She's Walking Down The Aisle

She's walking down the aisle
With a smile as pure as honey
A gust of wind as smooth as silk
A glimmer of hope
A ray of light.

She's walking down the aisle
With lovely clothes of crimson red
A look of a saintly figure
A voice of an angel
A silent whisper.

She's walking down the aisle
With eyes as deep as the sea
A song of the morning bird
A divine vision
A picture of paradise.

She's walking down the aisle
Like clouds floating in the sky
Like an angel ascending from heaven
Like a drop of rain in the desert
Like a promise never broken.

She walks down the aisle.
She asks me a question.
I have no words to answer.
And time stands still...

- Sikandar Razzaq Bughio -

Chloe was surprised her feet were staying in place.

Hell, she wondered if black wasn't more appropriate. The reflection in the mirror had been mixture of lies and truth. She supposes what it reflected had to do with who is peering into its silvery depths. Other people would probably have seen a bride, reminiscing at her life before she came to this planet to be married, probably thought she was just nervous.

God, she wishes that more then anything else.

Her hands are shaking and she just can't seem to shake the feeling of nausea that smothers her body like a cloak, made her gag as she buttoned into her dress feeling like it was suffocating her and watched as her hair became beautiful and her face moved from 'girl next door' to 'homecoming queen' but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The white was almost blinding and her chest felt like it was being crushed together and causing her heart to shatter, she had thrown up so much that she had been dry rentching for a solid hour. She couldn't think, this palace was choking her. Compressing its cold icy fingers over her before she had even been out on its streets, she was gasping for air… For freedom with every move she made, every step she took. She was walking towards the doors of the entrance even as her body were screaming to turn around and run out the door. They moved slowly open and hundreds of eyes moved towards her face, Chloe felt a single tear make a track down her face as she stared unflinching at her infuriated groom.

Run, Chloe, run.

But her feet were not co-operating and she stood there as she watched through what felt like someone else's, it was as if she had detatched herself and become a stranger who was unseen and heard within the impressive walls of the old chapel. The scent of burning candles, old wood and smoky pages of old bibles reached her nose and she felt herself almost slam back into her body. Her unwilling husband-to-be looking torn between irritation and disgust, she wanted to drop to her knees and confess how weak she felt to him or simply take out all her anger on his body.

He was handsome for an alien she supposed, before this liaison she hadn't thought that she had known many so she supposed she couldn't really judge. He had a certain commanding air about him, with a chiseled jaw and aristocratic features. His eyes that seemed to take in everything, eyes that had turned her blood to ice and made her think of cracked ice in the Arctic. They were like staring into ice of endless frozen blue, like losing yourself in them would be deadly and foolish but at the same time they held this allure she was almost helpless to resist. They were ice that played with the sun and trapped it within it's cold prison so it could never escape. A silent fortress of solitude made of ice.

She could tell he was not happy with being paired with her… God, she wasn't even sure he wouldn't kill her if his glares were anything to go by.

He was sin. A deadly package of danger and lust combined, dark features and the alluring promise of dark desire hidden behind striking eyes. She knew if she wasn't careful she would fall into them and she had a feeling she would never get out, simply exist in the dark promise of nothing that will ever be given. If Chloe fell she knew she would love in vain. He seemed to be uncaring of anyone else's feelings and completely in his own element, a local God amongst men and one who if they were in love would have been someone who she was fairly sure she could have lived with. She loved men who were open about their feelings but were also geeky and awkward in their own skin. It was so nice to have conversations with them because they took everyone else's thoughts into account, this man though, the one she was giving the rest of her life to didn't seem to care at all.

She looked up and into his eyes and nearly gasped. He was looking at someone, or something, with such longing that it took her breath away and she could almost feel the pain radiating off him in waves. She wished she could have turned to see who it was, what they looked like and why they held his attention.

The priest sealing their fate had seemed hesitant and unsure at first, she supposed they both gave out vibes of not wanting to be here and that they were unhappy but he continued on in a fashion that made Chloe wonder if this wasn't more common then she had hoped. She also doubted they had divorce and, even if they did, that the people of this planet, or hers, would allow her to file for divorce.

