Chapter 15
Chloe offered to drive but Martha waved her away with the shape Chloe's hands were in. So Chloe sat in the seat next to Martha with AC, Connor, Kaid and Shelby in the back of the rental car. AC sat in the middle with Connor and Kaid on each side. Shelby was stretched out across their laps as Connor petted the dog's ears and Kaid played with his bushy tail.
"You sure Oliver's going to be okay with Lassie invading his precious loft?" AC asked with slight distaste. He'd never really liked animals of the mammal variety. With a few exceptions, of course.
"Ollie will be fine with it," Chloe said reassuringly when she saw Connor and Kaid turn big eyes on her. She shot AC a quelling look in the rearview mirror and he smiled an apology.
"Of course he will be!" AC exclaimed, making a special effort to pat Shelby's stomach quickly.
"Now, tomorrow there will be a picture in the paper to go along with this story of Superman?" Martha asked, returning to her and Chloe's earlier conversation, in a hushed voice.
"Yes, but I checked it before Clark pulled it off the kid's camera. You can't see his face. The sun is slightly behind him casting a shadow, so all you really see is a head and then his body floating. When we get to the loft I'm going to help Clark write it up, along with my exclusive. Perry wants it by midnight for tomorrow's morning edition and since Lois has moved on to fry bigger fish, it seems Clark is going to need all the help he can get ," Chloe answered, matching Martha's tone.
"What could be bigger than this? I know she wants to write about Lex's escape but you said Oliver has put that on hold for now."
"Perry kind of handed the reins over to Clark on this one. He seems to have developed a certain affinity to Clark," Chloe said.
"Oh, no. Is he favoring Clark over Lois? Poor thing, she's given so much of her life to that paper. What story is she chasing now?" Martha asked.
"Well," Chloe began, turning her head to look at Martha. "The man behind the cape."
Martha gripped the wheel a little tighter.
"It was really only a matter of time," Chloe continued. "We all kind of slipped in front of her and she knows Clark and Oliver work together in the Justice League. She doesn't know what he can do, but she knows he does something."
"Do you think she'll be able to trace it to Clark?"
"Not right now. But, Martha, Lois has known Oliver is the Green Arrow for years and has never breathed a word of it to anyone," Chloe said in her cousin's defense. "Maybe having an inside source on the Daily Planet staff might not be so bad. I may have called Clark Superman, but we both know being a convincing liar is not one of his many abilities."
"I still don't know. Chloe, you know how much I adore Lois but-"
"I know, Martha. For a long time I played hide-and-go-seek with Lois about the strange happenings surrounding Clark. She's too much like me," Chloe laughed. "I now know what you and Jonathon must have gone through all the times I got too close."
"And in the end you turned out to be worth it," Martha responded with a loving smile.
"Thanks, Martha."
"Is this where I turn?" Martha asked as they approached a traffic light.
"Yes. Turn left and then go about five blocks and it will be on the right. Oliver has parking underground so we'll drive right in," Chloe instructed.
"Am I going to need to make a store run?" AC asked.
"I don't think so. I stocked the place last week and with Bart not in the country, I'll bet food supplies haven't been depleted yet," Chloe answered as Martha turned on her blinker and turned. Chloe fed her the entrance code and the metal grate rose, allowing the car to drive in. As Martha parked, Chloe spied Oliver's two most trusted security guards, Krenshaw and Allistor stepping out from the shadows. "There's our escort."
"Sorry to cut into your vacation time," Chloe called as she and everyone else tumbled out of the car.
"Not at all, Ms. Sullivan," Krenshaw, the more talkative one of the two, replied. They stepped behind the trunk to where Martha was currently trying to unpack. "Senator Kent? We'll get those."
"Oh," Martha responded. "Thank you." Her clothes were the only ones not ripped to pieces. She joined Chloe, AC and the boys with Shelby who were headed over to the elevator.
"Krenshaw? There will be another man joining us. His name is Clark Kent. He'll driving my SUV," Chloe told the two men who were bringing over the few bags that Martha and Chloe were able to salvage from the ransacked house.
"I'll wait down here for him," Allistor offered. Krenshaw stepped onto the elevator with the bags and the small group headed up.
AC and Martha smiled encouragingly at Chloe as the car traveled up. She tried to return the smiles, but could only grimace. Chloe would be taking the stairs for the rest of her foreseeable future. The car halted and Chloe reached out and typed in the disarming code and the doors slid open, revealing Oliver's clocktower loft. The boys and Shelby shot out, making a beeline for the impressive balcony.
"Leave Shelby in here!" Chloe yelled before the boys were almost out the door. They dropped the leash and Chloe patted her knee for the dog to come to her. "Please be careful!"
"I'll go supervise, Mama," AC assured Chloe, brushing her shoulder as he passed her, following Connor and Kaid out onto the balcony.
"Must be nice to have all these baby-sitters," Martha commented, gazing around her at the understated opulence of Oliver's bachelor pad.
