Game Over –

A paper hit the desk of Lex Luthor with a slight slapping noise. Looking up from his computer, he eyed his father in irritation. "What's the meaning of this incredibly usual visit. I have things to do."

Pouring himself a scotch, he sat back down in the chair facing his son and flipped the paper over and pointed out the small box at the bottom of the page. "I see there's an event of importance going on tomorrow. Are you going?"

"Why would I," Lex casually responded without looking up from the computer.

"Maybe because you love her." Lionel sat back in the chair and sipped his drink carefully, as if he was afraid of becoming an alcoholic again. His son responded by saying nothing. "Oh I see, you throw yourself into two marriages and you get cold feet for actually taking a third chance. Very Luthoresque. Son, you let me back in the house, and I've observed something. You haven't as much as picked up the phone to a porn line since getting to really know her."

"Stay out of it dad." Lex shut the computer and walked out of the office. Lionel followed his son down the hall to have the door closed and locked in front of him.

"You're making a mistake. Think about it." Lionel unfolded the small piece of paper from his pocket and slid it under the door. Lionel backed away from the door and watched the small shadow from under the door approach and walk away.

Lex turned and picked up the piece of scrap and stared at it. It was her first interview with him four years ago, the one where she ended up on her back in his flowerbed. She was just a kid then. She was still a kid. Lex popped the lighter and burnt the paper over the sink and ran the ashes down the sink.

Chloe walked into the Torch office and threw down the few boxes that she had found at home. Looking around the office, she couldn't believe that it had come to this. She started sifting through items in the desk drawers and took a big sigh at the mess at the back of drawer. She had almost forgotten about her stash of coffee packets and mints she had used up until the last couple of months. Stuffing the leftovers in the box, she slammed the desk drawer.

"Hey," Clark leaned against the doorway and quietly knocked. Chloe looked up and dumped the contents of the desk organizer in the box. Shoving the tray back in the drawer, she slammed another one.

"Hey," she blandly answered him as she moved to the next drawer. Clark watched as her head seemed to disappear into the depths of the drawer and reappear with more random notepads and computer discs that weren't even used anymore. "I thought you and Lana had already left for the senior party?"

"She's on her way there. I was just coming to …"

"Try to convince me to go?" Chloe looked up and dropped some more junk in the box and then started pulling files out of the cabinet. "No, I really need to get this done, and besides, three's a crowd."

Clark took Chloe's hand and led her over to the couch. "We've talked about this – you should have just made it clear how you felt."

Chloe leaned back in the cushions and looked at Clark. "I know, and after all that happened I'm glad that we worked things out. But you and Lana are happy together, and I'm happy for you. I just don't want to be a third wheel."

"It's a party – we're all friends." Clark watched as Chloe looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath, blinking back the increasing tears.

"I know, but I'm just going to take it easy and finish up here. We have a long day tomorrow and I have to get things ready for the incoming editor. Go enjoy." Chloe sat up and took another deep breath. She turned on the computer and stared at the screen, waiting for the password to come up.

Typing in the password, she watched as Clark made his way out the door. She stopped and waited until she knew he was gone. Opening up the main screen, she looked at the pictures from the senior prom. Chloe wasn't in any of them. She didn't go. But Lana and Clark won as expected. But at least she was able to see them off without remorse for Clark. They were still scarred but not aching after that weekend's conversation.

Chloe didn't speak to Clark at all for the week after the football game. She had passed the writing of the whole incident off to the future editor to avoid reliving the horrid mistakes that she had made that day.

Chloe sat on her bed and continued reading through her last essay of her high school career. She knew it wasn't her best, but she didn't care. Passing was passing, the journalism seminar was already hers, and Metropolis University's scholarship had already been awarded to her. She just had to get out of the Godforsaken town that broke her heart repeatedly.

"Chloe, can you come help me?" Chloe looked up and heard Lana's voice coming from downstairs and heard the front door slam overly hard. The girl has got to learn not carry all the groceries in at once. Chloe leapt off the bed and made her way down the stairs and proceeded to u-turn in the kitchen.

"That kind of sucks as a crying wolf stunt Lana." Chloe turned and started up the stairs and ended up staring straight up at Clark. Leaning in she glared at him, "What the hell Clark, you can't just …" she motioned about his super speed.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't. We are way beyond talking." Chloe moved around him on the stairs and felt his hand go out for her.

"Chloe, come down and talk to us." Chloe turned and looked at Lana. Remving Clark's arm from hers, she sat down on the couch next to Lana and fell into the pillows.

"Ok, now what. Another pity the blonde without anyone by telling me how it was so hard for you and Clark to find each other through the last years. Blah, Blah, Blah." Lana sneered confusingly at Clark and waited for him to speak first.

"Lana, could you leave us?" Clark moved to sit on the couch next to Chloe as Lana passed her hand over Chloe's arm in comfort. Chloe glanced up at Lana and then stared back down at the fibers of the couch. She avoided purposely all views of anything that was Clark Kent. She still didn't know whether he was angry, upset, disappointed with her. Clark eyed the door close to Lana's room and looked back at Chloe. "Now, no more avoiding the issue."

