Before Sunset (Part-Thirty-Six)

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And now we go into what I call my pre-Hidden honeymoon phase and the start of my alternate version of Hidden. I think the events of Hidden would have happened regardless as Gabriel Duncan was planning to wipe Smallville off the map behind the scenes no matter what else was going on. So, I deal with it along with the crystal business.

I'm indulging myself writing them as a happy couple a bit first, though. 

Part 36

He glanced at her, chuckling as she sipped her coffee and grimaced. "If it's that disgusting..."

"It's terrible." She held it out. "Taste it."

He batted her away. "Why would I do that?"

"You make me look at all your cuts. This one's so gross," she mimicked. "Look."

"Well, that's interesting-gross. Anyway, all coffee's terrible."

"I think this one might be special. And I can swear they gave me decaf. Stupid Beanery. Did that pot handle look a little orange to you?"

"No. But I can say yes if it gives you an excuse to dump it."

"Nah. It's fine. Horrible as it is, I need it. I was up half the night packing before you finally got out of lock-up for our little nature hike." 

"You seemed to like parts of it."

She rolled her eyes and pulled a leaf from her hair. "Like you didn't."

"Not as loudly as you did. I think an entire flock of birds fled for their lives."

"You should know that gloating is very unattractive and gives me a much better excuse to dump this... all over you. It'd probably serve you right for ripping my new bathing suit." 

"Hey, you kept saying to hurry."

"Well, I figured we'd get it out of the way before the lake. Too many people around." She stopped. "Do you think that's going to be a problem?"

He adjusted his large beach bag and looked ahead. He could already hear shrieks and laughter from the lake ahead. "Not if we just dig them up quick." They kept moving. They'd waited as long as they could by now. There were times, off with his parents that first week on any given supervised, farm-business-only outing that he swore he saw the same rather nondescript black car or saw a man in a dark suit, looking horribly out of place at the farmer's market. But this last week, nothing. If Lex was having him followed, maybe he was getting bored. Still, they'd taken precautions. They'd parked his truck, her car being half-stuffed with boxes, in the far over-flow lot with many other cars. Maybe they went off the beaten path a little, but it only served to show that no one was behind... thankfully. As it was, they just looked like any couple, strolling to the lake for a dog-days-of-summer swim. Not that they'd have one. Maybe the lake would be too crowded and noisy. Maybe they'd just decide to take a rest by a certain wizard tree before heading back. 

"So should we pretend you sprained your ankle or..."

"Clark, I don't think we need much more subterfuge. If anyone's following, I'd be more worried about the little show they'd have seen earlier." She took another swallow with another rather hilarious gross-out face. Strangely, it was one of the things that made him nuts about her. Just the pure range of expressions, anywhere from an absolutely beautific smile to... "Uck! How can anything taste this vile?" That face.

He gripped her hand and tugged her closer. "You know, we could have tried the Talon."

"And have Lana exercise her right to refuse service?"

"She might not have. I saw her on our way to the farmer's market yesterday. She even waved... to my parents," he finished on a mumble. "But I was next to them."

Chloe let out a sad sort of laugh. "I hear Lana's asking around for sorority housing at Met U. I guess it's just as well. Rooming together would have been too weird even without this mess." She heaved a deep sigh. "I really could have handled that better."

"Hey, I was there, too."

"But I started it."

"Someone had to. Besides, my mom says she's doing okay as long as they completely avoid mentioning either of us."

"Speaking of your parents, do you think they extended your sentence till now because of... well... us?"

He slowed down. "I don't think it's like they're punishing us for dating, but... Yeah. I think they might want to give us as little time alone as possible."

"I'd almost feel guilty for all we snuck in." She slipped a hand just under his shirt and nestled into his side. "Except I can't regret a second."

"How the hell are we going to do this?" He stopped and turned to her, sliding his hands up and down her bare arms. He had a full week before he started at Central Kansas, but she had to be at Met U for orientation tomorrow.

"We'll have weekends and breaks. We'll be fine." She laughed and glanced down. "Though, even with all the sneaking, I'll really miss this summer."

He would, too. He'd miss those nights, looking out the wide loft window, waiting for the flash of her headlights just beyond the field, turning his lamp on and off twice, then the rustle of the corn, the sight of her running to him through the stalks in some flimsy nightgown. Some nights, he risked venturing out, peeling her clothes off in the north pasture all with one eye on the house, his heart beating in his throat should a light shine in the window. Others, he fell into a dead sleep after showering off the day's chores, which seemed neverending and always backed up nowadays, then found her pressing a kiss to his forehead and telling him to go back to sleep, trying to leave. Not that he let her.

