Chapter 31- The Baby Shower
"Close your eyes," Clark repeated to Chloe.
"Clark, what is this?" Chloe asked curiously.
Clark stood behind Chloe and put his hands over her eyes. "I said close your eyes," he repeated once again.
Chloe laughed. "Alright, alright."
"Open the door," Clark commanded.
"But I can't see the doorknob," Chloe teased.
"Chloe," Clark complained.
Chloe laughed again and reached forward to turn the doorknob.
"Watch your step," Clark said, walking Chloe into the room. In front of them was a huge 'It's a Girl!' banner. Lana, Pete, Lex, Martha, and Jonathan were standing in front of a table piled high with presents.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Chloe asked.
"Nope. Just a minute more," Clark said, kicking the door closed. He looked to Lana who nodded. "Okay, now!"
"Surprise!" everyone yelled.
Chloe swayed back against Clark. "I'll say!"
Lana stepped forward. "This is your official baby shower."
"As opposed to my unofficial one?" Chloe asked with a teasing smile.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," Martha said, walking forward to hug Chloe.
"Thank you. Wow, I wasn't expecting this," Chloe exclaimed.
"It was supposed to be that way," Lex pointed out.
"Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Luthor," Chloe said.
"You're ever so welcome, Ms. Sullivan," Lex replied with a laugh.
Lana pulled out a chair with pink ribbons dangling from it. "Have a seat."
Chloe obediently sat.
"We have decided that the best thing to do is to get the presents out of the way," Lana explained.
"I will not object to that," Chloe said confidently.
Everyone laughed.
"Mine first, since I'm the hostess," Lana said, pulling two boxes off of the table.
Chloe took the larger of the two boxes and opened it. Inside were five tiny outfits. "Lana, they're adorable."
"I hoped you'd like them. The one on the bottom is great to bring the baby home in. It's very soft, almost like a blanket," Lana explained.
Chloe carefully sorted through each piece of material, studying each one in turn. "Thank you."
"One more from me," Lana said, holding out a smaller box.
Chloe opened it to find two pairs of miniscule shoes. "They're tiny. Look, Clark!"
Clark laughed. "Babies are usually pretty small."
"I get to go next, because I'm the hostess' fiancé," Pete said, grabbing a large box from the table.
"Ooh, it's something big," Chloe said, gently untying the bow. When she opened the box her eyes got big. There were at least a dozen pacifiers and two dozen bottles. "I shall never want for anything again."
Pete laughed. "That's good to know for future reference."
"Thank you, Pete," Chloe said sweetly.
"This is for you, Ms. Sullivan," Lex said, handing Chloe a meticulously wrapped package.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Luthor," Chloe answered, taking the gift. Inside was a teddy bear and matching blanket. The bear was plush, and its fur was softer than any material Chloe had ever touched. Underneath the bear was a slip of paper. It told Chloe to go to the local baby store and buy anything she could ever want or need. The workers knew to charge it to Lex. "Lex, this is very generous."
"Only the best for you, Chlo," Lex replied.
Chloe smiled mischievously. "I plan on taking you up on this 'want' offer."
"I hope you would," Lex told her with a smile.
"On to me and Jonathan. Our presents are in your room," Martha explained.
Jonathan walked ahead of the group and turned the light on. Inside the room were two large objects covered by white sheets. "We wanted for your presents to be something you could cherish. Martha and I had such different ideas that we ended up each making you something."
"Making?" Chloe asked.
"We each made our presents, although Jonathan's took quite a bit more than mine did," Martha said, pointing to each sheet-covered object.
"This is Martha's," Jonathan said, standing next to a sheet.
Chloe carefully pulled the sheet off and her mouth fell open. It was a pristine white bassinet. The top was covered in lace that pooled to the floor. Entwined in the lace was the tiniest pink ribbon. In the bassinet was a small blanket and silk pillow.
"You made this?" Chloe asked, fingering the fabric.
Martha laughed. "I made the lace, yes."
"It's so beautiful. I've never seen anything so beautiful," Chloe said, her voice a whisper.
Martha smiled. "As Lex so eloquently put it, 'only the best for you.'"
Chloe clung to Martha in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, dear," Martha replied.
Chloe walked to the next sheet, her eyes gleaming in anticipation. She quickly threw off the sheet to reveal a rocking horse. The horse had exquisite carvings and shone like the sun. "You made this, Mr. Kent?"
It was Jonathan's turn to grin. "Yes, I did. Do you like it?"
"It's amazing!" Chloe knelt down to trace the patterns on the rocking horse.
"I'm glad you think so," Jonathan replied.
Chloe took Clark's hand to stand up, then moved to give Mr. Kent a hug. "Thank you. I love it!"
