Chapter 1: A New Beginning… Or is it?
"Hey Chloe," he called from the back of the room.
She smiled brightly at his approach, the same way she had years earlier when she was thrown out of window of the Luthor mansion. Her heart still skipped a beat as she gazed into the eyes of her own personal superhero.
"Hey," she called back. "Thought you'd be trying to save the rest of the world by now."
He smiled awkwardly. "Well, one thing at a time," he teased, handing her the bouquet.
"Tulips, my favorite," she sniffed the flowers appreciatively.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I got pulled in three different directions by angry rioters in the middle of Metropolis."
"I'm sorry, Chloe. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't screwed up," he said regrettably.
"Clark, it's okay. Last I've heard, not wanting to kill a friend wasn't such a terrible thing," she smiled meekly.
"But Zod could have…"
"But he didn't. Everything turned out okay," she reassured him, fingering his hand affectionately.
"If anything happened to you Chloe, I don't know what I would've done," he muttered; his head down. Chloe knitted her brow in confusion. There was something different about him… He spoke with a sense of urgency she hadn't noticed before.
"Clark, are you sure you're alright?"
Clark stood uneasily and stared out the window of the hospital room. "Chloe have you ever thought about your mortality?"
She laughed as she put down her bouquet. "You're asking someone whose life has been put in danger more times than she cares to remember."
He nodded slightly and turned back to her. "Well, its just I haven't had a chance to really think about that."
"Riiight. Why would you? You've already died."
"Twice, but when I was there in the Phantom Zone I actually thought 'I may never get out of this.' It could've been... it. But then Jor-El came and he-he saved me, I guess."
"Yeah but does that change anything? I mean considering everything else he's done… he's still not going to win 'Father of the Year.'"
"Maybe not. But I'm going to take a chance with him. I'm not going to live my life waiting around for something to happen. If I have a destiny, maybe I'd better find it rather than waiting for it to find me."
"I've always thought that was a good idea," she smiled.
Clark smiled back and sat on her bed. "You're always looking out for me, Chloe. I'm sorry I never really appreciated you…" He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Chloe kissed back and his hold on her lips intensified. Neither of them noticed Lana Lang standing in the doorway watching them. She put a hand over her mouth in shock and walked away without a word. Then, unexpectedly, Chloe put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.
"Clark, I can't do this."
"Chloe, that night… you-"
"I know what I did, Clark," she replied testily. She sighed and looked away from his gaze. "Look, I didn't think I would see you again. I'm not looking to be a rebound girl or a … second choice."
"I never said you were. Look Chloe, its different with us. You know my secret. You know who I am. And lately I've been thinking about you… Maybe, maybe we ended it too quickly…"
"Yeah, and that was your choice, Clark. How do I know you're not going to leave me on the dance floor again?" She was using the dance floor metaphorically, but truthfully she felt a little relieved in mentioning it. She had never really explained how Clark had hurt her that day. She could tell she hit a nerve as he stared down at his feet.
"You don't trust me?" he asked. It was an odd question coming from him, after he spent years trying to keep her from digging into his secret. Chloe sighed as she gazed up at him. This was the opportunity she had waited for years to come: when Clark Kent finally got over his infatuation with Lana Lang and looked at her with new eyes. Now that it had finally arrived, she found herself scared to put his heart on the line.
She looked away from Clark and said, barely a whisper: "No." Clark, of course, had heard her voice. He stared at her a moment as his heart dropped in his chest. He could feel the harsh sting of rejection come on. Didn't she know how much he needed her? How much he wanted her? He blushed, thinking he had just made the worst mistake of his life and inadvertently pushed away the person he wanted closest to him.
"I better go," he muttered and dashed out of the room.
Chloe could feel tears sting her eyes as he left. She stared at the flowers on her bedside wondered if she had made the right decision.
Author's Note: You know we're going to see some Chlark this season, but of course lover's bliss is not going to be had so easily! Can't blame our girl Chloe for being reluctant, can you? Next chapter focuses on one of the other leading ladies of Smallville…