*peeks her head in and looks around*
So this is what it looks like outside of the Short Stories forum. Huh.
Title: Four Square
Author: Reese
Disclaimer: They're not mine...blah blah blah...wish they were...blah blah blah.
Summary: Clark wasn't the only one to see Lex with Lana at the airport.
Author's Notes: The title of this fic is a complete rip-off of a Roswell episode title, I admit. The title stuck in my head from the opening scene and just wouldn't go away.
As most of you know, I do short (angsty) stories. I finish a fic, then I post it. But this time? Oh, this time it's going to be different.
Chapter 1: Realignment
***
She stood on the street corner and just watched.
It was happening all over again.
She simply couldn’t win, could she?
***
“Chloe, is everything okay?” Lex approached her and put his hand on her lower back. She almost recoiled at his touch.
She took a step away and looked up at him. “Clark isn’t here.”
Lex looked worried as he glanced around him. “And you haven’t heard from him?”
“No.” It was true, actually. She hadn’t heard from him.
“Any idea where he might be?” He glanced down at his watch. “I don’t think we have much longer.”
She just shrugged.
Lex looked down at her, a worried expression crossing his face. “Chloe, are you okay?”
“I’ll survive, Lex. I always do.”
He kept his eyes on her a moment longer before something behind her caught his attention. “There he is…” he mumbled. “Clark!” He started to step towards Clark but before he had the chance, Clark had blown past them both. “Clark?” Lex called after him, but he’d already disappeared into the courtroom.
“I guess we should follow,” Chloe suggested but she didn’t wait for his response. She turned her back on him and walked away.
She only hoped it would get easier to do in the future.
***
“Clark, I really appreciate what you did in there and…”
“Save it, Lex. This had nothing to do with you.”
Chloe walked up next to them but neither noticed.
“Well fine, Clark. I just wanted to say…”
“Do me a favor, Lex. Don’t say anything to me…ever again.” Clark paused for a moment as though gathering his strength. “This friendship is over. Is that clear?”
Lex started to say something but closed his mouth slowly and opted just to nod his response.
“Chloe?”
She was almost startled at Clark saying her name. She didn’t even realize he knew she was there.
He finally tore his intense glare from Lex and looked down at her. “Need a ride?”
“I…um…” Chloe found herself unable to process what was happening around her. Every option had implications and she wasn’t fond of any of them.
“Actually, Clark, I’ll be taking Chloe home. That was the plan, wasn’t it Chloe?” Lex glanced down at her but her eyes were still focused on Clark who seemed to be taking breaths so as to avoid turning and tearing Lex’s heart right from his chest.
He just looked at her and waited.
Lex had regained his composure after Clark’s outburst and now he was staring down at her as well and she could just feel his confidence in what her choice would be.
“Sorry, Lex. Plans change.”
Clark tossed a victorious smile at Lex before reaching out and taking Chloe’s hand. “Let’s go home, Chlo.”
There was something in the way he said it that made her feel like it was more than just an offer to take her home but rather as an invitation to go back in time…to go back to the way things were.
And yet still she found herself wanting to turn around and take one last look at her most recent heartbreak.
***
The ride home was silent, almost painfully so. Chloe had known Clark long enough to know that he hadn’t enjoyed what happened back at the courthouse. He might even be having second thoughts if the memory of seeing Lex and Lana embracing outside of the airport didn’t keep passing through his line of vision.
He didn’t have to say anything. She just knew…because she was having the same problem.
She’d gotten the call from Lana about how Clark had flaked on her and Chloe couldn’t let her friend leave without seeing a familiar face.
Friend. Just the thought of it almost made her choke.
She’d had plenty of time before needing to be at the courthouse so she’d decided to swing by the airport to surprise Lana before she left.
She’d even used her lunch money to pay the cab fare, not giving a single thought to what or how she was going to eat after the hearing but rather focusing her attention on what Lana needed at the moment.
Seemed she wasn’t the only one.
She’d seen Lana first, getting off the airport shuttle. She couldn’t believe that this was how Lana had ended up getting to the airport. No friends, no family, just a stranger holding out his hand for money.
Chloe’s eyes burned a little at the idea of leaving Smallville one day and this being her farewell.
