Episode 4.01, Crusade

Chloe introduces us in the beginning, by a video she made -- judging on her clothes and hair, sometime around Whisper, possibly in Covenant.  "I don't even know where to start. I know you must have a million questions, but I don't know how many answers I can give you."  We pull out to see her cousin from Delete watching them in the Torch.  Chloe continues: "If you're watching this, it means I'm probably dead. You were always the one good thing in my life, and if I didn't tell you enough, I care about you more than you'll ever know. Please find out who did this, Clark. You're the only one who can."

Of course, Clark is missing which means we spend most of the episode following her cousin around, even to meeting Lionel Luthor where her cousin wrongly deduces that he wasn't behind Chloe's death (which confirms later in the next episode that he was).  We also see brainwashed Clark, Kal-El, staring briefly at a picture of Chloe and Lana.

Clark, when his memory is working again, visits Chloe's grave.  After a brief interaction with her cousin, Clark says that she's "not alone" (which is an interesting pick up to Chloe's last Chronicle where Pete asked if she'd be working alone) in wanting to find justice for Chloe.  The tombstone reveals that Chloe is the youngest of their group being born in 1987 -- being two at the time of the meteor shower, while Lana is three, Clark is near three, and Lex is nine.  After offering her cousin a place to stay while they investigate, Clark X-Ray's Chloe's grave in a manor not unlike Obscura.  When he looks inside, it's empty and Clark starts looking for the truth to what happened instead.

Episode 4.02, Gone

Clark spends most of the episode poking around for clues to what happened to Chloe, where she went; her cousin doesn't believe him at first.  Clark ends up crashing a helicopter that prevents him and her cousin from snooping around as much as he would like.  His parents find out after they catch her cousin hanging out in the bathroom with him despite his complaints, his warning that his parents won't like it, and her own promise to keep her mouth shut.

Lex and Lionel have a conversation about Chloe.  Lionel remarks that even if she "was" alive, there is no way a jury will convict him and tries to tell Lex that his own actions killed Chloe.   Lex says no that he's not buying that "bright young woman" demise was his fault at all.  Lionel Luthor then later sends a metallic shape shifting hit man named Trent to check and make sure Chloe Sullivan really isn't in Smallville, now double checking his bomb after he was tipped off inadvertently in the last episodes by Chloe's cousin in the prior episode.  Her cousin sneaks out and digs up Chloe's grave during mid-day, happy to find that Clark was right.   EDLois is then caught by Trent who now knows for certain than Chloe Sullivan is not dead,  and that he must now find Chloe and kill her.   Lois gets in a fight with him but the recently returned Lana Lang is the one who ends up chasing him off (thus saving her life) and giving her a ride to the farm.

Chloe's uncle, Lieutenant General Sam Lane, comes to the farm that night to pick "his little Lo" after Clark and Chloe's cousin realize that LuthorCorp paid for Chloe's funereal.  We also find out that her cousin was never to go near the exploded safe house.  Clark goes to Lex to talk about what happened and Lex tells Clark that the explosion didn't leave any body left to be buried.  Clark, however, recognizes the cigar on Lex's table after meet Sam Lane and walks out without talking to Lex about it.

Clark sneaks onto Fort Ryan and into General Sam's office where he sees EDLois riffling through her father's office.  He tells her his theory that Lex is working with her father and she agrees it's possible.  She tells him that her dad is a little over protective because he lost her mom when she was six, fifteen years ago.  (Putting the character firmly at twenty-one).*  We find out that her father was doting and sent helicopters to watch over her at prom.*   While looking through the log books, EDLois is happy that her father seemingly has a girlfriend.

"She was
one of
the first

undercover
female reporters.

She was
Chloe's hero."

Clark notices the name is Nellie Blye; he knows that she died over 80 years ago.  The cousin is clueless**.  "She was one of the first undercover female reporters. She was Chloe's hero," Clark points out putting the clue together and using the address from the book to find Chloe's new safe house.   When he gets there, however, the house' security is already dead; he notices a mock Wall of Weird on the wall.   In the background, "A Long Way" by Dara Shindler is still running on her computer.  Clark notices the blood on the door and that Chloe isn't there; then Lex arrives.

