8 Written Between the Lines

(Kal-El)

She is quiet now; pensive in that intense way of hers. It always intrigues me when she gets like this. What's going through her brain, I ask myself. That little frown of hers isn't delicate, but almost a full-fledged scowl. I'm almost tempted to smile.

But I don't. I can't will myself to move a muscle – not when I just finished talking about my best friend's death.

Lois assesses the information for herself. I told her what I can tell her – but I didn't tell her all. I didn't tell her about how Lana's sword is tinted slightly green preventing me from moving any closer; didn't tell her that I heard the boy's screams were what signalled me – over two hundred miles away – of the kidnapping. The inward smile I share with myself is rather humourless. The one person that I wish I could turn to in order to reveal the truth and I can't.

She shifts in front of me and I see that she's watching me. She looks rather tired – the (semi) truth being a journey in itself for her. To relive the Loss is always painful… I can only imagine how it is for Lex. I bring my eyes from her form to the window of the deli – noting that there is too little activity going on to be nine in the evening. Glancing down at my watch I see it's nearly midnight and the shop is closing soon. Rather reluctantly, I motion to Lois and then move to get up.

When we step out onto the sidewalk, she huddles into her jacket. She refuses to look at me for a moment and I stand there quietly waiting for her to dismiss me – to get angry at me. When she finally turns her face towards me, I see there is nothing but sad gratitude.

"Thank you for telling me, Clark," she whispered.

"Would you like me to accompany you home?"

She shakes her head. "It's okay. I – I need time to absorb all of this information." She smiles half-heartedly. "I'm starting to find closure now…" I see her attempt to lighten up the mood – she punches me lightly on the arm and shakes her head. "See you at seven, Kent."

She's hurting, but she refuses to show it – trained to hide what makes her seem vulnerable. As she walks away from me, I wish to all the higher powers that I could give into the urge to pull her back and hug her. But I can't.

And I don't. All I do is watch.

You will always run in the darkness – but there will always be a shaft of light somewhere – that bright section that pierces your sensitive eyes. It makes you want to burrow deeper into the shadows – to be forgotten forever and ever. But you know what is to come. No matter how many turns you make, you'll always end up at the same landmarks. Hide behind the façade of greatness – behind the shadow of your accomplishments; your mistakes. But she will always appear – her fearful footfalls echoing in the recesses of your mind.

And you will run to her.

This strange magnetic force pulling you to her – to console her; making you want to consume her wholly – directing you the 'right way' – the only way. The Voice she runs away from is what you want to save her from… but as you draw closer, you wonder if that Voice is you. When you finally hold her, she melts into you and you feel overwhelmed by her presence – and already succumb to all that begin to bind you to her. And then you know the doors will open – open for you, with her in your loving grasp.

It will lead you to the field – that field of yellow blooms that turn towards the light. Together you stand amidst this field of happiness – forgetting things that you should always remember.

That is your mistake.

When you pull away from her you will see you've tainted her with your recklessness, your faults, your mistakes, your broken promises everything that you should have been responsible for but were too preoccupied to remember…

The bloody rain will begin to pour upon you as she sinks beneath the surface – no more sunflowers; just old skeletons; ghosts to haunt you once again – and you will forget her; for a moment in your life you forget beauty in happiness in joy in water-washed colours. There is just the rain of blood and you in your pure suit that is quickly becoming tainted.

… because you allow it…

You will hear her voice then – a faint keening in a distant place. You look down to see her face disappearing beneath the surface of decay and you reach out and grab the hand that reaches out to you. Together you sink beneath the surface – her hand gripping your hand; your hand gripping her hand – and you plunge into the darkness once again. Her fingers; her palms; soft and slightly callous against your own – begin to slip free of you and you lose her again.

And you will feel empty.

Staring blindly into the atramentous abyss you want to give up. You forget and allow the guilt and fears and the anger and the despair to swallow you. There is nothing left but this Loss and you.

Something rustles in the distance and you see a lone page flutter towards you. You ignore it – thinking it is nothing. And it rushes past you – its edges creating a small cut upon your cheek as it moves. There are more rustles then. And more pages flutter past you. You revel the feeling of these paper cuts – the sting of invisible scratches they create that you feel you deserve.

One fails to cut you – instead it hits you flat against your face and you have no choice but to take a look at it.

The opening page…

The words dance on the page – a trick of the eye. But soon the letters begin to fade except for a few chosen ones – ones that you never took notice of until that moment. Heart beats faster.

Her voice begins to float towards you and you look up from the page and see her form in the distance – a faint silhouette.

'Almost there… save me… find me…'

Lex's eyes snapped open – a sweat sprinkled across his body and the black silk covers a tangle at his feet. Frantically he turned on the bedside lamp, snatched up the journal and opened it to the first page.

The spider passed away quietly, fading into the beautiful darkness. An internal smile…

(Kal-El)

I get to my apartment. It's a dark place – small and confining… much like Smallville, but less welcoming. I sigh and make my way over to the answering machine. I just got it a week ago. It was an impulse buy. The red light flashes. I have a message. Maybe Lois wants to speak some more.

You have one new message. "Clark. We need to talk. It's important... it's about Chloe."

Every cell in my body freezes. Then I'm flying, faster than I ever have been to pay my friend a visit. Her name rings in my head. His voice as he speaks her name… it's the first time he's said it since the incident over six months ago.

"Himura-san."

"Hnn."

"There's a phone call for you."

"Very well… Hello."

You know, don't you?

"As you do, I'm sure."

Fiji.

"Labasa."

We're idiots.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

Took us long enough.

"You're aware that they'll skin us alive..."

That's highly probable…

"I'm going to tell her I love her, though..."

That might stop her full-fledged assault on you…

"…"

I'm on my way over there now.

"Good… He's been waiting for you, you know."

…

"I'll probably sound like a hypocrite when I say 'you should have been there for him.'"

Yeah, you do sound like one… Tell him I'm on my way.

"He already knows."

… How?

"Because of his cherry tree… It's beginning to blossom."

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to be continued...

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A/N: the dream sequence was an adaptation of the original vision that the old woman had of Lex's future...

Feedback... would be nice... oo