Mmmm reviews…Thank you for feeding the author!! I hope this part isn't too confusing. Yes, I switch points of view a lot. It's intentional, like scenes in a show and I tried to make it clear when it switches. Hope you like this one…and don't worry, I didn't forget Lex.

Stars and Water

Chapter 19

Chloe was pacing by her desk when he got there. "Clark, I wouldn't have bothered you but this thing is really moving fast and nothing seems to affect it. Come take a look."

Clark peered over her shoulder at the computer. The reports she had pulled up documented an unknown, mostly unseen, attacker that basically shredded anyone or anything in its path, including an armored vehicle. Clark's jaw clenched at the number of people it had already killed. "Thanks Chloe, you're right, it needs to be stopped now." And with a last look at the map she had pulled up to detail it's movements he left the office in super speed, leaving the papers flying off her desk in his wake.

"Be…careful Clark." Chloe finished, and she stared at the place he had been and tried to push down the sense of dread that was rising up in her.

Lex was in his office when the FBI came to arrest him. They pulled his hands behind his back, read him his rights, handcuffed him and marched him out past his employees. There was a time, years ago, when he would have received support from those employees. Now, after the layoffs, the wage freezes, the reductions in benefits while his lifestyle became more and more decadent and gaudy, they smiled as he was led away.

Lionel shook his head as he watched the evening news. The fool had really messed things up. The only way to salvage anything of the company was to completely separate what Lex had done from Luthorcorps as a whole and paint it as Lex's insane project that the company didn't support. He'd have to isolate Lex and leave him to suffer the consequences of his actions this time.

Clark arrived at the location he had memorized while glancing at the map. The fishing village was decimated and nothing moved except the wind. Clark focused his hearing and listened. Somewhere in the distance he could hear screaming and the grinding crash of metal being shredded. Clark turned and ran towards the sound.

Maria turned over and tried to go to sleep. Clark will be alright she told herself. He's invincible, brave, smart, and he can handle anything. Then the other thoughts came; he's young, the phantoms can hurt him, he's alone and if he gets hurt I'll never know, he should have been back by now, it's been a week, for all I know he's dead. She beat her pillow into submission, tried a new position and prayed for Clark like she had never prayed before. The sky outside turned grey and then rosy with the dawn, the light crept inside her window to find her still praying, tears running down her cheeks.

Lois was confused. All she had done was make a reference to the fact that Smallville seemed to be MIA and Chloe went nuclear. Why on earth would she get so angry when Lois made the joke about aliens abducting Clark? Oh well, the Flannel King always did make Chloe a little nuts. Lois decided to let it go and get back to the lovely job of writing articles about Lex. An anonymous source had given her the scoop of a lifetime and she intended to make the best of it. Daily Planet here I come, she thought.

Martha was having a hard time listening to the members of the agriculture committee drone on and on about new regulations. She hadn't heard from Clark in days and it worried her. Even though they didn't share the same address anymore Clark usually called nearly everyday and he stopped by frequently as well. Martha sighed; she would just have to trust that he would be okay. Many years of practice really didn't make it easier.

Clark noticed the noise first. Like a bird, but no bird he'd ever heard before. This bird seemed to be saying words in a high, small, whispery voice. He realized his eyes were closed and wondered about that. He was laying on something soft, he could feel heat washing over him from nearby and a familiar crackling sound told him it was a fire. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids wouldn't move, they were too heavy. He focused on the voice again and realized it was a child's voice, whispering. As he concentrated he could make out words. "Mommy says we should take turns talking to you so our voices can guide you back." The soft voice said, "I had to wait a long time for my turn." The voice was right next to his ear and the whisper was so quiet he strained to hear it. "Thank you for saving me from the monster."

A memory flashed in Clark's mind, a whirlwind of teeth and claws with a howling voice that hurt his head. He remembered being hit; he remembered pain like he had never felt before. He looked up from the ground into wide blue eyes. There was a child, a little girl watching with her mouth hanging open. Too terrified to run she just stood there with the phantom roaring closer to her and whimpered, "Mommy".

Leaping up Clark put his body between the Phantom and the child, taking the ripping blows that would have shredded her. Clark remembered pain and flying through the air to crash against the side of a tree. He remembered having the crystal in his hand as the Phantom rushed at him and the earsplitting wails the Phantom made as it was captured.

"Mommy says I shouldn't tell stories and that it was a bear, but I saw it and I know it was a monster. Mommy says you're just a brave man who helped but I know you're an Angel because you appeared out of the air to save me. I'm sorry you got hurt. I didn't know Angels could get hurt. I hope you get better soon." Clark felt a dry kiss brush his forehead and he tried again to open his eyes but the effort was too much. The sounds faded into silence as Clark drifted back into unconsciousness.

