A Note From Lara: Okay, so I'm not really past my writer's block, but I'm going to give this a shot. It's a pretty brief chapter, but short's better than nothing.

Clark and Chloe were sitting companionably in the Talon apartment.

"Well, yeah, I told her all about my powers and the E.T. deal. Look, Chloe, this is... I... she didn't freak out at all. I think about how Pete took it when he first found out, and I just... I wonder why she's not reacting like that," Clark said.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Well, if you remember, Alicia didn't freak out so much, and neither did I."

Clark sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But Alicia was just... Alicia. And as important to me as you are, my best friend, there's nothing in the world more important to me right now except that she accepts the idea of aliens, and then me as one."

Chloe forced a smile and nodded, trying to be happy for her best friend. But it was hard, so so hard, knowing that she'd lost him for good. All those years he'd spent pining for Lana, she'd waited them out, hoping he'd fly back to her. And just when he was finally past her, her own cousin swooped in to take Lana's place. But she would not be bitter, Chloe resolved. She didn't have any right to be bitter. It was her own fault if she'd lost her opportunity to be with Clark.

Clark launched into an account of the night before. "Wait a second," Chloe interrupted. "First off, the Phantom of the Opera? What happened to the Green Arrow!?"

He shrugged. "Sorry Chloe, I just couldn't. I returned the costume the day you gave it to me. It just seemed kind of... obvious." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Chicken," she muttered. Clark grinned his thousand-megawatt smile. Chloe noticed that it had appeared on his face more and more ever since he'd fallen for Lois. She supposed that if Lois made him that happy, she deserved him if anyone did.

Suddenly, Chloe's cell phone rang. "Hang on Clark, I've got to take this." She retreated to the bedroom.

--

Lois lay on her back, praying that Chloe would pick up the phone. Finally- finally- she answered with a brisk, "Chloe Sullivan".

"Oh, thank god I finally got ahold of you," Lois said breathlessly. "Last night... he was there! At the charity ball! He was dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. But get this- he's not actually the Green Arrow, he's just a stand-in for when the real Green Arrow's hurt. He explained to me... look, Chloe, he's got superpowers! I kid you not! Like a meteor freak on 'roids! Turns out he's this alien!" Lois blurted, not even bothering to say hello.

"Really, Lois? That's... wow," Chloe said, faking enthusiasm.

"I know. He's so enigmatic, it's just... thrilling. He told me a little about his planet, and then I cut my foot on those damn shoes and he took me back to my hotel. He said we'd see each other again, which... well. And I asked him his name, because obviously I can't just keep going on calling him 'hey you', or whatever. And his name is Kal-El." For some reason, Lois seemed to place special emphasis on this fact.

"Yeah. Um... Lois, I don't mean to seem dismissive, but an exotic name isn't exactly the most thrilling thing about this mystery guy of yours," Chloe said. Clark would want to know why Lois seemed so interested in his Kryptonian name.

"First off, Chloe, he's not mine. Secondly, don't you remember? A couple years ago, after the last meteor shower, Nazi Barbie and Ken showed up in the medical center. Those two super-human crazies, remember? They were looking for a guy named Kal-El. Lana took them up to the mansion, and they were never heard from again. Which means that he must have stopped them! He's a hero, he basically saved the entire town of Smallville... not that it would've been such a terrible loss," Lois mused.

"Wow, Lois! I'll... um... look into it for you, huh? Take advantage of the Planet's database and whatnot. But right now I've really got to go," Chloe said, rushing to get off the phone to go inform Clark of this latest development.

"Yeah, but Chloe--"

"Bye Lois!"

click

Lois stared at the phone in her hand in amazement. Had Chloe just hung up on her? And why?

--

Chloe returned to the living room, uncertainty written all over her features. "Um... Clark? We might have a problem," she said.