Title: Corner of the World Interlude IV: Coda

Author: Serafina

Disclaimer: I don't own the concept or the characters. I make no money off these stories, nor do I pretend to.

Notes: Thanks to Jessica and Fabrisse for the beta. This takes place during "Obscura" and comes after CoTW 29.

Summary: Chloe deals with being kidnapped, a realization, and Lana.

The sun was shining brightly, although it felt strangely cold on Chloe's skin. But it didn't matter; she was comfortable in her chair, her legs stretched out in front of her on the sand. The ocean's roar sounded like a heavy rain as if fell on the roof; it wasn't what Chloe remembered the ocean sounding like, but it had been awhile since she'd been, so it was ok. It was comforting, and added to her sense of contentment and ease. Her limbs were pleasantly heavy, head buzzing slightly, and she felt good.

"I never got to write for the Daily Planet."

The thought floated through Chloe's mind hazily, jolting her.

Looking up from her book, she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked, tearing his eyes away from the ocean.

"I never got to write for the Daily Planet," she said uneasily, brushing a stray hair from her eyes.

Lex was lying on his stomach on a towel next to her. Even though they'd been out here for hours now, he was still pale, his skin contrasting sharply with the indigo swim trunks he was wearing.

Awed at how he seemed to glow, Chloe touched him gently.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Of course you didn't, sweetie." Then he yawned, stretching. "Lana? I need another drink."

Lana appeared from out of Chloe's line of sight. To Chloe's surprise, she was dressed in a fairy princess costume and had her hair in pigtails. She was carrying a tray with a tall mug on it, whipped cream overflowing the top. "Here you go. Did you want anything else?"

A camera shutter clicked and Sydney said, "I'll take something, hot stuff." Walking to the group, Sydney wrapped her arm around Lana's waist and kissed her.

"Hey!" Chloe protested. "I thought you were interested in me!"

Sydney rolled her eyes at Chloe. "Oh, please." Easing Lana to the sand, she slipped her hand under Lana's skirt.

Lana giggled and squirmed, tugging at her pigtails.

"Lex." Chloe turned to Lex, who was sipping his drink. "Make them stop."

"Why bother? No one cares anymore. You're dead," he responded, watching Sydney and Lana intently.

"What! I'm not dead! I'm right here. Clark, tell them I'm not dead."

Clark was floating above her, bench pressing a bus. "Chloe, of course you're dead, remember?" The bus started glowing green, and Chloe noticed that the headlights were made of meteor fragments.

She rose. "Clark, you need to be careful. You might turn into a mutant."

He smiled at her, his sharp teeth looking particularly wolfish. "Honey, don't be stupid. You know what I am. Just relax. Can't you hear the rain?"

And then Chloe did hear the rain. It was thick, clumpy rain that hit her from above. Opening her eyes, she could see the coffin around her and hear the dirt as it fell on top.

"Clark!" she screamed as her dream disappeared. The drugs still raced in her system, making her heavy and slow, but her mind was awake and she could feel how deep she was, hear the dirt as it fell on her except now it was so muffled she could barely hear and she couldn't breathe and she was dying and where the fuck was Clark?

"Clark," she sobbed, clawing at the lid. Buffy dug her way out, but she hadn't been pumped full of something with sleep calling her, trying to drag her back under.

And Chloe was going to drown if she didn't stop crying, but she couldn't find the strength to dig her way out and she was so tired.

She breathed in a gasping hitch and tried one more time. "Clark!" Only now it was a mewl and Clark couldn't hear her, even if he always heard her and Chloe was dead.

And then she wasn't.

"I knew it was you. It's always you."

Chloe couldn't sleep. Even after all that she'd been through, even with exhaustion making her body heavy and mind fuzzy, she couldn't sleep. Even if she wanted to. Which she didn't.

For the first time, Chloe understood what Clark had meant when he told her how he felt on nights he had nightmares. Restless and edgy, as if something wasn't quite right inside. He always said that he could feel the nightmare pressing at him, trying to claw its way into being. It was exactly how she felt now, and there was no way in hell Chloe was going to let a fucking dream take over her.

She sighed and ran her fingers lightly through Clark's hair, trying not to wake him up. She was so grateful he'd offered to stay, that he had taken her hand and looked at her with such caring in his eyes, as if he understood she needed him not just to keep the nightmares and fear away. Clark had known that if he didn't stay, then Lana would have, and Chloe just wasn't up to dealing with that right now.

