"Clark, I'm fine. Really."
"It's just one more blanket."
"Any more, Smallville and we'll need a search party to go find her."
Clark sheepishly placed the blanket on the other end of the couch, folding it before he let it drop over the arm.
"How about another water, Chloe?" Lois asked, already backing away to the kitchen.
Chloe gave Chloe a very pointed look, "You too, Lois."
"What? It was a glass of water not a 10 layer body cast."
"That's what? The sixth glass you given her? Anymore, Lois, and we'll have to get her an air tank." Clark teased.
She gave him a sardonic smile, walking back to her original position and spreading her arms wide, "No water then."
"Really guys, all I want to do is take lots of pills and watch some horrible day time tv."
Lois walked over to Chloe, bending down to giver a quick kiss, "Mm, sounds nice and as much as I would love to partake, I have to head over to The Planet and finish up an article but afterwords I'll swing by with two of my favorite guys." She said, standing up and walking to the door. "Ben and Jerry! "
Chloe looked down in her lap, seeming to be hiding a smile but she wasn't. She was trying to removing the blistering lights that seemed to be everywhere. After the waking up again in the hospital, they just appeared out of nowhere. Lights that revolved around everyone. The orderly that fixed her sheets, with his lime green aura that shifted to a pale pink whenever Chloe's nurse would enter the room. Her doctor's golden shimmer that was encased in a sorrowful gray. And to make matters worse, her emotions were on the fritz. She would be tired yet hyper. Sad then happy. Engaged yet distant. And they felt foreign, like they didn't belong to her...like they weren't even hers. At nights her dreams were filled with voices and blurs that flashed in her mind so forcefully she had trouble sleeping, opting to lying in bed and stare at the ceiling after a week of restless sleep.
She didn't dare mention this to Clark or Lois. A part of her wanted to confide in them but she was too afraid they would panic, whisking her off to the hospital again. The other part, was afraid that if she did tell them, they would eventually come to the same conclusion that she had finally come too...
I'm meteor infected.
It had her suddenly. What else could be the cause of all this? Chloe had her experience with meteor powers, not only investigating and trying to stay away from the homicidal maniacs who always came with them but personally. Her ability to heal had long ago left her following the incident with Brainic but it's after effects left a bitter taste in her. She didn't want to go through the confusion that came with it, the wondering if she would end up like every meteor person that ever came out of Smallville. It wasn't until working at the Isis Foundation that she saw some light in the kids that confided in her, that maybe there was some hope that she could live with this. Now...now she didn't know what to do or what this meant but she just couldn't tell anyone until she could fully understand herself.
"You Ok?" Clark's caring voice broke her away from her deep thoughts, and she lifted her head, gazing up at his blue eyes.
"Yeah. Tired but happy to be home...or the Talon." She said glancing around at her old apartment.
"Well, Lois was very stubborn in that you stay with her until you got back on your feet and I kind of agree."
"No surprise there." She smiled at his glare. "Don't you have to be at The Planet too? I mean, do superheroes get the day off?"
"Once in a while, especially when they have chores. I have to go do some repairs on the farm but I'll be back tonight." He clarified, standing up and putting his red jacket on, "You sure you're fine?" He asked again. She stared up at him.
Clark was another matter, no matter how many times she stared at him, she saw nothing. No lights. No stirring foreign emotions that washed over her. He was usually such a open to her but now, he was more closed then ever.
"As fine as I was two seconds ago when you asked. Really, I'll call or shout if anything comes up."
He gazed at her, the worry showing in his eyes. She took comfort in that. She was still connected to him even if it was faint. Clark was worried. Ever since the hospital he could see something was bothering her. She seemed to shut her eyes a lot, shaking her head as if in pain yet the doctors and Chloe said she was perfectly fine except for a few stitches and fractured ribs. Two weeks in the hospital and Clark couldn't tell that the petite blonde in front of him had shook in pain beneath his body. But he knew. He knew something wasn't right but at the same time he couldn't push her. Things weren't the same whether he wanted to admit it or not but the aftershocks of Doomsday and Jimmy's death had created a rift in their friendship, one he was sure would take time to heal but one that would surely leave a mark.
"All right. Well, I'll call and check up on you." He called after her, "Bye." He said one more time before closing the door.
*******
"How is she?" Lois' voice scared Clark, and he jump slightly as she appeared suddenly carring a a steaming cup of coffee.
"Jeez, Lois. Can you give somebody some warning?" He cried, slightly embarrassed.
"Would you like me to wear a bell?" She said as she sipped her coffee, a slight bit of foam dotted her nose as she looked back.
"I thought you heading to The Planet?" He asked, using his finger to softly clean the foam of her nose. He didn't think about it, he just did it. Lately, when he was around her, he seemed to do that like he had acquired a sense of confidence deep within him.
"I was...I just thought I'd get a pick-me-up." She said cross-eyed as she watched his finger. A tingle ran down her spin as he flicked the foam off. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned the rest off, following beside him as they both walked out of The Talon.
*************
Upstairs as Chloe tried to position herself better on the couch, she gasped as a small shiver shook down her spine. She blinked as a rush of crimson flooded her vision and a familiar sensation coated her.
"Lois?"
*************
The Kansas sun warmed their backs as they both walked down the street, the rays bringing out the golden colors of the town.
"So what are you doing at The Planet?" Clark asked her curisoly as he glanced around the town, taking in the shops and general calm air that was Smallville.
Lois took another sip of her coffee, "Well, Clark if you must know...nothing. Unless you call staring at a picture for the good part of the day something, then I'll be doing that."
"What picture?"
"The picture of The Blur's calling card that was ablaze on the side of the buliding. Some kid got me some photos and I plan to find out what it means."
Clark pulled Lois to a sudden stop. He had completely forgotten that he had used his heat-ray to burn his family's crest into the building that night.
"You think that's such a good idea?"
"Why not? He left it there, didn't he? I figure, public domain."
"Yeah but..." He tried to come up with something to draw her away, but all he could do was let out a big sigh of defeat. He had nothing to say. When it came to Lois, there was no way to change her mind. When she stuck to something, no force could pull her away.
"Lois, just be careful ok. Remember the last time you tried to get information on The Blur."
She scrunched up her nose at the memory of her made-up alter-ego, Stiletto.
"Yeah. My feet still hurt." She approached her car and started to rummage through her purse for her keys, shoving her cup into Clark's hand as she fidgeted around.
"All I really have at the moment is the fact that it might be an 'S'."
Clark gave her a questioning look, "It's not an 'S', Lois." He said it before he could stop himself. The need to defend his family's house name just busted forth.
Lois looked up from her purse, an eyebrow raised, "Oh really? And how do we know this?"
"Does...it really look like an 'S'? I mean, you know, if people were to look at it, would there first thought be 'That's an 'S'?"
She stopped looking for her keys for a moment and blinked at him, "Well Clark, it doesn't look like a 'E' or a 'L'." A jingle came from her purse and she smiled in triumphant as she produced her keys, the silver glittering in the sunlight.
"Do you need help?" He asked. Maybe it would be a good idea to hang around Lois today after all.
"To look at a picture?" She looked at his outfit. He was wearing his favorite color, plaid, with his blue jacket that really went well with his moppy dark hair that today wasn't sleeked back. She gave him a smile.
"No. I'll be fine. You go barrel hay and tweak around that tractor, Smallville." She got into her car and drove off, leaving Clark with a small grin on his face.