Plead.
If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just... passes you by.
- My Best Friend's Wedding
He was determined.
If it was the last thing he ever did, he would find out where Chloe had gone with that monster.
As Oliver left the offices of Isis, Clark turned away from the computers, feeling an ache in his heart that he could have sworn he'd never felt in his entire life.
He felt empty, he felt hurt. He needed her in his life, and he couldn't figure out why she'd just leave him that way. She didn't belong to him, but it didn't matter. He still needed her by his side.
As he caught a glimpse of a framed picture of himself and Chloe across the way, he felt the ache deep within his chest deepen, unspoken words wanting to slip out, but there was no one to say to them to now.
His phone rang, pulling him out of his trance, and when he pulled it out of his pocket, his brow furrowed. Incoming call. Blocked.
"Who is this?" he asked, and the voice he heard at the end of the line made his heart skip a beat.
"Clark, it's Chloe. I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay."
"Chloe?" His voice stilled for only a moment. "Where are you?"
"Davis and I are gone, but please don't try and find us, okay? We're fine."
Clark began to walk the floors as he listened to her words. "You think that you're safe, Chloe, but you're not. You are not safe with him."
"I'm sure everyone's fitting me for a straitjacket right now, but, Clark, I do know what I'm doing." There was a slight pause. "And I knew that if I had told you any sooner, that you would have found a way to stop me, so..."
Clark sighed. She knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. At least, for the most part.
"Look..." she started. "Everything I've ever done, right or wrong, I did for you."
He felt a tug in his heart at her words, but how could he believe her? She was with Davis now. How was that for him? He didn't understand.
"By running away?" As he said the words, he felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he willed himself not to release them. He couldn't. "You have feelings for Davis, Chloe. That's why you're protecting him, isn't it?" Inwardly, he begged her to tell him different. Please tell me you don't feel that way about him, Chloe. Please... tell me you don't. Tell me you feel that way about me.
"...No." He could hear the puzzlement in her voice as she spoke, and he was surprised. "No, Clark, I'm protecting you."
His head lowered, and his mouth fell open a bit in surprise. That was pretty damn close enough to what he'd been thinking, at least to him.
"I meant what I said. Condemning Davis to a life as that monster is worse than killing him."
"What about you, Chloe?" he asked, and his voice began to shake when he spoke again. "Chloe, I am gonna spend every second looking for you. I will find a way to save you." The desperation in his voice was strong, clear, and he knew she could hear it.
"Clark..." Her voice softened. "You're not here to save one person. You're here to save... all of us."
He swallowed hard. "And you think that sacrificing yourself will help me do that?"
Silence.
He was met by silence.
The tears filled his eyes, and his strong, deep voice shook with emotion. "Chloe, you're wrong. You're wrong, Chloe."
"I must have thrown a million green rocks away, and yet I've never really saved you." He could hear a smile in her voice. "Now I can."
Her words broke his heart.
She was doing this for him.
She was really, truly doing this for him.
She was saving him from that monster in the only way she knew how.
In that moment, actions spoke louder than words, and he felt a certain set of unspoken words touching his tongue. Words he'd held back for what felt like forever.
"Chloe, I... listen to me. This is... this is your life we'll talking about. Don't... don't do this." He pleaded with her, begging her.
He knew what she was doing now, and it made his heart hurt even more.
Love.
This was her ultimate showing of love.
No one else had ever done anything like this for him, and he knew no one else would.
She was willing to give up her entire life, just to save him. She was willing to put her life in danger, just to save his.
He could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke again.
"Clark... if there's one lesson I've learned from you, it's that choosing the greater good is never a sacrifice."
"Chloe..." he whispered. "Chloe, I..." Before another word could come out, he heard a click.
Click.
She was gone.
She had hung up.
He stared at the phone for a long moment, and then his anger got the best of him.
His fist slammed down into the purple filing cabinet, crushing it in, making it buckle.
Grief flowed through him, and he felt the tears touch his cheeks.
Too late.
It was too late.
There was now a chance that she'd never know the truth.
He felt the same way.
He loved her, too.
[ooc: Whoo! Slightly rewritten final scene from Beast. Caveman!Clark is crankies. lol Fits two prompts: the above-mentioned quote from sunday_reveries and the title prompt from justprompts. Feedback would totally be appreciated on this one.]
