The Love of His Life - Chapter Eight

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Chapter 8

The final night of the corn festival was slated to end with fireworks. Clark and Martha both attended but planned to return home early so Clark could fly Chloe out to the Sanderson's field to watch the display.

Clark stood at a hot dog stand, waiting to order a soda, when he felt a pair of small hands slide up the back of his shirt. The touch was sensual and easy, and for a moment he thought Chloe had decided to risk a trip out to the festival, but then he smelled some sugary perfume he'd never liked and knew at once who stood behind him.

"Where's your mother?" Lana Lang asked, keeping her hands on his back.

Clark felt a rush of dislike so strong it bordered on disgust. He turned to face her and marveled at the gall she had to wrap her arms around his waist as though nothing had ever happened between them. As though she hadn't used him, cheated on him, and made a fool of him the whole time they were together.

"She's waiting to go home. I'm just getting a soda before we leave."

He pulled her hands away and Lana's smile faltered. There was a lightly glassy look in her eye and Clark wondered if she'd been drinking.

"Come back for me after you drop her off."

"Why? Whitney dump you and run off with one of your so-called friends?"

Lana bit her lip and Clark took satisfaction at the anger in her eyes. So, that was exactly what had happened. He didn't bother not to laugh.

"Wow, Clark, you're really pissed off, aren't you? You've never been cruel before."

"You know all about cruelty."

"Next."

Clark turned and ordered his drink. He paid for it and had every intention of leaving Lana where she stood but she fell into step beside him.

"Look, Clark, we really need to talk. I don't want to leave things like this between us."

"Is this your idea of an apology? It sucks."

"Okay, how's this for an apology? I'm sorry, Clark. I was a real bitch. I don't deserve a guy as good as you. You're decent and nice and…I'm just sorry."

Clark really doubted the sincerity of Lana's apology. She didn't do anything unless she had an ulterior motive. He wondered what hers was now. Probably a ride home and a fuck in the front seat of the truck -- something that would never happen between them again.

He stopped and looked down at her. She looked genuinely miserable but he knew it was because she'd been left alone at the festival, not because she was sorry for how she'd treated him. This was all about her. Everything had always been about her.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," he said, more to himself than to her. 

Lana's green eyes flashed angrily. "Yeah? Well fuck you, Kent!"

"Ditto, Lang."

He turned and walked away, a grin on his face, until he felt something cold and wet slam into the back of his head. It oozed down the back of his shirt and he could smell alcohol in it. Someone yelled an objection at having lost their drink amongst the laughter from some of the teenagers who'd been a year or two behind him at Smallville High.

Clark turned around. Lana had hurled someone's spiked drink at him.

"Stay classy, Lana," he said, and walked away again. This time she didn't say anything, nor did she throw anything else at him.

*****

"Boys. You can't live with them, you can't shoot them in the head."

Lana Lang had barely gotten ten steps into the parking area when she heard the voice of a stranger behind her. She turned and saw a young girl around her age, maybe a year or so younger, walking toward her. There was something weird about the girl's eyes. She gave Lana the creeps.

Great, here's some weirdo and I have to walk home alone in the dark. Whitney, you son of a bitch.

"Well, actually you could, if you're made of the right stuff," the girl amended. She offered her hand. "Lucy Lane."

"Lana Lang," Lana said, giving the girls hand a perfunctory shake before turning to leave. Maybe she could find another friend to come pick her up and give her a ride home since her aunt was out of town.

"I know who you are."

"How's that?"

"I know you used to date the Kent boy. He's smokin' hot."

Lana considered going back into the crowd and calling the police for an escort home. She didn't like this Lucy Lane. There was something seriously wrong with the glint in her eyes. They were solid black and looked like the eyes of a dead fish. This girl was a complete stranger yet she knew things about her.

Lucy took out a badge that offered a fake birth year. She knew she couldn't pass for 22 years of age with an inch of make-up but the badge was authentic and so were the papers. Her father had had them made up for her sixteenth birthday to make her work easier in the field.

