Epilogue
Chapter 5 Part A
(Lana POV)
I glanced around the empty limo and sighed. What was I doing? This isn’t a date…there was no reason to get all worked up…besides Lex isn’t even here…I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand and frowned.
A note…saying he’d meet me in Metropolis…maybe this was a bad idea…dinner with Lex…we could have just gotten take out and hung around the mansion…my thoughts were interrupted by my ringing cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Hello Lana.”
I smiled, rolled my eyes and leaned back against the cushions.
“Lex…what’s up?”
He sighed.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pick you up. Things sort of…erupted at work and I have to take care of a few things before I leave, but I will be there. I promise.”
“It’s fine…you know if you need to cancel…”
I trailed off and my face fell. Clark always canceled…if this wasn’t déjà vu…there was laughter in his voice when he spoke.
“No way. I’ve been looking forward to dinner all day. I’m just going to be about 10 minutes late. I’m leaving the office soon. So I’ll meet you there?”
My smile returned.
“Ok, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
I hung up and grinned. Okay…so maybe I have been looking forward to this all day too…it’s crazy…I mean it’s just Lex…no reason to be nervous or anything…we’re just friends…I glanced out the window and saw a sign for Metropolis…Another hour and I’d be in Metropolis. I felt my stomach flutter.
Crap…if we’re just friends why is my stomach doing that…oh boy…I’m in trouble…this is going to be a long night…
(Lex POV)
I straightened my tie as I walked into the restaurant. My first date with Lana and I’m fifteen minutes late. Hopefully she wasn’t too mad. I glanced around the restaurant and spotted her at a booth in the back of the room.
I smiled and made my way over to her. When I slid into the seat across from her she glanced up startled and then smiled.
“Hey Lex.”
“Hello Lana. Sorry I’m late. Work ran longer than expected.”
She waved me off as she took a sip of water from her glass.
“It’s fine.”
I motioned to a waiter to come over and take our orders. He jotted down a few things and then left to get the bottle of wine I ordered.
“How was your day?”
She nodded.
“Boring. I have to say there isn’t much to being a senior in high school. I can’t wait to finally be finished. To have a chance to go anywhere I want for college or even take a year off and travel the world some more. I enjoyed Paris quite a bit.”
I nodded.
“You should definitely travel if you get the time. I spent half my childhood roaming the continents, but it was better once I was older. I was able to enjoy more things.”
She smiled as she listened to me talk. I talk day in-and-out to rooms full of people who are paid to listen to what I’m saying…and Lana just sits here and listens for no other reason than to hear me… it’s strange…I could get used to it.
Our waiter brought the wine out and poured two glasses. Once he left I raised the glass and she followed suit.
“To new beginnings.”
I saw an odd look cross her face before her voice echoed mine.
“To new beginnings.”
Our glasses clinked before we sipped our wine. I swirled it around while we waited in amiable silence. A few minutes later I heard a light ‘huh’ from Lana before she spoke softly and quickly.
“Okay, this is probably going to sound juvenile to you, which I guess considering who you are is understandable, but what is this to you…I mean dinner…is this friends just getting a bite to eat, catching up or…”
She hesitated and glanced down as she finished her sentence.
“Or something else.”
When I didn’t answer her right away she glanced back up and must have caught the look of amusement on my face. She frowned and started to fidget before I reached across the table and took her hand to quell her fears.
“I’m sorry. You just…you said everything so quickly and you seem so nervous…it’s endearing.”
She made another face and I chuckled.
“I apologize. I’m not saying any of the right things tonight am I?”
I saw a smirk form on her face.
“Not exactly, but it’s been a long day so I’ll forgive you this once.”
I nodded and rubbed my thumb across her silky skin.
“It’s much appreciated. Lana…”
I stopped and swallowed deep. Here goes nothing…you can do it. Be calm…it’s just Lana.
“I wanted to take you out because you’re my friend…”
I watched her face fall a little and I felt a certain victory.
“And because I was hoping that maybe we could get to know each other a little better. I’ve known many women in my time, but none of them have been like you. You talk to me like I’m anyone else, you questions things, you argue with me…it’s not often I find someone like that. So I was hoping…”
Before I could finish her cell phone went off, which seemed to startle her as much as it did me. She fumbled with it for a few seconds before turning the ringer off. She waved at it and placed it on the table.
“Ignore it…your were saying?”
I laughed.
“I was saying that we’re friends, but I’m not opposed to something more. I don’t want to rush things. This dinner is about putting that possibility on the table, and with that said, taking things one day at a time.”
I watched a beautiful smile light up her face.
“I think that’s a great idea Lex.”
Our glasses met again and I motioned to her phone.
“You should check and see who called. I’m going to run to the facilities, I’ll be right back.”
I winked at her as I got up, she chuckled and I then weaved my way to the other end of the room. I glanced back before entering the bathroom and I saw her with the phone to her ear. She gave me a silly smile, waved and I did the same before entering the lavatory.
I smiled…so far so good…I’m glad I came clean with Lana and I’m even more glad she seemed receptive to the idea of a relationship with me…
I made my way back into the main dining area and the panicked look I saw on Lana’s face made me frown…I had a feeling this night was about to take a turn for the worst…
(Chloe POV)
My hands clutched the soft blue blanket as I sat on the kitchen chair staring out the window. I could hear people bustling around the Kent farm, police officers asking Mr. and Mrs. Kent questions, and the Sheriff talking to Clark. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered. Evan was gone.
A warm hand touching my shoulder jerked me out of my thoughts. I glanced up at Clark as he gave me a sympathetic look before speaking to the sheriff.
“It’s been a really long night Sheriff. Do you think we can maybe answer the rest of your questions tomorrow? This is hard for us and my mom should get some rest.”
I watched her nod as she cleared everyone out of the house. She came over and patted my arm.
“We’ll find the little tyke Miss Sullivan, Mr. Kent, if you remember anything don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
We nodded and Mr. Kent closed the door behind her. He moved over to Mrs. Kent and I watched there interaction.
“Come on Martha, we should get to bed.”
She wiped her eyes and covered her mouth.
“I should have been watching more carefully, I should have called for Clark…and now…”
Clark went over to her and hugged her.
“It isn’t your fault mom. Just get some rest. We need to make sure your head is okay.”
I couldn’t make out the comforting words that Mr. Kent was whispering to Mrs. Kent while they headed upstairs, but I knew whatever he was saying wouldn’t help, not if she was feeling the way I was right now.
Maybe they were right all along. Clark and I were too young to be trying to take care of Evan…if he was with people who were more responsible…then he wouldn’t have been taken. I shouldn’t have just left him alone like that…
“Chloe…CHLOE…”
I glanced up and Clark could see the water brimming from my eyes. He sighed, stretched out his arm, yanked me into a standing position, and pulled me into his arms. I felt them tighten around me and after a couple of seconds I wrapped my arms around him and the dam broke.
I felt his strong hands rubbing my back as he whispered softly to me.
“Shhh…it’s going to be okay Chlo, we’ll find him. I promise…I’m so sorry for not being there today…I’m sorry I didn’t save him…”
I could hear a slight hitch in Clark’s voice. I moved my head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. I could see the guilt there. I tilted my head slightly as my hand came up to his cheek.
“Clark Kent you listen to me, and listen good. This is not your fault. There’s no way you could have known this was going to happen. We just need to get ourselves together and do a little research. We need to figure out why these guys came after you, but more importantly why they took Evan.”
I saw him look away from me, but I moved his face back towards me as my eyes watered back up and I spoke in a soft voice.
“Clark, please. Don’t let the guilt eat at you right now. I need you…I need you to be strong for me…for Evan…you were right when you said we’d find him. I know we will, I mean come on…this is us…we always get our guy…”
I saw a small smile form on his lips. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head and pulled me to him in a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder with my arms around him. I could feel his breath on my ear as he spoke.
“What would I do without you Chloe?”
I grinned lightly.
“Shrivel up and die?”
“I mean it. You mean a lot more to me then you know. These past few days…with Evan...and you…they’ve been special. It’s been nice to not have to hide who I am with the people I care about most. It was like…I don’t know…I wasn’t alone.”
I felt him take a deep breath and I held him tighter as I whispered to him.
“You’ll never be alone Clark…you’ll always have me…”
It was his turn to tighten his grip on me as he placed his head between my neck and shoulder. I don’t think he realizes how much he means to me either…
(Clark POV)
I could feel my hands rubbing Chloe’s back…and it felt good. She felt good. What is wrong with me? Evan is gone…who knows where they have him or what they are doing to him and for some reason I can’t stop thinking of just grabbing Chloe and kissing her.
Which in and of itself is one of the craziest thoughts I’ve ever had because; well Chloe’s my best friend. Nothing else…she pulled away from me slightly so she was looking at me and I could have sworn I saw something in her eyes flicker.
I rubbed her arm and I could feel my body moving into her. My face was getting lower by the second and the voice inside my head was screaming what are you doing…this is bad….stop…
I could feel her warm breath on my lips and just as my lips gently grazed hers there was a loud knock on the kitchen door that broke us out of the spell. Chloe’s eyes opened and she stepped out of my arms with a confused look on her face.
I moved back and cleared my throat as I glanced up at the door where I saw Lex opening it and walking in with Lana behind him. Lex was the first one to break the silence.
“As soon as Chloe called Lana and told her what happened we left Metropolis. I’m so sorry…”
Chloe moved over in their direction as she wiped her eyes. I watched as Lex gave her a kiss on the cheek and embraced her in a short hug before she made her way over to Lana. I could hear Chloe starting to cry again as they spoke.
Lex made his way over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“How are you holding up Clark?”
I rubbed my face and shook my head.
“Not great. My mom was hurt, but she’ll be fine. Evan…he’s all alone with strangers…and the worst part is not knowing if he’s okay or not.”
I glanced back at the girls who had moved over by the table. Chloe was speaking low as Lana was turning on the tea kettle listening to what she was saying. I moved closer to Lex and lowered my voice before speaking again.
“I’m worried. I didn’t see the guys who came here so I don’t know who they are, or what they were after. My mom said they were looking for me. God…this is all my fault. My mom getting hurt, Evan being taken…Chloe…I’ve never seen her this upset before.”