"Just another perk of running with the hero crowd," Chloe replied. She collapsed in an overstuffed LA-Z-BOY chair the color of emeralds. Shelby sat obediently at her hand while Chloe rubbed his ears. "I promise you, Martha, I do take care of my own children most of the time."
Martha watched the doors close, Krenshaw walking with her bags down a long, open hallway. "Where is he going?"
"Guest room," Chloe answered.
Martha nodded before taking a seat herself on a sofa closest to Chloe. Both women watched AC, Connor and Kaid. Martha felt Chloe stiffen when Kaid tried to pull himself up on the banister to look down the many stories to the street below. AC kept a hand clamped on the boy's belt, pointing a finger at Connor to not try his brother's stunt.
"It never gets easier," Martha told her.
Chloe turned to her. "What doesn't?"
"A part of you knows they can't be hurt physically, but that other part is always worried that something will be able to penetrate them. You're always afraid that with being invulnerable on the outside, they'll be easier to hurt on the inside. You will worry always, even when they are adults," Martha said.
"How did you do it? Raise Clark to be the man he is?" Chloe asked, leaning eagerly toward Martha.
"With a lot of trust and a lot of faith. Clark will help you. He's so much like Jonathon. You haven't forgotten what we talked about, have you?" Martha replied gently.
"No," Chloe sighed. "I plan on telling him in the next couple of days. I don't want anything else to happen without them knowing everything. I'm going to tell them soon."
"Good," Martha said, reaching over and grasping Chloe's hand delicately. "It will be nice to have a family Thanksgiving after all these years."
Chloe smiled. "I never meant to cut you out of their lives. I've missed the Kent Thanksgivings and Christmas' all these years. I'm sorry that I was the reason you missed having a family."
"Chloe, I understand why you felt you had to hide it. I, more than anyone, understand the great responsibility. Just don't do it ever again," Martha ordered gravely.
"Yes ma'am." Chloe hugged Martha tightly.
"Sorry for the interruption," Krenshaw intoned, clearing his throat. "Mr. Kent is on his way up."
"Thanks, Krenshaw," Chloe said, smiling at the older gentleman as he stepped back into the shadows, trained at being unobtrusive. The elevator doors soon opened once more, revealing Clark with a bag over his shoulder, who stepped into the room. He saw his mother and Chloe sitting close to each other in the living area and moved to join them. Shelby saw him and met him with a wagging tail.
"You keepin' 'em company, boy?" He asked as he sat next to his mother, burying his hand in the soft fur covering Shelby's backside. The dog whined appreciatively. "Where do you want me to put your keys, Chloe?"
"Just hang onto them. I doubt I'll be driving myself anytime soon," Chloe answered, trying to wiggle her fingers experimentally.
"How long do your hands have to be wrapped that way?" Martha questioned. "It doesn't look very comfortable."
"The paramedic said for a day or two," Clark answered. "The bandages are just to keep Chloe from snagging the end of her stitching on something until they fully dissolve. And to keep her from scratching them," Clark finished sternly.
Chloe glared at him as she continued to rub her hands on her thighs. "They itch."
"Then let's get your mind off your hands," Clark suggested. He picked up the bag beside his feet and moved over to the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room, pulling out two bar stools. He set the bag on the counter and unzipped it. "Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to borrow your laptop." Clark removed Chloe's computer, the one she'd been working on at the house. Chloe gave a happy gasp.
"I had totally forgotten that! Was it still in the house, all in one piece?" She asked, joining Clark at the bar as he powered it up and plugged in the charger.
"No. You took it with you this afternoon, so it was in the back of your car."
"Oh, thank goodness! I was working on a new program for Watchtower until I could get it transferred over to my database there. Anyway, sure, knock yourself out."
"You kids hungry?" Martha moved into the kitchen with them, running her hands along Clark and Chloe's shoulder blades.
"Actually, yeah, I am," Clark answered.
"Good. I'll just rummage around and see what Mr. Queen has on the menu for tonight."
"The pantry is around the corner," Chloe told Martha. "Oliver keeps the actual food in there instead of the junk he hides for Bart in the cupboards."
Martha busied herself in the kitchen while Clark familiarized himself with Chloe's computer. He finally got a word document pulled up and turned to see where Chloe had wandered off to. He spotted her outside with Connor and Kaid. AC was now inside, sitting against the couch, watching the Nature Channel which was currently showing a show on the top ten most beautiful reefs in the world.
Clark jumped off the stool and made his way over to the sliding glass doors where he could see Chloe taking in the view with Connor and Kaid. He opened the door and stuck his head out. Chloe turned her head, resting her chin on her shoulder as she looked at him.
"I'm ready when you are," Clark told her.
"Great," Chloe said on an exhale. "Hey, guys. Let's go on inside."
