Charmed Life (Bart/Chloe) PG Smallville/Charmed crossover

[phoenixnz]

Part Six

“Okay,” Piper was saying. “So who’s first on the agenda?”

“Hmm, well, Clark Kent apparently worked on the school paper with her. And from what I read on the school’s website, they were pretty close,” Phoebe said.

Paige took out her Blackberry and quickly looked up the information.

“His family has a farm on Hickory Lane. Let’s go.”

The three left the Talon and stood out on the main street of Smallville. Piper grabbed her sisters’ arms.

“Uh, you know, I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to just orb in. I mean, he might get suspicious if he doesn’t see a car, you know?”

“Damn,” Paige said. “You’re right. So I guess we should ... uh ... rent a car?”

“Do they even have car rental places in this town? I mean, it is called Smallville!”

“Phoebe, you are such a snob.”

“I am not!” Phoebe glared at her older sister.

Paige groaned before her two older sisters could turn this into an argument. She looked it up quickly and found a place.

“Look, there is a place,” she said. “Come on.”

The three walked down the street to the local car dealership, which also doubled as a car rental agency. The owner came out and looked the three of them up and down.

“We heard you rent cars here,” Paige said.

The man, looking a lot like Cooter from the Dukes of Hazzard, broke out in a friendly grin.

“Well, hell, yeah, come on in ladies. Let me show you what we have here.” He pulled back his soiled cap and gave them another toothy grin, his ruddy, unshaven face crinkled. “Say, you girls ain’t from around here, are you?”

“Uh no,” Piper said.

“Is it that obvious?” Paige asked with a little trepidation.

“Well, yeah, your city clothes and all. You look an awful lot like the type that Lex Luthor would hang with. I mean, here in Smallville, we’re less formal, ya know?”

Formal? The girls looked at their regular, everyday clothes, not thinking there was anything unusual about the way they were dressed. But then they looked back at the man, who was dressed in grubby jeans and cotton shirt over an equally grubby t-shirt and understood.

“Lex Luthor?” Phoebe asked.

“Oh yeah, the town big shot. Not a lot of people like him around here. His old man owned the crap factory, oops, sorry, ladies, don’t mean to offend your delicate sensibilities. Anyway, used to be a creamed corn factory ‘til old man Luthor bought it. People don’t have much time for the Luthors, that’s for sure.”

“Why?” the three women chorused.

“Well, you know, weird stuff goes on in town sometimes. People doing crazy things, ya know? Like there was once this girl who could turn into anybody she wanted. And this other girl who could be one place one minute, then the next somewhere completely different.”

“How did that happen?” Phoebe asked curiously, glancing at her sisters.

“Well, people say it’s that fertiliser plant, ya know? Like they’ve contaminated the soil with the chemicals they put in it.”

“Oh. Interesting,” Piper said, although it was obvious she was only being polite. They would have to do some more research.

Within half an hour, they had managed to get themselves a rental car. A 1990 Ford that had lost its shocks somewhere along the line, and could have used a paint job as well as a few patches of rust taken out. But they couldn’t afford to be choosy.

Piper drove, taking direction from Paige, and they managed to find the Kent Farm without getting too lost. Before they headed down Hickory Lane, Piper looked at her sisters.

“So, uh, maybe we should think about a cover story?” she suggested.

“Well, why don’t we just say we’re friends of hers, from the city,” Paige said. “Since she works at the Daily Planet. She must have friends in the city.”

“I guess it could work,” Piper said doubtfully.

But Phoebe was looking ahead as Piper turned in the gateway.

“I uh, don’t think that will be a problem,” she said. “He’s not going to believe us anyway.”

Both Paige and Piper’s faces drained as they saw what she meant. Clark Kent was the man from the Talon. And judging from the way he was watching them warily, he knew something was up.

“Is there something I can do for you?” he said as they stopped the car.

The three got out, glancing at each other before turning back to the tall young man.

“Are you Clark Kent?” Phoebe asked, diving right in.

“Yes,” he said, still wary. “Who are you?”

“Friends, uh, of Chloe’s. From Metropolis.”

He dropped the hay bale he had been working on and looked at them, crossing his arms, as if to say, sure, tell me another one. Piper sighed, then looking at her sisters, who both shrugged. Paige gave her an 'I told you so' look. Piper decided honesty was the best policy in this case.

“Okay, we actually came to talk to you about Chloe. We believe she’s in danger and we need help to convince her.”

“Uh-huh. And you would know this how?”

“We’re witches,” Paige blurted.

Piper glared at her youngest sister. God, you’d think after six years and change, Paige would know not to blurt things out like that. But as she turned back to Clark, she could see that he wasn’t surprised by the revelation that there were such things as witches.

“Witches,” he said, his face draining of colour.

“Oh, um, no,” Paige said, putting her foot in her mouth even further. “We’re good witches.”

Clark began backing away from them. Piper screwed up her face, reluctantly going for the only option available. She concentrated, put up her hands and waved them at him. He froze.

“Okay, now what?” she said.

“I don’t know,” Paige said.

“Why did you have to tell him we’re witches?” Piper moaned.

“Well, what else was I going to do? He wasn’t going to believe the story that we’re friends of Chloe’s.”

“I know that, dummy.”

Phoebe shushed them both, shaking her head. Sisters!

Suddenly, Clark seemed to come to life again.

“What did you just do?” he asked.

The two younger sisters looked at their older sister. “Piper!”

“What? Normally it works.”

Phoebe rolled her eyes, then looked back at Clark.

“He looks mad.”

“He is right here, and he’s wondering what the hell is going on,” Clark said.

Piper held a hand out to her sisters, to tell them to shut up and let her do the talking.

“Okay, witches exist. But we’re not bad witches, okay? We’re really here to help Chloe. We know she’s in danger and we just want to keep her safe.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s also a witch.”

“Look, I already know about witches,” Clark said, mumbling uncomfortably. “I had a run-in with one a couple of years ago.”

“Really?” Paige asked, interested in spite of herself.

“Yeah, only this one had been dead for like four hundred years. So I already know magic exists.”

Phoebe frowned. “How were you able to, uh, unfreeze like that?”

“Unfreeze,” he said, staring at her. “Oh, yeah, well, I’m not from around here.”

“You’re not a demon are you?” Paige asked.

“Demon?” he said, shaking his head and frowning.

Oh boy, we’ve got a live one here, all four of them were thinking. Piper finally suggested they all go in the house and talk. Clark still looked wary, but he nodded his assent. Once they sat down at the kitchen table, and began to talk, the girls realised just how young Clark was. Two years out of high school, no job except the farm, he hadn’t really had much experience of the world.

The three Charmed Ones began to tell them the story of what they were and how they’d learned about Chloe. They explained to him about the demon world and the Elders and what it meant.

“So, you’re saying these demons will be trying to get Chloe to their side?” he asked.

“And that can’t happen,” Piper said patiently. “Every witch they manage to get to their side tips the scales in their favour. It’s important to keep good and evil in balance.”

“Which is what we try to do,” Phoebe told him.

“It must be a huge responsibility,” he said, looking as if he knew all about responsibility.

While Phoebe had some empathic powers, for some reason, she couldn’t quite read him. He seemed different.

“When you said you’re not from around here, what did you mean?” she asked.

Clark looked uncomfortable. “Well, I’m adopted.”

“You’re also avoiding the subject,” Piper said, looking at him pointedly. “We told you who we are. It’s only polite to return the favour.”

Clark flushed, embarrassed at being caught out.

“Uh, I’m, uh, an alien,” he mumbled.

“Speak up,” the sisters said. “We can’t hear you,” Paige added.

“I’m an alien,” he said more clearly.

The three looked at each other. Then Phoebe nodded. “So my premonition was true.”

“You mean about me flying around with a cape?” Clark asked.

Phoebe stared at him, astounded. “You heard that?”

“Well, I have super-hearing.”

“What else?” they asked.

“Speed, strength, x-ray vision and super breath, and I can shoot fire from my eyes.” He let the sisters take this all in, but he still didn’t know what all this had to do with Chloe. He had no idea why he felt he could tell the girls all this stuff. He wondered if somehow they had the ability to make people speak the truth.

Paige looked at the other two. “That explains what the Elders meant by the saturation of power. They must have sensed Clark.”

