Love is like a roller coaster… When you get off you throw up!

-Unknown

Chloe was wandering through the halls of the old palace, Kal had finally relinquished in the act of keeping her prisoner. So now she was allowed to roam around inside. So far, everything was singularly boring.

What she really wanted to do was go outside and talk with the people. She wanted to discuss their lifestyles, their treatments…Whether or not they were being paid, or even if they would continue working if given a choice.

The only people who were not royalty Chloe had met so far were the serving maids, who had no time to talk what with all the running around they had to do, and Ariaddne, who was Kal's 'healer'.

Ariadnne was a mix between a new age hippie, a doctor and an psycologist. She seemed to love getting under Kal's skin to.

He was irritating, infuriating, aggravating, exasperating, annoying, maddening, frustrating, galling, vexing, and an overall pain. How any woman could put up with him was beyond her, but somehow Ariadnne managed to do it. She heard voices ahead and she stopped and flattened herself against the wall, inching forward.

Normally, eavesdropping was considered wrong too, but not in this instance, besides Chloe was a reporter if nothing else..

I'm telling you she needs fresh air, Kal." That was Ariadnne, Chloe decided, having learned the other woman's voice, and from her tone, she was not happy.

"I don't want her outside. She's enough trouble as it is, imagine what she'd do if she had access to the streets." Her frown deepened, what the hell was his problem?

"Look, all I'm saying is she's probably feeling trapped... I know I did until I became one of your slaves."

"You're not a slave, Ari." Kal's tone held a weariness in it that suggested they'd had this talk before, "You're my healer and my friend. My only confidant. You're not a slave."

"In the eyes of the law and brainiac I am."

"You're being impossible... Go bug Oliver."

"Yes, sir," Ariadnne replied, in a meek tone of servitude, "Right away, sir. Your wish is my command, oh high and wise master. I'll bend over backwards to please you-"

"Enough!" Kal groaned, but Chloeheard the laughter lurking behind the shout, "Just get out of here you pest."

"Yes, sir," Maria said again, and giggling, came through the door. "Your highness? WHat are you doing here? Kal would kill you if he knew you were wandering around this late..."

"Well, he calls me annoyance, and such. I think it's only fair to be just as inconsiderate to him." That was weak, she scolded herself. Ariadnne was smiling.

"If you-" She stopped, head cocked to the side, and then ran to the window of the library. "Finally!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Amena followed her over. A man was riding a horse to the front door. "Who is that?"

"That is Lady Lana of Loxley, one of Kal's old loves, and her fiancée Lord Pet-Er. And they're finally home from the West Hemisphere."

"Trust me, it will take about 3 days but when you meet them... You're going to love them..."

"This is just so ridiculous."

"Did you say something?" The table was so long Chloe felt almost sure she would have to have a weekend just to hike to the salt container, but it did put distance between her and her new husband.

"Nothing big Lara… I just said this sauce is delicious." Chloe motioned to the sauce on her plate as she peered down the almost oak table at her mother-in-law.

Lara was the almost picture perfect view of a princess with long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes that were alive with warmth and beauty, she was compassionate and understanding about Chloe's situation in a way no one else had seemed to have been and was an amazing ally when Chloe had needed her to be. Saving her from embarrassing situations, like curtsying to the Uranites, an act that would have caused a huge war between the two planets.

Jor-El was what Chloe could picture her husband to look and imitate when he finishes growing up. Strong and quietly commanding, the kind of guy who people automatically paid attention to when he spoke, he drew in people because he just had this air of business and understanding around him. His eyes held a wisdom and twinkled in the candlelight, the candles and centre pieces were beautiful and big and Chloe was annoyed that in spite of the size of dancing flames she could still see her stupid, egotistical, sexy husband.

Chloe couldn't understand him at all. She knew she wasn't as ugly as he had treated her to being, she was sure no one was as ugly as he made her feel, yet he treated her as if she had some infectious viral illness that he could catch. Last night had made her feel dirty and cheap, like she was some hooker he had just turned down, instead of loved or at least admired as she had pictured when she had thought about her wedding night. Even when she had discovered her fate on some strange planet.

He had walked out of their room and done the basic sleeping on the couch act.

He was irrational, egotistical and highly strung on the best of days. His love for his planet was obvious in the almost caressing way he talked of it, his passion for the food, people and the welfare of the nation seemed to come in second only to his extreme dislike to his new wife. Who spent her days locked in her room like some sleepwalking Sleeping Beauty, her nights were wasted staring out into a busy city with the ocean in the distance playing with the moonbeams and making the breaks even more radiant and magnificently treacherous.

And this planet was alien to her. They did not have the same food, customs or even the same looking sky. Everything was different and twisted; from the food to the animals she just couldn't get anything right or straight or linked in her mind. Everything was a blur of colour, sound and senses that Chloe could barely concentrate on. Nothing felt normal and Chloe suddenly had a well of sympathy for Dorothy because right now all she wanted to do was curl up into her porridge bowl, cry her little heart out and call Lois demanding her cousin come here and make it all better.

