Chapter 22- Please Not Again
There was an unmistakable, strong current of tension between the four people in the Kent's living room. Even watching the movie brought no relief.
Clark had his arm around Lana's shoulders, but she refused to lean against him. Clark tried not to let it bother him as he watched the movie.
Lana could not relax beside Clark. Not with Chloe siting on the other side of him. The only person Lana didn't have a problem with was Lex, and he looked pretty ticked.
Lex had his arm dutifully around Chloe's shoulders. He wasn't paying any attention to the movie. His thoughts were on the two teenagers beside him. The two kept sneaking glances at one another.
Chloe tried to get comfortable sandwiched between Clark and Lex. She tried to get as far away from Clark as possible, which meant pressing against Lex. She ignored Lex's coldness toward her and laid her head on his shoulder.
**Clark is standing in a graveyard. The only sound is the beating of the pouring rain. There is a circle of grave markers around him. Each marker has a name carved into it. As the lightning flashes the names can be seen.
Flash! Jonathan Kent. Martha Kent. Flash! Chloe Sullivan. Flash! Pete Ross. Lana Lang. The only person without a grave is Lex Luthor.
Clark looks at each grave in turn. With each name he becomes more and more horrified. His eyes get larger and larger with his horror and fear. As he finishes reading the names he screams.
"Nooooooo!"
His scream echoes through the quiet graveyard, as row after row of grave markers are revealed. **
Chloe gasped and sat straight up. In the process she knocked Clark's drink out of his hand.
"Chlo?" Clark asked worried.
"Chloe, what is it?" Lex asked concerned.
"Another one?" Clark asked.
Chloe nodded. Clark knew she had been having nightmares about Lex. The only one she had described to him had been the first. After the second, she had decided to keep them to herself. But, with this particular dream revolving around him, she would make an exception.
"Are you okay?" Lana asked.
Chloe nodded, out of breath. "Clark? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course," Clark said taking her arm.
"In the loft?" Chloe asked.
"Whatever you need," Clark replied leading Chloe out of the house.
Lana and Lex fumed as Chloe and Clark left the room. When Lana looked at Lex she laughed out loud.
"What?" Lex asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, Lex. You just look like you're thinking the exact same thing I am," Lana said moving to sit next to him.
"Which would be?"
"That you would rather not have Clark and Chloe alone," Lana responded.
"Then, you would be right," Lex said coolly.
"Lex, you don't have to hide how you feel from me. I feel the same way. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Lana reasoned.
"I'm not ashamed, just upset, hurt, and a little angry," he replied.
"Let me guess. Upset because you think Chloe and Clark might have feelings for each other. Hurt because Chloe wanted to talk to Clark and not you, and angry for both reasons," Lana guessed.
"How did you know?"
"Like I said, I feel the same way."
"What do you propose to do?"
"I know what I'm going to do. Make the most of the time I have with Clark. Pray that he doesn't decide to pursue Chloe, and try to make him see how much I care about him," Lana answered.
"You're a smart person. That's all well and good for you, but what about me? What if Clark decides he does love you, but Chloe realizes she still loves him?" Lex asked.
"I think the two of them just need some time. They'll work it out, with each other and with themselves. All we can do is wait," Lana responded.
"I hate waiting," Lex said angrily.
"Chloe, what happened?" Clark asked.
"I had another dream. I know I haven't been sharing them with you, but I need to talk to you about this one," Chloe said sitting on the couch.
"Was it about Lex?"
"No, it was about you. That's why I wanted to talk about it."
Clark nodded for Chloe to go on.
"I saw you. You were standing in a graveyard. There was a circle of grave stones surrounding you. It was pouring rain and lightning. With the flashes of lightning I could see the names on the graves. There was your mom and dad, Pete, Lana, and-" Chloe said.
Clark cut her off, finishing her sentence. "You. Only there wasn't one for Lex. When I looked up there was row after row of graves."
"How did you know that?" Chloe asked.