"Lucy Lane, FBI. I look younger than I am."

"What's the FBI want with me?"

"I'm not here for you. I'm here for Clark Kent. He's harboring a fugitive. You may have seen her around town. Short, blonde, big ugly nose?"

"Carrie?" 

I knew there was something wrong with her…

"Is that the name she gave?"

"Carrie Finney or Finlay or something."

Lucy nodded. 

"What's she wanted for?"

"Treason."

Lana laughed. "You're joking!"

"I'm afraid not," Lucy said, trying to act older and more mature than she was. She needed to sell her FBI cover if she was going to get anywhere with the Lang girl. If she was going to get close to Clark Kent.

"How could she have committed treason?"

"She's a skilled computer hacker. She sold government secrets to China. Secrets that cost American agents their lives overseas."

Lana frowned. "My God."

"I can't get close to Kent. My cover was blown by the girl you call Carrie. Her real name is Chloe Sullivan."

"You're FBI. Just drag him in and interrogate him."

Lucy shook her head. "It doesn't work like that, I'm afraid. Forget what you've seen on the X-Files, Miss Lang. I have to go by the book or the entire operation could be compromised. Would you care to sit with me? I have a proposition to make you."

"I don't know…" 

Lana wasn't certain she could trust the woman who looked younger than she was. The badge could be fake. Lana had no way of knowing. For all she knew this girl was some kind of freak who fed girls to some brute of a psycho boyfriend.

"I assure you, Miss Lang, you're safe with me. My truck is right here. You can leave the door open. You can even examine the vehicle to make sure no one is inside before you get in. I want you to feel safe. I also need you to help your country."

Lana reluctantly walked over to the H3 and looked inside after Lucy turned on the interior lights. She didn't see anything amiss so she climbed in but left the door open. She was ready to jump out if Lucy did anything weird.

There was a computer on the dashboard that looked a lot like what the cops used in their patrol cars. It had access to a page that had the FBI logo. Lana watched Lucy login to the page and then pull up a file with an image of the same girl she'd seen at Clark's house.

Lucy Lane seemed legitimate. 

Lana couldn't believe she'd met a hacker guilty of treason. 

"Don't they execute people who commit treason?" she asked.

"Yes, we do."

Lana took a small amount of dark satisfaction from that. She hadn't liked the Sullivan girl. She must have sensed that there was something skeevy about her by instinct. How had someone like Clark and Martha Kent gotten mixed up with a traitor?

"What can I do to help?"

"We believe the Kents are hiding Sullivan on their farm. We need someone who can get in there and find evidence, any kind of evidence, that she's still there. They claim she left town on a bus and hasn't returned but we think differently."

"That explains it…" Lana said quietly.

"Explains what?"

"Why Clark blew me off so easily. He's moved on to that girl. He's liked me since we were kids. He'd never have done that if he wasn't screwing someone else."

Lucy shook her head and looked perfectly sympathetic. "Boys! They're always thinking with their dick."

Lana laughed. "Yeah. Well, this time he's made a mistake fucking with me. What will happen to him and Martha if I find out she's there?"

"They'll be questioned, possibly even tried, for harboring a known fugitive. If they're found guilty they could face life in prison."

"Will they be executed too?"

Lucy hesitated. She kind of liked Lana Lang. She sensed a kindred spirit there but she wasn't sure what the girl wanted to hear. If she said yes, they'd be executed, then that might be the deal breaker. However, Clark's skin may be exactly what Lana wanted. 

Most people, Lucy had learned, were squeamish about murder. Very few people had the guts to do anything that would bring about someone else's demise because they had that pesky conscience thing Lucy considered herself fortunate to have been born without. 

"No," she said, making a decision that Lang most likely fell into the squeamish category. "In fact, they could even be acquitted altogether if they have a good enough lawyer. Sullivan is the only one in danger of execution for treason."

Lana nodded. Apparently Lucy had guessed right.