"-What do you think? Chloe, dear?" Chloe jerked up guiltily, Lara, Jor-el and Kal all looked at her with mixed expressions. Lara of hope, Jor-el of sympathy and amusement and Kal of annoyance and irritation, Chloe panicked and did was she did best when unsure… Agreed.

"I think that's a great idea."

"Good, you and Kal can leave after breakfast." Chloe heard the mental sound effects of herself slamming on mental brakes and still hitting a wall, she didn't know this had involved Kal… She never would have agreed had she known, her system let her down! "I'm sorry, what?"

"Well we can't let your public wait too long for their Princess… You are quite the talk around here."

"I'll bet." Chloe muttered as she went back to what looked like raw chicken, feeling eyes on her as she looked up and met the icy blue ones on the other side of the table.

"So, Chloe," Chloe nearly shuddered at the way her name seemed almost like a curse as it fell from his lips. "What did you used to do on Earth, in your spare time… Heroin, maybe?"

"Excuse me? I'll have you know I was a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, my cousin and I were almost the best in the world and I worked hard to have gotten where I did before I was picked to be your wife."

"Sure, you didn't choose for it to be you at all."

"If I had gotten my way I never would have married you and I would have been a hell of a lot happier then I could ever be with you!" As the words slipped out Chloe stopped abruptly, she had known her words were harsh but something about this man just made her want to lash out at him. He had fallen back into his seat with a mixed look on her face, the primary one was disbelief and Chloe was bewildered when this single expression brought tears to her eyes. "Excuse me." Chloe murmured as she stood up and bolted through the door, her dress trailing behind her like a crimson and gold wave.

"What have you done now?" Oliver asked as he walked into the dining room and adjusted his uniform slightly, his deep blue military robes were pressed and his hair was still all over the place as he looked at Kal with annoyed green eyes.

"Why do you assume it was me?"

"Because last night you slammed the door on your young bride and ever since you laid eyes on her you have been nothing but rude, she is still your wife Kal if she's wanted or not." He pointed out rationally as Kal glared at him before running his fingers through her hair, his parents shook their heads but stayed quite as Oliver looked at his friend disappointed. "And you have to keep in mind she didn't choose to be married to you, if anything she was worse off because she has been ripped from everything she has ever known or love and had to marry a real asshole. No offense you majesties." He bowed at the elder royals as Lara waved her hand dismissively.

"I thought she wanted to marry me, I thought all humans were no better then…"

"Pond scum?"

"What is that anyway?"

"Never mind, the fact is Kal you landed in Suicide Slum, I offered to take you elsewhere but you denied. This is basically all your fault and I plan to watch you live out the repercussions." Oliver was once a shy little boy who was Clark's cousin by blood and best friend by choice, his parents were ripped from him by a man named Zod and Oliver had risen through the ranks of the army quickly in order to take down Zod and in the process he had done his planet an invaluable service.

Oliver was level headed and an amazing soldier because he had no one to come home to and nothing but revenge to live for, yet he still believed he was going to find the one. Or had, back on his last trip to Earth. She had been a reporter for the Daily Planet and had interviewed him about his business down there, but she had known enough to know something hadn't been right and Oliver had gotten her to talk over coffee and a walk until he had been called back. He never got her name and he said that was his only regret in his life.

"She's been basically a prisoner anyway Kal. You haven't taken her out once and the people are beginning to get twitchy and there are murmurs about you being unhappy, I don't care if you really are Kal… The people will not accept her if she is not shown to be someone you can put up with, she will be disfavoured for your entire rein and out relations with Earth will suffer as a result." Oliver was speaking from a soldier point of view and also as someone who had over the last night or so gotten to know the new princess.

Chloe had come to him in tears after Kal's discarding and ridiculing actions (not to mention his duty as a married prince), wondering what she had done wrong and if it was simply too late to go home. Oliver regretted to inform her it was and winced when she began to cry, no man was good at figuring out what women wanted when they cried and Oliver had no clue as to what the princess had wanted to hear.

"I thought she could come and go as she pleased."

"Did you ever tell her that? I don't think you did and that's the problem, no one has bothered to inform her on the do's and don'ts of our society. She is ignorant simply because no one ever bothered to inform her."

"Get Ariadnne to teach her…"

"Why can't you teach her?"

"Because I would lose it, we would fight and I would be unable to teach her anything. Arianne is doing it… That's an order Oliver."

"As you wish," Oliver hissed in aggravation as he bowed, "Arianne it is." He spun onto his heel and walked off the doors of the dining room slamming behind his loudly and Kal winced at the obvious display of irritation, the young prince then turned and looked at his parents who looked at him disappointed and frustrated.

"Don't even start." He warned as he sat down and leaned over to retrieve the eggs, just noticing how long and impractical the table actually was.

"Oliver? Call the spaceship or whatever, I have had it and I am leaving!"

"Princess? What's the matter?" Oliver groggily asked Chloe.

" I want off this planet and I want off now!"

"Why?"

"What kind of planet doesn't have ice cream? I don't care how you do it! Get me off this planet now!" Oliver sighed and disengaged contact going to get dressed into his uniform. Cursing females and their addiction to ice cream all the way.