It hadn't been easy, sending Lana away. There was this look in her eyes: love, compassion, need. The need was the greatest; Lana needed Chloe to comfort her, to assure Lana that Chloe was going to be all right, and that everything was going to be all right. But that's not what Chloe needed right now. Chloe needed to be selfish, to have someone hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right. Not the other way around.

So, Chloe had sent her away and kept Clark by her side.

Chloe smiled slightly and she toyed with a curl on Clark's head, amazed and happy he hadn't woken up. Clark Kent was a notoriously light sleeper, and she was glad she lived in a town as innocent as Smallville which allowed her to learn that. She'd lived in Smallville since the end of her sixth grade year and, in that time, she, Pete, and Clark must have had over fifty sleepovers. Clark was always the last one to fall asleep and, any time there was a noise, he woke up.

Which was why she was surprised he wasn't awake now. Chloe had been petting him for almost an hour now, and he hadn't stirred. Not to say she wasn't grateful, because he most definitely was. She needed Clark right now, badly. She needed to hear his breathing, to feel his warmth, to know that he was with her. But she also needed some time alone to sort through her thoughts.

It was strange. There had been a nagging suspicion in the back of Chloe's mind all year, and she hadn't noticed it. And now, looking back, she could see quite plainly it had always been there. She'd always suspected something, and it never come to the forefront of her mind. It'd never really entered her consciousness, but it was something that Chloe had... known.

Clark was special. Very special, and not just because Chloe suspected that she was half in love with him. Clark was special without her love or friendship or anything else. Special without his beauty, without his smile, without his good nature.

He was Different. Newsworthy in the kind of way Kwan would have fired her for if she'd tried to write about it. Wall of Weird special, except Chloe already knew she wasn't going to add him to the Wall of Weird.

She couldn't do that to Clark. Ever. She hoped.

Clark hid his abilities so well. He was so deeply in the metaphorical non-gay closet, that Chloe had never thought to articulate what she'd known for so long. If she had to pick the moment she'd first began to suspect it, she would probably choose the time Clark had saved her from Sean Kelvin. Soon after that, Chloe had begun to take for granted that Clark would always be there to save the day, even if she never gave him credit.

"I knew it was you. It's always you."

And it was. It was always Clark. She didn't know why, or how, but it was.

The meteors were her first and, admittedly, only suspect. Clark was a mutant. Like the others, except... not. Everyone always used their mutations to hurt. To strike out against the world that hurt them or something that they believe justified their actions. Chloe suspected it had more to do with some head rush the mutants got when they realized how strong they were, and how they could use their powers to improve their lives. Power corrupts and absolute power makes freakishly scary monsters.

But not Clark. He ran around and put everything back together. Sean Kelvin tries to suck Chloe's heat? Clark saves her. Tina morphs into everyone in the school? Clark stops her. Old man grows young, turns homicidal? Clark saves the victims. Lana gets stalked by someone not Clark? Clark gets rid of the stalker.

Chloe gets kidnapped and buried alive? Clark digs her up. And Chloe couldn't tell a soul.

Clark had already been almost raped once. He didn't need her to do it again. If Clark wanted to hide his abilities, then all she could do was let him. As much as it pained her to let the story pass her by, Chloe wasn't going to say a thing.

Not even to Clark.

Sighing softly, Chloe brushed Clark's hair from his forehead and lay back, closing her eyes.

This time, Clark did wake. "Chloe?" he muttered sleepily.

"I'm fine, Clark. Go back to sleep."

Clark squeezed her hand gently and lay his head back on the bed.

Chloe held his hand tightly all night, waiting patiently for morning.

"Do you want to borrow my lipstick?" Sydney asked as she applied some to her lips. "I got it made special from a dealer in Smallville."

Chloe looked around in confusion, then down at her body. She was dressed in a long white dress and sparkly white shoes that reminded her of something Cinderella might wear. She knew instinctively that she and Sydney were at the Luthor mansion, although she'd never seen the room. The walls were covered in mirrors, most of them broken in some way and reflecting their images oddly.

"Chloe?" Sydney prompted, holding the tube of bright red lipstick out at her.

"Oh. Uh, sure." Chloe took the lipstick and looked in the closest mirror to apply it. Her lips turned a bright shade of green and Chloe frowned, looking at the red lipstick in her hand.

