Title: Penance (or Injustice: Redo!) 3/?

Author:Cking1575

Fandom: Smallville AU

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver (eventually), Chloe/Clark (Friendship)

Rating: PG(for now)

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville/DC or the characters. I am just playing with them.

Summary: Penance: an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin. I am really not like Chloe's story arc so I've decided to change it a little to suit my own needs. That's what fan fiction is right? LOL

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At the Kent farm, Chloe sat wrapped in Mr. Kent's favorite blanket on the couch; the room dark but for the light of the fire in the fire place. Her eyes were distant as she watched the fire in the fire place crackle and dance. Clark was in the kitchen but stealthily kept a close eye on her, afraid that she would bolt again. He quietly walked into the living room and placed a cup of tea on the end table besides her. The noise from him setting the cup down on the table caused her to nearly jump off the couch. She was so skittish. He had never seen Chloe this way before.

"I know it's not coffee," he tried to smile encouragingly at her but it came out as more of a grimace, "but I figured that you needed something to sooth your nerves instead of revving them up even more than they are already. Mom kept chamomile tea in the cupboard to soothe her nerves on a particularly tough day. "

"Thanks Clark," she muttered, but she made no move to pick the cup of tea up from the table, she just tucked her hands deeper under the blanket and pulled it up farther towards her chin.

"You know, Chlo, I understand if you don't want to talk about it but if you do want to talk about it; I'm here. I'll listen without judgment, I promise." Mortified because he thought that he had said something to upset her even more; he watched as a tear slipped from her eye followed closely by another and another until the flood gates opened and she was out and out sobbing. Clark moved swiftly, seating himself next to her on the couch. He wrapped his strong arms around her as he listened to her sob her apology.

"I'm sorry. I am soo sorry, Clark." She sobbed brokenly her breathing coming in large gasps as she tried to stem the flow of her tears so that she could get out what she wanted to say to him. It wasn't working though and her breath became more and more labored as she tried to hold back her sobs. "I thought that I was doing the right thing. I thought that this was what I was meant to do, ya'know?" She looked at him as she tried to inhale the much needed oxygen into her lungs. She could only hope that he understood, that they all understood; she didn't do this to hurt anyone…on the contrary, she left with Davis to prevent others from being hurt. "I finally understood in that one moment when Jimmy and Oliver's lives were in danger because of Davis…because I kept him hidden. I understood what I had to do. That this was the reason I was put on Earth; the reason I was saved when Brainiac possessed me…to sacrifice myself for the greater good. It was my job to buy you time so that you could figure out a solution to this 'Doomsday' problem. But I couldn't hack it, Clark. When it came right down to it, I just couldn't do it. I'm sooo sorry." She sobbed so hard that her whole body shook with her repentance.

"Chloe, shhhh, don't cry." He pulled her onto his lap and began rocking her as though she were a small child. Her head rested comfortably on his shoulder as she buried her face into his chest. Her tears left wet marks on his shirt but he didn't care. He was too focused on comforting his friend.

"I lied Clark, to everyone. I hid Davis and protected him because I KNEW that you would figure out a way that you could defeat the monster but save the man. But I also knew that you needed the time to figure out how." Chloe started to regain control over her emotions. This was something she could do for Clark. She could tell him all that she learned about the beast…the monster that controlled the man. "Clark, Doomsday's only mission in life is to destroy you. It was programmed into him before he even arrived here on Earth." She took a breath and pulled away from Clark a little so that she could look him in the face as she shared her feelings with him. It was important that he understood how she felt about him should something happen to her. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her. Her tear streaked face turned slightly up to look at him as he gazed down at her. To Clark she looked small, childlike, held safely in his arms and wrapped in a blanket as the firelight reflected off her hair. "Clark, I need you to know that my faith in you has never wavered. Even though you and I disagree from time to time, I have never once stopped believing in you and supporting you. All that I have done; be it right or wrong, has always been for you. You are my hero, Clark. You always were…before I even knew about your secret and especially after, and you always will be. You need to know though, above being my hero; you are my best friend, part of my family. And I love you. If Doomsday comes for me here or if I have to leave again to protect you, I need you to know that I love you…not in an 'I want to marry you and have your alien babies' way, but as in you are my family, my best friend. This could be the end for me. The end of my story and I need you to know that you are important to me."

