Smallville- Chloe Sullivan- #76- Who?
Title: Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been?
Fandom: Smallville
Characters: Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent, Lois Lane
Prompt: #76-Who
Word Count: 1,702
Rating: PG
Summary: Chloe isn't this world's Lois Lane.
Author's Note: Spoilers to mid season 5 as well as for the DC Comic Storyline "Infinite Crisis".
My table can be found here
She’d become used to being on the fringe of Superman’s circle of friends and family. It wasn’t like she was angry or hurt or mad at anyone, in fact she loved her friends more than she could say. But Chloe lived in Gotham City now, a city that was so different than Smallville or Metropolis, she might as well have been on a completely different planet. With distance, and time, she’d drifted from being Clark’s Girl Friday to being a pen pal or a lunch date.
Sure, she missed the way things used to be. But she didn’t belong in Kansas anymore. Each visit home made that glaringly clear.
Chloe wasn’t exactly sure where she belonged; but this was a start.
She entered her small apartment and dropped her briefcase and purse on the small table by the door. She checked her answering machine, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, signaling a waiting message.
“Hi, Chlo.” Lois’ chirped cheerily on the machine. “I haven’t talked to you in a while. And I could really use someone to talk to. Clark isn’t handling things well…you know, with Diana and Bruce, and Conner….it really seems like the world’s going to hell in a handbasket, doesn’t it? Please call me back when you get this, Chlo. Please?”
Chloe extended one well manicured nail and turned off the answering machine.
She didn’t feel like dealing with Lois now.
She loved her cousin, and truth be told, Lois was the best friend she’d ever had. They’d always been close- like sisters. From the time they were little, it was like they had their own little world, their own special language that only the two of them could understand. Lucy had always been jealous of that.
But as much as she loved Lois, Chloe couldn’t escape the nagging feeling that Lois had replaced her. Lois was living the life she always dreamed of- being married to Clark, being the star reporter for the Daily Planet. And the dreams that Chloe had wished for ever so long had never come true.
Chloe felt lost. The life that she was living didn’t exactly fit; it was as if she was wearing a shoe that was a couple of sizes two small, squeezing uncomfortably into something because she had nothing else to choose from. Which was crazy, and weird, and stupid.
She started a pot of coffee and took a quick shower. Chloe changed into her favorite pajamas- a rose colored waffle shirt with coordinating pants made out of a smooth cotton material. She grabbed the evening edition of the Daily Planet from her briefcase and poured a quick cup of coffee before heading out to her balcony.
The balcony was the best part about this apartment. Gotham City looked almost peaceful under the night sky, but Chloe knew about the unrest that ruled the streets of this uneasy city. Some nights Batman, Robin, or Batgirl would soar past on one of their zip lines, off to make the world a better place than the hell hole it had deteriorated into.
This night, she walked to the edge of the balcony and gazed at the city below. No super heroes were swinging by tonight; just a mass of ruby red and neon white lights gleaming up towards the sky.
Chloe heard the familiar “swish” noise that Clark made when he landed, and smiled without turning around. “Tell Lois I’ll call her back tomorrow, Clark. I had a hard day at the Free Press, and I just need some time to relax.”
“I’m looking at Lois.” Clark said in a soft tone. “You can’t fool me with that one.”
She spun around quickly. “What in the hell are you talking about? You’ve got the wrong cousin, and after the day I’ve had, I don’t need this shit, Clark.”
He grinned. “You haven’t changed. This world has tried to make you change, but you’re still you. The same beautiful, brash girl that I fell in love with.” Clark walked up to her, and placed his hand under her chin. “I’ve missed you.”
Chloe pulled away from him, and stared at Clark. Things could be weird with Clark, but this was taking weirdness all the way up the defcon scale. He looked like the same simple Kansas farm boy that she grew up with; with the same stubborn spit curl in the middle of his forehead, the same chiseled cheekbones, the same smile; but his eyes…were different. They were the same color, but wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes; and the look he was giving her was no look that her Clark had ever given her.
This wasn’t her Clark.
“Who in the hell are you?” She said, shying away from his touch.
His expression dropped. “You don’t remember. I thought that when you saw me, you’d remember.” He pulled away from her and walked to the other side of the patio. “For all these years, I’ve watched. I’ve waited. I’ve hoped…and you have absolutely no idea who I am.”
