A/N: Enter Chlark! Also, this chapter fills in some of the events since "Vessel"—with a surprise twist at the end. :)
Chapter Three
"You're not going there without me."
Chloe shot an exasperated glance at Clark across her Met. U. dorm room before turning back to her laptop. "Did Zod's weird space-prison give you extra powers of super-stubbornness? You know you can't come tomorrow. It took all of Kahn's pull just to get Lex to agree to see me, and he specified alone—not even any photographers. Besides which, you're the last person Lex would want to see after what happened to him back in May—even if he can't remember most of it."
A few months earlier Clark might have tried to press his argument, but now, she noticed, he merely conceded the point with a brief nod and hooded, thoughtful eyes. He had never talked much about what had happened to him during his brief time in that ghostly other-world, but since he'd returned he seemed older, quieter, and yet, somehow, more self-assured.
Chloe shot a sympathetic look at him from her perch on the bed, where she sat cross-legged in front of her computer keyboard. "It wasn't your fault, what happened to Lex," she began gently, but Clark shook his head.
"I don't blame myself anymore," he said slowly. "I made some wrong decisions, and so did Lex, but the person who's really responsible is Zod." He paused, sighing. "Anyway, he's back in his prison now, and Fine—or the ship, or whatever he really is—can't do much without Zod," he finished. His voice, Chloe thought, sounded more hopeful than optimistic.
Clark took a seat close behind her on the bed. As always, he radiated warmth, and she basked in it as her shoulder pressed against his chest.
"Thanks to you," he added softly, his breath tickling her ear. She tilted her head, meeting his deep green gaze, and he broke into one of those irresistible thousand-watt smiles that made her feel as though the ground was only a distant memory. She thought again of the last kiss they shared, that terrifying day in the Planet newsroom.
Remembering that day brought Chloe back to Earth with a thud. You kissed him, not the other 'way round, she reminded herself. Don't confuse his friendship for something more.
It didn't mean anything, she told herself, that he leaned into that kiss. Or that he held her close.
"Don't thank me," she replied lightly, resuming her typing. "I've told you before, it was Lionel who saved the day. I suppose he must've been channeling Jor-El, because he pulled those thugs off me like so many paper dolls. After that, he grabbed my hands and held them, and you just…appeared out of thin air."
Her hands stilled over the keyboard again, and she stared, unseeing, over the top of the computer monitor. "I remember there was a flash of light before you showed up," she said slowly. "but it seemed to come from far away. Funny, I never thought of that 'til now. Sometimes, when I try to think about that day too much, I get a lot of images jumbled together, and it's hard to separate what was real and what wasn't. This feels very real, though."
Her fingers sprang back into action over the keys. "That's all I can remember, really. I haven't seen Lionel since then, but after he woke up from his faint, he was so out of it that he asked me what year it was. Of course, with Lionel, you never know, do you?"
Clark shrugged, as if anxious to drop the subject, and peered over her shoulder to read as she typed. "If you're e-mailing Lois, could you tell her I said hi? The farm's a lot quieter since she left for boot camp."
"Sure, I'll be glad to give cousin Chloe your regards," she drawled, grinning. "By now she's probably kickboxed her way to a sergeant's stripes."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clark lift a hand to touch her hair softly. Her typing slowed, then stopped.
"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to your new look." He fingered a curl tickling the nape of her neck. "I kinda liked the old one." There was an awkward pause which Chloe deliberately left unfilled, and Clark dropped his hand. Gently clearing his throat, he asked, "Any more e-mails?"
"None from Lana, if that's what you're asking," she retorted a bit too sharply, mentally kicking herself as soon as the words left her mouth. Clark had barely mentioned Lana's name since the day of the riots, when they'd found her screaming in the streets. Why bring it up herself?
Maybe, Chloe mused ruefully, because she needed a reminder. Clark might spend all his free time now with her, but once Lana snapped her fingers, she knew he'd come running. It wouldn't do to forget that, especially now, when he sat so close, a solid, warm, reassuring presence at her back.
