Well, it's the long awaited Chapter 21! Yes, it's finally here. Blushes, ashamed. Alright so it's been a long (almost) two months and I'm sure that you are all very sick of waiting. So my only explanation for you is college exams and job hunting. Now that that's taken care of I hope to update sooner. I'm going to try and update every week and a half, but that could be earlier or later, depending on my work schedule. Thanks to all of you for sticking around so long! Now, the story awaits you!
Chapter 21
Lana rushed through the fields, not even sure where she was headed, just knowing that she was glad as heck to be away from that laboratory. As fate would have it though, she ended up in the same graveyard where she and Clark had begun their friendship. She walked over to her parents' graves, not forlornly, but contemplative, unlike before. Kneeling down she ran her fingers in the grooves of her mother's name on the gravestone.
"Out of all the things I've been through, all of the trials I've faced, I never thought it would come down to this." She said aloud.
"It's hard, isn't it?" offered a voice. "It never lets up."
Lana quickly turned around to face Whitney. As if to coincide with their moods, rain began to pour down, and Lana looked up to see the stars were not visible tonight.
Lana stood from her kneeling position and both teenagers caught each other's gaze for a moment. Lana, out of guilt, turned her head and looked away.
"They…did…something to me." Lana said.
"Who? Lana, I thought you were at the Kent farm all evening."
"I…I was almost there, but I was kidnapped by someone who was really strong and really fast. I woke up in a lab…" she continued, tears beginning to find their way down her face.
"What did they do? Did they hurt you?" Whitney asked with concern.
"They did…something to me. I can do some of the things Clark can." Lana admitted.
Whitney looked at Lana, compassion filling his eyes. He walked over and put a supportive arm around her shoulder.
"And that's not all…" she said. "I…I just instinctively knew how to…I…"
Whitney put his finger to her lips, silencing her. For once in a long time, Lana felt at ease, safe, loved.
"Shh, it's okay now. You're out. They can't hurt you anymore."
"But…" she began to protest.
"Shh." he whispered, as he wisped back a lock of her now wet, raven hair.
"Whitney…I…" Lana began, but was enticed by his compassionate eyes, the warm gaze that had drawn her to him so long ago.
"It's ok. It's all over now." Whitney comforted. The two gazed into each other's eyes again, and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
Lana relaxed completely, lost in the ecstasy – ecstasy that had been buried and forgotten long ago. Whitney had always been such a good kisser, even more so now. And he understood. He understood what had happened – how she'd been violated. Suddenly her gut began to knot and a feeling of unease swept over her. Someone else entered her thoughts – someone else who she loved dearly – Pete. Lana's eyes widened and she softly pulled away.
"Whitney I can't do this. I'm…confused." She stated breathlessly.
Whitney's expression dropped, and the hurt in his voice was evident, but he respected Lana's decision.
"I guess you want to get home." He said, not knowing where else to direct the conversation.
"Yeah." Lana agreed.
"Can we…?"
"I won't say anything." Whitney promised, and noticing her shivering figure, gallantly took off his jean jacket and draped it around her trembling shoulders.
"I kind of…ran here." Whitney admitted.
Lana gave a half smile. "Well I guess a little run to the Kent farm would do me well." She said, taking Whitney's hand in her own. Then both teens disappeared into the darkness of the evening, in the direction of a bright yellow farmhouse.
Clark and Chloe were in one hell of a mess. Not only Jonathon but now Gabe was staring at the two of them – hard. Actually more like giving the death stare. It turned out that Chloe's mellow father had a temper when he was angry, and he was angry.
Gabe had always dreaded this day – the day he had to have that talk with Chloe. It was something he had dreaded ever since her mother left. It turned out that he should've had that talk earlier than he had thought.
Jonathon wore the same serious expression while looking at Clark. A cross between an "I'm very disappointed," look and a "You're in trouble," look.
