Look To Your Heart

[pyroseyes]

^^^
Totally agree. Chloe has reasons...tons of reasons and she just fire them out to Clark like a machine gun... Clark is so dumb but I feel sorry for him.. Hope he can sort this out soon. Nice update.

[dh1031]

Aww, thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it!!! As I said, this is my first try at writing a fan fic, so please do not hesitate to leave remarks - good or bad as to how I am doing!! I will do my best to continue to improve as I write. I had initially intended this to be a short one-shot, but as I am an extremely detail-oriented person - this is turning into a much longer story!!

Anyhow, thanks for sticking with the story, and thanks again for the feedback!! Now, here's the next update:

Part 5

She heard him, she knew he was there, she could always tell when he was near - her heart would always start racing before she even could feel that he was in a room, and it did so again this time. However, she pushed aside the need crawling inside her to run to him, pull him into a hug, and apologize for blowing-up at him - she remained steadfast and did not acknowledge him. Chloe had lost count of the ups and downs she had experienced with Clark, and true her curiosity about what had happened with Zod – and where he had been all this time - was running off the charts, Chloe knew that some principles had to be upheld over instinctual desire.


Plus, Chloe felt bad for having been so short in shutting down Jimmy earlier. Even though she had laid down the law to him that their relationship would remain firmly ensconced in a purely platonic state, Jimmy had put his feelings in place and been a good friend to her back during her summer internship. As they finished up their makeshift dinner, Chloe asked Jimmy if he had time to take her over to the SMC to see Lois. Chloe explained the phone call she had received from Martha Kent letting her know Lois had only recently woken up, and could now see visitors. Although it had been years since Jimmy had spent time with Chloe, he recalled how she fondly talked about her cousin, Lois. Jimmy had never met Lois but from Chloe’s description, she sounded like someone that charged the gate and to heck with the consequences.


Jimmy couldn’t help from laughing quietly as the thought sprung to mind that Lois was akin to a ‘Chloe without a GPS’. Then Jimmy caught the questioning look Chloe was giving him as she waited for an answer, he could tell she was anxious to be on her way. Jimmy quickly wiped his face clean of expression and quipped,


“Sure Chloe, I’m sure the Daily Planet’s archive room will survive without me for a while.”


Truthfully, Jimmy was thankful for the chance to get away, for as much as he dreamed about getting to work at the Daily Planet – being relegated to feeding a scanner images was not what he had in mind. Chloe quickly grabbed a refill of coffee and they were on their way.


Clark sat quietly in the family room of the Kent farm house, intently studying the back of his Dad’s watch. On the back of the watch, though worn from time and everyday use, was the inscription his Mom had put there years ago. The sentiment was simple, but it conveyed all the thoughts and feelings that Clark knew his parents shared, he smiled as he read the inscription;

To JK,
The love of
my life.
MK

Martha was startled to see her son sitting there in the family room as she too was deep in thought over the recent events. Martha quickly changed the expression on her face to the warm, loving smile that Clark knew so well, though now that he was older – even that kind smile did not seem to fix all that was wrong in the world for him as it once did. Martha spoke as she sat across from him on the sofa,


“I did not hear you get back, have you had anything to eat?” Clark shook his head as he replied,


“No, I’m not really hungry. Mom, can I ask you a question?”


“Clark, you know you can always talk to me about whatever is bothering you.” Martha said, trying to alleviate some of the strain she saw cross Clark’s face as he began to speak.


“Mom, how did you know Dad was the one? How did you know he felt the same as you did about him?”


Martha paused as she gathered her thoughts to answer him, “I think when a person is at the age you are, nothing is as clear cut as what you want it to be. You hope the person you have feelings for cares for you as well, but there’s no guarantee that I’ve ever heard of. I know things have been really hard on you lately Clark; your father passing away, you breaking-up with Lana to have her immediately turn to Lex, and then all this business with Zod and Professor Fine.”


Clark took a deep breath as he leaned forward to respond, “You know I keep going back in my mind lately, trying to figure out if I have been truthful with myself, or if I have been making up excuses about how I feel because I was afraid.”


Martha turned her head thoughtfully as she replied, “Clark, what you are asking of yourself is what everyone asks of themselves, which makes you as human as the rest of us.”


Looking quizzically at that remark, Clark asked, “What do you mean?”


Martha sat more upright as she said, “Your Dad and I almost did not get married.”


Clark’s eyebrows shot-up in shock at hearing this, and leaned forward as his Mom continued.


“I broke off the whole thing after being engaged for about a year. We had a huge blow-out of a fight, and I fully expected to never see him anymore after that. I mean, he was a farm boy and I was a city girl from Metropolis. Jonathan was expected to take on the mantle of this farm, while I was expected to go on to law school and become a lead attorney at my father’s practice – eventually taking over his firm. To look at the two of us, it made no practical sense that we should even be considering getting married.”


Clark hesitated as he asked, what he thought, was the obvious question, “Then why did you marry him?”


Martha closed her eyes to hold back the tears she felt trying to escape as she said, “Because I could not get him off of my mind.”


Clark waited a moment, seeing the emotions running their gambit across his Mom’s face, then asked, “What if I were to take such a chance as you did, I mean not proposing marriage (at least not yet, Clark thought to himself), but telling someone that has been close to me everything I have been feeling – only to find that she’s happy with someone else?”


Martha considered her words carefully, she wished Jonathan were here to give Clark his thoughts too as she finally spoke, “All I know is this, if I had not forced myself to face that risk before me – I would have missed out on having everything that I have held dear to my heart.”


