Nuclear

Summary: Clark's been keeping his distance from his best friend so she can chase after her happily ever after. Unbeknowst to him, everything isn't as it seems between Chloe and Jimmy. Chlark.

I started writing this years ago after getting a prompt for 'everything isn't as it seems', and after having spent my Spring Break not doing much but watching Smallville I decided I'd finish up writing it. There's also the fact that I don't like Jimmy. At least not with Chloe.

I've been crawling in the dark, looking for the answer

-Crawling in the Dark [Hoobastank]

. . .

Chloe didn't know where everything had gone so wrong. She and Jimmy had worked, and she cared about him.

"But you don't love me!" Jimmy yelled out, his hand shooting out and cracking across her cheekbone.

She heard the snap and the crack like she had so many times before this. Chloe cried out in pain, bringing her hand up and feeling the stickiness of blood on her fingertips. She reminded herself to stay calm, and that it would heal before the argument was over. Just stay calm, Chloe.

"Jimmy." Chloe said eagerly, choking back a sob, "You're my boyfriend!"

"Maybe." Jimmy said coldly, "But why? Just because Clark didn't want you?"

. . .

Clark was walking across the farm with Shelby on one of the walks that seemed to get rarer and rarer as he spent more hours of his nights in Metropolis fighting crime.

"I'm sorry, girl." Clark crouched down to her level to scratch behind her ears. "I'm going to make more time for you, I promise. At least you've got Chloe, right?"

She did so much for him, Clark sighed, grateful for his best friend.

Shelby barked, which Clark took as agreement.

"I wish I was as smart as you," Clark told her, standing up and patting her on the head as they continued their walk around the farm. "You never take Chloe for granted, do you? She never forgets to come and check on you, even when I get so wrapped up."

It surprised him, the first few times he came home to find Chloe here playing with Shelby, whispering in her ear with her arms wrapped around his dog's neck like they were the best of friends. He missed the days when that was him.

"I know," Clark told Shelby, "I missed my chance. Chloe's happy with Jimmy now. I just let my chances keep passing me by."

Shelby barked twice, and Clark nodded his head in agreement. "I'm an idiot, I know."

Shelby padded along her way, seeming to glance in and check on the cows as they walked passed by.

"But at least I haven't ruined this for her. I've been keeping my distance so that she can try and make a go of things with Jimmy. She doesn't have to worry about covering up my secret-I know it's hard to always worry about not ever exposing it, even accidently."

Shelby seemed to tilt her head as she looked up at Clark as if to say, Really? It's not so hard for me.

"You don't have that problem, do you?" Clark laughed, "It's okay, you can tell Bessie if you want to."

Clark was pretty sure that dogs didn't have the ability to roll their eyes, but it sure looked like that was what Shelby was doing.

"Hungry?" Clark asked her, "C'mon, girl, lets head back in for some dinner."

Chloe had left a note for him when he came back home tonight that she had stopped by to give Shelby a lunch time walk, and not to overfeed her because she filled the dish and gave her a new bone. No, Chloe never forgot about Shelby.

. . .

"Hey Clark," Chloe smiled at him from across the desk, taking a sip of the latte he had brought her. "Thanks again for the coffee."

Clark glanced up from his computer across the desk at Chloe. "No problem. After all the double duty you've been doing for Shelby, I can't thank you enough. I think she's trying to figure out how to trade in tall, dark, and bumbling for cute, petite, and blonde mistress that brings her treats, and walks her regularly."

Chloe laughed, and for the first time in days it didn't feel forced. It never felt forced with Clark. Even when she felt terrible like now, he had the effect of making that smile on her face feel like a real thing.

"Shelby would never trade you in." Chloe told him, "She knows how good she has it."

"How good who has it?" Jimmy stopped over to her desk with his camera in hand. "How goes it this fine morning, bright eyes?"

"Hey Jimmy." Clark greeted him with an easy going smile.

"CK." Jimmy hardly looked at Clark, focusing his glance on Chloe.

There had been a time when those sweet green eyes of his sent a tingle of warmth through her body-now his glance just made her freeze, and her blood curdle. Sometimes she wished that Clark could read her mind and fix everything for her. He was so good at that.

She could never put into words what was happening.

"How good I have it!" Her chipper tone felt fraudulent to her ears, and she hoped neither of them noticed. It would just give Jimmy's constant anger ammunition tonight, and Clark would worry.

He had too much on his plate as is, without worrying about her.

"How'd the meeting with the editor go?" Chloe asked.