He barely slept a full night, but it was all worth it. And he really didn't want it to end. Then again, it was for the best. He had plans for tomorrow and she needed to be safely away for them to work out.

He lifted her chin, sort of surprised her eyes were damp. She'd been the one saying how fine they'd be, promising to be home every weekend. "Chloe..." 

"I'm okay. I just figure with the drive, I can probably be back Friday by..."

He leaned down to meet her lips, not wanting to hear the plan again. She'd been repeating it so often, calculating the hours they'd have and not. For just now, it was nice to know that she wasn't okay or fine or any variation of it. He certainly wasn't. Maybe it wasn't the end of the world, being apart five days a week. Hadn't he spent three summers without her when she was off at The Daily Planet... then dead? But that was before. And there was probably some internal calendar inside him that knew that, from September to June, he'd see her every day. It would be twice as hard to face that now.

So he kissed her, fit his lips to hers over and over and wondered if he could get enough of her to last him till Friday. He'd sure try. He deepened the kiss, even enjoying the coffee taste. He didn't mind it so much on her.

Something splashed at his ankles. "Hey. My coffee spilled," she moaned against his mouth.

He had to laugh. "I did you a favor." He dropped another kiss on her lips. "Tell you what? We get the goods, then I take you to Shelbyville. They've got two whole Starbucks."

"First date, huh?"

He pulled away. "That wouldn't be our first date. What about the dance?"

She bent to pick up her empty cup. "Clark, you kind of left me in the middle of the dance floor to..."

"You said that was ancient history and you wouldn't guilt me ab..."

"Well, I'm not. I'm just pointing out that it wasn't a date. Anyway..." She slipped the cup in his bag. "I still have a ton of packing to do. So maybe tomorr... Oh." She sighed and toyed with the neck of his shirt. "I'll be in Metropolis."

He sighed as well, but pasted on a smile. "Well, drop your manic planning for Friday traffic and I can come to you. Take you for fancy city coffee."

"Yeah?" She looked up, giving him that sort of slow smile, the one that made him want to kiss it right off her.

So he did. "Mmm-hmm." He dropped the bag and worked his way down her neck. "Maybe even a donut."

She giggled. "We can go dutch and get a whole box." 

"If we can afford it." Between the two of them and the price of gas, he doubted they'd have any fancier meals than a hot dog stand could provide. But if she didn't care, then he couldn't be bothered, either -- as long as he had her. Which he didn't, a moment later, with her pushing at him. "Hey..."

"I think we should finish our treasure hunt before you... plunder me and all." 

"If you think pirate wordplay is a turn off..."

"Shut up and race me to the loot," she said, kicking the bag away and rushing off down the hill. "Oh, sorry," she called out. "I guess I win!"

"Oh, no you don't!" He quickly stuffed the towels and trowel back in and raced after her. And he had to note that, for a guy without powers, he was gaining on her pretty quick. He was about to overtake her when she just stopped. He turned and almost slipped to a stop just past her. "I see you decided cheaters never..." He trailed off at her slightly shaken look -- that and the fact that she was staring into a small ditch. "Please tell me that's not where..."

"No," she said, shaking herself. "It's just that, before, there was this... puddle of... I don't know... I guess it was oil or something just here and I was trying to avoid it. But it's gone. Maybe it was somewhere else." She looked around. 

He did, too, a feeling of deja vu moving over him, thinking of that day. "You know, that's weird. I thought I saw one, too, back at the warehouse. But then there was nothing."

She turned to him with a deep frown. "So what's that about?" 

"I don't know. Trick of the light? I mean, like when you're driving and it looks like there's a puddle ahead, but..."

"No. This was more than that. I saw it up close. I almost fell right into it." 

Clark bent to touch the grass, then rubbed his fingers together. "I don't feel anything." 

She shuddered and moved to the tree. "Okay. I'm officially creeped out. Might as well dig up the horrible thing and finish me off."

