Title: New Friends, Old Places
Disclaimer: See prologue.
Rating: PG-13
Author: Supergurl15
Author's Note: Chapter 2! Sorry it took me forever to update... homework, projects, and reports... when will they learn? Sorry if this chapter's sorta boring, there's not that much happening. The next one is going to be loaded with good stuff. We swears, we swears, on… on… the PRECIOUS! Hehe. Couldn't help myself.
Just as a reminder, I own nothing... just the plot idea.
Takes place around season two of Angel.
Thoughts are in italics.
Chapter 2
"Just like old times..." Lana Lang said, climbing the first few steps to the Kent residence.
Mr. and Ms. Kent had invited her, Pete, and Clark, of course, over for a little welcoming home dinner. So far nothing had changed too much except for the unexplained drowning victims, which Clark planned on investigating as soon as he got the chance.
If Chloe had been with them in Smallville she would have made it her first priority to check out Crater Lake. With Chloe away at school in Los Angeles, the tendency to go out and do field work for any strange phenomenon was slim to none. Clark still did the hero, 'saving the town from the occasional Kryptonite mutants' thing, but there wasn't a lot of research just for the 'fun of it' like Chloe had done so often in the past.
As the trio entered the cool farmhouse, the heavenly scent of baking desert wafted past their nostrils. The smell was almost taunting, especially since dinner wasn't until another thirty minutes. Clark could hear his mother's voice in the next room, even without using his 'super hearing'. It sounded like she was on the phone with someone, he wasn't sure who though.
Martha Kent waved to the three friends as she took a freshly baked apple pie out of the oven. "Oh, everyone's fine. As a matter of fact; Lana, Pete, and Clark are here right now..."
At the mention of their names; Lana, Clark, and Pete all looked at Ms. Kent questionably.
"That was very sweet of you. So how are things in Los Angeles?"
Chloe. It was definitely Chloe. Unless Clark knew someone else who was living in L.A. She was probably calling about the chain of events. The serial killer like murders were all over the news.
"Well, Clark's right here. Do you want to-? I'm sure he'll understand. Okay... you too Chloe. Bye."
Placing the phone gently back on the receiver, Ms. Kent smiled and hugged each of the three returning college students standing in the farmhouse kitchen.
"That was Chloe. She had to go, so I'm guessing she'll call you guys later?" Taking a knife from the wooden dish rack, she carefully began cutting the cooled apple pie.
All three nodded almost simultaneously, not wishing to discuss the 'oh too gory' details that was friendship with Chloe.
Chloe didn't seem too eager to talk to them any time soon... well, not at all. It had been almost a year since Clark and Lana had an actual conversation with the Metropolis native, not including the 'Hi's and 'Oh... ummm... is my dad there?'s that they got from Chloe. She even went to great lengths when she was in Smallville to avoid them. Well, not Pete. No. Chloe was still best friends with Pete Ross.
Pete, always the loyal friend, would tell them that it was no one's fault. That Chloe needed her space, or that she was too preoccupied with her life in L.A. Secretly they knew that Chloe wasn't 'too preoccupied', or 'just needed her space'. She would frequently email, write, or call Pete almost weekly.
"So mom, everything okay?" Clark said, going over to the fridge, opening it he retrieved three sodas.
"Fine. Chloe just asked the same thing. She seems to be enjoying L.A." Ms. Kent began setting the porcelain plates on the table.
Pete grinned almost mechanically, "You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl."
"Where have we heard that one before?" Lana said, rolling her eyes as Clark threw one of the three sodas to Pete. Guys...
"Clark?" The tone in Ms. Kent's voice was warning. He was in his last year of college, yet he was still like that mischievous six-year-old boy who would be covered from head to toe in mud from an afternoon of hunting for worms.
"I really can't catch." Lana shook her head slowly for emphasis.
Smiling, Clark handed Lana a Pepsi, "Lana Lang can't catch?"
Lana nodded sluggishly, feigning sadness. "Sadly, no."
Smirking Pete added, "And just when we thought there was nothing that the infamous Lana Lang couldn't do."
"Okay guys, enough teasing." Lana said as she opened her Pepsi can, sipping from it.
Ms. Kent laughed slightly, "Dinner should be ready shortly. Clark, I think that your father's outside in the barn. Could you tell him dinner's almost ready?"
Ms. Kent couldn't help but smile as the door swung shut and the trio's eccentrically loud laughter somehow seemed to light up the summer air.
