Chapter 24

Chloe blotted the delicate skin under her eyes. She hadn't counted on seeing Clark this morning. She'd never seen Clark lurking in the Talon that early in the morning. Smallville had grown slightly since their adolescence, but it still was uncommon to walk down main street and not see at least three people you knew personally. If she saw Clark anywhere it was in the frozen food section of the grocery store where he stocked up on Hungry Man dinners when she was picking up the boys favorite flavor of Blue Bell Ice Cream. The temperature, chilly to start with, got noticeably more frigid when Chloe turned onto the aisle and stopped short.

This had been the first time Chloe had seen Clark since she'd slid the her letter under the gap of the door to his apartment. And it made her mad. She was tired of being held hostage by his moods and emotions. She'd made a mistake and she was genuinely sorry. But how could she atone for her sin when Clark wouldn't give her the slightest chance? Chloe would not deny Clark his anger. What she had done was one level up from unspeakable. She'd not only left Clark in the dark about paternity, but she also allowed him to believe Connor and Kaid were fathered by Oliver. Clark had every right to deny her of his forgiveness, but his sons? The sons who now worshiped the ground he walked on? How could he just turn and walk out on them? This infuriated Chloe.

Reapplying a small amount of eye makeup, Chloe grabbed her purse and briefcase and alighted from her vehicle. Today was the day she was making the announcement she would be re-locating to Baltimore where she planned on starting up the first Isis Foundation Satellite office that she would personally be over-seeing. She was going to offer Gladys the position of Deputy CEO, giving her control over Metropolis while Chloe would take over Baltimore. True, Baltimore was not a hot-bed of activity for the meteor infected, but the other branches of Isis might do some good. Chloe walked a few more paces, feeling an unease slip up her spine. She could feel someone eye's upon her. Lex Luthor had been in back in prison now, under maximum security and isolation with guards around the clock. Shaking the paranoia from her, Chloe continued on. She smiled at all the people in her lobby that was still under-going reconstruction.

"Hi, Bill," she said the construction worker who waited by the make-shift elevator. She stepped inside the red, metal cage and took a deep breath as Bill shut the gate and pulled the lever, the cage jerking to life. The first day back, Chloe had tried walking the thirteen flights of stairs to her office. She was a healthy young woman, but by the time she reached her office, she dripped with sweat under her winter coat and her feet were screaming inside her heels. Chloe breathed steadily the entire ride, never opening her eyes. When they jerked to a stop, Bill opened the gate and Chloe stepped out, sighing in relief once her feet were back on a solid level.

"See ya at lunch time, if not before," Bill said, tipping his yellow construction hat. Chloe smiled and turned into her reception area. Jillian's desk was still empty. Chloe would leave it up to Gladys if she wanted to find a replacement, although she would probably want to bring up the assistant she already had. Chloe walked over and laid a hand upon the vacant desktop sadly. Not for the first time, Chloe mourned for what she'd lost. She'd lost so much in such a short time. With tears threatening again, Chloe walked quickly into her office. She closed the doors and crossed to her desk. Shucking her coat, she glanced out her window to the building across the way. Snapping her head back up, Chloe swore she saw a blur leave the roof-top a few blocks away. Skipping over to the bank of windows, she pressed her nose against the glass, looking wildly around. A knock sounded on her door. Telling herself she hadn't seen anything, she walked back to her door. She opened the door, a smiling Gladys on the other side.

"Gladys, good morning," Chloe greeted as she opened the door.

"Good morning, cara," Gladys replied, reaching out and squeezing Chloe's hand.

Chloe and Gladys made comfortable small talk as Chloe gathered some forms and then asked Gladys to have a seat on the love seat. When Chloe had most of her words ready, she turned to Gladys. Gladys was ten years older than Chloe, with thick, velvety black hair caught up in soft bun at the back on her head, little wispys flying out around her face. She was a comfy looking woman, someone who would look more at home in a warm kitchen surrounded by family than a cold board room surrounded by investors. But that was what was so great about Gladys. She could put anyone immediately at ease.

"How are you doing? Really?" Gladys asked before Chloe started.

