A/N: I wasn't sure how this was going to work, so I've been fiddling with it for the past week or so. enjoy...

24.

Twelve hours until Prom.

"So I've been following up on our sweet little - town Princess." Chloe said rounding Lex's desk.

"What have you got?" He asked his interest obviously piqued. And a smirk resting on his face.

"She did take a large number of my files from my computer." Chloe said looking down.

"Does that bother you?" Lex asked running his fingertips along her hand.

"It does." she looked into his eyes. "It's just that I never expected that Lana Lang would turn to the dark-side of the force."

Lex's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The files that she took from me. They were about Clark."

"So you think that my father was behind this then." A statement. Not a question. Chloe nodded.

"It seems our very own fairy princess doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. Poor Pete." Chloe said running her fingers through her hair

"I don't see how Pete fits into all of this."

"He's taking her to the dance."

"Oh. Speaking of the dance, what colour are you wearing?"

Chloe smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Thus I was asking."

"Take a wild guess. And you'd probably be right." She smiled broadly.

"Purple?"

...

Ten hours until Prom.

"So you're trying to tell me that Chloe and Lex have been together for a long time.... and you knew about it?!" Clark cornered Alex.

"That's what I'm trying to say." She looked around the hayloft. "But keep your voice down. You're angry. And angry equals yelling."

"I am so not angry." Clark said. He was now pacing in front of her. "It's just - they're my two best friends. How could they keep something like this from me?"

"I'm sure they have their reasons, Clark. People can't tell you everything."

He stopped pacing. "But-"

"Clark, did you tell them about us off the bat?"

"Well, no, not really." He looked down to his shoes.

"Did you want to?"

Clark looked up. "I guess you're right."

"Call it brilliance if you will." Alex smiled at him.

"Alright. It's down right brilliance on your part." Clark teased.

"Well I could have beaten it into you, but that would have done me more harm than good." She winked before pulling him towards her. "Now, about my punishment."

"You call kissing me punishment? That's kind of harsh."

Alex laughed. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

...

Five hours until Prom.

Chloe's cousin, Lois's roommate was a blossoming beautician. Chloe and Alex, in a way to avoid the long wait lists for the salon, headed to Metropolis for a few hours to primp. While Sophie, the roommate, did their hair, Lois gave them manicures and pedicures.

...

Two hours until the Prom.

Clark was pacing around his barn per usual.

"Clark, son, you're going to wear a hole into the floor." Johnathan Kent said from behind him.

"Hi, Dad." Clark smiled nervously at him.

"So you and Alex seem to be getting along fairly well." He said looking around the barn nervously.

"Yeah." Clark's smile broadened, showing off his pearly white teeth.

"I just want you to be careful. We don't want you burning down the gymnasium or anything." Johnathan laughed at his own, horrible joke.

"I will be careful, Dad."

"I'm not just worried about your - gifts - son, I'm also talking about more," he paused, and took a deep breath. It didn't take a bloodhound to decipher what would be coming next from the mouth of Johnathan Kent. "Pressing issues." Johnathan, in a manoeuvre to avoid all possible, awkward eye contact, began looking into his shirt pocket.

Clark fidgeted from foot to foot. He was nervous enough as it was, he didn't need his father, of all people, to do this.

"Just be careful, Clark." Johnathan said, emphasizing his words by looking into Clark's eyes and pulling his hand out in front of him. Then he promptly took out a strip of condoms. Putting them in Clark's hand, he clasped Clark's fingers around them. "I mean it."

Johnathan Kent left the barn, and his son, in a much different state than they had been before he had arrived.

"I guess that was "the talk" then." Clark said aloud to his telescope. "I think it went well." He said before pulling out his wallet and placing two of the five condoms in it. Just incase. Clark smiled a bit before letting out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, it went pretty well."

...

One hour and a half until Prom.

Alex was in her room. Standing in front of her mirror. Memorizing her reflection. Making sure she knew how to move in the dress. Making sure that she wouldn't fall flat on her face when Clark came to pick her up. Relieved that she didn't go with the high heels that Ray had suggested just to get out of the shoe store.

Speaking of Ray. He was downstairs. Waiting for her entrance. She didn't let him see her hair when she came back from Chloe's cousin's house. He had already seen the dress, the shoes, and the accessories. He didn't need to see the hair just yet.

"Alex, are you almost ready?" Her mom asked from the door.

Yeah. Ready. Right. Checklist.

Dress.

Check.

Shoes.

Check.

Stockings.

Check.

Hair.

Check.

Make up.

Check.

Deodorant. Perfume.

Check. Check.

Breath mints, lip gloss, Advil, camera in bag.

Triple check.

Ready?

No way in hell.

Shouldn't have had that latte with Chloe and her cousin.

Alex took a shaky breath and opened the door.

"Surprise!" Alex took in the view in front of her. Ray. Mom. Dad. Annie?

"Annie?!" Alex gave her a big hug. "I thought that you couldn't make it until Christmas."

"Like I'd miss my little sister's prom. I mean honestly, how horrible of a sister do you think that I am?"

"A mean one."

Alex was shaking.

Definitely should have said no to the coffee.

...

One hour until Prom.

Her father was snapping pictures like a maniac.

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Be nice Chlo'." Lois said with a laugh. "I don't want my pictures to have the infamous Sullivan eye roll in them. They need to have the famous Lane smile."

Chloe gave Lois the biggest, fakest smile that she could muster. Inside she was quivering. Where was Lex? Was he running late? Or was he just being mean. Submitting her to the torment that is her father and cousin. Maybe Lex was on the right track.

...

Ten minutes until Prom.

He stepped out of the limo. Walked to her doorstep. Took a deep breath. Rang the doorbell. Corsage in hand he looked into the window.

She opened the door.

And then he saw her. She was gorgeous. A purple goddess.

And she looked angry.

He was late. He had to admit, she did have reason to be angry. But he did say that he would have somebody at her doorstep ten minutes before she had to be there. He didn't lie. He was on time. 'Nice excuse Luthor.' His inner voice chided.

"You're late." Her voice said sharply.

"I'm sorry Chloe." He said softly taking her hand. 'Luthor's don't apologize.' His father's voice snapped in his head.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Lex." She said pulling him into her house. "I have been through hell and back. Between Dad, Lana, Nell and Lois, I swear I had to lock myself in the bathroom for an hour just so that they'd stop talking pictures!" Then, she gave him a devilish grin. "Now it's your turn."

She dragged him into the living room where her father, his plant manager; a brunette, whom he assumed was Lois; Nell Potter, who he had learned afterwards, had come down to take numerous pictures of Lana; and Pete and Lana, who was in, you guessed it: pink. Lex greeted the group before getting pulled, this time by Lana, into a picture of the four of the Prom-goers. He watched Chloe glower at Lana, who had her arm laced in his. He smirked. That's his Chloe.

Then after a whirlwind of camera flashes, Chloe, Lana, Pete, and Lex scurried off to their respective limousines, and headed to the dance.