Rating: PG (just to be safe)
Spoilers: Features events from Season Two: "Fever" and Season Two: "Skinwalker". Title references song "I Still Believe" from Miss Saigon.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, except when they are. The settings and locations are not mine, except when they are. The plots, conflicts, and resolutions ARE mine, except when they're not.
Reviews/Feedback: CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome. Any suggestions you may have on how to make my story better will be greatly appreciated.
Acknowledgement: My thanks to whatever website I got the episode transcript for "Fever" from. As you may have guessed, I started this story quite a while ago and I honestly can't remember where I got the transcript.
Chapter 1: Kyla
"I want to let you in on a secret." Chloe said, reading out loud for the first time the words she had written earlier. "I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend."
Chloe was sitting in a rocking chair in the Kent's living room, next to the couch where Clark lay unconscious – unconscious, and completely unaware of Chloe's presence. At the moment, Clark felt as if he were floating in darkness. It blanketed him, surrounding him completely, yet the darkness was not in any way threatening or oppressive. It was simply there, in much the same way that Clark himself felt no dread or apprehension; he simply existed, waiting in the dark.
"Sometimes I want to rip off this façade like I did at the Spring Formal," Chloe continued, "but I can't because you'll get scared and you'll run away again. So I decided that it's better to live with a lie than expose my true feelings." Chloe stopped reading for a moment. The emotions rising in her were simply too strong for her to continue. She brushed aside Clark's bangs and said, "This is so much easier when you're unconscious."
Clark saw a light coming towards him out of the darkness. It was faint at first, but as it came closer it grew steadily brighter and brighter. Clark felt as though he were at the end of a very long tunnel. It took some time for Clark to realize that the light wasn't moving towards him, but that rather he was moving towards it. There was someone waiting for him, there in the light. Clark couldn't tell who it was at first.
Chloe had started to read again. "My dad told me there are two types of girls. The ones you grow out of and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me because I think you're worth the wait." Chloe set the pink paper that she was reading from down on her lap. Her fingers brushed aside Clark's hair again. This time, Clark stirred. "Clark?" Chloe said questioningly.
As Clark moved closer to the light, he began to slowly recognize the person standing there waiting for him. Clark noticed the long, dark hair, and a figure that was unmistakably female. But it was when he saw the look in her eyes that he knew for sure. He had seen that same look before, as she lay dying in his arms. Surprise and confusion filled Clark as he stared into the face of someone he had never expected to see again. "Kyla?" Clark asked.
When Clark murmured Kyla's name, Chloe wasn't sure how to react. After all, how does one compete with a ghost? Then she noticed that Clark's breathing was becoming shallower and more labored, his face growing pale. Chloe may not have been a doctor, but she seemed to sense that Clark was dying. "Clark, no!" Chloe said, the anguish she felt plainly evident in her voice. "No, Kyla's dead! She's dead!" When Clark showed no signs of having heard her, and no signs of improving, tears filled Chloe's eyes. "Clark, please, please don't leave me," she begged.
Kyla looked at Clark. He was so close now; almost close enough to touch her. But it wasn't his time, not yet. There was still so much he needed to do, so many people he was destined to help. Giving Clark a sad look, Kyla turned her back on him, letting him go. The bright light began to fade, taking Kyla with it. Then the light went out completely, leaving Clark in the darkness once again.
As Clark's breathing returned to normal and the color returned to his face, Chloe let out a sigh of relief. He had come back to her, she thought. With this thought came another. Maybe there was a chance for them after all. Maybe Clark could love her, the way that she loved him. After a few moments had passed, with Clark not showing any signs of taking another plunge towards death's door, Chloe leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead, only to hear footsteps on the stairs. "Chloe?" Mr. Kent called as he headed downstairs. Chloe quickly sat up straight in the rocking chair, the sudden movement causing the chair to rock backwards. Suddenly remembering the paper in her lap, Chloe hurriedly began to shove the pink sheet back into her handbag, just as Clark's adoptive father walked into the living room. Chloe finished stuffing the paper into her bag and stood up. "I was just leaving," she said as she headed for the door. "Tell Clark I hope he feels better." It was only after Chloe had drawn the front door shut behind her that her embarrassment at almost being caught in such a private moment faded, and a bubble of happiness began to rise within her. 'Maybe, just maybe,' she silently told herself as she left the house.