7

"Clark, I think we need to split up," Chloe said as they entered into the main lobby of Smallville Medical Center.

He blinked back at her as if she'd spoken Russian. "Huh?"

"Hey," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

She sighed. "I didn't really mean the whole melting thing. I was just worried. We do have to make sure that this is a stable change."

"If it's not?"

"Well we can't just wait to see if it is or if it isn't. The thing we really need to do, is make sure that we're prepared for either the best or the worst. If it's not a stable change, we'll get Dr. Swann on it. If it's permanent and safe-and Martha and I both pray it is-then it's good to know and not be left wondering."

"I...how did everything change so much?"

"You ran away and my power activated. It changes a lot. I'm sorry it's all confusing and that Kal-El's here." She sighed and played with the watch on her wrist. "I don't regret him, just that this is going to be hard on both of you."

"That's one way to put it. It really is. I just...there's me out here but he's not really me. It could be everything I've always been afraid of. I know I'm not as strong as I want to be. What if he isn't either?"

"Or what if he is?" She said, squeezing his shoulder. "You're both good men."

"Do you trust him?"

"With my life," she said and, after everything with Isobel, she meant it.

"Dad doesn't."

"Jonathan and Kal-El posture back and forth. They don't get along well. I was hoping they'd both come around. Kal-El, deep down, I know he wants to try."

"Dad doesn't."

"Parrot much?"

"I...nothing."

She paused and quirked her head at him. "Did he say something? You seem so quiet since yesterday. I thought the homecoming would be joyous and amazing."

"No, that part was great, mom and dad missed me a lot. It's just that I know that he doesn't like Kal-El. I'm not thrilled to have a brother I didn't ask for and he's pretty immature-"

She laughed. "Imagine that?"

"But I just...nevermind."

"I want to know!"

"It's not important right now. I'm going to be heading straight to the room on the second floor. Lex is in better shape than the doctor. He's still in ICU after a transfusion."

"And sometimes, isn't it good to hack?"

"Point," he replied, heading to the elevator. "I'll be back in ten, okay?"

She nodded and kept herself just barely from frowning. There was something wrong there, something Jonathan had said. She just couldn't figure out what had transpired. Chloe shook her head and walked into the doctor's room. She was surprised to see Lex in full Armani regalia, standing by the window.

"Lex?"

"Chloe. I was just discharged. I wanted to check in on the good doctor, but he's sleeping now. We must have tuckered him out. Do you want me to help show you out? I can even give you a ride to The Talon in my car."

She started to walk to the bed. "I really had something important to ask him."

"About Clark?"

She stilled. Lex had always prodded. When Clark had come back from being "abroad" last summer, he'd been all over the farm, leading a barrage of questions. Chloe wasn't sure how to read that. He'd helped kept her safe over the summer, was certainly not his father, and yet, Kal-El debated on letting him in. One day and one day soon, Kal-El would reveal himself to the world, but he wasn't ready yet and Lex's prodding might force him to out himself earlier than he'd wanted.

It was hard to fool someone as incisive as he was.

"What?"

"Clark was caught in the explosion but he didn't come to the hospital for himself. He rarely does when these things happen and, in Smallville, they happen quite often."

"He wasn't hurt."

"He was in the blast just like I was and I've been in the hospital for two days."

"I guess Clark was lucky."

"Chloe, don't be like that. You've been brusque with me since the summer."

"Or since that serum almost killed me and my cousin."

"An accidental leak. We fixed it. No one was more aggrieved than I was and I tested the cure on myself. You know that."

She nodded. "I know, but things are so different now."

"Because of your summer abroad in France?"

"That and going away for school and just everything. I appreciate everything you did for me this summer but-"

He nodded and, yet, put a hand against her shoulder and walked her out the door. "You are hesitant. I don't think you trust me, Chloe."

"I don't trust anyone, most of the time."

"Mark of a cynic."

"A good reporter," she countered.

"Someone broken," he added, stopping down the hall from the room. "Sometimes I wonder why Clark stays with you. Does it ever bother you that it's because Lana's no longer in Smallville?"

He'd meant it to cut. Chloe looked at her watch again. Kal-El loved her with all that he was. "Not one bit."