Clark could not help but smile at this, as Martha reached out and pulled Clark into a hug. After a moment, they pulled apart and Martha asked, “So, are you going to tell me who this “someone” is that your mind is so preoccupied on?”


Clark blushed as he looked down at the floor to avoid his Mom’s gaze, “I will but I have to get sorted out in my head how to settle things with her first. I know things have not been easy on you Mom, and the last thing I want to do is have you concerned about someone that may not even play into the picture. I mean, I can still hear you crying yourself to sleep at night, and I know it’s my fault – if I had not gone back to save Lana from that car wreck, Dad would still be with us.”


Martha placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke, “Clark, I am sorry you heard me crying, but you cannot blame yourself for your father’s death. He led a full life and I know that if he had the chance, he would not change a thing he has done. Having you here with us made your Dad’s life more complete, and no one expects you to try to choose one life over another like that. Besides, you did not know that your Dad would wind up passing away as a result of the changes in the past.”


Clark broke in, almost in tears, “That’s just it Mom – I DID know- well, I did not know it would be Dad, but Jor-El warned me that life would find a balance – that someone I cared about would die.”


Martha was quiet a moment as the tears that had been threatening finally ran down Clark’s face. “Clark, look at me, there are times in everyone’s lives – not just people like you with special abilities – that have to make life and death choices everyday. For instance, an emergency room doctor has to prioritize patients coming in, and treats them as best he/she can. The doctor can spend the rest of their lives saying ‘what if…’ in regards to their actions, what if I had chosen a different patient to work on – would than patient have made it instead of passing away while the patient they worked on passed away in spite of the doctor’s efforts. Clark, my crying is just the normal part of the grieving process, you being here to help me, God’s love, and time will get me – and us through this.”


Clark was in awe – with all his abilities, with all his strength at his command – the woman in front of him possessed a strength that he could not put into words. Clark smiled at his Mom as the tears continued steadily down his face.


He pulled her into a hug saying, “Thank you Mom, thank for those words, thank you for helping me realize that all this self-pity I have been wallowing in has done nothing but keep me from moving on in the grieving process – as I should have been doing for a while now. And most of all thank you for being the greatest of all my abilities – for being the guiding beacon during these times of turbulence. I love you Mom.”


It was Martha’s turn to let the tears run down her face as she embraced her son. She was so proud of him, even with everything going on – he had decided to try to taken on the burden of everything that was happening – and it was tearing him apart more than he was letting on. Yet during this conversation about matters of the heart, somehow her words had allowed him to open up to her the pain that was consuming him – and thank God she had found the words to save him from the gloomy abyss he was falling into. Martha’s heart swelled at this realization and whispered a quiet ‘thank you’ (quiet enough that not even Clark would hear it) as she looked up to the ceiling.


Somehow she felt, at that moment, that Jonathan had been there with her, guiding her with what to say when she was apprehensive as to what course to take. At last Martha found her voice had returned to her as she said aloud,


“I love you too, son. I am so proud of you!! Never forget that your Dad is also proud of you, and that he will always be watching over us.”


As they pulled away from the embrace, Clark had a smile of peace on his face, a smile his Mom had not seen in a long time. Drying the last of the tears that were on her face Martha asked,


“So, are you ready for me to fix you something for supper, it’s getting late you know.”


“Sure Mom, I’m so hungry now, I feel like I could eat three meals!!” Clark beamed at his Mom as they both walked to the kitchen.


Elsewhere, the drive from the Daily Planet to SMC passed quickly to Chloe. Her mind had been filling with all the questions she was going to ask Lois. Martha had not given her a lot of details about Lois, she was just on the line long enough to let her know they had made it back home safely, though Lois’ injuries required a trip to the hospital. Aside from Lana, Lois was the closest thing Chloe had to a sister – though Lois was decidedly more aggressive and not so quick on the uptake of her actions compared to Lana. Of course, while Lana was more thorough in making decisions, it seemed to Chloe, that Lana would take six months to make a decision that should have taken a week (okay, maybe two at the most) to decide on.


Yet all of that was pushed aside as they entered the main lobby of SMC to find it packed with people, and some of the lights still flickering on and off intermittently. After Chloe found out what room Lois was in from one of the attendants at the front desk, she and Jimmy made their way through the maze of make shift beds and people up to her room. With everything that was going on Chloe was amazed that Lois was able to get a room to herself, then again when Lois her mind set on how things were going to be – well let’s just say the landing at Normandy was more peaceful than being in the same room as Lois.


As they entered the room, Lois opened her eyes and greeted them in her usual ‘kind’ manner that immediately let Chloe know she was out of the woods.


“Hey cuz, who’s the string bean you brought along? Did you get so overloaded on coffee that you needed a designated driver to bring you out here?”


Chloe smirked as she shook her head, ignoring Lois’ question she asked


“How are you feeling?”


Trying to sit up a little, Lois winced slightly saying, “Ugh, bad enough to know that I am still in one piece. Now, let’s try this again, who’s the string bean?”


Chloe laughed now and said, “Oh, sorry! Jimmy Olsen, meet my cousin, Lois Lane, Lois this is Jimmy.”


Well, Jimmy was decidedly intimidated from Lois upon entering the room, and as such he had remained only a few steps from the door. Even though he knew Lois had been through an ordeal, the sound of her voice made him believe she could jump up at a moment’s notice and kick him out a window. Jimmy put on the best smile he could and waved as he said,


“Hi!”


