A/N: Long time coming, I know. But it's here. Thanks again to all of my reviewers! Enjoy! Reviews always welcome and encouraged!

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Chapter 2: One Of Us

Part 4:

Lana sat still, motionless, at a table in the middle of a busy coffeehouse. Life moved past her in fast-forward, a blur of faded images through her mind's eye. Her hands were tight around a warm coffee cup, still nearly full with the cappuccino she ordered an hour before. In a rare, quiet moment among the chaos, thoughts overcame all reality, and emotions coursed through her heart. Above all, worry seemed the most prominent, strong and suffocating. Yet underneath, deep, lying dormant, almost unnoticed, was her usual sense of loneliness.

Lonely. It never used to be like this, Lana thought with a heavy heart.

Like a picture book of nostalgia, her thoughts turned the pages of the past few years. Lana remembered her yearlong trip to Europe, a journey to find her true identity. The green countryside, the lush grasses and plains, and peaceful seas gave her solace, a chance to look deep inside her soul. Yet the road she traveled eventually led her back to Smallville, to the people who cared for her the most.

When she finally did come home, alone, lost, and under the dark umbrella of uncertainty, Chloe gave her light. Offered Lana a place to stay in her new apartment in Metropolis, along with understanding, an ear to listen, and, most importantly, true friendship. It often amazed Lana how close they became over the next five years. When Lois appeared soon after, they were a family, a support system for each other. Though her future remained mysterious and unknown, Lana knew she could depend on the two she never expected. Sisters not by blood, but by commitment … by love.

Though Lana still considered Chloe and Lois two of her best friends, in the past year everything changed. Roads of life that once ran parallel suddenly began to run in opposite directions. Lois moved to a new apartment, and spent more and more time at The Daily Planet, desperately trying to match the demand of her ever-growing popularity. And Chloe … Oh Chloe … who has been running from her past for two years, Lana thought sadly.The death of her partner only caused her to run faster, farther, and longer. She spent months away from home, and traveled the globe to write international stories for The Daily Planet.

With both of them gone much of the time, Lana was suddenly living her life mostly by herself. Chloe still talked to her when she could, and Lois did visit at least a few times a week. But it has certainly not been the same. Once again, those she cared about moved away, left her, traveled a different path.

As soon as Lana heard Lois disappeared, however, desperation soon draped her heart in shadows, and smudged the line between right and wrong. When Chloe refused to let her help with the case, it only pushed Lana to an extreme she vowed never to tap into again. A temptation she promised herself, and, most importantly, Chloe she would never succumb to, despite any circumstances.

Lana went to Lex Luthor for help.

Already she felt disgusted, aware of how upset Chloe would be if she found out. In fact, Chloe would probably scream at me. But it seems like the only real way to find Lois, using whatever resources necessary to do so. Lois' safety meant more to her than personal feuds.

Lex Luthor …

Chloe …

Clark …

No matter how hard Lana tried to stop it, everything returned. Like an ocean wave crashing on the shore, unwanted memories, loss, and sleepless nights came back to the forefront of her mind. Events she tried two years to forget, to throw away, and to pretend never happened at all. Through the drama, she remembered sitting on the sidelines, helpless, unable to do anything but watch the destruction, eyes clouded with endless tears.

Could only be the comfort in the pain, the sense in the misunderstanding, the love among the hurt.

Clark …

Oh, Chloe …

They came so close … so very close …

What Lana remembered the most, what she chose to remember above all else, was the friendship Clark and Chloe shared before their problems. Four years of college made them closer, brought them together, helped develop an intimacy even Lana never once experienced with Clark before. Unexplainable, really. The eyes of love that once watched her from afar now changed direction. Clark no longer looked at his childhood sweetheart with the same intensity.

His best friend, however, soon became the object of his affection.

Despite the subtle shift in attraction, Lana and Clark did attempt a relationship when she returned from Europe. In less than a month, however, it became blatantly obvious that the water under the bridge was much too high to support anything deeper than friendship.

In the end, that was okay with Lana.

She could not help but feel slight jealousy towards Clark and Chloe, though. The man she once defined as the love of her life was gone. Destiny changed the future she once hoped for. Destiny … ignored the past. Destiny … made everything the way it was meant to be.

As months turned into years, so did Clark's friendship with Chloe turn into something like intimacy.

By college graduation, the two were together. Inseparable.

In love …

Yet … destiny always surprises us.

Lana often wished the past ended there for her two friends. In fact, her mind tried desperately to stop the pages of time from turning to the next sequence of events. Why can't everything stay exactly as it should? Why can't happiness overcome all? Why can't love forgive? The love, however, could not come without the pain. Clark and Chloe ensured these two emotions would forever be paired in their fragile relationship.

With great regret, she remembered how it all began.

