STAND pt.2
Pairings - Clark and Chloe most likely
Spoilers - It would help if you've ever Watched Smallville
Disclaimer - As much as I'd like to, I own nothing and will in no way make profit from this piece of fiction from the depths of my imagination.

NOTES- The follow up to the previous posting, as Insisted upon by y'all. Also, I know that Chloe has some meteor related healing thing, but since the show hasn't exactly explained how that works yet, I'm pretending it doesn't exist. With that said, Here Comes The Pain.

Risin' up, straight to the top
Have the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger

"I'm pretty sure Boy Scout has another one of those jackets, Chloe."

Sitting on the back of Ollie's extended military style helicopter, Chloe clutched the shredding remains of Clark's hideous red jacket to her abdomen a bit tighter. Fighting back the urge to panic, she met the Green Arrow's gaze and forced a grin. "And I'm pretty sure you've got a thing for shiny green leather. What's your point?"

Oliver Queen smiled involuntarly, and then winced. The right side of his face was already purpling in a huge bruise. Without saying another word, he made his way to the cockpit to check on their progress.

Leaning her head back against the cool metal wasn't as soothing as she would have liked, what with the continual thrumming of the chopper's rotors and rattlings of the chassis. But it was still better than looking around at the rest of the team.

Vic was frantically trying to work on the damage to his legs. Grundy actually tossed a Ford F150 at him that he was forced to catch to protect a group of bystanders. But Vic's not Clark, and the servos in his legs couldn't take the strain. He'd managed to patch up the leaks but he was out of the battle until Ollie could get him into surgery.

AC was out cold. Despite being a fish out of water, he's still got a hero complex like everyone else and tried to step up to the seven-foot Albino. Looks like his swimming days are done for awhile.

The only member of the team not present was Bart. Ollie had him running interference and trying to clear innocent bystanders out of Grundy's way. Impulse had tried to get in close a few times to slow the monster down, but even he barely managed to get out of harm's way.

Ollie managed to keep the team together once Clark went down. But with injuries piling up on top of each other, he was forced to face the music and pull them out. A task that became instantly easier once Clark had returned to the scene.

He just rushed headfirst at him, Chloe thought, her knuckles tightening unconsciously on the torn nylon. Despite his injuries, with no thought of his own safety he tucked his head and just ... Wham.

Of course, she was only able to see this on the digital replay that Oliver's support team had prepared from the chopper. One minute Grundy was tearing up downtown Grand Forks; the next a blue streak came from out of nowhere and took Grundy out of frame. The impact of their bodies created a shock wave that nearly knocked the helicopter out of the sky.

According to Impulse's updates, Clark was trying to keep Grundy away from anymore settlements and force him into the desert area of South Dakota.

"He'll be all right." Vic's voice was loud in the silence and Chloe jumped involuntarily.

"Of course he'll be all right," Chloe scoffed. My voice is NOT trembling. "Clark's tougher than some pasty-faced freakshow. I'm just surprised it's taken him this long to stop him."

Vic forced a laugh. "Yeah. Me too." Then he groaned, pressing down on the exposed wiring in his leg. "You wouldn't happen to have any Vicoden would you?"

Oliver came into the passenger area. "We just heard from Bart. Boy Scout's got the bogey in the the desert area, but he's clearly exhausted." He looked sorrowfully at Chloe as he said this, before turning to Vic. "He needs backup, man."

Vic shook his head in defeat. "Bro, I can barely keep my internal life support functioning. If I attempted to move right now, I'd be dead before I took ten steps."

AC did't even stir from his prone position against the side of the chopper.

"What can we do?" Oh God, we have to do something. "Oliver ... What ..."

"I don't know."

Silence reigned supreme for a few moments. Then the pilot announced their arrival.

Oliver sighed heavily. Then he walked over to one of the storage units and began reloading his quiver. After the thrid or fourth arrow, Chloe got up from her seat and walked to his side. She was still clutching the jacket. "Oliver..."

"I can't leave him out there alone, Chloe." He pulled out a spare bow, the first one left in kindling pieces back in Grand Forks. "Even if all I can do is distract this thing long enough for Clark to get his bearings ... Maybe I can ..."

Chloe placed a comforting hand on his arm and looked him in the eyes. "You'll do great."