Clark and Lex fight about what happened; Clark points out that Lex has a tracking bracelet on Chloe and that he couldn't think she was that safe.   He's angry that the "cost of doing the right thing" might be paid with Chloe's life.   Lex negates it saying that he saved Chloe and her father by sneaking them out through tunnels underneath her save house before it exploded (during Covenant).  Lex also says he brought Sam Lane in because he could no longer trust the FBI (understandable after the Loeder arc.)   Lex finds out that she's at the old foundry, interestingly enough, where Clark's first showdown in Metamorphosis was.

Chloe is tied, taped, and chained up in the Foundry, suspended from a hook and bleeding.   In typical fashion, she works herself over to the controls, gets down, gets the tape off her mouth but before she can untie her hands, Trent catches her and starts to choke her.  Just as it looks like he might kill her, Clark shows up and shoves Trent off of her.  Chloe falls to the floor.  Clark stalks after Trent fighting, but Trent's ability to go liquid causes Clark to fall.   EDLois shows up out of no where with a huge stun gun, and the pair end up sending Trent into molten metal.   Clark asks her how she got there, but it's never answered in the narrative.

Clark picks Chloe up off the floor, hugging her.  He says he "thought he'd lost [her]."  They share a moment before Chloe notices her cousin, whom she hugs.  EDLois tries to take the credit for finding her, and Chloe walks out saying that she'll "kick Lionel Luthor's butt in court tomorrow."  Her testimony goes well; Lionel is convicted and we see Clark reading about it in the Daily Planet as covered by Perry White.

*  The doting relationship between Lois and her father is later retconned as is her status as an only child.  There seems to be some amount of debate as to Lois' age but the canon thus far states 21 - and later sides (Recruit, Fade) that try to retcon it never make it to screen.

** This is the first example that EDLois despite having Sam Lane as a father is not all she's cracked up to be.  She doesn't have a clue who Nellie Blye is - when Nellie is Chloe's hero.  This is important, because Golden Age Lois, the original Lois, was modeled after Nellie Blye and Superman helped turn her into a modern age Nellie Blye.  We then see Chloe work save herself (after Lois had to have Lana Lang save her from the same guy). 

Episode 3.03, Facade

Chloe's excited about her senior year and is excited to share it with her cousin (who has to repeat a semester because she flunked out her senior year and never received her diploma and thus can't get into Metropolis University.)  Chloe perkily points out in order to graduate, her cousin is going to need to pick up extracurricular because she's behind by more than a full semester worth of credits and recommends the Torch.  Her cousin nay-says citing that it's Chloe's thing - not hers.   Chloe retorts "What could be worse than, you know, uncovering the truth and protecting the public?"  When her cousin complains about plastic surgery going on and "everyone hiding who they really are" - Chloe assigns it as her cousins first article.

Chloe and Clark figure out the connection between Lana and Brett's accidents - both have increase serotonin levels.  Chloe notes it's the word most often misspelled in her cousins "slander piece."  The go back to the Torch where they find out about the crazed doctor, Abby's kisses, and the comas.  Chloe notes that her cousin seems to be one step ahead of them - in reality, EDLois scheduled the appointment for her article and has no idea how dangerous Doctor Fine is.

Later that week Chloe chides her cousin about her editorial article* and reveals that her cousin even got fanmail from her article**.   Chloe and her cousin then go out to a pep rally where her cousin and Clark start flirting; piped over the ends scene is Avril's "My Happy Ending."  The scene lingers on Chloe's pain rather than any lingering connection between Clark and Lois.

* Oddly enough, the intro for this scene was used for the DVD set's short on Chloe, however on the WB said clip is linked under the header 'Being Lois Lane.'

** This parallel's Chloe in 1.03, Hothead.  Her cousin is surprised about getting fan mail and striking a nerve; in Hothead Chloe is thrilled about getting hatemail and knowing she's striking a nerve.  Her cousin is surprised that her editorial got any attention at all.

Episode 1.04, Devoted*

Chloe is working at the Torch and ends up having to cover all the pieces with Clark deciding to dial back on Torch duties due to joining the football team (thus refocusing his priorities away from her and the Torch) and her cousin still trying to get into Met U without an earned diploma by trying to get the Dean to change he admissions policy.   This sets Chloe to cover the football practices herself where she drinks a concocted kryptojuice which makes her fall head over heals -- for Clark.