Considering what it usually took to creep Chloe out, he had to wonder why this registered. The key didn't seem to bother her, but something about that dark crystal seemed to do the trick. He hadn't exactly felt the same way. There had been something about it that called to him. It was as if it wanted to be in his hands, as if it knew something he didn't. And maybe that should creep him out. But after a year searching for magical stones and those bare minutes in a fortress that seemed to build itself, he'd kind of accepted that most Kryptonian objects had some level of consciousness. Then again, that crystal had seemed a little... eager to be taken.

He'd shared that with Chloe and it only disturbed her further. "Clark, if that thing seems to like being close to you, then I wouldn't give it what it wants," she'd said. So he hadn't exactly shared his plan. As far as Chloe knew, Clark was just going to talk to his father about a better hiding place. He just didn't say which father. And the only person he'd been talking to was Bart Allen. They'd been calling back and forth about it all week. Bart had already taken four trips to four different sets of coordinates that were the closest Clark could get to where the fortress might be. On the fourth, they finally got it right, though not without some problems.

"You know, your computer daddy tried to ice me to death," Bart had told him, aghast.

"Yeah. He kind of does that. I told you not to go in."

"But you didn't say why. I'm officially miffed, you powerless, woman-stealing former alien."

"This again? You knew her for about a day, you know."

"I operate on a faster level. That's a lot for me." Still, Bart wouldn't be joking if he wasn't in. "Just don't go abusing the privilege of knowing me and call me every time you need a lift. I'm not even sure I can tow your big ass."

He watched Chloe count her paces slowly. It made him feel mildly guilty, hiding something from her, especially after he thought he'd never have to hide a thing ever again. But it was for the best. He knew her too well to think she'd sit back and let him handle this. Besides that, Bart's secret wasn't his to tell. Either way, it would all be over before he saw her on the weekend. It would all end up as no more than a little trip. Clark would go to the caves and use the key. Bart would be waiting at the fortress to help him get home. He wasn't sure what would happen in between. He just hoped Jor-El would have some kind of answer. He might have taken his powers, but Clark had to think that he would do something about this ship. He couldn't want this technology in the wrong hands. 

"It's here," Chloe said, pointing down. "Got the shovel?"

"It's actually a trowel," he said, pulling it out. 

"Excuse me for never gardening," she snorted.

Clark glanced around before moving to her, kneeling down. "You're sure?"

"Positive. Besides, the dirt's looser here."

He dug in, hitting something hard before long. "Got it," he said, groping through the dirt and coming up with the key. He hastily stuffed it in his pocket. "Now for the... Huh."

"What?" 

He felt around to where the dirt was hard again, bringing up several small rocks, but nothing else but more dirt."Are you sure this is where?" 

"Positive. Why?"

"Because there's nothing else here."

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

Ten minutes later, Clark had dug a hole that was twice as deep as what she'd done. "I don't get it," she muttered, pacing circles around him.

"Are you absolutely positive..."

"Clark, you have the disk. I buried them right next to each other."

Clark stared into the hole for some time before he stood and started kicking the dirt back in just a little harder than was necessary. "God, I hate him!" 

"If Lex took it... Why would he take one and not the other?"

"Not Lex. Jor-El."

"Do you think he..."

"I don't know. I don't know if this is something he can do. All I know is that I'm sick of being jerked around with no God damned answers." He knelt down and shoved the last of it in, hitting at it. "He acts like this all-knowing force, but all he does is leave me flying blind and..."

"Hey, hey..." She crouched next to him, slid her hand over his back. "We'll figure this out."

"With no help from him like usual," he said, breath coming in broken pants. "Why would I even bring this to him? He's never helped me. All he does is play these stupid head games." He sat back, swiping one dirty hand over his forehead.

She wasn't exactly sure what he talking about, but she figured this wasn't the time for questions. So she just shifted until she was in his lap, kept rubbing at his back in widening circles until he gripped her, burying his head in her shoulder. She didn't know absolutely everything about Jor-El -- or the program that represented him. But she knew enough of the past events to know that Jor-El and Clark had very different ideas about what Clark should be doing with his life and that Clark felt constantly chased and frustrated by these expectations. "Who needs him?" she said softly.

"Exactly," he mumbled, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what I was thinking, bringing him the crystal. All he'd do is give me the run-around. I don't even care if it's gone."

"Bringing him the crsytal?"

Clark stiffened and lifted his head. "I... I was going to tell you when I had some answers," he said, meeting her eyes. 

"Clark, what were you planning on doing?"

His eyes slid from hers. "I probably wouldn't have."

"Clark, what?"