The chopper shuddered as it made contact with the ground. Without looking back, Oliver pulled up his hood and marched to the door. With a steely hiss, the hatch slid open into an impossibly bright field of sand and heat, temporarily blinding Chloe. The Green Arrow's silhouette turned to shout some orders towards the pilots before jumping out of sight.

Coughing from the blowing sand and dust, Chloe rushed to the opening and tried to get her bearings. Faintly she could see Oliver's from jogging across the cracked and cactus strewn desert floor as the sun continued it's descent. In the distance, there was what looked to be a funnel cloud of sand holding in place and not moving erratically like a typical tornado would. Bart, you crazy little ...

Without warning, the chopper lurched and began to rise from the ground. While she couldn't hear what the pilots were shouting at her over the noise, the frantic hand motions she was seeing were pretty clear. Close the door, we're not staying.

Screw that.

Knowing that if she waited another second that she would talk herself out of it, Chloe stepped forward and plummetted the remaining distance to the ground.

Wincing in pain as she got up to her knees, she looked in the direction of the funnel cloud and slowly started jogging that way. Unconsciously, she put her arms trough Clark's tattered jacket to keep it out of her way and focused her eyes forward.

Got to cut back on the danishes with my coffee.

As she got closer it was clear that the funnel cloud was little more than a distraction. Even within the blurring and sand there was no mistaking the huge silhouette of Solomon Grundy, thrashing about in the windstorm. While it did appear that he was contained, at least temporarily, it did raise a very simple question in Chloe's mind.

Where's Clark?

Chloe stopped her run at the top of a slight rise in the ground, searching the surrounding area for any sign of her favourite Flannel King. There was upturned earthe and sand in just about every direction, but off to her left, there was a clear trail leading approximately 500 yards away that looked like a meteor impact site. Without hesitation, Chloe took off towards the carnage trail, pulling a semi-automatic pistol out of her purse as she ran.

Not that this'll do me ANY good. But ...

She had barely begun heading down the landing trail when there came a bloocurdling roar from behind her. Whipping around, she saw that the funnel cloud had collapsed in upon itself and all of the dirt and grit was beginning to settle earthwards. In the middle of the cloud stood the outlined shape of Grundy holding what appeared to be a smaller man up by the throat.

Bottom lip clenched between her teeth, Chloe looked back down the trail to where Clark might be and then to where Bart was clearly in trouble. Not really much of a choice. Cocking the pistol off safety, Chloe started sprinting towards Grundy.

Even as she watched, Grundy's body shifted back as a big green arrow punched into his right shoulder. With a slight grunt, the massive Albino tossed Impulse's body away and yanked the meter long, emerald invader out of the bloodless wound. Only then, as Grundy inspected the shaft before his face, did Chloe see that there was a little box behind the arrowhead. A box that was blinking.

"Down!"

Something hit her from the side in a flying tackle, knocking the wind clear from her lungs. Upon impact with the ground her fingers reflexively clenched the trigger of her pistol, firing several rounds into the air. In the same instant there was a bright flash of light and heat that flared up, accompanied by a full throated roar of pain.

After several akward somersaults tangled with the larger muscular form, Chloe came to a halt on top of her assailant. She quickly reached up to brush the hair out her eyes. "Dammit, Clark. You scared the ..."

Looking down into Oliver's anguished eyes, she pulled her diatribe short in momentary embarrassment. His face was contorted into even more agony then before. It was then that Chloe noticed the warm, sticky sensation she was feeling with her left hand.

Oh no.

The right side of Oliver's body was wet with his own blood.

Protruding out from just beneath his ribcage was a long shard of rock. Every halting breathe that he took caused another fresh trickle of blood to ooze out the gash.

"Oliver, that wasn't ... me was it?"

He shook his head minutely. "Bart got caught ... the wind ... launched this ..." He started coughing painfully, red spots flecking his lips.

Chloe started to panic, looking for something to staunch the bleeding. I can't even take that thing out or he'll bleed away. Frantically, Chloe looked all around them until a shadow loomed overhead blocking out the sun.

Well he's never going to win any beauty pageants.

Craning her neck back, Chloe looked Grundy square in the eyes. His face was covered in soot and grime and the top of his jumpsuit was torn open, revealing the full barrelness of his chest to the open air. The was smoke curling out his sandstone coloured hair, and his eyes were black as night. With a yellow, toothy grimace, the being wordlessly snarled down at the two people beneath him.