Connor and Kaid groaned but reluctantly headed inside when Chloe narrowed her eyes at them. Clark grinned. He never pictured Chloe being a mother. Whenever he thought of Chloe in the future, Clark always saw her at the Planet in the glamorous job of a serious reporter with this goofy sidekick shadowing her in glasses, just barely keeping up with her as she buzzed around the newsroom. Now, dressed in a borrowed pair of Martha's loose jeans and penny loafers, a Smallville High Girls' Athletics t-shirt on top, she was herding two pre-teen boys into a spare bedroom, telling them they could play any video game they wanted until dinner time. It was a far cry from the reel playing in his mind, but the picture was still beautiful.
Chloe emerged from the bedroom to find Clark still standing by the balcony door, gazing at her, a far off look in his eyes.
"I love you, too." Chloe jumped. Clark's lips hadn't moved but she heard his voice say it, clear as day.
"You okay?" He was before her, a big hand on her shoulder.
Chloe looked up at him. "Yeah," she said with crinkled brows. "I'm fine. Just after shocks, I guess." Her brow smoothed and she allowed a small smile to bloom. "Let's get to work."
Clark and Chloe finished his article a couple of minutes before eleven-thirty. After she'd proof-read the copy about five times, upon Clark's request, Clark finally emailed it to Perry. Fifteen minutes later he received confirmation that Perry had read it and loved it, especially the first-hand account from Chloe about her amazing rescue by Superman.
After an hour of Clark starting, deleting and re-writing Chloe closed the lid on his fingers. "Clark, this is easy. You can do this. Just separate yourself from Superman. Pretend you were in the crowd and just think what it was like for them to see what you can do," Chloe encouraged.
"I can't, Chloe. It feels weird. I'm Superman. Superman is Clark Kent. I can't imagine what it would be like to watch something like that. To wonder what it feels like because I know," Clark explained haltingly.
"Then let's get my part out of the way. You'll get my interview and then we'll work on your part."
"Hey, I have an idea. I'm sure Perry would eat it up. Why don't you write your own exclusive? I can open it and close it, but all the stuff in the middle can be yours. You can have your big story."
Chloe argued with Clark for almost half an hour until finally she gave in. Her reporter days were far behind her, but a smile crossed her face as she sat in front of her computer screen now. Her name would be in print again in the Daily Planet and not as a blurb, but as writer. Sitting side by side after dinner with Clark at the bar, hashing out formats and phrasing and word choice awakened something inside Chloe she thought long dormant. Her work at Isis was enjoyable and her role as Watchtower was fulfilling, but she guessed a part of her would always yearn for her childhood dream. She remembered her twenty-second birthday when she'd been transformed into her five-foot-eight cousin. Chloe knew she was meant to be where she was, to be who she was when she'd made Clark see the hero he was meant to be on that street corner that night. That was her purpose in life, but she would be a liar if she didn't admit she would still love to be knee deep in a scandal for the Planet instead of knee deep in dirty laundry or paperwork some days.
The loft was dark, the only light coming the glow of the city street lights and the screen of Chloe's computer. It was half past two in the morning. Oliver should be home by now. She picked up the cell phone AC had lent her and dialed his number again. It went straight to voicemail. She dialed the other numbers, but Bart, Victor, and Dinah all went to voicemail as well. Laying the phone down, she decided to give them another half hour and then she was waking Clark and having him start the one man search party. Until then, she would go back to navigating the web for all information she could lay her hands on about Doug Weimar. How was he connected to Lex and Mickler being just a lowly security guard? And was Reynold's an actual security firm or a front for something more sinister?
The space was quiet and Chloe yelped when it was broken by Clark's husky voice.
"Can't sleep?"
Chloe found his hulking form standing at the end of the bar before he moved and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of Dasani water and unscrewing the cap. He was dressed in blue boxers and a red shirt with the Dr. Pepper logo on it.
"You need to get some new colors when off duty, Clark," Chloe muttered, returning to her search.
"I'll take that as a 'Yeah, Clark, I can't sleep and thanks for the concern'," Clark growled as he leaned across the bar from her, sipping the water slowly.
Chloe raised her eyes. She'd tried to sleep. But all she saw when she closed her eyes was either the plummeting elevator down the shaft or. . . Her and Clark. After an hour of alternating scenes, she gave up and decided to use the hours of insomnia productively. The only problem was she really wanted to sleep. Leaning back and covering her eyes with her bandaged hands, Chloe groaned. "I'm sorry, Clark. I'm really tired but every time I close my eyes I see. . ." Us.
Clark closed the bottle and set it on the bar. Rounding the white marble, he came and stood behind Chloe, taking her narrow shoulders in his hands and kneading them gently. He wasn't a certified masseuse but even he knew the muscles he was working on were way too tight. Oddly, he felt Chloe stiffen under his hands.
"Just relax," Clark whispered in the darkness, applying gentle pressure with his thumbs.
