Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Never Say Goodbye

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #61
    Great update! If only we could have seen this on the show....looking forward to the next update.

    Comment


    • #62
      Originally Posted by BkWurm1
      She had no answers, no way of turning back and knowing how this would end didn’t change how she felt or what she needed. Perhaps knowing she was going to lose it all made her feel everything with sharper intensity. Holding Clark, feeling his arms around her wasn’t enough. She needed more and needed to give more.
      dh1031
      Err...in the middle of the frozen arctic?? Couldn't they wait the few moments it would take for Clark to zip them back to the farm?
      Ha! I can't say that didn't occur to me but I was trying to go for Chloe not really thinking anything but the moment, not of where they were, not even of where anything would lead. Plus all that sunlight really warmed up the place!

      star999
      Great update! If only we could have seen this on the show.
      Sigh, if only. Thanks for reading and replying. I very much appreciate any comments and of course all readers.

      Comment


      • #63
        You did not just do that!!!! That's even worse than the cliffhanger you left when she beamed off to the Fortress with no guarantee of return!

        Okay, *counting backwards from ten* The nasty suspended angst, honest and frightening truth aside, I loved this chapter. It was my favorite by far and probably the best, hottest, sweetest Chlark moment I've read in a long time.

        The imagery, the detailed emotions, the vivid eloquent wording. *sigh* To be immersed in writing like this is what I crave. And you fed that addiction brilliantly.

        //Her delusions were beginning to feel incredibly real and her final fantasies were kind ones.//

        I so felt for Chloe when this happened, but I knew he was coming around. Clark will never stay down and out for ever and you couldn't let Chloe die a slow agonizing death in that cold (in two ways) igloo.

        //He urging her to keep going, knowing she would never refuse him when he told her he needed her. //

        Yay for Clark remembering that, but damn if he isn't really manipulative. Reminded me of Devoted when he kissed her, after telling her he didn't feel the same, knowing it wasn't going to let her get over him anytime soon.

        //The strength of her heart put all of his abilities to shame.//

        It's why her ability as a healing empath made so much sense. There's no one in SV that has more heart.

        Even as he thought about all the noble reasons for stopping, I knew what Chloe's reaction would be. And how wouldn't when she's always been the one in-control, setting their boundaries, always throwing up the friend flag as a defense. The one time she's full in-control of her own mind and decides to show him everything, he backs off. How else is she supposed to interpret it?

        Comment


        • #64
          iluvaqt
          You did not just do that!!!! That's even worse than the cliffhanger you left when she beamed off to the Fortress with no guarantee of return!

          Okay, *counting backwards from ten* The nasty suspended angst, honest and frightening truth aside, I loved this chapter. It was my favorite by far and probably the best, hottest, sweetest Chlark moment I've read in a long time.

          The imagery, the detailed emotions, the vivid eloquent wording. *sigh* To be immersed in writing like this is what I crave. And you fed that addiction brilliantly.
          Thank you, thank you. I'd reworked that section so much that I wasn't sure how anyone would take it.

          I am sorry for the evil cliffhanger, but I just couldn't let my ultimate fix it story go without Clark confessing his sins. That it serves more of a purpose than just giving Chloe a reason to be mad was just a bonus, one that hopefully will make sense.


          //He urging her to keep going, knowing she would never refuse him when he told her he needed her. //

          Yay for Clark remembering that, but damn if he isn't really manipulative
          I swear, he feels real bad about it!

          Even as he thought about all the noble reasons for stopping, I knew what Chloe's reaction would be. And how wouldn't when she's always been the one in-control, setting their boundaries, always throwing up the friend flag as a defense. The one time she's full in-control of her own mind and decides to show him everything, he backs off. How else is she supposed to interpret it?
          Yeah, Clark isn't always the brightest bulb, though, in his defense, Chloe is doing her share of overthinking, though I also don't mind making Clark work for it some. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. The reviews always make my day/night/midnight snack/ late afternoon nap/...not that I'm checking often or anything.

          Comment


          • #65


            Absolutely breathtaking! I could practically feel Chloe's heartbreak when Clark told her 'No'.

            Their embraces and the description of the jilted misunderstanding were right on key, perfect.

            My particular favorite imagery was whe Clark pulled away from her, after seeing all of his bood stained on her skin. Quite the image when contrasted against the white of the Fortress.



            So glad you decided to continue

            Comment


            • #66
              Amazing...

              That chapter was just the most amazing, beautiful and eloquent love story!

              I hope she doesn't walk away! That she lets him explain enough until she understands that even though he knew it was soooooo wrong, the 'mind-wipe' was requested with only her happiness in mind. That he was willing to sacrifice his happiness just so that she would have a chance at her own happiness! Something she probably would understand because she's spent half her life doing the same for Clark. Both sacrificing because neither believes the other could ever love them! Such a pair! It is time for them to stop second-guessing what the other wants... which is exactly what you have Clark doing: not letting her deny that she revealed her heart and soul to him AND he believes her!

              Hopefully Chloe will believe him, too.

              Looking forward to being rescued from the edge of the cliff you've so cleverly left us dangling on...

              Comment


              • #67
                OK, wow and ouch. You've done a masterful job of marrying unbelievable ecstacy, and overpowering turmoil. I simply adored their emotional reunion. Everything had come to a head, and things looked like they were finally coming together the way they should. Then Clark had to go and screw things up by being a gentleman. His best intentions have caused more problems than any meteor freak or Zoner or Kandorian ever could.

                I don't like where this is currently headed. Methinks Chloe is going to be super pissed when he tells her he erased her memories. I think it's a good thing they're in the FOS, if they were anywhere else, Chloe would storm off and leave him heartbroken and alone. I just hope Clark is able to summon all of his mental capacity so he can convince her he's worth taking a risk on. Although, based on past instances, I think he's in deep trouble.