Phoebe looked at her, then at Clark. “Do you know anything about the mutations? People developing powers?”

Again Clark blushed. “Uh, yeah, I do. Um, we think the mutations are caused by the meteor rock. I, uh, call it Kryptonite. Because it’s pieces of my homeworld. Krypton.”

“And this is what gives people these powers? We read Chloe’s articles,” Phoebe said.

“I think so. It also makes some of them kind of go crazy.”

Paige seemed thoughtful. “That’s why Chloe was asking me whether I’d been to Smallville.” She turned back to Clark, “Look, we really could use your help. Demons are after Chloe and if we don’t stop this, she could get taken, or worse, killed.”

Clark shook his head. “I don’t know if I could convince her any more than you can. She’s pretty stubborn.”

“Yeah,” Paige said sardonically. “I noticed that.”

“Well, what else can we do? Does Chloe have any family, perhaps?”

“Um, well, her Dad moved away a couple years ago. He got blacklisted by the Luthors and he couldn’t get another job.”

“Why was he blacklisted?” Phoebe asked. “Seems like an extreme thing to do.”

“Yeah, well when Lionel Luthor decides to do something to an enemy ...”

The three girls shuddered. They were glad they hadn’t talked to Lex Luthor first. If he was anything like his father ...

“What about her mother?” Piper asked.

“Uh, yeah, Chloe’s mom, she’s well, in a mental hospital.”

“What? Why?”

Clark shrugged. “I don’t know. Chloe doesn’t talk about it much.”

The sisters stared at each other. They would need to do some more research from that angle. They finally decided it was time to go. But as they were leaving, heading back to the car, they saw a man standing beside it. He looked up at them as they approached. He was dark-skinned, tall and lanky.

“Something I can help you with?” Clark asked, making it obvious he didn’t know the man. But the visitor was focused on the three girls.

“Well, the Charmed Ones.”

Before the sisters could move into action, Clark stepped in front of them, just as the demon fired off a ball of flame. It hit Clark in the chest, throwing him backwards a few feet. He lay on the ground, blinking in surprise. The girls quickly stood together, concentrating their powers and spoke the Power of Three spell. Screaming, the demon erupted in a ball of flame and disappeared.

Paige looked at Clark. Strong he might be, but he clearly wasn’t able to fight magick.

“That answers that,” she said, voicing the concern all three of them had about whether Clark would be able to protect Chloe.

Clark stared down at the blackened remains of his shirt and t-shirt, touching his chest. It was unmarked. He looked up at the three girls as they helped him up. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.

[Chlollie]

Great chapter. I really like it. I can't wait for more soon, some Chloe next and some sisters! Chlark maybe? Maybe he can make her see, she is a witch. PPMS. Hope tomorrow!

[phoenixnz]

Part Seven

“What the heck was that?” he asked finally, still not quite sure what to believe.

Phoebe looked at the spot where the demon had been vanquished.

“That,” she said, “was a demon.”

Clark stared at them and Paige laughed.

“Welcome to our world,” she said.

“And now you’re telling me that Chloe ...”

“Yup.”

Piper sighed. “Is there anything else you can tell us that might help?”

“Well, Chloe’s cousin Lois works for the Inquisitor. But I doubt she’d know anything. I don’t think Chloe told her about her mom.”

Phoebe nodded. “Still, it’s worth checking out. Can you tell us where Chloe’s mom is?”

“Yeah, a hospital called Fairview. It’s about thirty miles outside of Metropolis.”

“Then that’s where we’re heading,” Piper told the three girls. “Thank you, Clark. You’ve been extremely helpful.” She smiled apologetically. “Sorry about the whole freezing thing. At least I didn’t blow you up.”

Clark started nervously. “Uh, blow me up.”

“Er, she gets that way when she’s nervous,” Phoebe explained hurriedly. “But she hardly ever does it anymore.”

“That’s comforting,” they heard him say under his breath.

The three women said goodbye and got in the car to take it back to the dealer. Clark stared after them. If this hadn’t been Smallville, he would have sworn he’d landed in the Twilight Zone.

***

Chloe was busy typing up a story when Lois came in.

“Hey cuz,” she said. “Ready to go?”

Chloe looked up at the brunette. She’d forgotten that Lois’ car was in the shop and they were driving together back home. She locked her computer and stood up, grabbing her jacket.

“Let’s go,” she said.

They decided to grab some coffee for the ride back and walked to a cafe a couple of blocks from the Daily Planet. Lois chattered away about work. She kept asking Chloe what stories she was working on until Chloe finally put her foot down.

“Lois, I am not giving you ideas so you can steal headlines from me.”

Lois looked at her, pretending to be offended. “As if,” she said. “I can get my own story ideas.”

“Whatever Lois,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, who broke the Green Arrow Bandit story, huh?”

“It’s Green Arrow, not Green Arrow Bandit,” Chloe sighed. “And that was pro bono, on account of the fact that you’re family. But don’t expect it all the time Lois. Reporting’s a rough game and I play hardball.”

“I’d still like to know who he is. I mean, all those times Ollie disappeared on me – I could swear the Green Arrow was working then.”

“But you already proved he wasn’t the Green Arrow,” Chloe said, hoping she wouldn’t go to hell for lying.

“Yeah, I know,” Lois sighed. “I still think there’s something funny about it.”

Chloe entered the cafe and stood in line to be served at the counter. Lois stood beside her, grabbing a newsletter and reading through the funny pieces, laughing out loud occasionally.

“Hey, Chlo, get this ...” she began.

Chloe wasn’t listening. She had seen the man from the day before. M’kesh or something. He was standing outside the shop, watching them.

“Um, you know what,” she said, interrupting Lois relating the story, “I don’t feel like a coffee any more. Let’s just get the car and go home.”

Lois frowned and stared at her. Chloe was turning down coffee? Miss caffeine addict? Something was definitely rotten in Metropolis. But she followed Chloe out of the store, stumbling in her heels trying to keep up with her cousin who was hurrying to where she had parked her car. Which was even stranger because Chloe was a few inches shorter and she normally had trouble keeping up with Lois.

“Hey, Chlo, what’s wrong?” she said.

“Nothing. I just want to get home, that’s all.”

“O-o-okay,” Lois said, noticing Chloe looking behind her occasionally. They kept moving with Lois wondering what had Chloe so scared.

As they rounded the corner to head to the carpark, a man stood in front of them.

“Come with us Chloe Sullivan, and no one has to get hurt.”

Chloe stopped mid-stride, her face full of fear. Lois looked at her cousin, then chanced to look behind her.

“Uh, Chlo ...”

Another man was standing behind them. Chloe grabbed her arm. “Lois, run.”

“What?”

They’d hesitated too long. The man behind grabbed Lois and she began to fight him off with all the martial arts moves she’d learned in classes. The man just seemed to take every hit as if they were nothing, grinning like a maniac. Chloe was screaming at them to get the hell away from her cousin.

Suddenly it was like all hell let loose. Something came flying toward them, hitting one of the men. Again, Lois stared as it just seemed to bounce off him. This was not good. The man who’d spoken looked calmly at both of them.

“Return with us now, Chloe Sullivan and your cousin can go unharmed. Continue to fight and she will die.”

Chloe looked at Lois, who was now in the grip of M’kesh. His arm was around her neck and he was threatening to break her neck. Chloe bit her lip. She saw no other choice. She couldn’t be responsible for Lois’ death. Lois was her best friend, as well as her cousin. She looked back at the other man, then nodded.

“Okay. But he has to let her go first.”

The man reached out to her, taking her arm. Then he nodded at M’kesh. Chloe turned tearfully to her cousin.

“Get Clark,” she said. “He’ll know what to do.”

Lois stepped forward, as if trying to prevent this. But as the two men took hold of each of Chloe’s arms, she saw there was nothing she could do. She blinked as the trio vanished. Immediately she pulled out her cellphone.

“Clark, where are you?”

“Why?” His voice was wary. She never called him by his given name unless it was something drastic and he knew that.

“Something’s happened to Chloe. I’m not sure what. I need you.”

“Where are you?”

“5th and Stirling,” she said.

“I’ll be there in five minutes. Don’t move, Lois.”

