*Author's note. This is what I believe could happen if Chloe's powers took over her. A former Smallville character is in this solely because I like him. Written before tonight's episode, obviously.
Promise me, Clark. Promise me that if I turn, you'll stop me. Chloe's words echoed endlessly in his ears. "Chloe…" he softly whispered as fresh tears pained his eyes. Carefully he traced the name upon her grave with his fingers. In a vain effort of hope he x-rayed the ground, only to find what he'd found for the past three days: Chloe's still form. This time she wasn't coming back. I don't understand, Clark thought silently to himself, how it could hurt this much to lose someone. There were many times I'd thought I'd lost you, heck, I even attended your funeral once. I thought maybe it wouldn't hurt this time.
"Hay, Clark." a voice interrupted his thoughts. Blankly, Clark turned to see Pete, his best friend from high school. Chloe had been his friend as well and he returned only for her funeral. "I hear the police are still on the look out for her murderer," Pete began, "but have no leads. Witnesses say that they heard two people arguing. When they arrived, she was dead and no one else was to be seen, and since you're here and not looking for her killer…what happened, Clark?"
"Chloe…was sick," Clark began, "The meteor and Brainiac did more damage to her than she realized. More than I realized."
"What do you mean?" Pete asked. Painfully Clark let his mind wonder back to a time that felt like ages ago. Back to her.
He found her as he usually did, in her office reading documents faster than an eye could blink.
"Oh, Clark, good. I'm glad you're here," she said when she noticed him.
"What's up, Chloe?" Clark asked nervously, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said with a wave of her hand, but he knew something was indeed wrong. Chloe had sounded frantic on the phone.
"Chloe," Clark said again as he watched her sort through some papers on a desk, "what is it?"
"I…don't know exactly" Chloe replied. Slowly she slid over six newspaper articles. Each had a front page story about a high-up business person from Luther Corp being murdered.
"What, do you know who did this?" Clark asked.
"No. At least, I don't think I do." Chloe quietly whispered.
"Chloe, if this is one of the kids from your group…" Clark began.
"No. It's not." Chloe interrupted.
"How can you be sure?" Clark asked.
"Because, I think it may be me." Chloe said.
"Don't be silly, Chloe," Clark chuckled, You're probably the nicest person in Smallville! Besides, I encountered this thing once when…"
"When he attacked your boss" Chloe finished. "I know. You told me. You pushed the monster aside and then rushed her to the hospital."
"So, what's that have to do with you?" Clark asked. Slowly Chloe lifted her shirt to show a huge, ugly black bruise all the way down her side.
"I woke up with this that morning." Chloe said, "I have no memory how I got it."
"Man Chloe, you should get that checked out!" Clark stated.
"It's fine," Chloe said with a wince as she pulled back down her shirt, "I've been checking data bases around the world, and attacks are localized to Smallville.
"So, what does this have to do with you?" Clark asked again.
"The men who died? They were all people who have either captured me, prodded me, or tried to use me in some way. Clark, what if somehow the powers Brainiac left me are controlling me?"
"That's Ridicules!" Clark said, "You're in control, Chloe, not the other way around."
"I hear voices that tell me to get even with those that wronged me." Chloe admitted.
"Why didn't you tell me you were having problems?" Clark exploded.
"Because at first I thought I was just crazy." Chloe said.
"That's because you are crazy if you think you could kill out of revenge." Clark pointed out.
"Please, Clark," Chloe replied, "I…need to know."
"What do you want me to do?" Clark asked finally giving in.
"Well, this thing seems to attack every other night, as if it needs twenty-four hours to plan it's attack. I need you to watch me tonight. Stay close to me." Chloe said simply.
"And what if this maniac killer does turn out to be you?" Clark asked. Slowly she looked up to meet his gaze.
"You promised me, Clark." she replied, tears springing to her eyes, "Follow your promise."
"This is crazy, Chloe!" Clark stuttered, "I'm not…I can't…" His voice trailed off. He looked into Chloe's eyes once again. They had a look of accusation.
"So, now you suspect." She said coldly.
"No! Chloe…"
"Oh come, Clark!" Chloe cut in, I'm not stupid. I can read you like a book. You're thinking what I've said over. If you think I'm right, Clark, then we should end this here!"
"Don't talk like that, Chloe!" Clark said, "I said I'd stay with you tonight, but that's only to prove you wrong."
"Thank you Clark." Chloe said calmly as she embraced him.
"It's going to be ok." Clark whispered. "I promise."
"That's really a bummer about your house, Clark" Jimmy Olson said as Chloe spread out blankets and pillows on their couch, "a blown pipe?"
"Yeah," Clark agreed, "water everywhere. I'm just happy you and Chloe are letting me stay over."
"Any time, Clark" Chloe said.
"Yeah, Mi casa su casa," Jimmy agreed.
"Well, it's late, so…" Chloe hinted.
"Yeah, we should be getting to bed." Jimmy said. "'night Clark."
"'Night guys" Clark repeated. Clark sat in the silence that surrounded him. Chloe and her overactive imagination, he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.
He awoke with a start, his adrenaline-pumped gaze searching for what had awaken him. Chloe stood over him, her gaze hard.
"Don't get in my way." she snarled, then was gone, the door swinging open with a crash.
