EXILED HEART
There was something about a cup of coffee while sitting alone in one corner of a café. Her thoughts were hers alone, and no one bothered to intrude. She had set up a wall around herself that everyone who knew her respected. Chloe Sullivan was left alone as she sipped her drink and gripped the ends of the newspaper in her hands. Lana Lang had approached her to deliver her order earlier. Other than Lana, no one dared come close. Chloe had to thank the girl. She had to admit that the last three months almost entirely changed the way she looked at the town's favorite girl.
Two days after the wedding, Chloe had been inside her room hurriedly packing her bags. She was about to meet Lex in the Luthor helipad, the way they planned. Lana had walked in and seen Chloe's preparations.
Chloe had stopped and met Lana's gaze without speaking. She was surprised when Lana had waved at her and said, "I just need my pen." Lana had walked in, grabbed her pen from her desk and left.
That night, Chloe had sat on the rooftop of the LuthorCorp plant and waited for Lex. She had waited until about four in the morning until she surmised that Lex was not going to come. Wearily she had dragged her bag back down and when she got to her parked car, she saw Lana Lang sitting on the hood with a blanket clutched around her shoulders.
"What are you doing here?"
Lana had smiled and handed her the blanket. "I thought you'd need someone else to drive you home. You've got to be tired."
Chloe had taken the blanket in confusion and watched Lana haul her bag to the backseat. She did not ask how Lana knew where she was. She had just been grateful. Chloe had fallen asleep on the passenger seat. After she woke up the morning after, there was no doubt in her mind that Lana likely knew. After all, she and her father had spoken about it when they had thought they were alone. It was no great leap to assume that Lana had heard one of those conversations.
Up to today, three months later, Lana had been a silent supporter. They had an unspoken agreement to never voice the subject. Lana made certain that Chloe would be protected in the circus that would inevitably follow by keeping the secret.
Chloe felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Martha Kent beside her. Chloe immediately turned the paper over.
"Chloe, I need to know if Clark tried to contact you."
Chloe shook her head. Lana arrived to usher Martha to the counter by asking questions related to the runaway boy. When they were out of earshot, Chloe again read the words on the Inquisitor that she had managed to get from her father. She covered her mouth with one trembling hand.
RIP Lex, Search Called Off – Funeral Friday
After Martha had left the Talon still brokenhearted, Lana walked over to Chloe's corner again. She said in front of the blonde reporter and cocked her head.
"Your dad said you spend the entire afternoon in the Planet." Lana placed the a new mug of coffee in front of Chloe.
Chloe reached instead for a wad of tissues to dry her eyes with. She shrugged. "Can we have lunch?"
Lana looked at Chloe apprehensively before answering. She tried to find the right words. "I can't. With... Lex gone—"
"Okay," Chloe cut her off. She did not need reminders when the entire world seemed bent on telling her that he was dead. She nodded. "If you need a ride, I'm always available."
"I'm sorry about Mrs. Kent. I knew you needed your privacy."
Chloe shook her head. "She lost a son."
"You may have written him off but I can't give up hope."
"He made a conscious decision to leave his friends, his family and the girl he claimed to love." Sometimes, Chloe thought, she wished that that was what Lex had done. If she only believed, then maybe she wouldn't hurt this badly. Clark had chosen to leave. He had every opportunity to come back. She closed her burning eyes. "I worry about you."
Lana's hand closed around Chloe's. "I'm the last person you need to worry about," she said firmly.
In her eyes, Chloe read concern. It was odd and comforting at the same time. They used to hurt because of each other. Now, they were each other's best friends, just because they both lost people they loved. "We need to move on," Chloe said faintly, unwillingly.
"Clark is just waiting for the right person to find him." Chloe nodded. Lana continued, "So does Lex."
And with three small words, Lana Lang revived the hope that Chloe did not want to name inside her.
~~
Chloe did not know if she was yet ready. Her heart was still burning with loathing at the old man. Lionel Luthor was the cause of that ill-fated flight. At the same time, Chloe could not help but feel sympathy for the man. He had lost a son. Despite the evil that Lionel was, she could not deny that everything Lionel did could be construed as his need to strengthen his Lex.
She walked into the caves below Smallville after Lionel called for the meeting. She wondered if there was yet some part of Lionel that suspected the truth. After the entire wedding charade that caused Lex his life, did Lionel still believe that she was the young woman that Lex was protecting? There was only one way to find out.
