TV Show: Smallville
Author: DCForever
Feedback: Honest feedback is definitely welcomed and appreciated.
Archiving: Archiving is permitted as long as I know where it will be posted and that all the above info stays intact.
Pairing: Clark/Chloe
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None, AU even.
Disclaimer: Let's get this straight...I'm not affiliated with anyone...don't have anything of major value.
Author Note: An attempt at an interesting Valentine's Day story. Hope it comes across as just that and you enjoy the read.
"Ms. Sullivan, are you with us this morning?" asked Mrs. Riley, Chloe Sullivan's science teacher.
"What? I mean Ma'am? Could you please repeat the question?" Clark and Pete both looked at each other curious to why Chloe was so out of it. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere.
"What do you think is up with her?" whispered Pete across a row of desks, addressing Clark. He just shrugged his shoulders, not knowing the answer for himself.
"Well Ms. Sullivan, it seems you're back with us. Is it possible for you to stay with us for the rest of the period?" The teacher asked with what looked like an understanding smirk.
"Yes, ma'am." responded Chloe as she dropped her head in embarrassment and slyly scanned the room to see who was watching her. When she spotted her two friends she knew they would have been watching. She rolled her eyes at the two boys and then pulled her science book into her lap and tried to gain some form of concentration so as to follow the teacher's lecture.
After class, Clark and Pete caught up with the day dreamer as she was about to enter The Torch's office. Clark held the door open for her and Pete to enter before him, once again showing example of his Kent upbringing and charm.
"So Chloe, what gives? Why the spacing out in class earlier?" Pete asked dropping his book bag on the table he had already sat down upon. Chloe busied herself with powering on the Mac computers in the school's newspaper office.
"It's nothing really."
"Oh really," thought Clark, staring up at one of the many school calendars lining the walls of the office. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with today being Valentine's Day would it? It isn't like this is the first time you've spaced out. If I recall, two years ago this very day, you spaced out in math...believe it had something to do with the older, male substitute teacher we had that day."
"Well yeah...he was a major hunk in a half and what you're referring to...is a crush. This is different. I really don't want to talk about..."
"Yeah, well, you're not getting out of this that easily. How many times have you dug relentlessly into us until we spilled the beans? Too many to count if you ask me. So, consider this...tables have turned. So, spill your beans already."
"Clark, your mom would so have a stroke if she heard you speaking like that; horrible English, just horrible. If you must know, I'm confused about something...and no, it's nothing to do with a certain holiday. It's a dream I had last night. I can't seem to get it out of my mind and I don't know why. It doesn't seem to hold any meaning or semblance to anything I've seen or heard of before."
"You've caught my interest," Pete butted in, hoping she might get to the real reason sooner than later. They did still have classes to get to.
"It was really weird. There was a wide open field, it was dark, late at night I guess...and there was a fire and scorch marks. From above the fire was forming this huge symbol...looked a lot like a giant 'S'." Clark and Pete both stirred at this revelation, but nether made a move to alert their friend. She continued. "I could hear all these whispers...almost like a group of people were chanting or praying or something. I couldn't make it out. Then faces appeared, many of which I knew and others I couldn't place for the life of me. Lana was in the forefront. They were all holding something in their hands, but I couldn't make out what it was and everyone seemed to be dressed in various styles of white dresses. I had on my mother's old wedding gown."
"And? Is there more?" Pete asked, thinking it was a horrible place to stop.
"I woke up after that. Wouldn't you both call that a bit weird? What was even more weird was...it almost didn't even seem like dream. It felt like I had lived that moment before or have yet to lived it. It was so different than most of my dreams...so different in fact that it kind of creeps me out. Any suggestions."
"Yeah, maybe you should lay off drinking so much caffeine before you hit the bed at night."
"So not happening," she shot back, knowing there was no one in this world who would dare take her coffee intact from her...at least not without a fight.
