Chlark Fanfic: Right in Front of You
Okay people, this is the first chapter of my very first fanfic, so be gentle!
This is dedicated to Ellyfanfiction, whose wonderful Chlark stories inspired me to embrace my inner writer.
Have fun. And let me know what you think! *bites nails*
Chapter links have been added.
Manio by the talented ellashy . You rock, babes!
Chapter 1. Rated PG (though will be upgraded to NC-17 at some point!)
Title: Right in front of You
Pairing: Chlark
Timescale: Sometime after Fierce
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC Comics
“This isn’t working.”
Clark Kent faced Lana Lang across the table in the Kent kitchen, his expression unreadable. It had been six weeks since Lana’s miraculous escape from death, and she’d taken up residence at the Kent farm whilst her divorce from Lex was being finalised. Despite the co-ed living conditions, Clark & Lana hadn’t been intimate physically.
They hadn’t been intimate, period. After the initial shock & joy of seeing Lana alive, and a few weeks of giving their relationship a go, they’d both discovered that they really didn’t have that much in common. They never really had anything to talk about.
Clark had been uncomfortable with the situation, but had attributed the awkwardness between them to Lana getting to grips with the fact that he was an alien from a distant planet. It was however becoming obvious that the distance between himself and Lana was far from one-dimensional.
“How do you mean?” Clark asked, though in reality he didn’t need to. He pretty much knew what she meant. He just felt he had to contribute something to the conversation - which was pretty much how things had been between them.
“I thought, given a clean slate, we could be together the way we’ve always wanted to be,” said Lana. “I always thought once you told me your secret, we could be ourselves, but…strangely, that seems to have thrown up more barriers.”
“Maybe you just need to give it some time?” Clark added helpfully.
Lana smiled ruefully. “We’ve already done that, Clark. And as I said before, this isn’t working. I just can’t relate to you the way I did before. Much as I hate to admit it, I think what we really thought we had was an illusion of what we wanted each other to be.”
Clark frowned. “What are you saying, Lana? That my being an alien freaks you out? That I’m suddenly a different person to you?”
“What I’m saying,” Lana said carefully, “is that you saw me as the perfect person to make you feel normal, and that’s what you’ve been hanging onto all these years. I always saw you as the one person who’d never leave me, and I thought that would be enough. But it’s not.”
Clark sighed. Much as he hated to admit it, facing their situation head-on had opened his eyes to the fact that his ‘love’ for Lana was actually love of what he thought would be ideal for him to live a normal life. As an alien, he’d always been stronger and faster than everyone else, not to mention completely invulnerable to pain and able to do remarkable things like shoot fire from his eyes and blow clouds away with his breath. He’d learned over time to control his abilities, but had secretly always wondered what it would be like to be just like everybody else. And in his young mind, Lana, the pretty girl next door, had symbolised the epitome of normal.
He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I guess I should thank you for being honest with me,” he said.
“Oh, I haven’t been quite the saint you think I am,” said Lana with a wry smile as she also pulled out a chair and sat facing Clark across the table. “I’ve had my own share of secrets and told my own share of lies, hidden things from you that I shouldn’t have.”
“Well, a year of living with Lex will do that you,” replied Clark with a grim expression. “He has a way of corrupting everything and everyone he comes into contact with.”
Lana reached across the table to pick up an old framed photo of herself, Clark, Chloe and Pete, taken years ago when they were in ninth grade. They were all sitting on a crumbling brick wall and grinning like they’d just discovered Antarctica. She smiled at the innocence in their fresh, young faces and marvelled at the difference five years had make in all their lives. “Don’t be too quick to blame Lex for my transgressions, Clark. A lot of what I’m referring to happened long before Lex & I became a couple. Like I said, I’m not as perfect as you like to think.”
Clark frowned. It wasn’t like Lana to be cryptic. “What have you been hiding from me, Lana?”
She took a deep breath, running a finger slowly along the edge of the picture frame. Then she smiled and looked up at him. “You’ll find out soon enough,” she said, putting the picture back and standing up. “And now, I think it’s time for me to leave.”