"Tell me what I have to do."

Lucy smiled. "Attagirl."

*****

Chloe came just as the fireworks show began. She looked beautiful to Clark as he looked up at her. Her sweat-slicked skin glowed in the colored lights that burst in the sky above. They were in the perfect spot in the field. They were hidden by the tall grass that surrounded the blankets Clark had laid out but they were right beneath the display so that it almost looked like the exploding lights would shower right down on them.

She sighed. Clark felt her body begin to loosen so he turned her onto her back, careful to stay inside of her, and began to thrust again. He was so close. He didn't know why but he needed to be in a dominant position when he came. It made it better somehow and he began to wonder if that really wasn't some remnant of his Kryptonian heritage or if he was just a Neanderthal. 

There was wonder in her eyes, which reflected the bursts of light in the sky above. Clark drove home with one last thrust and spilled himself inside her, right in time with the fireworks that burst as hard in the sky as he had inside Chloe.

He turned onto his back and took Chloe's hand. Together they watched the pace of the display pick up. 

"We should fuck during the fireworks more often," Chloe said.

Clark laughed. "I know. It was great the way the ground shook when I came."

Chloe rested her head on Clark's shoulder and watched as the grand finale illuminated the field with such intense light it was almost like colorful daylight had arrived. Now would be a really rotten time for some patrolling cop to spot them in the field and come after them--not that Clark couldn't vacate the area with her before anyone could properly identify them, but Chloe didn't want the moment spoiled. 

Clark's fingers slowly stroked her arm. He was unconsciously gentle. Chloe couldn't believe how wonderful it was to share her heart with the man she let share her body. She was amazed at how incredible the simple joy of being able to lie in her lover's arms, fall asleep with him, wake with him, truly was. Ever since she'd lost her virginity she'd dreamed of indulging in such luxuries and now she was.

The reality beat the fantasy in spades.

She'd almost drifted to sleep when she heard footsteps. Clark tensed beside her.

"Someone's here," she said.

"Chloe?" someone said softly.

She recognized the voice at once.

"Oh, my God. Lois!"

Clark was dressed in a blur. Chloe moved a lot slower, pulling on her panties and then pulling her shirt down. Lois came upon them just as Chloe's hands gripped her jean cut-offs, ready to put them on.

"I come in peace," Lois said, holding up her hands. She gave a sideways glance at Chloe's state of undress and the sweat that coated both her and Clark.

"I won't let you take her back," Clark said. 

He looked around the field. Chloe knew that he was using more than normal vision to see just how many people Lois had brought as backup.

"Not very smart to come alone," he said. Chloe pulled on her shorts and slipped her flip-flops on. She took up a position in front of Clark, determined to protect him even though she knew he was stronger and faster than she was.

"That's because I didn't come here to take Chloe in. I came here to warn you."

"You came to warn me?" Chloe asked with open skepticism. "Why would you do that?"

Lois began to pace, trying to decide the best way to approach the very difficult task of convincing Chloe that she was actually on her side. She let instinct take over and, rather than speaking to Chloe, she spoke to Clark. He was bound to be a little more reasonable than Chloe, who was tainted with admittedly justifiable fear.

"Clark, did you know that when Chloe and I were growing up we were friends?"

"I thought her father was on the run when Chloe grew up."

Lois nodded. "She was but my mom knew where they were at all times. She used to bring Lucy and me to visit Chloe and Gabe wherever they were staying. It wasn't often, only a few times a year, but it was great fun. She would bring them money and she always had a gift for Chloe."

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked aggressively. "Do you really think a stroll down memory lane will change --"

"I gave Chloe her first cat. It was a mangy little thing I'd found skulking around our house on the base at Fort Bragg. I cleaned him up and took him with us on our next visit to Chloe and her father. Chloe named him Finlay. I hated that name. He was solid white with a single black spot of fur on his back. I wanted to name him Patch but Chloe insisted on Finlay."

Clark frowned but didn't interrupt. 