                Hopefully, things will be resolved between them without any bloodshed. But they will definitely need an extended session of make-up sex. Another great update! I'm dying to see the conclusion to this standoff!

                Comment


                • #68
                  Ppms!!!!

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Ok, I'm trying to figure out how did I miss this amazing update!
                    That was beautiful!!
                    Please, Please update this really soon!
                    Pretty Please with a cherry on top of a Chlark sundae

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Great couple of updates...

                      Great couple of udaptes this is getting good. Clark is going to confess it going to be a knock out drag with Chlark. Can't wait for more.

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        elliottxoxo
                        Absolutely breathtaking! I could practically feel Chloe's heartbreak when Clark told her 'No'.

                        Their embraces and the description of the jilted misunderstanding were right on key, perfect.

                        My particular favorite imagery was whe Clark pulled away from her, after seeing all of his bood stained on her skin. Quite the image when contrasted against the white of the Fortress.



                        So glad you decided to continue
                        Thank you for deciding to keep reading!

                        Mari2Anne
                        That chapter was just the most amazing, beautiful and eloquent love story!
                        You made me squee.

                        I hope she doesn't walk away! That she lets him explain enough until she understands that even though he knew it was soooooo wrong, the 'mind-wipe' was requested with only her happiness in mind. That he was willing to sacrifice his happiness just so that she would have a chance at her own happiness! Something she probably would understand because she's spent half her life doing the same for Clark. Both sacrificing because neither believes the other could ever love them! Such a pair! It is time for them to stop second-guessing what the other wants... which is exactly what you have Clark doing: not letting her deny that she revealed her heart and soul to him AND he believes her!

                        Hopefully Chloe will believe him, too.

                        Looking forward to being rescued from the edge of the cliff you've so cleverly left us dangling on...
                        The next chapter is still not the end, and if it isn't a complete rescue from the cliff, it is a lifeline handed out while the rescue planes circle around. Who knew these two had so much baggage to take care of first?

                        The Fallen Sky
                        OK, wow and ouch. You've done a masterful job of marrying unbelievable ecstacy, and overpowering turmoil.
                        Nothings so simple with those two.
                        I simply adored their emotional reunion. Everything had come to a head, and things looked like they were finally coming together the way they should. Then Clark had to go and screw things up by being a gentleman. His best intentions have caused more problems than any meteor freak or Zoner or Kandorian ever could.
                        Ha! You are so right!

                        I don't like where this is currently headed. Methinks Chloe is going to be super pissed when he tells her he erased her memories. I think it's a good thing they're in the FOS, if they were anywhere else, Chloe would storm off and leave him heartbroken and alone. I just hope Clark is able to summon all of his mental capacity so he can convince her he's worth taking a risk on. Although, based on past instances, I think he's in deep trouble.

                        Hopefully, things will be resolved between them without any bloodshed. But they will definitely need an extended session of make-up sex. Another great update! I'm dying to see the conclusion to this standoff!
                        Clark majorly messed up and while I have full confidence in Chloe's super power...forgiving the BDA, he deserves to squirm just a bit. Thanks for the lovely review and of course for still reading!

                        ilovethursdays
                        Ppms!!!!
                        Next section coming up very soon. Wish it was the last one, but no, these people just have so much to say.

                        Zannah25
                        Ok, I'm trying to figure out how did I miss this amazing update!
                        That was beautiful!!
                        Please, Please update this really soon!
                        Pretty Please with a cherry on top of a Chlark sundae
                        Aww, shucks ma'am, twernt nothin'. Sorry for the update delay, but the next part coming up very soon.

                        snookie16
                        Great couple of udaptes this is getting good. Clark is going to confess it going to be a knock out drag with Chlark. Can't wait for more.
                        Glad you liked them. Yep, nothing quite like a honest Chlark fight, plus if you liked part 4, you will enjoy the direction part 6 goes.


                        New update coming withing the half hour!

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          BkWurm1
                          New update coming withing the half hour!
                          Alright!!! The knock-out argument commences soon! *does happy dance*

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Never Say Goodbye, part 6

                            Thank you elliottxoxo,Mari2Anne,The Fallen Sky,ilovethursdays,Zannah25,snookie16,iluvaqt ,star999,
                            dh1031
                            you guys are absolute gems for reviewing. Everything you say means a lot. Big thanks to all the other readers as well.

                            Noticed it seems a few might have missed reading part 4. Reading it wasn't really needed to understand part 5, but part 6 will make a lot more sense if you do.

                            Title: Never Say Goodbye
                            Pairing: Chlark!!
                            Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements)
                            Spoilers through Salvation (End of Season 9)
                            Summary: A Chlarky ending to Smallville. Story begins at Watchtower minutes before Clark falls from the tower. Clark Kent is dead. Chloe will stop at nothing to change that but where do they go from there?


                            “Don’t say that, this can’t be goodbye.” He clenched his fists at his sides. She was pulling away from him emotionally. His chance to make her believe was slipping away fast. He had to tell her. It was the only choice left. He had to tell her and hope that she loved him enough to forgive him for the unforgivable. “Yes I walked you down the aisle but first I had Jor-El do something so I could stand it.”

                            Chloe’s shoulders stiffened and she slowly turned around to face him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “You expect me to believe you asked Jor-El to play with you mind?” She stared at him incredulously.

                            “No, not my mind.” He swallowed hard and dropped his gaze to the side, unable to look her in the eyes. “Yours.”




                            Part 6
                            Chloe froze.

                            Clark rushed to get out his confession. “When Brainiac started erasing your memories, I brought you to the fortress and Jor-El was able to reverse the process, only… I also had him remove any trace of my secret and hero work from your mind.”

