Chapter 26- 3-Way Ambush
"You and Clark are going to be so cute together. He's so happy. He loves you, and you love him. It's-" Lana rambled.
"Whoa! Slow down. You're talking sixty miles and hour and I can only listen at forty. What are you talking about?" Chloe asked.
"You and Clark. I mean now that you forgave him, you two-" Lana started ecstatically.
"Lana, there is no 'us two.' Where did you get that idea?" Chloe asked.
"You forgave him, and you two hugged, and he was so happy, and-" Lana continued rambling.
"Okay, you're acting like a two-year-old on a sugar high," Chloe told the brunette.
"I can't help it!" Lana exclaimed as the phone rang.
"Hello?" Chloe asked into the receiver.
"Chloe, it's Lex. Congratulations on you and Clark," Lex said, switching on his speakerphone and pouring himself a drink.
"What?" Chloe asked in shock.
"You and Clark," Lex repeated.
"Hold on, Lex. Someone's on the other line." Chloe said, clicking over. "Hello?"
"Chloe, I'm so happy for you and Clark," Pete exclaimed.
"What is everyone talking about?" Chloe asked.
"You and Clark," Pete repeated.
"Stop saying that!" Chloe said loudly. "Lex is on the other line. I'm going to three-way this ambush!" Chloe pushed a few buttons, the last one being the speakerphone. "Would some tell me what's going on?"
"You and Clark," Pete, Lana, and Lex replied at the same time.
Chloe groaned. "I was afraid you were going to say that."
"You don't sound too happy about it. Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" Lex asked.
"First of all, there is no 'it!' Second, I have not been the one waiting, Clark has!" Chloe pointed out.
Lana, Pete, and Lex began to talk at once. "But-" "It-" "What-"
"Eh!" Chloe said abruptly, stopping them all. "Not another word. Shut your mouths and listen. Listen hard. I am only going to say this once. There is no 'me and Clark.' I have given no one a reason to believe there is. Yes, I used to live for the 'me and Clark.' I admit it. At this point Clark and I are just friends. It took a lot to get to the where I am so that I could forgive him, and even some of you. That's as far as I'm comfortable with at this time, so stop pushing your luck!"
Lex took in a sharp breath. "Clark! How long have you been standing there?"
"A while,'" Clark answered.
"Clark?" Pete asked.
"Hello everyone," Clark replied.
"Uh, Lex?" Chloe asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, Chlo," Lex questioned.
"What does Clark's face look like?" Chloe asked, afraid of the answer.
"Uh, do you really want to know?" Lex asked, looking to Clark.
"No," Chloe answered. "But tell me anyway."
"He looks upset, hurt, dejected, pained, sad-" Lex started.
"Lex, that's enough," Lana cut him off.
"Quite enough," Pete agreed.
"Lana, help!" Chloe mouthed.
"Clark, how you doing?" Lana asked.
Chloe shot her a dirty look, and Lana put her hands up in an apologetic manner.
Clark was silent.
"Yeah, so I'll talk to you all later," Lex said disconnecting the phone call.
"Well, crap!" Chloe said loudly.
"You have the best timing, Chlo," Pete joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Good bye, Pete," Chloe said, ending the call.
"That was unfortunate," Lana agreed.
"You're telling me! Why can't I keep my big mouth shut? Open mouth, insert foot. It should be my motto!" Chloe said, laying her head into her hand.
"Clark, are you okay?" Lex asked.
"Besides having all my dreams constantly shattered, I'd have to say yes," Clark replied. "Want me to fix it?" Lex asked.
"No!" Clark said, his eyes wide. "Last time you tried to do that Chloe almost left. I don't need you butting in again!"
"I was just-" Lex said.
"Trying to help," Clark finished for him. "I know and I appreciate it. It's just that sometimes I think she's making me wait just to hurt me. To pay me back for what I did to her."
"That's a pretty loaded accusation," Lex warned.
"I know. I only half mean it. I just want to know what's taking so long," Clark admitted.
"The elusive Chloe Sullivan. A wonder to many, a mystery to all," Lex said.
"I think I should go back and dig out my book," Clark said standing up.
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Reading 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,' will not give you any insight into the woman psyche," Lex pointed out.
"Do you have any words of advice this time? Let me rephrase that. Have any good words of advice? Your last advice on that subject had me going after the wrong girl," Clark pointed out.
"All I said was that by staying friends with them both, you would have neither. It was your choice, and you chose the brunette," Lex said.
"I know I did. I thought I chose the blond," Clark said wistfully.
"Ah, and you did for a few weeks. But inevitably you drifted back to the brunette," Lex replied. "Like a magnet."
"That was my problem. I led Chloe on. Looking back I even knew that I was doing it, but I didn't stop. I guess I learned my lesson!" Clark said.
"I hope you have. So, once again the choice is yours. The blond, or the next sickeningly sweet, seemingly perfect, jock's girlfriend? You decide," Lex said coolly. "Let me say this. Chloe was always the one who supported you no matter what. She wanted you to get what you wanted, including the aforementioned brunette. She never left your side until she was pushed away. Even you said Chloe was the one constant thing in your life. Keep that in mind the next time you start accusing her of things, won't you?" It was more of an order, than a question.
