~*~ SUNDAY AFTERNOON ~*~
Chloe walked into the Talon, and found it was a lot busier than usual for a Sunday. The whole place was full of murmuring voices, occasional shrieks of some little kids, and plates and spoons clicking together. Almost every table was occupied and it looked like Lana had called all her waitresses to come to work. She found Clark in the usual booth and settled into the seat opposite from him and matched his bright eyed greeting with an even brighter smile.
"Coffee, Chloe?" Lana called from behind the counter.
"Regular extra large, with a shot of espresso." Chloe said.
"What do you want, Clark?" Lana asked while she loaded donuts and cups of coffee onto a tray.
"Chocolate Cappuccino, extra syrup." He called to her as she walked behind her counter.
Lana got the Cappuccino machine busy and then walked off to another table to deliver a tray full of hot cups of coffee.
"I have got to show you something really weird." Chloe said excitedly and took some pictures out of her bag and put them on the table.
The first one he saw was from last night's dance. There didn't seem anything wrong with it except for a glitch around Drew. He lifted the picture into the sunlight coming in through the Talon's window. "Looks like the film messed up."
"I thought the same thing at first. Look at the rest of them." Chloe said and pushed more pictures toward him.
He shuffled through almost forty other pictures, some were of him and Chloe. He noted that the only ones which seemed to be flawed were the ones of Drew. Every single photo of him showed a blue halo of light around him. No other object in any of the pictures had been effected the same way. "Chloe've you been playing with your photography software again?"
"No. I swear Clark, this is not a joke! I can prove it and let you see the negatives if you want." Chloe motioned with one hand toward her bag.
Lana came along and put a tray down for them, unloaded three coffees and a plate of donuts and slid into the seat next to Chloe. "You guys have fun last night?" She asked as she pulled her coffee cup close.
"Great." Clark said and smiled at Chloe.
"Yeah. Very good time." Chloe said with a smile. She took the lid off her coffee cup, and poured in a little cream and a little sugar. "How was your date?"
Lana's lips spread into a grin while she stirred her coffee. "Steven's a better dancer than I thought he'd be."
"Kind of surprised me when you asked him to go with you." Clark said with a teasing grin. He ripped five sugar packets open and dumped them into his cappuccino. Chloe noticed it and made a face at him.
"I needed a date, Clark." Lana said, oblivious to the fact that Clark was overdosing on sugar. "If I'd waited for him to ask, I'd still be waiting. I would have had to borrow you from Chloe for a few minutes."
Chloe turned her head to look at Lana, one brow was up, and the other down.
Lana grinned and her eyes sparkled with humor. She leaned over the table to whisper into Clark's ear, but loud enough for Chloe to hear it anyway. "Something tells me she wouldn't have liked that very much."
Chloe laughed at that, and so did Clark, who was stirring yet more sugar into his cappuccino.
Lana looked down at the pictures on the table as she resumed her seat. "Funny you should have pictures of him, Chloe."
"Funny how?" Chloe asked. "Weird funny, or humorous, or..."
"Coincidental." Lana said. "You gonna do an article on him?"
"Why would I do an article on him?" She asked and looked very intrigued.
"I thought you already knew." Lana smiled and wagged a finger at Chloe. "It's not something I should be repeating, and you know..."
"Out with it, Lang!" Chloe joked at her.
"Okay. Fine!" Lana scowled down at her coffee. "Drew's sister found him in the car this morning, in the driveway. He was in the back seat passed out drunk."
"So, he had a little too much fun. That's no big deal." Chloe said and looked and sounded disappointed.
"Not until you find out he drank so much they couldn't wake him and that he's in the hospital right now." Lana said, brows raised.
Clark almost choked on his coffee. "He okay?"
"He'll probably be fine." Lana said and turned her head in time to see Lex had coming through the front door. She had to giggle as he was nearly trampled by a waitress.
"Nice to see the place so busy." Lex said strolling to the table.
Chloe looked up at him, and Clark turned his head, both grinned at him.
"It is." Lana agreed with Lex and smiled.
"Nowhere to sit though." Lex looked down at Clark, who slid over in the booth seat to make some room for him.
Lex watched the Talon's waitresses roaming around with beverages and plates full of donuts and other baked goods. One of them came straight at him, put a cup of coffee down for him and rushed off before he could thank her for it.
