CHAPTER NINETEEN
For the next month, Chloe devoted herself to nothing but Lana and Pete's wedding. She helped Lana choose flower arrangements, bridesmaid dresses, book the church hall, and decorations. She helped pick out his tuxedo, pick up the dresses and flower arrangements, and decorate The Talon for the reception. She went to Lana's dress fitting in Metropolis and helped her pick out the shoes to go with the dress.
The night before the wedding was both the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Pete and his buddies had the party at Jonathan's while the girls had theirs at The Talon. Chloe, Lana, Penny, Martha, and a couple of the female teachers at the high school who Chloe and Lana had began friendships with were all there. They spent the night talking, laughing, giving Lana baby presents and drinking coffee. The gang at Pete's party spent the night making jokes, drinking beer and helping Pete realize that he would in no way miss being a single man.
At about one in the morning, both parties just about ended. The women went home and the men struggled to figure where theirs was. It was finally decided that the loft was going to be the temporary address for all of them until at least morning.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
It was ten o'clock the next morning when Lana finally awoke. She groggily turned her head and looked at the clock. Her eyes went wide and she began to panic. "Chloe! Oh my god, Chloe!" Lana screamed, throwing back the covers and running around her room like a chicken with its head chopped off. It did not last long when she came upon the note pinned to the dress bag that hung behind the door. It read:
Lana~
Hey, how's it feel to be getting married today? I knew that you'd probably oversleep to where you only have two hours until you have to be at the church so I took the liberty to do a few things for you. Your dress is behind this note, pancakes have been made and just need to be nuked in the microwave and shoes are by the front door. All you have to do is eat, take a shower and wash your hair, put on some old clothes and get your butt over to the church. You can get ready there. Oh, and don't for get to bring the dress.
Love ya, Chloe
Lana smiled, happy to have such a great best friend. She knew that Chloe had made herself crazy the last month just to have everything perfect and she felt guilty for that. Chloe had told her not to, but she just could not help it. Shaking her head, she began to follow Chloe's orders.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"There, all done," Chloe said, just finishing tying the white ribbon around the bun in Lana's hair.
"How do I look?" she asked, standing and giving a little twirl.
"Beautiful," Martha complimented.
She did look rather exquisite. Most of her raven hair was pulled back in a tight bun in the back of her head but the tendrils that hung down were curled perfectly into ringlets. Her eyes were outlined with black eyeliner with dark brown eye shadow that covered the rest of the eyelid. Her lips were painted a light brown and her cheek had a hint of shimmer blush.
The dress she wore had thin spaghetti straps and a low scoop neckline that stopped before it showed anything. The top of the dress was tight until it reached the middle of torso and then the dress just flowed until it reached the floor. The only time you could see her feet was when she walked and then it was only the pointy tips of the white heels. The dress was made of white satin with a beaded lace overlay that ended just at her knees and had strings of beads hanging down until her ankles. Chloe came over and place a wreath made of baby's breath on top of Lana head.
"Pete's going to have a heart attack when he sees you," Chloe commented as the two women embraced.
Lana pulled away. "What about you? You look beautiful today, Chloe. If I wasn't the bride, you would be holding everyone's attention and not just Clark's," she said.
Chloe blushed. "I don't think so," Chloe replied.
"Martha, tell this girl just how beautiful she looks today," Lana ordered.
"Sorry, Chloe, but I have to agree with Lana," Martha said.
Chloe's long golden hair had been curled into perfect ringlets and hung just below her shoulders. Lana had insisted on Chloe wearing a wreath made of lilies and lavender ribbon to match her dress. Her hazel eyes were painted shiny lavender and her lips were tinted pink.
Her lavender dress was made of satin but it was a thicker material than Lana's. The dress was backless with the exception of the pieces of material that criss-crossed from side to side. The spaghetti straps also criss-crossed. The front of the dress was square and was halfway between her neck and her chest. The bodice was tight until her waistline and then flowed down past her ankles. She wore lavender sandals that showed off her newly painted lavender toenails that matched her fingernails.
"Okay, so I look better than I usually do. That's all I'm going to agree with," Chloe said, looking pointedly at Lana and then at Martha.
