Note: I'm soo sorry for making you guys wait! It's not like I haven't had time to write…I've just been lazy. Hehe. Thanks for all yours reviews and your constant nagging for me to update. I'm too tired right now to edit this, so I apologize for any mistakes. Just let me know if you spot any. Another quick note: this chap takes place before Chloe's phone call. So, in other words, these are the events that are happening with Chloe and Lana in Metropolis at the same time Pete and Clark are hanging out. Sorry if it's confusing, but hopefully you'll get it.
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Metropolis: Gowns for a Princess (shop)
1:36 P.M.
Saturday, June 19th
Lana sighed wistfully at the mirror. She was wearing a strapless champagne colored wedding gown complete with a sparkling beaded midriff. It was a beautiful dress, too beautiful for her budget. Lana placed a hand on her midriff to smooth out the wrinkles that had formed by too many customers trying it on. If I only had another five-hundred dollars to add to my budget…
"Lana? Will you come out?" someone called from outside the fitting room door.
"Coming Nell," Lana said, smiling. She and Nell had a little heart to heart like Martha had suggested and they had come to an understanding.
Flashback
"Chloe…is it just me or is that my aunt standing in front of that store?" Lana whispered to Chloe. She, Chloe, and Martha were waiting for the light to turn into a little walking man so they could cross the street.
Martha, having heard what Lana whispered to Chloe, answered before Chloe could. "Yes, it is Lana."
Lana frowned when she noticed that Martha's expression was one of calmness. It's almost as if she knew... Lana thought suspiciously. "Mrs. Kent…"
"You can call me Martha or Mom, Honey," Martha said. "And, I invited Nell to come along."
Lana blushed, knowing she now had the right to call her Mom. "Wait—you invited her to come?" Lana asked with a hint of anger lacing her tone.
"Lana…I know that I shouldn't have without your permission," Martha began softly, "but don't you think this has gotten out of hand? I know for a fact that Clark doesn't want an unhappy aunt-in-law and I know you don't want to be at ends with Nell."
Lana opened her mouth to speak, but shut it. Martha Kent was right; she didn't want to be at odds with Nell; especially with the wedding so close. As mad as she was at her aunt, Lana knew the right thing to do would be to make up and agree to disagree. Lana looked up from the ground and found Martha waiting for her response. Lana simply nodded and sent her a weak smile. She definitely had her work cut out for her.
End Flashback
Lana reached for the door knob, turned, pushed, and stepped out of the too-small fitting room. She smiled nervously as Chloe looked up from a bridal magazine provided by the store.
"Oh, Lana! You look wonderful, Dear," Nell said, clapping her hands together in excitement.
"Not that you didn't look nice in the other dresses you tried on," Chloe added, rising from the chair.
Martha nodded, agreeing with Chloe. "You look lovely, Lana. I think this is the one."
Lana blushed, embarrassed with all the compliments. "I think this is the one too…but..."
"But what?" Nell asked, walking over to Lana and smoothing out the layers of champagne-colored fabric.
"It's too expensive," Lana said sadly, already turning toward the fitting room to take it off.
"What?" Nell and Martha said in unison. They glanced at each other before Martha nodded to let Nell speak. "Lana, I've been thinking…maybe I could buy your wedding dress for you," Nell began, but finish hastily when her niece started to protest. "Well, from what I've heard from Martha, you and Clark haven't been doing so well financially."
"Nell, that's really thoughtful of you, but─" Lana protested.
"Lana, I know how you and Clark like to do things on your own, but maybe this is one of those times where you could use a little help," Martha suggested. "You can always pay Nell back later; just think of it as a loan."
Lana bit her lip, deciding whether or not to take Nell up on her offer. If she did, she would have her dream dress. On the other hand, Nell would be able to use this against her in the future, saying how unfit she and Clark were for marriage. Although she and Nell had a talk, it didn't entirely convince Lana that Nell was in a hundred percent for this marriage.
Lana glanced at Chloe for her opinion who had surprisingly enough, remained quite silent through their shopping escapade; only voicing her opinions when asked and offering to run little errands such as getting a sales representative.
"Err…to be honest, Lana," Chloe began when she noticed Lana looking at her pointedly, "I think you should let Nell buy the dress for you. Your wedding's a month away and you still have a lot of things to plan. The extra money that you save on the dress could come in handy."
Lana sighed, knowing she had lost this round. In a way, she was happy Nell was willing to lend her money; it meant Nell and her were finally on the same tracks.
"I'll take that sigh as a 'yes' then?" Nell asked Lana.
Lana nodded and looked into the mirror next to the seat Chloe had been sitting in. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of walking down an isle scattered with white rose petals and Clark up at the alter waiting for her.
Lana snapped out of her daydream when Chloe's hand came into view.