"Didn't think it would. So Chloe, this symbol you mentioned...think you could remember it enough to maybe sketch it out; might give Pete and me something to go on...so we can research it and all."
Chloe grabbed a pen from her desk and opened up her notebook and quickly sketched out an 'S' figure that somewhat resembled a figure eight.
Clark looked at Pete hovering over Chloe's shoulder, shaking his head as the symbol came into view. "Chloe, I thought you said it was an 'S' form...this seems more like an eight?"
"Can't say...this is what's coming mind at the moment."
"Okay. We'll get on it as soon as we get some free time. We'll take care of the research, you just enjoy your day and try and remember whatever else you can from your dream. You know how dreams are...they always tell a story."
"I leave it in your hands then. See you at lunch, guys." She ripped out the sketch and handed it to Clark as she closed up the notebook, grabbed her book bag, and headed off for her next class. Clark and Pete kept silent until the blonde was out of earshot.
"Clark isn't that..."
"Yeah, it most certainly is. Weird thing about all this...last night in the loft...my chest started hurting and it came back, but only briefly." He lifted his plaid, flannel shirt up to show Pete the scar was gone.
"Are you sure?" Pete asked. "Maybe you should look again." Clark pulled his shirt further up to examine his chest.
"Guess it came back sometime overnight. It seems I can never escape Jor El no matter who much I try."
"Any idea what all this might be about? It is one thing for you to have something weird happen to you, but for Chloe to be dreaming of your scar...that's something completely different. Know what I'm saying?"
"Totally. Well for now, we should probably get to class. We can try and figure all this out later. It seems I may be visiting the caves later tonight."
"Be careful man. It wouldn't be the same around here without our neighborhood hero to watch after us all. Whatever Jor El wants, you know it can't be good." Pete patted Clark's shoulder and then threw his book bag over his shoulder. They both left the office, going their separate ways.
Clark was lost in deep concentration as he muted out his English teacher, quietly sketching out the Kryptonian 'S' symbol over and over, wondering what Jor El's next test was going to be. Walking out of class, he noticed something that caught his eye. On the edge of Margaret Winter's desk was yet another 'S' symbol, this one etched into the desk's surface. The mystery only thickened.
Clark and Pete both skipped lunch and met back in Chloe's office, each wanting to see the other.
"Clark you won't believe what I..."
Clark interrupted, "No, me first. Chloe isn't the only one."
"I know. That is what I came to tell you. So far it's only been girls."
"All girls? You don't think...Jor El...he wouldn't be trying to...nah, there's no way he would try and do that."
"Hello, you lost me."
"What is today, Pete? It's Valentine's Day. The one day a year that every girl wants someone to share the day with. All the symbols are showing up with girls, leading me to believe that recently all these girls had a similar dream to Chloe's. It is my symbol, the symbol representing who I am, where I come from, what bloodline I belong. That son of a...he's trying to find me a mate."
"Get real...are you serious? You really think that?"
"What else could it be?"
"In that case, what are you going to do about it? Geez man, I so wish I was in your shoes...just for today. I would love to know what it would feel like to have any choice of any female in this town that I so chose. Clark man, you have all the luck."
"Yeah, that maybe, but knowing Jor El, not sure which side the luck will fall upon. I better get going."
"Are you ditching the rest of school today?"
"Looks like I don't have much of a choice if I'm to find out what my natural father is up to. Later, Pete." Clark quickly looked about the office and saw the coast was clear then super sped out of the office and the building, the Kent farm his lone destination for the moment.
As he quickly approached the road turn off leading up to the farm, he spotted a cloud of dark, heavy smoke looming over the tops of the trees in the distance. Being the curious person he was, he took off in the direction of the fire. As he neared, screams could be heard coming from the inside of a smoke-filled building. He knocked his shoulder into the outer steel door and watched it fly into the darkness.
