A thousand apologies for not posting sooner, this part has been giving me
grief.
This part kinda slow...but I promise that things will pick up in the upcoming chapters.
I also apologize for any tense errors....tenses elude me…. ( (
Soo…hope you like it and, as always, comments and criticisms are welcome. :)
And thanks for all of the notes of encouragement guys!!!
Lanaraofearth
****************
Title: The Truth About Normal
Author: LanaraofEarth
Rating: PG-13 ish...
Disclaimer: We all know the show Smallville and it's characters aren't mine...although I wish Clark and Lex were....and, so please don't sue me....I'm just borrowing them for a little while...
Note: Words encased with * are inner thoughts of the character.
- Part Three -
Chloe and Clark were led at gunpoint to a storage area at the back of the Smallville Savings and Loans near the vault. Once there, they were thrown against the wall to their right and told to sit.
Clark glared darkly at the two men, before quickly taking in their surroundings. There were seven other people against the wall, two female employees, the manager, the security guard and two customers and a child; one was an older male, whom Clark recognized as Mr. Watts from the Smallville Market and the other was Mrs. Evans, his drama teacher and her six-year-old daughter, Kylie.
A voice suddenly called out to him and Clark turned in the direction of the sound and realized that it was Mrs. Evans.
"Clark, Chloe? Are you two alright?"
Clark opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Bruse "NO talkin'! Got it? Unless you want me to shoot you."
Clark made to retort angrily, but was stopped short by the gentle pressure of Chloe's hand on his forearm. She shook her head, NO, and Clark's jaw clenched as he relented.
Clark gave Chloe's hand a squeeze before he took another look at the group of hostages.
The security guard had a nasty bump on his head, which was bleeding and one of the tellers seemed to be trying to slow it down with a cloth.
Everyone else seemed all right, *physically*, Clark amended.
Bruse, the man who had attacked Chloe, took up a position on the opposite wall by the vault, watching the hostages, while the man named Raff struggled to open it.
Hale had disappeared back out front, probably to confer with Cade.
Clark felt his stomach turn over as he thought about the way the leader had looked at Chloe. The man was dangerous, unstable. There had been a malicious gleefulness in Cade's gaze when he had discovered Clark's weakness and it terrified Clark. Cade didn't seem to be like the others, it was almost as if he wanted to be here, but the rest of them were here out of necessity, needing the cash.
Chloe ran a slightly shaky hand through her hair as she too looked to the other hostages.
They all looked terrified, even Mr. Petrie looked scared, although, Chloe conceded, the man was spineless; and she figured that it probably wouldn't take much to make the man pee his pants.
Chloe winced and sucked in a breath suddenly as her fingers ran over the growing welt on the right side of her face where the steroid junkie named Bruse had struck her.
Clark heard her intake of breath and his scrutiny of the room was forgotten as he turned to Chloe.
"Chloe? Are you ok?" Clark asked, worry creasing his brow.
Chloe tried to smile reassuringly at her friend, touched by his obvious concern for her, but only hissed again as her tender flesh protested the movement.
"Peachy. I always watched the WWF and thought 'hey I want one of those cool welts on my face', so I'm ecstatic."
Chloe tried to hide her fear behind the biting sarcasm. It wasn't as if people hadn't tried to kill her before…but it was the way that Cade had looked at her. The sick gleam in his eye that felt like a physical touch; Chloe had felt violated just being in its path.
Clark frowned at his friends attempt at nonchalance and he lifted his left hand towards Chloe's face.
Chloe shrank back slightly, but then chided herself, *this is Clark* and he wasn't about to do anything to hurt her; *at least not physically* she corrected.
As his fingers made a soft contact, Chloe had to bite her lip to stop from moaning out load. Tingles of pleasure ran down her spin at the simple, but infinitely sweet touch. Chloe knew that this was definitely the wrong time to be indulging in her impossible fantasies, but she couldn't help herself, it just felt so good. *God*, Chloe thought to herself, *I could so easily become addicted to this*.
Clark gingerly slid his fingers along the now slightly swollen side of Chloe's face. He felt the heat radiating off of her skin as it healed itself and Clark wished that one of his powers was healing.
Rage filled his being as he looked upon the mark on Chloe's face; *how dare anyone touch her, hurt her*. Clark felt himself becoming more and more angry as he starred at it and he knew, that given a chance, he would make that son of a bitch pay.
