Chloe scrambled to get her earrings on as she rushed to her hotel door. The knock was soft but definite, and she knew it couldn't be anyone other than Clark. She pulled the door open quickly, grinning at the tall man standing in her doorway.

He gave her a playful scolding; "You really shouldn't open your door that quickly to strangers, Sullivan."

She laughed, "Well, I knew it was you, Kent…but if there had been a bad guy standing next to you, I knew you could kick their ass and send them flying out of the room, all without getting a single hair out of place or revealing your identity."

He gave her another hug as he entered the room. "Oh, but, inevitable my glasses would've fallen off."

She nodded sympathetically as she put in her other earring, "Yeah, they were constantly slipping off your nose when you jumped across your cornfield." She studied him for a second. "Maybe you should get those elastic things that connect the back of one year to another." She pantomimed the movement as she spoke.

He gave her a look, "I'm going to pretend you didn't just suggest that."

She shrugged her shoulders, turning to her arm, gesturing about.

"So, this is my hotel room, not much to see, so let's get going." She had quickly turned to grab her shoes when –

"Do you know about Jason?" She froze in place. She turned around to see Clark looking out the window, concentrating on the city below; he reached up to his glasses. She stood there, watching him, wondering what she could say. Both of them knew he was not in an easy position. He turned to her slowly, taking his glasses off, his eyes searching her face for some thing she would give away. She didn't let anything past.

"I've always noticed something different about you as Clark…different from what other people do." She stepped forward, not taking her eyes off his worried, scared face. She motioned to the window. "It's the window. Everyone looks through it, but no one ever truly notices what they are looking at, how they are looking out. You do. You notice and hear everything. But it's not just that…everyone I know, everyone in movies, they always look up, as though they are searching for a sign, some miracle of God, writing in the sky, or just gazing into the great beyond. And, for us, everyone is always looking for you as Superman, flying through the air, saving some helpless victim."

She stood next to him, looking out the window. He turned his head to look at her, and she felt his gaze actually on her, and not straight through her like usual.

"You are the only one I know who looks down. You keep looking down, after seeing the view of the city. You always look down. But you aren't searching the way everyone else is. It's as though you are connecting your heartbeat with that of the city's. You truly give yourself to it, not just as Superman, but as Clark…and I am the only one who gets to see that…" She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to face him. "Yes, I know about Jason."

He nodded mutely, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I don't know what to do, Chloe." He whispered.

She moved to stand in front of him. His eyes probed into hers, asking for her help.

"This is so different from anything that has ever happened to you. You are looking at this from the perspective of Superman, when you really should probably be looking at it as Clark."

He gave a snort and threw Chloe a look. "I can't look at it as Clark. Lois knows Superman as Jason's father."

She cupped his face in her hands. "But, Clark is just as much Jason's father as Superman." She turned away from him, put on her shoes, and they made their way to the door, grabbing her purse that Clark held out for her. She turned to him one last time before they headed out. "That's why you should tell Lois who you are…and you should do it tonight."

And with that, they walked out of the door.

-------------------------------------------

Richard scrunched up his nose as he looked at the dinner table.

"Lois?"

"Yeah?" Her head popped out of the kitchen as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"Steak?"

She rolled her eyes at her fiancé. "Richard, Chloe and Clark, are both carnivores. I'm sorry, but I'm fixing both a vegetable and a salad dish, and you can make whatever kind of potatoes you want."

He smirked as he entered the kitchen, "As long as you don't force me to eat the meat."

She smiled at him, giving him a playful nudge as she stirred the peas and carrots.

"So, what is this about anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

Richard gave her a look as he took russet potatoes out of the refrigerator. "Come on, Lois. You are having your quiet, handsome, journalist, single co-worker Clark, and your gregarious, beautiful, journalist, single cousin Chloe over for dinner."

Lois shot her eyes up briefly, realizing where Richard was going with this.

He just smiled at her. "I never thought of you as the matchmaking type."

"What make you think I'm trying to set them up?" Lois asked with as much disinterest in her voice as possible.

"It's really rather obvious, Lois." Her eyes met his, and he gave her a look, waving around a potato. "When you see it, I won't say I told you so."

She turned to him, putting one hand on her hip, the other brandished her stirring spoon. "For your information, Mr. White, Chloe and Clark actually have a past together. They grew up together in Smallville."

"Ah, so Clark's already tapped that." Richard said with an amused grin. "Good for him!"

