Smallville: Apartment above the Talon
9:46 A.M.
Sunday, July 4th
Bam. Bam. "Lana, are you in here?" Creak. Click. Click. Click.
"Oh my God!" Chloe Sullivan rushed to her best friend's side, shaking her awake.
"Lana? Lana, can you hear me?"
Lana groaned and then her eyes fluttered open. "Clark?"
"No, it's me, Chloe." Chloe grabbed Lana by the arm pits and helped her off the hard, cold floor. "What happened? Where's Clark?"
"Clark…" Lana blinked rapidly, remembering what had happened several hours ago. She gingerly rubbed her back that was sore from having fallen asleep on the hard wood floor.
"Oh my God—you've been raped!" Chloe exclaimed suddenly, running her hands through her hair. "The police! 911!"
"Chloe!" Lana said pulling Chloe on the sleeve of her purple funky shirt. She leaned against the counter until she regained her balance and feeling in her legs. "I haven't been raped."
"What?" Chloe stopped dialing 911 on her cell phone and put it back in her purse. "Then why were you lying on the floor? Why—where's Clark?"
"He─" Lana paused, knowing that if she said the inevitable, it would all be true.
"Lana? Are you crying?"
Lana broke out of her reverie and wiped frantically away at the tears that had formed almost instantly. "I'm fine, Chloe."
"Oh, I'm sure you are," Chloe said sarcastically. "You look just swell…standing there with a red nose and tears running down your cheeks. And you're eyes look lovely too—how is it that you get them so puffy and red?"
Lana gave a small smile and shook her head. "Oh, Chloe…it's awful…"
"It must be…I haven't seen you this upset since—well, since the day Clark left for Metropolis at the end of our sophomore year in high school." Chloe paused, then her eyes widened, really realizing what she just said. "Oh my God…there really is something wrong!"
At that, Chloe began running her hands through her already-messed-up hair again. She began pacing before long, Lana found herself following her with her eyes until she couldn't take it any longer.
"Chloe? Can you stop pacing?"
She stopped and turned around. "Lana, where's Clark?"
Lana swallowed. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. "He…he broke off the engagement. He's gone." Darn… Lana wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.
Chloe stood there, stunned. Finally, she said, "Well…here I am in your apartment…shocked that my two best friends have broken up. And yet, I don't buy the story entirely."
"What do you mean?" Lana sniffed and ran a hand through her tangled hair.
"I mean…you and Clark have been in love since—well, since I can remember." Chloe shook her head in disbelief. She leaned against the kitchen counter and studied Lana. "I don't believe—actually, I refuse to believe that it is over between you two."
"Chloe…I appreciate that you still believe in Clark and me…." Lana sniffed some more and accepted the tissue that Chloe had pulled out from her purse.
"Oh, Chloe…I said some awful things last night. Even if he changes his mind…I don't think he's coming back."
"Hey, I'm sure you both said some pretty idiotic things," Chloe said soothingly, rubbing Lana on the back, seeing that she had started crying again.
Lana sniffled and gave a sheepish laugh. "Look at me," Lana wiped at the tears and her eyes, "I must look terrible."
"Nothing a nice, warm cup of tea and some makeup can't cure," Chloe said in a motherly tone. "Hey…it's okay to feel and look like you've just finished a bout of the cold. Considering the circumstances…"
"Oh, Chloe…I did say some horrible things last night!"
"Whoa…relax." Chloe handed her another tissue and ignored her hiccups from crying too much. "It's not like you said you hated him or something." When Lana didn't answer, Chloe added, "Right?"
Lana bit her lip.
"Oh, Lana." Chloe gave her an empathetic look as Lana burst into tears again.
"What am I going to do, Chloe?" Lana wailed.
"You just leave that up to me." Chloe said firmly, adjusting her purse on her shoulder and spinning around, heading toward the door.
Lana stared after her with a puzzled look. "Where are you going?"
"To kill Clark," Chloe simply said, not turning around. "Are you coming or not?"
Smallville: Ross Household
11:51 A.M.
Sunday, July 4th
Bam. Bam.
"Chloe, maybe we should just go back…." Lana shivered slightly in the warm sun. Shadows circled her eyes and her eyes were still puffy and red. She had pulled her hair up in a quick pony tail back in the apartment and was about to cover the red blotches and dark circles with makeup when Chloe told her, "No—leave it. It'll help for the effect when I tell Pete what Clark did to you."
"Lana," Chloe began in a motherly tone—something that she was doing a lot of this morning, "We've searched practically everywhere in this darn town and we have yet to see neither hair nor tail of Clark Kent."
Lana sighed, knowing Chloe was right. The only place left to check was the Ross household and even if Clark wasn't hiding out in it, hopefully Pete would have some clue of where his best friend was.
"Yeah?" a male voice said.
Lana turned her attention to the now opened door and a blurry eyed Pete Ross.
"Hey, Pete," Lana said with a small smile. Lana noticed he was only in his boxers and quickly adverted her eyes away.
"At least have some decency to put some clothes on," Chloe said grumpily, although she hadn't lowered her eyes away.
"Fine." Pete shut the door and left Chloe and Lana looking at each other with puzzlement and amusement.
The door opened again and this time Pete was in a t-shirt and jeans. "I thought you were my parents. They left for the market a couple of hours." Pete explained, then glanced at Chloe. "And I thought you had left ages ago. What, did you forget something?"