Lex sat on the thin cushion of his bunk and brooded. He couldn't believe how quickly things had gone bad. Now the IRS had seized his assets and he was being audited. The feelers he had put out for the location of Maria and her family had gotten him nowhere. The Media was having a feeding frenzy investigating him and to top it off his father had decided to feed him to the sharks in order to save Luthorcorps. Maybe he was safer in jail, he reflected, at least there aren't any paparazzi in here, well at least not with their cameras.

Chloe fidgeted at her desk and then got up to pace again. Clark had left ten days ago and the last thing she'd heard from him was a message, "I think I found it." Oh, God… what if he's hurt somewhere, alone, in pain, dying. Tears filled her eyes and she stared at her phone willing it to ring. Then Lois had come on all sarcastic as usual. Chloe knew she hadn't meant any harm and it was probably Lois' way of expressing concern but did she always have to take the cheap shot at Clark's expense? Chloe wondered what Lois would think if she knew her anonymous source on Lex was none other than Clark Kent himself, trying to help her career. Chloe brushed the tears from her eyes and tried to get back to work. She had a Luthor to bury.

Because she planned on testifying against Lex the FBI agent offered Kate and her family protection. She assumed he meant well but after talking with Chloe Sullivan the thought of a "Safe House" wasn't very appealing. When Oliver offered her family an apartment next to the building she would be working in, complete with round the clock security and a promise to personally keep an eye out for trouble she took his offer with relief and gratitude.

Kate walked into Maria's room at their new apartment after her quiet knock had gone unanswered and found Maria asleep with her head pillowed on her notebook. She had been writing down a detailed description of her kidnapping so she could prepare her testimony against Lex. After days of very little sleep she had lost the battle with exhaustion and dropped on her desk. Barely waking her up, Kate guided her to her bed, stopping just long enough to remove Maria's shoes before tucking her in and kissing her good night.

There was light glowing red through his closed eyelids and the air smelled like warm grass and fir trees. Clark opened his eyes a little, and then shut them quickly when the sun blazed in them. He heard a man's quiet voice speaking to him, "Sorry man, didn't expect you to wake up. Here let me shade your eyes a sec. If you want to open 'em I think the glare won't be so bad now."

Clark opened his eyes again and looked into a stranger's face. The man had a blond beard and long blond hair, his smile was kind as he held his hand above Clark's eyes and Clark felt his lips curve slightly in response. He tried to talk but nothing came out, it was hard to get enough breath to speak. He felt moisture touch his lips as the man held a water bottle to his mouth. Clark drank greedily, he could feel his body screaming for the water and he couldn't get it fast enough. "Easy buddy, you don't want to choke. Look, I'll get you some more, okay?" Clark heard the man walk off and tried to turn his head to watch him go. Pain shot through his skull when he moved his head and he dropped back into darkness.

When he woke again he could tell the sun had moved by the feel of it on his face. His eyes opened immediately on the first try and he celebrated the small victory. He could see trees, sky with a few puffy clouds, and swallows darting overhead. He decided not to move his head yet but to try the rest of his body, starting with his right hand. When he wiggled his fingers it didn't hurt and he raised his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. He bumped a bandage on his forehead that was stiff with blood.

"Welcome back," a woman's low voice murmured and Clark tried to turn his head to the voice. The move brought a wave of pain followed by nausea and he couldn't stifle a moan. A cool hand touched his face gently "Try to be still. You've been hurt pretty badly, but the fact that you're awake is promising. Are you hungry?"

At first the question didn't register but then at the thought of food his stomach growled and he tried to say yes. He licked his lips and got out the word with a breath. "Yes. Where am I?" he whispered roughly.

"I'll get you some soup." She said cheerfully, "You're in Alaska, on the banks of the Yukon River, in my camp. I'm sorry we couldn't get you to a doctor but that bear trashed our truck and cell phones don't work out here. We're due for a supply drop in another week and I can ask for a doctor then." She started to get up to get the soup and Clark reached for her. She immediately turned back to him and lightly took his hand. "You're going to be okay." She reassured, "I've never seen anyone heal so fast."

"Thank you…for helping me," Clark managed to say in between breaths. It was hard for him to get a deep breath and he realized his ribs were wrapped tight.

She squeezed his hand. "You got hurt saving our Sarah from a bear. We owe you so much, patching you up is the least we can do."

To be continued…

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