Lois huffed as she looked to Chloe saying, “Wow, he’s a real chatterbox huh!?! Nice to meet you string bean.”


Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle at how brassy Lois was, even in the hospital. She also found it funny that Lois rarely called people by their proper names, preferring to come up with nick names that – somewhere in Lois’ mind – fit the person she was talking to. Jimmy, now more uncomfortable than ever, did his best to play it cool – which was asking a lot for him, as he barely kept his voice from jumping as he spoke –


“You too, it looks like you two have a lot to catch up on, so I’m going to wait outside.”


After Jimmy exited the room, Lois turned to Chloe asking, “Where did you dig up that little worm?”


“Shh…” Chloe replied with a light chuckle as she continued, “…be nice Lois!”


Lois lifted an eyebrow saying, “I am being nice!! Smallville annoys the living daylights out of me, but at least he has the zeal to fire-off a few comebacks instead of being walked over like new enlistees!”


Chloe glared at Lois at the mention of Clark’s name, her blood still lightly boiling from their last encounter.


Quickly changing the subject, Chloe exclaimed, “So, you seem to be in pretty good spirits overall considering I heard you were in a plane crash.”


Lois quieted a little from her rambunctious-self as she replied, “Yeah, I guess I have Mrs. Kent to thank for that. You know truthfully, I didn’t even remember the plane crashing. The passenger cabin was steadily loosing pressure, I was working like crazy to catch my breath, and then I was in this ice castle. It was the most magnificent looking building I had ever been in. All of a sudden it felt like I was surrounded by this comforting light, and I could tell everything was going to be fine.”


Chloe looked a little unsettled at this comment as she realized Martha must have somehow made her way to Clark’s fortress with Lois in tow. She did her best to clear her mind of the fortress as she did not want Lois to catch on that she recognized where they had been. Chloe looked thoughtfully at Lois as she spoke,


“Lois you had sustained some pretty serious injuries, it is possible you were hallucinating.”


Lois retorted sharply, “NO! It was really there!! I am pretty sure I died and was in heaven.”


Chloe smiled in relief that Lois did not have a clue as to where she had been, and reached out to carefully pat her shoulder saying, “Well, I am just thankful that you made it back safely.”


Lois gave Chloe a kind-hearted smile, a rare thing indeed, and replied, “Thanks cuz, I really appreciate it. Look, I really appreciate the visit, but I’m still kind of tired from this stuff the docs are giving me.”


Chloe cut her off, “Oh, that’s fine, you get some rest and I’ll see you later.”


Chloe returned Lois’ smile as she stood up to leave saying, “Besides, I need to make sure ‘string bean’ hasn’t gotten himself lost out there!”


It was Lois’ turn to laugh at her cousin’s usual snarkyness. Happy to see that Chloe was okay, Lois drifted off to sleep. As Chloe closed the door behind her on her way out, she could not get over how peaceful Lois looked. Chloe thought to herself,

“Maybe the doctors could writer a prescription for Lois for whatever they were giving her, this is the most peaceful she’d ever seen her cousin.” Laughing silently to herself she snarked, “Well I guess it is true what they say, anyone can look peaceful – when they’re asleep that is!!”


-------------------------------------------------------

That's it for tonight folks!! I'm beat!! More to follow later!!

[chloe baby]

Clark is really BDA. OMG...
ok, i like this update. And Lois with JO, heee funny...update soon

[pyroseyes]

I enjoyed it very much. I love the Martha/Clark convo. It's nice that he can open up to his mom...which he usually do with his dad. Its really heartwarming and just beautiful. I love the advice she gave him. And I hope Clark will do the samething his parents did. It's like history will repeat it self...better be

I love Lois! She's a total nut. Naming Jimmy 'string bean' is so funny. I think Smallville is better than string bean lol! And I bet Clark will agree with me...

Nice update. Hope to read more soon...

[Smallville_Angel]

I'll simply back up Lissette there rather than repeat what she has said - eagerly awaiting the latest installment, but guess I'm not one to talk given my S-L-O-W track record with updates LOL!

Advice from one fanfic writer to another, and I hope you don't mind me giving you advice: separate the speech into a new paragraph as it makes your fic. easier to follow and often makes the speech far easier to follow too

[dh1031]

Smallville_Angel: Advice from one fanfic writer to another, and I hope you don't mind me giving you advice: separate the speech into a new paragraph as it makes your fic. easier to follow and often makes the speech far easier to follow too

Not at all!! Again, I am new to this fan fic writing, and I welcome all feedback/comments so I can improve. Now, when you talk about separating speech should I have it set up where I have the narrative, example:

The office was in disarray with papers, folders, and chairs skewn everywhich way as Clark entered, perplexed at what he saw. Then finding Chloe in the mass of people hunting their way around, Clark ran to her.

Then would I have a separate paragraph with the character's name and what they are saying, for example:

Chloe: Where were you?

Clark: Somewhere I never want to go again!

Is this what you are referring to? Sorry for my misunderstanding, I hope my question will help clarify things. Thanks for the input!!

Also, thanks to pyroseyes and chloe_baby for their continued feedback!! I went back and for between "bean pole" and "string bean" for the nick name Lois would use for Jimmy. As Jimmy did not strike me as being tall enough to merit being called "bean pole", "string bean" just seemed to fit and I could hear Lois calling him that!!

[silverjade07]

Wow, this is really thoughtful and complex! I really like the dialog and Chloe's fiestyness! PPM!!!

