A/N : Apologies in advance for the sort-of-cliffhanger at the end of this chapter (keeps you reading though, doesn't it?!)

Disclaimer : Mine? Yeah right!

Chloe's POV

No-one was in at the Kent's house, but I guessed Clark would be in the barn somewhere. I wandered in and was half way up the stairs when I heard voices.

"Hey Lex, what's up?" Clark spoke first, then I heard Lex's voice.

"I need talk to you" he didn't sound happy. I stayed on the stairs, crouching down now. There was no way I was going to walk in on that conversation, I had too bad of a feeling about it, but I wanted to at least hear it so I knew what was going on.

"Okay, sit down" I heard Clark say, then some silence. I hardly dared to breathe. Lex spoke next.

"Clark, do you love Lana?"

"That's a weird question - you know I do, I've liked her and loved her for a long time"

"You said you loved Chloe"

"I do, but I'm not in love with her, I thought I was once, but I realised what I was feeling wasn't real. Why do you want to know all this?"

Another silence, I dreaded what Lex was going to say. I made a guess as to what this

conversation was about and, unfortunately I found out that I had guessed right.

"I saw you at the Torch, I saw you and Chloe, together"

I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I couldn't understand why he was confronting Clark and not talking to me about it, although part of me was glad I didn't have to talk to him about it. I continued to listen.

"Oh, what exactly did you see?"

"Does it matter Clark? You have to learn to make up your mind who you want to be with or someone's going to get hurt, badly!"

"I don't want to hurt you Lex..."

"I wasn't talking about me..." the tone of Lex's voice changed, "You are gonna find yourself getting hurt if you don't leave my Chloe alone"

CRASH!

My foot slipped from under me and I clattered down the four steps I had previously climbed. My cover was blown and at the worst possible moment. I wanted to get up and run but the pain shocked me into staying still. I heard a voice call to me.

"Chloe, is that you? Are you okay?"

I turned to see Clark coming down the stairs and Lex followed as soon as he heard Clark say my name.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

I blushed and kind of giggled for a second. 'Had Lex just called me sweetheart?' I thought 'he must have it bad for me' and I decided that was a good thing since I had come here to break it off with Clark completely and commit myself to Lex, but what I'd just heard bothered me.

"I'm fine!" I lied, "I just tripped on my way up the stairs!" I lied again, pulling myself up.

"What are you doing here, Lex?" I asked like I didn't know.

"Just came to say hi to Clark, you?" he asked.

I thought for a second. Surely now I knew that he knew about the kiss I was safe to come clean. But to tell Clark I had chosen Lex over him in front of Lex would hurt him even more. I was confusing even myself. So for the sake of my sanity I told yet another lie.

"Oh, the same, just dropped by to say hi and then I was coming to see you" 'Well,' I told myself, 'it was only half a lie.

Lex smiled and I relaxed, he seemed to believe me. Clark looked between Lex and me and then said he had chores to do. He disappeared out of the barn, leaving Lex and I alone.

"So," Lex began, "just you and me then"

I smiled and answered him truthfully.

"That's just how I wanted it!"

I don't know whether he believed me or not, in fact I was starting to wonder myself if it was still true after the conversation I had heard. If Lex was willing to 'hurt' Clark just so he would leave me alone, doesn't that make him a bit more dangerous than even I bargained for?

'Why does life have to be so complicated?' I asked myself as I climbed into Lex's car with him. I had finally made my decision, and I had decided on Lex and then life throws something else at me. For a nano-second I wished I was unloved and unnoticed again, just like I had been a few short weeks ago, but as weird and complicated as the situation was, I guess I liked having two guys fighting for me, as long as the fighting didn't get out of hand...

A/N : And now, please review! And watch this space for the final two chapters - coming to a fanfic site near you in the next couple of days!