Ch 22 – Kindred


Chloe surveyed the room that had been her domain for four years. Her gaze moved to the wall covered with the scraps of paper that had become her obsession. Soon she would have to close the door on this chapter of her life.

"Do you think you'll be able to see through the walls if you stare at them long enough?"

Chloe laughed and turned to face her cousin, who was leaning against the frame of the open door to the office.

"No, I was just thinking about what it's going to be like not coming here every day. There's no telling what will become of this paper once I'm gone."

Lois straightened and walked further into the room, sitting on the desk Chloe was standing next to.

"Have you thought about what your next move is going to be?"

"Actually, my cousin scored this plush internship with a big paper in Metropolis. I figured I would see if she could work some magic and drop my name to a few of the big wigs," Chloe replied with a wide grin.

"I'll do it in a heartbeat, Chlo. I would love to have you there with me!" Lois narrowed her eyes briefly and tilted her head. "I have a graduation present for you."

Chloe's brow creased. "It's a little early, don't you think? I mean, graduation is a month and a half away."

"I know, but I'm leaving tomorrow and I wanted to give you this before I left," Lois said, raising a large envelope into view.

Chloe accepted it and reached inside to pull out a stack of papers. "What is this?"

"Only what I consider to be the most important investigation of my life." Lois clasped her hands together and set them in her lap.

As she scanned the information on the top sheet, Chloe's smile faded and her eyes grew wide. With a slight tremble, she dropped the papers and the envelope onto the desk. She fumbled for the chair, pulling it out and slowly lowering herself into the seat.

As if frightened of what she would see, Chloe used a finger to slide the top sheet off of the stack, revealing a glossy print.

"Is that her?" Without thinking, Chloe lifted a hand and fiddled with a lock of hair; hair the same color as that of the woman in the photo.

Abruptly she stopped and faced Lois with a troubled expression. "How did you… Why?" Letting out a nervous laugh, she stood up, organizing the items on her desk into a pile. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I don't want to know."

With a shrug and a false exuberance, Chloe turned and made her way toward the far wall.

Lois glanced at the stack of papers and books Chloe had placed on top of the picture and frowned sympathetically. Rising from the desk she walked over to where her cousin was rearranging articles on the Wall of Weird. Lois placed a hand on her arm when she reached to move the same article for the fifth time.

"I don't think you mean that," she said softly.

You can't escape this Chloe. No woman in our family ever has. Chloe blinked against the echoes of a nightmare.

"There's a reason why I stopped looking for her, Lois."

"She's your mother, Chlo."

Chloe's hand tightened around the paper she was holding, causing it to wrinkle. "I think she relinquished that responsibility thirteen years ago." She waved a hand in the direction of the papers on the desk. "And from the sound of it, she's been out on her own for quite a while now. She didn't look for me- maybe it's best that way."

Lois took the article from her and pinned it to the wall, attempting to smooth the creases. "I don't know. She had just watched her sister die of cancer and had a nervous breakdown."

Lois's gaze grew distant as she wondered what type of reaction she would have had if she had been in the same situation. With The General off playing Captain America, her aunt had taken over everything: the girls, the hospital trips, the medicine… and eventually, the funeral.

"She might have been ashamed to come back to you after all those years. It was around the time your dad moved out here… maybe she couldn't find you. Those are questions you need to ask her."

Chloe noticed the wistfulness in her tone and realized that her mother was Lois and Lucy's last connection to their own loss.

"Have you… tried to contact her? I mean, just because I don't want to doesn't mean that you…can't."

Lois reached to tuck her hair behind her ear, subtly swiping at a threatening tear as she did so, and faced Chloe. "No. Of course not. She's your mom, Chloe. If you don't want to talk to her- that's your call. I'll follow your lead on this. My mom is gone. Nothing changes that, but you have a choice here."

Lois grabbed Chloe's hand and smiled. "I'm not saying that you should do anything. Just… think about it okay?"

Chloe frowned and nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, if you decide to forget all this and come to Metropolis, I'll do everything I can to make it work." Lois took a short breath and composed herself. "Now, I need to get back to the farm so I can pack the car with all my stuff. I head out pretty early in the morning. I wonder if I'll get a desk at The Planet. That would be so cool."

Chloe smirked. She knew it was more likely that Lois would see more copy room action than anything else.

"All right, well, I'll call you," Lois said as they embraced. "Bye, baby."

"Bye, Lo," Chloe responded with a quick squeeze.

After Lois had left the office, pulling the door closed behind her, Chloe walked to the desk and slowly uncovered the papers Lois had given her.

She didn't know what her next steps were going to be. She had been accepted to Met U and at the time when she'd gotten the news, it had seemed as if all her goals were on track. Ever since she had moved to Smallville, she had been counting the days until she could return to Metropolis… and one day, The Daily Planet.

She held up a piece of paper and studied it. She needed more time to consider it, but it seemed that her life journey was about to take a detour.

"Gotham City."


tbc