Exhaling harshly, Chloe hung her head down limply, exposing the back of her neck. Clark moved his hands; the heel of his left running along the bone in her slender neck while his right made circles up and down her spine. It was then Clark realized she was dressed in a green nightgown, the silky material smooth and cool under his hands. It was probably something she kept here when she and the boys stayed over or the only thing she'd found at the house that hadn't been in shreds. In this moment, with the dark silence of the loft wrapping around them, Clark had the primal urge to throw her over his shoulder and high-tail it to his guest room. For the past few weeks, he'd been able to keep his desire for her at bay by the thought of Oliver and the boys and all the other complications swimming in the sea between them. But as his hand continued downward, almost on it's own accord to settle on her hip, Clark wondered if it could all fade away for a moment. Just as it had before, eight years ago.
Chloe felt the sharp shift in the atmosphere. Clark's hands no longer kneaded and circled innocently, but with purpose. Closing her eyes, Chloe strengthened her resolve. She had to stop him. After all that happened within this short period of time, there was no way she would be able to push him away. And saying 'no' to Clark Kent was pretty much an impossibility with her. When his hand settled possessively on her hip, Chloe let out a loud and obnoxious fake snore. Clark's hands stilled and Chloe knew he was looking at her with the perplexed look he got when trying to decide if she was joking or being serious. Chloe repeated her snore and Clark lifted his hands away from her. With a forced giggle, Chloe spun around on the stool to face him.
"Thanks, Clark. I feel much better now."
Clark shrugged his shoulders, choosing to see Chloe's not so subtle brush off as a good thing. They were both old enough now to know sex wouldn't substitute the things that needed to be said to each other.
"Then I'll take the snore as a compliment. Listen," Clark began, stepping forward again. He wrapped his hands around her elbows, squeezing them gently. It seemed he wasn't going to be able to keep his hands to himself right now, Clark laughed in his head. Thankfully, Chloe was quite happy to let him caress her elbows. He looked down at her, smiling as her knees brushed his thighs. "How about in the next couple of days, we take a day off? Just me, you and the boys? We'll take them to a movie or an amusement park and have a picnic. I'd like to get to know them a little better," Clark suggested. He wanted to start to build his life again. Superman was now all tied up in a pretty bow. He had a good, steady job it seemed at the Planet and now it was time to work on the personal column. And that included Chloe, no matter what had happened while he'd been gone.
"I would like that," Chloe replied softly. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him excitedly but she held herself back. This was the opportunity she'd been looking for. Timidly, she brought her hands up and plucked at the soft cotton of his t-shirt, feeling his solid abs underneath the fabric. "And maybe after that, you and I could could go to dinner. Just the-" Chloe stopped to swallow, feeling oddly nervous with him. "Just the two of us."
"That'd be nice," Clark said, sliding his hands up to her chin. Chloe was staring so studiously at his stomach he wondered if she had x-ray vision as well. He lifted her face upward with the tip of his index finger under her jaw. Chloe's eyes were still shunted, but they fluttered upward, bathing Clark in their warm, hazel glow as the two of them were able to see each other in the pale moonlight from glass balcony doors.
Clark and Chloe jumped as the elevator rumbled to a stop. Clark quickly pulled Chloe off the stool and behind him, keeping her locked to his backside with an arm around her waist. Chloe flattened herself against Clark, tucking herself as close to him as she could. She did, however, peek around his arm. The elevator door opened and a expletive rang in the quiet.
"Shhhh!" A voice whispered audibly.
"You dropped it on my damn toe! These puppies are valuable, Dell boy," another voice whispered hotly.
Both Clark and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief as they recognized the bickering voices of Bart and Victor.
"You want to scare them all awake? Pipe down!"
"Too late," Clark spoke out brusquely.
Someone jumped and a large thunk! was heard as whoever it was dropped a heavy case.
"And that was my other toe!" Bart cried. A light was finally snapped on, causing all four adults to squint at each other in the bright fluorescent lighting. Bart was hopping around on one foot while Victor glowered and then lifted a questioning eyebrow at finding Clark and Chloe in the dark of the loft, clad only in t-shirt, boxers and a long, clingy though, negligee.
"We interrupting something?" Victor asked curiously as he set the other cases he was carrying down, moving the smaller cases Bart had dropped to dance on one foot over to the side with the others.
"Are Oliver and Dinah with you?" Chloe returned, ignoring Victor's nonverbals as she swept from behind Clark, grabbing the matching robe she'd thrown over one of the stools and fastening it tightly around her waist.
"Oh, I hope we interrupted something," Bart teased with a pained expression as he tested walking.
"Yeah, they're downstairs. Dude, stop playing Hippity Hop and send the elevator down!" Victor griped as he began organizing the portable War Room into sections.
"You do it. I'm injured," Bart whined, limping over to Chloe and laying his head on her shoulder. Chloe, who always had a soft spot for him, reached up and patted the side of his face.
Clark sighed with exasperation as he took long strides toward the elevator. "No wonder Oliver's already going gray. Surrounded by all of you it's a miracle he's not bald yet," Clark snapped as he reached in and hit the down button before sliding the door shut.