“Leave?” Clark stood up and followed Lana as she walked across the hall. “Where are you going?”
“I think it’s best that no-one knows my whereabouts, Clark. I intend to disappear - properly this time. I want to make my own future without any influences from anyone.”
“But how will you live?” asked Clark. They may not be dating anymore, but she’s still his friend and he worries about her safety.” What will you do?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been planning this for a while now. And the ten million dollars I got in the divorce settlement from Lex will keep me quite comfortable, trust me. I’ve got great things ahead.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” Clark said hesitantly.
“I am. And I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me, Clark - all the times you’ve saved me that I didn’t have a clue about, for being a friend over the years…and for finally being honest with me about who you really are.” She reached out and took his hand. “I don’t like long, drawn-out goodbyes, so I’ll just go and get my things and get going.”
“Okay.” Clark pulled her toward him and hugged her. Strangely, he felt like a load had been lifted off his shoulders, like a mask had been taken off his face and he was finally able to breathe. Confession was good for the soul, it seemed. “I’ll miss you. Are you gonna go say goodbye to Chloe?”
At the mention of Chloe, Lana stiffened slightly in his arms and pulled back, a little frown on her face. “Actually, I’m going to be a coward and ask you to do that for me. Tell her I’ll miss her. And tell her…tell her that I’m sorry.”
Sorry for what? Clark wondered. It must have been written on his face, because Lana just said “She’ll understand.”
“If you say so.” Clark released her. “Goodbye, Lana. I hope you find everything you’re looking for in life.”
She paused at the bottom of the stairs and turned to smile at him. “’Bye, Clark. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. Out there is someone who’ll love you for the truly wonderful & unique man you are.”
She turned and went up the stairs. Clark let out a breath that he wasn’t aware he’d been holding. It seemed the Lana chapter of his life had finally come to a close. He leaned on the table and wondered what really was out there for him. Well, there was no time like the present to find out, he mused. And he & Lana had already said their goodbyes, so it made no sense hanging around at the house waiting for her to come down with her bags.
He picked up his blue jacket and went through the screen door. He felt like taking a walk.
***
“This isn’t working.”
Chloe Sullivan faced Jimmy Olsen across the kitchen counter at the apartment above the Talon coffee house on Main Street in downtown Smallville. His expression of hope turned to one of disappointment as he realised her mind was already made up.
“Chloe, I know we both said some things to each other that hurt, and I know we agreed to break things off and remain friends, but I think you’re worth fighting for. Can we give this another go? Please?”
Chloe felt like a heel. Here was this wonderful man willing to bend over backwards for her, and she had precious little to offer him. Not that she didn’t like Jimmy. On the contrary, she was very fond of him, and enjoyed hanging out with him, but her life was different now. Fate had thrown her a curveball that she could barely handle herself, and it would be unfair to continue in a relationship with him if she couldn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth about herself.
For the first time, she fully understood what the kinks in the Clark/Lana merry-go-round had all been about. Because now she was saddled with a meteor-related ability, and had spent weeks agonizing about whether or not to tell Jimmy.
Chloe had known for some time that she had been meteor-infected, but with no apparent freaky abilities, she’d been able to continue on with her life as normal. Then six weeks ago, Lois had been fatally injured at Reeves Dam, and Chloe had somehow miraculously healed her but then somehow absorbed the effects of Lois’s injury, which had rendered her lifeless. She’d been rushed to hospital but pronounced dead, toe-tagged and stuck in a morgue drawer. She’d then woken up in complete darkness - and cold - and freaked out completely. Luckily, Clark had heard her screams for help and got her out of there.
Clark had been there for her as a good friend should, and had tried on a couple of occasions to get her to talk about what happened, but she’d had no desire to relive the horror of finding herself ‘buried alive’ and had told him in no uncertain terms to drop it. Finally he’d gotten the message, but she knew he still worried about her. Having been the one to find her right after hearing she’d died, she guessed he was as freaked out by the entire situation as she was.