                            “No,” she denied, air rushing out of her lungs. “That can’t be true. I remember, I remember everything. You would never do that to me.”

                            His temples started to throb. He was going to lose her. He deserved to lose her.

                            Clark wearily finished his guilty admission. “When Brainiac was removed, your memory came back.” Chloe gasped and he bowed his head in shame. “I thought taking that knowledge was the only way for you to be safe.” He glanced up briefly to see Chloe still shaking her head in denial. His shoulders slumped further down and he had to look away again. “I told myself it was a gift to take away the burden of my secret.”

                            “A gift?” She repeated skeptically, sounding stunned.

                            How could he explain? “Knowing about me is dangerous. You take so many chances and my secret was coming between you and Jimmy and I knew in order for you to have a chance at normal, I was going to have to back out of the picture.”

                            “So you gutted my mind and left me blind to the dangers still all around me?” Clark flinched at her acid tone. He forced his gaze to meet hers.

                            Chloe looked at him in horror. “You might as well have killed me. The person I am is inseparable from what I’ve experienced. I would never trade knowing I’ve made an impact on the world for anything.”

                            Her words twisted in his gut as painfully as Zod’s dagger. On the very day he had Jor-El take her memories, she’d told him close to the same thing. “I told myself if you didn’t know my secret then you would be safe and have what you wanted in Jimmy.”

                            “Wanted Jimmy?” She scowled. “Clark, I had Brainiac in my head, I don’t know what I really wanted.” She wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. “You had no right.” Her voice quavered even as she seethed in anger. She was breathing hard and clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.

                            “No. I didn’t.” He softly agreed. “But I did it anyway,” he admitted dejectedly, refusing to keep any more secrets. Misery and confusion flashed over Chloe’s face mixing with her temper.

                            Clark kept his eyes glued on her face. Their future depended on what he did and said in the next few minutes. “I swear I’d never do anything like that again and I didn’t go a day without regretting it. I told myself I did it for you, but,” he swallowed nervously, “and I thought about this a lot while you were missing with Davis, the thing is, I really did it for me.” Chloe eyed him warily and waited for him to finish. “I didn’t know how to let you go.”

                            “Let me go? I came to you. I practically begged you to give me a reason not to marry Jimmy and you never said anything.”

                            “I was too late. I couldn’t compete with the normal life he could give you.” Chloe closed her eyes and looked away. Clark wiped his uncharacteristically sweaty palms on his pants.

                            “When I found that old letter of yours, I knew then I’d really lost out.” He exhaled heavily. “I tried concentrating on being the Blur, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what I couldn’t have, what I’d been too blind to grab a hold of when I had the chance.”

                            Chloe threw her hands up in the air and started pacing. “So you had Jor-El give me a lobotomy?”

                            Clark flushed. “I wasn’t thinking. I thought letting go would hurt less if you didn’t know me as well as you did.”

                            Chloe stopped pacing. Looking straight ahead she asked, “Did it?”

                            “No. It was worse because even though you were still there, I made the real you disappear.” Clark touched his chest, remembering the hollow ache he’d carried around after he realized what he’d done. He’d thought he’d understood what he was sacrificing, but how could he have?

                            In the years since Chloe had found out his secret, he’d taken for granted her easy acceptance and ready understanding. She never feared his powers or viewed them as alien. She just accepted his abilities as normal for him. His parents accepted him too, but their constant worry abut someone discovering his abilities meant that until he’d seen himself through Chloe’s eyes, he’d never thought to think what normal for him really meant. During the weeks without Chloe having her memory, Clark went back to feeling alien and alone. That feeling returned and stayed with him all this last year, ending only when he woke up in her arms.

                            If he didn’t convince Chloe to give him another chance, he might not ever feel whole again. “I tried to convince myself despite what I’d lost, you at least would be happy, then it turned out Brainiac was still in your mind and when he was removed you were you again, but you were still married to Jimmy and after what I had done…I didn’t deserve you.”

                            “Oh, but now I’m supposed to accept rewriting my brain as proof that you loved me?” Chloe bit her trembling lower lip. “How am I supposed to forgive you for this?”

                            His heart skipped a beat. She was trying to find a way to forgive him. He took a step in her direction and when she didn’t back away, he took another. “I don’t know. You’ve already put up with more than I have any right to ask of you, but I’m hoping maybe you can understand how hurting can lead to doing things you regret.”

                            Chloe’s chin went up. “I was fifteen years old. What’s your excuse?”

                            He held his hands up. “I don’t have one.”

                            “Then why? Why would you do that to me?”

                            He shook his head. “I tried to tell myself I was doing something good, even being noble in giving you up, but I was lying to myself.”

                            “I don’t understand.”

                            “I knew that when you got married the way we were friends would have to stop. The telephone calls, the movie nights, just getting the chance to see you every day. Things had already started to change but when it came to my secret, nothing had changed.”

                            “I still don’t understand.”

                            “Chloe, what I did was one of the most stupidly selfish things I’ve ever done, ranking up there with my summer on RedK and what I did to my father. I was supposed to let you go.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I wasn’t strong enough to do it on my own and thought it would be easier if I no longer had a choice. I felt like I was going to lose you anyway, at least this way you’d be safe and I thought all the confusion would go away, but just the opposite happened.”

                            Emotion swelled in her eyes and for a moment he thought he’d gotten through to her. Instead she insisted stubbornly, “That doesn’t mean that you loved me; at least not as anything more than a friend.”

                            He ground his teeth together. “We passed the 'just a friend' stage a long time ago and I wanted more; I still do.” He took a step closer.

                            Something like panic flashed in her eyes. “I’m not the same person I used to be. The girl you say you love might not even exist anymore.”