"Run .." Oliver groaned faintly, trying to roll to his good side. "Run ..."

Her hands betrayed her fear to the world as she shakily raised the pistol to bear. With repeated retorts, she emptied the whole clip uselessly into Grundy's torso. He didn't even flinch or wince in pain.

Her fingers opened nervelessly, dropping the spent pistol to the cracked earth. Looking into the face of death, Chloe forced herself to her trembling feet, to meet her maker head on.

Grundy took a step forward as the entire world lurched around into a big blur, forcing her neck painfully to the side. When the world stopped spinning out of control, she found herself 200 yards away from where she last stood seated on the ground next to Oliver's body. Stading next to them was an exhausted and heavily sweating Bart.

"The hell are you doing here?" he panted, with both hands on his knees. Sweat dripped off the tip of his nose while prominent purple finger marks were beginning to form around his neck from Grundy's grip.

"Are you okay?"

The heavy footfalls of Grundy's feet made their prominent way forward. Looking up, Chloe saw that Bart had only delayed the inevitable.

"Bart, can you get Oliver to a hospital?"

He blinked owlishly. "I can olny carry one of you at a time."

"I don't need a hospital, Bart."

"If he catches you, you will!"

Chloe eyed the looming giant warily. "He won't catch me if you get back in time."

Impulse froze with indecision. Staring at Oliver desperately.

"Bart ..." Oliver choked out. "Get ... Get her ..."

Chloe grabbed Bart's chin and forced him to meet her eyes. "Get him out of here Bart. Now."

Then she turned and sprinted away towards the length of torn up ground.

Go Bart!

Too afraid to look back, she heard a sudden displacement of air clap in a sonic boom combined with a frustrated snarl.

Please be there. Please.

Time seemed to have no meaning anymore. All Chloe could focus on was the path of destruction ahead of her and the sound of monstrous plodding behind her. With the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end and sweat tickling through the goosepimples on her arms, it was not exactly like she could feel him breathing down her neck.

But it sure seems like it!

Inevitably, she didn't make it. A firm grip seized her by the back of the big red coat and hauled her off her feet. With a pitiful cry she was thrown to the side where she painfully landed in the crumbled, sandy dirt.

Don't cry. Do not Cry Sullivan!

Unheedful of her demands, tears began to spill down her cheeks, mingling with the sweat and blood already in the way. Making for a sticky and smeared mess. Looking up into Grundy's face, Chloe refused to turn away. She was done with running, done with fighting. All she could was wait for it all to end.

Solomon Grundy peered down at Chloe's form in impassive silence. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to move, he reared back with one massive arm and swung forward.

Refusing to flinch, Chloe watched the fist descend towards her face in perpetual slow motion. Everything seemed to come to a halt for her. Is this how Clark sees the world? she thought distractedly.

There was the mighty sound of flesh smacking flesh, and a shockwave that ruffled Chloe's hair and cooled the tears on her cheeks. Realizing that she must have blinked, Chloe was astonished to see a comparatively small hand holding Grundy's massive fist inches away from her nose.

I knew he wasn't dead.

Following the hand up the quivering, fully vascular arm Chloe saw something she never believed was possible. Clark Kent staring full in the face of someone with the intent to murder in his glowing red eyes.

"Clark ..."

For a moment neither man moved as they played a test of strength with each other. Grundy pushing towards Chloe's face and Clark refusing to back down even one more inch.

Unable to stop herself, Chloe noticed that Clark was hurt even more badly than before. His face was still a horror story, covered in blood with split lips and his nose spread all over the place. His shirt was gone and bruises were forming over every inch of his left side and over his right pelvic bone. He also seemed to be holding his left arm in a funny way.

But it was his eyes that captivated her. Normally they were the lustrous blue-green that she always pictured in her dreams. But now, with the red glow of barely restrained heat vision they seemed to pulse with every beat of his hot tempered blood.

Ever slow slowly, Clark began pushing Grundy's fist back from Chloe's face. Inch by unstoppable inch he forced the monster back. Teeth gritted with the strain, the veins on his arm pressed to the maximum, standing out like roadmaps, Clark forced Grundy to submit to his will.

