Title: Could this day get any worse?
Rating: PG 13- Teen
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Smallville or Cheaper by the Dozen. I wish I owned Charlie Baker, I mean come on who doesn't want a man like that? But alas I do not own any of them, only my plot which I hope you like!
Pairing: Chloe/Charlie Baker
Summary: After witnessing Clark and Lois kissing, a heartbroken Chloe runs away, and ends up with her car breaking down, only to be rescued by one Charlie Baker. It happens that Chloe having no money and no place to stay, makes a deal with Charlie. She will work for him as a secretary for his auto shop in exchange for car repairs and a place to stay. They slowly fall for eachother, but it all turns bad when Clark whose been searching for her for months finally tracks her down with the help of Lex. Clark wants to take her home as does Lex, but Chloe doesn't want to go. What happens When Charlie, who loves Chloe decides to fight for her?
AN: Thanks for all my faithful reader! Even though I don't have Beta reader you all don't seem to mind. I am sorry if my stories are coming out slow but I am in Boston and they found some things that I wont get into until we know for sure. So if this chapter is sad I am sorry but mixed with what needs to happen, and my kind of depression, this may be very sappy, sad, and full of angst, but it will have a happy ending I promise!
AN2: I know I said this story had like 1 chapter left but I just felt that I should add around two more and the epilogue, so there is this one and one or two more not including the epilogue.
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Charlie and Clark stood in uncomfortable silence in the living room. They could hear Chloe's raised voice as she told Lex off, although they were not sure of what she was saying. Clark could listen in of course but he was already in enough trouble as it was. So he just stood there, looking over at the man who in his opinion, had stolen Chloe from him.
Charlie decided to try and make friendly conversation. He only did this of course, for the sake of Chloe. "So, Chloe mentioned you live on a farm?"
Clark who had been lost in his own thoughts, looked up sharply. "Yeah I do. I have lived there my whole life." Well if you didn't count the fact that he hadn't been on Earth the first few years of his life, then his statement was mostly true.
Charlie tried to keep his end of the conversation up, which was proving difficult because Clark seemed to be holding something against Charlie, even though he didn't even know him.
"Must be interesting to work on farm. Does it take a lot of work?"
Clark decides to completely ignore what Charlie said, and states what is on his mind. Something he tended to do a lot, especially if it concerned Chloe. "What do you want with Chloe?"
Charlie is taken aback. "What?" He asks, completely confused.
Clark takes a step forward. "What do you want with Chloe?" His tone is menacing.
Charlie who knew everything there was to know about Clark, and it really was everything, because Chloe had told him all about Clark on one of there many long talks, was not intimidated by the last son of Krypton. "Is that your business?"
"Chloe is my best friend, so yes it is my business!" Clark says with a tone filled with authority.
Charlie scoffs. Who did this guy think he was? What right did he have to come into Charlie's home and demand answers to questions he had no business in knowing. "Best friend? Best friend? You cant be serious! Some best friend you are!" Charlie pauses to take a breath. "The same so called best friend who lied to her face? The same best friend who used her on a daily basis? The same friend who always asked her to drop everything when he had a problem? Is that who we are talking about? Because if we are, I am sorry to inform you that, that's not what a best friend is!"
Clark clenches his jaw in anger. "You know nothing about my friendship with Chloe so don't just stand there and throw around accusations."
Charlie raises his eyebrow in defiance. "Oh I know more than you think Kent!" Charlie only ever called someone by there last name if he was angry. "I was the one who was here for her for the past five months! I was the one who held her when she cried! I was the one who she talked to about her problems! I'm the one she trusted!"
Clark does something he hardly ever does, he smirks. "And have you ever wondered why that is?"
Charlie balls his fist, the knuckles turning white. "What are you trying to insinuate?" He steps forward, so close that he and Clark and almost nose to nose.
Chloe appears from the bathroom and sees the boys so close, and obviously radiating anger. She rushes to Charlie's side and grasps his arm, pulling him back. "Hey! I leave you guys alone for two seconds and your about to kill each other?"
Charlie barely resisters Chloe's hand on his arm, he is to focused on waiting for Clark's reply. He isn't disappointed when a few seconds later Clark does reply.
"Oh come on Baker!" Clark throws Charlie's last name at him like Charlie had earlier with Clarks. "Haven't you ever wondered why she is with you? Well let me tell you! Don't you find it odd that she is with you and you look so much like myself? If you and she are as close as you say you are, then I am sure that you know how she was in love with me for years! Isn't it interesting that the guy she ends up with resembles her life long best friend so much? She runs away and the guy she ends up shacking with is you? A guy who could be me? Face it Baker, she only wants you cause she cant have me!"
