A Day Late (Chapter Four)

I'm trying something new with comments and reviews. Some of you may have heard me grouse about how I'm never sure if people see that I reply to their comments. So I'm going to respond to the previous chapters comments on this chapter, same with the next, the next... and so on for all my current fics! For comments on older ones, I'll be replying on my fic homework posts. :)

That way, I feel we can all have a nice rapport! So replies below!

Also a lovely new banner by Bkwurm1 below? She does some awesome work!

Well, it all took longer than I thought, getting and setting up a new computer, but here I am! I want to apologize for the massive wait. Besides the computer stuff, Summer is my busy season and I've had way less time to write than I anticipated. Mea culpas aside, here's a pretty new banner from Bkwurm! She's given me so much pretty art for this fic!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Chapter Four

Wednesday afternoon

It really was like old times. But maybe that was just because he was in The Daily Planet’s basement supply closet, staring at Chloe as she rattled off some impossible thing, expecting him to just go along like it was nothing.

“How is this a big deal?” Chloe gasped. “It is literally the tiniest…”

“I’m not talking about the microchip. I’m talking about you expecting me to plant it in broad daylight in the most secure building in town aside from City Hall.”

She crossed her arms. “Have you gotten lazy or something?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Did Lois tell you that? You know, it’s not laziness if I don’t put out the trash if I’m out from dawn to…”

She held up a hand. “No. And you two need to stop putting me in the middle. Back to business, here. All I need is a simple database of visitor codes so we know which one is Uncle Sam’s so I’m not wasting hours of video footage on board meetings or Lex ordering lunch. We're not trying to stalk the man day and night. We just need to see his conversations with Uncle…”

“Shhh!” Clark turned back to the door, making sure it was shut.

“Clark, she’s not going to overhear us down here,” Chloe said wearily, pulling him back, “that’s why I wanted to meet in the basement in the first place. Besides, this is for Lois. If what Uncle Sam’s doing is for the good, then there’s a relief. If it’s not, then we can get him out of it somehow. But first we need to know what it is.” She held out her hand, a very tiny baggie in it with an even tinier microchip.

Clark sighed and took it, putting it in his inside pocket. “How exactly do you expect me to do this?”

“Not alone. I’ll be there the whole time to run interference. Now I got a work-up of the model they use.” She unfolded some papers against one of the lower shelves. “I think we can knock this out with our story before the afternoon is out.”

Our story. It sounded strange. As many times as they investigated together, they’d never written a piece together. She’d hovered over him back at The Torch when he, admittedly, half-heartedly turned in stories. He’d visited her here at The Planet whenever she used her resources to help him. But their times in professional journalism had never synced up... not until now, at least.

During this week, Sullivan and Kent were a team. It was mostly due to Perry, who, when Clark pointed out those were Chloe’s edits on Clark’s piece, actually liked them. “No. It’s diplomatic,” he’d said, puffing away on a cigar half-out his window. “We run this, we might get more access. That’s when we get the real dirt.”

He was right. They’d run the piece with Chloe’s name second and they were suddenly being invited on a tour of Luthorcorp’s research division. Lois had been okay with it when she’d come in this morning – maybe a little too okay. “You try dealing with him,” he’d heard her say under her breath to Chloe. Annoyance with Lois aside, he still had his suspicions about the welcome mat being so suddenly rolled out. “Did you ever think Lex is inviting us for something other than our… diplomacy?”

Chloe glanced at him, then sighed and turned fully to him. “You mean that he saw our names together and it rang a bell and he’s just drawing us in to fill the holes in his swiss cheese brain?”

That was pretty much exactly what he was thinking.

“It doesn’t matter, Clark. It’s a way in.”

“Or exactly what he wants. Just showing up because he asked us. We should try sneaking in some other..."

She folded up her plans. “Listen, I know how you and Lois operate. You think it has to be all subterfuge and dress-up.”

“Technically, she’s into the dressing up part. I…”

“Regardless, I happen to think that, if you march in like you have every right to be there… Well, the rest is bullshitting. And we have an actual invitation. We need to make the most of it. Now will you pay attention? The basic idea is that I accidentally toss my coat over the scanner. You 'clumsily' grab it while using your speed to place my transmitter on the bottom. I’ve already got into the cams and…”

“What? When did you do that?”

