A Second Chance
Chapter Nineteen:
Song used in this chapter: 'Feels Like Home' by Chantal Kreviazuk
After lunch, Clark, Lois, Chloe and Oliver were making their way back towards The Daily Planet, even though they all could have went their separate ways, except for Chloe and Lois, who still had quite an active afternoon ahead of them, in complete and utter silence, as their minds were consumed with the problems that they were experiencing—with the certain parts of their life that were literally crashing down around them.
Chloe was more than a little worried about her cousin not only because she seemed to be on a completely different universe today, but also because she wouldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something, and the not knowing was really starting to drive her insane.
Oliver, on the other hand, wasn't only concerned about the threat that was practically looming over their heads, but he was also a little confused by the things he was feeling for one bright-eyed investigative reporter in training.
Ever since they met, he has been attracted to her, but lately things have been different between them, and honestly, he wasn't sure he was ready for any kind of major change in his life. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were spending more and more time with each other, actually, they were together almost every single day.
Truth be told, the fact that they were practically on top of each other on a daily basis wasn't bothering him. It was the fact that he was starting to think of her as more than a friend. It wasn't supposed to happen. He might deny his feelings to her, his best friend and to everyone else, but deep inside he knew that the dynamics of their relationship was changing.
Did she feel it too? Or was it just him?
Lois was on a completely different wavelength than everyone else, and it had everything to do with the things that she had learned only a short time ago—things that she had already been questioning.
On the outside, it would seem to everyone surrounding her that she was just a little off kilter due to the things that were happening in their lives, but on the inside, she was battling with a major decision that was bound to change everything, and honestly, it was starting to give her a headache.
She didn't know what she was supposed to do.
Did she confront him with the truth? Or did she keep pretending like she knew nothing and wait until he told her the truth himself?
Out of everyone, Clark was the only one that was dealing with something a little closer to home—something that only affected himself and the woman walking next to him—something that has been on his mind for weeks.
The Senatorial Benefit.
It was just a political event, but in a lot of ways it was more than that. He wanted to ask her to be his date for the evening, but how did he do that without her thinking that he was asking her on a date?
It wasn't what he was doing, but in some ways, it would be kind of like a date.
How would he build the confidence within himself to ask the question he's wanted to ask for quite some time without her freaking out or reading more into the situation?
As soon as they arrived at The Daily Planet, Oliver broke the silence consuming them. "Well, this has been an interesting lunch date, but I better get back before Bruce sends out a search party for me."
Chloe narrowed her eyes at the man. "This wasn't a date."
"It was kind of like a date. More like a double date."
"In your wildest dreams, Queen."
Lois rolled her eyes at them.
Their incessant flirting was really starting to become more and more annoying as time passed, of course, she wanted them to admit what everyone else already knew, but it was quite obvious that that wasn't happening anytime soon.
Why did they have to be so stubborn? Were Clark and her this bad before they admitted their feelings to each other?
She quickly shook her thoughts away, not wanting to think about that particular problem at this moment in time, and changed the subject. "So, Ollie. Are you still picking us up for the benefit?"
He nodded. "Clark and I will be escorting you lovely ladies to the party, so don't take forever getting ready. We'd rather be on time instead of fashionably late."
Lois feigned shock from his words, and placed her hands over her chest, dramatically. "What? Us? We would never. I'll have you know that we are more than capable of taking less than thirty minutes to get ready."
Clark laughed, loudly, as his head tipped backwards, slightly. "You're joking, right? Lois, you take two hour long showers and spend another hour figuring out what to wear. I've seen the hurricane that is your room when you finally finish getting ready."
She glared at him. "Are you saying that I'm a slob?"
"No. Not at all. I'm just saying that your very good at procrastinating and tend to spend more time on something than you should."
"I do not procrastinate. Back me up, Chloe."
Chloe attempted holding in her amusement from their playful argument, but it was merely impossible. "Clark does have a point."
Lois gaped at her. "I thought you were supposed to be on my side."
"Sorry, cuz."
Oliver shook his head from side to side at his friends with a soft smile gracing his lips. "Well, you three have fun bickering with each other."
He turned towards his friend. "I'll see you later, Clark."
"See you, Oliver."
They all watched him disappear into the crowds of people rushing down the sidewalk before Chloe turned her full attention towards her cousin. "We should probably head back inside. We wouldn't Perry thinking that we're slacking by taking a long lunch."
"You go ahead. I'll be inside in a few minutes. I need to talk to Clark for a second."
She narrowed her eyes between the two of them, slightly before shrugging her shoulders, and heading inside the building, intending to finish everything that needed to be done, but was stopped when she almost made it to her desk by a familiar voice. "Hey, Chloe. Where did your cousin disappear to?"
Chloe turned around towards her friend, Jimmy. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we were in the middle of figuring something out, and she just vanished."
They were working together? Was this the reason she was late for lunch? What were they doing?
"What were you working on?"
"Well, if I'm being honest I kind of caught her looking into something in one of the spare offices, you know the one I go to when I need some time to myself, and I started helping her figure out the one thing I've been investigating for weeks, but she kind of just vanished after that."
"What was she doing?"
"Looking into the meteor freaks. I think she might have figured out who the guy speeding around town saving people is." He was thoughtful for a few seconds, as a frown took over his features. "We should really come up with a name for the guy. I mean, he is saving people without taking any credit for it."
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers from his implicating words, and she completely ignored his last comment, not really caring about what they called her best friend. "What do you mean she figured out who he is?"