She had to admit, much as she refused to discuss it, she was kind of comforted that Clark was aware of her meteor infection. To Clark, it wasn’t anything to shy away from of be scared of; he should know, being an alien himself, so she imagined to him she was the same Chloe she’d always been, just as to her he was the same old Clark she’d known and loved for years, alien or no. However, trusting a normal person with her secret new status would be asking them to accept a whole lot. And Jimmy hadn’t grown up in Smallville, Land of the Weird & Wonderful, so there were already two strikes against him.
Lastly, she had to admit to herself that, meteor-freak status aside, she wasn’t as into her relationship with Jimmy as a woman in love ought to be. If for one second she felt she truly loved Jimmy, and that their love could weather any storm, she’d have told him the truth in a heartbeat. But in the time since she’d discovered she could heal people and come back from the dead, she know she’d never be able to tell him the truth about herself. And with that realisation, she’d also faced the truth that her relationship with Jimmy was one-sided. He adored her, she…liked him. And ‘like’ just wasn’t enough.
“Chloe?”
She realised he was waiting for an answer. He was going to get one, just not the one he wanted to hear.
“I’m sorry, Jimmy. What we had was nice…but it’s over.”
He scowled. “Can you at least tell me why you’re blowing me off?” he retorted.
She sighed. When Jimmy was hurt, he tended to react like a bear with a sore head.
“If I felt like we could make it work, I’d give it another shot, believe me,” said Chloe. “But this isn’t what I want anymore, and you’ll have to accept that.”
“So what is it you do want - Clark?” he snarled.
“Clark has nothing to do with us, Jimmy.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Chloe. You were always disappearing from work to meet up with him, cancelling dates with me to rush to his side - somehow, whenever I turned around, he always in the way. I mean, I never stood a chance, did I?”
“Clark’s been my friend for years, and if you had issues with our friendship, you should have said something right away,” Chloe responded. “Besides, you’re a fine one to talk, considering what I overheard you & Kara saying about me.”
Jimmy’s face reddened, and he glanced down at his feet. “I told you, that wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Well, now you know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” she yelled.
They both fell silent, each lost in thought. Then Jimmy spoke.
“It’s really over, isn’t it?” he said softly.
Chloe nodded slowly. “Yeah, it is.”
They both stood quietly for a minute, then Jimmy walked over to the couch and picked up his jacket. He headed silently for the door.
“Jimmy!” Chloe called out. He stopped and turned round. “Yeah?” he said carefully.
Chloe walked over to him and took his hands in hers. “I’m sorry if I ever hurt you,” she said, looking into his eyes. “I never meant to.”
“Jimmy smiled ruefully. “I know you didn’t,” he replied. Take care, Chloe. You deserve the best.”
He turned and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.
Chloe let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, then walked over to the window. Moments later, she saw Jimmy getting into his car and driving off. She watched his tail-lights disappearing down Main Street. Great, she thought wryly. Is this what I have to look forward to? My friendship with Clark driving all my potential boyfriends away?
She turned away from the window and sat cross-legged on the couch. Much as she hadn’t wanted to admit it to Jimmy, she was well aware that Clark not only monopolised her time, but that he was far and away the greatest priority on her list. Admittedly, a lot of that had to do with keeping his secret, helping him fight off super-powered enemies and saving the world on occasion. But a tiny part of her admitted that she’d deliberately made herself Clark’s beck-and-call girl with the slim hope that one day, he’d come to see her as more than just a great friend. It hadn’t happened, of course. Clark remained as stubbornly in love with Lana Lang as he’d ever been, and Chloe just got better at hiding her true feelings.
Regardless of how she felt for him, Clark was her friend, and she didn’t want to mess that up. But now that friendship was affecting her personal life, and she was beginning to get a glimpse of a future she wasn’t sure she wanted for herself.
Clark Kent & Lana Lang: happy couple. Chloe Sullivan: third wheel & eternal gooseberry. Pathetic.
She shook her head and laughed at herself wryly. Things needed to change.
She stood up resolutely and headed for the door, grabbing her red jacket off the hook as she did so. Maybe an early night walk would help clear her addled brain.
***
Read Chapter 2 here...