Walking down the aisle to the supermarket, Clark tries hard to not let
his boots squeak against the shiny linoleum floor, not wanting his presence known in this of all places. Passing the numerous packs of plastic diapers, he freezes, finding it difficult to believe he allowed Chloe to convince him something so insane could possibly happen.
As though able to read his mind, she turns around, whispering the painfully obvious, "Clark, do I really need to tell you that weirder things have happened? This is Smallville, remember? The town you rode in to on your spaceship?"
Too incredibly freaked out to respond, already envisioning himself plastered on Chloe's wall of weird, he brings his eyes back down to the floor, praying another meteor shower will hit, and this time land right on him.
"Come on, you baby," she says, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down
past the boxes of tampons. "Oh, sorry," she says, realizing the word 'baby' isn't exactly one he wants to hear right now.
Seeing all the color drain from his face, a sight she cannot bear to endure, Chloe stops cold in her tracks, taking his large hand into hers squeezing it gently to punctuate her point. "Clark, whatever happens, whatever this turns out to be, it will be okay. I promise."
Clark brings his eyes to meet his friend's, always seeing behind hers hope, faith, and unconditional love. It's the curious hint of sadness he sees reflected in the flecks of green this time that makes him wonder just how she could be so sure, wondering if she had already traveled a similar path.
Reaching the embarrassing shelf of boxes with titles offering instant results to the fears now plaguing Clark's mind, Chloe fixes her eyes on the different brands, seeming to not be ashamed at all to stand in front of the pregnancy tests.
"Digital read out? What kind of moron can't read two freaking lines on a stick?" Chloe rolls her eyes.
"Just grab one," Clark says, his eyes darting back and forth, panic stricken that someone might see them there.
"You don't want to get a false read out," she says, reading the back of one of the boxes carefully.
"I don't want to get a read out at all," he says, almost as red as the shirt on his back.
"But you do want an answer," Chloe snaps, rolling her eyes as she reluctantly grabs a test, giving into the man nervously pacing behind her.
X x X x X
"Oh God!" Clark moans, every ounce of color fading right out of his face.
"What!" Chloe yells, literally feeling like her heart just stopped.
"It's pink!" he screams, thrusting the page of instructions into her face. "Pink!"
"Good grief," Chloe sighs, letting her hand fall from her rapidly beating heart. "You didn't mind pink so much when it was draped all over Lana." She turns the creased page of directions right side up, hoping to discern how to read the results.
"Pink is bad. I know pink is bad," Clark mumbles, pacing nervously in front of his friend's bed.
"Well, I've been saying that for years," Chloe says, trying to add some levity to the situation as her eyes try to confirm his fear.
"What does it say?" he asks, feeling he might fall to pieces if the suspense is to continue.
"Um, maybe you should sit down," she says gently, biting her lip before breaking the news.
"I guess congratulations isn't exactly what you want to hear."