"I hope they pick me," Sydney was saying as brushed her hair.

Lana came up besides them, looking sad. She was wearing her Homecoming dress and crown, wings on her back and carrying a magic wand. "I'm sure they will," she told Sydney. "You are the prettiest."

"Why are we here?" Chloe asked.

Lana's dress disappeared, replaced by a set of red lace underwear. She was still wearing the wings and she looked at Chloe as if she'd grown another head. "Lex wants to teach Clark how to sleep with girls, remember? He's holding auditions today. Oh! Here he comes!" She began bouncing excitedly, clapping her hands.

Lex and Clark walked to their small group. They were dressed normally, although Lex was leading Clark around on a leash.

He gave Lana a once over and shook his head. "No." He poked her in the side with a long, sharp needle and Lana deflated, falling to the ground.

"Lex?" Chloe asked uncertainly. "What's going on?"

Clark poked Chloe in the stomach and made a face. "She feels weird, Lex. All cold and rubbery. Is that how girls are supposed to feel?" He squeezed her breast, then forced Chloe's mouth open, peering inside.

"No," Lex answered. He was running his hands over Sydney. "Real girls feel different. Feel this one."

Clark walked over and squeezed Sydney around the waist.

She immediately crumbled to pieces, screaming as she did so.

Looking unconcerned, Clark grinned. "Oops."

Lex shook his head. "You should be more gentle."

"No, they should be stronger. I need a strong girl, not like that one." Clark pointed at Chloe.

"Will I do?" a sultry voice said suddenly from besides Chloe.

Startled, she turned to find her cousin, Lois Lane, standing besides her. Lois was wearing a tight black leather dress, her shiny hair falling over her shoulders in loose waves.

"Lois?" Chloe said in disbelief. She was beginning to feel dizzy.

Lois grinned and patted Chloe's face. "Hey, Chloe. When you didn't show up in Metropolis, I got worried, so I decided to come down and look for you. That's what world class reporters do."

"I know," she responded. "That's what I'm going to do when I get out of the hospital."

Lois's laughter rang through the air. "Chloe, baby. You're dead. You aren't getting out of the hospital."

Clark put his hands around Lois's waist and squeezed. Lois moaned in appreciation, pressing her body against Clark's.

"Lex, I like her," Clark sighed, running his hands over Lois's body. "Can I sleep with her?"

Lex came up behind Lois and put his arms around her. "Of course, Clark. We both can." He began nibbling on Lois's neck. "You need a real woman. I'm sorry I invited Chloe. You can take her away now."

"Lex, what..." Chloe broke off as someone tapped her shoulder.

Dread filling her stomach, Chloe turned. There was a man standing behind her, a man wearing a black mask with red eyes. He was holding a shovel and a syringe.

Chloe tried to run, but her legs were stuck to the floor. She tired to scream, but her lips were stuck together. Behind her, Clark was too busy with Lois to pay notice the masked man was going to take her again.

"Bye, Chloe," Lex whispered in her ear. The coffin appeared in front of her and Lex pushed.

Chloe fell into the coffin. The masked man and Lex began laughing, Lois's moans filling the air as Chloe fell and...

"No!" Chloe screamed, bolting up in bed.

"Chloe?"

"No, no, no," she sobbed, shaking.

"It's ok, Chloe," Lex's voice whispered soothingly. A strong pair of arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly. "It was just a dream. You're safe now."

Chloe opened her eyes, unsure if she was really awake. "Lex?"

Lex was sitting on the bed, rocking her gently. When she looked up at him, he smiled slightly, stroking her hair. "Yeah. I didn't mean to frighten you."

She shook her head, relaxing minutely in his arms. "Nightmare. Not your fault."

Lex didn't answer. His arms tightened on her slightly and he rubbed her back until her sobs had died out.

Once she was feeling calmer, Chloe pulled back and wiped her eyes. Embarrassment stained her cheeks and she looked at her hands. "So, uh. What brings you here?"

Lex touched her cheek gently, then stood, picking something up off the floor. "I wanted to drop these by before you were checked out. And, since I've a full day ahead of me, I came early, figuring I could slip in and out without waking you." He handed her a bouquet of lily's.

She smiled as she took them. "Lex. Thank you. You didn't have to."

"Hmmm. If I didn't have to buy you flowers, maybe I should cancel the what I had sent to your home," he mused, pulling the chair up to the bed and sitting down.

