Safe and Sound (Part One)
Title: Safe and Sound
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: adwilliams03@yahoo.com
Rating: R for violence and language
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Pairing: Chloe/other; Chlark friendship, a bit of Clana, Clois friendship
Spoilers: Yeah, up to and including parts of “Thirsty” but not really including the whole thing. Lana and Chloe are roomies at Met U.
Author’s Note: This is going to be really, really angst, just FYI. Song by Sheryl Crow.
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen and Epilogue
Safe and Sound (Part One)
Three Months Earlier
Maybe this is forever
Forever fades away
Like a rocket ascending into space
Chloe sat on her bed, tapping on the keys of her laptop intently as she worked on an assignment for her mixed media class. She chewed on her lower lip, deep in concentration as she stared at the computer screen.
When the door flew open suddenly, she nearly jumped off her bed, looking up to see Clark and Lana stumbling through the door, kissing heavily.
She sighed softly, saving her work and rolling her eyes.
“Mmm,” Lana murmured against Clark’s lips and Chloe cleared her throat loudly, startling the lovebirds.
“Chloe!” Clark’s cheeks flushed as he caught sight of his friend across the room.
Lana’s face turned red, as well. “We didn’t know you were here.”
Chloe looked at them wryly. “Right, because I’m usually somewhere besides here at two in the morning.” She rolled her eyes again.
Her friends both turned a darker shade of red. “Sorry,” they said in unison.
“We’ll go somewhere else,” Lana volunteered.
She sighed. “It’s all right.” She stood up, gathering her laptop and book bag. “I’m gonna go to the library.” She made it to the door before Clark reached out and gently caught her arm.
“I should get home anyway. It’s late.”
Shaking her head, she turned the doorknob. “I really need to get some research done, so don’t worry.”
“Well, let me walk you then.”
“I’m a big girl, Clark. It’s not that far.”
“Clark’s right,” Lana said, concerned. “It’s after dark and Metropolis isn’t exactly known for its safety.”
“Let me walk you,” Clark said again, quietly.
She pulled a taser from her purse, holding it up. “I’ll take my chances.” She smiled a bit. “You two just…get back to doing whatever it is you were doing.”
Clark looked like he was going to protest, so she leaned in and whispered very softly, “If I need you, I’ll scream.” She patted his arm and left the room.
* * *
Chloe sighed as she stood in front of the library, staring at the ‘closed’ sign. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Weird. They hardly ever close,” an unfamiliar male voice said.
She quickly turned, on guard.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” A good looking guy with brownish-blond hair and green eyes smiled at her. He was tall, though not as tall as Clark, and his shoulders were broad.
Chloe eyed him cautiously.
“I’m Marty Adams.” He held his hand out to her, still smiling. Under the warm glow of the street lamp, she saw his eyes sparkling. He was definitely handsome.
She reached out and shook his hand. “Chloe Sullivan.”
“Nice to meet you, Chloe.” He glanced back at the library. “In the three years I’ve been here they’ve only closed three times that I can remember.”
“And just my luck it’s on a night my roommate and her boyfriend are using my dorm room for the horizontal mambo.”
He chuckled. “Been there, done that…I mean, not me, but I’ve been in your situation,” he corrected himself quickly.
She lifted an eyebrow and he grinned innocently.
“You know, the Den’s open all night too. They serve pretty good coffee,” he told her.
Chloe glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the student lounge, wondering why they called it ‘the Den.’ “I didn’t realize it was open all night.”
Marty winked at her and pulled a key out of his pocket. “It is if you work there or know the right people.”
She couldn’t help but smile. There was something about this guy that was very charming.
“So what do you say, Chloe Sullivan? Would you like to get some coffee with me?”
Her eyes twinkling and her defenses lowered, she nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Excellent.” He shifted his book bag to his left shoulder and held his right arm out for her to hold onto, leaving the choice up to her.
After a moment, she reached out and wrapped her hand around his arm, letting him escort her across campus. It certainly seemed to be her lucky night.
* * *
Marty set down a mug of freshly brewed double mocha latte with extra whipped cream in front of Chloe as she sat perched at the countertop on one of the old-fashioned stools. “Here you go.” He smiled at her.
Chloe took a sip, closing her eyes as she savored the delicious flavor. “Wow, this is really good. How much do I owe you?” she asked, glancing at him.
“Not a thing. It’s on the house.” He leaned on the counter, gazing at her with his dark green eyes.
She couldn’t help but smile. “So do you give out a lot of free lattes?” she asked, unable to resist her urge to find out if he was single.
“No way,” he answered without hesitation. “Only to really special people.” He winked and went to make himself a drink, as well.
She watched him intently, trying not to get her hopes up. Most of the guys who took any romantic interest in her turned out to be meteor freaks that Clark Kent generally had to save her from. But there was something different about this guy. “So, Marty…where are you from?” she asked casually, hoping the answer was far away from Smallville, meteor freak capital of the world.
“St. Louis,” he told her with a smile, glancing at her over his shoulder as he made his drink.
Yes, she thought, trying not to smile too widely and frighten him off. “So what brought you to Met U?”
“I got a full scholarship for journalism, actually.”
“Get out.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re a journalism major?”
“Yeah, why?” He looked confused.
“That’s what I’m studying.”
Marty looked at her with even more interest. “Are you going to join the Met U Daily?”
“I was actually hoping to get an internship with the Daily Planet,” she admitted.
“Wow, you must be really good.” He smiled. “Which isn’t surprising.”
She actually blushed. “Well, I have my interview in a couple days, so I’m not getting my hopes up yet.” Which was a lie, of course. She just had to get a position at the Planet. It was her dream.
“I’m sure you’ll get it,” he said confidently.
“You haven’t even seen my work,” she reminded him with a faint smile.
“I know a star reporter when I see one.” Marty grinned. “And there’s definitely something special about you, Chloe Sullivan.”