Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter. I'm glad you're all enjoying it.

"Oliver? Chloe?"

Clark burst into Chloe's room, stopping suddenly when he spotted Oliver and Chloe on the bed. He looked at them uncertainly for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry…..I didn't mean to barge in…."

Chloe jumped of the bed, some of her drink splashing out and staining her blouse. She didn't notice. "Clark, what is it?" His panic was contagious and she shifted from foot to foot, waiting for him to speak.

Oliver got up slowly and stood besides Chloe. "Clark..?" He prompted when Clark still didn't speak.

"It's Nell, she's in hospital." Clark said finally rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Her car was run off the road." He was whispering now and Chloe moved closer. "Her condition is pretty serious."

"What?" Chloe's mouth dropped open. "Where's Lana?"

"In our room." He sighed deeply. "She blames herself."

Realisation dawned on Chloe "She thinks its Lex." Her eyes widened. "Is it Lex?" She asked Clark desperately.

Oliver grimaced from behind her. "This doesn't seem like Lex's style."

"He's capable of anything." Clark paced the length of the room, his movement quick and jerky. "He's not going to give up until…." Clark stopped and threw his hands up in the air "…Until…." He paused again, his lips tightening. "Who know what he wants?"

"We don't know that it had anything to do with Lex." Lana said softly from the doorway. "I panicked." She shrugged awkwardly, her eyes downcast. "I want to go to Metropolis Clark." Her voice was firm. "I need to see her."

Clark looked at her uncertainly. "It's too dangerous Lana."

"He's right." Oliver broke in when he saw Clark wavering. "Lex probably has people watching the hospital now that he knows Nell is there." He spoke carefully. "It's too dangerous for you to be anywhere near Metropolis or Smallville."

"She's my aunt." Lana's eyes were glittering with unshed tears.

"Already too many people know that you're here." Oliver continued. "Nell, Lois, Mrs Kent." He looked towards Chloe who had moved to Lana's side, one hand on her arm. "Mr Sullivan."

"I need…." Lana's voice broke slightly. "She needs me." She exhaled shakily. Chloe rubbed her back comfortingly but didn't say anything.

Clark's lips tightened at Lana's words.

Oliver pulled out his cell phone "Let me see what I can do." He left the room looking preoccupied.

"Lana, did Dean call you from a secure line?" There was an edge to Chloe's voice and she looked at Clark as she spoke.

"I don't know" Lana shook her head "I don't think so….he wasn't really thinking straight… the call can be traced cant it?" Worried urgency replaced the sorrow in her voice.

Chloe bit her lip. "We'll sort something out" She reassured Lana.

"I just spoke to someone at the Metropolis General." Oliver came back in to the room "She's out of danger, they've operated and she should be stable enough to be transferred in a couple of days."

"Transferred?" Lana looked at him confused.

"To Star City." Oliver clarified. "Lex's men will be watching the hospital so we'll have to be careful but it can be done. I've sent a message to your uncle. He'll be filled in shortly."

"Thank you." Lana blinked back the tears "Thank you so much."

Oliver shrugged modestly. "You don't have to thank me."

"Whoa, I'm lost here." AC leaned forward interrupting Clark. "Just because you two can read each others minds." He looked from Clark to Chloe, a puzzled expression on his face "It doesn't mean we can."

Clark paused. "Too fast for you?" He raised a hand, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight that was pouring in through the windows.

"No, too vague for us." AC countered.

"Yeah, how about you guys talk to us and not each other." Bart stretched lazily. "Because we're the ones that need to be filled in."

Chloe looked at Clark. "Right I'll start from the beginning. Now that you all know about Clark being, well as he puts it, an intergalactic traveller." She air quoted the last two words, a mischievous grin on her face.

Clark pulled a face "You just have to get the digs in."

"Hey, I agree with you. Alien just isn't politically correct." She smiled sweetly at him before turning again to face the everybody else. "Level 3 was originally a joint project between Lionel Luthor, Robert Queen, Virgil Swann and Genevieve Teauge. They all built Level 3 facilities in their company as well as one in Met U to protect the Earth against what they perceived was an alien invasion."

Victor rubbed his temples. "And to think all this would have sounded absurd a few years ago."

"Yeah." Clark gave a self-depreciating smile. "Anyway." He continued carrying on from where Chloe had left off. "There was no alien invasion. The beacon they had originally seen in Smallville wasn't guiding Zod's aliens to Earth, it was meant for me."

Chloe walked back and forth "The group split apart in 1989 after….after…"

"After my parents were murdered." Oliver finished for her. "Or at least 89 was the year in which Queen's industries involvement with the group stopped.

"That's right. Chloe said. "It was in 1991 that Met U finally shut down a top-secret research project that was of course anonymously funded."

"Let me guess." That was Victor. "It was originally funded by Swann, Teauge, Queen and Luthor."

"Exactly." Chloe smiled at him. "The project was run by Arthur Walsh, Stephen Hamilton and Donovan Jaimison and it studied the effect of meteor rocks on humans. Although the Met U project was shut down, Luthor kept his Level three facility running in the sub-basement of the LuthorCorp fertiliser plant number three."

"The origins of 33.1" Bart cocked his head. "Right?"

"Right." answered Clark. "Lex eventually discovered level three and started paying Walsh and Jaimison to keep quiet about their research. After Lionel got ousted from LuthorCorp, Lex started up Level 3 again moving it in to the LuthorCorp tower between the 33rd and 34th floors and gave it a new name: 33.1."

