Chlark Fanfic: Crisis, Chapter 26
New Crisis chapter, people! In which Chloe may have pushed Clark a *teensy* bit too far in the last chapter... :-\
Enjoy! And as always, Feedback = Lurve. :)
Awesome banner by doomedxdream.
Title: Crisis
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlark/Kaloe
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13)
Warnings: Drowning, Angst
Timeline: Season 2-3 (Exodus - Exile; Clark’s RedK Summer & beyond)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics
Summary: A violent encounter between Chloe and Clark threatens to destroy their friendship forever.
Feedback: …is love. :-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Previously…
“So what…she continues to torture you to keep you in line?” his mother asked in disbelief.
“Chloe needs this,” he said stubbornly.
“This isn’t therapy, Clark, it’s a recipe for disaster. She could easily kill you, whether she means to or not.”
She leaned towards him and her eyes filled with tears again. “And sooner or later you’re going to get frustrated and angry with what she’s doing, and you’re going to snap. And then what?”
***
Chapter 26
Pain.
Sharp and searing it pulsed through him, piercing the darkness clogging his mind and shocking him into consciousness. The hard, methodical pressure on his chest continued, forcing a predictable reaction from his abused lungs.
He felt a sudden lurch within his chest as fluid was immediately pumped out of him and went gushing through his mouth and nose. Clark spluttered and thrashed wildly as his lungs emptied of water, the smell and taste of the chlorine turning his stomach threateningly.
“Stand back everyone,” he heard a voice say sternly. “Give him room…”
The warning was well-timed, as his stomach immediately heaved and rebelled. He felt a hand gently holding his head to the side as he completely regurgitated the dinner he’d eaten less than an hour before.
As soon as it was all out of him he lifted his head weakly and opened his eyes. Several pairs of relieved eyes stared back at him and he frantically searched for one pair of eyes that was noticeably absent.
He leaned forward and was carefully hoisted into a sitting position. Someone wrapped a towel around his shoulders and a hand vigorously rubbed his back, while another kindly handed him a glass of water and a spit bowl.
“Thank God you’re okay,” someone cried. “You almost drowned!”
“Good thing Matt spotted you and called out,” the lifeguard added, his voice grim. “You weren’t under for very long, but you were out cold. What happened, did you hit your head?”
Clark started to nod, but then thought differently as the lifeguard’s eyes narrowed on his smooth forehead.
“I…” he stopped and coughed, his lungs still feeling raw. “I think I pulled a muscle in my leg,” he lied.
The lifeguard’s frown deepened. “You got a cramp? On impact? Are you sure?”
He swallowed. That’s what it felt like. I’m fine now.”
“That may very well be, but I’m still sending you to the school nurse,” he said darkly. “From what I understand, you’ve been having weird accidents all term.”
Clark sighed and lowered his gaze, and the lifeguard got to his feet.
“Okay everyone, he’s fine, so please back up and give him some room,” he called out. “We need to clean up here, so that’s it for today. See you all same time next week.”
Everyone stepped away and started making their way out, and as the crowd thinned, he caught sight of her.
She was standing by the edge of the group, holding a towel around her shoulders. Her eyes bore straight into his, but to his surprise her gaze was completely devoid of emotion. There was no fear, no regret…not even any hate or loathing of any sort in her eyes. Just a blank, vacant stare.
She turned and walked out of the room, and he got to his feet, following her rather unsteadily.
“Chloe---”
“Straight to the nurse’s office for you, Clark,” the lifeguard insisted, blocking his path.
“I will, but…can I just get dressed first?” he asked quickly.
“Fine, but I’ll log you in ahead, so be sure you’re there in twenty minutes,” he instructed, and walked off.
By the time he got to the hallway Chloe had disappeared, no doubt retreated to the sanctuary of the girls’ locker room. He made his way to the boy’s one and slowly got changed, a grim frown on his face as he admitted the ugly truth to himself.
This attack hadn’t been like the others. Chloe had really meant to kill him this time. Before, there had always been some kind of reaction from seeing the effect the kryptonite had had on him; either some justified smug satisfaction or, as was the case in the elevator, real regret at just how much harm she had caused him.