Clark looked like he was going to cry. And even if this wasn’t her best friend…she didn’t want to make him upset.
“You could tell me.” She said softly. “What am I supposed to remember?”
“Us.” He said simply. “You were my wife. My Lois Lane.”
“I’ve never been married.” Chloe muttered.
“Not in this world.”
“Not in this world? What are you talking about?”
“Some time ago…there were a million different Earths, co-exisiting in a million different dimensions. A world for every possibility that you could possibly think of. Kind of like how on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they mention a world without Shrimp? Like that. And on my world, I grew up in Smallville, with you. And you were my best friend, you helped me master my powers and get out of countless jams. You always liked me, but I was too dumb to notice…I was always sniffing around Lana.”
“Sounds amazingly like this world.” Chloe huffed.
“After college, I took off on this world tour, on a mission that Jor-El designed for me. When I got back, you were already at the Planet, but you had taken the pen name Lois Lane, because after the whole Lionel Luthor thing, you couldn’t publish under your own name. And…I became Superman, and I woke up and realized how much I loved you and how much I needed you in my life. We got married, and we were happy. You were the girl I grew into.”
“Nice story.” Chloe sighed softly. “Nice enough that I’d even like to believe it, but it’s impossible. Lois is my cousin. I have a whole life, a history, a birth certificate. This is my world, and you’re some sort of someone out to get Superman. Speaking of which, I’m going to call him. And have him kick your ass. Maybe I’ll call Batman while I’m at it.” She turned around and started to march back into her apartment.
“Chloe.” He reached out and grabbed her by the hand. “Let me explain.”
“I….”
“Five minutes, and if you don’t believe me, I’ll leave and never bother you again.” He rubbed his hands over hers. “Please, Chloe.”
She was a sap when it came to Clark Kent. And apparently any Clark Kent doppelganger as well.
“Okay.”
“There was a crisis. This creature called the Anti-Monitor started to destroy some of the Earths, and several realities were completely destroyed. But a group of heroes, all from different Earths, came together and fought against him. It wasn’t an easy fight, and several brave men and women laid down their lives that day. We were able to save one Earth, but to do so, all the remaining realities merged into one. This Earth. And I, along with another version of myself from a world called Earth Prime, along with Alex Luthor, a descendant of Lex’s from yet another world, somehow slipped through the cracks.” Clark reached out and ran his fingers through Chloe’s blonde hair. “You were supposed to come with us, Chloe. But I lost you. And for the past twenty five years, I’ve been stuck in a portal outside of time. I watched you be reborn, watched the Clark of this Earth break your heart over and over again. And finally, Alex found a chink in time, and I was finally able to come to you. Finally.” He said, leaning over and kissing her forehead.
Chloe was frozen, and she began to cry. Part of her wanted to believe, and part of her couldn’t even believe she was even entertaining the idea that this could be real.
It couldn’t be real.
“Think about it, Chloe.” Clark said, wiping tears from her face. “It makes sense. Why you’ve always been so close with Lois. Why you can’t hate her, even though she’s crushed your heart by marrying Clark. Why you could never exactly get over Clark…why it seemed right publishing that one article back in High School under the name Lois Lane. Why you feel lonely, why you feel lost. You are Lois Lane. My Lois Lane.”
Chloe shook her head. “I….can’t.”
He frowned angrily, clenching his fists. “I understand.” He said through gritted teeth. “Can I ask one thing of you Chloe?”
“I guess…”
“Can I kiss you goodbye this time?”
She nodded.
Clark took her in his arms, and claimed her mouth with her own. It felt…like coming home.
Chloe gave into the kiss, and closed her eyes. And images began to flow through her mind, of another Earth, another Clark, of the girl she had once been.
“I remember.” She said when he broke apart. “I remember you, and home, and us…”
Clark, her Clark, let out a yell of joy and lifted her up into his arms and spun her around.
“I love you.” He said, cradling Chloe against her chest.
“I love you too.” She said, relishing in how right this felt. She belonged here.
They spent the night as two lovers reunited after a lengthy separation. Later, she’d deal with what this meant. But for that night, all she wanted to do was feel, truly feel for the first time in her life.
