Disclaimer-- I don't own Smallville. Sad, I know.
Amends
Sequel to Heavier Now
Ch. 1
Clark had been avoiding the Talon ever since his mom became the manager. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be seen with his mother—well, yes he was. Every kid his age would be. Everyone loved his mom—she made them feel like she was everyone's mom, but still. Clark loved his mom, too, so every once in a while he would show his face to show that he was supportive. That wasn't why he was there today, though. He thought it was time to start a different mission.
He froze when he saw a familiar girl walking down the stairs. "Hey.... Lana."
"Hey.... Clark." He was doing it again—sometimes he would seem completely normal and at ease, yet there were times like these when he made her feel like she had walked in on his secret. Of course that's what she wanted, so she realized she shouldn't complain.
"I'm sorry; I just didn't expect to see you here."
"I live here." She knew she was giving Clark a hard time, but after everything he had put her through, she didn't really care.
"Yeah..." Clark just looked down. He wasn't sure what to say next. His relationships with everyone he cared about were so fragile right now. Just one wrong phrase or bad timing and the life he had worked so hard for could go up in flames. He could almost feel the heat from the fire now.
Lana, however, was tired of the awkward silence. "You come for the world's best coffee?"
"Um, actually I was looking for Chloe. I can't quite seem to get a hold of her these days."
Lana nodded. "I think she's still avoiding you."
Clark looked down again. "Yeah. I got that feeling."
"You can't blame her, Clark."
Clark nodded. He didn't want to go down this road, but he couldn't ignore it completely, either. "At least you're still talking to me."
"Yeah—maybe I should take a page out of Chloe's book. Then you would come to me instead of the other way around."
Careful, Clark. "Lana, I'm sorry."
"Clark, you have apologized every time we've seen each other for the past two weeks. I really don't want to go into it again."
Clark nodded. At least this time it was her idea. He jumped a little when Lana walked past him. How long have I been thinking... "So how have you been?"
Lana stopped. Whatever she was late for could wait. "I've been good. Going through a little of Clark withdraw."
"Lana, I haven't purposely been avoiding you." Lana raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I have. I just thought that maybe we could use some space."
Lana looked up at him. "Clark, this is our relationship. If you run away every time we cross this road, we'll never have a meaningful conversation again."
Clark paused for a second. Change the subject... "I should go find Chloe."
Lana smiled angrily. Of course... "Clark, you're doing it again."
Clark froze. He knew he was, but he didn't want to deal with it right now. If this was the conversation they would have every time they'd talk, he wasn't sure he wanted to have a conversation ever again.
Lana spoke up. "I guess I should go, too."
Clark watched Lana walk out before he decided to go. He would have walked out with Lana, but that would mean they actually had to talk again.
"Hey sweetheart!" Martha Kent loved seeing Clark at the Talon. She took this job partly because she knew her son and his friends spent a lot of time at the Talon, and she wanted to take a more hands-on approach in her son's life. And this way she could keep an eye on the people around him. Next year he would be off to college—this could be her last chance.
Clark looked around. "Mom, people can hear you." Martha gave him the 'you want to try that again' look. Clark did try again. "Not that I mind." Martha nodded sarcastically. "Did you get your homework finished?"
Always a parent... "Actually, Mom, I was looking for Chloe. Have you seen her?"
"Chloe? No, not today. Have you tried the Torch?" Clark started to answer, but didn't. Martha waited for a second. "You know, the Torch... the place Chloe lives—well, basically."
The Torch... why didn't I think of that... He had so preoccupied with his own worries, he hadn't thought clearly. Clark smiled, trying to deflect his own embarrassment. "Yeah... well, I guess I'll go check there."
Something was up. "Clark?" Clark turned around and looked at his mom. "Are you okay?"
Clark forced himself to smile again. "Yeah, Mom."
Martha nodded and watched her son walk out the door. Clark had to find Chloe, but that wasn't what filled his thoughts right now. Right now he felt horrible—he felt so guilty. He had just lied to the one person who would never lie to him back—his mom.
He decided to super speed to the Torch. He didn't want to give Chloe the opportunity to escape. She could yell or ignore him all she wanted, but they were going to have this conversation now. He couldn't run away from this with her, because he knew she wouldn't be there when he came back. He hadn't expected, though, what would happen next.
He turned around the corner hoping to shut the door behind him and block Chloe's exit, which he did, but when he looked up, he froze. Chloe was sitting by her computer, but she was talking to an older man standing in front of her. They both stopped talking and looked up at Clark. A million different things went through his mind. It only took a few seconds before Clark spoke again.
"Grandfather?"
Chloe's gaze went from Clark to the man and back to Clark again.