Almost Clark (Chapter thirteen)

Still spoiling Unsafe, also Pariah.

Chapter Thirteen


"Her mom hasn’t heard anything either," Clark said in her ear.

Chloe cradled the phone on her shoulder and scrubbed at a dish as hard as she could. "I don't know what to tell you, Clark. I'll ask around.

"Okay. Call me if you hear anything, okay Chloe?"

She paused, trying to make sure no bitterness crept into her voice. "Sure thing." He hung up. "Anything for you, Clark," she said to the dial tone. "As always." Her face crumpled as she raised the dish in her hand and threw it into the dining room. It smashed against the table.

"What? What happened?" Lois called blearily from the living room. She'd been napping on the couch. All that studying she didn't do over spring break really took it out of her.

"Oh... um, oops!" she called out.

Lois poked her head around the corner. "Everything okay?"

She took a deep breath, willing the tears back. "Damn slippery soap," she said too brightly. "It just got away from me." She shrugged.

But Lois stepped in and peered closely at her. "Are you crying, Sweetie?"

She tried to laugh. "Since when do you call me Sweetie?"

Lois stepped closer. "Since you're obviously upset and won't tell me why."

Chloe lost the fight. She put her soapy hands to her face and sobbed brokenly. She felt Lois' arms encircle her from behind.

"Chloe," she crooned.

"I'm fine," she cried. "Really." She pulled away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "See?" She glanced over at Lois.

"Obviously," Lois sneered. She stalked out of the kitchen. "Or you will be," she tossed over her shoulder. "As soon as I kill a certain farmboy!"

"No!" Chloe rushed after her, then past to block the door. "Lois, no! It's not him."

"It's always him," Lois ground out. "Do you see why I can't stand him now? He's just a smalltown jerk with a smalltown mind with no room for anyone but himself!"

"That's not true," Chloe insisted. "Every day, he puts his life at risk for others. He's..."

"And every night, he puts my cousin to bed," Lois shot back.

Chloe felt the blood leave her face.

"What?" Lois paced away towards the living room. "Did you think I didn't know?" She picked her car keys up off the table. "I'm a heavy sleeper, Chloe, but not that heavy. Uncle Gabe might be oblivious, but I know what goes on around me. And I saw you!" She suddenly shuddered and sank to the couch.

Chloe crept up behind her. "When?"

"At Crater Lake," she said miserably. "In the water." She grimaced. "Maybe now that I told you I can get that one out of my head."

Chloe sat next to her carefully. "Lois, I... Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

Lois shrugged. "It's your body, your business. I was worried, but I figured you knew what you were doing." She glared at the coffee table. "I changed my mind when I saw him still staring at Lana. Chloe, he used you!"

"I know," she whispered.

"He used you to get over Lana."

But I used him, too. To get over Clark. She didn't say it. How could she explain that one to Lois?

"And now he's gone off and married some ex-stalker?"

"It's not legal," Chloe pointed out. She still wanted to defend him.

"Like that matters," Lois snorted. "He's done using my cousin as a blow-up doll. You don't do that to my family."

"It's over, Lois," Chloe said tiredly. "It has been for months."

"You bet your ass it is," Lois said through clenched teeth. "When I get through with him, he won't have an appendage left!" Lois snatched up her keys and got up.

Chloe grabbed her by the arm. "Lois, no!"

Lois hurled her keys to the floor. "Why not?" she demanded. "Are you seriously defending him when he..."

"He doesn't know!" she burst out, then backed away, covering her mouth.

Lois stared at her as if she'd sprouted an extra head. "What? What the hell does that mean?"

Chloe sank to the couch again and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the cushions. "It's a long story." She sighed. "Suffice it to say that it involves a meteor rock."

Lois sat down next to her. "Around here? What doesn't?"

"Not the green ones," Chloe said tiredly. "There are red ones and they... There's this ring with one in it and... They affect him somehow. They make him do things he wouldn't normally do." She opened her eyes, half-smiling. "Or things he would do if he'd just let himself."

"Things like you?"

Chloe turned to her and nodded sadly. "See, I used him." She dropped her gaze to her lap. "Whenever he put that ring on, I... I took advantage of him."

"Doesn't he know what happens when..."

"It's like a blank period for him. I can't explain it." She turned to Lois.

Her brow was heavily furrowed. "I don't get it. Why would a guy put a ring on when he knows it'll give him some big blank period?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "Well... on some level, he knows. He just doesn't let himself..."

"Then he's still using you," Lois said sharply.

"Lois, there's something different about Clark. I'll figure it out someday. But, for now, let me deal with it in my own way."

Lois dropped her head to Chloe's shoulder. "So I can't kill him?"

Chloe found herself laughing. "No."

"How about if I just maim him a little?"

She let out another laugh. "No. Not that face, at least." She let her head rest on against her cousin's. "Actually not the body, either."

"You're no fun."

Chloe put an arm around Lois shoulder. "Just let me handle things my way. Okay?"

"Okay," Lois breathed. "I trust you."

