Author's Note: I claim no rights to anything, I definitely don't claim responsibility for the disastrous season 8 of Smallville. I was very hopeful because it started out very good, but its like they just gave up trying to give Chloe a good story line. I mean if you were going to create such an awesome new character for the Supermanverse than why would you leave her without her dream job, counseling krypto people and married to Jimmy Olsen! Sorry I'm a little bitter when people get me all attached to a character and then flat line them story wise.

CHLOE'S APARTMENT

She was sick of it. Of all of it. So tired and alone. The ink on her annulment papers was barely dry and she was already packing her bags. It had been weeks since Lana had to leave because of her Kryptonite fusion incident and the entire time had been spent coddling Clark and trying to snap him out of depression. She was done with it, with him. Her two suitcases sat ready by the door. They looked pitiful, the culmination of her life in two bags. Well, she didn't really want to take that much baggage with her anyway. She took one last look around her apartment letting an intense swell of nostalgia wash over her. It almost brought a tear to her eye. But then she remembered that was her problem to begin with, she was living in the past, in memories long gone and forgotten; she had to move on.

"Hey Chloe." Clark greeted her in a remarkably cheerful tone, shaking her out of her reverie. Damn his timing.

"You're awfully chipper" Chloe responded scrambling to think of the best way to get rid of him.

"I'm feeling much better. Hey, I don't think I told you thanks for being there with me through this whole Lana thing. It was rough but you got me through it."

"That's in the job description of the BFF." She quirked back at him with a smile, unable to help falling back into her long-standing role. Focus Chloe, get him out so you can get out, don't let him draw you back in.

"So is that all you stopped by for? Because I do appreciate it but I was just headed out." Casually she grabbed her purse careful not to stand by her suitcases so he wouldn't notice them.

"Oh yeah, where are you off to? I'll come with you, I wanted to spend some time with you."

"Just some errands, nothing interesting, you'd be bored," she mumbled this through a curtain of her hair pretending to pick lint of her shirt, unable to meet his eyes.

Clark immediately knew something was up and he took a look around her apartment for any indication of why she was trying to get away from him. His eyes finally landed on the clues.

"You're doing errands with suitcases?"

"Umm...no, that'd be weird. I'm actually making arrangements for a vacation. I really need a break." She still didn't meet his eyes, her own darting on anything that wasn't him.

"Uh huh." He didn't believe her for a second. "Cool, I'll come with you. I've been thinking about taking a break anyway. Where do you want to go, I'll just run us over, no need to pay for travel plans."

She knew he was bluffing her but she was tired of this dance.

"Ok Clark. You got me. I'm not going on a vacation."

"I sorta figured, what's going on?" Clark looked at her with those big eyes that usually melted all thought from her head. Not this time though.

"Well I'm moving." Clark's eyes got huge as her declaration hung in the air between them.

"Clark I think you might actually pop your eyes out of their sockets if you keep staring like that." Chloe cautioned him.

Clark strode towards her invading her personal space.

"What happened, who's making you do this? Chloe I can take care of whatever it is, you just have to tell me." Chloe backed away from him, regaining her personal bubble.

"No one is making me do this Clark. I need a change, it's a decision all my own. I'm a big girl, I'm allowed to decide where I want to live."

"Why?" Clark whispered weakly feeling like he just got doused in kryptonite.

"I have a job offer from a newspaper. I'm ready to pursue my dreams again."

"Then why not rejoin The Planet, I'm sure Tess would hire you based on your body of work."

"Because Clark!" She snapped impatiently.

"Because why!" Clark snapped back, not used to having Chloe be short-tempered with him.

"Because you're there!" Chloe swore softly under her breath immediately after saying it, cursing herself for not leaving earlier and avoiding this scene. Clark took on that wounded look, confusion and hurt evident in every line of his face.

"You blame me, for everything that has happened," Clark concluded.

Chloe turned her face to the ceiling wishing that she didn't have to explain herself to him, but he wasn't going to let it rest. She walked over to her sofa and sat down tiredly, rubbing her temple. Clark followed her after a minute and waited patiently.

"Lana came to see me before she left."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because what she had to say was a message for me."

"What did she say?" Chloe stopped picking at worn fabric of the sofa and looked him directly in the eyes.

