Fic: Waypoint Chlark PG (one section is R) 5 of 9
Back to Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
It rained on the way back. Clark tried to hold Chloe a little closer, and to make the best speed he could, but he could feel her shiver in his arms. Back at the apartment he let her down reluctantly. Her hair hung damp and dripping. As she took off her coat, he saw wet fabric of her blouse clinging to her skin. She chafed her arms. "I’m freezing," she said. "I’m going to warm up in the shower, if you don’t mind."
He changed into casual clothes, then went to the kitchen. It was late. He was hungry and Chloe was probably starving. His mom would have been horrified at how little he had been feeding his guest. He tried not to listen to the rustle of her taking off her wet things. He tried not to picture her stepping into the shower. He filled a pot with water for pasta, and flipped on the stove. Then she made a little "ah" sound, presumably as the warm water hit her. With that little sound he stilled for a moment. He imagined her head bent back, water streaming over her shoulders, down her chest. The shower in that bathroom was a tight fit, not as big in the master bath. He had joined his Chloe there once, shortly after they rented the place. They had bumped into the door and knocked down the shower caddy trying to maneuver his big frame and Chloe’s small one in that tight space. His Chloe. Not this one. His Chloe who urged him to action, not obsession. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the makings of a salad. He tried to focus cutting up vegetables.
He was pouring orange juice when this Chloe made her appearance. Her cheeks were pink and her smile was back. "Wow, so the Kent men cook in this reality," she said. "This I could get used to."
"No just me. Dad is dependent on mom if he doesn’t want to starve." He noticed an odd look cross her face. She sat and reached for a napkin. Clark returned the OJ then hesitated over which seat to take for a moment. He took the one next to her.
"Good you changed. You look more like the Clark Kent I know dressed this way. Jeans and a plaid shirt fit you much better than a suit and tie." He thought to himself that Chloe used to like the tie very much. She was always adjusting it, or using it to tug him down to her level to kiss her. "You know this is very good. The sauce is just like your mom’s. How come you never made these for me before?"
"Who said I haven’t?" He smiled. He had taken over the cooking after she boiled down and burned soup to the bottom of the pan one too many times. She had always been concentrating on tracing a lead or writing up a story. He found himself just watching her eat. She looked so happy. He must have stared a bit too long, because she met his eye with a questioning glance. He just gave her a little smile and picked up his fork again.
"Maybe we should talk about what we do if I can’t get home," she ventured after a while.
"We’ll get you home," he said firmly.
"I should go home. I have a job there, friends and family that must miss me. Lex owns the Planet now, did I tell you? I’m not sure what he is up to, but it can’t be good. Honestly I’m a little worried about what Lana is doing, and Brainiac is running around somewhere too." She played with her fork. "But what if I can’t?"
"I suspect Ollie could help us work up an identity. You can stay here as long as you need."
"I can’t go back to the Planet here, can I?"
"No, too many people know you, and know you died. Maybe another paper?"
"There are no other papers," she said, but smiled in such a way he knew she was making fun of herself. Then her face grew more serious. "I would be dead to everyone back home. Worse than dead, because they wouldn’t know why."
"Yeah, that’d be hard." Clark hesitated a moment, and then added more firmly, "But it doesn’t matter because we are going to get you home."
Chloe put on a smile and started picking up dishes. "Clark, thank you. Thank you for everything."
On to Part 6
It rained on the way back. Clark tried to hold Chloe a little closer, and to make the best speed he could, but he could feel her shiver in his arms. Back at the apartment he let her down reluctantly. Her hair hung damp and dripping. As she took off her coat, he saw wet fabric of her blouse clinging to her skin. She chafed her arms. "I’m freezing," she said. "I’m going to warm up in the shower, if you don’t mind."
He changed into casual clothes, then went to the kitchen. It was late. He was hungry and Chloe was probably starving. His mom would have been horrified at how little he had been feeding his guest. He tried not to listen to the rustle of her taking off her wet things. He tried not to picture her stepping into the shower. He filled a pot with water for pasta, and flipped on the stove. Then she made a little "ah" sound, presumably as the warm water hit her. With that little sound he stilled for a moment. He imagined her head bent back, water streaming over her shoulders, down her chest. The shower in that bathroom was a tight fit, not as big in the master bath. He had joined his Chloe there once, shortly after they rented the place. They had bumped into the door and knocked down the shower caddy trying to maneuver his big frame and Chloe’s small one in that tight space. His Chloe. Not this one. His Chloe who urged him to action, not obsession. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the makings of a salad. He tried to focus cutting up vegetables.
He was pouring orange juice when this Chloe made her appearance. Her cheeks were pink and her smile was back. "Wow, so the Kent men cook in this reality," she said. "This I could get used to."
"No just me. Dad is dependent on mom if he doesn’t want to starve." He noticed an odd look cross her face. She sat and reached for a napkin. Clark returned the OJ then hesitated over which seat to take for a moment. He took the one next to her.
"Good you changed. You look more like the Clark Kent I know dressed this way. Jeans and a plaid shirt fit you much better than a suit and tie." He thought to himself that Chloe used to like the tie very much. She was always adjusting it, or using it to tug him down to her level to kiss her. "You know this is very good. The sauce is just like your mom’s. How come you never made these for me before?"
"Who said I haven’t?" He smiled. He had taken over the cooking after she boiled down and burned soup to the bottom of the pan one too many times. She had always been concentrating on tracing a lead or writing up a story. He found himself just watching her eat. She looked so happy. He must have stared a bit too long, because she met his eye with a questioning glance. He just gave her a little smile and picked up his fork again.
"Maybe we should talk about what we do if I can’t get home," she ventured after a while.
"We’ll get you home," he said firmly.
"I should go home. I have a job there, friends and family that must miss me. Lex owns the Planet now, did I tell you? I’m not sure what he is up to, but it can’t be good. Honestly I’m a little worried about what Lana is doing, and Brainiac is running around somewhere too." She played with her fork. "But what if I can’t?"
"I suspect Ollie could help us work up an identity. You can stay here as long as you need."
"I can’t go back to the Planet here, can I?"
"No, too many people know you, and know you died. Maybe another paper?"
"There are no other papers," she said, but smiled in such a way he knew she was making fun of herself. Then her face grew more serious. "I would be dead to everyone back home. Worse than dead, because they wouldn’t know why."
"Yeah, that’d be hard." Clark hesitated a moment, and then added more firmly, "But it doesn’t matter because we are going to get you home."
Chloe put on a smile and started picking up dishes. "Clark, thank you. Thank you for everything."
On to Part 6