“Over lunch. I told you. You never did listen.” Chloe sighed. “I can get into the footage, but I don’t want to download everything. Vid stalking Lex will only drive a person crazy. Case in point: Lana, circa 2006. As far as I’m concerned, we’re doing this just to make sure Uncle Sam isn’t into something questionable…”

“Exactly. It’s for him, not against him. If only Lois would understand…”

“Once again, we aren’t telling Lois anything unless or until there’s something to tell.” She folded up her plans again. “And stop trying to put me in the middle. I’m having PTSD flashbacks here, going between you and Lana in this same basement!”

“I never asked you to go between…”

“Yes, you did. It wasn’t in words, but her name always came up and I always ended up playing love doctor and, in case you missed it from my disastrous stint at Isis, I’m not a qualified counselor.”

“I never asked you to be,” he grumbled. “I came here for other stuff besides Lana.”

“It didn’t matter what you came here for, it always ended up with me cheerleading your love life and it was exhausting and I don't want to do it again. I mean, we’re working on a story together at The Daily Planet, Clark. This could be fun.”

“This could have happened years ago,” he had to point out with a slight smile. “You could have got your job back when Tess took over. I even told you to apply and you said…”

“I was busy with Isis at the time,” she cut in, as if irritated. 

“Which you just said was disastrous.”

“But I didn’t know it would be, not then. Then there was Watchtower. I needed time away from…” She stopped, shaking her head. “Clark, I know we avoid talking about it because there were some dark days in there, but maybe it all needed to happen, even if none of it made sense. So let’s just think of it as a series of paths that led us here and stop rehashing it and… and just drop it! Okay?”

He drew back. “I wasn’t criticizing. I was just saying it was unfair and you could have…”

“Does it even matter if it’s in the past? There are a million ways things could have gone,” she broke in. “And you’ll drive yourself crazy if you think about it. Talking about the past, talking about the future. It’s all useless. You just… you get through it and see what happens.”

He stared at her. “Chloe, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! You just… you have to stop looking back. Maybe you wanted something once. But maybe you’ve grown beyond that. You know, there’s this nebulous idea of having it all in life, but you can’t. Sometimes you have to compromise. Like… like… like you and Lois,” she finally finished. “You know, you have to decide what the argument is. I mean, what’s the problem?”

Clark drew back again. “I thought you didn’t want to get in the middle.”

“Well, maybe I do. Maybe it’s something I can fix.” She paced the small length of the closet. “She’s my cousin and you’re my…. Well, we used to be best… I mean, you’re my oldest friend. I can fix this. Come on…”

“Well, the problem is she keeps…”

“No. Stop that,” she broke in. “It’s not you versus her. It’s the both of you versus the issue.”

Clark threw up his hands. “What if the issue is that we want different things?”

“Exactly,” Chloe said, almost whispered. “Different things in different places. But you can get past that, can’t you?”

“Different places?”

“Focus, Clark,” she prodded. “What does Lois want?”

“She… She wants fame and recognition for her work.”

Chloe snapped her fingers. “Of course she does. You have to see where it comes from. She spent her life moving from town to town, no stability. She told me about the Smallville homecoming reunion, no one even knew her name and it made her feel so…”

“She told you about that, too?” Clark groaned. “She only went there part of one semester. Of course no one…”

“That's a long time for her, with how she lived. But it’s not even about how long. It's about how much she wanted to be placed somewhere. She always wanted to plant her feet somewhere and start a life and put herself out there so hard that no one will ever forget her because it's something she never had growing up! That’s what she wants! That place in the world! It's like how I want...” She stopped, shaking her head. “I mean what she wants is... it's... it's conflicting with you wanting to stay anonymous sometimes, but...”

“Most of the time,” Clark had to put in. “It would be one thing if she just wrote up saves she observed herself, but it's like I can't talk about my saves unless I want my every move splashed all over the paper!”

“Okay, I'll grant you that could be compromising, but you could just calmly speak to her about being more selective about what's off the record or...”

“I've tried being calm!”

“Really? Because I'm not seeing it right now,” she said dryly.

“That's just... I mean, I'm just venting. And let's not even go into her wanting me to come out as,” he glanced at the door and lowered his voice, “Superman.”

Chloe sighed, staring at him. “I know. I don't agree. She seems to think everything's fine because Ollie survived it, but surviving it isn't the same as living with it, not for you and not for her. It will be so much harder on her than she can imagine, speaking from experience and all.”

Clark stared back. “Is it that bad for you two?”

