At This Moment
Finally, it made sense. All the leading questions, the comments about
secrets and trust, the barely veiled pleading looks Chloe would shoot
his way. She had known. The whole time he had agonized about keeping
his life as Superman from his best friend, she had known anyway.
Tears prickled at his eyes Clark blinked them away. "How?" His upset
and regret was thick in his voice. All those years he could have
shared with Chloe, they could have gotten closer instead of becoming
virtual strangers to each other lives. Maybe they could have even....
Clark wouldn't finish the thought. He hadn't allowed himself to think
of Chloe in a romantic way when she was alive - he had been too afraid
that he would endanger her life - and he wasn't about to fantasize
the impossibilities now that she was dead.
"Your adoption. She couldn't help solving the mystery."
"I asked her to drop that." A sudden flash of anger over-rode the
guilt and pain. Maybe he hadn't trusted her, but there had obviously
been a good reason not to. She had betrayed him - poked around in his
past and then shared his secrets with his enemy.
"Before you get too deeply involved in your self-righteous anger, you
should know that Chloe never told me you were Superman. I found out
by investigating our little accident and I told her of my suspicions."
Lex watched Clark closely now. He wanted to see his reaction. He
needed to see it. To watch this man realize how wonderful the woman
Lex had lost was. Clark had always taken Chloe for granted - her love,
her friendship - and he had never truly appreciated her. If he had,
he wouldn't have been able to throw her away. "She confirmed my
findings and made me promise her that I would never tell anyone your
secret hero status."
"So that's why it hasn't been the headline story for the Inquisitor. It
would have sold a lot of papers." Clark felt a bit of fear. Why was
Lex telling him this now? Was it to prepare him for such a headline or
an attack on his family.
If there was one emotion Lex recognized easily, it was fear. Clark was
afraid and he had every right to be. They had played the Superman vs
Lex Luthor game for years, but now it was personal. Now it was
between him and Clark Kent. This wasn't going to be about saving the
world, it was going to be about two girls from their past. "I have
money, but you can never have enough," Lex said mildly, not at all
trying to put Clark's mind at ease.
"You've never used my real identity against me because of your promise
to Chloe. That's why you've never gone after my parents or Lana. All
these years you've left them out of this."
"Yes, but Chloe's dead, Clark. And don't worry about Lana, it's not
her fault you were infatuated with her in highschool."
The fear was building. His parents, Lex was going to hurt his parents.
Clark doubted that he would hurt them physically, but financially...his
parents were just starting to enjoy their retirement. Or maybe Lex
was just trying to distract him from his real target. "It isn't Lois'
fault that I love her and you've never hesitated to use her against me
despite your promise."
"That's because Lois is in love with Superman. She's not really a part
of your life, Clark." Lex smirked at the pain in his former friend's
eyes. The bastard deserved to live his life in love with a woman who
barely noticed he was alive. But the tiny bit of his conscience that
was left - the part that Lex believed was Chloe - wouldn't let Clark
leave thinking that his parents were in danger. Lex really didn't have
anything against Martha and Jonathan Kent and he wouldn't ruin them.
Just their son. "Chloe loved your parents. I keep my promises and you
don't have to worry about them."
"You promised to destroy me once, not Superman."
"And I will."
Continued...
Finally, it made sense. All the leading questions, the comments about
secrets and trust, the barely veiled pleading looks Chloe would shoot
his way. She had known. The whole time he had agonized about keeping
his life as Superman from his best friend, she had known anyway.
Tears prickled at his eyes Clark blinked them away. "How?" His upset
and regret was thick in his voice. All those years he could have
shared with Chloe, they could have gotten closer instead of becoming
virtual strangers to each other lives. Maybe they could have even....
Clark wouldn't finish the thought. He hadn't allowed himself to think
of Chloe in a romantic way when she was alive - he had been too afraid
that he would endanger her life - and he wasn't about to fantasize
the impossibilities now that she was dead.
"Your adoption. She couldn't help solving the mystery."
"I asked her to drop that." A sudden flash of anger over-rode the
guilt and pain. Maybe he hadn't trusted her, but there had obviously
been a good reason not to. She had betrayed him - poked around in his
past and then shared his secrets with his enemy.
"Before you get too deeply involved in your self-righteous anger, you
should know that Chloe never told me you were Superman. I found out
by investigating our little accident and I told her of my suspicions."
Lex watched Clark closely now. He wanted to see his reaction. He
needed to see it. To watch this man realize how wonderful the woman
Lex had lost was. Clark had always taken Chloe for granted - her love,
her friendship - and he had never truly appreciated her. If he had,
he wouldn't have been able to throw her away. "She confirmed my
findings and made me promise her that I would never tell anyone your
secret hero status."
"So that's why it hasn't been the headline story for the Inquisitor. It
would have sold a lot of papers." Clark felt a bit of fear. Why was
Lex telling him this now? Was it to prepare him for such a headline or
an attack on his family.
If there was one emotion Lex recognized easily, it was fear. Clark was
afraid and he had every right to be. They had played the Superman vs
Lex Luthor game for years, but now it was personal. Now it was
between him and Clark Kent. This wasn't going to be about saving the
world, it was going to be about two girls from their past. "I have
money, but you can never have enough," Lex said mildly, not at all
trying to put Clark's mind at ease.
"You've never used my real identity against me because of your promise
to Chloe. That's why you've never gone after my parents or Lana. All
these years you've left them out of this."
"Yes, but Chloe's dead, Clark. And don't worry about Lana, it's not
her fault you were infatuated with her in highschool."
The fear was building. His parents, Lex was going to hurt his parents.
Clark doubted that he would hurt them physically, but financially...his
parents were just starting to enjoy their retirement. Or maybe Lex
was just trying to distract him from his real target. "It isn't Lois'
fault that I love her and you've never hesitated to use her against me
despite your promise."
"That's because Lois is in love with Superman. She's not really a part
of your life, Clark." Lex smirked at the pain in his former friend's
eyes. The bastard deserved to live his life in love with a woman who
barely noticed he was alive. But the tiny bit of his conscience that
was left - the part that Lex believed was Chloe - wouldn't let Clark
leave thinking that his parents were in danger. Lex really didn't have
anything against Martha and Jonathan Kent and he wouldn't ruin them.
Just their son. "Chloe loved your parents. I keep my promises and you
don't have to worry about them."
"You promised to destroy me once, not Superman."
"And I will."
Continued...