CHAPTER TEN
Chloe arrived home an hour later and went straight to Lee's room to check on her. She wasn't worried when she saw Lee's empty bed. Chloe knew that there would only be one place her daughter could be this late at night.
Chloe climbed the stairs to the loft as quietly as possible. What she saw shocked her the most. Lee was curled up on the couch, using Clark as her pillow, and Clark was sleeping with a book lying face down on one leg, one arm around Lee and the other on the armrest. His head was tilted back and Chloe swore she heard him snoring.
Chloe smile turned mischievous as she grabbed the disposable camera on the shelf closest to them. This would go great in the album. She was able to snap a few shots before Clark's eyes slowly opened and she had to return the camera back to the shelf immediately.
"Hey, Chloe, when did you get here?"
"Awhile ago. So, which one of you fell asleep first?"
Clark looked down at Lee's sleeping form then back up at Chloe. "Lee did, of course. You want me to get her to bed."
"Nah, I got it."
Chloe bent down and spoke in hushed whispers to her daughter. Clark heard a moan from Lee and then saw Lee wrap her arms around Chloe's neck. Chloe lifted her daughter with ease and locked her arms underneath Lee's legs.
"See, told you I got it," Chloe said as she made her way down the barn stairs and towards the house.
"I take it you do this a lot?"
Chloe just nodded as she made her way into the house and up the stairs to Lee's room. Chloe laid Lee down and covered her with the quilt. She gave Lee a peck on the forehead and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Clark was waiting for her just outside, leaning against the wall.
"Clark, can we talk about what happened earlier?" Chloe asked.
"I guess so."
Chloe led Clark downstairs, back into the living room. They sat facing opposite of each other. Chloe tucked her legs under her while Clark stretched his out.
"What happened Chlo? The Chloe Sullivan I used to know never had outbursts like the one you had earlier. I want to know what's going on. And why aren't we best friends anymore?" Clark interrogated.
"Whoa, Clark. One question at a time. Let's start with what happened," Chloe replied. I was upset that you didn't wait for me to tell you about my mother or anything else that may have happened during those years we weren't on a speaking basis. I mean, you see me for twelve hours after a decade and you're already in research mode. Did you ever think that maybe I had reasons as to why I like to keep that part of my life a secret?"
"No--"
"God, Clark, I keep that a secret because usually if a person who doesn't know finds out, they look at me with pity in their eyes."
"But, Chloe, you should know that I would never look at you like that."
Chloe shook her head and squinted her eyes. "But you did. For a brief second when I came down here, you looked at me with pity in your eyes. I know you probably couldn't help it, but you did," Chloe said, raising her voice a bit. She lowered her voice with the next thing she said along with her head. "As for the best friends thing, we aren't that anymore because we both chose not to be. I chose to go to Boston and ignore my life here and you got married and led a different life. Did you really expect that we'd just fall back into our old ways after an entire decade of not speaking to each other?"
Clark wasn't able to look her in the face. She had a point. There was no possible way to be able to go back to being as close as they used to be. Had it really been that long? Yes it had. Ten years since high school, ten years since they're last meeting, ten years in which he should've been able to leave all the angst of growing up behind him. However, as it turns out, he still had growing to do. Not with his powers or physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Clark shook his head. "Not at first, not until I saw you standing there. You looked so different, yet so much the same that it took me back to those days when we would hang out at The Talon or in the office of The Torch. Chloe, do you ever think that we could be like that again? I mean, not totally since we both grew up a little and you have Lee, but somewhat like the best friends we were?"
"I don't know. Are you willing to accept that there are things in my life that you'll have to wait for me to tell you?"
"If it means being friends again, then yes."
"Then, yes, one day we might become the friends we once were."
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A/N: So, you like? Now that they're established friends, we get into the good stuff. I had a friend who was reading this the other night and she gave me the weirdest look. When I asked her about it she answered that it was nothing. Well, I kept prodding and prodding and here's the questions she asked.
1) If it's been a decade, when's the high school reunion?
2) You've told us what happened to Clark, Lana, Pete, Chloe, and Clark's parents. What about Lex?
My answers to her were, just wait and see. It's coming up, don't worry so much.