"I mean, I showed her that picture of him, and she kind of zoned out for a few seconds like she was on another planet before rushing out of here. I think she might have figured out the truth."
"Are you talking about that picture you showed Perry? The blurry one?"
He nodded.
"I highly doubt that. She was probably just in a rush to meet Clark and myself for lunch. If neither you or Perry could figure out who was in that picture than neither could my cousin."
"Your probably right."
Chloe watched him walk away from her before rushing towards her desk, as her mind mulled over everything that was revealed in that brief but compromising conversation, and in that moment, she knew the truth she has been questioning all day long.
Her cousin was definitely up to something.
She might have made Jimmy believe that it was nothing, but deep inside she knew exactly what her dear cousin was up to.
At first, she had believed that it was just a surprise for Clark, but now she knew that it was so, so much more than that. She was investigating the meteor freaks, attempting to figure out who Lex wanted, even though she had promised that she wouldn't go near this, but honestly, she should have known that she wouldn't drop this, mainly because it was the one thing she has wanted to know since they realized that Lex was becoming problematic.
Her cousin was one hell of a determined woman when she wanted to know something.
Did she figure it out? Did she know that Clark was the one in that picture?
She didn't know, but she was sure as hell going to figure it out.
If her cousin believed Clark to have abilities, then that would change everything. Not only would she want to know the whole truth—the truth that her best friend refused to tell her, but she would also feel like he didn't trust her, and that was only going to ruin things.
No matter what, she would figure out the truth.
Hopefully, before the benefit tonight.
As soon as Chloe had disappeared inside of the building, Clark glanced at Lois with a weird expression slowly forming across his face, and for some reason he was feeling more than a little nervous at the reason or reasons she wanted to talk to him alone.
It wasn't anything new or surprising since they were alone more often than not, but she had never, in the time they've known each other, requested to be alone with him, and it was making him more and more anxious as the seconds passed.
What did she want to talk to him about?
After several more seconds of silence, the not knowing was driving him absolutely insane, and he needed—wanted to know what was on that beautiful mind of hers. "So, um. Why did you want to be alone with me?"
Lois noticed the nervousness lingering in his eyes, and rolled her own, dramatically at him.
There was a part of herself that wanted to question him on everything she had learned, but the other part of herself knew that this wasn't the time or place. Honestly, she wasn't sure when the right time or where the right place would be, but she did know that it wasn't here, and it wasn't right now.
Sooner or later, she would figure out what she was going to do with this information. Tell him or keep it to herself until he was honest with her. Hopefully, she figured that out before the day was over.
"Relax, Clark. It's nothing that you need to freak out about, actually, it's something very promising. I just couldn't have Chloe overhearing our conversation."
"You want to talk about Chloe and Oliver?" He guessed from the look on her face.
She nodded. "Do you remember the first night they met?"
He nodded. "You wanted to find a way to push them together, but I'm pretty sure the following day you decided that it wouldn't be the best idea."
"Because neither of them were ready."
"And you think they're ready now?"
"I think Oliver is more than ready. I can see it when he looks at her. I can hear it in his voice when he denies his feelings for her. I can feel it when they are in the same room together. Chloe, on the other hand, is a lot like me when it comes to facing feelings. She knows she likes him, but refuses to believe it or do anything about it because she doesn't want to ruin the friendship."
Instead of commenting on her specific views of starting a relationship with a friend, which happened to be more than a little similar to their predicament with slight differences, he decided to focus on the task at hand. "How do you expect to change that? If what your saying is true, then she is going to fight this tooth and nail."
"Don't worry. I have a plan for that."
"And what is this brilliant plan of yours?"
"The details are a work in progress, but all we have to do is make them see what everyone else knows, and I'm going to need your help." She looked at him, expectantly. "So? Will you help me put our best friends together?"
Clark shook his head from side to side with a wide smile gracing his lips. "Of course, I'll help you, but you should be warned that this could come back to bite us in the ass. What if they just want to stay friends?"
"Trust me. No one wants to just stay friends with someone they have feelings for."
Once again, he decided not to comment on that, knowing that there was a deeper meaning behind her words. "Just be warned that this could possibly not go in the way we want it to."
"It'll take time. I need to figure out if Oliver realizes his feelings for her, and you need to try to get inside that fortress of a head of hers since she won't tell me a damn thing."
He frowned at her. "What makes you think I can do better?"
"You're her best friend. She tells you everything, and I'm pretty sure you tell her everything too. She might not say the words, but she will most likely reveal more to you in her actions than she would to myself."
"Because Oliver is your best friend," he guessed.
She nodded. "So? Do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal. Let's just hope it works."
"It will work."
They grinned at each other for a few seconds before Lois glanced towards the revolving door, and sighed, heavily at the thought of having to go back inside for the rest of the day. She loved working here, but honestly, she wanted to spend more time with the man standing in front of her, so she could make that decision she's been struggling with all day long.
"Well, I should probably head back inside before Perry chews me out for slacking on the job."
Clark felt his heart accelerate, as she started turning away from him to head inside the building, and quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her from taking another step before gently turning her back around towards him.
It was time.
All day, he had been trying to figure out the best way to ask her this question without her jumping to the wrong conclusion, and he thought that he would have more time to think about this, but it wasn't likely that they would see each other again until they picked them up for the benefit.
He needed to ask this now.
It was now or never, he thought to himself.
"Lois. Wait. Don't leave yet."
Lois frowned over at him. "Clark? What is it?"