"Cassandra," Clark replied.
"Huh?"
"When me, Pete, and Lana volunteered at Smallville retirement center she was an elderly woman who lived there. She claimed she could see your future by holding your hand. When she took my hand that's what she saw. I wasn't supposed to be able to see her vision, but somehow I could," Clark explained.
"Did Lex by any chance go to see her?" Chloe asked timidly.
"He was the last person to see her. Whatever she saw killed her," Clark said.
"Like rain that was blood," Chloe said in horror.
"What?"
"That's supposed to be your future? That's what's supposed to happen?" Chloe asked in fear.
"My parents say you make your on destiny," Clark said not understanding the terror in Chloe's features.
Chloe now understood why that particular dream had been different from the rest. She wasn't seeing a piece of Lex's past…she was seeing his future. So, Lex becomes some sort of evil man destroying everything in his past, and everyone close to Clark dies. Everyone except for Lex. What did that mean? Why would everyone but Lex be dead? Did it have to do with how Lex turned out, with what he became? Chloe didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted to go home. Chloe had to resist the urge to run from the barn. She walked as quickly as she could back into the house.
"Lex, will you take me home?" she asked.
Lex got up and walked to his car without a word. Only when they were on the car did he say anything. "What was that about?"
"Bad dream," Chloe replied vaguely.
"Care to share?"
"Not really," Chloe responded.
"But you'll talk to Clark," Lex said, hostility in his voice.
"Lex," Chloe warned.
"What? I shouldn't feel hurt because something's going on and you choose to share it with Clark and not with me?" Lex asked.
"It's not like that," Chloe said.
"Then what is it like? I'd really like to know," Lex said hotly.
"I can't explain it. Please don't make me try," Chloe asked as they pulled into her driveway.
"Fine," Lex said pushing the brakes a little too hard.
"Bye, Lex," Chloe said as she stepped from the car. When Lex didn't respond she shut the door and turned. Before she could take one step away from the car Lex sped off.
There was an unmistakable, strong current of tension between the four people in the Kent's living room. Even watching the movie brought no relief.
Clark had his arm around Lana's shoulders, but she refused to lean against him. Clark tried not to let it bother him as he watched the movie.
Lana could not relax beside Clark. Not with Chloe siting on the other side of him. The only person Lana didn't have a problem with was Lex, and he looked pretty ticked.
Lex had his arm dutifully around Chloe's shoulders. He wasn't paying any attention to the movie. His thoughts were on the two teenagers beside him. The two kept sneaking glances at one another.
Chloe tried to get comfortable sandwiched between Clark and Lex. She tried to get as far away from Clark as possible, which meant pressing against Lex. She ignored Lex's coldness toward her and laid her head on his shoulder.
**Clark is standing in a graveyard. The only sound is the beating of the pouring rain. There is a circle of grave markers around him. Each marker has a name carved into it. As the lightning flashes the names can be seen.
Flash! Jonathan Kent. Martha Kent. Flash! Chloe Sullivan. Flash! Pete Ross. Lana Lang. The only person without a grave is Lex Luthor.
Clark looks at each grave in turn. With each name he becomes more and more horrified. His eyes get larger and larger with his horror and fear. As he finishes reading the names he screams.
"Nooooooo!"
His scream echoes through the quiet graveyard, as row after row of grave markers are revealed. **
Chloe gasped and sat straight up. In the process she knocked Clark's drink out of his hand.
"Chlo?" Clark asked worried.
"Chloe, what is it?" Lex asked concerned.
"Another one?" Clark asked.
Chloe nodded. Clark knew she had been having nightmares about Lex. The only one she had described to him had been the first. After the second, she had decided to keep them to herself. But, with this particular dream revolving around him, she would make an exception.
"Are you okay?" Lana asked.
Chloe nodded, out of breath. "Clark? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course," Clark said taking her arm.
"In the loft?" Chloe asked.
