Chloe and Emmeline were working in the Torch office together to get the next issue going when none other than Clark walked in.
Emmeline looked at him and saw in his eyes that he wasn't the same person she had seen in Metropolis. He was weighed down, yes, but he wasn't about to completely go nuts on them either.
"Kinda far from your new 'hood, aren't you, Clark?" Chloe asked coldly.
"I just came to say thank you."
"Oh, it's one of those days. Because I can never tell with you, whether you're gonna walk in and it's gonna be an apology or an accusation."
"Chloe, I gave you and Em absolutely no reason to stand by me. But you both knew where I was all summer and didn't tell anyone."
"Yeah, well, that's what friends do for each other, Clark."
"Not to mention you didn't really give us much of a choice," Emmeline added.
"Talk to Lana yet?"
Clark walked over and sat down in one of the chairs. "I tried."
"That's it? After two years of nonstop Lana lusting, that's the best you can do? Come on."
"I think it's for the best."
Chloe looked at him for a second and then realized what he meant. "You're not staying, are you?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet."
"You can't keep running away, Clark. We all do things we regret. Sometimes you have to stop and face your demons."
"If people in Smallville ran away every time they made a mistake, there would be no people left," Emmeline told him. "You have to realize that running away isn't just affecting you. It affects everyone who cares about you. And to be honest, it's a selfish decision because you're only thinking about yourself and how you feel. You're not giving thought about anyone else's feelings."
Clark looked up at his friend, slowly realizing just how right she was.
Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Talon to grab a coffee before heading back to the Torch.
"Hey!" Chloe said brightly to Lana.
Lana looked at the two girls with an extremely intense glare before walking towards the counter.
"You can't keep avoiding us, Lana."
"I'm not avoiding either of you. I had to work late last night and I had errands to run this morning."
"At 5:30 in the morning?"
Lana paused and then turned to face the both of them. "You want to cut the pretenses? Fine. You both lied to me about Clark."
"Something we all have in common then."
"I have apologized to the both of you a hundred times for not telling you about Clark and me."
"You're right and we're over it," Chloe said quickly as they all went to the counter. "So let us say 'I'm sorry' and we can all call it even."
"Chloe, this is so much bigger than me. How could you let everyone worry like that?"
"Because the more pressure we put on him, the more he pulled away. I mean, you saw him, Lana. He wasn't exactly the charming flannel king we all know and love. It was like he was a…"
"A different person."
"Yeah. Let's face it, Lana. Clark has more issues than 'Rolling Stone'." After a pregnant pause, she continued, "Look, we know what we did was wrong, and as much as I hate to admit it, it felt really good being the person he confided in again."
"Clark's always been more comfortable talking to you two."
"It's because he's not in love with us."
"Look, Lana," Emmeline said. "We wanted to tell you. We wanted to tell everyone. But we were scared that he would leave if we told anyone. The last thing either of us wanted was to not know where he was anymore."
"I love him, Em. I deserved to know where he was."
"Even if it meant losing him forever?"
Emmeline knocked on the door to the Kent farm.
"Hi, Emmeline!" Martha smiled. "Come in!"
Emmeline walked through the door and entered the house. "I, uh, I heard your family had quite a scare."
"What do you mean?"
"Lana told me about the crazy movers."
"Oh, that. Well, they've definitely been taken care of. We won't be having any trouble from them anymore. Or any movers."
"Wait, what?"
Martha smiled wider. "Lex bought our farm and put our names on the deed. For all intents and purposes, the farm is ours again."
"That's great news!"
"Well, we'll leave you two to talk."
Martha and Jonathon exited the kitchen, leaving Clark and Emmeline alone.
"So…" Clark said awkwardly. "I heard about you and Pete."
Emmeline smiled a little. "I guess everyone was right last year. I really did like him, and I guess he liked me too."
"I'm glad things are working out for you."
"Trouble on the Lana-front?"
"It's complicated."
"I can only imagine. I know how much you both like each other, but after what happened these past few months, things are different."
"Look, Em, I really am sorry about…everything that happened in Metropolis. I totally deserved that slap on the face."
"It was one of those 'this hurts me more than it hurts you' moments. Believe me."
"About what you said at the Torch, you were right. I was being selfish. I was just so hurt and felt so guilty that I was blinded to everything else. It was like drug, you know? I just wanted to feel better and not feel so bad about myself. But I didn't think about the repercussions. Or how much I hurt everyone even more."
"I know you felt that it was your fault that your mother lost her baby. And I am so, so sorry that happened. I can't even begin to understand how you felt at that moment. But running away from your problems only makes it worse. And no matter what, those problems will always be hanging over your head. You can't run away from that."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"When I was seven, I broke my grandmother's porcelain doll that had been passed down for several years. I felt so guilty about it that I hid at my neighbor's house for hours. My mom and dad had nearly the entire city looking me. Finally, my neighbor found me crying in her living room. She called my mom and let her know that I was safe. The whole time I was at my neighbor's house, I couldn't get my mind off what I had done. I may not have been in the same place where it happened, but it followed me. I was punished for breaking the doll, but my mom and dad were beyond grateful that I was okay."
"That's a bit different from my situation."
"Why? We both did something that made us feel guilty, ran away because of it, and let the problem follow us. Your situation may be a little more extreme, but the root of the problem is the same."
Clark looked at Emmeline, still wondering how that girl seemed to always know the exact thing to say to hit a nerve.
"I need to go," she said to him. "I'm meeting up with Pete. But I want to do something that I have wanted to do ever since I first saw you in Metropolis."
Emmeline went up to Clark and hugged him tightly. Clark was surprised at first, but then wrapped his arms around her for the first time in over three months.
