The Love of His Life - Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

Chloe wasn't self-conscious about the fact that Clark kept glancing at her chest. She'd gotten soaked in the rain going from the tree house to the truck. Now her shirt was plastered to her like a second skin and it left nothing to the imagination. She was cold so her nipples were hard and poking against the thin material of the shirt. She might as well have been topless. She wasn't self-conscious but she was concerned about Clark wrecking the truck and getting them killed simply because he couldn't stop ogling her boobs.

"Eyes on the road, Clark," Chloe cautioned, when they started to veer toward the shoulder.

"Sorry."

The attention from Clark was flattering. Chloe had made time to indulge in sex with the other lab rats at the Facility. While they looked away to allow their subjects to indulge in sex, occasionally at least, true love and romance were not tolerated.

She wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend. She wondered what it would be like to fall in love and have someone fall in love with her.

That won't happen with Clark Kent so get it out of your mind.

He had a girlfriend. While he was flirtatious, in an understated sort of way, he struck Chloe as being the faithful type. That was good for Lana.

Besides, she didn't plan to stay around long enough to get to know anything about Clark Kent, much less fall in love with him.

They pulled into the long drive that led to the Kent farm almost fifteen minutes later. Chloe got out and ran up the steps toward the front door. She was greeted by Martha who hugged her close and ushered her inside.

"You must be freezing! Clark, I made a pot of coffee. Won't you pour her a cup?"

Clark simply stood there, holding Chloe's rucksack, looking her over from head to toe, pausing at her breasts for a long time.

"Clark," Martha said loudly.

"Huh?"

"Coffee. In the kitchen."

"Oh, right."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Come along, dear. I knew you'd be coming back so I got you some dry pajamas ready. They're in my room. Clark will sleep on the couch and you can have his room tonight."

"I'd rather have the couch," Chloe said. "I don't want to put anyone out."

"Clark won't mind. Will you, Clark?"

"Nope."

"I insist on the couch. I'd be more comfortable there."

Martha sighed. "All right. The couch. My room is the first door on the left. Go get dried off and changed. I'll have the couch fixed up for you when you get back."

"Thanks, Martha."

Chloe trotted up the steps, feeling Clark's eyes on her the whole way.

Typical boy. She thought she heard Martha warn Clark not to peep. Chloe doubted he'd try to follow her upstairs and stare at her through the keyhole.

The pajamas were made of cotton and had a flower print on them. Chloe smiled at the bra Martha had sat out for her. She hadn't worn real pajamas in ages. They were a size too big but that was easily fixed with the waist tie. She put on the slippers that matched the pajamas and then came downstairs, bringing her wet clothes with her.

There was a tray with coffee, milk, and sugar waiting on the living room table. Chloe sat down and prepared a cup while Martha took her wet clothes and put them in a hamper to be washed. A couple of pillows and a blanket waited and Chloe felt suddenly exhausted. It would be good to sleep on something soft, in a house with a bathroom nearby.

"It's late and we have a long day tomorrow. Just drink enough coffee to warm you up. If you drink too much you won't be able to sleep."

"Okay."

Martha didn't know that Chloe had a high tolerance to coffee. To humor her, though, Chloe stopped on half a cup and then put the mug back on the tray. 

"All done."

"Good."

Martha pulled the blanket up to Chloe's chin, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Martha switched the light off and Chloe lay on the couch with a painful lump forming in her throat. She couldn't remember the last time someone had fussed over her. The feelings that came upon her were like a tide of emotions that threatened, for just a moment, to rise up and pull her under where she felt she could drown in self-pity and pain.  She'd just been tucked in and kissed goodnight, treated like she was someone who mattered, like she was a person deserving of love and tenderness. She'd been fourteen the last time that had happened, just before her Dad had died.

She remembered how she used to roll her eyes at him for tucking her in when she was fourteen years old. She'd seen herself as too told for that, but then she hadn't known what her father had known -- their time together was coming to a close. If she'd known that he would soon be gone from her life forever she would have cherished each and every kiss to the forehead, each lovingly whispered entreaty to have sweet, safe dreams. 

