Chapter 16
It was weird day for Clark. One filled with many thoughts and questions and blanks to be filled in.
"And now, because of you, we may never have one."
What had Connor meant by that? Oliver would always be a big part of their lives. Clark would not allow that to change. He knew how important fathers were and he was not about to take that away from Connor and Kaid. He was determined to show the boys he only wanted to be another part of their family, not to replace what they already had. He hoped tomorrow would assure the boys of that.
Clark could no longer deny the need to have Chloe in his life. He wasn't satisfied anymore with just her friendship. He wanted her love. He wanted her anger. He wanted her passion. He wanted all of her. Everything she would or could give him, he wanted. He also wanted her truth. Why had she been so quick to run to Oliver?
Clark had never thought of himself as a possessive guy. He could be jealous and petty and immature, but possessive had never been in his mild-mannered nature. Kal was the one who was possessive. Through his training, Clark had come to grips that Kal was him, his baser instincts and needs. He'd learned to become one with the beast inside himself and now understood where most of those emotions came from. And the thought that someone else had followed in his footsteps, angered Clark more than he could imagine. Clark hadn't been aware of it that night, but he'd marked Chloe as his. How dare she forget so quickly. He was quick to believe she was seeking comfort for the cold way he'd left her after she whispered three little words. It was the only way he could keep from pummeling Oliver over and over. For the rest of Chloe's life, Clark would make it up to her for the way he abandoned her. Starting with dinner tomorrow night.
He was looking forward to spending the day with Connor and Kaid tomorrow, hoping to form a bond with them. As Clark and Chloe moved into this new phase of their relationship, all three adults would need to work together to make the transition as smooth as possible for Connor and Kaid. They would need to sit down and talk all this out.
"Kent!" Perry barked.
"Yes?" Clark jumped. He'd been leaning forward in his chair, hand propping his chin up as he let his mind meander around from topic to topic.
"What are you doing?" Perry was standing next to Lois' empty desk.
"I, uh. . . I'm-"
"You don't stay on top in this business very long, Clark," Perry cut him off. "It's a constant struggle. Look at Lois. She's one of the best but it's a daily fight to stay at the top of the heap. You're Superman story was a lucky break, kid. I won't always be handing them out like candy."
"Yes, sir," Clark responded gravely.
"So, what are you doing?" Perry asked him again.
"I'm looking into another angle for Lois on the Lex Luthor story, when Mr. Queen allows it to go to print," Clark answered, Doug Weimar being the first thing to pop into his head.
"Good. Although, my advice to you is, if you want to get ahead, you look into the angle for your own sake, not Lois'."
"No offense, Perry, but she kinda had dibbs on the Superman story and you handed it to me. I kind of owe her one."
Perry stepped over and laid a hand on Clark's shoulder. "That unshakeable integrity of yours makes you a great man, Clark, but it makes you a horrible reporter. Do you really want to spend the rest of your career licking Lois' heels? No, you don't. I get that Lois is your friend and all, but in this place," Perry gestured to the busy fifth floor newsroom. "She's your competition." With one final squeeze, Perry marched off, stopping momentarily to flirt harmlessly with Susie, the floor supply manager.
"I do want something from you before you take tomorrow off," Perry called before finally leaving the floor.
Clark resumed his position, now adding where his next headline was going to come from to his mental to-do list. Riding Lois' coattails may not be such a bad thing. He enjoyed his moment in the spotlight, but didn't like the added pressure that was pressing against him now. Clark already had enough stress of being Superman and meshing that in with his personal life to have to worry about being competitive at the Planet.
"Look," a familiar abrasive voice cooed. "It's my very own statue of The Thinker."
Clark raised his eyes to meet those Lois. "I was really hoping you'd be in a better mood today."
"Why would you think that? I'm still mad that you stole my story," Lois growled, shrugging off her quilted jacket and hanging it off the back of her chair before sitting down. "Good job, by the way."
"Excuse me?"
Lois looked over at him, her face sincere. "I said good job. I mean, the whole article was basically Chloe, but the parts that you wrote were good. Very wholesome without sounding hokey. I was impressed, Smallville."
