A/N: Okay, here is Part 1 of Chapter 3. Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers! Reviews always welcome.

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Chapter 3: Mamma Mia

Part 1

It took Chloe and Clark no time to hail a cab once they reached the outside of McCarren Airport in Las Vegas. Since this city was known as one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entire country, cab drivers tended to time their schedules around the arrival of airplanes full of tourists anxious and desperate for a ride across town. For many visitors who just survived the busy airport, already overcome with advertisements of live shows in Las Vegas and the unmistakable anthem of ringing slot machines, an available cab meant an escape and a welcome solution to help guide their way through the mass of confusion.

In fact, their cab driver, Chloe noted, offered them a prompt arrival to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the very hotel she and Clark would stay at throughout the duration of their investigation. And even though the hotel was located on the far end of the strip, twenty minutes into the cab ride and still able to see the tower of the hotel completely in the car window ensured Chloe they would actually end up paying an extra five dollars for the scenic route. Any other day, this might bother her, but having never been to the official adult playground of the Western Hemisphere before, the extra few minutes gave her a real chance to absorb the city completely. Certainly a distinctive, unique atmosphere comparable to nothing else.

Only mid afternoon, the sky was not quite dark enough to see the famous neon lights that so often characterized Las Vegas. But even without them, the skyline still looked pretty extraordinary.

As her first visit here, despite all she traveled the past two years, Chloe knew she should feel the same excited apprehension whenever she entered new territory to explore with her investigative eye. Yet her mind was neither on Las Vegas, nor on the reason she came, that being Lois' disturbing disappearance. Instead she seemed to concentrate mainly on the man who sat next to her in the backseat of the cab. Already Chloe could tell Clark's gaze of disbelief with this city matched her own. Though he has been to Las Vegas before, juiced with Red Kryptonite and overcome with hormonal passion for a crazed teleporter hardly gave him the chance to look around.

But his past transgression in this city was not really what she was thinking about at the moment, either.

If they were not separated by two years of anger, Chloe's attempt to ease Clark's pain while on the airplane just an hour before may feel justified. But those two years apart, under a devastating umbrella of despair and regret, essentially cancelled out everything they built together, along with it the reasons to even care about each other at all. Despite the distance, despite the anger, despite the distress, and despite her reservations, the forty-eight hours she has currently spent in Clark's presence already gave life to the love still beneath the surface of her soul. A love that has been in deep slumber for far too long.

Lois' disappearance brought an unexpected confusion into my life, Chloe mused. A confusion, a hurt I wanted to bury. But without her disappearance … what I'm feeling now, with him … can I really give it all up again? Is this destiny's way of giving me another shot? Giving us another shot?

A possibility Chloe never would have considered if she had not spent this time with Clark again, if she did not need him for Lois. Tragedy brought them together in the midst of their personal strife.

Fate …

Actually, something similar happened before. And she would even venture to conclude that without Clark's Red Kryptonite criminal run in Metropolis in the summer before their junior year of high school, their friendship may have faltered completely underneath the intense pressure of hurt feelings and distance that developed the year before. Only in the event of Clark's breakdown with Red K, which Chloe did not completely understand at the time, did their frail friendship gain strength to survive.

Only when Clark finally trusted her with his feelings again. Only when he finally brought her back into his life, into his humiliation. A move of intimacy he did not even dare to do with Lana, a pain he could not bare for her to see.

Something he could only share with Chloe.

But the tragedy in Clark's life brought them together then …

Was this current situation the same thing?

Though Chloe would like it to be, the petty problems between them so long ago did not hold a candle to the seriousness of the difficulties in their friendship today. They could not just look past all of it, as if it never happened. Despite the current catastrophe they must face together, as well as the personal tragedies they wished sorely to share with each other, the still open wound in their relationship will continue to dominate completely until it is addressed with the care it deserves.

While her emotions and thoughts continued to battle continuously inside her head, Chloe neglected to notice their arrival at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Two lines of cars were formed up ahead, both full of cabs that either dropped off or picked up patrons for the huge hotel. In the line closest to the curb, once they reached directly parallel to the front doors, Clark nudged Chloe lightly. "Time to go."

Chloe sighed and then nodded. Her door opened via a hotel valet, a tall, handsome young man, who gave her a warm smile to welcome her arrival. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Welcome to Mandalay Bay."

"Thank you," she uttered quietly, while walking quickly to the trunk of the cab to retrieve her one and only suitcase for this trip.

"Let me get that for you," the valet urged, his appearance at her side quick and surprising.

Yet Clark grabbed the suitcase from the open trunk before the valet had a chance to offer his services. "Thanks, but no thanks. We can take it from here. Thank you, though."

Chloe almost smiled in spite of herself, quickly sensing a bit of jealousy in Clark. Not that feeling jealous was ever a problem … for either of them, actually. What was always lost in the customary blame of Chloe for their relationship problems was the very real fact that Clark also had a sin of his own while they were dating. Well, after he caught me, of course … caught me in something that was never my fault.

