Chapter Twenty Four

Chloe took another nervous sip of her coffee as she and Jimmy sat opposite each other inside the café. Jimmy had insisted on paying for the second order of food she was going to take to Lois, and had also ordered two coffees for them to drink while they waited. It was nice, she thought, that he still remembered what her favourite coffee was.

"So…how have you been?" Jimmy asked. "I mean really."

"Its been…hard. I've missed you." She replied, keeping her eyes glued to her mug as she spoke. She didn't want to think of what his answer would be to that. He had filed for divorce. He'd told her he never wanted to see her again. She could never in a million years forget the hurt in his eyes as he found out what she had done. And yet, he was here, drinking coffee with her and asking her how she'd been.

"I missed you too Chlo. I didn't realise just how much I would. Look…" He paused and shifted in his seat. She looked up at him, he was tense, and she thought, or maybe hoped, that he was just as nervous as she was right then.

"I know I was a little hard on you…"

"I understand Jimmy. I deserved it all. It was my fault."

"You didn't deserve to find out about the divorce like that. I'm sorry." Chloe didn't trust her voice to speak at that moment, she was so happy to be hearing these words, so she simply nodded.

"But…well I miss you Chlo. I wanted to be able to forget all about you. I wanted to put you out of my life for good but I find myself thinking about you all the time. You hurt me so much. I actually think I hated you for a while back there." He confessed. Chloe held her breath, hearing this was harder than she'd thought it would be.

"But even though all that happened, I just…I…" He was cut off by the sound of Chloe's phone ringing. She frowned down at the screen, hesitating. "Is that Clark?" He asked, a strange tone in his voice. Knowing how Jimmy sometimes got insecure about Clark being so close to her, she silenced her phone and let it go to voicemail. She needed this time with Jimmy and she knew that Clark would understand that.

"No, it was…Lois." She lied. He looked at her with suspicious eyes for a few moments but then nodded. Whether he knew she was lying or not, Chloe couldn't tell.

"Jimmy…I'm so sorry for everything. I wish that I could take it all back. But it happened and I'm not proud of myself. But I would like it if we could stay friends at least." She asked hopefully. Her spirits fell when he started laughing.

"Friends? Chloe, do you honestly think I could be friends with you?" He asked, still chuckling. She didn't know which hurt worse, the fact that he was laughing at her, or the fact that he didn't even want to be friends with her. If that was the case, then what was he doing here now?

"I had hoped…" He stopped her by placing his hand over hers on the table.

"Chloe, of course we'll always be friends but I can't be just friends with you. I love you too much for that." He laughed a little at the shock on her face. "Look, I know the past few months can't just be erased. But I just…I don't think I'm strong enough to stay away from you anymore. I need you Chloe."

"What are you saying?" She asked, her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it.

"I'm saying…that I want us to try again. To start slow and see where it takes us. How about you?"

"I would love that Jimmy." She replied, breathlessly. In her pocket, her phone started vibrating again. She ignored it, and the guilty feeling along with it. She was too happy right now to interrupt this or screw it up.

"I instructed my lawyer to stop the divorce proceedings. I don't know if I can easily forget what you did Chloe, but I can forgive. And starting now, that's what I intend to do." His light-hearted smile made Chloe's knees buckle and she was grateful that she was already sitting down.

"Are you sure this is what you really want Jimmy? You were so angry, so hurt. I never meant to cause you that much pain I swear."

"I know." He said, his smile fading and she feared she'd said too much. "But I really don't wanna talk about that anymore Chloe."

"Okay." She replied. She stared down at their hands for a moment, reacquainting herself with his touch, she had missed that. She never fully realised how much she loved him until it had been gone. She would do anything to get that back. The waiter came over at that moment and plopped a bag down on the table in front of her with a smile.

"You're order Miss Sullivan." He said politely.

"Thank you. I guess I really should get this to Lois. She'll be starving." Chloe said to Jimmy once the waiter had left.

"Okay, do you mind if come with you? I kinda miss Lois." He said.

"You miss Lois?" Chloe asked, a little surprised. Jimmy was always a little shy in Lois' company. Well he said shy, but Chloe knew he was sometimes a little scared of her cousin.

