Title: Double
Author: HuffyTheCampfireSlayer
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the WBs TV show 'Smallville' (I just wish I did). I am simply borrowing them for a bit for my own entertainment. No profit will be made from this story. So please don't sue me.
Background: This fic is going to be Chloe-centric. Although it should have most of the other characters in it. But it mainly focuses on her and her life. So if you aren't interested in Chloe Sullivan then you might not want to read on. You've been warned. This is not going to be a shipper of any kind. Well not at the moment anyway. But you never quite know where some stories take you... So basically if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't it doesn't. I'll let you know in advance if anything changes. Anyway. That said, I hope you enjoy this fanfic. Please read and review. The only way I can get better is if you tell me where I've gone wrong. Thanking you in advance,
Summary: Clark isn't the only person in Smallville trying to hide a secret in from the world. Chloe has a secret too. Only, what is it...
***
Chapter One
Clark, Chloe and Pete were in the sun-soaked Torch office. School had finished but they all had things they had to be getting on with. Chloe was sat at a desk on her laptop, busy proof-reading some articles that had been submitted for the school paper. Clark was at the next desk, scribbling on a notepad, trying to waste time since he had finished his homework quite a while ago now. Pete had a pen ready in his hand and his books open at the correct page, but was staring out of the window in a daze. He'd long since departed the world of school and homework, and was currently in the realm of fantasy.
Clark tapped his pencil impatiently. That was one of the downsides to being as fast as he was; he had to wait for everyone to catch up. But it bored him beyond belief, as he started to become restless, he gave up his charade.
He slammed down his pencil on the desk, crushing it underneath his hand.
'Oops. Just try not to draw attention to it,' He thought.
"Finished!" he announced, grinning broadly. Chloe returned the grin as she looked up momentarily and Pete looked at him blankly for a second before he left his fantasy world.
"Huh? Already?" groaned Pete. "I'm still stuck on the French homework."
Clark looked a little guilty. He busied himself as swept the broken pencil into his coat pocket. Chloe caught his guilty expression.
"It's nothing to feel guilty about Clark. So you're good at schoolwork. Big deal. It's hardly the crime of the century." She told him.
'Yeesh! How does she do that? I know what I'm thinking. Am I THAT readable?' Clark thought, anxiously.
He looked away uneasily, "I know that. Doesn't stop me feeling bad though does it?"
Pete looked up from his work with a grin.
"I know how you can redeem your guilty conscience Clark..." he suggested. Clark looked at him inquisitively. "Give a brother a helping hand."
Clark grinned and Chloe had to stop herself from sighing out loud.
'Man, that grin could melt a thousand hearts.' she thought.
She had forgotten how many times she had been angry at Clark, wanting to ignore him for being so...Clark-like. But then he'd smiled at her, using the Kent charm for all it's worth and she'd forgiven him just like that.
Clark gathered his stuff and made his way over to Pete's desk.
"What are you stuck on?" Clark asked Pete.
"Er... Is everything an answer?" Asked Pete, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I wouldn't do it all for him Clark. Maybe this will teach him NOT to leave all his homework until the last minute." called Chloe, still looking at the screen of her laptop.
'Damn her. She was so right. Leaving it this late was so stupid. But then again she could call me a good-for-nothing-lay-about and I'd secretly agree.' smiled Pete.
He pulled a face at her. Not knowing what else he could do in reply. "Hey it's a good system. Don't knock it." he called back at her.
"Of course Pete, because leaving it until you can't get any help from teacher if you are stuck, or until you miss the deadline is an excellent method of working." She replied, cynically.
'Damn her and her quick wit...and her blue eyes...and her hair that flipped up a the ends...that killer smile...that...' Pete drifted off into fanstasyland again.
He noticed Clark frowning at him and wonder how long he'd been day- dreaming.
"Sorry Pete." Mumbled Chloe.
"Yeah sorry Chloe." He replied, with a sorrowful look. He picked up his pen again, wrote a few words, then sighed loudly.
"What?" asked Chloe.
