Chapter 15
"What?" Bart came up behind her. "Is he dead?"
"No. He's... my uncle."
"What?"
She put a hand to her ear at the shriek. "Lois, calm down."
"Chloe, he's been here the whole..."
"Yes. And we can ask him about it when we get him back. Everyone just settle." She nudged Bart. "Come on. Let's get him to the jet ski."
Bart nodded dumbly and bent to him.
But his eyes suddenly shot open. Chloe found herself pushed back as she saw Bart and her uncle struggle. Suddenly, Bart was thrown back and Chloe screamed as his head hit a rock. "No!"
She looked up. He was coming toward her. And he had the gun. "Don't move." Her hands started for her ski mask. If he knew it was her... "I said don't move!"
"You don't understand..."
He cocked the gun and moved closer.
"Please! It's..." There was a flash of red and Sam Lane was on the ground, the gun firing into the sky. Bart hurriedly took it and knocked the butt into his head again. He staggered toward Chloe, one hand at his head and his head wet with blood above his temple.
"What's happening?" Lois screamed in her ear.
Bart lurched forward and fell towards her, the gun dropping from his limp hand. Chloe watched helplessly as it fired again, the bullet glancing off a rock. It was then she heard the rumbling. Her eyes flew to the top of the hill. Snow rolled over rocks as voices screamed in her ear.
It felt like the end. She'd never thought she'd face the end without him.
"Clark..." She put up a hand as if the snow would stop. "Please..." She squeezed her eyes shut and the voices fell silent as white blocked out the night and covered her and Bart. "Need you..."
Her mouth filled with cold snow. She couldn't open her eyes, couldn't breathe...
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Clark couldn't hear the voice now. But he followed the rumbling noise. It echoed in his head. South.
He couldn't even enjoy the flight. After all this time, he could just go. He could be anywhere, see anything and everything and it didn't matter. If she was gone, none of it mattered.
The rumbling was faint and fading but he followed it until he came upon the still-settling snow. He hovered over it, his eyes searching desperately his senses still raw from training. A stabbing went through his head as he looked through the white snow.
Bodies. Three of them. He rushed down and tried to grasp at the snow. He couldn't see what he was digging at, just skeletons, he blinked and tried to see the snow as he dug through, but it was like his vision was too far on. He hit one with his hand. He felt cold flesh, but couldn't see it. Who was it?
He didn't care. He pulled at the body, narrowing his eyes. He saw a flash of flesh, then red. A face. "Bart!" He hovered over the snow, holding him up. He saw the face again, then the skull and... his head was pounding.
The skull moved, it's jaw working. "Boyscout... you came..."
"Can you run?" he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. It hurt so much.
"I..."
Clark flew to the side, away from the fallen snow, and set him down.
"You... you fly..."
He shut his eyes again. The skeletons. They disturbed him. "Can you run, Bart?"
"Yeah," his voice said faintly. "I can..."
"I can't carry all three of you. You have to run and show me." He risked opening his eyes and ran back to the snow, the other bodies still there. There wasn't time. He reached in, grasping at both. The smaller one. It was her. He knew it. He pulled her against his side gently and grasped the other one about the chest. A man. He could feel that much. They were both so cold.
He squinted at Bart. "Go. Show me. Not too fast."
The skull nodded and he watched the skeleton move forward. He bent his knees and lifted off, following, slowed by the two bodies. He didn't look down at her again. It was too disturbing, but he felt wet, cold hair and he breathed it in as he followed the form below him. It seemed to hover over the rocky ground he knew was beneath the snow as it all sped by.
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Her body ached. A wetness surrounded her and she felt almost as if she were in a womb. The wetness around her turned warmer and her limbs absorbed it and there was stinging pain.
She struggled against it. "No!" Arms were holding her down.
"Chloe, hold still, Honey...." It was Lois. Where was she? The wetness felt cold again and she was glad for it. The wamrth brought pain. "Do it again," she heard Lois say.
"No," she moaned. She felt the warmth around her again and, with it, the aching and she'd die from it. It had to stop.
"Chloe, hold still, Sweetie. We're gonna get you warm."
She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't.
"Come on, Chloe. Can you feel anything?"
"It hurts," she mumbled.
"Good," Lois' voice hitched. "That's a good sign."
Her hands reached outward and she felt smoothness. She cracked her eyes open, but the light hurt and she shut them again. "Where am I?"
"You're in the tub," Lois said in her ear. "You got caught in an avalanche. But you're gonna be fine."
"It hurts so much."
"That's just your blood flow coming back. It'll go away." She felt lips on her forehead.
"Let's get her out."
The voice was familiar and she drifted a moment, imagining it was Clark, imagining he'd come for her. She'd been dreaming of him. She'd imagined he held her close, his lips in her hair, as they floated above the ground.
Arms were under her back and legs and they stung everywhere they touched. Suddenly she felt softness at her back, it gave under her, but it felt like sandpaper. "It burns." The sandpaper moved over her body and someone was rubbing it into her and she couldn't imagine why someone would be so cruel. "Stop it. Please."