"Is anyone in here?" He yelled out. A faint call for help could be heard in the distance. "I hear you. Help is on the way." He tried to squint and clear his vision enough to use his x-ray vision, but for some unknown reason, he wasn't able to penetrate the thickness of the smoke. Not liking the situation, he took off into the smoke anyway, trying hard to locate the source of the screams. As the screams became louder, the smoke seemed to let off a bit, enough for his x-ray vision to see far enough ahead of him, finding two men lying on the floor coughing up smoke.
"Are you two okay?" He asked, scanning their pinned legs for any bone fractures, finding only one between the two. Not wanting to show off his abilities, he looked around and found a pipe that he could use for leverage. The pipe was pried under the steel crate of lead balls for show just before Clark lifted the heavy crate with his right hand, inching it just high enough for one man to help the other free himself. He quickly set the crate back down and looked up at the two men. "Are there any others?"
"No idea young man. We don't know who all took their break."
"I remember seeing four cars outside. Does that help any?"
Coughing up smut, the men shook their heads, hating themselves for not knowing more than they did.
"Well then I guess we should get you two out of here. Is there any other way out besides back through that?" He looked back at the darkness of the smoke, now knowing that he was in a lead processing plant, just outside of Smallville; the emblazoned label on the crates were a dead give-a-way.
"Back by the boilers, but they are the reason for all this." One man said, looking worried, not sure what they should do.
Clark scanned the surrounding area best he could before the smoke began to irritate his eyes. He knew there was more in this plant than just lead. Kryptonite he whispered so the others couldn't hear. "Follow me...and stay close. Neither of you are up to finding a way out."
The two men grabbed each other's shirt and then the lead man grabbed Clark's. "Lead the way." Clark started walking slowly, vision to impaired to see through the lead-lined smoke. He felt around with his hands and his feet as he carefully tried to make his way back to safety. Light could finally be seen coming from an open doorway. It was the same door he had entered from. Once outside the two men dropped to the ground grabbing their chests as they continued coughing up the black soot. Looking to the left, one of the men spotted a familiar car.
"Marcia." He turned to Clark. "Marcia, the company's secretary...she never rides with anyone...she likes to drive herself. That's her car. Marcia is still in there."
"Office? Where is it located?"
"Second story."
"Stay here." Clark took a few deep breathes and wiped his eyes and then dashed back into the darkened, fiery plant.
"He'll never make it. I don't see how he got to us." Looking up at his friend and then over to where the steel door once hung. "How is it possible the fire door was destroyed?"
Clark didn't know what to do, but he knew if there was a life to be saved, then it was his responsibility to make sure she was saved. He concentrated his gaze and then his eyes turned a molten color of red as flashes of heat bursts shot from his eyes. The sudden light illuminations enabled him to briefly see objects through the heavy smoke, just enough for him to use the burst as a light source. It wasn't long before he found the stair railings, only to find the stairs had collapsed. Looking up, he soared the fourteen odd feet and landed on the top landing, then dashed into the small glass windowed office. The woman's head was lying on the wooden desk. He grabbed her up in his arms and turned toward the window. Without even a hesitation, he threw his hand through the glass and cleared the shards away from the frame so as not to hurt the woman. Looking down, he didn't spot the two men off to the side of the building and jumped down the ground below. The woman was safe and secured in his arms as he rounded the corner of the aluminum plated building.
Clark laid her down beside the two men. "I think she'll be okay. She has a pulse. I hear sirens; help is on its way."
"I don't know how you did it young man, but all I have to say is thanks," choked out the older man.
"Any idea what happened in there?"
"My guess is something went faulty with the furnace. That's not our department so we weren't near there." Looking behind him, Clark spotted the ambulance siding to a halt in the dirt lot.
Two men exited the vehicles and raced over to the men.
