Summary: Where would Chloe and Clark go to find "suspicious" things? And what would Chloe normally report on if a meteor freak didn't drop in her lap every week?
A/N: So I've decided that a second-by-second blow-by-blow isn't good fan fiction. Let's move on. Also, while Pete & Lana's assignments were specific, I wanted to allow Clark & Chloe's mission to be more organic. Unfortunately, it did lead to some delays on my part to get the chapter together. However, there is no need to fear because I outlined where I want them to go during church today. (Gasp! I know! I'm evil!) Now that I have the storyline fleshed out a little, I think the updates will start coming more frequently… But any encouragement is always appreciated!
Disclaimer: How do you know if you "own" something? Well, usually in Hollywood, you get royalties. Am I getting royalties? As if! Please remember that all characters are owned by the WB. The only thing that's mine is where I keep throwing them all into trouble of my making!
Chloe walked out ofschool with Clark hot on her heels. Because she wanted him to come with her to do some dredging for article ideas, she'd helped him finish up his girls' hockey article to his satisfaction. She even allowed him to keep the byline. She glanced up at one of her best friends and smiled. He really was such a sweet guy, but so innocent. It was amazing to see in another person. Actually, it was a relief that she didn't have a crush on him anymore. It made life so much easier… Plus, she'd probably shred him in a week. They were good friends, but their personalities weren't compatible for romance… no matter how much she had wanted it.
Clark looked at her from the corner of his eye. "So, Chlo… As much as I adore being your faithful sidekick following you around like a puppy dog, but where do you plan on getting your big story?"
"Nice alliteration, Clark." She grinned at him. "Well, as we both know, Wall of Weird items seem to occur within pretty regular timeframes. But it doesn't happen every week… and I can't fill our entirely monthly paper with one or two meteor-related incidents. So I have other sources for weird, unusual and just plain newsworthy events." She stood by her car, looking at him expectantly. He was going to ask, she just knew it…
"You do? Who?" Chloe was glad that he didn't look confused, just interested. She smiled and he returned it. "I don't doubt you, Chloe. I guess I always thought your other information came from the internet or the school rumor mill."
"Sometimes it does." Chloe grimaced. "But that's not always the most reliable way to get news and it's always partially out of date." She shrugged, fully knowing that her penchant for knowing the truth as soon as it was available is what had gotten her into so many scrapes.
"So, being the Chloe we all know and love, you have a list of sources you can tap when something doesn't fall in your lap." Clark smiled at her and she smiled back brightly.
"Exactly! Now get in! I set up a time to meet and we need to hurry." She practically shoved Clark towards the passenger side of her car. Laughing, they headed to their scheduled meeting.
"Who's this?" The accusation came from a short gentleman who was unsuccessfully trying to hide behind the dumpster at City Hall.
"Travis, what the heck are you doing?" He hissed at her to be quiet and she rolled her eyes. "Aren't you a little old to be playing this cloak and dagger crap?"
He looked around furtively to see if anyone had noticed them. "It's worth my job to be seen talking to you, Miss Sullivan." Clark grunted… Chloe wondered if he was trying to cover a laugh. She'd been meeting with Travis O'Malley for a couple of years now to find out the exciting ins and outs of Smallville. Personally, she thought he'd watched too many X-Files shows. "I'm serious. You're persona non-grata around here, Chloe, ever since you did that article regarding the mayor's habit of skipping meetings in favor of golf or meeting with his current mistress in Metropolis."
"Yeah, yeah. You know that you like taking all the fat cats down a peg or two by giving me the inside scoop. So what do you have for me?" Chloe wondered if it would be any good. She was tired of doing the every day scandal Travis usually dished out. She wanted something with a bit more substance for once.
"The office is all abuzz about the fashion show that's set up for this Saturday. Apparently, there are a lot big names coming in." Travis looked as if he just placed the Holy Grail in her small hands.