He shrugged. "What can I say? She grows on you." They stepped outside and as Jimmy was unlocking his car, Chloe checked her voicemail quickly. Her eyes grew wide as she listened to Clark's terrified voice.

"Chloe?" Jimmy asked, walking around to her. "What is it?"

"I don't know but Clark sounds really panicked, I have to call him." She said, looking at him apologetically. He nodded and she dialled.

"Chloe where are you?" Clark's voice boomed through the phone.

"Clark calm down, I'm just on my way to see Lois at the hospital…"

"She's not there Chloe. Tess has her. She's hidden her somewhere and she's…she has a bomb on her Chloe." Chloe could feel the blood drain from her face as Clark's words hit home.

"Oh God!"

"There's more. She's planted one in the city too. I have to choose." He said with disgust. "I have to choose between saving Lois and saving Metropolis. Both bombs are wired to go off at the same time. In exactly twelve minutes. Chloe if I can't find her…" He stopped, she could hear the anger and fear in his voice.

"What do you need me to do?" She asked, her hand reached out for Jimmy's and he took it, offering her some comfort.

"Go to Isis, as quick as you can, see if you can scan the city schematics and see where she could be hiding this bomb. Somewhere it could do a lot of damage." Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, she couldn't take hearing the trembling in his voice.

"I'm on it. Wait a second, what about Kara, can't she help?"

"I can't get hold of her. She's vanished." Clark said flatly.

"Okay, what about Lois?" Chloe asked.

"I'm on it Chloe. I won't let anything happen to her."

But she noticed that he didn't say 'I promise' and that was not a good sign. She suddenly realised that he really was going to have to make a choice and her blood ran cold at the thought. No matter which one he chose, the other would automatically suffer because of it.

Her heart clenched painfully as she thought of how he must be feeling right now. But the worst feeling she had, robbed her of the power to speak. She loved Clark and she knew him, she knew that he would do the right thing no matter what the cost. And in this case, for that to happen, her cousin would have to die.

"Wow!" Lana exclaimed excitedly as she and Kara landed on top of one the pyramids in Egypt. "It's so…breathtaking."

"It is isn't it?" Kara responded. She watched Lana as she took a very careful step towards the edge. Her wide eyes were drinking in everything with fascination but she still looked as if she were worried about something.

"Lana?" Kara said. Lana turned around to face her with a smile. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course. Well aside from the obvious. Thank you for doing this Kara."

"Any time Lana." Kara stood back and watched her carefully. "Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"Being called Lana. Now that you know the truth about who you are."

"Or who I'm not." Lana replied glumly. "But no, honestly, I still think of myself as Lana Lang. But I know that can't continue for much longer. I can't keep using someone else's identity." She replied, looking out over the vast landscape, the sun warming her face. She sighed, contented.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I uh…well Tess said she could help me find a new life." Lana said, turning so that Kara could no longer see her face.

Kara frowned and said. "I don't think that's wise Lana. You can't trust someone like her."

"Do you know her?"

"No, I've only met her once but from what Clark tells me, she isn't the kind of person you should be around. I'm sure that someone else can help you. Maybe Oliver could arrange something." That brought Lana's head up. She looked over at Kara with curious eyes.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah, Oliver Queen. He's more than able to help you. And a lot more trustworthy than Tess Mercer. This kind of favour does not come without a price with someone like her. With Oliver, what you see is what you get and I know he would never ask for anything in return for this."

"Do you trust him?" Lana asked. Kara smiled brightly, something she had started doing a lot whenever his name was mentioned.

"Yes. Completely. He can help you Lana." She paused, taking in Lana's worried expression. "What is it that has you so worried?"

"I…" Lana paused, biting her lower lip. "I'm so sorry Kara." She whispered.

"Sorry? What for?" It took Lana a long time to answer and Kara could see that she was thinking very deeply about something that was troubling her. As if she were having an internal debate with herself.

"You're going to hate me. And you've all been so kind to me…"

"What are you saying?" Kara asked, taking a step towards her.

"I never meant to hurt anyone Kara. Least of all Clark."

"Lana you're not making any sense!" Kara exclaimed, worried now.

