4.18, Spirit

Chloe is crusading against the Prom Queen tradition at SHS; she sees prom as the senior class's last party together and sees it needless to cap off four years with a popularity contest.  Lana notes that "Chloe Sullivan strikes again" but also remarks "balloons and taffeta seem a little harmless compared to your usual targets."  Chloe tries to twist Lana's arm to going stag even if it's just to hear Lifehouse when they get cornered by Dawn Styles who warns Chloe to back off.  Chloe is shocked and appalled to find she was nominated for Prom Queen.

Smallville, Episode 4.18: Chloe and ClarkWhen she goes into the Torch, complaining to Clark that she was very clear about boycotting the vote, she realizes that he organized it all.  "I may have spoken to a few people," he admits.  Chloe asks him who he's taking, and Clark doges the question much like Lana did earlier in the hall.  Chloe presses him, pointing out that expectations are there as goals to live up to, not things meant to make people back down from living their lives.  Clark denies that either of them are in a "rut" but Chloe gets a bit meta, saying that they are and they "we’re gonna graduate from this adolescent fantasy and we’re not gonna have a rut to fall back into".  Clark seems to listen and she adds in two more cents about her belief that his future holds more than he realizes.

Later that night, Clark goes to help with why his mom is acting so weird (Dawn Styles has since been changed into a body hoping spirit already taking over his mom and Lana.) Chloe figures out that after crashing and going into a coma in Carlton Gorge, that Dawn has powers.  The trio (Chloe, Lana, and Clark) go to the hospital to see how she is -- where Dawn essentially kills herself/her body and spends the next day lingering around the hospital until she body morphs into Chloe's cousin.  Dawn then forces Clark to take her to prom, in a bright pink dress, under the guise of Chloe's cousin, telling him "Anything is possible, Clark. Anything."

Smallville, Episode 4.18: ChloeChloe goes to the prom, by herself, in a pink and purple gown.  She spots Clark across the floor and beams as she makes her way towards him.  He jokes that "maybe this time we won’t have any natural disasters" - a reference to their date in Tempest.  Chloe is happy that he's there and surprised; Clark references their earlier conversation saying that missing her "with a crown on your head" would be a major disappointment for him.  Chloe says that she's "really glad" that he's there.  Dawn!Lois interrupts them and Chloe points out that she's there "in pink.

The teachers call for the prom queen; there is a drum roll and a quick two shot of the competition: Chloe or "Lois"(with Dawn inside of her.)*  Shockingly, Chloe wins - presumably due to Clark's string pulling. Clark is extremely proud; and Dawn body hops into her making an embarrassing public acceptance speech which clues Clark into what happened.  Chloe's cousin, now back to her normal self, is confused.  Dawn!Chloe takes off, knocking out Jonathan Kent, grabbing an axe and making for the boiler room.  She goes (as we saw in the teaser) to burn the school down.

"See, Clark, there's a whole life after high school - and I can be whoever I want."

Clark of course, prevents it.  "All those years I kept trying to be what everyone else wanted. And it turns out those losers don’t even care!" Dawn protests to him.  Clark tries to reason with her, asking her to let his friend go.  Dawn grins, "See, Clark, there’s a whole life after high school, and I can be whoever I want!"  Dawn hops into Clark who knocks Chloe across the room and steals her tiara.  However, Jonathan Kent comes down stairs with Kryptonite and forces Dawn out of Clark - showing us it was Clark's plan; Chloe sees the reaction to the kryptonite.

"You're headed for Metropolis. You are destined to be a big shot reporter at the Daily Planet.  Do you really picture Clark Kent being able to keep up with you?"

Once free, Clark helps Chloe up.  "I think you dropped something. Congratulations, Chloe."  He hands her the tiara that he helped her win.   They end up going back to the dance where Clark gets his hoped for dance with Lana (from the Pilot) and Chloe talks with her cousin.  Chloe admits that it seems just yesterday that Tempest happened, and her cousins stops her cold - "You’re headed for Metropolis. You are destined to be a big shot reporter at the Daily Planet. Do you really picture Clark Kent being able to keep up with you?"  Chloe grins a bit, and says that she thinks Clark "might have a lot more to offer" than realized.**

* In the Pilot, Lana was Homecoming Queen (as a freshman, the queen of the very first dance of high school).  Chloe is Prom Queen (queen of the very last dance as a senior).  EDLois is not a queen.