"Check her first." The EMS started in on Marcia, quickly getting an oxygen mask over her face. Fire engine slid to a stop and six fire fighter jumped out of the oversized fire truck and quickly unraveled the fire hose and connected the leads to the truck's water tank. Water shot out hard as the men slowly made their way into the burning building, some carrying the heavy hose as others stayed by the truck, maintaining the hose's water pressure. They were fast and knew exactly what they were doing.
Within twenty minutes the fire was out the men returned to the fresh air of the outdoors, each completely covered in blackness. They were high-fiving when it happened. Clark's super hearing gave him a heads up before the rest allowing him to launch himself at the opened doorway in hopes of blocking the firemen from the explosion shooting through the door. He wasn't expecting not to be able to pick himself up from the ground some eighty feet away the building, shards of glass and metal protruding from his skin. His eyes rolled back in his head as his body started shaking violently, the blood in his veins pulsing abnormally.
No one knew what had happened, all they knew was that a young man was lying on the ground fighting for his life.
Back at Smallville High, a student rushed into Chloe and Pete's Biology class, taking out the small trash can in the process. Huffing from lack of breath, he found Chloe's desk, totally ignoring the teacher. "Clark Kent is in the hospital. Martha says come quickly." His tongue dropped out of his mouth in exhaustion. Chloe and Pete both dashed for the doorway, again, no one paying any attention to the teacher's loud, verbal warnings.
At the hospital, Chloe stood alongside Martha Kent as they gazed through the hospital corridor's large glass paned window, each holding the other's hand. "Do the doctors know what happened?" Chloe asked, trying to fight back tears.
"EMS said he rescued some people from a fire somewhere and was caught in an explosion of some sort. They were pretty vague on the details." Martha said, having heard the full story from the EMS and firefighters, knowing everyone didn't need to know everything she did. "He had a reasonable amount of glass and metal embedded in his skin when he arrived. They've almost removed them all though." This bit of news alerted a seated Pete. He looked up at Martha who caught his eye contact, a shocked a expression registering on his face. Martha barely shook her head at the young man, letting him know she had no answers.
Pete stood up and walked over to the ladies. "Can I get either of you anything? Coffee here isn't the best, but..."
"Coffee sounds great," chimed in Chloe, digging into her front pocket and pulling out a few dollars. "This should cover it." Pete didn't fight her, just took the money and awaited an answer from Martha. "I'm sorry Pete. Coffee sounds wonderful. If you sweet talk the nurse at the desk I'm sure she would let you get some of their coffee. I hears it's much better than the out the machines."
"Will do, Mrs. Kent," Pete said, looking past the ladies and into the hospital room where a large shard of metal was being pulled from Clark's body. He cringed at the thought of Clark must be going through and then turned and walked toward the nurses station.
Hours later, a bald, well dressed gentlemen came barging through a pair of double doors, "Martha, I got here as soon as I heard. Is Clark alright? Are they treating okay. You know I can have a team of specialists here within the hour. Just say the word."
Martha raised her hand to stop the gentlemen. "Lex, it's okay. The doctors know what they are doing. In fact it looks like they may be close to suturing him up."
"Has anyone been able to tell you anything?"
"Still waiting."
"I could..."
"Isn't necessary Lex. Everything will be okay. I know Clark would be thankful that you were here."
"Anything...anything at all that I can do for your family Martha...consider it done."
"I know Lex. And I thank you for being there for us, but right now all we can do is wait and hope for the best. He's a survivor...you know that."
"Yeah, don't I? If anyone can come out of whatever this is...it's most definitely Clark. That kid is made out of raw steel."
"Lex?" He quickly spun around hearing his name as Chloe rounded the corner.
"Ms. Sullivan. I had a hunch you might be here."
"What can I say Lex, you know me better than myself. Special are we?"
"Ah such waste of a smart tongue. Why don't you call me when you really want something to use that tongue on?" He winked at the girl, catching her speechless. He turned, rested his hands on Martha's hips and kissed her cheek. "Remember...anything."
