'Hope begins in the dark;
The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
You wait and watch and work:
You don't give up.'
Anne LamottThe Sun had finally completed her lazy strolled around the world and, rested and revigourated, once again lifted her head in the east. Her rays would not regain their warmth for many months, so in the cold, crisp first light of day, most eyes in Smallville were still tightly closed, most of the eyes were still asleep, most…
"Were you able to find anything?" Chloe called out as she wrapped her woollen cardigan tightly around her waist and rushed down the path from the house to the Kent Farm drive.
"Only this." Clark said, holding up a small, warped piece of silver.
It had been an hour before anyone had noticed that Lois and Lana hadn't come back, and another hour until this noticed turned into concern. Chloe had said they'd probably made up and gone for a drink somewhere out of town, Clark had agreed, Pete had submitted. And two hours, as any forensic nut-job will tell you, is more than enough time to cover any tracks that need covering.
The only thing said nut-job didn't count on was the arrival on the scene of the World's, and most probably the Universe's number one forensic scientist. As it was, the Smallville Police department were also somewhat taken back to discover they'd be getting help in this particular missing person's case from Superman himself. Yes Superman was great and good, but he was also like a mental breakdown or a high-speed train crash, only happening in the big cities, not quiet little all American towns.
If Clark was being truthful, something which he tended to either do to one extreme or the other, he'd had said he'd rather leave the tights and cape in Metropolis. In Metropolis somehow it was easier to be a somebody, without feeling like a somebody. Everybody knew who Superman was, but like a mental breakdown down or honking car horns he was part of Metropolis, a much better part granted, but all part of the same parcel. Back home in Smallville Big Blue really did stand out like a sore thumb.
"Lois' earring?" Chloe took the silver lump from Clark's hand and held it up to the early morning sun.
"Or what's left of it. It look's like something's struck it pretty hard."
"Do you think they were attacked."
"Knowing Lois I wouldn't be surprised. Lana though…"
That was the puzzle. Lois hand a list of enemy's that dwarfed even his, (which was pretty impressive when you consider all she had was her pen and notepad to make them with) but who would want to hurt Lana?
"Do you think it could have been one of Pete's critics?" Chloe said. "You know, some right-leaning red neck with a grudge?"
"That would account for Lois too, but I don't think Pete's done anything that controversial."
"I dunno. A Black congressmen, child outside of marriage, it could rattle a few cages."
"And Lois?"
"Oh please, Miss Godless-Commie-Scum. Who has she not offended?"
"Lois is a commie?"
"She went through a phase. The whole teenage-rebellion thing. Really pissed the General off that's for sure."
"Either way…" Something still didn't quite add up, Clark knew it, Chloe knew it, the only thing that was left to do was to tell the two people who at that moment didn't know anything.
hr
Pete hadn't always loved Lana, in fact for most of his childhood he'd thought her so out of his league he wasn't mentally capable of loving her. In his heart of hearts he'd always imagined he'd marry Chloe, good old Chloe who was always there for him, not because she loved him or he loved her, but just because.
Clark was going to marry Lana. Clark was built like a Spartan and Lana was as beautiful as Helen of Troy. It was their job to marry one another and populate some new, beautiful world.
But now Pete was going to marry Lana, and the thought made him happier than any thought ever had. He loved her with all his soul and yet…
Ah yes, and yet. And yet he couldn't help shake the feeling that somehow he'd cheated the system, somehow things weren't quite how they ought to be. They'd had a one-night stand, nine months later Laura was born, three years later they were to be married.
In the perfect world Lana should have been marrying Clark, and try as he might, Pete couldn't help but think that's how she felt.
That's why he wasn't surprised to find her gone. In many ways he'd been expecting it, ever since he turned on the television six months ago to see a face he hadn't seen in almost six years. It was the face of a hero, and heroes, as we know, always get the girl.
But this theory had a spanner in its works, in fact all of Pete's theories seemed to have one particular spanner in their works. This spanner was stubborn, over-caffeinated and over-opinionated. If Lana really had run away from their relationship, why had she chosen to do it with Lois Lane? Surely she wouldn't buy into the whole Thelma and Louise thing with a woman who, for all intents and purposes was her biggest rival?
