Chapter 3: MIA
Clark drove Chloe to his loft after school and asked his parents if she could have dinner with them tonight. His parents obliged of course. Any friend of Clark's was welcome in this household. Chloe followed Clark up the wooden loft steps and took a seat on his beaten up couch. He took a seat next to her and both were silent for a moment. Not knowing what to say; neither of them wanting to say anything. She finally turned to look at him and smiled, but his face was somber.
"Chloe…"
She knew what he was going to say, but she didn't want to hear it. She knew he'd start by saying how he shouldn't of never let this happen, or how much this Chase guy was gonna pay. And personally, she was frightened. Because Clark was only human, what could he do? Chase was rich and powerful, and like he said, practically lived next to the Luthors. How could Clark even begin to measure against that and win?
She sniffled, feeling the pain all these people would have to go through if she said something. She was terrified that someone would find out and one of her love ones had to pay the price. She didn't know if she could handle that kind of burden.
"Chloe do you know why Chase would do this to you?"
"No," she said, without hesitation. Tears were welling up in her eyes again, and she cursed her apparent inability to stay strong in front of Clark lately. "I, uh... don't know. He just showed up... and well ...you know..."
Clark moved a little closer and put his hand over hers where it rested on her knee.
"I don't think I can do this, Clark. I don't know how." Tears were falling down her cheeks now, and she knew it was pointless to stop them. "He pulled me out into the hallway and tried-tried...to tried to..."
She was shuttering so much that Clark could barely understand what she was saying anymore. "You don't have to do this right now, Chloe. Not if you don't want to."
"I just don't understand why he's doing this...why..." she sobbed, "I'm so scared Clark..." she broke off on another sob and covered her mouth with her free hand. She closed her eyes against the torrent of tears behind them, but they relentlessly slipped beneath her eyelids and poured down her face.
Clark couldn't bear to see her in this kind of pain, so he did the only thing he knew to do and gathered her in his arms. She relaxed into his arms and accepted the warm embrace. He pulled her farther onto him, until she was lying on the couch, her head on his chest. Finally after 10 min of a good cry, it seemed to back up a little. She wasn't sobbing now, just trying to catch her breath, some hiccupping happened when she tried too hard.
"You ok?"
She nodded. "Next time we actually start having a conversation…I promise not to have a nervous breakdown."
He smiled looking down at her. "Ok."
Her eyes searched his, looking for any signs of sparkage…but she wasn't sure if there was any. What she didn't notice was Clark doing the same thing…and leaning his head towards hers, his eyes lightly closing while his lips parted. Chloe waited for the connection…but instead heard soft footsteps on the steps.
"Oh…I'm sorry…I didn't…." It was Lana. And she was shocked to see them like this. Clark took Chloe's shoulders and lightly lifted her off him. She sat back on the couch while he went to talk to Lana.
"I can just go…" She turned to leave but Clark grabbed her arm.
"No wait…you're here now…what's up?"
Lana took a quick look at Chloe and then back at him. She didn't know whether she should be pissed or jealous. If she didn't decide which one, they both would happen at once. She pulled Clark down the first flight of stairs.
"What…how…what are you doing?"
He looked at her confused…no he looked at her like she was stupid. "What do you mean?"
All this time Lana thought he was in love with her. She wasn't even on intending on waiting for Whitney. Her feelings had grown so strong for Clark, and she thought it was equally felt.
"What are you doing with her?" That came out a little more angry and shallow then she wanted.
"What…?"
She shook her head. "Nothing Clark…sorry I brought it up."
She shifted from foot to foot and when he didn't say anything, she turned to go. He rushed in front of her, interrupting her stride.
"Lana wait…"
"No Clark…I just thought that we had something…you know…a beginning of something…anything?"
He looked at her like he knew what she was talking about and suddenly Lana felt hope glimmer within her. But then Clark took a sharp look at Chloe, and Lana followed his direction. She was just sitting on the couch, rubbing her temples, what's there to look at? And then it hit her. Clark must have still had feelings for her. It's funny how Clark could do that. Jerk at your feelings until they broke or bent in such a way you couldn't fix them. Lana was just angry now. Why had Clark shown interest if he had just planned to be with Chloe anyway? She wasn't just his toy and she would prove that to him.
"I don't think this is really a good time Lana."
He guided her down the last flight of stairs and almost pushed her towards the barn door.
"Can we talk about this later?"
"Sure Clark."