“Bad, good.” Chloe looked away. “It is what it is. It's just tough to scrape out any kind of privacy when everyone's looking your way. Your average rich mogul gets enough of a spotlight. Add in vigilante hero and...” She let out a sad laugh. “I make it work the best I can. Officially, I let the public think I'm his press adviser and assistant. I kind of insist on it.” She shrugged. “I want to succeed on my own merits, build my way up again, but if it ever comes out, what I am to him, no one's going to see me that way.” She rolled her eyes. “And when I say 'if', I mean 'when' because at some point... It's just something I'm trying to put off, I guess.” She took a deep breath and met his eyes again. “Listen to me whining at you. Back to you and...”

“No. You have every right to whine. I don't even consider that whining. I wish you'd told me this before or...”

“When, Clark?” She chuckled. “It's not like we talk much anymore.”

He stared at her miserably. “I know. And I'm so...”

“Please don't use that for Clark Kent guilt fodder. It's nothing to be sorry for. It's a just a fact of our situations now. We're not best friends and that's actually for the best. It was never going to work you know, either of us having fulfilling relationships while being so borderline codependent. Not that I loved us fighting, either. I think who we are to each other now is just who we need to be. I'm your fiacee's cousin and an old friend you get to reconnect with sometimes. We're like... in-laws that can actually stand each other,” she finished with a smile.

He returned the smile a bit shakily. It all seemed true, even reasonable, but it was also kind of cold, considering how close they’d once been.

“Anyway, you and me are not having communication issues,” she went on lightly. “It's you and Lois who have these fundamental differences right now. You just have to work through them and...”

“It's easy for you to say when everything's perfect,” he said, trying not to sneer. In-laws. It was really bothering him even if he knew he had no right to be bothered.

“I never said things were perfect. But we try to get close to it as we can, balance each other and compromise.”

“But there's no compromise here. Lois wants to be famous and I just don't,” he went on, “especially not as Clark Kent. I know Superman can't help it, but I'd rather tone it down when she wants to amp it up. How do you even start to work through something like that?”

“I'm not saying I have all the answers.”

“No one does,” he said miserably. “Not even Brainiac, apparently.”

“Are you talking about when he...”

“Took me to a perfect future? Yes. And I chose to chase that future and I keep chasing it and I never catch it and it's wearing me out!”

“That's not fair, Clark. Not to you and especially not to Lois. You can't expect her to measure up to some perfect idea. And you know time travel is deceptive.”

“You think he lied? I told you before, this wasn't the same Brianiac we knew before.”

“I'm not saying he lied, but it's tricky. Him just showing you that future might have changed it, might have planted this idea in your head and now you're expecting Lois to just magically measure up?”

He stared at her, horrified. This wasn't a possibility he had even considered. “Are you saying we won't get there?”

“I'm saying he showed you a possibility the same way Fate's helmet showed me things that could happen. But I had to work to stop them the same as you have to work to get to that happy place.” She shook her head. “Did you really expect things to fall into place just because 'destiny' says they will?”

“Yeah. I guess I did.” Clark stared at her, dejected. “I thought it wasn't even an issue.”

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

Chloe blinked at him, thinking of Oliver last night, saying almost the exact same words. Or maybe everything today was dredging up last night. She was supposed to be helping Clark with Lois, not constantly projecting her own issues onto them.

Come to think of it, she didn't have issues. Hadn't she decided this morning to enjoy a month at The Planet and have that be the end of it? And, damn it, she wasn't supposed to be getting in the middle!

She told him so.

Clark looked even more miserable. “God, I'm sorry. I keep doing this to you and...”

“Oh, stop it. I went and put myself in the middle.” Now to get out... She took a deep breath. “Relationships take work and you two have to be willing to put it in,” she said in a rush. “It's up to you two whether that means one of you giving in or both of you compromising and that's all I have to say.” She snatched up her plans. “There. Officially out of the middle. Now can we get to work? If this is going to be my last meal, I want to make it count.”

He stared at her strangely. “Last meal?”

“Lex, Daily Planet, all those Metropolis loose ends,” she said dismissively, concentrating on keeping her voice light. “I've got one good month to tie them up. That's all.” And she'd be satisfied in the end.

Of course, it didn't feel that way when they were walking through midtown. Maybe this is what everyone goes through when visiting their hometowns, this silly wish to make it more than a visit. It was silly, but she couldn’t help looking at The Met Stop Diner and wishing it was more than just some place she might stop in for eggs before or after catching a plane. If she lived here, like she’d always thought she would, it would be an every-Sunday place or she’d stop in on the odd weekday morning, but only when she had time to kill – as she remembered the service. Probably the best omelets in town, but they sure took their sweet time getting them to you.