"I can't do this." 'Tell her you love her, tell her you need her, tell her you can't live life without her.' "I give up. I can't concentrate, not when the weather is so nice." He piled his books into his bag and got to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go do something fun. You can cut off early for once can't ya Sullivan?" He asked, hopefully.
Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes at Pete and his enthusiasm. She saved her work and closed down her computer. She stood up as she pushed down the top.
"Okay. But only because you guys are my best friends." Chloe grinned.
'And I get more Clark-gazing time.' she added to herself.
She slipped her laptop into her messenger bag and followed Clark and Pete to the door. She switched off the lights and closed the office door behind them.
"So where are we gonna go?" She asked, bouncing down the hallway, holding on to Clark's arm.
"The Talon?" suggested Clark, with an innocent smile.
Pete and Chloe rolled their eyes at each other. "Beanery." They agreed in unison.
"What's wrong with the Talon." Clark frowned. "Lana's worked hard on getting that place up and running, the least we could do is show her some support by going there."
"There's nothing wrong with the Talon, Clark. It'd just be nice to have you on *this* planet for once." Chloe explained, trying her best to keep the sadness in her voice to a minimum.
"Another planet!? As... as opposed to this one?" he said, gulping, with his voice growing tighter and his face wearing an anxious and defensive expression for all to see.
"Yeah," Chloe said, with a sharp bitterness seeping into her tone of voice. "Planet Lana."
She mentally kicked herself. Did she have to make it so obvious? She might as well have hung a sign around her neck proclaiming that every time Lana was around she started to feel the green-eyed monster taking over. She needed to keep a tighter hold of her emotions when Clark was around. She had been terrible lately. She was pretty certain he knew she had feelings for her. But she couldn't be 100% certain. If she was 100% certain that he knew. Then she left herself open to the stark reality that he had rejected her feelings, by basically ignoring her. She wasn't sure she'd ever recover from something like that. She wasn't willing to expose herself to such a massive rejection. So it was best just to admire him from a far for now.
"Well. We don't actually need to go to *either* of those places." Said Pete, pointing to the sun outside. "The weather's so nice that we could head down to one of the lakes and take in those beautiful rays." He rubbed his hands, excitedly. Pete loved the outdoors.
"You sure you didn't mean to say beautiful babes?" laughed Chloe.
"Those too." He smiled. Then sent her a friendly wink.
'But none of them can hold a candle to you, you're witty, intelligent, smart, sassy...' Pete had started to day dream again... Her voice dragged him back to reality.
"Ok." She agreed. "On the condition that, we call at the Beanery first and grab some coffee."
"Deal." Replied Pete, leaning across Clark, who was stationed between them as they walked the halls of Smallville High, and shaking her hand.
"Hey, do I get a say in any of this?" Clark asked, jokingly.
"Nope. We're off to the lake and you're joining us. You'll just have to get your Lana fix later." Chloe said cheerfully, pulling him along by his arm.
"Hang on a sec. Which lake? Not Crater lake I hope."
He had suddenly remembered that many of the lakes in the area had been created by the meteors. A lump formed in his throat.
'The meteors that had come as part of the parcel of ME.' he reminded himself.
The meteors that had caused so much havoc in the town for the past 12 years. The meteors that had killed Lana's parents. The meteors that made him sick. How could rocks that had entered the Earth's atmosphere the same time as he did hurt him so much? How and why did they affect some people and not others? He had been trying to figure that out for sometime now with no success.
"No way. Too many bad memories for me." She quipped, cheerfully. She studied Clark's serious face. "Come on Clark. It wasn't that bad. You saved me didn't you? Like always."
A smile appeared on his face. She was right. He had. He may have caused these things to happen. He might be ultimately responsible, but he was doing what he could with his gifts to help out the people whose lives he had affected.
He nodded curtly at Chloe.
"Ok then, not Crater lake. How about Central?" said Pete.