"Thanks. I appreciate that," Clark responded with a smile.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable on the front page, though, if I were you," Lois said, returning to her prickly self.
"Whatever you say, Lois," Clark replied, feeling the balance between them shift back to it's normal state. He was glad to have it back.
"I'm sorry about your house. Do you think it was Lex?"
"I'm sure of it. But whatever he was looking for he didn't find," Clark answered.
He had an idea for a follow-up to the Superman story, he just needed to find the witness list Officer Ramirez copied out for him. He riffled through some of the papers on his desk and then began sorting through the inbox on his desk.
"What are you looking for?" Lois asked.
"The witness list Ramirez gave us yesterday. I thought I could do a nice companion piece to the Superman story by getting a public opinion of the guy." He was also interested himself to see what others thought. He'd talked to a few in the crowd, but at the time he'd been more concerned by the thought of a picture identifying him.
"Oh," Lois chirped. She pulled out a orange binder from the satchel she'd toted in with her. She withdrew a single sheet from it and handed it over. "Here you go."
"Thanks. Mind if I ask what you were doing with it?"
"Yes, I do. You might take that from me too," Lois simpered.
"Are you still trying to find out who Superman is?"
Lois jingled imaginary keys in front of him and then motioned to her mouth, locking the invisible lock at a corner and then tossed the keys away.
"You could have just said yes," Clark countered.
Lois smiled before she fed Perry's words to him. "You may possibly be my friend, but in here, you're obviously my competition. I didn't think you had it in you, but I was unpleasantly surprised. Again."
Clark decided to ignore Lois and her barb about his capability. He glanced at the list. There had to be well over a hundred names on the list. Grouping them into categories, Clark separated the names into ages and sex. He quickly jotted down some vague questions and then started with the middle-aged males first and worked his way outward.
By six-twenty, ten minutes until he needed to go and pick up Chloe, he was putting the finishing touches on what he thought of as a human interest story. It might not be front page material, but it was enlightening. The general public opinion of him was very complimentary and heart-warming. There were only a few that were negative and one woman was down-right terrified he'd come and kill her in the night. Clark grabbed Dustin, one of the copy editors and handed over his piece.
"Could you proof read this for me and then send it up to Perry?"
"Sure thing, Clark," the young guy said with an eager nod.
"Thanks. Have a good night," Clark replied with a wave.
"You leaving?" Lois asked from her chair. They were first words she'd spoken to him in about four hours.
"Yep. You staying late tonight?"
"Yeah. I got some loose ends to tie up on the Lex story. Oliver said we could run it some time next week."
"Speaking of Lex, Chloe may have some information you could use on Weimar and Mickler if you want," Clark suggested, knowing Chloe had spent most of her day to compile a small encyclopedia on the Doug Weimar.
"Thanks. I'll give her a call later," Lois replied. "Have a good night."
"You, too," Clark responded, throwing his coat over one shoulder as he walked to the elevators.
"Hey Clark?"
"Yeah?" He turned to find Lois on her feet, running her fingers back and forth along the edge of her desk.
"About Chloe-"
"Lois, I know what you're going to say-"
"No, you don't." Lois walked purposefully over to him, standing before him with her hands on her hips. "I've never really liked you, Clark. At least when it comes to Chloe. You're a nice guy and everything, but you have this uncanny ability to screw Chloe over."
"Lois-"
"I'm not done," Lois spoke over him. "But even with all the crap you've put her through over the years, I've never seen her as happy as she is when she's with you. And it's nice to see that again." Lois balled her fist and socked him softly like she used to. Not giving him a chance to respond, Lois turned and sauntered quickly back to her desk.
Seeing him still watching her, Lois shot Clark a real smile for the first time since he'd been back. Clark returned it and then looked out one of the windows, waiting for a pig to fly by.
Chloe watched the printer in Oliver's home office spit out page after page on Doug Weimar. His birth certificate; school records; medical records; police records; any kind of record to be found on him Chloe could get her hands on. Single, of average intelligence and a history of violent behavior, it was not hard to see why Doug had been snared by Lex. He was the prime candidate for the type of brainwashing Lex specialized in.
