The Memoirs

Her lips met Shayla's, once, twice, three times before she let out a sob and dipped her tongue into that soft, wet pink lips. Her fingertips bit into Shayla's back, her mouth crushing hers in furiousness that wasn’t all attested to need. Most of it was utter, complete sadness, some of it anger, some of it mindlessness. All of it pure desperation for closeness.

Shayla was startled at first, but it was easy to open her mouth under Chloe's assault. Her arms wound around Chloe's back, offering comfort, solace and support as her own tongue thrust back, hands sliding up and over her friend's shoulders before slipping through her hair and then down to cup her face.

Chloe whimpered into the kiss, fingers sliding up that soft, warm back, her mouth slanting and delving deeper. Her tongue thrust in, stroking, tasting, pulling it back to nip and bite as her fingers slid over Shayla's shoulder blades. A soft sound, like a whimper, in her chest, and she got closer, just a little. It was like Lana all over again, only so much better because this was her best friend.

Shayla's tongue met Chloe's with each thrust, stroking and sucking, little teeth nibbling along her lip. Her hands rested on Chloe's hips now, pulling her close, drinking in the same noises that were coming out of her own throat.

Pete was staring. Okay? OKAY? He's a guy here, give him a break! He'd been looking for his girlfriend for the better part of thirty minutes, and had walked in on... well, his girlfriend. And one of his best friends' girlfriend. And... they were... uh huh.

Muh. No way was he gonna do anything but stay frozen here, staring.

Chloe pressed closer, closer still, kissing her harder as her fingers stroked up into Shayla's soft blond hair, crushing her breasts against Shayla's as one hand stroked down her side, moaning into her mouth. Wrong. So. Wrong. But their was comfort here, and she arched, just a little, exhaling a trembling sigh.

Shayla pressed into the arch, melting her body against Chloe's to complement it, and swallowed the moan hungrily. She caught the hand that stroked down her side and squeezed it once, then guided it over her hip to her ass.

Chloe let out a trembling gasp and her palm, soft nails and tiny rings, ran lewdly over her friends ass, stroking and squeezing before she angled her towards the bed. "Pl..." Broken syllables fell from her lips, begging, arching to rub the valley of her jeans against her friends, free palm stroking down to where their breasts were pressed together, cupping one of the soft, beautiful little breasts perfectly shaped, and moaned again, shuddering.

Okay. He felt kind of bad. He was standing here watching. How horrible was he? Not really bad. Please, God. Be nice to me. Okay? Please?

Shayla nodded as the kiss broke for just a minute, and she pulled Chloe over towards the bed. She sat down on the edge first, then pulled Chloe down beside her as she rested her head on her friend's shoulder, hand sliding over her chest to cup one of Chloe's breasts gently.

Her head was down, and she missed Pete standing in the doorway.

Chloe let out a soft sound, head falling back as she felt soft palms and tiny fingers and yes. She missed this, so much, and feeling her friend touching her like this made her cry out for Whitney, in her mind. Oh, her lover. Oh but the touch was lovely, something electric sliding down through her body at an accidental brush over her peaked nipple and Chloe jumped, grounding out a sound of pleasure as she arched.

Okay. NOW he felt bad, dammit. Pete switched his weight so his raging erection wasn’t too obvious and coughed, softly, clearing his throat. "Shayla?"

Shayla was stroking Chloe's breast gently, nosing kisses along her throat, and then her eyes widened as she heard her name from a very masculine throat. She looked up, over Chloe's shoulder, and blushed scarlet red when she saw Pete. "Pete--it's--you--not what you think."

"Y... yes it is, and its fucking hot." Pete croaked, swallowing, hard. "Really... uh huh. Hi. But I f... felt bad."

Chloe heard him. Care? No. She was wet, she was tensed and ready, and she wanted Shayla, dammit. Fuck the consequences, fuck anything else. She wanted Shayla. And she shivered under her, arching her chest in offering and moaning her displeasure. "Pete... ass."

Shayla kept her hand stroking gently, rubbing over the nipple as she looked at her boyfriend. "She needs me, baby. Please? It's--I can't tell you. But please. Trust me, she needs me. I need to... I want to. You can stay, I don't mind if Chloe doesn't." She turned her blushing red face into her friend's shoulder, brushing her lips across the top swell of a breast.

Oh. God. Chloe jumped at the mouth and let out a gasp, looking at Pete as her fingers dove into Shayla's hair. "Yes, yes, its okay, go get Whitney, okay? Don’t want him to... Don’t want him t-to be je... oh, Shayla, pl..."

Pete stared. "Whit? Ney?" Oh, yeah. Blond guy, tall, muscular. Hee. Pete turned and nearly collided into the wall, hop skip running down the hall. Erection. Flaming. Hot. Erection. He skidded on the carpet, pushing into the kitchen and hanging his head in. "FORDMAN?!"

"Don’t want hi-him to be jealous." Chloe sobbed, gasping and arching her spine into the touch as she squirmed.