She definitely wouldn't have rolled her eyes.

Upstairs she heard Martha tell her son goodnight. The shower started not long after. She imagined Clark in the shower with steaming water cascading over his tanned, muscular body.

If I went to his room would his resolve to be faithful to Lana hold?

Chloe wouldn't have done such a thing. She wouldn't disrespect Martha by playing games with her son. She also wouldn't risk the humiliation of rejection. Though she didn't know either one of them very well Chloe wanted their respect. Therefore she would behave in the utmost respectable manner.

Still, it was a good fantasy.

With the soft couch under her, an even softer pillow under her head, Chloe drifted off to sleep. Only in her dreams it was she that Clark had pinned to that tree out at Crater Lake, not Lana, and he was doing a lot more than fingering her.

*****

The next morning Chloe awoke to Martha Kent shaking her on the shoulder. It was 4:30a.m. It was time to start the day. 

Chloe was a pretty good cook so she offered to make breakfast. She brewed coffee, fried bacon and eggs, and made toast.

"I have an offer to make you," Martha said, as they ate. "I need an extra hand this summer. We keep horses for several equestrians from Metropolis. They're a lot of work and I could use you. It'll pay a fair wage. What do you say? You could work the summer and earn money for when you decide to go back on the road."

"I wouldn't feel right taking money from you."

"I'll deduct room and board, of course, but I wouldn't want you to work without pay. Think about it before accepting or rejecting. Try work here today and see if it's something you can do, and sleep on it tonight."

Chloe nodded, knowing that no matter what she told Martha she wasn't going to stay. She wasn't going to put either her or her son at risk.

After breakfast Martha spent the morning showing Chloe around the farm. She taught her how to approach the horses and feed them. Chloe spent the day doing general chores like sweeping the barn and tidying up the tool shed.

The rain from the night before had vacated the area and left the day feeling sticky and hot. Chloe was a wilted, sweating mess by lunchtime. She hung the last hammer on the shed wall and turned to a pile of rusty nails that had fallen from the old coffee can they'd been stored in when Clark came in.

"Lunch," he said.

The first thing Chloe noticed was that despite the heat there wasn't a drop of sweat on Clark. He wasn't flushed from work in the humidity either.

"How can you not sweat in this heat?" she asked, frowning.

Clark shrugged. "I'm used to it I guess."

"Used to it or not you have to sweat."

Clark looked at a loss for words. "Lunch?"

"Yeah."

Chloe followed from the shed toward the house.

"You have a good life here, you know," she said.

"Yeah but I'm sick of it. I want to move to Metropolis after the harvest."

"You just graduated from High School?"

Clark nodded. "Last year, yeah."

"What would you do in Metropolis?"

"I'd like to study journalism and get an internship at the Daily Planet."

Chloe laughed and that made Clark stop and frown at her.

"You think a farm boy can't be a reporter?"

"No, no. I'm not laughing at you. It's just that I've had a lifelong dream of working at the Planet myself. I'm just surprised that we have the same dream."

"A dream is all it will ever be for me. I can't leave the farm. Mom couldn't run it by herself."

Clark smiled, albeit a little sadly. Chloe tried not to notice how out-of-this-world beautiful he was. He looked like he could be a Greek god come to life. He could be Zeus, she imagined, when he was young and beardless and he fought the Titans to became the king of the gods.

They looked into one another's eyes, smiling. The silence stretched between them and Chloe began to feel awkward, as though Clark had some strange ability to look past any façade she might put up to see what she really felt and thought about him. She turned away and headed for the house.

"Where did you go to school?" he asked, moving to keep up with her.

"Hoping to track down some info on me?"

"Not everyone you meet is trying to dig into your past, Chloe."

"You'd be a piss-poor investigative journalist if your curiosity didn't eat at you to find out about me."

