Chapter 11

When Clark and Chloe were alone, he asked her "Are you scared?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "But I know you'll keep me safe."

"How do you know that, Chloe?" he asked, this time really wanting an answer.

"I... well, it's what you do, isn't it, Clark?" she said nervously.

"You know what happens when I get near the meteor rocks." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Chloe sighed.

"What else do you know?"

"Clark..."

"I'm really trying to be honest here, Chloe."

"No, you want to be sure of how much I know so you can know what powers to use against this thing."

So, Chloe knew about his powers. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Clark, you didn't tell me at all! The only reason we're having this conversation is because you have to. It's not because you know you can trust me with your secret."

"Do you know what my secret is?" Clark said seriously.

"I just said I know about your powers: you can run really fast, you can see through things, you can start fires just by looking at things, you have super-hearing. And, no, I didn't discover them by investigating you. I helped you hide them when you lost your memory." She didn't want to mention Alicia's part in her discovering the secret. Clark cared about her a lot.

"That's not the whole secret. And I'm going to tell you everything because I trust you, not because I have to."

Chloe's mind was still spinning. She had not seen that coming.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked.

Chloe hadn't said anything since he finished telling her exactly where he was from.

"Yeah, it's just... a lot to process." she said smiling.

"We kinda have to get going."

"Okay, let's go."

Chloe left in her car to get the meteor rock and Clark told her to meet him just outside the city. Clark initially thought about using the kryptonite Chloe had gotten from the Idst, but the rock was too small and blunt, so Chloe went to get a piece sharp enough to pierce a heart. She was still getting used to the idea that she would have to pierce something's heart.

Finding the rock was the easy part. Smallville was, after all, the meteor capital of the world. She hoped Clark's plan would work.

Clark was already waiting for Chloe when she arrived. She left the rock in her car a little far away and went to talk to Clark.

"Did you get it?"

"It's in my car." And after a while "So now we just wait? Do you really think it'll come?"

"Last time it attacked me on the day I got back, so I'm counting on the same thing happening again. You can still back out if you want to."

"No, I want to do this." she said sincerely.

Just then they heard a noise coming from the bushes and the Idst suddenly jumped at Clark from the darkness with a piece of kryptonite, but Clark used his heat vision on its hand before falling to his knees, making the Idst drop the rock, which rolled back to the bushes.

Starting to feel better, Clark got up and punched the Idst, which was surprisingly strong. Chloe ran to her car and waited until it was time for her to do her part.

The Idst was strong, but Clark was stronger. It was getting increasingly more tired with each of Clark's blows, and without the advantage of the kryptonite, it soon fell to the ground. Clark easily broke off the shell that covered its chest and signaled Chloe to come.

Chloe started to come closer when she saw Clark getting weaker.

"Go! I can do this alone!"

"I'm not leaving you." He was standing about ten feet away from Chloe and the Idst.

Chloe crouched down and looked at the beast.

"I'm sorry for putting you through this, Chloe."

"Hey, what are friends for?" And then she punctured the Idst's heart.

To be continued