The Memoirs

Chloe was addicted to Chicago.

Really. She loved it. The musical, the movie, the CD. She had Catherine Zeta Jones on her wall, after all.

And that's what she was thinking about, as she held her bestest bestest best friend in the whole world close to her side as they drove.

They'd just left Pete's house on the complaint that they were all starving, and rather than poke around for healthy stuff in Pete's kitchen, they were headed to McDonalds, then to her house where the soda was flowing. Not that she could drink it. God, she'd kill for a Pepsi. Just one.

Sigh.

Her best friend was a wreck, and who wouldn't be? God. Chloe closed her eyes tightly, gently stroking her arm as she smiled across at her. They'd decided to have a good day out, ignore all that was going on and just be together. Even if it was weird without Clark... Clark and Lex. Just the four of them. But Lex wouldn't leave the hospital and Clark wouldn't leave Lex, so they were here together.

Pete glanced at the rearview mirror as he cruised. He'd been on driving duty which suited him just fine, even if it was Shay's car, and she had more pink fluffy princess stuff in here than the whole of Legally Blond. But that was alright, he didn't mind. "Whitney, we still on to catch the game tonight?"

"Yeah, far as I know we are." He looked over at Pete, as he'd been stuck in the front seat so the two girls could sit in the back seat together. "But, we're gettin' moved to your place, because I'm getting kicked out in favor of Shay sleeping over, so whatever we do's gonna be at your place." Not that he would have said anything to Chloe, because he loved her and didn't want to upset her, and because he actually kind of liked Shayla, for all the fluttering pinkness, but... just no more hospitals for him. No more hospitals, no more sickness, and please, God, no more dying. He'd put up with way too much of it lately, and he was still feeling raw and scraped. If he had to go through those doors one more time, might seriously decide to go crazy.

And if Lex never left the hospital, then Shayla never set foot in it. So in an odd, Karmic way, it evened out. She felt Chloe stroking her arm, but felt strangely detached from her body all the same, as though she were just watching herself go through the motions and talk and do what she was supposed to do. She just couldn't sit in a chair by Morgan's bed and not see him vibrating with nervous energy and babbling about the need to get the fuck out.

Surprisingly enough, she'd been allowed to take the exams early because of the family situation, and Lex and pulled strings to get the rest of them done too, and now they were all done with school, earlier than usual but nobody seemed to question it. She knew she should have been at the hospital but she couldn't stand being there. She'd find out in a couple of weeks if she'd passed or failed, but in the long run, she knew it didn't really matter.

At the moment, not very much did.

Yeah, Pete knew what Whitney meant. He could see it in his face. The death of his mum was still too fresh, too new, and Pete got that. So he just drove quietly, trying to instill some cheer in his girlfriend as he smiled back at her. "We can hit the video store before we get to the house... if you want to get some of those romcoms you girls are crazy over. Ugh. Hugh Grant."

"Hugh's a hunk, Petey, and don't you forget it." Chloe chided, even as she squeezed Shayla's hand...then linked their arms together, and set her head on Shay's quietly. "Definitely not forgetting it. But no, its totally okay... my dad subscribed us to HBO and stuff, and they're having Kate and Leopold tonight. Meg Ryan fest."

"Yeah. And Hugh Jackman. Hugh must be a hot name. Or something." She squeezed Chloe's arm back, and blinked, trying to return the smile that her boyfriend gave her, but not quite able to muster one up.

Whitney hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "You see what I'm subjected to? I gotta watch Sense and Sensibility one more damn time, and I'm gonna hide the tape."

"Hey!" Chloe, for her part, looked shocked. "Excuse me. Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant making googley eyes at one another is good movie going fair. You butthead." She gave her friend a little grin, then hugged her snuggled against her, smiling and trying to get her to smile too. "You know what we should get from McDonalds? A milkshake. A huge one. Vanilla and strawberry. We can share it, what do you say?"

"As long as I can watch, I'll buy you anything you want." Pete said innocently, eyebrow raised at the rearview mirror as he gave a little snicker.

Whitney rolled his eyes, and did a high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Oh, Hugh, I love you, but I can't marry you because you're above my station!" Then he dropped his voice to a deep pitch. "Oh, Emma, I love you too, but I can't marry you because I've already got a fiancée that my mother will hate, and I don't need another one. My mother has me whipped, don't you know?" High pitched squeal again. "Oh, of course I understand, Hugh! I will be the tragic heroine waiting for you, one day!!"

Shayla gave a little smile, and snuggled up to Chloe just a little more. "You've got the pitch wrong. Hugh Grant's voice has never been that deep."

