Title: Thirteenth Times a Charm
Author: aquaxeyes
Rating: K+ to T, no reason (yet)
Full Description: 3 words. 13 attempts. Just how many times can Clark put his heart on the line without Chloe getting it? AU. Chlark and some Chlollie.

Author's Notes: I would like to thank -StarlightRomance-, dispatcher652, Sculllyga and Luna Kompton for leaving reviews. I enjoyed the comments and reread them when I stumbled upon a block.

So I used a direct scene from Zod because I felt it was awesome and I didn't want to change that. Chlarkers will know which one I mean.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

The Third Time. (Season 6, post-Zod)

Clark could feel Chloe's eyes on him and tried not to shrink inconspicuously lower into his seat. He didn't want to give away just how uncomfortable he felt, what with fitting his tall frame into a confined space with a young woman he had overwhelming feelings for. He aimed his focus on the road, determined not to miss a turn.

Somewhere between the dotted lines and the concrete, Clark's thoughts trailed back to Chloe. Beautiful, eccentric, way-too-good-for-him Chloe. A couple of weeks ago, they were facing the end of the world. Milton Fine was corrupting computers nationwide with a Kryptonian virus in an attempt to get Clark to release Zod. All seemed lost. In the midst of the turmoil, Clark made it to the Daily Planet because he had to see Chloe, had to know that she could still make sense of what was going on. As they were talking, a car came crashing through the basement windows, sending shards of glass everywhere. Without thinking he spun her out of harm's way. As he pulled back, he saw the look on her face. He could hear it in her instantly adrenaline-shot heartbeat. Fear.

Clark was furious. Fine's computer virus was putting Chloe and everyone else in his life in danger. It didn't matter that he was able to stop something from happening to her this time, she was scared.

He had to stop Zod.

He wanted to bring Chloe with him, maybe take her to a safer place, but she said no. He had to leave her. Again with the time argument; she would slow him down. Clark turned away without fighting, hating himself with every step when she called out his name. "I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again." Then she kissed him.

Initially surprised, he didn't do much but hold her to him, but then he was kissing her back, trying to hold on to the moment he'd been thinking about for so long. It was actually better than he thought. While they'd kissed before--Chloe always initiating--this was different. This time, he was hoping for it to happen, for her to be in his arms, capturing him in this gentle, intimate touch. This time, he was able to feel how right being with Chloe in that way was.

This time, he felt an unusual wave of sadness washing over, remembering her words. "I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again." He couldn't fathom that.

He wasn't prepared for when she pulled away, though he did remember hearing a ringing in the background. Just like that, the moment was gone. He had to think about more than just what had happened.

Chloe cleared her throat, snapping Clark back to the present. He glanced at her and saw her gesture to his hands, where he had squeezed the steering wheel into little cyclinders of molded metal. He loosened his fingers slowly, mechanically, irritated by how irritated he had gotten.

Chloe shifted in her seat to better face him. "Okay, let's be grown-ups and talk," she said sharply. "Are you mad at me?"

Clark gave her a long look before turning his eyes back to the road. "For what?"

"We're taking longer via car because I didn't have the stomach for the hyper-locomotive, two-second travel."

"I could make it in one second," he said distractedly and turned into Chloe's favorite Italian restaurant--an establishment that had miraculously endured Dark Thursday. "And besides, I promised I would take you out for lunch."

"So then what's got you bending metal objects in a silent tizzy?"

That was Chloe, lucratively descriptive. One more thing that set her apart from other young women. "Nothing," he plainly said. After all, he wasn't going to admit what he was really thinking about. Yet.

"The contorted material that was once your steering wheel begs to differ."

Clark slid into a parking spot and turned the car off. They got out of the car and headed into the restaurant. "Just so you know," he said, taking her arm as they walked, "I could never be mad at you." Feeling a bit bold--he was, after all, planning on telling her he loved her over minestrone--he added, "You're too cute."

"Never say never," Chloe said, completely ignoring the "cute" comment in favor of stepping inside the Italian dive. Clark decided he would let that one go, but there was no way she was going to avoid talking about that kiss she so easily dismissed a few weeks ago.

Speaking of, that still bothered him. He was so relieved to see her alive after getting out of the Phantom Zone and taking care of Zod. He'd come really close to never seeing her again, just like she'd pronounced when she kissed him. One of the things that had kept him going was making sure he would survive long enough to see and hold her after the dust had settled. When he returned to the Daily Planet she was standing there in the middle of the room, the sun hitting her, turning her strands a light gold and her eyes illuminant. Relief surged throughout him and was further relieved when she ran to him and he was able to feel her in his arms once more. He thought that perhaps he would've gotten the chance to tell her then, but as soon as he got around to mentioning the kiss, Chloe attributed her behavior to the end of the world.