"What does this have to do with --"

"We used to have tea parties, too, before we were too old and sophisticated for it," Lois said, smiling. "Lucy was always off being mean to something. She'd look for bugs to torture while Chloe and I would sit down to tea. I had an imaginary reporter friend named Carrie Riker. She worked at the Daily Planet and she was always there to interview us about the big events of our lives between the visits."

Clark's mouth went slack. Even Chloe had lost interest in objecting. Her mouth was also slack, hanging open even, and her eyes were wide with the memories of the old days, when times were good and her father was alive.

"Chloe's guest at the table was a princess named Beatrice Osgood. She used to hate it when I called Her Majesty Ozzy. Carrie would always interview Princess Beatrice --"

"Carrie Beatrice Finlay," Chloe said breathlessly. "My God…"

Lois stopped pacing and looked at Chloe. "You remember? I'm not surprised you could forget little details of the good days. Not after all Dad has put you through."

"Hazel and Rita?" Chloe asked.

"I followed you to the dumpster where you blacked out. I paid Rita a thousand bucks to have a fake ID made up and to have you taken care of. I paid her another thousand after I made sure you were on the bus heading out of Gotham. I told Dad and the team that I'd lost you."

"You told them you'd lost me?"

"You thought you'd just lucked up on a couple of hookers with hearts of gold? Doesn't work like that, Chloe. Not in real life. They're friendly women, I'm sure, but people don't help unless there's something in it for them. In their case it was easy money they didn't have to screw a stranger to get. I drugged the desk guard at the Facility. I left the doors to the laundry room open. I was there in the shadows when you came running out. I rooted for you to make it. God, I was afraid you wouldn't see the door cracked open! I was afraid they'd taze you or Gerry wouldn't give you his keys…Even with my help your escape was a miracle. I've been covering for you ever since."

"Why?" Chloe asked.

Lois swallowed and her eyes began to look red and moist. She blinked rapidly. Chloe remembered Lois always did that before she cried, or when she was trying not to. She'd seen that same look countless times when Chloe came out of some lab, bloody and bruised and crying from the never-ending experiments. Lois had always been there, trying not to cry, but Chloe had thought nothing of it. She'd become so bitter she'd believed her cousin had stopped caring. 

Lois shrugged. "You're my family. I love you."

"Lois…"

"Dad has taken too much from both of us, Chloe. He murdered my mom the night Lucy told him about the visits to Uncle Gabe's. I'd heard her screaming but was too afraid to leave the house. He dragged Lucy and me -- he dragged me but Lucy went willingly -- past Mom's body on the driveway. She'd been beaten and had gone through hell. I didn't even recognize her she looked so terrible. That was the night he brought us to your place in Metropolis, killed Uncle Gabe, and took you."

Chloe knew Lois better than she knew anyone else. If this was a lie it was a very convincing one. Chloe rushed forward, wanting to throw her arms around her cousin. Instead she came to a stop and stood there, unsure what to do. So much had happened over the years and the lingering distrust refused to go away.

"I didn't come that night to betray you, Chloe. Lucy did but not me. You know one of the worst parts?"

Chloe shook her head. "I never saw Mom again after that. There was no funeral and we were forbidden to talk about it. I tried mentioning Mom one time after that and Dad hit me so hard he almost broke my jaw."

"I remember that. I had to heal you so you could talk," Chloe said, thumbing away the tears on Lois's face. 

"What's the warning you wanted to give?" Clark asked.

"Lucy overheard Martha talking to you about the night Jonathan Kent was murdered. She suspects there's something different about you, Clark. Here."

Lois held out a picture to Clark. Chloe looked at it with him and she felt the blood rush from her head so that she almost swooned on the spot. 

It was a picture of them flying home from their first date and landing on the farm.

"I destroyed the video those were taken from."

"Lucy saw this?" Chloe asked.

Lois shook her head. "No. That's the only copy to survive. She suspects you can fly, Clark. Dad has been looking for a meteor freak with flight ability. If he finds out about you he'll come for you, kill your mother, and take both you and Chloe back to the Facility."