[dh1031]

silverjade07: Wow, this is really thoughtful and complex! I really like the dialog and Chloe's fiestyness! PPM!!!

Aww, thanks much for taking the time to check out this story!!! I really appreciate the feedback!! Don't worry, I'm working on an update - I keep going back and revising it, I think I am up to the third draft. You know how it is when you write, just when you think you've got it - you think of something else or see something that needs changing.

[OH-IO Fan]

nice story, interesting twist so far, cannot wait to see where you take this. PPMS!!!

[pyroseyes]

Originally posted by dh1031
The office was in disarray with papers, folders, and chairs skewn everywhich way as Clark entered, perplexed at what he saw. Then finding Chloe in the mass of people hunting their way around, Clark ran to her.

Then would I have a separate paragraph with the character's name and what they are saying, for example:

Chloe: Where were you?

Clark: Somewhere I never want to go again!

Is this what you are referring to? Sorry for my misunderstanding, I hope my question will help clarify things. Thanks for the input!!

Can I just butt in??? to answer your Qs..yeah that can be an option but you can do it like this too....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As they entered the room, Lois opened her eyes and greeted them in her usual “kind” manner that immediately let Chloe know she was out of the woods.

“Hey cuz, who’s the string bean you brought along? Did you get so overloaded on coffee that you needed a designated driver to bring you out here?”

Chloe smirked as she shook her head, ignoring Lois’ question she asked “How are you feeling?”

Trying to sit up a little, Lois winced slightly saying,

“Ugh, bad enough to know that I am still in one piece. Now, let’s try this again, who’s the string bean?”

Chloe laughed now and said,

“Oh, sorry! Jimmy Olsen, meet my cousin, Lois Lane, Lois this is Jimmy.”

Well, Jimmy was decidedly intimidated from Lois upon entering the room, and as such he had remained only a few steps from the door. Even though he knew Lois had been through an ordeal, the sound of her voice made him believe she could jump up at a moment’s notice and kick him out a window. Jimmy put on the best smile he could and waved as he said,

“Hi!”

Lois huffed as she looked to Chloe saying,

“Wow, he’s a real chatterbox huh!?! Nice to meet you string bean.”

Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle at how brassy Lois was, even in the hospital. She also found it funny that Lois rarely called people by their proper names, preferring to come up with nick names that – somewhere in Lois’ mind – fit the person she was talking to.

Jimmy, now more uncomfortable than ever, did his best to play it cool – which was asking a lot for him, as he barely kept his voice from jumping as he spoke – “You too, it looks like you two have a lot to catch up on, so I’m going to wait outside.”

After Jimmy exited the room, Lois turned to Chloe asking, “Where did you dig up that little worm?”

“Shh…” Chloe replied with a light chuckle as she continued, “…be nice Lois!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something like that... I'm no writer but this is usually the way I see/read in novels or fan fics..Much smoother if you know what I mean.. Use double space for each pharagraph and use ' ' or italize thoughts you want to emphasize that will help too..hope I manage to answer some of your Qs..

[BlaCkHeaRt_me]

Damn look at Lissette going all professional
AHH awesome update!! I love how you wrote the cousion relationship and also Jimmy's innocence. U caught it right on the mark! And Clark's and Martha's conversation from the episode with ur twist was just so BEAUTIFUL! I loved it It touched me deeply.
LOVING IT! I can't wait for more

[pyroseyes]

Originally posted by BlaCkHeaRt_me
Damn look at Lissette going all professional

Ana you totally floored me! I can't stop laughing!!! Yeah the next step would be writing my own fic! well.. only in my dreams lol.

[dh1031]

chloe_baby: Clark is really BDA. OMG...

Aww, don't be too hard on Clark!! It's not easy telling a girl you've been friends with for years that you're feeling more than friendship for them.

pyroseyes: Can I just butt in??? ...Something like that... I'm no writer but this is usually the way I see/read in novels or fan fics...Yeah the next step would be writing my own fic!

Hey, you're not butting in!! I appreciate the input!! I've tried applying the writing format you've suggested into the latest update. It's a lot harder to write it that way, especially since I am still used to writing as I would for a research paper back in college, but I hope it is an easier read. BTW, if you have an idea for your own fic - go for it!!! I've sat on this story for a long time, I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing, but its fun!! Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!!

Again, I appreciate everyone's feedback on this. This update was really killing me because I felt like there were details I had to get through before I can get to telling more of the story I want to tell. Anyhow, I have worked my way through it to the draft that I am posting here. I look forward to everyone's thoughts!!


Part 6

Martha turned on the news to learn the latest on the fallout from Zod’s attack. Clark cleared the table after having three helpings of the wonderful supper his Mom had prepared. He laughed as he finished putting away the last of the now clean dishes, I’ve got to stop eating so much!! Clark joined his Mom in the family room to watch the news, and as he saw the images – a grimace grew across his face. Martha glanced over at Clark and caught the look on his face; it was one she had gotten to know all too often over the years. Before she could say anything to him Clark stood, turned to her long enough to say,


“I’ve got to go to work. This is my responsibility and I am going to make it right.”