“Clark, this isn’t your fault. I’ve informed my security team about what’s been going on. I have also hired the best P.I. in Metropolis to help us find Evan. I won’t rest until we find him, and I know Lana won’t either.”
I faced Lex and gave him a tired smile.
“Thank you Lex…you don’t know what this means to me.”
He nodded.
“I think I understand. It’s hard to loose a child…the way you and Chloe care for Evan…”
He trailed off before continuing.
“Don’t worry Clark…these people obviously want something, which means Evan is still alive. You’ll get him back and the people who did this will be held accountable for their actions…”
I nodded as I watched Lana trying to comfort Chloe. I’ve never had so many conflicting emotions at once before…on one hand Chloe and I were so lucky to have such great friends, who were willing to spend their time helping us find Evan.
On the other hand, when did Chloe and I become ‘Chloe and I’? I know she’s my best friend, but ever since we found Evan my feelings toward her have been changing…on top of that I’m scared for Evan, but I also feel bad because even though I’m worried I can’t stop thinking about Chloe…
We almost kissed…I almost kissed her…I’m not sure what’s going on with us, but I am sure that when this is all over and we have Evan back…I want to find out…
(Lana POV)
The Next Morning
I walked up the steps to the kitchen door and took a deep breath before knocking. A few minutes later Mr. Kent opened the door. I smiled and held up the paper bags in my hands.
“I brought breakfast and coffee. I didn’t think anyone would be up to cooking. I thought maybe I could help out.”
Mr. Kent gave me a warm smile and opened the door wider.
“That was very nice of you, come in Lana.”
I walked in and closed the door behind me. We walked further into the kitchen and I heard Mr. Kent call out.
“Clark, Chloe, Lana is here. She brought breakfast and coffee.”
I heard Clark’s voice call back.
“We’ll be right there.”
He sounded exhausted. I went over to the counter and started taking things out. A few minutes later I saw Chloe walk into the kitchen. Her eyes were red and Clark was guiding her into the room. A wave of jealousy flew through me for a second before I shook it off.
Jeez Lana get a grip…they are going through something huge…now isn’t the time for school girl emotions…you’re not in love with Clark anymore…you want him to be happy and if Chloe makes him happy your okay with that…plus you have Lex.
I sighed and I tried to hide the small smile that thinking of Lex brought to my face. I felt a hand rub my shoulder lightly and I glanced up. Clark forced a small smile on his face.
“Thanks Lana, that was really nice of you.”
I nodded and handed him a muffin.
“No problem Clark, anything I can do to help I will. You know that.”
I watched him glance around the counter before he spotted Chloe’s favorite muffin. He reached over to grab it and I stopped him. He frowned and I shrugged.
“Sorry, you think I could bring it to her? I was thinking maybe we could have some girl talk.”
I watched him run his hands over his face.
“Sure Lana that would be great.”
I grabbed the muffin and coffee I got her and moved over to wear she was standing. I smiled.
“Hey Chloe, why don’t we go sit in the living room and have breakfast; we can talk a little bit.”
I watched her nod. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke.
“Sure thing. Thanks for coming Lana…I really appreciate you being here.”
I put an arm around her and we walked into the other room. This is good…I’ll keep her talking and hopefully that will help…I just wish there was more I could do.
(Clark POV)
I watched Lana lead Chloe into the other room. They sat in front of the fire place and Lana said something that made Chloe chuckle. I smiled slightly. Thank god…I haven’t heard Chloe laugh or seen her smile in what felt like days even though it was only hours.
I sighed and my father walked by and patted my back.
“Are you alright son?”
I shook my head.
“No, I should have seen this coming. I should have gotten here faster…I can’t help but feeling like this is some how all my fault.”
He frowned and me and moved so his arm was stretched out, hand on my shoulder with a frown on his face.
“Clark you listen to me, this is not your fault. No one expects you to see the future. You need to accept what happened and figure out a way to find Evan, not mope around the house.”
I nodded. He was right, I needed to try and figure this out. I promised Chloe I’d get Evan back and I would. My dad must have seen what he was looking for in my eyes because he gave me a smile and a patted my back before walking out of the room and upstairs to check on my mom.
I went to the fridge and grabbed some juice before moving back over to the counter. As I poured juice into my glass there was a knock on the door and it opened slightly. I glanced up and Lex waved. I motioned for him to come in.
“Hey Lex.”
“Morning Clark, how are you holding up?”
I shrugged, moved around the counter and leaned against it.
“As good as can be expected I guess. We haven’t heard anything from the sheriff…nothing from the would-be kidnappers…I’m at a loss as to what to do at this point. I have no clue who could have done this or why.”
He nodded and his face turned serious as he spoke.
“Clark I think I have a lead on who might have done this, but it’s not definite at this point.”
I jolted forward and spoke quickly while still keeping my voice low so Chloe wouldn’t hear.
“How, what happened?”
He held up a hand to stop the tirade of questions coming from me.
“Take it easy. The other night after Evan’s procedure one of the doctors who helped create the serum called me over to Belle Reve, said there was some important data that I might want to hold onto.”
I frowned, but nodded.
“It turned out I already had the data so it was a pointless trip down there. Well I went back there to pick-up Evans file so you could have it to give to whoever his pediatrician is and it seems three inmates from Belle Reve escaped.”
My eyes went wide. Oh my god…how many people have I sent to Belle Reve over the years…if they escaped and then some how managed to find me…oh god…what would they do to Evan to get back at me…
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and Lex was looking at me with concern.
“Clark are you alright?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know…if that’s true…if it’s someone I know…they could have taken him. There have been several meteor infected people we went to school with who tried to hurt Chloe and Lana…I helped the sheriff put them in there…if they saw Evan as a means of…”
My voice lowered as I glanced from Chloe back to Lex.
“If they have him…who knows what they’ll do…”
I could see Lex stiffen and shake his head furiously.
“We will find him Clark. No one will hurt a hair on that baby’s head; we’ll do whatever it takes.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I’d never forgive myself…the ringing phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I moved over to the phone and answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hey there Clarky boy, how are ya?”
I frowned.
“Who is this?”
“Who I am isn’t as important as what I have…”
His voice came out in a sing song tone and I was about to say something when I heard a cry in the background. Oh god…Evan…
My stance changed and my voice grew hard, I could see Lex frown and move closer out of the corner of my eye. My voice grew louder as I spoke, which got Chloe and Lana’s attention.
“What do you want?”
He chuckled and sneered into the phone.
“What every freak in Belle Reve wants, Clarky boy! You!”
I could hear crying in the background and saw red. My teeth ground together as I spoke.
“I don’t know who you are, but when I find you, you’re going to be sorry you took him. I’ll make Belle Reve look like a vacation…”
I watched Chloe get up and practically run in my direction. Her voice was soft and she spoke in a pleading tone.
“Clark stop…don’t make them angry they might hurt Evan…just…ask them what they want…”
I was about to open my mouth and she shook her head.
“Do it…now...”
I sighed and tried to calm my breathing as I heard his inane cackling over the phone.
“Listen…I don’t even know you…”
He cut me off.
“Oh, but we know you! You're a legend back in Belle Reve. Hell, half of the freaks are in there 'cause of you.”
My jaw tensed as I spoke more quietly.
“You got the wrong guy.”
“Oh yeah? Well then I guess we’ll just have to kill the kid here…”
“NO! No…wait…what…what do you want?”
My throat got dry and I tried swallowing, but nothing worked.
His voice was low and all joking was out of his tone. The words he spoke sent ice into my veins.
“Level 3…”
I made eye contact with Lex and gave him a hard look as I stood up straight. Chloe saw the change in me and glanced over at Lex who look confused. I repeated his words so everyone could hear.
“Level 3?”
I could hear the smile in his voice.
“So, you’ve heard of it?”
I glared at Lex. This is all because of him…I thought he changed…that he wanted to help…I should have never trusted a Luthor…
“Yeah, it's supposed to be a top secret research facility at Luthor Corp. Everybody thinks it's just a myth.”
I heard him snort over the phone.
“Yeah, spending a couple of weeks in there can make it pretty real.”
I glanced at Chloe and Lana then back at Lex.
“You've been in Level 3?”
I could hear the anxiety in his voice as he spoke.
“Yeah, I had a real nice stay. Gourmet food, satellite TV, and a nifty little green cocktail shot in my neck three times a day.”
A startled look crossed my face as I spoke without anger for the first time in the conversation.
“They were experimenting on you?”
I heard a gasp from Chloe as she looked at Lex. I could see anger on her face. Her voice was soft when she spoke.
“How could you do that Lex?”
He shook his head.
“He’s lying…I never experimented on anyone…Clark you have to believe me…”
The glare was back on my face as I heard the guy start talking again.
“Just trying to amp up what me and the Wonder twins could already do. It worked. Then one morning, I woke up in Belle Reve. No more satellite TV. No more green cocktails.”
I sighed.
“So you’re working with people who were in level 3 also?”
“Yea man…”
I rubbed my forehead.
“They got you hooked then cut you off.”
The crazy chuckling was back before he spoke again.
“Look, we all got a cross to bear, kid, and this is yours. You're gonna break into Level 3. You're gonna get me that serum. Otherwise, you're kid’s gonna die.”
I closed my eyes as I spoke in a rough voice.
“What do you need me for? I've seen what you can do. Why not just go in there and get it yourself?”
“Because kid you’re friends with Luthor…and because they got all kinds of defense systems to keep people like me out, but if the stories I hear at Belle Reve about you are true, then you shouldn't have a problem.”
“I can’t…”
He cut me off.
“I’ll be at your farm in five hours…get me my serum…or the kid dies…”
I heard the click of him hanging up before I even had time to respond. I looked at the phone and then placed it on the cradle. In the back of my mind I could hear Chloe saying something to me in a frantic voice, but I ignored her.
Lana’s brow was creased with worry, but all I could see was Lex. He lied to me yet again…I trusted him with Chloe…with Evan and looked what happened…he did this…it’s his fault…I should have listened to my father…I can’t believe he experimented on those people…
I felt my feet moving forward and I saw Lex hold his hands up and take a step back.
“Clark I don’t…”
I felt my fist connect with his jaw sending him to the floor. He grunted and then there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen. I was about to hit Lex again when Chloe screamed and I felt my stomach constrict. I grunted and Lex frowned as a look of pain crossed my face.