"Homecoming game got everyone out of their houses, and then brought them all here." Chloe said.
Lex nodded. "Community events always kick up business."
"Now I see why you sponsor them so much." Lana said resting her chin on one fist. "I think we should have more school dances."
Lex bantered to Lana about what events were the most likely to succeed in luring people into shops. Lana was eager to learn and she absorbed every word he said. Chloe and Clark both sat back wishing they even knew what the two of them were talking about. After too much of it, they quit caring.
Clark heard the door open, then shut. Immediately, he felt a tingle in the back of his spine, which became an icy sensation. It was the same feeling he'd had last night when Drew had gotten anywhere near him. He wanted to turn around and look behind him, but was afraid if he did, he'd see Drew giving him a creepy look.
"What's wrong?" Lana asked.
He snapped his head up to look diagonally across the table at her, ready to answer. She wasn't looking at him though, but at Lex, who'd stopped speaking in mid-sentence.
Lex had completely forgotten what he'd been talking about. He felt a horrible icy sensation creeping along the back of his neck, and knew someone was walking up behind him.
"Hey, Lana." A blonde boy about Clark's age stepped close to the table and looked down at Lana.
Lex suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and avoided looking at the boy standing within arm's reach of him.
"Hi Steve." Lana said looking up. "Didn't even see you coming. Want some coffee?"
"Sounds good." Steve told her, and glanced at the others at the table, but took no real notice of them.
"Hey, Steve." Chloe said.
"Hi." He said quickly and looked back at Lana.
Clark gulped and forced himself to not shudder.
Lex wrapped one hand around his coffee cup and stared at his reflection in the dark surface of the liquid and hoped he didn't look as scared as he felt. If that kid didn't move soon, he'd have to make an excuse to get out of here.
"Lana can I talk to you?" Steve wondered.
"Sure." She told him and got up from the booth seat.
Clark repressed a shiver.
"You okay, Clark?" Chloe asked, brows raised with concern.
~*~
"I'm fine, Miss Lana." Steve said and leaned against the counter.
Lana looked up at him, concern in her expression. "You sure?" she wondered. "You're face is really red."
"Too much fun last night with a lovely lady," he told her and grinned lopsidedly.
"Flattery." Lana smiled.
"Could you get me something?" He asked, turning his head.
"Anything that's on the menu."
He smiled as though she'd just told a cute little joke. "Chamomile tea, a double and put six bags in the cup."
Lana made a face at him, but went behind the counter. "Little strong, don't you think? One cup of this is enough to put you to sleep." She put a large cup on the counter, then dropped six tea bags into it.
"Well, you my fine lady got me pepped right up. I need something to bring me back down to earth." He said and his eyes sparkled as he looked down at her.
Lana pushed the beverage toward him over the counter. "Steve, you didn't get the wrong idea last night. I thought I made it clear that..."
"I had a really good time last night." He interrupted and looked a little hurt.
Her mouth opened, and she sighed. "Steve, we need to have a talk."
He snatched her hand and smiled. "You're right. Let's go for a spin."
~*~
Lex didn't pick up his coffee cup because he feared he'd drop it. Steve wasn't close to him anymore, but he still felt chilly and nervous.
"She must have shaken him up last night. Usually he says more than 'hi' to people." Chloe commented as she sipped at coffee.
Clark looked over Chloe's shoulder to watch Lana and Steve talk. He'd seen Lana give Steve an odd look while she pushed a beverage toward him.
"Chloe," Clark said. "let me borrow your camera."
"What?" She gave him a look suggesting he was a nut.
He lifted his brows at her and gave her a puppy eyed look.
Chloe reached into her bag and handed her digital camera to him. Clark turned it on and aimed it at Steve. He didn't even have to snap a picture, because the boy's blue glowing image showed up on the screen of the digital camera.
Lex looked at the screen of the camera in Clark's hand, saw the aura effect around Steve and looked up at the real version of him in front of the counter. Then, he noticed pictures on the table of a different kid with the same aura around him. His hands tightened around his coffee cup. He might have asked what was going on, but didn't get the chance.
"Chloe, something's going on. Take a look at this." Clark said brows up in surprise.