Chloe was caught off guard by the question. She had avoided most questions from everyone, including Martha. She looked into Gladys' warm, coffee colored eyes and felt her mouth turn downward. "That's why I asked you here, actually. I'm leaving Kansas. The boys and I are going to be moving to Baltimore right after Christmas."

"Chloe, why?" Gladys asked with concern. "How are you going to manage Isis?"

Chloe smiled. "That's where you come in. I plan on starting up a satellite station of Isis in Baltimore and I would like to put you in charge of Metropolis."

Gladys' eyes widened. "Chloe, I could never-"

"I thought the same thing," Chloe rushed, laying a hand on top of the other woman's. "When Lana named me as her succeeding CEO, I didn't think she could find anyone more under-qualified. But I didn't have to do it on my own. I had help. And so will you. Metropolis is a well-built ship. All you have to do is make sure it stays on course and avoid any icebergs."

Gladys and Chloe talked for a long time. A few hours later, Gladys accepted the promotion to Deputy CEO. She signed all the necessary forms and Bartley, her executive assistant, sent them to be notarized.

"How am I ever going to do this?" Gladys asked with a bright smile as she gazed around Chloe's office, which would soon become hers.

"You'll learn," Chloe answered with confidence. "Would you like to have lunch?"

"I'd love to. Let me get my purse and I'll meet you in the lobby."

Chloe and Gladys decided to celebrate. Choosing to go to Jubilee for lunch and cocktails, Chloe and Gladys began walking south, making their way further into downtown Metropolis. When they were a block from the restaurant, they spied a crowd gathered outside of the Daily Planet. Chloe sped up, planning on by-passing it quickly.

"Look! It's Santa!" Gladys said gaily, pulling Chloe to a stop. She followed the older woman's gaze to see a platform had been erected out in the section of the street that had been roped off. A line of kids were waiting, snaking down the foam covered steps and down the sidewalk beside the Planet. "Let's watch for a little bit."

Chloe allowed Gladys to pull her forward to the back of the crowd that had gathered to watch the proceedings. It was the Toys For Tots Rally, Chloe knew, from the banner and from the phone conversation she'd had with Lois a few nights ago. The platform was high enough, she could see above all the heads gathered and she smiled as she saw her cousin, complete in Elf regalia, marshaling kids up and down the steps to parents and placing cheerily wrapped presents in a big bin on one side of the stage. The crowd was small enough that Lois glanced Chloe and waved merrily.

"That's my cousin, Lois Lane," Chloe explained to Gladys as she waved back.

"That's right! I forgot she was your cousin," Gladys replied before whistling lowly. "Would you look at that Santa. Why didn't any of the Santa's I was forced to sit with look like that when I was younger?"

Chloe turned her eyes back to man on the platform. An upset little boy had grasped the hat and beard and pulled, revealing a handsome man with chiseled features and wavy black hair swirling in the winter wind. Chloe smiled affectionately as she watched Clark scramble to pull his disguise back on before any of the other children caught on and became upset. Her affection was quickly chased away by anger as she watched Clark pull another little boy onto his strong thigh and bounce him up and down. She could hear his baritone voice deepen, rolling out over the gathered throng, asking the child if he'd been a good boy and what he wanted for Christmas. Chloe could barely make out his response, but from what others were whispering, knew it involved a father in the Navy who was out on tour and wanting him to come home safely. Pulling away from the crowd, Chloe swiftly walked away, Gladys following a few paces behind her.

"Chloe, are you all right?" Gladys asked frantically.

"Yes, I just have to go to the bathroom. Let's hurry up and go or we'll never miss the lunch rush," Chloe said over her shoulder. Gladys and Chloe entered Jubilee. While the hostess showed Gladys to a table, Chloe made her way to the ladies' room. Once inside the individual bathroom, Chloe locked the door and turned to the bronze plated sink. The anger had soon turned to pain as she remembered the way Clark had smiled at the little boy on his lap before hiding behind the snowy white beard again. Chloe had imagined him smiling that way at Connor or Kaid. She wondered if he ever would. She wondered if he would ever smile ather again. She allowed the tears to fall for a few moments before taking hold of herself.

