Part 3 of 4

Clark groaned. He could hear the creaking sound of Chloe's footsteps as she ascended up the stairs. Throughout dinner, she has made attempts to get him to open up about 'certain' things or in his case, certain 'people.' And what's worse, his parents made no attempt to help him.

"What do you want, Chloe?" Clark turned, already knowing the answer but he wasn't about to let her get anything that easily.

"I just have a few questions, that's all," she replied innocently.

"Uh huh," he said, not believing a word. "All right. What is it?"

Chloe crossed her arms and for a brief moment, she reminded him of Lois. He didn't like that one bit. "As you know, Lois didn't come tonight."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed."

"She was quite adamant about not coming, too."

Any hope left that Clark had sank. "Why are you here, Chloe?" he was physically tired, mentally exhausted and emotionally wounded. Last thing he wanted are reminders, and Chloe, is constantly reminding him. "I don't really want to play games right now."

Chloe gave him a sympathetic look. "It hurts, doesn't it? Liking someone who doesn't like you back."

"You didn't have to describe it like that," he said, hurting. Then he realizes, "You know about that?"

"After she refused the invitation from the Kent's, I knew something was up. I grilled her until she told me everything."

Clark gulped. "Everything?"

Chloe smiled. "Almost everything." She paused. "So, should you start or should I?"

"You go first," he said. "Seems like you know more of what's going on than I do."

Chloe quirked her eyebrow when she noted his down and out demeanor. She decided to take a different approach. "At first, I was just curious. Now it looks like you need a listening ear. What happened?"

Clark breathed in deeply. A part of him hoped she wouldn't press, but another part of him wanted to share his feelings, and those kinds of feelings just can't be shared too much with his parents.

"We were hanging out and I - " he couldn't say the words out loud, not in front of her. It seemed weird to him, especially when it was only a year ago that Chloe had feelings for him.

"You kissed her," Chloe finished for him.

Clark is slightly surprised. He should've known that she knew that much.

"Yeah," he answered softly.

"How was it?"

"It felt pretty good," he admitted, surprising himself in the process.

"I could imagine," she said, grinning. "After all that bickering and fighting you two do, it's almost natural you two take that next step."

"Do you really believe that? She was practically horrified."

Chloe sighed. "She's Lois," she reminded her best friend. "She doesn't go into relationships lightly. You gotta keep up if you want any hope of being with her. It's just how she operates. You'll be surprised at what you find once her barriers are down."

Clark smiled, remembering. He's caught a glimpse, but what he'd like more than anything was to see all of it.

"You really think I have a chance with her?"

Chloe nodded thoughtfully. "If there was anyone out there who did, I get the feeling it'd be you."

"Thanks, Chloe," he said appreciatively.

Chloe gave him an even bigger smile. "Get out of here, Clark. I have a cousin alone back in Metropolis. Why don't you pay her a visit."

Clark grinned, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before super-speeding out of there. Chloe continued to smile, thinking how lucky those two were, even one one-half of them are stubborn to the bone. Lois will see the light, especially when Clark's own showed brightest.

Back in Metropolis, Lois sat behind her father's desk. She twirled around in his seat before deciding to put her foot up despite her father's protests that she don't. General Sam Lane paced back and forth in his wire-less phone, giving the third-degree to some poor subordinate who'll probably have kitchen duty as soon as it's over.

When he was finished, he slammed the phone down on his desk while uttering a few obscene words that Lois would have no problem repeating once she's out that door.

"Is there a reason why you invited me here on this fine cold evening?" she asked, her foot still resting atop his neat desk.

Her father answered her with a slap to her foot.

Lois chuckled as she removed her feet off his desk. "Seriously, I could be doing something else." She looked at her watch. "Do you realize, I've been here half an hour and during that time, I did absolutely nothing? Dad, that's like, half an hour of my life wasted."

"Your sarcasm is noted, Lo, now get off my chair," he ordered with ease. In front of anyone else, The General would've been serious, but in the presence of his own daughter and his daughter alone, he revealed a slight grin that his little girl was the only one privy to.

Lois sighed despite her amusement. She got up and took a chair on the opposite side. She may have lost the twirling motion of her seat but certainly not her ingenuity.

"So why am I here again?"

"Can't a father spend time with his daughter?" her father replied.

"Of course!" Then she thought otherwise. "If you weren't a General, maybe." She just had to stuff her foot in her mouth on that one.

Sam frowned a little at the remark. "I just wanted to see you, that's all."

"Hmm mm." Lois remained convinced. "What's up, dad?"

"I heard you were going back to school," he said.

"Heard or looked into?"

"Both," he answered quickly. "First I heard, then I looked."

Lois laughed, and seeing her laugh, Sam Lane had to laugh too. He intertwined his hands together after and watched her intently.

"So, Lo. What have you been up to?"

Lois is somewhat confused at her father's sudden interest in her life. "Besides going back to school," she shrugged. "Nothing all that particularly exciting."

"Do you still make contact with the Kent's?"

"Talk, dad. Do I still talk to the Kent's, and yes. I do, occasionally. Why?" she wondered curiously.

"Nothing."

Lois felt it was more than just nothing.

"Dad." She got up and he soon followed. "Not that I don't enjoy these father/daughter bond - talking sessions, I should really get going."

"Lo," he gestured back to her chair, wanting her to sit back down.

Lois sighed and did what he nonverbally told. She breathed out a lungful of air.

"I just want you to know, that if there's anything you want to talk about, anything at all, I could try to help you."

Lois couldn't figure out for the life of her what her father was trying to say.

"Uh… thank you," she answered awkwardly.

"I mean it," he continued. "Anything at all."

Lois is confused. "Anything like what?"

"You know," her father starts a little gruffly. "Anything with school… with a job… your sister or… or… boys."

Lois raised both her eyebrows in shock realization. Her father had called her in to talk about her personal life. Figures.

"Dad - "

"Look, I know I'm not always there, but I'm here for you if you need me. And boys, they can be animals." Lois closed her eyes and shut her mouth momentarily to hold back her laughter. "But there are some… decent."

Decent? "Dad, if you brought me here to talk about safe sex, I'm sorry to say but you're way too late for that."

Her father growled. He didn't need to know that particular bit.

"Lo, that's why I pay the educational system for." Lois rolled her eyes as her father continued. "I'm just pointing out that there are good men out there that's worth looking into."

Lois this time couldn't hold onto her laughter. "And what? You've printed me out a data sheet of potential suitors?"

Sam sighed, leaning back on his chair. "Just think about it."

Lois was at a loss for words exiting her father's office. 'Think about it' he says.

"Think about what?" She shook her head all the way out of the building and to the parking lot. That was the weirdest conversation she's ever had with her father, and there's been a lot.

Fifteen stories high, General Sam Lane watched his daughter get into her red Fusion. He takes out a cigar while dialing a set of numbers.

"Hello," a woman on the other line answered.

"Good evening, Mrs. Kent, its Sam."

"Oh, hello Sam. Did everything go okay?"

"She's thinking about it."

"Well, that's good. Chloe just told me he was heading to Metropolis tonight, so hopefully they'll see each other."

"Yes, if my daughter doesn't run away first."

"Thank you for all your help."

The General smiled appreciatively on the other line. "It goes the same from me. You and Jonathan have a good night."

"You as well."

Sam hung up the phone and puffed another round of his cigar. Being a father is interesting, and he smiled regretfully wondering why he didn't start being one a long time ago.

To be continued…