Clark's anxiety levels rose another notch and he felt a spine-tingling chill travel up his spine. That was the area of town, which had been most heavily affected by the meteor shower. He hadn't been there since the first grade. He remember seeing big chunks of it down by the bank of the lake that had been a few meters wide! But they hadn't affected him then. He'd thought the green gems were pretty. Not knowing how sick they would make him feel in his future years... There was no way he could go anywhere near that lake.
He bit his bottom lip.
"Er, you know time is getting on guys. I should get home and start on my chores." He told them, trying to excuse himself.
He started to walk to the nearest door, to get away before they started asking him any questions he'd have to lie to answer. Avoiding any questions meant, no lies. He didn't want friendships composed of deceit. So running away was easier. He used a well-rehearsed, often-heard classic. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
As Clark left the building, relief washed over him, it was as refreshing as the gentle breeze that cooled his face. He was lucky. That time. Pete and Chloe trusted him and hadn't questioned his actions. Though he knew sometimes, Chloe especially, burned with curiosity about his sudden disappearances. Not that she could really help it. She was just following her reporter instincts. She didn't know what an important secret he had. She was just being Chloe... However uncomfortable that made him feel sometimes.
***
Pete dropped Chloe off at her house. After Clark's abrupt disappearing act they'd decided it would probably be best if they head off home. Pete, being the gentleman that he was, has offered Chloe a ride home and she had accepted. But all the same she tried not to get his hopes up. She knew he kind of liked her and she didn't want to give him any false hopes. She couldn't lead him on in anyway, She loved Clark. If she let Pete think there was any chance of them, as a couple, happening it would just end up with him getting hurt and she didn't want to hurt her best friend. She opened the door and thanked him for the ride.
"See you tomorrow Pete!" She smiled kindly at him, her blonde hair bouncing around her face, as she grabbed her bag off the seat and closed the car door.
Pete felt his heart beat faster. Damn! Did she know how cute she looked when she smiled? He sighed as she patted the roof of the car, then head towards her house. He waited to see her safely to her door.
'Not at all a chance to check out her fine butt. No not at all.' he told himself.
She turned and waved at him as she got out her keys. He waved back at her convinced he looked like a total idiot. He sighed as he started the engine and put the car into drive and set off for his house. All he could do was wait and hope she one day felt the same way about him.
***
Chloe watched as Pete drove off. Her stomach was clenched tight with guilt. She hated this complex love triangle that had started to emerge with her and her hormone-crazed friends. Pete was in love with her, but she liked Clark. But of course Clark didn't like her. No, that would be too simple. He liked Lana. And she didn't love Pete. Well she did. But not *that* way. Ok, ok, so it wasn't *quite* a triangle. But it was close enough.
She closed the door with a sigh. Her thoughts returning back to Clark as the inevitably did. Every night she dreamed that Clark would tell her that he loved her and that he'd never let her go. That he'd hold her tight in his big strong arms and that they would be happy together forever.
But then she scoffed at her foolishness and optimism. She knew loved never lasted. Take her parents for example. They had been divorced for almost 6 years now. Ten years of marriage. Some true love that turned out to be. Yet again...Clark's parents were still together and she was sure that the farm must put a lot of stress on their marriage. So many farmers in the area were hard up for money. But yet they were stronger than ever. She would envy Clark for that, but she didn't. She couldn't. How could she be envious about her best friend having a happy home life? She wouldn't wish a divorce on any kid. It was so easy to blame yourself in that situation. She'd been there. Done that. And did still blame herself in part. How could she not? After all that had happened...
"Chloe? Is that you?" called her dad.
'Yes. Who else would it be?' She thought to herself.
"Yeah Dad. It's me."
She walked into the lounge where he stood, beaming at her.
"What's up?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Your mother is coming to visit." He beamed, excited for her. He knew how much she missed having her around to talk to. He loved his daughter dearly, and would move heaven and Earth for her if she asked him to. But he knew he was no substitute for a mother, as much as he might try he'd always come up short compared to her.
Chloe's face lit up, as he'd known that it would. Her Mom! She'd missed her so much recently. There were just some things you couldn't talk to your dad about. As wonderful a father as he was. But then face fell, as if she had recalled something shocking or unpleasant.