I grabbed my stomach and I felt someone grabbing me. My head knocked into the counter. Meteor rock…someone has meteor rock…was my last thought before everything went black.
(Chloe POV)
I took a deep breath as I opened the freezer door and sighed. At this point I don’t even know what to say. I grabbed some ice and handed it over to Lana. She wrapped it in a towel, walked over to Lex who was sitting at one end of the kitchen table and bent down.
As she placed the towel of ice against his face, he winced and I shook my head. I grabbed more ice and wrapped it in another towel before shutting the freezer and going over to Clark, who was sitting at the other end of the table glaring at Lex.
I leaned over and went to put the ice against his face. His hand came up and he brushed my attempts away. I glared at him. I tried again and he did the same thing.
“I don’t need it.”
I spoke in an irritated tone.
“Fine.”
I took the towel full of ice and tossed it across the room toward the sink. The towel hit the counter and ice crashed into the sink and on the floor. Lex and Clark winced at the noise. I heard Clark sigh as he finally made eye contact with me.
“Chloe…”
I shook my head and cut him off.
“Don’t…god…what got into you Clark…do you realize because of all of this,” I waved my hands around the room, “we lost an hour. A whole hour Clark!”
He jabbed his finger in Lex’s direction.
“He Lied!”
I growled in frustration.
“So what if he did Clark? Right now our priority is getting Evan back!”
I saw Lex shift out of the corner of my eye as he nodded.
“I agree.”
I turned my head and was about to say something, but Lana spoke first.
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not innocent in this. If you were more honest with Clark in the first place this wouldn’t have happened. The two of you need to stop listening to everyone else and take the time to listen to each other.”
She frowned and glanced at me. I nodded.
“Lana is right. We all lie at some point or another. Right now the two of you need to fix this.”
I turned to Lex.
“Is there a level 3?”
Lex opened his mouth and Clark spoke in a hard voice before Lex could say anything.
“Think about how you are going to answer that question if you ever want my trust again Lex, because if you lie…I’ll know.”
Lex glanced between Clark and I and then his eyes settled on Lana. She gave him an encouraging look. Her voice came out in a pleading tone.
“Lex its okay if there is a level 3…we just need to figure out what these guys want or they might hurt Evan. After everything you’ve done to help him…”
She let her sentence drift off and he sighed.
“Yes…there is a level 3 at Luthor Corp…”
Clark cut in before Lex could say anything else.
“See I told you!”
Lex yelled over Clark.
“But we’ve never experimented on anyone! That’s not what it’s about…Clark this guy was lying to you…”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because all I’ve ever wanted to do was help you Clark. These past few days our friendship has gone to new heights. You finally trusted me with something important to you. You can’t know how much that means to me.”
I looked at Lana and she gave me a slight shrug. Clark didn’t look convinced and we were running out of time.
“Lex…if what you’re saying is true then you shouldn’t have a problem taking Clark to level 3. Right?”
I saw him hesitate for a split second before he nodded.
“Fine, if that’s what it takes to prove it to you Clark, I’ll take you there right now. I’ll show you we aren’t experimenting on anyone.”
He stood up and handed the towel to Lana. She gave him a small smile, which he returned.
I watched Clark stand up and hesitate before speaking.
“If you’re telling the truth…how will we get Evan back? They want something we don’t have.”
Lex walked over to Clark and clasped his shoulder.
“We’ll figure it out. Are we okay?”
Clark took a step back and inclined his head slightly.
“We’ll be okay when I see level 3.”
Lex nodded.
“Let’s go,”
Clark motioned toward the kitchen door.
“Lead the way.”
They started to walk out when Clark stopped. I raised an eyebrow and he glanced at Lana and Lex.
“Can I have a minute alone with Chloe?”
“I’ll meet you in the car.”
Lex walked out the kitchen door and Lana pointed to the other room.
“I’ll go get your computer from you car and start it up so we can look into that thing.”
I nodded and she left. I looked at Clark and he gave me a sheepish smile.
“So…I guess I got a little out of control huh?”
The tension on my face ebbed and I gave him half a smile.
“A little?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke in a low voice.
“Who knocked me out?”
I sighed.
“Your father was walking down the stairs when you jumped at Lex and hit him. I screamed and a couple of seconds later your father came in with a piece of meteor rock. Don’t worry no one saw. Lex was too busy being hit by you and Lana was flabbergasted.”
I grinned at that. The look on her face was priceless. I wish Clark would have been able to see it.
“I think she was pretty shocked. When you started to falter Lex got confused and I tried to grab you off him and when you didn’t budge he slammed your head into the bottom of the counter. It knocked you out for a minute or at least until the meteor rock was gone.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry Chloe…”
I waved him off.
“I’m sorry too. I know why you did it. I didn’t mean to get angry…I’m just…I’m worried about Evan and how we’re going to fix this.”
He nodded, moved toward me and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head right below his shoulder. I felt his grip tighten on me as I pressed my face into his chest. God he feels amazing…
We were definitely going to have to talk about what was going on with us when we get Evan back…because there is something there…I know it. I pulled back and he let go and took a step back.
“You should go. Lex is waiting and we don’t have much time.”
“Where are my parents?”
“They went to go talk to the sheriff.”
He nodded.
“I’ll be back soon.”
He started to walk away and I called out.
“Clark!”
He turned quickly at the panic in my voice and gave me a concerned look. It was my turn to give him a sheepish smile as I shrugged.
“Be careful.”
“I always am.”
And he was gone. I heard Lana in the other room saying something about the computer being all ready. I really hope Lex wasn’t lying…and I hope they figured out a way to find this ‘drug’ or whatever it is. I just want this to be over and Evan to be home…I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to him…
(Lex POV)
As we drove toward the Luthor Corp plant it was silent in the car. By the time we get there everything should be moved and level 3 should be the same as any Luthor Corp project. Okay…so I lied to Clark, but he wouldn’t understand.
That was obvious by his earlier reaction. How was I supposed to know that they’d come after him to get to me? I didn’t lie when I said we’d get Evan back. Clark and Chloe are my friends and Evan…well anyone can grow attached to a child if they’re around long enough.
I cleared my throat before speaking.
“I apologize for knocking your head into the counter earlier. You have to understand I was just defending myself.”
I glanced briefly at him before returning my eyes to the road. He nodded.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry I hit you. You know, sometimes I just don’t understand you Lex. It’s so important for me to include you in my life, to be honest with you and trust you yet you can’t seem to do the same with me.”
I went to interrupt him, but he held up a hand.
“Let me finish. I want to trust you, but then things like this happen and I can’t figure out what to do. I want to believe in you, but every time I do you seem to show your true colors…and they’re never flattering.”
I sighed. He’s right, every time I think I finally have his trust one of my skeletons pop out of the closet and we’re right back to square one.
“I know, and I’m sorry Clark. I can’t change the person I was before I moved to Smallville and I can’t fix everything overnight, but I’m trying. I’m trying to do what I feel is right, but sometimes my moral compass isn’t the same as everyone else’s.”
I saw him nod so I continued.
“You’re my best friend Clark. I’ve never had that before and I’m still learning how that works, so I’m bound to make a few mistakes, but I swear I’m not experimenting on people and I would never knowingly involve you, Chloe, or Evan in something like this.”
I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. The car was quiet for a few minutes before Clark responded in a sincere tone.
“I think that’s the most honest you’ve ever been with me Lex. I appreciate it and when we get Evan out of this alive I hope there will be more moments like this one.”
I gave him a quick smile, which he returned before turning back to the road. Okay…good. Everything I just said was 100 percent true…if you leave out that one part about experimenting on people.
When I get to Luthor Corp I’ll have one of the scientists cook me up a ‘fake’ cocktail that Clark and I could ‘trick’ these guys with and we’d be able to get Evan back without me having to spill my little secret about my meteor infected lab rats.
All in all a good days work…
(Lana POV)
I watched as Chloe typed away on her computer. It was weird watching her hack into people’s networks…almost exciting. Her voice brought me out of my thoughts.
“So once we are into the files at Belle Reve I’ll be able to figure out exactly who we’re dealing with and what their meteor powers are, that way we can be more prepared.”
I nodded.
“Good idea. How do you think Lex and Clark are doing?”
I watched Chloe smirk as she typed a few more codes into the computer. Her tone was amused when she spoke.
“I’m sure they’ll kiss and make up by the time they get to Luthor Corp. Clark is a sucker for giving people multiple chances and Lex is constantly seeking approval from Clark for some reason.”
I laughed. She had them pegged. I loved that about Chloe. She was good when it came to reading people. I missed this…hanging out with her…I wish it was under better circumstances though.
“You okay over there Lana? I can smell the wood burning.”
I bumped her slightly and we laughed together.
“Yeah, I was just thinking that we don’t do this enough anymore.”
She glanced at me for a minute with a raised eyebrow.
“Have children kidnapped and hack into Belle Reve’s database?”
I grinned.
“Hang out.”
She nodded and turned back to the computer.
“Yeah, maybe when this is all over we can change that.”
“I think that’s a great idea. As soon as we get Evan back we’ll all have to celebrate together.”
I saw a half grin form on her face.
“Let’s not count our chickens just yet….I’m in.”
I peered over her shoulder and watched as she scanned through file after file. I saw her come to rest on a page detailing the break-out from the other night. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with Chloe’s hacker skills…I didn’t think they were this far along. I mean sure little things, but Belle Reve security…that’s big.
“What does it say?”
She frowned.
“It doesn’t mention a name here…give me one second let me try something else.”
I waited and then I saw her bring up patient files on the screen. I watched as a grin appeared on her face.
“Now all I have to do is match the number from the report to the number on the file and we’ll know who our meteor freak is…”
When she finally stopped on one, I scanned the words on the screen and my eyes went wide. This guy had some serious powers…he’s the one who has Evan? I watched Chloe’s body tense as she read the description of his powers. She took a deep breath and swallowed.
When she spoke her voice was eerily calm.
“We need to tell Clark and Lex what they’re dealing with.”
I nodded.
“I’ll call Lex. Did you find the other two guys?”
She nodded.
“Yeah.”
I opened my phone and dialed Lex. Three rings later he picked up.