Chloe smiled at her, happy to see the little smile, and giggled at her boyfriend. "And besides, women didn't have the rights we do now back then. They had to get married, they couldn't work. If they didn't get married they had to rely on the other men in their lives… uncles, cousins, grandfathers, whatever, to take care of them. They had to get married, and Hugh was just dumb, because he had the secret fiancée and he got Emma's hopes all up. She thought she was finally going to be able to support her sisters and all. So hush, you!"

"Feminism, 101." Pete muttered as he took a left on main street, ducking the smacks he knew would come.

"Right, and so Alan Rickman has to swoop in and save his ass when he's disinherited. Hell, he ends up saving everybody's ass in that movie."

Chloe gave a long, lusty sigh. "Oh, Alan Rickman."

Pete groaned and slapped his forehead. "Whitney, now you've done it. You should know better than to mention that man in Chloe's presence. Shay's too, for that matter. They get all lusty over guys who are older than them, its gross and wrong and Chloe, don't you say a word!"

She opened her mouth to squeal and closed it with a click at Pete's glare.

"Lionel is kinda cute, now that you mention it. For a guy his age, he's got a great ass." But it was said without enthusiasm or vigor; rather, she said it because she always said it, and it was expected for her to say it."

"Don't I know." Whitney rolled his eyes. "Alan Rickman this, Snape that. If I didn't know better--" And here he tossed a little kiss back to his girlfriend. "--I'd be having an inferiority complex. Not to mention the fact that..." He snapped his mouth shut. "Well, never mind. It's a fact not to mention, so I'm not mentioning." No way was he going to mention Dominic and Chloe's crush on him. No way in hell.

Chloe knew it, and her heart dropped out as she squeezed Shayla's arm tightly, and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "We can hang out tonight. Dad's working... you boys can stay over until the game starts or whatever. Shay and I are gonna have a great time." A nod, and a little smile at the both of them. "Plus, Snape's so fuckable its scary. But hey, Pete, don't miss the entrance again, its this turn, not the next."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You nearly hit a mailbox and you're never trusted again." Pete muttered as he flipped his lights on, his windshield wipers going gently as he waited for an opening in traffic to turn.

"I think Chloe's just used to Lex's driving, where if you don't point something out, you fly by it at supersonic speed." She rubbed her cheek with her hand, scratching a bit of an itch on the one Chloe didn't kiss. "I trust your driving."

Whitney snorted as he half-turned in his seat. "That's because you weren't here during the famous Mailbox Incident."

"It wasn't a big mailbox! And we were able to get some glue and nails in, weren't we? Mr. Rubenstein never noticed the difference." Pete was blushing furiously but he ignored it as he found his gap and pushed through, into the parking lot of the only McDonalds in town.

"Yeah. Your mom never did believe the whole, 'we hit a deer' thing, though, did she?" Chloe asked, eyebrow up high.

"I can't believe you told her that you hit a damn deer. I thought Lana was going to have a cow, and it took me fucking forever to get her to shut up about it." Rolled his eyes at that.|

Shay gave another little smile. "A deer, Pete? You'd rather say you hit a deer than a mailbox?"

Pete blushed all the harder under his girlfriends amusement. "Well... well, yeah. Cause you don't know Mr. Rubenstein. He's got a cane that can crack your head open, girl." A little, shy glance behind him before he pulled into the line waiting at the drive through. "Alright, what's everyone getting?"

"Um... I want two Big Macs, super size fry, super size Dr. Pepper, a box of chicken McNuggets, and a double cheeseburger." Whitney raised one hip up so he could pull out his wallet.

"Get me a McRib combo, with no onions." Shay considered how upset her stomach was feeling versus the fact she knew her friends would have a fit if she didn't eat. "No supersize, though."

"Want them to fry you up the cow in the kitchen? Throw in a chicken or two?" Pete asked, eyes wide as he stared at his friend and drove up another few feet.

"I want... mmm... Chicken nuggets. Yep. And fries. No coke, though." Sad little sigh. "Maybe lemonade. You got it, Whitney? I have some change if you don't."

"Yeah, I got it, don't worry about it." He actually had most of his paycheck left in his wallet, close to five hundred dollars, but he didn't tell anyone he was carrying that kind of cash around. He blushed when Pete ribbed him. "What? I'm hungry, all right? I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Yeah, but, Whit? Breakfast? Like, four hours ago, man."

Pete grinned at him anyway. "Don't worry. I get it. The taller you are, the more food you need. I watched Clark tear through a Church potluck once, man." A shudder. "He put away two chocolate cakes, two chickens, a rump roast, and a potato casserole, in ten minutes." He inched up as the person ahead of them drove around the building and rolled his window down as he came to a stop.

Steve hated his job. But? It was a job. And it was only temporary. Once summer hit for real, and people started needing Graham Senatori's business, then Whitney had promised to hire him over at Fordman's, which was a hell of a lot more preferable than going home every night smelling like French fry grease. "Welcome to McDonald's, can I take your order please?" Same fucking thing he'd said to every other dumbass who came through.

