Better Than Anyone

By: aspdstra

A/N: Well it sure is hard to believe that I started this fic 6 years ago but I never published it here. I guess everything ends up coming full circle eventually. Anyway, of course all the normal disclaimers apply. This takes place during "Oracle", hence the quote and dialogue used below, but of course deviates from the plot afterwards. Hopefully that makes sense! Do enjoy and, as always, R&R.

"And since I'm on an intern budget, I'd figure I'd just comp you a couple of those IOU's that you owe me."

"Thank you."

Chloe smiled at Lois as she left, then at Clark while coming up the last of the stairs. "You handled that whole birthday thing really well, by the way."

Clark looked up at the sound of Chloe's voice and grinned to himself. "Thanks…" He waited for her to sit next to him on the couch before speaking again, "…those baseball tickets…they uh…hit me harder than I thought."

"Yeah but those tickets, they weren't your father's only gift." Clark looked confused, but she continued. "I mean it didn't come with a pretty red bow, but your father taught you to be your own man…that was his real gift. And he gave that to you every day."

An admiring smile passed across his handsome face, and he sat in thought for a moment. "Actually, I was just talking to Lois about how I sometimes thought she might know me better than anyone… but then I hear you say things like that...I dunno...I wonder how that could be true. The only other person who's ever told me the kind of stuff you do is my mom."

"You saying I remind you of your mom," Chloe said with a teasing smirk, which he reciprocated.

"Hardly. I guess…I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm really lucky to have someone like you."

Chloe couldn't resist the blush that surfaced, and she rolled her eyes at how girly she was feeling all of a sudden. "I'm gonna have to agree with you on that."

They shared a smile, and she hugged his bicep, kissing him lightly on his cheek. She didn't allow herself to fall into his eyes like she wanted to, but what surprised her more than anything was probably the fact that she found something there she didn't expect - attraction.

This was more than likely the best time to make a strategic change of pace for friendship-preservation purposes.

"And, since I've never been one to listen to you when you've told me you're not really big on birthdays…" she said, pulling him up from their perch on the couch into a standing position and grabbing a small wrapped package from her bag. "…I got you something anyway."

He grinned wryly and took it from her, starting the unwrapping process. "What happened to the IOU's?"

"Oh they're still in full effect…I'll just be making my withdrawal at a later time. So don't go closing my account, okay?"

His grin softened. "I'd never do that." Clark disposed of the remaining wrapping paper and was left with what appeared to be a scrapbook. He met Chloe's expectant stare with an incredulous one, and she rolled her eyes. "The important stuff is on the inside, Farm Boy…open it."

When he did just that, he found a comical childhood picture of he and Chloe together, sitting on the Kent front porch and covered head to toe in dirt, from one of their many scrapes no doubt, and he beamed, a lilt of laughter in his voice. "How did you even find this?"

She smirked. "Conspiring with the higher powers known as Martha Kent…and there's more where that came from. Keep flipping."

What followed were numerous, creatively-decorated captures of moments Clark and Chloe had shared together at different points in their lives, from childhood on. Clark actually found himself rather fascinated with the pseudo-chronicle of their history.

"I know it might seem a bit vain," Chloe added into the silence, "but…I did kind of make this for selfish reasons." His curious stare begged her to go on. "So I know it's not really the biggest secret anymore that you're not like other people, Clark…and actually, it's probably one of the best things about you. You're so not normal, it's extraordinary; you do things that I never ever thought I could see anyone do, super or not. But with that comes the whole 'greater destiny' part, and…I'll fully admit that I'm kinda scared."

Clark huffed a quiet laugh. "Join the club."

She grinned. "Yeah…and your reasons for being scared are probably a little more significant than mine, but…I'm scared because...not too many superheroes have lowly reporter sidekicks these days. And as much as I'd like to believe things won't ever change, I know that they will, and that they have to. I mean, saving the world? That's such a big deal. You're amazing, Clark, and I'm so proud of you for the things you do." She looked around in hopes of convincing the tears that were forming in her eyes to not fall, but it was a futile effort at best. "I'm scared because…I know I'm going to get left behind. And I made this so you wouldn't forget me."

Crying hadn't been the highest thing on her priority list, but after all the talk of Clark leaving her to go onto bigger and better things, she just couldn't help herself. And besides, she wasn't crying - it was more of a steady tearing, really.

"Chloe…" he said, setting down the scrapbook in question and pulling her into a hug. She in turn stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck as best she could, in light of their height difference, letting him comfort her.

"Talk about someone with a 'greater destiny,'" he continued, "…you're working at the Daily Planet…you're living out your dream. How many people our age can say that?"

She managed a light one-shot laugh, returning some of his personal space and making an attempt at tear clean-up. "Yeah, well…you'd be surprised."

