Chapter 6: Who Are You?
~~~
Chloe Sullivan exhaled a sigh of relief as she put the finishing touches on the latest edition of the torch. The paper was short-staffed with it being flu season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. She locked up the office and briskly walked down the hall and out the exit. With all loose ends taken care of, she finally had the time to dedicate to the latest mystery in Smallville... the absence of Clark Kent, and the secrecy behind it.
~~~
Clark awoke to a loud voice from above him. His eyelids flew open as he searched in vain for the owner of said voice. Whatever place he was in was still black as night.
"Hello? Is somebody there?"
"Wake up," the voice repeated.
Clark's eyebrows rose as he tried to place the voice in his mind. It was feminine, almost child-like, and very familiar, but his mind drew a blank.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am, you have to wake up."
"I am awake!"
"No, you're not. You've trapped yourself here, and I won't - I can't let you wither away your life in this place."
"You know where we are?"
"You don't know?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did."
"Your mind."
"I had no idea my mind was such a gloomy place."
"It is, for now. I am a part of you. I know what you feel, and I know why you're here."
"All right, I'm game, why am I here?" he asked as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You're running away from all your problems, like you always do. *This* is your real fortress of solitude. I've been here all these years, waiting, watching you."
"Okay, now you're beginning to scare me."
~~~
At the Kent household, Cousin Luke, was asleep in the guest room, getting a well-deserved rest. In living room downstairs, for the fifth time in as many days, Martha and Jonathan Clark paced about.
"I can't do this anymore, Jonathan. How long are we going to do this? How long can we hide this? We need help."
"You're adamant on this, aren't you?"
"Have we even remotely come up with any other options in the past week?"
"You know, we could be worried over nothing, for all we know, this is a normal part of Clark's development."
"Ice cold and unconscious? What, that's supposed to be alien puberty or something?"
"Are you so sure, you're willing to risk his life on it?"
"Yes, Jonathan, this is our son we're talking about. Are you willing to risk his life by doing nothing?"
"So you think we can trust him?"
"I don't think we have a choice."
"This is Lex Luthor we're talking about."
"That's right, Lex Luthor. Not Lionel. Clark saved his life a number of times... Lex will do the right thing."
"I hope you're right, because if you're not, God help us all."
A knock at the door interrupted them. Jonathan walked over to open it.
"Mr. Kent."
Lana took a look at the seriousness in each of their eyes.
"Oh my God, did something happen, is Clark - "
"Clark is fine, Lana. We were just about to go and see Lex. We can't wait any longer... Do you think you could stay with Clark, while we go ask him?"
~~~
Chloe yawned as she pulled in to Nell Potter's driveway. No lights were on inside, but she shrugged and walked up to the front door and knocked.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, hi Nell. I was just wondering if Lana was around?"
"Um, she went over to Clark's to see how he was doing. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Lana said there was old magazines or something that I might be interested in the basement."
"We don't have a basement."
"Huh, you know, I could have sworn she said basement. Well, I must have misheard, silly me. Maybe she said attic. Never mind, I'll come by some other time, bye Nell."
As Chloe walked back to her car, the wheels in her head began to vigorously turn. She looked over across the way and made out the lights over at the Kent's. As she got into her car and drove toward the farm, she noticed that Jonathan and Martha had just gotten into their car was about to leave the driveway. Chloe quickly turned off her lights, stopped her car in a field and sighed in relief as they drove pass her, oblivious to her presence. She decided her car would be too conspicuous, so she got out continued on foot.
~~~
Lana found Clark, exactly as he had been all week. She turned on the lamp on his nightstand and turned on the radio as climbed into bed with him, as she did every other night she had visited him in his room. She kissed his cheek and buried her face into the crook of his neck, taking in his musky scent.
[A/N: Yes, that line was pretty cliche - I know!]
"Don't worry, Clark, helps coming, just hang on."
Finally here once speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
'That's the thing about Clark Kent: he's not always there when you want him...but he's always there when you need him.'
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
"I need you, Clark. I don't know if I can go on alone..."
You're everything And how can I stand here with you And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
"You make everyday bearable. You've become the only reason I wake up in the morning."
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fold
You still my heart when you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
Lana clutches on to him even tighter.
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
"Come home to me, please, come home..."
Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything
The rest of song, Lana does not hear as it is drowned out by her irrepressible weeping.
~~~
"You know, all these years, hiding in your loft, burying yourself in your fantasies at night, and painfully returning to the real world every morning, you'd think you'd have gotten sick of it by now."
"Are you trying to give me some kind of lecture, um, what should I be calling you?"