"I thought I had lost you there, Lana," Chloe said, lowering her hand. "And what exactly was the lovely bride thinking about?"
Lana blushed, realizing Chloe had caught her once again in Clark land—not that that was a bad thing. Deciding to change the direction of the conversation, Lana replied, "So, where are Nell and Mrs. Kent?" She glanced around, not seeing them anywhere.
"Well," Chloe began, linking arms with Lana and leading her out of the fitting room, "they went to get that overly perky lady so that they could pay for the dress and arrange for altercations."
"Overly perky lady?" Lana asked; laughing as Chloe dragged her out into the other part of the store.
Roughly Two Hours Later
"Mmm…I normally don't go for raspberries, but this is actually good," Chloe said, taking a bite out of a raspberry pastry she had ordered from a nearby café.
She and Lana had decided to take a break from the tedious job of dress hunting and get a bite to eat since neither of them had eaten since the morning. Nell and Martha were still in the shop discussing altercations and the payment. It had taken a little over two hours for measurements for the altercations and Lana's arms were aching from having to hold them up so they could measure her bosom and waist.
Lana gave a small laugh and sipped her strawberry banana smoothie. "So how are things going with you and Paul?"
"Great, actually," Chloe said. "Paul's a great guy."
Lana nodded, biting her straw slightly. She remained silent for a few moments, playing with her straw. Finally, she set the drink down on the round table she and Chloe were sitting at. A pink umbrella shaded their heads from the Kansas sun.
"Chloe, is everything okay between you and Paul?" Lana asked as Chloe polished off the remains of her pastry.
After a few seconds of chewing, Chloe replied, "Yeah, he's been great. He's really determined to get the newspaper off the ground and onto the web. And, he's taking me to see that play right here in Metropolis."
"You mean Passionate Love?" Lana asked with her eyes wide. She had mentioned that play to Clark a few weeks back and he had rolled his eyes and called her a sap. "Wow…he seems perfect," Lana commented.
"And I know you're dying to add 'but not as perfect as Clark Kent' somewhere in there," Chloe said with a smirk.
Lana laughed and said, "But seriously Chloe, everything's okay between you and him?"
"Yeah…he couldn't be any better…it's just that…" Chloe trailed off. She began again when she saw Lana's confused expression. "There are no sparks, you know? At least for me there isn't."
Lana nodded, understanding. It had been that way with Whitney and Jason too. They were all nice guys, but no sparks.
"Well, if you don't feel the same way about him then you have to tell him," Lana said thoughtfully. "It's only fair to him."
"Yeah I know that, but can I tell him after he takes me to Passionate Love?"
"Haha…Chloe you're too much," Lana said, taking a sip from her smoothie.
Another moment of silence befell on the two friends. Then, Chloe spoke up. "So…Lana…about the sleeping arrangement you have going on…"
Lana blushed, knowing what was coming. "Chloe, Clark and I have not had sex, if that's what you're thinking."
"Okay," Chloe said, taking a sip of her coffee. Her face clearly said she didn't believe Lana. "You know, Lana, it would be okay if you had…I mean most people in their late teens and early twenties have already had sex."
Lana sighed. "I know Chloe, and Clark and I aren't one of them. I told Clark that I wanted to wait…and so far he's been wonderful about it."
Chloe nodded. "Okay, I believe you, Miss Chaste."
"Good," Lana said quietly.
"So, have you decided when your bridal shower's gonna be?" Chloe asked.
"To be honest, I've completely forgotten about it," Lana admitted, raising a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I'll have it on the day Clark's having his bachelor party."
Chloe raised an eyebrow and said, "You're letting him have one?"
"Of course…I mean it's only fair, right?" Lana asked uncertainly. She looked to Chloe for her opinion.
"Well…let's just say guys have a much harder time controlling themselves around strippers who are willing to throw themselves out to them," Chloe commented. "And if Pete's the one throwing the party, I'm sure it's going to be a riot."
Lana's stomach churned at the thought of women dressed in scanty clothing throwing themselves at Clark. Maybe even giving him a lap dance…Lana thought with a scowl.
"Whoa, Lana, I'm sure you don't have to worry though," Chloe quickly said when she saw Lana scowl. "Clark's been in love with you ever since he saw you. God only knows how many times he's told me."
Lana smiled, feeling a little better. She normally wasn't the jealous type, but when it came to Clark, things were flipped. "Thanks Chloe."
"Hey, don't thank me. I'm not the one in love with you," Chloe said with a smirk. "Although, I do love you as a friend though. That's why I'm planning your bridal shower."
"Aww…really?" Lana asked, getting out of her seat of giving Chloe a friendly hug. "Thank you!"