Finally, the final page of her novel printed and Chloe piled the paper neatly in a stack before pulling out a brown envelope from a desk drawer and sliding the inch thick mass into it. Sealing it, she took it and put it beside her bag by the door. Clark was coming by to pick her up at six-thirty to go to Watchtower. Turning back to the room, her eyes fell on Connor and Kaid, eating dinner with matching depressive faces.
"Are you sure you don't want to eat something?" Martha asked. She was sitting on the sofa, an open book in her lap.
"No," Chloe declined. "I'm not really hungry." Truth was, she'd been too nervous to eat all day. With Bart's admission and the meeting later tonight, her stomach was in knots. After Clark left for work, Bart returned and told Chloe about his slip up.
"Chloe, I'm sorry. I just totally forgot," Bart apologized as the two stood out on the balcony.
Chloe quickly stopped him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. This is all my fault. I'm the one who is sorry. I didn't realize how many people would have to lie when I didn't come clean sooner. Clark is one of your best friends, I should have never put you in this position."
"So, I'm taking the little rendezvous in the dark that me and Victor busted up this morning was a step in the right direction?"
"That is none of your business," Chloe told Bart sweetly.
"Well, you should know what you're missing," Bart replied, brushing his nails on his jacket. "I could take you places you've never been before."
"Bart-"
"Is there a height requirement with you babes? Really," Bart turned to her, his face shocking in it's serious expression. "Clark is a giant and you're tiny! Dinah is only an inch shorter than me and she can't keep her hands off AC. I've met your cousin, Lois, so I'll leave her alone but am I really that short?"
"Is this a rhetorical question?" Chloe asked hesitantly.
"It's just that everyone is pairing up. Even Victor got hit on in Russia by the automated female computer doohickey he was hacking. Just promise me if you and Clark ever hit the skids again you'll give me a test run?"
"You'll find somebody. Somebody who is better than me. And to tell you the truth, Bart, I'm not even sure there will be a 'me and Clark'," Chloe replied, turning away from the guy she loved like a little brother. Her statement made chills run through her causing her to pull the jacket she'd put on tighter around her in the cold November air.
And she still wasn't sure. The thought that tomorrow could change everything for her made her stomach roll like a tiny toy boat in upset bath water. She could live without Clark. She proved that for years now. But Chloe knew she wouldn't survive watching him walk away from her again.
Chloe watched Connor and Kaid. She was doing this for them. As a mother, she could not let fear rule her decisions, directly impacting her sons' life. It wasn't just about her and Clark anymore. It was about her and Clark and their two children. Leaning against the bar, she rested her chin on her hands. Connor and Kaid had hardly spoken to her the whole day. They were mad at her and moped around, just like their daddy used to.
"Guys, I want to talk to you," Chloe said.
Neither Connor or Kaid looked up, just shoveled more Velveeta macaroni and cheese into their mouths.
"Connor Joseph and Jonathon Kincaid." Three heads shot up at Chloe's harsh tone, Martha's included. "You will look at me when I am speaking to you, do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." The two little boys nodded meekly, knowing they were in serious trouble when their mother called them by their two first names. They kept their hazel eyes locked in on their mother's identical pair.
"You will give Clark a chance," Chloe continued on gently. "I know you like Ollie and I am not saying that when Clark becomes a part of this family, you have to like Ollie any less. But please try tomorrow. For me, guys." She reached out and laid a hand on an arm of each twin.
"But, Mom," Kaid argued. "We don't have to hide what we can do from Ollie. What if Clark finds out what we can do? He'll think we're freaks."
Chloe bit her lip to keep from crying. This was all her fault. Looking for strength, Chloe found Martha watching them closely. Martha hugged her book to her chest and Chloe knew it was meant for her.
"Come here." Chloe motioned for Connor and Kaid. Each boy slipped off their stool and came to stand on either side of her. Squatting down, Chloe wrapped an arm around each boy's waist, pulling them into a one armed hug.