She held her breath and counted to ten slowly, she understood what the priest was saying, or would have if it hadn't all seemed to have just become a constant murmur of words like a river that was washing over her and she fought to keep her eyes from fluttering closed. She couldn't pass out, not here and not now.

That would be the worst possible thing that could happen in the history of ever.

She really wished Lois was here, Lois and Pete, even Jimmy… Anyone to remind her of home. Of heat waves in the summer and long coats in winter, of the Kent's farm that was always homey or Jimmy's flat that was busted so it was so hot. Lois' constant need for Oreo's and coffee or Pete's 'horrible timing' and walking in when no one expects it and usually while no one wants him to, like when Chloe thought Jimmy and she were home alone and he just strode right on through. But now all Chloe had were memories and home was so far away.

No, this was her home now. She loved Earth, loved it like the air she breathed and her soul yearned for it with a ferocity that scared her sometimes, but she had to make herself at home here or she was never going to be happy because she never tried. She wanted to be happy and whining about how hard her life is wasn't going to work…

"-Now if you two will exchange vows…" The nasal voice of the old priest cut into her thoughts, she panicked because she hadn't written any vows. Her new husband took it all in his stride though and took her hands almost lovingly. Chloe thought maybe he wanted to make this work like she had until she looked into his eyes, she had never seen this much hatred directed at anyone until now. It was obvious her new husband was going to blame her for a lot of things and Chloe felt her stomach drop.

"I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you-" He began as she looked into his eyes, they spoke volumes of what he really thought. I hate you for ruining my life.

"I can't wait to get to know you better and learn all the little things that make you special and unique-" You're worthless to me, how dare you consider yourself good enough for me…

"I hope we have an equal relationship and I promise to honor, adore and respect you as a husband should, place you above all others and bare my soul to you-" You've destroyed my life… I'm going to make yours hell in return.

Chloe could feel herself shiver because of the contrast in his words and actions, his hands were squeezing too hard to be friendly and too soft for her to cry out or bruise. She couldn't believe she was marrying this, what had she done to deserve this, which higher power had she fucked with to deserve this kind of treatment?

"Though I barely I know you-" Chloe began, praying no one noticed the hitch in her voice as she had began, he had 'prompted' her. "I barely know you but I am excited about this new journey I am going to face with you."

Please no, I'm too young to be married to this… This… Monster.

"I can't wait to share our different cultures and see how different our lives are, I pray these experiences will bind us closer together and make us stronger together and more capable of leading the people to a greater society then the already perfect one you have created here…"

Please, please… I never wanted this, any of this… Just make it go away!

"I can't wait to get to know you and be your wife." The words seemed bizarre as they slide off her tongue, like they are coming from someone else because Chloe isn't happy about being his wife. She wants to point and scream, how can no one see that they are not going to be happy together?

That she almost felt if she died it might be better to burn in hell then what she was going through right now… She looked into his eyes and was confused when she saw apprehension and something else, something she would have said had an element of warmth to it, but that didn't seem possible.

Lips grabbing her possessively stopped her thoughts the world seemed to slow as she instinctively curled her arms around his neck and melted into the kiss, he tasted of mint and coconut and something else that reminded Chloe of cold Christmas mornings in front of the fire as she was safe and loved.

Then the world sped backup and the black void they had been in began to regain sound, light and color at an amazing rate. He stepped back from her and looked at her with a mixture of confusion and torment, the cheers of people echoed through her ears but she ignored it as she looked at him, stared at him, he looked back and neither could seem to tear their gaze away.

Suddenly one of the girls squealed and grabbed her arm. Her husband, God she didn't even know his name, slipped his mask back on and turned his heel, grabbed her upper arm in what could have been seen in a loving way but really hurt, and strode down the aisle as Chloe cursed high heels and almost had to jog to keep up.

The light in the, well she guessed it was church halls, was bright and Chloe had to blink a few times to get used to it. They were beautiful, a mixture of marble and wood. Chloe promised herself to go investigating when she felt less exhausted and yet elevated.