"No, I didn't," Chloe snapped. "I─" Chloe glanced at Lana, "We came here to talk to you about a certain farm boy who also happens to be your best friend."
"Clark?" Pete said with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "What about him?"
"Chloe, he doesn't know anything…let's try calling the Kents again," Lana said, giving Pete an apologetic look.
"No, Lana!" Chloe said firmly.
"Chloe─"
"Hey!" Pete shouted over the bickering. "What's going on? Where's Clark?"
"You mean you don't know?" Chloe asked incredulously.
Pete shook his head and Lana felt her pent-up hope slipping away. Almost on cue, she let out a sniff.
Chloe gave her an encouraging smile and turned to Pete. "Pete…did something happen last night that could have possibly caused Clark to break off the engagement?"
Pete's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "He broke off the engagement?"
"Pete, please…if something happened last night…I want to know…." Lana said, controlling her voice, trying to keep it from going high.
Chloe shared a look with Pete.
"Well…I don't really remember…." Pete rubbed the back of his head and also sighed. "I was kinda drunk…." He cast his eyes downward with a look of guilt and shame written upon his face.
"Well, can you tell─" Chloe stopped in mid sentence and retrieved her vibrating phone from her purse.
Chloe mouthed sorry and Lana smiled at Pete to reassure him that she was fine; he had kept glancing at her and her tears.
"Hello?" Chloe asked, annoyed that someone had called at this moment. "It's Lois," she mouthed to Lana and Pete.
"What—wait, slow down!" Lana watched as Chloe's eyes widened and a look of concern was etched in her face. "Are you okay?"
A pause passed. "Right now? But, Lois, I'm in the middle of something—yes it is important!"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'll be there. Bye." She hung up and looked up to find Lana and Pete waiting for an explanation.
"Lois just took her lunch break and when she went back to her apartment to get something, she found it completely trashed." Chloe took a breath. "I'm so sorry to do this Lana, but─"
"Hey, say no more," Lana said. "Just make sure Lois is okay." She offered her friend a hug.
"Thank you so much, Lana." Chloe hugged her back. "I wouldn't even be going back now if Lois hadn't sound so freaked out….I promise I'll keep my eyes open for Clark on my way there."
Lana nodded and watched as Chloe ran to her cherry red car. Pete waved bye to her.
"Why don't you come inside?" Pete said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'll see what I can do to help you…."
Lana stepped in and was greeted by dozens of pictures of the Ross family. There were at least ten or so of Pete on the desk, shelves, and walls. Her eyes misted over as she spotted a picture of Pete and Clark in what looked like fishing gear, both with huge smiles on their faces.
"How old were you guys in this one?" Lana held up the picture.
"I think we were in 6th grade," Pete said, now grinning. "That was the time we went with Mr. Kent and my dad. I remember catching this big fish, but I couldn't carry it, so Clark offered to carry it for me all the way back to the tents." Pete smiled at the memory.
"That sounds like Clark," Lana said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Pete coughed and sat down on the couch. Lana took that as a sign that she should sit down too.
A few moments passed in silence before any of the two spoke up.
"Was he happy?"
"What?" Pete furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Clark, was he happy?" Lana repeated, finding a sudden interest in the Ross' worn carpet.
Pete sat up straighter and didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, he said, "Of course he was happy; he was with you."
Lana looked up to meet Pete's eyes and saw truth in them.
"Then, why did he break it off?"
Pete heaved a sigh. "I don't know, Lana. Everything that happened last night is blurry. I just remember bits and pieces of things…."
Lana looked at the carpet again and Pete noticed this.
"There was a fight," Pete said out of no where. "I think it was between this guy and Clark…."
"Was it somebody he knew? Somebody I knew?" Lana asked, alarmed. Maybe this was the reason he broke it off with me…maybe he had a brawl with one of my ex-boyfriends and they said something that must have gotten to him….
Pete shook his head. "Wait…I think it might have been someone familiar."
"Who?"
Pete closed his eyes; it almost looked like he was squinting. "Cobwell!"
"What?" Then, Lana suddenly remembered Clark mentioning something to her last night.
"Oh, Pete! I'm such an idiot…Clark mentioned Cobwell to me last night!" Lana cried. "It was Cobwell that he was fighting with."
"Cobwell must have said something that would get to him," Pete said slowly. "Man, why can't I remember!"
"Pete, don't beat yourself up over this…it's not your fault."
"Yes it is! Maybe if I hadn't drunk so much I wouldn't have needed to be super sped home by Clark—or—or maybe I could've said something to him to convince him that whatever Cobwell─"
"Pete! You're rambling."
Pete stopped and took a breath.
"Do you know where Clark could've gone?" Lana asked breathlessly. She had to find him—she just had to. To tell him that whatever Cobwell said didn't matter and she would always be in danger anyway because she was simply Lana Lang. And, she, Lana Lang, would always love him, Clark Kent.
"No…he might have gone to finish Cobwell off—I remember him being upset or worried over something." Pete said, squinting again.
Lana stood up suddenly. "Thank you so much, Pete." She gave him a quick hug. "I'm going over to the Kents now, and if they don't know where he is, I'm going to go to Metropolis," she said, with a determined countenance.
She nearly ran out of the house and toppled over Mr. Ross as he was getting out of his car. But, none of that mattered because Lana Lang was on a mission—a mission to find her first and only love.
"I'm sure you'll find him!" Pete yelled across the street as Lana ran like a mad woman to the Kent Farm.