"Clark would never think that about you," she told them gravely, turning her head back and forth to look Connor and Kaid in the eyes. "You know why? Because you two are not freaks. Both of you are very special and there is nothing wrong with what you can do. In fact, Clark may understand more than you think. I know this all so confusing right now, but I promise that one day you both will understand."
Connor, remembering what he'd seen in the barn and what he'd seen at the house after it had been torn apart, looked at his mother. He and Kaid had never met their father. They'd been told he was gone for a very important reason and they must not be selfish to want him for just themselves because he was like Green Arrow or The Flash or Aquaman. He was off making the world a safer place for them to live in. Ollie told them one day that their father loved them very much and would want them all to be happy. At night, when the house was dark and silent, Connor would sometimes lie awake at night, listening to the sounds that the house would make or the calls of night just outside his window. And sometimes, he would hear his mom. She would be crying. He hadn't heard her cry in a long time. You didn't cry when you were happy. Somehow, Connor knew Clark was the reason for this.
Connor caught his brother's eye. In a way only known to twins themselves, they communicated and Kaid nodded his head. Being the oldest of the two, Connor was the one who spoke. "We'll try, Mom. We promise."
"Thank you." Chloe gathered each boy as close as she could and hugged them tightly. She would make this right. Chloe swore she would make this right.
Clark pulled Chloe's borrowed SUV into the underground parking area of Oliver's building. He'd kept up the pretense of driving with Krenshaw and Allistor watching the premises all day. Waving to one of the men, Allistor, he headed to the elevator and stepped inside. For some strange reason, be it paranoia or something else, he sharpened his hearing for sounds of tell-tale clicking. All he heard today were the blissful sounds of mechanical workings and the higher he rose, he could hear Chloe's voice.
"You will give Clark a chance. I know you like Ollie and I am not saying that when Clark becomes a part of this family, you have to like Ollie any less. But please try tomorrow. For me, guys."
Clark smiled. When he became a part of the family, not if.
"But, Mom, we don't have to hide what we can do from Ollie. What if Clark finds out what we can do? He'll think we're freaks."
Clark cocked an eyebrow at Kaid's words. He'd spent a lot of time already around Connor and Kaid and he'd never once seen anything suspicious. They seemed like two healthy, normal boys. But his mind quickly supplied him with the fact that they had grown up in Smallville. Clark wondered fleetingly if they somehow inherited Chloe's own meteor power. She'd lost it when Brainiac took over her body, canceling it out somehow with it's own special abilities. Her healing powers hadn't returned after the AI had been forced out, either. Clark hoped that wasn't the case for Connor and Kaid. They were too young to have to deal with such a weighty power of life and death. But if that wasn't it, then what was it? Whatever it was, Clark knew Chloe would tell him when she was ready. Probably over dinner tomorrow night. And he would not look at the boys any differently. If anything, it would make it easier for them to accept him.
"Come here. Clark would never think that about you. You know why? Because you two are not freaks. Both of you are very special and there is nothing wrong with what you can do. In fact, Clark may understand more than you think. I know this all so confusing right now, but I promise that one day you both will understand."
The elevator arrived at the loft.
"We'll try, Mom. We promise."
Clark punched in the disarming code and slid the door open after hearing Connor's voice. He saw Chloe look up at him, still hugging both her boys. Martha half-stood, half-sat on the couch behind them, tears in her eyes.
"Hi," Chloe greeted softly.
"Hi," Clark returned. "Hey, guys."
"Hi, Clark," Connor and Kaid said. Clark felt a twist in his gut when he realized they'd dropped the Uncle. The boys dropped their arms and returned to the dinner plates at the counter. Chloe ran her fingers through their hair as they went and then turned to Clark. He still stood just inside the loft, feeling he'd stumbled in on a moment he shouldn't have seen. He also wondered why his mother seemed to be crying.
Chloe walked forward and stood up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on his smooth cheek. "How was your day?" She asked.
"How very Florence Henderson of you," Clark responded at her domestic greeting. She rolled her eyes at him and stuck her tongue out. "That's better. It was good. I talked to a lot of the witnesses from yesterday about their opinion on Superman."
