Damsel in Distress
by Tracy

Rating: PG
Pairing: Chloe/Charlie Baker (Tom Welling's character in the "Cheaper By The Dozen" movies.)
Spoilers: Vague ones for S5 of Smallville, more specific ones for "Aqua", as well as Cheaper By The Dozen 2 Spoilers.
Summary: Chloe's car breaks down, and a hero with a somewhat familiar face comes to her rescue.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chloe nor Charlie, but hell, anything with Tom Welling or Allison Mack in it wouldn't be mine, would it?

"This cannot be happening. It just can't." Chloe said, trying in vain to get the engine of her VW bug to turn over. "I have places to go! People to see!" She pounded on the steering wheel with her fist. "Okay. There's a cheesy paperback romance and some tanning time waiting for me back at the condo, but at least that's something." She groaned, and let her face fall into the steering wheel. Chloe stayed in that position, even though it was uncomfortable, especially as the horn blared out a pitiful yet loud squeak.

It had been a mistake to let Lois talk her into this. If Lois was so damn desperate to see Arthur again, she could have gone by herself. But her cousin had begged Chloe to come along, and she had caved. And now while Lois was off sharing sweet kisses with her king of the sea, Chloe was sitting on a lonely highway in a broken car.

Chloe grabbed for her cell phone, and pushed the top button on her speed dial. She knew that Wisconsin was a far cry away from Kansas, but there were distinct advantages to having a best friend who could break the speed barrier. "What the hell?" Chloe said, tapping impatiently on the dashboard. "Go through already." She looked at the display in disgust, noticing that she was getting little, if any cell reception in this part of the woods. "This is just great." She sighed. If only Clark's super hearing had a multi-state range.

Hell, maybe it did. "Clark, help me." She yelled.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Chloe heard the wondrous sound of a car running down the road. She jumped out of her car, and stood by the road, waving her arms. Yes, she knew that there was a very good chance that the driver at the wheel of the blue convertible was an axe murder, but living in Smallville had taught her that axe murderers were just as likely to attack from the woods.

As the car came into view, Chloe could identify the car as some model of blue convertible (she didn't know much about makes or models of cars- Chloe had learned long ago while hanging out with Clark and Pete to drown out such talk. It was a survival skill to having two boys for men, if you will). The driver had dark hair, and he slowed down as he passed her, coming to a stop just to the front of the Beetle.

He whipped off his sunglasses as he came near, and Chloe's jaw fell open.

This guy? Her hero? Looked almost exactly like Clark. He smiled as he approached her; and Chloe felt her cheeks flush. Clark Kent wasn't just her obsession; apparently he was her entire type. This guy could be Clark's identical twin.

"Need help?" He asked. His voice sounded just like Clark's. Okay, maybe not exactly- the accent was a little different, and his smile was a little more crooked than her best friend. Regardless, the voice sent a shiver down her spine all the same.

"Yeah." She said, sticking her hands in her pockets. "She was running fine, and then suddenly, clank, clank, clank, boom, she's dead, and I'm lost and stranded who knows where."

He laughed. "I'm guessing you're not from around here."

"It shows?"

"Just a little." He stuck out his hand, large and ridden with calluses- Clark didn't have those- his thick skin didn't form calluses- it was always soft and smooth, like a model's, or Ashton Kutcher's. "I'm Charlie Baker. If you pop the hood, I'll take a look and see what's wrong." At Chloe's doubtful look, he quickly explained himself. "I'm a mechanic. I own Baker's Dozen Auto in town."

"Ah." She nodded. "Then I guess you really are my hero." She walked over to the bug and pressed the button to pop the hood. "It's all set to go."

"Okay." Charlie leaned over the engine, and worked his way through the controls. This guy obviously knew his way around an automobile. It was attractive- kinda sexy. It was a big change, going from having your hero be someone who could lift a car above his head to someone who could fix a car.