"Hey, Stevie! Dude. Get us the cow and fry it up!" Pete smirked at Whitney beside him, but it was only teasingly. "I need a McRib combo, no onions, coke. Two Big Macs, supersized fry, super size doctor pepper, two ten piece chicken nuggets, and a double cheeseburger. And a double quarter pounder, no onions, and a coke."

Chloe kissed Shayla's cheek again, softly, then turned her face softly to kiss her lips, and whispered as the boys horsed around, "You okay sweetie?"

"Holy crap, Pete, how many people are you feeding?" He paused as he punched the order into the register. "Let me guess; you got Whitney Bunyan in the car with you?"

Shayla shook her head as Chloe brushed a soft kiss against her lips. "no. I'm not okay. In no sense of the word."

"Yep." Pete snickered, then. "Tell me if you need a repeat, man."

"I know, honey. But I'm here for you, you know?" Chloe whispered, quietly, and set her temple on Shays as they snuggled close together. "And everything will end up being okay. You know they will, honey, its just a matter of time."

"Nah, I'm just gonna read it back, and you tell me if I got it all." He squinted at the screen. "I got... a McRib combo no onions and coke, two Big Macs, supersize fry and supersize Dr. Pepper, two ten piece McNuggets, a double cheeseburger, and a coke."

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad you're here, too. I don't know what I'd do without you. Without all you guys, actually." She squeezed Chloe's hand tightly. "You guys are the first like, real friends I've had, and it's just... it's easier, a little bit."

"Yeah… I think that's it... no, wait, you forgot the Double quarter pounder." Pete answered, half leaning out the window.

"Of course it is. And we love you, don't you forget it." Chloe said softly, as she squeezed right back and hugged her close. First generation and second generation." She led their hands to her rounded belly. "Though Joseph doesn't know you yet."

"Okay, right. Adding the double quarter pounder with no onions. How could I forget that?" He punched that in, and sighed. "That's $22.38, please drive around to the first window and don't hit it."

Shay stroked her fingers over Chloe's stomach. "Joseph, huh? I can live with that. Hey, little Joe, whaddya know?"

"Oh, thanks, thanks so much." Pete snickered, and stuck his head back in as he pulled the engine out of park and cruised around the building. He stopped in front of the window and jiggled until he could lift his hips, tugging his own wallet out of his back pocket. "You get half and I'll get half." Pete muttered at Whitney, as he counted out eleven dollars and a quarter from his wallet.

"Not too loud, though." Chloe smiled at her friend. "Whitney doesn't know yet. I just have to get him used to the idea."

"That sounds about right, cause half that food is mine anyway." He counted out the other eleven dollars, and then went in his pocket again for fifteen cents. He elbowed Pete as he passed it over. "Keep the change man."

Steve rung up the money, and handed Pete two pennies back. "Here you go." Then he passed over a small bag full of straws, napkins, ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and nugget dipping sauce. "Anything else I can get for you folks today?"

"I won't tell." She kept her fingers stroking across where the baby was growing. "Little kid, your aunt Shay's gonna teach you how to dye your hair and paint your nails black, and I'll buy you your first dog collar when you're a year old."

"Naw, that's it man. Second window?"

"That's the spirit." Chloe whispered, eyes dancing as she looked at her friend. "He's gonna be adorable, you know. Look just like Whitney." She lowered her voice even more. "Whitney doesn't know I already know the sex, either. So shh, okay?"

"Yeah, roll on up. Your stuff might take a while cause you got the no onions things, but they'll have to make it fresh so it'll be hot." He nodded. "See you guys later?"

Whitney leaned over, half in Pete's lap. "You still wanna work the store this summer? Come by this weekend, and I'll get you set up and started, kay?"

"No shit?" Steve's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you Jesus!" He beamed. "I'll be there with bells on, and thank you!"

Shay just nodded and shushed, snuggling back into the seat as she stared out the car windows.

"Sure. Hey dude, what time do you get off?" Pete could have cared less that he was holding up the line. "Whit and I are gonna catch the game at my house. Come over whenever you get off, you can at least catch some of it."

Chloe snuggled Shay close, gently, and let her lean against her a bit as they looked outside.

Steve looked at his watch. "Should be gettin' off at three, man. Seven AM shift blows, but you get the afternoon at least. Should be off at four, lemme go home, shower, wash the grease off, and be at your place at four?"

"Kick ass. See you then!" Pete gave him a wave and cruised up to the second window, setting the car in park to wait for them to finish their food. He glanced back at the girls, realizing for the first time they'd been whispering, and rose a brow. "What're you both conspiring about back here?"

"Whether I can coerce Shay into hot girl love." Chloe deadpanned easily.

