Chapter 18: Crash

"Lana, hey, I'm on my way into Smallville and I need a mad caffeine rush, are you by any chance at the Talon?" I asked.

"Yea I just walked in, do you want me to order you something?" She asked.

"Please! I white chocolate café mocha with a double espresso shot. I will pay you when I get there." I replied.

"No problem, see you soon!" She said. We hung up and I continued driving. Then it happened.

There was a car, with a man and a woman in it. They were apparently screaming at each other and not paying attention to the very icy roads. They were in the wrong lane and heading straight towards me. I honked but it didn't save me. In less then an instant out cars collided and tumbled down the hill. I screamed and struggled. The tumbling stopped. I was still alive. Sure I was cut up and jabbed with glass and had excruciating amounts of pain. But I was alive. I found a way to crawl out of my now totaled Porsche and into the snow.

"Ahh!" I screamed, falling onto my right arm. I looked over and saw my arm bleeding pretty badly.

I then heard someone crying. It was coming from the other car. I crawled as fast as I could over to it and looked in the window. There was a little girl who was trapped inside. She didn't look like she could be three years old. The car was smoking, and the adults were either unconscious or dead. I pushed through the pain, picked up a fallen tree branch, and busted open the window. I climbed in, undid the car seat, grabbed her, crawled out and back up the hill, just before the car burst into flames. The small child cried so did I, as we watched he remains of the two cars burn.

I held her close to me trying to keep her warm. My entire body hurt and I knew I was going to collapse. But I got as far as I could, before blacking out and falling to the ground.

---

I opened y eyes. I was in the hospital. Something was holding my hand. I looked down and saw Clark, with his hand grasping mine and his head lying on top of our hands. I brought my other hand to his head and ran my fingers softly through his hair.

"Clark." I tried to say, but my voice came out as a cracked whisper. He heard though. His head shot up.

"Juliet." He said softly and smiling. "I thought you promised never to scare me like this again." He said as he caressed the side of my face.

"I tried, I'm sorry." I whispered.

"No, no you have no reason to be sorry, everything is ok!" He told me. I nodded, then it came to me.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Who?" He replied.

"The baby, well she wasn't really a baby, she was probably about two but I got her out of the other car right before it exploded." I stated.

"Oh, she didn't have any severe injuries but she had no where to go so my parents took her, she's fine." Clark told me. I sighed with relief.

"That's good. How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About three days. They were worried you might go into a coma if you didn't wake up with in four more days." He said.

"Wow…" I whispered.

"Really! So what am I going to have to do to drive all of these scary near death experience away Jules?" Clark said. I couldn't tell if he was serious or just sarcastic.

I grabbed his hand and kissed it lightly.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Like always." I said. He smiled and gently lifted me into his arms. I felt so warm and safe there.

"Maybe I should just hold you like this forever." He told me.

"I definitely wouldn't complain." I replied.

----

Two days later I was released from the hospital. I was going back to stay with the Kent's for a few days because the snow was still really bad. So my temperamentally roommate-less roommate Chloe, was staying with Lois.

I walked into the house which felt so warm and inviting. Martha and Jonathon were in the living room waiting on us.

"Juliet! It's so good to see you out of the hospital!" Jonathon exclaimed.

"It feels pretty good too." I told him. Then I heard little footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Ellyna!" Martha exclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?" She asked as she ran over to the small child.

"I heard someone and wanted to see them." Her little voice said.

"Really? Well you were right." Martha picked her up and brought her over to me. "Ellyna, this is Juliet. Juliet, this is little Ellyna."

I smiled at her, she was tinier then I remember.

"Hello Ellyna, it's nice to meet you." I said. Her face grew expressionless.

"You got me out of the car." She said. "You fell asleep in the snow and were crying."

I wanted to cry, how could someone so little remember so much?

"Yes, I did." I whispered. She was very still, and then she reached over and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. Martha handed her to me and I held her. I looked up at Clark with a tear threatening to fall down my face. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. I smiled.

"Where are my mommy and daddy?" Ellyna said hopefully. My smile fell, so did everyone else's.

"Ellyna I thought we told you about this, your mommy and daddy went up with the angels." Martha said looking at her.

"Yes but if they are there then why isn't Juliet there to? And me?" She asked. She certainly was a curious little girl.

"Well..." Jonathon said.

We explained everything to her, she was upset but not as bad as we thought. I felt awful.

"Hey, what are you doing out here? You need to come inside, it is freezing." Clark said as he walked out on the porch with me.

"I am just thinking." I said blankly.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he walked to face me.

"It's just that, I feel, kind of guilty." I said.

"For what?" He asked.

"For Ellyna's parents. Maybe if I hadn't been driving, they might still be alive, she wouldn't be an orphan at two."

"Jules, it isn't your fault! You can't blame yourself for this. Besides, she is almost three." He said trying to lighten the mood.

"Clark I know what is like, to sit there and watch your mother died. And I never wanted to see that happen to anyone ever again, but I did. And I just wish there was something I could do." I said.

"Juliet you saved her life, she would have died if it wasn't for you. And there is something you can do, be there for her." He told me. I looked up and him and saw the sincerity on his face. I smiled a little and embraced him. He returned the favor.

"I love you so much." I whispered.

"I know that feeling to." He whispered back.