to sit down.

 

Chloe's mouth opened and didn't shut up for twenty minutes, to Clark's surprise. She talked about Smallville as if it were her home. She told an amused Feldman about her meteor shower theories, and he gave her some suggestions on how to follow up. Clark jumped in with some tidbits, and accepted Feldman’s offer to come by the Daily Planet for an internship if ever he wanted to try journalism.

 

***

 

"Hey, Pete, how are you?" Clark said. He was surprised to hear his sick friend's voice when his cell phone rang. He had been in Metropolis for four days and was trying unsuccessfully to tie a tie. He gave up and placed it on the dresser dejectedly. He looked at himself in the mirror. He could get away with gray slacks and a light blue shirt, right? It was summer. Maybe people in the city didn't notice ties anymore.

 

"I'm fine. I'm bored. And tired. I wish I could be in Metropolis with you guys," Pete said flatly. "So what have you guys been doing?"

 

"We went to the art museum, the paleontology museum, the park to go in-line skating - man, I didn't know Chloe could tear it up with those Rollerblades."

 

Pete laughed. "Speed Demon Chloe, who would have thought? Wait, hasn't she taken you to the Daily Planet offices yet? From the way she raves about that place I'm surprised you don't take a weekly stroll through it every morning to experience the aroma of fresh newsprint."

 

"Oh, she did, the first day," Clark said. "It's really weird; she's like the Queen Mother over there. Everyone knew her name. They practically bowed at her feet." He heard a knock coming from the bathroom door. "Speaking of the queen, you want to talk to her?"

 

"Yeah, put her on."

 

Clark opened the bathroom door. Chloe was dressed very elegantly in a simple navy blue dress trimmed with black lace. In place of her military boots were sandals, and her toenails were painted a bright red. Her hair was pinned at the sides.

 

"Watch out, House of Style," Clark said, whistling as Chloe strolled into the room. Chloe slapped the back of his head. "Ow!" Clark smoothed his hair back into place. She took the phone from Clark's hand.

 

"Hey, Pete," she said. "Yeah, we're going to the Metropolis Symphony with my grandparents. How are you? Well, I'm sorry you didn't get to join us. Yeah, it's been fun. OK. Bye."

 

She hung up the phone and handed it to Clark. She did a double take when she took a good look at him. "You're not leaving this room unless you're wearing a tie," she informed him.

 

"I was having trouble," Clark said, pointing to the dresser.

 

Chloe sighed. She picked up the tie, draped it around her neck and started tying, peering into the mirror above the dresser as she worked.

 

"You're going to look silly wearing that tie," Clark told her. "It doesn't match your dress."

 

Chloe scowled. She had made a perfect knot. She loosened it and slipped it over Clark's head. "You better watch what you're saying, Kent. I could easily make this into a noose."

 

"How'd you learn to do that?"

 

Chloe shrugged. "Gramps taught me."

 

***

 

"You make a beautiful couple," Nana said as Chloe and Clark walked down the stairs. Chloe shot her a look. How embarrassing! Why doesn't she just tell Clark that Chloe had a big, fat crush on him?

 

Nana's face looked alarmed for a moment, but then Gramps jumped in with, "You both look very nice. That dress is perfect on you, Chloe."

 

"Thanks, Gramps."

 

The Metropolis Symphony was great. It was the first time Clark had ever experienced classical music live. He also didn't realize Chloe was so cultured. She had to have been, he concluded, living in the city and going out with her grandparents all the time, who said they were patrons of the symphony, whatever that meant. She told him when to clap, how to sit and some things about the music they were hearing. Nana, who sat on the other side of Clark, told him they knew the conductor and maybe they'd get to meet him after the performance.

 

When intermission began, Chloe stood up. "Clark, come with me downstairs. I need to use the restroom."

 

"OK," Clark said. He never understood why girls couldn't just go to the restroom by themselves, but he knew better than to cross Chloe.