                            Clark shook his head. “That’s not true. I didn’t fall in love with some ideal. I fell for the real you, with all your flaws mixed in.” Chloe backed away and started pacing again. A stubborn glint winked in her eyes.

                            “How am I supposed to believe that when you won’t even bother to remember what kind of sandwich I like. You once brought ham and Swiss on rye three times in the same week even after I kept telling you I didn’t like the combo. How can I believe you really see me when you couldn’t even keep something simple like that straight?” She challenged with her hand on her hip.

                            “As if remembering would have mattered. Chloe you stopped eating a real lunch about three months after starting at the Planet. You pick at whatever you have in front of you then use the calories you save to splurge on Thai or Chinese take out in the evening.”

                            “That’s not the point.”

                            “I think it is.” He grabbed her hand and forced her to stop pacing. “I know you, the you sometime even you try to hide from.”

                            “And what is that supposed to mean?” She snatched her hand out of his and frowned.

                            He hesitated and then blurted out. “I mean Watchtower.”

                            “I am good at what I do,” she hissed, rising up on her tip toes. “Don’t you dare say otherwise.”

                            He shook his head. “I’m not. You are good, sometime so good it’s scary but it’s not what you were meant to do.” He cocked his head. “Why’d you stop? It wasn’t just about Lex. Why’d you give up on your dreams?”

                            “Dreams change.”

                            “Yours haven’t,” Clark insisted. “No matter how much we needed you to form Watchtower and pull the team back together, you can’t tell me that life is making you happy.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “You deserve to be happy.”

                            She stiffened beneath his touch. “Watch it,” she warned and stared pointedly at his hand. “After swiping my memories, I don’t think you should be deciding what makes me happy.”

                            Clark moved his hand and then ran it back through his hair, making some strands stick up in all directions. “I’m not trying to force you to do anything, that’s what was different about before. I wanted to you be happy and tried to force it to work even though a part of me knew you shouldn’t be with Jimmy.” At her narrowed eyes, he nodded his head. “You’re right, I never said anything, but I’m not making that mistake again.”

                            She threw her hands up in the air and whirled around to walk away. “What do you want from me?”

                            He zipped in front of her. “Everything,” he told her and risked holding both of her shoulders. “I want you to follow your dreams. I want you to be there when the world needs saving and I want you to give me another chance even if I don’t deserve it.”

                            He searched her face. “I need you Chloe. For so long I was blind and then I was afraid what would happen to our friendship and then I was too late.” His forehead furrowed. “I don’t think I can be who I am meant to be if I don’t have you. I knew it before and I’ve had a whole year now to pound into my skull how messed up my life is without you, how messed up I am without you.”

                            She looked up, blinking rapidly, her eyes glistening. “I get it; you want me to stay.” Her mouth twisted. “I get it. I do. Jor-El played with your mind, you almost had to leave with the Kandorians, hell,” dark sorrow clouded her eyes and roughened her voice, “you died tonight.”

                            She dragged in a shuddering breath. After swallowing hard, she regained control of her composure. “Which by the way is the only reason I’m even still speaking with you, but none of that has anything to do with you actually wanting me as more than a friend. Nothing’s changed.”

                            “You’re wrong.” He gave her a gentle shake. “I am glad I alive and yes, I’m glad I get to stay on Earth. Even as messed up as my mind was, I hated leaving you. I never even got to say goodbye, you just slipped away from me. I wanted to go after you but Oliver didn’t think…

                            Chloe gasped, suddenly remembering the outside world. “Oliver! Oh!” Chloe grabbed Clark’s hand. “He was taken. I was working on trying to find him when Hawkman brought you to Watchtower.” She swallowed against the guilt that rose up. She remembered how desperate she’d been to find Oliver, but when Hawkman came in with Clark, everything else went out of focus. Her world still felt fuzzy but for her peace of mind, she needed to convince Clark to return right away.

                            Before she could form an argument, Clark squared his shoulders and nodded once. “Then we need to go.”

                            Chloe’s breath hitched and her eyes swam with tears. On some things, they always understood each other. She laid a hand on his chest. “There’s something else I need to tell you too. Lois knows your secret.”

                            “How?”

                            Chloe forced a rueful smile. “Seems the Blur kissed her and she recognized Clark Kent in those lips.” Clark’s eyes darted away and she thought she saw a hint of pink in his cheeks as he frowned.

                            “So she saw me…”

                            “Dead.” She nodded. “I don’t know how long it would have taken me to drag you to the portal if she hadn’t been there to help. I told her if I didn’t come back to go to Watchtower. I don’t know how long she would wait.” How could she have forgotten about Lois’s place in this drama as well?

                            “We’ll stop at the caves first.” Clark decided. He picked up the red blanket and shook it out before draping it over Chloe’s shoulders. He then tucked the ends together to help keep her warm, lifted her to his chest and sped off.

                            Chloe had hardly buried her face in his neck before the roaring feeling around her subsided. She glanced up to see they were outside the Kawatche caves. Night still ruled in Smallville, but her eyes adjusted quickly. “The truck’s gone,” she observed.

                            “The cave is empty.” Clark confirmed and they zipped to the Kent farm. His truck was parked by the barn.

                            “Lois must have traded it in for her car and headed to Metropolis.”

                            Clark nodded and lowered her feet to the ground. “Give me a second.” He vanished and returned ten seconds later with damp hair and fresh clothing. He’d washed and exchanged his torn and stained wardrobe for jeans and a familiar blue t-shirt stretched taunt over his chest. “Do you want me to stop at the Talon?”

                            She shook her head. “I can shower and change at Watchtower.” He gathered her back up into his arms and zeroed in on Metropolis.