"You and Clark are going to be so cute together. He's so happy. He loves you, and you love him. It's-" Lana rambled.
"Whoa! Slow down. You're talking sixty miles and hour and I can only listen at forty. What are you talking about?" Chloe asked.
"You and Clark. I mean now that you forgave him, you two-" Lana started ecstatically.
"Lana, there is no 'us two.' Where did you get that idea?" Chloe asked.
"You forgave him, and you two hugged, and he was so happy, and-" Lana continued rambling.
"Okay, you're acting like a two-year-old on a sugar high," Chloe told the brunette.
"I can't help it!" Lana exclaimed as the phone rang.
"Hello?" Chloe asked into the receiver.
"Chloe, it's Lex. Congratulations on you and Clark," Lex said, switching on his speakerphone and pouring himself a drink.
"What?" Chloe asked in shock.
"You and Clark," Lex repeated.
"Hold on, Lex. Someone's on the other line." Chloe said, clicking over. "Hello?"
"Chloe, I'm so happy for you and Clark," Pete exclaimed.
"What is everyone talking about?" Chloe asked.
"You and Clark," Pete repeated.
"Stop saying that!" Chloe said loudly. "Lex is on the other line. I'm going to three-way this ambush!" Chloe pushed a few buttons, the last one being the speakerphone. "Would some tell me what's going on?"
"You and Clark," Pete, Lana, and Lex replied at the same time.
Chloe groaned. "I was afraid you were going to say that."
"You don't sound too happy about it. Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" Lex asked.
"First of all, there is no 'it!' Second, I have not been the one waiting, Clark has!" Chloe pointed out.
Lana, Pete, and Lex began to talk at once. "But-" "It-" "What-"
"Eh!" Chloe said abruptly, stopping them all. "Not another word. Shut your mouths and listen. Listen hard. I am only going to say this once. There is no 'me and Clark.' I have given no one a reason to believe there is. Yes, I used to live for the 'me and Clark.' I admit it. At this point Clark and I are just friends. It took a lot to get to the where I am so that I could forgive him, and even some of you. That's as far as I'm comfortable with at this time, so stop pushing your luck!"
Lex took in a sharp breath. "Clark! How long have you been standing there?"
"A while,'" Clark answered.
"Clark?" Pete asked.
"Hello everyone," Clark replied.
"Uh, Lex?" Chloe asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, Chlo," Lex questioned.
"What does Clark's face look like?" Chloe asked, afraid of the answer.
"Uh, do you really want to know?" Lex asked, looking to Clark.
"No," Chloe answered. "But tell me anyway."
"He looks upset, hurt, dejected, pained, sad-" Lex started.
"Lex, that's enough," Lana cut him off.
"Quite enough," Pete agreed.
"Lana, help!" Chloe mouthed.
"Clark, how you doing?" Lana asked.
Chloe shot her a dirty look, and Lana put her hands up in an apologetic manner.
Clark was silent.
"Yeah, so I'll talk to you all later," Lex said disconnecting the phone call.
"Well, crap!" Chloe said loudly.
"You have the best timing, Chlo," Pete joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Good bye, Pete," Chloe said, ending the call.
"That was unfortunate," Lana agreed.
"You're telling me! Why can't I keep my big mouth shut? Open mouth, insert foot. It should be my motto!" Chloe said, laying her head into her hand.
"Clark, are you okay?" Lex asked.
"Besides having all my dreams constantly shattered, I'd have to say yes," Clark replied. "Want me to fix it?" Lex asked.
"No!" Clark said, his eyes wide. "Last time you tried to do that Chloe almost left. I don't need you butting in again!"
"I was just-" Lex said.
"Trying to help," Clark finished for him. "I know and I appreciate it. It's just that sometimes I think she's making me wait just to hurt me. To pay me back for what I did to her."
"That's a pretty loaded accusation," Lex warned.
"I know. I only half mean it. I just want to know what's taking so long," Clark admitted.
"The elusive Chloe Sullivan. A wonder to many, a mystery to all," Lex said.
"I think I should go back and dig out my book," Clark said standing up.
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Reading 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,' will not give you any insight into the woman psyche," Lex pointed out.
"Do you have any words of advice this time? Let me rephrase that. Have any good words of advice? Your last advice on that subject had me going after the wrong girl," Clark pointed out.
"All I said was that by staying friends with them both, you would have neither. It was your choice, and you chose the brunette," Lex said.
"I know I did. I thought I chose the blond," Clark said wistfully.
"Ah, and you did for a few weeks. But inevitably you drifted back to the brunette," Lex replied. "Like a magnet."
"That was my problem. I led Chloe on. Looking back I even knew that I was doing it, but I didn't stop. I guess I learned my lesson!" Clark said.
"I hope you have. So, once again the choice is yours. The blond, or the next sickeningly sweet, seemingly perfect, jock's girlfriend? You decide," Lex said coolly. "Let me say this. Chloe was always the one who supported you no matter what. She wanted you to get what you wanted, including the aforementioned brunette. She never left your side until she was pushed away. Even you said Chloe was the one constant thing in your life. Keep that in mind the next time you start accusing her of things, won't you?" It was more of an order, than a question.