"You're welcome," Jonathan answered proudly.
"That's two things you won't need to buy," Lex said.
Chloe looked at Lex slyly, "Don't worry. I'll find many more useful things to spend your money on."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lex said with a bright smile.
"It seems to me that we have one present left," Chloe said looking at Clark.
"Well, I have one for you now, and one for you later," Clark admitted. "The one for you now doesn't relate to the baby."
"Ooh, that means it's for me," Chloe told Lana, as if passing on a secret.
Lana laughed.
"It's downstairs," Clark told the group.
The group walked downstairs and Chloe sat back in her chair. Clark handed her a small package.
Chloe quickly opened it, then slowed almost immediately. It was picture frame encasing two pictures. The one on the left was of Lex, Pete, Lana, Clark, and Chloe drinking coffee in the Talon three years earlier. The one on the right was of the five in the same place, taken a few weeks prior.
Some of the differences were obvious, some subtler. In the earlier one Lex was separated somewhat from the group. In the recent one it was apparent that he was an integral part of the circle of friends. In the picture on the left there was an almost imperceptible gleam in Lana's eye as she looked at Pete. In the picture on the right she was in Pete's arms. In the picture from the past Clark and Chloe flanked Pete. His eyes radiating the love for his friends as he smiled at Chloe. In the recent picture Pete had his arms around Lana, but that same love was shining in his eyes as he looked at Clark and Chloe. Clark looked longingly at Lana in the earlier picture. That same longing was in his eyes three years later, only reflected on Chloe. Chloe looked happy, yet sad at the same time in the picture on the left. She seemed to be looking at Clark, but seeing through him. In the picture on the left she was laughing, her eyes twinkling as she looked at her friends.
As Chloe noticed each difference her eyes watered. Here it was. The link from one life to the other. Chloe's life in Smallville was back. Looking at the pictures it was as if the middle, the part of her in Metropolis, had been cut out. As if the pieces on either side had been pasted together. Clark became alarmed at Chloe's silent tears and knelt beside her. "Chlo?"
Chloe looked at Clark as the smile once thought of as her trademark took over her face.
"I haven't seen that smile in years," Clark whispered.
"I love it, Clark. It's perfect," Chloe said quietly, looking back at the picture.
"Then why are you crying?" Clark asked.
Chloe laughed. "Because it's so perfect." Chloe reached down to Clark and enveloped him in a hug. She held him as tightly as she could, knowing she wouldn't hurt him. When she pulled back she laughed again. "Look at me crying like a baby," she said wiping her eyes.
Lana stepped in to alleviate some of Chloe's awkwardness. "Let's have cake and ice-cream."
"Jonathan and I are going to make our exit. You all have fun," Martha said.
"Goodbye, and thanks again," Chloe said sincerely.
"It was our pleasure," Jonathan replied.
Chloe held the picture tightly to herself and stood. As she walked into the kitchen she slipped her hand into Clark's. Clark squeezed her hand reassuringly. When they got to the kitchen Chloe set the picture up on the table. She wiped her eyes once more before turning to her friends. Her friends. These were her friends. It took her breath away to think about it. She loved the people in that room so much, and they reciprocated that love back to her. It was what she had always wanted.
"Chloe? I asked what kind of ice-cream you wanted," Lana repeated.
Chloe smiled. Lana had become her closest friend and confidante. If she had been asked three years ago if she would ever be Lana's friend, she would have laughed. Now, she wouldn't give it up for the world. "Vanilla," Chloe answered.
"Me next," Pete said happily.
Chloe didn't think that it would have been possible to be any closer to Pete than she was three years ago. Pete had seen to changing that. Chloe loved Pete's unconditional happiness the most.
"I want chocolate," Lex told Lana.
Lex indeed had become an integral part of the circle of friends. An irreplaceable part at that. No one ever got close to Lex Luthor, at least that's how it had been. Now Lex laughed right beside them, not as an older outsider, but as their close friend.
"I'll take a little of everything," Clark said hungrily.
Chloe smiled contentedly at Clark. Chloe had once been madly in love with the lovable Farmboy. That love had crept back up on her without her knowledge. When Clark had fought at her side weeks earlier to defend her against Lex and Lana, Chloe had felt that love refill her senses. Clark hadn't pushed the idea. Once he knew where she stood he had backed off completely, making it a point that everyone else back off also. Chloe admired that. Clark stuck by her side no matter what happened.
"Clark, you can't possibly be hungry. I just fed you an hour ago," Lana complained.
"Guys are always hungry," Pete pointed out.
"You've been around us long enough to know that," Lex agreed with a grin.
"We work hard. It works up an appetite. Right, Chloe?" Clark asked.
Chloe grinned. "You three have black holes for stomachs."