This time, there had been nothing. He’d looked into her eyes, but he might as well have been staring at a blank wall. Anything would have been better than that, even triumph at his pain or disappointment that her plans had failed. But those dead eyes scared him and indicated only one thing…
She was losing herself. Something must have happened to tip her over the edge, but he had no idea what that might be. What he did know, however, was that Chloe was dangerously slipping and needed help before she did something she couldn’t come back from. How to go about getting her that help would be the real challenge. God knew he’d be more than willing to sacrifice himself if it put her on the road to recovery…but from today’s incident, it was clear that even harming him or worse would do nothing to alleviate her pain.
He took a deep breath and idly rubbed his chest. The physical pain of having almost drowned had long since faded, but the feeling of betrayal remained, simmering beneath the surface along with a latent flash of anger.
He closed his eyes and did his best to ignore it; after all, it was his fault things had come to this. Chloe would never have done anything to hurt him if he hadn’t assaulted her in the first place…
“You okay, dude?” he heard his classmate Matt ask from across the centre bench.
Quickly he opened his eyes and lowered his hand, offering a weak smile. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“You sure?” Matt asked, pulling on a sleeveless vest. “Dude, you nearly drowned. Looks like you might have some lingering chest pains.”
“I’ll be okay in a couple of minutes,” he replied, and Matt shrugged.
“Suit yourself, but I’d still go see the nurse I were you,” he replied. “You’ve had some really close calls recently. I really think you should get a thorough medical check-up before things get worse.”
Matt reached into his locker for his deodorant, and as he lifted the can out, Clark’s gaze fell on the small object that had been sitting behind it. Immediately his eyes widened and he sat up, staring into the locker as Matt idly sprayed deodorant under his arms and carried on conversation with another locker room occupant.
But Clark’s focus wasn’t on Matt; it was squarely on the object in his locker which beckoned to him, like a siren calling sailors to their doom on the rocks as they battled the winds and the high seas…
Clark’s eyes narrowed and he got to his feet. Quickly he finished dressing, secured his locker and walked hesitantly over to his classmate, his heart beating faster the nearer he got to his friend’s locker.
“Matt?”
“Yeah, s’up?” he replied, not even turning to look at him as he combed his hair in the mirror.
“Could I…” Clark paused and swallowed. “Could I borrow your class ring for the weekend?”
***
A few minutes later, Clark Kent strode down the hall with single-minded determination, ignoring the open door of the nurses office and heading straight down the corridor and round the corner until he got to the Torch.
She was there, fully dressed but her hair still wet from the swim. As soon as he walked in she glanced up and stiffened, clenching her hands into tight fists.
“Get out.”
“Not a chance,” he replied swiftly, heading straight for her. She gasped and stumbled backwards as he advanced, her eyes widening in fear when she saw the ring and its glowing red stone on his finger.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, her eyes darting to the mock-up board. He knew what she was looking at; her refuge, the little lead box that housed the only thing she knew that could possibly slow him down.
Immediately she side-stepped him and lunged for the lead box, but Clark was there before she even moved, sweeping it up in his hands in superspeed and holding it out to her.
“Come and get it,” he taunted. Her eyes widened in alarm and her hands shook as she tried to snatch it out of his hands.
“Come on…” He held it out until the last possible second, and then when she lunged again he lifted it above her head, just out of her reach.
“Too slow,” he mocked, grabbing her outstretched wrist and yanking her against him. “Come on, Chloe. You really think I couldn’t have taken this away from you anytime I wanted?”
“Let go of me,” she whispered, her entire frame beginning to tremble violently. “Let go of me!”
“Why, so you can go and grab another chunk of kryptonite from your secret stash?” he sneered, and shook his head. With one quick move he swept her off her feet and banded his arms around her to quell her struggles.
“I don’t think so,” he said, fixing her terror-stricken gaze with a hard one of his own. “You and I…we have some unfinished business.”
