Title: Things Change (1/?)
Author: Dannyblue
Rating: PG-13
Email: dannyblue2@yahoo.com
Feedback: Yes, please.
Summary: Crossover with The Highlander, but only in spirit. Chloe Sullivan's life changes drastically.
Pairing: This isn't a 'ship fic, but there might be hints of stuff here and there…just like on the show.
Spoilers: None, really. The story takes place some time
in season 2.
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville, and
I won't make a dime from this story.
Distribution: All you have to do is ask.
Notes: This is my first Smallville fic. I
hope it meets with your approval.
Chloe Sullivan died on a Tuesday afternoon.
"I told you, Clark. I'm fine." Cordless 'phone pressed to her ear, Chloe sat on the edge of the bed. "Well, fine considering I woke up this morning feeling like crap."
"That's good." His relief almost seemed to pour out of the 'phone. "Not good that you're sick. But, when I didn't see you at school this morning, I started to worry."
She almost said, Wow, I'm surprised you noticed. Because such comments had become pretty knee-jerk over the past few months. Fortunately, she'd gotten better at not blurting them out.
"And you weren't home when I came over," Clark continued.
Chloe's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. "You came over? I mean, you actually left school to come over and check on me?"
"Well, yeah." All of a sudden, he sounded shy. He was probably wearing that bashful grin of his, too. The one that made him look like the most gorgeous dork ever born. "Like I said, I was worried about you."
And Chloe's mind scrambled at the sweetness of it all. She had to remind herself—forcefully—that this was just Clark being the great friend he had always been. That it didn't mean more, and letting herself think for even a second that it did mean more could only lead to badness.
So, keeping her tone as casual as possible, she said, "I must have been out when you dropped by. I went to the store to get some cold medicine." She took a bottle from the nightstand. "I think it's working, because I feel slightly less like crap than I did before. Of course, now I can't operate heavy machinery. Damn it!"
"Yeah, too bad," Clark chuckled. "But don't worry about it. Pete and I'll be over after school to cheer you up."
But Chloe could already feel a yawn coming on. "I'll probably be pretty out of it by then. Why don't I call you once my drug-induced coma lifts."
"Okay. Feel better."
"I'll give it my best shot."
But, as she hung up the 'phone, she realized feeling better wouldn't be an option for a few days. She was headachy, body-achy, and nauseous. She also had a fever. But not an honest, straightforward fever. No, this was one of those sneaky fevers that was just enough above normal temperature to make you feel too warm…and a little chilly at the same time.
"I need juice," she decided. Maybe if she drank, say, a gallon of orange juice, all that vitamin C would nullify those nasty cold cells before they could do more damage.
Hey, a person could dream.
With a few dry, half-hearted coughs, Chloe stood up.
And the room tilted.
"Whoa!" Chloe exclaimed as she staggered to one side. She made a blind grab for…anything, and just managed to grab hold of the footboard on her bed. Eyes closed, she waited for the dizziness to pass. Idly, she wondered if the cold or the medicine was to blame. Probably a little of both.
Once her bedroom stopped with the spinning, Chloe dragged herself out the door. God, she hated being sick! Okay, everybody hated being sick, but she was sure she hated it more than most people. Drained of all of her energy, like a weak battery. Brain too fuzzy to form a coherent thought. Trapped in the house, with eventual stir-craziness on the horizon.
Oh, yeah, this promised to be a fun week.
Hands pressed to her throbbing temples, Chloe started down the stairs.
And that's when another wave of dizziness hit.
Once again, the world tilted. Her body did a drunken stumble. And her foot completely missed the step.
Thrown off balance, Chloe pitched forward. Heart leaping in her chest, she grabbed for the stair rail. But the cold, and the medicine, had slowed her reflexes. Her fingers barely brushed against the cold wood as…
She fell. Seeming to float forever, in some almost peaceful place…
Before her body slammed against the sharp edges of the steps.
Chloe screamed as the pain burned across her body. Little nails driving into every inch of skin. Stabbing deeper and deeper as she tumbled down.
And she could feel her bones breaking. She could hear it. Snap, crackle, pop, as she tumbled down. Down and down, forever and ever.
When her head twisted sharply to one side, she heard the biggest CRACK of all. And, she didn't feel any pain anymore.
Suddenly, forever ended, and she crashed to the floor. Her body a broken heap at the foot of the stairs.
And, finally, the darkness came and took her away.
(TO BE CONTINUED)