Her self assurance must have thrown him. His eyes widened for just an instant and then he nodded. "I see. I have other errands to run, but I'll see you soon, Sullivan. You can bet on that."

"Clark, that doesn't make sense!" she said, leaning back in her chair at The Torch. "I was talking with Lex. He was in his finest and we'd just left the doctor's room."

"The one who flatlined of a sudden aneurysm?"

"Lex wouldn't do that."

"No, I don't think he would. He'd keep a room of us...me...fuck, now you have me doing it. Anyway, he kept a creepy ass shrine to my life up in the mansion, but he's not a killer. Of course, he's not. It doesn't change the fact that after you and he left, the doctor died."

"He was in ICU. It does happen. People lose patients," she finished as she leaned over the keyboard to look at her email.

"Yes, but I just saw him in the hospital room, in his room. He was in a blue gown and being really nice about everything. He wouldn't stop apologizing for what had gone wrong. You can't be in two places at once."

Chloe grinned. "If he comes back from like Patagonia, you and Kal-El could." SHe frowned.

"What? I know that face. That's the 'Chloe's thinking' face."

"What if Lex had a twin?"

"All he had was Julian."

"No, if the black K split you from Kal-El, what if it split Lex as well?"

"We're Kryptonian. Or I'm human now but you know what I mean. Why would the black K affect him at all."

"Well last time I checked the green does a number on us mortals. Just a second. I have to access the camera files at SMC and bingo. Look here," she said, pulling up the two surveillance photos. Both were from the same time stamp. One showed Clark talking to Lex in his room and the other showed Chloe talking with "Lex" in the hall outside the doctor's room.

"Whoa."

"Yes, I think someone has some serious explaining to do."

"I don't know why you wanted to visit what's left of the accident site again, guys. It's just a miserable failure."

"You said you were heating the green meteor rocks in order to help the radiation do stuff?" Clark asked and he blushed. Chloe knew Clark was bright, but he had once been much smarter, probably could have gone into the details of the chemistry at its organic level if he'd wanted. Kal-El had that now.

He had so much to adjust to, so much that came with his fondest and oldest wish.

"The frequency. We wanted it to change to try and enhance the immune system of plants. Stronger plants, more wide range of where they can be grown. More food equals less world hunger. We had lofty goals."

"And now a lot of rubble," she added, kicking at some collapsed shelving. "It was a good idea. I am sorry it didn't work."

"You approve more than nightmare bacteria, then?" Lex snarked.

"Guys?"

She glared back at the billionaire. "Yes, I have to say I do. Doesn't make up for everything, but I appreciate the sentiment. But it clearly wasn't stable, hence the massive explosion."

"One could say that."

She hated non answers. "One did say that."

Lex was about to respond when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and frowned. "Pardon me, I have to take this. I'll be back."

As he stepped out of the room, she turned to Clark. "So what do you think?"

"I think he's lying about something, but I can't figure out what. It could be the split."

"Yes, that definitely crossed my mind. Lex is being more evasive than he normally is."

"Sure, I-"

And then she heard it, something above them cracking. It was all she could do at that moment to ram into Clark's side and push him as far as she could from her. It wasn't far, but it was enough to leave him out of the way as a large ventilation shaft fell onto her.

She coughed and vaguely was aware of Clark calling her name.

"Chlo!"

"Here! Get it off me!" She hollered back. It hurt like crazy and she was pretty sure most of her bones were broken. It certainly felt like knives stabbing her when she took a breath. Taking a deep and painful breath, she closed her eyes and concentrated on healing. The familiar rose light spread over her and it must have been a beacon because soon Clark was peeling everything back from her.

"Chloe?"

"God, I'd like the number of that bus," she groused, coughing out plaster dust as she stood up. "And some money, that was my favorite blazer!"

"We were set up."

She looked up at the ventilation shaft. "How do you know?"

"I just do. The timing, the way we're asking too many questions. I don't have Kal-El's vision, but I bet things have been cut." He shook his head and reached out to touch her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"I...is that part of your ability? I thought you were dead."

"I think I was for a minute," she replied honestly. "Let's just get going, okay. I don't trust Lex not to go after your family. Whatever happened to him, I think the bad half has come out to play."

"Chloe, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for the meteor shower to happen."

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a freak. Now let's get the hell out of here."

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