Lana carried on as if she hadn't heard her. "But she was so nice and the offer was so tempting. She said that I wouldn't have to do much. Just get you out of the way for a while." Kara reached out and grabbed her shoulders gently turning Lana to face her.

"Lana, tell me what's going on. Please!"

"Tess is up to something bad Kara. She didn't tell me what, just that I had to keep you occupied long enough for her to…" She trailed off, a pained expression appearing on her face.

"Lana? What is she up to?" Kara shouted but Lana didn't hear her. She clutched her chest, her face became deathly pale.

"Lana, what's wrong?" Kara asked, panicked.

"Kara, you have to get back to Metropolis. She's taken Lois…" Lana whispered, her breath coming in short ragged gasps.

"Are you okay?" She asked, grabbing her by the shoulders to steady her.

"I will be, just get us back there. Now!"

Without another word, Kara scooped Lana up in her arms and flew off faster than she had ever flown before. She had made round the world trips in less than fifteen minutes before, but something inside was screaming at her to get back to Metropolis as fast as she could. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that this kind of speed couldn't be good for Lana, but she had no time to think about that now. She had an overwhelming feeling that Clark needed her.

She gazed down at Lana and saw that she was even paler than before and she could see a sheen of moisture on the young woman's face. She couldn't find it within herself to be angry with her at that moment, she looked so fragile and lost. But Kara also cursed herself for not seeing that this was all part of a plan. She should've sensed that something was wrong when Lana had asked to be taken somewhere.

But Kara had just been eager to help, to make Lana feel a little more comfortable after the news she had received. How could she have been so stupid? She ducked her head lower and willed her body to move faster. She moved through the night air, faster than any airplane, the very air seemed frozen all around her, she just hoped that she wouldn't be too late.

Clark stood at the top of the Daily Planet, his eyes scanning the city beneath him. His heart was still pounding fiercely in his ears and his gut was constantly clenched in fear. He knew that there was no way he would be able to get to both bombs in time. Even if he could find the first one and disarm it, he would still have no idea where Lois was. The clock was still ticking. Nine minutes.

Nine minutes until he would lose something very important to him. He loved Lois with every fibre of his being, but he couldn't stand by and watch hundreds of innocent lives be destroyed either. He had never before felt such hatred towards anyone as he did with Tess right now. Not even Lex. Not even the memory of standing up on this very rooftop with Lana, preparing to disarm the Kryptonite bomb, could compare to what he was feeling now.

It scared him a little, to be feeling hate like this, on such a degree. But he was also scared that he was about to lose the most important thing in his life. A few short weeks had passed since he and Lois had declared their love for one another and he honestly didn't know if he would have the will to go on if anything happened to her.

He glanced down at his hands, they were making finger shaped indents into the brickwork. This was useless. He felt useless. He couldn't just stand up here waiting for something to happen. He needed to be doing something. Searching. But where? He closed his eyes and willed his nerves to calm themselves. He focused his hearing, tuning out every little sound he heard until eventually he could hear nothing but the wind. The sound of his phone going off nearly deafened him. He grabbed it quickly and flipped it open.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah its me. Clark listen, I found some schematics of all the places that could pose a massive threat. There are a lot of places in a city this size. The main ones are the Daily Planet…"

"I'm already there, its not here."

"I don't have a lot to go on Clark, I didn't have much time to pull this up…" She said, exasperated.

"I know Chloe." He said softly, trying to remember that this must be as hard for her as it was for him. Well almost. She wasn't the one who was going to have to decide who to save. He wondered if she would ever look at him the same way again. If he had to choose to let her cousin…He couldn't finish that thought. He would not let Lois die. He couldn't. He had to find a way to save them all.

"Clark, for this to have the right affect, Tess would need to pick a place that is well crowded. There aren't that many places that are open past six. I think you should do a sweep of the subway tunnels"

"Right, of course." He replied numbly. "Keep looking Chloe, I'll talk to you soon."

"Clark…" The panic in her voice stopped him from hanging up. "Lois is…" She stopped, her voice breaking with emotion. Clark closed his eyes, trying to keep the panic from welling up inside of him.