By Lana alone did Chloe hear the story, because Clark conveniently neglected to tell her on the porch the night they decided to go their separate ways. What he did in reaction to his lover's transgression seemed to have no merit, or no value when measuring up the reasons for their break-up. When, actually, that was hardly true at all, at least in Chloe's mind. Whether Clark wanted her to know or not, her friend Lana ensured she knew the entire truth. Even if he did not go through with his intentions completely, Clark still should have told her that night on the porch, the night they made decisions on the actions of the previous twenty four hours.

Clark …oh, Clark, you tried, Chloe thought silently, at the same time walking towards the entrance of the hotel. Chivalry at full strength, Clark hurried in front and opened the door for her, giving a smile as she walked in. Yet, her mind concentrated solely on the past, specifically Clark's actions … specifically what was always lost among the confusion of those few horrible days.

Clark … maybe you don't know it … but I know what you tried to do the night you saw me with Lex. I only saw you race out of the room, enraged and upset. However, after you left, you went to a place I never thought you would go. And you went for revenge. You went … to Lana. Ready to give up our love to prove something to me, to pay me back … to cause me hurt just like I did to you.

And though you tried … Lana pushed you away.

Lana refused to get involved, refused to be a pawn … refused to turn her back on me, despite what you told her.

And though you never actually cheated on our relationship … your heart did.

Spoken words, however, broke Chloe out of her silent reverie.

"Do you know what name our rooms are under?" Clark asked beside her, the front desk now only a few steps away from them.

As quickly as her thoughts flooded her consciousness, they dripped away just as quickly. Once the fog lifted, Chloe's eyes turned to Clark, instantly aware of the question he asked her. And without missing a beat, she answered with a small smile, "I think Perry and I agreed to have two rooms under Clark Kent. Since no one would have any idea who 'Clark Kent' really is, it's the perfect cover."

Though she wanted to come off a bit more sarcastic, Chloe knew it was best to tone it down slightly. In the interest of keeping Clark at a good distance away from her until they could truly discuss the obstacles in their friendship, flirting with him in anyway would only encourage him - and her for that matter - more.

Clark nodded and walked right up to the front desk, glad there were no lines to wait in. During the past few hours, all he and Chloe did was wait in lines, mostly at the airport – from security checks to actually getting on the plane itself. Going right to there room with no wait would only make their investigation go that much faster. Not to mention, of course, they would get to Lois just as quickly, as well.

"Reservations for Clark Kent," he said to the check-in woman behind the counter. She was probably in her forties, slightly aged and seasoned by life. Yet that did not take away from her outward beauty.

In fact, as she nodded slightly and started looking through the hotel's computer system, Clark did not realize he was actually staring at her.

However, Chloe, who spent most of her attention gazing at the exquisite lobby space, noticed it immediately and nudged him playfully in the ribs. Then said not so quietly, "Hey, flyboy."

As if jerked from a dream, Clark smiled sheepishly, and the embarrassment rose quickly to his cheeks in a bright red. Yet the woman on the other side of the counter did not seem to notice the little exchange. Or the jealousy that danced a bit in Chloe's eyes.

Okay, so we're both jealous …still.

The woman smiled then and looked to both of them, her eyes glowing with surprise and happiness. Strange, Chloe immediately thought, wondering whether all of Las Vegas hospitality fell under the category of uncomfortable.

However, it was what neither Clark or Chloe suspected.

"Ah," the woman swooned with a bright smile, "Mr. and Mrs. Kent. I see you're on your honeymoon."

Chloe stepped forward instantly, and in disbelief asked, "On our what?" Somewhere in the past few minutes, she remembered agreeing with herself to stay as far away from Clark as possible.

Whatever fate had planned for them was just not funny anymore.

The woman nodded, and insisted again, "Yes, that's what it says in our system. Because you're on your honeymoon, the first night is free. And it also seems you will be staying in our honeymoon suite."

Before Chloe could object further, however, Clark jumped in and grabbed Chloe's hand as good gesture as he looked to her with a delighted smile. "Of course we're on our honeymoon, sweetie," he reassured with a wink, his voice playing the role of a newly married man. He then looked back to the woman. "We just got married. It's still hard to get used to."

"It's okay, I understand," the woman said, her head at a tilt of sympathy before she turned back to the computer system.

Though Clark could not feel the pain, he could certainly feel the pressure of Chloe squeezing his hand tightly in protest. In response, he released her hand and instead circled his arm around her waist. Chloe then scowled at him, clearly unhappy with this current arrangement.

Not that she hasn't ever thought about this before. But in light of their past, the last role they needed to play with each other was husband and wife. And newlyweds, as well. Still separated by a huge chasm, Chloe did not believe such role-playing would be good for them at all. Not at all.

Clark however, did not seem to notice the objections laced across the expressions of her beautiful face. Or, perhaps, maybe he did, but chose to ignore them. His grip on her waist, however, just grew a bit tighter as his smile turned sweeter. Charm will not get you out of this one, Kent, Chloe thought angrily, despite the flutter of her heart.

The woman then placed two key cards on top of the counter before them, along with brochures that advertised restaurants and shows in the hotel itself, as well as coupons for free drinks and free shrimp cocktails at any of their sister casinos. Clark finally released his hold on Chloe so he could grab their information. While Chloe took this chance to walk a way a bit from Clark and the entire situation, Clark stayed behind to get the last few instructions before they could head to their room.

