Calling of the blood Part 8: Fallout

Chloe lay with her chin resting on her arms, looking Clark in the face as he slept, and smiled. They had stopped short of crossing 'that' line, but it was clear to Chloe that Clark felt the same for her as she did for him.

"What are you looking at?" Clark asked, his eyes open only a few millimeters.

"I'm watching you sleep. That fight must have taken a lot out of you."

"It was pretty intense there. You seem to be handling it OK."

"Didn't need to do that much. Just redirected electricity where I wanted it and watched the results."

"You make it sound so easy." Clark stretched before wrapping his arms around his new girlfriend. "What time is it?"

"A little after 6 pm… What time are your folks due home?"

"About seven, depending on how things went at the Farmer's Market."

"Are you going to tell them what happened? About us?"

"I don't see how I can't. They already know about me and the meteor freaks, so they should be able to handle the rest."

"Ok, you tell them and I'll tell Lana about us."

"Maybe I should…"

"We live together Clark. I think it would be best if I told her. I'll leave out things like 'aliens' and 'superheroes', but she deserves to know that we're together."

"What about your dad?"

"He's known how strange the world is for a long time, so he can handle the truth about you. The idea of you dating his only daughter on the other hand…"

"That'll be fun."

"Hey, he was married to my mother. He'll handle it." Chloe rolled off the old sofa and stood up. "I feel different… better."

"So do I," Clark smiled, playing with Chloe's hair. "I'll phone you later. My parents will want to give you 'The Talk' about how much of a responsibility it is to keep my secret."

"Yeah?" Chloe laughed, electricity dancing between her outstretched fingertips. "Maybe I'll give them an example of what I can do."


Clark was sitting at the dinner table when his parents came in.

"Any news on Chloe?" Martha Kent asked.

"Yeah. She's fine," Clark nodded. "She knows about me."

"What happened?" Jonathan looked worried.

"It's very complicated." Clark looked up at his parents. "You'd better sit down…"


Chloe sat on her bed with her head resting on her knees. Lana had taken the news very badly, locking herself in the bathroom and refusing to come out.

Gabe Sullivan had taken things a little easier but was still a little shaken about how much danger Chloe had been willing to put herself in. He had sat her down for over an hour and told her the few stories he knew of her mother's past, including how she won her VC. Chloe could tell it was painful for her father to relive the past he'd been forced to give up, but it had helped the two of them grow closer.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Lana slowly stepped through.

"Lana…" Chloe jumped to her feet.

"No." Her friend shook her head, "It's ok Chloe, I understand. Things have never worked out between Clark and me, and I guess I know why. The two of you have been friends for as long as I can remember, and that is the sort of connection I could never get in the way of."

"We never set out to hurt you. Clark wanted to be the one to tell you, but I said it would be fairer on you if I did."

"Thank you, and I know that you didn't do this to hurt me. I've decided to take the scholarship in Paris…"

"Lana, you don't have to go to France, not because of this…"

"No, it's the best thing, for everyone. I've wanted to go ever since they offered me the place, but the only things holding me back was fear and Clark Kent. Lex helped me get over the fear, and I can safely say that Clark Kent is out of the equation."

"It still feels like I'm pushing you away."

"You're not, really. I can't stay in Smallville my entire life. It's like a safety blanket, a link to what I lost. I can't live my entire life in the shadow of my parents' death."

"You'll always have a home here…" Chloe was interrupted by her cell-phone going off. She looked at the screen, and was surprised to see the name Snow. "It's work. I'd better take it." She flipped the phone open as she walked out onto the landing. "Yes?"

"Chloe, I've sorted everything out with the hospital and Sheriff's office." Elijah sounded pleased with himself. "All it took was paying for an entire new wing for Smallville Medical Centre."

"You can afford it." Chloe looked out a window. "That reminds me. You were executer of my mother's will. I believe that most of her estate was to be held in charge until it could be handed over to the 'appropriate person'?"

"You've been talking to Angie."

"No, my mother told me. You can ask Jeroen for the details. I think we can agree that I qualify as the appropriate person?"

"I'll have the papers drawn up immediately. Jenny was a very wealthy individual…"

"The money goes to my father. He needs it more than I do. I'm more interested in her personal effects: diaries, photos, keepsakes, anything that might help me understand her better."

"Most of those are still in her house in London. I can arrange a jet to take you over there if you like."

"As soon as possible. And I want to see her grave."