"I know Chlo….I know." He hung up and jumped from the roof of the Daily Planet, landing in the alley next to it. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he took off down the nearest subway entrance, the sound of an imaginary clock ticking loudly in his ears.

Kara flew as fast as she could and was amazed when she could see the familiar fields of Smallville come into view. She had made astounding progress, had beaten any record she'd previously had and had arrived back in the US within a few minutes. She glanced down at Lana and gasped as she realised that she was unconscious. She immediately stopped, landed in a nearby field and set her down.

"Lana? Lana can you hear me?" Lana was out for the count and her face had grown a deathly pale grey colour now. Lana let out a small groan and came to, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Hey you…" Kara said softly, bending down over her. "What is it Lana? What's happening to you?"

"I don't know. But it hurts. Where are we?"

"We're in Smallville. I'm taking you to the hospital."

"So fast?" Lana asked, drifting in and out of consciousness. Kara was worried, this did not look good. She gently picked her up again and said. "Don't worry Lana, it's going to be okay."

"You have to find Clark. He needs you Kara. You have to help him."

"I will, just as soon as I get you settled at the hospital."

"No, you have to go now Kara! Something is happening. I know it."

"Do you know where Lois was taken?" Kara asked, hoping that she would be able to give her a starting point.

"No, somewhere outside the city. That's all I overheard." And with that, she lapsed back into unconsciousness. Kara held her a little closer and headed off towards the hospital, not wanting to fly and put extra strain on Lana's already frail body. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she saw the hospital's lights come into view.

Clark ran through tunnel after tunnel after tunnel and found nothing. He was losing precious time and he felt like he was on a wild goose chase. He headed to the centre of the subway system and stopped. Eyes closed, ears listening intently, he could hear nothing but the sounds of people milling about.

He'd been careful as he sped through the tunnels, not to be seen or heard by anyone, but listening now, he could hear a few voices saying they that they'd felt a gust of wind, seen an odd red blur, it had to be the mysterious Red-Blue-Blur. But what was he doing down here? Was something happening?

Clark wished he could just tell them all to get out. To get as far away from here as possible. He could feel it in his gut. The bomb was here. But where exactly. He shook his head, drowning out the voices of the crowd, and there it was. A very faint beeping sound.

Not wanting to attract too much attention, Clark walked at a normal pace to the edge of one of the platforms. The beeping grew louder, he was close. He checked his watch, two minutes left. Panic surged up inside him, and for a moment he couldn't breathe. He was running out of time. He ran along the edge of the platform, looking underneath the edges with his x-ray vision. There was nothing there.

He stopped again, running both hands through his hair in frustration. It was getting quieter now. He was heading the wrong way. He doubled back and ran to the other end, where a train was sitting idly, the driver obviously on a break between journeys. It was empty.

As he walked towards the back of the train, the beeping grew louder. He turned so that he was facing the back of the train directly and looked hard. And there it was, underneath one of the chassis. Clark had no knowledge of explosives, but he knew that he was looking at something that could do a lot of damage if he didn't disarm it soon.

He looked up at approaching footsteps. The driver was making his way back, he had to do something. He climbed underneath and lay on his back. The angry red numbers now reading one minute. He looked at every angle, every wire. He could use his heat vision, but how did he know that wouldn't trigger it off too. As more voices and footsteps appeared, Clark saw only one option.

He ripped the bomb off, and squeezed it hard between his hands, crushing it until it was a pile of metal no larger than a tennis ball. The numbers stopped, and Clark let out a rush of breath. He tucked it inside his jacket pocket just in cast he was wrong and it could still go off, and sped off out of the tunnel.

Once outside, satisfied that the citizens of Metropolis were now safe, he paused, listening again. He could hear her, she was awake now and crying and he felt something ice cold grab his heart. He sped off in the direction of her voice, she sounded so scared, she was calling his name. Calling out for him.

Before he realised it, he was out of the city limits and heading towards Smallville. He grimaced, he'd been there, right where she was and he'd passed by her. He ran faster than his legs wanted to allow, but he couldn't stop.

He heard her scream, the loud bang that followed it and then there was silence. And his heart stopped. Lois!