She goes back to the Torch where she runs into her cousin; Chloe puts her on the case by telling her to interview the cheerleaders before she declares that she was quitting the Torch.  Chloe expounds that she "spent all her time buried in this stupid newspaper" and that's what prevented her from being with Clark; she starts to take down the Wall of Weird.  Her cousin asks for her to "stop with [her] crazy talk" and demands to know "how many anvils** are you going to let [...] drop on you?"  Chloe gets angry and wants to know why her cousin is "getting in her way" - hilariously said with the Superman crest behind her.  Her cousin gives in and storms off and in the next scene blatantly tells the audience that she doesn't want to write the article.

When Clark comes up to his loft that night, Chloe is waiting for him in only his football jersey.*  Chloe reiterates her priorities about throwing off her Torch commitment for him.*  Clark is understandably confused by Chloe's personality shift - but still questions exactly what it is that Chloe's willing to do for him.   She sits in his lap and says that she's devoted to him, and kisses him.   When Clark talks over this alter with his mom he very pointedly says what is holding him back from Chloe wasn't about Chloe - it was about not being over Lana.  He also tells us that his jersey is in the barn but "nothing happened."  He agrees with his mom to be honest about his feelings with Chloe.

Chloe ambushes him at practice, dressed now as a cheerleader, so she can be with Clark "all the time."***   Clark gets her cousin to agree to keep Chloe at bay until he can figure out what has gone wrong with her; EDLois agrees to play distraction.****  Clark figures out that the cheerleaders are spiking the drinks, using meteorites to make their love compound work and her cousin decides they should go to the party to get the report from the head cheerleader.

Chloe, in the final step of the drug, attacks her cousin with a wrench claiming that she's not going through what she went through with Lana again; she won't let her cousin steal Clark.  Her cousin is obviously taken aback and says she doesn't want to hurt her - Chloe says that she already did.  EDLois kicks her into a hot furnace on accident - which breaks the drugs hold.  They both meet up with Clark, explaining how to reverse the process; Chloe's cousin tries to take on three football players at once - Clark uses his heat vision to save her butt.

"Wow.
superhero
and

journalist.

What are
the odds?"

The next day, after Clark wins the game, Chloe comes down on the field to talk with him and she says that she might have to do an article on him; Clark surmises that she's back at the Torch and she agrees.  Clark tells her that she made a great cheerleader to her chagrin.  Chloe apologizes for making things awkward but notes that he's going to be very popular now (the Torch was previously called a 'geek rag' in this episode).  Clark admits that he plans on making time for the Torch and expects her to keep him in line.  Chloe remarks that "Wow. Superhero and journalist. What are the odds?"  Clark kisses her on the cheek, and she says, emotionally, that she'll see him tomorrow - a throw back to Delete.

* This was the highest rated episode of Season Four - and "sexy" Chloe was promoted; it's a very close parallel of 'Pheromone, My Lovely' from the first season of Lois and Clark as well.  In Pheromone, Lois comes over in a blue belly dancer outfit to seduce Clark, Chloe's waiting for him in his jersey (and the next day, as his personal cheerleader.)  It's notable that as his football outfit is an analogy for his Superman costume later, this would be akin to wearing his cape.  It's red to boot.  Additionally the conversation mimics the conversation between Clark and Lois in LnC when he's trying convince her that something is wrong with her when she talks about cutting work together.  And the entire after-effects of the perfume and the drink are the same.  More on football = superman go here.

** Anvils - the popular term in the KryptonSite and now TWoP threads that refer to the big glaring clues in Chloe's favor as Lois Lane (and they were referred to as that before Erica Durance came on the show.)

*** This is a fallback to Hothead where Chloe said that since he joined the football team, she should join the pompom brigade (interestingly enough, Lana tells her in that episode that there is a spot open, in fact this is the first game we've seen Lana go to since Whitney and she is no longer a SHS cheerleader.)  Clark wanted to joining the team, hilariously, in part to spend more time with Lana - and instead when he joins he gets his own personal cheerleader... in Chloe.

**** This is the first in a long line where her character doesn't do anything but provide buffer filler time while someone else does the work; it's the start of her role as the replacement Pete.

Episode 4.05, Run

 Clark ends up tracking down Bart, a kid with a handful of other Flash alias, whom stole his father's wallet.  Clark talks to Chloe and has her track down Jonathan's credit card, and with her help he finds out that the kid used it to buy a hotel room.