"More flowers?"

Lex shook his head. "Flowers are for hospitals. I figured a reporter such as yourself could use a few toys to help write your big story."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Lex?"

"It's nothing, really. Pens, paper, a reporter's notebook. Professional investigating tools. That's all." His brow furrowed and he dropped his gaze for a moment. "I was worried when Clark told me you were missing. And ineffective. I was going to hire a private investigator, but Clark found you before I could."

She squeezed his hand. "And that's a good thing."

Something Chloe couldn't quite read flashed over Lex's face, but she realized that the fact he hadn't hired the investigator wasn't the point. She just wasn't sure what was.

Clearing her throat, Chloe pulled her hand away under the pretense of stroking the flower petals gently. "These are really beautiful."

"I thought you deserved the best." Lex looked up at her for a moment, his eyes heavy. Then, with a sharp shake of his head, he rose. "I need to get going. I'm glad you're ok." He turned to go.

"Lex, wait!" Chloe said suddenly.

Lex turned, his face neutral and composed, the heaviness in his eyes having dissipated. "Yes?"

Chloe lay back on the pillows, licking her lips. Her stomach was dancing all over the place as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.

"Chloe?"

"Clark is special," she blurted out.

A crease appeared between his eyebrows. "Yes," Lex said slowly, trying to discern her meaning.

She flushed. "I mean, I knew special. I mean, as Clark. He's... Clark, you know. But after last night, I realize how special he is. You know." Chloe raised her eyebrows, looking at him significantly.

He got it. His face shut down even more, shutters falling over his eyes leaving Chloe to wonder exactly how many degrees of 'unemotional' this man had.

"No, I don't. I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at, Chloe," Lex told her evenly. "Lana was the one with the powers; Clark just followed the trail."

"It's not just last night, Lex. It's everything about him. And you know it too. I just... I don't know exactly how he's special. The details are fuzzy. And, I'm not going to pry."

"Why not? Isn't that your job?" His voice was very cold now, chilling her.

Resolutely, Chloe shook her head. "Clark isn't a job. He's not some discovery I've made; he's a human being. And he's scared, or something. He doesn't want people to know, so I won't say anything."

"Then why tell me?"

"Because you know. I know you know, Lex. Which means that you have to protect him. Don't let anyone find out his secret, especially that reporter, Nixon. Because Nixon won't see Clark Kent, the person. He'll just see the story."

Lex nodded slightly. "And how long before you only see the story?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Chloe met his eyes, jaw set in determination. "Never."

He held her eyes a long moment, then nodded fractionally. "Good."

Of course, since last night, there had been the added element of Lana getting shot to death before Chloe was sentenced to the coffin. It had been bad enough before, always being rejected by Lex and Clark and handed over to the masked man. Now, though, it didn't happen until Lana was shot forty times, blood spraying Chloe, staining her hair, landing on Lex's cruel face before he gave her over. It was getting to be too much, and Chloe didn't want to deal with it any longer.

She was currently trying to decide what movie she wanted to watch. The past hour and a half had been spent online reading fan fiction, but she wasn't really in the mood to read anymore. Chloe wanted escapism, but not in the form of sex, violence, or angst. She wanted happily ever after with no conflict and no death.

It kind of limited her selection.

She'd just about decided on a "Friends" marathon when the phone rang.

She knew exactly who it was even before she picked it up.

"Hey," she said, cradling the phone under her neck.

"Hey," Lana said back, her voice soft. "Can we talk?"

"Sure? Do you want to meet somewhere?"

"I don't suppose you'd meet me at the cemetery, would you?"

Chloe hesitated. "Uh, normally I wouldn't mind..."

"No, I understand. I'll be at the Talon."

"Ok. See you soon." She hung up and got out of bed. Pulling on a pair of jeans and one of Clark's shirts that she'd somehow appropriated and didn't know how or when, Chloe grabbed her keys and drove into town.

Lana showed up ten minutes after Chloe arrived.

"Hey," she said a bit breathlessly. Her cheeks were pink from the biting night air and eyes shiny.

She looked beautiful.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

Lana shrugged, unlocking the door to the Talon. "I've been better. Every time I close my eyes I see that bullet heading towards me. I know it won't hurt me, but... it's kind of like when you have those dreams where you're falling, and you can feel if, even after you wake up."

Chloe nodded and followed Lana inside. "I know what you mean."

"How are you doing?" Lana turned on the main light, then went to the bar.