Chloe arrived home an hour later and went straight to Lee's room to check on her. She wasn't worried when she saw Lee's empty bed. Chloe knew that there would only be one place her daughter could be this late at night.
Chloe climbed the stairs to the loft as quietly as possible. What she saw shocked her the most. Lee was curled up on the couch, using Clark as her pillow, and Clark was sleeping with a book lying face down on one leg, one arm around Lee and the other on the armrest. His head was tilted back and Chloe swore she heard him snoring.
Chloe smile turned mischievous as she grabbed the disposable camera on the shelf closest to them. This would go great in the album. She was able to snap a few shots before Clark's eyes slowly opened and she had to return the camera back to the shelf immediately.
"Hey, Chloe, when did you get here?"
"Awhile ago. So, which one of you fell asleep first?"
Clark looked down at Lee's sleeping form then back up at Chloe. "Lee did, of course. You want me to get her to bed."
"Nah, I got it."
Chloe bent down and spoke in hushed whispers to her daughter. Clark heard a moan from Lee and then saw Lee wrap her arms around Chloe's neck. Chloe lifted her daughter with ease and locked her arms underneath Lee's legs.
"See, told you I got it," Chloe said as she made her way down the barn stairs and towards the house.
"I take it you do this a lot?"
Chloe just nodded as she made her way into the house and up the stairs to Lee's room. Chloe laid Lee down and covered her with the quilt. She gave Lee a peck on the forehead and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Clark was waiting for her just outside, leaning against the wall.
"Clark, can we talk about what happened earlier?" Chloe asked.
"I guess so."
Chloe led Clark downstairs, back into the living room. They sat facing opposite of each other. Chloe tucked her legs under her while Clark stretched his out.
"What happened Chlo? The Chloe Sullivan I used to know never had outbursts like the one you had earlier. I want to know what's going on. And why aren't we best friends anymore?" Clark interrogated.
"Whoa, Clark. One question at a time. Let's start with what happened," Chloe replied. I was upset that you didn't wait for me to tell you about my mother or anything else that may have happened during those years we weren't on a speaking basis. I mean, you see me for twelve hours after a decade and you're already in research mode. Did you ever think that maybe I had reasons as to why I like to keep that part of my life a secret?"
"No--"
"God, Clark, I keep that a secret because usually if a person who doesn't know finds out, they look at me with pity in their eyes."
"But, Chloe, you should know that I would never look at you like that."
Chloe shook her head and squinted her eyes. "But you did. For a brief second when I came down here, you looked at me with pity in your eyes. I know you probably couldn't help it, but you did," Chloe said, raising her voice a bit. She lowered her voice with the next thing she said along with her head. "As for the best friends thing, we aren't that anymore because we both chose not to be. I chose to go to Boston and ignore my life here and you got married and led a different life. Did you really expect that we'd just fall back into our old ways after an entire decade of not speaking to each other?"
Clark wasn't able to look her in the face. She had a point. There was no possible way to be able to go back to being as close as they used to be. Had it really been that long? Yes it had. Ten years since high school, ten years since they're last meeting, ten years in which he should've been able to leave all the angst of growing up behind him. However, as it turns out, he still had growing to do. Not with his powers or physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Clark shook his head. "Not at first, not until I saw you standing there. You looked so different, yet so much the same that it took me back to those days when we would hang out at The Talon or in the office of The Torch. Chloe, do you ever think that we could be like that again? I mean, not totally since we both grew up a little and you have Lee, but somewhat like the best friends we were?"
"I don't know. Are you willing to accept that there are things in my life that you'll have to wait for me to tell you?"
"If it means being friends again, then yes."
"Then, yes, one day we might become the friends we once were."
\|\|\|\|\|\|
A/N: So, you like? Now that they're established friends, we get into the good stuff. I had a friend who was reading this the other night and she gave me the weirdest look. When I asked her about it she answered that it was nothing. Well, I kept prodding and prodding and here's the questions she asked.
1) If it's been a decade, when's the high school reunion?
2) You've told us what happened to Clark, Lana, Pete, Chloe, and Clark's parents. What about Lex?
My answers to her were, just wait and see. It's coming up, don't worry so much.