He gently held the side of her face and caught an errant tear with his thumb. "Not that surprised…" Her full attention was on him as he started talking again, his hands holding her arms, "…Chloe I know a lot of things are gonna change. Really, when you think about it, a lot of things already have, but…nothing will ever change so much that I forget where I came from or the people I knew. That would be like forgetting who I am altogether. I could never do that…just like I could never forget you."

She smiled and blinked to clear her vision, a few pesky tears making their escape. "Y'know it's a shame you don't apply yourself to writing more often…you have a surprisingly good way with words."

Clark grinned. "Actually, I thought it was kinda cheesy, I was hoping you'd call me on it."

She leavened his teasing with an even stare, and his grin became only slightly less mischievous. "For all your abilities, Clark, dry humor and wit are significantly lower than the rest."

"Fair enough," he said with a chuckle, knowing he'd been beat. "Besides…I wouldn't tease if I wasn't really telling the truth in the first place, now would I?"

Chloe wiped away a few more tears, with Clark's ready assistance, and smiled. "No, I suppose not."

She didn't fight him when he pulled her into another hug, this time with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head resting just under his chin. Her eyes fell closed for a moment, then something internal made them fly open. She could've been kidding herself, but she got a sudden flashback to freshman year, dancing with Clark at the Spring Formal. It was that same feeling - that feeling that had made her look up at him only to find he had been looking down at her…and then…

When she pulled back, her suspicions were confirmed. This was exactly like that. His gaze alternated between her eyes and her mouth, in the end staying with her mouth. She couldn't blink, she couldn't talk - all she could do was stare at him. His fingertips drifted to her chin, softly tilting it up toward him, and his nose brushed against hers, almost silently asking her to refuse.

"Clark…"

It was as close to a refusal as she could get, at that point. His mouth barely touched hers once…twice…the few remaining tears fell down her face as she closed her eyes and waited. Then he kissed her, tentatively at first, to test her boundaries. The second time was intentional - he wanted to kiss her, and he wanted her to know he was kissing her. By the third time, he'd gotten bolder and swept his tongue inside to meet hers; she wasn't expecting it, and correspondingly moaned in surprise, but she had no qualms with reciprocating. That's where the numbering stopped. Time just seemed to meld together with no definitive beginning or end. She'd never been kissed like that in her entire life; she could only assimilate it to a trance that you didn't want to snap out of.

The kiss did end, unfortunately, but the two of them still remained close, staring at each other.

Chloe spoke first. "What was that?" It wasn't a faulting question; it was more of a question of wonderment.

He blinked. "I don't know…"

When he leaned in and started the kiss again, Chloe didn't have the heart to refuse him - at least not at first. Pulling back, she swallowed the lump that wanted to rise up in her throat and asked the tough question. "This isn't about -"

"No," Clark said, cutting her off with a reassuring smile.

"And you're sure you -"

"Yes."

"So that was really -"

"Exactly."

Now it was Chloe's turn to smile. "Wow…that was the best non-conversation I've ever had."

Clark shrugged in a less than humble manner. Then a change in his countenance signaled to Chloe that he was about to verbally explain himself. His body language said it all - he was looking down, he was gulping, he was thinking so hard it was audible.

His mouth opened. "Chloe -"

"Don't."

He didn't. He couldn't, really, because in that moment she pulled him closer and his mouth became increasingly busy with the task of kissing hers. It stayed that way for quite some time, almost like they were pouring out all the unspoken emotions from the past ten years. Their hands traded positions with each other - holding a face, caressing an arm, groping a torso, encircling a waist and back again, all of it never seeming like enough. The only thing stranger than the concept of wanting to stop was the reason they actually stopped. Like breathing…who even does that anymore?

Chloe broke away first. "Must…breathe…"

Clark nodded, barely able to inhale and exhale correctly as it was. "Yeah…yeah…" After pausing for a moment, he continued, "My mom's going to be looking for us."

She hoped her expression didn't look as snarky as she was feeling. "Boy, Clark, you sure know how to set the mood…" His face withered comically, and she had to smile, "…but all the same, you're probably right."

It was nonverbally decided between the two of them that the time had come to head back to the house, and they proceeded to help one another de-make-out their appearances; Clark straightened out his shirt and hair, Chloe did the same on herself, occasionally trading roles with him so the result was as seamless as it could be. Then they stared at each other some more. Seemed like an activity they'd grown rather fond of.

"So…"

Chloe grinned. "So…"

"W…I mean, this…isn't…"

"We'll continue this later."

He gave a single nod and a smile. "Right. Later it is."

She leaned up towards him and intended to give him a solitary yet promising kiss - well, it was promising. Before she knew it, her hand was holding his face, his fingertips were brushing against the side of her arms and the small of her back. This wasn't supposed to happen. Thank God it did anyway.

Abruptly she pulled away and walked down the stairs to the barn exit. No words, no parting gestures. It was all he could do not to break into a speed run and stop her. What did he really have to stand here by himself for? Looking down, he got his answer.

Yeah. He needed a minute.