Gazing at herself in the mirror, she wondered how she would ever live without Clark Kent in her life. How could she function knowing he was here in Metropolis while she was in Baltimore? Never seeing him or talking to him, only knowing how he was through snippets of conversation with other people?

"You'll learn," Chloe whispered to herself. "You'll learn."

"Connor! Kaid!" Chloe called loudly from the back door of the kitchen. Her sons appeared like magic before her.

"Yes, mom?" They said in unison.

"Come in here, guys," Chloe said as she pulled the door open wider. "I want to talk to you."

Chloe walked her sons over to the bar and set them up with a plate of homemade brownies Martha had baked before she went out and two glasses of milk. Once they were seated, Chloe dragged another stool over to the other side and sat, facing her sons. This was not going to be an easy conversation.

"Boys, I want to talk to you about something," Chloe repeated herself.

They nodded and looked up at her, their jaws working on the chewy, fudge brownies.

"Things are going to be changing in a few weeks, guys," Chloe started.

Connor looked at her with raised brows. "What do you mean, Mom?" He asked around a mouthful of brownie.

"We're going to be moving to Baltimore, near Granddad," Chloe told them. She waited. Connor and Kaid swallowed. Again, in unison, they leaned back and looked at their mother.

"Why?" Connor, always the spokesman for the pair, question quietly.

"Well, my job. I'm going to be opening a new office in Baltimore," Chloe answered.

"How long will we be gone?" Connor asked.

"For a while," Chloe answered truthfully.

"Will we be coming back?" Kaid joined his brother.

"I don't know," Chloe told them.

Connor looked at his brother. "We don't want to move. All our friends are here! And Aunt Lo and Ollie and Uncle Bart and-"

"I know you don't want to leave Smallville, guys, but-"

"We don't have to go!" Kaid shouted. "You're the boss! Send someone else!"

Chloe reached across the counter and took their hands. "I could send someone else, guys, but I've decided that it's best if we go. It will be a good thing, I promise. We'll be really close to Granddad and Aunt Martha is only a few hours away in Washington. You'll make new friends in Baltimore and-"

Connor and Kaid pulled their hands from their mother's and hopped off the stools. "We won't go! You can't make us!" Connor shouted before he took off, Kaid following, leaving the back door banging against the wall in the wind the boys created.

Chloe watched her sons blur away. Grimly, Chloe rested her face in her hands. All the Kent men were mad at her, it seemed.

The days leading up to Christmas Eve were not happy ones. Both boys were sullen and rude, hardly speaking to Chloe or anyone else. They spent hours in the barn and the loft, neglecting their chores. They disappeared one afternoon on their horses and didn't come back until very late one night. They slammed their bedroom door, ignoring Chloe as she reprimanded them. All this added more stress onto Chloe as she readied her office for the move and packed up what little things that had been saved from the Farm House. Every one tried to talk her out of it. The League, Martha, a few of the mothers she'd made friends with. It all fell on deaf ears. Clark had made his decision and Chloe had made hers. The line in the sand had been drawn and both of them refused to cross it.

When Christmas Eve finally rolled around, it seemed the cheerful holiday served to break the moodiness that had befallen the twins. They helped Chloe decorate the last Christmas Tree they would have in Smallville. They ferried things back and forth to Martha as she and Chloe cooked in the kitchen. They played merry little hosts to all their family as they arrived, taking coats and scarves from them and shoving them in the hall closet.
Lois was the last to arrive.

"Where's Ollie?" Chloe asked as she hugged and kissed her cousin, rubbing her upper arms to rid her of the chill.

"Pulling some last minute street duty," Lois told Chloe. "He'll be here later."

Everyone waited for Oliver to arrive and then sat down to dinner. Clark's absence was very noticeable, especially when the boys asked questions about him. They'd seen the articles Lois had written about Superman and they'd seen the articles Clark had written about other things. He was still on the periphery of their lives but not a part of it, his distance palpable.

They gathered in the family room after dinner, exchanging gifts and sipping hot chocolate from Christmas mugs. When 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' started, everyone quieted. Chloe, Martha and Dinah gathered up the dishes and began cleaning up the kitchen. The doorbell chimed throughout the house. Chloe picked up a dish towel to wipe down the counters.