"Ah, makes him look distinguished. Ladies really dig it," Bart replied, ignoring Clark's snotty tone. "Chloe, what did you do to your hands? Falling down on the job, Boy Scout."
"I went off by myself," Chloe jumped in, noticing the way Clark's tense form turned threateningly toward Bart. Bart, who also seemed to notice his large friend's dismay, quickly ducked behind Chloe. "Don't make this worse, Bart. You know how he always blames himself," Chloe hissed over her shoulder.
"What's with all the racket?" A yawning AC appeared from one of the multiple guest rooms down the hall.
"Leagues back," Bart answered, braving the open air to go and browse in the cabinets. "Yes!" He pulled out an unopened box of Keebler Pecan Sandies, his favorite, and shot Chloe a winning smile. "Thanks, Mom." Bart zipped over to Chloe and pecked her cheek before making himself comfy at the bar with the jug of milk.
"I'm going to go change," Chloe told the room at large, her eyes, of course, connecting with Clark's before she left.
"Clark, really, did we interrupt something?" Victor asked quietly while AC and Bart played tug-a-war with one of the medium sized cookies.
"Not really," Clark answered with an easy grin. "Nothing that can't wait until I talk to Oliver."
"Well, look at you. Getting back up on the horse that bucked you off. Very brave, Kent."
"I wouldn't say she bucked me off-"
"There's my handsome merman." The group watched as Dinah walked swiftly across to AC, grabbing his face and pulling him down for a kiss. Instead of avoiding eye contact with each other, all the guys, Oliver included, echoed catcalls and wolf whistles to each other. "I swear, it's like one extreme or the other with you guys," Dinah griped as she settled herself within the circle of AC's arms.
"Did you expect to get any better than when Oliver and Chloe started dating?" Bart asked around a mouthful of cookie.
"Bart, really," Oliver snapped, looking quickly at Clark.
"It's okay, Oliver," Clark told him as Oliver came over to stand beside him.
"Where is Chloe?" Oliver asked.
"She went to change," Clark answered.
"How is she?"
"She seems to be holding up pretty well. I think the house hit her harder than the elevator ride did, though."
"About that," Oliver started.
"I know what you're going to say Oliver. It was my fault. I should have never left her, no matter what she said. I won't again. I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing, Clark?" Oliver asked. "I know how persuasive and bossy she can be. No man is safe from the womanly wiles of Chloe Sullivan and Lois Lane. Those two could give Peitho and Aphrodite a lesson in the power of persuasion."
Clark snorted. "You think they took a class we didn't know about in high school?"
"I think the mysteries of Lois and Chloe will take a lifetime to discover. One I am fully committed to handing over."
"About you and Chloe-"
"We broke up, Clark. Don't worry," Oliver grinned as he foresaw Clark's expression of guilt. "It had been coming for a long time. We're both meant for other people."
"But what about Connor and Kaid?"
Oliver hardened his mouth. The line, "All in good time, my pretty, all in good time," rasped out menacingly by the green, wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz played in his mind. He always hated that movie. Shaking his head, he glanced over at Clark as Chloe entered the room. Clamping a hand on Clark's shoulder, Oliver met his friend's concerned eyes. "All in good time, my friend. All in good time."
Oliver stepped away, positioning himself in the middle of his group. "Listen up, guys. I know we're all tired so why don't we push this until tomorrow afternoon? I'll fill Clark and Chloe in on what we didn't find in Russia and we'll meet at Watchtower in the evening to discuss more possibilities where Lex may be hiding out and masterminding. We've got the upper hand here. He can't do anything until his has this bracelet. So, go home, get some rest and I'll see you all tomorrow."
"We'll be seeing ya," Dinah waved at Chloe before hauling AC out the door, a stupid grin lighting his face.
"Hope you don't mind company, Clark," Bart said, sidling up to him, arms crossed.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, Victor will be taking AC's vacant guest room which means you and me, pal, will be snuggling like two bugs in a rug."
"I don't think so. You can take the couch. Or you can snuggle with Victor," Clark replied.
"You kidding me? When he has a bad dream, instead of wetting the bed, he electrocutes it," Bart dead-panned.
"Shut up!" Victor exclaimed, although Clark saw a ghost of a smirk.
"Bart, you can have Oliver's room if you don't mind sleeping with the boys. And Shelby," Chloe offered.
"Yeah, the last time I did that, I nearly got my leg broken when Connor kicked me! Boy should play soccer, but then his team would have an unfair advantage, I guess. Come on, Vic, looks like we're meant to be." Bart clapped Victor on the shoulder as the two also said their good-nights and disappeared down the hallway.
The room was quiet, leaving just Oliver, Chloe and Clark. Clark realized Oliver didn't have a bed. And he doubted either one of them would be sharing a room with Chloe tonight. "If you'll get me some blankets, I'll make myself comfy here on the couch."
