Chapter Nine

"I can't believe I asked her out." Clark eyelids opened and his mouth parted into a huge smile. He was awake well before his alarm rang. He rolled onto his back, locked his fingers behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. He remembered what he typed to Chloe: 'Chloe...I'd really want to go on a date with you Friday night...take you to the carnival... will you go with Me?' He smiled bigger when thought of how she responded: 'Oh Clark...I'd thought you'd never ask...I'd love to.' Clark was really surprised how easily it was to go from "Let's hang out" to "Let's go on a date."

It wasn't like he didn't pick up on Chloe's numerous hints, clues, suggestions, cues, and prompts that she wanted to date him. His parents conditioned him to keep his "gifts" a secret. He felt that he had to keep her at a safe distance, because she didn't know that he had special powers and abilities, despite her stellar investigative abilities. Now, Chloe was around him all the time, and he was just tired protecting himself from...her. Protecting himself from the possiblity that she would treat him differently, run away from him, or worse, expose him in a story. But she was just so supportive and caring and smart and beautiful and...

Clark knew he could waste the rest of his teenage years just being Chloe's friend. Or he could be brave with his emotions, like she was with hers, and express what he felt for her. He liked her. No, he loved her, he decided. He reached for the phone.

RING RING RING

"Uh...wha?" Chloe mumbled with a groggy voice and she grabbed her cell. Instantly, lucidity trickled into her mind. "Hello?"

"Hi!" Clark said excitedly.

"Clark?" She said. She closed her eyes again and rested her head on her fluffy pillow.

"Hi!" He said again, excitedly.

"As much as I like your voice being the first thing I hear in the morning, Kent," Chloe said, slipping the phone between the pillow and her ear, "Call me back when there is a hint of sunlight."

"Oh...its really early," Clark said, looking at the red numbers on his electric clock: 3:47 AM. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Chloe said drowsily with a smile. In her sleepy mind, she could tell in his voice, in his "Hi", that he was excited. It made her feel good; 'Lord knows he excites me.'

"Ok," Clark said, a bit more calmly. He listened to her breathe, shallower and slower, into the reciever. She hugged her pillow and curled up in a ball, her blankets wrapped tightly around her, shielding her from the slight chill in her bedroom. "Call me back in the morning before school, Clark, and sweet dreams," she whispered. Or so she thought; she drifted off to sleep.

Clark stayed on the line. He stayed awake, and just heard her sleep. He could almost hear her heart beat. He breathed with her, wondered at what she had murmured, and smiled when she mumbled his name. She was safe in bed at home, but he kept a vigilant watch over her.

Oddly, Chloe Sullivan rarely dreamed. Her conscious mind was far too active and imaginative during the day so her mind just shut down and rested at night. That night though...she dreamed that...

she was in utter pain, bloodied and bruised, that she was running or trying to run, dragging her right leg, her knee in tatters, running to the edge of exhaustion, to the ledge of the building and she looked back at her shadowy tormentors..."so if I fall?" she heard herself say to a brightly lit figure behind in the shadows, "would you catch me?" and she heard "Trust Me" and she jumped off the ledge, alive, with no hesitation, no fear...she fell, spinning, eyes open, arms and legs out, waiting...watching the ground, the dirt, the pavement approaching...waiting...to be caught...to be saved...and just before the her body splattered against the ground, the dirt, the asphalt...she was grabbed, hugged, swept up and flown away by...

"Clark!...Are you still there?" Chloe said hoping so, hearing Clark's alarm buzzing loudly. She wiped the sleepy drool from her chin and from the phone. The dream felt so real that she hugged her pillow tightly.

"Um...Yes...I just woke up," Clark fibbed. He spent hours and minutes listening to her sleep. Chloe took a deep breath and relaxed, happy he was there, again.

"Why didn't you just hang up?" She mumbled and untangled herself from her blankets and sheets. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I didn't want to wake you with the phone beeping again," He said truthfully. "I guess I conked out listening to you..."

Chloe could see him blushing and she thought that was so sweet to hear. She rolled out of bed, straightened out a huge red checkered flannel shirt she slept in (it was Clark's; she promised to return it to him after she washed it after he got it all dirty helping her dad lay out a brick walkway around her house. Clark stopped asking for it back nine months ago.), slipped on huge bunny slippers and padded softly to the bathroom. She scratched her butt. "So, still walking Me to the bus-stop?"

"Yes," Clark said.

"Well, I am gunna shower and get ready," Chloe said, smiling at herself in the bathroom mirror. She wiggled her hainds into her hair.

"OK, I'm gunna get ready too," Clark said.

"I have the shower first," Chloe joked, unbuttoning the shirt. She kicked off the slippers.

"Save me some hot water," Clark said back. There was a moment when the both looked at their cell phones; they never teased each other like this and they both grinned.

"We could save the enviroment and share," Chloe said teasingly, turning on the hot water.

"Uh...," Clark said, dazed. His imagination went to a very happy place.

"See you in 40 minutes, Clark," Chloe laughed and hung up.

Clark wondered about hot water and Chloe, and it was a while before he managed to get out of bed.