“Hello.”
“Lex, it’s Lana.”
“Is everything okay?”
The question startled me. Why wouldn’t everything be okay? I mean obviously it’s not, but it’s no worse than when they left.
“Everything is okay. Chloe found a way to gain access to Belle Reve’s patient files. She found the guys that have Evan.”
I heard something crash over the phone and frowned.
“What’s going on over there? Are you guys okay?”
I heard some rustling and then I heard Clark say something I couldn’t make out.
“Hold on Lana, what…no. Yes she’s with Chloe. She said they found out who took Evan. I will. Sorry Lana, go ahead.”
I sighed.
“The guy who called, his name is Lee. He has some kind of electro power or something…what was it Chloe?”
“The twins have some kind of force field and Lee uses electric currents to create bolts of lightning or energy orbs that he can direct wherever he wants, causing all kinds of damage. The file on him has multiple cases of the staff being electrocuted by him while transporting him through the facility.”
I swallowed and continued.
“Only recently did the Belle Reve scientists develop special restraints that prevent him from using his powers. There are notes here that state even with restraints in place, Lee is to be considered extremely dangerous.”
Chloe findings did not give me a lot of hope for Lex and Clark to be able to overtake this guy should something go wrong. However, I knew I couldn’t let Lex hear the worry in my voice, so I took a deep breath and spoke as steadily as I could.
“She said the twins can create a force field and Lee, he converts electric energy to…do something bad?”
I heard Lex chuckle on the other end of the phone. I glared at the phone.
“Seriously…you take this time to laugh at me?”
I heard him clear his throat and the noise around him got louder.
“I apologize, can you repeat that please.”
I gave him a frustrated grunt.
“I said the twins create a force field and the Lee guy converts electric energy to do something bad.”
This time I heard Clark chuckle in the background. Wonderful…now they’re making fun of me.
“Real nice guys. You know what I’m going to put Chloe on the phone you hold on.”
I heard all the laughing stop. Ha!
“No, no Lana…”
I passed the phone over to Chloe and she raised an eyebrow.
“Apparently they aren’t taking this seriously…I thought maybe you’d like to find out what the bobsy twins are up to.”
I saw her shake her head as she took the phone.
“Hello…what? No. What are you guys doing? You’ve been gone for over an hour.”
I watched her frown.
“We have less than three hours left. Let me talk to Clark. No Lex…okay.”
I heard her voice soften as she spoke.
“Clark? Yeah, I did. What’s taking you so long? So he wasn’t lying.”
She glanced up at me and gave me a small smile.
“That’s good. Really? No, no I think it’s a great idea. Okay we’ll see you soon. Okay, bye.”
She closed the phone and held it out to me. I gave her a look and when she didn’t say anything I spoke in an anxious tone.
“Well what did Clark say?”
“They have a plan. He said they found a way to trick them for a little bit, buying us enough time to get Evan.”
I smiled.
“That’s great Chloe.”
She nodded and I saw a gleam in her eye.
“Uh oh…why don’t I like that look.”
She stood up and pulled me with her.
“We need to get the second half of the plan ready. You remember my uncle, the General, right?”
I frowned as she pulled me out of the house. Oh boy…what have I gotten myself into…
(Clark POV)
I hung up Lex’s phone and handed it to him.
“Are we almost ready?”
He nodded as we watched one of his scientists pour the green liquid into a tube. I winced slightly and took another step back trying to keep as much distance as possible between me and the bottled meteor rock.
Lex glanced over at me and frowned.
“You okay Clark?”
I nodded.
“Do we have the suitcase?”
He held it up.
“Right here. We’ll put a few of the vials in it and then when we get back to the farm; we’ll swap this out with the other thing Chloe is putting together?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Lex loaded up the suitcase, closed it, and glanced at his watch before looking back at me.
“We should head out. We have about two hours left and it’s going to take some time to get back to the farm.”
We headed out to the car, got in, and started toward the farm. I called my parents on the way back to let them know what was going on. I was worried they might get caught in the cross fire so, they promised to stay at the police station and try to keep the sheriff occupied.
After hanging up I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. This has to work…we were all out of other options…I inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly before breaking the silence.
“I’m sorry about before Lex…I should have trusted you.”
He shrugged it off.
“I understand why you didn’t. I haven’t always been the most forthcoming with my business ventures.”
I nodded.
“Still, we’re friends I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. Thanks again for all of this.”
“It’s not a problem Clark. Why don’t you relax until we get back to the farm. You look like you haven’t gotten any rest in a while.”
I did my best to relax my body and try to prepare for what was to come. Please let this work…
Forty-Five Minutes Later
I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and Lex gave me a tight smile.
“We’re back.”
I nodded, sat up and undid my seat belt. We got out of the car and made our way inside. The house looked deserted. Hmm I wonder where Chloe is.
“Chlo…”
I frowned. Lex and I walked into the kitchen, but no one was there. I glanced at him and he shrugged. I briefly glanced out kitchen door’s window and saw Chloe’s car outside. Lex must have seen it to because he opened the kitchen door and glanced outside.
“I’ll go check if there out back.”
I nodded.
“I’ll check upstairs.”
I moved up the stairs two at a time and made my way into my room. I looked around, but no one was there. Something’s off…I came out of my room, looked up and down the hallway and then a sound caught my attention.
I concentrated on the sound and my eyes went wide. Oh god Lex…I super sped down the stairs and when I got to the open door I tried to run out, but something was blocking my way. I pounded against thin air, but nothing happened.
I yelled out to Lex.
“LEX…GET AWAY FROM THE CAR!”
He had just gotten the door open when I spoke. He turned, gave me a confused look and then glanced back at the car. I saw him reach in and grab something before running in the opposite direction.
Not even two minutes later, there was a loud explosion. The door frame shook and I was knocked back a couple feet. I glanced up and saw Chloe’s car in flames. I steadied myself and called out to Lex.
“LEX…LEX ARE YOU OKAY?”
It took a few moments, but I heard heavy coughing and then saw Lex lying on the ground a few feet from the barn. I was about to say something else when I was knocked to my knees. I grunted and I hear Chloe yelling in the background.
“Get off me…leave him alone.”
“Chloe…”
I saw her elbow the person holding her. When he released her arm she ran over to me and helped me up. Once we were standing I held onto her arm.
“You okay?”
She nodded. I traced a cut across the top of her forehead and she winced. When I turned around I saw two guys and Lana. I glared in their direction and moved Chloe behind me.
“Which one of you is Lee?”
I saw the tall guy whose hand was gripping Lana’s arm grin.
“Guilty as charged…so Kent….you got the stuff?”
My voice came out hard when I spoke.
“Where is Evan?”
“You give us what we want…I give you the kid.”
I shook my head.
“No deal. I want to see that he’s okay. Now…or you get nothing.”
I watched him glare at me. He pulled Lana closer to him and I watched as a ball of energy appeared in his hand. He held it up in front of Lana and she cringed. I took a step forward and he chuckled.
“Ah ah ah not so fast.”
He leaned his head back a little and called out.
“Bring the kid out here.”
A couple seconds later one of the twins brought out a squirming Evan. As soon as his eyes landed on us I saw a grin form on his face as he reached out to Chloe and I.
“Maaa…Daaaa dad a…”
I heard Chloe whisper Evan’s name before I felt her body shifting. I turned my head toward Lana. Her eyes widened and she screamed.
“NOOOO…”
I glanced back in Chloe’s direction, but before I could grab her she shot out in front of me. Lee lifted his hand and let the energy fly hitting Chloe in the chest. I watched her body fly back about three feet.
“CHLOE!!!”
I felt my feet moving toward Chloe. I bent down, picked her up and held her in my arms. Oh god…oh god no…I tried to block out the noise to make sense out of the situation, but everything was happening at once.
I heard Evan start to scream, Lana was crying and I thought I heard Lex banging on something yelling, but I couldn’t make out the words. I shook my head. I felt myself being grabbed from behind and I shot my hand out knocking the person into the opposite wall.
It wasn’t until I glanced up and saw Lee holding the same ball of electricity at Evan that I stood up and started to move in their direction.
“Stop right there…remember what happened last time someone tried that…it didn’t end pretty. Now what I need you to do is give me the drug before this sweet little baby joins his mother on the ground.”
Breathe Clark…Lex and Lana are here… you can’t use your powers…just focus…you can do this. I nodded and held my hand.
“We have it, but you need to let Lex in.”
He shook his head.
“Not a chance. You don’t actually think I’m that stupid do you?”
“No..look…Lex show them…show them the drug.”
I watched Lex hold one up and the energy in Lee’s hand went out. He motioned for the twins to let the force field down. They did and Lex stumbled in. Lee let Lana go and she ran over to Chloe. Lee grinned.
“Give it here Lex.”
Lex held up a case and motioned toward Evan.
“Same time. You, tweatle dumb…hand Clark the baby as I’m handing your boss the case.”
I watched him glare at Lex, but he nodded his okay. The twin holding Evan walked in my direction. Right as Lee grabbed the case and Evan was in my arms Lex pushed Lee hard and he stumbled into the living room.
I frowned as Lex ran in my direction. Lana stood up as Lex called out.
“Run…NOW…”
I glanced over at Lee about to open the suitcase and that’s when I realized it wasn’t the one Lex and I brought home…it was Chloe’s. I passed Evan off to Lex who grabbed Lana’s hand with his free one and dragged her out the kitchen door.
I picked up Chloe and right as my foot hit the outside of the door frame there was a loud explosion behind me. I got knocked off my feet and we landed a few feet away from the house. We rolled a few feet before I landed on my back with Chloe cradled in my arms.
I reached up and brushed the hair out of her face. I shifted to my left a little when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I looked over and there was the tube of meteor rock. I could feel cuts opening up on my skin and a bump forming where I hit my head.
I groaned and tried moving Chloe, but I couldn’t. She was a dead weight on top of me. We were covered in soot and there were cuts and bruises all over her. The pain was getting worse and I closed my eyes.
How could things have gone so wrong…we got Evan back…but at what cost…oh god what if she’s…no…no she’ll be okay I just need to get her to the hospital. I felt myself getting light headed. What if I never get to tell Chloe how I feel about her…what if she never knows… was my last thought before everything went black.