Martha was Lana's other bridesmaid. She wore the same dress as Chloe but her makeup was more subdued and her hair was put back in a French twist. Martha glanced at the two girls who had practically grown up under her supervision and smiled. She could faintly remember when the two were total strangers and never talked. She could remember Chloe's boisterous attitude during high school and Lana's more quiet one. Now, the two had affected each other so much that both had taken on qualities of the other's personality. Martha had always thought that Lana would wind up marrying Whitney and she had always hoped Chloe would marry her son. However, Lana was marrying Pete and Chloe had almost married Jay. Both of them had children, Lana's not yet born. Martha loved all the changes since they were younger and there was still a little hope for Clark to woo Chloe.
Chloe's cell phone began to ring, knocking Martha rudely out of her reverie. "Hello," Chloe answered it.
"Hey, Chloe, I'm just outside the door with your daughter and Pete. We all want to know if the women are ready yet or if we have to send in a search team?" Clark's voice came through.
"We're almost done. Send my long lost daughter in here will you? I have to make sure she looks human since I'm sure you weren't able to make her like one," Chloe teased.
"Hey! I'll have you know she looks absolutely presentable."
"I'm sure she does. Just send her in," Chloe ordered, hanging up.
A few seconds later, Lee came in. She wore the same dress as Chloe and Martha except it ended at her knees and the back was the same as the front. She wore white lace tights and black Mary Janes. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a passable braid.
Chloe kneeled carefully and took her daughter into her arms. "I missed you so much Lee," she breathed.
"I missed you too, mommy. I had fun at Clark's and Jimmy was so cool!" Lee exclaimed, holding onto her mother.
"Did Jimmy come with you?" Chloe asked when she could finally let go.
"Yeah. He wants to meet you. He doesn't believe Clark knew you. Why doesn't he believe that?" Lee questioned.
"Oh, no reason. Maybe I'll tell you when you're a little older," Chloe said.
"Well, I hate ruining family moments but," Martha said, handing Lee a basket full of rose petals and Chloe her bouquet, "we have to get this wedding going."
The women left the changing room and headed for the church auditorium. The men were already standing at the podium. The piano music for 'Ave Maria' could be heard drifting in. They exchanged hugs and Lee began to walk down the aisle, dropping a few petals every couple of steps. Martha was next and joined Lee at the front of the church. Chloe went after her, watching either her feet or the minister and refusing to glance at Clark on purpose.
Finally, Lana came down the aisle. She had chosen to walk down it alone even though Jonathan had offered to take her absent aunt's place. The entire church could feel the golden heat that radiated from Pete and Lana's longing gazes. Neither could stop smiling as the minister said his speech.
"Lana and Pete have chosen to recite their own vows. Lana," the minister said.
"Pete, the two of us have known each other our entire lives but neither of us were ever able to become friends until Clark befriended me. Even then it was a little awkward between us. Half this town expected me to be up here with Whitney and the other half expected me to be up here with Clark but I never felt that spark with either of them. I never knew that from a first kiss with someone you could tell it was fate until I was with you. I am so happy that we met up again after graduation and started a relationship. If we hadn't, I don't think I would know what true love was. For that, I thank you. I love you so much, Pete," Lana said, tears forming at the edges of her eyes.
"Clark's my best bud and has been since I met him. When he developed his crush on you, I backed off. Even though I had a tiny crush on you too. I was so happy when we became friends and I was glad that even after high school, we remained that way. When we bumped into each other during that break and we had coffee together, I just knew that you were the one. I didn't want to leave because I was afraid you would forget about me. Then I got all those letters and phone calls and I knew that it was time to make up my mind and I moved back. Lana, I love you so much and I promise that no matter what, we will always remain best friends," Pete stated.
"Lana, do you promise to take Peter Ross to be your lawfully wedded husband through richer and poorer, sickness and health, to love and obey until your dying day?"
"I do."
"And do you, Pete, promise to take Lana Lang to be your lawfully wedded wife through richer and poorer, sickness and health, to love and obey until you dying day?"
"I do."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the minister finished.
Pete leant down and just before his lips touched Lana's he whispered, "I love you."
A moment later, the pair broke away and began to walk down the aisle. The rest of the wedding party followed arm-in-arm.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
At the Talon, tables had been pushed against the wall to make room for couples dancing. The only time everyone had stayed completely still was during the cutting of the cake and Clark's speech. The wedding party had already taken their pictures so they were free to do anything they wanted. Chloe sat at the counter, smiling as she watched her daughter in Clark's arms dancing. The smile disappeared when she saw a familiar bald man at the door. He motioned for her to come over and she quickly made her way through the crowd, taking him by the arm outside as to not arouse suspicion.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"I came to see you Chloe. You look so magnificent," Lex replied.
"Whatever you say. Just tell me why you're here," Chloe said.
