Part 2 – Requiem
Rain poured down with a soft patter on top of the canopy. Thankfully, there was no wind to blow the rain into those gathered underneath the canopy. At the front of the group, a priest began to speak.
"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to honor a young woman whose life was tragically cut short," he began. "Chloe Sullivan lived each second of her life with a passion and zeal that inspired others to attain their potential. Though we must mourn her passing, we must never forget what she has done for the people that knew her best. And now, I'd like to open the ceremony to those of her friends who'd like to speak."
As the priest stepped back, Lana stepped up to the front. She laid a white rose on the coffin, and then turned to speak. "Having lived with Chloe for nearly two years, I got to know her pretty well," she said. "Whenever she was working on a story, she pursued it with determination. She had an inner fire, which swept up all those around her in the constant search for the truth. Her passion was an inspiration. Nothing stopped her from getting the truth." Lana cleared her throat. "But Chloe had another side, one that she hid beneath the professional aura she usually presented to the world. It was a side she didn't share with many people; a sweet, vulnerable girl who just wanted people to like her and what she wrote about. She was more than a best friend; I remember this one time when we were working on a genealogy assignment. We were supposed to present our family tree, and Chloe put me down as her sister. She considered me that, and I felt the same. Someone once said, 'friends are the family you can choose.' Chloe and I were family, and I'll miss her as long as I live." Lana's voice broke on a sob, and she walked back to her seat in tears.
From another section, Pete Ross stepped forward. As he was speaking, Lana looked around at the others gathered. Sitting on her right was Jason, and to her left sat Lex and Nell. On the other side of the seating sat Jonathan and Martha Kent. Lana's brow furrowed in puzzlement as she realized that not only had Clark not stepped forward to speak before she did, he wasn't even in attendance. Shivering, Lana knew that something was very wrong.
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Lana walked into the study in the Luthor Mansion. She immediately noticed a difference: the cabinet which usually held Lex's liquors was empty.
"I kind of lost my taste for alcohol," Lex said. Lana turned to find Lex sitting near the fireplace. "Please, sit down."
Lana walked forward and sat down across from Lex. "Personally, I'm surprised; you were quite the connoisseur."
"Well, that was before I almost died from it," Lex said with more than a hint of anger.
"My God...what happened?" Lana asked in a frightened voice.
"Let's just say old confrontations took new twists. Luckily, one of my security guards found me, and luckier still, he was a former EMT. He called 911, and kept me alive until the ambulance arrived. I spent two weeks in the hospital, and I gave him a new house," Lex said with the Smirk. "As I said before, the grand gestures were always easy for me. But let's change the subject. I'm glad to see you, Lana."
"Me too," Lana said somberly. "I only wish the circumstances were different."
"So, how was Paris?" Lex asked.
"It was a great experience," Lana said, smiling slightly. "The business school was a great place. I learned a lot there, and I think it's really going to help after graduation. Overall, I had a good time there."
"I'm glad to hear that," Lex said honestly.
"What about you, Lex?" Lana asked.
"Well, as of yesterday, I am now the majority shareholder of Luthorcorp," Lex said.
"Congratulations," Lana offered. "It seems like you got what you always wanted."
"Yeah, well, the cost was a lot higher than I ever thought it would be," Lex said, his voice slightly cold. "But enough about business...who was that guy you were with?"
"I met Jason at the business school while I was in Paris," Lana said. "His father is a high profile corporate lawyer in Metropolis, and Jason's looking to follow in his footsteps."
"Yes, I've done business with Mr. Teague," Lex said. "He's very skilled." Lex paused uncertainly. "Are you sure you're not on the rebound from a certain farm boy?"
Lana's eyes clouded with pain before she asked, "Speaking of whom, I didn't see Clark at the funeral today, and I didn't get to ask his parents about that because they left right after the funeral was over."
Lex's expression saddened as he said, "You mean no one told you?"
"What are you talking about?" Lana asked anxiously.
"Clark's been missing for two and a half months," Lex said quietly.
Lana visibly paled. "Do you think he ran away again?" she asked softly.
"I wish it were that simple," Lex explained as the turned to gaze out the window. "Right before his disappearance, Clark testified before the Grand Jury at my father's trial. His testimony kept my father from getting bail..." Lex trailed off, and it took a few moments before could continue, "My father tends to hold grudges."
"You don't think..." Lana began with a gasp.
Lex eyes darkened. "I've had the best detectives in the world scouring the planet for him," he said. "They've gone over the case thoroughly, and there's no trace of him. It's like he disappeared off the face of the Earth...and no one's better than my father at making people vanish."
Lana's mind froze as Lex finished speaking. Clark...dead...it was a thought that refused to be processed. Lana couldn't accept that the guy who'd saved her life so many times at the risk of his own was dead. Time was meaningless to Lana her mind repeated that thought over and over.