Gabe, even after knowing Clark's secret for a little while now, still was a little uncomfortable with the fact that not only did he catch his daughter in a heated moment, but that he had caught her in a heated moment with a boy from another planet. Once that thought was in his head he tried to dismiss it, but it still stayed there eating away at him.
Jonathon was the first to speak. "Get your clothes on properly and come downstairs. It's evident that we all need to have a little talk." He said, the implications of the situation kicking in.
Gabe, as angry as he was, couldn't think of anything to add, so the two men turned and stomped downstairs.
Five minutes later, a cleaned up and very embarrassed Clark and Chloe trotted downstairs where they faced the serious faces of not only Jonathon and Gabe, but now Martha as well. They sat at the table, their red faces going unnoticed by the unhappy adults about to give them a lecture of a lifetime.
Jonathon was the first to clear his throat, and speak.
"First of all, I want to know how the room looked like a blizzard hit it." Jonathon stated.
"Well, um…" Clark began, looking at Chloe. "Chloe kind of…"
"Almost set Clark's room aflame." Chloe said, blushing. "And Clark decided to…um…cool it down a little."
"And how…exactly did you almost set Clark's room on fire, young lady?" Gabe asked.
Martha and Jonathon shared a glance. They knew why and how, and hadn't exactly been generous with Gabe on the details. Jonathon figured it best to get on with the rest of the lecture and leave that to be explained to Gabe last.
"Let's just leave that for a while later." Jonathon said, giving Gabe a look to let him know it would be explained.
Next, Jonathon proceeded to launch into the 'you're still teenagers and you don't want to ruin your futures' speech that all parents are so famous for. It was when Jonathon began to get detailed that Clark decided to put a stop to it.
"Look, we're parents, we've been your age before and we know that there's a certain…attraction between you…" Jonathon continued, "But don't think that just because you're living in this house together that you get any 'special privileges' other than you would normally have concerning sleeping arrangements and certain other..."
"Dad!" Clark protested. "That's enough! Chloe and I are not sleeping together!"
All three adults breathed a sigh of relief.
Gabe looked at Chloe. "Actually I think Chloe and I should speak alone." He said.
Chloe looked down but gave no protest and followed her dad into the family room.
Clark was left to stare at his parents after their blatantly awkward comment.
"Clark, we're not trying to embarrass you." Martha said. "We just want you to make the right decision, and you have your whole future ahead of you. We don't want something to happen that could put that in jeopardy."
Clark looked bitterly at the wooden table.
"Mom, I don't even know if I can 'be with' someone else." He spat. "I don't even know if I can have kids!"
Well that was a situation that Martha and Jonathon were well accustomed to, being that they couldn't have kids themselves, and Jonathon put a hand on Clark's.
Clark, a little spiteful, pulled back.
"Anyway, Chloe and I, we never did anything." Clark admitted, aggravated. "We hadn't planned on doing anything. If you really want to know, we kissed and that's it."
"We know, sweetie, and we trust you to make the right decision." Martha comforted.
Clark ran his fingers through his hair. "So, am I free to go now?"
Jonathon and Martha gave Clark a knowing look and then nodded.
Clark stood up and headed for the door. "Tell Chloe I'm in the loft." He said quietly.
Meanwhile, in the family room, Gabe was expressing his concerns to Chloe, and Chloe was most definitely expressing her own.
"Dad, we didn't do anything! I know it looked that way but nothing like that happened. We just…I don't know, experienced a moment of bonding between us. I mean, I know it freaks you out a little that I have powers like Clark's now but I can really understand him a lot better, and I guess that it kind of showed tonight."
Gabe sighed, and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.
"Chloe, I'll admit, yes it does unsettle me a little that you can do all these things now. And it is hard to deal with the fact that the boy you love so much is…from outer space…but…"
"But what Dad? You're just like everyone else, judging him! I don't care where he's from!"
"Chloe, that's not what I said…"
"Yes it is! That's the reason you're worried about me being with Clark, isn't it? It's just because he and I don't share a few chromosomes." Chloe practically snarled.