"Chloe…" Clark had gotten choked up listening to her. He loved her too, and there was no way that he was going to ever let anything happen to her. He rubbed gentle circles on her back, still comforting her. His anger over her leaving him evaporated the moment she called for help. She was 'his' Chloe. He couldn't explain what he felt about her. He was sure that he loved her with every fiber of his being, but he knew that he wasn't 'in' love with her. He was 'in' love with Lois, with all her quirks he knew out and out that he loved her. But Chloe was something in her own right; Chloe was one of the people responsible for helping him become the man that he is destined to be. He knew without a doubt if Chloe had never entered his life he would have become a completely different man than he is today. "I promise," his voice gravely and thick as he fought his emotions, "on all that I am and all that I am destined to become, Chloe…that NOTHING is EVER going to take you away from me. You are my family too, my one and only best friend…you are the only other person beside my mom and dad, who would ever sacrifice as much as you have for me." He punctuated each syllable with a squeeze. He vowed that Davis or Doomsday or whomever next that fate has decided to throw at him would ever hurt Chloe. Chloe Sullivan does not die…not while Clark Kent is around.

They sat together in the dark room cuddled in their safe world for the moment. They both were lost in their own thoughts, contemplating the future…neither speaking. Finally after what had seemed like hours, Chloe spoke. She decided to tell Clark about her experience with Davis. She figured the more he understood the better off he would be. After all, 'knowledge is power.'

"He wouldn't leave me alone for even one second." She said softly. "Everywhere I turned there he was hovering, watching me. I couldn't find a moment's piece. I was a prisoner again and this time the only one I had to blame for my situation was myself. I NEVER wanted to leave, to leave you…the team…Oliver." She closed her eyes and her tone changed when she spoke Oliver's name. It was a slight tonal difference but a difference nonetheless. Clark wondered if there was something going on between the two of them, not for the first time. Her voice continued and drew his attention back to what she was saying to him. "I wanted to stay here and let you all battle this monster for me, but I couldn't let that happen. Someone would have gotten hurt. I had to leave. I had to buy you time to figure this out. I am sorry that I couldn't stay with him longer. I am sorry that I couldn't willingly give up my life, Clark. Running away from Davis is something I am always going to regret, especially when I hear about the innocent people that could have been saved had I just stayed with him. Oh God Clark, what have I done? I've unleashed the world's destroyer…I've released Doomsday." She buried her face in her blanket covered hands.

"We'll figure this out, Chlo. You, Oliver, the team, and I will figure this out. We will stop Doomsday. I won't pretend that everything will be alright and that no one will get hurt, but I will promise you that I will do my best to make sure everyone survives. Chloe, you did the right thing leaving him tonight. Your life is just as valuable as mine, don't forget that! You are important to a lot of people and the fact that you had sacrificed all that time with him for me is just beyond anything that I could or would have asked of you. You should have come to one of us, Chloe, Oliver or I would have helped you with this. You didn't have to do this alone. You aren't alone. You have us. We care about what happens to you. Oliver was practically a mess when he found out that you left with that monster. He and the team scoured the city looking for you…while I traveled a little farther away to search for you. I'll call Oliver in a couple of hours when the sun comes up and let him know that I've found you. For right now, for the next few hours I just want to sit here with you and know that you are safe. The sun will be up in a couple of hours, so for now, let just sit here, you and me, and rest. Close your eyes, Chlo, get some sleep. I'll be here watching over you." She laid her head back on his chest. She felt safe in the arms of her best friend. Her eyes immediately closed and sleep swiftly over took her, blissfully devoid of nightmares. Dreams of a blond haired man replaced the nightmares of the dark haired man that haunted her. She was safe once again.

Tbc…

A/N: Constructive feedback is always appreciated! Thanks for reading! :)