With that, Clark cut out the front door at top speed towards Metropolis. The scene that met his eyes was worse than what the images on the news had depicted. Taking a deep breath, Clark set about the task of ‘cleaning up the town’. With the cover of darkness to aid him, along with power not yet restored to all the parts of the city, Clark made steady progress of clearing away the rubble that lay before him. His now well developed hearing tuned in for the slightest cry for help, or a moan of a person too weak to cry out for help. As dawn approached, Clark had lost count of the number of people he had taken to the hospital, most of which were on the edge of unconsciousness or injured to the point that he did not hesitate to travel at super-speed to get them there. Clark slowed down just long enough to get the attention of a doctor, nurse, or medic to help the person he had brought in before going back to super-speed back to the city. As Clark now looked around, he knew more needed to be done – but with the sun now rising over the skyline he knew he could not risk using his abilities any further. Before he took off back towards Smallville, he made one more attempt to listen for anyone that might be trapped. Clark was relieved to find his attempt was met with beautiful silence, and he said a silent prayer of thanks for something good happening to start off this new day. It appeared to Clark that the run back to Smallville took longer than usual as he slowed down, getting back to the farm. Clark had felt worn out before, but only on those odd occasions where he had lost his abilities for one reason or another. He noted, however, that standing on the porch soaking up the sun’s morning rays seemed to make him feel better. Clark sighed as he opened his eyes, as good as the sun felt, he knew there were chores that needed to be tended to.



Martha glanced up from her coffee as Clark walked in the house, noting the look of fatigue on his face.


“Have you been out all night?”


“I can’t take care of the mess Zod created in Metropolis during the day Mom, there’s just too many people around then to try to use my abilities. Still it was worth working through the night, there were a lot of people that needed help Mom, and I cannot just here and do nothing.”


“Hey, you are doing the best you can, remember Zod did this – not you. Now, why don’t you go try to get some rest, it looks like you could use it.”


“I can’t Mom, there are chores to be done, plus there’s other things I left unresolved that have been eating away at me. I meant to see to them last night, but after seeing just a glance of the discourse going on I had to put them on hold.”


“Okay but don’t push yourself too hard out there, even you have to rest at some point.”


“I will Mom, I promise, I love you.”


Clark kissed his Mom on her forehead as he headed out the door to see to his chores. After a couple of hours Clark was finishing the last of his chores, he had taken it easy as his Mom suggested – though Clark thought he would never get used to having to do chores at this pace on a daily basis. He remembered asking his Dad how he found the strength to do this everyday without any special abilities, he smiled as he remembered his Dad’s response, “Lots of practice and knowing that a good day’s work never killed anybody.” Clark shook his head thinking, well Dad I know you said practice makes perfect, but I can do without having to have this kind of practice everyday!! Shelby ran up to him from the house as he was walking up from the barn.


“Hey buddy, did you finally decide to get up from your nap now that the chores are done?”


Shelby turned his head quizzically to Clark before letting out a short, but strong “woof” in response. Then he wagged his tail at his master, waiting to be praised for what he saw as being a good deed.


“Ha-ha, yeah I know, you were ‘guarding the house’, good boy Shelby!”


Clark patted Shelby on his head and took a moment to scratch behind Shelby’s left ear. Clark noted this always made Shelby kick his back leg out furiously, like a certain animated rabbit he’d seen in a film when he was a kid, which always hung around a deer when he was excited. Clark laughed out loud in spite of himself, it felt good to have a light hearted laugh after all the recent events. Then as he turned to make his way back up to the house, Shelby followed along side him, taking his usual spot near the front door to “guard the farm.” Clark saw this and chuckled at how Shelby was pricking his ears up from the mooing cows, and how that reminded him of another golden retriever he had seen on television recently. However, the television dog Clark was thinking of seemed to be making a career out of trying to sell “the secret family recipe” for beans, not exactly the work of your typical farm dog. Still, Shelby was hardly your “typical farm dog” either when he had first come to the farm, but beyond that – Shelby had saved his Dad’s life from the other dog that (he later discovered) had been drugged with refined meteor rock. As far as Clark was concerned, that earned Shelby the right to do as he pleased on the farm, his personal favorite being – annoying the daylights out of Lois!! Although Clark felt bad that she had been injured so bad that she was required to stay in the hospital, he was thrilled to have her gone!!!! This thought really lit up as face, as he smiled ear-to-ear, walking upstairs to get cleaned up.


After a short time Clark came back downstairs to find his Mom packing up some documents into an attaché case. She was dressed up in one of her new business suits that Clark was still getting used to seeing her in as part of her job for being a State Senator.


“Wow, you look great Mom!! You look like you’re in a rush, are you having to head out already too?”


“Yes, Lionel called earlier to let me know the governor had given him advanced notice of a trip out to Metropolis to survey the damage.”


Clark frowned at the mention of Lionel, he still had a hard time trusting him – even with his connection to Jor-El.


“Mom…”


“I know Clark, I will be careful of Lionel, I don’t trust him completely either – but he has helped us out a lot lately so try not to be too hard on him. I take it you are on your way out to see Chloe?”


“MOM!!! How could you possibly know that?? Did I say anything about Chloe?”


“No, but I am your mother Clark, and a mother tends to know these things. Be sure to give her my love when you see her.”