Days after college graduation, days after she and Clark declared their undying love for each other; Chloe earned an interview with The Daily Planet. Happiness could hardly describe how she felt with the news, not to mention the support and encouragement Clark gave her again and again throughout the duration of the hiring process. By the end of the week, in no time at all actually, Chloe Sullivan was an investigative reporter for one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world.

A newspaper recently bought out by Lex Luthor.

Which quickly explained why Chloe was hired so quickly.

Lana could only tell the story from here on out with Chloe's version, because Clark never chose to tell his completely. Chloe promised her version to be the only one to truly explain her intentions when she went to Lex Luthor the night after she was hired. Promised she thought of nothing save saying thank you to her good friend, who seemed only to have her best interests at heart. A friend who stood by her during Lionel Luthor's case, kept her safe, and now gave her the chance of a lifetime.

Chloe went to his office at LexCorp close to nine o'clock that night. Knocked on his door, and Lex urged her quickly to come in. She stood back from him, saw him sitting at his desk, eyes glued to his laptop before gazing up at her. With a sweet smile, she began her plea of gratitude. Telling him how grateful she was for the faith he obviously had in her. The chance he was willing to take with her. The enormous jumpstart this would be for Chloe's career.

Not to mention the jumpstart for her life with Clark …

Lana could almost see the images play themselves out in front of her closed eyelids, despite never seeing them save through Chloe's eyes.

Lex stood from his desk, walked towards his new reporter, and gave her a warm hug. At first, simple, sweet, even a normal reaction from him. Then he stepped back, enough to gaze deeply into Chloe's eyes, enough to cause her suspicion.

In a seconds time … Lex kissed her deeply. Ignored her muffled pleas to stop, captured her tightly in his arms, his strength much too difficult to fight. Initial shock took all rational thought from Chloe's mind, the alarm of warning deafening, yet barely understood.

What Clark saw exactly, Chloe would never know.

And neither would Lana.

When the kiss finally ended, both Chloe and Lex knew who watched them from the doorway. And both turned to see Clark's stare. What Chloe always remembered in that moment, and always told Lana, was the reaction she felt when she saw her lover's eyes that night. Eyes of pain, hurt, shock, and, most importantly, anger. And whether Chloe did anything wrong or not, guilt surged through her gut, through her veins, through her soul.

Because she knew it would never be the same.

By the next day, Clark, sure he saw Chloe cheat on him with a good friend, insisted they go their separate ways. He could no longer trust her.

Chloe, sure their love was only a façade of lost chances, did not disagree. If he did not want to work it out, if he could not trust her over Lex Luthor … if he did not have faith in their love … She knew the relationship was not worth saving.

All said on that fateful night, on the Kent Farm, on their porch, on their swing … with words dipped in seas of grief.

From that point, Lana only remembered the pain. Night after night she sat up with Chloe, wiped away the endless tears from her reddened cheeks, held her, told her everything would turn out okay. Everything would be solved soon. The pain would go away in time. It took weeks for Chloe to sleep throughout the night, months to stop crying the days away, and years to move on.

Yet Chloe still felt guilty, this much Lana knew. Because she still ran from the demons in her heart, from both the guilt over Clark and the guilt over her partner, each lost due to something she did. Whether she meant to do them or not. Whether it was really her fault or not. Deep down … she still carried the weight of both, carried the burden of her fateful actions. Actions the cause of catastrophic results.

With a pang of anger, Lana wished she never knew Lex Luthor. If anything, the cause of Clark and Chloe's problems began with him. He never really explained his actions that night, yet he politely insisted Chloe asked him to share the moment of passion. A convenient lie Clark Kent did not question, blinded by his own pain. Blinded with the very real possibility that he just lost the person he truly loved.

My song is love
Love to the lovely song

Lana tried to explain Clark's misplaced outrage with that very reason, at least. I hope that was why he gave up on Chloe … why he put both of them through so much emotional grief. Love can be blind.

In response to her travel through time, Lana once again felt disgusted, the sickness deep in her stomach. The cappuccino she drank no longer held the re- invigorating effects from before, instead replaced with a horrible churn of nausea. How could she stoop so low as to get Lex Luthor involved? Despite how much he has done for her in the past, in Smallville? None of that should matter when one considered how much pain he caused. His lies at the root of all the grief between Clark and Chloe.

And it goes on
You don't have to be alone

Could Lana, with good conscience, keep him involved?

Hours ago, Lex took the picture of the man they discovered on the security tape to his investigators. Hours she waited for him in this coffee house, lost in her morbid thoughts. Lost in the past.

Your heavy heart
Is made of stone

Suddenly, however, he appeared before her. Lana looked to him, saw him smile as he placed a manila folder on the table in front of her. Before she could say anything, before she could fight her temptations, before she could back out, Lex insisted with a slight smile, "I hope you like to gamble."