"Why is he gathering freaks?" Clark asked.

"He's trying to build the perfect army of super soldiers. He's taking elements from different freaks and adding them to test subjects. Chloe is the only one he can't replicate, and someone like you is the only one he hasn't been able to find," Lois explained. "I had to get Chloe out of there before he succeeded. Could you imagine my father and Lex Luthor in control of an army of immortal freaks that were loyal to them? Could you imagine what the world would be like if those soldiers ever rebelled?"

"One way or the other the whole world would go to hell," Chloe said. "My God…"

"We have to get home to tell Mom," said Clark. "Look, you already know I'm different and I'm not going to deny that. Can you get Chloe back to the farm without your people noticing?"

Lois shook her head. "Yeah. Lucy is supposed to go back to the Facility tonight to gather a team. I don't know what they plans are, though. They're squeezing me out. They suspect I'm hiding Chloe."

"You are hiding Chloe," Clark pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're not supposed to know that," Lois said, smiling.

"I like your cousin," Clark said to Chloe. "See you in a few."

They watched Clark disappear in a blur. Chloe suspected the real reason he wanted Lois to give her a ride home was strictly so they could talk, which was something they needed to do.

"The van's this way."

They walked in silence. Chloe was at war with herself. She wanted to trust Lois completely but it wasn't easy. For years she'd come to believe that Lois was in on the torture, was in on the death of her father, and she had come to hate Lois for it. She'd regretted the loss of her cousin, who'd also been her best friend growing up, to the mistrust and anger. It wasn't easy to believe in Lois even though she knew that her cousin had to be telling the truth about being responsible for getting her out of the Facility and for running interference since she'd made it out.

Once inside the van, however, Lois did something that was so…Lois…that Chloe felt a rush of warm affection for her for the first time in years.

"Roll the window down, Cuz," Lois said. "You stink like sex."

*****

"Why did Lucy tell on your Mom for coming to visit?" 

"You sure you want to know?"

Chloe nodded. "Of course."

Lois sighed. "Do you remember that every time we came to visit Mom and Uncle Gabe would send us out to a movie? We'd come home and lunch or dinner would be ready?"

"Yeah."

"Well, one night we came home and dinner wasn't ready. I put you to bed and noticed that Lucy wasn't around. When I found her she was outside your dad's bedroom door."

"Wait," Chloe said, suddenly sure where Lois was going. "You can't be serious!"

Lois nodded. "I went up to her and looked in. Mom and Uncle Gabe were asleep. They were under the sheets but you could tell they didn't have any clothes on. I think that devastated Lucy. I wasn't surprised. I'd long suspected they had something going on but I didn't mind. In fact, I liked the idea of my mom and your dad together. Uncle Gabe treated Mom with love and respect, two things she never got from her husband. Lucy knocked on the door. I remember trying to get her to leave but she wouldn't budge. Mom woke up, startled, scared. Lucy said one word: Whore.

"I finally got Lucy to come with me to the living room. Mom and Uncle Gabe were humiliated. She came to the living room, crying, and tried to talk to us but Lucy only stared at her. There was so much hate in her eyes. She was old enough to understand that Mom was cheating on Dad. She just wasn't old enough to understand why she would."

"You weren't either, were you?" Chloe asked softly. She was surprised to learn about her father and Ella's affair. She wasn't disappointed or angry. Ella had been a good woman and practically like a mother to her.

Lucy, on the other hand…Chloe could understand the girl's anger. No kid should see their parents in a situation like that. 

"Lucy was what, twelve years old at the time? She couldn't have known what your Dad would do to Aunt Ella," Chloe said.

Lois's hands gripped the wheel. "Don't try to excuse her, Chloe. She knew how Dad was, how violent he could be. She'd seen him hit Mom more times than we could count. She saw how awful he was to her."