"Mr. Luthor?" she called out. "Mr. Luthor?"
Chloe turned around a few times. It seemed as if she were alone. Chloe's heart skipped when she saw Lionel. "I got your message," she said. "I admit I was surprised to hear that you wanted to meet today considering the fact tomorrow is Lex's—"She did not want to say the word. Chloe was glad when Lionel cut her short.
"My son is gone, Ms Sullivan," Lionel said. Chloe shifted her weight from one ball of her foot to another. Lionel's eyes bore into her even deeper that before. "There is nothing I can do now but put his memory to rest and get on with the business of living."
Was that advice she heard? Chloe sought to ignore his words. Right now, she would accept everyone's saying that Lex was dead. She would agree and if necessary, converse. Yet deep inside she knew that Lex was alive, even when she cried when the sheer truth overwhelmed her.
"You haven't seen your young friend, have you?"
"I'd be the last person he'd call," she answered.
"You know, Chloe, your enthusiasm for our project seems to be waning. Is something wrong? I'd hate to see this opportunity vanish."
"Threatening me, Mr. Luthor, isn't gonna make Clark magically reappear."
Lionel sighed sadly and touched Chloe's cheek. She saw the briefest hint of sadness in his eyes. "Chloe, all decisions have consequences. I just don't want you to have to deal with them so prematurely."
Chloe swallowed nervously. Every encounter with Lex's father unsettled her. This conversation was by far the most befuddling. Lionel wanted more information on Clark. That much was crystal clear. However, there were tinges of another emotion she could not name. For the same time, Chloe could feel Lionel Luthor warring inside himself. At the moment, she would store it as a result of Lex's disappearance.
~~
Her face was so cold, yet at the same time her cheeks burned. This was the one thing she never thought, never imagined, she would do. As the crowd moved around and chattered, she brushed her fingers over the name etched into the tombstone.
"Ms. Sullivan, take your place," came the quiet command in her ear.
Chloe straightened quickly and blinked away her tears. She saw Lionel Luthor walk by her, barely stopping to glance her way. He spoke to the people gathered for the funeral. Chloe quickly found a seat beside her father. Gabe wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She and Lana had spoken about the proper way to move and act on this occasion, so that no one would suspect. Now, at that precise moment, everything flew from her mind. Chloe could only lean against her father and lay her head on his shoulder as she watched Lionel capture his audience.
"I think the cruelest fate that a parent can suffer is to lose a child," he said. Chloe closed her eyes and allowed Lionel's voice to blanket her as he spoke about Lex. She smiled briefly as she saw her in her mind's eye, comforting her when they found out that she was really not pregnant. "Lex was touched with greatness. We'd only begun to see that potential." She imagined him when he spoke in front of his employees, calm and determined, a born leader. "I—I can only imagine the heights he would have soared to if his life... hadn't been... cut short so tragically." No matter how hard she tried not to allow it, a tear slipped from Chloe's eye. His greatness was having a family with her. That was his dream.
Her chest was constricted and she found that she could not breathe properly anymore. Chloe stood up quickly and rushed away from the crowd. She heaved dryly onto the grass. She could still faintly hear Lionel speak, "I would've searched for a thousand years if I thought he could be found. We can't hold on to the past. In my heart, I will be searching for my son forever."
'So will I,' she whispered.
"So will I," said a woman's voice.
Chloe turned around so suddenly that she became dizzy. She saw Helen Bryce carrying flowers approach Lex's tombstone. Chloe stepped forward. She had so many questions about what went wrong with their grand scheme.
Lionel met Chloe's eyes briefly, then turned to Helen. "If you're here to grandstand for the paparazzi, I will have you escorted out."
"I wish to pay my last respects to my husband."
Lionel gritted his teeth. "Then, Mrs. Luthor, allow me to leave before the hypocrisy begins."
He stalked away from the doctor and headed towards Chloe. Before Chloe could speak, Lionel took her by her arm and led her away from the crowd. Lionel's men converged around them so that no one could see what had occurred.
~~
'What makes you think you still have a chance out there?' the voice in his mind asked him.
"Because my life is not here," he answered.
He was dragged bodily up from the sand. "Well, buddy, you're lucky. Not a lot of people get a second chance like this. Good thing my captain saw your fire!"
He stumbled to his feet, gasping for breath. He was going back to—
"So what's your name, mon?"
He shook his head.
"Aight. Where we s'posed to take you?"
"I don't know," he rasped.
