Chapter 10 - Visitor
-- Metropolis – July 2010 --
"Hey, CK," Jimmy said, plopping down in the visitor's chair next to the desk just as Clark returned from lunch. "You will never guess who I ran into today!"
Clark reached for the keyboard to log in, and glanced at his young friend, smiling at his excitement.
"Well, aren't you going to guess?" Jimmy asked.
"Sorry, let's see…" Clark tapped his chin, pretending to be in deep thought. "I have no idea."
Jimmy groaned in exasperation. "Oh, never mind. I'll just tell you. Vicki Vale." Jimmy sat, nodding his head, waiting for Clark's excitement to match his own.
Clark shrugged indifferently and turned back to his computer. "Who is that?"
Jimmy's jaw fell open and he jumped up from the chair. "Dude, I know you're married and all, but that doesn't mean you can't look. Vicki Vale…" he said as he commandeered Clark's keyboard and entered a few keystrokes. "…Is only the best looking journalist I have ever seen, except for Lois."
Jimmy stopped short, realizing what he just said. "I mean, not that I was looking at Lois or anything. Because she's taken… by you. Anyway," he said, avoiding Clark's look as he turned back to the computer. "This is her."
Clark swallowed heavily as he saw the woman in the picture. Jimmy misinterpreted his reaction.
"I know, right?" Jimmy asked, grinning.
"Where did you get this picture?"
Jimmy's grin faltered. "Uh, I was the one who had to make her guest pass. I just remotely accessed my folder on the network to show it to you. It's not like I'm keeping it on my computer to look at later..."
The phone on the desk began ringing, and Jimmy's face brightened. Seeing the possibility to escape the awkward situation, he pointed to it.
"I should give you some privacy," he said, backing away from the desk.
Clark glanced at the image on the computer monitor as he reached for the phone. The hair was longer and the face was leaner, but it was definitely Chloe Sullivan.
"Jimmy," Clark called, causing the young man to turn around. "Where did she go?"
Jimmy smiled and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "She's in with Perry."
Clark pulled the phone to his ear and used the mouse to close the photo. "Clark Kent."
"Do you think you could step into my office, please," Perry requested.
"Yes sir. I'll be right there." Clark rose from his seat quickly. It was out of character for Perry to not yell his demands across the newsroom. He wondered if it was a bad sign.
"Clark? What are you doing here?" Chloe demanded, jumping up to hug him.
"Uh, Vicki?" Clark asked smiling.
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "Long story."
Perry cleared his throat. "Miss Sullivan is here to see Lois." He sent Clark a pointed look. "I figured that this was a family affair."
Clark released a slow breath and nodded. This was going to be difficult.
Clark closed the door to the conference room.
"Family affair?" Chloe asked. "I know he was a little strange when we last saw him in Smallville, but I figured he'd straightened out if he was the EIC at The Planet. He does know that I'm Lois's cousin, not yours, right?"
Clark responded with a weak laugh.
Chloe was unfazed and continued talking. "Man, you were the last person I expected to see. When did you get back?"
"A couple of months ago," Clark replied. Unsure of how to broach the topic of Lois's disappearance, he decided to delay it. "What's this about Vicki Vale?"
"It's funny how your life doesn't go quite the way you expect it to," Chloe began.
No kidding, Clark thought.
"Vicki Vale is a top notch photo-journalist on her way to a major paper in Gotham City. She's beautiful, popular, professional… and an alternate identity."
Clark cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Alternate identity? Haven't you been in Gotham all this time?"
"No. I haven't been to Gotham in four years." Chloe scrunched her nose at Clark's perplexed expression. "I went to Gotham U for a year, and everything was going just the way I planned. Lois and I were challenging each other to be the first to a Pulitzer, and I'd finally gotten the courage to contact my mother. Then something big happened."
Clark's eyebrows rose, silently prodding her to continue.
"I got recruited for an elite force of agents." She chewed on her lower lip and looked like she was going to explode with excitement. "This is not public domain, if you know what I mean. It's a new division of the CIA, and I had to go through a four-year training program that made me cut all communication with anyone outside. I'm on my way to start a case in Gotham, thus… I'm Vicki Vale. Which is great, because I have journalism in my background, so this cover is going to be a breeze."
Clark was momentarily speechless. If Chloe had been gone for the last four years, there was a lot she didn't know.
Chloe frowned at Clark's lack of response. "I know it's a lot to take in," she laughed. "We're not allowed to tell everyone what we do, of course, but you always seemed to be one who could keep a secret. So, don't be worried, okay?"
"Wait, Perry knows your real name," Clark commented, indicating the badge she wore that read Vicki Vale.
"It would have been kind of odd not to tell him, since I came to see my cousin. Not to mention the whole Smallville connection. It's okay, though. We also needed him to pose as a reference for Vicki Vale, so he had already gotten a heads up from my supervisor."
"Lois knew about all this?"
"Yeah, I told her everything when I got in. I talked to her right before I left for RE-COL four years ago… that's the name of the training program. This is my first case, and I'm bordering on Butterfly Effect, so I decided to take a side trip to get a little pep-fest, Lo style. She always knows what to say." Chloe glanced out the glass windows that faced the newsroom. "So, where is she, anyway?"
Clark pulled on his tie, which was suddenly starting to feel tight around his neck. "Chloe, there's something I need to tell you."
With a sigh, he told Chloe everything he knew about Lois's disappearance… which wasn't much.
"How long has it been?" Chloe asked. She knew he'd said it, but her thoughts were so frazzled that she needed him to repeat the details.
"A year as of last week," Clark answered glumly.
"Oh, Lois." Chloe dropped her head into her hands. "I bet The General is on a rampage. Losing Lois or Lucy has always been his worst fear. He would do anything for them."