She wanted to go to bed and have all of this go away.

Her dress was beautiful, everything she could have wanted and more, with it's pearl and ivory cloth and intricate design. She looked like a goddess and yet she took no pleasure in it, no pool of desire formed as she had looked down the aisle and her legs had felt like lead when she had taken her first unsure and shaky steps down the red rug and wooden seated boulevard. She had been so focused on making her feet continue to go forward she hadn't seemed to notice much else, after all there was no weeping mother for her here. No loving cousin who was also her investigative reporter buddy and no ex boyfriend turned best friend to look both jealous and proud. Chloe had no one who was family here.

She had no father to say not to hurt her and how proud he was that she had found someone she loved, but Chloe's greatest regret was that she hadn't found someone who could ever love or even like her. Her dreams had been so different to this, when she was 5 years old and curled up in bed because Mommy and Daddy hadn't stopped screaming yet and Chloe just wanted it to stop.

She had dreamt of him them. Tall and strong like a prince from the fairytales she had been sneaking into her bed and reading by torch in the darkness of the night, princes of dark hair and loving eyes who treat the princess as if she was a precious jewel of amazing fragility. She had longed to feel that with a prince as she had grown up but never once had she considered that marrying the prince and loving him did not always co-exist, that maybe Cinderella's prince had fallen in love with Snow White at some point and none of them were truly happy anymore. That in the end, the non-Disney version, the little mermaid gave herself into death because the prince hadn't loved her after all.

She had dreamed of someone who would love her with all his heart, and as she got older the version changed a little but the context remained the same. Someone who could make her weak with longing, someone who would look at her with heat in his eyes and desire lacing into his voice as he stared at her form longingly.

"Can you please just, slow down or something?"

"Can you just keep up?" Chloe sighed and hobbled to keep up, he took a look back for a second and stopped, sighing as he looked down at her (she hadn't noticed she was that short) and shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me your feet hurt?"

"These are new shoes; I knew they were going to hurt… Plus you're not exactly being all buddy-buddy at the moment…" Her green eyes narrowed at him accusingly and he dragged her over to a stone pillar. Shoving her onto the base more forcefully then needed and lifting her skirt, ignoring her protests, before finding her feet and after hearing her hiss removing the shoe.

Her feet were swollen and red. Multiple blisters were growing or bursting with other areas simply red from irritation, he sighed and shook his head with a smile that suggested he had seen this scene before.

"You have done your feet in good… You'll just have to not wear the shoes for awhile…" He picked up the shoes and hid them in a, well it kind of looked like a purple pot-plant with a pink base, the silver shoes were surprising unseeable because of the soil being the same kind of colour.

"Thanks… But won't people notice?"

"Your dress is similar to a circus tent… I doubt it." She laughed and then looked at him, bitting her lip and shaking her head.

"Thanks… I mean it."

"Right… Let's get going so you can decide to embarrass yourself further in the eyes of my world." His mask of pure indifference was back on and Chloe nearly screamed in frustration, she wasn't sure if she could live with this and all the duties of a princess she seemed to have…

So far married life was turning out to be one big drag

Kal had never felt as trapped as he did now.

He remembered the walk to the carriage walking the halls of his home in anger, could hear and feel her feet having trouble keeping up to him and both detested and indulged in it. Stupid woman had probably volunteered to do this and was probably some no-good blond heroin addict. Oh, he had briefly been to Earth, a place called Suicide Slum in another place called Metropolis. God, it had been the most gritty, discussing place he had ever seen. Bodies everywhere, both dead and alive and no one had any respect for anyone else. They were like ants without order, scattered everywhere and taking everything, returning to a home they weren't even sure was real anymore. It made him sick.

He had been so sure all humans were like that. This begs the question of what had he done to deserve this, yes he had ignored Jor-El's explicit 'do not touch' policy about their maid and he was still seeing her but he didn't see how they could have found out and done.. This…

It just wasn't fair.

She was feisty, he would give her that. A blond hurricane wrapped up in a small body with words that were sharp and absolute conviction. She knew when to stand her ground and he felt a headache coming on when he revised exactly how hard living with her was going to be, well it wouldn't if his plan falls the way it's supposed to but you can never be sure with his father involved.