She took a deep breath though and congratulated herself for being a better friend to Lana than Clark was and started to take a step in the other girl’s direction when she saw him.
For the second time in as many years she felt her heart crumble in her chest and settle in her stomach.
He’d said that he had important business to attend to and that’s why he’d just meet up with her at the courthouse.
Now she knew what important business Lex had been referring to.
She remained frozen, looking down the sidewalk at them as he removed the bag from her shoulder.
She took a deep, steadying breath when she saw the familiar smiles they exchanged.
She begged under her breath for it not to happen but she watched nonetheless as it did…as he reached down and put his arms around Lana in a way that he’d never done with her.
Even when she’d basically offered him her life to take down his father.
She felt the tears threatening to fall so she turned to cross the street and that’s when she saw him.
He’d just watched the same thing play out as she had and he seemed to be taking it about as well.
She saw the flower fall to the ground and for the second time in as many minutes, she felt her heart break.
But this time it wasn’t for her own loss, but for his…for her friend’s.
She wiped the tears away and started to cross the street to get to him, to offer him support, but he was gone.
She blinked and focused her eyes on the spot where she’d just seen him…but nothing.
Then she saw the petite brunette cross the street, hope in her eyes and she realized…she wasn’t losing her mind. He had been there.
But now all that remained was a single white rose getting trampled by the passersby on the street.
Fitting, Chloe thought, as she pulled herself together and turned in the direction of the courthouse.
***
Chloe sat in companionable silence with Clark in the truck. She didn’t even mention that he’d forgotten to take her home first before returning to the farm.
“Do you want to talk about it?” She offered.
“Actually, Chloe. That’s the last thing I want to do.” He snapped back.
She flinched at first but then relaxed. “Okay.”
She offered him an understanding smile before starting to get out of the truck but he reached out and took hold of her hand. “Chloe, wait.” He finally looked over at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--”
“It’s okay, Clark. I understand. I won’t push…this time.” She winked at him and he smiled…almost.
She waited a moment more in silence, debating whether to remove her hand from his and try to exit the truck again when he spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“Do you love him, Chloe?”
She froze, her eyes went wide and she looked across the front seat at him. “Wha—Who—Wha?” She almost laughed at her own inability to get a single completed word out.
He smiled this time, albeit a sad one, and almost chuckled at her. “I saw you too, Chlo.” He met her eyes with his and waited with an almost worried expression as though he expected her to blow up at him for even mentioning it.
“You did?” She finally relaxed back into the seat and closed the truck door, effectively closing them off from the rest of the world.
He just nodded.
“Oh.” She sucked in a deep breath.
“Yeah.”
He leaned back as though getting comfortable in his seat and then turned to look at her.
“This is kind of weird, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Silence.
“So do you still not want to talk about it? Or is that what’s about to happen? I mean, are we talking about it now?” Chloe fumbled through the questions as best she could in her current state.
“Do you want to?”
She just nodded.
“There seems to be enough secrets out there, Clark. Let’s not have them in here.”
“Agreed.” She felt a slight squeeze of her left hand. The one she forgot he was still holding.
A year ago this would have been her dream.
“So who goes first?”
“You. You’re better at this than I am.”
“Better at what, Clark?”
“I don’t know, Chloe. The truth?”
She gave his hand a supportive squeeze back.
“Did you know about the two of them?”
He just shook his head, looking a little sad. He then turned so that his whole body was facing hers in the truck.
She did the same and they settled in for the long conversation ahead.
***
“What? No way! No way, Clark!”
“Come on! It’ll be fun!” He tossed his napkin at her and it ended up in her lap.
“There’s no way I’m going to see some rah-rah sports movie again tonight. You know what we’re going to see and don’t even try to get out of it.” She gave him a pointed look.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. You win. Just know that it will slowly be killing me watching this kind of movie. Slowly. Killing me.”
“I’m perfectly okay with that.” She smiled and shrugged, then tossed his napkin back at him. “Let me get one to go,” she gestured to her empty coffee cup, “and I’ll be ready.”
“No, I’ll get it.” He placed a hand on her arm and smiled. “You just sit here and think about how seeing this movie is going to kill me.”
“Yes, slowly. And no, I’m not changing my mind.” She tossed her head back and laughed at the defeated look on his face as he turned and headed for the counter.
When she turned back around her laughter stopped.