He nodded. "I'd also be a piss-poor person if I couldn't respect the privacy of my friends, either."

"I'm not your friend, Clark. You don't even know me."

"You're not my friend yet. You will be."

"What makes you say that?"

He bound gracefully up the steps and turned to her. "I just have a feeling."

Chloe bit her lip. She was determined not to like Clark or become his friend. It would make it easier when the time inevitably came for her to leave.

*****

Chloe was grateful that the next day was Sunday. The Kents didn't work on Sundays. Chloe didn't think she could face another day of farm work. Though her healing power had repaired her muscles she was still a tiny bit sore and she was definitely exhausted. 

"You can come to church with me if you like," Martha said at breakfast. "I won't make you attend if you're not religious."

"I'm not religious," Chloe confirmed with a slight smile. 

"You can stay here with Clark, then. I'll ask him to drive you into town to get some clothes."

"I'd rather not be seen in town anymore, especially with Clark. People will connect me to you."

Martha cocked her head to the side. "All right. I'll go shopping on the way home from church and pick up a few things. I'll take it out of your pay. What kind of clothes do you like? Dresses, skirts, jeans?"

"I'm a jeans and tee-shirt kind of girl."

Martha got her dress size and headed out for church. That left Chloe alone with Clark but he was still upstairs asleep. She heard the shower start while she washed the breakfast dishes. 

Chloe decided to make herself useful by cleaning the house and then preparing dinner while Martha was at church. Clark came downstairs a little after one dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans. His hair was a curly mop around his head that was still a little damp from the shower. 

Stop thinking about how sexy he is.

"Lana and I are meeting up with friends at the lake. Want to join us?"

"That's not a good idea."

Clark rolled his eyes. "Oh, right. You're afraid the mob will associate you with us and torture all of us for information when they come to town looking for you."

"That and I don't have a bathing suit."

"You're really on the run from the mob?" he asked incredulously.

"They're worse than the mob and I'm not going to talk about it. Take this seriously, Clark. I'm in deep shit and I'm scared of getting you and your mom hurt."

"You know, at first I thought you were just some runaway who didn't want to go home. Now I'm starting to think you're in trouble with some dangerous people."

Chloe threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Duh! I've been telling you that from the start. You can't accuse me of misrepresentation."

"I'm not."

Clark looked really worried. For her rather than himself or his mother, which Chloe thought was naïve. "Whatever is going on, Chloe, I can keep you safe."

Chloe closed her eyes and raked her hands through her hair. "Clark, you're a big, strong guy. I'm sure you can handle yourself in a fight but this is so much more than you can imagine."

"Then why don't you tell me? Mom and I can't help you if you won't tell us what's wrong."

Chloe opened her mouth to put him off but Clark talked over her.

"And don't give me that 'You're better off if you don't know' bullshit either. What you don't know can kill you."

"I'm not going to get you in trouble because I'll be gone before tomorrow morning. Have Martha save the receipts on the clothes. She can get her money back tomorrow."

"If you leave I'll follow you."

Chloe had gone to the sink but now she turned and leaned against it, regarding Clark. She could tell he was dead serious. 

"Clark, why would you risk yourself to keep me safe? I'm a total stranger."

"There's more to you than meets the eye. The same goes for me," he said cryptically.

"Are you some kind of meta human?"

"Are you?" Clark countered.

"What if I told you I was? Would you turn me in, hoping to get a reward?"

"Of course not. I'd protect you."

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. Clark was so sincere she actually believed him.

"Human nature is to do what's best for you, to hell with everyone else."

"I must be a freak of nature, then, because I wasn't raised like that."

"Not everyone had parents with morals."

Clark crossed his arms and studied Chloe, looking her over from head to toe. His interest in her now wasn't sexual and that made her uncomfortable in ways a lecherous stare from him never could. "If you're not running from the mob or the cops you must be running from the government."

