10

Chloe hated that they had to take her car. She hated that they had to keep appearances up for Lex. She hated that she had to drive the seven blocks to the medical center with Clark crammed in next to her, with him studying her with precise scrutiny. She hated that she'd brought this all on herself, but, mainly, she hated that she couldn't look at Clark without wanting to cry.

He wasn't even going to kill her if he figured it out.

He was going to be noble-because that was who he was-and find some insane reason to blame himself.

She didn't want to be responsible for crushing him in that way.

"Chlo, are you ever gonna talk to me again?"

"I am."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Big puppy dog eyes and she was the worst girlfriend in history.

"No, of course not."

"You haven't wanted to work on my toast. Hell, you haven't wanted to talk to me at all. I just don't understand."

She gulped and reminded herself not to squish the steering wheel. "It's nothing. It's just that Helen is too interested in my blood work."

"That doesn't mean that we stop talking. I don't get it. I thought everything was getting better since your birthday."

"Clark, it's not about you."

"It sure feels like it is when you won't talk to me."

"We're talking now," she countered.

"Only because it's about Dr. Walden and because Lex said we both had to come. If he hadn't specified, you'd be going alone to him."

She definitely felt something crunch that time. "I would not. I keep you in the loop about the Kawatchee stuff."

"I just...is it me?"

Chloe sighed as she pulled into the parking lot and unhooked her seat belt. "It could never be you. You know you're the best. I mean, other Czechoslovakians are jealous."

"Others?"

"I'm sure ALF never had a significant other as attentive."

"I'm serious."

"I know you are," she finished, hopping out of the car and watching Clark unfold himself. "I know that. I'm trying to be serious too. I'm just unsettled. It's been a bad twenty four hours. I'm just jumbled."

He frowned and reached out to grab her shoulders. "Don't lie. Something happened. I just can't figure out what."

She forced herself to smile and kissed him. "It's fine. Now, can we please just talk to Lex."

Clark's frown deepened, lines etching into his forehead. "We'll come back to it."

She nodded. "Of course, now if you'll just...hey Lex!"

Why was she squeaking.

Lex, who was a skilled liar (and thank God for both of them he was), gave them both a look over as he rushed out of the hospital. "I was coming to let you into the psych ward here."

"Psych?" Clark asked.

"That's where he's been since his coma started."

"He's still there? Is he awake?" Chloe wondered if Walden then had everything she had. If he could read Kryptonian now, knew elementary facts about her home world. She really hoped that he hadn't gotten the transfer, that he didn't know anything about her planet. Chloe had never like Walden. He was cold and cruel and if he suspected anything...

"Chloe? Are you alright?" Voice like velvet, and Chloe had nothing but problems from the man staring down at her now to Clark to Walden. Why weren't things easier?

"I'm fine. So where is he awake?" She asked, following with them, making a show of trying to keep pace with Lex's "quick" steps.

"That's the operative question."

Chloe paused at that and Clark bowled into her. She shrugged apologetically back at him when she noticed him rubbing his elbow. She did have a tendency to feel like brick if you crashed into her. "Wait," she said. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Lex said, still managing not to peer at her, "that Walden woke up, blasted through his cell, and no one has seen him since."

"What do you mean 'blasted?'" Clark asked.

"I mean that he held up his hand and did this," Lex replied, pointed at the mess of shattered glass before them.

Confused, Chloe walked into the cell and stared back at the shattered glass. Based on the angle the shards lay, she knew Lex was right. Something from inside the cell had shattered the glass outwards. Slipping into X-ray vision, Chloe stared more closely at them and noticed they were scorched, some of the glass had even melted. Heat like that was something she could have produced.

Well, maybe some day. She was still new to heat vision.

Clark was next to her and she liked his proximity. He made her feel safe, protected. Yet she'd still done what she had with Lex. God, what was wrong with her. However, Clark, for all his proximity, wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring straight up.

"Oh whoa."

Chloe arched her neck and gasped at the sight above her. Something had managed to burn Kryptonian script onto the ceiling.

The day is coming

Over and over again.

"Curious, isn't it?" Lex prodded.

"Walden had matches in the psych ward?" Clark asked.

"No, it's like I said. He's developed the ability to emit white hot energy from his hands. He burned it, himself, into the ceiling."

"That's a new one," Chloe replied. And technically it was. She only burned things with her eyes.

"I called you here because I was curious if you could read it, Chloe?"

Clark, sweet as he was, was still not an adept liar. Anxious, he gast Chloe a look before adding, "Why would she be able to do that?"