Chloe was unable to move, unable to turn away from the sight before her. Her breaths were coming in rapid jerky motions, hyperventilating. And while she was clearly scared out of her mind, only one thought bubbled its' way to the surface.

My God I love this man.

Grundy began to growl deep in his throat as Clark forced his arm away from her. Their sheer, primal struggle for supremacy was finally not going well for the behemoth and he clearly did not know how to handle it. For the first time, there was a shadow of doubt, of fear in those black orbs.

And Clark knew it.

Suddenly changing the game, Grundy reversed direction and pulled away violently. Clark's body lurched forward off his feet and slammed on the back of his neck almost twenty yards away.

Chloe scrambled to her feet, ready to run when Grundy turned back to her. His eyes a smoldering black pit and his yellowed teeth bared in a fearsome grimace. With one hand he reached out to her.

In a flash of red a mighty gust of air separated the Albino from his prey and knocked him back. Squinting her eyes, Chloe was just barely able to make out a tiny form, who could only have been Bart, peppering the beast on every angle with every ounce of his speed and ferocity.

It was all for naught though. Almost negligently, Grundy stuck his arm out to the side and Impulse ran full tilt into the back of his elbow. The impact sent his slight frame pin-wheeling through the air to land in a crumpled heap not far from Chloe. Wordlessly she went to his side, never taking her eyes off Grundy.

After taking a moment to gather his bearings, Grundy began his methodical horror-movie-pace plodding towards her and Bart. His fists clenching and unclenching while his grimace became wider.

"Hey. Paleface."

Grundy froze. Slowly he turned his head and peered back over his shoulder.

Clark's shadow seemed to stretch in front of him forever. With the sun setting behind him his entire frame was almost in a silhouette. Despite that, Chloe could see the way he was favouring his left shoulder and side, the physical distortion in his face. But the way his eyes seemed to glow a luminous red as he stood tall, his back straight and his chin pointed forward almost pugnaciously. Practically daring Grundy to take another shot at him.

Clark raised his good arm and motioned his opponent forward. "Let's finish this."

Kick his ass.

While it will forever be unclear if Grundy actually understood the words, the universal gesture for "come and get me" that Clark issued was no different then throwing blood into water for a shark. With a wordless, deep-throated howl, Solomon Grundy turned to face his defeat.

Before he had taken two running strides, Clark unleashed a torrent of heat vision so powerful that Chloe felt her skin warm from thirty yards away. Clipping the behemoth's right knee, Grundy screamed in agony and pitched face first to the desert floor, sliding to a stop and holding the smoldering ruin of his right leg.

Clark limped forward implacably, his eyes leaving a hazy red trail behind him. Grundy managed to get himself levered up to his left knee, both hands still pressed to his right. Stopping right before his kneeling foe, Clark paused.

What are you doing? Chloe mentally screamed, while holding Bart's limp form against her borrowed red jacket. Don't let him back up!

Grundy's pain was written all over his face, but his determination was also still very prominent. Impossibly, he began to pull his right leg under him in an effort to rise.

"Stay down." Clark's voice was ragged. I've never seen him like this. The exhaustion on his face, the resignation in his shoulders. "Just … stay down."

Getting his right leg under him, Grundy slowly began to stand.

The force of Clark's full armed punch created a sonic boom that ruffled Chloe's hair, the jacket and made her ears pop. Grundy's body hammered into the desert floor, leaving a circular impact crater beginning at Clark's feet.

My God.

Clark's body quivered with emotion, staring down at Grundy's prone form.

No way!

With a groan, Grundy's head shifted and he tried to raise his body.

Something inside Clark snapped. Dropping to his knees, effectively pinning Grundy's torso to the ground, Clark held the monster's shoulder in place with his bad arm and began jackhammering vicious right hands to his face. Each punch was punctuated with a frantic, teeth gritted mantra of anger. "I. Said. Stay. Down. I Said. Stay. Down"

Each blow was like a mini earthquake, rattling the ground all around them. Grundy's head snapped back with every impact and within seconds it was clear that he was done.

"I. Said Stay Down. I Said! Stay! DOWN!"

"Clark stop it!"

Getting to her feet and running forward through the shaking earth, Chloe stumbled forward. Afraid for her friend. Afraid for the boy that was terrified to hurt a living soul. Afraid for the man who had been pushed too far was clearly losing his grip. Afraid for the man she …

"Clark!" Chloe tried to calm him down, carefully reaching for his left arm and shoulder and not wanting to get pasted. "Clark he's down! You can stop."

