A/N: This was a challenge posed by some friends at Allison Mack Online. I thought there was going to be a contest on that site, but it turned out that there wasn't. Ah, well. Their loss is your gain, right?

Disclaimer: As much as I would have love to, I own nothing of Smallville. This fiction, as with all my fan fics, are a celebration of my love of Smallville. If the PTB want to sue those that love their property, I guess that's their choice…

Prologue

"Yes, sir. I understand, Mr. Luthor. Thank you for the opportunity." Gabe Sullivan felt like he was babbling to the most important man for his business career. "The Smallville venture sounds like an amazing opportunity to learn and I'm so grate… Yes, sir. I understand that you're a busy man. Y-yes, sir. I will meet you at the Ross Factor at 8am this Thursday. And th…" He pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it unseeingly. Thankfully, he'd had just enough experience at LuthorCorp to know that Lionel Luthor had just ended their conversation like he would with anyone else that was rambling. He hung the phone up with a trembling hand.

"Dada, dada!" came a beloved, yet insistent voice. He turned toward it in time to see his two year old daughter toddling toward him.

With a crow of excitement, he swept her up in his arms and around to her squealing delight. "There's my brilliant reporter!" he chuckled when he tapped her nose with his finger. He looked around and could suddenly feel the wrongness of the apartment. "Where's Mommy, Chloe-bear?"

Chloe pulled a face and pointed toward the master bedroom. "Mama feel baaad," she said sadly.

Gabe's heart took a dive as his feet dragged them into the offending room. Clara was lying in the bed, just staring up at the ceiling. If he hadn't seen this on a more increasing basis over the last two years ("Ever since Chloe was born," his treacherous mind reminded him.), he would have thought she'd had a stroke or something. He set Chloe on her feet and gently nudged her out of the room. "Go play, Chloe-bear. Daddy'll take care of Mommy." She bestowed upon him a shining smile and happily toddled into the living room. Carefully, he eased the door shut before he was able to turn and deal with his wife. He sat on the edge of the bed furthest from her, knowing her tendency to panic if someone came too near her when she was like that. "Clara?" he whispered. "Clara, honey?"

"They're poisoning the water," she breathed, not even bothered with looking at him. "I can see everyone dead. We all need water… How can we resist them?"

He sighed deeply. As much as he loved his little family, he definitely didn't have time for this. "No one's poisoning us," he said soothingly, reaching his hand out to pat her hand. When she threw herself against the opposite wall, he knew he'd made the wrong move.

"You're one of them," she screamed hoarsely. Gabe silently gave thanks that she was still lucid enough to remember Chloe was in the other room. "Don't touch me! I know you want to kill me…"

Gabe covered his eyes with a hand while he groaned. "Clara, honey… I wouldn't harm a hair on your head…" He would have moved closer, but she held her hand up while her face was frozen into an expression of horror. Damn it! he swore to himself. I'm not going to be able to reach her… Why does she always pick the most inconvenient times?!? He winced at the uncharitable thoughts he held for the woman he was legally bonded to. "I'll call Dr. Wilson. You know you always feel better when he's around…" She looked at him blankly until she slowly nodded.

He made the call quickly and, within an hour, his wife had been bundled up to take a trip to the sanitarium again. How many times has it been this time? He wondered bitterly. Twelve trips in the last six months. It's as if she isn't really in this family anymore. He felt a tug on his pants and looked down to see a somber Chloe staring up at him. He swept her up and hugged her tightly. "Looks like it's just you and me for a bit, Chloe," he told the little girl. "You know Mommy always feels better after these trips."

She nodded solemnly and replied, "Fee be'er." Then she gave his a kiss on the cheek and patted it in before wiggling to be let down.

He smiled after his daughter and sat at his desk despondently. He had to be in Smallville in 12 hours. With a sigh, he pulled their phone list toward him and started making calls. Forty-five minutes passed and no relief was in sight. He looked over at his daughter and wondered if he'd still be able to provide for her after he was going to be forced to skip this mandatory review of the Ross property. His mind blinked on and he sat up straight. Doesn't the Ross family have children of their own? Would they…? Could it be possible…? His stomach clenched uncomfortably, but he knew he didn't have another option available to him.

With trembling hands, he lifted the receiver and began to dial. "Hello?" a friendly woman's voice answered.

He took a deep breath. "Hello, Mrs. Ross?"

"Yes, who is this, please?"

He closed his eyes and decided to go for it. "Mrs. Ross, you don't know me, but my name is Gabe Sullivan and I'm one of the plant managers for LuthorCorp and my wife fell ill unexpectedly and I can't leave my daughter and absolutely none of our babysitters are available for this and if I don't get to this meeting, I'll lose my job and I know this is a total imposition and you don't know me, but would you be willing to watch my daughter while I go on the inspection tour with the LuthorCorp group and your husband? I would be willing to pay you for your time and I would really really appreciate it…" He trailed off uncertainly. He was met with silence on the other line and could feel the flush of embarrassment flood into his face. He wanted to groan in mortification. What was he thinking? Calling a perfect stranger to take care of his kid? He shook his head. "Mrs. Ross, I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have called you. I was just desperate and I thought I remembered that you had children and a son about my daughter's age… I'm so sorry to have bothered you. Have a nice night…"

But before he could hang up the phone, she interrupted his apologies. "Mr. Sullivan, don't be embarrassed. I absolutely understand your predicament. But are you sure you want a stranger to take care of your child?"

He swallowed hard. "Normally, the answer would be no, but considering that my job is in jeopardy here… I just didn't know what else to do." Suddenly he realized what he was proposing and his eyes flew over to his daughter. How could he even contemplate it? She was worth losing his job over! "You're right, of course. I… I don't think I could ask you to, after all."

A gurgle of laughter flooded down the phone lines. "Listen, Gabe… You don't mind if I call you Gabe, do you?" She didn't even give him the chance to object before she continued. "This will sound crazy, but if you're willing, why don't you drive down tonight and you can meet us to make that final decision. We have a guest room, but if you feel really uncomfortable with us, there is a motel in town that I know has vacancies right now."

"D… Do you really mean it?" Gabe could feel his jaw dragging along the floor. No one could be this nice… but did he have a choice? He looked at Chloe and made up his mind. "Well, if you don't mind…"

"I don't. I know that it's late and will be even later by the time you get here, but we'll be up waiting. See you soon, Gabe."

After they disconnected, he stared in awe at the phone until he realized that the Ross family would be waiting for him. "Chloe-bear, wanna' go on an adventure?"

A/N: Well, this is a work in progress. Obviously, this chapter was just giving you a plausible reason for Chloe to be in Smallville… because I can't write a Smallville fan fic without Chloe!