Slumber – Thirty-Second Chapter
Lex's Mansion
Clark, Rory and Lex walked through the hallways of his mansion, their destination being the usual one; Lex's study.

"Interesting theory," Lex mused. The twins had just told him about the dream (though not in any detail). Rory had also not told him about Sam, which confused Clark to no end.

"I know it sounds crazy," Clark said self-consciously, "but that's what happened."

"Now you two are saving people in your dreams, too," Lex said mischievously. "I bet a shrink would have a field day with that scenario."

"You don't believe us?" Rory asked.

They entered the study and Lex replied, "I believe that you both believe it, and that's enough for me."

He turned to face them and said with his small smile, "You'll have to forgive me. I have a personal bias against psychotherapy."

"You don't like letting people into your head," Rory said with understanding.

He looked at her with the look he reserved especially for her. "Something like that."

"Well, this girl's in my head until I figure out a way to help her," Clark said.

"Don't you mean our heads? From what you told me, you're both having this dream." Lex hinted he knew they weren't telling him everything. He was used to it, though.

"Yeah, our heads. Right," Rory quickly covered. "Did you find anything on Sara?"

"I made a few calls to Metropolis General," Lex said casually. "It's true, Sara was supposed to wake up."

"So her uncle is drugging her," Clark realised.

"They didn't have any evidence of foul play," Lex verified, "but they've only performed routine blood tests."

"Maybe he's using a drug that's untraceable," Rory suggested.

"Rory, Clark," Lex said, faintly amused. "From all appearances the guy hasn't done anything wrong."

"Yeah, well, the occupants of this room all know that appearances can be deceiving," Rory pointed out.

"Telling the cops you heard it in a dream won't get him arrested," Lex warned.

"We appreciate your help," Clark said while Rory just pursed her lips for a moment and nodded wordlessly.

"Any time," Lex replied.

Clark turned to leave, but Rory's attention had caught suddenly on the glasses on the table.

They were, of course, perfectly intact, but Rory couldn't help but remember the way the power had simply forced itself out of her hand... and that memory brought on others...

"I always liked this sword," she heard Clark saying nervously and snapped out of her flashback. "What is it, some kind of, uh, legendary Samurai sword?"

Lex smiled sardonically. "Hardly."

He took the sword off the wall and expanded, "It's a prop from my favourite Kurosawa movie. 'Throne of Blood.'"

Lex pulled it out of its sheath and examined it for a moment. "I bought it at auction."

Without warning, he swung it at Clark. Rory gasped and Clark flinched. Lex stopped the sword just before it hit him, grinning at their reactions.

"Relax, guys," he said, still smiling. "It can't hurt him. It's not real."

"Right," Clark said, shaken. He managed a small smile.

"You two really have to learn the difference between fantasy and reality," Lex said, sheathing the sword. "Go get some sleep."

Sara's house, an hour or so later
The door to the familiar house opened and Nicholas peered out at Clark and Rory.

"Clark, Rory," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "This is a – pleasant surprise."

"We just thought we'd bring Sara some fresh flowers," Clark said, smiling.

Rory showed him a bouquet of lilacs.

"Oh," said Nicholas, sounding pleased. "Come in."

He led them to Sara's room, where Rory handed Nicholas the flowers and Clark watched Sara's unconscious form.

"This is real nice of you two, you know," Nicholas said cheerily.

Rory just nodded, watching Sara just like her brother. "Do you mind if we sit with her for a while?" she asked suddenly.

Her face was so open, so above suspicion, that Nicholas immediately smiled and said, "Not at all."

Rory felt a niggling in the back of her head; Clark was using his x-ray vision. Cabinet in the corner, she thought.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" Nicholas asked.

"Anything with caffeine," Rory smiled.

Nicholas considered this request for a moment. "I think I've got some soda."

"That would be great, thank you," Rory replied sincerely.

Nicholas left the room and Rory went to the door, checking to see if he was gone. She couldn't see him and turned anxiously to Clark.

"It's full of medication," he responded to her unasked inquiry.

She walked over to the cabinet, crouching and running her hands over it. "If I just..." she murmured with feeling. She popped the lock open with her powers and grinned.

Clark was next to her by now. She pulled it open and, looking over all the bottles of medication, she pulled out one. Examining it for a moment, she frowned, pondering the label.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"We have to go. Now," was her only reply.

There was a gust of wind and she was gone. Clark followed in an instant.