Chapter 5 Part A
(Lana POV)
I glanced around the empty limo and sighed. What was I doing? This isn’t a date…there was no reason to get all worked up…besides Lex isn’t even here…I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand and frowned.
A note…saying he’d meet me in Metropolis…maybe this was a bad idea…dinner with Lex…we could have just gotten take out and hung around the mansion…my thoughts were interrupted by my ringing cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Hello Lana.”
I smiled, rolled my eyes and leaned back against the cushions.
“Lex…what’s up?”
He sighed.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pick you up. Things sort of…erupted at work and I have to take care of a few things before I leave, but I will be there. I promise.”
“It’s fine…you know if you need to cancel…”
I trailed off and my face fell. Clark always canceled…if this wasn’t déjà vu…there was laughter in his voice when he spoke.
“No way. I’ve been looking forward to dinner all day. I’m just going to be about 10 minutes late. I’m leaving the office soon. So I’ll meet you there?”
My smile returned.
“Ok, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
I hung up and grinned. Okay…so maybe I have been looking forward to this all day too…it’s crazy…I mean it’s just Lex…no reason to be nervous or anything…we’re just friends…I glanced out the window and saw a sign for Metropolis…Another hour and I’d be in Metropolis. I felt my stomach flutter.
Crap…if we’re just friends why is my stomach doing that…oh boy…I’m in trouble…this is going to be a long night…
(Lex POV)
I straightened my tie as I walked into the restaurant. My first date with Lana and I’m fifteen minutes late. Hopefully she wasn’t too mad. I glanced around the restaurant and spotted her at a booth in the back of the room.
I smiled and made my way over to her. When I slid into the seat across from her she glanced up startled and then smiled.
“Hey Lex.”
“Hello Lana. Sorry I’m late. Work ran longer than expected.”
She waved me off as she took a sip of water from her glass.
“It’s fine.”
I motioned to a waiter to come over and take our orders. He jotted down a few things and then left to get the bottle of wine I ordered.
“How was your day?”
She nodded.
“Boring. I have to say there isn’t much to being a senior in high school. I can’t wait to finally be finished. To have a chance to go anywhere I want for college or even take a year off and travel the world some more. I enjoyed Paris quite a bit.”
I nodded.
“You should definitely travel if you get the time. I spent half my childhood roaming the continents, but it was better once I was older. I was able to enjoy more things.”
She smiled as she listened to me talk. I talk day in-and-out to rooms full of people who are paid to listen to what I’m saying…and Lana just sits here and listens for no other reason than to hear me… it’s strange…I could get used to it.
Our waiter brought the wine out and poured two glasses. Once he left I raised the glass and she followed suit.
“To new beginnings.”
I saw an odd look cross her face before her voice echoed mine.
“To new beginnings.”
Our glasses clinked before we sipped our wine. I swirled it around while we waited in amiable silence. A few minutes later I heard a light ‘huh’ from Lana before she spoke softly and quickly.
“Okay, this is probably going to sound juvenile to you, which I guess considering who you are is understandable, but what is this to you…I mean dinner…is this friends just getting a bite to eat, catching up or…”
She hesitated and glanced down as she finished her sentence.
“Or something else.”
When I didn’t answer her right away she glanced back up and must have caught the look of amusement on my face. She frowned and started to fidget before I reached across the table and took her hand to quell her fears.
“I’m sorry. You just…you said everything so quickly and you seem so nervous…it’s endearing.”
She made another face and I chuckled.
“I apologize. I’m not saying any of the right things tonight am I?”
I saw a smirk form on her face.
“Not exactly, but it’s been a long day so I’ll forgive you this once.”
I nodded and rubbed my thumb across her silky skin.
“It’s much appreciated. Lana…”
I stopped and swallowed deep. Here goes nothing…you can do it. Be calm…it’s just Lana.
“I wanted to take you out because you’re my friend…”
I watched her face fall a little and I felt a certain victory.
“And because I was hoping that maybe we could get to know each other a little better. I’ve known many women in my time, but none of them have been like you. You talk to me like I’m anyone else, you questions things, you argue with me…it’s not often I find someone like that. So I was hoping…”
Before I could finish her cell phone went off, which seemed to startle her as much as it did me. She fumbled with it for a few seconds before turning the ringer off. She waved at it and placed it on the table.
“Ignore it…your were saying?”
I laughed.
“I was saying that we’re friends, but I’m not opposed to something more. I don’t want to rush things. This dinner is about putting that possibility on the table, and with that said, taking things one day at a time.”
I watched a beautiful smile light up her face.
“I think that’s a great idea Lex.”
Our glasses met again and I motioned to her phone.
“You should check and see who called. I’m going to run to the facilities, I’ll be right back.”
I winked at her as I got up, she chuckled and I then weaved my way to the other end of the room. I glanced back before entering the bathroom and I saw her with the phone to her ear. She gave me a silly smile, waved and I did the same before entering the lavatory.
I smiled…so far so good…I’m glad I came clean with Lana and I’m even more glad she seemed receptive to the idea of a relationship with me…
I made my way back into the main dining area and the panicked look I saw on Lana’s face made me frown…I had a feeling this night was about to take a turn for the worst…
(Chloe POV)
My hands clutched the soft blue blanket as I sat on the kitchen chair staring out the window. I could hear people bustling around the Kent farm, police officers asking Mr. and Mrs. Kent questions, and the Sheriff talking to Clark. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered. Evan was gone.
A warm hand touching my shoulder jerked me out of my thoughts. I glanced up at Clark as he gave me a sympathetic look before speaking to the sheriff.
“It’s been a really long night Sheriff. Do you think we can maybe answer the rest of your questions tomorrow? This is hard for us and my mom should get some rest.”
I watched her nod as she cleared everyone out of the house. She came over and patted my arm.
“We’ll find the little tyke Miss Sullivan, Mr. Kent, if you remember anything don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
We nodded and Mr. Kent closed the door behind her. He moved over to Mrs. Kent and I watched there interaction.
“Come on Martha, we should get to bed.”
She wiped her eyes and covered her mouth.
“I should have been watching more carefully, I should have called for Clark…and now…”
Clark went over to her and hugged her.
“It isn’t your fault mom. Just get some rest. We need to make sure your head is okay.”
I couldn’t make out the comforting words that Mr. Kent was whispering to Mrs. Kent while they headed upstairs, but I knew whatever he was saying wouldn’t help, not if she was feeling the way I was right now.
Maybe they were right all along. Clark and I were too young to be trying to take care of Evan…if he was with people who were more responsible…then he wouldn’t have been taken. I shouldn’t have just left him alone like that…
“Chloe…CHLOE…”
I glanced up and Clark could see the water brimming from my eyes. He sighed, stretched out his arm, yanked me into a standing position, and pulled me into his arms. I felt them tighten around me and after a couple of seconds I wrapped my arms around him and the dam broke.
I felt his strong hands rubbing my back as he whispered softly to me.
“Shhh…it’s going to be okay Chlo, we’ll find him. I promise…I’m so sorry for not being there today…I’m sorry I didn’t save him…”
I could hear a slight hitch in Clark’s voice. I moved my head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. I could see the guilt there. I tilted my head slightly as my hand came up to his cheek.
“Clark Kent you listen to me, and listen good. This is not your fault. There’s no way you could have known this was going to happen. We just need to get ourselves together and do a little research. We need to figure out why these guys came after you, but more importantly why they took Evan.”
I saw him look away from me, but I moved his face back towards me as my eyes watered back up and I spoke in a soft voice.
“Clark, please. Don’t let the guilt eat at you right now. I need you…I need you to be strong for me…for Evan…you were right when you said we’d find him. I know we will, I mean come on…this is us…we always get our guy…”
I saw a small smile form on his lips. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head and pulled me to him in a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder with my arms around him. I could feel his breath on my ear as he spoke.
“What would I do without you Chloe?”
I grinned lightly.
“Shrivel up and die?”
“I mean it. You mean a lot more to me then you know. These past few days…with Evan...and you…they’ve been special. It’s been nice to not have to hide who I am with the people I care about most. It was like…I don’t know…I wasn’t alone.”
I felt him take a deep breath and I held him tighter as I whispered to him.
“You’ll never be alone Clark…you’ll always have me…”
It was his turn to tighten his grip on me as he placed his head between my neck and shoulder. I don’t think he realizes how much he means to me either…
(Clark POV)
I could feel my hands rubbing Chloe’s back…and it felt good. She felt good. What is wrong with me? Evan is gone…who knows where they have him or what they are doing to him and for some reason I can’t stop thinking of just grabbing Chloe and kissing her.
Which in and of itself is one of the craziest thoughts I’ve ever had because; well Chloe’s my best friend. Nothing else…she pulled away from me slightly so she was looking at me and I could have sworn I saw something in her eyes flicker.
I rubbed her arm and I could feel my body moving into her. My face was getting lower by the second and the voice inside my head was screaming what are you doing…this is bad….stop…
I could feel her warm breath on my lips and just as my lips gently grazed hers there was a loud knock on the kitchen door that broke us out of the spell. Chloe’s eyes opened and she stepped out of my arms with a confused look on her face.
I moved back and cleared my throat as I glanced up at the door where I saw Lex opening it and walking in with Lana behind him. Lex was the first one to break the silence.
“As soon as Chloe called Lana and told her what happened we left Metropolis. I’m so sorry…”
Chloe moved over in their direction as she wiped her eyes. I watched as Lex gave her a kiss on the cheek and embraced her in a short hug before she made her way over to Lana. I could hear Chloe starting to cry again as they spoke.
Lex made his way over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“How are you holding up Clark?”
I rubbed my face and shook my head.
“Not great. My mom was hurt, but she’ll be fine. Evan…he’s all alone with strangers…and the worst part is not knowing if he’s okay or not.”
I glanced back at the girls who had moved over by the table. Chloe was speaking low as Lana was turning on the tea kettle listening to what she was saying. I moved closer to Lex and lowered my voice before speaking again.
“I’m worried. I didn’t see the guys who came here so I don’t know who they are, or what they were after. My mom said they were looking for me. God…this is all my fault. My mom getting hurt, Evan being taken…Chloe…I’ve never seen her this upset before.”