"Don't get me wrong, Lois. I hate Lucy. She's an evil little psycho bitch. I'm just saying she saw her mother in bed with a man who wasn't her father. I mean, that had to be a nasty shock."

"What about the fact that she still calls Mom a whore? What about the fact that no matter how awful Dad was to us, to Mom, she still worshipped him?"

"I say Lucy is Uncle Sam's creation and you're Aunt Ella's."

"This is so not the reaction I imagined from you. She got your father killed and helped take you captive!"

"Lucy's a sick puppy. If she dropped dead I wouldn't shed a tear. Hell, I'd spit on her corpse, Lois. I just find it hard to imagine she knew her father would kill her mother for cheating. Lucy's never been right. I'm just not surprised that she didn't care what he did or who he did it to. She's broken, Lois."

"She's evil and I'm going to make her pay for telling. I was sixteen when Mom was murdered. I was old enough to understand that she got from Uncle Gabe what Dad never gave her: love. Uncle Gabe was kind and gentle. He and Mom found love together. They didn't deserve to die for that!"

Lois put a hand to her mouth as she began to cry. Thankfully she'd pulled into the Kent driveway by then. She stopped the van and put her forehead to the steering wheel.

It was that moment that Chloe trusted Lois again. She knew that Lois had a deeper motivation for setting her free than saving the world. She wanted revenge. Not just for her mother, but for Chloe and her father.

"You want revenge," Chloe said. 

She reached over and touched Lois's shoulder. The bones under Chloe's palm felt pronounced and delicate, as though Lois had lost weight and muscle. For the first time ever Chloe's strong cousin felt fragile.

"Damn straight," Lois sniffed.

"You didn't set me free just to save the world. You either want my help or you want to use me to --"

"I want your help but I have no intention of using you to get revenge on Dad and Lucy. I'm going to be straight about everything. If you don't want any part of it then fine. I'll leave you out of it. I won't use you, though."

"You want revenge. I do too, so let's get inside and talk to the Kents so we can start plotting."

Lois smiled over at Chloe. "The best defense is a good offense, right?"

"Hell yeah."

*****

Clark was already at the farm with Martha when Chloe came into the house with Lois. The first thing Martha did was march up to Lois and look her dead in the eye.

"Are you really here to help Chloe or is this some plan you've cooked up with your father? Tell me the truth."

Lois was taken aback by Martha's directness. "I'm really on Chloe side."

"You're hiding something," Martha said. "What is it you're not telling us?"

Lois looked at Chloe and then back to Martha. "I can't tell you that. If I do you'll only try to stop me. I'm not a threat to Chloe, though, I promise."

"You're honest on that account," Martha said.

Chloe watched Mrs. Kent staring into Lois's eyes. She'd been on the receiving end of that stare before and knew how deeply penetrating it could be. Was Martha Kent a meteor freak? The thought hit Chloe like a kick to the gut but it made sense. Nobody could lie to Martha and when she looked at you for the truth it was like a physical invasion right down into the soul. Perhaps Martha did have a meteor enhanced ability to sniff out the truth and she didn't realize it. 

To hear Martha confirm that Lois wasn't lying about being on her side was a relief to Chloe. What worried her, however, was what Lois wasn't telling them. What did Lois plan to do that she feared they would try to stop her if they knew of it?

Clark broke the silence and pulled Chloe from her thoughts when he said, "Lucy is coming."

"How far out is she?" asked Martha.

"About six miles down the road," he said. "Lana's with her."

"Lana?" Chloe shook her head. "What could Lucy want with Lana?"

"I have to get leave," said Lois. "I can't let Lucy see me here. Damn it, she was supposed to be in Gotham, not hanging around Smallville! There's so much I needed to tell you."

"Leave. I'll signal when it's safe for you to return," Clark said. "Go back to your usual surveillance post."

"And what am I supposed to tell Lucy if she finds me there? I'm supposed to be heading back to Gotham too. I'm supposed to stay there while she brings a team back."

"You'll think of something," Chloe said. "You're good at thinking on your feet."