                            At the edge of downtown, he slowed and then bounded up into the sky. Despite the circumstances, a thrill raced up her spine. As she twisted and craned her neck to see the shrinking streets below, one end of the crimson cloth slipped off her shoulder and trailed behind them as they arched past the gleaming globe turning on top of the Daily Planet. Moments later, they landed gently on the roof of Watchtower.

                            Clark set her on her feet and she unwrapped the red blanket from her shoulders. Before she could walk away, he laid a hand on her arm. He waited until she raised her eyes to meet his glance. His mouth was flat and his eyes intent. “We’re not done,” he told her. Still fighting the giddiness that came with traveling in Clark’s arms, Chloe guarded her expression and only acknowledged his message with a curt nod.

                            Clark held open the rooftop hatch leading onto the upper tier of Watchtower. As Chloe entered, a tangle of voices and sounds rose from the main floor. Since none of the team noticed their arrival yet, she paused and looked down from the top of the curved staircase.

                            Every display screen was active. News reports, video clips, and camera feeds from around downtown played on multiple displays across from them on the upper tier where Dinah was using a computer bank. Down below J’onn sat at the main desk, his fingers clacking away at the keyboard and Victor was plugged into the computer station in the middle of the room, his focus just as intent as he plowed through complex algorithms and computer code. Stalking back and forth between them was Oliver wearing his street clothes. He muttered something she couldn’t understand before barking impatiently, “This is taking too long!”

                            The significance of his presence finally sunk in. They’d found Green Arrow.

                            Relief made her let out the breath she was holding. “Oh, thank goodness.” She whispered softly and searched the room for the other person she was looking for. By the couches in the corner Courtney stood fussing with the knitted throws, while Bart sat on the opposite side tossing what sounded like corn chips up in the air and catching them with a crunch in his mouth.

                            On the other upper level, Dinah pulled up a new video. Filling her screen was a shaky image showing a plume of light shooting up to the heavens. Without taking her eyes off the screen, she called out to the room. “I found another upload.”

                            Equally focused, Victor called back, “Take the IP address. We’ll worry about what any eyewitnesses are saying later.”

                            Clark touched Chloe’s arm and spoke quietly, “That’s the bridge to the new Kandorian universe.” She nodded and kept scanning the room. Maybe Lois hadn’t arrived yet. A new worry had her tightening her grip on the railing. What if in a fit of panic Lois ran her car off the road? Just then, Courtney straightened up and Chloe spied a figure lying on a section of the couch.

                            Courtney leaned over once more to finish smoothing one of Martha Kent’s crocheted Afghans and said, “There. Lois should be nice and warm until she wakes up.”

                            Once again, Chloe sighed with relief. Lois was safe as well. Clark covered the hand she had squeezing to death the railing with his own. She jumped a little but didn’t pull away. She stared at their hands while she tried to process the warmth and comfort the simple touch brought.

                            During the past year they’d hardly touched, but the brush of Clark's hand still spoke loudly, sharing her relief and maybe even understanding her sudden trepidation. The urgency that propelled her from the arctic was gone and now she found it hard to move forward, a little afraid at what would happen next. She looked up at Clark. Her heartbeat began to beat fast. Did he feel the same way as well?

                            Down below, J’onn’s rapid typing suddenly stopped. Oliver swung in behind him to look over his shoulder. “What? What is it?”

                            The Martian Manhunter raised his head. “They’ve returned.”

                            Oliver dragged his hand over his face and furiously pushed away from the desk. “I don’t care if Bart and the bird man are back. We need to find Chloe!”

                            Bart called over his shoulder, “Hey, I’ve been back from doing the city sweep for five minutes!”

                            “And,” began a voice coming from behind Chloe, “I don’t think J’onn was talking about me either.” Chloe turned to see Carter Hall ducking through the outer hatch with his helmet in his hands.

                            Happy and surprised shouts rang out from the main floor. “Clark! Chloe!”

                            In an instant, Bart was there crushing her in a hug. “I told them! I told them you’d come home,” he gleefully bragged squeezing Chloe and planting a wet smack on her cheek before letting go and playfully punching Clark in the stomach. “Dude, that was a close one.”

                            “You have no idea,” Clark mumbled. Bart grinned and then zipped around the room, his happiness making it impossible for him to stand still.

                            Oliver made it up the stairs next. At the top, he hesitated as his eyes swept over the pair. The pause was short lived. He clutched Chloe by the shoulders, pushed her hair back from her face, and tried to catch her eye. She couldn’t meet his glance. A second later, he simply pulled her into his arms, not saying a word.

                            Chloe couldn’t stay silent. “I’m so glad they found you.” She forced herself to relax and return his embrace. This was Oliver. What was wrong with her? “I was so worried,” she added but then trailed off realizing that from the time she’d reached the portal in the Kawatche caves until those last seconds in the arctic, she’d actually not spared a single thought to the fate of the Green Arrow.

                            Even before Hawkman arrived with a dying Clark, solely focusing on Oliver’s capture hadn’t been easy. A looping refrain of ‘Clark is leaving’ and ‘I’ll never see Clark again’ kept cutting in. Before Green Arrow’s abduction, she’d been holding it together by willing her attention strictly on the job and Oliver. As he’d been from their first attempt to find fun in a dreary life, he had made a good distraction.

                            He still remained the brightest spot in a dismal year, but whatever she’d felt for Oliver was squeezed aside when a bleeding Clark landed at her feet and unleashed a tidal wave of familiar emotion.

                            Could she ever recapture what she had been beginning to feel about Oliver? Compared next to the feelings she carried for Clark, she wasn’t sure trying would be fair to either one of them. Oliver mattered, but there’d been no room left for him, not in the anxious rush to get Clark to the fortress, or in the resigned hopelessness of the end. Oliver was a pretty ripple in the pond; Clark was the ocean and life itself --even if she wasn’t sure she dared dip her toes in that tidal pool again.