"Oh, I don't think Oliver is staying here tonight, Clark. Are you, Oliver?" Chloe teased. Oliver allowed a blush to creep over his neck before turning to Chloe with a cheeky smile. "Did you call her to let her know you're safely home?"
"No," Oliver answered softly. "I wanted to surprise her."
"Not a good idea. Go call her. Now," Chloe ordered.
Oliver, with a schoolboy's anxiety, took the phone from his back pocket and stepped out on the balcony to make his call.
"Who is he calling?" Clark asked, joining Chloe in watching Oliver out on the balcony.
"Lois. She wanted to see him the moment he got home," Chloe answered, meeting Clark's eyes.
Clark thought that was who he was calling for who else besides Lois would Oliver call at three o'clock in the morning. The two of them continued to watch Oliver speak into his phone. Chloe sighed and walked back to her laptop, pulling up her search engine again. She wished things could that simple for her and Clark. When Oliver walked back in, he was wearing a goofy grin and tossing his phone up in the air.
"I take it went well?" Chloe asked, not taking her eyes from the screen.
"Yeah. Look, nothing really happened in Russia. Just lots of snow and cold and-"
"Get outta here," Chloe cut him off.
"What?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you have somewhere else more important to be than debriefing me and Clark right now," Chloe responded. "You can fill us in tomorrow. And, hopefully, by then, I'll also have some leads on why Doug would want to play the Grim Reaper for Lex and Mickler. I think he might have been the one who murdered Jillian."
"You think Doug does the dirty work for the two of them?" Clark asked.
"Yeah. I just need some more time to do a more in-depth background check. I've put in a request with Reynold's for his records and am getting in touch with John Jones over at Metropolis PD to run a check on him as well," Chloe informed both men as her fingers flew over the keyboard.
Oliver glanced over at Clark before looking back to Chloe. He cleared his throat. He felt funny, leaving Chloe to go and be with Lois, almost as if he were cheating, though he knew he wasn't. Oliver opened his mouth.
"Go," Chloe ordered, peering at him over her screen. "Tell Lois I say hi."
Oliver smiled before reaching forward and smacking a kiss on her forehead. "You're the best," Oliver told her. "I'll see you later."
Clark and Chloe were alone again.
"Don't you have work in the morning?" Chloe asked a little while later, making conversation as Clark looked over her shoulder.
"Are you getting annoyed with me reading over your shoulder?"
"No," Chloe answered with a shrug. She shut down the computer and spun around to face him. "But I am getting tired, so I'm going to bed. You're probably going to have a busy day tomorrow, what with your first front page by-line for the Daily Planet, so you might want to at least take a nap."
"I doubt I'll be able to sleep anyway," Clark replied, walking beside Chloe as they headed in the direction of the bedrooms located at the opposite end of the hallway off the living area.
"You're excited, aren't you?" Chloe asked. She could feel it coming off him in waves. She recognized it from her old reporting days.
"Weirdly, I am. It's a story about me, though, and I almost feel as if I had an unfair advantage. I took the job at the Planet mostly to help people. I do like the work, but I don't feel as if I deserve this. Lois has been there longer and Perry just handed this over to me-"
"Clark, do you want to know how many front page, above the fold, major headlines Lois has had? Over sixty. And Perry is all about giving people chances to prove themselves, like he was given back when Oliver hired him." Chloe stopped outside the closed door to the master bedroom. "Don't worry about Lois. She'll have her time in the spot-light again. Perry is giving you a chance to prove yourself. You thinking that you don't deserve this chance, just goes to show that you do. And Perry loved what you did with the article."
"What you did, Chloe. I was just the muscle," Clark replied.
"Well, it was your first front page. I couldn't let you flounder when I could do something to help," Chloe needled.
"I can always depend on you to tell me the truth, Chloe," Clark said with a smile. He blinked when he saw her own smile falter a little, but thought it was a trick of the moonlight. "I'll talk to Perry tomorrow and see if I can take a day off soon. Depending on how well tomorrow's article is received, maybe he'll be in a giving mood."
"Just tell him you're spending the day with Metropolis' most notoriously reclusive CEO. That should pique his interest. I promise I'll make it worth his while," Chloe teased.
"Then he'll think he's invited!" Clark exclaimed.
"So? Don't want to share me with anyone?" Chloe laughed. Only seconds later, did she realize what she'd actually asked.
"Not particularly, no," Clark answered in a hushed, possessive voice, running his fingers along the underside of her throat.
Chloe swallowed convulsively. "Good night, Clark," she choked out.
"Good night, Chloe." Clark slipped his hand around the back of her neck and into her hair. Pulling her forward, Clark laid his lips against the clean skin of her forehead and kissed her tenderly.
Chloe closed her eyes, wanting to stay forever here, in this moment, almost pressed against him. But Clark stepped away, giving her the space she knew she needed. Wordlessly, she opened the door and stepped in backwards, her eyes never leaving Clark's. She shut the door slowly, drinking in the sight of him standing in the shafts of moonlight, warm, solid and strong. Chloe turned her back to the door, leaning against it as it clicked shut. Listening carefully, she heard the door to Clark's room just across the hall open and close.