"Hold still." It sounded like Clark again. Was it a doctor? "I'll go help with your father."
"Are you okay? Your eyes..."
"I'm fine. Just take care of her."
Chloe cracked her eyes again. It was dimmer in here. It hurt less. She opened them all the way. There was only Lois hovering above her. "Did the doctor go?"
Lois laughed, tears in her eyes. "Doctor?" She leaned down and hugged her. It still hurt, but was lessening. "Oh, Sweetie. We thought we lost you." Lois leaned back and grabbed her shoulders. "Can you sit up for me?"
Chloe tried. It hurt, but she let Lois help her up. She was in bed. She felt the headboard at her back. "What happened?" she croaked.
"An avalanche. You're a little frostbitten, but you'll be fine."
"Lois!" She tried to get up, but her cousin held her. "Your Dad. Bart."
"They'll be fine," she insisted. "You know how Bart is. He even heals fast. And my Dad. Well... I'm sure the guys are handling it," she said, her face hard.
"What's happening?"
"Just rest." Lois held something in front of her lips. "It's cocoa. It'll help."
Chloe let Lois tip the cup, then spit it out, sputtering. "It's disgusting."
"Darn it." Lois smelled the cup. "Did I put too much whiskey?"
"Please, Lois, just tell me what's going on."
"Well, Victor's hacking in. He's got the building plans from my father's swanky office. He's gonna figure out how to get everyone out and decimate the place with the clones in it. I say let the bastards go down with it, but Oliver thinks that's bad ethics."
"And your Dad?"
"They're tubbing him like they did with you. I sincerely hope he's not naked. Lucy's freaking out. But I'm sure Clark will get him boiled up, too."
"Clark?" Chloe nearly shot up.
Lois held her by the arms. "Settle down."
"But... Clark..." She wanted to leap out of bed, but Lois held her down again.
"You can't move just yet."
"I need to..."
"Let him finish up and, I swear, I'll get him in here."
Chloe sat back, her heart pounding. He was here. He was probably just down the hall.
"So... your boy flies, huh? Probably does eight million other things you never told me."
"Flies?" Chloe stared at Lois.
She nodded. "Bart speeds in all frantic saying 'Boyscout's here! He's got em! He's flying!' and I'm still wondering about that Boyscout crap and then there's Kent." She let out a sigh. "He looked like a homeless person, but he was okay. Except for the eye thing."
"What's wrong with his eyes?"
"Chloe, please hold still." She held Chloe's arms again. "I think there's something wrong with his vision. He keeps saying stuff about skeletons."
"He... he has X-ray vision..."
Lois rolled her eyes. "Of course he does."
"Is something wrong with it?"
She shook her head. "I guess so. I... this is all a little much for me. I'm just wondering if there's anyone I know that doesn't moonlight on the superhero shift."
Chloe laid back. "You know I couldn't tell you, Lois. It's not my secret."
"I know." She smiled softly. "So fill me in. We have about three seconds before Victor calls a meeting, I bet."
"Clark's... He's not from around here. He's... adopted."
"Well, I knew that much. No one that dimwitted could have come out of Martha."
Chloe looked down. She guessed Clark's abilities hadn't improved Lois' ragging on him. "He's not just adopted. He's an alien, Lois."
"Ooookay."
"He has superhuman strength and speed. He has this heat vision..."
"Yeah. Saw that part. Scared the shit out of me."
"He's from a planet called Krypton and..."
"Okay. Krypton. Good enough. No more info or I will freak out. This week has been crazy enough."
"He's also saved both our lives a million times over," Chloe said, feeling something like a smile on her face. "And now... he's back."
Lois crawled into bed next to her. "It's almost sweet. You really missed your alien boyfriend."
Her smile fell. "He's... he's not my boyfriend. I don't know what we are."
"Trust me, he's so your boyfriend. The guy was practically flipping out until you actually spoke."
"No. He just... cares about me." She found herself smiling again, wondering if there was more. Before he left...
"Yeah, yeah." Lois snuggled next to her. "Anyway, mine's better. Yours doesn't have a sexy outfit. I've made him promise to wear it for me some night and..."
"Lois, please..." Chloe found herself laughing. It felt good. It felt like it hadn't happened for years. He was back. It would all be okay.
"Miss Sullivan." Her head lifted. Lionel was in the doorway.
Lois pulled the blankets to her neck. "Get out, pervo, she's naked."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Does that prevent her from hearing?" He turned to Chloe. "I have to speak to you."
Chloe nodded and he stepped in, taking the chair Lois had vacated. "My sources have told me Lex is on the move. We don't have much more time. He's left Star City and... He's gone almost mad. His men have been given orders concerning you. They've been told to..." He looked down. "I'm sorry. I never thought he would come to this. I raised him. I know the fault is mine."
"Lionel, just... just tell me."
He looked up. "He wants you brought to him dead or alive."
She brought a shaky hand to her face. "Oh, God."
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Chapter Sixteen
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