Chapter Nine

He could barely see Ashley from the road but the subtle movement in the darkness of the field advertised her presence. He slowed down to a regular running speed and jogged towards her, hoping that it wasn't too late to stop her from whatever plan she was acting out. Ashley stood beneath an old rusted awning and glared at Clark as he approached, tears and rain mingled freely on her face as she struggled to retain her composure. Lana's unconscious body was crumpled at her feet, her clothes soaked through and hugging her like a second skin. Clark felt his heart scream at the sight of her, Lana was usually the one to fight back but now, she was helpless. The wind began to pick up again, swaying the awning and blowing through Clark's clothes; through Ashley's hair.

"What have you done to her, Ashley?" shouted Clark into the wind, looking down at Lana's inert form, he tried to move closer but the wild look in Ashley's eyes warned him back.

"I can't do this anymore, Clark," she shouted back at him. "I thought you might fall in love with me but how could you when she was still here," Ashley kicked Lana's prone body softly as if to emphasise her point. "You're still in love with her; I was so stupid to think that you were over her,"

"Ashley, Lana is not the reason for this. I'm sorry that I hurt you but I was confused, I know that I want to be with you," he said, not really knowing if it was the full truth but knowing that it was what Ashley needed to hear. "Let her go and we can go home, just the two of us. We can talk it over properly, okay? It can be just like before," Ashley stared at him, the disbelief evident in her eyes as she laughed at him. It was never going to be "just like before", she had watched him kiss another girl, Ashley had to be strong and look to the future now. With Lana gone, Clark could give himself to her entirely, no more worries about that tiny piece of him that would always love her.

"You have to make the choice, Clark," she shouted. The rain was getting worse, Clark could barely see; the wind ripped the leaves from the trees with cruel fingers and soon, Clark felt the bitter slap of hailstones. "You have to decide who you want to be with now. Is it me or is it her?" He stepped forward and she flinched slightly. She could barely feel the cold anymore, her skin was soaked through and she had become numb. She was numb. She felt nothing, she was empty of anything. "Don't come any closer, she's fine,"

"Ashley…" started Clark but she ignored him, she looked down at Lana and then up at the sky. A deafening grumble of thunder sounded before a huge fork of lightning came down in-between them; she looked at Clark and smiled. A hint of menace in her eyes; she held her arms out and looked up again. Another lightning bolt ignited the awning behind her. "Stop it,"

"Are you impressed, Clark? I can do it on my own now, it's not about my emotions anymore, it's about my power," she shouted. "I want you to make a choice, Clark. You have to; it's me or her,"

Clark sighed, he couldn't make the choice. Lana was his best friend, he had a multitude of feelings for her and knew that he would always love her but Ashley was something else. His feelings for her had been so strong and sudden, it had surprised him and he knew that she was special. His whole body felt heavy with the sadness of what was happening to him; he knew that he would never be able to calm Ashley down now and he had to make a decision. He rushed forward before Ashley even had time to blink, by the time she looked up at him; he was stood before her with Lana in his arms. Her face fell, her maniacal eyes searching his for some meaning, some kind of answer, begging him to let this be a mistake. She let out a scream so filled with pain and anguish that Clark flinched, he wished he knew what he could do for her but it was obviously too late and she was too far gone. He placed Lana down on the ground softly and stood back up to face Ashley, he held his hand out to her.

"Ashley, I love you and I want you to come back with me," he said truthfully. Her face was stricken with grief and she could barely raise her eyes to look at him, she was devastated. The wind was beginning to circle above her, drawing in leaves and branches as it spun; the rain and hail had added snow to its fury and it was bearing down on Ashley. Lightning flashed, lighting up the sky with an eerie white glow. "Please stop it. You don't need to do this anymore, Ashley," She looked up at him sadly, she no longer looked wild and angry, she looked like the soaking wet, scared girl he had found in his barn three weeks before.

"I love you," she whispered, Clark rushed forward but was struck by the lightning Ashley had brought down. She grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly before she fell suddenly to the ground; the storm was dying away with her every laboured breath. Clark kneeled down beside her, still holding on to her hand, she was moaning softly in pain and Clark was immediately transported to the first time he had ever laid eyes on her. He couldn't believe it had come to this, he never thought that Ashley would go this far. She was certainly troubled but he never imagined that she could let go so vastly, that she could lose control like this. Or maybe he had always hoped that he could save her, like he saved everyone else.

"Ashley," he sighed, stroking a hand down her face. She blearily opened her eyes and looked up at him, she was still crying although he was certain half of those tears were from the pain alone. "I do love you, you know," Her voice croaked into a sob and Clark wondered if she would ever stop crying, he leaned down and brought her up into his arms. Her body was racked with angry, frightened tears as she held onto him, letting him kiss her burned skin. She should have died seven months ago, she truly believed that and now she wished she could die, just let it all be over.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her eyes widening as the pain shot through her nervous system. Clark lay her back down on the wet ground, still holding tight to her hand as she winced slightly, looking up at him. "Clark?" she whispered, her laboured breathing rattling loudly in her lungs as she closed her eyes. Clark looked down at her prone body wondering if she would ever wake up, his heart heavy and not knowing what he was supposed to do now. After everything he had been through in Smallville, he had never felt so hopeless. In the end, he wasn't fighting some crazed madman or a genetically mutated freak hell-bent on revenge, Ashley had been his girlfriend. And now she was lost to him; he never even had the chance to save her.

"Clark?" murmured Lana from behind him, he spun around and helped her to sit up. "What happened?" Clark looked behind him at Ashley's seemingly lifeless body, allowing a tear to run down his cheek before wiping it away. "Oh God,"

"We need to get you both to a hospital," he sniffed. "What did she do to you?" Lana shook her head, she hadn't even heard Clark speaking to her, she was still staring at Ashley.

"I'm so sorry, Clark. God, I'm so sorry," Lana's head fell as she began to cry, Clark put a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest and they sat in silence; neither having anything left to say.