"And?" Chloe asked with eager eyes. Martha placed her book on the table and joined them. She dashed tears with her fingers and gazed at Clark also, her own expression matching Chloe's.
"It's good. For the most part," Clark answered, wedging between the two women to hang up his coat. "Any left for me?" He asked, pointing to the plate Kaid was currently licking clean.
"In the pot on the stove," Kaid answered.
"Thanks," Clark replied with a smile, counting it a victory he'd gotten more than three words out of the kid.
"And the lesser part?" Chloe reminded him, bringing up a bowl from the cabinets beneath the counter and dishing some of the pasta out for Clark. Clark sat on the stool beside Kaid and accepted the bowl from Chloe. With the exception of his breakfast late this morning he hadn't eaten a thing and he was surprised to find he was starving. "Sorry, it's just mac and cheese."
"Anything sounds good right now," Clark replied before he continued the earlier thread of conversation. "Others think the police need to handle him or the government. They're afraid of what this could mean for life beyond Earth and how many others like him will feel like coming out of hiding. I can understand where they're coming from. Fear of the unknown and all."
"But, overall, people were receptive to yo-Superman?" Martha caught herself quickly. Her son's dual identity was going to take some getting used to.
"Seems like it," Clark nodded.
"I think he's cool," Connor offered, chewing his last bite of mac and cheese. "Superman," Connor finished when he saw all three adults looking at him.
"He saved Mom," Kaid helped. "We should send him a thank you note. It would be the polite thing to do."
"How did you two know about that?" Chloe asked. Had superhearing kicked in without her knowing? She wasn't sure if she was ready for the whole 'Little Pitchers Have Big Ears' scenario just yet.
"Come on, Mom," Connor sighed as he rolled his eyes, mimicking his mother to a T. "How long did you expect us to believe the paper cut story?"
"We learned to read with the Planet when were four!" Kaid exclaimed
"Four?" Clark was impressed. Connor and Kaid had obviously inherited their mother's mind as well. Maybe they were little geniuses and that what was the secret was. But why would he understand that? He'd only been a math whiz. Anything literary was all Chloe. "That's ambitious."
"Yeah, well, they got bored easily. We need to get going," Chloe spoke hurriedly.
"Sure. Let me go change," Clark picked up his bowl, still half full of mac and cheese. "I'm just going to take this with me."
"Mom, can we go with Krenshaw to walk Shelby?" Connor asked as he spied Krenshaw coming out of the corner with Shelby hooked to a leash.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. You need to stay in the apartment for a few more days. It would make me feel better," Chloe answered. She hated keeping them inside, but she didn't want them wandering out of her sight for more than a few minutes. Chloe wasn't even sure she could leave them in the loft while her and Clark went to the League meeting tonight.
"Can we be excused then?"
"Yes, you can," Chloe said to Kaid. She watched as the boys went and flopped on the sofa, turning on the TV and begin to surf the channels. They'd already finished any homework they had been assigned at the end of last week. They'd never been kept inside four walls this long and Chloe knew one of them or both would develop cabin fever soon. She carried their plates over to the sink and turned on the water to rinse them before placing them in the dish washer.
"Chloe," Martha breathed. Chloe turned her head, meeting the older woman's eyes. "You named Kaid after Jonathon?"
Chloe smiled, grasping Martha's hand in her own.
"Thank you. He would have loved that."
"I'm just sorry they'll never know him," Chloe whispered. Martha patted Chloe's hand before walking away, unable to stem the flow of droplets from her eyes at the honor Chloe had bestowed upon her late husband. If only you'd lived to see this moment, Honey, Martha said to his spirit.
"Is everything okay with my mom?" Clark came back into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a yellow baseball shirt with red sleeves.
"I think the book she's reading got to her," Chloe answered.
Clark squinted, sharpening his eyesight, looking at the book currently laying on the coffee table. "Chicken Soup For The Soul: Laughter Is The Best Medicine?"
"Yeah, well, you know. You laugh so hard you cry!" Chloe exclaimed. Clark narrowed his eyes at her. "Krenshaw should be back any moment with Shelby, then we can get going."