“Clark, this isn’t your fault. I’ve informed my security team about what’s been going on. I have also hired the best P.I. in Metropolis to help us find Evan. I won’t rest until we find him, and I know Lana won’t either.”
I faced Lex and gave him a tired smile.
“Thank you Lex…you don’t know what this means to me.”
He nodded.
“I think I understand. It’s hard to loose a child…the way you and Chloe care for Evan…”
He trailed off before continuing.
“Don’t worry Clark…these people obviously want something, which means Evan is still alive. You’ll get him back and the people who did this will be held accountable for their actions…”
I nodded as I watched Lana trying to comfort Chloe. I’ve never had so many conflicting emotions at once before…on one hand Chloe and I were so lucky to have such great friends, who were willing to spend their time helping us find Evan.
On the other hand, when did Chloe and I become ‘Chloe and I’? I know she’s my best friend, but ever since we found Evan my feelings toward her have been changing…on top of that I’m scared for Evan, but I also feel bad because even though I’m worried I can’t stop thinking about Chloe…
We almost kissed…I almost kissed her…I’m not sure what’s going on with us, but I am sure that when this is all over and we have Evan back…I want to find out…
(Lana POV)
The Next Morning
I walked up the steps to the kitchen door and took a deep breath before knocking. A few minutes later Mr. Kent opened the door. I smiled and held up the paper bags in my hands.
“I brought breakfast and coffee. I didn’t think anyone would be up to cooking. I thought maybe I could help out.”
Mr. Kent gave me a warm smile and opened the door wider.
“That was very nice of you, come in Lana.”
I walked in and closed the door behind me. We walked further into the kitchen and I heard Mr. Kent call out.
“Clark, Chloe, Lana is here. She brought breakfast and coffee.”
I heard Clark’s voice call back.
“We’ll be right there.”
He sounded exhausted. I went over to the counter and started taking things out. A few minutes later I saw Chloe walk into the kitchen. Her eyes were red and Clark was guiding her into the room. A wave of jealousy flew through me for a second before I shook it off.
Jeez Lana get a grip…they are going through something huge…now isn’t the time for school girl emotions…you’re not in love with Clark anymore…you want him to be happy and if Chloe makes him happy your okay with that…plus you have Lex.
I sighed and I tried to hide the small smile that thinking of Lex brought to my face. I felt a hand rub my shoulder lightly and I glanced up. Clark forced a small smile on his face.
“Thanks Lana, that was really nice of you.”
I nodded and handed him a muffin.
“No problem Clark, anything I can do to help I will. You know that.”
I watched him glance around the counter before he spotted Chloe’s favorite muffin. He reached over to grab it and I stopped him. He frowned and I shrugged.
“Sorry, you think I could bring it to her? I was thinking maybe we could have some girl talk.”
I watched him run his hands over his face.
“Sure Lana that would be great.”
I grabbed the muffin and coffee I got her and moved over to wear she was standing. I smiled.
“Hey Chloe, why don’t we go sit in the living room and have breakfast; we can talk a little bit.”
I watched her nod. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke.
“Sure thing. Thanks for coming Lana…I really appreciate you being here.”
I put an arm around her and we walked into the other room. This is good…I’ll keep her talking and hopefully that will help…I just wish there was more I could do.
(Clark POV)
I watched Lana lead Chloe into the other room. They sat in front of the fire place and Lana said something that made Chloe chuckle. I smiled slightly. Thank god…I haven’t heard Chloe laugh or seen her smile in what felt like days even though it was only hours.
I sighed and my father walked by and patted my back.
“Are you alright son?”
I shook my head.
“No, I should have seen this coming. I should have gotten here faster…I can’t help but feeling like this is some how all my fault.”
He frowned and me and moved so his arm was stretched out, hand on my shoulder with a frown on his face.
“Clark you listen to me, this is not your fault. No one expects you to see the future. You need to accept what happened and figure out a way to find Evan, not mope around the house.”
I nodded. He was right, I needed to try and figure this out. I promised Chloe I’d get Evan back and I would. My dad must have seen what he was looking for in my eyes because he gave me a smile and a patted my back before walking out of the room and upstairs to check on my mom.
I went to the fridge and grabbed some juice before moving back over to the counter. As I poured juice into my glass there was a knock on the door and it opened slightly. I glanced up and Lex waved. I motioned for him to come in.
“Hey Lex.”
“Morning Clark, how are you holding up?”
I shrugged, moved around the counter and leaned against it.
“As good as can be expected I guess. We haven’t heard anything from the sheriff…nothing from the would-be kidnappers…I’m at a loss as to what to do at this point. I have no clue who could have done this or why.”
He nodded and his face turned serious as he spoke.
“Clark I think I have a lead on who might have done this, but it’s not definite at this point.”
I jolted forward and spoke quickly while still keeping my voice low so Chloe wouldn’t hear.
“How, what happened?”
He held up a hand to stop the tirade of questions coming from me.
“Take it easy. The other night after Evan’s procedure one of the doctors who helped create the serum called me over to Belle Reve, said there was some important data that I might want to hold onto.”
I frowned, but nodded.
“It turned out I already had the data so it was a pointless trip down there. Well I went back there to pick-up Evans file so you could have it to give to whoever his pediatrician is and it seems three inmates from Belle Reve escaped.”
My eyes went wide. Oh my god…how many people have I sent to Belle Reve over the years…if they escaped and then some how managed to find me…oh god…what would they do to Evan to get back at me…
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and Lex was looking at me with concern.
“Clark are you alright?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know…if that’s true…if it’s someone I know…they could have taken him. There have been several meteor infected people we went to school with who tried to hurt Chloe and Lana…I helped the sheriff put them in there…if they saw Evan as a means of…”
My voice lowered as I glanced from Chloe back to Lex.
“If they have him…who knows what they’ll do…”
I could see Lex stiffen and shake his head furiously.
“We will find him Clark. No one will hurt a hair on that baby’s head; we’ll do whatever it takes.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I’d never forgive myself…the ringing phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I moved over to the phone and answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hey there Clarky boy, how are ya?”
I frowned.
“Who is this?”
“Who I am isn’t as important as what I have…”
His voice came out in a sing song tone and I was about to say something when I heard a cry in the background. Oh god…Evan…
My stance changed and my voice grew hard, I could see Lex frown and move closer out of the corner of my eye. My voice grew louder as I spoke, which got Chloe and Lana’s attention.
“What do you want?”
He chuckled and sneered into the phone.
“What every freak in Belle Reve wants, Clarky boy! You!”
I could hear crying in the background and saw red. My teeth ground together as I spoke.
“I don’t know who you are, but when I find you, you’re going to be sorry you took him. I’ll make Belle Reve look like a vacation…”
I watched Chloe get up and practically run in my direction. Her voice was soft and she spoke in a pleading tone.
“Clark stop…don’t make them angry they might hurt Evan…just…ask them what they want…”
I was about to open my mouth and she shook her head.
“Do it…now...”
I sighed and tried to calm my breathing as I heard his inane cackling over the phone.
“Listen…I don’t even know you…”
He cut me off.
“Oh, but we know you! You're a legend back in Belle Reve. Hell, half of the freaks are in there 'cause of you.”
My jaw tensed as I spoke more quietly.
“You got the wrong guy.”
“Oh yeah? Well then I guess we’ll just have to kill the kid here…”
“NO! No…wait…what…what do you want?”
My throat got dry and I tried swallowing, but nothing worked.
His voice was low and all joking was out of his tone. The words he spoke sent ice into my veins.
“Level 3…”
I made eye contact with Lex and gave him a hard look as I stood up straight. Chloe saw the change in me and glanced over at Lex who look confused. I repeated his words so everyone could hear.
“Level 3?”
I could hear the smile in his voice.
“So, you’ve heard of it?”
I glared at Lex. This is all because of him…I thought he changed…that he wanted to help…I should have never trusted a Luthor…
“Yeah, it's supposed to be a top secret research facility at Luthor Corp. Everybody thinks it's just a myth.”
I heard him snort over the phone.
“Yeah, spending a couple of weeks in there can make it pretty real.”
I glanced at Chloe and Lana then back at Lex.
“You've been in Level 3?”
I could hear the anxiety in his voice as he spoke.
“Yeah, I had a real nice stay. Gourmet food, satellite TV, and a nifty little green cocktail shot in my neck three times a day.”
A startled look crossed my face as I spoke without anger for the first time in the conversation.
“They were experimenting on you?”
I heard a gasp from Chloe as she looked at Lex. I could see anger on her face. Her voice was soft when she spoke.
“How could you do that Lex?”
He shook his head.
“He’s lying…I never experimented on anyone…Clark you have to believe me…”
The glare was back on my face as I heard the guy start talking again.
“Just trying to amp up what me and the Wonder twins could already do. It worked. Then one morning, I woke up in Belle Reve. No more satellite TV. No more green cocktails.”
I sighed.
“So you’re working with people who were in level 3 also?”
“Yea man…”
I rubbed my forehead.
“They got you hooked then cut you off.”
The crazy chuckling was back before he spoke again.
“Look, we all got a cross to bear, kid, and this is yours. You're gonna break into Level 3. You're gonna get me that serum. Otherwise, you're kid’s gonna die.”
I closed my eyes as I spoke in a rough voice.
“What do you need me for? I've seen what you can do. Why not just go in there and get it yourself?”
“Because kid you’re friends with Luthor…and because they got all kinds of defense systems to keep people like me out, but if the stories I hear at Belle Reve about you are true, then you shouldn't have a problem.”
“I can’t…”
He cut me off.
“I’ll be at your farm in five hours…get me my serum…or the kid dies…”
I heard the click of him hanging up before I even had time to respond. I looked at the phone and then placed it on the cradle. In the back of my mind I could hear Chloe saying something to me in a frantic voice, but I ignored her.
Lana’s brow was creased with worry, but all I could see was Lex. He lied to me yet again…I trusted him with Chloe…with Evan and looked what happened…he did this…it’s his fault…I should have listened to my father…I can’t believe he experimented on those people…
I felt my feet moving forward and I saw Lex hold his hands up and take a step back.
“Clark I don’t…”
I felt my fist connect with his jaw sending him to the floor. He grunted and then there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen. I was about to hit Lex again when Chloe screamed and I felt my stomach constrict. I grunted and Lex frowned as a look of pain crossed my face.