"I'm leaving, this time for good. I'm chartering a plane to Europe and I plan to live the rest of my life there," Lex informed her.
"What about your vendetta against Clark?"
"I want to see you happy Chloe and he makes you happy. If I were to harm him, you'd hate me and I couldn't handle that. Take care Chloe," Lex said, turning and walking away.
"Wait, Lex, I'll miss you!" she yelled. She ran up and kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Please be happy."
Then, she watched as he got into his Porsche and drove away. She felt the lone tear that fell down her cheek and brushed it away with her fingertips. Sighing, she returned to the chaos inside The Talon.
"Hey, Chloe, where were you?" Clark asked, coming up to her.
"Just outside. I had to get some air."
"You want to dance?"
"Only if you promise you won't run away again."
"I promise. Besides, Lana's over there with Pete and Lee and no storms are on their way," Clark replied.
Chloe laughed as he led her onto the makeshift dance floor. Just their luck, a slow song came on just as they began to dance. Chloe wrapped her arms around Clark's neck and he drew her close to him.
"Chloe, I'm so in love with you," Clark whispered.
"You are?"
"Yeah. I realized it as soon as I saw you that day at my parents' house. You were so beautiful even though you had dirt on your nose," Clark said.
"I did not have dirt on my nose," Chloe said defiantly.
"Yes, you did. Right on the tip."
"Do you want to know what I remember most about that day? The moment you realized that I wasn't just single, but a single mother. I swear I saw your eyes bug out of your head when you found out that Lee was mine," Chloe teased.
"Well, it's not everyday you find out that the girl you knew in high school is no longer a girl and has a girl of her own. I think I handled it pretty well," Clark told her defensively.
"You know, Lee fell for you. I think she wonders if you're her new daddy," Chloe confessed.
"I fell for her too. She's special and I would love it if I were her daddy," Clark said.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Well, in that case, I think I'm in love with you too. In fact, I know I'm in love with you because I used you as an excuse to break off a date. I've never done that before," Chloe said.
"You did what?"
"It was a blind date and I told the guy that you were Lee's daddy. It just kind of came out," Chloe admitted.
"So, what do we do now?"
"I have an idea," she said as she pulled his head towards hers. As their lips met, Clark could feel what Lana had said in her wedding vow. This was fate.
For the next month, Chloe devoted herself to nothing but Lana and Pete's wedding. She helped Lana choose flower arrangements, bridesmaid dresses, book the church hall, and decorations. She helped pick out his tuxedo, pick up the dresses and flower arrangements, and decorate The Talon for the reception. She went to Lana's dress fitting in Metropolis and helped her pick out the shoes to go with the dress.
The night before the wedding was both the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Pete and his buddies had the party at Jonathan's while the girls had theirs at The Talon. Chloe, Lana, Penny, Martha, and a couple of the female teachers at the high school who Chloe and Lana had began friendships with were all there. They spent the night talking, laughing, giving Lana baby presents and drinking coffee. The gang at Pete's party spent the night making jokes, drinking beer and helping Pete realize that he would in no way miss being a single man.
At about one in the morning, both parties just about ended. The women went home and the men struggled to figure where theirs was. It was finally decided that the loft was going to be the temporary address for all of them until at least morning.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
It was ten o'clock the next morning when Lana finally awoke. She groggily turned her head and looked at the clock. Her eyes went wide and she began to panic. "Chloe! Oh my god, Chloe!" Lana screamed, throwing back the covers and running around her room like a chicken with its head chopped off. It did not last long when she came upon the note pinned to the dress bag that hung behind the door. It read:
Lana~
Hey, how's it feel to be getting married today? I knew that you'd probably oversleep to where you only have two hours until you have to be at the church so I took the liberty to do a few things for you. Your dress is behind this note, pancakes have been made and just need to be nuked in the microwave and shoes are by the front door. All you have to do is eat, take a shower and wash your hair, put on some old clothes and get your butt over to the church. You can get ready there. Oh, and don't for get to bring the dress.
Love ya, Chloe
Lana smiled, happy to have such a great best friend. She knew that Chloe had made herself crazy the last month just to have everything perfect and she felt guilty for that. Chloe had told her not to, but she just could not help it. Shaking her head, she began to follow Chloe's orders.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"There, all done," Chloe said, just finishing tying the white ribbon around the bun in Lana's hair.
"How do I look?" she asked, standing and giving a little twirl.
"Beautiful," Martha complimented.
