fanfic - so familiar a gleam - chapter seven
-- Home Sweet Home --
“Alrighty! Up and at’em, Clark! It’s time to get home!” Lana yelled, jerking Clark out of sleep.
Krypto was already jumping off the bed to dart around Lana’s legs, yipping excitedly.
“Get up, Clark!” Chloe called from the hallway. “Everyone’s going to be thrilled!”
Clark groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. The sun hadn’t even risen yet.
“I’m up. I’m up. What needs to be in the carriage?”
“You,” Lois said as she passed the doorway with a bag slung over her shoulder.
“You guys should’ve let me get the stuff,” Clark said, rolling out of bed and stretching slightly.
“It was really not a big deal.” Lana wiggled her fingers at him and his socks leapt up to eat his feet. “Magic, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Clark grunted, “Out so I can get dressed.”
“No more nudity, Clark? Hey! Lois, you remember when he never wanted to wear clothes. Said it felt stuffy!” Lana called down the stairs.
Her statement was met with a roar of laughter.
Clark rolled his eyes.
“Hardy, har, har. It’s hilarious that you knew me when I was a kid,” Clark grumbled and closed the door in Lana’s face.
They rode the magically drawn carriage out of the forest and back home in tension filled silence. Clark was tapping his foot agitatedly.
“It’s going to be fine. Everyone’s going to be ecstatic,” Chloe said, putting a hand on Clark’s knee.
He nodded and gave a strained smile. He wished the sun was out. He always felt stronger when the sun was out.
There was an uneasy feeling in his stomach. It was inordinately foggy, even for morning.
The fog let up some but it was still dark when they pulled into town. The streets were filled with people watching the carriage. Clark waved to them, smiling brightly.
He was home.
Before they had fully made it up to the castle, Clark jumped out of the carriage and rushed to meet his parents, who were standing at the entrance of the castle.
Martha had tears in her eyes; Clark swept her up, and hugged her tightly.
Jonathan choked out a strangled, emotion filled laugh, and wrapped his arms around the two most important people in his life.
“You’re home!” Martha wept, hugging Clark back tightly. She held him so tight, her arms started to hurt.
“I am,” Clark murmured into her hair.
The day seemed to pass in a blur. The sun never came out to truly energize Clark, but he was still happy. Lex would be there tomorrow. He would tell his parents that he was marrying Lex. The love of his life.
Clark woke the morning of the ball, uneasy. He already knew he had woken up late. It was raining heavily outside. The steady patter of the rain against the glass window did nothing to ease the tension stirring in Clark’s stomach.
Krypto lay, completely ignoring everything, still sleeping at the foot of the bed.
Chloe sauntered into the room casually.
“You slept in. Martha and Jonathan wanted to check on you, but I waylaid them. Said I would do it. What’s up, Superman? You never sleep this long,” Chloe said.
“I just didn’t know what time it was. I haven’t seen the sun since two days ago,” Clark explained, stifling a yawn and rolling to a sitting position.
“You should fly up above the clouds. Get some of that nice sunshine,” Chloe said, bouncing down on to the bed beside Clark.
“If the sun’s not out tomorrow, I will.” Clark yawned again.
“Well, tonight’s the ball. Best get up, Sleepy Head. You’ve got a fitting,” Chloe said with a mischievous grin.
“No. Not with the two of them. They take forever,” Clark said, shaking his head.
“Fear not. They already decided that they are putting you in red. You know. Because you’re home,” Chloe placated Clark.
“Fine. But I’m only staying for fifteen minutes. That’s it,” Clark warned darkly.
“You should take that up with them,” Chloe said, leaving the room.
Clark groaned. They were still going to take forever.
Clark sat in his room just before the ball. The nervous tension in the pit of his stomach had developed into full-fledged nausea. His head was resting was resting heavily in his hands. From what he’d heard, Lex had still not arrived.
Whenever he was in their line of sight, his parents descended on him to touch and hug, which was nice, but also extremely nerve wracking. He was going to tell them that he had been secretly meeting Lex for almost half a year, and that they wanted to be wed, but it was kind of hard to do when they were cuddling him. If they gave him a little breathing room, he’d probably have a better chance.
Not to mention that now, they were surrounded by the entirety of Smallville and several visiting nobles while they waited for him one floor below.
He heard a low noise and jumped high in the air.
“Hello?” Clark called.
The small servant door opened, and a green glow emitted from it.
“Hello?” Clark called again, getting up and inspecting the doorway.
He felt an odd sensation under his navel drawing him toward the door.
Clark drew nearer, and the sensation grew until he felt numb.
Clark’s brain rebelled, but his body moved to the servant’s hallway and up the stairs that had not been there before. Toward the green glow.
His feet carried him up the stairs. It felt odd, like a tingling sensation that wouldn’t stop. He tried to look back the way he’d come, but he had no control over his body.
He finally reached what looked like a tower. He felt weak. Directly across from the door was a spindle. The point of the spindle was acid green and glowing brightly.
“Greetings, Clark.”
Clark felt some of his faculties come back to him at the familiar voice. He managed to whip his head in the direction it came from.
There sat Zod. He was relaxed in an overly large black arm chair. He had a small smile on his face.
“I know about your fairies altering the spell. But it is of no matter. True love. It’s a silly concept. There is nothing true to love. It’s chemicals of the brain. Nothing more. There is no such thing as one person for anyone,” Zod said dismissively. “Besides, you will be kept in my tower. I will be here to make sure none can pass, and that you will sleep forever, and never wake.”
Clark tried to summon up the power to blast Zod with heat vision.
“Ah, ah Clark. Unfortunately, as interesting as they are, your powers had to be halted. You can’t be controlled in a way I would like. I would like to have you by my side. To rule from ocean to ocean. But there are just some that are too set in their ways to be controlled. You wouldn’t kill someone. No matter how much I pushed.” Zod sighed heavily. “No matter. You are going to be as good as dead shortly.”
With a wave of Zod’s hand, Clark’s feet started walking forward toward the sickly green spindle. His veins stood out under his skin. They looked black and sickly as he neared the point.
Clark tried to jerk back. Back and away from the evil spindle. The spindle that would take everything from him.
But his hand lifted, reached out and he pricked his finger on the tip. He saw blood well from the small prick before his world went back.
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