Shayla settled onto the bed beside Chloe, arms moving so that she held her friend loosely, mouth sliding over her throat and over the top swells of her breasts. "He won't be jealous, he loves you." Shayla rubbed her cheek against a hard nipple as it rubbed through the cloth of the shirt.

Whitney was sitting on the floor of the kitchen, back against the full fridge. His arms were crossed on his knees and they were pulled up to his chest. He turned his head when Pete came in bellowing. "Yeah, man?"

"So wrong, Shay, don’t w-want to lose you, Shayla, Shay," Chloe whispered, tears filling her throat as she arched into the mouth, hot, gorgeous mouth and touch and heat and the tears rose, filling her eyes and throat and nose as Shayla touched her.

"Dude. Okay. Get your fucking ass up. Chloe. Shay. Come on." Pete snickered, eyes dancing before his eyes went over his friend, the smile fading. "You okay?"

"No, baby, it's okay. Had this same talk with Pete. Sweetie, it's okay. You need me right now, you're so beautiful, so pretty, and I just... you're my best friend, I adore you so much." Her hands skimmed lightly over Chloe's body, pressing lightly between her thighs before back up over her stomach.

"Chloe and Shay?" It took his tired brain a few moments to process, and it couldn't even awake an arousal in him yet. "No, I'm not okay. But I'll deal." He wasn't aware how much like Clark he sounded. "Let's go, find Chloe and Shay."

Pete rose a brow, leaned down, and snagged Whitney’s arm, helping him heft up as he all but dragged Whitney out of the kitchen. "Chick kisses! COME ON!"

Chloe jumped, hard, when that soft palm ran down the center of her body, so lo, and yeah. Okay. The tears spilled as she ran her hands over Shayla's chest, back, hips...and just sobbed. She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t even think of doing this, when all she felt in her mind from Lex was such sadness. She couldn’t delve into pleasure she wanted so much when Mar-El was newly dead and gone, when the raw pain radiating from just across the mansion had her lowering her face to Shayla's cheek and crying all over again. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry."

Shayla held her friend tightly. "Hey... hey, baby, it's okay. It's okay, Chloe." She stroked Chloe's hair and cheeks, hugging her and wiping away the tears. "I'm here, I'll help you if I can."

"You can't help." Chloe gazed at the door, laying limp as she waited for her boyfriend. She wanted her lover, she wanted her sha'nauch...she needed to see them, see if they were alright. God, what had Clark done to her and Whitney? The drive to help, to hug them and touch them and make sure they were alright was overwhelming. "I’m sorry, Shay, I’m sorry."

"It's okay," Shay said, for what felt like the millionth time. And it was okay. "Look... I don't understand it all, I don't think I'm supposed to. I just... you're my best friend and I want to help. That's all." She nuzzled Chloe gently. "Don't apologize."

Whitney followed as Pete dragged, his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked. Just... sad.

"But you wanted this." Chloe said softly, looking at her friend with heartbroken eyes. "I took advantage, I--" A glance up. Oh. "Whitney?" She keened softly, calling for her baby. She felt him close, and snuffled, burying her face in Shayla's shoulder. "I want...this." She whispered softly. "I want this, if you want this. But not....not now."

"It's okay. Yeah, I do want it, but it's okay. When you're ready, that's cool, and if it's never, then that's good too. Chloe... baby, you're my best friend, you're like... you're like a super-great sister, and I just love you so much. Okay? So... you know." She hugged her again, and stroked her hair as Chloe hid her face.

Whitney heard Chloe calling out for him, and he picked up his pace, outdistancing his friend as he followed the call of his name to the room they were in. "Chloe."

Pete had heard the distressed syllable in the name being called, and his erection sagged. God, dammit. Why was it that this stuff happened and ended before the good stuff came?! Because he was Pete Ross. Fucking hell.

Chloe's chin trembled as she looked up at her boyfriend as he came in. She began to shake, offering her arms up to him softly. "I love you. I’m sorry. I should have asked. I love you."

Shayla slipped off the bed as Whitney came over, and she slid her arms around Pete's waist and looked up shyly at him. "Hey, baby."

Whitney wrapped his arms around Chloe and held her close. Strong arms squeezed her tightly, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I don't mind," Whitney said quietly. And he really didn't. "You... you're so sad, Chloe, and this will make you happy. This will make you feel better." He rubbed his cheek against hers. "It's okay."

"I want you to be happy to. You’re not the same... you look at me like you're heartbroken, Whitney." Chloe whispered, tears filling her eyes all over as she rubbed her face into his shoulder, her shirt still up and baring her belly, though pressed close to her love. "I don’t want you to be sad anymore. I love you."

Pete just stared at his girlfriend, attention half on the two in front of him as he pretended to mop up the drool, grinning.

"We're both sad, baby." Whitney held even tighter to her. "We're both sad because Clark and Lex are sad. But it's okay to try and be not sad." He squeezed her gently. "Somebody needs to be happy, so the rest of us have a light to look towards."