"I know." Martha whispered, turning back to the scene in the hospital room.
"Well I have an important meeting in Metropolis. Call me as soon as you hear something, will you?"
"I'll do that. Maybe Clark can call himself."
"That would be much better, but highly likely. Take care." He started to walk off, and then turned back to Chloe. "I meant what I said, Ms. Sullivan." Her eyes lit up and face contorted in anger as the multi-millionaire swiftly exited the building.
"Uggg," was all Chloe could get out before setting her third cup of coffee on the magazine stand outside the waiting room door. Pete showed back up.
"And where were you?"
"Anywhere but in his presence," Pete smirked as he walked over to stand by Martha.
Martha laid her hand over Pete's as they both looked into the glassed in room. "Finally," Martha commented as she saw one of the doctors exit the room. "Well how is he?"
The doctor looked a bit bewildered, causing a nervous reaction in Martha's stomach. "We'll know more after he gets some rest and the medicine starts to work. Mrs. Kent, is there anything you want to tell us about your son? This isn't the first time he's been admitted to this hospital. Our records show as many as ten visits in the past two years. And each time we examine him...there doesn't seem to be any scars from the previous incidents. So again Mrs. Kent, is there anything you think we should know before we further any treatment on your son?"
"What seems to be the matter...other than the obvious wounds?" She asked, staring the doctor down.
"We found a familiar substance in his blood."
"You mean you examined his blood?" He looked horrified.
"We didn't, Mrs. Kent. The lab specialist that is listed on your son's medical record was called in as specifically specified. The lab seems to only have the legal right to run a comparison of an existing blood sample to the current sample. I must say that is an extremely odd request, but I'm not here to fight you on the matter. Since nothing out of the ordinary showed up, we're in the clear."
"My son's blood has always been a little different from other blood. The Luthors have helped us in finding the best specialists around and therefore none of their findings can be jeopardized without legal ramifications. I'm sure you know how those Luthors can be?"
"Yes, well, okay, I still find it pretty odd."
Chloe tried to listen in on the conversation between Martha and the doctor, but Pete made sure he kept her occupied with non-sense rambling.
"Pete, not to be rude of anything, could you shut up for a minute? I'm trying to hear what those two are talking about." Pete quieted down at Chloe's request.
"We can keep this all a secret, right doctor? You really are the first doctor not on the Luthors' specialist list to examine my son." Martha had learned how to lie with the best of the best when it came to dealing with her son…now wasn't an exception.
"Doctor patient privilege is still involved. If you'll excuse me, I have a few rounds to take of before I check back with your son. He seems to have a good heart. Nothing we seemed to do seemed to phase his heart beat so I'm pretty sure we're in the clear."
"Thank you, doctor. You have no idea what this news means to me."
Chloe jumped up before the doctor departed. "Doc, any chance we can see him for a bit?"
"He's resting, but I don't see where there would be any harm in it. Just be quick about it." The doctor nodded as he departed the area.
Chloe wasn't in the room more than a few seconds when her hands flew to her head, grabbing at the throbbing pain coming from her temples. A flash of darkness, then a fiery 'S' shot through her mind, choruses of voices circling her body as she lay in the middle of the burning 'S'. Martha grabbed the girl just before she collapsed to the floor. A second later, she was standing on her own shaking her head.
"Chloe? You okay, sweetie?" Martha asked in a concerned voice.
"Yeah, migraine I guess, very intense one at that. Wow, what a head beater." She settled herself and then looked down at Clark, chest covered in a patient gown. As she ran her fingers over the outer lining of his hair and soothe his brows, a glow slowly intensified originating from Clark's chest. Chloe ran her hand over the light blue-green thin material, and then watched her hand light up in a red glow. Pete stood beside Martha, who only watched in wonder, knowing there wasn't anything she could do to stop what was happening. Her and Jonathan had be pre-warned of what was to come.
Pete gave the older woman a questioning look. "What's going on, Mrs. Kent?"