 

They made their way out to the foyer area, where people were already milling about. Clark waited outside the restroom entrance for Chloe. He looked around and saw a group of three girls who were around his age, standing about ten feet away from him. One, who seemed to be the leader, had fiery red hair and was wearing a fluffy pink gown and had a white sheer wrap low on her shoulders. She threw her head back and laughed loudly.

 

"We'll go back to our seats soon, Iris," the red-haired girl told a curly-haired brunette standing next to her. She was switching the weight on her feet as if her shoes hurt. "I thought I saw Chloe Sullivan here."

 

Clark's brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything.

 

"I can't believe she had the nerve to come back to Metropolis," Iris said. "Knowing everyone at school hates her."

 

"Well, she can't stay away from the Daily Planet," said the third girl, who had thin, sandy brown hair and was wearing a green gown. "She likes to be where she's worshipped."

 

The red-haired girl sighed. "Yes, well, when I see her, she'll know I'm not a member of her little fan club."

 

Clark opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He didn't know these girls, and he didn't know why they hated Chloe so much.

 

At that moment, Chloe walked out of the bathroom. "Sorry to keep you waiting. There was a long -" Chloe stopped in her tracks. &quuot;Come on, Clark," she whispered urgently. She took a hold of his arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction.

 

"But our seats are that way," Clark protested, pulling her toward the way they came.

 

"Come ON," Chloe repeated, pulling him even harder. She went up the stairs on the other side of the theater, and when they got inside, she cut across the entire theater to where their seats were.

 

"Chloe, I just saw Gwen Sumner," Nana said as they sat back down.

 

"Oh," was Chloe's only reply.

 

"She was with Iris Donnelly and ... Eddie, what was that other girl's name? The Harrisons' child?"

 

"Rebecca," Chloe supplied. "Nana, I'm not friends with them anymore."

 

"Why?" Clark asked, before he could stop himself. As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He braced himself for a Chloe tantrum.

 

But she looked at her grandparents, then at Clark. To Clark's surprise she only shrugged. But her eyes became sad and she kept her eyes downward.

 

She was quiet and distracted throughout the rest of the show and in the car ride home, she stared out the window and said nothing. To be polite, Clark chatted with Nana and Gramps, but he stole sideways glances at Chloe every now and then. Once, Nana turned around and took a quick glance at her too. Nana exchanged a quick look with Clark just as the car pulled into the driveway.

 

***

 

Chloe ran upstairs quickly when she got into the house. She was afraid she was going to burst into tears. Chloe Sullivan never cried, especially not in front of her friends. Nana sometimes maybe, but she would never cry in front of Clark or Pete.

 

"Chloe, want a sandwich?" Clark called toward her.

 

"No."

 

She listened carefully, but no footsteps followed up the stairs. She assumed Clark had stayed in the kitchen for his sandwich. As soon as she got inside her room, she slammed the door and kicked off her sandals. Of course Gwen, Iris and stupid Rebecca Harrison were going to be at the symphony. Their parents and grandparents were patrons, just as Nana and Gramps were.

 

Chloe slipped her dress off quickly and threw it on the closet floor. She removed the pins from her hair and ran a brush through it. She changed into her yellow "Property of Smallville" T-shirt and a pair of red pajama bottoms. Now she was Chloe of Smallville again. She only came back to Metropolis for Gramps and Nana, she told herself. She didn't care what those girls thought, because if they were going to stop being friends with her because of ... well, something that happened a long time ago that wasn't even her fault. They didn't deserve to be her friends anymore anyway. Besides, Nana and Gramps were proud of her, and their opinions, along with her own parents', were what counted most.

 

But still ... Chloe wondered what would have happened if she hadn't done what she did and she was still part of the crowd. She probably wouldn't have gone with her father to Smallville, for one, and she would have kept going to the Metropolis Day Academy and lived with Gramps and Nana, at least through high school. But that also meant that she wouldn't have met Clark.