"Hey, no problem," Chloe said, giving Lana a pat on the back. "You're my best friend, Lana. Just think…in a month my two best friends are getting married…"
Lana pulled away from their embrace to see Chloe with teary eyes. "Oh Chloe…don't cry…you're gonna make me cry!"
Chloe laughed and stood up. "It's not even the day of the wedding and we're already crying…"
"Why don't we save our tears for the wedding then?" Lana suggested; throwing her empty smoothie cup into the trash can. "I think it's about time we head back now."
Chloe glanced at the clock on her cell phone and nodded. "Yeah, the traffic's gonna be a bear right now; it's rush hour. You think we should just wait or do you want to head back to Smallville now?"
"Oh, you don't need to come with us, Chloe," Lana said hastily as they walked down the sidewalk, dodging people. "Martha brought her car so that you could skip the three hour ride back." When Chloe didn't reply, she glanced at her and found her looking behind them. "Chloe, what are you looking at?"
Chloe shook her head and grabbed Lana's arm, pushing her way into the crowd. Lana waited for a few "excuse us" to be muttered then looked to Chloe for an answer to her previous question.
"I think someone is following us," Chloe whispered to Lana, ushering her closer. "The man in the long overcoat."
Lana whipped around, her heart pounding. Who could be following them and why? "Chloe…how do you know he's following us? He could be stalking anyone next to us."
"Lana, who in their right mind would wear a long overcoat on a nice summer day?" Chloe questioned, glancing behind her shoulder. "And I saw him tailing us at the café too…I just didn't want to say anything to worry you."
Lana's breathing quickened its pace as flashbacks of being tied up in a burning building and other 'damsel in distress' moments came into her mind. "Chloe, why would he be following us for?"
"I don't have the slightest clue. Why don't we just worry about losing him, okay?"
Lana nodded, feeling numb. "So what's the plan?"
Chloe leaned in closer so that no one would be able to hear them. "I think we should split up to find out if he's tailing one of us or both of us."
Lana was about to argue back, but the part of her that wasn't scared reasoned with her. Chloe had a point. "Okay, so how is this going to work? We just run in opposite directions?"
"Something like that," Chloe said, almost bumping into a man holding hands with his young daughter. "Just make it subtle so he doesn't know that we know he's tailing us."
"What─" Lana appeared baffled as Chloe waved to her and ran across the street, getting several honks from the drivers stuck in traffic. Lana then realized it was all part of an act to throw the man off their trail. She continued down the sidewalk, trying not to look too worried or anxious. Every few steps she would turn around and check if the man was following her, but the crowd obscured her view. Finally, on the sixth try, she managed to pick him out of the large Saturday crowd. His head was bent, protected by the coat collar and the coat was pulled tightly on him. From the movies and TV shows she had seen, his appearance fitted quite well with his supposed motives.
Hmm…time to play with this a little... Lana glanced back once more then stepped into the throng of people proceeding to cross the street. She couldn't see Chloe due to the mass of people. A quick look back told her that the man was still tailing her.
Lana took several deep breaths and fumbled with her purse. "Damn!" Lana accidentally let out as her phone slipped out of her purse and onto the crosswalk. She quickly bent down to retrieve it, checking for any permanent damages. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the last of the mob pass by her, leaving her to dash the rest of the crosswalk just as the signal changed to a red hand.
Lana flipped open her cell phone dialed Chloe's number. It seemed like an eternity before Chloe finally picked up.
"Lana─"
"Chloe, he's after me," Lana said, cutting her off. Now wasn't the time for formalities.
"What? Are you sure? Where are you?"
"I'm at 13th Street." Her voice was shaking and so was the hand holding the phone up to her ear. Why is it always me?
"What? Lana…can't…hear….you," came out of the phone as Lana stared at it in disbelief. Her eyes scanned the batteries at the top of the screen and to her relief found it three fourths full. She brought the phone back to her ear and tried again. "I'm at 13th Street, Chloe." Lana glanced around her and sure enough the man was still there, following her every step of the way down the path. "Hurry Chloe!"
"Lana…" More static then "you!" Lana dropped the phone from her ear and flung it helplessly to the ground. The phone must have been damaged from the drop.
13th Street was less crowded than its neighboring streets. Maybe it was because garbage lay on the walkway or the shops lining the streets were out of business. It certainly looked less glamour less than its neighbor who was filled with all sorts of shops that man could come up with. Or, maybe it was just the fact that a potentially dangerous-looking man in a long overcoat was stalking a beautiful raven haired woman on 13th Street.
Footsteps could be heard behind her as Lana tried not to break into a run. Just stay calm and hope that Chloe's on her way…with Clark, Lana added. Lana gasped as the footsteps behind her got closer and louder.