It was only later, when Chloe closed her bedroom door, that she let herself slide down it, sobbing as softly as she could.

It wasn't Clark she was upset about, at least not primarily. It hurt that he could get involved with any girl that wasn't her, but that wasn't what had her so hurt. It was Kal. Kal who'd, if she thought about it, never really hurt her this way. Never betrayed her this way.

"I, um, wasn't myself," Clark had said. "I think she drugged me."

And she knew what Alicia had drugged him with.

She let her head hit the door. It hurt, but was nothing compared to what was clawing inside her now. Kal had ran off to Vegas for a quickie wedding and a honeymoon. Oh, God! A honeymoon!

And it was almost physical, this pain. She crawled across the floor and into her bed, muffling her sobs against her pillow. Clutching her chest as her pillow became uncomfortably wet. She drifted off, wondering how she could face Clark again.

************************************************

She was glad Lois was staying for spring break, but she kind of wished the girl would let up for a second. She'd been dragging her all over, trying to force guys on her, trying to force fun on her.

But Chloe had to admit... It was kind of working.

"I love rock and roll," she sang, adopting her best rocker pose as Lois twisted her hips at the cute guy in front. "So come and take your time and dance with me!"

This was actually fun. It wasn't so... bad. The singing stopped, but the karaoke track played on.

Lois turned to her, her eyes darting back to the same thing Chloe couldn't look away from. She knew Alicia had taken a bullet for Clark. It did endear her to Chloe, but to see him dating her...

"First he married the girl, now he’s dating her?" Lois snarked. It echoed through the room with a loud squeak of feedback from the microphone.

Chloe saw Alicia's hurt expression before she lowered her head. Something made her want to reach out. "That was subtle, Lois."

Lois lowered the mic. "Right," she said sheepishly.

Chloe kept her eyes on Alicia and away from Clark. It was easier to try to sympathize with Alicia than forgive Clark. Chloe had gut instincts. And they were good ones. Alicia may have done some rotten things in the past, but she was openly trying to live her life now, without her meteor powers. She tilted her head to the side and studied the girl. She had a pretty, open face. But there was something about it that made her think of a lonely rag doll, sitting on a shelf for years. Everyone passed her by and nobody truly saw her.

The music stopped all together. The entire place was silent, every eye on Clark. On Alicia. Chloe felt a pang of pity again. Her eye was drawn to movement in front.

"I think I’ve seen enough for one night," Lana said to Jason, disgust plain on her face.

Lana stood up, leaving Jason at the table and walked towards the stairs to her apartment.

Alicia followed her. "Lana, wait."

Lana turned to face Alicia, her expression of disgust still firmly in place. Chloe knew Alicia had tried to kill Lana last year. She supposed she could sympathize with Lana. She pursed her lips. She was really sick of being so damned sympathetic to everyone. It left no feelings for herself. She let her glance slide to Clark. Maybe it was better that way.

"I just want to apologize," she heard Alicia say.

A bitter laugh came from Lana, of all people. "For what? Trying to kill me or not succeeding?"

Chloe looked up. Alicia was looking at her plaintively. "Look, all I want is a chance to prove to you who I really am."

"You already have," Lana snapped, stalking up the stairs. Chloe wondered if she should go after her, comfort her. But she also saw Jason and Clark follow and stop when they got to Alicia.

Jason turned to Clark. "I can’t believe you brought her here."

Clark put up his hands. "Jason, listen--"

"Listen to what? Another apology?"

Alicia turned and walked right out of the Talon. Chloe's eyes followed her. Maybe she should go after her, comfort... She squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed like all she did anymore was put her energy into everyone else.

She was getting a little sick of it.

***************************************************

Her and her stupid gut. "Trust your gut, Chloe," she sneered to herself, typing furiously. "Yeah, right."

It was late, but she had a lot of energy to work out. Just when she'd started to trust this Alicia, started to resign herself to her being with Clark, she had to pull these stunts. She only had three close friends. And Alicia tried to kill one... and for the second time!

No wonder Lana couldn't stand her. Chloe always prided herself on her gut instincts, but apparently they weren't so trustworthy. Lana had been right. And now there was another thing Lana had over her! As if Lana didn't already have enough... Chloe stopped that train of thought before it docked. Lana was her friend and jealousy was a petty emotion, unworthy of the great reporter she swore she'd be.

"Objectivity," she muttered. "Never lose your objectivity." She continued typing, this time about Alicia's attempted murder of Jason. She didn't get that. Why kill Lana's boyfriend? Didn't Lana having a boyfriend ease her way with Clark?

“Can Any Cell Hold Her?”

Chloe jumped up and spun around. It was Alicia, reading her Wall of Weird. She always knew it would lead to her demise. It served her right for living so dangerously.

"Probably not," Alicia said quietly.

She tried to sound calm. It was like with dogs, these crazies and meteor freaks. You couldn't show your fear. "Alicia, what are you doing here?"