"Right now, I'm waffling," Shay added, her fingers stroking across Chloe's stomach gently, obvious that she was moving her fingers but not so obvious to the boys in the front seat where she was touching. "Depends on how I feel after I eat." She definitely wasn't smiling.

Whitney just raised an eyebrow. "When girls conspire in whispers, boys are very, very afraid."

Pete's eyebrows rose at his girlfriends serious face but he didn't say anything, just glancing at Whitney and shaking his head. "Dude. Amen to that. You ask, and you'll get your head gnawed off the stump."

"Not just that? I'm usually very, very afraid of what she's whispering about. Because it usually ends up with leather and/or oh, Whitney, could you come here please, I need your help with.... Neither of those fill me with a great deal of positiveness."

"Leather? Lucky bastard." Pete said wistfully, even as he smiled back at Shay to show he was teasing her. He didn't like the look she had on her face, and after he accepted the two bags of food from the girl, and set the little tray of sodas on the floor at Whitney's feet, he drove out of the drive through and parked easily. "Whit, why don't you drive? Gonna sit back with Shay for a bit, if that's alright with you guys."

"Yeah, it's okay by me." She squeezed Chloe's hand gently. "It's okay. I'll be okay; it's Pete," she said softly, hugging her friend tightly. "Go, sit in the front seat, stretch your legs out, get comfy." She paused. "Tell Whit how to drive."

Whitney reached over his shoulder and flipped her the bird. "I can drive."

"Sure. That's why your insurance rate is near four digits and you've bent up three trucks."

"Baby, you can't drive." Chloe answered, even as she wriggled out of the seat, unbuckled herself, and climbed out of the car with a light oomph. it was getting more and more difficult these days to navigate all the weight she'd gained but she did it, albeit slightly clumsily, as she walked around the car.

Pete helped Chloe around the car before sliding in beside Shay. He set the food bags on the floor at his feet, making sure they were closed tight, and snuggled in close to his girlfriend.

"I can drive," Whitney groused again. "One lousy accident, and you pay for it for the rest of your damn life."

"Hey," Shay said quietly, straightening up and letting Pete slide in behind her, then leaning back against him, head resting on his shoulder as her eyes closed and she breathed him in. "Mmm. You smell good."

"Course I do." Pete answered quietly, kissing her hair softly, her neck, before he hugged her close. He was sure she felt like strawberries and cream snuggled up to him, smelled like it too, and he breathed in the smell of her hair as he held her close to his chest. "So do you."

"Sorry I keep bringing everybody down," she apologized softly, cuddling in close and burrowing tightly against him, making herself even smaller as she curled in his lap.

"Why should you? If it were one of my brothers Id feel the same way, Shay. I don't blame you, baby. We all want you to feel better, even if its just a little. He's gonna be okay, we all know he's gonna be okay. Okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I know he will be. It's just... it's hard, you know? He's always been this... rock. Even when you and I were having problems a few months ago, he was my rock. Anything went wrong? Call Morgan. If I wanted a new outfit or something that Graham wouldn't let me have? Ask Morgan, and he got it for me. He talked Graham into getting me the car, and when Graham caught you and me together? Morgan wouldn't let him do anything to us."

"I know." Pete gently stroked her hair, very gently and very softly. "I know, baby, but don't worry, okay? I mean it. I know its hard, but you have to have faith, and you have to be his rock now, just for a little while. You know he'll wake up and be pissed as hell that they shaved his head, right?" He tried to make her smile, even a little. "He's gonna just go off."

"Yeah," she said, with a little hiccup. He'll have a fit. But he'll get over it. I just... I can't be there, as much as I want to. I just can't. I can't see him lying there so... so... lifeless."

"Hush. Come on. Tell me about what we're gonna do this summer. I saved some money, you know." Alright, since making her smile wasn't going to work, and Shay's tears horrified him, he plowed on, as Whitney began to drive. "We can go on vacation anywhere you want to."

She gave a little shake of her head, and her voice hiccupped again when she spoke. "I can't... can't think of leaving town. Not... not until Morgan wakes up. I can't leave."

"Not until he wakes up, but later. Okay? You, me, Chloe, Whitney, Lex and Clark. We'll go lay out on some beach for a while, kay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. A beach sounds good. White sand and blue water."

"Definitely. And hey, if we're lucky, we'll get to go before Chloe's ready to have her baby. Right?" A little smile at her, hoping against hope to lighten her mood. He leaned down and brushed his ample lips across her lovely freckles, gently kissing them softly on the bridge of her nose.

She nodded. "Before the baby comes," she echoed softly, and found his hands around her waist. She squeezed them tightly, linking their fingers together, and leaving her head back on his shoulder. "I'm so scared, Pete."