***

The sisters found themselves in the reception area of the hospital.

“And you say you’re old friends of Mrs Sullivan?”

“Yes, we’ve told you that ten times already,” Piper said impatiently. “Look, we just need to see her.”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t ...”

Piper waved her hands and froze the woman. She turned to the other two. “Okay, let’s go,” she said.

They ran up the stairs to the main wing where patients were kept. Phoebe turned to Piper.

“If she’s in a catatonic state, how are we ...”

“Don’t know,” Piper answered. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

They walked along the corridor, trying not to draw attention to themselves, knowing they didn’t have much time. They looked for the ward. Moira Sullivan was in a room at the end of the hall. She was laying in bed staring at the wall.

Piper looked at Paige. “Do your thing,” she said. Paige nodded and approached the bed.

“Mrs Sullivan? My name’s Paige. We really need your help. God, I hope you can hear me. Chloe’s in danger and we need you.”

There was no movement from the bed. Paige sighed and pulled the older woman into a sitting position. Phoebe helped her sister pull the woman to her feet and they orbed out. Piper watched, then remembered the woman on the desk, still frozen. She left the room and headed back down the hall. An orderly spotted her.

“Hey, what are you doing? This isn’t visiting hours.”

Almost squealing, Piper headed back toward the reception desk, unfreezing the woman as she made it to the door.

“ ... just let, hey where’d you go?”

Piper met the other two girls in the carpark. They were supporting the comatose woman. There was no way all four of them could orb out without dropping the older woman.

“I’ll get her to the manor then come back for you,” Paige said. She and Phoebe orbed out while Piper hid out of sight of the building.

The two sisters had left just in time. What looked like yet another demon was heading for the hospital. Piper kept herself hidden, watching as the demon went in. Obviously, they were after Mrs Sullivan as well.

She glanced at her watch. “Come on Paige,” she said, lifting herself up on the balls of her feet impatiently. “Come on.”

Back in the days when the girls were still getting used to their powers, there had always been that adrenaline rush. The constant battles with The Source, having children, the dramas that came with being The Charmed Ones – that had dampened things somewhat. Not that she still didn’t get that rush sometimes, but not as often. Piper used to wish that fate or the powers-that-be or whatever, hadn’t chosen her for this duty. To protect the innocent, to maintain the balance between good and evil. God knew, that was a full-time job in itself. She had often wished for a normal life. Hell, she’d even had that wish once. But even then, the demon world hadn’t been able to leave them be.

There was a noise behind her and she looked. Paige.

“Come on,” her sister said. Piper nodded and took Paige’s hand as they orbed back to the manor.

Leo greeted them as they came back.

“I’ve just had a message from the Elders. The other side has got Chloe.”

“What?” They were too late.

***

Lois was in hysterics when Clark got to her. She tried to tell him what happened but was talking so fast he could barely understand her.

“There were these two guys and Chloe – they were going to kill me if she didn’t go with them. And it’s like she disappeared. I didn’t know what to do.”

Clark grasped her arms, holding her. “Lois, you need to calm down. Tell me what happened. Slowly,” he added, as it looked like she was going to talk too fast again. Lois took a deep breath and told him exactly what had happened, down to every last detail. Clark realised it was exactly what the Halliwell sisters had been telling him about.

He hugged Lois when she finished. “It’s okay,” he said. “I think you did the right thing. I have a feeling they would have carried out their threat if Chloe hadn’t gone with them. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Lois pulled away from him. “Do you know what’s going on?” she asked.

Clark put an arm around her, trying to comfort her. “Let’s walk.”

“Clark?”

“Look, I’m not exactly sure I should be telling you this, but I sort of had a visit from three women. They claimed to be witches.”

Lois cocked her eyebrow at him sceptically. Then she laughed – a high, false laugh that had no mirth in it.

“Witches? Come on, that’s a fairy tale, Smallville.”

“Remember a couple of years ago? Chloe’s eighteenth birthday?”

Lois thought about that. She had gone with Lana and Chloe on some nature hike right before the party and she remembered Lana had been acting odd all day. Then Lana had given them some wine, which had tasted strange. That had been the last thing she remembered before waking up in the Kawatche caves. Clark had told them then that it looked like they’d been possessed. Chloe had laughed off the entire incident, but even Lois could tell that Chloe, who was used to the strange goings-on in Smallville from meteor infections, was disturbed by it.

“So you’re telling me witches exist?”

“Look, I don’t know, but I’ve already seen some pretty weird stuff. And judging from what happened to Chloe, I think we need to talk to the Halliwells.”

He took her hand and walked with her to a cafe. Then he took out his cellphone and dialled the number Piper had given him to keep in contact.

“Piper? It’s Clark.” He listened. “Uh-huh. Yeah, I understand. What do we do?”

He hung up and looked at Lois. “Piper says to hang tight. There’s not much we can do from here."

“Hang tight?” Lois was outraged. “My baby cousin is out there, somewhere and this Piper says to hang tight?”

“Lois, if Piper is right, they’re the only ones who can help Chloe now. Okay? We’ve just got to trust them.”

[Chlollie]

It was getting good, and you left it there! I can't wait to see some Chloe scenes, Moira scenes, and the sisters. Please post more soon. Please!

Soon, Chloe will be able to throw people around.

[phoenixnz]

Part Eight

Chloe opened her eyes and found herself lying on something hard. Some time in her leap with those two – whatever they were – she had passed out. She’d been in a lot of strange situations before, but this was ridiculous. She looked around her. It was fairly dark, but she could see light dancing on the walls. It gave her enough light to see that she was in a cavern of some sort. The walls were rock, almost like the Kawatche caves, but these were darker and damp. She had to assume she was deep underground somewhere.

The question was where. The reporter in here wanted to find the nearest computer terminal and start researching. But she had a feeling she already knew from the research she had already done. According to what she had read on the Halliwells, this was the underworld. This was where the sisters had fought the battle of good versus evil many times. Chloe still thought that was nonsense, but whatever floated their boat, she thought, her mouth twitching as she the phrase reminded her of her old friend Pete Ross.

M’kesh appeared in front of her and Chloe looked up startled. He seemed to have come out of nowhere.

“Good, you’re awake,” he said. “The master is eager to meet with you.”

“The master?” she said, weakly, discovering her voice was hoarse.

“Come,” he said, reaching out a hand. His smile was friendly. Too friendly. But Chloe let him help her up. She had no doubt that this man, creature, whatever he was, would have no qualms about killing her if necessary. She figured it was best to play along with the charade until she could figure out what was really going on.

He led her through the caverns around twists and turns until she became so disoriented she had no idea where she was. Although, she thought cynically, that was probably the idea. Then he stopped in a brightly lit area.

“He wants to see you alone.” M’kesh indicated another cave just beyond the area she was standing and Chloe walked slowly through, her heart filled with trepidation, stomach twisting in knots. She was normally fearless, but right now she was close to throwing up. When she got to the entrance to the cave, she saw it was dark and hesitated. She swallowed nervously, glancing behind her at the brightness. She couldn’t see a thing.

Suddenly, flames rose up in two columns along the far wall of the cave and she could see a man sitting on what looked like some kind of throne. She continued walking forward, heart pounding.

“Welcome, child,” a deep voice said.

Chloe looked toward the man. He was wearing a black robe, his head covered with a hood.

“I’m not a child,” she quickly returned.

“Ahh, but to me, you are.”

“Who are you?”

“Good, asking questions already. You have a fine mind my dear. I shall enjoy seeing it at work.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” she told him smartly.

The man chuckled and waved his hand casually. “I go by many names. But you seek the one name that defines me. I am The Source. In time, you will call me Master.”

“Over my dead body,” Chloe mumbled.

He chuckled again. “I admire your spirit little girl. You are very powerful. But I have more power than you can ever dream of.”

Chloe thought over her research. The Source – supposedly the king of the underworld. The ruler of all demons. According to one wicca group, The Source was not an ancient demon, but an entity, a power which could take over the corporeal body of a demon, taking on their powers, until it was defeated by the next demon.

Yet it could still be defeated, and had been, by The Charmed Ones. According to the sources she had dug up, Chloe had read that The Source was dead.

Oh come on, Sullivan, she told herself. You don’t really believe all this kahooey, do you?