She did look rather exquisite. Most of her raven hair was pulled back in a tight bun in the back of her head but the tendrils that hung down were curled perfectly into ringlets. Her eyes were outlined with black eyeliner with dark brown eye shadow that covered the rest of the eyelid. Her lips were painted a light brown and her cheek had a hint of shimmer blush.
The dress she wore had thin spaghetti straps and a low scoop neckline that stopped before it showed anything. The top of the dress was tight until it reached the middle of torso and then the dress just flowed until it reached the floor. The only time you could see her feet was when she walked and then it was only the pointy tips of the white heels. The dress was made of white satin with a beaded lace overlay that ended just at her knees and had strings of beads hanging down until her ankles. Chloe came over and place a wreath made of baby's breath on top of Lana head.
"Pete's going to have a heart attack when he sees you," Chloe commented as the two women embraced.
Lana pulled away. "What about you? You look beautiful today, Chloe. If I wasn't the bride, you would be holding everyone's attention and not just Clark's," she said.
Chloe blushed. "I don't think so," Chloe replied.
"Martha, tell this girl just how beautiful she looks today," Lana ordered.
"Sorry, Chloe, but I have to agree with Lana," Martha said.
Chloe's long golden hair had been curled into perfect ringlets and hung just below her shoulders. Lana had insisted on Chloe wearing a wreath made of lilies and lavender ribbon to match her dress. Her hazel eyes were painted shiny lavender and her lips were tinted pink.
Her lavender dress was made of satin but it was a thicker material than Lana's. The dress was backless with the exception of the pieces of material that criss-crossed from side to side. The spaghetti straps also criss-crossed. The front of the dress was square and was halfway between her neck and her chest. The bodice was tight until her waistline and then flowed down past her ankles. She wore lavender sandals that showed off her newly painted lavender toenails that matched her fingernails.
"Okay, so I look better than I usually do. That's all I'm going to agree with," Chloe said, looking pointedly at Lana and then at Martha.
Martha was Lana's other bridesmaid. She wore the same dress as Chloe but her makeup was more subdued and her hair was put back in a French twist. Martha glanced at the two girls who had practically grown up under her supervision and smiled. She could faintly remember when the two were total strangers and never talked. She could remember Chloe's boisterous attitude during high school and Lana's more quiet one. Now, the two had affected each other so much that both had taken on qualities of the other's personality. Martha had always thought that Lana would wind up marrying Whitney and she had always hoped Chloe would marry her son. However, Lana was marrying Pete and Chloe had almost married Jay. Both of them had children, Lana's not yet born. Martha loved all the changes since they were younger and there was still a little hope for Clark to woo Chloe.
Chloe's cell phone began to ring, knocking Martha rudely out of her reverie. "Hello," Chloe answered it.
"Hey, Chloe, I'm just outside the door with your daughter and Pete. We all want to know if the women are ready yet or if we have to send in a search team?" Clark's voice came through.
"We're almost done. Send my long lost daughter in here will you? I have to make sure she looks human since I'm sure you weren't able to make her like one," Chloe teased.
"Hey! I'll have you know she looks absolutely presentable."
"I'm sure she does. Just send her in," Chloe ordered, hanging up.
A few seconds later, Lee came in. She wore the same dress as Chloe and Martha except it ended at her knees and the back was the same as the front. She wore white lace tights and black Mary Janes. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a passable braid.
Chloe kneeled carefully and took her daughter into her arms. "I missed you so much Lee," she breathed.
"I missed you too, mommy. I had fun at Clark's and Jimmy was so cool!" Lee exclaimed, holding onto her mother.
"Did Jimmy come with you?" Chloe asked when she could finally let go.
"Yeah. He wants to meet you. He doesn't believe Clark knew you. Why doesn't he believe that?" Lee questioned.
"Oh, no reason. Maybe I'll tell you when you're a little older," Chloe said.
"Well, I hate ruining family moments but," Martha said, handing Lee a basket full of rose petals and Chloe her bouquet, "we have to get this wedding going."
The women left the changing room and headed for the church auditorium. The men were already standing at the podium. The piano music for 'Ave Maria' could be heard drifting in. They exchanged hugs and Lee began to walk down the aisle, dropping a few petals every couple of steps. Martha was next and joined Lee at the front of the church. Chloe went after her, watching either her feet or the minister and refusing to glance at Clark on purpose.
Finally, Lana came down the aisle. She had chosen to walk down it alone even though Jonathan had offered to take her absent aunt's place. The entire church could feel the golden heat that radiated from Pete and Lana's longing gazes. Neither could stop smiling as the minister said his speech.