These were her friends, and she had never been happier.
"Close your eyes," Clark repeated to Chloe.
"Clark, what is this?" Chloe asked curiously.
Clark stood behind Chloe and put his hands over her eyes. "I said close your eyes," he repeated once again.
Chloe laughed. "Alright, alright."
"Open the door," Clark commanded.
"But I can't see the doorknob," Chloe teased.
"Chloe," Clark complained.
Chloe laughed again and reached forward to turn the doorknob.
"Watch your step," Clark said, walking Chloe into the room. In front of them was a huge 'It's a Girl!' banner. Lana, Pete, Lex, Martha, and Jonathan were standing in front of a table piled high with presents.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Chloe asked.
"Nope. Just a minute more," Clark said, kicking the door closed. He looked to Lana who nodded. "Okay, now!"
"Surprise!" everyone yelled.
Chloe swayed back against Clark. "I'll say!"
Lana stepped forward. "This is your official baby shower."
"As opposed to my unofficial one?" Chloe asked with a teasing smile.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," Martha said, walking forward to hug Chloe.
"Thank you. Wow, I wasn't expecting this," Chloe exclaimed.
"It was supposed to be that way," Lex pointed out.
"Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Luthor," Chloe said.
"You're ever so welcome, Ms. Sullivan," Lex replied with a laugh.
Lana pulled out a chair with pink ribbons dangling from it. "Have a seat."
Chloe obediently sat.
"We have decided that the best thing to do is to get the presents out of the way," Lana explained.
"I will not object to that," Chloe said confidently.
Everyone laughed.
"Mine first, since I'm the hostess," Lana said, pulling two boxes off of the table.
Chloe took the larger of the two boxes and opened it. Inside were five tiny outfits. "Lana, they're adorable."
"I hoped you'd like them. The one on the bottom is great to bring the baby home in. It's very soft, almost like a blanket," Lana explained.
Chloe carefully sorted through each piece of material, studying each one in turn. "Thank you."
"One more from me," Lana said, holding out a smaller box.
Chloe opened it to find two pairs of miniscule shoes. "They're tiny. Look, Clark!"
Clark laughed. "Babies are usually pretty small."
"I get to go next, because I'm the hostess' fiancé," Pete said, grabbing a large box from the table.
"Ooh, it's something big," Chloe said, gently untying the bow. When she opened the box her eyes got big. There were at least a dozen pacifiers and two dozen bottles. "I shall never want for anything again."
Pete laughed. "That's good to know for future reference."
"Thank you, Pete," Chloe said sweetly.
"This is for you, Ms. Sullivan," Lex said, handing Chloe a meticulously wrapped package.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Luthor," Chloe answered, taking the gift. Inside was a teddy bear and matching blanket. The bear was plush, and its fur was softer than any material Chloe had ever touched. Underneath the bear was a slip of paper. It told Chloe to go to the local baby store and buy anything she could ever want or need. The workers knew to charge it to Lex. "Lex, this is very generous."
"Only the best for you, Chlo," Lex replied.
Chloe smiled mischievously. "I plan on taking you up on this 'want' offer."
"I hope you would," Lex told her with a smile.
"On to me and Jonathan. Our presents are in your room," Martha explained.
Jonathan walked ahead of the group and turned the light on. Inside the room were two large objects covered by white sheets. "We wanted for your presents to be something you could cherish. Martha and I had such different ideas that we ended up each making you something."
"Making?" Chloe asked.
"We each made our presents, although Jonathan's took quite a bit more than mine did," Martha said, pointing to each sheet-covered object.
"This is Martha's," Jonathan said, standing next to a sheet.
Chloe carefully pulled the sheet off and her mouth fell open. It was a pristine white bassinet. The top was covered in lace that pooled to the floor. Entwined in the lace was the tiniest pink ribbon. In the bassinet was a small blanket and silk pillow.
"You made this?" Chloe asked, fingering the fabric.
Martha laughed. "I made the lace, yes."
"It's so beautiful. I've never seen anything so beautiful," Chloe said, her voice a whisper.
Martha smiled. "As Lex so eloquently put it, 'only the best for you.'"
Chloe clung to Martha in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, dear," Martha replied.
Chloe walked to the next sheet, her eyes gleaming in anticipation. She quickly threw off the sheet to reveal a rocking horse. The horse had exquisite carvings and shone like the sun. "You made this, Mr. Kent?"
It was Jonathan's turn to grin. "Yes, I did. Do you like it?"
"It's amazing!" Chloe knelt down to trace the patterns on the rocking horse.
"I'm glad you think so," Jonathan replied.
Chloe took Clark's hand to stand up, then moved to give Mr. Kent a hug. "Thank you. I love it!"
"You're welcome," Jonathan answered proudly.