Author's Note: Some helpful links if you want to know more about the comics from which this fic draws inspiration from-
Crisis on Infinite Earths: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths
Infinite Crisis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Crisis
Fandom: Smallville
Characters: Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent, Lois Lane
Prompt: #76-Who
Word Count: 1,702
Rating: PG
Summary: Chloe isn't this world's Lois Lane.
Author's Note: Spoilers to mid season 5 as well as for the DC Comic Storyline "Infinite Crisis".
My table can be found here
She’d become used to being on the fringe of Superman’s circle of friends and family. It wasn’t like she was angry or hurt or mad at anyone, in fact she loved her friends more than she could say. But Chloe lived in Gotham City now, a city that was so different than Smallville or Metropolis, she might as well have been on a completely different planet. With distance, and time, she’d drifted from being Clark’s Girl Friday to being a pen pal or a lunch date.
Sure, she missed the way things used to be. But she didn’t belong in Kansas anymore. Each visit home made that glaringly clear.
Chloe wasn’t exactly sure where she belonged; but this was a start.
She entered her small apartment and dropped her briefcase and purse on the small table by the door. She checked her answering machine, sure enough, the little red light was blinking, signaling a waiting message.
“Hi, Chlo.” Lois’ chirped cheerily on the machine. “I haven’t talked to you in a while. And I could really use someone to talk to. Clark isn’t handling things well…you know, with Diana and Bruce, and Conner….it really seems like the world’s going to hell in a handbasket, doesn’t it? Please call me back when you get this, Chlo. Please?”
Chloe extended one well manicured nail and turned off the answering machine.
She didn’t feel like dealing with Lois now.
She loved her cousin, and truth be told, Lois was the best friend she’d ever had. They’d always been close- like sisters. From the time they were little, it was like they had their own little world, their own special language that only the two of them could understand. Lucy had always been jealous of that.
But as much as she loved Lois, Chloe couldn’t escape the nagging feeling that Lois had replaced her. Lois was living the life she always dreamed of- being married to Clark, being the star reporter for the Daily Planet. And the dreams that Chloe had wished for ever so long had never come true.
Chloe felt lost. The life that she was living didn’t exactly fit; it was as if she was wearing a shoe that was a couple of sizes two small, squeezing uncomfortably into something because she had nothing else to choose from. Which was crazy, and weird, and stupid.
She started a pot of coffee and took a quick shower. Chloe changed into her favorite pajamas- a rose colored waffle shirt with coordinating pants made out of a smooth cotton material. She grabbed the evening edition of the Daily Planet from her briefcase and poured a quick cup of coffee before heading out to her balcony.
The balcony was the best part about this apartment. Gotham City looked almost peaceful under the night sky, but Chloe knew about the unrest that ruled the streets of this uneasy city. Some nights Batman, Robin, or Batgirl would soar past on one of their zip lines, off to make the world a better place than the hell hole it had deteriorated into.
This night, she walked to the edge of the balcony and gazed at the city below. No super heroes were swinging by tonight; just a mass of ruby red and neon white lights gleaming up towards the sky.
Chloe heard the familiar “swish” noise that Clark made when he landed, and smiled without turning around. “Tell Lois I’ll call her back tomorrow, Clark. I had a hard day at the Free Press, and I just need some time to relax.”
“I’m looking at Lois.” Clark said in a soft tone. “You can’t fool me with that one.”
She spun around quickly. “What in the hell are you talking about? You’ve got the wrong cousin, and after the day I’ve had, I don’t need this shit, Clark.”
He grinned. “You haven’t changed. This world has tried to make you change, but you’re still you. The same beautiful, brash girl that I fell in love with.” Clark walked up to her, and placed his hand under her chin. “I’ve missed you.”
Chloe pulled away from him, and stared at Clark. Things could be weird with Clark, but this was taking weirdness all the way up the defcon scale. He looked like the same simple Kansas farm boy that she grew up with; with the same stubborn spit curl in the middle of his forehead, the same chiseled cheekbones, the same smile; but his eyes…were different. They were the same color, but wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes; and the look he was giving her was no look that her Clark had ever given her.
This wasn’t her Clark.
“Who in the hell are you?” She said, shying away from his touch.
His expression dropped. “You don’t remember. I thought that when you saw me, you’d remember.” He pulled away from her and walked to the other side of the patio. “For all these years, I’ve watched. I’ve waited. I’ve hoped…and you have absolutely no idea who I am.”