Her statement stopped him cold. Just when he was about to put his feelings out there she basically shut him down without knowing it. He could've said the kiss meant more to him. He should've. Maybe things would've been different.

Clark waited until after they placed their orders with the waitress to speak. "So what are you planning on doing until Met U is rebuilt?"

Chloe sighed. "Well, Lois has been gracious enough to spare me some room back at the Talon, and so far we haven't had any Jerry Springer moments.. I guess just commuting from Smallville to Metropolis for the obits and extracurricular research."

"There's got to be more," he said.

"I'm slightly offended," she said playfully, "but no. Let's face it, Clark. We are both lost causes, or rather, lost in causes that absorb most of our free and awake time." No kidding. Her eyes were puffy from exhaustion, which meant that she hadn't been getting any more sleep than before.

He nodded. "The only difference is, I can handle it."

Chloe dipped her head, skeptical. "Are you sure about that? Because you're looking more worse for wear than you give yourself credit."

"Chloe--"

The blonde leaned forward, her eyes keeping him from looking away. "As easy as it was for whole cities to destroy themselves in a matter of hours, no one person, supercharged or not, can fix the damage done overnight."

"It's my fault the conditions got this bad," he shot back. "I have to do whatever I can."

"And I'll do the same," she chimed in, irritation clear on her face.

"But it's not the same."

"Why not?" she flared. "Because you're infinitely more capable than I am of saving people?"

"Because I don't want you to put yourself through any more trouble to help," he stated, hoping he wasn't offending her. "You're straining yourself as is with your work load--"

"I'm finding this train of thought insanely hypocritical," Chloe interrupted.

Before either could speak up, their meal arrived. Chloe took one look at her food, then at Clark. "Can we start over? And avoid conversational road blocks that have arisen over our equally demanding side jobs?"

Clark nodded and obliged her, trying to lighten her mood. He updated her on Pete's whereabouts, how Martha was doing. When he felt like she was starting to relax, he decided it was the perfect time.

Chloe just finished going on about how she missed Martha's homemade baked apple pies when he said, "Can I say something?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

Clark took a deep breath, reminding himself to maintain eye contact and make sure he spoke loud and clear. "I love you."

Chloe sighed, sounding exasperated. "What do you want?"

What? "What?"

"Clark, I see the pattern here," Chloe stated confidently. "You only happen to remember when my lunch break is or which places I frequent when you need a favor."

He was.. astounded. "Is that why you think I took you out today?"

Chloe raised a defensive hand. "Before you get that sad, wounded puppy dog look on your face, I do want to say I don't mind if need help or something. Just spit it out, already."

"Chloe, I brought you here because you haven't left the Daily Planet except to shower and get fresh clothes," he said, silently realizing they were not on topic. Or at least not on the topic that mattered to him.

"So this is some sort of.. intervention?" she guessed.

"I thought we were supposed to be avoiding--"

Chloe's phone beeping cut him off. For a second, she didn't move to get her phone, but when he didn't continue, she dug her phone out of her pocket. "It's Lois." She pressed a few buttons and shock took over "Clark."

Clark leaned over and saw a picture of a building that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. "That's the financial building six blocks down." He looked closer. "People are still in there."

Chloe closed her phone. "Go. Who knows how long Lois will be able to contain herself before she decides to help out."

He shook his head. "We can go together."

"Someone has to stick around and pay the bill," she pointed out. She motioned for him to stand and get going. "I'll meet you at the Planet afterward."

Great. The Daily Planet. So much for getting her out of there.

"All right," he said. He handed her his car keys and took off--humanly--quickly.

Clark paced back and forth, feeling like he was burning a path into floor. Where was Chloe? She said she would be back in the bullpen after she paid for the check, so how come she wasn't there? It took him seconds to get to the building, a few minutes to sneak in and sneak people out, then he ran into Lois who insisted on accompanying him back to the Planet to see Chloe. She was currently on her cell phone, trying to get a hold of the blonde.

After leaving a worried voicemail Lois turned to him. "You said you left her in the restaurant an hour ago?"

"Yeah," he nodded, not liking her tone. "She offered to wait for the bill and then meet up with us at the building." It was a partially twisted lie, but the fact remained. Chloe hadn't surfaced.

Lois scowled. "I swear, Smallville, if my cousin is in any danger because of you--"

Some pop ringtone from Lois's cell phone interrupted. A few clipped sentences were exchanged and she was done.

"Where is she?" Clark asked before he registered the distraught look on the brunette's face.

"It's Chlo. She's been mugged."

( No clues about the fourth attempt, you just have to read it. )