"I know you have to go, but I promise this will only take a minute." He looked down to the ground, and took a deep, deep breath before returning his determined aquamarine eyes to her confused ones. "I-I've been trying to figure out a way to ask you this question for a few weeks now, and I know that I should have done it sooner, but I just didn't want you to think that this would be more than something it is. I—"
"Spit it out, Clark," she interrupted him, as she rolled her eyes.
"Will you be my date to the benefit tonight?"
Her eyes widened, slightly and she could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest from his words.
That was the last thing she was expecting.
Honestly, she had given up hope that he would ask her. Chloe was right. She was waiting for him to ask her, and now that he finally did, she couldn't squelch the nervousness and excitement she was feeling from the mere thought of spending the entire night with him, but it's not like she could reveal that to him.
"Clark Kent. Are you asking me on a date?"
His eyes widened from her words.
How did he know that she would jump to that conclusion?
"No. I mean, yes. I don't know." He took a breath, attempting to calm his racing heart. "I guess it'll be kind of like a date, but not an actual date. I would never take you to a political event for our first date."
His words caused her to grin from ear to ear. "You've thought about our first date?"
He looked down to the ground, nervously before meeting her teasing gaze. "Maybe…"
That one little word made her grin even wider, and she wanted to tease him about the way he was behaving for one simple question, but the look of nervousness lingering in his eyes made her second guess that decision.
He was nervous.
He was terrified that she wouldn't want to go with him, of course, he had no real reason to feel those things, but she supposed that he wasn't sure what her response would be to his question, and that was the whole reason it took him this long to ask her.
It was time she fixed that little issue he was experiencing.
She took a small step towards him, and squeezed his hand, softly, as she smiled up at him. "I'd love to go with you, Clark, actually, I've been waiting for you to ask."
"You have?"
When she nodded, he grinned from ear to ear, and couldn't stop himself from feeling complete and utter happiness from the mere idea of spending the entire night with her. It wouldn't be a date, but it also wouldn't be just as friends. It was somewhere in the middle, and he couldn't wait.
They stared at each other with smiles plastered across their faces for several seconds before Clark released her hand, and took a step back from her, knowing that they needed to part ways for the time being. "Um. So, I'll see you tonight."
"I'll see you tonight."
Clark watched her disappear into the building with the widest grin spreading out across his face.
It was happening.
They were going to this event together.
It might not be as a date, but it was something closely related to a date, and honestly, he just wanted this day to be over, so he could spend the entire night with her.
A part of himself knew that they were getting closer and closer to that point, where they could be more than what they were, and the other part of himself also knew that they couldn't go there until he got over his fears—the same exact fears that have ruined most if not all of his relationships.
It wouldn't happen this time.
No matter what, he would call her his, but first he had to figure out the best way to open up to her without her freaking out—without her turning her back on him—without her thinking he was a freak.
It would happen, but for now he would relish in the moments that they could share together.
Clark walked down the busy sidewalk with a wide and goofy grin plastered across his face.
Tonight he would be spending the entire night with her, and he couldn't wait.
It was going to be a great night.
Later that night, Chloe was sitting on her cousin's bed watching as she tried on every single dress she owned before tossing it to the ground, and going into search mode for another one.
It was quite hilarious, she thought to herself, ever since they came home from The Daily Planet to get ready for the big event Lois has been on a completely different wavelength, attempting to find the perfect outfit to wear.
It was like she wanted this night to be perfect.
Maybe it was because she was really excited about going to her first political event, but deep inside she knew that it had everything to do with the tall, dark and mysterious man she calls her best friend.
As soon as her cousin had come back inside from talking to Clark, she had been in a completely different mood, like she was walking on air, and it had surprised her in more ways than one since it had been completely different from the way she was behaving at lunch.
It had taken her a bit of time, but she managed to get the truth out of her cousin.
Her dear best friend had finally asked her cousin to be his date tonight, of course, it wasn't an actual date according to them, but she knew that this night meant more to them than either of them realized.
As happy as she was for them, she couldn't help feeling like this was going to be their very last exultant night together. Not because someone or something was going to ruin it, but because she had a feeling that her cousin was going to question her best friend.
That was another thing she hasn't gotten the chance to get to the bottom of yet, but hopefully she could accomplish that before the men arrived here to whisk them away to the benefit.
"Clark was right. You are like a hurricane."
Lois stopped rummaging through her clothes, and turned around towards her cousin with an expression of pure and utter annoyance lingering on her frustrated face. "I am not a hurricane. I just don't have anything to wear."
"You have plenty to wear. Your just being picky because you want this night to be perfect for some odd reason. It's like your expecting something extraordinary to happen tonight." A smirk spread out across her face. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Clark asked you on a date."
"This isn't a date. He might have asked me to be his date, but that doesn't mean this is an actual date."
"Keep telling yourself that, cuz."
Lois ignored those words. "Would you just shut up and help me find a damn dress?"
Chloe rolled her eyes before sorting through the mess she had made of her room, and not even five seconds later found an outfit that would be perfect, actually, it had been one of the first things she tried on, but of course, her cousin was being extremely picky right now. "This one."
Lois scrutinized the red dress that her cousin was holding up. "I don't know about that one. It's kind of plain."
"Plain is good. This isn't some fancy ball, Lo. It's a political event, besides Clark' favorite color is red."
"I'm not doing this for Clark."
