Sudden light flowed into the dark apartment as the front door creaked open revealing a woman wearing a grey business suit and blonde hair cascading around her shoulders. Her shaking hand slid across a pad on the wall thereby making light fill the room from bulbs on the ceiling. The yellow light revealed the streaks of mascara down her cheeks and the shaky state of her bottom lip. Her long hair looked unkept as she ran her fingers through it just as she had done so many times in that seemingly endless night.

She slid her bare feet across the blue carpet, further ripping her hosiery as she trudged toward her soft couch. Plopping down, she threw the high-heeled shoes in her hand across the room let her head fall back onto the cushion. She didn't even try to acknowledge the ringing phone as it went to the answering machine.

"Chloe? It's Clark. Look, I know what me and Lois told you today was a shock, but I want you to know that we thought about this a lot. I…we want to talk to you more about it…us. I know you said that you were fine with it, but you looked upset when you left Lois's apartment. Just call me back when you get a chance. Love ya. Buh-bye."

"What?" the woman whispered to herself. That message. It sounded familiar. She felt like she was having a strange case of déjà vu. She sat up in the couch and glanced around the living room. It was different. It was…her old apartment. The one she lived in before Lex bought her the penthouse. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. It was decorated exactly the same as…uh-oh. This was the day. This was the day it all started.

Chloe darted from the couch and ran over to her door. She pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. It wouldn't even turn. It was like it was frozen. Frozen in time.

"I don't believe you turned the knob at that moment."

Her head whipped around at the sound of the strange voice, making her long hair fly into her face. When she cleared the blonde locks away, she saw a woman lying on the couch. She was pretty sure the voice didn't come from this woman because…wait a minute. That woman was her! She remembered this. She was slumped over like a pothead, depressed. Her breath began to speed up at the sight of herself. It was like she was stuck in a rewind. She wanted out. She grabbed her head and let out a shout. She wanted anyone who could hear her to pluck her out of this reality.

"Chloe, calm down."

Once again, it was that voice. It sounded like a man. An older man. It also sounded like it was coming from her…answering machine?

The woman trotted over to the small white box which had it's red light beeping like a pulse. She tried to press one of the buttons, but like the knob, it wouldn't budge.

"You should know by now that it won't work."

Chloe jumped back at the voice once again coming from the speaker. However, she was more shocked at the fact that she recognized the voice.

"M-Mr. Kent?"

"Ah, yes. I was hoping you would recognize me. I was worried that you wouldn't since I've been dead for so many years. I guess the subconscious remembers things that the brain doesn't."

"Wha…what?"

"This is a dream, Chloe. It's the first in a series of dreams in which you will relive the events of the last few years."

"What! No I…I can't! I…why are you doing this to me Jonathan!"

"I'm not doing anything, Chloe. I have no power. I'm just your guide. I know that it's going to be painful, but you must remember, for the sake of yourself, and everyone else who has been a victim of Lex Luthor."

Chloe shuddered at the sound of his name. She hated herself now that a simple name could instill such fear in her. She gripped the sides of the table very hard to keep from throwing this answering machine against the wall.

"Why is it so important that I remember?" Chloe finally uttered through gritted teeth.

"You will see. You just have to be patient." Jonathan said in a soothing manner.

"Wait a minute. Why are you my guide anyway?" Chloe had a small hope that a little insult might make this ghost leave her alone. "Why can't it be my dead grandmother or something?"

Jonathan's voice didn't flinch as he replied, "I am as concerned about this situation as you are. Soon, it will involve my son, and he will need your memories, too."

"What? How…What is Clark going to…?"

The ringing of the phone startled Chloe out of her thoughts. She jumped and grabbed to table to catch her balance as she heard the beeping of the machine indicate another messege.

"Chloe! Hi, it's Lex. Um, I was hoping that you would reconsider my offer to become my Press Secretary. I mean, I was hoping Clark would reconsider our differences and take the job, but I was sadly mistaken. I know that you have a better opinion of me, which makes me wonder why you haven't met with me yet. Just call me back when you get a chance. Goodbye."

"Oh no," she uttered. All she wanted to do now was scream at the top of her lungs toward her doppelganger to not get up from the couch. However, when she tried to move her lips, they didn't respond. She was mute. Chloe felt her consciousness drifting out of participation with this reality and into spectatorship. She fought it with all her might, but soon she saw her past self walking toward the phone, about to do the act that began this living hell. Her fingers curled around the receiver. Her arm moved upward to dial the number. The anger she felt was apparent from just watching her. It was too late. It had begun.

"NO! DON'T DO IT! HE'LL DESTROY YOU! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Chloe's body shot forward violently, flinging the multi-colored comforter off of her body. The only thing that covered her now was the sheet that she had inadvertently wrapped around herself so it was like a Middle-Eastern garment.

She touched her thin fingers to her forehead and wiped off a healthy amount of sweat and let even more drip off of her chin and into the blanket. Her jaw shook and her emaciated arms wrapped around herself once again as she felt very exposed and frightened. Unlike normal dreams, this one was fresh in her mind. This how she knew this was really happening. She was going to have to relive the last few years every time she went to sleep. Her worst nightmare was coming true.