                            Except…Clark kept insisting he felt the same about her as she did him but in trying to make her believe he admitted to a complete betrayal and yet next to him being gone from existence what did that really matter? Chloe was so confused. Could she really believe Clark, let alone forgive him? With effort, she pushed the question aside. Her final choices about Clark didn’t change what she had to do right now.

                            “Oliver, we need to talk.”

                            Oliver shook his head. “Later,” he told her as he let Courtney peel her away. Chloe called herself a coward, but took the reprieve.

                            “My turn!” Courtney shouted and caught Chloe an enthusiastic hug. “You had every one scared to death!” Stargirl scolded. “And you,” she said throwing a glance Clark’s way, “Carter said you were dead!”

                            “I was; Chloe saved me.” Clark turned his aquamarine eyes on his best friend, his approval blatant in his eyes. Chloe fought the urge to blush.

                            “I didn’t really do anything,” she insisted. “Sunrise comes early in the arctic.” She left out the part where she thought she’d failed and faced death as her punishment. “The sunlight coming through the fortress walls revived him.” Courtney released her to give Clark his welcome back and Chloe found herself passed again, this time to a set of strong male arms. His short beard rasped along her jaw.

                            “Which couldn’t have happened if you had not refused to give up hope.” Carter Hall pulled back to look at her. “You told me and I didn’t listen, for which I ask forgiveness. I’m very sorry.” Chloe quickly nodded, not wanting to remember those moments when she realized Clark was dead. None of the bruised feelings or misunderstandings had mattered anymore. All her regrets had stood in stark clarity. All the wasted time. All the undone dreams.

                            Carter turned and clasped Clark on the arm as well. “And I promise I won’t give up so quickly again,” he solemnly vowed to Clark before smiling and adding a simple welcome. “Good to have you back among us.”

                            Courtney happily grinned, looped her arm through Chloe’s, and led her down the steps with Clark, Carter and Oliver following. She tilted her head next to Chloe’s and asked, “Did you really go all the way to the arctic?” Chloe nodded and Courtney clutched her arm excitedly. “Oh, then you must want coffee! I made coffee! I’ll get you coffee.” She scampered away before Chloe could answer. Victor met them at the bottom of the steps grinning.

                            “Fair warning, I don’t think Star Girl has ever made coffee before.” He gave Chloe a quick squeeze and grabbed Clark’s palm in a slick handshake.

                            Clark answered for Chloe, “If desperate enough, there isn’t any way that Chloe doesn’t take her coffee.”

                            Cyborg cocked his head to the side and laughed, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Speaking of fair warnings,” he jerked his thumb toward her computers, “you have to tell me what you did to jack up the satellite security on the fortresses feed. Me and Manhunter have been trying to hack it for hours.”

                            A spark of pride flashed in her eyes. “I have the security piggy backing off of dozens of governmental and multi-national corporations. Without the passwords you first have to clear everyone’s security before you can even test mine.”

                            “I should have known. I think I’m tangled up in the snares Wayne Industries has laying around. Gotta wonder what they’re trying protect. The Pentagon was easier to crack.”

                            Chloe nodded enthusiastically, “I know, did you see the…”

                            “Please don’t get him started again on the techno-babble.” Canary interrupted, slipping past Clark to pat Chloe on the back. “So much for following protocol,” she chided. “You couldn’t have brought a com link and called in? It was bad enough to hear Kent was gone, but to lose our Watchtower too?” She shook her head.

                            Chloe’s forehead furrowed. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

                            “No, you were too busy getting the job done.” She gave her another quick hug. “Well done.” She turned to Clark. “Glad to see you among the living. The puddle of blood you left behind was pretty daunting.”

                            Clark smirked, “I bet you’re just complaining because they made you clean it up.”

                            Dinah smirked right back at him, “No, I believe J’onn was gallant enough to take care of that, but I did get to clean up the other mess you made.” She inclined her head toward the couches. “Just a small, close range, subsonic pulse to knock her out. She’ll be fine but she won’t stay asleep much longer.”

                            Clark nodded nervously while Courtney cheerfully returned with a large red and blue mug and pushed it into Chloe’s hands. “Here you go.” Chloe gratefully took a sip and then paused without swallowing. Courtney’s face fell. “Oh, it’s too cold, isn’t it?” She morosely chewed on her bottom lip. “I forgot to turn the burner on.”

                            Chloe quickly nodded and with too much enthusiasm added, “Otherwise I’m sure it would have been wonderful.”

                            “I can fix that.” Clark activated his heat vision, ignoring Chloe’s protests that it wasn’t necessary and Victor’s suppressed chortles. With Courtney watching expectantly, Chloe took another sip and after chewing something, swallowed and then offered her thanks. Courtney beamed and went to make more. Bart zipped after her, probably looking for something else in the kitchen to eat.

                            Chloe noticed Oliver quietly taking a seat on the steps and even odder, the usually antagonistic Carter Hall placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Canary flanked him on the other side. Could Oliver have guessed just what she needed to talk to him about? What were the others seeing? Chloe’s eyes flickered back to J’onn. He’d been very quiet since their return, watching and observing. He now offered his greetings.

                            “It is good to see you both alive and well.”

                            “It’s good to finally be back.” Clark replied.

                            “I fear I must ask at what cost.” They looked at him and he expanded his strange comment. “Your minds are both greatly agitated. What has Jor-El done?” J'onn asked bluntly.

                            “It isn’t what Jor-El has done, but what he has allowed undone.”

                            “But you have changed.” Oliver observed neutrally.