Chloe was nervous now. Clark may be a farm boy but he was smart and so was his mother. She knew they must have given her and her situation a lot of thought. They filed away everything she said and used it to piece together a picture of her that was turning out to be frighteningly accurate. The more she said the more she gave away, even when she made statements she thought was cryptic enough to fool them. She decided to try to deflect. 

"I've been watching you, farm boy. How come you don't get flushed, or sweat? How come you don't seem to get tired?"

"How come you're trying to change the subject? Are you on the run from the government?"

"Are you a super human?"

"How close were they the last time you saw them?"

Chloe shook her head. "We're not getting anywhere with this conversation. Let's just drop it, Clark."

"Fine, I'll drop it. I'm going on my date with Lana now but I'm telling you, Chloe, be here when I get back. You'll not only break Mom's heart you'll be putting yourself in danger out there. You're good at hiding, and I know you're a survivor, but you're not good enough to elude the FBI or the CIA or whoever is after you for long. Stay here where no one knows where you are."

"And if they find me here?"

"Like I said, I'll protect you. Don't underestimate the farm boy."

"What if they find me, by some miracle, while you're off on your date?" Chloe said, trying to annoy Clark. It was a waste of her time.

He grinned at her as he grabbed the keys to the truck. He looked back at her as he headed for the door. 

"I'll keep an ear open for you," he said, and winked. 

He left for his swimming date with Lana. Chloe sat down at the kitchen table and tried to think of what to do and what Clark's last cryptic statement meant. Was Clark some kind of meta human like she was? How else could he 'keep an ear open' for her all the way out at Crater Lake? 

She knew there were others out there but she'd been told she was one of the few elite. What if she was wrong? What if Clark was special and thought that, because of whatever power he might have, he couldn't be taken?

She'd seen people with any number of special -- incredible -- abilities taken captive and even killed. 

There were ways to subdue her kind. If her uncle tracked her here he'd find a way to take Clark. Then not only would she end up back at the Facility she'd have taken someone else with her. Martha would be left alone, or worse, they'd kill her to keep her silent.

She had every reason in the world to leave so why the hell didn't she walk out the door?

Maybe, part of her hoped, the farm boy was right. She hoped he was different, that he could protect her.

She hoped it. . . she just didn't believe it.

*****

Every guard and every resident at the Facility watched Lucy Lane in action.

With swift, accurate, even graceful swipes of Lucy's blade, the guards' tender flesh opened and blood spilled. Each wound let out a cry of pain and fear that was like music, everyone could tell, to her ears. 

The guards were punished for allowing Sullivan to escape. Sam would have added Lois to that list for allowing Chloe to escape in Gotham City but she was, after all, his own daughter and he thought it would be unseemly to have a girl torture her own sister, even though he knew Lucy had no compunctions about allowing blood ties to hinder her enjoyment of inflicting pain on someone. Rather than set Lucy on Lois, he put her in the sweat box for two days.

The guards had grown so lax that they'd failed to follow protocol. The fucking laundry room! They'd left the door to it, as well as the exit door, open. They'd let his prize subject escape.

Without Chloe Sullivan, Lex Luthor would cut funding in half. She was the key to their studies. She was necessary. Hell, she was integral to success.

The agony of the guards assuaged Sam's anger but now their cries were just getting on his nerves.

"Enough, Lucy. I need them alive. We're short staffed as it is."

"But Dad, I just got started!"

"You've been at them for forty minutes. Enough."

Lucy pouted and put her knives away. The guards, a bloody, weeping mess, would live with proper medical attention. They could even be back on duty in a couple of days.

They would also never let their attention wander again. They'd adhere to protocol or die trying.

Sam Lane faced them. "Fail again and you die. Understand?"

They wept openly in the chairs to which they were chained. "Yes, sir," they said in unison.

"Take them to the infirmary," he said to another couple of guards who watched with pale, sweat-slicked skin. They saluted, grabbed their coworkers, and hauled them away.

The subjects had been treated to the show via the TV screens in their cells. He knew they'd be cowed, at least for awhile.

This is what I get for working with civilians.