Clark shook his head in amazement at this revelation from his Mom. Maybe Jor-El had given her some sort of telekinesis ability she had failed to tell him about while at the fortress. Finally thinking that was highly unlikely, Clark went back to his conversation with his Mom while examining his Dad’s watch, but he could not recall anything said then that would have told her about his new found feelings for Chloe. He finally decided to let that go, he needed to go over again what he planned to say to Chloe as he drove their truck into town. Although Clark figured he could have just super-sped his way to the Talon, he figured it was a smart move to drive in to let himself continue to rest up. He knew the logical thing to do would have been to have just gone to bed to get some rest after getting cleaned up from doing his chores. However, when it came to Chloe and how he now realized he felt about her, being logical was the last thing on his mind – I mean, how do you tell the girl that has been your best friend since eighth grade that you’re in love with her. Right now, Clark just hoped that Chloe would have cooled down to the point to where he would have the chance to tell her that. Not only that but Clark could not shake the image stuck in his mind of how happy Chloe looked sitting in the break room with Jimmy. Now, he knew (especially since Chloe had vehemently told him as such) that she and Jimmy were old news, but a part of him just could not shake the idea that the two of them looked a little “too” comfortable sitting there together. Clark felt his grip tighten on the steering wheel and managed to shake out of his thought process before snapping it like a twig. Wow, I’ve got to be more careful here, I cannot let my emotions run away on me like that, lecturing to himself in a stern voice.


Before long Clark pulled into a parking space at the Talon, although this time he made it a point to take a few deep breaths before getting out. He also noticed he had the sensation that he could only relate to being what he had heard Pete call, having butterflies in your stomach, back when Pete ranted on about first asking out a girl he liked. Clark could not believe it, he never had anything like this happen to him before – not even when he was working up the nerve to ask Lana out. Yup, this was definitely new territory for him, and like heights, it terrified him. Still, he was here, and he was not going to back down now. As he entered the Talon he went up to the counter to buy some reinforcements for his trek upstairs to Chloe’s apartment. Clark was greeted by the lady that Martha had hired to fill in for her at the Talon since taking the job as State Senator. Her name was Caroline Cake, a sweet lady that had retired from teaching for 35 years, and was glad to have this job to get out of the house. Lucky for Clark, Caroline that been working there long enough to have filled several orders for Chloe’s favorite combination. It was an astute mix of coffees and so forth that – to this day – Clark could not figure out how Chloe thought to order.


“Good morning Caroline! I need the Chloe Sullivan special, in fact make it a double!! Also, could you add a couple of glazed blueberry muffins to that order?”


“Whoa, a double!?! Clark you really must have really gotten into the doghouse this time to need a double! No worries though, the delivery truck still made it through on time so I’ll have your order ready in a jiffy.”


Clark went ahead and paid Caroline the total for his order as he began pacing the floor in front of the counter to wait. Okay Clark, just remember to take it slow; don’t say “I” all the time, don’t get caught in her eyes (yeah right), and most importantly listen carefully to her responses – THINK before you speak!! Clark did not get any further than this as he was suddenly jolted from his train of thought.


“Here you go Clark, a double Chloe Sullivan special, and two glazed blueberry muffins – fresh out of the oven!”


“Thanks Caroline, you are a life saver!!”


“Ha-ha! Well, I’ll wait to see you walk out of Chloe’s apartment alive before I take credit on that one!!” She followed that comment with a kind hearted smile, a quick wink and added, “Good Luck Clark!”


Clark gave Caroline his best “puppy dog” look, smiled, and turned to head upstairs to Chloe’s apartment. Somehow, the stairs seemed to have an ominous look to them, even though the handrails were adorned with the same accent lights as they always had been.


“Okay Clark, here goes everything!” He said quietly to himself as he knocked (maybe a little louder than usual) on the door.


A few moments later the door opened by a sleepy-eyed Chloe, clad in a bath robe, she reached up to rub her eyes as she spoke.

“Clark? What’s wrong? Is your Mom okay? Did something happen to Lois that I have not heard about?”

“No, no, everyone’s fine Chloe!! It’s just….well…the other day…that is our last conversation….some of the things I said came out wrong….oh man, this was so much easier practicing on my way over here in the truck!”


Chloe had stood there in her groggy state, doing her best to listen to Clark without the aid of her morning coffee, until the last part of what he said registered in her brain.


“You did what?? Clark come on in here, we’re not going to get anywhere with you standing in the doorway!”


Now Chloe was concerned, Clark rarely would take the time to drive over in the family’s truck to see her. In fact, she was just starting to get used to the papers at wherever she happened to be rustling about every which way from Clark speeding in to speak to her with whatever the latest crisis was.


“Thanks Chloe!! Oh, I almost forgot, I come bearing gifts – the Chloe Sullivan special, a double as a matter of fact!! Caroline just fixed it up for me, and I had her put in a couple of freshly made blueberry muffins.”


As Chloe took the bag, she nearly lost her train of thought as she breathed in the sweet savory aroma of her coffee, and those wonderful glazed blueberry muffins!! Wow, Clark had really gone all out, and it was this thought that shocked her back to her train of thought as they sat down at the kitchen table. Chloe took a sip of her coffee and spoke.


“Okay Clark, spill it, you don’t normally drive anywhere unless you are getting equipment for the farm, and unless the Talon is now stocking tractor parts I doubt you are here for that, what’s going on?”


“Well, that’s kind of a long story, and given how things went last time, I don’t know if you’d be up to talking to me that long.” Clark threw in his best ‘sad puppy dog’ to reinforce the solemness of what he was saying.


Clark’s only weakness maybe meteor rocks (or as Chloe was learning to call it, kryptonite) but that “sad puppy dog” look that Clark could do oh-so-well was her weakness, I mean how can a person stay mad at a face like that!! Chloe felt herself crumble as she gave into his gaze.


“Okay, I forgive you Clark!! It’s just, sometimes I think you get so wrapped up in worrying about your abilities that you forget what’s going around you – especially when you make comments like you did the other day at my desk.”