"There's a lot more to it." Oliver looked around at the group. "But I'll sum it up, Teauge became obsessed with the knowledge of the three stones and Swann spent years decrypting the message sent the day of the first meteor shower by Jor-El."

"Right." Victor leaned forward. "Now we know how 33.1 began and everyone's involvement in it but it doesn't help us figure out what the hell Lex is up to now."

"I'm working on it." Oliver promised. "Right" He clapped his hands together. "Meeting over."

The group dispersed leaving just Oliver, Chloe, Lana and Clark in the room.

"Have you heard from Lois?" Oliver asked Chloe casually, not meeting her eyes.

Chloe brow wrinkled. "I got a phone call from her earlier." She looked straight at Oliver as she spoke "She's on her way to Gotham, something about a big story. She wouldn't tell me what."

Oliver met her challenging gaze head on, his lips twitching despite his best intentions "Oh really!" His voice was deadpan.

"Yes really." Chloe matched his tone.

"Well good for Lois. Isn't it Clark?" Oliver looked over at Clark.

"Um yeah." Clark nodded rapidly, covering his mouth with a hand and moving out of Chloe's line of vision. "That's great" His voice was muffled.

Chloe looked from Oliver to Clark suspiciously "I'm not stupid. You wanted Lois out of Smallville, I get that." She shook her head. "But Gotham?" She raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"She'll be safe." Oliver sat on a chair and stretched out his long legs in front of him.

Chloe looked at him dubiously. "Safe isn't a word I'd associate with Gotham. It seems like she's out of the frying pan and in to the fire."

Oliver looked at her from under hooded eyes. "I have someone looking out for her." He smiled slightly "Trust me."

Chloe shifted, trying to get comfortable. She crossed her legs and sank back in to the cushions. She nodded slightly. "Fine." She nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

"Good."

Clark looked on as Chloe set up her lap top. Switching it on she sat down at her desk and waited for it to load. He pulled up a chair besides her. "You're going on a date with Oliver?"

Chloe pulled a face, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard as she typed in her password ."No." She gave him a quick glance before returning her gaze to the screen.

Clark frowned. "Oliver said you were going with him to the benefit for the impoverished children of Star City."

Chloe nodded, sweeping her hair up and securing it with a clip. "I am but it's not a date." She looked at him curiously. "What gave you that impression?"

Clark shrugged uncomfortably. "I must have misunderstood. So you're just going as friends?"

Chloe tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yes." She turned to him hesitantly, "I…we talked about it." She rolled her eyes. "We decided that it's too soon for either of us to think about anything like that."

Clark looked at her, mouth slightly agape.

"Say something Clark." Chloe fidgeted on her chair. "Your wide-eyed Bambi look is making me nervous."

Clark blinked. "You guys talked about it?"

"Well yeah, that's what adults do, we're not in fifth grade anymore. Making googly eyes at each other's only plausible for so long."

"So you like him then?" Clark's voice was unsure.

Chloe sighed. "I don't know. I don't not like him." She shrugged. "If something happens, it happens and if it doesn't .." She smiled softly. "Well that's fine too."

Clark didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at her in silence. "That's very mature." His voice was low when he finally spoke.

Chloe shrugged. "Do you we're cursed?" She asked suddenly.

Clark looked up at her sharply "What do you mean?"

"Well, whenever you're in a relationship and happy, I'm single and when I'm in a relationship you're single." She explained rationally.

Clark shook his head. "No. You just haven't met the right person yet."

Chloe smiled sadly. "Maybe not" She mused. She looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling in a wry smile "Can I tell you a secret."

Clark nodded and leaned closer. "Always."

"I think I always knew that Jimmy wasn't the one." She rubbed the side of her nose. "I never felt about him the way I did………." She broke off "……..The way you do about Lana or the way Vic felt about his girlfriend."

Clark smiled weakly. "There's someone out there for you Chloe." There was an odd note to his voice and his voice dropped so low she could barely hear him. "And I'm scared that when you find him, I'll lose you forever."

Chloe stared at him, her breath caught in her .Where did that come from?"

Clark turned away to look at the wall and his normally expressive eyes were flat. "I want things to be how they used to be."

Chloe swallowed hard. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Clark returned his gaze to Chloe and he studied her carefully. "We haven't really talked alone since coming out to Star City." He dropped his gaze again and his smile was skewed. "You talk to Oliver now, I feel as if he's taking my best friend away from me." He laughed suddenly at the absurdity of his words. "You may not be in fifth grade but apparently I still am."

Chloe smiled, reaching out she touched the inside of his wrist lightly. "I'll always be your best friend Clark. Always."

Clark's hand closed over her fingers. "Promise?"

"Yes." Chloe looked away, breaking eye contact "Is Lana still with Nell?" She asked changing the subject.

Clark nodded. "She hasn't left the hospital since Nell arrived. She sent me home. The place is like Fort Knox, she'll be O.K on her own for little while."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. It's understandable that she wants some alone time with Nell."

Clark nodded wearily. "Is it O.K if I hang out here while you work? I won't disturb you."

Chloe smiled. "As long as you keep me supplied with a steady stream of hard hitting caffeine, you can do anything you want."

Clark grinned wider. "You have a deal."

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