I grabbed my stomach and I felt someone grabbing me. My head knocked into the counter. Meteor rock…someone has meteor rock…was my last thought before everything went black.
(Chloe POV)
I took a deep breath as I opened the freezer door and sighed. At this point I don’t even know what to say. I grabbed some ice and handed it over to Lana. She wrapped it in a towel, walked over to Lex who was sitting at one end of the kitchen table and bent down.
As she placed the towel of ice against his face, he winced and I shook my head. I grabbed more ice and wrapped it in another towel before shutting the freezer and going over to Clark, who was sitting at the other end of the table glaring at Lex.
I leaned over and went to put the ice against his face. His hand came up and he brushed my attempts away. I glared at him. I tried again and he did the same thing.
“I don’t need it.”
I spoke in an irritated tone.
“Fine.”
I took the towel full of ice and tossed it across the room toward the sink. The towel hit the counter and ice crashed into the sink and on the floor. Lex and Clark winced at the noise. I heard Clark sigh as he finally made eye contact with me.
“Chloe…”
I shook my head and cut him off.
“Don’t…god…what got into you Clark…do you realize because of all of this,” I waved my hands around the room, “we lost an hour. A whole hour Clark!”
He jabbed his finger in Lex’s direction.
“He Lied!”
I growled in frustration.
“So what if he did Clark? Right now our priority is getting Evan back!”
I saw Lex shift out of the corner of my eye as he nodded.
“I agree.”
I turned my head and was about to say something, but Lana spoke first.
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not innocent in this. If you were more honest with Clark in the first place this wouldn’t have happened. The two of you need to stop listening to everyone else and take the time to listen to each other.”
She frowned and glanced at me. I nodded.
“Lana is right. We all lie at some point or another. Right now the two of you need to fix this.”
I turned to Lex.
“Is there a level 3?”
Lex opened his mouth and Clark spoke in a hard voice before Lex could say anything.
“Think about how you are going to answer that question if you ever want my trust again Lex, because if you lie…I’ll know.”
Lex glanced between Clark and I and then his eyes settled on Lana. She gave him an encouraging look. Her voice came out in a pleading tone.
“Lex its okay if there is a level 3…we just need to figure out what these guys want or they might hurt Evan. After everything you’ve done to help him…”
She let her sentence drift off and he sighed.
“Yes…there is a level 3 at Luthor Corp…”
Clark cut in before Lex could say anything else.
“See I told you!”
Lex yelled over Clark.
“But we’ve never experimented on anyone! That’s not what it’s about…Clark this guy was lying to you…”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because all I’ve ever wanted to do was help you Clark. These past few days our friendship has gone to new heights. You finally trusted me with something important to you. You can’t know how much that means to me.”
I looked at Lana and she gave me a slight shrug. Clark didn’t look convinced and we were running out of time.
“Lex…if what you’re saying is true then you shouldn’t have a problem taking Clark to level 3. Right?”
I saw him hesitate for a split second before he nodded.
“Fine, if that’s what it takes to prove it to you Clark, I’ll take you there right now. I’ll show you we aren’t experimenting on anyone.”
He stood up and handed the towel to Lana. She gave him a small smile, which he returned.
I watched Clark stand up and hesitate before speaking.
“If you’re telling the truth…how will we get Evan back? They want something we don’t have.”
Lex walked over to Clark and clasped his shoulder.
“We’ll figure it out. Are we okay?”
Clark took a step back and inclined his head slightly.
“We’ll be okay when I see level 3.”
Lex nodded.
“Let’s go,”
Clark motioned toward the kitchen door.
“Lead the way.”
They started to walk out when Clark stopped. I raised an eyebrow and he glanced at Lana and Lex.
“Can I have a minute alone with Chloe?”
“I’ll meet you in the car.”
Lex walked out the kitchen door and Lana pointed to the other room.
“I’ll go get your computer from you car and start it up so we can look into that thing.”
I nodded and she left. I looked at Clark and he gave me a sheepish smile.
“So…I guess I got a little out of control huh?”
The tension on my face ebbed and I gave him half a smile.
“A little?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke in a low voice.
“Who knocked me out?”
I sighed.
“Your father was walking down the stairs when you jumped at Lex and hit him. I screamed and a couple of seconds later your father came in with a piece of meteor rock. Don’t worry no one saw. Lex was too busy being hit by you and Lana was flabbergasted.”
I grinned at that. The look on her face was priceless. I wish Clark would have been able to see it.
“I think she was pretty shocked. When you started to falter Lex got confused and I tried to grab you off him and when you didn’t budge he slammed your head into the bottom of the counter. It knocked you out for a minute or at least until the meteor rock was gone.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry Chloe…”
I waved him off.
“I’m sorry too. I know why you did it. I didn’t mean to get angry…I’m just…I’m worried about Evan and how we’re going to fix this.”
He nodded, moved toward me and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head right below his shoulder. I felt his grip tighten on me as I pressed my face into his chest. God he feels amazing…
We were definitely going to have to talk about what was going on with us when we get Evan back…because there is something there…I know it. I pulled back and he let go and took a step back.
“You should go. Lex is waiting and we don’t have much time.”
“Where are my parents?”
“They went to go talk to the sheriff.”
He nodded.
“I’ll be back soon.”
He started to walk away and I called out.
“Clark!”
He turned quickly at the panic in my voice and gave me a concerned look. It was my turn to give him a sheepish smile as I shrugged.
“Be careful.”
“I always am.”
And he was gone. I heard Lana in the other room saying something about the computer being all ready. I really hope Lex wasn’t lying…and I hope they figured out a way to find this ‘drug’ or whatever it is. I just want this to be over and Evan to be home…I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to him…
(Lex POV)
As we drove toward the Luthor Corp plant it was silent in the car. By the time we get there everything should be moved and level 3 should be the same as any Luthor Corp project. Okay…so I lied to Clark, but he wouldn’t understand.
That was obvious by his earlier reaction. How was I supposed to know that they’d come after him to get to me? I didn’t lie when I said we’d get Evan back. Clark and Chloe are my friends and Evan…well anyone can grow attached to a child if they’re around long enough.
I cleared my throat before speaking.
“I apologize for knocking your head into the counter earlier. You have to understand I was just defending myself.”
I glanced briefly at him before returning my eyes to the road. He nodded.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry I hit you. You know, sometimes I just don’t understand you Lex. It’s so important for me to include you in my life, to be honest with you and trust you yet you can’t seem to do the same with me.”
I went to interrupt him, but he held up a hand.
“Let me finish. I want to trust you, but then things like this happen and I can’t figure out what to do. I want to believe in you, but every time I do you seem to show your true colors…and they’re never flattering.”
I sighed. He’s right, every time I think I finally have his trust one of my skeletons pop out of the closet and we’re right back to square one.
“I know, and I’m sorry Clark. I can’t change the person I was before I moved to Smallville and I can’t fix everything overnight, but I’m trying. I’m trying to do what I feel is right, but sometimes my moral compass isn’t the same as everyone else’s.”
I saw him nod so I continued.
“You’re my best friend Clark. I’ve never had that before and I’m still learning how that works, so I’m bound to make a few mistakes, but I swear I’m not experimenting on people and I would never knowingly involve you, Chloe, or Evan in something like this.”
I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. The car was quiet for a few minutes before Clark responded in a sincere tone.
“I think that’s the most honest you’ve ever been with me Lex. I appreciate it and when we get Evan out of this alive I hope there will be more moments like this one.”
I gave him a quick smile, which he returned before turning back to the road. Okay…good. Everything I just said was 100 percent true…if you leave out that one part about experimenting on people.
When I get to Luthor Corp I’ll have one of the scientists cook me up a ‘fake’ cocktail that Clark and I could ‘trick’ these guys with and we’d be able to get Evan back without me having to spill my little secret about my meteor infected lab rats.
All in all a good days work…
(Lana POV)
I watched as Chloe typed away on her computer. It was weird watching her hack into people’s networks…almost exciting. Her voice brought me out of my thoughts.
“So once we are into the files at Belle Reve I’ll be able to figure out exactly who we’re dealing with and what their meteor powers are, that way we can be more prepared.”
I nodded.
“Good idea. How do you think Lex and Clark are doing?”
I watched Chloe smirk as she typed a few more codes into the computer. Her tone was amused when she spoke.
“I’m sure they’ll kiss and make up by the time they get to Luthor Corp. Clark is a sucker for giving people multiple chances and Lex is constantly seeking approval from Clark for some reason.”
I laughed. She had them pegged. I loved that about Chloe. She was good when it came to reading people. I missed this…hanging out with her…I wish it was under better circumstances though.
“You okay over there Lana? I can smell the wood burning.”
I bumped her slightly and we laughed together.
“Yeah, I was just thinking that we don’t do this enough anymore.”
She glanced at me for a minute with a raised eyebrow.
“Have children kidnapped and hack into Belle Reve’s database?”
I grinned.
“Hang out.”
She nodded and turned back to the computer.
“Yeah, maybe when this is all over we can change that.”
“I think that’s a great idea. As soon as we get Evan back we’ll all have to celebrate together.”
I saw a half grin form on her face.
“Let’s not count our chickens just yet….I’m in.”
I peered over her shoulder and watched as she scanned through file after file. I saw her come to rest on a page detailing the break-out from the other night. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with Chloe’s hacker skills…I didn’t think they were this far along. I mean sure little things, but Belle Reve security…that’s big.
“What does it say?”
She frowned.
“It doesn’t mention a name here…give me one second let me try something else.”
I waited and then I saw her bring up patient files on the screen. I watched as a grin appeared on her face.
“Now all I have to do is match the number from the report to the number on the file and we’ll know who our meteor freak is…”
When she finally stopped on one, I scanned the words on the screen and my eyes went wide. This guy had some serious powers…he’s the one who has Evan? I watched Chloe’s body tense as she read the description of his powers. She took a deep breath and swallowed.
When she spoke her voice was eerily calm.
“We need to tell Clark and Lex what they’re dealing with.”
I nodded.
“I’ll call Lex. Did you find the other two guys?”
She nodded.
“Yeah.”
I opened my phone and dialed Lex. Three rings later he picked up.