"Sir."

Lois had entered the room. She was still exhausted and dehydrated from her punishment but she was recovering. He took in her red, peeling skin, and the dark circles around her eyes. He loved both his daughters but he wouldn't let that love stand between him and his goals.

"What?"

"Mr. Luthor is on the phone. The call is waiting in your office."

Sam Lane sighed. "Thank you, Lois. That will be all."

Lois glared hatefully at him and turned to leave.

"Lois."

She looked back at him. "What?"

"If I find out you were part of Chloe's escape I'll feed you to Lucy. I'll let her blood lust run free until you're dead. Understand?"

"I had nothing to do with it!" she said fearfully.

Usually Sam could spot a lie as soon as he heard it. Lois, however, was a skilled liar, as he'd taught her to be, so he had no way to know. A polygraph wouldn't work. She could fool one. She could even fool him.

"For your sake I hope that's true. Dismissed."

Her mouth pursed. She didn't bother with a typical 'Yes, sir' before leaving. He didn't call her on it.

Sam left the break room and headed to his office. He didn't want to keep Luthor waiting.

"Mr. Luthor, Sam Lane here."

"Have you found her?"

Lex Luthor's voice, like the man it belonged to, was smooth as oil and cold as ice.

"Not yet but we have a lead. We think she's in Metropolis. We have teams looking for her now. We'll search surrounding towns including Granville and Smallville. We'll go further out if we have to."

"I have every confidence you will find her. I want her taken alive. If your goons kill her you'll pay the price."

"She's not easy to kill sir. That's why she's so important."

"Her heart is her only vulnerability, so your reports have said."

"She can survive anything except a wound to the heart or decapitation. She'll be returned safely."

"Lucy is not to touch her. I don't trust that girl not to go too far. Understood?"

"Understood. I'll discipline her myself."

"To hell with discipline. That will cost extra time. Just retrieve her and continue with the experiments. I want the first prototype super soldier by the end of the year."

Sam sighed. "Mr. Luthor, Chloe's escape has been a major setback. She's cost us time--"

"Continue working without her as long as you can. Use the data and the tools you have to hold you over until you retrieve the girl."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor."

The line went dead. Sam imagined unloading a gun into that smug bald bastard and tossing his corpse through his fucking office window. It was a fantasy he indulged in every time he talked to Lex Luthor.

Luthor's money made his experiments possible. The man would have to live until the experiments were complete. When they were he'd kill Luthor, just as Sam was sure Luthor intended to kill him when their experiments finished, and use the soldiers to his own advantage.

Smiling at the thought of controlling a legion of unstoppable soldiers, Sam Lane left his office and went to meet with his men. He wanted a progress report and if they didn't have results they'd face his anger. It was, on occasion, worse than anything his blunt instrument, Lucy, could ever unleash.

*****

Jeans and tee-shirts were exactly what Mrs. Kent brought home when she returned from church. Chloe had prepared chicken, scalloped potatoes, salad, and fresh bread. She'd also made an apple pie.

"You're a very good cook, Chloe," Martha said. She scooped ice cream onto her apple pie, preparing to dig into desert. 

"I used to cook for Dad after Mom died. When he died I didn't have the…well, thank you for the compliment."

Chloe realized she was giving too much away and closed her mouth.

Martha smiled. "Too bad Clark isn't here to enjoy it while it's hot."

She was grateful Martha didn't press for details she wasn't willing to give. She hadn't meant to even mention her parents to begin with but it was easy to slip up around Martha Kent.

"He's a good guy, your son."

"He is, yes."

"What about his girlfriend, Lana?"

Martha shrugged. "She's not the type to do drugs and get into trouble."

"But?"

"What do you mean?" Martha frowned.

"I thought I heard a 'but' in there."

"Lana's…spoiled…I guess you could say. Her parents were killed in the meteor storm that hit Smallville eighteen years ago. She was raised by her aunt."

"Let me guess. They have money?"