Later, Clark is trying to get Bart to slow down and follow the rules - and in doing so he takes Bart to the Talon's grand re-opening.  Chloe shows up and called Clark "Kent"* and wonders why he is back in Smallville than playing detective in Metropolis.  Clark says he'd leave it up to the authorities, and Bart directs his attention to Chloe.  He tells her he rand back in time** to let her know that they are in love a hundred years from now - which Clark doesn't like.  Bart then asks her about her favorite flower - it's tulips just like Martha - and he runs off and brings her a red and yellow tulip.  When Chloe is wowed, he tells her it's magic and asks her if she wants to see more.  Clark tells him to knock it off.  Chloe and Bart have a lively conversation (to Clark's chagrin) - but Chloe shoots him down.

* In Superman: The Animated Series, Lois called Clark "Kent" rather than Smallville or Clark.

** Bart Allen is the grand son of Barry and in the DC verse, he really is from the future.  After the most recent crisis, however, Bart is the new Flash taking over for Wally.

Episode 4.06, Transference

Clark has been body swapped with Lionel Luthor with the water stone, one of three magical stones left by the Kryptonians all over the world.  Apparently they were what Lionel was looking for in season three and now Lex has taken up his cause.  Lionel, as Clark, sneaks into the Torch to use the computers where he toys with Chloe.  She tells him that she's not scared of him and Lionel takes advantage of the situation and tries to kiss her, mocking her feelings for Clark in the process.

Later that week, Clark tries to apologize to her says that he doesn't know what he did, but he's sorry; Chloe claims him of being on drugs and, when Clark denies it, demands an explanation because while a lot of people in Smallville have "pulled a Jeckyll and Hyde, but deep down, they're still the same person."  She suggests that he gets some psychological help.  It's interesting that Chloe is the first person we see him apologize to (not Lana.)

Episode 4.07,  Jinx*

The story starts off with Chloe putting a bet on the football game to Mikhail Mxyzptlk* - a foreign exchange student who has the power to control the odds.  Chloe puts her money down on Smallville to win, citing that she "never bets against Clark Kent" even though she hates to admit it.  Mikhail uses his powers to make Clark trip on the field and almost loose the game - he does make Clark tackle and nearly take out an opposing team member; it brings up the issue of steroids and questioning Clark's ability to play with other people.

Mikhail comes to visit Chloe the next day, claiming that he should of seen it coming that Smallville's whistleblower would come after him, especially late in the season.  Chloe is flattered that he called her "notorious" and says she likes the sound of that; she promises him that the article would be front page news if he handles the situation correctly.  Chloe recommends that he change professions; Mikhail retorts that his weakness is "pretty girls with infectious smiles."   Chloe still intends to write the article - until Mikhail promises to show her the real side of the bookie business on a Sharks game by letting her shadow him for anonymity.   Chloe relents, wanting a full behind the scene tour, and picks up her winnings, telling Mikhail that her dad is unemployed and the cash is going towards textbooks and tuition.

Mikhail is waiting for Chloe in the Torch the next day; she took 10% off her winnings for fun and notes that she hadn't had so much fun on a couch "since Johnny Rosenblatt in fifth grade."  Mikhail tries to flirt her out of the article, but Chloe protests that it's getting "juicer by the minute" and that it was going to press that night, no matter how cute he was.  Mikhail says he could give her so much more dirt, and Chloe points out that it's an attempt to stall the article.  He says that he always gets what he wants and uses his power to force her to kiss him.  He tells her to drop the article "whether [she] wants to or not."

Later that day, Chloe runs into Clark in the Torch - and says that he can stay, she'll just hope for his "Mr. Jeckyll" side today.   She notes that he's watching and re-watching his trip - and Clark explains about how he felt he had no control over his body.  Chloe puts the pieces together about Mikhail - and runs off to search.  She ends up finding that his name, backwards, belonged to a tribe near the Balkans that could control the hand of luck and were taken out by plagues of locusts.  Clark thinks of another way to stop him - citing that Lex brought Mikhail over as an exchange student.

Mikhail attacks Clark in his barn, saying he knew Chloe would talk to someone - but not to Lex; "She's too proud."  Mikhail decided that Clark was the common factor, and uses his powers to choke Clark; saying that he will make Clark throw the game unless Clark wants more of his friends hurt before the game on Saturday.  Chloe is working at the Torch before the game and she runs into Clark in the hall; Chloe didn't find locusts but she did find information about them admitting a radio frequency that helps them swarm together - and once jammed they are blocked for good.  She even says she has a way to simulate it if they can find Mikhail.  Clark assures her that Mikhail will be there; he tells her he has to go and she wishes him luck.