Oh my God! Clark! Lana screamed mentally as she broke into a run, giving away her advantage. To be completely honest with herself, Lana didn't know why she was so freaked out. A man was following her—so what? Perhaps he was tailing her because she had forgotten something back at the café and wanted to return it to her. The coat and the upturned collar could mean nothing. Yet—there was something about the man that seemed sinister.
"Ahh!" Lana came to a halt as the man appeared in front of her. How the heck did he do that? Lana thought, but another voice chastised her for coming up with such a question at a time like that. The only time Lana had seen someone do that was Clark when he used his superpowers. Don't tell me he's another alien in love with me?
"Lana Lang?" the man said gruffly as he reached out his arms and proceeded to grab her. Lana, however, wasn't having any of that.
She swiftly executed a move that she had learned many years ago from self defense classes. Her infamous spin kick that, still to this day, Clark teased her about. To her surprise, her foot connected with thin air and the man was gone from her view.
"Wha─" Lana said, but it abruptly turned into a high pitched shriek as she felt hands from behind cover her mouth. No! Not this time! Lana squirmed in her captor's arms and eventually got loose.
"Hold still and don't scream! I won't hurt you!"
Lana's heart stopped when she heard the man utter those words. What? Then, realizing he couldn't read her mind, she whispered, "What do you want from me?"
The man gave a cold laugh and said, "I want to know where Lex Luthor is hiding."
Lana was now facing the man; his hand had a strong grip on her arm, stopping her from running. Was he another meteor induced freak? Maybe that was how he managed to super speed… Then, she realized a question had been asked and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about," which, was the entire truth.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" he screamed and shook her violently. "Your boyfriend must have said something to you! He's friends with Lex Luthor!" His eyes were now red and his face was thrust too close to hers. Lana could smell his foul breath and for the first time noticed scales on his face. Scales and super speed... Lana thought back to Clark's description of the man who had attacked Lex Luthor. Could it be him…?
"Where is he!" the man cried again. "He must have told you something!"
Lana had figured out that the 'he' he was referring to must be Clark. But, how did he know about Clark and that she was his fiancé? "I—I don't know what you're talking about─"
"Yes you do!" The man yelled in her face. He then glanced around then proceeded to drag her into a nearby alley. Lana kicked and squirmed some more, but this time, he wasn't letting go. Once they entered the darkness and protection of the alley, the man said, "Are you not Lana Lang, the girlfriend of Clark Kent? I saw a picture of you two on the table! I saw Clark Kent in Lex Luthor's office and don't you dare tell me they aren't friends! I want—need to know where Lex Luthor is, dammit!"
Lana wasn't sure if the man was delusional or sick, but one thing was for certain: he was getting agitated—agitated enough to hurt someone. And that someone could be her. Lana took a deep breath and tried to calm him down. "Look, I swear I have no idea where Lex Luthor is," Lana said bravely and hastily continued when she saw the angered expression on his face, "but, I know where Clark Kent is. Maybe he knows something─"
"Don't you be playing with me," the man said, interrupting her.
Lana shook her head and attempted to the keep the fear from showing on her countenance. "I'll get Clark if you just let me go─"
"How the hell do I know if you're coming back?" he said roughly, eyeing her suspiciously.
Lana cringed, knowing if he didn't fall for this she would be a goner. At least, if she got free, she could find Clark and somehow he could figure out a way to help the man. "You can trust─"
"No!" the man yelled suddenly, causing Lana to draw back. "You're lying!"
"No, I'm not─" Lana began, but was once again cut off him. Instead of a verbal interruption, it was a physical one.
Lana fell to the ground, her cheek stinging from the slap that had just been delivered. Lana brought a hand up to her face and found it burning. That would definitely leave a mark. As mad as she was at the man for hitting her, she was more afraid. He had super speed and it seemed like he had super strength. He had the upper hand.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way, but I can't let you go now," the man said, hovering above her. Lana frantically tried to scramble to her feet, but he placed a hand around her neck, suffocating her. "You know too much…"
"Please…" Lana choked, beginning to feel black enter the corner of her vision. Not like this… Lana flailed her arms hopelessly in the air, trying to push him off, but he was too heavy.
Suddenly, he let go, leaving Lana gasping for air. The face that loomed over hers was filled with anger and anguish. For a moment, Lana could glimpse a hint of sorrow in his features, but that instantly replaced by a cold, malevolent sneer. His sneer bared fangs that caused Lana to let out an unplanned gasp.
Almost in slow motion, the man lowered his head to her neck, his fangs bared. Again, Lana tried to throw him off her, this time with her legs, but it was useless. Tears were now streaming down her flawless face. This was it; the end. Lana knew that soon enough she would know no more, feel no more. Clark… With the last of her breath, she called out, "Clark!" praying that he would somehow hear her.
"Your boyfriend can't save you now," the man said, chuckling. Then, with a wild cry, he struck and Lana Lang knew no more.