As that thought registered in his mind, Clark wrenched his hand back in shock. *What am I thinking? Make him pay?* Clark had never felt such rage before…not even when his Dad had been framed by the crooked cop from Metropolis a few months ago.
It was like his entire being screamed out against the idea of anyone hurting…or touching his Chloe. Clark's frown deepened, *my Chloe? Since when is she mine? I'm in love with Lana, not Chloe…so why do I feel this way?*
Chloe watched Clark fall deeper into his thoughts; hurt by the way he had pulled back to abruptly. *Maybe he realized what he was doing, and who he was doing it to*Chloe thought bitterly. *Who are you kidding Sullivan, you're no match for the shinning innocence of Miss Lana Lang with her dark locks, shy smile and big brown doe eyes.*
Chloe was pulled from her self-recrimination as the one called Raff swore loudly before storming out of the room, no doubt going to find Cade.
Chloe felt a cold chill run down her spine at the thought of being near that man again. *Get a grip Sullivan*, she mentally chided herself, *you have to play it cool, don't let the animals see your fear… and try to find a way out of this mess. Intrepid reporter, right?*
Never one to just sit back and let someone else take the steering wheel of her life, Chloe surveyed her surroundings again. There were shelves with various banking items on it and what looked like a storage closet beside that.
Then, something caught her eye; beside the door to the closet there was a fire extinguisher. *Bingo*, Chloe internally yelled. She could use the spray to stun and confuse them, then knock them out with the can. *Thank you Hollywood Blockbuster movies*
Chloe told Cade that they next time they met that she would be the one with the gun, and she had every intention of keeping her word.
*Problem…there are nine hostages…would that distraction give everyone enough time to get out?* Chloe wondered. Any plan that they came up with would be risky. Chloe grit her teeth, wishing that the door to the back lot was on their side of the building.
Clark shook himself from his thoughts in time to see Chloe's intense scrutiny of a fire extinguisher to her right. Immediately, he knew what his friend was thinking. Chloe Sullivan was not the kind of girl who sat back and did nothing, especially when her life, or the life of her friend, was involved.
Clark reached out to Chloe and placed his hand on her shoulder.
Chloe jumped and whirled around, then swatted the hand on her shoulder as she hissed, "Jesus, Clark. Scare me to death why don't you…you only just knocked off another of my nine lives. Do you …"
Chloe's nervous rambling came to a stop as Clark gently placed a stilling finger on her lips.
Chloe's eyes widened at the contact and gulped audibly in the quiet of the room. She suddenly had the thought of sucking his digit into her mouth, then mentally smacked herself; *bad Chloe, bad girl…definitely NOT good thoughts…breathe…in, out…in, out…*
Clark withdrew his finger with a sheepish look and whispered, "Chloe, I know what you're thinking…"
Chloe's eyes widened impossibly farther as she whispered, "You do?"
Clark frowned slightly at the look on her face, but responded, "Yes…and it's too dangerous to attempt. I don't want anyone to get hurt, especially not you."
It was Chloe's turn to frown in confusion, but when she saw Clark indicate in the direction of the fire extinguisher, she almost sighed in relief.
"Oh… I thought…never mind…wait…Clark, we can't just sit here and do nothing."
Clark interrupted, "I agree, but we need to come up with a plan that involves more than just a fire extinguisher."
Chloe rolled her eyes heavenward, as if to say 'duh'. " I know that Clark. But, it's a start…I."
Chloe halted mid thought as Raff came back, followed closely by Cade and Hale.
Cade strode in their direction and winked at Chloe before descending on Mr. Petrie.
The leader dragged the frightened manager to his feet before slamming him against the wall behind him.
"You told me that the silent alarm was down Mr. Petrie…but my associate tells me that isn't so…is that right? Did you lie to me Mr. Petrie?" Cade spoke quietly, but fiercely as he pressed his arm into the manager's throat.
Mr. Petrie's eyes were practically bulging and he coughed as his air supply was cut off, "No…. I …I didn't think that it had been fixed yet…it shouldn't have been done until tomorrow…I swear…"
Cade shook his head, "I think that you're lying to my Mr. Petrie and I HATE being lied to."
With that a loud crack resounded through the room, followed quickly by a howl of pain from Mr. Petrie.
Cade angrily slammed the man against the wall and twisted the managers now broken wrist in his grasp, causing Petrie to cry out.
"You have now put everyone in this room in serious jeopardy Mr. Petrie, because the police are probably on their way, which means the chances of any of you getting out of here alive just shrank considerably."