"Yes, and lots of it. Lana's never wanted for anything. She's never had work for anything. She's used to being the prettiest, most popular girl in school. Her life has been very different from mine and from Clark's for that matter. I can't really relate to Lana. I just don't want her to ever make Clark feel that he's…"

"A charity case?" Chloe supplied.

Martha nodded. "Yes, a charity case. I don't want her to make him feel as though he isn't good enough for her."

"Clark has a level head on his shoulders, Martha. I'm sure he'll be fine. If she's not right for him he'll know it."

"I'm not so sure. He's had a crush on Lana practically his whole life but she's never noticed him. I don't know what made her change her mind and take an interest in him."

Chloe thought of the encounter she'd witnessed between Clark and Lana at the lake. She had a pretty good idea what made Lana take an interest in Clark and it wasn't his brains.

"He's filled out. He's a really good-looking guy, Martha."

"I'd like to think that there's more to Clark and Lana than the physical."

Chloe almost laughed aloud.

I doubt they sit around reading poetry and pondering the meaning of life together.

"I'm sure it's more than that," she lied.

Martha looked dubious as she got up and started to clear the dishes.

"I'll do this," Chloe offered.

"You cooked, I'll wash up."

"It's Sunday. You go relax while I clean the kitchen. I insist."

Martha held up her hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am. I'll just grab a cup of tea and sit myself down on the porch. I've got some knitting I'd like to catch up on anyway."

"Grab your knitting. I'll brew the tea and bring it to you. Don't argue just shoo."

"You're going to spoil me, Chloe."

Martha left to grab her knitting and Chloe set to work on the kitchen.

She hadn't enjoyed chores at the Facility because they'd been forced on her. Cleaning an industrial environment, which a lot of the time included cleaning up other people's blood and waste, had been depressing and unpleasant. Here, however, cleaning wasn't a bad job at all. She rather enjoyed keeping up a quaint old farmhouse. Besides, it made her feel useful since she proved to be a miserable failure at farm work.

After the dishes were washed and Martha had her tea, Chloe sat down to watch some television. There was no cable and the TV itself was so old it didn't even have a working remote control. She had three channels to choose from that she had to flip through an old dial to find, but at least the channels came in clear.

It was crazy but she liked the experience. It was like stepping back in time.

Wheel of Fortune was followed by a boring, predictable, procedural crime drama. After that Chloe switched off the TV. She'd have to be up early and Martha had already gone up to bed almost an hour before.

Chloe found her pajamas and ran upstairs for a bath, hoping a long, hot soak would work out some of the residual soreness in her muscles. She tied up her hair while the bath ran and heard footsteps on the stairs.

I'd better tell Clark I'm in the bathroom so he doesn't barge in on me.

She went to Clark's door and prepared to knock but came up short when she heard a familiar voice inside. Actually, it was a familiar moan.

"Shhhh. You'll wake my Mom. There'd be hell to pay," Clark said quietly.

"Shut up and fuck me," Lana replied, and laughed in a half whisper.

There was a rhythmic thumping against the wall, very faint. If Chloe hadn't been standing outside the door she wouldn't have heard it.

For some reason the whole thing pissed her off. Chloe tiptoed to the bathroom and turned off the faucet, trying to put Lana and Clark out of her mind while she filled the tub with water. 

Once she did that she sank into it, enjoying the feel of the water, but she couldn't get Clark and Lana out of her mind. She'd thought better of Clark. She knew Martha wouldn't approve of him sneaking his girlfriend into her house to have sex. It would upset her. There was a perfectly good barn not too far from the house that they could have used.

I don't care what he does. He should just respect his mother's home.

Chloe denied that her annoyance had anything to do with jealousy. Clark wasn’t her boyfriend, after all. It wasn't like he was cheating on her. It really was none of her business what he did or who he did it with.

"Your mom's asleep. She won't catch me using the bathroom," came Lana's voice outside the door.

Chloe yanked the bathroom curtain closed and sat still, hoping to God Lana wouldn't see her in the tub. She didn't want anyone to know she was at the house.