“Silence, my dear?”

“This is ridiculous,” she said. “It’s some kind of elaborate charade. It’s a joke. A practical joke being played on me by my cousin, or my best friend.” She lifted her head and shouted. “Okay, really funny guys. Ha ha. I get it.”

The Source waved his hand impatiently and Chloe was suddenly surrounded by a ring of fire.

“Does this look like a ‘practical joke’?” he scoffed impatiently. “Enough!”

The flames disappeared as quickly as they had appeared and Chloe found herself staring at the hooded man.

“I don’t know what this is all about,” she said. “But you’ve got the wrong person. I don’t have powers. I don’t know what’s going on, but ...”

“Don’t you? Then perhaps this will help.”

The man suddenly took off his hood and Chloe began to scream.

***

Phoebe was in the kitchen getting some water for their guest. Piper was tending to the comatose woman, sitting her up on the sofa. Paige stood by, looking anxious.

“What if we can’t wake her,” she said.

Phoebe came back out with a glass of water and Piper lifted the woman’s head, taking the glass and tipping it so she could pour a little of the water down the woman’s throat without her choking.

“I mean,” Paige continued, “we don’t really know anything about mental illness.”

“That’s the thing,” Piper said, looking around at her youngest sister. “I’m not so sure that’s what this is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can’t you feel it?” Piper asked.

Phoebe nodded, looking at Paige. “I feel it too.”

Piper glanced at Phoebe. “Maybe if we can figure out what happened, to get her in this state, we might be able to bring her out of it.”

Paige finally understood. “I’ll get the Book of Shadows,” she said. She started running up the stairs to the attic.

Phoebe, meanwhile, had put her hand on the mother of Chloe Sullivan. She closed her eyes, trying to call on the power to see if she could bring some kind of image to mind. She gasped. The woman in her vision was a younger version of the one lying on the sofa, desperately trying to protect a young girl with mousy brown hair. She was about eight years old.

“Chloe, get back,” the woman called. The two kept backing away, while a demon advanced on them. “Run Chloe,” Moira Sullivan called. “Run to Daddy.”

The little girl was crying, holding fast to her mother’s skirt. Moira turned on her. “Go Chloe.”

Chloe turned and ran as the demon set off a fireball. But she paused at the top of the stairs, her face contorting as she concentrated, and the fireball turned back on the demon. Moira Sullivan watched as the demon exploded into nothing but ash.

Then everything changed and Phoebe had another vision, this time of Moira burning a piece of paper. Her face was full of sadness as she watched the paper burn. Once it was turned to ash, she went to the door, picking up a suitcase. A man was waiting outside for her. She left without looking back.

Phoebe gasped, then looked back at Piper. Paige came running back down the stairs.

“What is it?” she asked, seeing Phoebe’s white face.

“She was targeted by a demon. I’m not sure who. But I think they were trying to get Chloe.”

“What happened?”

Phoebe quickly told the other two what she had seen in the vision. A protective hand went on her stomach as she thought about what Moira Sullivan had done. The spell on the paper had been some kind of protection spell. A way for Chloe to be safe.

“The spell worked,” she said. “Chloe was safe from the demons.”

“Until now, at least,” Piper observed.

“Yeah, I wonder why that is,” Phoebe mused.

“Well, honey, we didn’t get our powers until Grams died.”

Phoebe nodded. “I know. But that’s because Grams did a binding spell on us when we were little.”

“To protect us from Nicholas.”

Paige had heard this story a few times, so she knew what had happened. Nicholas had been a warlock who had tried to steal the girls’ powers. That was long before she had discovered who and what she was. When Prue had been alive. The sisters had travelled back in time to the seventies to try and find out what had gone wrong and Penny had given them a spell to defeat the warlock.

“So, you don’t think she did a binding spell on Chloe?” Paige asked.

“Well, no, I don’t think so,” Piper said. “The binding spell is usually only broken if the witch that cast it dies. And, obviously ...” she said, looking at the sleeping woman.

“But it looks like she might have cast a spell to put her in this state,” Phoebe said. “It’s the only explanation.”

“And she had herself committed so no one would ask questions about it,” Paige thought aloud. She put the Book of Shadows on the table. “So, all we have to do is find the spell,” she said brightly.

Easier said than done, the three sisters thought together.

[Chlollie]

This is really getting good. I really like the flashback scenes, you did them so great!! I am so looking forward to more, Wonder what is going to happen to Chloe. And hope the sisters help, Moira.

PPMS. More soon!

[phoenixnz]

A shorter chapter and yes, time for the evil cliffie (ducking rotten tomatoes)


Part Nine

Chloe had seen a lot of strange things happen, especially in Smallville, but the man/demon, whatever it was, was hideous. His face was so disfigured it was frightening. Half of it was a mass of scars – raised masses of tissue while the other half was frozen in a permanent snarl with fangs longer than a needle.

“This is crazy,” she said when she finally stopped screaming. “What are you?”

“I have already told you, my child. I am The Source.”

“Yeah, you said that,” the blonde said. “Why am I here?”

“Because you have great power, my child. And I need your help.”

“For what?”

“There is a danger in your world. A great danger. And only you can stop him.”

“Him?” Chloe frowned.

“You are saturated with his power. Only in his destruction will you be free to be what you are.”

If there was one thing Chloe hated, it was someone being cryptic. Someone with great power, considered dangerous to the thing in front of her. She could only think of one person who might pose that much of a danger. But according to what he had told her, he was still vulnerable to magic. The whole idea was just insane.

***

When Lois wasn’t twiddling her thumbs, she was drumming her fingers impatiently on the table. Clark had walked with her to Chloe’s car and told her to drive back to Smallville and wait.

“Sit tight,” she muttered. “I hate sitting tight.”

Waiting around for some news was annoying. Aggravating. And Clark wasn’t any help. As soon as she’d got in Chloe’s car, he had taken off, telling her he would see her back in Smallville. She had to assume he had gone to get the truck wherever it was and was driving back to town himself. And he drove so slow. Honestly, Lois thought. If he drove any slower he might as well be on a horse.

There was a knock on the door and she went to answer it.

“Geez Smallville,” she said in irritation. “You can just come right in, you know?”

She opened the door to find, not Clark, but Bart. Oh, she thought, the hottie.

“Hey,” she said.

“Is Chloe here?” he asked, almost shyly.

“Um, you better come in. It’s Bart, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Want a coffee or something? I think Chloe’s got some herbal tea somewhere around here.”

“Coffee, or soda if you got it.”

“Soda, right. Yeah.” Lois grabbed a can from the fridge. “Um, look, something’s happened to Chloe.”

“What d’you mean?” he asked.

Lois quickly related what had happened. Bart seemed to understand more than she realised when he nodded.

“Bart, do you know something I don’t?”

“Chloe sort of told me some stuff last night. She said this woman told her she was some kind of a witch.”

“This woman wouldn’t be named Piper, would it?”

“Um no. But her name started with a P.” Bart grinned at that. “Anyway, Chloe didn’t really believe her. But she said there were these two weird guys.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Clark came in then. “Any news?” he said. Then he noticed Bart. “Hey Bart.”

“Hey amigo. Lois was just telling me what happened.”

“Bart and Chloe have been sort of seeing each other,” Lois explained.

Clark looked at his friend. His mouth twitched as if he wanted to laugh. He alone had seen Chloe’s reaction to Bart two years ago, and he had assumed, erroneously as it turned out, that Chloe wasn’t interested. Maybe she hadn’t been back then, but she obviously was now.

“Really,” he said after long moments of the other two looking to him for some kind of response. “That’s, um, great.”

Lois glared at him. She liked Bart. He was cute, if a bit on the flighty side. And she wasn’t about to criticise her baby cousin for falling for a cute guy. Chloe had a good head on her shoulders. Although, Lois thought with a grimace, she had had a crush on Clark for most of her high school years. Which only suggested there was really no accounting for taste.

Clark was looking back at her, his face blank, doing that same staring into space thing that he did when he was either thinking about something or listening for something. Whatever it was, it was weird. Just plain weird.

***

“Nothing,” Paige complained, tossing the Book of Shadows back on the coffee table. “There’s nothing here.”