"Don't be scared, baby. Have faith." Pete said softly as he squeezed her hands, tightly. "I love you so much. I have faith in you, and now you gotta have faith in those doctors, and your brother. And Lionel. Lionel won't let anything happen, he's too much of a bastard."

She gave a little shake of her head. "I don't. I don't have faith in anybody but Morgan, and I don't know if he's... nobody will say it around me, but they think he's going to die, and that's why they won't let Gran come."

Pete's eyebrows knit tightly. He turned Shayla's head with thumb and forefinger, tipping her head back to look at him. "Do you believe that?"

"I don't know what I believe," she confessed. "I didn't think so at first, but then, it's gone on so long, and more and more people are doing that let's not talk about this while Shay's around thing, and Lionel's looking like crap warmed over and so's Lex, Clark's trying to be brave but he's sucking at it, and it's just... I don't know."

"Whatever happens, I'm here for you." Pete murmured, and kissed her forehead, then her temple, very softly. "I'm always here for you. Instead of bottling things up, you can always come to me, and I'll listen and be a shoulder to cry on."

"I know you are," she said softly. "And I know I can, I just... I feel weird about burdening you with all of my problems."

"Really? Because I had such a hard time dumping my Dick issues on you?" Pete rose a brow and chastised with it at the same time. "Please. Shay, really, I am more than willing to take anything you need me to. I want to."

"I know you are," she said firmly. "And in any other case? I'd let you, in a heartbeat. But this... I don't know how I'm dealing with this, and I'm the one that it's happening to. And I can't drop all this crap on you right now, because you've got your own stuff to worry about this summer, helping take care of the kids, those dance classes for the Boys and Girls club, plus God only knows what else Clark is going to get into."

"Shay." Pete's eyebrows furrowed even further, and he grasped her shoulder, gently but firmly. "You are my first priority. Don't push me away. I'm here for you to ask for help--our relationship isn't a one way street. Please. let me help you, baby, with whatever you need. Don't push me away."

"I'm not pushing you away." She opened her eyes then, and turned over onto her side. "I love you, Pete. God knows I can't handle this without you. I just... I don't even know how I'm feeling right now, you know? Once I know, then... then you can help me deal with it, or not deal with it, or whatever." She wrapped her arms around his neck and just held on, tightly as she could.

"Okay." He nodded his ascent, holding her close, tightly, as if any minute she'd slip away. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here. I love you, you know."

"I know, baby, and I love you." She rubbed her cheek against his neck. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"For now, why don't you enjoy your time with Chloe? Do her hair, watch some mushy movies, eat junk food." Pete murmured, kissing her temple, her hair, and hugging her close as they turned down Chloe's street. "Almost there, Whit?"

Shay just nodded as she clung to her boyfriend, holding him tight and trying not to cry.

Whitney looked up in the mirror, and nodded. "Like, two minutes."

"Cool. We should tuck the girls in, then scoot, kay? Cause… I feel all clumsy and guyish right about now." He muttered, hugging Shayla close to his chest as her chin trembled.

Whitney nodded. "I can do that. We'll get them settled in, split up the food, and then head to your house. Let them get going with the chick flick festival, of whatever it is they call it when they watch all those movies with those old English farts."

"Hey! I resent that!" Chloe cried, smacking Whitney on the arm. "Did you hear that, Shay? OLD! Please! Like Hugh is old! You are a terrible man and have no sense about what a good movie is if it doesn't have bombs and blood in it! Uncivilized harridan!"

"HEY!" he bellowed. "Are you sure it's such a good idea to be hitting the driver?" Whitney demanded, glaring.

Chloe glared at him. "Baby, not to be rude or anything, but if you were going any slower I'd get out and push. I'm sure that hitting you is not going to hurt a damn fly."

Whitney glared right back. "Just so you know, you were the one who was bitching about how I couldn't drive, and how I have bad insurance rates. You'd think you'd be happy if I was careful, what with my pregnant girlfriend. But noooo. It's all about speed." He was fighting to keep a straight face. "You've never complained about me being slow any other time."

"Oh, honey, I complained just last night because you wouldn't speed up. or does your memory so soon deceive you?" Chloe's voice was all sugar and spice, her eyelashes bat innocently against her cheek as she gave him her most gentle, pretty smile.

"Oh... naw, man. I don't need to hear about that." Pete groaned, and pretended to slap a hand to his face in exasperation.

"Then shush, and let me," Shay teased, snuggling close. "Just for the record? I like it when Pete goes slow. He's got just the right touch."

Whitney glared. "You want me to move faster, yeah, but if I got to the finish line first? You'd geld me, and you know it."

Chloe grinned up at him, happy to hear Shay teasing in the back seat as she winked at Whitney. "Of course I would. We just need to build up your stamina, sweetie pie." A condescending pat to his cheek.

"We do not!" Whitney bellowed, rattling the car frame. "My stamina is just FINE!!!"

