Chapter 8

Soon it became clear that Clark was not going to be the best coach on his own, though he did have the Kent platitudes for this and that. No, this operation was going to be run by "The Boss" from now on. It fit and gave me a more useful job than being "the matchmaker", which by the way I had so far failed miserably.

With the knowledge that Clark wasn't in love with Lana and that they were both using deflective measures on one another, Chloe was subdued and willingly submitting herself to our routines.

I had a few activities planned for today but Chloe really need to first pinpoint the trigger on her powers. Yesterday's work out had been a fiasco because of it.

Now we were in the kitchen, Clark was making us all breakfast and Chloe was in the dining room staring intently at a glass of water. I waved a hand in front of her unflinching face. "Earth to Chloe."

"I resent that." Clark called from the kitchen. I eyed him oddly, but kept my attention on Chloe.

Chloe was again lucid, without removing her gaze on the glass. "I don't get it. I'm not doing or thinking anything differently than last time."

"Maybe its circumstantial." I offered as I pulled up a seat next to her, flipped it around and sat with my hands on the back.

Clark answered again. "I don't think these gifts work that way." We heard the clanging of plates. "Foods ready."

I got up to wash my hands and replaced the chair. When Chloe didn't follow I grabbed the glass off the table. "Hey! It was moving."

Clark walked over to us and set the plates down. "Nah, that was just Goliath walking over here shaking the house with his big boots." I slapped him on the shoulder, which of course stung a little and went over to the sink with Chloe.

When we returned Clark sat at the head of the table and Chloe and I across from each other. It was weird to think of him as the man of the household now, especially because Jonathan wasn't the sort of father you could forget as a friend. No, he exuded so much strength it made Clark who he was today. I could only hope that Clark had retained enough, so that he could teach Chloe, who was in desperate need of guidance.

"Why again can't it be circumstantial?" I prodded as I placed a nearby napkin over my lap.

"They could start out that way but after a while it's involuntary. We're trying to make it instinctual." Clark stuck a fork in his sausage and devoured it.

I then spoke to Chloe. "Well you said you weren't thinking differently. Does that mean you remember what you were thinking then?"

"That's the problem. I wasn't thinking anything." Chloe had hardly touched a thing on her plate. Which was normal for her. She hated eating and talking. Since she never stopped the latter, she was rarely eating in silence.

"It happened pretty fast, maybe you don't remember." Clark suggested, taking another bite off his plate.

"No, I do. I saw the Evil you throw the beam and you lying there about to be crushed." She pushed at her egg with her fork. "I didn't have time to think."

It was crazy what she did, really. Had she not had any powers–-if the whole thing was a hoax or if they still didn't activate— they both would have died. I felt a nasty knife twist in my side.

"I still think we should think of it circumstantially." Insisting seems to be the only way to get idea through to them. "If they start out that way, they must have the key to using it regularly."

Somehow, given the amount of food present on Clark's dish only a few moments before, he had cleaned off the entire thing. "We are trying to get it before it gets to the next stage. Makes sense to me."

"I have to be really horror movie scared for that to work. Or at least crazy stressed out."

I let my fork fall to my plate. "We can always induce stress." They both shot me almost identical inquisitive expressions. Reporters… the lot of them.

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After breakfast we relocated to his barn out back.

"Ready?" Clark yelled from the top of the loft, holding a bale of hay.

"No." Came Chloe's disheartened answer from the floor of the barn below, directly across from him. I walked up behind her and placed a gentle hand on her back, rubbing her shoulders encouragingly.

"She's ready." I dropped my voice. "You're ready."

I stepped back and left her standing there to face the challenge. I had devised this construction to test Chloe's reaction trigger. What was it that made her mental power come to life? Clark stood about to throw the bale down onto her, from there we would see what happened.

She spread her legs into a stance, holding her arms up. From where I was off to the side I saw her shaking.

"1…2…3!" He chucked it and it came over us. Almost in slow motion, it reached its apex and traveled downward.

Down and down…Chloe straightened at attention. Seconds before impact she turned away, blocking herself from it.

Except nothing happened. Clark held the hay in his grasp.

Her eyes were wide as she let out a breath. "Thanks."

"I'm only returning the favor." He gave her one of those grins that always made her melt.

I gave them a moment in their "special place" where no one was in the room except the two of them.

After it became more than a little annoying to wait, I cleared my throat and they came back down from their cloud. "Did anything run through your mind Chloe?"

"Besides 'Holy crap I'm going to die'? No." Clark was making his way up the stairs to restart.

"Why don't you think in commands? Tell yourself to stop it." I moved away again.

The next several trials weren't really any different barred from the fact that she was now screaming "Stop!" at the hay bale.

Sixth attempt we were willing to call it quits by eight. It was tiring for the mortals down here, even if Clark could keep going for the rest of the day…or the year.

This time Clark threw it for the hell of it, it looked, because neither of us were paying any attention at the time. Then I was terrified. Instead of heading for Super-Chloe it was about to slam into me. I'm so going to punch Clark in the face later. I don't care what happens to my hand.

Clark edged to the banister to watch. Chloe followed it with her eyes too and then like nothing, she moved for me.

"Pete, Watch Out!" I fell over trying to get away.

Her hands came up and though she was still a distance away it froze before it hit me.

She held it with visible ease, as if some invisible thread connected her hands to it. "Clark! What the hell are you doing? What if that didn't work?" She trembled a bit, struggling to hold it.

"I would have gotten there in time. I knew I threw it at Pete." He leaned against the banister watching her movements.

"Way to tell me, Clark." Picked myself off the ground and dusted myself off. "Chloe, why don't you try giving it back to Clark."

She shook some more as she pivoted from facing me to facing Clark. "MmmmKay." It rose a little traveling sort of uneasily, wavering this way and that. Then all of sudden it slammed into the ceiling and fell back down.

"Sorry I-I couldn't hold it." Then Chloe almost collapsed and I went for her, but Clark got there first. Holding her from behind with both her hands bracing on his arms.

He lifted her up to her feet and scanned her. "You alright?"

"Yeah, sort of tired though. Can we take a break?" Her eyelids were half closed and we both recognized how draining it was for her.

I settled next to them, feeling again that I was unwanted.

Clark's mouth quirked upwards. "What'd ya say Boss? Can we give it a rest?" Nodding, I helped Clark hold her up and led her out of the barn.

We all walked together back to the house, and I felt a pang of nostalgia hit me. It was hard to think it had been so long since we were together like this because we meshed so well, like nothing had changed.

I couldn't imagine her not being between us, teasing us and pushing us to become better than we thought we could be.

Maybe my love for her would never be returned. Actually, it was fairly likely. But maybe someday she'll look back on this time and remember me. Remember what I did for her and what I sacrificed for her.

The best friend she ever had.

Maybe thats all I really needed.