Piper picked up the book and brushed it off. “Just because it’s not in our book, doesn’t mean the spell doesn’t exist. Maybe we should try and do a revelation spell.”

“Yeah, like that’ll work,” Paige said, sighing dejectedly.

Phoebe was busy writing on a piece of paper. “What’cha doin’ there, honey?” Piper asked. Phoebe just raised her hand and shushed her sister. She wrote something, then scribbled over it, then began sucking on the tip of the pen.

“You know, honey, you really shouldn’t suck on the pen. You know what happens when you do that.”

“Piper,” Phoebe warned. She had always been the one to come up with the better spells. Then she stood. “I got it. I got it. Why didn’t I think of this before.”

She concentrated on the woman lying on the sofa, then chanted.

“Undo the magic active here,
“Reverse the spell so all is clear.”

Piper and Paige looked on, waiting.

“Is it working?” Piper finally breathed softly.

Leo came in with the two boys. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Piper turned on her husband. “Where have you been?”

“Looking after the boys, as I promised.”

“Oh,” she said. “Sorry. Uh, things haven’t been going that great.”

He looked at the woman on the sofa. “Well, things might be looking up.”

The three women looked at Moira Sullivan, who was blinking furiously. Slowly, she began to sit up, then turned and looked at the three women.

“My god,” she said. “The Charmed Ones. I never thought I’d get the chance to meet you.”

[Chlollie]

Great, update, can't wait for more! Please post more soon.

[phoenixnz]

Part Ten

Lana entered Lex’s office, meaning to ask him his opinion on an idea she had for the wedding. She saw that Lex had company.

“Oh. I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay Lana,” Lex smiled. “Is it important?”

She smiled back. “Nothing that can’t wait.”

Lex nodded. He watched her go out, then turned to his visitor.

“So tell me again, Dr Bethany. You’re telling me this blind boy can see meteor freaks? How, exactly?”

“All I can tell you is he was blinded in the second meteor shower. But he seems to be able to pick up energy signatures from other people infected by the meteors.”

Lex stroked his jaw. “Hmm. This requires further study. Keep this quiet, doctor. For the time being. When I require your services, I expect promptness, is that understood.”

“Of course, Mr Luthor.”

The doctor went out, leaving Lex sitting behind his desk, looking thoughtful. Lana returned a short while later.

“Not still working are you?” she said.

“Now why would I do that when I can have a beautiful woman keeping me company instead?” he said, getting up to hug her. Lana sighed softly, kissing him. He held her, staring unseeing over her shoulder. But she seemed to sense his tension.

“Is everything okay?” she asked. “You seem a little tense.”

He looked at her and smiled. “It’s nothing.”

“Does it have anything to do with the explosion a couple of weeks ago?” she persisted.

Lex frowned at her. “How did you know about that?”

“I read the papers,” she said with a shrug.

“There was nothing in the building. It was just a gas leak, that’s all.”

Lana nodded, but her expression clearly showed she didn’t believe him. The truth was, Lex was annoyed. Green Arrow and his little band of terrorists had broken into one of his 33.1 facilities and had come close to exposing his experiments. What was worse was he had a report that the same group had broken into another facility on Corto Maltese. Lex had good reason for the facility. He was trying to find a way to harness the meteor power. He believed a war was coming and he wanted to protect the planet.

But the fact was, the explosion in the facility had cost him millions of dollars and at least two years of work. Recovering the data was going to be a mission in itself. It was a good thing he had found Dr Bethany. He needed more people to work with. The more he learned about the meteor infections, the more chance he had of succeeding in his goals.

***

Phoebe brought out another glass of water for the older woman.

“Here you go,” she said.

Moira Sullivan looked gratefully at the middle sister. “So, you’re ...”

“Phoebe.”

The blonde woman nodded. Then she looked at the other sisters. “And you’re Piper?”

Piper nodded. “You’ve obviously heard of us.”

“Well, of course. The Charmed Ones. Who in our world hasn’t heard of you?”

Paige looked at her, puzzled. “I don’t get it. You’ve been in a catatonic state for nearly fourteen years. How could you know?”

Moira smiled wanly, sipping the water. “Well, just because I’m in a coma, doesn’t mean I can’t hear. Or read thoughts.”

“You’re telepathic?” Piper asked. “That’s your power?”

Moira nodded. “So, Chloe’s in danger and you need my help?” she said, getting straight to the point.

The three younger women nodded.

“We think she’s been taken to the underworld,” Phoebe said gently. “Her cousin witnessed it.”

“Oh, yes. Lois. Ellen’s daughter.”

“Ellen?”

“My husband’s sister. She died when Lois was six.”

“Oh, so Lois hasn’t inherited ...”

Moira shook her head. “Gabe, my husband, he didn’t know about me. I’d rather keep it that way.”

“Why did you leave?” Piper asked. “Was it to protect Chloe?”

“Yes. A demon came after Chloe when she was eight. I knew I had to protect her, so I cast a spell on her to bind her power until she was old enough to protect herself. It was supposed to activate when she was twenty-one.”

“And she’s not twenty-one yet?”

Moira shook her head. “Not until November.”

Piper looked at her sisters, then told Leo to stay with Moira while they went into the kitchen for a confab.

“What did the Elders say to you when they assigned you to Chloe?” Piper asked Paige.

“Just that Chloe would need protecting from a great danger.”

“And they didn’t tell you what the danger was?” Piper gave an annoyed snort. “That is so like them.”

“Piper,” Phoebe sighed.

“I know, I know,” she said, frustrated. But that was the continual problem with the Elders, or the Powers-That-Be, or whatever they wanted to call themselves. They only ever gave just enough information for the three sisters to do their job. The rest they had to find out on their own. It seemed sometimes that the Elders didn’t care much about the whys and the wherefores. All they were interested in was keeping the balance between good and evil. But it wasn’t always black and white.

***

Chloe sighed. It seemed like she had been arguing with herself for hours over the whole ridiculous notion that there was an underworld. She had been taken back to the cavern where she had woken up, still lost, still confused, with no idea how to get out of this mess.

“Come on, Chloe,” she told herself. “You’re better than this. You need to find a way out of here.”

But it seemed impossible. She hadn’t been able to get her bearings and hadn’t seen anything which looked like an exit. She had thought about calling for Clark, but it occurred to her that if this was another dimension, like that thing calling himself The Source claimed it was, then there was a very good possibility that Clark wouldn’t hear her. His hearing was good. It wasn’t that good.

She tensed, hearing footsteps. Then M’kesh came into view.

“Apologies,” he said. “The master has asked me to help you learn your power.”

“What power?” she asked.

M’kesh looked puzzled. “You do not know your power?”

Chloe shook her head.

“You have the ability to move things with your mind,” M’kesh said. “It is all written.”

Chloe thought back to the first time she’d seen this man, thing, whatever he was. She had heard something fall in the alley. Had she perhaps caused it? M’kesh seemed to know what she was thinking.

“Yes, you are right,” he said softly. “Now come. We will teach you.”

Chloe followed him, still not sure about all this. But they hadn’t hurt her so far, and so far so good. When he led her into another cavern, she saw that there were two others waiting. M’kesh made her stand in the middle of the brightly lit cavern. In front of her was a small altar with a marble statue.

“The witches would never teach you this,” he whispered. He stood behind her. “Relax. Let your mind empty of all emotion, all thought. Concentrate only on the statue.”

“It’s too heavy,” Chloe said, trying to picture it lifting. She gave up after a few minutes of concentration.

“The heaviness is in your imagination, Chloe. You can do this. Block out all earthly concerns. You have a great power, Chloe. Now use it.”

Face contorting, Chloe closed her eyes and tried again to picture the statue lifting. But she could imagine the weight of it and it just felt too big. But suddenly there were murmurs from the others assembled and she opened her eyes. Stunned, her concentration broke and the statue fell to the ground. She turned, beaming, to M’kesh.

“I did it. I can’t believe I did it.”

“That’s good, Chloe,” M’kesh said. “But now you must learn to control it.”

She studied him. “Why is it so important that I learn this?”

“The master did not tell you?”

“The master?” She frowned. “Oh, you mean ...” She began to say The Source, but his expression told her not to. “He said something about a danger. Someone with great power.”