"Sure you aren't." She laughed, loudly, as she ripped the dress from her hands, and disappeared into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
As she stared at the closed wooden door, she knew that this was her only chance to start the conversation she had been dreading to bring up for hours, but she needed to know the truth and she needed to know now. "So, you never told me what you were doing before you met us for lunch."
"We're back to that?" She spoke through the door. "I had something I needed to do, and I needed to do it alone."
"But were you really alone?"
It was silent on the other side of the door for several seconds before she walked out of the bathroom with a confused and annoyed expression lingering on her face. "What do you mean? Was I really alone? If I was with someone don't you think I would tell you?"
Chloe just shrugged her shoulders, deciding that this conversation was getting her absolutely nowhere.
The way she was going about this wasn't working, and that had little to do with her questions, but more to do with the fact that her cousin was a master of deflection. She needed to attempt to get the answers she wanted—needed from a completely different angle, and she knew exactly what she needed to do to get her cousin to open up to her, albeit unknowingly.
"So, I had an interesting conversation with Jimmy today…"
Lois' entire body froze, as her cousin's words rung over and over again in her mind, and she could feel the speed of her heartrate accelerate from the mere thought of what he could have possibly told her.
Is that why she was questioning her? Did he tell her something? Did she know that she knew?
"Oh really? What did you two talk about?"
"Oh. Nothing much. You know, work, our lives, the benefit tonight, and the fact that he helped you with something. So, I ask again. What were you doing before you met us for lunch?"
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew that Jimmy had told her more than she expected him to, but honestly, she should have know better than to involve him in this. He was close to her, hell, they dated at one point, so it would make the most sense that he would come to her, but she couldn't possibly know that she figured out the truth, right?
"Okay. You got me. I needed Jimmy' help with something that involves both you and Clark," she lied.
"You're lying, Lois."
"No. I'm not."
Chloe narrowed her eyes at her for a few seconds, analyzing her before she completely gave up on the idea of being discreet about this situation, and blurted out the one thing she has been questioning ever since Jimmy walked away from her. "Yes. You are. I know that you weren't working on something for Clark and I' benefit. Jimmy confirmed it. You were trying to figure out who the man saving people in Metropolis is. Jimmy is pretty sure you figured it out, and now I'm starting to wonder if you did."
"What?" Lois scoffed. "There's a man saving people in Metropolis?"
"Don't play dumb, Lois." At her complete and utter silence, she grew even more frustrated. "Would you just stop lying and be honest with me? I know that you were looking into the meteor infected even though I asked you not to, and I also know that Jimmy showed you that picture of him."
"I am being honest with you. I don't know who he is. That picture was a blurry mess. If Jimmy and Perry couldn't figure out who was in that picture, then how could I?"
"I don't know, Lois. How about you tell me. You're the one who investigated this when you promised that you wouldn't. You're the one that went behind our backs to do this. And you're the one that is refusing to be honest about something that affects more than the two of us." She took a deep breath, calming the frustration she was feeling before continuing, "Just be honest with me. You know, don't you? You know about Clark?"
Lois sighed, heavily and plopped down onto the bed, knowing that it was useless to hide the truth, especially from her cousin. "Yes. I know that Clark is either meteor infected or a metahuman. I'm leaning more towards metahuman though since he seems to have more than one ability."
Chloe felt the anger boil deep inside of her, even though she already knew the truth, and glared down at her cousin. "How could you this? How could you investigate behind my back? How could you investigate the man that you claim to care about?"
"What else was I supposed to do?" She quickly stood up, and rushed past her cousin towards the living room before she started pacing back and forth, her mind going into overdrive from the several things that have been unintentionally revealed.
She didn't want it to happen this way. She wanted Clark to be honest with her, but she had to take matters into her own hands even though it was exactly what Lex wanted her to do, and she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do with this information.
"I didn't want this to happen. I didn't ask for this to happen. Chloe, you have to believe me when I tell you that. I promised you that I wouldn't investigate, and I wasn't planning on doing anything until this whole ordeal with Lex was over, but when Lex corners you and threatens the man that you thought you knew then what choice do you have?"
Chloe stared at her cousin for the longest time, her anger beginning to dissipate, as her words reverberated in her mind several times until she found the ability to speak. "Lex threatened to kill Clark if you didn't investigate him?"
She shook her head from side to side. "No. He threatened to kill him if we didn't stop investigating him, but he made it perfectly clear that Clark was the one he wanted. I know he did this one purpose. I know he wanted me to investigate him, and for one long month I didn't do anything because I was scared—terrified to learn the truth, but I needed to know, Chloe. It's the only way I can protect him."
"And now that you know how do you feel?"
"How I feel doesn't matter right now, Chloe. The only thing that matters to me right now is his safety."
Chloe sighed, heavily. "Don't you think it would have been easier to just ask him instead of going behind his back?"
"Did you?" When she noticed that she was thinking of a way to rebut that she raised her hand, stopping her from uttering a single word. "Don't try telling me that you did because I know for a fact that you didn't find out until your senior year of high school. Jimmy explained the whole ordeal from your freshman year to now. Did he tell you or did you find out?"
"I found out, but—"
"But nothing," she interrupted her. "You found out, and I'm going to make an educated guess and say that you didn't say anything to him until he was honest with you."
"That was a completely different situation. We didn't have the threat of Lex looming over our heads. We both know that Lex did this on purpose. He wanted you to investigate him and it won't take him long before he figures out that you know."
"You don't think I know that, Chloe. I know that he could find out, but I'm determined to protect him."