There was something about a cup of coffee while sitting alone in one corner of a café. Her thoughts were hers alone, and no one bothered to intrude. She had set up a wall around herself that everyone who knew her respected. Chloe Sullivan was left alone as she sipped her drink and gripped the ends of the newspaper in her hands. Lana Lang had approached her to deliver her order earlier. Other than Lana, no one dared come close. Chloe had to thank the girl. She had to admit that the last three months almost entirely changed the way she looked at the town's favorite girl.
Two days after the wedding, Chloe had been inside her room hurriedly packing her bags. She was about to meet Lex in the Luthor helipad, the way they planned. Lana had walked in and seen Chloe's preparations.
Chloe had stopped and met Lana's gaze without speaking. She was surprised when Lana had waved at her and said, "I just need my pen." Lana had walked in, grabbed her pen from her desk and left.
That night, Chloe had sat on the rooftop of the LuthorCorp plant and waited for Lex. She had waited until about four in the morning until she surmised that Lex was not going to come. Wearily she had dragged her bag back down and when she got to her parked car, she saw Lana Lang sitting on the hood with a blanket clutched around her shoulders.
"What are you doing here?"
Lana had smiled and handed her the blanket. "I thought you'd need someone else to drive you home. You've got to be tired."
Chloe had taken the blanket in confusion and watched Lana haul her bag to the backseat. She did not ask how Lana knew where she was. She had just been grateful. Chloe had fallen asleep on the passenger seat. After she woke up the morning after, there was no doubt in her mind that Lana likely knew. After all, she and her father had spoken about it when they had thought they were alone. It was no great leap to assume that Lana had heard one of those conversations.
Up to today, three months later, Lana had been a silent supporter. They had an unspoken agreement to never voice the subject. Lana made certain that Chloe would be protected in the circus that would inevitably follow by keeping the secret.
Chloe felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Martha Kent beside her. Chloe immediately turned the paper over.
"Chloe, I need to know if Clark tried to contact you."
Chloe shook her head. Lana arrived to usher Martha to the counter by asking questions related to the runaway boy. When they were out of earshot, Chloe again read the words on the Inquisitor that she had managed to get from her father. She covered her mouth with one trembling hand.
RIP Lex, Search Called Off – Funeral Friday
After Martha had left the Talon still brokenhearted, Lana walked over to Chloe's corner again. She said in front of the blonde reporter and cocked her head.
"Your dad said you spend the entire afternoon in the Planet." Lana placed the a new mug of coffee in front of Chloe.
Chloe reached instead for a wad of tissues to dry her eyes with. She shrugged. "Can we have lunch?"
Lana looked at Chloe apprehensively before answering. She tried to find the right words. "I can't. With... Lex gone—"
"Okay," Chloe cut her off. She did not need reminders when the entire world seemed bent on telling her that he was dead. She nodded. "If you need a ride, I'm always available."
"I'm sorry about Mrs. Kent. I knew you needed your privacy."
Chloe shook her head. "She lost a son."
"You may have written him off but I can't give up hope."
"He made a conscious decision to leave his friends, his family and the girl he claimed to love." Sometimes, Chloe thought, she wished that that was what Lex had done. If she only believed, then maybe she wouldn't hurt this badly. Clark had chosen to leave. He had every opportunity to come back. She closed her burning eyes. "I worry about you."
Lana's hand closed around Chloe's. "I'm the last person you need to worry about," she said firmly.
In her eyes, Chloe read concern. It was odd and comforting at the same time. They used to hurt because of each other. Now, they were each other's best friends, just because they both lost people they loved. "We need to move on," Chloe said faintly, unwillingly.
"Clark is just waiting for the right person to find him." Chloe nodded. Lana continued, "So does Lex."
And with three small words, Lana Lang revived the hope that Chloe did not want to name inside her.
~~
Chloe did not know if she was yet ready. Her heart was still burning with loathing at the old man. Lionel Luthor was the cause of that ill-fated flight. At the same time, Chloe could not help but feel sympathy for the man. He had lost a son. Despite the evil that Lionel was, she could not deny that everything Lionel did could be construed as his need to strengthen his Lex.
She walked into the caves below Smallville after Lionel called for the meeting. She wondered if there was yet some part of Lionel that suspected the truth. After the entire wedding charade that caused Lex his life, did Lionel still believe that she was the young woman that Lex was protecting? There was only one way to find out.
