A Decade Lost

Summary: Future Fic. It's Clark's birthday and coincidently it has also been 10 years since Chloe Sullivan was presumed to have died but things aren't always what they seem. Chlark.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This idea came from the part in the Legion episode where they tell Clark that there is no record of a Chloe Sullivan. What happened to Clark's BFF that means she isn't remembered? Here's an attempt to answer that and I'll throw in a Clark/Chloe romance while I'm at it because I've always wanted to write one.

Clark wakes up and fights the urge to smash his alarm clock to pieces. It is a feeling he often gets on this day of all days. He gets out of bed and heads for the shower. Once that is done he has a quick breakfast and notes the time. Right his mother will phone in 5-4-3-2-1-ring!!!!

He smiles. Not at the fact his mother has gotten predictable but at the fact she never forgets what day it is. He picks up the phone. "Hey mom."

"Clark I hate it when you do that," Martha chastises him.

Clark smirks. "Sorry."

"And wipe that smirk off your face."

How does she do that he wonders.

"Anyway," Martha continues, "I phoned to wish you a happy birthday and to see if you are still coming over tonight." Martha was going to make her son a birthday dinner like she did every year.

"Yes mom I'll see you tonight short of you know, the end of the world or something."

"Honey even Superman is entitled to nights off now and again."

"Yeah tell that to my enemies whom, I swear, seem to be getting more numerous every birthday."

"That include Lois?" Martha queries.

Clark sighs. He had broken up with Lois a few months back after being together for 3 years and they had not been getting along too well, even as friends, ever since. It had been good at first but eventually Lois' acerbic attitude went back to annoying him like it did when they first met and it went downhill from there until they could barely stand each other. It had slowly been getting better but Clark wasn't sure yet exactly where they stood in terms of their friendship at this precise moment. "I don't know. She's talking to me again but I'm not sure that is a good thing," he says as a small joke in answer to his mother.

Martha smiles on the other end of the phone at her son's small attempt at humour. She had not enjoyed watching Clark and Lois' break-up at all. It had been terrible to see her son and a woman she considers almost a daughter hurting as much as they had been. "Give it time honey. Break-ups hurt and Lois doesn't handle them so well. I take it she won't be coming this year."

"No. It will just be you and me this year mom. Everyone else is busy."

"Well Clark I never complain about spending time with you. Apart from Lois how are you?"

"Oh the same. Go to work, save the world, try to figure out a way to beat Bart one of these days."

He can hear his mother's mirth down the phone at his last comment. "I'll see you tonight mom. I love you."

"I love you too honey."

Clark puts the phone down. Well he better get to work and see if Lois will at least be civil to him today. He gets to the Planet after Superman does his early morning patrol of Metropolis and sees Lois isn't in yet. No surprise there. She is not a morning person. In fact the only period she ever got in on time was when they were dating and that was because he made sure she was up and in to work on time. He sits down at his desk.

"Morning CK."

Clark turns round. "Morning Jimmy," he greets his friends who he notices is carrying a gift. "For me?"

Jimmy holds it out. "Yeah. Happy Birthday."

Clark takes it without x-raying it. That ruins the surprise. "Thanks Jimmy." Clark peels the wrapping paper off and it turns out to be a new watch, a gold one in fact. "Wow thanks Jimmy. It's very nice although Lois could do with knowing the time more than I do."

Jimmy chuckles. If Clark is back to mocking Lois then they must be getting closer to being friends again. Their break-up had been horrible and Jimmy is pretty sure they didn't tell him everything about why they broke-up.

"How's Natalie?" Clark asks in reference to Jimmy's girlfriend.

"Oh she's fine. Thanks for asking." Jimmy really liked Natalie. In fact this was the most serious relationship he had had in a long time. Jimmy's attention is caught by something or more accurately someone he knows Clark isn't going to like. "Heads up CK."

Clark peers over his shoulder at what Jimmy is looking at. Oh no is his thought when he sees who it is and worse Jimmy has just abandoned him to her by sneaking off before she gets to his desk.

"Morning Clark."

"Morning Cat," Clark greets politely. Cat Grant had been hitting on him ever since he and Lois broke-up and in his weaker moments he will admit he has been tempted. After all by any definition Cat is a very beautiful woman and Clark had been tempted just to give in and make himself feel better if only for a few hours.

Cat leans over giving Clark ample opportunity to gaze at her cleavage. He resists the temptation. "So what are you doing to celebrate your birthday Clark?" she asks.

"Nothing. I'm not in the mood to celebrate. I am going to see my mother tonight." he informs her politely with a well practiced push of his glasses up his nose.

Cat smiles seductively and sits herself on Clark's desk allowing her already short skirt to ride up and expose more of her thighs. "That is not how you should spend your birthday Clark." She bends down and whispers in his ear. "I could show you a good time," she says, her meaning all too obvious. Clark starts to feel his cheeks heat up in a blush.

"Forget it Cat. He isn't buying what you're selling."

Cat turns to face the source of that voice. "Hello Lois. He isn't buying what you're selling either."