"She is..?" She began. "But what's going to happen about..?" She looked at her father's face for clues. He nodded at her. "Oh." Chloe said, simply. At loss for words. It was silly really, she was a reporter. Her life consisted of using the English language to inform people of important events. Using them to construst sentences to expose the truth. Yet here she was, at loss for words.
She sat down on the couch and beat her fist down angrily on the well-worn arm.
"When?" She asked in a tight voice. "What date does she get here?"
"The day school breaks up. I don't get it Chloe. I thought you'd be pleased to see your Mom." Her dad asked, confused by her reaction. She should be delighted, she hadn't seen her in at least two months.
"I am." She told him. "I just don't want *her* to come here." Chloe's face was one completely fierce frown, as she thought about her predicament.
Gabe Sullivan looked at the carpet. He thought Chloe would have gotten over this by now. She had changed so much since they had left Metropolis for Smallville. It was almost as if she were different person. He supposed she was. She was almost a woman now. It wouldn't be long before she fled the nest, and left for college and the rest of her life that awaited her. But he didn't want to see her grow up too soon, so he had never enforced many rules on her. To be honest she hadn't really needed many. Yes she had a nose for trouble, and yes, she seemed to get in a lot of scrapes. But that was her was of rebelling he supposed. No amount of forbidding her to do such things was going to stop her. She was safe as long as her friend Clark was around. He was sensible and trustworthy and he seemed to have a soft spot for her. Even if they couldn't acknowledge it to each other he could see sparks there. They truly cared for each other.
Chloe picked up her school bag and stood up.
"I'm going to do some homework." She announced as she left the room, taking to the steps two at a time. She barreled into her room, promptly locked the door and flopped down face first into her pillow.
She sobbed as she buried her head into her pillow. How could her mother do his to her? She felt as if the carpet had been whipped out from beneath her feet, like in the cartoons. It was like her security blanket had been snatched from her by a mean older kid. She felt as though she were going to drown in her own self-pity.
***
- TBC -
Author: HuffyTheCampfireSlayer
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the WBs TV show 'Smallville' (I just wish I did). I am simply borrowing them for a bit for my own entertainment. No profit will be made from this story. So please don't sue me.
Background: This fic is going to be Chloe-centric. Although it should have most of the other characters in it. But it mainly focuses on her and her life. So if you aren't interested in Chloe Sullivan then you might not want to read on. You've been warned. This is not going to be a shipper of any kind. Well not at the moment anyway. But you never quite know where some stories take you... So basically if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't it doesn't. I'll let you know in advance if anything changes. Anyway. That said, I hope you enjoy this fanfic. Please read and review. The only way I can get better is if you tell me where I've gone wrong. Thanking you in advance,
Summary: Clark isn't the only person in Smallville trying to hide a secret in from the world. Chloe has a secret too. Only, what is it...
***
Chapter One
Clark, Chloe and Pete were in the sun-soaked Torch office. School had finished but they all had things they had to be getting on with. Chloe was sat at a desk on her laptop, busy proof-reading some articles that had been submitted for the school paper. Clark was at the next desk, scribbling on a notepad, trying to waste time since he had finished his homework quite a while ago now. Pete had a pen ready in his hand and his books open at the correct page, but was staring out of the window in a daze. He'd long since departed the world of school and homework, and was currently in the realm of fantasy.
Clark tapped his pencil impatiently. That was one of the downsides to being as fast as he was; he had to wait for everyone to catch up. But it bored him beyond belief, as he started to become restless, he gave up his charade.
He slammed down his pencil on the desk, crushing it underneath his hand.
'Oops. Just try not to draw attention to it,' He thought.
"Finished!" he announced, grinning broadly. Chloe returned the grin as she looked up momentarily and Pete looked at him blankly for a second before he left his fantasy world.
"Huh? Already?" groaned Pete. "I'm still stuck on the French homework."
Clark looked a little guilty. He busied himself as swept the broken pencil into his coat pocket. Chloe caught his guilty expression.