"That can be arranged."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Now if you don't mind, I'm expecting another call."


For some reason, the prospect of having to face Martha and Jonathan Kent filled Chloe with more dread than facing off against Leather and Greene the day before. She slowly drove along the road leading to the farmhouse, wishing there was some other way.

Clark was waiting for her at the end of the garden path, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey," Chloe hugged him, enveloping herself in the warm feeling of his body.

"Hey you." Clark returned the hug, placing a kiss on Chloe's head. "You ready for this?"

"What part? The 'you must keep Clark's secret' talk, or the 'now you're going out you have to remember to be careful' talk I got from my dad last night?"

"Your dad gave you that talk?"

"He remembers what my mother was like. I think I might have been channelling her a bit that time with the plant spoors."

"So you're not normally that, forward?"

"In your dreams, farm boy! I've waited too long for this to risk it by going too fast."

"I can live with that. You ready for this?"

"No, but I've got to face them sometime." Chloe started to walk towards the house. "One more thing… do you have a passport?"


The sun was setting as Chloe and Clark made their way out across the fields towards the caves, arm in arm.

"That went better than I expected," Chloe said after a while. "Although I can't help but feel that your dad still isn't happy that I know."

"He's just unhappy that so many people know now. You trust Elijah to keep quiet?"

"You just leave Elijah Snow and his friends to me. I know enough of their own little secrets to keep them quiet."

"Still channelling your mother?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes, if I concentrate, I can pick up fragments of memory from her life."

"Anything about you?"

"Love, only love."

"I'm happy for you." Clark stopped at the entrance to the caves. "You ready for this?"

"No, but it's something we're going to have to deal with at some time." Chloe switched on the torch she was carrying. "He is your father, after all."


"Who is this?" Jor-El asked from within the wall, "Why have you brought her here?"

"Her name is Chloe Sullivan," Clark explained, "and I love her."

"Unacceptable!" Jor-El bellowed, the entire cave shaking. "This is not the destiny I have set out for you…"

"Still the same old stuck-up tosser you always were." Chloe stepped forward, her voice changing to a thick London accent. Her eyes were glowing, and her hair was standing out, streams of electricity flowing between the strands. "Hello sunshine, remember me?"

"Impossible!" Jor-El sounded shocked and scared. "Jenny Sparks is dead!"

"That may be, but part of me lives on in my daughter's body, and I will not have you talk to her like that. You know what I could do, so you know what my daughter is now capable of."

"NEVER!" A beam of energy shot out of the wall, aimed straight at Chloe. It struck her in the chest, but rather than hurting her, it flowed over her body.

"Nice try," Jenny laughed. "Let's see how much you like it!"

A blinding white light filled the room as electricity flowed out of Chloe's body. It played across every surface like snakes, sending sparks everywhere. More energy flowed out of the wall, only to be met with another surge from Chloe.

"Stop it!" Clark yelled as loud as he could.

The maelstrom of energy died down.

"That's better!" Clark shook his head. "This isn't what Chloe or I want. You can't run our lives for us, either of you. If we do have a destiny, then we'll find out what it is on our own."

"You do not understand how important you will be," Jor-El protested.

"Maybe I don't, and maybe I'm beginning to." Clark looked at the changing images on the wall. "My eyes are open to how strange this world is, and for the first time, I'm beginning to understand my part in it all. This isn't your world, and you can't rule it from beyond the grave." He turned to look at Jenny. "And you above all people should know how important it is for Chloe to find her own way."

"He's right you know," Jenny admitted. "This isn't our world, not anymore."

"You may be right, but only time will tell," Jor-El admitted. "I will think on this." The carvings on the wall returned to normal.

"We have to let them make their own mistakes," Jenny pointed out, before turning back to Clark. "You look after my daughter. I did a lot of things in my life that I'm not proud of. Chloe is one of the few things I can look back on with pride.

"I love Chloe and would never do anything to hurt her," Clark nodded.

"You'd better not." Jenny smiled as she relinquished control of her daughter's body. Chloe fell like a puppet with the strings cut.

"Chloe!" Clark managed to grab her before she hit the floor. "Are you ok?"

"My head hurts…" Chloe moaned. "What happened? What I miss?"

"Nothing much. Your mom just made a little appearance. I have the feeling that she and my father knew each other." Clark kissed her. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Yeah," Chloe grinned, "but it's not something I'm ever going to grow tired of…"

To Be Continued…