"I'll get it!" Chloe called.

Gripping the dish towel in her hand and taking a step into the family room, she heard the door open and Lois ask in a chilly tone, "Can I help you?"

Chloe walked toward the door, wondering who Lois was speaking to. The twins craned their necks to see who had arrived, but the adults obscured the view.

"Lois, I told you I would get-" Chloe rounded the corner and stopped. "Clark." She couldn't stop the awe-coated syllable that was his name as she saw him standing in the doorway, a small red wrapped box in his hand.

"Clark!" Connor and Kaid screamed. They jumped and ran from their spot in front of the fire, splitting around their astonished mother and barreled past Lois, catching Clark around the knees as they'd done with Oliver the first night Clark had met them.

"Hey, guys!" Clark greeted brightly. Chloe bit her lip and wringed the dish towel in her hands as she watched Clark kneel down and hug each of them individually.

"Where have you been?" Connor asked eagerly.

"We read all your articles!" Kaid chirped.

Clark smiled. He lifted his eyes to Chloe who stood stock-still in the hallway, a white knuckle grip on the frayed dish towel. "Can I come in?" He asked.

"Of course," Chloe murmured. "Of course you can come in."

Clark stood, watching Lois warily.

"Lois," Chloe and Oliver both snapped.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Come in, I guess." She stood aside and let Clark enter. He shut the door behind him. Lois stomped back into the family room as all eyes were on Clark. The boys walked ahead of him, talking a mile a minute. Clark nodded along, but Chloe could tell he wasn't really listening. His eyes found Davis, leaning against a wall behind Lana. She watched his eyes glow for a moment and his jaw tighten. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' played in the background, but no one was listening or watching. Shelby came over and nudged Clark's hand. Clark scratched the dog behind his ears.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Clark said to the group as a whole.

"Merry Christmas," they echoed, still watching him closely.

He smiled and then looked to Davis again. "Davis, can I talk you in the kitchen?"

"Sure," Davis agreed haltingly. He looked to Chloe. Clark followed his gaze, staring at Chloe over his shoulder. Chloe looked from Clark to Davis and nodded.

Everyone watched the two men walk into the kitchen.

"You know," Oliver began. "Smallville lights the Christmas Tree at the center of town every year on Christmas Eve. Why don't we go watch it?"

"Oliver, that doesn't start for another hour," Lois pointed out.

Oliver looked at her. "Exactly. And if we want to get good seats-"

"Right, right!" Dinah exclaimed, picking up on Oliver's line of thought. "Come on, guys."

"Oh, yes!" Bart said.

"Definitely need a good seat for that!" Victor agreed.

"Wouldn't want to miss it!" AC laughed. Everyone gathered their coats as Chloe, Martha, Davis and Clark looked on. Smiling at Chloe, they marched outside.

"Boys, you don't want to miss the lighting of the Christmas Tree, do you?" Lois asked excitedly. The boys opened their mouths. "Didn't think so. Come on, let's go." She shoved their arms into their coats and pulled them along behind her, Shelby trotting along. "Oh, all right!" She groaned as Shelby followed the boys out of the house. She scampered back in and hugged Chloe, kissing her cheek. At the door she turned again. Pressing her mouth in a thin line, she nodded. Chloe looked back at Clark, who returned the gesture. Then she was gone.

"I'll wait for you out in the car," Lana told Davis before squeezing his hand. She slid into her trench coat and smiled at Chloe as she, too, walked out into the cold night air.

"I guess I'll join the others," Martha said. She went into the kitchen and hugged Clark. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart," she whispered in his ear.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," he replied.

She left the kitchen. She stopped and hugged Chloe, as well. She whispered before she let go, "Love is always enough." Martha pulled back with a smile. "I'll see you two later."

And then it was just the three of them.

Clark and Davis stood in the kitchen, gaging the other. Chloe closed the front door. Taking her time, she meandered back to the kitchen. She didn't know if Clark wanted to be alone with Davis nor did she want to leave Davis alone with Clark. This had to mean something, Clark coming to the house tonight. Once she stepped foot in the kitchen, Clark turned his attention to Davis.

