Disclaimer: Smallville is not mine. The story is. Steal it and get kicked. Hard..

Rating: PG-13

Note: I want to thank the girls at naughty-seduction.net for being such great gals and giving me a puff to writing this story. I originally posted this at naughty-seduction, but I also wanted to post it here. Please review, if you think it's any good and want me to continue.



She gazed at the road, her mind wandering off into the distance. The empty feeling she was baring inside of her left her feeling numb and bitter. Hearing the music from the car radio left her with a headache. She asked the man beside her to turn it off. He gave her a questioning look.

"The music is giving me a headache. Just turn it off, would you," she managed to say before turning her attention back to the road. She was a long way from home now, and she found herself missing it already.

"Just give it time, Chloe," the man said and placed his hand gently on her knee. She looked up and smiled.

"Where are we going?" she asked taking his hands in hers.

The man sighed and squeezed her hand gently. "Wherever you want to go."

Chloe nodded. "I want to go somewhere I can be with Lex," she answered.

The man's face saddened and he squeezed her hand tighter. "You know that it's impossible Chloe. He's gone."

Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew he was right but she didn't want to admit it.

He's not gone. He's not dead. " I him miss so much," she said.

"I miss him too, Chloe," he agreed sadly. "But do you think running away helps?"

Chloe swallowed and laid her head back on her seat. "I'm not running away Pete. I'm just taking a vacation."

Pete let go of her hand and sighed loudly. "To me it seems like you're running away from Smallville and its people."

"Why are you bringing this up again Pete. I thought you agreed to ask no questions and just be my friend," she exclaimed.

"I am your friend. I came with you didn't I?"

Chloe clenched her fist and gazed out the window. The car strolled slowly along the road, and soon Smallville would be history.

"I'm sorry Pete, I haven't been myself lately."

Pete smiled warmly. "You have all the time in the world to recover."

*****

Stepping out of the car, she waved her hands at Pete and motioned him to follow her. When they reached the entrance of the cemetery, Chloe stopped and took a deep breath. Taking Pete's hand in hers, she smiled nervously.

"I haven't been here in ages," she said. "It's weird you know?"

Pete nodded and placed his hand on the small of her back, as to give her a push forward. They walked for a while, not really exchanging words just understanding looks. Pete kept squeezing her hand, which she liked because it made her feel safe. Other than Lex, Pete was the only one who could make her open up. When they reached the special grave, tears had gathered up in her eyes and things became blurry. She sat down on her knees and stroke her fingers over the gravestone.

"Good afternoon mom," she started. "Sorry I haven't been for such a long time. Things have been incredibly hectic the last few months. Dad is good," she smiled. "He's been working a lot lately and we haven't been able to spend as much time as we'd like to. He still misses you though. Sometimes when I walk past his bedroom, I see him looking at your picture and falling asleep with it pressed against his chest." She paused.

"I've graduated. Dad was there, taking pictures and getting on my nerves," she laughed and brushed a lock of blond hair away from her face. "I've also fallen in love. He's the most caring man I've ever met. He believed in me, he understood me. I'm sure you would have liked him," she said. "They say he's gone though, that he's dead. The police found his car and belongings 2 miles from Smallville. The car was covered in blood, so they assumed that he was robbed and killed and dumped somewhere," she began to cry. "I'm not buying it. He's not dead before his body is found." She put her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. Pete sat down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Chloe, don't do this. Lex is dead, he's not coming back," he tried to convince her.

"No, he is coming back," she whispered.

Kissing the top of her head, he tightened his grip around her. "Please just let it go, let him go."

She cried. "I miss him so much."