"Protecting him is one thing, but did you even think about what could happen to you if Lex figures out that you did exactly what he wanted you to do? He was already interested in both you and Clark. If he finds out that you know—if you refuse to tell him anything there isn't anything stopping him from coming after you."
Lois stared straight into her cousin's eyes. "I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to keep him safe."
Chloe took a few steps back from her, as the true meaning behind her words come crashing to the forefront of her mind, and she honestly, didn't know how to react to a revelation like that one. "You would put your own life above his?"
"Yes," she didn't hesitate on the answer.
"You would do that even though you don't know everything?"
A frown took over her features. "What do you mean I don't know everything?"
"You might think you know everything, but you really don't. I thought I knew until he told me the truth."
Lois slowly sat down on the couch, as her mind mulled over everything her cousin had just revealed to her, and she was feeling even more confused than she was before she started investigating the truth.
There was more to the story? What else could he be hiding from her? Why was he so hesitant on being honest with her about this?
Even though she wanted all those questions answered, she couldn't help feeling like she would never get to the bottom of the mystery that was Clark Kent, and honestly, it was slowly breaking her heart piece by piece that he was refusing to be honest with her.
Why couldn't he just tell her?
"Why won't he be honest with me?" She whispered.
Chloe slowly sat down next to her cousin, and rested her hand on top of her own before smiling, softly at her, hoping that would lighten the darkened mood that had taken over her. "It's hard for him. This is something he doesn't tell anyone. I promise he will be honest with you when he's ready. It just might take some time."
She smiled, softly, loving the way her cousin was attempting to make her feel better about this entire situation, but it quickly fell when her words caused a particular thought, one she had been questioning over the past month, came to the forefront of her mind. "Are you the only one that knows?"
As much as she didn't want to tell her, she knew that it would be better if she knew this part before Clark revealed that he had been honest to everyone except her. "No. I'm not the only one that knows. Martha and Jonathan know, and our friend, Pete knows too. It was one of the reasons he left town."
Lois could tell that she wasn't telling her something from the hesitant look in her eyes, and even though she had a feeling deep inside that she wasn't going to like the answer she wanted—needed to know the truth. "Who else knows?"
"Bruce and Oliver."
Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in complete and utter shock, as her words caused her heart to break even more than it already was. She was thinking that it would be his ex-girlfriend, Lana Lang, but she was sorely mistaken. "What? They know?"
She nodded. "They found out the night Lex threatened Clark. It wasn't planned. Clark didn't mean for it to happen, but he was forced to be honest with them."
"Is that what he's waiting for? For me to witness him doing something that he shouldn't be able to do?"
"No, Lois. He just needs some time to figure out the best way to tell you."
Lois quickly stood up, as anger, frustration, confusion and pain consumed every fiber in her being. "He told Bruce and Oliver, who he's only know for barely two months. You've known for years. His parents have probably known longer than anyone else. How am I supposed to trust him or keep building our relationship if he can't even be honest with me?"
Chloe quickly stood up, not liking the way her cousin was talking and gripped her arms in her hands, squeezing, slightly. "It has nothing to do with trust. He trusts you. He just doesn't know how to tell you."
"But he told you, Bruce and Oliver."
"Because he didn't have a choice. He wants to do this differently. He wants you to be the one that finds out everything from him."
"But I already know."
"You don't know everything, Lois."
Her emotion filled hazel eyes stared straight into her cousin's. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Chloe' heart broke from the look of pain on her face, and she wished that this wasn't happening right now—she wished that Lex had never told her anything—she wished that things were back to normal, but Lex had made it a point to ruin their lives.
This was just the tipping point.
Deep inside, she knew that he was planning something more sinister than making Lois investigate the man she was already in love with, and as much as she wanted to ring his neck for doing this to them, she knew that her main focus needed to be on the woman standing in front of her.
She needed to make sure that her cousin didn't push her best friend away just because he wasn't being honest with her.
"I know your confused, Lois, but I don't want this to ruin anything between the two of you. Your still his friend. Please don't push him away."
That thought never even crossed her mind.
Even though she was feeling a multitude of emotions from everything she had learned in one single day, she would never push him away just because he wasn't ready to be honest with her, but that didn't mean she wasn't upset by it.
"I would never do that, Chloe."
"Good because he needs you in his life and you need him too."
Lois smiled, softly, but it fell just as fast as it had graced her lips. "Chloe, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that you won't say anything to him."
"I-I don't know, Lo," she stammered. "Don't you think he should know that you have figured some of this out?"
"I'm not trying to make you choose between the two of us. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm your cousin and he's your best friend. I could never ask you to choose between the two of us, but I just need some time to figure out what I'm going to do."
"You mean, you need to decide on whether you're going to tell him or if you're going to wait for him to tell you." At her nod, she continued, "I think you already know what you should do, but I promise I won't say anything to him. You should be the one that tells him. Not me."
She smiled, softly at her. "Thank you, Chloe."
A knock at the door, interrupted their moment, and they quickly gained their composure before opening the door to their escorts, who left them completely and utterly speechless, as their eyes roamed over the two men standing directly in front of them.
They definitely knew how to clean up.
Clark was wearing a black tuxedo with a dark red tie, while Oliver was wearing an over-expensive suit with a green tie, and they both looked as dashing as ever. At least to them they did.
Clark and Oliver felt their hearts begin to beat rapidly inside their chests from the mere sight of the women they would be escorting for the night, and they honestly had absolutely no idea what they were supposed to say to them, hell, they had lost the ability to breathe.
Clark was the first one to break the silence, "Wow! You both look great."