And so did her heart.
“Chloe, we need to talk.”
She looked in Clark’s direction but he was too far away and with his back turned.
Lex noticed. “It’ll only take a minute.”
“I don’t have a minute, Lex. Clark and I have plans.”
Lex’s jaw seemed to twitch. But she wasn’t sure.
“I found out that you weren’t planning to go into protective custody like the authorities suggested. Why is that exactly?”
“Your father’s in jail, Lex. And I’m not going to spend the summer in hiding on the off chance that he decides to come after me.”
Lex took a step closer to her, his gaze intense. “Don’t be so cavalier, Chloe. This is your life we’re talking about.”
“And since when did you care so much about it?” She bit out.
“Since I promised to protect you for coming forward with such valuable information.”
She laughed bitterly. “That’s all I ever was to you, wasn’t it? Information?”
He looked taken aback. It took him a moment to respond.
It was a moment too long.
“Chloe are you okay?” Clark came up to stand right behind her. He wasn’t even looking at her when he asked though.
His eyes were focused on the man he no longer considered a friend.
“Yes, Clark. I’m fine. Are you ready?” She nudged him at the end to get his attention.
He looked down and offered an apologetic little smile. She’d asked him not to get into it with Lex on her account. It had been one thing they’d discussed in the truck a couple of weeks before.
He just nodded in the affirmative and they started to head for the door.
“Chloe, please.”
She stopped and turned to face Lex.
“Just please watch yourself, okay?”
She didn’t say anything, just turned back around and followed Clark out.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She just nodded.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“I’m sure.”
Silence.
She turned to him. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“No,” he hesitated. “Why?” The last word he uttered with a bit of suspicion. He wasn’t sure what, but he’s pretty sure Chloe felt he should be talking about something.
“Oh, nothing.” She just shrugged and looked away.
They kept walking to the car in silence.
Suddenly she stopped and spun around.
“We said no more lies, Clark!”
He stopped, clearly confused, and put his hands on her shoulders. “Chloe, what are you…”
She shrugged him off. “Damn it, Clark! How can you expect me to be honest with you when you won’t do the same with me?”
Clark kept his hands to himself by shoving them deep into his jean pockets. “Chloe, really. I don’t know what it is you want me to say.”
“The postcard.”
He just raised his eyebrows for her to clarify.
“I saw the postcard. From Lana. At your house today.”
“Ahh.” Clark sighed and turned away from her.
But she wouldn’t allow it. She walked over to and then around him so he was facing her again.
“Don’t look at me like that. It was just sitting on the counter while I was talking to your mom this afternoon.”
He just looked down at her with suspicious eyes.
“What, Clark? It was! I mean, there was a postcard of the freakin’ Eiffel Tower sitting in today’s stack of mail…so call me crazy but I figured it was from Lana.”
“It was,” he conceded.
“And?” She prompted him for more information.
“And,” he hesitated, “she told me to tell you hello.”
“Oh, well…” Chloe stopped mid-sentence. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Clark agreed with her unspoken realization.
“So the two of them…?” She didn’t even finish the question.
“Yeah. I’m guessing they’ve been in touch. I mean, how else would she know?”
“Huh.” Chloe’s shoulders sagged a bit. She’d always hoped that somehow they’d misinterpreted what they’d seen that day.
But apparently, they’d been right on.
“So why didn’t you tell me?” Chloe looked up at him, a little sadness in her eyes.
“I was going to Chloe, honest.” He looked down at her with his most sincere expression. “But then we ran into Lex and I could tell you were upset and I didn’t want to add to that by telling you…”
“Okay, Clark.” She sighed and leaned against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. “I believe you.”
He wrapped his arms around her in return. “Chloe, I meant what I said that day in the truck. I promised I’d work on being honest with you.”
“Yeah, Clark. I know you did.” She pulled away enough so she could look up at him. “But I also know you can’t be honest with me about everything. I just hope this isn’t one of those things.”
“It’s not, Chloe. I promise.” He pulled her close again and they stood there, holding on to each other like they were the last people on earth.
Clark wondered if somehow she already knew the secret he could never share with her.
Chloe wondered if Clark’s heart was breaking as hers was.
And somewhere, in the darkness that surrounded them, a pair of eyes watched…and waited.
***
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