Nothing, not a word.

"Ok, I'll talk. Chloe, I was pissed at you, I admit it. You dating Lex hurt because it felt like a personal betrayal. Like you were trying to get back at me for putting you in the position of keeping my secret. I was worried that you would give me up, and I apparently was wrong. You used him against me."

Chloe shot him a glare and beat on the edge of the couch. "No, I didn't use him against you. I saved him. You would have killed him out there on the field. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. You somehow were able to save me from that 'evil' too." Chloe slammed her fist into the arm of the couch again thinking of the outcome in the locker room.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. I honestly never thought that Lex would take the discovery so casually." Clark sat back and watched Chloe wipe her face on her sleeve and bury her head into the side of the couch. He wanted to reach out to her. He waited a moment listening to the silence between them. He knew she didn't want to hear the name, but she needed to know. "Lana knows. I told her everything."

Chloe didn't look in his direction. She lifted her head and stared into the dining room randomly. "That's great Clark. So now, I seem to have completely been left useless. I went from Girl Friday to nothing." She turned and looked at Clark as he sat back in the couch. "I guess that frees up a lot of my time since I won't be having to hide your disappearing acts."

Clark felt his frustration build and tried to remain calm. "Chloe, that doesn't mean I'll need you any less."

"Need. There's a word."

"You're twisting this all around. I will always need my best friend, my confidant."

"I am your best friend, I always have been." Chloe grabbed a Kleenex off the table and blew her nose and then cried at her ear popping. "That's my point – I've always been your friend."

Clark rubbed his hand against his face in frustration. He knew the line would come up and the question of why he never responded. "Ok, I've had feelings for you. Off and on for years. But you were … hard to read. You never admitted anything about liking me except when we were whacked out on some meteor rock trip and the other times you were married to your work. The only time I missed you and felt we had something to go on, you came back with this great revelation about you and copy boy at the Planet. What did you expect me to do?"

Chloe turned and realized that they had both been in the wrong for a long time. Nodding in agreement. "I guess we both screwed up on that one. If it makes any difference, I said that to hopefully rattle you since you and Lana looked like a thing. Guess it worked a little. I guess I wasn't the only one confused." She looked up at Clark and took a breath.

Clark reached out and took her hand. "Forgive me for being a horse's ass?" Chloe broke a fake smile and pulled her hand from his. "Are we going to be ok?"

"Déjà vu? We've had this conversation so many times." Chloe took a deeper breath and walked into the kitchen to get a drink. Closing the refrigerator door, she looked up at Clark and bit her lip. He suddenly wasn't as attractive or irresistible as she remembered. He was faulted. They all were. "Eventually," she whispered as she headed up the stairs.

Opening up her email at the Torch for the last time before deleting the school account, she noticed an email address she was sure she had lost on purpose.

Ms. Sullivan, You are kind heart that sometimes gets misguided by the worst in people. Don't let a certain young man's pride end happiness that you most richly deserve.

Chloe stared at the email address and looked around the newspaper office wary of a sudden figure popping out of the darkness to strangle her. Deleting the email address, she went through the files and wiped her work away one folder at a time.

After a couple of hours, she piled the couple of boxes back on top of each other and kicked them outside of the door as she locked it behind her. Turning around, she noticed the boxes had disappeared behind rich shoes and a trenchcoat. Her breath caught in her throat.

Looking around the boxes, her anticipation gave way for fear. "Mr. Luthor, just because I'm leaving the Torch doesn't mean you can take the computers back again."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Help you to your car?" Chloe felt unnerved walking to her car with Lionel Luthor behind her. She felt as if the devil himself was waiting for her to trip where he could call her death. She popped the trunk and watched as the devil put her things away.

"Ok, out with it." Chloe kept her finger lightly against the alarm button on the remote as she opened her car door.

"Here," Lionel pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. "I promise there's no powdery substance or magic dust in there." Chloe sneered at him curiously and opened the yellow envelope. Dumping out the contents, she read the card.

Happy Graduation Honey – You deserve it! L

The plane ticket was for first class to New York for her journalism seminar. Chloe looked at Lionel and gripped the plane ticket in her hand. "Why? Graduation is tomorrow."

"He's going to need a little nudge."

"I hate to disappoint you Mr. Luthor but I'm done crawling. I found out it gets you nowhere. I'm packed and am leaving tomorrow evening. Now, I'm not quite sure what your motives are here, but thank you for your help and the envelope, but I need to be going." She looked around the empty parking lot. "Where's your ride?"

"I walked – night air is soothing."

Chloe nodded in appreciation of the statement and closed the door. Lex had spoken about his father's new outlook on life, but she now knew what seeing is believing truly meant. She watched as the man she helped put away a year ago walked away down the driveway, shoving his hands in his pockets and not looking back.

TBC