Chloe grinned, widely at her best friend. "You clean up pretty nice too."
Oliver glared at her, playfully. "And what about me?"
"You look nice, but not as great as my best friend."
Lois chuckled, loudly at the expression slowly forming on his face. "Don't worry, Ollie. I still think you look as handsome as ever."
He smiled at her. "Why thank you. At least one of you knows how to compliment a man."
Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "I wouldn't think a man of your stature would need compliments."
His eyes narrowed at her before he turned towards his friend. "Mind if we switch dates for the night?"
"Once again, this is not a date. Your just escorting me," Chloe informed him before anyone had a chance to comment on his question.
Clark chuckled, loudly and clamped his hand down onto his shoulder. "Sorry, Oliver. Your stuck with my best friend for the night."
"Oh great," he muttered.
Lois shook her head from side to side at them. "If you two are done flirting with each other I think it's time we head to the benefit before Martha and Jonathan think we abandoned them."
Chloe ignored her first comment. "We wouldn't want that."
They all quickly interlocked their arms together and walked out the door, every single one of them looking forward to the night ahead of them.
It was definitely going to be a great night.
A few hours later, every single one of them were having the time of their lives at the function, and they were immensely enjoying the minor distraction from the craziness that was their lives at the moment.
It had been a pretty entertaining night thus far.
As soon as the party had begun, benefactors from all over the state gave individual speeches regarding the work that the Senator had done since reaching office, and Martha had thanked every single one of them before revealing her plans for the rest of the year.
After that, everyone went their separate ways, intending to enjoy the rest of the benefit, while the dynamic trio decided to stick pretty close together. At least for the time being.
Clark, Chloe and Lois were standing not too far from the dancefloor with glasses of sparkling cider in their hands since Martha and Jonathan had made it absolutely clear that they wouldn't be drinking any kind of alcohol at this event, but that message was directed more towards Chloe and Lois, who had a tendency of drinking at places they weren't supposed to be drinking at.
Not like that ever stopped them.
Lois glanced over at Martha, who was standing next to her husband and a few other people she didn't recognize, and smiled, softly at the way she seemed to be completely comfortable in this type of environment before returning her focus to her cousin and friend. "I never thought Martha would be so good at this."
"Well, she is the Senator."
Clark nodded his head in agreement at his best friend before frowning, slightly. "I thought you've been to a few of these in the past?"
Lois rolled her eyes at him. "I've been to charity balls. There's a difference between the two, and I was only there because I practically begged Oliver and Bruce to bring me along. This is something else entirely, but I have to say I don't think I've ever seen Martha like this."
"Well, you better get used to it because these things happen almost every month."
Her eyes widened, slightly. "Every month?"
Chloe nodded. "At first, it was a little weird coming to these events, but now it's just a part of our lives. She makes a great Senator. I wouldn't be surprised if she moved further up from here."
Clark quirked a brow at her. "You mean, like becoming the president?"
She shook her head from side to side. "I don't think she'd want to go that far, but I could picture her working in the oval office."
"Who will be working in the oval office?"
The three of them turned around towards the familiar voice, and smiled at their subject of conversation. "You, of course."
Martha waved her hand, aimlessly in the air. "As sweet as that notion is, Lois, I don't think that will ever happen. My life is here is Kansas not Washington."
Jonathan appeared directly behind her. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, honey. I'm pretty sure you've gained more than a few allies in that particular department with your speech."
Clark nodded. "That was a great speech, mom."
"It wasn't anything special."
Chloe grinned, widely at the woman in front of her. "Don't cut yourself short, Martha. You're a great Senator. I'm sure you'll go far and beyond what you've accomplished so far."
As much as she was enjoying their praises, she highly doubted that she would ever go that far, of course, she enjoyed what she was doing for the state she loved so much, but her life was in Smallville—her family was in Smallville, and there was nothing that could make her leave them for a job.
Family was more important than anything else.
"Thank you, but we didn't come over here to receive your praises. We need to steal Clark away for a few minutes."
Clark groaned, loudly from those words, knowing the exact reason they wanted him. Every single time he came to one of these events, which was every time, the press needed pictures, and of course, they always dragged him along with them.
Why couldn't they do it alone? Why did he have to join them?
"Pictures? Again?"
Jonathan chuckled, softly at the expression that was plastered across his face. "Sorry, son, but you know how this goes."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled, miserably.
Lois attempted holding in her amusement from the way he was behaving about taking some harmless pictures, but it was merely impossible, especially since he was staring at his parents with those damn puppy dog eyes of his. "Aw! What's wrong, Clark? Are you picture shy?"
"No! Of course not," he scoffed. "I just don't like them."
"Excuses. Excuses. You just don't like the publicity."
"And as you told me not even five minutes ago…you better get used to it," Lois added.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Thanks for the help, Lo."
"Your welcome." She smiled sweetly up at him. "Now, go on. Get out of here before I push you all the way over there."
His hands rose in the air. "Okay. I'm going. I'm going. Don't rush me."
As he disappeared into the crowds with his parents on either side of him, Chloe and Lois couldn't stop themselves from chuckling at the situation. He definitely didn't like these functions very much, mainly because he was forced to do things that he didn't want to do, but even though he hated it, it gave them even more incentive to tease him.
Chloe glanced over at her cousin once her mirth had died, and stared at her with an inquisitive gaze, as her mind thought of nothing other than the way she has been behaving since they arrived at the party.