The urge to laugh bubbled within her. She felt like a sixteen year old girl having been dropped off after a date with the high school quarterback. You never actually believes he can like boring, ordinary you until you read it in his eyes as they peer down at you from beneath his black curls. It was amazing how Clark Kent could always make her feel like a teenage girl again, both in the good ways and the bad. Of course, the cynical part of her wondered if it was because she put out before they were even a couple. If she didn't know Clark any better. . . But she did. She knew him almost as well as she knew herself, sometimes. She grew up with him and was watching him grow up all over again in the shape of his sons.
Pushing away from the door, Chloe walked over to the bed and stood over Connor and Kaid. They were no where near their father's size yet, but somehow the little devils had managed to take over the entire king bed. Shelby helped, too. Chloe hadn't been able to break Shelby of the habit he'd learned when she'd allowed him to sleep with her right after Clark left. She leaned over and kissed Kaid and then moved to the other side, kissing Connor's forehead, too. Chloe was hopeful in the thought that soon her sons would have a family. More importantly, they'd have their father. Even with the moments in the living room and the hall, Chloe knew it was entirely possible that Clark would walk away from her. For what she'd kept from him and allowing him to think Oliver had fathered Connor and Kaid. But there was no way he would walk away from the two little boys sleeping peacefully in the tangled sheets.
Not feeling like getting undressed again Chloe just slipped off her shoes before curling up in the recliner over in the corner. Propping up the foot rest, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. This time, when the images of Clark came, she didn't try to stop them.
Clark didn't wake until the sun was high up in the sky. He opened his eyes, allowing his senses to adjust to the world around him. He could hear talking and laughter, the footfalls of people walking around the loft and the thump of heartbeats. He could smell food, delicious home-cooked food, laced with the strong scent of coffee. And he could smell her. The same light, spicy fragrance she'd worn all through high school. A knock sounded on his door. Clark smiled.
"Clark?" Chloe called softly before cracking the door open. Clark leaned up on his elbows and grinned as her blonde head popped out from behind the door. "Good morning," she greeted, returning his smile.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"A little after eleven, sleepy head," Chloe answered as she pushed the door open and leaned against the frame.
Victor appeared at her shoulder. "Your mom is trying to save some breakfast for ya, man, but if you don't hurry, Bart is going inhale your portion. He's already tried once." Victor squeezed Chloe's shoulder and disappeared again.
"I'm going to go help your Mom defend your breakfast," Chloe said before she, too, left the doorway.
Clark threw the sheets back and sat up, stretching. Forgoing the idea of real clothes, he stayed in his pajamas as he wandered out. He could see his Mom sliding a plate into the oven while Chloe sat on the counter off to the side of the sink, sipping coffee from a neon yellow mug. Looking to his left, he saw Connor and Victor playing a game of Slaps.
"Hey, Clark!" Connor yelled, not taking his eyes off Victor who was trying to hit the tops of his hands. Connor would pull them back swiftly, almost in a blur.
"Hey, buddy," Clark replied as he swung a leg over a stool. He was grateful Perry had given him the morning off today. The hours of uninterrupted sleep were nice. A good night kiss from a certain blonde seemed to have cured his insomnia. "Good morning, Kaid."
"Hi," the boy said with slight surliness, not taking his eyes from the cartoon he was watching.
"Two steps forward, one step back," Clark muttered.
"He's just protective of his mother. Don't worry, he was like that with Oliver when Chloe and him started dating, too," Bart informed him.
Clark turned curiously to Bart. "He was?"
Bart's eyes widened. "Of course not, dude! I was just trying to make you feel better. I gotta run!" Bart made a run for the elevator, almost bowling down Chloe who had jumped off the counter to come and sit down by Clark.
"Whoa! Where's the fire?" Chloe asked Bart.
"I just gotta go!" He waved at them all before slamming the door.
"What was that about?" Chloe turned to Clark.
Clark gazed at Chloe, his brows furrowed. "I honestly don't know."
"Well, at least you don't have to fight him off your food," Chloe replied before taking another sip of coffee. "I can't believe you haven't asked to see it yet."
"See what?" Clark queried as Martha set a plate before him filled with eggs, sunny side up and four strips of crispy bacon.
"Biscuits are coming, sweetie," Martha said.
"Thanks, Mom."
"See what?" Chloe asked incredulously with a glance to Martha. "Your article."
"Oh, that," Clark said nonchalantly.
"Oh, that, he says," Martha mocked, slapping Clark in the head with a folded up Daily Planet.
With an excitement Clark tried very hard to hide, he took the paper from his mother's hands and looked at in it's plastic wrapper.
"You two haven't read it yet?" He asked Chloe and Martha.
"No," Chloe answered, standing and moving slightly behind his shoulder as Martha did the same on his right side.
"We wanted to wait for you," Martha finished.