She nudged Clark, gesturing to the silver and turquoise sign. “You ever go there?”

“Only if I have the time. Lois hates it there. Thinks they’re too slow. But it’s worth the wait. They really have the…”

“Best omelets in town,” Chloe finished.

"Yeah."

“Glad that’s still true.” She turned to Clark as they walked on, wondering if he ever got the same feeling. Smallville might have been her stomping ground for a while, but she’d always been a Metropolis girl at heart. But it was his hometown. “Do you ever miss Smallville, living here?”  

He shrugged. “I never think about if I miss it. Maybe I’ve just adjusted to this city. I got my feet wet, spending so much time here the last five years. I mean, I know I can get to Smallville in a minute if I need to, so I guess that helps.”

“Probably,” Chloe agreed on a chuckle.

“But there’s nothing for me there now. Not even the house. I do miss that sometimes. Mom didn’t agree and maybe she was right about that. I guess I saw selling it as some grand gesture in moving on, but I sometimes regret it’s not there in case… Well, in case I want to be there. It’s like I have no right to be there now.”

Chloe didn’t have anything to say to that, but she knew the feeling. For better or worse, that farm held most of her memories of Smallville, those not in The Talon’s tiny apartment. Now The Talon had gone from a burned out shell to a Home Depot that effectively put the Fordmans out of business and the Kent farm held some other family. “You can’t go home again” never seemed more true. Then again, Smallville had never been her home the way Metropolis was. Even when she lived in Smallville, she could always see this city in the distance, knew she’d find her way back to it and The Daily Planet. Now, if the way Perry White had been welcoming her, she had a standing invitation to both. And she had to turn it down in the end. 

She nudged Clark again. “But you’re okay now. You’ve got used to it here.”

He laughed a little and nudged her back. “Well, yeah. It was highly recommended by a friend. I was told it was the greatest city in the world with the greatest paper in the world. So I tried it out.”

She laughed. “That friend being me.”

“You did pimp this city a lot, greatest coffee, the paper of record for kings, presidents, and prime ministers…”

“Well, I’m glad my recommendation finally took after a few years. So how’s it working out for you?”

“I guess it’s lived up to the hype, but maybe that’s because it’s where I happen to live. I guess everyone wants to think the place they choose to live is the best possible place. I bet you feel that way about Star City by now.”

She wished she did. To be honest, she still felt like a tourist there. It wasn’t like she didn’t recognize that the cobblestone streets in Old Town were charming or that she didn’t like that the top of any hill had an ocean view, but she appreciated those things as if they were temporary. It wasn’t a feeling she could help. She remembered voicing it to Oliver once when they were first in the big house when he asked why she kept taking things out of her suitcase instead of actually unpacking.

“I don't know. I feel weird about it,” she'd said, staring between her suitcase and the ornate dresser. “Like I'm on vacation and I'll just have to pack again. Is that stupid?”

He'd moved up behind her and took the top she'd been rolling and tossed it to the bed. “Maybe it's our vibe. Like a never-ending romantic getaway.” He'd definitely made the idea attractive when he tackled her to the California King, but that didn't make the feeling go away.

It was hard to see Star City as forever and maybe that's because it had never been part of the plan for the future. Plans change. Her plans, her future, had changed too many times to count by now, so she really had to stop looking ahead and just go with it. She had less than a month by now and it would be enough, she assured herself again. 

She stilled before Luthorcorp's – or Lexcorp's, she supposed – imposing glass and steel edifice. She turned to Clark. “You think we'll see the man, himself?”

“I kind of hope not.” Clark was frowning heavily.

She nudged him, pasting on a smile. “Hey, am I remembering it wrong or did we regularly stay ahead of Lex at every single turn? I mean... this was a Lex with his full faculties, so this new guy should be a piece of cake.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, sounding anything but sure.

“I'm not just bucking you up, here,” she said briskly. “You and me, Clark, we handled him fine before there was a League, before there was anyone else. Back when there was just us.”

“Just us,” he breathed, forcing a smile as well.

“And we can do it again.” She walked backwards to the steps with a slight smile. “So come on!”

TBC

Replies:

Phllydragonlady: I'm really enjoying this new story. Looking forward to the next update!

Thanks so much! I've given myself a bit of a tough situation, but I really hope I can write my way out of it and into a happy ending. :)