God, what a week.
Chloe dropped her bag on the floor as soon as she entered her apartment. Then she did something that she almost never did.
She locked the door.
Stripping off her coat, she dropped it on the bar chair in the kitchen and started fishing around in the cabinets. She needed alcohol big time. She found a bottle of brandy. Not really her favorite, she mainly used it for spiking ice cream, but it was something she could drink straight. She grabbed a glass and poured a large measure of the booze. Then she took the bottle with her and flopped down on the couch. She took a large drink and only coughed a little.
She needed to wrap her mind around everything, but she also needed the numbing effect of the booze. So she sipped and let her mind drift until she started feeling fuzzy.
She had kept things from Clark that ended up hurting others, but she wasn't sure that was wrong. She had kept her promise to Lana and concealed her earlier visit, and it looked like that ended up being good. Lana had taken on the Prometheus suit and gained superpowers. Lana and Clark could finally be together on an even field.
Then Lana had absorbed the kryptonite bomb, rendering her poisonous to Clark. They had both been heartbroken. Lana spent last night here crying on Chloe's couch. Something made Chloe think that Lana would never return back to Smallville after this. It would be too painful for her. Besides, with her new powers, she could do greater good out in the world.
But that didn't stop Chloe from knowing she would miss her friend. Of course they could talk, but it wouldn't be the same. People drifted with distance.
Sometimes they drifted even without distance.
She knew that Clark was incredibly angry with her for trying to hide the investigation into the Toyman that she had been doing for Oliver. She had come clean, but the toll it had wrecked on him thanks to that bomb was enormous. He had saved thousands, but at terrible personal cost. Chloe wondered if he would blame her for setting him on that trail.
But she was still keeping secrets from him for his own good. And her own. And even Oliver's.
Oliver had been the one to kill Lex, but she had agreed to let Clark think it was Toyman. Her conscience told her it was wrong to let Toyman take the fall, but the world was better off with Green Arrow free. Toyman was a killer...just not of Lex. She knew she should feel bad that a man had died, but she really just felt relieved. The Lex she had known and partnered with had been gone for years. The Lex that Oliver killed was a threat, and now he was gone.
Kind of like Sebastian Kane.
Chloe took another big drink.
Her memories of the time Brainiac inhabited her were now restored, but could be confusing and fuzzy. She hadn't remembered what happened to Sebastian until Oliver had dragged that memory into the light. Or to be more accurate, blackmailed her with it. Examining the memory, she wasn't really sure what happened. She saw herself using her Brainiac-infected mind to overload Sebastian's brain. Was it her, or Brainiac that did it, though? Her natural reaction was always to protect Clark, but would she kill for him? She honestly didn't know. She could be happy that a threat was dead. Was that the same? Had Brainiac read her desire and stepped in and done what she couldn't? Why would he? But then, she didn't know why he had done half the things he did.
So was she a killer? An accomplice?
Would she ever know for sure either way?
She took another big drink, draining the glass. She refilled it.
Should she get something to eat? She thought about the selection of microwave meals in the freezer. Then she peered at the amber liquid in the glass. Nothing she had would go well with the liquor. She decided to skip dinner.
Instead, she picked up the remote control and flipped on the TV.
Chloe was feeling no pain.
She had come to the conclusion that even knowing what she knew now, she had made the best choices she could at the time. Secrets might drive Clark crazy, but other people had a right to them just as much as he did. She would keep Oliver's secret. And she would keep her own.
But now she was drunk and bored and lonely. She looked at the clock. It was almost 3am.
Crap! She had meant to call Davis. She had come to that conclusion before being pulled into the Toyman crisis. Then that had taken over, and then she had been comforting Lana last night. She had wanted to call him tonight, but then Oliver's confession and blackmail had distracted her again.
Now it was way to late to call.
Or was it? He was an EMT. So he was always working weird hours. Could he be awake?
No, she told herself. Chloe Sullivan does NOT drunk dial.
So why was the phone ringing in her ear?
Chloe awoke with a nauseous stomach and a pounding head. She was also curled up in her bathtub. The noise that had awoken her went off again.
What the hell...?
Oh. It was her cell phone. She tried to get up but almost fell over. Her clothes were all tangled. Her shirt was half over her head, but seemed to have gotten caught on her bra which was twisted around her arm. Her skirt was backwards and her panties were around her knees.
Had she tried to get undressed and then passed out in the tub? Falling back, her hand gripped the tub edge. The metal of the old clawfoot tub was delightfully cool. She groaned and leaned her head against the cool hard edge.
The noise went off again.
Oh. That.
Her cell was ringing.
She draped her arm over the tub side and felt around until she found the phone.
She pushed the button to answer, and tried to speak, but her mouth was full of cotton. At least it felt that way. Her moved her jaw to try to get some moisture around her mouth until she could speak.
"Hello?"
"CHLOE! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Lois screamed in her ear.
Chloe clutched at her pounding head.
"Lois?" she said very, very quietly.
"SERIOUSLY CHLOE! YOU CALLED ME LIKE THREE TIMES AT FOUR AM!"
Chloe winced again. "Lois, please speak softer. My head is pounding."
"Oh, sorry. I've certainly been there." Then Lois started laughing. "Wait. So does this mean you drunk-dialed me?"
"Wait, what? I called you last night?"
"Yeah, like I said. Three times."
Chloe felt distinctly foolish. "Um, sorry, Lo."
"It's fine. I've been there too. Though I would suggest you check your call log. You may need to fall on your sword a bit."
Chloe grimaced, then winced. The expression hurt.
"So why did you get so blinding drunk? That isn't like you." Lois asked.
"Rough week."
"Need to talk about it?"
"Not right now."
"OK. I just wanted to check on you. The voicemails you left were really weird and rambling."
"Yeah, sorry, Lo."
"Like I said, no problem. Get some water and aspirin. Call me later if you want. Love you!"
"Love you, too."
Chloe did as Lois suggested. She couldn't think of food yet, but the water was very welcome. Finally she steeled herself and checked her outgoing calls.
Clark twice. Lana once. Lois three times. Even Oliver once.
No Jimmy though, which was surprising.
Davis Bloome, four times.
Oh no. What must he be thinking? She hasn't spoken to him for weeks and then calls him four times in the middle of the night? He would probably think she was crazy.
He probably won't ever want to speak to her again.
She checked how long each call lasted. Only a minute or two. How much damage could she do in two minutes?
Voicemails, Lois had said. Oh dear God. She had left him drunken middle-of-the-night voicemails.
Please don't let him check them...