"It's nothing to feel guilty about Clark. So you're good at schoolwork. Big deal. It's hardly the crime of the century." She told him.
'Yeesh! How does she do that? I know what I'm thinking. Am I THAT readable?' Clark thought, anxiously.
He looked away uneasily, "I know that. Doesn't stop me feeling bad though does it?"
Pete looked up from his work with a grin.
"I know how you can redeem your guilty conscience Clark..." he suggested. Clark looked at him inquisitively. "Give a brother a helping hand."
Clark grinned and Chloe had to stop herself from sighing out loud.
'Man, that grin could melt a thousand hearts.' she thought.
She had forgotten how many times she had been angry at Clark, wanting to ignore him for being so...Clark-like. But then he'd smiled at her, using the Kent charm for all it's worth and she'd forgiven him just like that.
Clark gathered his stuff and made his way over to Pete's desk.
"What are you stuck on?" Clark asked Pete.
"Er... Is everything an answer?" Asked Pete, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I wouldn't do it all for him Clark. Maybe this will teach him NOT to leave all his homework until the last minute." called Chloe, still looking at the screen of her laptop.
'Damn her. She was so right. Leaving it this late was so stupid. But then again she could call me a good-for-nothing-lay-about and I'd secretly agree.' smiled Pete.
He pulled a face at her. Not knowing what else he could do in reply. "Hey it's a good system. Don't knock it." he called back at her.
"Of course Pete, because leaving it until you can't get any help from teacher if you are stuck, or until you miss the deadline is an excellent method of working." She replied, cynically.
'Damn her and her quick wit...and her blue eyes...and her hair that flipped up a the ends...that killer smile...that...' Pete drifted off into fanstasyland again.
He noticed Clark frowning at him and wonder how long he'd been day- dreaming.
"Sorry Pete." Mumbled Chloe.
"Yeah sorry Chloe." He replied, with a sorrowful look. He picked up his pen again, wrote a few words, then sighed loudly.
"What?" asked Chloe.
"I can't do this." 'Tell her you love her, tell her you need her, tell her you can't live life without her.' "I give up. I can't concentrate, not when the weather is so nice." He piled his books into his bag and got to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go do something fun. You can cut off early for once can't ya Sullivan?" He asked, hopefully.
Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes at Pete and his enthusiasm. She saved her work and closed down her computer. She stood up as she pushed down the top.
"Okay. But only because you guys are my best friends." Chloe grinned.
'And I get more Clark-gazing time.' she added to herself.
She slipped her laptop into her messenger bag and followed Clark and Pete to the door. She switched off the lights and closed the office door behind them.
"So where are we gonna go?" She asked, bouncing down the hallway, holding on to Clark's arm.
"The Talon?" suggested Clark, with an innocent smile.
Pete and Chloe rolled their eyes at each other. "Beanery." They agreed in unison.
"What's wrong with the Talon." Clark frowned. "Lana's worked hard on getting that place up and running, the least we could do is show her some support by going there."
"There's nothing wrong with the Talon, Clark. It'd just be nice to have you on *this* planet for once." Chloe explained, trying her best to keep the sadness in her voice to a minimum.
"Another planet!? As... as opposed to this one?" he said, gulping, with his voice growing tighter and his face wearing an anxious and defensive expression for all to see.
"Yeah," Chloe said, with a sharp bitterness seeping into her tone of voice. "Planet Lana."
She mentally kicked herself. Did she have to make it so obvious? She might as well have hung a sign around her neck proclaiming that every time Lana was around she started to feel the green-eyed monster taking over. She needed to keep a tighter hold of her emotions when Clark was around. She had been terrible lately. She was pretty certain he knew she had feelings for her. But she couldn't be 100% certain. If she was 100% certain that he knew. Then she left herself open to the stark reality that he had rejected her feelings, by basically ignoring her. She wasn't sure she'd ever recover from something like that. She wasn't willing to expose herself to such a massive rejection. So it was best just to admire him from a far for now.