“I know Chloe, I’m really sorry about that!! In fact, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that, and it’s one of the many reasons I came over here – there’s actually a lot we need to talk about.”


Chloe grinned at Clark’s words, wondering for a moment if this was the same Clark that she had seen sulking around the farm for so long. Shaking her head, she knew she couldn’t let herself go off on a tangent.


“Well, then it’s a good thing you got me a double ‘Chloe Sullivan Special’ to go along with these muffins! So, let’s start off with why you drove here instead of taking the ‘Clark Kent Express’?


Relieved beyond words at Chloe’s acceptance of his apology Clark began speaking.


“Well, you know Zod made a real mess of things, especially in Metropolis?”


Chloe nodded, which Clark took as a sign to continue; “My Mom and I saw the news last night showing a lot of it, as well as hearing reports of how many people were suspected injured among all the rubble. So, I took off from the farm to Metropolis…”


Clark continued to recant the events of the past evening and continued all the way up to when he had arrived there to speak to her. All the time he was speaking, it appeared to Clark that Chloe was soaking all this up like a sponge, well, she is a reporter, and that’s what good reporters do – they take in all the details. As he finished this part of his story, Clark raised his eyebrows in a quizzical fashion – waiting for Chloe to respond.


“So, do you think you are back to normal now? Well, normal for you I mean?”


“I’m not really sure; I haven’t really pushed myself to see whether or not I am back up to full strength.”


“I don’t get it Clark; you have expended energy multiple times in the past. I mean only a few months ago you rushed back to Smallville from the artic to catch up with a nuclear missile. This after being brought back from the dead for crying out loud!! Then you wound up having to disarm the warhead on the missile, toss it out into space, survive the shockwave from the blast, and live through the crash landing after making back through the Earth’s atmosphere. It just seems like all of that would have taken its toll with similar side effects to what you did while in Metropolis.”


“Chloe, I think I might have an explanation for you, and it goes back to when I had first come back to Metropolis looking for you at the Planet. I know I’ve taken up a lot of your time with just this part of the story, are you sure you have time now to hear the rest right now?”


Chloe went wide-eyed at Clark’s question, and Clark was afraid he had stepped in it again (although he did not even know he had stepped in it the first time back at the Planet – you’d think a guy that lived on a farm would be better about knowing how to avoid stepping in it).


“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! Clark, I guess you have kind of lost track of time with everything going on, but it is Saturday, I have the entire weekend free. And (snarking just a bit as she said the next part), fortunately for you, wisdom graced you with the forethought to bring me a double of my coffee fix.”


Clark smiled his biggest smile at hearing the spark of good humor back in Chloe’s voice. Even though she had accepted his apology earlier, it took hearing that familiar tone in her voice – and he even caught that glint in her eye she only seemed to get when she was intrigued with something. Clark began to notice that he was holding his glance at Chloe a little too long, and shook himself out of his current train of thought. Taking a deep breath he braced himself to start at the beginning.


“We have to go back to when I left you at the Planet to stop Zod.” Clark blushed a little at remembering the circumstances between he and Chloe when he left the Planet, but continued on point with his story. “Well, I got back to the farm to find Lex for me in the barn. We got into a fight that resulted in taking a pretty serious toll on the barn, I mean it has gotten beat up a lot over the years, but this really tore up the loft good and proper!! At any rate, I managed to subdue him long enough to draw the knife Jor-El gave me and I plunged it at Lex’s throat.”

“But…I…well…I just couldn’t do it Chloe. I knew I was supposed to kill Zod’s vessel, but all I could see was Lex staring back at me with fear and confusion on his face – and as much as things have changed I could not bring myself to kill him. The next thing I know, I hear Milton Fine hollering something about me not being able to change the course of destiny. So, without any forethought I threw the knife at him. I saw the knife plunge right into his heart, well where his heart should have been, only to see the handle on the knife’s handle begin glowing red in a strange pulsing manner.”


“I walked over towards Fine, concluding that the glow was some kind of reaction to the blade reacting to his kryptonian technology. I was shocked to hear Fine begin laughing as he told me I had opened the portal for Zod. Then next thing I know, I am thrown back against the remains of the stairwell and I hear Lex screaming at the top of his lungs.”


“A moment later I made it back onto my feet only to find Lex standing over me, with this weird looking grin on his face as he greeted me with, ‘Hello Kal-El.’”


Clark continued to tell Chloe of brief interaction he had with Zod before being sent into the Phantom Zone. He explained that once he was there, he found that all his abilities were gone and how he was being attacked by the phantoms there. Chloe sipped the last of her coffee as she listened with great interest to the events she had missed being a party to. It then took Clark a little longer than he expected to tell Chloe of Raya, and all that had happened to ultimately lead to his escaping the Phantom Zone. Seeing that Chloe’s interest was still intense, noting how she kept her gaze fixed on him as she slowly ate the last of her two blueberry muffins, Clark continued with his story. He recalled making a “big hit” as he put it when he made it back to Earth, returning to his barn just in time to keep a stairwell from crushing his Mom and Lionel, and then heading off to the Luthor mansion to face Zod.


“Okay, so this is where my explanation as to why I seemed to ‘run out of gas’ coming back from Metropolis this morning comes into play.”


“Clark, I hate to interrupt you, but I was still asleep when you knocked on the door earlier. I know you’re on a roll here and all but I need to take a break. I mean two mega-sized cups of coffee runs its course eventually, at least for us humans it does!! Besides that, I still need to get ready for the day.”