"Mr. Luthor?" she called out. "Mr. Luthor?"
Chloe turned around a few times. It seemed as if she were alone. Chloe's heart skipped when she saw Lionel. "I got your message," she said. "I admit I was surprised to hear that you wanted to meet today considering the fact tomorrow is Lex's—"She did not want to say the word. Chloe was glad when Lionel cut her short.
"My son is gone, Ms Sullivan," Lionel said. Chloe shifted her weight from one ball of her foot to another. Lionel's eyes bore into her even deeper that before. "There is nothing I can do now but put his memory to rest and get on with the business of living."
Was that advice she heard? Chloe sought to ignore his words. Right now, she would accept everyone's saying that Lex was dead. She would agree and if necessary, converse. Yet deep inside she knew that Lex was alive, even when she cried when the sheer truth overwhelmed her.
"You haven't seen your young friend, have you?"
"I'd be the last person he'd call," she answered.
"You know, Chloe, your enthusiasm for our project seems to be waning. Is something wrong? I'd hate to see this opportunity vanish."
"Threatening me, Mr. Luthor, isn't gonna make Clark magically reappear."
Lionel sighed sadly and touched Chloe's cheek. She saw the briefest hint of sadness in his eyes. "Chloe, all decisions have consequences. I just don't want you to have to deal with them so prematurely."
Chloe swallowed nervously. Every encounter with Lex's father unsettled her. This conversation was by far the most befuddling. Lionel wanted more information on Clark. That much was crystal clear. However, there were tinges of another emotion she could not name. For the same time, Chloe could feel Lionel Luthor warring inside himself. At the moment, she would store it as a result of Lex's disappearance.
~~
Her face was so cold, yet at the same time her cheeks burned. This was the one thing she never thought, never imagined, she would do. As the crowd moved around and chattered, she brushed her fingers over the name etched into the tombstone.
"Ms. Sullivan, take your place," came the quiet command in her ear.
Chloe straightened quickly and blinked away her tears. She saw Lionel Luthor walk by her, barely stopping to glance her way. He spoke to the people gathered for the funeral. Chloe quickly found a seat beside her father. Gabe wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She and Lana had spoken about the proper way to move and act on this occasion, so that no one would suspect. Now, at that precise moment, everything flew from her mind. Chloe could only lean against her father and lay her head on his shoulder as she watched Lionel capture his audience.
"I think the cruelest fate that a parent can suffer is to lose a child," he said. Chloe closed her eyes and allowed Lionel's voice to blanket her as he spoke about Lex. She smiled briefly as she saw her in her mind's eye, comforting her when they found out that she was really not pregnant. "Lex was touched with greatness. We'd only begun to see that potential." She imagined him when he spoke in front of his employees, calm and determined, a born leader. "I—I can only imagine the heights he would have soared to if his life... hadn't been... cut short so tragically." No matter how hard she tried not to allow it, a tear slipped from Chloe's eye. His greatness was having a family with her. That was his dream.
Her chest was constricted and she found that she could not breathe properly anymore. Chloe stood up quickly and rushed away from the crowd. She heaved dryly onto the grass. She could still faintly hear Lionel speak, "I would've searched for a thousand years if I thought he could be found. We can't hold on to the past. In my heart, I will be searching for my son forever."
'So will I,' she whispered.
"So will I," said a woman's voice.
Chloe turned around so suddenly that she became dizzy. She saw Helen Bryce carrying flowers approach Lex's tombstone. Chloe stepped forward. She had so many questions about what went wrong with their grand scheme.
Lionel met Chloe's eyes briefly, then turned to Helen. "If you're here to grandstand for the paparazzi, I will have you escorted out."
"I wish to pay my last respects to my husband."
Lionel gritted his teeth. "Then, Mrs. Luthor, allow me to leave before the hypocrisy begins."
He stalked away from the doctor and headed towards Chloe. Before Chloe could speak, Lionel took her by her arm and led her away from the crowd. Lionel's men converged around them so that no one could see what had occurred.
~~
'What makes you think you still have a chance out there?' the voice in his mind asked him.
"Because my life is not here," he answered.
He was dragged bodily up from the sand. "Well, buddy, you're lucky. Not a lot of people get a second chance like this. Good thing my captain saw your fire!"
He stumbled to his feet, gasping for breath. He was going back to—
"So what's your name, mon?"
He shook his head.
"Aight. Where we s'posed to take you?"
"I don't know," he rasped.