By the time the scream that had gathered in her throat reached her mouth, they were out of the building and well on the road, halfway to California.
***
Chapter 27…
Enjoy! And as always, Feedback = Lurve. :)
Awesome banner by doomedxdream.
Title: Crisis
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlark/Kaloe
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13)
Warnings: Drowning, Angst
Timeline: Season 2-3 (Exodus - Exile; Clark’s RedK Summer & beyond)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics
Summary: A violent encounter between Chloe and Clark threatens to destroy their friendship forever.
Feedback: …is love. :-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Previously…
“So what…she continues to torture you to keep you in line?” his mother asked in disbelief.
“Chloe needs this,” he said stubbornly.
“This isn’t therapy, Clark, it’s a recipe for disaster. She could easily kill you, whether she means to or not.”
She leaned towards him and her eyes filled with tears again. “And sooner or later you’re going to get frustrated and angry with what she’s doing, and you’re going to snap. And then what?”
***
Chapter 26
Pain.
Sharp and searing it pulsed through him, piercing the darkness clogging his mind and shocking him into consciousness. The hard, methodical pressure on his chest continued, forcing a predictable reaction from his abused lungs.
He felt a sudden lurch within his chest as fluid was immediately pumped out of him and went gushing through his mouth and nose. Clark spluttered and thrashed wildly as his lungs emptied of water, the smell and taste of the chlorine turning his stomach threateningly.
“Stand back everyone,” he heard a voice say sternly. “Give him room…”
The warning was well-timed, as his stomach immediately heaved and rebelled. He felt a hand gently holding his head to the side as he completely regurgitated the dinner he’d eaten less than an hour before.
As soon as it was all out of him he lifted his head weakly and opened his eyes. Several pairs of relieved eyes stared back at him and he frantically searched for one pair of eyes that was noticeably absent.
He leaned forward and was carefully hoisted into a sitting position. Someone wrapped a towel around his shoulders and a hand vigorously rubbed his back, while another kindly handed him a glass of water and a spit bowl.
“Thank God you’re okay,” someone cried. “You almost drowned!”
“Good thing Matt spotted you and called out,” the lifeguard added, his voice grim. “You weren’t under for very long, but you were out cold. What happened, did you hit your head?”
Clark started to nod, but then thought differently as the lifeguard’s eyes narrowed on his smooth forehead.
“I…” he stopped and coughed, his lungs still feeling raw. “I think I pulled a muscle in my leg,” he lied.
The lifeguard’s frown deepened. “You got a cramp? On impact? Are you sure?”
He swallowed. That’s what it felt like. I’m fine now.”
“That may very well be, but I’m still sending you to the school nurse,” he said darkly. “From what I understand, you’ve been having weird accidents all term.”
Clark sighed and lowered his gaze, and the lifeguard got to his feet.
“Okay everyone, he’s fine, so please back up and give him some room,” he called out. “We need to clean up here, so that’s it for today. See you all same time next week.”
Everyone stepped away and started making their way out, and as the crowd thinned, he caught sight of her.
She was standing by the edge of the group, holding a towel around her shoulders. Her eyes bore straight into his, but to his surprise her gaze was completely devoid of emotion. There was no fear, no regret…not even any hate or loathing of any sort in her eyes. Just a blank, vacant stare.
She turned and walked out of the room, and he got to his feet, following her rather unsteadily.
“Chloe---”
“Straight to the nurse’s office for you, Clark,” the lifeguard insisted, blocking his path.
“I will, but…can I just get dressed first?” he asked quickly.
“Fine, but I’ll log you in ahead, so be sure you’re there in twenty minutes,” he instructed, and walked off.
By the time he got to the hallway Chloe had disappeared, no doubt retreated to the sanctuary of the girls’ locker room. He made his way to the boy’s one and slowly got changed, a grim frown on his face as he admitted the ugly truth to himself.
This attack hadn’t been like the others. Chloe had really meant to kill him this time. Before, there had always been some kind of reaction from seeing the effect the kryptonite had had on him; either some justified smug satisfaction or, as was the case in the elevator, real regret at just how much harm she had caused him.