"Alright…whenever's fine."
Lana scoffed. "Right. Because that's the only time you seem to want to let me in Clark…whenever you want."
0o0o0o0o0o
After Lana left, Martha called Clark and Chloe into the house for dinner. Chloe sat on the couch while Jonathan and Clark concluded the finishing touches to the dinner table. Martha motioned Clark to come over near the sink so she could talk to him privately.
She looked in at Chloe. "Is she alright?"
He followed his mother's gaze and nodded. "Yea…she's just had a rough time that's all."
She now looked at Clark. "How so?"
Clark frowned; he promised Chloe he wouldn't say anything. "She uh…its just she's…missing her father. She's worried about him…that's all."
Martha searched his eyes. "You weren't good at lying when you were little, what makes you so great at it now?"
Clark blushed and looked at the dish of food his mother was handing him. She noticed Chloe was getting up from the couch and nodded her head at Clark.
"We'll talk about this later."
Chloe approached the counter and took a look at the food. "Can I help with anything?"
Martha noticed Chloe trying to be her upbeat self and yet something was weighing her down…and it had nothing to do about her father.
"No hun…dinner's ready."
Chloe nodded and took a seat at the table, Clark sitting next to her. Martha and Jonathan brought the last few plates to the table and everyone said their private grace.
"Dig in." Jonathan smiled.
Chloe shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Kent."
They both nodded in her direction. "No problem dear."
Jonathan nodded again and added with a smirk. "But you have to leave if you don't fill up your plate."
Clark grinned at her. "Don't worry; he threatened me with the same thing if I didn't wash the dishes." He shrugged smugly. "Never happened."
Chloe smiled back a little more at ease, she filled up her plate with chicken and green beans. Then she carefully raising the mashed potato bowl and adding some.
Everyone was quiet for a good part of the entire meal, until Martha finally said something.
"Chloe...is everything alright with you?"
Chloe looked up at Mrs. Kent and, in Clark's opinion, looked like a dear caught in the headlights. Clark reached under the table and put his hand on her knee, signaling for her to calm down, that they didn't have to know the truth.
"I've just missed my father that's all… I'm just worried that he won't get home safe."
Which was true, Chloe hadn't talked to her father in at least a day, which gave her this sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling you get when you leave the house and an hour after you're gone, you realize you left the stove on. She tensed and decided that right after this; she would call her father and see how his trip was going.
After dinner, Clark and Jonathan went to the store in town to stock up on farm supplies while Chloe helped Martha clean up the kitchen. Chloe had asked Mrs. Kent if she had a phone book and she replied in the basement. She took the phone book up to Clark's loft had began flipping through the pages, looking for a hotel directory in Metropolis.
0o0o0o0o
Clark found Chloe sitting on his loft couch looking a little grim. Sadness and confusion were painted among her face. Like the artist forgot that happiness and love was in life too. She looked worried but before Clark could ask her about it, he noticed the phone book sitting next to her.
"Chloe where did you get that phone book?"
She straightened up, finally realizing his presence. He looked at her questionably. All the reference books like that had been moved to book shelves in the basement from spring cleaning. And ever since the tornado's ripped the shed apart…they had to harbor the ship in the basement. Panic began to rise in the pit of his stomach, slowly moving with sickening circles toward his chest.
"The basement…I needed to call the direct—"
"Chloe what do you think your doing wandering around other people's house?"
She looked taken back a bit. Clark was angry, but she wasn't entirely sure why.
"Clark I'm…"
He took the phone book from the couch and threw it on the coffee table. The motion made her sink into the couch. "Do you see me wandering around your house taking things of yours?"
He turned to look at her but she had lowered her head. "I'm-I'm sorry…I didn't know…" Her voice was strained and when she raised her head she turned away from him.
Clark felt a pang of guilt in his chest, he had hurt her. After all, he was sure it wasn't entirely her fault. It's not like she knew she wasn't allowed in the basement, and his mother probably forgot to tell her that. Clark sat next to her but she didn't look at him.
"I'm sorry." He said in a small voice. "You've been through so much lately and I didn't mean…"
Suddenly she stood walking towards the stairs. "I can't do this Clark…not now." She wiped at a tear that hadn't fallen yet.
"Do what?"
"I can't be here. I need to go home."
Her sentences were making less and less sense to him; he got up from the couch and confronted her before she had time to escape down the stairs.
"What is it?"
"It's my dad's cell…it's been disconnected."