In the truck
"I still think you should have let me drive," Clark complained.

"Yeah, well, if you'd fallen asleep it would have killed us both, Clark," Rory argued grimly.

"But if I fall asleep, then so will you, and driving would have kept me alert," Clark countered.

"Arguing is keeping you alert," was Rory's short response.

Clark sighed and turned the radio up louder. He blinked against the bright sunlight, his eyes staying closed a little longer each time. Finally, they closed and stayed that way.

He then realised suddenly that they were closed and shook himself, opening them again.

"See, Rory," he protested, "I need a distraction."

There was no reply and Clark looked quickly to his left. Rory was gone.

"Oh, crap crap crap crap crap," he muttered, "we are so –"

Panic overtook him as he remembered that when they crashed in the real world, Rory wouldn't be protected.

Clark swore louder and tried to get to the driver's seat. He couldn't get near it, however, an unseen force was pushing him away.

Rory snapped her eyes open when Clark said in protest, "See, Rory, I need a distraction."

"Well, let's keep arguing then," she replied peevishly.

She looked over at Clark just as he looked at her. His face widened in horror as he said, "Oh, crap crap crap crap crap."

"What? What is it?" she asked, a sinking feeling overtaking her stomach. She looked ahead and saw the turn coming up.

"-we are so-" Clark was saying. Then, without warning, he tried to jump into the driver's seat.

"Clark!" Rory screeched. "What the hell-?"

Then she tried to turn the wheel.

Understanding when her hands wouldn't touch it, she did the only thing she could think of; the window was wound down, and she pushed herself to it, sitting on it, slowly worming out of the car as Clark got a hold on the steering wheel.

Rory was now standing on the window sill, and she made a quick jump into the tray of the truck.

"Hey Rory," said Sam with a smile. He was sitting in the corner of the tray.

"Hey Sam," Rory smiled back, before doubling over in pain.

"What is it?" he asked in concern, rushing to her side.

"Argh," she groaned, "the truck's crashed in the real world."

Panic overtook concern. "What?"

"We can't turn it at the turn we just passed in the real world," Rory explained, still groaning in pain, "so the truck must've hit it, flipped most likely, and because I've only got tough skin I've probably been injured."

She swallowed and Sam stared at her with wide eyes as she added the word neither wanted to hear.

"Fatally."

Clark sped up suddenly, speeding very fast. "It's no use," Rory croaked. "We won't be able to wake up in time."

"Yes you will," Sam promised, his arms around her.

Rory smiled at him weakly. "Mom and Dad can't take me to the hospital, Sam," she said sadly. "Clark was in the accident too, and he won't have a scratch. My only hope is if I do wake up in time, I can heal it. But I can't do it subconsciously."

As if he'd heard her words, Clark pushed the truck to its limit. They were at Crater Lake before they knew it and Sara was out of the car in a second.

"Sara!" Sam shouted in desperation. "Sara, you have to let us out!"

"Sam," Rory whispered weakly. "Sam, this is it. Sara has to beat him, once and for all, now. This is the last dream."

Sam looked down at her lying in his arms. "I'm not going to let you die, Rory," he said defiantly. "I'd never see you again if you died, either. At least if you live I'll know you're alive somewhere."

Rory laughed, a pained, gurgling laugh. "No you won't. I don't exist, remember?"

"Of course you do," Sam said, almost surprised. "I don't believe that any longer."

"I didn't believe it from the start," Rory murmured. "What are they doing?"

Sam looked up just in time to see Sara yanked into the lake and Clark dive in after her.

"It's all up to you, Clark," he muttered.

A minute passed before Clark walked from the water, holding Sara in his arms. He put her down on the beach and asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Clark," she replied, "but they're in trouble."

"Rory and Sam?" he asked.

"Rory and Lana," she corrected.

Clark stared at her, afraid for his sister and his love. "Sara, you're stronger than he is. You have to stop him. For Rory. And Lana."

Sara looked over at the truck tray, staring at Sam, who was still holding Rory in his arms.

Storm clouds began to cover the sky and Clark turned to see the Traveller, his arms outspread, drifting towards them across the water.

"Sam?" Rory murmured weakly.

"The Traveller's here," he answered, hearing the unasked question.

Rory giggled and coughed spasmodically. "He's like a red rip-off of the Nazgul," she breathed.