"Did you strike any gold today on Weimar?" Clark asked as he watched his mother ask the boys if they wanted to learn how to play Gin Rummy.
"I struck gold, all right. Liquid gold." The note of satisfaction in Chloe's voice turned Clark to face her. She tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears and smiled slyly at him.
"What did you find?"
"Did you know that Doug's family once owned the nation's largest Bourbon Distillery outside of Kentucky? Weimar's Wild Turkey was a house-hold name back in the late 90's. They were very popular for the recipe on the back of the bottle called 'Nana's Down Home Southern Style Egg Nog'. "
"Once owned? What happened?"
"In 2000, Doug's parents hit some financial snags. The oldest son got in way too deep with some of Metropolis' nastiest loan sharks, to name one snag. They were forced to take a buy out of half of the family owned company. After that, things started to go downhill. That son committed suicide, two more were killed in the line of duty while on tour in Iraq. All that was left was Doug."
"Where was Doug when all this was going on?"
"Doug only graduated three years before we did over in Granville. He was in college at Met U but after only two semesters, money began to dwindle so he dropped out. That's when he started dealing."
"Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about Black Jack?"
"He's been arrested for eleven counts of possession and armed assault," Chloe sighed. "This guy's got a rap sheet taller than me. And every crime just kept getting bigger and bigger. He cost his family the other half of the company with bail money and lawyers who always managed to get him off."
"How was he able to get a job as a security guard?" Was anyone what they seemed anymore? Clark thought as Mickler came to mind.
"Easy," Chloe replied. "He graduated and went to school as Douglas Peter Weimar but was arrested as Peter Williams. I was able to match the picture on his security badge I got from Reynold's to at least ten different mugshots from the Metropolis' PD Database under that alias."
"Does Reynold's Security Firm have anything to do with this?" Clark questioned.
"I don't think so," Chloe answered. "Everyone I have talked to at Reynold's is very open and apologetic. The President of the firm even wants to meet with me."
"What happened after all the arrests? Did he just decide to go straight one day?"
"Not quite," Chloe broke off as Krenshaw came back in with Shelby. "I'll tell you the rest in the car."
Chloe left Clark's side to go over to where Martha and the boys were sprawled on the floor playing cards. Chloe hugged each boy and kissed their head, saying she'd be back later.
"Bye, sweetie," Martha said, kissing Chloe on the cheek before blowing one to Clark. "You two have fun."
"You could come with us-"
"No," Martha cut Chloe off sternly. "We'll be fine here. You all have more things to worry about. Now, go."
Chloe returned to Clark, uneasiness about leaving Connor and Kaid etched clearly between her eyes.
"Krenshaw!" Martha hollered. "Come on over, we need a fourth."
They paused to watch Krenshaw lower himself to the floor uncomfortably, taking the time to adjust his gun to where it was easily accessible but hidden by his suit jacket. He furrowed his brow and picked up a hand Martha dealt him. They made a very funny little group.
"They'll be fine," Clark assured her gently. Chloe nodded. They would be fine. They were almost invulnerable. But that didn't mean she didn't think they could still be in danger. She felt Clark take her hand and lead her toward the stairs.
"My bag!" Chloe remembered.
"I got it." Clark patted the bag on his shoulder as he and Chloe began the long hike down to the underground parking lot.
"Thanks. Just a little more scattered today than I normally am," Chloe told him. They walked leisurely down the flights of stairs until they reached the sublevel parking.
"At least I'll be getting my exercise," Chloe noted when she and Clark were belted in the car. She waved at Allistor as they left.
"So you were saying about Doug," Clark reminded once he pulled out onto the busy street.
"Right," Chloe started. "Where was I?"
"You were explaining why he went straight," Clark supplied.
"Around the middle of 2003, his father was diagnosed with, surprise surprise, liver cancer. Doug came home, cleaned up and was the good and dutiful son."
"So in the span of fourteen years, he went from the Return of the Jedi to the Empire Strikes Back?"