Lana was shaken from her frozen state when she heard Lex whisper softly, "If only I hadn't let him testify."
"Lex, you couldn't have known..." Lana began.
"I know my father's track record," Lex said, cutting her off. "I even warned Chloe about the danger."
"You mean your father was responsible for what happened to Chloe?" Lana said, shaking with sudden rage.
Lex turned and gazed at her steadily. "Do I have proof of that? No. But her death was for my father, as she was the one who found the evidence that put him away." There was an awkward pause, and then he added, "So, are you interested in running the Talon again?"
"I thought you sold it," Lana said.
Lex shook his head sadly. "When Emily Dinsmore escaped, she killed the buyer, so I ended up retaining ownership. Since I didn't have any interest in running the Talon on my own, I left it closed. However, now that you're back, I figured that you might want to consider running it again."
"Look, Lex..." Lana began.
"Lana, if this about finding someplace to stay, you can always use the apartment above the Talon," Lex suggested.
"Actually, I was planning on staying with Nell in Metropolis," Lana quickly explained. "I'm...not sure if I'm ready to come back to Smallville for good just yet."
Lex nodded in understanding. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."
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Pete nervously knocked on the Kents' front door. He hadn't been in Smallville for three months, and in that time had only spoken to them once, when Jonathan had called to tell Pete about Clark's disappearance at the caves. He had felt that they had been holding something back and now seemed as good a time as any to find out the truth.
The front door opened, and a tired looking Jonathan Kent said, "Pete, this is a surprise. What brings you by?"
"I was hoping to talk to you and Mrs. Kent, if that's ok," Pete said.
Jonathan smiled and nodded. "Please, come in," he said, opening the screen door.
Pete shook Jonathan's hand and walked into the house, and saw Martha sitting at the kitchen table. Her expression brightened upon seeing their visitor. "Pete, it's good to see you," she said as she gave the teenager a quick hug.
"Likewise, Mrs. Kent," Pete said as he took a seat. He swallowed nervously as he saw Jonathan and Martha sit at opposite ends of the kitchen table rather than next to each other. "Look, I know you guys told me what happened with Clark, but I got the feeling that you didn't tell me everything involved." Pete watched as, simultaneously, Jonathan's face took on a look of guilt while Martha's took on one of bitterness. "You guys trusted me with Clark's secret. You can trust me with whatever you're not telling me about what happened to him."
Martha snorted before saying, "Jonathan sold Clark out to Jor-El without a second thought." Before either of the others could speak, she said, "Excuse me," and briskly walked out of the room and upstairs.
As the door slammed shut, Jonathan winced. "We've barely spoken to each other since that day," he said sadly.
"What happened?" Pete asked.
Jonathan sighed. "When I went to bring Clark back from Metropolis last year, Jor-El agreed to temporarily give me Kryptonian powers if I agreed to his terms. He said that when the time came that I would have to send Clark back to him for his purposes." His eyes watered. "I knew that if I didn't make the deal, we'd never see Clark again. I had no idea that Jor-El would be coming for him so soon."
"You did what you thought you had to do, Mr. Kent," Pete said, trying to reassure him.
A tear trickled down Jonathan's cheek. "I just can't help but feel that I destroyed this family."
"Don't do this, Mr. Kent," Pete said. "Clark went through the same self-loathing, and he never really came back from it. You can't do the same thing."
"It's just that there's no way to get him back now," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "We don't even have the key anymore, not that I'm entirely sure that it would do any good even if we had it."
"So what can we do?" Pete asked.
Jonathan sighed and wiped his eyes before placing a hand on Pete's shoulder. "We need to have faith that somehow, Clark is going to pull himself out of this one on his own and come back to us."
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Lana walked slowly through the graveyard. She told Nell that she wanted to visit her parents and make another visit to Chloe's grave before driving back to Metropolis.
She knelt before her parents' grave. "Hi, Mom, Dad," she began. "I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've visited you guys. I've been in Paris for the last two months. I had a great time over there. I even met this great new guy, Jason. You'd probably like him." She choked back a sob before she said, "I hope that Chloe's there with you guys right now. Please keep an eye on her for me, and tell her that I miss her very much." Lana was silent for a moment or two before she got up and made her way to Chloe's grave.
As she approached Chloe's grave, she was a bit startled to see a figure already standing there. The light was dim and she was still far away enough that she couldn't distinguish any features of the figure. As she got within ten feet, the clouds overhead suddenly parted and moonlight shafted down onto the figure. Lana's breath caught in her throat and her eyes went wide with shock. After a moment, she managed to gasp out one word.
