Close Encounters of the First Kind

by Cassandra Mulder

The day Chloe met Clark she knew her life would never be the same. This is how it happened.

Title: Close Encounters of the First Kind
Author: Cassandra Mulder
Rating: PG
Classification: Smallville; Chloe/Clark
Spoilers: None, unless you consider this retroactively spoilery for "Obscura".
Disclaimer: We've been through this... I don't own them, because if I did Chloe would own Clark's heart, and well... Thank AlMiles, DC, Tollin/Robbins, and the WB for making that I im /I possible, and move along. I'm not bitter, oh no. ;)
Written: January 8 - 9, 2006
Word Count: 2875
Summary: The day Chloe met Clark she knew her life would never be the same. This is how it happened.
A/N: I'm not exactly sure where this idea originated, and it's probably been done before, though I have yet to come across it if it has. As a fan of "Obscura", Clark's description of the day he met Chloe, though brief, has always intrigued me. So I thought I would write it how I imagined it to be, with the small tidbits of info from his description thrown in for "authenticity". It was supposed to be a shorter piece in the beginning, sort of a one scene thing, then it ran away with me a bit. It's still not long by anyone's standards, but I hope it came out well and you enjoy. Feedback is love, remember that. ;)

---

Chloe Sullivan stood at the front entrance of Smallville Junior High School. Her first instinct was to check her purse to see if she had enough cash to take a cab back to Metropolis, but she knew that was futile. Smallville didn't even have a cab company.

She was supposed to meet the counselor in five minutes to discuss her classes briefly and be assigned a guide for her first day of eighth grade.

It might have been a big promotion for her father to be in charge of the Smallville LuthorCorp plant, but Chloe felt like she had been demoted in every way. Her precious city was now three hours away, and she had left behind her life and friends at Metropolis Junior High. Now she had to start all over, work her way through the hierarchy, and try to make a place for herself in this new world.

It was going to be a disaster. She could feel it.

She sighed as she adjusted the strap of her messenger bag and started for the building. It would be easier to just rip off the metaphorical band-aid and get it overwith.

When she finally found the counselor's office, she had time to sit outside for about thirty seconds before she was called in.

"Miss Sullivan?"

Chloe nodded, stepped forward, and extended her hand.

"I'm Mrs. Adams. Welcome to Smallville," the older lady with short black hair greeted her warmly.

"Uh... Thanks," Chloe said, glancing at one of the chairs in front of Mrs. Adams' desk. All she could see was the back of a dark head and she wondered if that was the counselor's previous or next appointment.

Mrs. Adams caught her line of vision. "Oh, where are my manners? Clark, come here," she said. "He's not very outgoing," she whispered as an aside to Chloe.

Chloe was nodding politely when the boy turned around, and she prayed her jaw hadn't dropped.

He gave her a sort of shy half-smile and quickly averted his eyes, but not before Chloe noted that they were a deep green.

He was possibly the cutest boy she had ever seen, and her usual outgoing nature seemed to have disappeared when he looked at her.

"Chloe Sullivan, this is another of our eighth graders, Clark Kent. He'll be showing you around today and helping you out with anything you might need," Mrs. Adams said, looking from one to the other with slight amusement.

"Hi," Chloe said, finally regaining her bearings. "Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, and he carefully took it, as if she might break.

"Nice to meet you, too," he said, shaking her hand quickly.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way..." their counselor said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk,"how about we get you settled in, Miss Sullivan?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe said, taking a seat. She wasn't usually one to be so formal, but she figured that was probably how they were out here in the sticks. Besides, being polite couldn't hurt. It wasn't their fault she was stuck in the boonies, so she saw no reason to take it out on them.

Mrs. Adams went over her class schedule with her and handed her a printed copy, while Clark sat patiently in the other chair. He didn't seem to fidget with nervous energy like all the other fourteen year old boys she had known, and she found that odd. His parents must have him well trained, she mused.

The first bell rang, and Chloe and Clark rose in unison.

"If you need anything, Miss Sullivan, my door is always open."

"Thank you, Mrs. Adams. I'll remember that," Chloe said and turned to go. Clark opened the door for her and let her go first which was something that was rare in the city.

She gave him an odd look, and said, "Thanks."

He nodded and turned to keep walking when she grabbed his sleeve.

"Hey... Where can I buy a copy of the Planet so I can keep up with civilization?" she asked.

Clark looked at her like she had asked where the best place to score pot was. "Um, there are those newspaper machines down on Main..."

"I was just wondering. I haven't had time to find one yet, and I'm kind of going insane."

"O-kay. Well, we better get going. Home room's down the hall," Clark said. "Do you need to put anything in your locker? I have a pass just in case we're late for anything today, since you're new and all."