Clark was an avid closet Star Wars fan. He'd had been over one day before the start of their Freshmen year of high school helping Chloe with some snake emergency (she'd always wondered how he'd made the two mile trip so fast on foot). She'd refused to be left alone in the house until her dad came home for work so Clark, ever the gentlemen, stayed and continued to help her unpack some boxes that still sat around after a year of the Sullivans' moving in.
In one of the boxes, Clark unearthed Gabe's highly embarrassing Star Wars Memorabilia Collection, including the original released media format of episodes IV-VI along with the DVD collection of I, IV, V, and VI. Chloe popped one in for him, more for background noise than anything and returned to unpacking. Ten minutes later Chloe realized Clark was seated on the floor in front of the TV, his long legs folded up against his chest, totally engrossed in the movie. Always looking for something she could share with just Clark, Chloe sat down next him. When that one ended, he begged to watch a second. Chloe offered to loan him the DVD's so he could take them with him but he told her his parents didn't own a DVD player, something Chloe remedied that Christmas. So they had an impromptu Star Wars Marathon that night with pizza and ice cream brought home by Gabe when Chloe called and asked if it was okay for Clark to stay.
Chloe laughed. She'd certainly got something just the two of them could share. With Pete hating anything having to do with aliens or outerspace (outside of his real life) and Clark never dreaming ofasking Lana to something so nerdy, it was Chloe would stood in the long line outside of Metropolis Multiplex on May 15th, 2002 with Clark, waiting to get tickets to the midnight showing of Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones. She only understood, three years later almost to the day, when she was again standing outside the Metropolis Multiplex waiting for the midnight showing of the final Star Wars movie with Clark, why he loved it so much. It was about an orphaned boy trying to find his place in the world, fighting the battle of good and evil as only he could, the journeys of two men; the hero and the other, the ultimate villain. Chloe had never ever had the heart to tell him how muchshe loathed Star Wars.
"Why don't you leave the pop culture references to me next time, but yeah, something like that," Chloe teased him. Clark didn't respond, just looked at her with exasperation. "He took over running the family's Distillery."
"I thought you said the company got bought out?"
"It did, but the buyers allowed Paul Weimar, Doug's dad, to stay on as the Distillery Manager."
"Until Paul got cancer," Clark said.
"Exactly. So Doug rode to the rescue," Chloe replied.
"How did he and Lex hook up?"
Chloe shifted in the seat. "Here's where it gets bad," Chloe told him baldly. "Clark, before Weimars' Inc. moved to the Distillery they opened up outside of Topeka in 2010, the old one was located out on Route 9 halfway between of Granville and Smallville. The family owned a house a few miles from the Distillery. Doug still lives in the house. It's a little east of Lander's Field."
Chloe paused, waiting for Clark's reaction.
"Chloe, no. . ." Clark allowed his voice to trail off, gripping the wheel tighter.
Chloe reached over and laid one of her hands on top of his. Clark relaxed his hold, remembering not to turn her steering wheel into a pretzel.
"The day before the we graduated, the day before the meteor shower, Paul Weimar had been discharged from Met Gen after a successful liver transplant," Chloe continued on, smoothing her hand along the back of Clark's thick one. "Doug was in Smallville when the meteor's hit. By the time he was able to get home, it was over."
"Lander's Field was where Lana's helicopter crashed. That was where Brainiac's ship came down-"
"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Kryptonian made a pit stop before heading into Smallville. From the police reports I read, Doug came in to find his parents being dangled off the ground in their living room. He tried to break a chair over the man, but it didn't do anything to him. From Doug's statement, he was picked up and thrown across the room and knocked unconscious. When he came to, both his parents. . ."
"They were dead," Clark growled. He hated the man for the danger he'd put Chloe in and wanted to kill Doug for the fear he inspired within both him and Chloe, but he could understand the man's pain.
"Lex was at the police station, trying to file a missing persons for me after he couldn't find me in the caves or in town. He overheard Doug going ballistic when a Deputy kept asking if Doug was sure of what he saw. He approached Doug later and offered him a job at Luthorcorp, working with him and Lana to unlock the mysteries of Brainiac's ship Lex had hijacked from Lander's Field. I got a hold of Doug's employment history and it's quite impressive. He's the kind of guy Reynold's would hire. Doug was listed as the head of security for Luthorcorp from 2006 to 2013, when Oliver fired most of the people still left over from the merger after Lex was indicted."