"I was going to take the crystal to the fortress tomorrow, see if he could... I don't know. I was hoping for answers or something to do or maybe he could help me get rid of it. I figured he owed me that much."

"Great plan." She pushed away and scrambled to her feet. "Except for how you'd end up stuck in the damned arctic with no way back!"

"I had a way back."

"Like what? Hoping he gives you a lift."

"Maybe he would. I don't know." He stood slowly. "But I did have another way. It's just... It's not something I can tell you."

She took several deep breaths. It didn't exactly calm her down. "I thought we weren't going to operate this way."

"We aren't. I swear, we aren't. It's like... like you and anonymous sources."

"How does that even compare?"

"It's just that I do have some secrets that aren't mine. And I had a plan. Let's just leave it at that."

"Let's not," she found herself snapping. "This isn't about whatever plans you were so obviously making. This is about you putting yourself at risk and not even giving me a heads up!"

"I thought you were better off not knowing until I had some answers."

"And what if something went wrong? Would I have been better off, then? No idea where you were and no one to tell or..."

"Chloe, this isn't about you or us. This is my mess to clean up and I didn't want to put you in the middle of it. All of this is almost over..."

"No, it isn't, Clark! There's still a spaceship in Lex Luthor's damned warehouse. There are probably more meteor freaks out there than ever. None of this is ever over! And you can't tell me it's not my problem when I have been a part of all of this since before I ever knew!" She threw up her hands. "But fine. Do what you want." She stalked off.

"Where are you going?"

"Home! To mind my own business!"

"Chloe..."

"And don't you dare follow me. I'm this close to... to... I don't even know what!" she yelled over her shoulder. Hit him repeatedly in the head with a shovel... or trowel. Steal his keys and leaving him to walk four miles home. Tell him this was over... except not that. That was the least likely thing she'd do. But damned if she wasn't tempted to let him wonder. So she walked, even stomped a bit before the fact that she was wearing flimsy flip flops made that too much trouble. She'd have taken them off if the woods around Crater Lake weren't riddled with rocks and even the occasional broken bottle from teens sneaking wine coolers. She was hot and sore and still angry by the time she reached the overflow lot. She supposed the five remaining miles to her house would take care of that last problem while exascerbating the other two. She started to wonder if she should go back to where Clark was most likely staring into space and moping and take a tense ride home.

Luckily, Smallville was as small a town as its name boasted. The fact that everyone knew nearly everyone else meant she didn't have to shuffle along Forbes Road breathing dust for long. Of course, that presented its own set of problems as Paul Chan wanted to have a very in depth talk about post-high-school network-building, climbing the political ladder, and all manner of really important things she could hardly even concentrate on just now. He'd been a great student body president and all and she supposed he'd be a competent mayor of somewhere or other one of these days, but he was the conversational equivalent of taking vitamins. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that. Considering most of the student body was either in Belle Reve or six feet under, Smallville High students had to hold onto what former Crows were left. So she "hmmed" and "yesed" and exchanged emails and made sure she sounded suitably impressed about his future at Yale.

Though she supposed it wasn't too bad, having her thoughts redirected to the future. Not all the worrying about the fate of the world or where she and Clark would end up, but that clear, bright future -- the one she'd seen since she was eight years old. She was going to be a star reporter at The Daily Planet. That was the only thing in her life she was absolutely positive about. She didn't care how long it took or what kind of humble pie she'd have to force down after the mistake of taking Lionel Luthor's assistance the summer before last. It had been a mistake she'd paid for that with many attempts on her life culminating in her supposed death and her summer hidden away from all she knew. Now she just had to reestablish some credibility. Though he ended up another person she'd lost along the way, George Maxwell Taylor had believed in her. Someone else would, too. She had to believe that, with everything she'd been through up till now, with all the ways she'd paid, that she could get there in the end.

That determination kept her packing, handing off things to her dad, who insisted on helping, but ended up hindering until she started to think it was on purpose.

"It's Metropolis, Dad, not the ends of the earth," she'd tried. It didn't seem to work.

"I know, I know," he sighed, though he didn't seem to. He kept her up till at past one, sighing some more and digging into every box, suggesting she leave this or that. Even the assurance that she'd be back on weekends didn't help him out.

"Not the same as seeing my girl every day." He chuckled and tossed a stuffed cow back into a crate. "Though I suppose it might not be too big a change, with you creeping out early." He smiled. "A full day of texts and voicemails, then you creeping in past midnight to turn off the TV on me."