Saying her goodbyes to Ms. Kent, Chloe 'slammed' the phone down urgently. The last person she wanted to, needed to talk to, was Clark. Sure, to the average onlooker her reasons for not speaking to Clark and Lana would seem senile, and maybe a bit foolish. And maybe it would be a lot more profitable if she actually told Clark and Lana why she chose not to speak with them. (Staying in a hotel every time she decided to visit Smallville wasn't exactly what one would call 'inexpensive'.) But she didn't want to be bombarded with redundant excuses, or apologies of sympathy.
After numerous attempts to get both parties to "discuss their differences", even Pete had thrown in the towel. Or so it seemed, but Chloe knew Pete, and he wasn't one to just quit. Pete was a good friend though, probably her best friend, she just wished that he wouldn't try so hard to shove them towards friendship again. It got really irritating, especially since during the three or four times that she voluntarily returned to Smallville, Clark had 'coincidentally' shown up at her house, waiting for her. Even she knew that the excuses only worked to some extent. She had heard too many in her twenty years of life to know when they were nothing more than a facade, a wall for the truth to hide behind. She had known too well.
And Lana, it was even harder to avoid Lana, seeing how she still roomed at the Sullivan residence during breaks and vacations. Hence, more excuses, but Pete's siblings and parents didn't seem too upset at the moping blond that could frequently be found playing video games, reading, eating, or researching in their home.
Why wouldn't they just let her brood in peace?
Brood? Definitely been hanging around this place too long... Chloe spun around in the computer chair, waiting for the page to load.
Two seconds later Cordelia came into the makeshift office, ransacking through the oak cabinets. And judging from the way she was throwing random objects this way and that, it was pretty clear that she was looking for something.
"Need help finding something?" Chloe glanced over at the computer screen before turning her head to find Cordelia still pillaging through the cabinets.
"Coffee filters." Cordelia said, continuing her blind rummaging, "I swear, we run through them like a baby runs through pampers."
"Ummm..." Rising from her seat at the computer, Chloe looked in a few other cabinets above her desk. No coffee filters equaled no coffee, no coffee meant that everyone would become vicious, demented, warmongering... you get the picture, basically, not a pretty sight.
"Don't think we have any, but I may have some..." Chloe grasped her brown messenger bag, hunting through it rather savagely.
"You actually keep coffee filters with YOU?" Cordelia couldn't help but stare blankly at the girl's bizarre habits.
"Yep... emergencies." Finally finding the accursed filters, Chloe handed them to Cordelia, "This office isn't exactly what you would call sane when the coffee supply is low."
"Amen to that." Cordelia nodded before adding, "Is it just me or has Angel been really weird during the past couple of weeks... I mean, weirder than usual... weirder than usual for him, anyway."
"Yeah." Chloe responded a little more than absentmindedly. She hadn't really noticed it before, but it was true. Ever since they had found out that he hadn't been sleeping well, he had been acting "weirder than usual" as Cordelia had put it. But now that she did notice it, it worried her, just a little bit. "I thought that maybe it was a nocturnal thing. It makes since. He's a vampire, they can't exactly go anywhere during the day without spontaneously combusting... could be some kind of a vampire instinct. Sleep during the day, but then again…"
"Hey, maybe once they reach a certain age they get all weird and sleepy. Oh God, you don't think this is a forever thing..." Cordelia paced rapidly, her eyes a mirror of impending dread. "Because I don't know how much more of this excessive sleeping gig I can take."
"Or a phase!" Chloe chimed, trying to ease her pacing friend's nerves. And who could blame her, things would start to get pretty boring with SleepyTime Angel, uh, sleeping like a hibernating bear 99.9 of the time. SleepyTime Angel?
Sometimes she didn't even understand her own brain.
"Do you get phases at 247?" Cordelia piped, wringing the coffee filters nervously in her hands. "CAN vampires get phases?!"
Chloe couldn't help but smile a little, Cordelia rambled more than she ranted. "The elderly do tend to sleep more than others half their age, and it's not like 247..." Chloe paused, mentally contemplating Angel's age, "Angel's 247!?!"
Cordelia nodded swiftly, "Or is it 248? I really can't remember. Ya know, maybe he just needs a vacation." She paused, "Maybe we all need a vacation…" the last statement was more of a mutter and went unnoticed by the girl standing in front of her. Maybe, I mean, what better way to get rid of guilt and brooding than a nice long vacation. Plus, it'll give us an excuse to help Wesley on his lacking fashion sense.