Lois sputtered and started coughing, bending herself over the steaming vegetables.

"You ok?" He looked at her worriedly.

"Yeah…" She moved away from the stove, her face flushed and sweaty, wiping her hands off on a dishtowel. "Could you take care of the veggies? I know you doing the potatoes – "

He took the spoon from her. "Hon, you've already done steak, I think I can handle the rest. Are you sure you're ok?"

She nodded, waving her hands in front of her face to cool off, "Yeah, just…steam, you know?"

"Well, go get a drink of water, let your hair down, try to cool off, you know?"

She nodded again then walked up the stairs and into her bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I will not get jealous." She repeated over and over, quietly, to herself, trying to get herself into the groove. "I will not get jealous." She thought of Clark and Chloe hugging at The Daily Planet, grinning at each other like idiots. She had never looked twice at Clark but in friendship, always concentrating on Superman, or Richard, or Jason, or whatever silly story she was covering, and had convinced herself was important. She felt that she had no right to intrude upon a personal moment like that…no right…

She opened her eyes. "But Clark is Superman! Chloe's not supposed to be with Clark! I'm supposed to be with – "

"Clark and Chloe are here!"

Richard's voice cut through her words, and she suddenly felt a huge sense of dread. They were here. They came together. Why did she feel like crying? He was allowed to be friendly, warm, even romantic with Chloe…they had a bigger past than her and Superman.

"My God! Does Chloe know?" She asked herself, glancing at the door. If Chloe knew, than she wouldn't have been so flirtatious with Clark at work, knowing that Jason was his son. She sighed and sat down on top of the toilet seat. "I moved on, so can he. He has every right to move on. Chloe is the only person I would accept him moving on to…"

She looked at the doorway once again, then collapsed her head into her hands. "I can't let him move on without him knowing I know."

She stood up quickly, washed her face, took down her hair and brushed it out. She looked at herself in the mirror, putting a confident smile on her face, steeling herself.

"And I'm going to tell him," she nodded to herself, growing confident as she spoke the words, "I'm telling Clark I know he's Superman."

Then she gathered herself up, and walked out the door, down to the chattering voices at the dinner table below.

The minute she walked into the dining room, she nearly fell over. Clark looked different. He wasn't buttoned up, tweed clad…dorky, like normal. His hair still flopped, his glasses still hid his secret, but, he was dressed casually in a white buttoned-up shirt, gray blazer, and jeans. Chloe quickly got up and hugged her, laughing over the fact that both of them were in pale blue. It was then that Lois noticed that his shirt wasn't buttoned all the way up. He wasn't Superman underneath. He had come to her house for a casual, calm evening. To laugh and eat, and not just be Clark, but be Clark relaxing, having a good time, being social. She thought at that moment that he never looked more handsome then he did then. No wonder Chloe had fallen in love with him.

She gave everyone a smile as she sat down in her chair next to Richard. She couldn't give it away then, not while eating steak and vegetables. It wouldn't be fair to Clark. She just didn't know when she was going to do it.

------------------------------------------

Dinner past smoothly, they all had a good time, with Clark and Chloe sharing stories about growing up together. Richard kept shooting looks at Lois, in an 'I told you so' manner, which Lois did her best to ignore. Chloe spent the evening trying to figure out how to get Clark and Lois alone so he could tell her.

"So, where's Jason tonight?" Chloe asked, giving Clark an unpretentious nudge.

"Would you believe it? He's at my Uncle Perry's!" Richard gave a laugh as the rest of them chuckled, as he stood up. Clark started to stand, indicating he would help, but Richard gestured for him to remain seated.

"Well, it's too bad he couldn't be here tonight. I really wanted to see him!"

Lois smiled warmly at her cousin. "Well, are you coming to The Daily Planet tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to the Chief about writing a guest piece."

"Well, he'll be there."

Richard then appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray with a coffee pot and mugs. "Coffee in the family room?"

They all got up, making their way slowly into the family room. Chloe pulled at Clark's sleeve.

"What?" He whispered.

"Now would be a good time for you to tell her."

He looked exasperated. "How? Richard's here."

Chloe looked around for an idea. "Ask her to show you the water or something…I don't know. Be creative."

He looked panicked. "Me? Creative? I don't do creative, I – " He cut himself off then, as he heard gunshots and screaming, as well as glass breaking.

"Clark? You ok?" Chloe looked puzzled.