"Oh... well..." Chloe didn't think she would be able to lug all of her books around all day. "I actually don't even know where my locker is yet, so that might be helpful." She smiled up at him. He was so tall she wondered if the girls all got neck cramps craning to look into those eyes.

She blushed uncharacteristically when he slipped the paper with her information out of her hand. She had been in this rural haven for a mere three days and already one of its citizens was trying to make her a believer in smalltown life. And he didn't even know it.

She watched as he skimmed the page, and her interest was piqued when his eyebrows shot up.

"Well?" she prompted.

"You have locker one eighty-two. Right next to mine," he said.

"Oh. Cool," she said with what she hoped was nonchalance.

"That's... down here," he said, pointing to the right.

They quickly found her locker, and she shoved everything in it except the books for her first two classes.

When they entered their home room a couple of minutes late, Clark showed the teacher the pass, then he showed her to her seat. Right behind him.

That's it. We're cosmically linked, Chloe thought to herself. He was her guide, her locker was next to his, she would be sitting behind him... It was all a little too odd.

Chloe tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying rather than how the ends of Clark's hair curled at the nape of his neck, but that wasn't working out too well. She wasn't known for being boy crazy at all, but this guy had her intrigued.

She was relieved when the bell rang for lunch, because that meant American History was over and that she could stop thinking about the fact she was sitting beside Clark in that class. She was notoriously into weird, but even she was starting to wonder what was going on.

One more trip to their lockers and Clark led her to the cafeteria and informed her that she had arrived just in time to sample the mystery meat.

"Thrilling," she said sarcastically, and got a smile out of him. This one was much more open than the one he had given her in the office, and she was fascinated. He was definitely going to be trouble.

They secured their trays, and Chloe silently thanked God they offered bags of potato chips or she was afraid she would have starved until school was out.

"Me and Pete sit over here," Clark said, nodding toward a table at the far side of the room.

"Ah. Who's Pete?" she asked, following him.

"My best friend."

"Oh. And that should be 'Pete and I'," Chloe corrected.

"Huh?" he said, turning around.

"Sorry. Grammar freak," she smiled.

"Oh. Yeah. I still slip up sometimes. It's kind of confusing, don't you think?"

She shrugged. "Writing is my life. Though I have been told I have comma issues."

Clark laughed. "I'm actually pretty good with punctuation."

"We might make a good team, then," she said as they arrived at the table.

The boy she assumed was Pete was already sitting there, pondering his miserable meal. He looked up when Clark tapped him on the shoulder, and immediately broke into a smile at the sight of Chloe.

"Chloe Sullivan, this is Pete Ross. Pete, Chloe's new here and I'm showing her around today. Best behavior," he teased with one raised eyebrow.

"He knows me too well," Pete said, shrugging towards Clark.

Chloe smiled. "Hi." She sat down. "So there's usually bad behavior involved?" she asked playfully as she rearranged her tray.

"Pete thinks he's a ladykiller. Watch out," Clark deadpanned.

Chloe grinned, greatly amused that the shy boy of this morning had a sense of humor.

"You're just jealous, man," Pete said, punching Clark in the shoulder playfully.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Chloe asked, ripping open her bag of Baked Lays.

"Pretty much since the beginning of time," Clark said.

"Our time, anyway," Pete laughed, still picking at his food.

Chloe offered him her chips and he gratefully snagged one.

"I keep hoping the food will get better..."

She laughed. "It was about the same in Metropolis. School regulations, I guess."

"Oh, you're from Metropolis?" Pete asked, brightening.

"Big city girl, born and raised," she said taking a sip of her milk. "That is, until this week."

"What brings you to our cornfield, then?" he asked.

"I like him," Chloe said to Clark with a wink. She sighed. "My dad got transferred to the LuthorCorp plant here. He's the manager now. It's a big promotion, but, no offense, this place doesn't seem to be one of the perks."

"None taken," Clark chimed in. "It must be a big change after the city."

"You aren't kidding. I'm guessing there's no Starbucks here."

Clark laughed. "No, there's not."

"No coffee place at all? How sad," Chloe said with a mock pout.

"Actually, there's the Beanery on Main. Maybe you could get your caffeine fix and your Planet at the same time."

"I like the way you think, Kent," she said. "You may have to show me around town, too. My dad has had no time for exploring. I mean, if you want to. I don't expect us to become Siamese twins or anything," she laughed.

She saw Pete throw him a look meant to tip him off that she liked him, but Clark never noticed. She decided to back it down a little.

"I wouldn't mind," Clark said sincerely. "I don't get to play tour guide much."

"Maybe he can show you his farm," Pete said. "That always wows the chicks."

"I give you permission to stop paying attention to him now," Clark said.

Chloe laughed at them. "You live on a farm? Like with cows and chickens and tractors..."

"Yeah," Clark shrugged. "There are a lot of farms out here."

Oh, great, she thought. A real live, honest-to-goodness, down to earth, cornfed farmboy. She almost shook her head in disbelief, but then remembered where she was.

