Title: Something More
Author: TheGreatSVF
Email: She_She_8@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Pairing:   Chloe/Lana
Summary: She didn't want to hurt her best friend, but sometimes love
doesn't leave you a choice.

A/N: AHH!!! I'm a slash writer! My first slash fic! Vince will never let me
hear the end of this one! I'm working on a companion piece/sequel to it
now. Hope you enjoy it! Like I said, my first slash fic so be gentle!

~~~~~

A normal day. It started out that way, at least.

First, I earned a couple dollars from Pete when the bus pulled away and
left Clark standing there. Typical.

Then Clark seemed to get to school before us anyway. Weird, but weird is
normal in Smallville.

Then Lana Lang came up and kissed Clark. Did I miss something?

And Pete gave me that look. Like he wants to know if I knew anything.
Negative there, Ross.

Clark looked embarrassed and between the two of them, Lana and Clark
managed to explain that she broke up with the quarterback and they'd
officially been an item since the weekend. Pete started questioning Clark
about why he didn't tell us before now, and I noticed that Lana wouldn't
look me in the eye.

I wondered what would happen if I announced to all of Smallville High that
I'd been secretly dating Lana Lang for almost 3 months.

And Lana suddenly had to go. Right.

She gave Clark a kiss goodbye then leaves, brushing against me slightly as
she does. Did she expect me to follow her or something?

Of course I did, because I'm more inquisitive-not to mention I was
extremely upset at the moment-than I am stubborn, and I fully intended to
lace into her on this one and find out what I was missing.

I waited for her to say something first.

"Chloe, I'm not--it's complicated."

"What's so damn complicated about it?" I replied, dodging another goddamn
ignorant jockstrap. I was an idiot, that was all. An idiot to believe I was
anything more. I'd seen the way she always played around with Clark and
Whitney. I resented her for treating Clark the way she did. I also resented
her for that ability she seems to have to make everybody want her for no
real reason... including me.

When did it actually start, anyway? The past 3 months had just sort of
blurred together; I wasn't sure exactly when it was.

It must have been the football game.

Pete was getting his first actual game not riding the bench because some
nameless jockstrap got injured. He begged us to come see him play, and
sometimes Pete is just too cute to resist. I figured it'd be fun to watch
him fall all over himself anyway, and it'd probably be the only chance I
got.

So I went to a football game for the second time ever, and spent the first
half watching Clark watching Lana, which got old fast. I planned to retreat
to the Torch office until it was time to leave, but they seemed to mistake
my attempt at escape as an invitation to get out of there, since none of us
really wanted to be.

Clark stayed, forever faithful, insisting he told Pete he'd be there. I
just rolled my eyes, eliciting a giggle from Lana, and we left.

When we got to the office, the first words out of Lana's mouth were, "So,
about Clark..."

I froze. "What about Clark?"

"Oh, please. I've seen the way you look at him, Chloe."

"What way?" I said, playing the fool.

"You know what I mean."

I sat down on my desk. "No, seriously. I want to hear your take on this
supposed way I look at Clark that's so different."

I was just toying with her now, and she knew it.

"Alright. Clark and Pete, they're your best friends, right?"

I nodded. "They're like brothers to me."

"You treat Pete like a good friend. You're close, you joke around, all
that. Then Clark walks in the room, and you get this look in your eyes."

"Whoa, wait a second. Clark and...no, forgive me, but you're sadly mistaken
if you think I...no--that's not..."

"Really? Then why are you stumbling over your words? 'Clark Kent leaves
Queen Of Sarcasm Sullivan sputtering idiot. It'd make a great headline,
wouldn't it?"

Did she really call me a sputtering idiot?

"You wouldn't. And you couldn't anyway, because I just happen to be the
editor. And don't you know not to call your boss a sputtering idiot?"

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

"Well, I said, pretending to think about it, "I could boil you in oil, but
assigning you to the chess club tournament would be more painful."