"That's two things you won't need to buy," Lex said.
Chloe looked at Lex slyly, "Don't worry. I'll find many more useful things to spend your money on."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lex said with a bright smile.
"It seems to me that we have one present left," Chloe said looking at Clark.
"Well, I have one for you now, and one for you later," Clark admitted. "The one for you now doesn't relate to the baby."
"Ooh, that means it's for me," Chloe told Lana, as if passing on a secret.
Lana laughed.
"It's downstairs," Clark told the group.
The group walked downstairs and Chloe sat back in her chair. Clark handed her a small package.
Chloe quickly opened it, then slowed almost immediately. It was picture frame encasing two pictures. The one on the left was of Lex, Pete, Lana, Clark, and Chloe drinking coffee in the Talon three years earlier. The one on the right was of the five in the same place, taken a few weeks prior.
Some of the differences were obvious, some subtler. In the earlier one Lex was separated somewhat from the group. In the recent one it was apparent that he was an integral part of the circle of friends. In the picture on the left there was an almost imperceptible gleam in Lana's eye as she looked at Pete. In the picture on the right she was in Pete's arms. In the picture from the past Clark and Chloe flanked Pete. His eyes radiating the love for his friends as he smiled at Chloe. In the recent picture Pete had his arms around Lana, but that same love was shining in his eyes as he looked at Clark and Chloe. Clark looked longingly at Lana in the earlier picture. That same longing was in his eyes three years later, only reflected on Chloe. Chloe looked happy, yet sad at the same time in the picture on the left. She seemed to be looking at Clark, but seeing through him. In the picture on the left she was laughing, her eyes twinkling as she looked at her friends.
As Chloe noticed each difference her eyes watered. Here it was. The link from one life to the other. Chloe's life in Smallville was back. Looking at the pictures it was as if the middle, the part of her in Metropolis, had been cut out. As if the pieces on either side had been pasted together. Clark became alarmed at Chloe's silent tears and knelt beside her. "Chlo?"
Chloe looked at Clark as the smile once thought of as her trademark took over her face.
"I haven't seen that smile in years," Clark whispered.
"I love it, Clark. It's perfect," Chloe said quietly, looking back at the picture.
"Then why are you crying?" Clark asked.
Chloe laughed. "Because it's so perfect." Chloe reached down to Clark and enveloped him in a hug. She held him as tightly as she could, knowing she wouldn't hurt him. When she pulled back she laughed again. "Look at me crying like a baby," she said wiping her eyes.
Lana stepped in to alleviate some of Chloe's awkwardness. "Let's have cake and ice-cream."
"Jonathan and I are going to make our exit. You all have fun," Martha said.
"Goodbye, and thanks again," Chloe said sincerely.
"It was our pleasure," Jonathan replied.
Chloe held the picture tightly to herself and stood. As she walked into the kitchen she slipped her hand into Clark's. Clark squeezed her hand reassuringly. When they got to the kitchen Chloe set the picture up on the table. She wiped her eyes once more before turning to her friends. Her friends. These were her friends. It took her breath away to think about it. She loved the people in that room so much, and they reciprocated that love back to her. It was what she had always wanted.
"Chloe? I asked what kind of ice-cream you wanted," Lana repeated.
Chloe smiled. Lana had become her closest friend and confidante. If she had been asked three years ago if she would ever be Lana's friend, she would have laughed. Now, she wouldn't give it up for the world. "Vanilla," Chloe answered.
"Me next," Pete said happily.
Chloe didn't think that it would have been possible to be any closer to Pete than she was three years ago. Pete had seen to changing that. Chloe loved Pete's unconditional happiness the most.
"I want chocolate," Lex told Lana.
Lex indeed had become an integral part of the circle of friends. An irreplaceable part at that. No one ever got close to Lex Luthor, at least that's how it had been. Now Lex laughed right beside them, not as an older outsider, but as their close friend.
"I'll take a little of everything," Clark said hungrily.
Chloe smiled contentedly at Clark. Chloe had once been madly in love with the lovable Farmboy. That love had crept back up on her without her knowledge. When Clark had fought at her side weeks earlier to defend her against Lex and Lana, Chloe had felt that love refill her senses. Clark hadn't pushed the idea. Once he knew where she stood he had backed off completely, making it a point that everyone else back off also. Chloe admired that. Clark stuck by her side no matter what happened.
"Clark, you can't possibly be hungry. I just fed you an hour ago," Lana complained.
"Guys are always hungry," Pete pointed out.
"You've been around us long enough to know that," Lex agreed with a grin.
"We work hard. It works up an appetite. Right, Chloe?" Clark asked.
Chloe grinned. "You three have black holes for stomachs."
These were her friends, and she had never been happier.