"Chauvinist," she teased gently, but she hugged him again anyway. "Come on... out... leave 'em to their privacy. They need it." But she made no move to push him out, instead just standing there holding on to her boyfriend, head on his shoulders and feeling so sad for her best friend.

Chloe nodded, tightly. She wanted. She wanted Shayla, because Shayla was… she didn’t know, and she looked up for his acceptance much as he'd looked to her for hers when he'd made love with Clark.

"Shay, every. Man’s. Dream." Pete joked, though he felt like he was missing out on something, gently holding his girlfriend close to his chest. "You okay? Did something happen?"

Whit nodded. "Yeah. It's okay. Go on. We all need the happiness, Chloe... you're not just doing it for you, you're doing it for all of us." He kissed her softly, then pressed her face back into his shoulder for a moment.

Shayla looked up at Pete, and then dropped her eyes back to Chloe. "No," she lied softly. "Nothing happened."

Whitney’s words were so beautiful, and her eyes filled with tears. "They'll feel it? They'll be happy, Whitney?"

Pete wasn’t an idiot. But he let it go, nodding gently and pulling her close, kissing her hair. "I love you."

Whitney nodded. "Yeah. They will. They'll feel it. They'll be happy." At least for a little while, he added silently to himself, but he didn't say it aloud.

Shayla snuggled close to him, already feeling bad because she was lying to him. "I love you too, Pete. So much."

Her chin trembled, once, but Chloe kissed her lover softly, giving him all her emotion, as she turned to gaze at Shayla, offering her hand before gazing back at Whitney. "Will y... you watch?"

Whitney nodded. "I'll watch. I can't promise I'll... you know... yet. But I'll watch, because you're beautiful and I love you."

Shayla flicked her gaze up to Pete. "Can I? And will you?" she said, echoing Chloe's quiet questions.

He knew there was something much deeper going on here, but Pete nodded, offering his nod and kissing her lips softly. "Yes, Shay. You don’t even have to ask... the answer is yes."

"Y... you don’t have to." Chloe nodded, stroking her palms over his face and sniffling softly, looking at Shayla again.

"Thank you." Shayla kissed her boyfriend softly, wrapping her arms around his waist, and then moving back over to the bed, sitting beside Chloe.

Impulsively, she reached out and hugged Whitney. "Don't worry, big guy. I'll take care of her."

Surprised, Whitney returned the hug one-armed as he engulfed the smaller girl. "I know you will." He squeezed her again, and then let her go and handed her off to Chloe

She was biting her lip when Shayla was coming into her arms. Chloe opened them wide and offered, slipping her into her embrace and trembling a tiny smile. "Hi, Shay."

Pete turned and grabbed Whitney by the scruff of the shirt, tugging him back into the thick mauve couch that sat right across from the bed. Miss this? Him? Hah. He offered a grin at Whitney, though, to get him comfortable. "Man, it ain’t cheatin', you know. Watching? Oh yeah." But he clapped Whitney on the shoulder gently. "You aight?"

"Hi, sweetie." Shayla wrapped her arms around Chloe and snuggled in for a moment. "Don't be afraid; I've never done this either."

Whitney nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said even though it was fairly obvious he wasn't. "We're cool, though. Yeah."

"Naw, man, I’m serious." Pete stared at him seriously, quietly, gentling his hand on Whitney’s shoulder. "What’s up, yo--" That was just about it for rational thought. Because yeah, Chloe had rolled over his girlfriend and had her… oh, fuck.

Her thighs were splayed around Shayla's, valley of her jeans pressing into her friends. And her mouth was around Shayla's cloth covered breast. No time for formalities, because she wanted this, and Chloe sucked at the hard little pebble-like nibble, biting it through Shayla's shirt and bra as her hips squirmed and moved.

Shayla's hands slid down Chloe's sides, gripping her friend's hips gently and holding them still as she lifted up, rubbing against her friend's body as Chloe's mouth found her breast. Her free hand stroked through the strands of Chloe's hair, then slipped down to stroke the bare belly that peeked out from under her friend's shirt. Chloe's skin was hot, firm, and silky soft, and she teased the little bellybutton with her thumbs.

Whitney nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He nodded as Pete's attention got riveted by the girls, and he watched them on the bed together, reflecting just how beautiful his girlfriend was.

"Shay, please, don’t hate me for this." Chloe whispered into her friends chest, hands stroking everywhere, fingertips driving into the soft skin of the small of Shayla's back as she sighed in pleasure, rubbing herself against the soft girl underneath. Her jeans rubbed right into her, where she was damp and ready, and she squirmed on her friend, moaning in pleasure.

Pete was ready to die. Just... yeah. Whitney wasn’t really into it, for whatever reason, but Pete... was definitely into it. He watched them both with a dry mouth, eyes very, very wide. Chloe was just outrageously erotic, and Shayla... yeah.

Shayla shook her head. "Not gonna hate you for this, Chloe." She rubbed her palms over Chloe's stomach, and then slipped her fingertips down into the waistband of Chloe's jeans, teasing as she opened the button and started to ease them down. She rubbed her cheek against Chloe's throat, then kissed along her clothed shoulder before tugging an earlobe with her teeth.

