Clouds Up - Fifteen (15/15)
Disclaimer: ‘Smallville’ and certain characters belong to Miller-Gough et. al. No profit is gained from this writing. Only, hopefully, enjoyment.
Lana and Chloe chose to move to Metropolis the same weekend. It made sense. They were moving into the same dorm room, after all, even though Lucas told them they didn't have to stay there if they didn't want to.
"It's part of the experience!" Chloe argued, throwing her arms wide grandly. . . and seeming frighteningly close to touching both sides of the small room simultaneously with the gesture. "A rite of passage like prom or drunken parties at the lake or graduation."
Lana just kept unpacking on her side, but Lucas caught her smiling.
"You're certain?" he asked one more time.
"Yes," Chloe assured him, "much as I would like to live in one of those condos of yours-- "
"Of Lex's. . . " Lucas corrected automatically.
" . . . it's just going to have to wait until I can at least make a down payment on one," she carried on, giving him a fake glare when he just smiled innocently. "You know," and she shrugged, "in fifty years. If I save all my money and never do anything."
Lana rolled her eyes fondly at Chloe's dramatics, as Lucas moved closer to Chloe. It only took three steps. The place really was ridiculously tiny.
'Cozy,' Martha had advised, 'call it cozy. And it's not that bad, Lucas,' she'd said laughingly. 'Those dorm rooms have gotten much bigger than they used to be, if you can believe it. I remember. . . '
"Now, see, that right there," Lucas started saying, placing his hands on Chloe's shoulders, "is the wrong angle altogether. You have to do everything, and then it's just logic that something will prove successful." Chloe just lifted her eyebrows at him, obviously somewhat dubious.
"Mr. Pep-Talk?" she asked, cheekily. "You're giving me the encouragement?"
Lucas smiled, and withdrew his hands. "We all need a change of pace once in awhile. Now it's time for you to be Mr. Gloomy-Puss. I assure you I'll reclaim the title once the day's over." He shrugged, and then both he and Chloe turned in surprise to look over at the other side of the room.
"Lana?" Chloe eventually asked, hesitantly.
But Lana was still bent double, clutching her stomach and laughing so hard Lucas was kind of worried about her ability to breathe.
Lucas and Chloe turned back to look at each other at the same time, and then Lana made a loud snorting noise. Lucas really smiled at that sound.
She only ever made it when she was laughing full-out, around people she wasn't worried would mock her for it. The snorting set Chloe off too, though, which then made Lucas grin.
After perhaps a minute of just watching the two of them laugh and giggle, and. . . snort, Lucas made a show of checking his watch and sighing and that just set the girls off again.
"What'd I say?" he asked Chloe later. The three of them were now made five by the addition of Jeff and Whitney. There was a bar just a few blocks off the Met U campus that Whitney had touted as having the best food in the city. Lucas had his doubts, but he was willing to give it a try.
He smiled and thought, 'The old college try.'
"Well, Lana was laughing at us," Chloe told him, and at his confusion, added, "you and me? The banter? I think it was the Mr. Pep-Talk joke that did it, but. . . " She trailed off and shrugged. They both looked ahead where Lana was once again exercising great patience. Whitney had his left arm wrapped around her, but he was talking and arguing with Jeff over her head.
Football. It was always football with those two.
Lucas turned back to Chloe. "And what were you laughing at?" he asked her.
Chloe didn't smile like he thought she would. She glanced up at him a few times, but most of her focus was on her feet. Lucas figured that probably had more to do with the poor condition of the sidewalk than any hesitance to reply on her part. Over the years, he'd come to learn that Chloe was rarely hesitant about anything.
And that said something right there, didn't it?
"You were laughing with Lana," he guessed, and Chloe looked up again, "but you were also laughing at us. 'Our banter,'" he repeated. She smiled, raising an eyebrow, and he added, "At the. . . role reversal."
He knew he'd gotten it right when she grinned. She moved closer to his side and grabbed his arm, now pulling him hurriedly across one of the busier streets. They broke into a jog and Chloe laughed again.
Lucas grinned.
Once safely on the other side, Chloe turned and flipped off one of the cars that had been honking at them, and Lucas just waved when Whitney, Lana, and Jeff looked back in surprise and amusement. Chloe still had Lucas' arm wrapped around her own. She was laughing again. He couldn't think of the last time he'd seen her laugh so much in one day, let alone within one three-hour period.
"You're my best friend, Chloe," he confessed quietly, once she was facing forward again. He got a squeeze of his arm in response and it made him smile.
"And you're mine, you goof," she replied, speeding up their pace a little. "Now come on! We can't let those three beat us, or we'll never live it down!"
"Damn jocks," Lucas recited dutifully.
Chloe barked out a laugh, but nodded her head emphatically. "Darn tootin'!"
And arm-in-arm, he and Chloe caught up.
***
He waited until a day arrived in which he knew for sure Martha would not be at the castle. Tomorrow was Jesse's graduation, and the three Kents were all home at the farm, spending the day before preparing and decorating for the after-party.
