A/N: I'm an organic writer. Oh, sure. I do up an outline and have a general idea, but I typically let the characters tell me where they should go. That being said, I've got an idea of the "big bad", but I don't think it's bad enough. Maybe that'll just be the testing phase for Chloe. And then I can carry the storyline on and really find the "big bad" later. Hmmm…

As a side note, I decided that a dream will be in italics, just like thoughts are. After all, aren't dreams all in our minds? ;D


Chapter 12

I got ready for bed in kind of a daze. What had started out as one of the most perfect evenings of my life ended rather badly. In the back of my head, I was worried about Clark… his reaction… our friendship… any chance of a romantic relationship… Now that we knew each other so completely, for that to completely disappear would probably destroy me.

I thought back on his offer to exchange my life for his. It had seemed terribly romantic at the time even though I had been absolutely terrified they would take him up on it, but in the glare of my bathroom light, I wondered if he would have made the same offer for anyone. After all, he'd risked his life for all of us at one point or another. Would he have made the same offer for Lana? I had to swallow back the sour taste in my mouth. He probably would have, I concluded. After all, didn't he really have deeper feelings for her… and of a longer duration… than anything he'd had for me?

I shook my head. This wasn't really getting me anywhere but violently depressed. And I had to do something to keep my spirits up. If I faced what was coming feeling this bad, I wouldn't be able to muster the strength to fight. I finally decided that it was the rain that was doing it to me and I just crawled into bed. Because it was a Friday night, I could have stayed up later, but I just didn't feel like it. I just wanted to be encased in the comfort of my sheets and sleep away my sorrows.

I must have been more tired than I'd thought because I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow. But I didn't start out with any sort of usual dream sequence. I was in the same bright, foggy landscape where I had said goodbye to my sisters. I looked around to see if I could see any kind of identifying landscape. It kinda' felt like I'd been there before so it's blankness really surprised me. I walked around, looking for something… anything… or maybe even just to meet my sisters again.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, I felt that I wasn't alone anymore. "Who's there?" I asked a bit nervously. After all, I couldn't yell for Clark in my dreams… and I had never been able to get Elm Street out of my memory after Clark and Pete had bullied me into watching it.

"Very good, Chloe," a voice answered and I relaxed. The voice was so calm… so reassuring… that any anxiety I felt melted away.

But that didn't stop my curiosity. "Why can't I see you? Who are you?"

The voice laughed gently. "I'm what your sisters called the PTB… or at least part of it. And you're not quite ready to see me yet."

That kinda' annoyed me. "How do you know? I mean, I've seen a lot in my seventeen years. I think you're just a normal guy."

If anything, I think he was more amused than I wanted him to be. "Chloe," he chuckled, "if you saw me, you would know how true that is. But now is not the time for that. You must be patient."

I snorted in derision. "If you knew me at all, you'd know that isn't my strong point."

"Oh, I'm well aware of all your failings… and your fine qualities. Don't worry about that." He sounded so smug that I decided he was wise in not being in front of me. I would have smacked him hard upside the noggin.

But then it really hit me. I was actually talking to the all-powerful PTB… the ones who took my teachers, sisters and support system away from me. I felt like I was going to burst into flames… I was that angry. "How could you do this to me? Make me a freak… Give me a mission… And then rip away my entire support system?" Angry tears were falling down my face, which only made me angrier. The last thing I wanted to do was to show "them" weakness.

"Chloe, I'm sorry for your pain, but it was necessary." The sky had turned gray and I wondered if it was due to my emotions or his.

"How could it be 'necessary'? How can I possibly learn how to control my powers?" I could feel myself relenting and getting a little whiny. I couldn't figure out if this was a well-hidden alter-ego… one that no one got to see.

"Let's look at this logically." She could hear his smile and she felt herself smiling in response. "You haven't had to deal with the down-side of your gift yet, but the others have been doing this job for a minimum of 100 years. Willow was the eldest of the goddesses and we were actually surprised at how long she was willing to serve."

"Serve?" That wasn't a word I was expecting to hear.

"Yes," he laughed. "Serve. We have found in you and your sisters a desire to help others and a willingness to fight against all odds. That's why you were considered as our last goddess."

I was a little embarrassed. I wanted to deny his praise but couldn't seem to get my voice to work. "Why did you keep them in for so long? Wasn't it hard for them to watch their family and friends…" I trailed off. The thought was almost too horrible to contemplate.

A silent pause grew up around me. "It was extremely hard at times for them personally, but they were committed to the greater good. And they had their sisters for support." He sounded sad. "But the confrontations were more spread out at the beginning. In the last century, different crises have occurred at an increasing rate that's alarming. After a certain amount of time…" I could feel him shrug.

The panic was rising within me. "And where you had six or at least five, now you expect me to do it all?" I wanted to hyperventilate, but apparently I couldn't do that in a dream.

The voice sighed. "I can't tell you everything now, Chloe. The night is quickly drawing to a close and I am running out of time. Your trial by fire is at hand, but we have the greatest faith in you, Chloe."

I could feel the distance growing between us as if he were walking away from me. "Wait!" I shouted and tried to run forward. But no matter how hard I tried, I didn't make any forward progress… In fact, it felt like I was moving backward.

The voice laughed… and I was relieved that it just seemed to be an expression of joy instead of mocking. "Don't worry. We'll speak again. But just remember, we didn't leave you with absolutely no support…"

"Wait! What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" Light was filtering through my eyelids when I now desperately wanted to stay asleep. I tossed and turned and felt my comforter fall off of me. I reached down to pull it back up, but couldn't seem to find it on the floor. Normally, I might have just let it go, but I wanted to pull it over my head to block out the light. Finally, I gave up and opened my eyes to find it. It was right where it should have been… right beside the bed. But I couldn't reach it because I wasn't where I was supposed to be… I was floating at least six feet above my bed!


A/N: It's a given that the superpower I want most is to fly. While just that does not a superhero make, let's think about Hawkman. He just got all buff and beat the crap out of people. Of course, he had wings that exercised his torso all the time. Hmmm…

For anyone that's wondering about the long delay in update, I caught a bug last week that totally laid me out. It was terrible! But I'm back and rarin' to go!

Cherri202: Yeah… I have a problem with the Lana-meister. May she drop off the planet! I still don't' understand why they've made her a main character!

Carcassi: I'm so glad you like it. Willow… while I kind of have the "Buffy" Willow in the back of my mind, I don't have any specific basis for them. And thanks for the lovely review.

cocaleaf: Personally, I love and Chlark action that I can get (I almost expired with the season finale) but I'm trying to mellow out that love. Some people aren't Chlarkers and if I want them to get together, it has to at least be a logical progression… ;D

markmark261: No worries about distressing me. I think I was feeling uber-sensitive… and it wasn't something I'd gotten from you before. I hadn't really thought about the smile numbering as manipulative, but I can see your point. You will probably then be happy that I seem to be dropping them as they continue on. I definitely didn't intend on having her be manipulative… Hmmm… I just totally got it from the Hitchhiker's Guide "Trilogy".

Any my back feels fantastic now. Thanks for the support! ;D

iluvsmallville1: It wouldn't have ended the story. I just wanted Chloe to get a little disappointed… but Clark did have his reasons. My Smallville reviewer friend is always harping on how Clark is always having people sneak up on him when he has super-hearing. I posit that it would drive him mad to have it on all the time, but in a first romantic kiss situation like this, he would be alert for any interruptions or possible embarrassing reveals.

And like I said… I was totally verklempt at the season finale. I'm going to be working it into a music video soon.