Whitney pulled his leg up, bracing his foot on the seat as he balanced his cheek on his knee and looked at Pete. The wide-eyed, aware of nothing else but his own pleasure look in his friend's eyes was familiar and alien all at the same time, because he couldn't imagine himself getting lost like that now.

No. No no no. Chloe pulled her hands away and arched, reaching back and tugging her shirt up over he head. Her blond curls hit her neck...her back was bare, her chest free from a bra, and her large breasts hung free as she tugged Shayla up, knees splayed around little hips as she began to tug Shayla's shirt up. "Yes, oh, God," She ducked her head and bit at a little nipple again, fingers stroking around her friends back and into the back of her pants to squeeze a very snug, tight ass.

Pete was spaced out. He was watching the girls... make out. Have sex? Something. All he was aware of was that he had a hard on from hell, Whitney was looking at him with deep male eyes that were turning him the hell on, and two lovely, beautiful women, one of whom he adored, was making out with one of his very best friends.

Christ, Jesus, and almighty God.

Shayla pushed herself up on her elbows, letting the pillows slide down and prop her upper body up as she reached up, and caught Chloe's heavy breasts in her hands. She rubbed her thumbs over the pebbling nipples, moaning softly as her own were licked, and returning the sensations as she licked her thumbs, and brought them back to squeeze Chloe's breasts and nipples gently.

"Christ, God." Chloe moaned, rubbing her breasts against Shayla's palms as she arched her back, spike rounding as she rubbed. Her own hands filled with lovely, firm breasts, perfect for each hand, and she slipped into the cups of each bra cup and stroked. Oh, God, YES. She let out a husky sigh, bringing her palm down and over the crotch of he friends jeans, rubbing at the stitching and ducking to lick, scrape her tongue over the soft mound and mimic eating her out through her pants.

Shayla whimpered, and thrust up against Chloe's mouth. This she knew, Pete had done that to her enough, and she knew what to expect. "Chloe, Chloe, yes, yes, Chloe, yes, please." She started squirming against her friend, sliding her legs around Chloe and squeezing her waist. "Let me up, get you naked."

Chloe groaned and crawled back up, dragging her tongue over bared flesh, and let her tongue wrap around one nipple as she moaned. "Oh, Shayla... Shay... so good, Whitney and Pete watching, watching us, oh." Chloe moaned again, hard, shuddering as she rolled over and pulled Shayla on to her, rubbing close so that their damp, wet breasts pressed and rubbed, scraped and the skin caught like delicious pleasure. And she groaned.

Shayla tugged up until she could take another kiss from Chloe's mouth, and then shifted her weight so that she rolled on top of her friend. The work of seconds to strip off her bra and toss it in the floor, and she flashed a look over her shoulder to Pete, sticking her tongue out at him and wiggling it just once before she turned back around, and situated herself over Chloe.

Leaning over, she licked a straight line down from Chloe's throat to her bellybutton, and then nibbled at it before kissing back up and licking the bottom curve of a firm breast.

Pete was about to die. Just fall over from cardiac arrest, and he gave a soft moan as she stuck her tongue out. All he wanted to do was reach over and squeeze in between them and OH yeah now he had a hard on. He ignored it...unaware of how Whitney would react to him jacking off, so he just watched. And drooled.

Chloe let out a startled cry, fingers digging through Shayla's hair...rolling once, twice, again so Shay was atop her but this time more in the center of the bed. She reared, pushing her pelvis into her friends', and moaned loudly.

Shayla held on as Chloe rolled, settling her ass against Chloe's crotch and pressed down, rubbing the firm curve of her ass against her friend's groin. She leaned down and licked the pebbled nipples that cried out for attention, rubbing the other in her fingers before moving her hands to her hips and unbuttoning her jeans. She pushed them down, squirmed them as low as they would go, and then started on Chloe's.

Whitney watched his girlfriend moving on the bed, looking for a smile, hoping that this would be the first step to making them all feel better. He alternated between watching Chloe and watching Pete, and again rested his cheek on his knee before talking. "It's okay, you know."

Pete was on the verge of a heart attack. Girls. Pretty, pretty girls licking and kissing and... yeah. Okay? He was seventeen, okay? He was so hard he ached, and Whitney’s soft voice only made him shiver with it, looking up at him with flushed skin and big eyes. "Huh?"

"No." Chloe growled, rearing up and literally making Shayla fall backwards on the bed. She lay over her, pressing her full weight down against the lovely girl as she faced Whitney and Pete now, her mouth distending on Shayla's mouth as she stroked her fingers through Shayla's hair...and whimpered, looking up. She wanted Whitney. She gazed at him, just looking for a kiss, her hips pressed into Shayla's and her fingers viced in that lovely brown hair, breasts pressed close.

"It's okay. If you get off on it." He looked back at his girlfriend. "They're beautiful." He saw Chloe look at him, saw what she was inviting, and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He stroked Chloe's soft, pretty hair and pulled her close, kissing her softly. Gentle, deep, soulful, it was love and slow passion in the kiss. He licked his lips as he tasted Shayla, decided he liked Chloe's taste better, and kissed his girlfriend again.