Gabe Sullivan, Chloe's father, was standing at the kitchen nook, drinking some bad coffee he had made and eating burnt toast when he saw Clark walk up to the front door. But Clark didn't ring the doorbell or knock. Gabe set down the toast and walked to the window. He slowly pulled the shade aside and smiled at what he saw: Clark was gesturing and talking to the door. Gabe had a feeling that he practicing what to say to his daughter. Chloe told her father that Clark finally, finally, finally asked her out, asked her out to the carnival, of all things and was walking her to the bus stop in the morning. Gabe liked Clark; he was smart, handsome, and had a heroic streak, all qualities his daughter adored. The fact that Clark saved Chloe's life several times already made Clark a 'Golden Boy' in Gabe's book.

"Hey Daddy," Chloe said coming down the stairs. He pressed his fingers to his lips, shushed her, and waved her over. Chloe gave her dad a curious look and went to him. They stood along the window's edge and watched Clark. They both giggled at the sight.

"You better go before he uses up all his "A" material," Gabe said and hugged Chloe. She was surprised with the hug but took it and hugged back. Gabe loved his daughter; she was bright and energetic and driven, and head over heels for Clark. And Gabe saw how Clark was around her, and knew Clark felt the same way, even if he didn't say it. If one boy was going to be Chloe's first real boyfriend, Gabe was pleased it was Clark.

Chloe purposely hid behind the door when she opened it. Suddenly her head popped out the side and Clark pretend to be shocked. She alwas did that, and he always saw through the thick door.

"Hey," Chloe said, stepped out, warmed up despite the early morning chill, and shut the door.

"Hey Chloe," Clark said back, all the things he was saying to the door all forgotten. They stood and smiled at each other for a few awkward moments. "Let's get going before we miss the bus," he said sheepishly, and she nodded. He turned and she followed and walked beside him down the curved path.

"Take her hand, son," Gabe whispered, watching from inside.

Chloe and Clark walked silently, shyly, but with each step their bodies drew closer. Both their hearts pounded, their mouths dry. They walked together to the bus-stop before, but today was a new day in their relationship. They were going to be more than friends now. They walked, bumping their hands. Clark brushed his fingers against her hand and she wiped her fingertips on his wrist. But they didn't connect hand to hand; neither was sure of the who should take hold first. Walking several feet down the sidewalk, Chloe touched his hand, his fingers again. A few feet later, Clark grabbed her little hand and interlocked her fingers. She looked up and grinned wide, hunched her shoulders, tilted her head, and blushed. She held his hand before, but this time he wasn't pulling her from danger. It felt...like their hands belonged together. Her little hand fit just right in his large one. Clark stood straighter and he smiled when he saw her beautiful face. He drew her closer to him, to keep her warm in the morning chill. She wrapped her arm around his arm, snuggled in and smiled up to him.

"YES!" Gabe cheered behind the window, spilling coffee on his shirt and watching them stepped in unison down the street.

"Do my eyes decieve me? About freaking time," Pete said with a smile, noticing Chloe and Clark's hand-holding when they walked up to the bus stop. They both blushed.

"Good things come to those that wait for a long time," Chloe said sweetly and snarkily, squeezing Clark's hand. "Clark's definately worth the wait."

"I'm just lucky Chloe didn't ask anyone else out," Clark smiled. The bus rolled up. Clark put himself between the vehicle and Chloe. She noticed and smiled.

"I'm happy about two things," Pete said. "One, its a short day schedule. And two: I'm estatic you all are together..."

Chloe squeezed Clark's hand even more.

"...because, I think you both woulda had a tough time getting dates for the next four years." Pete finished with an all-knowing grin and scampered up into the bus. Chloe looked at Clark and they gave each other guilty grins.

Chloe went first onto the bus and Clark sat by her. They held hands on the way to school, held hands when they walked onto campus, held hands in between classes, held hands at the shortened lunch, and back home on the bus. Their friends and aquaintences and their teachers and advisors didn't notice the hand-holding; to them saying "Chloe and Clark" was synonomous; to them, they were already a couple, already at the hand-holding stage, or further along.

"I can't wait for tonight," Clark said to Chloe when they stepped off the bus. Pete walked up the road a bit and waited for them.

"Me too!" Chloe bubbled. "Daddy said last night he'll drive us to the carnival." She caught Clark's curious expression and realized she was taking him to the carnival. "That's cool, right?"

""That's cool with me," Clark smiled. He didn't think to ask his parents or Lex for a lift.

"So be ready at ...seven?" Chloe breathed with relief.

"Seven it is," Clark said. They stood motionless and held onto each other's hand. They looked at each other and both grinned.

"I don't wanna let go," Chloe admitted; she waited through all of eighth grade and a few weeks into ninth to hold Clark's hand

"I don't wanna let you go," Clark whispered. Chloe sighed.

"I hate to break up this shiny new love connection," Pete said walking back to them, "But both ya' all have to get various things ready for tonight." Suddenly, the process of actually dating hit Chloe and Clark: They both had to primp and prepare and get ready for a DATE, not just dash out and hang out together. They looked at each other with some trepidation.

"See you tonight!" Chloe said frantically, and let go. "Same here," Clark said nervously. Pete and Clark watched her walk at a brisk pace down the road; she wondered just what the heck was warming her bottom.

"About time you hooked up with Chloe, fool," Pete joked and punched at Clark's shoulder. Clark rolled with the blow, and Pete didn't hurt his hand.

"Yeah...It was easy." Clark laughed at his past ineptitude.

"Told you!" Pete said and they shook hands. A few minutes later, with Pete and Chloe out of sight, Clark zipped down to his house. Pete expected them both to call for advice. He was only half right.