"You'll think of something later. And no, I'm here to give you a swift kick in the ass. You can't hide anything from me. You think I don't know what you dream about every night? You fight so hard for everyone all the time, but for yourself, you'll barely lift a finger."
Clark looked down at his feet and paused before responding.
"She'll never be mine."
"But where do you think she is now? Do you know what she feels? Is she in danger? How many times have you saved her life? What's gonna happen next time, when you're not there to catch her when she falls?"
"Shut up! I don't need to hear this. I can't do it, it's too hard."
Suddenly, the pitch-black sky illuminated as lightning begins to strike the ground. Thunder deafens his ears, and rain pelts down on the two. A dim blue light slowly radiates over them and Clark is finally able to see the figure before him: a young girl, not yet twelve years of age sat cross- legged in a white skirt on the ground in front of him. Curly dark brown hair ran down from her head, covering her all the way to the tips of her toes. He found her dazzling hazel eyes trained on him like an angry bull.
"You're no hero. Nothing but a coward, definitely not the Clark Kent I know. Do you know what will happen if you stay here?"
"She's better off."
"She'll die."
The storm ceased its onslaught and promptly dissipated. Clark gazed up and saw a few clouds part and a few beams of sunlight penetrate to the ground. He turned around and unexpectedly found himself in a graveyard.
"She's not the only one who needs you," exclaimed the young girl, from behind him.
Clark crouches down on his knees and goose bumps break out over his skin as he looks solemnly over the graves. Lana Lang 1988-2002, Pete Ross 1987- 2005, Chloe Sullivan 1988-2004, Lex Luthor 1980-2002, and countless other graves.
"But, my secret. It will always keep them from me."
The young girl walked up behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"So will death. You could lose them all."
"The choice is yours." she remarked as she turned around and began to walk away.
Clark closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the goose bumps on his arms retreated back to whence they came. He got up and followed the girl, a few steps behind.
"You're right, I need to get out of here." The girl stops mid-stride. "Thank you, whoever you are."
"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you. Just get back to her."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Sooner than you think. Good luck."
"Wait! How do I leave this place?"
The girl turned around and walked toward him. She gave him a wide smile and wrapped her arms around him for a moment. She relinquished her hold on him and slowly began to step backwards from him. She stared up at the sky and pointed toward the clouds.
"Learn to fly."
~~~
Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. Wish I did.
~~~
Chloe Sullivan exhaled a sigh of relief as she put the finishing touches on the latest edition of the torch. The paper was short-staffed with it being flu season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. She locked up the office and briskly walked down the hall and out the exit. With all loose ends taken care of, she finally had the time to dedicate to the latest mystery in Smallville... the absence of Clark Kent, and the secrecy behind it.
~~~
Clark awoke to a loud voice from above him. His eyelids flew open as he searched in vain for the owner of said voice. Whatever place he was in was still black as night.
"Hello? Is somebody there?"
"Wake up," the voice repeated.
Clark's eyebrows rose as he tried to place the voice in his mind. It was feminine, almost child-like, and very familiar, but his mind drew a blank.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am, you have to wake up."
"I am awake!"
"No, you're not. You've trapped yourself here, and I won't - I can't let you wither away your life in this place."
"You know where we are?"
"You don't know?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did."
"Your mind."
"I had no idea my mind was such a gloomy place."
"It is, for now. I am a part of you. I know what you feel, and I know why you're here."
"All right, I'm game, why am I here?" he asked as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You're running away from all your problems, like you always do. *This* is your real fortress of solitude. I've been here all these years, waiting, watching you."
"Okay, now you're beginning to scare me."
~~~
At the Kent household, Cousin Luke, was asleep in the guest room, getting a well-deserved rest. In living room downstairs, for the fifth time in as many days, Martha and Jonathan Clark paced about.
"I can't do this anymore, Jonathan. How long are we going to do this? How long can we hide this? We need help."
"You're adamant on this, aren't you?"
"Have we even remotely come up with any other options in the past week?"
"You know, we could be worried over nothing, for all we know, this is a normal part of Clark's development."
"Ice cold and unconscious? What, that's supposed to be alien puberty or something?"
"Are you so sure, you're willing to risk his life on it?"
"Yes, Jonathan, this is our son we're talking about. Are you willing to risk his life by doing nothing?"
"So you think we can trust him?"
"I don't think we have a choice."
"This is Lex Luthor we're talking about."
"That's right, Lex Luthor. Not Lionel. Clark saved his life a number of times... Lex will do the right thing."
"I hope you're right, because if you're not, God help us all."
A knock at the door interrupted them. Jonathan walked over to open it.
"Mr. Kent."