“Yes, Chloe. We need you to join the battle. You must join us, or people will suffer greatly.”

She still didn’t understand. The only person with great power that she knew of was Clark. And how could he be a threat? He cared about people. About humanity. He would never do anything to hurt others. Okay, so maybe his biological father had told him he was supposed to conquer. But it didn’t seem right somehow.

“Trust us,” M’kesh whispered. “And we can help you become very powerful.”

Chloe had always harboured a little secret jealousy toward Clark. And it aggravated her sometimes that Clark had all those abilities, but he never did anything with them, except save the people around him. He could do so much more. Like Oliver. Now there was someone who took the gifts he had and did something useful with them.

Chloe thought that if she had Clark’s powers, she would use them for far more than what Clark was doing. She certainly wouldn’t squander them. Yeah, she thought. I could show you, Clark Kent.

[Chlollie]

Great chapter can't wait for more. PPMS

[phoenixnz]

Part Eleven

The sisters rejoined Moira in the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Moira asked.

Piper sighed. “We had hoped you would be able to talk to Chloe. Convince her that we’re telling her the truth.”

“But she’s been kidnapped by demons,” Moira said, reading their minds. “So what now?”

“We need to get her back,” Piper continued. She looked at Paige. “You’ll have to orb down to the underworld and get her. Bring her back here.” I just hope it’s not too late, Piper thought. Moira looked at her and she realised that Chloe’s mother had read that.

Paige nodded. She looked at Phoebe. “I’d ask you to come with, but ...”

“I know,” Phoebe nodded. “It’s too dangerous for the baby.” She smiled. “Go Paige. We’ll be here.”

They watched as Paige orbed out, then looked at the blonde woman on the couch, sighing. It was going to be a long night.

***

Lois was sleeping fitfully, leaning on Clark’s shoulder. Clark glanced down at the young brunette beside him. He had never really considered just how much she actually meant to him. Her and Chloe, really. They were his best friends, and he had slowly come to realise just how much he relied on them. He had also begun to feel differently about Lois Lane. Yes, she was bossy, but he liked the idea of her always giving him grief. She kept him on his toes.

Clark glanced over at Bart, who was snoring lightly in the armchair. It seemed that this burgeoning relationship between Chloe and the speedster was more than he thought. Bart was genuinely concerned about Chloe. And for a guy who spent a lot of his time running, that was a big deal.

Clark had tried listening for Chloe. Normally, with his super-hearing, he could tune in to a heartbeat, or a voice, at will. But he hadn’t sensed anything remotely resembling Chloe.

He wondered if the sisters were right. They had told him about different dimension plains and that demons existed on another dimension. They called it the underworld, but it wasn’t really the underworld. It was just a different existence. And super-hearing couldn’t hear other realities. That, unfortunately, was not one of his powers.

***

Paige crept quietly along the caverns, listening. She heard the occasional scream, but nothing that might sound like Chloe. There wasn’t a single demon around either, which was unusual. Normally, they kept the underworld well-guarded. But she had yet to run into anyone. What was going on?

She continued looking, reaching out with her senses, but she still couldn’t find Chloe. She did sense the energy trail that Chloe had left, but that had been a while ago. The blonde was nowhere to be found.

She orbed back home.

“She’s not there,” she told her sisters and Chloe’s mother breathlessly.

“What do you mean she’s not there,” Phoebe asked. “She has to be.”

Paige shrugged. “It was as if it was deserted,” she explained. “I didn’t run into anyone. And you’d think they’d be on the alert for me.”

Moira stared at Paige. “So if Chloe isn’t in the underworld, where is she?”

***

Chloe waited in the darkness. M’kesh and some of the other demons had decided to take her to a bar on the roughest side of Suicide Slum in Metropolis. M’kesh stood with her.

“You know what to do,” he whispered in her ear.

“You sure I can do this?” Chloe asked.

“You can,” he said. “I’ve seen your power Chloe. And this will be fun.” He took her hand and led her into the bar.

Immediately, the men, bikers, gang members and other rough-looking types stared at her. Chloe began to feel very vulnerable. But M’kesh and coached her well, and she controlled her emotions, breathing slowly and deeply.

“Well, look what we got here,” one of the bikers said as he approached. “Little girl lost. Sweet cheeks, you’re awfully dressed up for this side of town.”

“Yeah?” she said, hoping her voice didn’t tremble. “Well, if you touch me, there’ll be hell to pay.”

The biker grinned, his hand reaching for her as he began to back her into a corner. Chloe steeled herself, trying not to feel crowded. Fear was her enemy, M’kesh had told her.

The man stunk of stale beer, tobacco and something unidentifiable. Chloe held her breath, then concentrated. A stein of beer slid from the bar and fell on the floor. Elated at her first real effort, Chloe grinned. She stared up at the big man.

“I’m warning you,” she said. “Stay away from me or I swear you won’t like what I’m about to do.”

“Aww, I just wanna play sweet cheeks.”

“Well play with this,” she said, eyes narrowing as she lifted a pool cue with her mind and whacked him on the back of the head with it.

“What the ...” he began, a little dazed. Chloe didn’t dare glance at M’kesh. She focused her mind again, this time grabbing a stool and watching in satisfaction as it slid across the floor and whacked the man on the back of the legs, making him trip backwards.

It was chaotic. Suddenly, men were everywhere, wondering what was going on and not smart enough to figure out that it was Chloe who was doing it. M’kesh looked on, grinning. Chloe gave him the thumbs up. This was fun! She steeled herself as one of the men rushed her, but M’kesh was already onto it, throwing a fireball in the man’s direction. It knocked him off his feet, but didn’t kill him.

Another demon threw a fireball at a second man and Chloe used her new-found confidence in her power to change direction so it just missed the man and exploded. Flames erupted as the fireball caught some of the alcohol spilled on the table it hit. Almost dancing in her excitement, Chloe ran out, giggling. Oh yeah, she was having fun!

***

Clark had been dozing, but he suddenly sat up. His movement woke both Bart and Lois.

“What is it?” Lois said sleepily.

He glanced anxiously down at her. “Um, nothing. Bad dream. Why don’t you go to bed and go back to sleep.”

“Mmm,” Lois curled around him. “I’m comfortable here.”

But Clark had heard something happening in the city, and he knew he couldn’t stay here and do nothing. He glanced at Bart, then got up, lifting Lois in his arms and carrying her into the bedroom. He lay her on the bed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She mumbled something sleepily and curled into a foetal position. Clark grabbed the rug and covered her with it.

“Goodnight Lois,” he said softly.

“Mm, g’night Clarkie.”

He rolled his eyes, then smiled fondly down at her. Yeah, she could be irritating. But he wouldn’t change her for the world.

***

Paige was sitting drinking hot chocolate when she gasped and jumped up, spilling the drink over her.

“Damn it,” she said, wiping ineffectually with her hand at the growing stain.

“What is it?” Piper asked sleepily.

“I don’t know,” Paige said. “But I’ll be back soon.” She orbed out, her aura rising.

Phoebe and Piper looked at each other. Something was definitely up, they thought collectively. They glanced at the older woman who was sleeping fitfully on the couch. Leo had gone to bed ages ago. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

They didn’t have to wait long. Ten minutes after Paige had orbed out, she returned.

“We have to go to Metropolis. Now.”

“Why?”

“Chloe’s there. She and a group of demons have started a brawl with some guys in a place called Suicide Slum.”

“What?” Phoebe gasped. “Why would she do that?”

“It looks like the demons are trying to seduce her to their side by showing her what she can do with her powers. But the Elders think there’s a bigger danger.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get there.”

***

Clark came back out and looked at Bart. “We have to get to the city,” he said. “There could be trouble. And I thought I heard Chloe.”

“You sure?”

Clark nodded. “I think so. Come on.”

“Where?”

“A bar in Suicide Slum.”

“Race you,” Bart said in his usual cocky way. “Come on Stretch.”

Before Clark could move, Bart was out the door. Sighing, he raced after the teen, knowing he’d never catch him anyway. In just a couple of minutes, he was in Metropolis, looking at the flames eating hungrily at the wooden walls of the bar.

“You go look for Chloe,” he told Bart. “I’m going to see if I can put these flames out before someone gets hurt.”