Broken heart one more time
Pick yourself up, why even cry
Broken pieces in your hands
Wonder how you'll make it whole

You know, you pray
This can't be the way
You cry, you say
Something's gotta change
And mend this porcelain heart of mine.

The throwing open of the door and sudden light from the hallway got Chloe's attention. As her emerald eyes moved up from her pathetic torso, she saw Lois and Clark standing in the lighted doorway, staring upon her shivering body. Humiliation grew within her as she buried her face in her arms and brought her knees to her chin.

"Go away," she shouted through her hiding place. Despite her plea, she felt a hand gently stroke her back after a few minutes.

"I said go away!" her muffled voice shouted.

Clark's large hand continued to travel up and down her warm and shaking back, vibrating as his fingertips worked over the ridges of her spine.

It was obvious by now that these people were not going to leave her alone. She hated them for that. She hated them for so many other reasons. However, the cold of her hate was somehow thawed by the warmth of the man's touch. It was like something was emanating off of his that was melting the ice wall she had erected so long ago.

Suddenly, it hit her, like an epiphany. It was him how made her hate them for so long. She would have been fine if it wasn't for him. Why didn't she see it before? For years, they always tried to reach out to her, and she pushed them away because of him.

Chloe's wet face emerged from the inside of her arms and she finally looked at the blurry picture of her friend. In the light from the hallway, she could see how his eyes had been stained by tears and his hair was unkept from the past few hours of stress.

"Clark," Chloe managed in a barely audible voice. The man smiled and let out a sigh as stood up on his feet and looked down on his frightened friend.

Without warning, the large man scooped the fragile woman out of bed and into his arms. Chloe was startled by the move, but the security of his embrace suppressed the fear that her wounded body wanted her to have. Also, he rocked his body back and forth so that she would be soothed by the steady movement. That reminded her of the times when her daddy would sooth her after a nightmare when she was little. If only this were a just bad dream.

Lois immediately came from behind and used her sleek fingers to slip through Chloe's short hair and rub her scalp. This further soothed Chloe's jumpy nerves as she continued to be rocked.

"It's gonna be alright, babe," Lois whispered to her cousin after a prolonged silence. "We're here for ya."

Chloe's green eyes moved to look at her cousin, now concealing her wedding hand in her pocket. Chloe also noticed that a locket that Clark gave her was now missing from her neck. That was unusual since it had been there all the time. Lois always used to do little things like that to make her cousin feel better. Even after all these years of one-sided animosity, Lois still cared for her like a big sister. Chloe's wall melted further at this realization.

"Lois," Chloe whispered as she looked at her former confidante.

"Yeah?" Lois replied, smiling at the fact that calm words were coming out of her mouth.

"I love you."

Chloe saw that Lois almost gasped at the initial shock. She looked like couldn't even say anything to that. Her eyes just filled with tears as she tried to hold back the lump in her throat. Lois gently took her head in her hands and touched Chloe's cheek to her own. In the process, she sobbed uncontrollably as her husband watched helplessly.

Someone said "A broken heart
Would sting at first then make you stronger"
You wonder why this pain remains
Were hearts made whole just to break

You know, you pray
This can't be the way
You cry, you say
Something's gotta change
And mend this porcelain heart of mine.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," Lois yelped through her cries. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you! I can't help but feeling that this is my fault."

At that word, Clark began to let out a few sobs as well. His tears hit Chloe's torso, the small woman felt something she hadn't felt in so long; warmth. Her shivering finally ceased as the warmth of true love enveloped her. The two people she cared for the most in the world were now here, holding her and loving her. Defying the procedure of rape counseling and being near to her fragile body. It touched the woman to the core. There were people out there who cared for her. He was wrong. He was not her only reality. This was reality. This was what she needed. If she hadn't been such a jealous bitch, she would have had this reality all along. She would have had the love she needed to survive. She should never have answered that voicemail.

Chloe rested her head against the soft fabric of Clark's suit as her own tears meshed with two others to create a beautiful mixture. Clark's trembling lips planted a kiss on her forehead as Lois continued to cradle her cranium. Chloe brought her thin arms to her chest as she made fists and tried to keep in this amazing feeling she had inside her. In the coming weeks, months, and maybe even years, she would probably not feel this feeling very much.

Creator only You take brokenness
And create it into beauty once again.

You know, you pray
This can't be the way
You cry, you say
Something's gotta change
And mend this porcelain heart of mine.

"I'm so sorry, for everything," Chloe whimpered, slightly muffled by Superman's suit.

"You don't have to be sorry," Clark bellowed. "We should have thought…"

"No, it was me…who should have thought. You guys…waited so long to…get together…just for me. I was…too jealous…to see that."

"Oh Chloe, don't think that," Clark whispered. "Please don't think that. Please."

The trio chose to say no more words. They didn't want to delve into the pain any more than they had to. They just stood, cried, and prayed. Prayed for peace to come to Chloe's soul, and prayed for justice to fall on Lex Luthor

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Btw, the song is called "Porcelain Heart" by BarlowGirl. Hope you guys liked the new chapter!