Author's Note: I'm a big retard. Once I went back and actually payed attention, Chloe's eyes are blue. I have no idea why I thought they were green. Pardon my mistake ... hope it doesn't ruin the story or anything. Sorry about that guys.

Within the hour Chloe had him laughing again, his feelings of restless unhappiness forgotten. They were sitting in the Kent's living room making fun of each other when Martha came home, two big paper grocery bags in her arms.

"Hi, mom," Clark greeted, joining her to help put away the groceries

"Hi, Clark. Chloe, it's good to see you again," She said with a smile

"Likewise, Mrs. Kent," Chloe replied, coming into the kitchen, "Can I help with anything?"

"Of course not," She answered, "I'll put away the groceries. Why don't you two go back to doing whatever it was you were doing."

"You mean making fun of each other?" Clark replied, impish smile on his face

"You were making fun of each other?" Martha repeated

"Well, kinda," Chloe explained, "We were looking through the photo albums and making fun of pictures of us from high school."

Martha laughed and shook her head, red hair falling against her shoulders.

"I happen to like those pictures," She said in her most motherly tone, "They're cute. But my favorite picture isn't in any of those albums."

"What picture?" Clark queried

Martha smiled and winked, then disappeared upstairs. She returned a few moments later with a single, unframed picture in her hand. She was holding it against her chest, so that neither Clark nor Chloe could see it until she showed it to them. Curious, they came to stand next to each other in front of her.

"Before I show it to you, let me just say that you're not allowed to make fun of it. It was your dad's favorite picture."

She handed it to Clark, who took it and held it out and down enough for Chloe to see it too. As soon as he saw it something inside Clark's chest seemed to explode. Next to him, Chloe let out a girly "awe."

"We look so young," She said softly

It was a picture of them from the night of the spring formal, before he had run off to save Lana from the tornado. They were on the dance floor, obviously in the middle of a dance; Chloe was looking up at him, and he down at her, and they were laughing.

"Who took that picture?" Chloe asked, glancing up at Martha

"You know, I'm not actually sure. Jonathan never said where he got it. He kept it in his bedside table."

"Why?" Clark said, finally finding his voice

He searched his mother's face, watched the slow smile that spread across it. She looked both wise and mischievous at the same time, a fact that was not lost on Clark.

"He said it was his favorite picture of you two. You look so young and happy."

For a moment no one said anything, each lost in their own musings. Clark's eyes stayed on the picture, on the way his arm was draped naturally on Chloe's hip. He thought about that night, remembering how frightened he had been for Lana. How, until the announcement of the impending tornado, he hadn't even thought of her.

"Well," Martha said then, "What should I make for dinner? Chloe, you're staying for dinner, of course. I won't take no for an answer."

Chloe laughed and held up her hands.

"Since you're leaving me no choice," She quipped jokingly, "I'd be happy to."

"Good. Now give me back my picture and go find something to do that's not in the kitchen," Martha said firmly

Clark may have protested then, made some excuse to keep the picture and slip away on his own to think about the emotional pain he was feeling, but Chloe was already grabbing him by the arm and smiling in a way he had come to know as the "Chloe has a plan" smile. So he left the picture on the counter and allowed himself to be dragged outside.

"C'mon Clark, it's a beautiful day," Chloe told him in an upbeat voice, "For once let's just enjoy a normal day. One not punctuated with some meteor freak trying to hatch an evil plan."

He laughed again, something he couldn't seem to keep from doing when she was around. Her easy smile was infectious.

"Well, I was thinking about rearranging the loft," He told her

"Really? Sounds like a job for the team of Kent and Sullivan!"

Even Chloe laughed at that and they made their way toward the barn, an easy silence settling between them.

"Oh crap!" She exclaimed suddenly, "Since we're making this a lazy day, there was a story I wanted you to read. It's my next piece for the Daily Planet, and I wanted to see what you thought before I sent it in. There's only one problem."

"What?" He asked, stopping just outside the barn door

"It's on my computer, which is back at the apartment. Could you do me a really big favor and …"

"…And run and grab it for you?" he finished for her, smiling

"Please? I'd go myself but my little Toyota hasn't got anything on you."

"It's on your computer?" He repeated

"Yeah. Just grab it off the table. Oh and grab my power cord too."

"I think this constitutes as friend abuse," He told her, and sped off before she could punch him in the arm, the sound of her laughter ringing in his ears