I'm bored today, so I decided to update the third chapter a bit early. Thanks for the reviews I've already been getting! Keep them coming! Oh, and in case you didn't get this, instead of using Lionel as a vessel, as the show did, I sort of made him a store of information. When Clark died, the information was useless, so he went back to normal. Three more chapters after this one.


Lana was sitting on the sofa in the waiting room, comforting a weeping Mrs. Kent.

"I-I j-just don't believe it," she mumbled. "My baby...my only son...gone."

"I know, Mrs. Kent," replied Lana soothingly. "It wasn't his time to go. Clark was the best person I ever knew, and you and Mr. Kent are the greatest parents I've ever met. You were the last people to deserve this pain."

Lana couldn't control her tears, however desperately she wanted to in front of Martha. Somehow, she didn't feel as if she had any right to express her sorrow. She was only his girlfriend, right? She couldn't cry in front of his parents, she just couldn't...but she was. She buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, Mrs. Kent...I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize, Lana. You loved Clark. You have every right in the world to feel this way."

Lana just nodded, now unable to talk without sobbing. She glanced up towards the front desk, where Mr. Kent was discussing arrangements for Clark's body with the doctor. He would be kept in the morgue for three days until he was transferred to Smallville's funeral home on Sunday. The funeral would be Monday afternoon, outdoors. They never spent any time in church, so why should they now? Clark would have hated being cooped up. The idea of an autopsy was discussed, but not for long. "We know what killed my son," Mr. Kent had strongly declared. "I'm not going to advocate butchering his body to prove that it was a bullet." And that had ended it.

Suddenly, the quiet of the waiting room was shattered by the entrance of Chloe, Lois, and Lex. They all made to approach the front desk, but stopped as Mr. and Mrs. Kent and Lana came into view. Chloe, upon seeing Lana's grief-stricken face, dissolved into tears. She knew what had happened. She collapsed on the floor only to be caught by Lois – who calmly walked her over to sit with Mrs. Kent and Lana.

Chloe sat, hardly able to believe that she had even mustered up enough strength to do so.

"I tried calling Pete, Mrs. Kent, but I couldn't get a hold of him, and I wanted to come help, but I couldn't because Gabriel tied me up, and I just feel so guilty, I should have never let this happen…"

Martha stopped her there. "Chloe, honey, I would never blame you for anything. I assumed you stopped the missile, so I should be thanking you. You've saved all of us. C-Clark w-would have been proud."

Chloe didn't respond, but Mrs. Kent understood. They hugged each other tightly, mourning their great loss together.

Lex walked slowly over to where Mr. Kent was standing, leaning against the wall.

"Mr. Kent-"

"It's okay, Lex. I know. You don't need to say anything."

And so they were. Lex, Chloe, Lana, Lois, Martha, and Jonathan. They had suffered an incomprehensible loss – but at this moment, they were at peace.

TBC


Jeez, this is the shortest chapter in history. What was I thinking?