"Whatever you need," Clark replied leading Chloe out of the house.
Lana and Lex fumed as Chloe and Clark left the room. When Lana looked at Lex she laughed out loud.
"What?" Lex asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, Lex. You just look like you're thinking the exact same thing I am," Lana said moving to sit next to him.
"Which would be?"
"That you would rather not have Clark and Chloe alone," Lana responded.
"Then, you would be right," Lex said coolly.
"Lex, you don't have to hide how you feel from me. I feel the same way. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Lana reasoned.
"I'm not ashamed, just upset, hurt, and a little angry," he replied.
"Let me guess. Upset because you think Chloe and Clark might have feelings for each other. Hurt because Chloe wanted to talk to Clark and not you, and angry for both reasons," Lana guessed.
"How did you know?"
"Like I said, I feel the same way."
"What do you propose to do?"
"I know what I'm going to do. Make the most of the time I have with Clark. Pray that he doesn't decide to pursue Chloe, and try to make him see how much I care about him," Lana answered.
"You're a smart person. That's all well and good for you, but what about me? What if Clark decides he does love you, but Chloe realizes she still loves him?" Lex asked.
"I think the two of them just need some time. They'll work it out, with each other and with themselves. All we can do is wait," Lana responded.
"I hate waiting," Lex said angrily.
"Chloe, what happened?" Clark asked.
"I had another dream. I know I haven't been sharing them with you, but I need to talk to you about this one," Chloe said sitting on the couch.
"Was it about Lex?"
"No, it was about you. That's why I wanted to talk about it."
Clark nodded for Chloe to go on.
"I saw you. You were standing in a graveyard. There was a circle of grave stones surrounding you. It was pouring rain and lightning. With the flashes of lightning I could see the names on the graves. There was your mom and dad, Pete, Lana, and-" Chloe said.
Clark cut her off, finishing her sentence. "You. Only there wasn't one for Lex. When I looked up there was row after row of graves."
"How did you know that?" Chloe asked.
"Cassandra," Clark replied.
"Huh?"
"When me, Pete, and Lana volunteered at Smallville retirement center she was an elderly woman who lived there. She claimed she could see your future by holding your hand. When she took my hand that's what she saw. I wasn't supposed to be able to see her vision, but somehow I could," Clark explained.
"Did Lex by any chance go to see her?" Chloe asked timidly.
"He was the last person to see her. Whatever she saw killed her," Clark said.
"Like rain that was blood," Chloe said in horror.
"What?"
"That's supposed to be your future? That's what's supposed to happen?" Chloe asked in fear.
"My parents say you make your on destiny," Clark said not understanding the terror in Chloe's features.
Chloe now understood why that particular dream had been different from the rest. She wasn't seeing a piece of Lex's past…she was seeing his future. So, Lex becomes some sort of evil man destroying everything in his past, and everyone close to Clark dies. Everyone except for Lex. What did that mean? Why would everyone but Lex be dead? Did it have to do with how Lex turned out, with what he became? Chloe didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted to go home. Chloe had to resist the urge to run from the barn. She walked as quickly as she could back into the house.
"Lex, will you take me home?" she asked.
Lex got up and walked to his car without a word. Only when they were on the car did he say anything. "What was that about?"
"Bad dream," Chloe replied vaguely.
"Care to share?"
"Not really," Chloe responded.
"But you'll talk to Clark," Lex said, hostility in his voice.
"Lex," Chloe warned.
"What? I shouldn't feel hurt because something's going on and you choose to share it with Clark and not with me?" Lex asked.
"It's not like that," Chloe said.
"Then what is it like? I'd really like to know," Lex said hotly.
"I can't explain it. Please don't make me try," Chloe asked as they pulled into her driveway.
"Fine," Lex said pushing the brakes a little too hard.
"Bye, Lex," Chloe said as she stepped from the car. When Lex didn't respond she shut the door and turned. Before she could take one step away from the car Lex sped off.