Chapter Seven

Double Standards

"Lois," Chloe smiled as Lois helped her walk out of the hospital. "You do not have to hang on to me like this. I'm pretty sure that I can make it to your car…"

"Are you kidding," Lois asked. "You just got out of the hospital. I'm going to be hanging onto you like glue…" Suddenly, a purse-snatcher tried to steal Chloe's purse. Lois quickly fought him off and pushed him to the ground. "Hey," she angrily said. "She just got out of the hospital…"

"Who are you," the purse-snatcher angrily asked as Lois stood on him with one foot to keep him down.

"Wonder Woman," Lois smiled.

"I talked to Caleb yesterday," Clark began awkwardly as he walked with Lana.

"Let me guess," Lana smiled. "More Superman-musings?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "Actually…"

"Look out," Lana yelled as she raced into traffic and pushed a mother and her four-year-old daughter out of the way of a semi-truck.

"Thank you so much," the mother breathlessly said. "That semi-truck came out of nowhere…"

"You're welcome," Lana smiled, equally as breathlessly. She walked back to Clark.

"What were you thinking," Clark angrily asked.

"Clark," Lana said in shock. "I protected them…"

"You almost killed yourself," Clark angrily said. "You took that risk…"

"And you took that risk to save Lex," Lana angrily said. "I told you that I would worry about you if you became Superman; however, I would not stop you because I know that you would be making such a difference that it would be selfish of me to stop you. I accepted you to feel the same way." Lana angrily walked away from him.

"So," Chloe nervously said over the phone. "You understand why I want this operation…"

"Of course," Dr. Jecksen smiled. "You want to be normal…"

"Thank you," Chloe smiled in relief.

"I'll see you later today," Dr. Jecksen smiled as he hung up and walked over to his comatose wife. "I found a cure for you, Eliza," he smiled in relief.

"Chloe," Clark said as he knocked on Chloe's apartment door.

"Coming," Chloe quickly said as she opened the door.

"Is Lana here," Clark quickly said as he entered the apartment.

"No," Chloe said in concern. "Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before," she sarcastically asked.

"We had a fight," Clark quickly said. "Lana saved a mother and a little girl from being hit by a semi-truck today…"

"And that started an argumentative," Chloe asked in confusion.

"I acted on impulse," Clark said in frustration. "She could have killed herself, Chloe," he sadly said.

"Clark," Chloe determinedly said. "She protected a mother and a little girl. How could you not support that?" She paused. "I'm sorry… I understand why both of you feel the way you do… it is just…"

"Just what," Clark asked in confusion.

"I have a lot on my plate," Chloe sadly shrugged. "Remember when my mom saved me from falling off the monkey bars…"

"Yeah," he smiled. "How could I forget?"

"She disappeared shortly after that," Chloe sadly said. "I blamed her… I thought that she left because she wanted to leave dad and me…" She paused as she grabbed some paperwork. "She left to protect me…" Her eyes watered as Clark looked over the paperwork. "She had healing powers… I did not know that she or I had them until the powers protected me from the attack from that psychopath claiming to be Brainiac…"

"If they are healing powers," Clark sadly asked in confusion. "Why did she feel like she needed to leave?"

"The powers can also be destructive," Chloe sadly said. "It is a gamble every time that someone uses these powers… because they can either heal or kill each person someone with the powers touches…"

"Is there any way to remove the destructive properties," Clark asked in concern.

"It is all or nothing," Chloe sadly shrugged. "The powers are removable by saving someone who is in mortal danger of losing his or her life; however, I found another option." She showed him Dr. Jecksen's information. "He offered to remove the powers via surgery…"

"Chloe," Clark said in concern. "This is a huge risk. How much will this 'Dr. Jecksen' know about removing supernatural powers?"

"He must know something; otherwise, he would not have agreed to do the surgery," Chloe insisted.

"What about transportation back home," Clark asked in concern. "Chloe, you cannot drive under anesthesia…"

"I know that," Chloe forced a smile. "Dr. Jecksen has arranged transportation home for me after the surgery…"

"No doctor does that," Clark insisted.

"He does," Chloe insisted. "I'm sorry, Clark, but I have to do this." She gently pushed him out of the apartment and closed the door behind him. She walked over to her desk to continue on a letter which began with, Dear Jimmy; however, she looked at in concern and hurriedly trashed it. She walked out the door and left for the surgery.

"Hey," Lex smiled at a running Lana as he drove into the Luthor Mansion. "Did you run all this way?"