"I am going to have to insist that you invite me over," she said. "I've never been to a farm before."

"Well... There's not really that much to see..." Clark purposefully ignored Pete's slight snickers.

She put on her best pleading look. "Please?"

Clark sighed. "Okay. I guess my parents would be okay with it if you came over today after school, as long as it's cool with your parents."

"It's just my dad," Chloe said. "I'll call him, but I'm sure it'll be fine!" she said enthusiastically.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

"I think I'm brown-bagging it tomorrow," she said. "I can't be allowed to starve."

"That would be wise for us all," Pete said solemnly as he returned his tray. "I'll catch you guys later. I'd love to come over after school and watch you experience farm life, but I've got filing to do at Mom's office," he said rushing off to his locker.

"What does his mom do?" Chloe asked as she and Clark headed for English.

"She's the county judge."

"Oh. Okay." They were on time for once, and she grinned. "This is my favorite class."

"You haven't even been to it yet," Clark pointed out.

"I know, silly. But English is my thing. Words are my thing. I'm going to be a reporter for the Daily Planet someday." She smiled brightly.

"I get the paper and coffee obsession now," Clark teased as they walked in the room.

She found out she would be seated in front of him in that class.

Weird day, she thought as she slid into her desk.

The afternoon passed fairly quickly since she had something to look forward to. She called her dad before the bus was due, and he told her it was okay to go home with her new friend as long as he had their number. Once she had gotten it from Clark, they boarded the school bus.

It let them off on a dusty road, under a simple wooden sign that said Kent Farm. How original, she thought as she followed Clark up the unpaved driveway.

"Wow. What kind of farm is this exactly?" she asked.

"Well, there are cows, obviously," Clark said, pointing to a pasture. "We grow organic produce and sell it... Fresh milk, corn, like most of the farmers around here. My mom sells baked goods sometimes on the side. She's a really good cook," he said proudly.

"I bet you love apple pie, don't you, Clark?" Chloe said, looking up at him. She was only teasing him a little. She thought all this farm stuff was kind of cute, not to mention the farm boy, but she couldn't help herself.

"Yes, I do," Clark said, getting that she was only messing with him.

"I do, too," she admitted with a slight laugh.

When they got to the house, Clark ushered her into the kitchen and showed her where she could drop her backpack. There was a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the counter, and Clark got a glass bottle of milk out of the refrigerator to go with them.

"I haven't seen one of those in real life in... ever," she said, pointing to the bottle.

"Welcome to the country," he said, pouring them both a glass. "Help yourself. There's more where those came from."

She was ravenous from her lack of a lunch, so she took a cookie gratefully. "Mmm," she said approvingly, taking a drink of milk. "You weren't kidding about your mom being a good cook."

Clark smiled.

"I burn those ready made things you're supposed to just pop in the oven. So I usually wind up eating the cookie dough," she laughed.

Two cookies later, she was ready to see the rest of the place. "I am at the mercy of your tour guide skills," she said as they left the house.

"I think we should start with my loft," Clark said, heading for the barn.

Chloe entered the wooden monstrosity and looked up and around with her mouth open. "It's huge."

Clark laughed. "It's a barn. They have to be pretty big."

"City girl," she said, pointing to herself.

"All right, I'll cut you some slack today, city girl," he conceded.

She followed him up a winding set of stairs to the loft. It was outfitted with a couch, an old trunk serving as a sort of coffee table, and a desk and chair.

"Very nice," Chloe said. "Rustic, but it must be really peaceful."

"Yeah, it is. I get a lot of studying done up here."

She nodded, turning around in a wide circle to make sure she got the full view. She came to a stop in front of him. "This really is a cool place. Thanks for letting me come over." She wanted to get her thank yous out of the way, because in the next minute she wasn't sure he would be talking to her anymore.

Impulsively, she raised up on her tiptoes, grabbed the front of Clark's jacket, and kissed him. He was taken by surprise, but she was encouraged when he didn't push her away. It was the first time she had ever kissed a boy, but she felt it was something she had to do.

When she let him go, he was blushing furiously, and she tried not to laugh. She wasn't quite sure what had gotten into her, but she was afraid she had fallen under his spell. With a boy like Clark, who not only seemed to have never been kissed before, but was totally oblivious to how adorable he was, that could only mean they couldn't be anything but friends.

She shrugged. "I know you've been thinking about that all day, so I figured we'd get it out of the way and be friends," she said, hoping her voice was steady enough to sound convincing.

Clark frowned, completely bewildered. "Uh, sure," he said, turning to look out the loft doors.

Chloe let him regain his composure, and she ran a hand over her face, not quite believing what she had done. Assault the boy on the first day you know him. She rolled her eyes at herself. Still, she felt this could be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship, and maybe something more.

Finis