This time, there had been nothing. He’d looked into her eyes, but he might as well have been staring at a blank wall. Anything would have been better than that, even triumph at his pain or disappointment that her plans had failed. But those dead eyes scared him and indicated only one thing…
She was losing herself. Something must have happened to tip her over the edge, but he had no idea what that might be. What he did know, however, was that Chloe was dangerously slipping and needed help before she did something she couldn’t come back from. How to go about getting her that help would be the real challenge. God knew he’d be more than willing to sacrifice himself if it put her on the road to recovery…but from today’s incident, it was clear that even harming him or worse would do nothing to alleviate her pain.
He took a deep breath and idly rubbed his chest. The physical pain of having almost drowned had long since faded, but the feeling of betrayal remained, simmering beneath the surface along with a latent flash of anger.
He closed his eyes and did his best to ignore it; after all, it was his fault things had come to this. Chloe would never have done anything to hurt him if he hadn’t assaulted her in the first place…
“You okay, dude?” he heard his classmate Matt ask from across the centre bench.
Quickly he opened his eyes and lowered his hand, offering a weak smile. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“You sure?” Matt asked, pulling on a sleeveless vest. “Dude, you nearly drowned. Looks like you might have some lingering chest pains.”
“I’ll be okay in a couple of minutes,” he replied, and Matt shrugged.
“Suit yourself, but I’d still go see the nurse I were you,” he replied. “You’ve had some really close calls recently. I really think you should get a thorough medical check-up before things get worse.”
Matt reached into his locker for his deodorant, and as he lifted the can out, Clark’s gaze fell on the small object that had been sitting behind it. Immediately his eyes widened and he sat up, staring into the locker as Matt idly sprayed deodorant under his arms and carried on conversation with another locker room occupant.
But Clark’s focus wasn’t on Matt; it was squarely on the object in his locker which beckoned to him, like a siren calling sailors to their doom on the rocks as they battled the winds and the high seas…
Clark’s eyes narrowed and he got to his feet. Quickly he finished dressing, secured his locker and walked hesitantly over to his classmate, his heart beating faster the nearer he got to his friend’s locker.
“Matt?”
“Yeah, s’up?” he replied, not even turning to look at him as he combed his hair in the mirror.
“Could I…” Clark paused and swallowed. “Could I borrow your class ring for the weekend?”
***
A few minutes later, Clark Kent strode down the hall with single-minded determination, ignoring the open door of the nurses office and heading straight down the corridor and round the corner until he got to the Torch.
She was there, fully dressed but her hair still wet from the swim. As soon as he walked in she glanced up and stiffened, clenching her hands into tight fists.
“Get out.”
“Not a chance,” he replied swiftly, heading straight for her. She gasped and stumbled backwards as he advanced, her eyes widening in fear when she saw the ring and its glowing red stone on his finger.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, her eyes darting to the mock-up board. He knew what she was looking at; her refuge, the little lead box that housed the only thing she knew that could possibly slow him down.
Immediately she side-stepped him and lunged for the lead box, but Clark was there before she even moved, sweeping it up in his hands in superspeed and holding it out to her.
“Come and get it,” he taunted. Her eyes widened in alarm and her hands shook as she tried to snatch it out of his hands.
“Come on…” He held it out until the last possible second, and then when she lunged again he lifted it above her head, just out of her reach.
“Too slow,” he mocked, grabbing her outstretched wrist and yanking her against him. “Come on, Chloe. You really think I couldn’t have taken this away from you anytime I wanted?”
“Let go of me,” she whispered, her entire frame beginning to tremble violently. “Let go of me!”
“Why, so you can go and grab another chunk of kryptonite from your secret stash?” he sneered, and shook his head. With one quick move he swept her off her feet and banded his arms around her to quell her struggles.
“I don’t think so,” he said, fixing her terror-stricken gaze with a hard one of his own. “You and I…we have some unfinished business.”
By the time the scream that had gathered in her throat reached her mouth, they were out of the building and well on the road, halfway to California.
***
Chapter 27…