"Jor El...he's chosen already. Jonathan said Jor El told him that the symbol would only glow for the one...the one that is to carry on his bloodline…Clark's bloodline. Jor El has chosen Chloe."
Pete just looked on in a surprised, shocked state.
As Chloe's hand glowed brighter and brighter, her eyes flickered, a pale orange glow, matching that of Clark's. Flashes of images...of Clark's days on this Earth...swiftly passed before her. The meteor shower. Crash landing. Porsche knocking him from a bridge. Blurs as he zipped down a road. Heat bursts catching a classroom on fire. Catching a car in midair. Dropping over a reservoir. Surviving an icy death. Hovering above his bed. They were all there. Chloe was reliving every last second of Clark's life as he once saw it. His life was now a part of her memories.
As quick as it had started, it had ended. Clark still remained in bed resting. Chloe quickly shifted and looked back at Martha and Pete with a confused and scared look upon her face.
"Whattt wwaasss tthhaatttt?" He mumbled, barely audible.
"III…you would know better than we would, Chloe." Martha leaned forward and captured the girl in a warm embrace and then the tears began to fall from each of their eyes. "Guess a welcome to the family is in order." Martha whispered in the girl's ear. Chloe just clutched harder, her entire body trembling, unsure of everything she had just witnessed.
Pete walked over and joined in on the hug, comforting both ladies in their time of need. Then they all heard the sound that none of them ever thought they would hear, the sound of a loud, long beeeee. The three jumped back and looked down at Clark's pale body.
Next thing they knew, a nurse was busting through the door with the doctor and more nurses in tow. Martha, Chloe, and Pete all stepped back from the bed to let the doctor at Clark's body. With defibulater in hand and a charge building, relief came to everyone's ears...there was a different sound…sound of a pulse, then another pulse, and another. The doctor dropped his hands and reset the paddles. Clark was back with the living. A nurse checked some readings. She just shrugged, smiled, and exited the room as if nothing had happened.
A burning itch caught Chloe's attention as she dropped her gaze to her left hand. Slowly a ring with Kryptonian symbols wrapped around her finger, burning and sifting into her skin. She pulled back and held up her left hand for Martha and Pete to see. "Guess my decision has been made after all." She said as she looked at Martha with a huge smile on her face and then over to her husband-to-be's bed. Clark's glassy stare caught her by surprise. The two locked gazes and smiled at the other, Clark's eyes closed once more.
"Mrs. Kent, I think it might be best if we leave your son to rest. I don't know what to say...that was scary. Something just happened in that room and I don't know what it was or how to even try to explain it. All I'm left to say is...no questions asked, I know your son is special...special in a way no one will ever fully understand. His secrets are safe with me if he ever needs anyone."
"Thank you doctor. He is a very special boy and he now has that special someone to stand by his side." She looked back at Chloe. "Thanks again."
"All my pleasure. For some reason I feel uplifted and it's due to your son. I don't know how, but I know it is because of him. I saw in the nurses' eyes as well...they felt something too."
"Well I've always heard that Valentine's was quite magical day...guess this just goes to prove it."
"Indeed...indeed it does. We'll keep extra eyes on your son throughout the night; though I have a feeling he won't need it. Why don't you and the others go home and get a good night's rest and come back in the morning?"
"We might just do that."
Martha walked over to her son's bed and lent down and kissed his forehead. "I love you son with all my heart. You know, she's the one...and you knew it all along...I'm proud of you, son." He leaned back up and turned to the others. "Ready to go home?"
"Can I just have a minute with Clark alone?" Chloe asked as she took Martha's place beside the raised railed bed and waited for the others to depart from the room. Whispering softly in his ear, "I love you Clark. And I'll cherish this for the rest of my life." Her finger slid along the flesh burned wedding band, then leaned further over the railing and let her lips meet his. "Always and forever, my Superman."
The End