                            Clark locked gazes with Oliver. He slowly shook his head. “Changed, no. Just getting back to normal.”

                            “What? What do you mean?” Bart looked back and forth between them.

                            Canary also was watching them carefully. “He is different. Chloe, what does it mean?”

                            What had Oliver and Canary noted so quickly marking Clark’s change? Chloe wrapped her arms tightly around her middle and like always, tried to supply the answers the team needed. “Right after Clark faced Doomsday, when he was still weak and injured, Jor-El did something that manipulated Clark into rejecting his humanity.”

                            “Yes, your mind,” J’onn nodded slowly. “The difference is startling now. How could I have missed this before?”

                            “Your abilities returned about half way through my time under Jor-El’s influence. By that time I suppose the way I was behaving seemed normal.” Clark offered as an explanation.

                            “Rejecting your humanity?” Bart’s eyes grew big. “So that’s why you went off grid for awhile only to show up later and go Goth?”

                            “I abandoned you,” he spoke to the room but his eyes lingered on Chloe, “and nearly turned the world over to Zod.”

                            “That didn’t happen.” Hawkman interjected.

                            “Dr. Fate saw you as hope for mankind. He wouldn’t be wrong.” Courtney added loyally.

                            “Wait, wait, what are we saying here?” Victor piped up. “We’re talking Jor-El, the Artificial Intelligence father. I thought this guy was supposed to help you.”

                            “Help you, freeze you in a chunk of solid ice, whatever.” Oliver shrugged.

                            Chloe frowned. “The AI thought he was helping. I don’t think he appreciated Clark letting someone like me step in between Davis and the phantom zone. He told me he thought Clark was too influenced and so he removed the influence from his life.”

                            Clark reached for her hand. “Jor-El was wrong. Putting Davis in the Phantom Zone might have been the easier thing to do, but condemning the man along with the monster without even trying to save him was wrong.” He turned to face the rest of the team. “I was also wrong in trying to do everything on my own. In the past year I’ve felt what it is really like to be alone and I don’t like it.”

                            “Wait a second, what about Lois the drooling Lane?” Bart nodded toward the couches. “If you were supposed to be all down with people, why were you dating Lane?”

                            Chloe answered again “Clark grew up on Earth. Jor-El confessed he misjudged Clark’s stake in humanity. When he began to actively resist Jor-El’s interference, he gave him back a connection to humanity.”

                            “But not his real connection,” Oliver guessed. “He substituted Lois, didn’t he?" He shook his head. "She didn’t deserve to be used like that.”

                            “And now she knows your secret. She knows all our secrets.”

                            “I can erase her memory of the last day,” offered the Manhunter.

                            “NO!” Chloe snatched her hand free from Clark, plunked her coffee mug down and rounded on J’onn. “No one gets their memories erased. Do you hear me!”

                            “Over reacting much.” Bart muttered.

                            Courtney looked hurt. “We wouldn’t do it to hurt her.”

                            “I agree with Chloe.” Chloe heard Clark’s voice behind her. “This isn’t like Waller and Checkmate. Lois hasn’t done anything wrong. We don’t have the right to take her memories.

                            There was a pause and then Oliver stared at Clark and said, “You told her.”

                            Clark nodded. “I had to.”

                            “Told her what?” Bart asked.

                            “Wait, you knew and never told me?” Chloe narrowed her eyes at Oliver.

                            “It didn’t matter anymore.”

                            “How many other people knew?” She pinned her gaze on Clark.

                            “Lana, that’s it.”

                            “So much for the solidarity among sisters,” she muttered angrily before announcing. “I can’t handle this right now. I’m going to take a shower.” She stalked past a mostly confused group of heroes and took the second spiral staircase up a level to the full bathroom facilities leaving Clark and Oliver to answer any questions. After she slammed the bathroom door shut, she realized she was also trusting Clark to make sure Lois kept her memories. It surprised her for a moment, that she still trusted Clark. How much though?

                            Clark winced when the door slammed shut. Only then did he feel the weight of the team watching him and waiting for more answers. He had a question of his own for Oliver. “You knew from the moment you saw us something was different. How?”

                            “You were holding her hand,” Oliver answered.

                            “The way you looked at Chloe,” Canary added. She tilted her head studying Clark. “You couldn’t stop watching her.”

                            “You wouldn’t leave her side.” Carter also contributed. “You never moved more than a foot away even in all that chaos.”

                            Bart emerged from the kitchenette area with a new bag of chips. “So we get to dump the weirdness between Boy Scout and Watchtower. Back when this team first started they were always touching and stuff and doing the silent communication thing.” Impulse waved his bag of cheese puffs toward Oliver, “And didn’t you tell me how Kent absolutely freaked the first time he found out Chloe was moonlighting for the team.”

                            Bart grinned. “He went all overprotective caveman.” Flexing his muscles and beating his chest, he acted the moment out. “Not Chloe! Uhgg! Anyone but Chloe! Grunt!” He laughed and pointed at Oliver. “Am I right? Things are just finally getting back to normal.” He downed a handful of orange curls and shook his head. “I don’t get why everyone’s making such a big deal.”

                            Victor rolled his eyes and ripped the bag out of Bart’s hand. “Moron. Could you be anymore clueless?”

                            “Hey! I was eating that.”

                            “Then take it to go.” Cyborg grabbed him by his collar and ushered him toward the stairs.

                            “Why do I have to leave?”

                            “We’re both leaving. They don’t need a crowd hanging around.”

                            “Maybe I should go as well,” Star Girl looked to Carter for guidance. He nodded and fitted his helmet.

                            Canary held out a hand, “I’m all for leaving the pertinent players to sort themselves out, but what are we going to do about Lane?”

                            “We’re not touching her memories.” Clark growled.