Pete liked Lois, from what he'd seen of her she was a little rough around the edges but her heart was in the right place, and since she was essentially keeping him in a steady relationship by being the object of all Clark's desires, he really couldn't say a bad thing about her. Lana, he knew, didn't like Lois, she didn't like Lois at lot despite outward appearances. So then why would she run off with her?
Before Pete could draw up his own conclusions Chloe and (a bespectacled) Clark entered the living room where he and Martha had been sitting, waiting for any news.
Martha slowly, and with shaking hands, put her mug down. "Well?"
"All we could find is this." Clark said holding his hand out.
"What is it?"
"We think it's Lois' earring."
"But it's pretty mangled up." Chloe piped in. "We think something must have hit her."
"Oh I don't think Lana would do something like that."
"No Mom, not Lana."
"Why not Lana?" This was the first time Pete had spoken since he entered the house, so it was no surprise when everyone jumped upon hearing his voice. He sat hunched up in the old worn armchair, his arms cradling his head. "Why not Lana?"
"Pete, with all due respect I really don't think-" Clark started.
"You really don't think what, that Lana could do that? Well what do you know Clark? What the fuck do you know!?"
"Pete!" Martha cried.
"It's okay Mom. Maybe we'd be better discussing this in the morning."
"Yeah you're right Clark." Pete sneered. "You're always right, it's like second fucking nature to you. It's so easy you flouncing around on your moral high ground, but you know what, back here down on Earth people do get annoyed, they do hit each other, they do run off!"
"I-I really don't think Lana ran off Pete. I –"
"Shut it Chloe!"
Chloe closed her mouth and bit back a sob.
"You know what Pete, you're right." Clark said calmly while silently motioning to Martha to get Chloe out of the room. "But if you have a problem with me, don't take it out on Chloe." He sat down on the coffee table. Pete looked up, their eyes met. Chloe and Martha had left the room.
"You had to do it didn't you, you had to go off and become the hero. You were never happy unless you were saving someone. You had to go out there and get your face plastered over every channel. You had to remind her that she was with me and not you."
"Go on."
"Go on! Go on what? Go on about how she'd almost forgotten, the odd postcard from Mexico aside, go on about how she'd almost forgotten you. But maybe you couldn't stand that thought hey Clark? Maybe you couldn't stand to think that Lana could forget you because of some ordinary - ordinary –"
"Go on."
"Some ordinary human."
Clark took in a deep breath and leaned back. "Well, I'm sorry you feel like that. Certainly when I first decided to come out Lana wasn't exactly at the forefront of my mind, but if you feel like I'm somehow publicly attacking you, then I am very, very sorry. It's true that, were I still with Lana, I don't think Superman would exist. But then neither would this Clark Kent and then who would Lana love? Lana stopped loving me at exactly the same time as I stopped loving her. She loves you Pete, very much.""No she doesn't!" Pete wailed. "She loves you. She never stopped loving you."
"And I can't help but wish - I can't help but wish he'd spoken to me sooner. Everything could have been so different."
If Clark was being truthful…
"No Pete, she loves you."
"Really?"
"Really."
But being truthful was something Clark tended to do to either one extreme or the other.
"I just – I just…"
"I know Pete, I know."
The smaller man fell into the larger's arms, just like the smaller boy did when the teasing had stopped, the bullies had run off and his best friend had been there to save the day.
A/N: An update? Oh dear God!!! Just how long has it been? No, don't tell me. Anyway I'm very, very sorry to all of you out there you've waited so patiently. I've had writer's block on this story to the nth degree but I think, I hope I'm back on track with it now, (even though I've lost all my old notes, which is a bit of a bugger).
Anyway, I aim to have this finished now by the end of the summer, (which over here in Britain is currently very, very wet, so on beach to distract me). However, I'm afraid I've gone and done a bit of a Chloe and got myself a job at my local paper, the Daily Post (The DP! The DP! lol) so I might need the odd kick up the bum to get me writing on time, so please feel free to e-mail me, I love speaking to new people.
A/N 2: On a separate note I've rewritten a couple of chapters, just to take Jonathon out now that he's officially six feet under. There's just gonna be an added layer of angst in there at somewhere: I'll work with it.
A/N 3: Final note, I've not proof read this chapter, so please point anything out to me and I'll try and change it.
Disclaimer: Not only do I not own the rights to SV, no British channel does anymore. I've not seen any of Season 6 and I am not happy:(