-- Chapter 29 -- Welcome Home --

Five mismatched suitcases sat piled on top of one another pyramid style. Chloe circled the lopsided construct with a long list. Almost everything had a check by it. "Metropolis, here I come." The doorbell rang and Chloe shoved her checklist into a pocket. It had to be Pete, again. He was around constantly of late, making sure she didn't change her mind on Metropolis again. She tried not to feel guilty around him. He didn't know that his best friend was really an alien, or that Clark was wandering around somewhere in the universe. There was enough guilt over the information she'd slipped Lex that telling Pete anything wasn't going to happen. Her conscience couldn't stand any more moral confusion. Metropolis would be a nice pleasant break from it all. She pulled her front door open and ginned. "I knew it was you. Come on in, Pete. If you came to make sure for the thirtieth time that I'm going to the little farewell bash you put together, I promised. You don't need to beg."

Pete didn't answer right away. To be honest he was still reeling with the news he was spreading. It wasn't every day that people came back from the dead. Maybe Clark hadn't had a headstone in the cemetery, but Pete had buried him in his mind. He'd mourned him and even enacted his own memorial by trying to be Chloe's hero. "Chloe, you're phone line has been tied up, and no one has been able to get through."

"Really long download," she said. "Is something important going on? My dad's okay isn't he? Nobody's hurt?"

"Whoa, slow down. First, I just want to say, you were right, and I was wrong. You're always right, must be the reporter instincts." Pete shrugged and grinned, his disbelief showing through his expression. "Clark is home. I haven't seen him, and supposedly there's something wrong with his memory, but he's home."

Chloe took a step back and sat down on the edge of one of her suitcases. Clark was back from space with a memory problem? Considering the lies he had to maintain, that could either mean Clark had memory problems or he was faking them to avoid questions. Had the Eradicator come with him? If anything was wrong with Clark it was the Eradicator's doing. "I have to see him." Chloe came to her feet and headed for the door. "Are you coming, Pete?"

"Again I say, whoa. I talked to Mrs. Kent and Clark on the phone. He had a headache, but if he's feeling up to it, he's coming to your farewell party," Pete said.

Chloe spun and froze. "He's coming tonight?" A thousand little things like what she was going to wear, when she was going to arrive, what color lipstick to choose, were competing for her mental energy with almost as many huge issues, like what she was going to say to her alien friend, was she going to follow through on her resolution to tell him she might love him? A carefree day had turned into a panic attack in a matter of seconds. Chloe grinned. "This is the best news I've heard in months."


Clark stared at himself in his full length mirror, at the clothes his mother assured him were his best and his favorites. A bright red cotton shirt with a slightly faded pair of jeans hung on him like they were sewn for him. "I almost look like that hallucination I had of myself after waking up. Almost." The hair was wrong. He'd only been home for a little over a day, and the newly acquired length in his hair had been thus far ignored. Going to Pete's party tonight had been his idea. Despite his parents' fears and complaints, he was still going. It would be good for him to see the people he was supposed to know, maybe make some more memories surface. He needed some memories to surface, something to ground him in this place.

"You look nice," Martha said. She walked right up to him and smoothed the folds out of the back of his shirt. Absently she fingered one of his longer black curls. "Give your father a couple more days to get over the shock and there will be some campaigning to get this cut."

"I don't mind," Clark said. "I'm going to be late though unless I hurry. I really look okay? No one is going to laugh and point and ask if I shop on Jupiter?"

Martha shook her head and blinked back the tears in her eyes. She could almost pretend that everything was back to normal, but there was no recognition in those eyes. The baby she raised had forgotten her, and only time would tell if any of that would ever come back to him. He was home but still lost. "You look perfect."

Clark thought his dad was actually going to miss his exit, but he was waiting for him on the porch. "Clark, I want you to remember the talk we had about why we keep the secrets we do. You won't forget?"

"I won't forget, and I really am sorry for almost telling Lex everything. I just didn't remember or really understand. Part of me still doesn't," Clark said. He tugged at his brown jacket and smiled. "I won't be home late."


A buffet table covered completely in finger foods, cocktail weenies, carrots, and a dozen other easy but tasty treats was shoved against one of the Talon's walls. Lana surveyed the spread and smiled. It wasn't terribly elaborate or fancy. Pete had given her a very manageable menu for Chloe's farewell-for-the-summer party. If the rumors running around town were to be believed, the party was going to be turning into a welcome home Clark Kent party.

Forget rumors, there Clark was, standing in the Talon's doorway. "You're early. Come on in," Lana said. He looked nice, if a little skittish. "The hair looks nice, not very Clark, but nice. People should be arriving soon."

Clark couldn't make himself move. The memories he'd been hoping for were hitting him full force. A dark haired beauty was standing over him. She had him by the hand and she was casually bending his arm back straining the tendons until they cracked. He could hear her laughing at him. "I..." His mind made no distinction between the raven-haired beauty smiling at him and the one torturing him. He couldn't even form an excuse for his retreat. Clark fled. He could hear Lana at the door calling for him, but he didn't look back.

What on Earth spooked him? Lana looked up and down the street but there wasn't any sign of Clark. The poor guy probably just needed a moment. One of the rumors that was circulating said that Clark hadn't returned unscathed. Some of the rumors said he had amnesia, others said he had post traumatic stress syndrome, and those were just the ones she'd heard.