"You don't have time. They're moving in fast. Go," Clark insisted.

Lois all but ran out of the house.

"What about me?" Chloe asked.

"Go upstairs with Mom," Clark said. "We'll shut down the lights and pretend to be in bed early. I'll see what Lana wants and see where Lucy's hiding her."

Chloe and Martha headed upstairs, shutting out the lights as they went. Chloe went to the darkened bathroom and looked out over the back forty. She saw Lois's headlights shut off. She waited for a second, taking time to appreciate the fact that she had at least one member of her family that wasn't out to use and kill her.

Lois has been on my side the entire time. God I love her…

Chloe left the bathroom, hoping to God that Lois could come up with a convincing lie to Lucy as to why she was still around. She knew Lois could handle herself in a one-on-one fight with her psycho sister, but she didn't want Lucy to cast suspicion on Lois with their father. 

Martha took Chloe's hand when she sat down on the bed. She considered Martha's strange ability to pick up on the truth and she wondered if it was something Martha was just really good at, or if it was something the meteors had enhanced. 

"My dad once had a beautiful Mercedes sedan that I loved to ride around in. He taught me how to drive in it when I was only fourteen. It was an automatic with all the bells and whistles."

"This is a strange time to stroll down memory lane, isn't it?" Martha asked.

Chloe shrugged. "Now's as good a time as any."

"If you're going to talk about times with your father you should be honest about it, Chloe. Your father never owned a Mercedes and it wasn't an automatic. It was a standard shift."

"How do you know that?"

Martha shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like you were lying about those things."

"Martha, have you ever considered the possibility you're a meteor freak?"

*****

Clark stood in the living room and looked out on the long drive that led to the house. A dark truck stopped at the end of the drive and he saw someone climb out. It was Lana. The truck drove off and headed toward the little dirt road that separated his family's property from Lana's. She'd discover Lois there any second. He'd keep an ear out for Lois to see if she ran into any trouble.

Lana walked quickly and approached the house with confidence. 

What the hell are you doing, Lana? How have you gotten yourself mixed up in this?

He moved away from the window and stood beside the door. Lana went around the house to his window. He listened as she threw a few pebbles against his bedroom window and called his name. He ran up the steps and pulled open his window.

"What are you doing here?" he said quietly.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the fair," she said. 

Clark swallowed. He knew that was a lie but he had to play along. Lana had come here with Lucy Lane, but for the life of him Clark couldn't imagine what good Lana could be to her. It couldn't be something as simple as planting a bug. They had listening equipment that didn't have to be inside the house to pick up on conversation. 

"I'll be down in a second," he said.

She gave him her brightest smile. A smile that, at one time, would have made his heart melt and his cock swell. 

"I'll go around front."

Clark ran into Chloe in the hall.

"Lana wants to talk, probably about us," he said. "What if she tries to…"

"Seduce you?" Chloe swallowed hard and nodded. "Do what you have to."

"You're not serious," he whispered.

"Don't go too far but let her think you're open to making up with her."

"You know you're the only one I want," he said.

Chloe nodded. "I know."

He kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"Just because." 

Chloe smiled and watched Clark head down the steps. It tore at her to know that he may have to let Lana touch and kiss him, but it was a necessary evil. 

You're the only one I want.

Chloe took a deep breath and sat down. She'd heard the sincerity in Clark's voice. She knew he was the kind of man who took fidelity seriously. She knew he was telling the truth when he said she was the only one he wanted. 

Still, if she ever got the chance, she was going to beat Lana like a red-headed stepchild. 

"What took so long?" Lana complained, as soon as Clark opened the door.

"Mom was in the bathroom. I had to wait for her to go back to bed."

"May I come in?"

Lana leaned against the door. Clark noticed a blue pendant hanging from her neck that began to glow as she got close to him. Everything around him suddenly changed. His super sense of hearing was gone. The room felt warm and mildly stuffy, and he felt his strength melt away. 

His powers were gone.

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