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And it's so hard to see you clearly
You don't have to be on your own

Clark sat quietly in his seat, his right hand tight around his glass of water. The plane rode smooth through the blue, crystal sky around them. Though he insisted they could take the Kent express to Las Vegas, Chloe thought it best to take public transportation so no one could claim to see him land somewhere in the middle of the desert. Though she wanted to get to Lois as quickly as possible, Chloe also did not want to risk someone seeing Clark use his powers. He could not help but smile slightly at her reasoning, because Clark knew she was actually a little scared to fly with him.

At least, she always was when we were together.

Together …

You don't have to be on your own

He looked over to his left at the blonde woman that sat next to him, leaned back completely in her chair, eyes closed to the outside world for the time being. Clark's heart ached just by gazing at her; aware of everything he gave up two years ago. Days did not go by without the same regrets, like a pang of disgust deep in his soul. In fact, he often considered the ramifications of his hasty decision, fueled completely by jealousy and rage. What kind of future did he let slip through his fingers? Was there ever anything to save?

And I'm not gonna take it back
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that

Clark's gaze turned back to the seat in front of him, as his mind took all rational thought away. The memories he shared with Chloe came quickly to the forefront of his mind. Over the past two years, this happened often. Most specifically, the special moments they spent together, so close to the edge of happiness. Loving her took every ounce of his being, as if anything less would not be good enough. She took his heart, his soul, and defined him.

You're the target that I'm aiming at
And I'll get that message home

Moments of quiet love, as he held her in front of the fire, kissed her, promised her his life. She would often whisper to him tender love in return; and promised him she will love him forever. Intense, intimate, and nothing like it before or since. Sometimes they would say nothing at all, let their souls talk, melt together instead. Already, just the memories, caused Clark's heart to beat a bit faster than usual. His eyes closed then, as he squeezed his glass tighter still, angry with himself because he did not give her a chance to explain her incriminating actions.

My song is love
My song is love, unknown

We broke up so quickly … so hastily …

And it still haunts me to this day …

Because I still dream of her, what it might be like … what it would feel like to be with her, to express our love … to make love …

But I'm on fire for you, clearly
You don't have to be alone
You don't have to be on your own

Already worry returned for his lost love, as if it never left him. Chloe dealt with a lot of difficult emotions all by herself, and Clark could already see the burdens she carried were extremely heavy. Carried them all by herself … Chloe, why won't you let me in? Though the answer was obvious, Clark still wished she would. Forget past problems, forget all the pain they caused each other. None of that mattered in the face of real pain, pain that drove her across the world. Pain that prevented her from living. Pain etched on the very edge of her features, lightly, hardly noticeable … yet crippling.

And I'm not gonna take it back
Oh I'm not gonna say I don't mean that

Clark thought heavily, I want to help you, Chloe. I want to be there for you, I want to make it all go away.

We've done so much alone … and so much of it, we didn't have to …

All because of me …

Alone … because of me …

Maybe Chloe could still read his thoughts.

You're the target that I'm aiming at
And I'm nothing on my own
Got to get that message home

Clark wished endlessly that Chloe could have been there for him, during his recent heartache. The loss of his father hit him hard, a pain deeper than anything he has ever felt before. Numerous nights he sat up in his loft, unable to sleep, unable to think of anything but the life he must lead without the man who raised him. The same man, the father who made me feel normal, and taught me almost everything I know. So often he lay awake at night, wish Chloe's gentle caresses and soft words would lull him to sleep, a sleep that did not come to him while alone.

They both survived so much without each other in the past two years. And at first, Clark did not think being away from her would make much of a difference. Thought life would be the same, that his future would be just as fulfilling. Never did he imagine how desperately he truly needed her, not until now - until he felt her presence again, until she washed away his hurt with just her bright, wonderful smile. For the first time since his father died, he felt whole again.

And I'm not gonna stand and wait
Not gonna be there until it's much too late

With Chloe in his life again, it almost made losing his father bearable. Something he could live through, a chance to carry on, and do so with happiness, rather than regret.

Because I know I cannot move on with my life alone …

On a platform I'm gonna stand and say
That I'm nothing on my own

Once again, the loss of his father strained him, the hurt so intense as to weaken him of all super strength. His eyes began to burn at the edges with tears, despite how hard he fought them. And within seconds, they slid down his crimson cheeks. He placed the glass of water down on his tray table, enabling him to cover his embarrassed, emotionally distraught face with his right hand.

Clark did not want anyone to see him like this. No one should.

And I love you, please come home

Before he could wipe his tears, before he could bite back the emotion, he felt a soft, smooth hand grasp his own still, left hand on the armrest of his seat. Fingers gracefully laced through his, as if they fit perfectly. As if they belonged there. When he took his other hand away from his face, Clark looked to Chloe, her eyes deep and inviting, full of sorrow. Full of concern. For him.

My song is love, is love unknown

Chloe let her thumb lightly trace the back of his hand, affection so simple, yet it stirred his soul. And, in silence laced with forgotten love, she reached a gentle hand to his face, and wiped his tears away.

And I've got to get that message home

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end of update.

More to come …