Shayla whimpered as Chloe rolled her over again, and she took the opportunity to start working on her jeans, unfastening the button, unzipping, working her fingers inside the tight denim and down to the hot, wet space between her thighs.

Whitney was kissing Chloe. Shayla was vibrating, fingers stroking where the arousal was leaking out of her, where PETE COULD SMELL HER. Okay. Oh, God. He pulled himself free without another word, fingers tightening on himself as he whimpered. "So beautiful."

Chloe whimpered, pulling her lover close, tight, hugging him and kissing back just as fiercely and this was wrong, wrong, wrong, but so very good. She could feel Lex and Clark in her head, as deep as she ever had, and a massive part of her was freaked out. But the good part, the lovely part, wasn’t at all, and she held that part close.

She let go of her lover and scooted down Shayla's body, tongue dipping in where adventurous little fingers were... and lapped at the heat. Christ, so much better then Lana ever was, and Chloe shuddered as she looked up... suddenly violently shy, gazing at her lover, then Shayla.

Shayla looked up at her boyfriend as he whimpered, and she gave him a small, breathless grin. "Hot, baby?" She ran her fingers over Chloe's inseam, and then jumped when Chloe's tongue licked over her. A quiet squeal, and then a hot blush as Chloe looked shyly up at her. "It's... it's good, Chloe."

Whitney nodded, and gave her the barest hint of a smile as he scooted back to his watching chair. His bangs flopped down over his forehead and he raked his fingers through them, and looked over at Pete.

Chloe offered another smile, nodding as she dipped her tongue again, lapping over the tiny panties as she wriggled and squirmed Shayla's jeans down her hips. Disposed of them a moment later, and she gazed down at her friend with a quiet gasp of pleasure, glancing up at her lover once more before down, to slip between Shayla's thighs.

She dipped her tongue behind the panties, lapping at the soft folds before she pulled them open with her fingertips and dipped all the way in, underwear still on, and sought out the tiny bundle of nerves.

Found a moment later, and she tapped the clit softly before wrapping her lips around it and sucking.

Pete was dead. He felt Whitney’s eyes on him again and glanced up, fogged with lust and trembling, and jerked his cock, groaning softly before looking back to the girls. Whitney’s gaze was a drug, and it felt unbelievable to have a guy here again when he was feeling this way.

Oh, and the two hot chicks on the bed? Yeah. "Y... yeah, Shay." He groaned.

Shayla was moaning hard, clit sensitive because of all the attention Pete paid to her, and her body arched. Pleading eyes and noises landed on Pete as her breasts ached for a touch, and she wanted to be filled. Her hand slid down and stroked Chloe's face, ran through her hair and pushed it away from her face, touching her skin softly.

Whitney kept watching Pete, watching the foreign expressions of happiness and pleasure skipping across his face as he jacked off. They seemed so far away from him right now, and he was trying to smile despite it.

Chloe could feel her lovers sadness. Feel it, like a physical thing, and she looked up at him. For the first time since she'd known him she understood the depth of him, how hard things hit him when he let them hit, and she couldn’t sit here and enjoy this when he was like that. It was an escape, a means to get away from reality, and her chin quivered as she looked at her lover.

And felt shame.

She quickly slipped off the sheets, dragging her shirt over her head, buttoning her pants, and fled as quickly as she could, tennis shoes thumping against the hardwood floor.

She grabbed her coat, her purse, and the door rang with her slam as she raced from the mansion. Oh, God. Oh, God. The cold air was fierce and her Lex, Clark, sha'nauch and she didn’t UNDERSTAND and she didn’t WANT to feel like this and she didn’t want this to have happened and she HATED ANY BEING WHO COULD DO THIS.

She was crying as she got into her car, blurry eyes barely allowing her to push the key into the ignition.

Whitney shot out after her without a word, feet pounding as he stayed only a few steps behind her, not calling out to her because he needed every bit of energy to keep up with her, and he just barely managed to throw himself into the passenger door as she got the key in and cranked up her car. "Chloe," he said softly, holding his arms out over the console.

She was sobbing, shaking with fury and hatred and she rubbed her face, scrubbed it with her palm free of Shayla. Her best friend but NOT SHA'NAUCH, and her mind screamed in rage as she kept trying with the key, shoving it at the hole and it wouldn’t go, and she screamed in fury as she leapt out of the car and threw her keys as hard as she could, into the snow. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Shayla was shocked as Chloe left, and she wrapped the blanket around her naked body as she followed Whitney to the bedroom door, and then leaned out in the hallway as both her friends disappeared from sight.

And it hit her, moments later, that everything Chloe had told her had to be true. She ended up on her ass as she blinked at her boyfriend.

When Whitney saw that Chloe wasn't going to come to his arms, he took matters into his own hands and dragged her over the console to nestle against him. "Chloe... sshhh..."