Racing around the back, Clark searched for the centre of the inferno and took a deep breath, concentrating all his breath on the force. Within seconds, he had blown the flames out.

“You know, that is soo like you Clark. You always have to be the party pooper, don’t you?”

Clark turned. “Chloe?”

Somehow she looked different. Harder, almost. He stood there as she walked toward him. He noticed a man standing behind her. At least, he looked like a man. But there was something strange about him too.

“You know,” Chloe said as she began tracing a circle around him, “I used to be so envious of you. All those powers. But you know what really got to me? All those years you kept hiding away. Never revealing what you could do. And you know what? It pissed me off sometimes. Because here you were, and you could do all these amazing things, but all you ever did was sit on your ass.”

“That’s not true Chloe. God, what’s happened to you?”

“I guess you could say I finally saw the light,” she laughed. “And I found some new friends who actually care about my opinions. Who don’t think of me as just a sidekick.”

“I don’t think of you that way,” Clark said. “Chloe, you’re not yourself.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Or maybe, I’m more myself than ever. God, when are you going to stop using that tired old line.”

“Chloe ...”

“Chloe help with this. Chloe research that. Chloe, Lana did this.” She wrung her hands in annoyance. “God, if I have to hear one more time about your ongoing soap opera with Lana, I’ll kill myself.” Then she smirked. “Better yet, why don’t I just ... kill you.”

[Chlollie]

You left if there, please post more soon. PPMS

[phoenixnz]

Don't worry, this isn't the end. There are still a few more parts to go.

Part Twelve

“God, if I have to hear one more time about your ongoing soap opera with Lana, I’ll kill myself.” Then she smirked. “Better yet, why don’t I just ... kill you.”

Clark stared in shock. What was going on? What had happened to Chloe. He froze as she continued walking around him.

“What about it Clark? They warned me about you, you know? It’s funny. When I first found out about your abilities, and what you really were, I thought it was kind of cool. I mean, here you were with these incredible powers, and god knows, you’ve saved my life on a few occasions.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I’m thankful you saved my life. But I have my own power now. And I can do a lot more with it than you can. See, I remember what happened when I was possessed. I know magic can hurt you. And that means I can hurt you.”

“Chloe, this is crazy.”

“Is it? You’ve spent seventeen years on this planet and what have you ever done? Nothing. Nothing except hide what you are and constantly complain about the things people do. You know, it really bugs me that you keep doing that but you never seem to want to do anything about it. You’d rather hide out on that farm, trying to be ‘normal’. Well, guess what Clark. Normal ... it’s highly overrated. I should know. I spent my life thinking I was normal. And now I find out I have this great power, and I can do so much good in the world.”

“Like starting a brawl in a bar in Suicide Slum?” Clark accused.

“Aw geez, it’s called having a little fun, Clark,” she said rolling her eyes.

“If that’s your idea of fun, Chloe ...”

“You know what? I’m bored. I am bored with your sanctimonious platitudes and the way you look down your nose at others who don’t live up to your high moral standards. Who the hell died and made you judge and jury? Who gave you the right to decide the standards we should live by? You’re not perfect Clark Kent. I’m reminded of a certain summer in Metropolis.”

Clark made a small noise in his throat, trying to back away from her as she advanced on him. But she kept moving.

“Did you think I didn’t know what you did? All those crimes you committed Clark? You are such a goddamned hypocrite. And it's about time you learned the world does not revolve around you and your problems.”

***

The sisters orbed in just in time to stop a fireball from killing one of the humans. Phoebe turned on one of the demons while Paige orbed in a weapon to vanquish another. Piper joined the battle. There had to be at least twenty demons, and they knew they wouldn’t be able to fight them all off. But they hadn’t counted on Bart. Not that knew who he was. All they saw was a red blur as Bart sped around each demon, drawing their fire and confusing the demons. One of them mistakenly shot a fireball toward one of the other demons as Bart ran circles around him and that took care of another one.

When the rest of the demons realised the Charmed Ones had arrived, they shimmered out. Sometimes it was better to call a retreat than join the fray. It was over as quickly as it had begun and Bart stopped, looking at the three women, who were all staring back at him curiously.

“What are you?” he asked.

“Witches,” Paige said, once again opening her mouth without thinking. “You?”

“Uh, not exactly sure what I am. But I’m fast.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“So, you’re the ones Chloe told me about.”

The three women looked at him.

“She told you?” Piper asked.

“Yeah, well, she is my girlfriend,” Bart grinned. “And she was kind of upset.”

Paige nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that. Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Bart said with a shrug. “Clark was here. I think he went around the back to stop the fire.”

They all looked at each other. “Come on,” Phoebe called, already on her way toward the back of the building.

The two remaining sisters looked at each other. The same thought was going through their minds. Chloe had spent some time in the underworld, and time passed differently there. Their biggest concern was whether she had been turned. If she had, they might not have a choice.

They hurried to join Phoebe, then heard an almighty crash. That sent them running to the back. What they saw worried them even more. Clark was on his back, blood coming from a cut on his lip. He’d obviously bitten his lip when he’d landed on the stack of wooden drink pallets.

Chloe was standing, looking smug, hands on her hips.

“Chloe, what have you done?” Paige said.

Eyes blazing, the blonde looked at the three sisters. She hadn’t seen Bart, who was behind the girls.

“Well,” she said, shuffling her feet and smirking. “If it isn’t the ‘Charmed Ones’.”

“Chloe, you need to stop this. Now,” Piper began in her most commanding voice. The other two wanted to smile. It was the same voice she used when talking to her two sons when she wanted them to obey. But this was too serious a situation. Chloe had already been brainwashed by the demons. It was a question now of whether the good part of her was strong enough to fight that brainwashing.

“Chloe, listen to me. This is not you. Do you really want to hurt your friend, Clark?”

Chloe looked unrepentant. “He’s not my friend. He never was.”

“That’s not true Chloe,” Clark said, struggling painfully to his feet. He’d obviously landed a lot harder than it looked, which said a lot for the strength of Chloe’s power.

The three women looked at each other. They didn’t like this. They didn’t want to lose a good witch. But they might not have a choice. They each kept a wary eye on the blonde, waiting to see what she was going to do. Piper stepped forward, going to speak to her again. But Chloe held up her hands in defensive mode and they knew she was going to strike again.

Bart, meanwhile, had been watching the proceedings. He didn’t know these three women, but he sensed they were good. That they actually cared. And he couldn’t let them get hurt. He blurred forward, pushing Piper gently out of the way.

“Don’t do this Chloe. This isn’t you.”

“Maybe it’s more me than ever,” she said nastily.

“No, it’s not. The Chloe I know wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. Not if she could help it. She’s beautiful, on the inside as well as the outside. And I care about her. And the Chloe I know wouldn’t turn on her friends.”

“Then maybe you don’t know me at all.”

Bart glanced at Clark, who was standing, watching, knowing that this was something he couldn’t do. It was up to Bart to reach her.

But there was still one demon who had remained out of sight all this time. M’kesh.

“You’re too late, witches,” he said. “She’s ours.”

The three women were silent. This wasn’t their battle. They all realised that now. The five assembled watched the inner battle in Chloe as Bart approached her.

“If you want to hurt anybody Chloelicious,” deliberately using the pet name he’d come up with for her, “then start with me.”

“Don’t think I won’t,” she warned.

Chloe gathered her thoughts and her strength. She still wondered where this power had come from, wondering if it was part of a meteor infection. After all, she had been around the meteors often enough, having lived in Smallville for seven years. But she liked the heady rush she got from using the power. She liked the way it made her feel.

But Chloe was wavering. The darkness inside her was warring with the good part of her. The part that was falling in love with this young man. The man who could run so fast he could be in one place one moment, and in another the next and she wouldn’t even realise he had gone. He often used the same phrase when he looked at her. ‘Muy caliente’. He thought she was hot. He made her feel good about herself. He was the one person above all others who had told her she was beautiful and he meant it. Not even Clark could have convinced her of that.

“Do it Chloe,” M’kesh ordered. “End this.”

“Look at me,” Bart said softly. “You don’t want this. You’re too good for this.”

Chloe stepped back. “I ... I ...”

“Fight it Chloe,” Bart said.