She blinked at him. "I always thought you were sleeping."

"Honey. I never sleep till I know you're home safe."

She opened her mouth to ask if he ever heard her creep out after that as she'd been doing a lot of that these past weeks with Clark. But, if he knew, then she didn't want to know it. "I don't suppose you're going to pull a retroactive curfew breaking punishment."

"Yes," he said drily. "You're grounded for four years. No college for you." He sat on the bed and tugged her down next to him. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I've been too easy on you. But I just never had it in me to punish you. Maybe I figured your many hospital stays were punishment enough. Not that they ever stopped you from landing there again."

"Hey, I always come home. Most of that was probably thanks to Clark," she said without thinking. But there it was, something she was only truly realizing after all these years. 

Her father just laughed. "He is a big guy. I suppose most people wouldn't want to mess with you, with him always hanging around." He nudged her. "I figured the two of you would end up... well..." His face suddenly darkened. "You know, Chloe, that shot you're on... Well... I only did that for the... girly workings and...Well... It's not a free pass to... Well..."

Oh, God. "Dad, I know." She jumped in quickly before he drowned in "wells." And she did know. So that part was true enough. "Clark is a... very respectful and responsible guy," she finished in a rush. That was also true. "Oh, hey!" She reached into a box hastily. "I can't believe I almost left with this." She handed him her "Go Crows!" travel mug. "You always say it keeps your coffee the hottest."

"Well, it's yours. I just borrow it."

"No. It's yours. Because I'm giving it to you."

"Thanks, Honey," he said, taking it. "Just promise me something. Try not to get in over your head so much. You're not going to have that hulking boyfriend of yours around out there."

"True," she said, frowning. She wondered if she'd been too hard on Clark. Maybe hiding his plan to go to the Arctic was just more of him protecting her. It didn't come with powers these days, but it might be a hard habit to break after... No. This wasn't about putting herself at risk. This was him putting himself at risk. And, damn him, he had to know, after all this time, that she would protect him just as hard as he ever protected her. She wasn't Lana, though the events of today might have created a little more sympathy for Lana, really. Clark couldn't expect her to sigh and wring her hands on the sidelines and hope for the best. This wasn't that kind of relationship. She wouldn't let it be. She suppoosed she could call him and make that clear tomorrow... or let him stew. Either way, she had another silly man to deal with tonight.

She leaned against her father. "You can call me all you want, you know."

"Oh, I will. Morning. noon, and night," he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "Count on it."

When she rolled over to grab her phone at six in the morning, she thought her father was making good on that before she even left, with "GABE" flashing on her screen. Then she realized it was another Gabriel altogether. Duncan. Torch. Genius. He was one of the former Crows she definitely wanted to hold on to, with his way with computers. He'd gotten her out of many a meltdown. But it was six in the morning.

She sighed and picked up. "Hey, Gabriel," she croaked. "Listen, can I call you back? Not that I don't want to hear all about MIT, but..."

"Chloe, you have to get out of town," he said without preamble. He sounded more awake than she felt. Then again, he had further to travel.

"I plan to." She sat up and stretched. "Actually, thanks for waking me up. I've got orientation at noon and I'd love to get mostly moved in before..."

"Listen to me, Chloe. Pretty soon, it's all going to be over."

She chuckled. He was taking graduation kind of hard. Then again, he'd always been kind of morose with his father being such a rigid character. She kept it light, as a person had to with Gabriel. "I know it sucks to say goodbye, but if Smallville managed without their cyber wizard, then I'm sure they'll survive without their star reporter." Though she supposed they weren't gone yet. It was kind of early to talk sense.

"Chloe, you are the one person who will understand why I had to do it. You have to make people realize it wasn't my choice. It was the only way."

She wanted to laugh, tell him he was making about as much sense as she was. But something in his tone made her stiffen up. "Gabriel, what are you talking about?"

"How much time did I spend at the Torch helping you chase the big story? Well, in an hour, you are finally gonna get it."

She felt her stomach drop as she stood. "What happens in an hour?"

"Smallville's finally gonna be gone forever."

PREVIOUS CHAPTER
PART THIRTY-SEVEN

I always thought that, had Clark been sneaking around with Chloe, they wouldn't have been caught or they'd at least let their parents claim plausible deniability. The girl's just too experienced a sneak.