Pete had barely managed to tuck himself back in when he dropped down beside his girlfriend, eyes wide at her as he immediately took her in his arms, wrapping close around her as he watched Whitney and Chloe race out the door. And lowered his mouth to her ear. "Gonna tell me what’s going on now?"

"GOD DAMNIT!" She screamed, atop her lungs. "How, HOW can you be so calm?! How??? ITS NOT FUCKING FAIR!" She was so disillusioned with everything in her life, and bellowed her fury over it as she struck her lover. Not hard, her tiny hands in fists, and it was so much more then temper. "How could this have HAPPENED?!"

"Can't," she said quietly. "Promised Chloe I wouldn't, and it's so so important." She put her head against his shoulder. "And I can't help her."

Whitney shrugged. "I don't know. I just... I don't have anything to say, Chloe. I don't. It's just... so sad." He couldn't explain it any better than that. "I don't know how it could have happened, and I wish it hadn't. But we gotta help them deal with it."

He understood...if anything, Pete knew secrets. So he just nodded, stroking his girlfriends hair, and reached around her to help her up. "Come on, baby. Lets go get you cleaned up, okay?"

"I hate it when you’re like this!" Chloe screamed at him, pushing against him until she sobbed and leaned against him. "I hate it. I hate it, I hate it. You’re plastic, you’re emotionless, you can’t even look at me. I don’t want you sad anymore. You’re breaking my heart."

Shayla nodded. "Okay." She let Pete pull her up to her feet, and then wrapped his arms around her waist. "Pete? What would be the worst thing that you could ever think of happening to two people who love each other?"

Whitney held Chloe tightly to him. "I don't want to break your heart, Chloe. I don't know... I don't know how not to be sad right now. It's just... inside me. All that's inside me is sad. I love you, so much, I don't want to hurt you. I'm just... sad."

Pete gently wrapped his arms right back, hugging her close as they walked silently out of the room. He'd snagged her clothes, and now had her bra, shirt and jeans tucked close to his chest. "Prolly... one of them dying." Pete nodded. "Cancer. Terminal illness. Or a kid of theirs dying. My mom lost a baby, before all of us were born, and she said it was really sad, you know?"

"I hurt for you." Chloe muffled against his shirt, her tears wetting it as she held him close. "I’m so sad too. I’m so sad. Lex is destroyed." Chloe hiccupped a sob.

Shayla nodded. "Yeah." She rubbed her face against Pete's shoulder, leaning against him. "Pete... if anything like that ever happens to us, promise... promise you won't get all shut down and everything. Promise you'll let me in and not shut me out, kay?"

"Don't hurt for me, baby. I'll be okay." He held her close, cuddling her against his chest. "Ssssh... I'll be okay. We'll get through this."

"Shay, I promise you." Pete gently stroked his hands over her shoulders, holding her close as he led her to the steps, and walked up them. "I'll love you until the ends of the world."

~ * ~ * ~

Graham was about ready to kill someone. Like, perhaps, his darling precious son, who would not SHUT UP without making a nightly call to Lionel Luthor.

Thank God he'd found one of Lionel's speeches on television, being broadcast for God only knew what reason. He'd set Shane down in front of the TV and bam. Entranced. Thank God.

Then there was Lindy, who was rightfully worried out of her mind. There'd be several other messages on her answering machine, but Roddy hadn't been stupid enough to show his face around there again.

Finally? There was Toni. Who Lionel had nearly given him a heart attack over, and dear God, please don't let me kill him for that, Graham reflected dryly. There was, amazingly enough, utter silence in the house. Shane, Lindy and Ellie were gone for ice cream with Graham's pistol and one of Lionel's black-dressed bodyguards following her. Aaah, peace.

He headed for the bar, poured himself a shot of neat Irish whiskey, threw it back in a heartbeat, then picked up the bottle and carried it with him into the living room as he picked up the phone. Toni's number had long since been committed to his memory, and he dialed it quickly, without even thinking.

She was not sleeping. Okay? She wasn’t. Closing her eyes, sure. Reflecting deeply on the days events, of course. But snoring, and being startled from sleep, only to scream as he let got jostled around and her floppy broken foot rubbed the inside of the cast? Never.

Gilmore Girls was just ending and Toni stared at it a minute, before glancing towards the phone. Sitting on the coffee table. Just out of her reach.

Fuck.

She reached her hand over, as far as she could. Stretched... dammit! Not enough! More... more...

She grabbed it, wind-milled, and toppled off the couch, leg hitting the pillows she'd set on the floor for the very occasion after LAST time, and lay face first, voice muffled. "lo?"

"Hello, Darlin'."

Graham?

Now that was unexpected.

She sat up quickly, smoothing her hair as if he were sitting in the same room, and carefully got her guard up, bringing her free leg up to her chest and back to the couch. "Graham? I... hi. I wasn’t expecting you to... call. How are you?"

"I'm doin' all right, but the question is, how are you doin'? I heard from Lionel... said you were in the hospital?" Graham leaned back in the chair and took a deep swig from the bottle. Aaah, mother's milk. "Man damn near gave me a heart attack, and shaved another decade off m'life, I don't mind tellin' ya."