Chloe leaned over the table careful to not block the camera's view. "That's really weird." She looked up at Clark, expression bright. She was intrigued. "How'd you know that..."
Clark gave her an innocent look and shrugged. "Hunch."
Lex hadn't said a word since Steve had gotten three feet from him. Something about that kid was all wrong. He could draw numerous conclusions, but only one fit. He didn't want to mention to anyone though that he thought the kid was possessed.
He heard Lana hiss, and looked up at her. The blonde kid grabbed a hold of her wrist and said something only Lana could hear.
"Chloe...?" Clark whispered, and gave her a pathetic look.
Chloe looked at him, then turned her head and looked back at Lana, and sighed. "Go ahead. Save her life again. I'll just...sit here and play with my camera." She told him and took it out of his hands.
"Lex, let me out." Clark said already shoving his way out of the booth seat.
~*~
"Steve, I can't go with you!" Lana said, loud enough for half the people in the coffee shop to hear it, then tried to tug her arm out of his grip. She failed. "Let go of me!"
He grabbed her other wrist and pulled her to him. "Don't be like that, Lana!"
~*~
"Lex! Move!" Clark ordered and pushed him.
~*~
"Steve, let me go or else!" Lana growled as she struggled to get her wrists out of his grasping hands.
~*~
Lex got up too fast, startled by Clark's tone. His coffee spoon went to the floor and clattered on the tile. Clark went past him too fast and almost knocked him over. If Chloe hadn't shot her hand out to steady him, he would have fallen on his face.
~*~
Clark went toward Lana and Steve, ready to break up the fight.
~*~
Chloe had her hand on Lex's arm, and she could feel him shaking. That startled her into looking up at him. There was a thin veil of sweat on his pale face. Something was up with him. He wasn't the type who got scared by anything, and she knew he wasn't sick. "You don't look so good." She whispered and urged him back into the booth seat. He slid over to where Clark had been sitting, and then she sat down next to him.
She picked up her camera and watched the action through the screen. She knew very well that Lana didn't need Clark's help out of this one.
~*~
Clark felt a little bit colder for every step he took toward Steve and Lana and his progress was slowing.
~*~
Steve pulled and tugged at Lana. "Just a little ride."
"I told you! No!" She said angrily and tried to trick him by twisting around. His hands kept a firm grip on her wrists though.
~*~
Chloe knew damn well that Clark wasn't going to get there in time. She watched through her camera and kept her finger ready on the button.
~*~
"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" Lana shouted angrily and brought her knee straight up into Steve's crotch.
~*~
Chloe snapped a picture of Lana shoving her knee up hard and fast. "Now that's one for the front page!"
Lex's eyes opened wide and he, along with every other male in the coffee shop, cringed with sympathy for Steve.
~*~
Steve let out a howl and he fell to the floor.
~*~
Clark was just three micro-seconds too late to do anything for Lana. Steve landed at his feet groaning and holding his crotch.
The whole shop had gone quiet. Men were making faces, and little girls were staring at the sight with eyes wide open.
~*~
Steve lay on the floor groaning until a man in his sixties took pity on him and came along to help him to his feet.
"They're...they're a lot meaner than they used to be." Steve squeaked and hunched over.
"You don't know the half of it." The old man told Steve, holding him up by his upper arm with one hand, he grabbed the Chamomile tea off the counter with the other. The kind stranger helped Steve to the door, gave him his beverage and a firm shove suggesting he should leave now. Everyone in the Talon watched the man return to his table where his wife was waiting for him. A few people whispered, and conversation slowly picked up again.
~*~
Clark was very glad that Steve was gone, because he no longer felt cold. He guided Lana back to the booth, and slid into the seat first, now sitting where Chloe had been, and Lana was back in her original place. He took a sip of coffee and almost gagged on it! That was Chloe's coffee! It tasted like motor oil!
"You okay, Lana?" Chloe asked in a teasing voice.
"I'm fine." She said, but looked a little mad.
Lex finally picked up the coffee cup in front of him to drink, but he'd forgotten he'd moved, and that was not his. It was Clark's cappuccino.
Lana looked at Lex and spoke very frankly. "Just hoping that playing knee-ball is one of those community events you were talking about."
Lex clamped his mouth shut, fought to not spit coffee flavored sugar all over while he tried very hard to not burst out laughing.