A glance up, and Chloe's face was very innocent. "Really? Are you sure? Think you can keep up with little ole me?"

Pete was both choking on his snorts and trying to cover his face with one hand and groan. Cause damn, that shit was funny. And damn, he was not wanting to listen to this. But he couldn't help it. "I volunteer to see how fine it is!" He called out, wickedly, eyes dancing as he squeezed Shay's hand in amusement.

"Now, I wouldn't mind seeing that." Chloe giggled wickedly.

"Come to think of it, neither would I," Shay said musingly. "Just for... you know, the sake of stamina testing, cause I'd put Pete's up against anybody's in the world."

"NOBODY IS SEEING ANYTHING!" Whitney roared, face red as a tomato as he tried driving with his eyes glued to the mirrors and his girlfriend, alternating his evil glares.

"I do have amazing stamina, don't I?" Pete asked her, but he was smiling as he leaned in to nuzzle her cheek...then grinned, wickedly, at Whitney.

Chloe just hummed cheerfully and wriggled in her seat. "I love being a swinger, have I mentioned that lately?"

Whitney's glare went up a notch in ferocity. "Clark and Lex," he growled. "You want to discuss my stamina? Go talk to Clark. He's the ONLY one who's going to know, other than my girlfriend!!"

"And Lex!" Chloe said sweetly.

Pete grinned again, and bit his lip. "Chloe, babe, you can come hide at my house after Whit goes postal on your very pregnant, beautiful ass, babe."

"You can hide under the bed. There's tons of shit under there, we can fit you no problem."

Whitney's veins were almost popping out of his forehead. "CHLOE DAWN SULLIVAN!"

"Well, he did fuck you. And it was very sexy." Chloe muttered musingly, thinking back on it. "And you most certainly seemed to enjoy it. Clark was riding you at the time, wasn't he?" She was so dead. But she couldn't help it, because it was so fun to exasperate her lover.

Pete was choking on the laughter as he saw Whitney's veins out of the corner of his eye pop, grinning into his hand as he sideglanced Shay. "You know, Chloe," He said conversationally, "That really is a sexy mental. You should take pictures next time."

"Maybe mount them on a collage. The Secret Life of Sha'nauch."

"If you don't shut up? I'm going to ram us all into the nearest power pole," Whitney snarled, glaring daggers at his girlfriend. "If Clark and Lex knew were discussing their sexual habits with anyone? They'd kill us both."

"No, they wouldn't." Chloe smiled. "Pete and Shay aren't anyone. They're Pete and Shay. Plus, Lex doesn't mind, he's an exhibitionist, and I think Clark is too." Teasingly said, even as she winked at him and squeezed his thigh gently. "Don't pass the house, baby."

"Then they can tell them, not us!" Whitney cut the wheel quickly, taking the turn on two wheels, then the other two set down with a little squeal as he glared.

"Yeah, it's just us. I mean, we've dragged their naked asses off Lex's office ceiling before. This stuff? Not at all shocking there, man." Shay snorted, and burrowed back against her boyfriend.

"Yeeah, I figure once you step in a dude's jizz, the whole barrier thing pretty much gets taken down. Dude. We saw them naked more than once, Shay. But yeah, the whole dragging off the ceiling thing was the funniest fucking thing ever. I fucking love that, that's some funny shit." But he grasped the door handle as Whitney cut the wheel too sharply, and he squeaked. "Dude, settle on down, you've got your pregnant girlfriend next to you. The wheelies are for the driving track on Saturday night."

Whitney just snarled. "Stop backseat driving," he growled.

"You know, this is how Lionel drives," Shay said conversationally. "Me and him and Morgan and Lex and Lindy all went together to the office once, and this is how he drove."

Which of course became an open invitation. "Don't forget to yield up the street."

Morgan. Oh, and Chloe's heart clenched a little, even as she grinned. "Poor Lionel. Mr. Luthor, anyway. He's got to drive Clark batty when they drive, cause Clark's just like Whitney. He's got like, fifteen super powers at his fingertips, and yet he drives a thirty five in a fifty mile zone."

Whitney flipped Pete off over his shoulder. "I prefer to think of it as being safe. Would you prefer the bat out of hell method that the Luthors apparently adopted?"

Shay swallowed hard, but kept talking. "It drives Morgan nuts; he swears Lex is out to kill him and every cow in..." Her voice hitched. "... in Smallville," she finished.

Pete had the mental image of leaning forward to suck on that flipped off finger, just to see what Whitney would do, before his mind turned to Shay's hiccupping beside him. His heart clenched with guilt and sadness as he held her close to his chest, kissing her jaw, her temple, her hair. "Well, if I remember, Lex has killed two since he moved here. About right, Chloe?"