"Do you think it was a lucky coincidence that Doug ended up working at Reynold's who assigned him to Isis?" Clark couldn't keep the bite out of his voice. Lex always did have a strange fascination with Chloe, mainly for her tie to Clark, but Clark had been gone these past years. A jealous burn shocked him at the fact that maybe Lex's fascination had turned into something beyond a search for answers.
"I don't know," Chloe answered as Clark turned onto Lady Scots and parked a few spaces down from Watchtower. "Doug did ask me out a couple of years ago but I turned him down."
"Because of you and Oliver?" Clark posed it as a question, although he didn't understand why.
"Lex was in prison at the time," Chloe continued, artfully side-stepping Clark's curious observation. "Most of his contacts diminished in prison, with the exception of Mickler it looks like. Unless he was able to have some Russian do the string-pulling for him, I don't see how he would be able to puppet Doug into Isis." Chloe opened her door and stepped, Clark following suit.
"I guess that doesn't really matter right now," Clark stated. He'd noticed how Chloe had dodged his question. Joining her on the sidewalk, Clark put an arm around her shoulders and together they made their way along to Watchtower. Chloe snaked an arm around his waist, allowing her head to fall against that comfy spot just under his shoulder. In companionable silence, they took the steps up to Watchtower in unison.
"You're late," Oliver admonished with twinkling eyes when the two of them strolled in. Everyone was already gathered around the Situation Room.
"I had to fill Clark in on what I'd found out about Doug," Chloe told him, stepping out from under Clark's arm and sitting down on the couch cushion next to Dinah. She'd called Oliver earlier to tell him all she'd found, both of them going over what step to take next. The conclusion they reached was to start looking on home turf again.
"You know who we need to call," Oliver said to her.
"I know," Chloe replied. "I think it's a good idea."
"Are you sure? You want to give anyone a heads up?"
"It's not like she needs to come, Oliver. She can just give us some of the locations Lex has used over the years for his more devious experiments," Chloe argued.
"You know how much taking Lex down meant to her the first time. She'll want to be involved," Oliver returned.
"If she comes, she comes. It's not like we can keep her out of it if she makes up her mind to," Chloe sighed.
"If you're sure," Oliver said hesitantly.
"I am. Make the call."
Chloe crossed her legs, the nervousness she'd felt dissipate in the ride over returning in tri-folds. She clenched her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. Any minute now.
"Since we're all now here-" Victor started.
"Not yet," Oliver broke in, meeting Chloe's eyes. Oliver turned his attention back to the rest of the room. "I've called in someone who has more knowledge on tracking Lex. Chances are he has gone back to one of his older haunts. I have a lot of old properties that Queen acquired with the purchase of Luthorcorp, but we don't even know where to start. The search could take months and we need to move as fast as we can before someone else gets hurt."
"Who did you call in?" AC asked from beside Dinah.
Anxiety was coming off Chloe in waves and at the last minute she turned to Clark.
"Clark, listen-"
A chime sounded below, the alert that someone without the proper electronic security clearance was on the stoop. Oliver, being the closest to the alarm console, hit the green button and peered at the screen. He spoke into the intercom.
"Come on up. Top of the building."
"What is it, Chloe?" Clark asked, her big eyes making him worry. What could possibly be so nerve-racking for her right now?
"We needed more information than we had," Chloe started to explain, gesturing between herself and Oliver. The others were watching closely, as well, knowing now that whoever was headed up to them would be a shock. "We just made the decision today, otherwise we would have prepared you."
Clark looked at the others. They looked back at him. Obviously all except Oliver and Chloe were in the dark.
"Prepare me for what?"
Chloe opened her mouth just as the double doors swung open. She kept her eyes trained on Clark's face as he glanced quickly up and then did a massive double-take.
"Hi, Clark."
"Lana. . ."