 

Chloe flopped down on her bed and picked up the photo with her and Clark in it. She slid the backing away to reveal another picture of four girls - Chloe, Gwen, Iris and Rebecca, wearing blue and silver cheerleading uniforms. Those were the days. It was only in seventh grade that that picture had been taken, but it seemed a lifetime ago. Chloe was one of the most popular middle schoolers at the academy. She realized then that the reason why she ragged on Lana Lang so much was because she reminded Chloe of Gwen Sumner. Lana was more sensitive, Chloe conceded, and less abrasive. But they were both popular and perfect. Chloe had been too, until ...

 

She heard a knock on her door. She hurriedly wiped away the tears on her pillowcase and smoothed her shirt down. She put the picture frame back together and placed it on the edge of her nightstand. "Come in," she called, expecting Nana or Gramps.

 

But it was Clark, and he was holding a tray of cookies, sandwiches and steaming mugs. He was still wearing his symphony outfit, but the tie was loosened and his jacket was gone.

 

"I know you don't seem in the mood, but Gramps and Nana made enough for both of us," he said with a smile. He set the tray on the bench at the foot of Chloe's bed.

 

Chloe merely smiled, still not trusting her voice. She scooted over on the bed to make room for Clark.

 

"It's hot chocolate," Clark said, handing her a mug. "I was trying to convince Nana to make you a Milky Way mocha, but she said she didn't want you bouncing off the walls all night."

 

Chloe finally laughed. Clark looked relieved. She took a sandwich and started munching. Crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jelly. Nana and Gramps were pulling out all the stops! That was her favorite.

 

"Look, Chloe, I'm not one to pry," Clark said. He took a sip of his own hot chocolate. "But ... I'd like to think I'm your friend, if not one of your best friends. And if you ever need someone to listen or whatever, I'm really good at that."

 

"I know," Chloe said. "You are my best friend. I'm sorry. You deserve an explanation, but Nana and Gramps don't even know, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell anyone."

 

"It's OK," Clark said. "You don't have to tell me, but I can keep a secret, you know." Chloe gave a little mysterious smile, because she did know, but he didn't know that.

 

They ate in silence for a few minutes, and Chloe began to nibble on the edge of a sugar cookie.

 

"Clark, remember when I said that everyone has secrets?"

 

Clark looked at her carefully, not understanding yet where that question was leading. "Yes," he said at last. "I do remember."

 

"Have you ever kept a secret because you want to believe it didn't really exist, when you suddenly realize that it's just because you don't want to face the truth?"

 

Clark began to look ... scared? Chloe wasn't sure she was reading his expressions correctly.

 

"I think so," he answered cautiously.

 

Chloe sighed. "OK, then get ready to see the skeleton in my closet." She retrieved the picture frame from her nightstand and slid Clark's photo out again. She handed the hidden picture to Clark.

 

Clark's eyes widened. "YOU were a member of the pom-pom brigade? I don't believe it!"

 

"Believe it, Clark. I was a card-carrying member and then some. Those three girls were the ones I tried to avoid tonight."

 

Clark tore his eyes off the picture long enough to look at Chloe. "Why? What happened?"

 

Chloe reached over the side of the bed and pulled out one of her scrapbooks.

 

"Why do you keep that scrapbook under the bed?" Clark asked. Her other books were displayed prominently on her bookshelf.

 

Chloe didn't say anything. She flipped to the first page and turned it around so Clark could see. The date was from last year, and the headline was about Metropolis's mayor George Sumner. He was arrested for embezzlement and various other charges, as well as implicated in some Mob-related deals. There was a smaller picture of a suspected Mob boss named Johnny "the Rocket" Romano below. Clark vaguely remembered seeing it on the news.

 

Clark skimmed the article then looked at Chloe with questions in his eyes.

 

Chloe began her story. "This story broke right before I got my internship at The Daily Planet. It shocked the hell out of me because Gwen Sumner - the mayor's daughter - was my best friend. And the cheerleading captain.