This part kinda slow...but I promise that things will pick up in the upcoming chapters.
I also apologize for any tense errors....tenses elude me…. ( (
Soo…hope you like it and, as always, comments and criticisms are welcome. :)
And thanks for all of the notes of encouragement guys!!!
Lanaraofearth
****************
Title: The Truth About Normal
Author: LanaraofEarth
Rating: PG-13 ish...
Disclaimer: We all know the show Smallville and it's characters aren't mine...although I wish Clark and Lex were....and, so please don't sue me....I'm just borrowing them for a little while...
Note: Words encased with * are inner thoughts of the character.
- Part Three -
Chloe and Clark were led at gunpoint to a storage area at the back of the Smallville Savings and Loans near the vault. Once there, they were thrown against the wall to their right and told to sit.
Clark glared darkly at the two men, before quickly taking in their surroundings. There were seven other people against the wall, two female employees, the manager, the security guard and two customers and a child; one was an older male, whom Clark recognized as Mr. Watts from the Smallville Market and the other was Mrs. Evans, his drama teacher and her six-year-old daughter, Kylie.
A voice suddenly called out to him and Clark turned in the direction of the sound and realized that it was Mrs. Evans.
"Clark, Chloe? Are you two alright?"
Clark opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Bruse "NO talkin'! Got it? Unless you want me to shoot you."
Clark made to retort angrily, but was stopped short by the gentle pressure of Chloe's hand on his forearm. She shook her head, NO, and Clark's jaw clenched as he relented.
Clark gave Chloe's hand a squeeze before he took another look at the group of hostages.
The security guard had a nasty bump on his head, which was bleeding and one of the tellers seemed to be trying to slow it down with a cloth.
Everyone else seemed all right, *physically*, Clark amended.
Bruse, the man who had attacked Chloe, took up a position on the opposite wall by the vault, watching the hostages, while the man named Raff struggled to open it.
Hale had disappeared back out front, probably to confer with Cade.
Clark felt his stomach turn over as he thought about the way the leader had looked at Chloe. The man was dangerous, unstable. There had been a malicious gleefulness in Cade's gaze when he had discovered Clark's weakness and it terrified Clark. Cade didn't seem to be like the others, it was almost as if he wanted to be here, but the rest of them were here out of necessity, needing the cash.
Chloe ran a slightly shaky hand through her hair as she too looked to the other hostages.
They all looked terrified, even Mr. Petrie looked scared, although, Chloe conceded, the man was spineless; and she figured that it probably wouldn't take much to make the man pee his pants.
Chloe winced and sucked in a breath suddenly as her fingers ran over the growing welt on the right side of her face where the steroid junkie named Bruse had struck her.
Clark heard her intake of breath and his scrutiny of the room was forgotten as he turned to Chloe.
"Chloe? Are you ok?" Clark asked, worry creasing his brow.
Chloe tried to smile reassuringly at her friend, touched by his obvious concern for her, but only hissed again as her tender flesh protested the movement.
"Peachy. I always watched the WWF and thought 'hey I want one of those cool welts on my face', so I'm ecstatic."
Chloe tried to hide her fear behind the biting sarcasm. It wasn't as if people hadn't tried to kill her before…but it was the way that Cade had looked at her. The sick gleam in his eye that felt like a physical touch; Chloe had felt violated just being in its path.
Clark frowned at his friends attempt at nonchalance and he lifted his left hand towards Chloe's face.
Chloe shrank back slightly, but then chided herself, *this is Clark* and he wasn't about to do anything to hurt her; *at least not physically* she corrected.
As his fingers made a soft contact, Chloe had to bite her lip to stop from moaning out load. Tingles of pleasure ran down her spin at the simple, but infinitely sweet touch. Chloe knew that this was definitely the wrong time to be indulging in her impossible fantasies, but she couldn't help herself, it just felt so good. *God*, Chloe thought to herself, *I could so easily become addicted to this*.
Clark gingerly slid his fingers along the now slightly swollen side of Chloe's face. He felt the heat radiating off of her skin as it healed itself and Clark wished that one of his powers was healing.
Rage filled his being as he looked upon the mark on Chloe's face; *how dare anyone touch her, hurt her*. Clark felt himself becoming more and more angry as he starred at it and he knew, that given a chance, he would make that son of a bitch pay.