"Ok, I guess. Sleep isn't my friend. I have a feeling that Dad's going to take me to the doctor, soon. They said I should have some counseling sessions, and maybe some drugs to help me sleep for the next few weeks. I keep telling them I'm fine, but..." She trailed off, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger.

Lana was gazing at her sympathetically. "There's only so long you can go without sleep, Chloe."

She nodded, brushing away the tears that had sprung unbidden to her eyes. "I know. I just... I don't like the idea of drugs, you know? I really hate losing control of myself."

"I know," Lana answered softly, pulling a carton of milk out from the refrigerator. "Hot chocolate?"

"Please." Chloe climbed onto one of the stools, watching as Lana steamed the milk and added mocha mix.

"Do you want a shot of caramel?" Lana asked. "One of the girls got me hooked to hot chocolate/caramel."

"Sure."

When the drinks were done, Lana walked around the bar and sat down. She was looking at her hands which were lying in her lap. "So. You're probably wondering why I called you."

Chloe stuck her finger in the whipped cream topping her drink. "It's not because of the similar experiences we just went through?"

Lana shook her head slowly. "Not exactly. I think I would have called you even if it hadn't happened. I might have waited a few more weeks, but, it scared me too much, you know? The idea of losing you before I ever got a chance to ask for your forgiveness and explain what happened. So it has to be now." Brow furrowed, Lana looked up at Chloe.

"Ok." She licked her finger off, then chewed on the nail.

"Ok." Lana took a deep breath, then said, with a self-deprecating smile, "I'm not ready to have sex."

Chloe fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was perhaps the understatement of the year, but she could tell that Lana was just beginning to explain what she meant.

There was a long silence before Chloe realized that Lana was waiting for her to say something. She cleared her throat. "You're not." There really wasn't anything else to say, but it worked, because Lana shook her head, looking relieved.

"No. And I know you know that, but... no one else seems to realize that. Not Nell, not the girls on the cheerleading team, not the football players. Not Lex," she added, sounding angry. "Sex... the idea of me having sex scares me. A lot. And I can't really say why, except to say I feel really pressured."

"I never meant..."

"Not by you," Lana said. "Well, not exactly." Exasperated, she sighed and tugged on her hair. "I know I said I felt pressured by you, but I wasn't being total honest. The reason I felt pressured by you and not Whitney was because I... I wanted to have sex with you. I imagined it. I thought about it. It excited me. But, I still wasn't ready. They were fantasies. And that's how I was comfortable to keep them until... until I knew I was ready. I didn't know when that was going to be, but I knew it was going to be with you, you know?"

Chloe nodded slowly. "I think so. But if I didn't pressure you, then who did?"

Lana shrugged. "Everyone. Seriously." She sighed and propped her head on her hand. "Whitney and I started going out last July. We'd hung out before at the Beanery, or gone to school plays and stuff together when I was in eight grade, but it wasn't anything serious. He was in high school and I was in junior high.

"And then, I made the cheerleading squad. We practiced the same hours as the football team and we all would go out after. And then he asked me out. I said yes. When I told Nell, she sat me down and had a long talk with me about sex. Only, she wasn't telling me to wait; she was assuming that I was already sleeping with him. I swore to her up and down that Whitney and I weren't having sex, and we weren't going to for a long time. I told her I wasn't ready and Nell laughed." Lana shook her head. "She laughed. She just didn't believe me. Then she took me to the doctor and had him put me on the pill."

Chloe blinked. "I didn't know you were on the pill."

Lana squirmed uncomfortably. "I don't share it. I'm not like Sara Carmichael who takes her pills during lunch and makes sure everyone knows what she's doing."

Chloe cracked up. "'Oh my God!" she mimicked in high pitched squeal. "Why didn't you tell me what time it was, Sara-Jane! You know how important this is to take at the same time every day!"

Giggling, Lana nodded. "She's just unreal."

"I know." Chloe sipped her drink. "Uh, did you tell Nell how you felt?"

"I tried. But I felt guilty and ashamed all at once. Guilty because I know I'm really lucky to have someone who loves me enough to do this. She even bought me a box of condoms. It's great, and if I were ready to have sex, I would be doing anything I could to show her how happy I was that she was so supportive. I didn't want to tell her I how it made me feel, because I knew she was trying to do the right thing."

"Why are you ashamed?"