"She consults with Joseph. She's been spending months with me on the pictures from my expedition. I just wanted to know if she could offer any additional insight."

Chloe sighed. This, for all the other aspects she liked about Lex, was that line that divided them. "I can't. All I can tell you is that there's no one in my Wall of Weird database that even comes close to what Walden can do now. I guess the caves gave him that ability but believe me when I say that I have no idea how the Hell that's even possible."

"Meteor rock repositories in the caves?"

"You don't buy that," she finished, looking back at him and that was a mistake. God, her cheeks were heating up and she felt so embarrassed. How could Clark not see right through her with something so transparent?

"Of course not," Lex replied. "You know what I think about the caves."

Clark glanced back at him. "So the caves gave Dr. Walden the extraterrestrial ability to burn script with his hands? What's the point?"

"That's what I can't figure out. He kept mumbling something over and over again before he staged is escape. 'The day is coming.' Do you two have any idea what he could have meant?"

"It's all crazy talk to me," Clark replied. "I don't know what it means. Chlo?"

"Nothing but it does mean we have a seriously suped up scientist out there who's dangerous and pretty off the reservation. We need to find him."

"I have my team on it."

She nodded. "I can cover some places. The high school, see if he wanted any of the wall of weird records. He might be looking for something. The mansion's a good bet too because of all your files on the Kawatchee language research."

"And the caves, of course." Lex added.

She nodded. "Yeah, Clark, can you get the caves? I'm heading to The Torch. Lex, I'd have the security and staff on high alert. You might want to go to your office and start clearing it out. Take any files you don't want away from Walden would think to look for it."

"Chlo-"

"Clark," she finished, tossing him her keys. "You can get a head start. I'm gonna make sure The Torch is locked down."

Clark narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't really buying it. They both knew that the caves were the top place Walden was going to be looking. "I think we both should hit the caves."

"You go and I'll come along. Please."

He let out a deep breath and gripped her key more tightly. "Sure thing." With that, he was walking back through the hole left by Walden and down the hall.

She could almost her the "You owe me" on the end of his words.

"Clark's taking your car. Does that mean you'll need a ride with me?"

She pulled out her cell. "No, daddy can get me."

"It's no bother."

"It's a big bother."

"Is this about yesterday?"

"Of course it is. Look, I know that we were just overstressed and it happens sometimes with two people and I was in formal wear and it's not that big a deal."

"We covered that."

"Oh, we did, but I just wanted you to know where I stood."

He nodded. "I do. Chloe, I never meant to put you in an awkward position with Clark."

She swallowed and realized that he was really standing closer than he should have. "I'm the one who kissed an engaged man three days before his wedding. Who does that? I'm a terrible person."

"I'd never think that. Like you said, it was one of those things that just happens. It's not going to happen again, of course. You and Clark are wonderful together and I love Helen."

"Why?"

"Excuse me."

"Lex, I know this is the absolute worst time to bring this up, but why Helen?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you jealous."

"No, I'm not. It's not about what happened yesterday. I mean, well it is, but it's not about what happened with us. She said a few things to me. I just...are you sure she's marrying Lex and not just marrying a Luthor."

Lex stiffened. "Helen loves me."

"She used you as leverage for something."

"For what?"

"That's between me and her."

"So you'll only confess enough to make her look worse."

"It's personal, feminine things," she said, relishing in that magic word that often made men step back. Lex wasn't fooled by the ploy.

"What was it about? If it wasn't directly about me, the only other thing you two have in common is that she's your doctor."

"I am not playing that game with you, not today, not with Walden loose and me and Clark on the rocks. I'm trying to help you. She told me that you'd fall in line with her because that's the way the game is played, that she knows how high society marriages work. She wants it to be like a business, Lex."

"It's not so unusual," he replied hollowly.

Chloe put on hand on his chest. "It's not how you want to be married. You want what Mr. and Mrs. Kent have and we both know it. Helen's not a very nice person, and I don't think she's marrying you for the right reasons."

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"Why would I lie?"

He placed his hand over hers and squeezed. When he spoke, his voice was husky. "I think we both know why."

She pulled back, maybe a bit more strongly than she should have. "Believe me or don't but I don't want to see you hurt and I'd be a bad friend if I didn't warn you. You can do what you want, but just think about it. I mean, you've known her six months. Why are you rushing it?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I asked you here for Walden, not for Dear Abby."

"Lex I just was trying to-"

"Then don't," he finished, as he walked away.