Charlie looses it. He shoves Clark as hard as he can, knowing that the other man wouldn't have budged if he didn't want to, but Charlie doesn't care. He is getting ready to throw a punch, not caring he would probably break his hand, when Chloe's voice rings out threw the room.
"Clark Jerome Kent!" Her face is red in anger and she is visibly shaking. "H-how dare you! You come into our home, without warning, or invitation by the way, and you start a fight? Who the hell are you to come here and say things like that? Things that hold no grain of truth?"
Clark looks at her incredulously. "Oh come on Chlo! Can you really tell me that you'd be with him if he didn't look like me?" He asks. Clark couldn't believe that she really wanted Charlie. The one guy she had loved, truly loved, had been Clark. And Clark was not sure he could handle the idea that Chloe loved someone else. Especially if that someone else was this punk Charlie Baker.
"YES!" Chloe screams at him. "I would be with him. Believe it or not Clark Jerome Kent, but everything does not revolve around you! Have you ever thought that maybe I am with him because I love him?"
Both boys go to reply, Clark with an objection, and Charlie with loving words in return to her, but they are interrupted as Lex storms out holding a little test. "Chloe, your pregnant!" Lex's words ring threw out the entire room.
Chloe looks around the room. Lex looks like he could explode at any second, Clark looks like he wants to use his heat vision on Charlie, and Charlie, poor Charlie looks like a mix between hurt, happiness, and shock. She sighs and drops her head in her hands.
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About twenty minutes later, Chloe had managed to clear the house of everyone except she and Charlie. Lex and Clark hadn't wanted to leave but she didn't give them much of a choice. She told them to get out, or she would never talk to either of them again, and that they were lucky she was still talking to them at that particular moment as it was.
So they had left, saying they would be at the hotel in town, and they would be back in a day or so to talk to her. Lex had hugged her, telling her how sorry he was about spilling the news of the baby. He didn't know that Charlie had not known. Chloe had hugged him back and told him she wasn't mad at him, well not to much and that she understood.
When Clark had tried to hug her, it was a completely different story. She had stepped back, as far away from him as she could get. She looked so hurt and angry that Clark hadn't dared to try and hug her again. He knew he had messed up terribly. So he and Lex had left, as quickly as possible, not wanting to face anymore of his anger. Clark may be near indestructible, but quite frankly, Chloe scared him when she was angry.
So now Chloe stood by the couch watching Charlie. He was sitting there starring at his hands. He hadn't said one word since the word pregnant had been spoken.
"Charlie I-" She starts but his voice cuts her off.
"Why didn't you tell me? Didn't you trust me?" He sounded so broken it almost killed Chloe.
"Its not like that Charlie. I just found out tonight, and I was going to tell you when you proposed, but then Clark and Lex showed up so I didn't have a chance." She defended, her tone soft.
"Why didn't you tell me before you knew for sure? Did you really think I would be angry? Did you really think that I would react horribly?" He stands up and starts pacing the small room.
Chloe walks to him, and stands in front of him, halting his movement. "No baby, that's not it at all! I wanted to be sure!" She rubs her temples. "You have to see it my way Charlie. We have only been together for five months, and at the time I wasn't sure how you felt. You hadn't proposed yet, and I didn't want you think I was trapping you with a baby!"
Pain fills his eyes. "Do you really think so little of me that you think I would act that way? If that's what you think Chloe then I don't know if-" He stops speaking and walks to the kitchen grabbing his coat.
Chloe panics at seeing him grab his coat. "Are you leaving?"
"I think it would be best for me to stay at my parents tonight. You can stay here." He says quickly.
Chloe's lower lip trembles. Tears fill her eyes. "Are you leaving me Charlie? Does finding out that I am pregnant change how you feel about me? Does it change you wanting to marry me?" Her voice cracks slightly at the questions she was asking.
Almost at the door he turns to look at her. "Honestly?" He waits for her nod, confirming she wants him to continue. "I don't know what's going to happen Chlo. I love you, I love you more than anything in this world, but tonight I realized some things. I have a lot to think about, and figure out."
Chloe watched as he walked out, closing the door softly behind him. She lets out a strangled sob and collapses on the floor. Damn Clark for showing up! Everything had been ok before! She cries harder at the thought that she may have lost Charlie forever.
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