And though the woman also offered to have someone help them with their bags, Clark shrugged the offer off in the interest of ensuring they would no longer have to keep the charade of marriage going any longer than they had to. Because Chloe was pretty angry with me for just going with it, Clark thought, a small smile breaking the plain of his lips.

Once Chloe and Clark traveled through the maze of the casino, it's comprehension a bit difficult at first, the path to the elevators of the hotel soon appeared. The rest of the hotel and casino looked about the same as the lobby, with the same combination of white, yellow, and trim of gold. Yet here and there would be blue to accentuate the decorations, making the hotel even more extravagant.

In minutes they stood in front of an elevator as other patrons of the hotel passed by them. Some were in swimming suits, heading to one of the many swimming pools outside of the hotel. Others were dressed nicely, perhaps going to a show, or perhaps to an early dinner.

But neither Clark nor Chloe seemed to notice, still mulling over the strange events just a few minutes before.

The elevator door before them soon opened, it's soft hum a tension breaker for only a second as they stepped into the vacant space. Luckily, they were alone, because Chloe did not think she would be able to keep her anger at bay much longer.

And once the doors closed completely, shutting them from the outside world, Chloe remarked angrily, "I can't believe you didn't correct her. Were you thinking with the right head?"

Clark looked to her, his eyes a little wide with her comment. "Hey, I saved our cover, that's what I did. What if they discovered we weren't married? What kind of unwanted attention would we get?"

Maybe Clark had a point. But Chloe would die before she acknowledged it, and moved the conversation on to another matter. "I thought Perry and I agreed to put it under one name and get two rooms. That was the professional thing to do. But, according to you and Perry, professionalism seems to fall off the face of the earth when you two have a chance to make me look like an idiot."

"Hey!"

"What! What?" Chloe asked, realizing how high her emotions had risen.

Clark smiled and insisted, "You know Perry had a point."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if Mr. Peterson is at all involved in Lois' disappearance, you know he will be keeping an extra eye on those who are checking into his hotels. If he saw 'Chloe Sullivan' on his registry, our cover would be shot. And if he saw two rooms registered under 'Clark Kent', even that might tip him off," Clark explained.

"Okay, fine, maybe you're right … But I still don't like the idea of 'newlyweds'. We don't need to succumb to a highly over used, stereotypical cover-up, to hide who we really are," Chloe said.

Clark shrugged. "Well, it does cover us up even more. Mr. and Mrs. Kent hides your well known name, makes it quite clear why I'm here with my wife, and gives him no reason to suspect anything."

Chloe, however, still would not break the mask of discomfort with the entire situation from her face. And though she did not want to just let it happen, especially with her renewed vow to stay completely professional with Clark during the rest of the investigation, her instincts told her to surrender. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad … yeah, right.

When she did not say anything, however, Clark decided to move the conversation to something else. "So what now?"

The elevator doors opened then and both stepped out, each carrying their own suitcase as they walked through the labyrinth of hallways to get to their room. The honeymoon suite, Chloe grimaced. Why does everything have to be so difficult?

"I don't know … why don't you ask your lady friend behind the check-in desk?" Chloe asked, a hint of amusement breaking the tension of her features.

"Is that really necessary?" Clark asked.

"I think so, especially when I was just forced to marry you."

Clark sighed as they reached the door to their suite. "Fine, fine. You win. You always win."

"Of course, I do."

"So …?"

Chloe gave him a questionable look as she swiped the keycard through the slot to unlock their door. "So …" she repeated.

"Are you going to tell me what's next on the agenda?" Clark asked, insistence in his raised eyebrows, already annoyed with Chloe's play of ignorance.

He was always cute when he looked just a tiny bit frustrated.

She opened the door completely and walked in. "Well, before we go gallivanting around the busy Las Vegas strip, I think we should try to get a personal meeting with Peterson. And I'll try to get just a little bit more about him." She turned on one of the lamps nearest to her, illuminating a living room, with cushy couches and chairs, as well as a huge window to the far end that looked out onto the skyline of Las Vegas. "In the meantime," she continued, while placing her suitcase onto one of the couches to take out her laptop, "I think you should go and look around the city for awhile."

"What?" Clark asked, a little uncertain to her meaning.

"You know … look."

Clark smirked. "I thought you didn't want me to use my powers while I was here."

"No, no, I think my exact words were, 'I don't think you should fly around one of the busiest cities in the entire world, because someone is bound to notice you.' That didn't include looking around. Especially if it can save Lois immediately."

"Okay," Clark conceited lightly, though never really questioning Chloe's thought process in the first place. If she had not suggested he go look for Lois, then he would have. "So you'll be here when I return?"

"If I don't decide to divorce you before that, yes."

Clark nodded knowingly at her, once again trying to guard himself from her obvious abrasiveness and sarcasm towards the situation. With a sigh, he turned and left.

What he did not notice, however, was the small smirk that crossed Chloe's soft lips. She did love it when she frustrated him.

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end of part 1, chapter 3.

more to come