AT A GLANCE

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Notes: This fic takes place a few months after the season finale. It basically deals with the fact that Chloe is moving, and her newfound relationship/romance with Clark. When it's time to say goodbye, will Clark just walk away, or will he ask her to stay? Hmmm. ;)

In case you didn't already know, I love feedback, and every review makes me smile. Constructive criticism is welcome, however, bashing is not.

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Sometimes, late at night, she would instinctively reach out for something to grab onto in her sleep. Her hands would fumble about on the hardwood oak dresser for awhile, until she realized there was nothing there. Nothing there at all to hang onto. And that scared her. Just a little bit.

The move was to be within the next week. Meaning, she would have merely days to say goodbye to the friends she had made in this odd little town. Of course, she wasn't the type of person who would get all mushy. That just wasn't her style. So she would make jokes about not having to eat anymore hay, and how she really hoped Pete would continue her Wall Of Weird, and they would all smile and think what a strong person she was. And then she would be gone.

And that would be really all there was to it. No point in making a melodrama out of something that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. People moved all the time, and their lives went on.

Still, she sometimes wondered if he would even miss her. Or if he would be too involved with his Lana obsession to even notice she was gone. Those thoughts haunted her as she rolled over on her side in an attempt to go back to sleep.

~

The air smelled of maple syrup as Clark Kent groggily pulled himself out of bed. Sunlight peeked in from the open blinds, making him squint. For a moment he almost forgot about the dull ache that crept into the pit of his stomach. And then he remembered. Today was the day of Chloe's move.

It was something he couldn't even really bring himself to think about. If he imagined it, a painful sensation would wrap itself around his throat, and his mouth would become dry and he would feel tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't let himself give into the pain. Chloe was a no-nonsense type of girl after all, and she would want him to be strong. If he turned on the water works, she would probably take the opportunity to tell him what a wuss he was being. Well, maybe not, but he would sure feel like one.

So he would wait until after she was gone to let it all out. It would just be easier that way. For the both of them.

"Honey! Your breakfast is almost ready!" he could hear his mother calling from the dining room, so he quickly threw on some clothes and made his way into the kitchen, where his dad was in the process of cooking a huge stack of pancakes.

After he exchanged greetings with his Father, he took a seat at the dining area and let out a deflated sigh. As good as those pancakes smelled, he couldn't even THINK about putting anything into his stomach. He just kept thinking about what he was going to say to her when they met up for coffee that afternoon. For their final goodbye. Then she would leave and he would probably only see her again during summer vacation. And that wasn't enough for him. But they were both just going to have to make due with the time that they had left.

Even if it was one of the hardest things he ever had to do in his entire life.

Over the summer, the two had grown even closer, and their friendship had become something more. Romance, perhaps? Sadly, they would never find out now. Neither of them were into long distance relationships, so when they parted, it would be as friends.

Clark wasn't sure how he felt about that.

~

Chloe Sullivin nervously brushed back a wisp of stray blond hair as she took her seat in the quaint little coffee shop that was just a little ways out of Smallville. She and Clark had agreed to meet there the day before to say their last goodbye's. Chloe, was of course, dreading it, because she hated situations like these. She always thought she was expected to say something meaningful and profound so that she would be remembered. Right now her mind was completely blank.

A few minutes later, she heard the doorbells overhead jingle and she saw Clark standing there in the doorway, nervously glancing about. Probably looking for her.

He finally spotted her and their eyes locked for a brief moment, and Chloe's insides practically turned to mush. Okay, so maybe this was going to be harder than she originally thought.

TO BE CONTINUED...