He'd been worried about her? What? "I’m doing fine, thanks for asking." A little shift. "How's Shane?"

"The little hooligan. I'm ready to pack him off down to Lion'l if he doesn't start calming down soon."

"That’s good. How are his teeth coming in?"

"They're coming along, and he's starting to pull himself along on his feet." Speaking of feet, he propped his own up on the coffee table, and kicked off his boots. "But'm more worried about how you're doin'."

"I’m... fine." To take a line from Dominic’s mouth, why the bloody hell had Graham called her? Wasn’t their fling over? He'd already shown more then once he wasn’t interested in her body. So what the fuck? "Graham, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anythin', darlin. Might even be able'ta answer."

"Why are you calling me?"

Graham blinked. "Because I care about ye, I'm concerned about ye, and I wanted to hear from ye. I hadta hear from Lionel about yer accident, and I still don't know the details."

A light shift. She had a sneaky feeling what was going on here, but she just shifted again. "Oh. I just thought… oh."

"Thought that ye'd never hear from me again?" Graham asked quietly.

"Honestly, yes, Graham." Toni shifted again, and swallowed. "I thought it was....it was just a Christmas time fling, you know? Not that it was much of a fling, but there you have it."

Graham sighed. "I'm sorry you thought that," he answered back softly, most of his accent disappearing as he tried to hide his disappointment. "Is that all you were lookin' for?"

"Do I look like the kind of woman who has holiday flings, Graham?"

"I wouldna thought I looked like the kind of man who did either."

"You don’t. I just thought... when you went home, and stuff..." Toni sighed and set her cheek on her upraised knee. God, dammit, she was still so deeply in love with him, even as she'd tried to squash every feeling for him she could. When people walked out of her life they walked for good, and she honestly hadn’t expected anything from him. But now... "You were really worried about me?"

"Aye, I was worried about ye. Lionel, asshole that he be, called me when you were in the hospital; made it sound like ye were dyin' and I thought that I was gonna die, right there with ye."

"Yeah?" Gooey. Ooey, gooey center. And she was trying so HARD not to let herself get like that, but damn. "Really? You mean that, sugar?" She had an idiot grin on her face, beaming at Fellie's enormous stuffed penguin on the couch.

"Yeah, I do. Ask 'im if you don'believe me. He c'n tell you, I was ready to kill him for teasin' me."

"I... I wasn’t lying, before." She said quietly, shifting the phone closer to her ear. "I don’t want just a holiday fling, Graham."

"I don't either, darlin'. If I don't kill anyone--which it's looking like I'm going to do--I should be back in Smallville by mid-February." He sighed. "I don't want just a fling, period. Holiday or otherwise."

"I miss you." A little sniffle. "A lot. Dominic doesn’t cut it... he's too gay. Felicia either. I really just... miss you."

"I miss you too, Toni. Was gonna ask if y'wanted to come here and help with the last of the work, but seein' as how you're lamed up... I canna."

"A book case fell on me." Toni sniffled again. Maybe her nose was just runny, okay people?! "I think I scared your brother. My foot was turned the other way."

"And just who do I need to yell at for not takin' care of my darlin' doctor, hmm? My idiot brother?" Graham discarded the bottle as a small smile spread across his bearded face.

"He saved me!" Oh, and yeah, Dominic? Her total hero. She shifted in her baggy t-shirt, climbing back on the couch with a humph and a sigh. "He picked up the book case when all Fellie was doing was running around like a chicken with her damn head cut off."

"Ah, so it's Miss Felicia I need to yell at. Tell me, how is she and the fine Sheriff of Smallville doing?" He leaned back in his chair. "Is she moved yet? Or can I still call her at her apartment and yell at her?"

"She's still in her apartment." Toni smiled, rubbing her cheek against her knee again as she snuggled under a pillow. "They’re doing really good... Fellie's all excited about moving and the baby. I’m really happy for her… she’s my sister and she's getting married. How bizarre." But she giggled.

"When's the weddin'?" Graham asked. "Or have they planned it yet? Can't believe that girl is gettin' married. I 'member when she and Morgan were going out... spitfire little thing, and obsessive."

"Unplanned, as of yet." She switched ears, pressing the receiver to her left ear as she snuggled closer under her blankets. "I’m kind of jealous of her though, sugar, as much as it pains me to admit it."

"Jealous of her?" Graham asked, shifting in the chair. "Why jealous? Because she's gettin' married to a man of the law?"

"Its kind of stupid." Toni sighed softly, playing with the edges of her blanket. "I always knew she'd be the first of us to settle down... but... yeah. I mean, she's got a fiancé, and a baby on the way, and a home and a life just waiting for her." A little shift. "its just… nice."

"Yeah?" He squared his shoulders. "Would ye like to maybe... settle down wi'me? When I come back, I mean?"

A moment. A long one, as she thought. And oh, how her heart bled when she finally came to the most logical conclusion. "Graham? You're not ready to have sex with me yet. What makes you think you'd be ready for a house and home, sugar?"