Clark looked like he was going to cry. And even if this wasn’t her best friend…she didn’t want to make him upset.
“You could tell me.” She said softly. “What am I supposed to remember?”
“Us.” He said simply. “You were my wife. My Lois Lane.”
“I’ve never been married.” Chloe muttered.
“Not in this world.”
“Not in this world? What are you talking about?”
“Some time ago…there were a million different Earths, co-exisiting in a million different dimensions. A world for every possibility that you could possibly think of. Kind of like how on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they mention a world without Shrimp? Like that. And on my world, I grew up in Smallville, with you. And you were my best friend, you helped me master my powers and get out of countless jams. You always liked me, but I was too dumb to notice…I was always sniffing around Lana.”
“Sounds amazingly like this world.” Chloe huffed.
“After college, I took off on this world tour, on a mission that Jor-El designed for me. When I got back, you were already at the Planet, but you had taken the pen name Lois Lane, because after the whole Lionel Luthor thing, you couldn’t publish under your own name. And…I became Superman, and I woke up and realized how much I loved you and how much I needed you in my life. We got married, and we were happy. You were the girl I grew into.”
“Nice story.” Chloe sighed softly. “Nice enough that I’d even like to believe it, but it’s impossible. Lois is my cousin. I have a whole life, a history, a birth certificate. This is my world, and you’re some sort of someone out to get Superman. Speaking of which, I’m going to call him. And have him kick your ass. Maybe I’ll call Batman while I’m at it.” She turned around and started to march back into her apartment.
“Chloe.” He reached out and grabbed her by the hand. “Let me explain.”
“I….”
“Five minutes, and if you don’t believe me, I’ll leave and never bother you again.” He rubbed his hands over hers. “Please, Chloe.”
She was a sap when it came to Clark Kent. And apparently any Clark Kent doppelganger as well.
“Okay.”
“There was a crisis. This creature called the Anti-Monitor started to destroy some of the Earths, and several realities were completely destroyed. But a group of heroes, all from different Earths, came together and fought against him. It wasn’t an easy fight, and several brave men and women laid down their lives that day. We were able to save one Earth, but to do so, all the remaining realities merged into one. This Earth. And I, along with another version of myself from a world called Earth Prime, along with Alex Luthor, a descendant of Lex’s from yet another world, somehow slipped through the cracks.” Clark reached out and ran his fingers through Chloe’s blonde hair. “You were supposed to come with us, Chloe. But I lost you. And for the past twenty five years, I’ve been stuck in a portal outside of time. I watched you be reborn, watched the Clark of this Earth break your heart over and over again. And finally, Alex found a chink in time, and I was finally able to come to you. Finally.” He said, leaning over and kissing her forehead.
Chloe was frozen, and she began to cry. Part of her wanted to believe, and part of her couldn’t even believe she was even entertaining the idea that this could be real.
It couldn’t be real.
“Think about it, Chloe.” Clark said, wiping tears from her face. “It makes sense. Why you’ve always been so close with Lois. Why you can’t hate her, even though she’s crushed your heart by marrying Clark. Why you could never exactly get over Clark…why it seemed right publishing that one article back in High School under the name Lois Lane. Why you feel lonely, why you feel lost. You are Lois Lane. My Lois Lane.”
Chloe shook her head. “I….can’t.”
He frowned angrily, clenching his fists. “I understand.” He said through gritted teeth. “Can I ask one thing of you Chloe?”
“I guess…”
“Can I kiss you goodbye this time?”
She nodded.
Clark took her in his arms, and claimed her mouth with her own. It felt…like coming home.
Chloe gave into the kiss, and closed her eyes. And images began to flow through her mind, of another Earth, another Clark, of the girl she had once been.
“I remember.” She said when he broke apart. “I remember you, and home, and us…”
Clark, her Clark, let out a yell of joy and lifted her up into his arms and spun her around.
“I love you.” He said, cradling Chloe against her chest.
“I love you too.” She said, relishing in how right this felt. She belonged here.
They spent the night as two lovers reunited after a lengthy separation. Later, she’d deal with what this meant. But for that night, all she wanted to do was feel, truly feel for the first time in her life.
Author's Note: Some helpful links if you want to know more about the comics from which this fic draws inspiration from-
Crisis on Infinite Earths: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths
Infinite Crisis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Crisis