"Well. We don't actually need to go to *either* of those places." Said Pete, pointing to the sun outside. "The weather's so nice that we could head down to one of the lakes and take in those beautiful rays." He rubbed his hands, excitedly. Pete loved the outdoors.
"You sure you didn't mean to say beautiful babes?" laughed Chloe.
"Those too." He smiled. Then sent her a friendly wink.
'But none of them can hold a candle to you, you're witty, intelligent, smart, sassy...' Pete had started to day dream again... Her voice dragged him back to reality.
"Ok." She agreed. "On the condition that, we call at the Beanery first and grab some coffee."
"Deal." Replied Pete, leaning across Clark, who was stationed between them as they walked the halls of Smallville High, and shaking her hand.
"Hey, do I get a say in any of this?" Clark asked, jokingly.
"Nope. We're off to the lake and you're joining us. You'll just have to get your Lana fix later." Chloe said cheerfully, pulling him along by his arm.
"Hang on a sec. Which lake? Not Crater lake I hope."
He had suddenly remembered that many of the lakes in the area had been created by the meteors. A lump formed in his throat.
'The meteors that had come as part of the parcel of ME.' he reminded himself.
The meteors that had caused so much havoc in the town for the past 12 years. The meteors that had killed Lana's parents. The meteors that made him sick. How could rocks that had entered the Earth's atmosphere the same time as he did hurt him so much? How and why did they affect some people and not others? He had been trying to figure that out for sometime now with no success.
"No way. Too many bad memories for me." She quipped, cheerfully. She studied Clark's serious face. "Come on Clark. It wasn't that bad. You saved me didn't you? Like always."
A smile appeared on his face. She was right. He had. He may have caused these things to happen. He might be ultimately responsible, but he was doing what he could with his gifts to help out the people whose lives he had affected.
He nodded curtly at Chloe.
"Ok then, not Crater lake. How about Central?" said Pete.
Clark's anxiety levels rose another notch and he felt a spine-tingling chill travel up his spine. That was the area of town, which had been most heavily affected by the meteor shower. He hadn't been there since the first grade. He remember seeing big chunks of it down by the bank of the lake that had been a few meters wide! But they hadn't affected him then. He'd thought the green gems were pretty. Not knowing how sick they would make him feel in his future years... There was no way he could go anywhere near that lake.
He bit his bottom lip.
"Er, you know time is getting on guys. I should get home and start on my chores." He told them, trying to excuse himself.
He started to walk to the nearest door, to get away before they started asking him any questions he'd have to lie to answer. Avoiding any questions meant, no lies. He didn't want friendships composed of deceit. So running away was easier. He used a well-rehearsed, often-heard classic. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
As Clark left the building, relief washed over him, it was as refreshing as the gentle breeze that cooled his face. He was lucky. That time. Pete and Chloe trusted him and hadn't questioned his actions. Though he knew sometimes, Chloe especially, burned with curiosity about his sudden disappearances. Not that she could really help it. She was just following her reporter instincts. She didn't know what an important secret he had. She was just being Chloe... However uncomfortable that made him feel sometimes.
***
Pete dropped Chloe off at her house. After Clark's abrupt disappearing act they'd decided it would probably be best if they head off home. Pete, being the gentleman that he was, has offered Chloe a ride home and she had accepted. But all the same she tried not to get his hopes up. She knew he kind of liked her and she didn't want to give him any false hopes. She couldn't lead him on in anyway, She loved Clark. If she let Pete think there was any chance of them, as a couple, happening it would just end up with him getting hurt and she didn't want to hurt her best friend. She opened the door and thanked him for the ride.
"See you tomorrow Pete!" She smiled kindly at him, her blonde hair bouncing around her face, as she grabbed her bag off the seat and closed the car door.
Pete felt his heart beat faster. Damn! Did she know how cute she looked when she smiled? He sighed as she patted the roof of the car, then head towards her house. He waited to see her safely to her door.
'Not at all a chance to check out her fine butt. No not at all.' he told himself.