Graham was quiet for a moment too, examining his own conclusion, one he'd been mulling over since Lionel's phone call. "B'cause when I think of the new house in Smallville, I can't picture it without you in it."

Oh. Okay. There was a mini pep squad of squealing cheerleaders bellowing in her heart, and in her head. But she kept the tremor from her voice as she spoke. "Are you ready for that, Graham? Ready for a life like that with me? I don’t want you to end up heartbroken, and me out on my ass."

"Canna think of anythin' else," he confessed quietly. "I didn't realize just how deep inta me you got until Li'nel called. Realized how much you meant to me then, and I'da be a fool if I didn't say it."

He hadn’t been thinking of her in the same way she had him. But hey, she was used to that. She was used to falling hardcore with men. Renowned for it, actually. But she held the phone a little tighter, and her eyes got a little brighter. "Are you trying to tell me you have a thing for women who's feet get twisted all the way the wrong way?"

"I'm tryin' to tell ye that I've a thing for you." He closed his eyes as he said it, waiting for her reaction.

"Yeah? Well maybe I’ve got a thing back for you, Mr. Senatori." She answered quietly. Oh, and she felt all of twelve again, squealing in her head and holding the phone tight like that first boy calling her.

"And it's nice to hear I'm not alone in my thingdom," Graham teased quietly. "I'll ask ye again, y'know. Once I've gotten m'things moved and the house habitable."

"Okay." She pressed the phone to her heart then, and let her elation show. Just for a minute. Then back, pressing it close. "Are you sure about this, Graham? What if I’m just a fling?"

"I'm sure about it, darlin'. I wouldna felt like I was goin'ta die over a fling. I know meself, Toni, and I know what I feel."

"Graham?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"You're such a stud muffin."

Graham paused at that, mulled it over for a few seconds, as it hadn't been the comment he'd been expecting, and then burst out laughing.

Toni grinned into the phone, pretending to whine as she did so. "Its not funny! I meant it!"

"I ::choke, wheeze:: know you did ::cough:: darlin!" His eyes were watering from the laughter, from the sheer, near-hysterical anti-climax.

She heard him gasping for breath and just about died, laughing right back. "Well you are. I mean, you're kind, and sweet, and so sexy I don’t know how you can stand gazing into the mirror every day and not getting off. You’re just… and you’re so funny, and wonderful, and yeah. So stop laughing!"

Graham pounded his fist on the chair. "You... you... me... the mirror... oh Christ Jesus, Toni, yer gonna be the death o'me!!" He sucked in deep breaths as fast as he could. "You're not too shabby yourself, darlin', especially when you're wearin' just a sheet from my bed."

Her voice, and face, went wicked around the edges as a smile of pure, feline female awareness crossed her face. "Caught that, huh?"

"Twas kind of hard ta miss it."

"What can I say? I find you devilishly attractive. I want to sleep with you, its not exactly a secret. But I’m willing to wait for the whole prize, instead of half the enchilada." She nodded it, still grinning as she wriggled her toes hanging out of her cast.

Graham sobered slightly. "And I want to sleep with you, my darlin'. Some nights I can barely sleep with the want of ye, to taste ye, I want you so badly."

Oh. Hello. Her eyebrows popped up... her belly went mushy, and her heart pitter pattered. "Yeah? Why didn’t you ever say so?"

"Because I didn't want to take advantage of the fact that you wanted me. I wanted us both to know how we felt, 'fore we did anythin' we'd regret."

"Oh." A little wince. "So...because I threw myself at you, you waited? Oh." She swallowed a sigh. "I’ve done that before. Push men away. They find me a little intense sometimes."

"Oh no, darlin'. I waited because I hadn't felt the urge to touch another woman in almost a year." He gave a soft laugh. "Wanted to make sure I was thinkin' with the head on my shoulders."

"Really?" Okay. See? That was much better, and she smiled, deeply, deeply romanced. "You waited so you wouldn’t take advantage, because you want me that much? Graham, riskin' the mood but aweeeeee!!!!!!"

Graham's chuckle was a lot louder that time. "Aye, I waited so I wouldn't be takin' advantage of ye. I don't use people, and I don't throw them away either." He paused. "Especially a woman as beautiful as you."

"Shut up. I’m not shallow. Okay, I’m a little shallow. But I can't tell you what a relief that is. Sweetie, I thought I was comin' on too strong... probably was, regardless, but its nice knowing you've got a yen for me." She smiled. "Cause I’ve got a yen and a half for you."

"Comin' on too strong? Never. Big man, thick skin, thicker head. Gotta get through it somehow," he reassured her. "But if it helps, I was never in doubt of your... affection for me." That was said with a wicked grin and a teasing edge.

"You can kiss my skinny black ass." But she smiled back. "Gotta make sure, you know. Mark the territory. The girls in town are sniffing, and I’m passing skunk to get them away from my man."

"They can sniff all they want to, but this man? Got no interest in anyone but you."

-fin-

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