Her eyes briefly roamed over the online article Chloe was reading at her computer, which seemed to go unnoticed by Chloe. Cordelia's face contorted into a sort of frown and then realizing smirk. 'Two More Missing in Smallville, Kansas'
Chloe was halfway through her vanilla latte as she walked into the Hyperion early the next morning. Well, it wasn't exactly early. She had gotten back to her apartment later than she wanted to last night; she couldn't help it if she was addicted to the 'weird' aspect of life. It was like a beacon, that never ceased its calling to her, and in turn, she was drawn to it like a pyromaniac to fire, particularly when a certain meteor capital of the world was involved. It was still interesting to see what new meteor related incidents occurred there, though no one would admit the meter rocks' influence on the small town.
"Hey Wes!" Taking another swig from the paper Starbucks cup, Chloe waved to the British ex-watcher, who in turn nearly dropped the somewhat dusty text that had so avidly captivated his attention.
Chloe winced as she realized her extremely loud and impetuous greeting must have startled him. "Um... sorry?"
"Miss Sullivan..." Wesley had gained back most of his composure and balance, Chloe Sullivan was the last person he ever expected to walk into the office almost two hours late. She was usually the first person there in the morning and the last person to leave at night, well with the exception of Angel who lived at the Hyperion. "Was traffic bad?"
"Ya know, it's perfectly fine to call me Chloe or Chlo," She smiled, "everyone else does, except for..." She paused suddenly as if remembering something she wanted to bury and forget. "Uh, yeah, it's like Armageddon out there, with everyone practically at each other's throats for a spot at the beach." She continued without finishing her previous sentence. "I had to kill for a cup of coffee... well, not literally."
"Who was killed?" Cordelia said, picking that precise moment to walk into the room, a piping hot coffee mug in each hand.
"Uh... no one..." Wesley eyed the coffee mug suspiciously, as if it were a venomous snake. "Miss Sull-, Chloe was merely commenting on traffic conditions."
"Oh." Cordelia replied rather knowingly, "Coffee?" She added a few seconds later, brandishing the two mugs.
"Um... no," Wesley stammered, pretending to flip through the large antique looking book. "Ummm.... that is, uh, yes, uh..."
"Uhh... ya know." Chloe pointed to the Starbucks coffee mug, taking a huge gulp of coffee from it, and nodding, somehow at the same time.
"Soooo..." Cordelia turned back around suddenly, missing the silent exchanges of relief between Wesley and Chloe. "I was thinking." She paused dramatically, waiting for something.
"As exhilarating as this is-" Wesley started.
"Angel! Great!" Cordelia said to the figure descending down the stairs, cutting Wesley off rather abruptly. "Now that everyone, well we're sorta missing Gunn, but I'm sure we can call him later.
At everyone's Neanderthal expressions she continued. "Guess who has first class tickets to everyone's favorite agriculturally enhanced, harvest loving, pig chasing, and... God, I bet there's a lot of cow pies."
"Umm... did you want us to guess? Because there's probably at least fifty different places that fit that description."
"We do! For the next two weeks or so prepare for fresh country air, vast golden cornfields, and the sun shining goodness of Smallville, Kansas. Well, I don't know about that last part, seeing how some of us are sun intolerant. But I'm sure there are lots of sunless activities, so many in fact that we'll forget about that big 'ole ball of sunshine in no time." Cordelia continued, smiling at Chloe and Angel and purposefully choosing to ignore Wesley's previous comment.
Chloe could feel her heart clench at the very name of the small town, "WHAT!?!" She said a little more ear deafening than she wanted to, even if she was on caffeine high.
She was oblivious to the fact that the other three, uh, people in the room were staring at her until she opened her eyes that she hadn't even realized were so tightly shut.
She had to think of a good excuse for her outburst, and fast. "It's just that, uh, Smallville isn't exactly the most interesting town on this side of the globe. I give it a week before we're all 'royally' bored. And there's the erm, ummm, the killings on the..." She mouthed a silent 'oh', and shut her mouth quickly.
What was wrong? Cordelia thought that everyone would love taking a break, going on vacation, even if it was sort of classified as work, and maybe the town they were going to was known for its corn and... meteors. But it couldn't be that bad, could it? "See... I figure. Why not have a little vacation time and help the hopeless at the same time."
Except that some of us won't exactly be having FUN. Chloe had to convince them that she needed to stay behind, without telling them why. She had to; she couldn't bear to face Clark and Lana again.