He kept pistoning his fist down, sweat and caked blood flecking off his brow with each blow.

I'm losing him!

Risking everything, Chloe gripped his face firmly with both hands and turned it towards her. "Clark! He's Down!"

For one frantic moment, it looked like Clark was going to nuke her face to oblivion with one blast of his heat vision. His eyes flared up in fury, and then widened as he realized what he was seeing. Blinking rapidly, Clark lurched to his feet and staggered away from her pressing both palms against his eyes. After a few shaky steps, the Man of Steel collapsed to his knees and began to sob.

Her heart breaking Chloe followed one last time and gathered the fallen hero into her arms, pressing his mangled face to her shoulder and whispering soothing words in his ear. Letting his emotions play their course.

After a time, he was able to get himself under control. Only then was he able to make himself meet her gaze. Looking up at her with watery blue-green eyes, a broken nose and tears tracks cutting through the blood, sweat and grime on his face, he spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Chloe blinked. "Of course, it all makes sense now. Clearly you were the evil mastermind that was experimenting on tall, gray and almost unstoppable."

"No," he looked down. "I'm sorry you saw me like that."

"Like what?"

"Crazy. Angry. Totally consumed with rage."

Chloe tipped his chin up with her fingers and locked eyes with him. "Sometimes Clark, you can be a complete idiot."

Clark started in surprise.

She shook her head. "Don't you kinda think that you needed to use that kind of force to put this guy down? It's not like you wanted any of this. And before you start, if you even think about blaming yourself for the destruction your fight caused remember one thing. It was not you who made this thing what it is. That responsibility belongs to …"

"Lex," Clark growled.

"Well, him and several Five Star generals who will remain unnamed until I get the evidence to back it up for my next Daily Planet expose," she said smiling.

Clark started to smile back as well. "So you're not .. I didn't … Frighten you?"

Heedless of the grime, Chloe pressed her palms against his face again, careful not to aggravate his injuries. "Clark. You could never scare me." Get terrified bfor/b you? Sure. Pressing her forehead against his she closed her eyes. "You are just so …"

There was a palpable silence. As Chloe opened her eyes, she realized just how close they were to each other. Clark's eyes were still closed. Chloe carefully started stroking his battered face with her thumbs.

"I was so worried about you," he mumbled brokenly, opening his eyes. "When I saw him bearing down on you …"

"You did what you always do," she whispered. "You saved the day."

He actually chuckled. "Me and Mighty Mouse."

"I hated that cartoon."

"I liked his cape."

"What is with you and capes?"

"Uhm, guys?"

Both of them turned to look as Bart hobbled towards them, holding his right arm in place. He gingerly stepped over the prone and unconscious form of Grundy. The sun was almost fully down now and faintly in the distance the sound of helicopters were coming closer.

"I hate to break up your little moment, but we've got to get out of here before the military catches up. I hate answering questions."

Clark forced himself to stand but didn't let Chloe out of his grasp. I could get used to this. "What about Grundy?"

Bart shrugged painfully. "I guess we'd better take him back to HQ. Ollie'll figure something out." He looked down at Grundy's body. "Is he dead?"

Clark hesitated, peering down carefully. Wish I had X-Ray vision. Then realizing she was still being pressed up next to Clark's shirtless torso, she smiled mysteriously. Not that I need it right now.

"No, he's alive." He glanced down at Chloe regretfully. "Bart, are you able to take Chloe?"

A fraction of Impulse's usual swagger came back. "I always have room for you babe." Chloe rolled her eyes gregariously.

"Good." Clark stepped away from her, but gave one last squeeze with his hands before letting go. "I'll see you in a bit." He whispered before stepping away and hauling Grundy's body onto his shoulder like a sack of grain.

He's going to be okay. "Clark … " Oh God, don't say it Chloe. This isn't the time ... But if I don't say it now … "I just … I want you to know …" Spit it out Girl!

Clark turned back to her with a small smile. "I know Chloe." He paused, eyeing her up and down. "I like your jacket."

And then he sped off, leaving her in his wake.

That son of a …

"Come on Bart. He's not getting off that easy."

END