Lana took a look at the seriousness in each of their eyes.
"Oh my God, did something happen, is Clark - "
"Clark is fine, Lana. We were just about to go and see Lex. We can't wait any longer... Do you think you could stay with Clark, while we go ask him?"
~~~
Chloe yawned as she pulled in to Nell Potter's driveway. No lights were on inside, but she shrugged and walked up to the front door and knocked.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, hi Nell. I was just wondering if Lana was around?"
"Um, she went over to Clark's to see how he was doing. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Lana said there was old magazines or something that I might be interested in the basement."
"We don't have a basement."
"Huh, you know, I could have sworn she said basement. Well, I must have misheard, silly me. Maybe she said attic. Never mind, I'll come by some other time, bye Nell."
As Chloe walked back to her car, the wheels in her head began to vigorously turn. She looked over across the way and made out the lights over at the Kent's. As she got into her car and drove toward the farm, she noticed that Jonathan and Martha had just gotten into their car was about to leave the driveway. Chloe quickly turned off her lights, stopped her car in a field and sighed in relief as they drove pass her, oblivious to her presence. She decided her car would be too conspicuous, so she got out continued on foot.
~~~
Lana found Clark, exactly as he had been all week. She turned on the lamp on his nightstand and turned on the radio as climbed into bed with him, as she did every other night she had visited him in his room. She kissed his cheek and buried her face into the crook of his neck, taking in his musky scent.
[A/N: Yes, that line was pretty cliche - I know!]
"Don't worry, Clark, helps coming, just hang on."
Finally here once speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
'That's the thing about Clark Kent: he's not always there when you want him...but he's always there when you need him.'
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
"I need you, Clark. I don't know if I can go on alone..."
You're everything And how can I stand here with you And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
"You make everyday bearable. You've become the only reason I wake up in the morning."
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fold
You still my heart when you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
Lana clutches on to him even tighter.
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
"Come home to me, please, come home..."
Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything You're all I want You're all I need
You're everything... everything
The rest of song, Lana does not hear as it is drowned out by her irrepressible weeping.
~~~
"You know, all these years, hiding in your loft, burying yourself in your fantasies at night, and painfully returning to the real world every morning, you'd think you'd have gotten sick of it by now."
"Are you trying to give me some kind of lecture, um, what should I be calling you?"
"You'll think of something later. And no, I'm here to give you a swift kick in the ass. You can't hide anything from me. You think I don't know what you dream about every night? You fight so hard for everyone all the time, but for yourself, you'll barely lift a finger."
Clark looked down at his feet and paused before responding.
"She'll never be mine."
"But where do you think she is now? Do you know what she feels? Is she in danger? How many times have you saved her life? What's gonna happen next time, when you're not there to catch her when she falls?"
"Shut up! I don't need to hear this. I can't do it, it's too hard."
Suddenly, the pitch-black sky illuminated as lightning begins to strike the ground. Thunder deafens his ears, and rain pelts down on the two. A dim blue light slowly radiates over them and Clark is finally able to see the figure before him: a young girl, not yet twelve years of age sat cross- legged in a white skirt on the ground in front of him. Curly dark brown hair ran down from her head, covering her all the way to the tips of her toes. He found her dazzling hazel eyes trained on him like an angry bull.
"You're no hero. Nothing but a coward, definitely not the Clark Kent I know. Do you know what will happen if you stay here?"
"She's better off."
"She'll die."
The storm ceased its onslaught and promptly dissipated. Clark gazed up and saw a few clouds part and a few beams of sunlight penetrate to the ground. He turned around and unexpectedly found himself in a graveyard.
"She's not the only one who needs you," exclaimed the young girl, from behind him.
Clark crouches down on his knees and goose bumps break out over his skin as he looks solemnly over the graves. Lana Lang 1988-2002, Pete Ross 1987- 2005, Chloe Sullivan 1988-2004, Lex Luthor 1980-2002, and countless other graves.
"But, my secret. It will always keep them from me."
The young girl walked up behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"So will death. You could lose them all."
"The choice is yours." she remarked as she turned around and began to walk away.
Clark closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the goose bumps on his arms retreated back to whence they came. He got up and followed the girl, a few steps behind.
"You're right, I need to get out of here." The girl stops mid-stride. "Thank you, whoever you are."
"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you. Just get back to her."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Sooner than you think. Good luck."
"Wait! How do I leave this place?"
The girl turned around and walked toward him. She gave him a wide smile and wrapped her arms around him for a moment. She relinquished her hold on him and slowly began to step backwards from him. She stared up at the sky and pointed toward the clouds.
"Learn to fly."
~~~
Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. Wish I did.