Thanks so much for the reviews!!!!
And like I said this is a long story (this is the first part) so be patient with the different stories, I will be managing like three at the same time so enjoy! And for the same reason, expect the not so unexpected.
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"No, no, its not time yet" Lionel was speaking into the phone. "I know you want him involved, no, don't get me wrong Mr. Church, he will be. He seems a little distracted lately, yes he runs his own company, no, he chose a long time ago, now his choice just need reinforcement" he got up and started pacing. "don't worry Mr. Church, I will get him to cooperate, yes, goodbye" he put the phone in its place and looked up at the approaching intruder.
"Planning on manipulating yet someone else, father'" Lex walked in, having heard the last bit of conversation, his word filled with bitterness.
"No, no manipulating, just some teaching." He sat back down. "sometimes people just need a little push towards the lane they already chose." His ever so present condescending tone was the last straw for Lex's overworked mind and emotions.
"So you call it teaching sleeping with your son's girlfriend or buying her out?" his emotions over his past love failures surfacing. His tone was steel cold. His clear eyes seemed to get an eerie transparent look to it.
"My son, my son." He got up and stood in front of Lex. "After all this time you haven't understood. Every woman has a weakness and that weakness will become her mate's weakness. One must know that weakness before it becomes your own and destroy you."
He put a heavy hand on the younger man's shoulder. "you were too blind to see those weaknesses, but I wasn't, and that only made me stronger and you weaker." He put a hand up to stop the mad word that were about to come out of his son's mouth. "remember that son, you have to be the hunter, not the prey. I hear you are taking our dear Chloe out to dinner." Her name on his lips made Lex shiver with anger and disgust.
"Why father, can't wait to find her weakness too? Or are you afraid she might not have one, or have you already found it huh, in your bed maybe?" Lex's face was beginning to turn uncharacteristically red.
"Careful son, don't ever lose control. Chloe has been working for me long enough for me, and you too, to know that she doesn't have the kind of weakness you so much like." He laughed as he walked back to his desk, glancing at his watch on his way there. "its getting late, don't you have a date to attend to?" that was the sign of dismissal, Lex had calmed down a bit but not enough. Without a word he marched out of the large office.
Gabe Sullivan looked up from his book as the sound of his daughter humming filtered his room. Maybe he was wrong and it was the radio, but curiosity got the best of him and he walked out of his room and into the hallway. Yes, it was definitely coming from Chloe's room.
"Chloe?" he knocked softly at her door.
"Hold on dad. Coming!" her chirpiness loud in her voice and tone. She opened the door with a smile.
"What are you doing?" More out of curiosity than to know. He looked past her into her bedroom, several dresses were sprawled on her bed. Now he was worried. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just getting ready for a business meeting." She said trying to sound bored.
"Business, huh?" he rubbed his chin. Well maybe he shouldn't complain, after all it had been months since he had seen her this cheerful about anything. If a business meeting with the boring Luthors made her happy, he wasn't one to get in the way. "okay, when where you planning on telling your father?" he added half joking.
"Oh, sorry dad, it was kind of spur of the moment kind of thing." Oh no, she was rambling. Why was she so excited anyway? "But I being picked up at eight, and I don't know when I will be back."
"Just try to make it back before midnight. It is a school night and I am counting on your homework and such being done, right?" he took his role as the worried-for-her-responsibility dad quickly enough.
"Yeah, everything is done. I hope it doesn't take that long though, I really have to get some sleep for finals." She was suddenly lost in thought.
"Well I won't keep you, have fun," he laughed. "sorry, don't have fun, it's a business meeting after all." He made a sour face that made Chloe laugh as he retreated down the hallway to his room.
"Yeah, just business" she repeated to herself for the fifth time that day.
"So, what is going on man!!!" Pete stopped his walk and turned to face Clark. They had left The Talon and were walking on the dusty road. When he had made sure they were alone he rained his questions on Clark. "what was that all about? Why are you sweating? Why did you not speed out of here?" Clark laughed at his friends rambling.
"Whoa hold on Pete. Don't plan on answering all your questions right now, just be glad to know that I am powerless, I have a date with Lana tonight, and I haven't felt better in ages." He gave him his broad smile and kept on walking.
"Wait you gave up your powers to be with her??" Pete was exasperated and Clark didn't understand why.
"Well not exactly, maybe if you put it that way." He sputtered at the unexpected reaction of his friend.
"That is so like you isn't." he sighed and continued. "I never told you this, but I think you are so lucky, you have some special talents man, you can help people, you have a clear way ahead of you and you don't see it that way. You have lived here so long that instead of doing something to help us "earthlings" all you can think about is being one of us. Well you are not one of us Clark, you are more than us. You, man, you can do so much," he let out an exasperated grunt. "you may be our only salvation and you don't even care." His eyes went from angry to sad to frustrated. He let out another sigh and walked away. Leaving a distraught Clark behind him.
"Its not forever!" he screamed, trying to justify himself. Suddenly feeling that maybe this wasn't going to be so great after all. It was going to be a long walk home.
The sun was still bright in the sky even though it was already six o'clock. Martha was preparing dinner and Jonathan was out in the barn finishing up the days chores. The first day of the work week was coming to an end, yet there were still so many things left to add to the memoirs of that day.
Martha looked up through the kitchen window just in time to catch a slow paced, sweaty and distraught Clark walking up to the front porch. "Oh my God, she whispered as she hurried to meet him at the door.
She opened the door and immediately knew something was wrong. He looked up at her with a reassuring smile. "I'm okay mom, I just need some water, I am really thirsty." She rushed to the kitchen for the water leaving him alone in the living room. He sat down and let out a long sigh. Pete seemed to know more about his place in this worlk that he did himself. That bothered him, but decided to fully enjoy these 7 days without secrets to hold back, then he would deal with Pete. Now he had to deal with his mom.
"Here it is" she handed him a cold glass of water and looked at him with a worried look on her face as he gulped it down. She took the empty glass and waited for him to talk.
"I went down to the cellar this morning and this time a woman appeared, seemed to be my mother, I don't know." Martha sat quietly taking in her son's words. "Point is she gave me one week of no powers, just me. Said it was to prepare me for what was to come or something like that." Even his perfect memory was suffering from the lack of kryptonian strength. Martha let out a tortured breath.
"Clark, I don't know what to say, but I do know what your father is going to say. Look, just stay away from danger okay? Don't want to lose you just because of some. oh forget it." She was mad, he could sense it.
"I have a date tonight" he said trying to lessen the tension that was building up in the room. "With Lana" he finished, searching her face for any sign of approval. "Really, well enjoy son, just don't hurt her again okay?" she managed a smile as she got up and pulled herself away from Clark and dragged herself back into the kitchen.
"Way to go Clark, you should have known this wasn't going to be easy." He chided himself as he laid back into the couch, trying to regain some strength from the long walks under the sun he put himself through that day.
Besides, he had a date to plan.
next chapter: Bittersweet