"And a deer. Which he had to get scraped off the grill of his SUV." Chloe nodded from the front seat, and heaved a loud, dramatic sigh.

Shayla just burrowed in against his shoulder like she was trying to crawl into her boyfriend's skin, and kept her face hidden against his neck.

"Yeah, and if you'll notice? No dead animals on my driving record. Not to mention the fact that all of my cars? Wrecked during freak attacks or natural disasters."

"Freak attacks are natural disasters around these parts." Chloe reminded, even as she turned her eyes to Chloe. "its okay, honey. Don't cry. Don't cry, baby, it breaks my heart. Everything's going to be okay, you know that."

"Guy's to stubborn to die." Pete nodded, and kissed her hair as he rocked her close. "You know that."

Shayla just nodded, keeping her face against Pete's neck and muffling her words, though she didn't mean to. "I know, I just can't help it."

Whitney didn't say anything as he looked into the rearview mirror, and then put his eyes back on the wheel, and just drove. There wasn't anything he could say that wouldn't make her feel worse.

"Yes, you can help it. Damn right you can. You know, about four years ago Dogwood was in a hell of an accident. Huge one. Had to take him out of the car with the jaws of life. Punctured his liver, god knows what else." Pete admitted, quietly, seeing Chloe's surprised glance out of the corner of his eye but ignoring it. He'd never talked about what happened with her, even if she and Clark had been there for him, but he just couldn't look at her right now. "Was in the hospital for a good month. And now, lookit him, baby."

"Really? I just... he's so still, Pete. He's so still and quiet and not moving or saying anything, and you know my brother. He... he vibrates like a fucking pinball, and he's not and it's scary and I hate it, and I'm scared because nobody's talking to me, and everybody's treating me like I'm five and not saying anything in front of me, and I know he's dying even though they won't say it and I can't help being scared and upset!" she exploded, and about two seconds later she burst into all the tears she'd been trying to hold back.

"Fuck." Pete murmured as she started bawling. He had been waiting for it, sure, but sitting here in the car? Not what he'd pictured. He didn't care though, he just wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close, his heart exploding with pain for her as she sobbed into his neck. He held her, tightly, closely, even as Chloe gave a keening sob in the front seat. "Its okay, baby. Its okay, don't cry baby, don't cry."

"it's not okay," she sobbed. "It's not okay, and it won't be okay until he wakes up and is all right!"

"I know. I mean, its okay for you to cry. I'm sorry, that's what I meant. You ca cry if you want, I'm here." He kissed her cheek, her hair, her tears, and hugged her close to his chest. "Whitney man, get us to the house."

"I'm going," he said, pushing his foot down harder on the accelerator. "I'm going as fast as I can."

Shayla's arms wrapped around Pete and hugged, tightly. "I know you are, and I love you for it, and I shouldn't have yelled."

"Yes, you should. Hey, I'm here for the abuse. You're my girl, and I just... I hurt to see you so sad. I wish I could help you, baby, but all I can do is let you cry. Which I'm good for." And he was, more than enough good. "I love you so much baby."

"I love you," she bawled, just weeping as loudly as she could into his shoulder. "I love you so much."

Whitney kept his foot heavy on the accelerator, watching the houses whiz by. "We're almost there, Shay. Hang tight."

Chloe grasped the car door and looked out the window at the houses as they flew by, the cars and people walking, and knew they were going to get stopped by the cops but she didn't care.

All she knew, all she understood, was that everyone's life had been affected by this, and it was sad and terrible, and her friend's sobs broke her heart in two.

Shayla couldn't seem to stop the sobs that shook her little frame, and the tears were blurring her eyes and making her head all stuffy and miserable, and she only clung harder to Pete as Whitney took another curve on two wheels.

Whitney's foot barely eased off the gas pedal as they slung around the last corner before Chloe's house, but they were a straight shot until the driveway, and he knew it by now like the back of his hand. "Here we are, Shay, look. We're on Chloe's street."

Chloe didn't say anything until the car was stopped. She let out a long breath and opened the car door, heaving herself out of the car and going around to open Pete's door. Shay was crying, hysterically from where Chloe could see, and she motioned Pete out as she untangled her housekeys from her purse and tossed them to her boyfriend.

Pete slid out, carefully, quietly, and then in a very uncharacteristic move lifted Shayla into his arms. He shifted until she was set well in his arms and kept her buried just as she was against his skin, carrying her around the car to the front door.

Whitney caught the keys in one hand, mid-stride as he headed towards the front door. He jiggled the lock masterfully, slipping the key in and pushing the door open without a second's delay, getting out of the way and going to the sofa and standing by the open door with a blanket to wrap around her when they came in, not really knowing anything else to do.

Shayla was crying hysterically, unable to stop and only breathing in sharp little gulping hiccups as she just wrapped her arms around Pete and squeezed, not even realizing she was being moved.