"She told me you erased my memory of your abilities and she told me you thought that killing me was the only way to stop Brainiac until she talked you out of it." She said this in barely audible tones, hoping saying it quietly would somehow lessen the pain of the revelation from the first time Lana had uttered it. It didn't.

"Chloe, I thought you're life would be better without that knowledge. That you would be in less danger. And I never thought killing you was the only way. I hesitated in my conviction that I could save you for a moment. That was it Chloe!" Clark was in full panic mode, never thinking Lana would reveal his confidences like this.

"Doesn't really matter, does it? I mean when you threw it in my face how you never lost faith that you could save me when Oliver was going after Lex, you weren't being truthful. You haven't been truthful with me and I wonder how long that has been going on." She dropped her eyes back to the arm of her couch.

"Chloe that's it! Those are the only two things I swear. I'm sorry, I messed up. I thought I was doing the right thing. Please, you can't cut me out of your life. You are everything to me." Clark clutched at her hands trying to convey how much he needed her.

She finally looked up at him. "I don't believe you." She delivered her verbal blow with the strength of unshakable conviction. Clark slumped to his knees in front of her, holding onto her hands and trying to fight his fears and his tears. He sat like this for several moments. Chloe went to get up only to have herself gently yanked back down by Clark.

"Okay, here's the truth. The truth is I've loved you for a long time, but our timing always seemed off. The truth is after Dark Thursday I wanted nothing more than to return your kiss you had given me. The truth is it hurt like hell when you got engaged and didn't even tell me about it. The truth is walking you down the aisle was the single most difficult thing I have ever had to do. The truth is I'm always scared of you getting hurt, of losing you. If it was public that you and I shared more than just friendship, it gives me nightmares thinking about how much more danger you'd be in. Yeah, the thought had occurred to me that I might have to kill you and it also occurred to me that if I had to do so, I would have quickly followed you. The truth is, its you and me forever in whatever capacity you'll have me." Tears flew freely down his face knowing for the first time he was laying everything out there, and he was terrified. Her heart yearned to forgive him, to get past this, to comfort him and tell him they would be okay. But that wouldn't be the truth.

"The truth is Clark, you're too late. The truth is I can't forgive you for wiping my memory. You knew Clark, you knew if I ever found out I would never forgive you. The truth is I would never have married Jimmy had you not taken a part of me that shaped who I inherently was. You messed with my history, you messed with my mind. You messed with our relationship and altered it forever. How do you expect me to forgive that?"

"Because you love me and I love you and we can get past anything." He said this so confidently she could almost believe him.

"No we can't. Remember, there is no Chloe Sullivan in the history books according to The Legion. I don't belong in your world."

"Those guys didn't know what they were talking about!" Clark exploded at her, on the verge of shouting.

"Lana Lang is not the one who shapes me into a hero, its you. Its always been you, you guide me, you challenge me, you make me a better person." Chloe had enough of his twisted version of history. She stood up, frustrated and angry.

"No Clark, its not me. Its never me. Its always someone else." She broke free from his grasp and walked away needing the distance. He remained on his knees, all his strength drained from him.

"Why would Lana do this? What was her point?" Clark wondered unintentionally out loud.

"I'm sure she had her reasons." Chloe whispered the only conclusion she could come up with over the weeks since Lana had come to her.

The doorbell rang. Chloe took a moment to straighten her posture and put on a neutral face before answering the door.

"Hello Bruce, thanks for coming all this way for me. It wasn't necessary but I appreciate it nonetheless." Chloe greeted softly.

"It was no trouble, besides I imagine we will be spending more time since you are moving to my city," a deep voice rumbled pleasantly. Clark got up to take a peek at who was at the door and saw a dark haired man with a build that rivaled his own.

"Let me get those bags for you."

"Thanks, I'll be down in just a moment."

The man left without ever indicating he noticed Clark.

"Who is that?" Clark demanded bristling with protectiveness.

"He's a friend."

"You're really leaving?"

Chloe took up her purse once again and nodded her head just once before turning to walk out the door.

"You know I'll follow you. I'll follow you anywhere." Chloe paused at the door and looked back at him. She stared at him, searching his eyes for something. He felt the first spark of hope that she had changed her mind. But she shook her head and continued out the door. Clark collapsed on the floor feeling like his soul was walking away from him, and he began to understand true heartache.