 

"Mr. Sumner was always nice to me. I thought he was innocent. His lawyer put up bail and he was released from jail later that week. To celebrate his coming home, the Sumners held a dinner at their lawyer's house, Mr. Richards or something. They invited my dad and me. After dinner, Gwen and I hung out on the terrace, but then I had to use the restroom. She didn't give good directions, so I made a couple of wrong turns."

 

Chloe looked on the verge of tears. But she continued her story, tracing her finger on the Daily Planet logo on the page before her.

 

"I saw a door that was partway open, and I heard voices. I thought I'd ask for directions. But when I reached the door, I recognized this man's face." She pointed to Johnny Romano. "He was arguing with Gwen's dad. Mr. Sumner was mad at him for coming to Mr. Richards' house because people might have been watching him. Johnny Romano said that he came in through the back, and that no one saw. It was like a train wreck, Clark - I wanted to stop looking, but I couldn't. They talked about some other stuff, stuff that really would have gotten Mr. Sumner into trouble.

 

"I freaked out. I asked Gwen if her father knew Johnny Romano. She got mad that I would ask her such a thing and wouldn't talk to me the rest of the night. I went to Feldman my first day at work and told him what I saw ... You know, the guy at the Daily Planet?" Clark nodded. "He didn't believe me at first. He thought I was an ambitious kid who didn't know what she was talking about. But he had a couple of reporters stake out Mr. Richards’ house."

 

Chloe sighed. She turned the pages, to another headline several weeks later. The photo showed three men handcuffed, the caption proclaiming them to be Mr. Richards, the mayor and Johnny Romano, being led out of a house by police officers. The article said that a tip by a Daily Planet reporter and photographer led to their arrest.

 

"Gwen never forgave me after that. She thought that I was spying on her dad that night, and that I had ruined their lives. She said all I cared about was becoming a reporter and impressing people at the Daily Planet. She told her friends - our friends - that I was a nosy snoop and that I couldn't be trusted. Of course, they all felt sorry for her and believed her. Her parents got divorced right after Mr. Sumner went to jail. Her grandparents started having to pay for her school tuition, and I think her mom had a breakdown a couple of months ago." Chloe looked up at Clark with tears streaking her pink cheeks. "I've never had anyone hate me before, Clark. It felt terrible. And I really DID feel like it was my fault."

 

Clark moved closer to Chloe and put his arms around her. She sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder, letting the pent-up emotions of the last year spill out at last. She didn't realize all the emotions and anger she had kept inside. All the times she had insulted Lana and pushed away good, well-meaning people like Clark and Pete ... It was all because of this one event. It became obvious why her parents and grandparents were always asking her what was the matter. It was because she had turned from a nice, bubbly cheerleader into a cynical, cold reporter.

 

Clark's hug did wonders. She felt safe, as she always did when Clark was around. She couldn't explain why, but from the moment she met him, she trusted him. She wondered why she waited so long to tell him. She lifted her head and looked at Clark. "I got your nice shirt all boogered," she said with a meek smile.

 

But Clark remained serious. "It's OK. We all have secrets, and yours is nothing to be ashamed of."

 

"I know. But I don't want my family to think I had sold out my friend's dad."

 

"You were only doing the honest thing. And you didn't do anything; Gwen's dad did. None of this is your fault."

 

Chloe didn't say anything. She only looked down at her Daily Planet scrapbook. "I threw myself into the Torch because it hit me how powerful the media was. A news report could make or break lives. I suppose with the work I did, I was trying to redeem myself for ruining Gwen's life. That's why ..."

 

Chloe took a deep breath, hesitating. Was this the time to tell him she knew? Was there ever a good moment to tell someone you knew their secrets? She took the plunge.

 

"That's why I never told anyone about you."

 

Clark looked alarmed. "What are you talking about, Chloe?"