"I hear
your quite

the hero.

tonight
Clark Kent."

Chloe sneaks down to the audio room of the field, with a transmitter in hand; she hooks it up to the com system and turns it on, waiting out the game.  Her plan works - Mikhail can't control anyone and only he can hear the buzzing; Mikhail eventually does find her in the com room where he rips out the device.  He tries to use his powers on her, but Chloe nails him in the face citing that it "kind of sucks when you have to play fair."  Mikhail holds her up at knife point.

He then goes to confront Clark on the field, holding Chloe's press pass.  He tells Clark that if he doesn't throw the game, Chloe's dead; if Clark leaves the field, Chloe's dead.  Clark goes back on the field using his x-ray vision to see where Mikhail is holding her hostage and makes the throw.  Clark races through the stands, reaching her, untying her, throwing the knife away, knocking Mikhail into the opposing wall, and racing back to get tackled.  The Crows win the title when his team mate catches the ball, and Chloe stars at the handcuffs that are now broken around her wrists.

She visits Clark at the farm after his victory party.  Chloe tells him that her punishments never stick, and that he's "quite the hero tonight, Clark Kent."  Clark brushes off the compliment saying "if it wasn't for [her]" he wouldn't be.   Chloe defers the compliment to her Uncle Sam who gave her the transmitter.  Chloe agrees with Clark that it's awesome that Mikhail is stopped, and admits she doesn't know how she got untied.  She admits that she got suckered into more than anonymous tips - but Chloe says they all have their weaknesses.

We find out that Lex has saved Mikhail from jail, and points out a key similarity to the beginning of the episode -- like Chloe, he bet on Clark Kent.

* Mxyzptlk is one of the most known Superman rogues - in traditional Smallville fashion, he is no longer an imp but has the same powers; however unlike their versions of Parasite (Eric Summers in Leech) and Conduit (Jeremy Creek in Pilot) Mxy actually retains his name.   Additionally, writer Mark Warshaw says that Pete Ross was supposed to originally appear in this episode as well as the guy in the other team.  Sadly, that fell through.

Episode 4.08,  Spell

It's Chloe's 18th birthday is happening and her cousin intends to throw a party in Clark's barn for her; Clark protests feebly but she asks him to "trust her" that nothing will go wrong.  (And it does.)   She then takes Chloe around to the Talon where her cousin calls Chloe "Little Miss Reporter" and berates Lana (who has been possessed by Isobel) for not taking Chloe out shopping.  We find out that Clark badly wraps Chloe's present.*

Isobel!Lana calls Chloe and Lois to meet her out in the field.  On the ground she places three marks that correspond with the three stones we see in Crusade and Transference.  She takes the position of the water stone (as per the mark on her back.)  The fire symbol is on her left, the air symbol on her right.   Chloe and her cousin rush up to join Lana (Chloe on the right on the air symbol which looks like Clark's House of El Signal) and reveals that she knows about the surprise party back in Clark's barn.  "Hello, investigative reporter.  Nothing gets by me."  Isobel!Lana uses a wine and the spell to have her friends inhabit Chloe and her cousin.  The three witches go to Chloe's party where they make Clark dance badly and a lot of people run around in their underwear.

The three witches deduce that Clark is a threat to their plot to get the stones and go to destroy him.  Madeline!Chloe says that Clark isn't what he seems after he adverts their attacks.  They pin him to the ground.  Clark turns to Chloe, saying that he needs her help.  "I know you're in there."   Chloe seems to revert to herself before Madeline!Chloe cackles with glee and Isobel!Lana strips him of his powers.*

When Clark wakes up, the girls have him tied up and are torturing him for information about the stones; Madeline!Chloe cuts him with her nails.  Isobel!Lana uses a spell to find out about the cave chamber.  Clark gets released (by Jason) and runs over there with a shot gun to stop them.  The fire stone burns Isobel!Lana and restores Clark's powers.  Clark destroys the spell book and all four are knocked out of the chamber.  The girls awaken under the cave lady and Chloe is inline with Clark/paralleling him.

* In the deleted scenes, we find out that they gave Chloe a Underwood typewriter - the sane model as Nellie Blye's.  Clark tells her that "Two great reporters deserve the same typewriter."   Clark's wrapping job is similar to that of Superman: The Animated series.  Also in this deleted scene, Clark reveals that he knows about Chloe's birthmark (which he saw way back in Red.)

