Now go make the next choice,

Be your best choice

And if you're looking for a boy with a voice,

Well baby I'm single…yeah I am…

Are you in the mood for some dude?

Are you in the mood to be subdued?

Or would you rather just mingle…

Well so I'll do…what I can do…

I would do anything…spontaneously…

Chloe switched the radio channel (that song was definitely not helping her case), wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Last night had been so great. They had finally talked, got past the whole kissing thing, although things had not totally turned out the way she wished they had. Maybe that was the reason she felt so dumb, waiting for her 'super' friend to come back from his daily errands, helping the world rise from its ashes. Here she was, leaving the dishes just to change the channel…

"Kent's crashed plane…"

Taking a few seconds to register what she had just heard Chloe turned up the volume…

"Thank you Robin, we repeat the news that has just reached us from a correspondent in the extreme south, Antarctica; the crashed plane of Senator Kent has been found. The senator and her assistant, Miss Lane, are still unconscious and are being taken care of in a U.S Military facility lost in the frozen lands. We have not been able to confirm their health status, and we dare say that chances are slim of them making it through ..."

In her heart Chloe knew it already; Clark was on his way to Antarctica…

Clark was in Gotham City when he heard the news. He nearly let go of the steel bar he was carrying. From a 100m high, the fall could have been deadly for the passers-by in the streets below. He slowly landed on a rooftop, rain soaking him. His super hearing in full force, he listened to the radio, barely audible, and surely insignificant, for the couple in the room 8 storeys below, but playing loud and clear for Clark. He finally had his answer, the answer to a question he dreaded facing; they had survived. Now he knew, and now he had to figure out a way to get them to safety. 2 seconds later, blazing through the Patagonian sky, a thought occurred to him; what was he going to tell the people holding his mom when they would see him arrive, wearing only his plaid red shirt and his dirty denims? Having the U.S. military suspicious of him was not in his plans, no matter how desperate he was of seeing his mom and Lois. He had to get back home. Back to Chloe, for yet another awkward moment. If only she knew how he felt. But she didn't seem to want him in that way. Not anymore. Not after what he had put her through all those years. How good he had felt holding her in his arms the previous night. He flew slowly back home, thinking about this particular blonde and her wonderful eyes. She was in the kitchen when he landed on the side of the house. He could hear her, washing the dishes. Her heart was racing though, he could hear it. Something was wrong.

The kitchen door opened to let Clark in, soaking wet, a worried look on his tired face. Chloe smiled, and he returned the smile. Two sad faces trying not to look so, for each other's sake. Chloe walked to Clark and hugged him as hard as she could, and the man she loved hugged her back. Locked in this awkward embrace, they felt good, if only for a moment.

Clark talked without letting go of Chloe, nearly whispering the words to her ear, "Mom and Lois are alive. They are in Antarctica…"

"I know. I heard the news on the radio. I thought you'd already be there. What's wrong?"

"Well, I may have a hard time getting them two without being noticed. She is a U.S. senator, so I guess there must be some sort of security. Do you think you could…there is a car coming" he had left her arms while saying the last part, already going for the door, leaving Chloe holding on to the moment, barely one second. Outside, a black Porsche Cayenne was stopping in front of the house. As Clark left the house, shortly followed by Chloe, Lex came out of the car.

"Clark, I came as soon as I heard the news. Your mother is…"

"I know. What are you doing here?"

Slightly taken aback by Clark's tone, Lex took some time to answer. Taking a few steps forward, Lex tuck his hands in his pockets before continuing; "I am here to offer you my help. I am willing to arrange transport for you to Antarctica, you could be there in 3 weeks, surely by then they would be ready for transport, and you could accompany them back home. I know this might sound a…somewhat unusual move for me, but believe it or not, I have changed. And I am ready to prove it to you. All you need to say is one word."

Lex was now standing right in front of Clark, waiting for him to say the word. He was expecting one, but knew it could be positive or negative.

"3 weeks is quite a long time! How could it take so long?"

Both men turned to face Chloe, making her smile. Seemed to her they had forgotten her presence, totally taken by their war of nerves.

"Well, by plane it should not take more than half a day, but as you may have noticed, since the…incidents…the sky has been free of flying objects. No man has been airborne for quite some time now. My sources tell me planes should be in service in about one month, at the rate things are going. I'm sorry Clark. It's the best I can do."

"I'm coming, but only if she comes too."

"I was hoping you would accept. As for Chloe, it should be no problem. Could the two of you be on the docks in 3 hours? I will be waiting there with the papers. The ship you will be boarding is the Diligence. I really hope this is the start of something good for all of us."

With these words the billionaire boy walked back to his car. He was out of the Kent farm before either of Clark or Chloe said anything, both following the car with their eyes. She was the first to crack the silence.

"Thanks for taking me along; although I might appreciate a more gentlemanly attitude next time…just ask if I want to come…"

"I'm sorry. I wonder why he is doing this. What is he looking for?"

"I don't trust the guy, and I think we should be on our guard during the trip, but I can't see any other way for any of us of getting close to Lois and your mom…at least without raising suspicions."