"Clark?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Rain poured down with a soft patter on top of the canopy. Thankfully, there was no wind to blow the rain into those gathered underneath the canopy. At the front of the group, a priest began to speak.
"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to honor a young woman whose life was tragically cut short," he began. "Chloe Sullivan lived each second of her life with a passion and zeal that inspired others to attain their potential. Though we must mourn her passing, we must never forget what she has done for the people that knew her best. And now, I'd like to open the ceremony to those of her friends who'd like to speak."
As the priest stepped back, Lana stepped up to the front. She laid a white rose on the coffin, and then turned to speak. "Having lived with Chloe for nearly two years, I got to know her pretty well," she said. "Whenever she was working on a story, she pursued it with determination. She had an inner fire, which swept up all those around her in the constant search for the truth. Her passion was an inspiration. Nothing stopped her from getting the truth." Lana cleared her throat. "But Chloe had another side, one that she hid beneath the professional aura she usually presented to the world. It was a side she didn't share with many people; a sweet, vulnerable girl who just wanted people to like her and what she wrote about. She was more than a best friend; I remember this one time when we were working on a genealogy assignment. We were supposed to present our family tree, and Chloe put me down as her sister. She considered me that, and I felt the same. Someone once said, 'friends are the family you can choose.' Chloe and I were family, and I'll miss her as long as I live." Lana's voice broke on a sob, and she walked back to her seat in tears.
From another section, Pete Ross stepped forward. As he was speaking, Lana looked around at the others gathered. Sitting on her right was Jason, and to her left sat Lex and Nell. On the other side of the seating sat Jonathan and Martha Kent. Lana's brow furrowed in puzzlement as she realized that not only had Clark not stepped forward to speak before she did, he wasn't even in attendance. Shivering, Lana knew that something was very wrong.
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Lana walked into the study in the Luthor Mansion. She immediately noticed a difference: the cabinet which usually held Lex's liquors was empty.
"I kind of lost my taste for alcohol," Lex said. Lana turned to find Lex sitting near the fireplace. "Please, sit down."
Lana walked forward and sat down across from Lex. "Personally, I'm surprised; you were quite the connoisseur."
"Well, that was before I almost died from it," Lex said with more than a hint of anger.
"My God...what happened?" Lana asked in a frightened voice.
"Let's just say old confrontations took new twists. Luckily, one of my security guards found me, and luckier still, he was a former EMT. He called 911, and kept me alive until the ambulance arrived. I spent two weeks in the hospital, and I gave him a new house," Lex said with the Smirk. "As I said before, the grand gestures were always easy for me. But let's change the subject. I'm glad to see you, Lana."
"Me too," Lana said somberly. "I only wish the circumstances were different."
"So, how was Paris?" Lex asked.
"It was a great experience," Lana said, smiling slightly. "The business school was a great place. I learned a lot there, and I think it's really going to help after graduation. Overall, I had a good time there."
"I'm glad to hear that," Lex said honestly.
"What about you, Lex?" Lana asked.
"Well, as of yesterday, I am now the majority shareholder of Luthorcorp," Lex said.
"Congratulations," Lana offered. "It seems like you got what you always wanted."
"Yeah, well, the cost was a lot higher than I ever thought it would be," Lex said, his voice slightly cold. "But enough about business...who was that guy you were with?"
"I met Jason at the business school while I was in Paris," Lana said. "His father is a high profile corporate lawyer in Metropolis, and Jason's looking to follow in his footsteps."
"Yes, I've done business with Mr. Teague," Lex said. "He's very skilled." Lex paused uncertainly. "Are you sure you're not on the rebound from a certain farm boy?"
Lana's eyes clouded with pain before she asked, "Speaking of whom, I didn't see Clark at the funeral today, and I didn't get to ask his parents about that because they left right after the funeral was over."
Lex's expression saddened as he said, "You mean no one told you?"
"What are you talking about?" Lana asked anxiously.
"Clark's been missing for two and a half months," Lex said quietly.
Lana visibly paled. "Do you think he ran away again?" she asked softly.
"I wish it were that simple," Lex explained as the turned to gaze out the window. "Right before his disappearance, Clark testified before the Grand Jury at my father's trial. His testimony kept my father from getting bail..." Lex trailed off, and it took a few moments before could continue, "My father tends to hold grudges."
"You don't think..." Lana began with a gasp.
Lex eyes darkened. "I've had the best detectives in the world scouring the planet for him," he said. "They've gone over the case thoroughly, and there's no trace of him. It's like he disappeared off the face of the Earth...and no one's better than my father at making people vanish."
Lana's mind froze as Lex finished speaking. Clark...dead...it was a thought that refused to be processed. Lana couldn't accept that the guy who'd saved her life so many times at the risk of his own was dead. Time was meaningless to Lana her mind repeated that thought over and over.