She turned and waved at him as she got out her keys. He waved back at her convinced he looked like a total idiot. He sighed as he started the engine and put the car into drive and set off for his house. All he could do was wait and hope she one day felt the same way about him.
***
Chloe watched as Pete drove off. Her stomach was clenched tight with guilt. She hated this complex love triangle that had started to emerge with her and her hormone-crazed friends. Pete was in love with her, but she liked Clark. But of course Clark didn't like her. No, that would be too simple. He liked Lana. And she didn't love Pete. Well she did. But not *that* way. Ok, ok, so it wasn't *quite* a triangle. But it was close enough.
She closed the door with a sigh. Her thoughts returning back to Clark as the inevitably did. Every night she dreamed that Clark would tell her that he loved her and that he'd never let her go. That he'd hold her tight in his big strong arms and that they would be happy together forever.
But then she scoffed at her foolishness and optimism. She knew loved never lasted. Take her parents for example. They had been divorced for almost 6 years now. Ten years of marriage. Some true love that turned out to be. Yet again...Clark's parents were still together and she was sure that the farm must put a lot of stress on their marriage. So many farmers in the area were hard up for money. But yet they were stronger than ever. She would envy Clark for that, but she didn't. She couldn't. How could she be envious about her best friend having a happy home life? She wouldn't wish a divorce on any kid. It was so easy to blame yourself in that situation. She'd been there. Done that. And did still blame herself in part. How could she not? After all that had happened...
"Chloe? Is that you?" called her dad.
'Yes. Who else would it be?' She thought to herself.
"Yeah Dad. It's me."
She walked into the lounge where he stood, beaming at her.
"What's up?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Your mother is coming to visit." He beamed, excited for her. He knew how much she missed having her around to talk to. He loved his daughter dearly, and would move heaven and Earth for her if she asked him to. But he knew he was no substitute for a mother, as much as he might try he'd always come up short compared to her.
Chloe's face lit up, as he'd known that it would. Her Mom! She'd missed her so much recently. There were just some things you couldn't talk to your dad about. As wonderful a father as he was. But then face fell, as if she had recalled something shocking or unpleasant.
"She is..?" She began. "But what's going to happen about..?" She looked at her father's face for clues. He nodded at her. "Oh." Chloe said, simply. At loss for words. It was silly really, she was a reporter. Her life consisted of using the English language to inform people of important events. Using them to construst sentences to expose the truth. Yet here she was, at loss for words.
She sat down on the couch and beat her fist down angrily on the well-worn arm.
"When?" She asked in a tight voice. "What date does she get here?"
"The day school breaks up. I don't get it Chloe. I thought you'd be pleased to see your Mom." Her dad asked, confused by her reaction. She should be delighted, she hadn't seen her in at least two months.
"I am." She told him. "I just don't want *her* to come here." Chloe's face was one completely fierce frown, as she thought about her predicament.
Gabe Sullivan looked at the carpet. He thought Chloe would have gotten over this by now. She had changed so much since they had left Metropolis for Smallville. It was almost as if she were different person. He supposed she was. She was almost a woman now. It wouldn't be long before she fled the nest, and left for college and the rest of her life that awaited her. But he didn't want to see her grow up too soon, so he had never enforced many rules on her. To be honest she hadn't really needed many. Yes she had a nose for trouble, and yes, she seemed to get in a lot of scrapes. But that was her was of rebelling he supposed. No amount of forbidding her to do such things was going to stop her. She was safe as long as her friend Clark was around. He was sensible and trustworthy and he seemed to have a soft spot for her. Even if they couldn't acknowledge it to each other he could see sparks there. They truly cared for each other.
Chloe picked up her school bag and stood up.
"I'm going to do some homework." She announced as she left the room, taking to the steps two at a time. She barreled into her room, promptly locked the door and flopped down face first into her pillow.
She sobbed as she buried her head into her pillow. How could her mother do his to her? She felt as if the carpet had been whipped out from beneath her feet, like in the cartoons. It was like her security blanket had been snatched from her by a mean older kid. She felt as though she were going to drown in her own self-pity.
***
- TBC -