"Is it that obvious," Lana asked as she stopped running and breathed heavily.

"Get in," Lex smiled as he pointed to the seat next to him. Lana hesitated. "Not every person receives a tour of the Delgado Mansion…"

"I guess I could take a break from running," Lana smiled and shrugged as she sat next to him.

"Before I begin the operation," Dr. Jecksen smiled as he walked towards Jade. "I need to ask a favor of you…"

"Within reason," Chloe smiled nervously.

"Of course," Dr. Jecksen smiled as he carried his wife over to Chloe. "I need you to heal my life…"

"I am so sorry, Dr. Jecksen, but I cannot," she sadly said.

"I will give you anything you want," he determinedly said. "A free operation… payment and a free operation…"

"I cannot heal her, Dr. Jecksen," Chloe determinedly said. "If I tried to heal her, I could kill her…"

"Do not be selfish," Dr. Jecksen angrily said.

"I'm not being selfish," Chloe insisted. "Dr. Jecksen, why would I want healing powers removed from me if they were not dangerous?"

"I thought you wanted to be normal," Dr. Jecksen angrily said. "Please, Miss Richardson, try…" Chloe nervously reached out and touched his wife's arm. Suddenly, his wife took her last breath.

"What did you do," he angrily asked.

"Dr. Jecksen," Chloe sadly said. "I tried to warn you, but…"

"Chloe," Clark yelled as he ran into the room. Suddenly, Dr. Jecksen broke a jar of Ceaseflight and dumped it on the ground, making Clark fall to his knees and yell in pain.

"Clark," Chloe said in concern. She hurriedly kicked the Ceaseflight away from him; however, Dr. Jecksen pushed her out the window.

"Don't worry," someone said to a falling Chloe. Chloe looked up to see a woman clad in a black outfit and a black cape. "I got you…" The woman caught Chloe in midair and utilizing a rope, lowered both of them to the ground safely. Green Arrow smiled as he watched them.

Later, Jimmy and Kara were looking over Kara's photos as they ate Chinese takeout. "I remember that," Kara laughed as she looked at one of the photos.

"The rain did not help my photography abilities," Jimmy smiled.

"The photos are perfect," Kara smiled as she looked at him. Chloe walked into the room. "Perfect…" Suddenly, she kissed him and Chloe hurriedly left the room. Jimmy quickly pulled away from her.

"Jimmy," Clark smiled as he walked into the room. "I found this letter in Chloe's trashcan when I was looking for her. I think it ended up there by accident…" He handed him the letter and left the room.

"Chloe," Kara asked in confusion.

"My girlfriend," Jimmy sadly said.

"I'm so sorry," Kara sadly said. "I did not know…" She hurriedly left.

Lana frowned as she played chess with Lex. "Is there something wrong," Lex asked in concern.

"I have to see Clark," Lana hurriedly left.

Chloe sadly frowned as she touched the elevator button of Fine to Print. "Chloe," Jimmy angrily asked as he reached the elevator. "Please remind me why we belong together because I may forget."

"Apparently you did," Chloe frowned. "I saw you with… 'Kara'…" She frowned.

"How do you know her name," Jimmy asked in confusion.

"I just do," Chloe frowned and shrugged. "She may not be who you think she is…"

"And you're not who I think you are," he angrily said.

"Goodbye, Jimmy," Chloe frowned as she left in the elevator.

"Goodbye, Chloe," Jimmy frowned.

"Can I open my eyes now," Lana smiled and asked.

"Of course," Clark smiled.

"We're still on the plane," Lana said in confusion.

"Remember that skydiving trip that I talked you out of because I thought that it would be too dangerous," Clark smiled and asked.

"No way," Lana smiled. "What made you change your mind?"

"It is a leap of faith," Clark smiled. "However, I want to take it together, not separately…" He smiled. "One… two…"

"Three," they said in unison as they leapt out of the plane.

Lois frowned as the elevator arrived on the floor where Oliver was. "If you lose this one more time," she angrily said as she gave him the flash drive.

"I better take your advice," he smiled. "Who am I not to listen to the Wonder Woman?"

"You know," Lois asked in shock.

"I always knew," he smiled. "And I know that you know about my alter ego…" Lois smiled thoughtfully at him. "As clichéd as it is, I think it is unfair that you are not letting us take chances together."

"You do not know what could happen," Lois angrily said. "If…" Suddenly, he kissed her.

"I love you," he smiled.

"Ditto," she smiled back.

"I should use clichéd statements more often," he smiled, making her laugh.