Gabe was beginning to get riled up now. Chloe was getting out of hand. "Young lady, you have more than just a few different chromosomes! And I just want you to make responsible decisions! I don't want you to end up on your own with a child, Chloe. You have so much opportunity in your future, and you don't need something like a child to hold you back."
"Well, Dad, then you should trust me." Chloe fumed. "And you obviously don't. Those decisions, as you said, are mine to make, and it's my own business if I want to share a moment like that with my boyfriend. And did you ever think, once you finish the 'your boyfriend's an alien' rant, that maybe Clark might have feelings about all of this? It's not like he asked to be who he is! What I know is that being with Clark is something I've waited a long time for, and I refuse to let anyone ruin it for me."
Gabe began to feel frustrated but also slightly guilty. Maybe he had been judging Clark a little, in more ways than one. And he hadn't meant to offend his daughter. Maybe that was why he let her storm out without stopping her. It was difficult being a parent.
He walked back out into the kitchen with a half-defeated look on his face.
"Teenagers." He said, and then took a second to recover from Chloe's blowout. After a few seconds he asked the burning question, "So…how about explaining how my daughter almost set your house on fire?"
Out in the loft, Chloe and Clark brooded over their lecture while also comforting each other. They sat on the couch, snuggling for the longest time.
"I get so angry at my dad." Chloe said.
"I know. I kind of heard." Clark said.
"Yeah…I keep forgetting." Chloe admitted.
"Thanks for sticking up for me." Clark said, trying to add light to the situation. "Although, I can somewhat understand your dad's point of view. I mean, what I am freaks me out too sometimes."
Chloe ran her hand down Clark's cheek and slowly brought his face in front of hers. "You have never ever freaked me out Clark. I love you, and I accept you, and I always will."
Clark grinned, and they began to kiss.
But as per normal, the peace didn't last long. The crunch of the gravel as someone walked up the driveway fell on Clark's enhanced ears. His head darted up.
"What is it?" Chloe asked.
"Who would be outside at this hour?" Clark pondered aloud, and immediately headed down the steps and outside. Chloe quickly followed, determined that she would get her kiss no matter what.
Clark stood in the doorway, squinting to scan the area for intruders, when Chloe attempted to tackle him to the ground. Her tactic worked, although not as planned, since Clark turned around a second too soon, and both landed in the dirt, which was now wet from the rain.
"Looks like we'll have to change again." Clark said.
Chloe raised her eyebrow. "In the same room?" She teased.
Clark just grinned.
"You two having fun?" came a giggling voice from behind them.
Clark, now lying in the dirt, looked up to see an upside down Lana Lang standing next to Whitney, laughing.
Chloe let him up, straightening her hair, and Clark stood up and brushed himself off. Well, as much as mud could be brushed off anyway.
"Lana, what happened?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, I was starting to wonder whether you were abducted by…" she said absentmindedly.
Clark gave her an uncomfortable look.
"Abducted by…little cute bunnies wearing pink frills?" Chloe jokingly finished, realizing she had come a little too close to seriously offending Clark, especially after their earlier conversation.
Lana just burst into laughter, and Whitney cracked a smile.
"I'm…sorry, Clark." Chloe said.
Clark just gave her a small smile to show that she hadn't put her foot in her mouth too badly.
"I'd rather not talk about what happened right now." Lana said. "I'm a little shocked myself. Whitney found me at the graveyard and brought me home."
"Anyway, I'd better run." Whitney said. "It's getting late."
He winked at Lana who caught the gesture and winked back. "Thanks."
"Anytime, Lana. See you guys tomorrow." Whitney said, as he faded into a blur, heading toward Lex's mansion.
"I guess we should head inside and tell Mom and Dad the great news." Clark said.
Lana forced a smile. "Yes, that's a good idea."
With that, the three headed down the driveway to tell the Kent-Sullivan family the good news.
Next: The full extent of Lana's treatment is revealed, as well as Lionel's plans for her. Will Operation Lionel still be a success? And what about the beings that now inhabit the bodies of Clark's family and friends? All to come ;)