“Oh, I am so sorry!!! I wasn’t even thinking, things have been so crazy, it seems like an eternity since we’ve spoke, and my ‘cliff notes’ version what’s happened is turning more into a ‘novel by Tolstoy’.” Kicking himself for being so inconsiderate, he continued. “Take all the time you need, do you mind if I hang out here and wait for you? I mean…that is…well…if it’s too awkward I can wait downstairs.”


Chloe shook her head with a comforting grin as she leaned forward, taking Clark’s hand as she said, “Clark, you’re fine! You are welcomed to wait up here in the living room on me, I won’t be all day – I don’t take as long as Lois getting ready for goodness sakes!”


Feeling some of the uneasiness dissipate, Clark returned her smile as he leaned over to her, playfully wiping away some of the glaze from the blueberry muffins that had settled onto the corners of her mouth. Suddenly, he felt a little blush rising over his cheeks as he noted Chloe’s bathroom had loosened just a bit from her leaning towards him. Clark had not noticed this until he had leaned towards her to wipe some of the icing away from her mouth, but he now noted that there was a little ‘more’ of Chloe there than their had been a moment ago. Although her nightgown kept everything covered, Clark was still caught a little of guard by this, and doing his best to remain a gentleman, quickly sat back in his chair. Chloe noted Clark’s quick movement back in his chair but chalked it up to Clark being Clark.


“Okay, well I’m going to go listen to the news while you go get ready.”


“Sounds good, just don’t go taking off on me, I want to hear this theory of yours, (then Chloe laughed quietly to herself has she quoted one of her favorite news reporters growing up, Paul Harvey, as she said the last of her thought) and I want to know ‘the rest of the story’”.


"Don't worry Chloe, I'm not going anywhere." Clark said with a wink as Chloe got up and headed towards her bedroom.

[pyroseyes]

Ok. First thing's first. I love your update. And should I say 1 looooong update! I love the Maartha/Clark moments through out the update. Man I can feel the love they share to each other and I'ts just so beautiful you know.

I love the mention of Pete too. I miss that guy and I just love to see the influence he had to Clark...specially when it come with girls lol.

I enjoy the Shelby moments too. and mentioning on how shelby can iritate Lois is so funny.

I love that Clark is assesing himself with his actions and glad that he's learning from his mistake. I love the Chlark moments. I'm glad that their conversation had a great start..

Cant wait to see the rest of their convo soon.

Hey, you're not butting in!! I appreciate the input!! I've tried applying the writing format you've suggested into the latest update. It's a lot harder to write it that way, especially since I am still used to writing as I would for a research paper back in college, but I hope it is an easier read.

Glad I can help. I know it's alot easier to be said than done but your latest update is more easier to read..and your getting better in to it too..Practice makes perfect remember!

BTW, if you have an idea for your own fic - go for it!!! I've sat on this story for a long time, I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing, but its fun!! Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!!

Yeah I've once did that and it felt good. But right now my head's all dried up with school and stuff.. Doing heck of alot of Maths can really fried your brains if you know what I mean. But thanks for the challange. Maybe one of this days..

Great update and cant wait for more..PMS

[chloe baby]

Originally posted by dh1031
Aww, don't be too hard on Clark!! It's not easy telling a girl you've been friends with for years that you're feeling more than friendship for them.

iT'S ESYER THEN U/CLARK THINK
GREAT UPADTE

[dh1031]

Originally posted by chloe baby
iT'S ESYER THEN U/CLARK THINK
GREAT UPADTE

Maybe (well, we know it will be ) it'll easier for Clark than he thinks, but it wasn't for me!! It wound up costing me a friend!!

Glad you enjoyed the update!!

Originally posted by pyroseyes Ok. First thing's first. I love your update. And should I say 1 looooong update!

Thanks much for your comments!! Yeah, I thought about cutting the update short at different points, but then I decided that would be mean!! BTW, I remember the days of Math leaving me brain dead in school!! Calculus was not fun!!

[chloe baby]

Originally posted by dh1031
Maybe (well, we know it will be ) it'll easier for Clark than he thinks, but it wasn't for me!! It wound up costing me a friend!

I thought about cutting the update short at different points, but then I decided that would be mean!!

sorry about UR friends, in my country ppl say 'krew nie woda lub serce nie sluga' i don'tknow how translate it


don't cut plizzz nth

[BlaCkHeaRt_me]

I love your update. And should I say 1 looooong update! I love the Maartha/Clark moments through out the update. Man I can feel the love they share to each other and I'ts just so beautiful you know.

I love the mention of Pete too. I miss that guy and I just love to see the influence he had to Clark...specially when it come with girls lol.

I enjoy the Shelby moments too. and mentioning on how shelby can iritate Lois is so funny.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Honestly I enjoyed this so much! Especially Clark's nervousness and buying her the coffee. So sweet
Can't wait for more

I love that Clark is assesing himself with his actions and glad that he's learning from his mistake. I love the Chlark moments. I'm glad that their conversation had a great start..

Cant wait to see the rest of their convo soon.

[dh1031]

Originally posted by chloe baby
sorry about UR friends, in my country ppl say 'krew nie woda lub serce nie sluga' i don'tknow how translate it


don't cut plizzz nth

Sorry, but what language is that, Polish? I've been searching around the net, trying to translate it.

[chloe baby]

yes polish and mean sth like 'blood not water' about desire, and
'heart not servant' about love...translate is ... blheee"not good"