"Hey, you guys should see this! Hugh bank heist is going on downtown." Richard poured the coffee and pointed to the breaking news on the TV screen.

Lois looked at the TV, holding her mug in both hands. "I wonder if Superman is going to help them out." She pointedly looked back at Clark and Chloe. The two of them were looking at the screen with surprised expressions on their faces.

"I…I think I left the gas on."

All heads turned to Clark.

"What?" Chloe almost burst out laughing.

Clark looked at all of them. "Yeah, I think I left my gas stove on…I've got to get home before…well…I've got to go."

"Later, Clark! It was great having you." Richard grinned at him, shaking his hand.

"And you, Richard. Lois, Chloe…"

"Call me if you need help." Chloe called out in concern.

He just gave a small smile, and then hurried out of the house.

Richard looked at the closed door with an amused expression on his face. "Does he always leave like that?"

Chloe took her coffee and sat down on a couch. "Nah, he usually doesn't even say good-bye, just…" she snapped her fingers, "disappears." Chloe then looked pointedly at Lois.

"Most people don't even notice when he leaves."

Lois quickly took a huge gulp, letting the hot coffee burn her throat. Chloe had to know. She wouldn't have looked at Lois just then if she didn't. She turned her attention to the bank heist, just in time to see the blur of red and blue flying into the building.

"And there he goes." Chloe whispered.

------------------------------------------

Chloe kind of whished that Clark had flown her back to her hotel, as she had to borrow money from Richard to get a cab. But, he did stop 8 bank robbers, kept 43 people from being killed, and rescued $3.7 million in the space of 10 minutes. She put her purse down, sat on the bed, and stared at the wall.

"Left the gas on." She retorted, chuckling to herself. Now she knew why he always just left without saying anything. He wasn't creative…he might as well have said he was a squirrel who left the gas on. She then heard a whoosh of air next to her. She turned to see him entering her room through the balcony…as Clark.

"Clark! Someone could've seen you!"

He shook his head. "Relax…I walked up to the hotel as Clark, they told me where your room was, and I flew up very fast so no one would see me. Besides it's really late, everyone's blinds are closed."

She gave a chortle. "You know, you could have just taken the elevator and knocked on the door like earlier."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't feel like wasting the time." He walked into the room, looking around. "It really is small in here. Wouldn't you rather stay with Lois? Or even my place, it's bigger."

Her eyes widened. "No, Clark, I definitely couldn't stay at your place. Especially since Richard confided in me that he believes Lois is setting us up."

He quickly looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

She shook the cobwebs forming in her head. "Anyway, Clark, you're changing the subject."

"What subject?" He asked her quizzically.

She sighed with exasperation. "The one you were going to talk to Lois about earlier!"

"That was an hour ago!"

"But you still haven't told her! You got off lucky by having to go Kryptonian and having to fly off to save 45 people!"

He was upset, giving a sigh of discontent. "You know, I wouldn't call that lucky."

She rolled her eyes. "Lucky in that you got out of a confrontational situation, because I know you hate them. Lucky because once again people are still alive because of you."

He sat down on the bed next to her. "I don't want to used my 'saving people thing' as an excuse to get out of a confrontation. I don't want to be that." His voice was sad, his eyes downcast.

She wrapped her arms around him, her heart full of empathy. "I know you don't, Clark. It's your fate to live as two different people. It can't be easy for you…but, I think that by telling Lois, it might make that aspect of your life a bit better, especially by becoming the father I know you can be." She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he put his arms around her.

"Maybe we should just run off to an island in the Caribbean together, huh?" He cracked a small smile at his statement. She chuckled and looked up at him.

"There's nothing I'd rather do!" They grinned at each other.

She reached up, pulling his glasses off, then loosened his tie, taking it off his neck. She looked him over, while he stared at her apprehensively.

"Now, there's the Clark I know and love." She whispered.

Clark never felt differences in temperature, as a Kryptonian. He remembered the first moment he had met Lois and knew he loved her, he had felt his entire body grow warm. It shocked him. He had also felt that way the first time he kissed Chloe, and the times that he had been with all three of the women that had passed through his life. Lana, Chloe, and Lois. The heat was a feeling that passed with the moment that never came again when around that person, except in new, intimate moments.