"I'm not interested in talking to Lana," came the quiet reply. "And she's definitely not interested in seeing me, not since we helped her get Lex out of the LuthorCorp building that day." His voice shook slightly. "He was in pretty bad shape, Chloe. Being Zod's "vessel" took too much out of him. Lana blames me for his breakdown."
"The hospital discharged him with a clean bill of health last month, though. And Lana has no idea what really happened to him."
"She knows enough," came the grim reply. "I wonder how much of it she's told Lex?"
For a moment Chloe didn't answer. "Clark," she began at last, "I know how much losing Lana to Lex hurts you. I know you'll always love her. I'm sorry there's nothing I can do to help."
"What are you talking about, Chloe?" She turned to meet his eyes, which were wide with surprise. "That's not what I meant…."
The laptop's electronic beep interrupted before he could finish. "It's a reply from the Smallville Ledger to the e-mail I sent," she said, scrolling down the message. "I asked the reporter who covered the "crystal" story if he had any more information."
It only took a minute for her to finish, shaking her head in disappointment. "Not much there. Just a couple extra photos. That's too bad, I was hoping for a little extra background before I go interview the farmer tomorrow."
"You're going to Smallville? Don't you have summer classes?"
"This is more important right now. Besides, it's just for a day. I'm going as soon as this Cadmus interview is over."
He shot her a sideways glance. "Will you have time to stop over my place for dinner? Mom's on another trip, but she left at least a month's worth of food in the 'fridge, wrapped and labeled. I could use some help eating it all…and I'd appreciate the company."
Chloe already was shaking her head. "No, I can't stay that long. I'm on deadline with this, and I want to do a good job."
"There's more to life than a byline, Chloe—I mean, Lois," he corrected, smiling. "C'mon. "If you're worried about time, I can run you over there and back."
Chloe was still considering the offer when her cellphone jangled. She flipped it open without looking, clicking on the e-mail photos of the farmer posing with his crystal.
"Hi, who's…..Lex?" She felt Clark's body stiffen next to her. "How'd you get this number? Oh, Lana, of course. By the way," she continued in a pleasantly polite tone, "thanks for picking up Lana's share of this dorm. There's no way I could've found another roomie for the summer at the last minute like that, when she packed her bags to move into your penthouse."
Across town, and several dozen floors higher, Lex gazed coldly over the city as evening fell, the twinkling skyline laid out at his feet through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his Metropolis office. In his free hand, he held a glass half-filled with Scotch. The collar of his finely tailored lavender shirt was unbuttoned, his tie slung over a chair.
"Don't mention it," he answered curtly. "I understand I can expect a visit from a Ms. Lois Lane tomorrow at Cadmus. I'm assuming that's you. Your cousin looks far more comfortable with a gun in her hand than a pen."
He listened briefly, then continued, "Actually, the interview is the reason I'm calling. I'm afraid there's a slight problem. By the way, is Clark there….No, don't put him on the line. I'd rather not talk to him right now. Just tell him this, will you?"
When he spoke again, Lex's voice had hardened into ice. "I'd like him to come with you tomorrow. Because I'm looking forward to hearing his explanation of how a thief could break into a top-secret lab, through three levels of security and a reinforced steel vault, without so much as tripping an alarm. Yes, that's right, Ms. Lane, the crystal was stolen tonight."
A soft, urgent murmur sounded in his ear. "Clark's as shocked as you are? That's very interesting, but not especially convincing, I'm afraid. Given the fact that the missing crystal resembles only one other thing I've ever seen. And that was the hilt of the dagger that Clark held to my throat in his barn, two months ago."
The line fell silent. "You didn't think I remembered, did you? Or you were hoping I didn't? Tomorrow, at Cadmus. Be there."
Without waiting for a reply, Lex shut off his phone and continued to stare at the city skyline, his mouth set in tight, angry lines. Then, wordlessly, he flung his glass of Scotch at the window and watched it shatter.