"Chloe Sullivan, ace reporter. You write all these articles about the people you call freaks and you don’t even realize that someone close to you is one of them," she said, not unkindly. "Why are you ignoring what’s right in front of your face, Chloe? Don’t you want to know the truth about Clark Kent?"

Yes! her mind screamed. But she quieted it. This might be a trick. Just a trick to get her off her guard. "Everyone knows you’re crazy. Why should I believe you?"

"You don’t have to," Alicia said, moving closer. "I’m gonna prove it. And then you can write the story of a lifetime."

Before Chloe could move, Alicia grabbed her by the arm. A white light surrounded them and she flinched. Was this death? She felt something soft under her. Did the dead feel? She opened her eyes. They were in a car.

"Where are we?" she asked, shaking a little. She'd never exactly teleported. It was more than a little jarring. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you your next headline. And making things better for Clark." Alicia opened her cell phone and dialed.

***************************************

Twice now, she'd teleported. She felt almost nauseous as she crouched behind a barricade on the side of the road. She peeked over.

Clark was standing in the middle of the road, directly in the path of the oncoming car. "Clark, what are you-- " She almost ran forward to push him out of the way, but she felt Alicia's hand on her arm.

"Don’t worry, Chloe."

Chloe watched, frown, with tears of panic in her eyes as the car got closer to the construction site and rode up a ramp, flipping sideways into the air and making a nosedive straight for Clark. She almost closed her eyes, but found them frozen wide with terror... then with awe.

Clark caught the car by the tip of the hood, holding it easily in the air. Then he slowly turned it upright and lowered it softly to the ground. When he stood straight, he peered into the car. Alicia was still beside her, still clutching her arm. It was empty.

Suddenly, Clark was a blur. A blur she could see as it sped away, faster than a... anything she'd ever seen. "Oh, my God," she breathed, surprised she could form words with the way her jaw was lying on the ground.

****************************************

"Clark, why didn't you just tell me?" she whispered to the article in her hand.

She stared at the picture of Clark with the Indian drawings. She placed it among the pile that her Wall Of Weird was becoming. Now that her own friend belonged there, it all seemed so cruel. Why had she never seen that before? She remembered the hurt in Alicia's eyes as she'd stared at Chloe's articles last night.

Now, she was dead. Chloe felt a tiny tear at the corner of her eyes. She'd been innocent. She wasn't a killer. She didn't deserve to die. Chloe sniffed and wiped at the tear. She hoped Alicia was happy now. She never found happiness while she lived.

"Hey, Cuz!"

She jumped a little and stared at Lois. "Didn't you just leave?"

"Yes, but I just wanted to make sure I told you before I go back..." she stopped, spread her hands. "I won't kill the farmboy. I think he's suffered enough." She stared at the floor. "When he found her dead, he was so... There was just so much naked pain." She took a deep breath. "I still don't forgive him for using you. But, as you said, it's over."

"Yes." Chloe nodded.

"I mean, he must have really loved her." She smiled a little. "So I can forgive the quickie wedding and all."

Chloe pasted on a smile. She almost could... if it had been Clark who'd done it. "So, no maiming or..."

"No," Lois laughed. "Your dream boy is safe from me," she promised.

"Good to know," Chloe said, faking a laugh as she hugged Lois goodbye again.

After she left, the smiles fell away. She continued dismantling her wall, her emotions so mixed up that she didn't know what was up front. Pity for the girl that hardly lived. Sadness for the man she left behind. And guilt... She looked at the pile of clippings on the ground, then the empty, red wall. Guilt for all the people she'd judged.

She found herself at the graveyard. She knew she'd find him, too. He knelt at Alicia's grave, a red rose in his hand, its color shocking against the dismal grave, the gray day around them. She knelt next to him as he placed the rose on the ground.

"Hey, Clark," she said softly. He didn't look at her. "I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for everything."

He didn't answer.

"It must’ve been so hard being so different," she went on. "Having everyone judge you before they even know you, knowing that there’s some people that might never accept you."

Clark continued to stare at the tombstone.

"I just... I want you to know that I’m here for you... if you ever need to talk." She placed a hand in his shoulder.

"Thanks, Chloe," he said dully, still not looking at her. "I appreciate that."

Chloe stood up and walked away. She'd done all she could.

When she crept into her room that night, she was about as drained as a person could get. She was glad her father wasn't home. He was spending the night in Metropolis with his sports buddies. Sharks game. They'd rented a room and were probably up right now, swilling beer and prepping the body paint for tomorrow. Men were funny.

She headed for her bed, falling into it, fully clothed, and dragging half the quilt over her. She didn't have time to get under or take off her coat. She needed that sleep that had been eluding her for days.

"Sleep," she muttered.

"I don't think so, Babe."

She shot up, scanning her room. A lamp clicked to life, almost blinding her after the inky, black room. Past the spots in her eyes, she saw him. He sat on her desk chair, one leg resting on the other, and surveyed her with a calm that was almost chilling. Her eyes flew to his hand, then over him, searching for the tell-tale glint of red. She saw it around his neck.

"Kal," she sneered.

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