So, why was he feeling so warm right now? His thoughts were distracted when his lips met Chloe's. He was more surprised by the feel than the contact. She felt warm, her breath on his tongue, breath he couldn't share with her. But, he could share the kiss, and the emotions behind it. Were those emotions really for her? Feelings and memories brought up from when they were in high school? Or were they just in comfort, sharing his pain of feeling lost?

Chloe didn't know why she kissed him. Or, did he kiss her first? She couldn't remember. He felt like how she remembered, strong, soft, begging for more. She hadn't met anyone else in her life that made her feel like this. The part of her that so strongly wanted to kiss him, wanted to share a bed with him, was split in half by the part of her that wanted him to take his responsibilities, be a father, be with Lois.

Clark's mind raced, trying to decide if this truly felt real or not, wondering if he was easily picturing Lois, or whether he was forcing himself to. His thoughts seemed to melt into the heat building between them, as Clark realized that not only were they still kissing, but they were growing more passionate. He gently pulled Chloe into his lap, his hands gently roaming over her shirt. He pulled away the slightest bit. Both had their eyes closed still. He could feel her quiet, heavy breath…

"Why did we start?" The question was whispered between them. Chloe didn't know if she said it or thought it, and she didn't know if Clark had said it. But it didn't seem as important as the next what was asked next.

"Why did we stop?" The question hung in his mind. He didn't remember hearing it or saying it. He knew he didn't want to make this go farther than it seemed to be going. He loved Chloe, yes. She was one of his first loves…but she wasn't Lois. She was just so much like Lois, plus, she knew who he was. Chloe was right, he couldn't keep waiting for a crisis to happen, for him to save the day so he could avoid telling her the truth.

Just like Chloe knew they couldn't avoid getting past whatever feelings might still hang between them. Their kiss had told her that there was still passion, still longing. She worried it was only there because he felt lonely over Lois moving on, and her own presence in his life.

None of these questions filling their heads, however, were able to prevent them from once again falling into another kiss. His jacket came off, her shoes fell with a soft thud on the carpet. He pulled the clip out of her hair, letting the sandy blonde waves fall, as she worked on unbuttoning his shirt. This seemed like the logical order of things…but it didn't seem like either of them were going to go through with it.

Chloe felt the hero suit underneath his shirt, and slowly run her hand across the 'S'. She had to remind herself that this was also Superman that she was kissing, not just Clark. But, Clark was the one she loved, the quiet, dorky journalist, not the hero in a red cape. Clark knew she was thinking about that, and felt like that might be the perfect time for them to pull apart. The reminder of him being Superman as well, and not just Clark, was always going to be the barrier between him and Chloe ever being together, if forever at all. Whoever he loved, they had to love him back – all of him. Both Clark, and Superman. Chloe knew she couldn't love both, but they both wondered if Lois –

Suddenly opened the door. She stood there, in the doorway of Chloe's hotel room, looking at what lay before her in a state of shock. Clark and Chloe had quickly moved apart, but it had been too late. Lois had seen them together, seen them kiss. But, what she was really staring at, what truly seemed to shock her…

Was the fact that Clark was standing there, without his glasses on, and his shirt open to reveal the 'S' of his suit. Chloe stood up and started to walk towards Lois. Lois didn't even notice her.

"How did you get in, Lois?" Chloe asked in a tiny voice.

Lois held up a keycard. "You gave me the second keycard just in case," She paused, as though to take in the revelation, "I wanted to make sure you got back alright."

Chloe nodded mutely. She turned, and looked at Clark. She felt like crying. She had never seen him look so scared and lost…and alone.

"Clark?" Lois whispered, blinking back a tear.

Silence hung in the air for an eternity. He finally, slowly and gingerly, took a step forward toward her. She flinched. He stopped.

"Superman." She said in a stronger voice. She seemed to state it, as thought this was finally the truth sinking in.

He started to put his glasses on, then realized there was absolutely no point in it now. The truth was out…and it couldn't have happened in a worse way.

"Don't worry," she said quietly, not a single tear was left on her face, "I won't tell anyone."

Chloe turned away, silently starting to sob. Clark swallowed, feeling like his world was crashing in on him. And then it did, when Lois turned, walked out of the door, and slammed it shut. He heard her single, quiet sob in the hallway, before quickly running into the elevator. He looked quickly, to see that her face was still dry. He closed his eyes, and turned away from the door, from Chloe. He quickly tore his suit off, and flew out the door, leaving behind the only two women he had ever been in love with. Neither Chloe nor Lois could watch him soar up into space, as both tried to block this memory from their minds.