This was entirely his father's fault.

So here he was at his own after wedding party, married to a woman who was attractive but wasn't someone he had seen himself being tied down to. The court was dancing on the floor, a flurry of brightly coloured skirts and dresses. Woman who were beautiful beyond compare and men who were perfect all dancing and twirling around, talking and laughter filled the air as they swirled around to the music that filled the warm ballroom. The gold trimmings seemed to have an ethereal glow to them and the white marble pillars spun to the ceiling with was decorated with a picture of what the artist had thought was what Heaven might be like. Kal's chair felt different to him, alien, next to that of his new wife. He paused to think of her name… Zoe? No. Claire? No… Chloe. Her name was Chloe.

"Try to at least look like you aren't going to vomit from being within three feet of me." His new wife glanced over at him through made up green eyes and Kal felt something shift in his stomach, he shuffled a little bit till it went away and listened to his new wife smiling while she was spitting venomous rage at him. Oh, she was going to make a great queen.

"Listen you lower then pond scum maggot, I don't care what your problem with me is but this is my wedding night. I know that doesn't seem to mean much to you but my whole young life was centred on daydreaming about this night so back off." Kal absently noticed that her cheeks were flushed with annoyance and the heat of sitting down watching everyone else. He knew he should be a good husband and ask her to dance, but the words seemed stuck in his throat.

"Well, I never thought I would see the day where Kal-El was married, congratulations to both of you." The man standing in front of them was classically beautiful, chiseled features and had a warm and caring smile. "So, what do you think of our planet so far?" He leaned in closer to Chloe and Kal felt himself raising an eyebrow, with his feelings towards her Kal hadn't really thought of what others were going to see her as. Especially now that she was a queen, destined to lead them alongside of him, to be a symbol of hope and peace for the people. Kal felt bizarre, the fact he was a prince had never really settled upon his shoulders until now. Now it felt like a ridiculous burden and now he was placing it upon another's shoulders, an alien who had no idea what she was doing in his country at the time of her ascension…

"-But I'm guessing that's normal?" Her voice cut into his thoughts as he saw his friend throw back his head and laugh, his laughter was being echoed by her as he leaned in a little more.

"Oliver." Kal cut into their little talk with a warning look, she was his and Oliver hitting on her would get out and reflect badly upon them. Especially after being married for so little time, Oliver dropped back slightly with a nod of his head showing Clark he understood and sorry.

"I was just wondering how the two of you could be such close friends… Why would Oliver choose to hang out with a egotistical spoilt prince, can you tell me husband dear?" She snared as he glared at her, she bit her lip and lifted an eyebrow, smirking slightly under his cool gaze.

"We've been friends since we were young."

"So he never knew any better?"

"So Chloe… Where on Earth do you come from?"

"I'm a Metropolis girl myself, but there is this really sweet place just a couple of hours away from there called Smallville… I love that place so much, it has cornfields are far as the eye can see and there is this beautiful lake… And at Christmas we go to the Kent farm and Mrs. Kent make turkey…" Kal noticed how her eyes lit up as she talked and she became more animated, gesturing with her hands wildly. She trailed off as she saw both of them looking at her and bit her lip, wincing as she discovered she had been rambling.

"Smallville, eh? I'll have to go there next time."

"You can go to Earth?" Kal looked over at her startled at the pure longing that her voice held, almost as if she didn't want to be here but she knew that was impossible, she had organized this entire thing.

"Since you agreed to marriage the lines of travel have opened up wide, Princess." Chloe blinked at him startled. She was a princess, a bowing, waving, decision making princess…

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Earth suddenly realised what I was getting married to." Chloe sent him a dark look leaving no question about who she was talking about.

"It's nice to see someone putting Kal in his place." Oliver smiled and Kal mentally groaned as his mother motioned to Chloe, he got up and asked her to dance with him. She stepped on his feet (a few times she smiled so he knew it was deliberate), he gritted his teeth and tried not to throttle her…

So far married life was turning out to be one big drag.