                            “But can she even be trusted?” Dinah still pragmatically asked.

                            “Yes, she can be trusted.” Oliver resignedly vouched for her. “She doesn’t want to be a part of this life, but she’s kept my secret safe.”

                            Dinah shifted her eyes to Manhunter. “J’onn?” She asked, waiting for his input. When he nodded, she finally nodded in return. “Ok, I’m leaving it in your hands Kent, yours and Chloe’s.” Canary followed the rest of the crew to the roof.

                            J’onn waited until they’d gone. “I understand that nothing is yet settled.” Clark confirmed his guess with a nod. J’onn then looked back and forth between Clark and Oliver. “This I tell you, if Chloe now follows through with her decision to leave, you will not find a way to sway her choice in the future and then all of us will share the loss.” With that, he vanished in a streak of hot acid green right through the solid wall.

                            “Just who was he talking to?” Clark mumbled staring off after Martian Manhunter.

                            “No.” Oliver interjected and jumped to his feet.

                            “What?” Clark turned to face him.

                            “You heard J’onn, nothing is settled yet. So no, you don’t just get Chloe after all these years of ignoring her and making her feel like second best.”

                            “I never meant to make her feel like that. She’s always been a part of my life so it took me a while to figure out how important she was and just when I would have made sure she understood, Jor-El stepped in, messed with my mind and made me think I had feelings for Lois.”

                            Oliver scowled. “Did you ever think that maybe you deserved what you got?” He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe he took the whole idea from what you had him do to Chloe.”

                            Clark stiffened. “Maybe I deserved whatever I got, but everything has changed now.”

                            Oliver wiped his hand over his face in frustration. “We were happy. I made her happy. Are you going to swoop in and take that away from her?” He started to turn away, but then stopped and shot back over his shoulder, “Oh that’s right, you still haven’t figured out the flying.”

                            Clark set his jaw but otherwise ignored the dig about flying. “No, I’m not going to make Chloe do anything that makes her unhappy, but I know I can make her happy and I’m done staying quiet about it.”

                            Oliver sliced his hand up through the air. “How can you be so sure of yourself?”

                            “Because we fit,” he insisted. “We always have. The first time I met her, we were only kids and I knew even then that the curious city girl standing in the loft of my barn belonged there with me.”

                            The memory softened the intensity in his eyes but not the certainty in his voice. “Maybe I haven’t always shown it, but I know Chloe. I see her strength and fears, her beauty and her heart. I know her dreams. I know she’s sacrificed too much. I know how much she hides. I know I can make her smile for no reason and laugh just because it feels good because she does the same thing for me. I know I will never let her feel unloved again and I know I don’t feel really alive without her.”

                            Oliver scrunched up his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers as if he had developed a sudden headache. Clark took a step back, “But I also know if she chooses you, I won’t stop her. I’ve lost that right.”

                            Oliver sat down wearily. “She’s already chosen you. She never stopped choosing you.” He leaned his head in his hand. “As long as you didn’t see her, I had a chance. I should have known no one could be that stupid without deliberate brain damage.”

                            “I don’t know.” Clark’s mouth twisted wryly. “She doesn’t believe me. I told her I love her but she’s convinced I’m having some kind of post-traumatic distress.

                            “Huh,” Oliver considered ruefully with a ghost of a smile playing around his lips. “Maybe we’re both screwed.”

                            “I’m glad I can make you feel better,” he dryly replied.

                            “You know what makes me feel better?” Oliver asked as he stood up. “That while I’m off officially getting dumped, you have to explain to Lois everything she just overheard.”

                            Clark whipped his head around. Behind them, Lois was on the couch awake, sitting up with her knees tenting the knitted throw and looking at him curiously or maybe angrily, sometimes he had a hard time reading her expressions.

                            As Olive left, Clark swore he heard him laughing.

                            I am sooooo hoping that the next update will be the conclusion. I have the epilogue already written...but that's the easy part.

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              BkWurm1

                              The memory softened the intensity in his eyes but not the certainty in his voice. “Maybe I haven’t always shown it, but I know Chloe. I see her strength and fears, her beauty and her heart. I know her dreams. I know she’s sacrificed too much. I know how much she hides. I know I can make her smile for no reason and laugh just because it feels good because she does the same thing for me. I know I will never let her feel unloved again and I know I don’t feel really alive without her.”
                              Awesome!! You hit the nail on the head with this paragraph!! Despite all that's happened, even with Jor-El's mind tricks, the connection Clark and Chloe have had since first meeting continues to endure.

                              Part 6 was definitely worth the wait!! I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth between Chloe and Clark. While I can understand her skepticism of Clark's conveyance of feelings, given their history, she also can tell when he's telling the truth...she's known him too long not to. And while even Clark may be having reservations about how Chloe may decide:

                              “I don’t know.” Clark’s mouth twisted wryly. “She doesn’t believe me. I told her I love her but she’s convinced I’m having some kind of post-traumatic distress.
                              I found that Chloe's actions spoke louder than words:

                              After she slammed the bathroom door shut, she realized she was also trusting Clark to make sure Lois kept her memories. It surprised her for a moment, that she still trusted Clark.
                              As for Lois, I think it was a cop-out that Oliver did not stick around to explain what all has been going on (given the history Oliver shares with Lois) but I'm sure Clark will get things cleared up!

                              BTW, BkWurm1, the last time I wrote a story, I had the beginning and ending all figured out...it was filling the span in-between that took me a long while!

                              Thanks again for continuing this story, I really like the pacing and the process through which you include all the players' thoughts throughout the story. Keep up the good work!

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                That was terrific! Lots of issues to be hammered out.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X
                                😀
                                🥰
                                🤢
                                😎
                                😡
                                👍
                                👎