Jimmy must be one heck of a heavy sleeper, Clark before blasting off after his friend. "Chloe!" he yelled, "Where did you go?" Suddenly he was hit from behind. A telephone pole exploded from his impact. Slowly he got to his feet. Chloe stood before him, eyes blazing. "Chloe, how?" Clark asked.
"I asked you not to get involved," she spat, "do I have to kill you too?"
"That's not you, Chloe!" Clark shouted, your letting braniac's power control you!"
"Of course!" Chloe exclaimed, "It gives me what I need, revenge!" with that she threw herself at him, but this time he was ready. At lightning speed he met his super-human foe in mid swing, stopping her and sending a sonic boom out through their surroundings.
Grasping both her arms, Clark spoke, "Chloe, this is not what you want! This is not you! Fight your emotions, Chloe, you can do it!" slowly the look in Chloe's eyes began to change.
"Clark?" she asked shakily.
"That's it, Chloe! Fight it!"
"Please Clark!" she said urgently, "don't let me hurt anyone else!"
"You won't!" Clark said, "not as long as you keep fighting."
"I can't!" she was struggling now, "It's too strong!"
"Try harder!" Clark demanded.
"NO. Clark!" she screamed, "stop me!" Suddenly he was flying.
"I guess I do have to kill you," hard faced Chloe said, "Or at least, immobilize you." With that she pulled out a small metal container. Clark knew what it was before the pain hit. The eerie green glow mad her venomous face look all the more dark. "I thought I might come to you when I was weak." She said, her voice dripping with poison, "So that's why I was sure to bring this."
"Come on, Chloe," Clark managed between breaths, "You can do this!"
"Shut up!" Chloe thundered, "I know what I want." Clark watched as she pulled out a knife, "and unlike you, I am willing to kill to get it!"
Powerlessly Clark watched his best friend approach. "Chloe," he breathed, "You don't want to do this." A glint changed in Chloe's eyes. She was fighting once again. "That's it, Chloe, fight it!" Clark said. With a cry, she dropped the stone. It took Clark nearly all his strength to kick it away. He felt his strength come surging back.
In one fluid motion he snatched away the knife in Chloe's clenched fist. "Come on Chloe," he said, "You can beat this."
"Clark!" Chloe said, you promised."
"No!" Clark said, "I promised I'd help, not that."
"I don't want to live like this, Clark!" She said.
"You're stronger that you think you are, Chloe! Shut the thoughts out!"
"It's coming back!" Chloe screamed, "Clark, you have to do it! Please!" The look in her pleading eyes would forever haunt his dreams. Clark watched in horror as Chloe's face turned from fear, to anger, then back to fear again. "Please!" she cried again, then the anger appeared once again. "Kill me, Clark, Kill me!" she mocked, "Your weak. I'll show you what true strength is!"
With a yell Clark jumped at Chloe, driving the knife deep into her chest. Chloe's eyes flickered into a look of surprise, then pure hatred, then…just Chloe. Clark caught her collapsing form.
"Thank you…Clark." She gasped.
"Hang on, Chloe!" Clark said, "we need to get you some help."
"No Clark." her voice was barely audible, "I'll just hurt more people. Please just…stay with me."
"But Chloe, what about Jimmy? And Lois? We all need you!" a hint of a smile touched Chloe's bloody lips.
"You'll manage." She whispered, "Tell them…I love…Them."
Clark could feel her heart begin to race, "Stay with me, Chloe, please. Don't go." He could feel his tears running down his face.
"Goodbye, Clark," She said so quietly, Clark wondered if he didn't just read her lips, "Thanks for being…such…a good friend."
Clark felt her go limp in his arms. "Chloe." He said quietly sobbing as he held her still form. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I wish I could have done more for you."
"Hay!" a voice shouted, "Is everything alright?"
Carefully Clark laid his best friend down, and with one final glance, zoomed out of sight.
Surprisingly He didn't cry at her funeral. He didn't even stutter when asked to say a few words. It was as if he was watching someone else by the name of Clark Kent that had known Chloe Sullivan. Even though he awoke in the middle of the night with nightmares, he didn't cry. He'd saved it all for now.
"I shouldn't have listened her." Clark said bitterly, I should have done something the second I knew Brainiac had entangled her mind!"
"You had no way of knowing, Clark." Pete said, "I didn't even know she was meteor infected. You did what she know was the right thing, you saved a bunch of people."
"Yeah, people who would have killed her had they known!" Clark said angrily.
"I know Chloe," Pete said, "This would have eaten her up inside. She wasn't a murderer."
"The sad thing is, the police are saying that it was the work of the same person who killed those Luther Corp people, but that thing died along with Chloe. By me."
"No." Pete said, "Not by you. They were right. That thing killed Chloe too. You may have held the knife, but Chloe died the minute that thing started taking over. That's why she asked for your help. You saved her too."
Clark turned his tear-stained face back to Chloe's grave. "I never got to tell her I was sorry." He said.
"I don't think she wanted you to." Pete replied, "She knew what she was asking. She trusted you to do the right thing. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself, Clark. Come on. I leave tomorrow, let's go get a couple of drinks."
"No," Clark said as he got to his feet, "Let's go to Smallville high. Let's go back to where it all began.
I decided to end it this way because at the time it sounded good. Apparently they both met way before high school according to tonight's episode, but hay, tomato tamato.