"Lana and Pete have chosen to recite their own vows. Lana," the minister said.
"Pete, the two of us have known each other our entire lives but neither of us were ever able to become friends until Clark befriended me. Even then it was a little awkward between us. Half this town expected me to be up here with Whitney and the other half expected me to be up here with Clark but I never felt that spark with either of them. I never knew that from a first kiss with someone you could tell it was fate until I was with you. I am so happy that we met up again after graduation and started a relationship. If we hadn't, I don't think I would know what true love was. For that, I thank you. I love you so much, Pete," Lana said, tears forming at the edges of her eyes.
"Clark's my best bud and has been since I met him. When he developed his crush on you, I backed off. Even though I had a tiny crush on you too. I was so happy when we became friends and I was glad that even after high school, we remained that way. When we bumped into each other during that break and we had coffee together, I just knew that you were the one. I didn't want to leave because I was afraid you would forget about me. Then I got all those letters and phone calls and I knew that it was time to make up my mind and I moved back. Lana, I love you so much and I promise that no matter what, we will always remain best friends," Pete stated.
"Lana, do you promise to take Peter Ross to be your lawfully wedded husband through richer and poorer, sickness and health, to love and obey until your dying day?"
"I do."
"And do you, Pete, promise to take Lana Lang to be your lawfully wedded wife through richer and poorer, sickness and health, to love and obey until you dying day?"
"I do."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the minister finished.
Pete leant down and just before his lips touched Lana's he whispered, "I love you."
A moment later, the pair broke away and began to walk down the aisle. The rest of the wedding party followed arm-in-arm.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
At the Talon, tables had been pushed against the wall to make room for couples dancing. The only time everyone had stayed completely still was during the cutting of the cake and Clark's speech. The wedding party had already taken their pictures so they were free to do anything they wanted. Chloe sat at the counter, smiling as she watched her daughter in Clark's arms dancing. The smile disappeared when she saw a familiar bald man at the door. He motioned for her to come over and she quickly made her way through the crowd, taking him by the arm outside as to not arouse suspicion.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"I came to see you Chloe. You look so magnificent," Lex replied.
"Whatever you say. Just tell me why you're here," Chloe said.
"I'm leaving, this time for good. I'm chartering a plane to Europe and I plan to live the rest of my life there," Lex informed her.
"What about your vendetta against Clark?"
"I want to see you happy Chloe and he makes you happy. If I were to harm him, you'd hate me and I couldn't handle that. Take care Chloe," Lex said, turning and walking away.
"Wait, Lex, I'll miss you!" she yelled. She ran up and kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Please be happy."
Then, she watched as he got into his Porsche and drove away. She felt the lone tear that fell down her cheek and brushed it away with her fingertips. Sighing, she returned to the chaos inside The Talon.
"Hey, Chloe, where were you?" Clark asked, coming up to her.
"Just outside. I had to get some air."
"You want to dance?"
"Only if you promise you won't run away again."
"I promise. Besides, Lana's over there with Pete and Lee and no storms are on their way," Clark replied.
Chloe laughed as he led her onto the makeshift dance floor. Just their luck, a slow song came on just as they began to dance. Chloe wrapped her arms around Clark's neck and he drew her close to him.
"Chloe, I'm so in love with you," Clark whispered.
"You are?"
"Yeah. I realized it as soon as I saw you that day at my parents' house. You were so beautiful even though you had dirt on your nose," Clark said.
"I did not have dirt on my nose," Chloe said defiantly.
"Yes, you did. Right on the tip."
"Do you want to know what I remember most about that day? The moment you realized that I wasn't just single, but a single mother. I swear I saw your eyes bug out of your head when you found out that Lee was mine," Chloe teased.
"Well, it's not everyday you find out that the girl you knew in high school is no longer a girl and has a girl of her own. I think I handled it pretty well," Clark told her defensively.
"You know, Lee fell for you. I think she wonders if you're her new daddy," Chloe confessed.
"I fell for her too. She's special and I would love it if I were her daddy," Clark said.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Well, in that case, I think I'm in love with you too. In fact, I know I'm in love with you because I used you as an excuse to break off a date. I've never done that before," Chloe said.
"You did what?"
"It was a blind date and I told the guy that you were Lee's daddy. It just kind of came out," Chloe admitted.
"So, what do we do now?"
"I have an idea," she said as she pulled his head towards hers. As their lips met, Clark could feel what Lana had said in her wedding vow. This was fate.