Chloe feels secure, as though tucked beneath a down blanket. She longs to stay in this moment, knowing for once she can exhale and allow someone else to take control of all the things that have spiraled out of control around her. If only the thick fog that clouded her would allow her to open her eyes. Clark had a way of finding her at her weakest moment, always able to calm her fears, and keep her safe. Yet, the haze enveloping her brain weighs her down, making it impossible for her to move even the smallest part of her body. As though paralyzed, Chloe feels trapped in her own body, unable to do anything but wait for the inevitable grip of Clark's hands to find her, and pull her out of the horrible mist.

"Clark," she whispers, finding a strained voice within. Yet, despite her hopes that once again Clark was to be her knight in shining armor, this night she could only depend on herself. Clark was not there. She was alone.

Chloe blinks against the pin pricks of light that stab her eyes. The ground beneath her is cold and hard, and she can feel her arm twisted beneath her. Slowly her mind grasps what just happened. As she lays awkwardly on the ground, she remembers trying so hard to turn her body away from the stairs. Unfortunately, in doing so, she backed herself into a corner. Before Gabe even realized, his forceful shaking made her head whip back, causing an unfortunate union with the brick wall. Despite the throbbing pain in her head, she still feels as though this has happened to someone else. If only she was just the one unfortunate enough to watch.

As the world around her comes into focus, pounding and pulsing pain surges through her head making it even harder to concentrate on the light that is getting brighter by the moment. Slowly she's able to free her arm from the weight of her body. Only by a miracle the bones within her arm are unbroken, able to move her hand up to her throbbing head. Thankfully the cool concrete underneath her had not been blanketed by her warm blood. Despite all of the pain swirling around within her, the evidence of this encounter is hidden like so many other things in her life. Without mercy or meaning, her father's hands had broken and bruised her tender heart and unparalleled spirit.

Any other person would have crumpled under the pressure that Chloe had been exposed to for months. It took great strength to put on a happy face each day, all the while knowing even a frown would be a mask. For what her life has become is worthy of tears, and no one would fault her for letting them go. But Chloe had too much respect for herself to throw in the towel and give into her situation. She would not allow herself to wallow in self pity, clinging to the hope that things would turn around for her and her dad. But tonight, as she remembered his hands digging into her flesh, she felt the tears flow into her eyes, and she pulled off her mask.

Chloe finds the strength to pull herself up, pausing before standing to take a closer look at that which has caught her eye. The little monkey key ring gleams in the light that's spilling out of the apartment, illuminating her means of escape. Acting on impulse, as though running for her life, Chloe grabs the keys in her hand and disappears down the staircase, not looking back to all she's leaving behind.

In a flurry of feet and fingers she finds her way to her car, turning the key in the lock, and then the ignition in record speed. The tires peel across the asphalt as the tail lights disappear into the darkness.

The tiny red bug hugs the curves of the long stretch of the road while the warm glow of the headlights melt into the wet asphalt. The lonely driver fights to wipe her tears away quickly, like the wipers on the windshield which cannot keep up with the rain.

Never feeling more alone than she does at this moment, Chloe switches on the radio, hoping to find something to fill the silence. Rolling quickly past stations of dead air and static, she stops on a song that stabs her heart. It's funny that misery truly does love company, for just hearing simple lyrics sung by a stranger helps her find comfort in someone else's pain. I guess just knowing that there might be someone else out there that hurts like she does is an odd consolation, so she turns the dial up, and lets her tears fall down her cheeks without allowing her hand to stop them.

The chugging of her engine rips Chloe untimely from the escape the melody provided her. Seeing that the needle on her fuel gauge has plunged too far beneath empty to carry her a foot farther, she rolls the car into the thick grass near the ditch on the side of the road, just before the engine shuts itself off. Feeling completely defeated Chloe hides her face against the steering wheel, praying not only this night never happened, but that her whole life never had either.

Accepting her fate, and knowing she can't spend the night praying for time to be reversed, she lifts her head from the wheel only to see her salvation before her. Just a few yards ahead, illuminated by her headlights, Chloe sees the Kent mailbox; the safest place a person could ask for. A place offering much more than safety for her.

Chloe makes her way down the long driveway, savoring every tiny detail the quaint farm provides. She gently runs her fingers down the fence as she walks closer to the house, taking in the smells, and loving every single one of them. Every square inch of this land reminds her of Clark, and she never really had the opportunity to explore the vast simplicity of the place the one who means so much to her calls home. Being trapped within the few rooms of the cold, dark apartment she's consigned to making her appreciate the treasure that is these rural acres. She feels like Scarlett O'Hara, finally understanding the value of land, and a place to be proud to call home. She stands poised at the end of the walk feeling as though she could spread her wings, even if it's alone in the darkness.

The humble yellow house normally is aglow with warm lights flooding out of the shuttered windows, but the darkness that had fallen hours before lured the farmer's family into their beds, assuring the stillness until just before daybreak. Nightfall not only quieted the land, but the busy hands that tend to it, making it so that no one was awake to greet Chloe as she approaches their home.

Chloe knows she is but a knock away from a trio of Kents more than willing to greet her, and see to her every need. Martha Kent would not only cook her a warm meal, but tuck her into a warm bed, comforting her with a gentle mothering touch. Johnathan would jump in his truck and face down her father, vowing to never allow anyone to treat her unkindly. And, of course, there's Clark. Oh, the things she could imagine Clark doing to ease her troubled mind. She could practically feel him holding her hand within his, and feel his whispers in her ear as he promises he will always protect her.

Restraint has always been Chloe's strong point, and there was no reason to lose her gift tonight. She could not bring herself to rap upon the door, deciding it's best to allow the Kents to remain in the solace of their dreams, having no reason to invite them into her nightmare.

She carefully tiptoes up the steps to the barn loft, cringing as the worn wood creaks beneath the weight of her body. Quickly she looks over her shoulder, fearing Clark Kent could appear out of the darkness as quickly as he seemed able to disappear into it. The coast remains clear, so she closes the space between herself and the hidden fortress at the top of the stairs. The little nook tucked atop the stairs had always been able to provide Clark peaceful solitude, and that's something Chloe's more than overdue for.

The full moon's light pours through the hay door opening, brightening Chloe's spirits with it's enchanting glow. She gazes up into the beautiful sky which is sprinkled with tiny stars like glitter dancing upon an infinite piece of black velvet, unable to imagine what it might feel like to spend a night like this wrapped in the embrace of her very dear friend.

Her fingers find their way to the telescope tilted towards the heavens. She smiles, knowing that Clark, although seemingly part of a perfect nuclear family, has things even he longs to escape from. She bends down, peering through the lens to the amplified galaxy, hoping to dream herself into the abyss that seems to be just an arm's length away. How beautiful it would be to bathe in such serenity, not having a care in the universe but to shine brightly, and guide others along their path.

Chloe stretches back, reaching her arms above her head with an exhausted stretch. Squinting her eyes, she punctuates her yawn with a breathless moan. The late hour, and stress of the day finally catches up with her, so she decides to find a place to lay her head, if only for just a few moments.

Any other night the idea of laying atop a nest of dusty hay would've made her itch and sneeze. But this night, the rustic heap might as well be down feathers. It cradles her gently and whispers lullabies allowing her eyes to mercifully close upon this night, carrying her off to a world she hopes will be filled with the happiness only one's dreams can provide.