People started to arrive and Lana had to head back in. Hopefully Clark would decide to make another appearance. A lot of people would be disappointed if he didn't show up.


Chloe adjusted her little red dress and sighed dramatically. "I overdid it, didn't I? I look like a clown in dress for a twenty-five year old."

Pete shook his head at Chloe and gripped her shoulders. "The dress is pretty. It's just the right length. The spaghetti strap thing is sexy but not slutty and Clark is going to hemorrhage something when he sees you."

Chloe's expression lightened and she stopped fidgeting. "Thanks Pete, not just for the party either. You're a good friend."

Pete opened the door for her, but the Talon was practically overflowing with people. "Doesn't this violate the fire code? I thought this was a quiet little bash. I don't know half these people," Chloe said.

Pete grunted and shook his head. "Jerks, the word must have gotten out that Clark might be making an appearance. He's hot gossip right now. Folks want to get a glimpse and see if he's as crazy as the rumors are making him out to be."

If he's crazy, it's the Eradicator's fault. Chloe nodded and craned her neck trying to catch a glimpse of the aforementioned spectacle. "So, is he here?"

Pete shrugged. "Judging by the whispers, he's not there. I hate to say it, but I vote we skip your going to Metropolis party."

"Oh well, I was being so stupid anyway. I made this all about Clark, when it was my party. He's probably at home trying to put his life back together," Chloe said. "It was a good thought Pete, thanks. I'll call you before I leave tomorrow."

She wants Clark, not you. Still, it was a waste of a beautiful dress. "You want to go somewhere else to have a farewell celebration, just the two of us?"

"Thanks, I'd rather head up to the Torch and reminisce a little. Bye Pete." Chloe wrapped her arms around her chest, oblivious to Pete's subtle play for her. It wasn't fair. Tonight was supposed to be her catharsis, her chance to see Clark, to ask questions, to make sure he was okay. Going out to the farm wasn't an appealing option. The Kents probably knew that she'd talked to Lex, and they couldn't be happy with her. Would Clark be mad too? It was his secret she'd been dropping breadcrumbs about.

Chloe paused and turned toward a flash of red in her peripheral vision. Someone was sitting on the steps in front of the flower shop. Chloe stared, not quite believing what she was seeing. It was Clark, her Greek god in all his glory, except he sort of looked like a rock star with the longer hair. "Clark? It's you isn't it. I take it you decided to skip the party too. Do you remember me?" Chloe asked the question rather tongue in cheek, anticipating Clark's memory problems to be a charade. It would be the easiest way to avoid difficult questions about his trip to space.

Clark had hoped the pretty girl in the red dress wouldn't notice him, but tonight was not his night. "I'm sorry, I don't remember... Wait, you're the hallucination that told me I was afraid of heights," Clark said. "You're Chloe aren't you? The girl the party was for? My parents tried to give me a description of who to expect. They didn't do you justice though."

He really didn't remember? Chloe just stared, not sure what to feel at first. "I am Chloe." She had to command herself not to cry. Being Clark's friend while he pined for Lana was a curse, but it suddenly seemed like a blessing. In this moment they were strangers. How could he not remember? It wasn't right or fair. Chloe didn't let her emotions carry her away. She didn't try to shake the memories back into him or scream or even throw anything. She cocked her head to the side and even managed not to cry. "So you hallucinated me? Is that a compliment?"

"You among a couple of other people, so maybe you'd call it a compliment," Clark said. He smiled and gestured for Chloe to join him on the steps. "My parents told me that you know what I am."

"If you mean the whole alien thing, I heard about it, no details as of yet. It took a little getting used to, and I was pretty mad at you for at least ten minutes. I got over it," Chloe said. "Are you making it okay since getting back? I know the Eradicator can work a real whammy on your head. I guess you don't remember but she had a go at my brain too."

"The Eradicator didn't do this to me, not personally anyway. It's a long complicated story that I don't have many pieces of. I'd rather not try and figure it all out right now. It's easier to just try and remember Earth and my family, you know? I came out tonight with plans about recovering my memory and making everything okay."

"The incredible turnout at the party changed your mind? The Clark Kent I know wouldn't have let an overcrowded party stop him from trying to make everything better." Chloe threw an arm around Clark and squeezed him. "You were really missed you know."

Clark felt himself blushing. Chloe was really pretty with her soft creamy skin and the red dress just seemed to set her off, make her glow. "Don't laugh at me, but did we date?" He could feel his blush getting hotter and redder. Why had he said that?

He had to be kidding... Chloe's mouth dropped open and she really laughed. "Have you been asking all the girls that, and if you have, what did Lana say?" Clark really was blushing and her response seemed to be making it worse. God, he was serious.

"Lana makes me nervous. It's probably some screwed up association, but I can't help it. Every time I see her I want to hide, run away, avoid her at all costs. Is it a rational thing or did I like her before?"

It was all Chloe could do to keep from laughing again. It was like her secret fantasy brought to life. Clark had developed a Lana aversion? "You guys weren't best friends or anything, but there wasn't any dislike either," Chloe said. "The association thing, does it work with everyone? Do you have an association when you look at me?"

An image rose in Clark's mind's eye - the sun, yellow and bold, baking through him, filling him with pure energy. Blinking back the daydream, Clark proceeded to blush again for a very quizzical Chloe. He reached out and fingered a lock of her choppy blond hair. "Seriously, don't laugh... sunshine."