"Did you hear something?"

I listened. Footsteps. Big, heavy footsteps out in the hall. Had to be
Clark.

"He better not have heard that," I muttered, turning to the door.

I went running out, then stopped short to avoid running into Clark, and
Lana slammed into me, and down we went.

Ok, flat on my back with Lana Lang on top of me in an empty hallway was not
a favorable position to be in, especially with Clark Kent standing over us.

I didn't mind all that much for some reason.

I suddenly felt hot, in lots of ways at once. Ok, denial time.

I groaned and said, "Get off me, Lang," just for good measure.

Then Lana was lifted off of me, which I really didn't want, though I would
never have admitted it then. And Clark asked, "Lana, are you okay?"

I could have bitch-slapped him. 'Lana, did having Chloe break your fall
hurt much?' Of course, he didn't think to ask, 'Chloe, did having Lana fall
on top of you hurt?'

And goddamn, did it ever hurt.

But I didn't care, because Lana had me feeling very good.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of her for the rest of the night.

Two more days found me kissing Lana Lang in the Torch office.

"A lot is complicated about it," Lana said, pulling me back to the present.

After a second, I said, "You said you loved me, and I believed you. I
should have known better."

Then I took off and went to find Clark and Pete.

When I reached them, Pete was pressing Clark for details.

"Is she a good kisser?"

Before Clark could say anything, I put one arm up one Pete's shoulder and
said, "Come on, you know Clark would never kiss and tell."

"I'll say one thing," Clark said, smiling that great smile of his that's
reserved only for Lana. "Wow."

I tried not to cry. Yeah, she is a pretty damn good kisser, isn't she,
Clark?

I couldn't help wondering what Clark and Pete would say if I stopped mid-
editorial and told them I'd had Lana in my bed. Yep, in my bed, in her bed,
on my couch, in my car, even in the Torch office a couple times. And that
body's even more amazing without clothes hiding it.

Maybe I shouldn't have been making myself so hot over Clark's girlfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lana sat with us at lunch. Well, she sat with Clark at lunch.

I tried to listen to Pete and not to watch Lana and Clark, who looked very
much the happy couple.

She caught my eye a couple times. Why did she look so damn upset? She
dumped me. She ripped my heart out and shoved it down my throat, and not
vice versa.

Then she smiled at me. That big, sweet, beautiful Lana smile that I love so
much.

I felt sick.

I told Pete I had work to do, then deposited my tray and headed towards the
Torch office, my haven, my only place of solitude.

The place most of my "dates" with Lana had occured.

Damn it, she was everywhere!

"Chloe..."

And then she was in my office. And then I was kissing her. I was kissing my
best friend's girlfriend.

That thought alone was enough to make me stop.

Clark loves her! Get over it!

But you love her too.

And then I was arguing with myself. Great. Really great.

And then I was kissing her again! Damn it!

"I had to do that one more time," I blurted without thinking.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, leaning back against a desk.

"Lana, I can't do this. I want to be with you, but I can't not know where I
stand. You're with Whitney. Then Whitney's just your cover. Now you're with
Clark?"

"No. Now Clark's just my cover."

"I can't do that. Clark's my best friend. He adores you. He'd do anything
for you."

"What a noble woman you are, Chloe. Sacrificing love and happiness for the
sake of a friend."

"I try."

She stood. "I guess I should go then."

I reached up and touched her arm lightly. "Just...one more..."

She closed the distance before I said it.

After a minute, she pulled back and pressed her forehead against mine.

"You know, hurting Clark seems easier every second."

She just laughed and leaned in again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pete and I trail behind, watching the happy couple.

Lana kisses Clark on the cheek and Pete makes another crack that I don't
listen to.

I lick my lips. I can still taste her.

I never wanted to hurt you, Clark.

But I love her too.

How could I not love someone who had enough balls to call me a sputtering
idiot without fear?