 

Chloe stood up. "Clark, I've known you for over a year. You're late for the bus, and suddenly you're at school before Pete and I get there. You were in a limo, having the non-date of your dreams, and suddenly you show up at school to save me. After you left that night, Clark, I went back and looked at the pool. You smashed through six inches of solid ice with your bare fist to get my ankle out. I saw the lock that you drilled through at animal control, and Lex Luthor told me you lifted him and Earl Jenkins from that catwalk. Tell me that doesn't add up to something interesting."

 

"But ... But I -"

 

Chloe shook her head. "I know the meteor shower affected you, too. Did you really think that your best friend, who is one of the leading sources on the meteor shower, wouldn't have picked up on YOU? You're so obvious, Clark. I would have to be galactically stupid - and blind - not to see the gifts you have." She sat down on the bed again and looked at him squarely. "And I'm not telling anyone. You're the best friend I've ever had, and you haven't done anything wrong."

 

"Nothing to deserve being on the Wall of Weird?" Clark asked worriedly.

 

"No," Chloe said. "I'll never put you on the Wall of Weird, Clark. Because for a guy who's so ... I don't know, SUPER ... you're actually normal way down deep." She put her hand on top of his. He smiled.

 

"I really underestimated you," Clark said. "I'm sorry."

 

"Just don't let it happen again," Chloe said with a grin. "And you really can trust me with your secret. I've known for a really long time."

 

"I know I can trust you, Chloe," he said, putting his arms around her in another hug. "Thank you."

 

***

 

Two weeks later, Clark was sitting in his loft in the barn again, peering through his telescope. Except this time it wasn't pointed at Lana's house. It was actually in a different window, pointed toward Chloe's. He watched as she helped her father unload groceries from the trunk of the car. She was laughing and talking with him. As much as Chloe was embarrassed by her father, when other people weren't around she really loved him and enjoyed being with him.

 

The night of the symphony changed a lot of things. He told Chloe about how his skin was invulnerable, and how he could run really fast. He told her about his super strength, and how being around meteor rocks made him sick. He left out the part about the spaceship though - he wasn't sure if he wanted to share that with anyone right now, if at all. He didn't tell his parents that Chloe knew, either - he had a feeling they might overreact and worry themselves to death, what with Chloe's penchant for the weirdness of all things Smallville- and meteor-related.

 

And yet Clark meant it when he said he trusted her. There was a new dimension to their relationship that he didn't quite understand, but he was comfortable with it. Pete had noticed it the moment they arrived back in Smallville, but Clark denied everything. Not that there was a budding romance between them or anything like that - but for the first time, Clark looked at Chloe as a girl. It was a strange thing to feel and think. But before he had always thought of her as weird Chloe, reporter Chloe, loudmouthed Chloe. And now she was a Chloe with real feelings, with a past and secrets just like him, and he understood her and her motivations a little better. And still loved her and valued her friendship, probably more now than ever.

 

Clark abandoned the telescope and took out a series of photographs that Chloe had taken of his "weird exploits" - the doorknob he had ruined at Animal Control, the photo of the iced-over swimming pool, Principal Kwan's charred car, and others. He realized that he would have to be more careful about letting people see him using his gifts. Chloe was much closer to him than Pete even, but other people might start picking up on it with a little digging and a creative imagination.

 

He placed the photos in a metal wastebasket and lighted a match. He dropped the match, watching the embers glow brightly and then gradually dim to a smoldering flame. Chloe had assured him these were the only copies of the photos and that she had erased them from her hard drive.

 

Clark heard a tapping from below. "Hello?" said a voice that was unmistakably Chloe. She had been knocking on the barn door.

 

"Hey, come on up," he said.

 

"Were you spying on me?" Chloe asked as she climbed the stairs, noticing that the telescope pointed in a different direction.

 

"Why? Do you have any secrets?" Clark asked.

 

"No," Chloe said with a smile. "Not anymore."

 

- Fin -

 

12.26.2001

Revised 02.15.2002