Lana was shaken from her frozen state when she heard Lex whisper softly, "If only I hadn't let him testify."
"Lex, you couldn't have known..." Lana began.
"I know my father's track record," Lex said, cutting her off. "I even warned Chloe about the danger."
"You mean your father was responsible for what happened to Chloe?" Lana said, shaking with sudden rage.
Lex turned and gazed at her steadily. "Do I have proof of that? No. But her death was for my father, as she was the one who found the evidence that put him away." There was an awkward pause, and then he added, "So, are you interested in running the Talon again?"
"I thought you sold it," Lana said.
Lex shook his head sadly. "When Emily Dinsmore escaped, she killed the buyer, so I ended up retaining ownership. Since I didn't have any interest in running the Talon on my own, I left it closed. However, now that you're back, I figured that you might want to consider running it again."
"Look, Lex..." Lana began.
"Lana, if this about finding someplace to stay, you can always use the apartment above the Talon," Lex suggested.
"Actually, I was planning on staying with Nell in Metropolis," Lana quickly explained. "I'm...not sure if I'm ready to come back to Smallville for good just yet."
Lex nodded in understanding. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."
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Pete nervously knocked on the Kents' front door. He hadn't been in Smallville for three months, and in that time had only spoken to them once, when Jonathan had called to tell Pete about Clark's disappearance at the caves. He had felt that they had been holding something back and now seemed as good a time as any to find out the truth.
The front door opened, and a tired looking Jonathan Kent said, "Pete, this is a surprise. What brings you by?"
"I was hoping to talk to you and Mrs. Kent, if that's ok," Pete said.
Jonathan smiled and nodded. "Please, come in," he said, opening the screen door.
Pete shook Jonathan's hand and walked into the house, and saw Martha sitting at the kitchen table. Her expression brightened upon seeing their visitor. "Pete, it's good to see you," she said as she gave the teenager a quick hug.
"Likewise, Mrs. Kent," Pete said as he took a seat. He swallowed nervously as he saw Jonathan and Martha sit at opposite ends of the kitchen table rather than next to each other. "Look, I know you guys told me what happened with Clark, but I got the feeling that you didn't tell me everything involved." Pete watched as, simultaneously, Jonathan's face took on a look of guilt while Martha's took on one of bitterness. "You guys trusted me with Clark's secret. You can trust me with whatever you're not telling me about what happened to him."
Martha snorted before saying, "Jonathan sold Clark out to Jor-El without a second thought." Before either of the others could speak, she said, "Excuse me," and briskly walked out of the room and upstairs.
As the door slammed shut, Jonathan winced. "We've barely spoken to each other since that day," he said sadly.
"What happened?" Pete asked.
Jonathan sighed. "When I went to bring Clark back from Metropolis last year, Jor-El agreed to temporarily give me Kryptonian powers if I agreed to his terms. He said that when the time came that I would have to send Clark back to him for his purposes." His eyes watered. "I knew that if I didn't make the deal, we'd never see Clark again. I had no idea that Jor-El would be coming for him so soon."
"You did what you thought you had to do, Mr. Kent," Pete said, trying to reassure him.
A tear trickled down Jonathan's cheek. "I just can't help but feel that I destroyed this family."
"Don't do this, Mr. Kent," Pete said. "Clark went through the same self-loathing, and he never really came back from it. You can't do the same thing."
"It's just that there's no way to get him back now," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "We don't even have the key anymore, not that I'm entirely sure that it would do any good even if we had it."
"So what can we do?" Pete asked.
Jonathan sighed and wiped his eyes before placing a hand on Pete's shoulder. "We need to have faith that somehow, Clark is going to pull himself out of this one on his own and come back to us."
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Lana walked slowly through the graveyard. She told Nell that she wanted to visit her parents and make another visit to Chloe's grave before driving back to Metropolis.
She knelt before her parents' grave. "Hi, Mom, Dad," she began. "I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've visited you guys. I've been in Paris for the last two months. I had a great time over there. I even met this great new guy, Jason. You'd probably like him." She choked back a sob before she said, "I hope that Chloe's there with you guys right now. Please keep an eye on her for me, and tell her that I miss her very much." Lana was silent for a moment or two before she got up and made her way to Chloe's grave.
As she approached Chloe's grave, she was a bit startled to see a figure already standing there. The light was dim and she was still far away enough that she couldn't distinguish any features of the figure. As she got within ten feet, the clouds overhead suddenly parted and moonlight shafted down onto the figure. Lana's breath caught in her throat and her eyes went wide with shock. After a moment, she managed to gasp out one word.
"Clark?"
TO BE CONTINUED...