- My Best Friend's Wedding
He was determined.
If it was the last thing he ever did, he would find out where Chloe had gone with that monster.
As Oliver left the offices of Isis, Clark turned away from the computers, feeling an ache in his heart that he could have sworn he'd never felt in his entire life.
He felt empty, he felt hurt. He needed her in his life, and he couldn't figure out why she'd just leave him that way. She didn't belong to him, but it didn't matter. He still needed her by his side.
As he caught a glimpse of a framed picture of himself and Chloe across the way, he felt the ache deep within his chest deepen, unspoken words wanting to slip out, but there was no one to say to them to now.
His phone rang, pulling him out of his trance, and when he pulled it out of his pocket, his brow furrowed. Incoming call. Blocked.
"Who is this?" he asked, and the voice he heard at the end of the line made his heart skip a beat.
"Clark, it's Chloe. I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay."
"Chloe?" His voice stilled for only a moment. "Where are you?"
"Davis and I are gone, but please don't try and find us, okay? We're fine."
Clark began to walk the floors as he listened to her words. "You think that you're safe, Chloe, but you're not. You are not safe with him."
"I'm sure everyone's fitting me for a straitjacket right now, but, Clark, I do know what I'm doing." There was a slight pause. "And I knew that if I had told you any sooner, that you would have found a way to stop me, so..."
Clark sighed. She knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. At least, for the most part.
"Look..." she started. "Everything I've ever done, right or wrong, I did for you."
He felt a tug in his heart at her words, but how could he believe her? She was with Davis now. How was that for him? He didn't understand.
"By running away?" As he said the words, he felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he willed himself not to release them. He couldn't. "You have feelings for Davis, Chloe. That's why you're protecting him, isn't it?" Inwardly, he begged her to tell him different. Please tell me you don't feel that way about him, Chloe. Please... tell me you don't. Tell me you feel that way about me.
"...No." He could hear the puzzlement in her voice as she spoke, and he was surprised. "No, Clark, I'm protecting you."
His head lowered, and his mouth fell open a bit in surprise. That was pretty damn close enough to what he'd been thinking, at least to him.
"I meant what I said. Condemning Davis to a life as that monster is worse than killing him."
"What about you, Chloe?" he asked, and his voice began to shake when he spoke again. "Chloe, I am gonna spend every second looking for you. I will find a way to save you." The desperation in his voice was strong, clear, and he knew she could hear it.
"Clark..." Her voice softened. "You're not here to save one person. You're here to save... all of us."
He swallowed hard. "And you think that sacrificing yourself will help me do that?"
Silence.
He was met by silence.
The tears filled his eyes, and his strong, deep voice shook with emotion. "Chloe, you're wrong. You're wrong, Chloe."
"I must have thrown a million green rocks away, and yet I've never really saved you." He could hear a smile in her voice. "Now I can."
Her words broke his heart.
She was doing this for him.
She was really, truly doing this for him.
She was saving him from that monster in the only way she knew how.
In that moment, actions spoke louder than words, and he felt a certain set of unspoken words touching his tongue. Words he'd held back for what felt like forever.
"Chloe, I... listen to me. This is... this is your life we'll talking about. Don't... don't do this." He pleaded with her, begging her.
He knew what she was doing now, and it made his heart hurt even more.
Love.
This was her ultimate showing of love.
No one else had ever done anything like this for him, and he knew no one else would.
She was willing to give up her entire life, just to save him. She was willing to put her life in danger, just to save his.
He could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke again.
"Clark... if there's one lesson I've learned from you, it's that choosing the greater good is never a sacrifice."
"Chloe..." he whispered. "Chloe, I..." Before another word could come out, he heard a click.
Click.
She was gone.
She had hung up.
He stared at the phone for a long moment, and then his anger got the best of him.
His fist slammed down into the purple filing cabinet, crushing it in, making it buckle.
Grief flowed through him, and he felt the tears touch his cheeks.
Too late.
It was too late.
There was now a chance that she'd never know the truth.
He felt the same way.
He loved her, too.
[ooc: Whoo! Slightly rewritten final scene from Beast. Caveman!Clark is crankies. lol Fits two prompts: the above-mentioned quote from sunday_reveries and the title prompt from justprompts. Feedback would totally be appreciated on this one.]