Note to: babyshan, hope you find this chapter less confusing. *Some* stuff is revealed. Thanks so much for stopping by. :D
Note: Just to push the plot forward. Chloe, Clark and their newly shambolic relationship.
It's the first bad sign when Lois is home and there's no noise on the speakers.
"Clark's here. I could only keep him out for so long. Sorry, cuz."
He's sitting on the couch, dressed in some suit that doesn't look comfortable. She feels a strange pang, even though he doesn't greet her, or have a hint of that perpetually benevolent look on his face.
"Why'd you do it?"
He's angry, too angry for all this. To think she worried that she could have been guilted into telling him why she left if he'd been smiling.
"Do what?"
"I know you called Perry."
"…Not like it's your business, Smallville." Lois cuts in.
"What made you do it? Chloe…we agreed, it would be best to let the records die natural deaths.
Did anyone tell you about the latest recruit? He would have been all over this! He still will be if he asks around."
Chloe didn't think so. The blood covered emergency parking lot without a single victim hadn't even made the 'freaks' special.
"I copied the records and put them right back. I wouldn't have done it unless it was vitally important."
"Nothing can be that important that you'd risk other people...You always told me that."
"I'm sure that sounds good on paper, but I didn't tell you that."
"This is the sound of me leaving." Lois says.
It's just Chloe and Clark, now. She doesn't think they've ever argued like this.
"I know you can trust Perry. But asking him to dig up all the records on Luthorcorp and meteor-infected experiments from the past year for even 5 minutes was dangerous.
Word gets around at the newspaper when that much information is accessed. You remember what that's like-you worked there… Information like that could be dangerous to…lots of people..."
"Say what you mean, why don't you? Dangerous to meteor freaks like I was?"
"Dangerous…the idea is just dangerous in general...Where is this coming from?"
She doesn't answer. She knows that as hardheaded as Clark can be, he'll connect the dots if she mentions the word again. (Once, he was the one person she had told freely; who hadn't judged her for it, even though he didn't understand.)
"So you stopped by to lecture me about something that might fall under the definition of generally dangerous? Thanks Clark. I'd like to get to my lunch now, if you don't mind."
He follows her into the kitchen.
"You shouldn't work on the week before your wedding. It's not healthy. You're always on your own, mostly working on articles which you don't talk about."
"With Lois."
"It's almost the same, only louder. The stress can't be good for you. I'm worried about you, Chloe."
"Nothing is wrong. I was fine until just a moment ago, when my best friend started rambling on about general danger. I want this to be a good week."
"It can be. You know I'm always here for you and you should tell me…That's what friends are for."
Chloe crumples her face into what she hopes is a smile before taking a bite of her fish sandwich.
"Nothing is wrong at all. It's my bachelorette week and I'm working on a story, the scoop of which I can't reveal. I'm happy as I can be."
"How can you be happy when you run away from the people that care about you?"
"I am not running away.
"You didn't call Jimmy…You didn't e-mail me… You didn't even take pictures."
She finds his desire to have everything in a neat little category aggravating, suddenly. It's not like he knows much about the world himself.
"Those shouldn't be 'If…Then' statements.
As hard as it might be to believe, Clark, I'm happy in spite of wedding jitters. I don't want a case of you aggravating them.
Either grab that other sandwich on the counter and tell me why you're wearing that monkey suit or pipe down."
"I wouldn't mind eating something." It is farm boy Kent again, thank God.
"Just keep in mind that you can tell me whatever's going on, alright?"
She looks into his clear blue eyes, and thinks that she really can't. He wants to believe in the best friend that calls her fiancée, e-mails him, and completely lazes around on her free days. He can't handle the girl who doesn't know why they've been friends so long.
"I'll drop you a line if Lois tricks me into ending up in a really weird bar, okay?"
"You got it."
He smiles strangely, again, and she thinks that something tying them together has unraveled a little more.
She doesn't know why. It doesn't mean it stops hurting.
He leaves after about ten minutes
She goes to her room and doesn't really see the time line she's taped to the wall. She remembers when Clark bravely offered to be her own personal bomb squad despite the fact that he couldn't have told her heads or tails about ammunition.
This time around, she will learn to live without a safety net.
She hopes she'll know how.
Endnote: Davis will be in the chapter after the next. I apologize in advance for any Davis withdrawal.
To inspire me, please write anything in the review box. even 'moar!', or 'no davis yet?' When I know someones reading I feel like I am not embarking on a search for Godot.
Nevermind. Silly reference. :P