It was like nothing was bothering her—like nothing major was happening in her life—like she hadn't just found out something important.
Ever since Clark and Oliver entered their apartment it was like she was back to being her normal self.
Was she not perturbed by this? Was she only pretending?
Lois noticed that her cousin was practically staring holes into the side of her head, and quickly turned towards her with an annoyed expression spread out across her face. "Is there a reason your staring at me, Chloe? Or do I just have something stuck to my face?"
Chloe shook her head from side to side, which only made her roll her eyes at her. "Well? Why are you staring at me?"
"I don't know. I just think that it's a little weird the way your acting towards Clark. It's like nothing has changed."
Lois sighed, heavily.
She should have known that her cousin would jump to that conclusion, but just because she found out a few things regarding the man that doesn't mean she was going to look at him differently or act different around him. "That's because nothing has changed, Chloe. He is still the same old Clark Kent. Yeah. He might be keeping a few things from me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to change my attitude or feelings towards him."
Chloe stared at her, completely and utterly surprised from her words not only because it wasn't what she was expecting, but also because it was the complete opposite of what she had done, and deep inside she knew that they were literally perfect for each other. Not only because she had accepted him even though she didn't know everything, but also because she didn't even seem to be fazed by this, and that was the sole reason her cousin would be the only woman for her best friend. At least in her eyes.
"You surprise me, Lois. I thought you would behave differently around him."
"Why?"
"Because I did."
Her eyes widened, slightly from her words, and she honestly, couldn't believe it. "You didn't…"
"I did, but of course, he never figured anything out from the way I looked at him or the things I told him."
"He probably did, Chloe. He just didn't say anything."
"Your probably right."
Lois glanced in the direction he had disappeared before returning her gaze to her. "Just because it doesn't change anything doesn't mean that I'm not curious. I want him to be honest with me, but I also want to tell him that I know."
"You still haven't figured out what your going to do?"
She shook her head from side to side. "Not yet, but I'm hoping to figure that out by the end of the night."
"Your hoping to figure what out before the night ends?"
They both turned around to face the man that has been missing ever since he went on a one man hunting mission for a certain broody, billionaire, who seemed to be in his own little world, especially over the past couple of days.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter."
Chloe searched the crowds, looking for the person he was supposed to find. "I thought you were looking for Bruce?"
"And he found me," Bruce told them, as he appeared from the crowd.
Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "Where the hell have you been?"
"I was preoccupied…"
Chloe and Lois stared at him, curiously, but before either of them could question him any further a tall, beautiful brunette, who was stumbling over her own feet, appeared out of nowhere, and wrapped her hands around his bicep. "Bruce, I thought we were going to get drinks."
"Sorry, love. Ollie here kidnapped me for a little bit."
Oliver rolled his eyes at his friend, who was going down a path he had been down several times in the past, and honestly, he wasn't entirely sure what the cause of this newfound hobby of his came from before he glanced at the sober women. "As you can see, I didn't find him alone."
"Clearly."
Lois narrowed her eyes at the drunk woman. "Well, I can see what you mean by being preoccupied, so are you going to introduce us to your lady friend?"
He sighed, heavily, not really wanting to delve into the whole introductory stem of things since this would probably be the first and last time, they saw her, but he knew that they wouldn't stop pestering him until he gave them what they wanted. "Chloe, Lois, this is Angela. Angela, these are my friends, Chloe and Lois."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled, softly at them before turning her full attention towards the man that had captivated her from the moment, she laid her eyes on him several hours ago. "What about those drinks, Bruce?"
"How about you head to the bar. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
As soon as she was gone, Chloe couldn't stop herself from shaking her head from side to side at the little spectacle that had just happened, and honestly, she was starting to question who was the bigger playboy…Oliver or Bruce. She was leaning more towards the latter.
"Well, she seems lovely."
"I don't like her," Lois blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
Oliver chuckled, loudly from her brash words, while Chloe slapped her arm. "Lois!"
"What? I'm just being honest."
Bruce rolled his eyes at her, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You never like any of the women I introduce you to."
"Because they aren't the ones for you."
"Will there ever be one for me? You either scrutinize them or scare them away with your attitude. How am I supposed to find someone if you hate every single one of them?"
"Are you actually looking?" Chloe muttered underneath her breath, which had Oliver smiling, faintly.
Bruce glared at her before returning his focus to his best friend. "What do you want me to do?"
"Find someone better."
"There is no one better in your eyes, Lois. With the way you behave around every single woman I bring around I'm starting to wonder if the only person you would see perfect for me is going to be some mystical woman from outer space."
Lois chuckled, loudly at that. "As amusing as that imagery is that would never happen, but you'll have to bring someone extraordinary around for me to approve of them."
He glared at her. "When did you become the dictator on my love life?"
"The day I became your best friend."
Bruce shook his head from side to side, as a slow, but growing smile graced his lips. "You're lucky I love you, Lane."
She grinned, widely at him. "Aw! I love you too, Wayne."
"Now, if you excuse me, I have a date to entertain."
As soon as he disappeared from their sights, Oliver turned towards his best friend with an inquisitive gaze lingering in his eyes. "Why do you always give him such a hard time when it comes to women, but not me?"
"Are you jealous, Ollie?" At the exasperated look he was giving her, she patted his arm before deciding to give him the answer he wanted even though she knew he wouldn't like it. "I don't bug you because you've already found the woman your supposed to be with. You just don't realize it yet, but you will sooner or later."
Oliver narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that she was referring to the fiery blonde standing directly next to him. "Please don't start with that."