A second later the girl walked in. Chloe listened to Lana peeing and washing her hands.

"You done?" Clark asked, standing in the bathroom doorway.

"Go on and use it. I've already seen you naked."

"It's just, I should get you home. I don't want Mom to see you."

"She's asleep, she won't see me," Lana said. Her attitude was blasé. The fact was she didn't give a damn if Martha caught her. She was Lana Precious Lang, the girl who could do whatever the hell she wanted, and that pissed Chloe off even more than Clark bringing her into the house for a screw.

"What's this?" Lana said.

My clothes…

"Uh…must be Mom's stuff. I'll put them in the hamper."

"These panties are way too small to be your mother's, Clark," Lana said suspiciously. "Is someone else here?"

"No."

Chloe heard Lana approach the tub. The curtain was yanked back a second later and Lana glared down at her. Lana herself was completely naked.

Chloe smiled and gave her a little wave. "Hi."

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded rudely.

"House guest."

Lana's pretty green eyes narrowed and a strand of sweaty red hair fell into her face. "I'll just bet you are."

"I'm not with Clark if that's what you're thinking."

"Lana, keep your voice down or I'll pick you up and throw you out the bathroom window," Clark threatened impotently.

Lana looked unconcerned with Clark's threat. She yanked the shower curtain closed and stormed out.

Chloe quickly dried off and dressed in her pajamas. When she came downstairs she heard Lana's voice on the porch.

"I want to know what's really going on here, Clark."

"I've told you five times, Lana. She's a houseguest. She's the daughter of one of Dad's old friends."

"Then why didn't you tell me you had a girl living in the house?"

"Because I knew you'd react like this."

 "What's she doing here? What's she really doing here?"

"Like I've said," Clark said, sounding frustrated. "Her parents are going through a divorce. Mom invited her to stay here for the summer to get her out of that situation until they could work something out."

Chloe had the feeling that Clark was probably a very poor liar, normally, but right now he sounded perfectly convincing to her. 

"I still don't get why you thought you couldn't tell me about her if there really isn't anything more to her staying here."

"I didn't think it mattered. It's not like I'm screwing her behind your back, Lana. You don't trust me at least that much?"

"I trust you, Clark. It's her I don't trust."

Chloe watched Clark shake his head and frown. "You don't even know her."

Lana smirked. "I don't have to know her personally because I know girls, Clark. Nobody stays in a house with a hot guy and doesn't try to get some on the sly."

Chloe opened the door on Clark's mystified and slightly angry expression. "Carrie Finlay," she said, offering her hand.

Lana hesitated, as though Chloe had offered her a dirty rag, and then shook it. "Lana Lang. I'm Clark's girlfriend."

"So I've gathered," Chloe nodded. "I'm not interested in Clark. I'm not going to flirt with him while I'm here if that's what you're worried about."

Lana deliberately looked Chloe over with open disdain, but when she spoke it was with cloyingly fake sweetness. "Trust me, I'm not threatened by you."

"Lana," Clark said, embarrassed at her rudeness.

"Take me home, Clark. Nice to meet you, Carrie."

Lana walked down the steps and climbed into Clark's truck. She stared straight ahead, pretending Chloe didn't exist. He went to the truck and then looked back at Chloe apologetically. She offered him a forgiving smile before going back into the house.

When Chloe went back into the house she laughed. Lana was easily threatened. That meant one of a few possible things. She hid low self-esteem behind a veneer of confidence. She was a man-eater who tried to seduce every guy she met and assumed Chloe was the same way, or, she was cheating on Clark already and assumed that he would do the same to her.

I'm half tempted to prove her right...

Chloe also got the feeling that Martha's worries about Lana were completely justified. Maybe Lana did see her son as nothing more than a toy to be used and she didn't want someone else trying to play with Clark until she was finished with him.

Chloe decided right then that she didn't like Lana Lang one single bit.

---------------

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