"She's great, isn't she?" Clark said, "I hope this one stays around a bit. She sent Lois on assignment to Columbia, so she's thrilled. Corrine really seems to care about getting to the truth of the matter."

Chloe saw the angry flare in Jimmy's eyes, and her heart sank. She could already tell it went badly, and Clark's new assessment of their editor would only be giving him more to hate on.

"Your coffee must be ice cold." Jimmy noted, pointing at the Talon cup that was on her desk. "Maybe you should nuke it."

And I'll follow you, Chloe tacked on what he wasn't saying. No matter what she said, he was going to give her hell for it later.

"No need for that, Jimmy." Clark glanced up at him, "I brought it for her on my way in."

"Oh."

Chloe saw the forced smile on Jimmy's lips. Oh, Clark…Chloe held back a sigh. What made you change, Jimmy? You were so nice, so good to me. In a lot of ways, she'd seen in him what she sees him Clark. He was sweet, ready to help anyone, patient, and filled with love. Then it all disappeared.

"Anyways," Jimmy's glance flicked over her eyes, "She dashed all my pictures. She said that this is a quality paper, and I'm not bringing her what she needs."

"Jimmy, I'm sorry."

"What does a former reporter know about photography anyways?" Clark said, "I think your photos are great."

"Right, thanks CK."

The look in Jimmy's eyes made Chloe cringe at the very thought of going home. You've even ruined the apartment I loved. Even when she was there alone, all she saw was the places that he'd hurt her, the spots where she hadn't been good enough or strong enough.

Jimmy got up and walked away, and Chloe sighed-aloud, this time.

"Do you want to go?" Clark asked, "I won't be offended if you need to abandon me."

God, no, Chloe thought. It would be bad enough dealing with him tonight. Would he dare at the Daily Planet? Surrounded by people? Would he try with Clark so near? Really, what did that matter though? At any point over the last few months, she could have screamed for help, screamed for Clark and he would have been there in a flash.

But she didn't.

"No," Chloe shook her head, "I think he just needs some time alone."

She didn't want Clark to look at her differently. Jimmy was right about one thing, as painful as it was to admit. She wasn't in love with him anymore; it always came back to Clark.

She was still in love with Clark.

. . .

Clark wasn't necessarily sure what it was, or if he was overreacting, but something didn't seem right with his girl Friday. He remembered the way that Chloe laughed when he referred to her like that, obviously not realizing how close to the truth he was getting.

Where Chloe would usually laugh and smile, she seemed withdrawn. She looked upset when Jimmy came to talk with them, and to that point, Jimmy had seemed rude. Had he been upset that he brought Chloe coffee? What was wrong with that? Chloe had mentioned a long time ago, rather casually that Jimmy was jealous of him-but of a cup of coffee?

He wasn't amused by the look in Chloe's eyes. Even when she laughed, it didn't quite make her eyes sparkle like it always had. Something was definitely wrong.

Clark loved her too much to see something upsetting her, even if she wasn't going to talk about it, he'd use all the tools in his arsenal to figure it out.

"Okay Chloe, fess up," Clark said suddenly, directing a smile her way.

"Fess-what. What?" Chloe's eyebrow's furrowed together in a question mark.

Something was definitely up.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you eat something more substantial than a muffin." Clark got up and put on his jacket. "You're letting your oldest friend take you out for lunch."

"But Clark," Chloe protested, gesturing to her computer screen. "We have deadlines."

She had to be so difficult. Chloe never failed to make him work.

"Chloe, do you know what my mother says every time she calls?"

Chloe shook her head, looking at him expectantly. "I love you?"

Clark felt a twitch in his chest as Chloe said the words he wished he could hear from her. Without a question mark, without the allusion to his mother…

"She says, How is Chloe? Is Chloe taking care of herself? I worry about the two of you." Clark looked at her pointedly, "Are you going to make me (a) lie to my mother, or (b) make her worry?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, pulling her coat off of the back of her chair.

"Next time I talk to her, I'm telling her that you blackmail me into meals."

Clark grinned, "She'll be so proud."

What he said wasn't a lie. His mom asked about him regularly how Chloe was. Martha hadn't made it any secret how fond she was of Chloe, and she never failed to hint to him how much history they had, and how important they were to one another. That you shouldn't let chances just pass you by.

Clark knew that it was a little too late for anything like that, but if there was something going wrong in Chloe's life, he had every intention of fixing it, and putting the bubbly back in his blonde.