Clark went for the Traveller, who grabbed him by the shirt and said in his deep voice, "Death to all those who trespass here!"

"Sara!" Clark cried. "You have to stop him!"

Sara looked terrified as the Traveller approached her.

"He's right, Sara!" Sam cried. "You are stronger than him!"

"They cannot save you," hissed the Traveller.

"He took six years of your life, Sara!" Sam called, upset that he couldn't help her any other way. "Get angry!"

"Don't be afraid!" Clark yelled.

Sara glared at the Traveller, furious. The clouds cleared...

Sam looked down at Rory's prone form. "Rory," he said, his voice hitching. "Rory, it's okay. You'll wake up soon."

Rory's eyes opened and she reached up slowly, brushing a hand over his face. "Goodbye, Sam," she murmured, exhausted. "I'll miss you."

"Farewell, Rory," he replied sadly. "I'll miss you too."

Sam looked back up in time to see Clark using what looked like heat vision on the Traveller. The Traveller exploded and they were whirling through the darkness once again, Rory no longer in his arms...

Sam woke on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "I hope she lives," he said to himself.

"Is it over?" Dean asked gruffly.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "She better live."

"Good," Dean said, ignoring the last part. "I've packed our stuff and loaded the car, let's go."

Rory woke, gasping for breath, unable to get it. The pain was choking her, reminding her of all that time spent with kryptonite, the time she thought she would die.

Clark was gone, saving Lana. Jonathan and Martha watched their daughter, hoping and praying all they had left.

Blue sparks burst from every part of Rory's body, targeting her broken leg, the huge lacerations in her chest and abdomen caused by the steering wheel, her head, covered in blood, cut by the windscreen.

Finally, her wounds were healed, the only evidence left being that she was covered in fresh blood.

She sat up, coughing. "Mom? Dad?" she asked hoarsely, before her parents were hugging her tightly.

Smallville Medical Centre, that night
"Hey Sara," Rory said, smiling at the girl lying on the hospital bed.

"How are you doing?" Clark asked.

"Hi, I'm fine," Sara replied.

"We brought you some fresh lilacs," Clark showed her the bouquet before putting them on her table.

"They're your favourite, right?" Rory asked rhetorically.

"Thanks, Clark, Rory," she said, sounding a little tired, ironically. "That's right, isn't it?"

"I'm surprised you remember," Clark confirmed.

Sara smiled. "We've been through so much together even though we've never officially met." Remembering something, she asked, "Where's Sam?"

Rory looked away and Clark said quickly, "We don't know. He's probably not even real.

"You two are real," she pointed out. "I still don't know how I got into your dreams."

"The important thing is that you're safe," Rory replied. "And awake."

"You're obviously such special people," Sara said quietly, wondering. "I saw some of the things you can do."

Clark smiled hesitantly and said by way of explanation, "Well, in our dreams we're all super."

"I just-" Sara started, before stopping and changing course. "I know it's none of my business. I know dreams are usually private..."

"No, actually, I'm curious to hear your perspective," Clark responded, sitting on her bed. Rory went round to the other side of the bed, standing.

"Someone who's clearly in love, but resists it," she told him, smiling slightly. "Lana, right?"

"Hah!" Rory made a triumphant noise. "It's not just me, Clark."

"It's a long, complicated story," Clark told Sara quietly, ignoring Rory. "Besides, what did you think of Rory?"

Sara looked up at the other girl, who watched her with hooded eyes and a face shadowed in darkness. "I saw someone who's torn between two paths, one of which she thinks she can't take, and the other she knows she mustn't."

"Still cryptic, Sara?" Rory said, her smile not reaching her eyes.

Sara smiled back and said, "You're a good person, Rory. You can stop him."

Rory whispered, as if she didn't know she was saying it aloud, "I don't think I can."

"Who?" Clark asked.

"It's Rory's secret, Clark," Sara responded. "If she wants you to know, you will."

Clark looked at his sister and saw the same thing Sara had; a face shadowed in darkness.

How long it would stay that way, he didn't know.

A/N End of another chapter! I realised the other day that all I really need to do of the rest of the third season is two more things, then we can move on to the (hopefully) long anticipated fourth season.

I'm going to repeat the smily-face challenge to see who's reading these. You will get the next chapter dedicated to you!

Question:
Since nobody answered the last one, I'm repeating it because I'm actually very curious. What do you think the title refers to? Be specific, please!

Love you,