Chapter Three:

He was playing with Lex's gift.

She cleared her throat.  "Hey, Zorro."  She smiled amazed at how naturally her fake smiles had been coming to her lately.  She was almost proud of how believable they were.  She didn’t want to think about what that meant.  "What's with the sword?"

Clark breathed in.  "It’s a foil."

I know.

"I'm guessing it's a gift from our favorite millionaire playboy."

Playboy?

Sure he was but…  Slipping that in with Clark?  For Clark?  Was that it?  Did she think he shared the same feelings towards Lex that Lex...

Of course, she scolded herself.  You don't think that was one sided out there, do you?

But she hoped it was and with that hope came a blind girl's belief.

"He's thinking about moving back to Metropolis."

Her smile was weakening at the sadness and the frustration-

He wishes he'd done or said something to stop Lex.

-in his voice.

"I'm still here, Clark" she chirped weakly.  "I'm not going anywhere."

Way to be subtle there, Chloe.

He gave her a smile that grew into a grin.  It was genuine, but…

It wasn't what she was hoping for.

He looked back to the foil and her smile melted away completely.  What was I hoping for?

Easy.  A 'God, Chloe.  I feel so lonely right now.'  Or:  'My temporary brother's gone for good, my other best friend's leaving as well and I just can't be everyone's pillar all the time.'

Even a brief 'I need a hug' would've done, she thought sadly.

Something telling her that he was as human as her and that, no, he wasn't hiding anything from her.  Or, hell, even if he was, she wanted him to do or say something to prove to her that he knew that he could trust her.  That he could tell her anything.  Anything at all.  Ever.

Instead he buried and suppressed his emotions, keeping her at a distance.

She cleared her head and got to the exterior point of her visit.  "Um, sources at the sheriff's office have given me a heads up on Ryan's step-dad."

"You have sources?"

His skeptical tone hurt a little, but she didn't show it.  Instead she let her pride at her growing journalistic stature beam through.  "Yeah.  A cute cop in traffic.  I talked my way out of a speeding ticket.  He told me I was plucky."  She looked down.  "Maybe I'll ask him to prom."

Oh, my Lord.  Did I just-

She refused to let the shock at her own words show on her face.  Instead she looked up at Clark, both challenging him to say something and praying that he would.

He just looked uncomfortably down at the barn floor, no longer playing with the foil.

"Um," she plowed ahead.  "So, Ryan's step-dad is a real catch.  He's a career criminal."

She watched Clark flip the file open to the picture.  Her stomach grew queasy as his face changed from mid-level discomfort and depression to high-level panic.

She knew the boy too damn well.  He'd put a piece of some Clark-puzzle together and his face mirrored his expression when, months ago, he found that the invisible lurker in the Luthor Manor was not their schoolmate Amy, but her brother Jeff.

"This is Lex's limo driver."