"Well" Charlie said, walking away from the car, wiping the motor oil from his hands onto his jeans (which were well worn in very strategic areas). "I've got some good news and some bad news."

"I suppose you're not going to tell me that I'm out of winshield wiper fluid." She groaned. "Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot and fire away."

"Your radiator is busted. It shouldn't take too long to fix, and for this model of car, it's not too hard of a part to come by. I'll have to order it, but once I get the part in, it will be an easy repair."

"And probably expensive." Chloe said with a groan. "Goodbye, plans of Spring Break."

"I'll cut you a deal. I've got an in with the boss." Charlie winked. "If…"

"If?" Chloe's eyes widened. "We just met."

"If..." he finished "You tell me your name."

"Chloe. Chloe Sullivan."

"And how…Chloe…" he said her name as if it were musical. "Did you manage to find yourself out here in the wilds surrounding the Winnetka lake?"

"I'm here on a mercy mission with my cousin. She begged me to come up here, because this guy, Arthur, who she had a thing with, is working up here now. And she wanted to see him, and was all nervous about seeing him again, but trust me- five minutes after they were reunited, I was the fly on the wall of a very involved makeout session."

"Ouch." Charlie laughed. "Sounds like riding to school with my older sister Nora after she learned to drive, when she was dating Alvin Thompkins."

"Awkward?"

"Beyond belief."

"Oh, I can believe a lot more than the average bear." Chloe paused slightly. "You've never been to Kansas, have you, Charlie?"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Never hurts to be careful." She muttered. "So what was this uplifting good news of which you spoke of?"

"I was going to ask you if you might want to come and have dinner with me. At my house."

Chloe's mind whirled. A cute guy was asking her out. To his house. Whoa. This was big, this was moving fast…She hesitated, not wanting to seem easy, not wanting to mess up this…whatever this little moment was, here with the hot guy with engine grease under his fingernails.

"I, um…I'm a really great person. Really. I've got testimonials. I'm not currently in a serious relationship, though I still remain friends with the two girls I've been serious with. But my house, especially right now, is a bit of a zoo. My parents are visiting, along with all my siblings, and my sister Nora's husband and kid, and my sister Lorriane's boyfriend…it's a pretty full house right now with sixteen other people filling up every nook and cranny, but we always have extras, and it'll be a hell of a lot better than sitting in a hotel or condo alone by yourself. Really. My family's crazy but fun."

"Sixteen other people? Just how many siblings do you have?"

"Eleven…" He said sheepishly.

"Eleven? Your parents had twelve kids? Twelve?"

"Yup. There's my older sister Nora, me, Lorriane, Henry, Sarah, Jake, Mark, Jessica, Kim, Mike, Nigel, and Kyle."

"Santa Claus must have a field day at your house."

"My parents house IS one big ongoing field day."
"I can't imagine." Chloe said softly. "What it would be like to have that many siblings. I'm an only child. My parents divorced when I was little." She paused slightly. "But I'd certainly like to see what a big family is like. If the offer is still good."

"It certainly is." Charlie smiled. "I'll even call and have the guys tow your car into the shop free of charge, and take you home tonight."

Chloe smiled. "My Dad always told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Just let me grab my purse." She quickly retrieved her purse and cell phone from the bug. "Let's go."

"Great." Charlie said, putting his arm through hers and leading her to the passenger's side of the car. "Here we go."

Chloe grinned widely, feeling like her face could burst into a million pieces at any moment. He was cute, and a gentleman…and…the first guy to show her this kind of attention and respect in a really long time. Summoning up all her courage and chutzpah, Chloe stood up on her tip toes, and kissed Charlie quickly on the lips just before she climbed into the blue convertible.

"Wow." Charlie said softly, obviously stunned.

Feeling similarly stunned- who would have guessed that Charlie's lips would feel so wonderful?- Chloe bullshitted, going with the first response that came to her mind.

"Where I'm from, the damsel in distress always kisses her hero."