Lana bit her lower lip, frowning. Eyes on the floor, she said, "Because there's obviously something wrong with me. Everyone things I should be ready, and I'm not. I feel like I'm emotionally stunted or something. And it's only gotten worse since we broke up. You were ready, and everyone knows that I'm not."

"It's ok, Lana. You don't have to be ready to have sex; you're only sixteen."

"Then why does Lex call me a frigid ice queen?" Lana demanded angrily. "If I was normal, why am I the bad guy here?"

"You're the bad guy because you were mean to me. After we broke up, I went to him and Clark in tears. They're the one's that held me together that night, and I think it affected Lex. You know how protective he is of his friends. But, he shouldn't be calling you that. Anything. It's none of his business."

Lana was crying softly. "I'm trying to stand up to him, but it hurts. He's not the first who's done this to me, and I... I can't stand it."

Chloe frowned. "What do you mean he's not the first do say things about you?"

"The g-girls on the cheer squad started rumors about me and Whitney, and when I insisted that we weren't sleeping together, they called me names. Frigid and prude and things like that."

"What kind of rumors?"

"Some of the older girls were really resentful of me. They figured the only reason I got head cheerleader was that I screwed around to get the position. And then a lot of them wanted to be with Whitney, and didn't understand why he would waste his time on a freshman. So, for the first half of the summer, I had the reputation for being really loose. It wasn't the whole team that called me names, but it was enough to get some of the football players in on that. And, once Whitney and I convinced everyone that we weren't doing it, they rotated between calling me a super slut to..."

"Ice Queen."

Lana nodded, looking miserable.

"And that made you feel like there was something wrong with you?"

"Isn't it obvious? Everyone else in the world is ready to have sex; why not me?"

Chloe slid off her stool and went to Lana. Putting her arms around her waist, she said, "Lana, you're not the only person at school who isn't ready for sex. And I think it's great that you know that you're not. Most kids our age aren't, but they sleep around and regret it later in life"

"You're ready."

"Maybe," she conceded. "Or maybe I was just ready with you."

Lana flushed delicately, eyes downcast. "I'm so sorry I ruined your first time," she whispered. "If I could take it back, give you something magical. Something like what you deserve."

Something inside Chloe broke and tears rose to her eyes. "Thank you, Lana. I... I needed to hear that."

Lana stood and hugged Chloe tightly. "I do love you, you know," she whispered.

Clinging to Lana, Chloe nodded. "I know. And I love you too." She kissed Lana's hair, tears streaming down her face.

"Chloe... Chloe, could we try again? Try us again?"

The hopefulness in Lana's voice pierced through Chloe, making her cry harder. "No," she gasped when she got her voice back. She pulled away so she could look at Lana, arms still wound around her. "I'm sorry, Lana, but I can't. Not right now. I'll, I'll be gone all summer and I..." Chloe broke off abruptly. She and Sydney had been e-mailing each other twice, sometimes three times a day, but she couldn't tell Lana that. It would hurt her too much.

So, swallowing her words, Chloe finished, "And I just don't think we should do that to ourselves. Not all summer."

Lana nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah, ok. But... do you think there's any chance of us ever again?"

"Maybe," Chloe whispered, stroking Lana's hair. Her chest felt tight, and heart ached. "I hope so."

Some time later, they left the Talon and stood facing each other in front of their cars.

"I have to ask," Chloe said, her throat sore from crying. "What made you come to terms with everything? Was it just the kidnapping?"

Lana shook her head. "No. I, uh... I called one of the rape hotlines to talk. I explained it wasn't really rape, but I didn't know where else to go. We talked for a long time, and then they referred me to a Gay Lesbian Bisexual center in Metropolis. I've been talking to a peer counselor and she's been helping me a lot. I've been sorting through a lot of issues."

"Have you told them about not being ready to have sex? And what happened?"

Lana blushed. "A little."

"Ask them if anything is wrong with you," Chloe said. "They'll tell you the same thing I have."

"Ok." Lana looked at her a moment, then quickly stepped into Chloe, kissing her.

Chloe made a startled noise in her throat as Lana's scent engulfed her. The kiss was tender, but brief. Just as she started to reach out for Lana, Lana pulled away.

"Good-night, Chloe," she whispered. She got into her car and drove away.

Slightly stunned, Chloe watched her go. "Night," she finally said after a long moment. Then, a smile on her face, Chloe climbed into her car and drove home.