After hearing about how the man had treated Lois after finding out about her pregnancy, Clark wasn't so sure that he could agree. "He doesn't know."
Chloe's head shot up. "He doesn't know? How is that possible?"
"They weren't speaking. They had a pretty big disagreement before this happened."
"Humph," Chloe grunted wryly. "That sounds about right. Lois is hardest on the people she loves."
Clark looked away. "I haven't been able to get in contact with him. They keep telling me he's on special projects, or something."
"Even though it's information about his daughter?" Chloe asked, frowning.
"I couldn't really give details considering… I guess saying that it was about Lois was not enough to get a call back."
"Maybe I'll have more luck," Chloe offered. She was beginning to wonder how Clark had gotten involved in all of this.
"I'm supposed to be in Gotham tomorrow," she muttered.
She felt torn. Just when everything was starting to fall in place for her life, the floor fell out. Granted, they hadn't talked in four years, but Lois was more than just a cousin, and she had been excited to share her news with her. Now she was missing.
The Gotham City assignment had been in the works for months. The groundwork for Vicki Vale's appearance on the scene was in place, and things had already been set in motion. If she were to walk away now, she could kiss her career goodbye.
But she was willing to do that and more for Lois.
Despite the time and distance that had separated them over the years, Clark knew Chloe well enough to know what she was thinking.
"Lois wouldn't want you to put your life on hold."
Chloe blinked and looked at him. "No, Clark…"
"Chloe. You have to admit that there's not much more you can do than what is already being done. Besides, I think you may be of more help if you stay in your program. You'd be on the inside."
Chloe was able to see around her grief well enough to understand what Clark was hinting at. "What do you think we should do?"
"I'm not sure, yet." Clark glanced at his watch. "You up for a drive? I have a party I need to get to. We can talk more about it on the way."
There were a few more details he had yet to disclose.
-- Smallville – July 2010 --
"You and Lois?" Chloe asked, her eyes widened in confusion. "We are talking about Lois Lane, right?"
Chloe pulled the car into the drive of the Kent farm and shut off the ignition. Clark had insisted that they take her car, saying that his father would be willing to drive him back to Metropolis if Chloe needed to leave before he did.
"Wow. You guys are really good at the smoke screen," Chloe quipped, trying to cover the sudden tightness around her heart. "I mean, I had my suspicions at first… but the bickering. I just didn't see that coming."
Sure, she had moved on. But old crushes die, hard. There had always been a what-if in the back of her mind. But it was way past time for that to be let go.
Chloe wondered if it was possible to get information overload. If so, her brain was in danger of overheating. Lois was missing. Lois and Clark… or vice versa, had gotten closer than she'd ever thought. When had that happened?
"When?"
"It started a little bit before I left… and a little bit more after that," Clark replied.
"After that?"
Clark shifted in his seat. He had seemed uncomfortable during the entire trip. She nervously wondered if there was more he wasn't telling her.
Clark grabbed the brightly wrapped gift from the back seat and opened the door. "Come on. There's someone I want you to meet."
Chloe followed him to the door, which he opened after shooting her a bright grin.
"Oh, good you made it just in time for hot dogs and chips!" Martha called as she saw Clark enter the front door. She gasped when she saw who stepped in behind him. "Chloe?"
"Hi, Mrs. Kent," Chloe greeted as she was enveloped in a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't bring a gift. Whose birthday is it?" she asked, glancing at the balloons that were strung throughout the room.
Martha turned to Clark with raised eyebrows. He shrugged sheepishly.
"We hadn't gotten to that part yet," he told her.
Chloe shook her head as she watched the exchange. The Kent family was still the best non-verbal communicators.
"The party's in the kitchen," Martha said. She reached for Chloe's hand as she led the way. "It's really good to see you, sweetie."
After the cake and ice cream had been devoured, everyone sat in the den marveling over the things that had happened over the past few years. Chloe's attention was continuously drawn to the child lying in Clark's lap.
She had been amazed to watch them interact all night. While the little boy had little interest in Chloe, he had been overjoyed at Clark's presence. When they had come to sit down to talk, Cole had inserted himself in between Clark's knees, determined to remain the center of attention. It was his night, after all.
After the settling of the food had evolved into a tummy ache, Clark had laid Cole across his lap and started rubbing his belly in slow circles. Cole had drifted to sleep as they sat talking.
"I'm going to take him up," Clark announced softly. He gathered the boy in his arms and rose from the couch. Cole whined a bit at being moved, and Clark shushed him and pressed a kiss to his son's temple. "Shhh. I got ya."
Chloe watched in silence as Clark left the room.
"Chloe, are you okay?"
Chloe blinked and turned to Martha. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Clark really has this daddy thing down, doesn't he?"
Jonathan smiled with pride. "They're quite a pair."
Chloe nodded curtly. "You know what? I've gotta go. Can you tell Clark that I'll call him first thing tomorrow? Tell him… I'll see what information I can find on Lois." She gathered her things and walked to the door.
Martha followed behind her and touched her shoulder as she was exiting. "Chloe."
Chloe turned to face her with a twinge of hurt in her eyes.
"It's just a lot to take in for one day, you know?" Chloe felt the need to clarify. She thought about Cole celebrating his third birthday. "He's beautiful. But now I'm even more worried about Lois. There is no way she would stay away from him on purpose. She knows what it's like to not have a mother." She sighed. "I've got to do something. I don't know exactly what…"
Martha reached to stroke the side of Chloe's face affectionately. For a woman who hadn't been able to have children, she had been blessed with more than she'd ever expected through Clark and his friends. She couldn't help but have a maternal inclination toward the young woman she had watched grow up.
"Be careful out there, okay?" Martha requested. She wasn't just talking about the drive to Gotham City.
tbc
