EXT. SMALLVILLE CEMETERY – DAY

Lana steps up to the two cold gravestones of her parents and falls to her knees. The lawn around her legs is slightly greener than everywhere else, a newly planted patch of grass replacing what the fire consumed when Lana set her family photo albums ablaze.

A tear in her eye, she notices something wedged between the grass and one of the stones, the bottom half of a picture of Lana and her parents, one the groundskeeper must have missed. Unfortunately, the family smiles were lost to the burned upper half.

CHLOE

I thought I'd find you here.

Lana turns around to see Chloe standing several feet away, her hands in her jacket pockets.

LANA

Chloe…

Lana gets to her feet, wiping her eyes.

CHLOE

Call it reporter's instinct.

Chloe scoffs at herself.

CHLOE

Actually, Pete told me you came back.

LANA

::nods:: Last night.

Lana speaks timidly, her head down.

CHLOE

He said you're going to be staying with Mrs. Kent?

Lana nods.

CHLOE

We packed your things. We're moving, you know… to Gotham.

LANA

::nods:: Clark told me.

CHLOE

We were going to put them in storage, but now that you're here… Did you want us to drop them off?

LANA

I was going to pick them up. I was actually on my way over when…

She turns around in shame.

LANA

Well, I figured mine was the last face you'd want to see right now.

CHLOE

So, you ended up here?

LANA

It seems like, no matter what I do, I always end up back here.

Chloe nods, solemnly.

CHLOE

You really miss them, don't you?

LANA

Ya know, I don't even know. I was so young when they died. It's getting harder and harder to remember them at all. I thought if I just let go of the memory, let them rest, maybe I could move on with my life. I thought… if I just forgot them all together, the pain would go away.

She looks at the crisp remains of the picture in her hand.

LANA

I was wrong. They're a part of me and I'll never be able to forget them completely… and I don't want too. The thing is, I think I'm finally ready to accept what happened, to accept and cherish their memory as opposed to trying to ignore it, and now I don't even have anything to remember them by.

CHLOE

When my mother left us, I just remember being furious with her. I didn't understand how she could just up and abandon her family like that. I thought maybe it was something I had done, that she didn't love me. Maybe if I had been a better daughter.

She shakes her head, old memories stirring up the waterworks in her as well.

CHLOE

I hated her for it.

LANA

Do you hate me?

Chloe doesn't answer at first, hesitating deliberately. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she folds them across her chest and walks up next to Lana, but they don't look at each other. They each stare down at the gravestones in front of them.

CHLOE

::nods:: I did… for a very long time. I made quite the hobby out of it, actually. Part of it was jealousy.

She laughs at herself, rolling her eyes to the sky.

CHLOE

What am I saying? All of it was jealousy.

Lana looks up at Chloe.

LANA

You were jealous of me?

Lana seems genuinely surprised by the revelation, which only serves to annoy Chloe.

CHLOE

You have no idea how irritating that is.

LANA

What?

CHLOE

Your ignorance of it… your complete and total obliviousness to my envy of you.

LANA

I always thought you didn't like me because you thought I was self-involved and stuck-up.

Chloe shrugs slightly to herself, not enough that Lana notices.

CHLOE

I knew the names you called me behind my back; Miss Prissy Princess.

CHLOE

Consider yourself lucky. It's better than being known as "that blonde reporter bitch". I had to convince myself it was a compliment, that I was doing my job, just so that I wouldn't have to spend every afternoon locked in a stall in the girl's bathroom waiting for everyone to clear out so they wouldn't see me crying.

LANA

I didn't know they made you cry…

Lana corrects herself quickly.

LANA

I didn't know I made you cry.

CHLOE

::shrugs:: I'm not invulnerable… unlike someone we know. You were always the prettiest girl in school, the most popular, got straight A's in everything.

LANA

You're all of those things.

CHLOE

Please, I don't think I'm ugly, but I'm not going to win any beauty contests, and I've never in my life had more than a handful of friends.

LANA

You're smart… one of the smartest people I know.

CHLOE

I get good grades, sure, but it comes effortlessly to you. Did you know that during Freshman year, for the last three months of school I didn't go to sleep at least one night every week because of having to stay up all night studying?

LANA

::shakes head:: I didn't know that.

CHLOE

::nods:: Everything always comes so easy to you. Besides that, you were the captain of the cheerleading squad, dated the captain of the football team, not to mention the object of Clark' Kent's unwavering affection.

LANA

I guess I was so busy feeling sorry for myself, I never realized anyone could ever be jealous of what I had.

CHLOE

And I was so busy thinking it was so totally obvious, I never realized you were miserable.

LANA

But, despite all of that, you invited me to live with you and treated me like family. Why did you do that for me?

CHLOE

I didn't do it for you. I did it for me.

Lana looks at her, confused.

CHLOE

I did it to feel better about myself, for hating you. Deep down, I knew I wasn't being fair to you. I never gave you a chance. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help the way you felt, or the way Clark felt about you, any more than I could. I thought that, maybe, if we took you in, it would somehow atone for how I had treated you, even if it was just in my own head.

LANA

How you treated me? You want to talk about jealousy? I deliberately sabotaged your date with Clark. I kidnapped your father, for spite.

CHLOE

::shakes head:: You didn't mean to do those things.

LANA

Part of me did.

CHLOE

And part of me wanted to make like the swan princess and take a dive off the Daily Planet building. Neither of us are proud of what that thing made us do.

LANA

How much did it really make us do, Chloe? How much was already there just waiting for a release, something to bring it all to the surface?

Neither of them really feel the need to answer that particular question.

LANA

::shrugs:: It comes with the territory, I guess.

CHLOE

The many dangers and perils of being in any way associated with Clark Kent.

LANA

It's been a ride.

CHLOE

Yes, it has.

Lana looks sadly at the gravestones.

LANA

And to think it all started with that day.

She kneels back down.

LANA

And now it's over. It's all gone, and I have nothing to remember them by.

Giving in, she let's herself cry in front of Chloe.

Without saying anything, Chloe reaches back into her jacket pocket

CHLOE

I wouldn't say nothing.

Lana looks up to find herself staring up at two very familiar smiling faces.

Chloe, her arm extended, holds a photograph of Lana's parents in her hand, the upper right corner only slightly singed.

LANA

Where did you get this?

Lana stands back up, taking the picture to admire.

CHLOE

After you disappeared, I came here, thinking it might be my best chance of finding you. The town's never really been very good about cleaning up the cemetery. I once wrote an article about all the plastic and string ties that you can find blowing in the wind around here... from all the flowers. I found the photo albums. They were pretty burnt up, but some of the pictures were still good.

LANA

There's more?

CHLOE

::nods:: I saved them. I brought all the ones that seemed like they might be remotely salvageable in to the Torch. Henry was able to restore a lot of them. That kid is an incredible photographer. He can do some pretty amazing things.

LANA

So can you.

Lana smiles at her gratefully.

LANA

You did that for me?

CHLOE

What are friends for?

Sharing tears, the two friends also share a much needed hug.

CHLOE

Well, Miss Priss…

Chloe laughs, using the name in jest.

CHLOE

What do you say we get out of here, maybe go get some coffee and help set up for the fundraiser?

LANA

::smiles:: Whatever you say… bitch.

They laugh and walk to Chloe's car arm in arm.