Ok, this is where the AU comes into effect. In the show, Chloe is Clark's first kiss, and in this, well... not so much.

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Clark and Lana were sat on the swing seat on Lana's porch. They'd both matured a lot since their first day at Smallville Elementary. He was a lot taller, and he was quite well-built for his age. His hair was a little longer, and it was swept out of his eyes in a way that made him look very cute. She was still a head shorter than him, her raven hair a lot longer, her face tanned so perfectly, her skin looked golden. She was very beautiful.

They were deep in conversation.

"...and she's really smart. Look, all I'm saying is you want to be careful." He detected something else in her voice. Something that sounded suspiciously like jealousy. But he'd never say that to her face.

"OK, Lana. What's this girls name again?"

"It's Chloe... Sullivan, I think. Why?" He tried to avoid her gaze, but her eyes were almost magnetic, and he couldn't help but look into them.

"Well, I just wanted to know, so I can... keep my eyes peeled." It was a feeble lie and he knew it. One single look of disdain from Lana was enough to crack him wide open. "OK, prom is coming up, and I don't want to go alone."

"Isn't there anyone you like that you could ask, instead of a complete stranger?" She asked curiously.

He took a minute to think how say his next sentence without revealing too much.

"Well, there is, but... I don't think she feels the same way. I mean, I haven't asked her but she's totally out of my league." 'That wasn't too obvious I guess. Please get the hint, Lana...'

She tried to look nonplussed, but her nose was scrunched up: she was thinking about something. Something important.

"So, this girl you like..." 'Here it comes.' He thought to himself. "Is she in our year?"

And so, the questioning began.

"Yeah, she is." He looked at her. She was in deep concentration, her nose as scrunched as he'd ever seen it.

"OK. What color hair does she have?" Deep inside, she didn't want to know who was stealing her best friend away from her, but she couldn't help herself. There was something else inside of her, forcing her to ask these questions.

"Erm... Browny-black." That narrowed it down to about half of the 8th grade.

"That's helpful." She giggled. "Um... where does she live?"

That was a hard question. How specific did he have to be?

"Smallville?" At that, she rolled her eyes.

"No duh! She goes to Smallville Elementary; I wouldn't expect her to live in Star City!"

He rubbed his knuckles embarrassed. "OK, just tell me her name, Clark."

He closed his eyes, preparing himself. He couldn't lie to her, she'd see right through him. Plus, he didn't really want to. He wanted her to know.

"You sure you're ready?" She paused, then nodded. "OK. Her name is..."

"Lana!"

They both jumped a mile, and banged heads. They didn't even have the time to move apart before Aunt Nell came through the front door. It must have been an unusual sight: The two teenagers nose-to-nose, looking into each other's eyes, startled. Clark's hand was on Lana's waist in an attempt to keep her from falling off of the seat.

It took them a moment to realize what had happened, and as soon as they did, they jumped apart, Lana standing up by her Aunt. Clark was still a little dazed, but regained enough composure to stand up and shoved his hands in his pockets, his face as red as a tomato.

"We were just saying goodnight. Goodnight Clark." And with that, Lana ran inside.

"Um... goodbye, Nell." He turned and walked down the stairs, completely confused.

He walked away very slowly, his head filled with thoughts of Lana and the great secret he was about to tell her, when a voice behind him shook him back into the real world.

"Clark?" He turned around, and there she stood.

"Oh, hey Lana." The tinge returned to his cheeks, but thankfully, it was too dark for her to see it. "What are you doing out here?" She shot him a sneaky smile.

"I told Nell I left my cell phone outside." He laughed weakly. "I just... you never answered my question."

"Oh, right." He shuffled his feet nervously, wondering how to escape from this awkward situation. He still wanted to tell her, but the moment of confidence had completely gone.

"If you tell me... I'll tell you who I like." His eyes opened wide. 'She likes someone?!' "Come on! Would it help if I told you first?"

He desperately wanted to know, but what if it wasn't him? What would he say then? He'd make a fool of himself in front of Lana. And she was all that mattered at this point.

But something in his mind made him ask.

"OK. Tell me." She smiled, her face glowing.

"Now I think about it, it's easier if I show you."

Taking advantage of the cover of night, she edged closer until they were only inches apart. She took his hand into hers and swept a strand of long hair out of her face. Then she leaned forward and their lips touched.

It lasted only 3 seconds, but in that short time, it felt like he'd died and gone to heaven. He was flying in the clouds, with only Lana for comfort. And that was perfectly fine by him. He would have been perfectly happy staying like that forever.

But then she pulled away, and he fell back to earth.

"Lana, I... I don't understand. You like... me?!" She nodded.

"I knew that you might not feel the same way, but if I didn't tell you then, I never would have been able to. " She looked down at her feet, suddenly embarrassed. He put a hand on her cheek. He hadn't done this before, so she could feel his hand shaking: he was as nervous as she was.

"So, now it's my turn?" He lifted her head up and made her look into his eyes. They were so deep and calm she couldn't help but relax. "Well, I don't think I need to say much. You said it all so well."

They smiled at each other, and she hugged him, her head resting over his heart. It was going 500 miles an hour, silently challenging hers to a race.

"Um... Clark?" They separated. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He just nodded, beaming.