** We know that Tom Welling came up with this scene according to Allison Mack on the Spell commentary. 

Episode 4.09,  Bound

Clark is working to save Lex from a frame up; he talks to Lex and Lionel and then goes back to the Torch where Chloe asks where he's been all day.  Clark reveals that he's done his homework about the cars left in the parking lot of the hotel Lex was at, whittling it down to one car which he's having trouble tracing.  Chloe teases him and takes over the search before warning him about trusting Lionel Luthor in any guise.   And she points out that what Lex really needs (rather than police help) is a good publicist - the DP has an article about Lex's sex scandal. Clark is upset that Lex lied to him, and Chloe finds the address which puts Clark in the right direction.

After running into Lex, Clark goes back to the Torch to talk the situation over with Chloe and is unsure if he can trust Lex.  Chloe has been looking at the video tape from the hotel and finds an incongruent piece of the case - a missing earring which sets up the case for two different woman being with Lex.  The pair go to the hotel to look for the earring, "in the cause of truth and justice."  They mock out the blocking and bump into each other, Clark keeping her close and looking at her lips.  They get interrupted by a mom with young kids and Chloe says that they "weren't doing anything!"  The distraction allows her to discover possibility of the earring falling down the jam of the elevator - which it did.

Clark goes to Lionel and discovers that the earrings are a Luthor signature, and he and Chloe look up the serial numbers of the earring - and with Lionel faxing over the order numbers - and find a match in Shannon Bell, a woman in Lex's law firm.  When Chloe goes to call the police, Clark runs off with Chloe merely rolling her eyes at his disappearance.

Episode 4.10,  Scare

Clark and Chloe go to Smallville Medical Center when Jason slips into a 'panic mode' sleep to visit Lana; Chloe agrees to go to Lana's apartment to get Jason's insurance card.  The pair leave the hospital and go to the Talon; Chloe chides him slightly about his reaction to Jason and Lana dating but comforts him by reminding him that love isn't something that "you just ease out of."   She begins look around and Clark gets on her case for going through Jason's things, saying it's outside her "snoop jurisdiction" - Chloe brushes off his worries and points out that backtracking through Jason's day might help them save him.  On Jason's palm pilot, Chloe discovers that Jason had a meeting at LuthorCorp.

The duo goes over to Plant III; Clark decides to look for Lex and Chloe says that she'll look around the plant for anything unusual.  Chloe notes that the planet is completely empty - unnatural from how it was run when her father worked there.  Chloe is walking in the plant when suddenly everything goes black and blue.  Walking down the halls, she sees a girl in straight jacket whom Chloe thinks is her mother.  Her mom tells her that she can't escape it - no woman in their family ever could; Chloe touches her mom's shoulder before imaging  herself in a straight jacket.  She tears down the LuthorCorp hallways screaming; Clark rushes up and catches her as she collapses against him.

Clark, with Lana's help after she finds out the people in the panic state are dying, goes to the Torch and figures out that it's a gas released by LuthorCorp.  While there, Lana gets infected fearing Chloe and Jason dying as well as herself - her big fear is abandonment.   Clark takes her to the hospital where he gets infected himself - he fears another meteor shower and Lana finding out the truth (and her murdering him.)  He wakes up and runs off to Kent Farm, and then LuthorCorp - where Lex infects himself and has the dream from Hourglass.

The next day, Clark comes into the Torch to see Chloe whipped up into a frenzy.  She points out that the military gas hurt the entire town but it's just being swept under the rug like it never happened.  Clark tries to calm her down and Chloe admits that she found her mom - three months ago in a mental institution (which is a slight ret-con from Lineage which had her knowing where her mom was.).   Chloe's upset because the mental condition is hereditary. (Chloe's blocked against the S-shield again for most of this dialogue.) Clark comforts her and says that he's learned that people aren't "destined to follow in [their] parent's footsteps."*  She asks him what his worst nightmare was and he tells her it was when he woke up; everyone was gone.  Chloe points out that he was the only one to come out of the dream, but he doesn't have to tell her how or why.   She admits she knows the pain of keeping secrets and offers him her shoulder should he want it.   "If you can’t tell your best friend, who can you tell?" 

* For more on the use of the word destiny on Smallville, go here.