"I have something for you, Davis," Clark said. He handed him the small gift box.

"What is it?" Davis asked.

"Open it and find out," Clark replied. Chloe stepped closer, making the third point of a triangle.

Davis tore the wrapping from the box and set in on the counter. A white box was unveiled. The top of the box joined the wrapping and Davis withdrew a leather black ring box. He gave Clark a questioning look. Clark looked back at him, his expression giving away nothing. Davis lifted the hinged top. Chloe waited impatiently to see what was in the box. He reached in and took out the gift. Chloe gasped as she saw the jeweled blue ring winking in his palm.

"Clark, how did you-"

"Jor-El," Clark said simply.

"But I thought it was destroyed," Chloe countered, motioning to the ring laying in Davis' palm.

"So did I," Clark responded, watching Chloe closely.

"What is it?" Davis asked.

"It's Blue Kryptonite," Chloe answered.

"Like my bracelet?" Davis asked.

"Yes," Clark began. "Only with this, you can't remove it. Once you put this on, you'll never be able to take it off."

"I'd be free?" Davis asked with raised eyebrows. "I would never have to worry again about the beast being unleashed again?"

Clark nodded. "You'll have no powers either. You'll be-"

"Mortal," Davis whispered. He closed his fingers, making a fist. He lowered his head. Clark and Chloe saw a tear fall to the floor.

Chloe reached out and laid a hand on Davis' shuddering shoulder. "We'll leave you alone to think about it. It's a big decision."

"No," Davis said, shaking his head. He raised his tear-filled eyes to both of them. "No, it's not. It's the easiest decision I've ever had to make in my life."

Davis quickly unclasped the bracelet and handed it Chloe. The dish towel fluttered to the floor as she clutched the bracelet in her hand and held it against her chest. With a smile, Davis slid the ring onto his right ring finger. A blue light began to glow. Clark instinctively grabbed Chloe and pulled her to him, turning her away while keeping an eye on Davis. Chloe watched with amazed eyes as Davis glowed a brilliant blue for a moment. A halo began to form above his head as he began to dim, the halo seeming to suck some kind of energy from Davis. A few seconds later, the halo glowed brighter than Davis had and seemed to swell above their heads, a high pitch hum emanating from it. Clark pulled Chloe in tighter, shielding her with as much of his body as he could. The halo continued to grow and grow, filling the entire room. The humming got louder and Chloe could feel it vibrating deep within her. When it seemed the halo would burst through the walls and the humming would reach an incredible decibel, it fell suddenly in on itself.

Chloe clung to Clark, her heart beating fast as she looked at the ceiling. Clark loosened his hold on her and looked around himself. They both looked to Davis. He stood, staring at his hand. He looked at them and tried to pull the ring off. It didn't budge. He smiled jubilantly at them. Clark let go of Chloe and took Davis' hand in his own and pulled with a fraction his strength. It didn't move.

"Does it fit?" Chloe asked.

Davis nodded. "It feels like it was made for my hand."

Lana came bursting through the door. "Is everything okay? I saw this light and then this noise-"

Davis gave a happy shout and bounded over to Lana, picking her up and twirling her around. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, Davis turned back to Clark. "Thank you, Clark. For everything. I can't tell you what this means to me."

"Merry Christmas, Davis," Clark told him. The two men met halfway and shook hands. They grasped hands in a brother-like clasp. "Now, if you wouldn't mind," Clark trailed off, kicking his head back to Chloe.

"Not at all, Clark," Lana said, her eyes holding questions as to what had just happened in the kitchen. "We'll see you two in town?"

"Yeah," Clark nodded in a non-committal way.

Davis squeezed Clark's hand again before he took Lana's hand and they walked out the door together. Clark turned back to the kitchen. It was empty. Clark listened closely. She was in her bedroom. Clark made his way up the stairs. It was dead quiet in the house and he felt the blanket of deja vu covering him. He'd been here before. Eight years ago. Only this time, he wasn't leaving. And neither was she.