"Don't start with what?" Clark questioned, as he walked up to them.
Lois smiled, softly at him, as he took his spot standing directly next to her. "Oh. I was just telling Oliver that he's already found the woman he's supposed to be with, and he doesn't want to hear it."
Chloe quickly changed the subject, not liking where this particular conversation was going, and needed a distraction as soon as possible. "How'd the photoshoot go?"
Clark grumbled at her words. "Horrible. The photographer couldn't stop taking pictures. What happened to taking a single picture and being done with it?"
"Welcome to the twenty first century, Clark. You'd think that you'd be used to it by now."
"I'll never get used to being harassed by the press."
Oliver chuckled, softly at that. "That's rich coming from the guy who wants to be an investigative reporter."
He looked him dead straight in the eyes. "I have my own reasons for wanting to become a reporter."
Lois glanced between the two of them with a curious gaze, but it quickly transformed into one of understanding as soon as she realized what they were referring to…his abilities and the fact that he was already saving people.
It made sense, she thought to herself, but in a lot of ways it was risky.
Someone could figure out that he was the person saving people, but it's not like she could tell him that though. He didn't know that she knew anything, and according to her cousin she didn't even know everything, so what help could she actually be to his decision?
Chloe notice the expression of pure concentration lingering on her cousin's face, instantly realizing that she was thinking about the things that she had found out today, and quickly needed a change of subject before she said anything that she probably shouldn't, but fortunately a familiar song filled the room, giving her the distraction she needed.
"Oh. I love this song." She locked eyes with Oliver. "How about a dance, Queen?"
Oliver frowned at her, wondering what had come over her so suddenly, but didn't refuse her offer when she held out her hand, and led her out to the dancefloor.
Clark made a face, as they disappeared into the crowd, but when a particular thought crossed his mind that frown transformed into a wide grin before he turned towards Lois. "Well, I think we figured out how Chloe feels about Oliver."
Men, she thought to herself, they were completely and utterly clueless.
She knew for a fact that Chloe didn't ask him to dance because she had feelings for him. She did it because she wanted a distraction from the awkward conversation that had come to light. She probably thought that she was going to question them, of course, she would never do that not only because it wasn't wise, but also because she still hasn't decided on what she was going to do.
"Doubtful. Chloe didn't drag him away because she realized her feelings for him."
"Then what was that all about?"
"Nothing that concerns you. It's between us girls."
He gave her a weird look, wondering what she meant by that, but didn't question her, knowing that if it was for him know she would tell him.
After a few seconds of silence, Lois glanced towards the dancefloor, and watched the several couple dancing to the beautiful music before she turned her attention towards him with an expression of expectation lingering on her face. "Well? Are we just going to stand here? Or are you going to ask me to dance?"
His eyes widened, slightly from that. "You want to dance with me?"
"Do you see anyone else in the vicinity?"
"We can if you'd like to, but I guess that depends on whether you want to be stepped on the entire time or not."
"You can't be that bad."
"I'm worse than bad, Lois."
"Well, I guess that's something else I'll have to teach you." She dragged him out to the middle of the dancefloor, and rested her hands on his shoulders, while he stood there like he had had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, which only made her roll her eyes at him. "You really have no idea what your doing, do you?"
He shook his head from side to side. "I told you."
"Have you ever danced before?"
"I have, but like I told you I always step on the other person."
"Well, here's a quick lesson, Just grab my hips and sway to the music. It's that easy."
Something in your eyes
Makes me want to lose myself
Makes me want to lose myself
In your arms
As soon as he gripped her waist in his hands, she wrapped her arms around his neck, effectively pulling herself closer to him, their chests mere inches away from each other, and they swayed, softly to the music ringing in their ears.
There's something in your voice
Makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts
The rest of my life
Once he seemed to get the hang of it, she looked up at him with a soft smile. "See. Your practically a natural."
His eyes never left hers. "That's because of you."
She noticed the look of admiration in his eyes, and as much as she wanted to delve deeper into the feelings, she was feeling for this one man she knew that she couldn't. At least not yet. So, instead she rested her head against his chest, and listened to the sound of his heartbeat, as the lyrics of the song flowed within her.
If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've been so alone
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done
Clark felt like he couldn't breathe, as their bodies were molded together, and honestly, he was starting to wonder if agreeing to dance with was a good idea or not, but if he was being honest with himself, he loved having her this close to him—he loved having her wrapped up in his embrace—he loved the feeling that arouse inside of him from just her touch.
It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where
I come from
As they were dancing, Lois couldn't stop herself from tightening her arms around his neck, and pressing her body closer to his, the sound of his racing heart pounding in her ear, as her head rested against his chest.
In that moment, she knew what she needed to do.
It was staring her dead straight in the face.
Everything she learned about him today didn't change the way she was feeling for him right now, and this pure moment they were sharing proved that no matter what they would always find a way to get past every problem that came hurdling towards them.
He might be keeping secrets, but honestly, it didn't matter.
All that mattered was this moment.
No matter how long it took, she would wait until he felt comfortable enough to tell her the truth himself.
It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
So, this was a very long chapter and a lot of things happened. I know it might seem like I add extra things to the chapters, but there is a reason they are included. I never write anything that won't be coming up again.
This chapter was relatively calmer, but the next few are going to be the complete opposite. Things between Clark and Lois will be heating up and the dilemma with Lex will also be heating up. Alas, everything is coming to a head.
Hope you enjoyed chapter nineteen