“Hello.”
“Lex, it’s Lana.”
“Is everything okay?”
The question startled me. Why wouldn’t everything be okay? I mean obviously it’s not, but it’s no worse than when they left.
“Everything is okay. Chloe found a way to gain access to Belle Reve’s patient files. She found the guys that have Evan.”
I heard something crash over the phone and frowned.
“What’s going on over there? Are you guys okay?”
I heard some rustling and then I heard Clark say something I couldn’t make out.
“Hold on Lana, what…no. Yes she’s with Chloe. She said they found out who took Evan. I will. Sorry Lana, go ahead.”
I sighed.
“The guy who called, his name is Lee. He has some kind of electro power or something…what was it Chloe?”
“The twins have some kind of force field and Lee uses electric currents to create bolts of lightning or energy orbs that he can direct wherever he wants, causing all kinds of damage. The file on him has multiple cases of the staff being electrocuted by him while transporting him through the facility.”
I swallowed and continued.
“Only recently did the Belle Reve scientists develop special restraints that prevent him from using his powers. There are notes here that state even with restraints in place, Lee is to be considered extremely dangerous.”
Chloe findings did not give me a lot of hope for Lex and Clark to be able to overtake this guy should something go wrong. However, I knew I couldn’t let Lex hear the worry in my voice, so I took a deep breath and spoke as steadily as I could.
“She said the twins can create a force field and Lee, he converts electric energy to…do something bad?”
I heard Lex chuckle on the other end of the phone. I glared at the phone.
“Seriously…you take this time to laugh at me?”
I heard him clear his throat and the noise around him got louder.
“I apologize, can you repeat that please.”
I gave him a frustrated grunt.
“I said the twins create a force field and the Lee guy converts electric energy to do something bad.”
This time I heard Clark chuckle in the background. Wonderful…now they’re making fun of me.
“Real nice guys. You know what I’m going to put Chloe on the phone you hold on.”
I heard all the laughing stop. Ha!
“No, no Lana…”
I passed the phone over to Chloe and she raised an eyebrow.
“Apparently they aren’t taking this seriously…I thought maybe you’d like to find out what the bobsy twins are up to.”
I saw her shake her head as she took the phone.
“Hello…what? No. What are you guys doing? You’ve been gone for over an hour.”
I watched her frown.
“We have less than three hours left. Let me talk to Clark. No Lex…okay.”
I heard her voice soften as she spoke.
“Clark? Yeah, I did. What’s taking you so long? So he wasn’t lying.”
She glanced up at me and gave me a small smile.
“That’s good. Really? No, no I think it’s a great idea. Okay we’ll see you soon. Okay, bye.”
She closed the phone and held it out to me. I gave her a look and when she didn’t say anything I spoke in an anxious tone.
“Well what did Clark say?”
“They have a plan. He said they found a way to trick them for a little bit, buying us enough time to get Evan.”
I smiled.
“That’s great Chloe.”
She nodded and I saw a gleam in her eye.
“Uh oh…why don’t I like that look.”
She stood up and pulled me with her.
“We need to get the second half of the plan ready. You remember my uncle, the General, right?”
I frowned as she pulled me out of the house. Oh boy…what have I gotten myself into…
(Clark POV)
I hung up Lex’s phone and handed it to him.
“Are we almost ready?”
He nodded as we watched one of his scientists pour the green liquid into a tube. I winced slightly and took another step back trying to keep as much distance as possible between me and the bottled meteor rock.
Lex glanced over at me and frowned.
“You okay Clark?”
I nodded.
“Do we have the suitcase?”
He held it up.
“Right here. We’ll put a few of the vials in it and then when we get back to the farm; we’ll swap this out with the other thing Chloe is putting together?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Lex loaded up the suitcase, closed it, and glanced at his watch before looking back at me.
“We should head out. We have about two hours left and it’s going to take some time to get back to the farm.”
We headed out to the car, got in, and started toward the farm. I called my parents on the way back to let them know what was going on. I was worried they might get caught in the cross fire so, they promised to stay at the police station and try to keep the sheriff occupied.
After hanging up I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. This has to work…we were all out of other options…I inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly before breaking the silence.
“I’m sorry about before Lex…I should have trusted you.”
He shrugged it off.
“I understand why you didn’t. I haven’t always been the most forthcoming with my business ventures.”
I nodded.
“Still, we’re friends I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. Thanks again for all of this.”
“It’s not a problem Clark. Why don’t you relax until we get back to the farm. You look like you haven’t gotten any rest in a while.”
I did my best to relax my body and try to prepare for what was to come. Please let this work…
Forty-Five Minutes Later
I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and Lex gave me a tight smile.
“We’re back.”
I nodded, sat up and undid my seat belt. We got out of the car and made our way inside. The house looked deserted. Hmm I wonder where Chloe is.
“Chlo…”
I frowned. Lex and I walked into the kitchen, but no one was there. I glanced at him and he shrugged. I briefly glanced out kitchen door’s window and saw Chloe’s car outside. Lex must have seen it to because he opened the kitchen door and glanced outside.
“I’ll go check if there out back.”
I nodded.
“I’ll check upstairs.”
I moved up the stairs two at a time and made my way into my room. I looked around, but no one was there. Something’s off…I came out of my room, looked up and down the hallway and then a sound caught my attention.
I concentrated on the sound and my eyes went wide. Oh god Lex…I super sped down the stairs and when I got to the open door I tried to run out, but something was blocking my way. I pounded against thin air, but nothing happened.
I yelled out to Lex.
“LEX…GET AWAY FROM THE CAR!”
He had just gotten the door open when I spoke. He turned, gave me a confused look and then glanced back at the car. I saw him reach in and grab something before running in the opposite direction.
Not even two minutes later, there was a loud explosion. The door frame shook and I was knocked back a couple feet. I glanced up and saw Chloe’s car in flames. I steadied myself and called out to Lex.
“LEX…LEX ARE YOU OKAY?”
It took a few moments, but I heard heavy coughing and then saw Lex lying on the ground a few feet from the barn. I was about to say something else when I was knocked to my knees. I grunted and I hear Chloe yelling in the background.
“Get off me…leave him alone.”
“Chloe…”
I saw her elbow the person holding her. When he released her arm she ran over to me and helped me up. Once we were standing I held onto her arm.
“You okay?”
She nodded. I traced a cut across the top of her forehead and she winced. When I turned around I saw two guys and Lana. I glared in their direction and moved Chloe behind me.
“Which one of you is Lee?”
I saw the tall guy whose hand was gripping Lana’s arm grin.
“Guilty as charged…so Kent….you got the stuff?”
My voice came out hard when I spoke.
“Where is Evan?”
“You give us what we want…I give you the kid.”
I shook my head.
“No deal. I want to see that he’s okay. Now…or you get nothing.”
I watched him glare at me. He pulled Lana closer to him and I watched as a ball of energy appeared in his hand. He held it up in front of Lana and she cringed. I took a step forward and he chuckled.
“Ah ah ah not so fast.”
He leaned his head back a little and called out.
“Bring the kid out here.”
A couple seconds later one of the twins brought out a squirming Evan. As soon as his eyes landed on us I saw a grin form on his face as he reached out to Chloe and I.
“Maaa…Daaaa dad a…”
I heard Chloe whisper Evan’s name before I felt her body shifting. I turned my head toward Lana. Her eyes widened and she screamed.
“NOOOO…”
I glanced back in Chloe’s direction, but before I could grab her she shot out in front of me. Lee lifted his hand and let the energy fly hitting Chloe in the chest. I watched her body fly back about three feet.
“CHLOE!!!”
I felt my feet moving toward Chloe. I bent down, picked her up and held her in my arms. Oh god…oh god no…I tried to block out the noise to make sense out of the situation, but everything was happening at once.
I heard Evan start to scream, Lana was crying and I thought I heard Lex banging on something yelling, but I couldn’t make out the words. I shook my head. I felt myself being grabbed from behind and I shot my hand out knocking the person into the opposite wall.
It wasn’t until I glanced up and saw Lee holding the same ball of electricity at Evan that I stood up and started to move in their direction.
“Stop right there…remember what happened last time someone tried that…it didn’t end pretty. Now what I need you to do is give me the drug before this sweet little baby joins his mother on the ground.”
Breathe Clark…Lex and Lana are here… you can’t use your powers…just focus…you can do this. I nodded and held my hand.
“We have it, but you need to let Lex in.”
He shook his head.
“Not a chance. You don’t actually think I’m that stupid do you?”
“No..look…Lex show them…show them the drug.”
I watched Lex hold one up and the energy in Lee’s hand went out. He motioned for the twins to let the force field down. They did and Lex stumbled in. Lee let Lana go and she ran over to Chloe. Lee grinned.
“Give it here Lex.”
Lex held up a case and motioned toward Evan.
“Same time. You, tweatle dumb…hand Clark the baby as I’m handing your boss the case.”
I watched him glare at Lex, but he nodded his okay. The twin holding Evan walked in my direction. Right as Lee grabbed the case and Evan was in my arms Lex pushed Lee hard and he stumbled into the living room.
I frowned as Lex ran in my direction. Lana stood up as Lex called out.
“Run…NOW…”
I glanced over at Lee about to open the suitcase and that’s when I realized it wasn’t the one Lex and I brought home…it was Chloe’s. I passed Evan off to Lex who grabbed Lana’s hand with his free one and dragged her out the kitchen door.
I picked up Chloe and right as my foot hit the outside of the door frame there was a loud explosion behind me. I got knocked off my feet and we landed a few feet away from the house. We rolled a few feet before I landed on my back with Chloe cradled in my arms.
I reached up and brushed the hair out of her face. I shifted to my left a little when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I looked over and there was the tube of meteor rock. I could feel cuts opening up on my skin and a bump forming where I hit my head.
I groaned and tried moving Chloe, but I couldn’t. She was a dead weight on top of me. We were covered in soot and there were cuts and bruises all over her. The pain was getting worse and I closed my eyes.
How could things have gone so wrong…we got Evan back…but at what cost…oh god what if she’s…no…no she’ll be okay I just need to get her to the hospital. I felt myself getting light headed. What if I never get to tell Chloe how I feel about her…what if she never knows… was my last thought before everything went black.
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