Lois laughs. "Hello we did date and I've seen a side to Clark you will never get to see." Lois now walks right up to Cat and looks her in the eye. "Now are you going to leave or do I have to make you?"

Cat glares at Lois for a second before deciding it isn't worth the hassle and stomps off. Lois smiles triumphant.

"Thank you," Clark says to her. He genuinely means it and is a little surprised she would do that for him considering.

"Forget it Smallville. Ruining Cat's day is the highlight of mine."

It takes a minute before Clark realises that that was the first time she has called him Smallville since their break-up. He can't stop the smile that forms on his face.

Lois looks at Clark strangely. "Alright what is up with the smile Clark? You're creeping me out."

"Sorry. It is just that you haven't called me Smallville in a while."

Lois smiles kindly at him. She had decided that today on his birthday that the way things were between her and Clark needed to improve and she decided to be the bigger person for once and make the first move. "Yeah I know. Look Clark I'm still hurting but before we dated we were friends and I would still like to be so."

"Me too Lois. Me too," he says with a hint of sadness at the fact their relationship had come to an end.

Lois picks up on it. "Don't feel too bad about it Clark. We gave it a good go and for a while I'll admit I was really happy." She smiles. "I mean I got to be with the man of my literal dreams," she says in reference to those ones she had with a man in a red cape.

"I was happy too," Clark admits.

"I think the whole thing was good for me actually. Your mom once told me that you have to go through all the wrong men before you find the right one. Truthfully I now have a much better idea of what I want in a man."

Clark studies Lois. "Do you think what my mom said to you about men applies to me?"

Lois arches an eyebrow barely able to believe the opening Clark has given her there. "Wow I know breaking up with me is devastating Clark but I didn't expect you to start batting for the other team because of it."

Clark's cheeks go red. "Lois. You know what I mean," he reprimands her.

Lois smirks. "Yeah I do and yes I do think what your mom said applies to you as well Clark. I'm sure the right woman is out there just waiting for you to swoop in and save them."

"Thank you," Clark says genuinely. "Like you I think I learned a lot from our relationship."

"Of course you learnt a lot from me Smallville and that was just in the bedroom," Lois says with a wicked smile.

Clark's blush returns even redder than before. To be fair Lois had helped him get over his fear of not being able to be intimate with a human being without hurting them but did she have to say that in the middle of the bullpen.

Lois chuckles at his reaction. Despite everything she still finds him adorable in that dorky kind of way he likes to portray. "Oh before I forget Happy Birthday. I, um, left your present at home. Sorry."

Clark's embarrassment vanishes as he laughs at Lois' expression of apology. That is so typically Lois. "That's alright Lois. I'm sure it will be worth the wait."

"Of course it will be. After all I did choose it you know."

"Yeah. You were channelling happy thoughts, I hope, when you bought it right?"

Lois folds her arms across her chest trying to give nothing away. "Maybe or maybe I got you something horrible. Maybe a rock. Maybe green in colour."

Green! Clark looks at Lois intently hoping she is joking. "Lois you didn't?"

Lois chuckles. "No I didn't but I would be lying if I didn't say the thought crossed my mind. I even have a nice lead box at home I could have put it in."

Clark smiles more in relief than anything. If she is back to teasing him then she can't hate him that much. "Thank you Lois. Despite everything you did keep my secrets and I'm grateful."

"Just because I was mad at you Clark didn't mean I was going to ruin your life like that. Besides I have so many other ways to do that in my arsenal. None of which deny the world their great hero but do cause him lots and lots of embarrassment."

"Great. Something to look forward to then," Clark says sarcastically. He has a few ideas what Lois could do to him and none of them are very pleasant. Since Lois is being friendly he decides to ask her about coming with him to his mother's tonight.

"Thanks for the offer Clark but I'll have to decline. I don't think we're ready for that yet."

Clark nods in understanding. He just had to ask.

"Lane! Kent!" Perry bellows. "My office. Now!"

Lois rolls her eyes. "All these years, you would think he could manage a please now and again," she comments to Clark.

Clark stands up. "I know," he says in agreement.

Lois takes Clark's arm. "Come on then Smallville. Duty calls," she says as Clark lets her drag him off.

Straight after work that day Clark flies up to the Fortress. He is meeting Diana and Bruce here before he goes to his mother's. They wanted to give him his presents for his now 32nd birthday someplace private and there is no place more private than here. He had thought a lot about what Lois had said about having to through the wrong women until he meets the right one.

Lana, Alicia, Kyla were certainly wrong for him and worse they may have blinded him to the one who was right for him. There were a couple of others he cared about but knew it wasn't meant to be. He doesn't regret the time he spent with Lois. It was generally good but even Superman, it seems, can't cope with Lois Lane in a permanent relationship. He almost feels sorry for the next man Lois takes a fancy too. Almost.

Clark is actually at the Fortress a little early to do what he does every chance he gets. He is going to visit her. He makes his way to a secluded part of the Fortress where no-one except him ever goes. He makes his way over to the crystal chamber where she is kept in stasis until he finds a way to save her. Clark places his hand on the chamber's surface opposite her sleeping face. He smiles a little. "Hello Chloe."