Exhaling, Clark unwrapped the paper and unfolded it, shaking it out. He felt a twinge of guilt for using Lois' headline since her name wasn't listed with his on the by-line but shook it off. This was his first official article for the Daily Planet and Clark didn't want anything to ruin it.
Written by Clark Kent, exclusive by Chloe Sullivan.
"How epic is this?" Clark whispered. "Our names are in the Daily Planet." Clark couldn't contain he's excitement any longer. With a happy shout, he shot off the stool, grabbed Chloe by the waist and twirled her in circles. Chloe squealed as Martha laughed at her son's joyous celebrating, her heart warming at the sight of his obvious happiness that had always eluded him when he was younger.
Clark set Chloe back down on her feet and before she could stop him or he could stop himself, he lowered his head and kissed her mouth. Chloe, her arms still around his neck, pressed her lips to his shortly before pulling back. "I'm so happy for you," she said.
There was slam and the sound of something breaking. Clark and Chloe looked frantically around. Chloe's eyes fell on Connor and Victor who were both staring. Connor lowered his head before slumping down on the floor and directing his attention to the abandoned TV.
"Kaid," Chloe said softly. She pulled out of Clark's arms and hurried down the hall. Victor, who looked as confused as Clark, ruffled Connor's hair before joining Martha and Clark.
"What happened?" Clark asked. His shoulders took a fall when he met Martha's eyes. He knew what he'd done.
"She told the boys this morning that her and Oliver are no longer seeing each other," Martha answered quietly, not wanting Connor to hear them.
"Oh man," Victor commented. "I kinda thought that when I came in last night," he shot Clark a look. "But I would have thought the boys already knew."
"They only broke up Saturday. With everything that has gone on, she didn't have the chance to tell them until today," Martha said.
"Still, I shouldn't have done that in front of them. They're going to feel like I'm trying to replace their dad," Clark said, thinking how he'd hated Lionel Luthor when he began sniffing around his mom.
Martha opened her mouth, but shut it, turning on her heel and leaving the room with clenched fists. Clark watched his mother go with a tilted head. What had he said now?
"Take it from a step-kid," Victor started, laying a hand on Clark's shoulder. "We never resent you unless you treat our mama bad. Go over there and watch TV with him. It's not much but it's a start." Victor gave him a little push toward the little boy on the floor. Clark sat down with a huff on the sofa, Connor's head right by his knee.
"So, what are you watching?"
"Nothing," Connor answered, not even turning his head to look at Clark.
Clark screwed up his mouth. He knew Connor liked him, more than Kaid did, but now after Clark's public display of affection with Chloe, the boy probably wasn't too happy. Connor was old enough to understand that his parents weren't together and that maybe Clark was the reason for it. Clark walked back to the bar and picked up his plate and silverware. He looked longingly at his article. His celebration was short-lived, but he could take a break for right now. Shrugging his shoulders, he carried his breakfast over to where Connor was sitting with Shelby. Maneuvering his tall body between the couch and the coffee table took some work, but in the end he finally ended up with his back jammed against the sofa, his knees flat against his chest with his plate balanced on their caps. The point was, he was on the floor next to Connor and hopefully on the same level, metaphorically.
For several moments as he ate he watched Darkwing Duck and Dr. Reginald Bushroot battle it out on screen. "You know," Clark finally voiced after setting his empty plate on the glass-topped coffee table. "I used to watch this when I was little. Bushroot was my favorite."
"But he's a bad guy," Connor replied quietly.
"Yeah," Clark conceded. "But don't you feel sorry for him? All he wants is a friend."
"Maybe he needs to try a different way of making friends," Connor suggested, keeping his eyes locked on the screen.
"Maybe that's the only way he knows how. He just needs some one to accept him, to teach him how to do it the right way."
Connor turned his head, looking at Clark. "You're not a bad guy, are you Clark? All you want is a friend."
Clark was taken aback at the boy's question. He met Connor's eyes seriously, feeling as if he were not talking to a seven year old, but some one much older. "I was kinda hoping you and I could be friends. Kaid, too."
"What about Mom?" Connor asked, gaging Clark closely.
"I like your mom very much," Clark answered honestly.
"What if we don't want you to be friends with her?" Connor turned his head back to the TV, but Clark could tell he was still paying him rapt attention.
"Connor," Clark began gently. "I know I'm not your dad, but I care a lot about your mom-"
Connor stood, knocking over the glass of orange juice he'd been drinking. Clark watched the liquid seep into the white rug, staining the fibers a medium yellow, reminding him of an infected wound that had been somehow opened. He looked up at Connor, up at the seven year old who stood over him.
"You're right, you're not our dad," Connor said thickly. His hazel eyes held tears and Clark recognized the emotion swimming within them. The feeling like no one understood you, never would and all you wanted was to have a normal life. The feeling that used to stare out at him everyday when he looked in the mirror. "And now, because of you, we may never have one."
Clark stared after Connor as the boy walked stoically from the living room.