“No!” M’kesh cried out. Chloe hesitated, then raised her hand, concentrating. Bart steeled himself, but it became clear she was not aiming at him. M’kesh flew through the air, landing in a broken heap against the same pallets she had thrown Clark against just minutes before.

Grinning, Bart went to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Bart,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said, petting her hair. “It’s okay.”

[Chlollie]

Great chapter, can't wait for more. PPMS

[phoenixnz]

Part Thirteen

Chloe finally pulled gently away from Bart and looked at Clark, who was now showing no sign of having been hurt.

“Clark, I’m sorry.”

Clark shook his head. He realised that she had a lot of unresolved issues. Over his secret, and his abilities and his constant requests for help. He figured they would need to talk about all this once it was all over.

Piper spoke up. “We need to get out of here before it starts getting light. I’m sure the police will be here any minute to investigate.”

“It’s Suicide Slum,” Chloe said. “They tend to take their time around here.”

Piper nodded at the blonde. “Well, we have someone at Halliwell Manor who would really like to see you right now. If that’s okay.”

Chloe nodded. “How do we get there?” she asked.

Paige came forward. “Well, I can orb, or Bart or Clark can bring you. It’s up to you.”

Bart grinned. “No problemo.” He put his arms around Chloe. Piper told him exactly where to go and he zipped off with Chloe in his arms. The three sisters looked at Clark. He grinned at them. “I’ll be there in a little bit. I’m fast, just not as fast as Bart.”

The three women grinned back, joining their hands. They were surrounded by a bright light, then disappeared. Clark looked around him quickly, satisfied that no one else was hurt. M’kesh was slowly coming to and he was tempted to go help him, or talk to him. But as the demon got up, he gave Clark a dirty look and vanished, his image seeming to shimmer as it disappeared.

***

Chloe stared at the older blonde woman sitting on the couch. She was still in Bart’s arms, recovering from the cross-country trip they’d done in two minutes. And that was only because Bart had gone a little slower in deference to her. She let herself down on the floor, continuing to stare.

“Mom?”

“Chloe?” Moira stood, her face pale as she looked at her daughter. Then suddenly the two women were in each other’s arms hugging and kissing as if their lives depended on it.

“What happened to you? How did you end up in the hospital?”

“Chloe, your hair, “Moira said at the same time. “Let me look at you. God, you’re so grown up.” Their words seemed to run into each other and they laughed.

Chloe held her mother’s hand as they both sank down on the couch. The three sisters watched the reunion, then discreetly disappeared to the kitchen. Bart, and Clark, who had just arrived, followed them. Neither blonde noticed them leaving.

“Mom, I don’t get it. What happened?”

“Chloe, I know Paige told you you’re a witch.”

Chloe scoffed. Even through the events of the past few hours, she still didn’t believe her TK was anything more than a meteor power. After all, it was the same kind of power Justin Gaines had developed when he’d lost the use of his hands in the accident.

Moira brushed her hair back from her face.

“Sweetheart, it’s not a meteor power. You weren’t anywhere near Smallville when the meteors hit.”

“But I’ve been exposed to them a few times.”

“And your natural-born abilities protected you from them. Chloe, did I ever tell you about your ancestors?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

“Well, there was a woman, named Sarah. She lived in Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century. When she was a young woman, there were some children in the village who became very sick. The local physician couldn’t find anything wrong and the people there began to think the children were possessed. So they accused a number of women of being witches.”

“Yeah, but many of the women accused were only accused because they owned their own land or were rich widows or something.”

Moira nodded. “Yes, that is true. They believed in those days that women were only born to serve men.”

Chloe nodded. It was a feminist’s nightmare. Women were considered nothing more than chattel, property to be owned. She would have hated to live in that time.

“Anyway,” her mother continued, “Sarah, your ancestor, spoke out and she was also accused of being a witch. She was one of the few people for whom that accusation was actually true. But she managed to escape because she had a premonition, rather like Phoebe here. She left Salem and came to Kansas where she lived on a farm and had a young daughter. Each generation that followed from her had different powers.”

“So, if my power is TK ...”

“Telepathy,” Moira answered with a smile, not even letting her daughter finish the thought. She sighed. “Oh Chloe, there were so many times I wanted to reach out to you, but the spell I cast ...”

“Wait. You cast a spell so you’d put yourself in a catatonic state? I don’t get it. I mean, from all the stuff I read about wicca, it’s not supposed to be for personal gain.”

“And what did I gain from it Chloe? Except to protect my daughter?” She looked steadily at Chloe, her eyes like emerald pools. “I had to bind your powers and leave you. To protect you from the demons. You’re a very powerful witch Chloe. Your grandmother had the sight that Sarah had and she saw your power long before you were born. And I knew when a demon tried to take you from me that you would be very valuable to them.”

“But I don’t understand. Binding my power made me more vulnerable.”

“No, because they couldn’t track you then. They can only track a witch by her power, by the energy signature. The sisters will explain it to you.”

Chloe nodded. “Will you stay out of the hospital now? I mean, now that the spell is lifted.”

“Yes.” Chloe’s face lit up in a bright smile. She had so many plans for her and her mother now that Moira could live a normal life. Well, as normal as could be, now that she knew her heritage.

***

Clark looked at the three sisters. “So, what happens now?” he said.

Piper had made them all hot chocolate and they were sitting at the big table in the kitchen so mother and daughter could have some time together.

“Well,” Piper said, “hopefully, Chloe will want to learn more about what she is and accept it.”

“What about the demons?” Clark asked. “They won’t stop.”

Paige looked at him. “We can teach her to defend herself. It won’t be so bad once she knows what to do.”

“That’s if she wants to be taught,” Phoebe reminded her sisters.

“You think she won’t?” Paige asked.

“Well, they did almost turn her into one of them.”

“No, Chloe’s strong,” Bart said. “She won’t let that happen again.” Clark nodded in agreement.

“But it’s pretty clear she has some issues,” Phoebe said, now taking on the guise of the advice columnist and counsellor. She nodded at Clark. “Especially around you.”

Clark sighed. “Yeah, I admit I’ve kind of taken her for granted a bit. I guess I’ve always kind of expected her to be there to help.”

“It’s not easy, is it? Being what you are. It’s kind of lonely.”

Clark looked steadily at Phoebe. “Are you sure you’re not telepathic?”

Phoebe laughed. “No, but I did get a glimpse of your future. You’re going to go on to help millions of people,” she told him. “But I don’t know if you have someone in your life. That’s a little hard to see.”

“I guess it’s not something you can turn on and off like a faucet.”

Phoebe stared at him, her eyes twinkling. “You know, you’re a lot smarter than you pretend to be Clark Kent.”

“I have to admit,” Paige said. “I never expected you to be so open-minded.”

“Please, I’m an alien,” he protested, laughing. “And I live in Smallville. If you’d seen the weird stuff I’d seen, you’d understand.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised what we’ve seen,” Piper drawled and suddenly all five of them started laughing.

Leo came down the stairs yawning.

“Hey, it’s a party,” he said, with a tired smile. Piper kissed him on the cheek, then looked at the two young men. “Clark, Bart, this is my husband Leo.”

Clark held out a hand to Leo who winced at the strength of his grip. “You’re the whitelighter,” Clark said. Leo glanced at Piper and she nodded, telling him that Clark knew everything.

Chloe and Moira came in and Chloe was also introduced to Leo. Moira had met him briefly. Chloe told those assembled briefly what she and her mother had talked about. It had been agreed that Chloe would look for an apartment in the city for her and mother to live together. At least until Moira got herself sorted.

As far as they were concerned, the danger they’d all been warned about was over. Chloe would learn to defend herself and to be able to recognise demons. The four guests decided the best thing to do would be to bunk down in the Manor for the rest of the night so they could all get a couple of hours sleep.

As Phoebe went to help her sisters find some extra blankets, she accidentally brushed against Chloe. She bit back a gasp. Chloe didn’t notice anything was wrong, too busy talking to the two boys and her mother. But both Paige and Piper did. They waited until they were out of earshot of the others.

“What is it honey?” Piper asked, seeing her sister’s white face.

“It’s not over,” Phoebe said. “I don’t think the demons are the danger the Elders tried to warn us about.”

“Are you saying there’s something else? Another threat?” Paige asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”