Pete didn't either, but he knew she needed him, and being needed was good. So, he carried her into the house after Chloe stepped in, quietly carrying her to the couch and setting her gently on it. "Chloe, get her some water, kay? Shay... Shay, baby, take a deep breath honey. Come here." He sat beside her and held her close to his chest, rocking her softly and stroking her sweaty hair from her eyes.

Whitney, for all of his huge size, was actually very good at blending in with the wallpaper, and he did that just now, fading back into one of the corners of the room and getting out of the way of the people who seemed to know what they were doing.

Shay tried to breathe like Pete was telling her, but she was crying so hard, all she could get were little pants and gulps as she choked them down, hiccupping and sobbing insanely as she rubbed her hand against her chest.

Chloe stood quietly in the kitchen for a moment, gathering her bearings as she opened the cabinet beside the sink and took down a glass. her fingers were shaking as she did it and she breathed again to get them to stop. In truth, she was terrified, not just for Dominic and Lionel, but her sha'nauch. If something were to happen... Chloe didn't know how Lex and his father could handle it without the animosity returning, and she bit her lip, tightly, as she filled the glass with ice from the ice maker in the fridge and filled it with water.

Whitney couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand hearing the heart-rending sobs, couldn't stand watching her shoulders shake as she screamed, couldn't stand any of it, and he ran. Out into the kitchen, where the icemaker running to refill itself and the drowned out the sad cries, and he opened the window over the sink, breathing in the summer air.

It was just too much, and he seriously, seriously thought about leaving, just going and sitting in the front yard under the shade trees until everything stopped again.

Chloe looked up as her boyfriend raced past her, nearly collided with the sink as he swallowed breaths. Oh, and her heart just stung. She set the glass on the counter and wrapped her arms very gently around his waist from behind, hugging him close, tightly, snuggling him against her chest as she kissed his shoulder and back. "Oh, baby."

Whitney reached down and engulfed her smaller hands in his. "It's too much," he said softly, letting his head lean against the cabinetry. "It's just too much."

"I know, baby. I know it." She whispered back, and set her cheek on his back where she could hear the thundering of his heart. "I know it is."

"I want to help. But I can't." He kept staring out the window as his head rested against the cabinet. "I wish I could. I should go wait outside; I'm just in the way."

"You're not in the way." Chloe whispered back, kissing his shoulder blade, his spine, and the nape of his neck. "You're not in the way," She repeated again, and kissed his skin again as her own tears almost threatened to overflow and trail her face. Then they did, but she buried it in his back. "You're the strongest man I know."

"Yeah. As long as somebody's not dying or in trouble, I'm right there." His voice was sarcastic. "But put someone in danger, have 'em cryin' on a couch... yeah, I'm so fucking strong I'm hiding in the kitchen."

"I'm hiding too." She whispered into his shirt, a gentle reminder.

"No, you're doing something helpful. Pete asked for water, and you're getting water. I'm hiding in the kitchen, hoping nobody remembers I drove the fucking car."

"Looks like I'm comforting you." Chloe said instead, before she gently let go and slid in between Whitney and the sink, which was a feat in itself with the way her belly was swollen. She reached up and kissed his clammy lips softly, rubbing the sweat from his forehead with her palms before cupping his cheeks. "You're the strongest man I know." She repeated gently, as she kissed his lips again. "Don't berate yourself for not being able to handle Shay's sobbing, or anyone's sobbing. I can't, either, not after Mar."

"It's not just Mar," he said softly. "My Dad. Mar-El. My mom. Now this. I just... you ever have one of those days where you think if just one more thing happens, then you're gonna break? I've been having those for months now."

The words scared Chloe down to the very pit of her jaded soul. She swallowed, tightly, and nodded quietly. She didn't understand, but she could understand, sympathize and know how he felt just by trying to imagine it. She smoothed her fingers across his face again, bringing their foreheads together as she did so. "Don't break, Whitney."

"I'm not," he said, after a minute. "I've got you to keep me sane." He brought his hands up to stroke over hers, kissing their palms gently before putting them back on his cheek. "I'll be all right, as long as I've got you."

She smiled at him, just a little, even as the irrational terror got swallowed down again. "Promise?" She whispered, as her fingertips stroked over his stubble, the little kisses he'd planted still warm on her skin as she gently let her fingernails toy with his the light stubble raining over his chin and cheeks.

"I promise," he said quietly, kissing her fingertips as they stroked over his mouth, and giving her the only small smile he was capable of.

She nodded, and though there was a hundred things she wanted to say, Chloe just kissed his lips again, very tenderly, very shyly, before she let go. The glass got thrust under the sink and filled and she kissed his shoulder once more before leaving the kitchen, disappearing into the sitting room.

 

 

-fin-

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