A/N: After writing about Jimmy's view of the Chlark relationship in Infinity Shot, I discovered that his character had grown on me. :) So a sequel was born, in which Jimmy, Clark and Chloe all face off on the night of the Daily Planet's Halloween party.

In other news, the Planet nearly blows up. :D

Action Capture

Chapter One

Only Chloe Sullivan, I thought, could look beautiful with a pencil clenched between her teeth. Even more beautiful to me was the fact that, for once, Clark Kent was nowhere in sight.

I dropped a small takeout bag on the corner of her desk in the Planet newsroom, and she glanced up from the pile of photos she'd been picking through all morning. Sliding the pencil out of her mouth, she grinned and lifted a steaming to-go latte out of the bag. "Thanks, Jimmy. You're a life-saver."

"Nah, that's you, remember?" I answered, thinking about last month's trip to the Kansas branch of Ripley's Believe It or Not. "Smallville? Killer plants? Paddles?" I looked around cautiously. "No C.K. today? Y'know, I was beginning to wonder how that guy manages to hang around here so much, and still run his family farm all the way out there in the country."

I was surprised to see Chloe's grin freeze, as if I'd hit the "pause" button on a video, but it was only for a split-second. An eyeblink later, she was smiling and shrugging. "Clark's a good time manager. And he's really interested in journalism."

It was pretty clear to me that journalism wasn't the only thing C.K. was interested in, but hey, if the world's best-looking boy scout hadn't bothered to mention this to Chloe, why should I? I might not be the Abominable Farmboy, and Chloe's eyes might not light up quite as much when she sees me, but at least I knew how to talk to her. As far as I could see that was the only thing I had going for me, and I was going to play it for all it was worth.

Especially since I was about to ask her out on a date.

As if to close off the subject, she bent down and picked up a couple of the photos from the pile on her desk. "I'm writing captions for some of tomorrow's pictures, and I love these two. They're yours, aren't they? Great shots, Jimmy."

I was relieved to talk about something else, so I took the pictures from her and laughed. "Chloe, these are from a dog show. Not exactly Pulitzer material."

"Pretty good action capture, though," she said, taking the photos back and eyeing them as critically as if they were about to go on Page One. "Especially the terrier jumping into the trophy cup."

The truth is, I was kind of proud of that picture, and, as usual, no one except Chloe had noticed it. How can you not love a girl like that? I grinned down at her, but she'd already turned back to her work, leaving me staring at the mass of golden curls that fell over one shoulder, and especially at a few strands that trailed off enticingly along the back of her exposed neck.

There's something about soft hair floating over the nape of a woman's neck that really turns me on, and when the woman's Chloe, that goes double. Forgetting all about my promise that we'd take it slow, I bent over her bowed head, puckering my lips and aiming for that wonderful expanse of bare skin.

Big mistake.

"Hey, that tickles!" Chloe's head popped up and hit me squarely on the nose. As I yowled in agony, she turned and I saw her eyes widen in shock, which only made me feel worse.

"Ohmigod, is it bleeding? I'm so sorry, your breath tickled a little and…..um, and why were you so close?" Without waiting for an answer, she stood up, examining me so thoroughly that I blushed in spite of the pain. "It is bleeding, isn't it? Here, do this." She'd already taken my head in both her hands and tipped it far back, dabbing at my nose with a Kleenex.

Crap. Could I look any more pathetic? "It'll be OK, it's stopping," I mumbled as my hand pinched the bridge of my nose. I gulped and prayed I was right.

Maybe this wasn't the best time, but it was Thursday and the weekend loomed. If I still wanted to ask her out, time was running short. "Chlo'?" Her eyes crinkled in sympathy. I cringed a little bit more. "Do you need something, Jimmy?"

Still pinching my nose, I shook my tilted head. "Just my dignity back." I cautiously released my hold and took a few experimental breaths, finally feeling my sinuses clear. When I spoke, I was relieved that my voice sounded at least somewhat respectably deep. "And a date for next Saturday's Planet Halloween bash."

There was no answer. I tried to play it cool. "You're not going with someone else, are you?" She shook her head, but I could tell there was more, so I abandoned "cool" in favor of "begging." "Whatever it is, just tell me you're not doing it with C.K., alright? Please?"

I could feel a blush crawling up to my hairline, but then her cheeks dimpled, and she looked so cute that I forgot to be embarrassed. "Not exactly. As junior staff, I get all the nights no one else wants, and I'm on phone duty next Saturday. Clark's coming over to keep me company."

"Company as in 'date,' or company as in 'friend'?" I raised my eyebrows hopefully.

"Oh, 'friend,' definitely." Her smile twisted a little, before warming into a sunny grin. "Come join us. In costume or out."

I grinned back. "It's a date."

TBC…