As that thought registered in his mind, Clark wrenched his hand back in shock. *What am I thinking? Make him pay?* Clark had never felt such rage before…not even when his Dad had been framed by the crooked cop from Metropolis a few months ago.
It was like his entire being screamed out against the idea of anyone hurting…or touching his Chloe. Clark's frown deepened, *my Chloe? Since when is she mine? I'm in love with Lana, not Chloe…so why do I feel this way?*
Chloe watched Clark fall deeper into his thoughts; hurt by the way he had pulled back to abruptly. *Maybe he realized what he was doing, and who he was doing it to*Chloe thought bitterly. *Who are you kidding Sullivan, you're no match for the shinning innocence of Miss Lana Lang with her dark locks, shy smile and big brown doe eyes.*
Chloe was pulled from her self-recrimination as the one called Raff swore loudly before storming out of the room, no doubt going to find Cade.
Chloe felt a cold chill run down her spine at the thought of being near that man again. *Get a grip Sullivan*, she mentally chided herself, *you have to play it cool, don't let the animals see your fear… and try to find a way out of this mess. Intrepid reporter, right?*
Never one to just sit back and let someone else take the steering wheel of her life, Chloe surveyed her surroundings again. There were shelves with various banking items on it and what looked like a storage closet beside that.
Then, something caught her eye; beside the door to the closet there was a fire extinguisher. *Bingo*, Chloe internally yelled. She could use the spray to stun and confuse them, then knock them out with the can. *Thank you Hollywood Blockbuster movies*
Chloe told Cade that they next time they met that she would be the one with the gun, and she had every intention of keeping her word.
*Problem…there are nine hostages…would that distraction give everyone enough time to get out?* Chloe wondered. Any plan that they came up with would be risky. Chloe grit her teeth, wishing that the door to the back lot was on their side of the building.
Clark shook himself from his thoughts in time to see Chloe's intense scrutiny of a fire extinguisher to her right. Immediately, he knew what his friend was thinking. Chloe Sullivan was not the kind of girl who sat back and did nothing, especially when her life, or the life of her friend, was involved.
Clark reached out to Chloe and placed his hand on her shoulder.
Chloe jumped and whirled around, then swatted the hand on her shoulder as she hissed, "Jesus, Clark. Scare me to death why don't you…you only just knocked off another of my nine lives. Do you …"
Chloe's nervous rambling came to a stop as Clark gently placed a stilling finger on her lips.
Chloe's eyes widened at the contact and gulped audibly in the quiet of the room. She suddenly had the thought of sucking his digit into her mouth, then mentally smacked herself; *bad Chloe, bad girl…definitely NOT good thoughts…breathe…in, out…in, out…*
Clark withdrew his finger with a sheepish look and whispered, "Chloe, I know what you're thinking…"
Chloe's eyes widened impossibly farther as she whispered, "You do?"
Clark frowned slightly at the look on her face, but responded, "Yes…and it's too dangerous to attempt. I don't want anyone to get hurt, especially not you."
It was Chloe's turn to frown in confusion, but when she saw Clark indicate in the direction of the fire extinguisher, she almost sighed in relief.
"Oh… I thought…never mind…wait…Clark, we can't just sit here and do nothing."
Clark interrupted, "I agree, but we need to come up with a plan that involves more than just a fire extinguisher."
Chloe rolled her eyes heavenward, as if to say 'duh'. " I know that Clark. But, it's a start…I."
Chloe halted mid thought as Raff came back, followed closely by Cade and Hale.
Cade strode in their direction and winked at Chloe before descending on Mr. Petrie.
The leader dragged the frightened manager to his feet before slamming him against the wall behind him.
"You told me that the silent alarm was down Mr. Petrie…but my associate tells me that isn't so…is that right? Did you lie to me Mr. Petrie?" Cade spoke quietly, but fiercely as he pressed his arm into the manager's throat.
Mr. Petrie's eyes were practically bulging and he coughed as his air supply was cut off, "No…. I …I didn't think that it had been fixed yet…it shouldn't have been done until tomorrow…I swear…"
Cade shook his head, "I think that you're lying to my Mr. Petrie and I HATE being lied to."
With that a loud crack resounded through the room, followed quickly by a howl of pain from Mr. Petrie.
Cade angrily slammed the man against the wall and twisted the managers now broken wrist in his grasp, causing Petrie to cry out.
"You have now put everyone in this room in serious jeopardy Mr. Petrie, because the police are probably on their way, which means the chances of any of you getting out of here alive just shrank considerably."