Chloe looked at the wall. The janitors are really messy, she mused. They've got garbage up on the wall and they never seem to be able to hit the dumpster on the first try. She looked at her snitch and shook her head. "That's all you have for me? A fashion show?!? I suppose it's barely newsworthy…" There wasn't going to be anything exciting happening there. It was going to be so boring!
Clark decided this was the moment to speak. "Hardly, Chlo. You'll be bored out of your mind!"
"Not really," Travis smirked. He had the air of someone that was holding the best back for last, so Chloe bit.
"OK, what's so great about this fashion show? Why do you look like Winnie the Pooh who just got his hands on a dozen honey pots?" She crossed her arms and looked at him through narrowed eyes.
Travis's eyes stared at her cleavage until Clark's growl made his eyes snap to hers. "OK, you know Mr. Jones who likes to think he runs men's fashion in this town?"
"Yeah, so?" Clark was feeling indignant at this creep, Chloe could tell. She needed to get this over before Clark beat him to a pulp and she never got anything out of him again.
"The designer of the show is Jason Mudd… who used to work with him..." He looked at the teenage pair expectantly. The excitement he was waiting for never appeared so he elaborated. "The talk around the office is that they're accusing each other of stealing designs. It's full-fledged war between the two of them. They're taking bets at the office on who hits who first."
Chloe sighed. She had known this was going to be a slow news week! "I suppose that'll be worthy enough. But how are we supposed to get in there?"
Travis's smile became extremely slimy. Oh, he has something, Chloe thought. I wonder if he'll try and make me pay for it or if he'll remember that I could get his butt fired… "I snagged these," and he tossed her two press passes. "You'll be able to get in there, no problem."
"Not bad, Travis." Chloe was impressed despite herself. He'd actually taken the initiative on this one. "We'll see how this event pans out."
They turned and left the rather smelly place as soon as they could. They'd gone about a hundred yards before Clark stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, I think you'll have a great time at the fashion event. Ummm… I gotta' go help my dad with some chores." His face actually looked disappointed with a faint hint of hopefulness in the background.
Chloe laughed. Right, like Clark was going to be able to pull something over on her. "Clark, you're coming with me."
His face dropped. "I don't know anything about fashion, as we'd discussed earlier. Why would you want me there?"
"What if something happens?" she challenged. "I need you there to protect me."
Clark laughed. "As if! We all know that you have a jumbo can of mace in your bag at all times. You've never been helpless." She stared at him and his laughter died off. "Unless you're being threatened by meteor mutants, of course."
Chloe shuddered. She'd had way too many encounters with people that wanted to kill her. "Clark, you're coming. I'm not taking no for an answer."
"And you wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with me?" he countered. "I know how you feel about my wardrobe."
This time Chloe actually stopped to think about the situation. She motioned him to sit on the park bench underneath one of the cherry trees that City Hall kept planting. Didn't they know that these specific trees did not do well in the Kansas climate? The winter killed the poor things every year. She looked at Clark honestly. Oh, he was beautiful, no one would deny that, but his fashion sense left a lot to be desired. If they didn't want to be immediately designated as hick school reporters, she needed to do something. "You're right. You'd never pass for a fashionista."
Clark smiled, relieved. "I didn't think so. Maybe you could take Lana…"
Chloe's vengeful smile returned with a vengeance. "Oh no, Mr. Kent. There is another solution."
Clark looked at her warily. "What?"
"We're going to go shopping…"
A/N: jen81265 – I really appreciate your efforts to review each and every chapter. They made me smile and encouraged me to keep plugging away!
ForeverTom – No worries about me giving up fan fiction for script writing. I discovered the site and got really distracted that day, but all my thoughts have been on this story. So ya'll are stuck with me for awhile longer… Also, I appreciate your comment about not dumbing Clark down. I agree that it's usually just used to enhance a weak plot, but he's not an unintelligent character. I've always seen him as refreshingly naïve. I sincerely hope that Chapter 2 and the slash section didn't give you that impression. I noticed that I did say it in my author's note in Chapter 3, but I guess I meant more media knowledgeable… You know, with the reference to "Laugh In"…