Lucas had it all planned out. He had until tomorrow to take everything down and make it presentable again. All of the staff were gone from the castle. He'd made sure of it.
No one would hear or see anything, and in the morning he'd tell Marianne that starting Monday his room was to be cleaned along with all the others.
First, he took off the door. It would be noticeably different were he to just take all the locks off and leave it up. There would be scratches, holes, discolorations. He had to start anew, fresh.
Lucas took down the door with the locks, and then went to retrieve the new one from where he'd been keeping it. No one really went into the wine cellar. There was no point. Therefore, it had been the perfect place for him to work and experiment. He read the books, but something like carpentry demanded practice and hands-on experience in order to achieve pleasing results.
Lucas had been practicing and he now had years of hands-on experience, as well. He also had the patience and drive to get it right. What he'd produced was the best he could. Nothing less would do.
Lucas ran slowly down to the wine cellar, and just as slowly carried the door up the stairs. He took his time and cherished the moment, reveled in it. He savored this. . . feeling.
He did it right the first time, the installing of it. Then he went into the hall and closed the door, stepped back and. . . enjoyed that, too. It was a good door. It was a nice dark color, so it matched the other wood in the castle, yet the style of it was different enough to set it apart. He'd softened the lines, made it flow where the others snapped and smooth where they were hard. He'd carved on it, added small words and tiny symbols that didn't really mean anything to anyone but him.
Lucas was proud of this door. He moved closer and opened it inward and then set about undoing everything else he'd once done. The bars on the windows were next, and once they were down he had to cover where they'd been. Then it was the mirrors in the back of his closet that he had to put up once more, and the paintings he used to be worried about ruining.
He hung up everything again. He opened the windows and let the spring breeze sweep in. He left his door open, his door to his room.
He slept that night like he'd been sleeping all of his nights lately: calm and without leaving his bed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up outside his bed, or to proof that he'd wandered sometime in the night. He'd videotaped himself last week and again two nights ago.
In both instances, he'd slept the whole night through, shifting three or four times over the course of seven hours, but never once getting up unawares. He wasn't sleepwalking anymore, hadn't for a very long time if he were honest with himself.
Many things had changed since that summer day three years ago. He'd died, and come back again, and come back again changed.
He much preferred the person he was now to that person he'd been. This person knew how to smile and mean it, knew how to laugh and make jokes that he knew were funny, knew how to hug and say comforting words.
He was a good man today, and when he looked at himself in mirrors he could see that. He wore white shirts when he wanted, and went to talk to Diana sometimes. He bought people presents he knew for certain they'd enjoy without having to ask someone else's opinion.
He dreamed things and could tell when what he saw was going to happen no matter what. . . and when the possibility existed that something could in fact be changed, or altered slightly, or helped along a bit. He flew and ran and lifted walls and caught people and, once, untangled a cow from barbed wire without hurting it.
Lucas was a good person, and he knew it. He was certain he was good. He liked it, enjoyed it.
He loved it: Life.
***
" . . . okay, so I think that's all then," Lex said, and everybody commenced gathering up their briefcases and legal pads. In the hustle and bustle of the Board leaving, Lex was able to reach over and grab Lucas' hand unnoticed. He looked him in the eyes and gestured with a nod that Lucas was to stay behind.
Lucas nodded back, and Lex removed his hand. Once the men and women were done filing out of the conference room, one of the secretaries promptly came over and closed the door again. Then it was just Lucas and Lex.
The meeting had lasted well over three hours, so Lucas stood and stretched his legs. Lex remained seated, but then he'd gotten up at one point and paced, so he probably wasn't quite as anxious to change position as Lucas, either.
"Lin told me about your. . . conversation the other day," Lex said.
Lucas turned around from where he'd been looking out one of the windows and made eye contact again. "Did he?" he responded.
Lex smirked and raised his eyebrows. He wasn't angry. Lucas could tell that much easily enough. However, he wasn't sure what exactly Lex was feeling.
"Is there a problem?" Lucas asked, putting it bluntly. "I did what I thought was right, and I'm not going to apologize."
Lex's smirk changed to a smile and he pushed his chair back to stand. He walked over to Lucas and then just. . . looked at him for a few seconds.
"It didn't surprise me, for some reason," Lex said quietly. "I think I knew the whole time that it had to be your doing." Then he was silent again, just staring and studying. Finally, Lucas had to look away. It was just after one o'clock in the afternoon on a bright, sunny summer day.
Lucas couldn't wait until he was outside. He hated board meetings.
"Does it get better?"
Lucas whipped his head to quickly look at Lex again. It wasn't the words that had surprised him. It was the way Lex had sounded. . .
"With Julian, you mean?" Lucas asked, and Lex nodded, looking right into his eyes. "Are you going to tell Lin?"
"Would it keep you from answering the question if I said 'yes'?" Lex returned.
Lucas grinned and turned back to the windows.
"Yes," he answered, and waited for Lex to understand.
"'Yes,' to the first or the second?"
"The first," Lucas clarified, smiling. "It will get better. Soon. Don't worry, and don't pick at it. He'll come around."