In her head, Chloe could not shake the image of Lex, or Zod, (depending on how you saw things) standing on top of the world, causing the mess humanity was trying to get out of. Had he really changed, or was it just a sick game. She knew Clark was asking himself the same questions, the best she could do now was help him get through the weeks to come. She was about to say something when he turned around, facing her. His blue eyes burning through her soul, she melted in his gaze, longing for a kiss that never came.

"Chloe, could you please prepare the stuff we might need. I have something to do."

Before she had time to reply, Clark was gone. Sighing, Chloe slowly walked back inside. When all this was other and done with, she would definitely need therapy, and this time, Keanu Reeves and chocolate ice cream might not be enough.

Driving his father's pickup to the docks with Chloe had been a nice ride. She had talked for most of the drive, and it felt good to have her back to normal. She had even succeeded in making him laugh, and blush, with one same joke. He was sure the story of that fly had been told by Lois. Clark was sure he would never have got through the past weeks without her help. He also felt like spending the rest of his life with her, but he might just have to keep that one thought in check, at least for the time being.

The docks were pretty empty, so the cargo was not hard to find. It was nothing fancy, if not actually grim. Chloe felt shivers down her spine as she walked on board the Diligence. Clark and she were led two levels down to their cabins, adjacent to each other. The cabins were tiny and quite bare, but she was not expecting anything short of bare, so she was definitely not disappointed. She had only just gone through the 3 square meters of her new quarters when she saw Clark standing in the door way.

"The captain wants to see us…are you ok?"

"Sure. I was just…getting used to…forget it. Lets get moving."

Clark knew she was not feeling well. She was about to begin a 3 week journey on a cargo ship with 24 crew members (all male, he had scanned the ship while getting on board) on their way to Antarctica, hoping that her cousin would still be alive by the time they got there. Chloe was not ok. How could she be? But she was strong. More than Clark knew.

The walk to the control room on the upper deck was a weird one for Clark. He felt tired. Really tired. Clark could not understand what had gotten grip of him, thinking maybe it was just the weeks of cleaning all around the world that were just kicking back. The truth hit him the moment he entered the control room; Kryptonite. The Captain was wearing a kryptonite ring, as were nearly all the crew members. Trying to look normal, Clark stood near the door, Chloe, a worried look over her face, beside him. If there were a fight at that particular moment, Clark and Chloe would be overcome in less than one minute, and the look on the captain's face did nothing to reassure them on their fate. The captain was well over 6 foot tall, possibly taller than Clark, and he seemed as toughly built. His eyes were as piercing as Clark's and as he eyed Chloe, she wondered if that man could see through her the way Clark did. He surely looked like nothing could stop him.

"My name is Joseph Winchlav; I will be your host for the following weeks. This is my home. Live by my rules and you will be fine. Break them, and I'll make sure you'll regret it. You will not be requested to assist the crew in any way, and we should not be required to assist you in any way. You may choose to spend the whole of the trip inside your cabin. Questions?"

His tone was all but welcoming, and he definitely did not seem to want to be talking to them. So they did what was expected of them, they walked back to their quarters, Chloe joining Clark in his, to make sure he was okay. He had made the best he could to look normal walking back to his cabin, but as he got inside he collapsed on the floor, panting and sweating. Helping him on the bed, Chloe felt really lonely. With Clark in such a state of distress (and it would definitely not get better any time soon) the trip would definitely be a very long one.

Clark spent the next week inside his cabin, Chloe making trips between the kitchen (that should be more appropriately labelled "mess") and his cabin, bringing him food and water. He had trouble walking and constantly had a fever. The worse for him probably being the fact that he was weaker than a newborn, weaker than he had ever been. Had Chloe not been there, he would probably have stayed without food or water the whole time. By the end of the week the captain called them up on the deck again. Chloe wanted Clark to stay put, but she knew better than to stop him, so both walked up to the captain, Chloe helping Clark the whole way.

This time the captain seemed calmer than he had been on their first encounter. The way he talked to them less harsh, but it was still not friendly. He seemed little concerned with Clark's condition, probably putting it on seasickness' count. He informed them that the weather had been particular favourable and that the following morning a chopper would come pick them up. It seemed that base lost in this frozen 'no man's land' had one working chopper. Feeling revived by the good news and the prospect of seeing his mom as soon as the next morning, Clark felt good enough to stay on the main deck and watch the skyline. With Chloe by his side, he felt good. Good enough to want to kiss her.

"Chloe, I really want to thank…"

"Oh come on Clark! Did I thank you for the all the times you helped me? Saved me?"

"Huh…well…actually…"

"Ah!! Aren't you familiar with the concept of 'rhetorical question'?"

This banter between them reminded Clark of Lois. Thinking of his friend brought Clark back to reality. He turned back to the ocean, leaning on the rail, losing his eyes in the blue of the ocean, merging with the red of the sun. This was one of the most beautiful, and peaceful sunsets he had ever seen. Chloe was lost in a sight of her own, for once not eying Clark, but the captain, talking heatedly with a crew member. She did not know what the fight was about, but she felt glad to be leaving this ship soon.

Neither of them slept that night. Both had a lot on their mind. Since one week that they had left, they had absolutely no idea of how things had evolved, either with Martha and Lois, or with the rest of the world. Hope was the only thing they could hold on to. Hope, and each other.