"I hope you're right," Lex muttered. Another moment of silence, and Lucas knew that wasn't all Lex wanted to say. So he waited, enjoying watching the people down below walk here and there and drive their cars like the crazy city people they were.
"Do you see everything, Lucas?"
Ah, there it was.
"No," he replied, keeping his eyes from Lex, "I'm happy to say I don't. I see enough, though." Lucas straightened his back and adjusted his suit, and then slapped Lex on the arm before heading for the exit. "You and Lin have fun tonight!" he called out once he'd reached the doorway.
And the horror and embarrassment on Lex's face made Lucas laugh all the way out the door, down the hall, and into the elevator. He chuckled a little during the ride down to the lobby, too, causing the other passengers to give him strange looks. Which just made it even funnier.
When the elevator car hit the lobby and he started walking, Lucas received a few polite "Mr. Dunleavys" on his way out of the building. Stepping out into the sunshine was wonderful, and Lucas decided to walk around a bit more before heading to the garage for his car. He turned to the left and followed the rush of people to the next intersection. Then he waited until the little pedestrian light changed, signaling it was okay to cross the street. People were everywhere, and Lucas was jostled with elbows and banged with briefcases and bags. A woman stepped on the back of his left shoe at one point, muttering a brisk, "Sorry" afterward.
"No problem," Lucas responded, but by that point she was already somewhere else in the crowd. He turned right and when he looked up. . .
Lucas stopped walking. His vision fragmented and splintered and he laughed out loud.
He stood unmoving in a sea of people. It was hot, summer, midday. He was wearing a grey suit and a--
Lucas looks down and when he sees his tie is green he laughs again. He stands and waits, and waits, people still jostling and bumping into him and muttering curses under their breath. Then suddenly, it's as if there is no other choice but to look up again.
He raises his head, both too quickly and infinitely slow. He blinks, looks ahead, looks at the people walking towards him and not away.
He can feel it in his bones. One breath, two, three--
Flash of her between passing businessmen. A glimpse when a woman in red veers off into the coffee shop nearby.
Lucas can't move. He can't breathe. He can't blink. He is cold and scorching and every hair on his body is standing straight up.
Fifteen feet. Thirteen. Ten. A big man moves in front of her, blocking her from sight. Must be seven feet now. Five.
The big man moves right around Lucas and then--
She slams right into him, her forehead hitting him on the left temple and both of her hands coming up to touch his chest.
"What the-- ?!" she cries out in shock, notes cascading down from her hands like water. She jerks back and Lucas. . .
He looks into Lois' eyes and smiles as his heart nearly bursts in his chest.
"Watch where you're going, buddy!" she scolds him. Lucas just smiles, holding her eyes until she realizes her notes are scattered on the sidewalk. "Aw, shit!" Lois grouses, dropping down into a crouch and making quick grabs for the papers. "Watch it, watch it," she calls out as people inadvertently step all over her work.
Lucas crouches down, too, and picks up whatever he can. He deliberately makes a move for the ones Lois goes for, his hand bumping into hers. He breathes her in deeply.
Notes gathered up, they both stand at the same time. Then Lois holds out her hand imperiously, waving and gesturing towards the small pile Lucas is clutching tightly to his chest.
"Okay, pal, fork 'em over," she demands. "I'll have you know those are of a sensitive nature, and if you so much as peeked-- "
"I assure you I did not," he interrupts with a smile. Lucas holds the papers out in front of himself, and waits to let go until he's certain Lois has a good grip on them. "I wouldn't dare presume to compromise the truth that way. . . Ms. Lane."
She's studying him, and her eyes squint in suspicion when he says her name. But then her face changes, and she's smiling sharply and moving her hand rapidly over her person in search of. . . something.
"Well, good!" she replies a little distractedly, still mostly absorbed in what Lucas thinks must be her quest for a pen. "I would think a man like yourself above such. . . nefarious pursuits."
"Oh, certainly," he agrees. They've moved over on the sidewalk, farther away from the heaviest of the foot traffic. In the shade of the awning overhead, Lois' hair appears darker.
Then she's whipping her hand up in triumph, a pen clutched tightly between her fingers.
"So, Mr. Dunleavy of ELD Inc.," she says, eyes pinned on his and that sharp grin once again gracing her lips, "what brings you out today? Not mugging reporters, I hope! Cos I gotta warn ya, you're barking up the wrong tree with me. I can bring a guy down dozens of ways, using just two fingers. . . "
And as she holds up two fingers and raises her eyebrows. . .
. . . and Lucas will smile at the most beautiful creation in the history of this world, or any other.
It's all Lucas can do to smile at the most beautiful creation in the history of this world, or any other.
"I imagine you can do more than that with those two fingers," he jokes, grinning.
Lois's eyebrows shoot up even higher, and she lets out a shocked bark of laughter.
"Well, isn't that just for you to find out?" is her cheeky response.
"I. . . imagine it is," Lucas replies.
Click to view***
The End.
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Author's Notes