Chlark Fanfic: Agenda, Chapter 8
Runner by sylvanelfmistre.
Title: Agenda
Author: babydee1
Pairing: Chlark
Rating: NC-17 (mostly PG-13)
Warnings: None
Timeline: Futurefic; follows Season 8’s Injustice & Failsday Doomsday
Disclaimer: All known characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: More than a decade after the Doomsday Rampage, Clark makes a shocking discovery that changes his life forever.
Feedback: …makes me squee. :-)
Written for the 2011 smallvillebbanglong Fanfic challenge. Many thanks to twinsareinfor all her tireless organisation and support!
Beta’ed by legendarytobes& The Fallen Sky at KSite.
Art by sylvanelfmistre& go_clo.
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 8
Whoever said that girls should be seen and not heard had obviously never met Gabriella Marie Sullivan.
“Mom!” Gabby shrieked as soon as Chloe stepped into the Arrivals Lounge at Metropolis Central Airport. Within seconds her daughter had left Clark’s side, run towards her and flung herself into Chloe’s arms, almost knocking her over.
“Whoa!” Chloe exclaimed, winded. “Easy, girl!”
“It’s so good to see you, Mom, we missed you like crazy!” Gabby said excitedly.
“I should go away more often, then,” Chloe said with an amused smile as she returned Gabby’s enthusiastic hug. “You haven’t hugged me like this since you were like…what, ten?”
“Oh, not that long ago, surely!” Gabby scoffed, leaning back with a wide smile.
Chloe chuckled and smoothed her hand over her daughter’s hair. Her gaze shifted over Gabby’s shoulder and focused on Clark standing quietly by the exit, allowing them some space for their emotional reunion.
“You look well,” Chloe observed, noticing Gabby’s age-appropriate yet smart clothing, and nary a stick of the loathsome gum in sight. “Clark’s obviously been taking excellent care of you.”
Gabby nodded enthusiastically. “He has. We’ve had a great time, but we both missed you.”
“I’ll bet you did,” Chloe said with a smile as she parked the trolley and picked up her luggage.
“So did you have a good trip?” Gabby asked, taking one of her bags and walking towards the exit beside her. “How’s Brucie?”
“My trip was fine, thanks; very smooth. Bruce is well and sends his love, and says your room is to be a front for his new weapons unit.”
“Very funny,” Gabby scoffed as they reached where Clark was standing. He took his hands out of his pockets and straightened as they approached.
“Welcome back,” he said, leaning forward and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Chloe acknowledged him with a nod and a smile. “Thank you. Has Little Miss been behaving herself?”
“Good as gold,” he confirmed, then lowered his voice. “And er…excelling at everything.”
Chloe’s heart swelled with pride. “Everything?”
Clark grinned as he picked up her cases. “The lot. She’s picking it all up, in leaps and bounds, and the speed at which she’s mastering her abilities is unbelievable. I was nowhere near that fast.”
“Don’t tell me she’s already airborne, Clark,” Chloe whispered with a chuckle. “If she leaned in ten days what it took you ten years to accomplish, then that would really be a kick in the teeth.”
“I will forever maintain that girls have a genetic advantage,” he retorted as he loaded up her bags in the car. “Girls pick these things up faster than boys, anyway, no matter where they’re from. That’s my excuse, and I’m running with it.”
“Of course,” Chloe said with a smug grin as she fastened her seatbelt. “Gabby? I want to know everything you and Dad accomplished whilst I was away.”
Gabby was more than happy to talk, and she chattered non-stop all the way back to Clark’s home, regaling her with tales about all the new abilities she’d perfected. Chloe smiled, feeling happy and free and grateful for the turn of events that had led her back to Clark.
This was what Gabby had needed. The difference in her since her father had come into her life was crystal clear. Maybe now, she could finally begin to feel like she was part of a normal family.
***
“Okay, Clark. Where is my daughter, and what have you done with her?” Chloe joked as they sat together in the den after Gabby had gone to bed. “left a bratty teenager behind and returned to a girl with manners. I swear, it’s like she’s a completely different person!”
Clark grinned with fatherly pride. “She’s amazing, Chloe. Smart as a whip. Bright as a button. You should see all she’s learned to do in less than a fortnight. You’d be so proud of her.”
She grinned wistfully. “I am, even though she’d never believe me if I told her.”
“Don’t be silly, of course she would.”
Chloe gave him a knowing smile. “If you say so. I’m glad you two are getting along, though.”
Her voice sounded strained as she finished the sentence, and Clark fixed her with a piercing gaze.
“I’m not muscling in on your territory, Chloe---”
“I never said you were,” she replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “And I’m pleased you’re getting to know each other, and that she’s taken an obvious shine to you. Having you in her life really makes a world of difference.”
“She’s who she is today because of you,” he said.
“Oh, don’t let her hear you say that,” she joked. “Gabby’s very loud and very vocal about not wanting to end up like me.”
“Funny,” he said with a sly look. “When you were away, all she could talk about was how lucky she was to have you as her Mom, and how she can only hope to be at least half as awesome as you are.”
Chloe snorted into her coffee cup. “Yeah, right!” she jeered.
“I’m not joking.”
“Clark, you don’t need to patronise me,” she said softly. “I’m well aware of my daughter’s feelings for me; she and I haven’t been as close as we used to be for a while now.”
“Let me guess; for about three years?”
Chloe sighed despondently. “I see she’s been regaling you with stories of the glory years,” she replied rubbing her temple. “You’re right; she stopped being my sweet little girl shortly after her tenth birthday. One day she was the model child, and the next…I don’t know. I’m convinced some goblin stole my angel and left an impudent brat in her place, and only just returned her about an hour ago.”
“Chloe,” he said carefully, “Didn’t you ever wonder about Gabby’s sudden change in attitude?”
She shrugged, her eyes narrowing in obvious annoyance. “There was nothing to wonder about, Clark. It was the onset of puberty; they all turn into mouthy brats at that age.”
“Not necessarily,” he replied. “Something triggered the change, Chloe.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Okay, I get that taking fatherhood very seriously,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “But ten days as a father doesn’t make you an expert in child psychology, Clark. You have absolutely no idea why Gabriella behaves the way she does.”
“The reason she’s been acting up for the last three years is because she’s been trying to get your attention.”
“Oh, really?” she snorted derisively. “And which self-help book told you that?”
“Gabby told me herself.”
“Unbelievable!” Chloe cried, rising from her chair. “Ten days I’m away, and all she’s done the whole time is shoot her mouth off about what a terrible mother I am?” She laughed bitterly. “Now, why am I not surprised?”
“She’s done nothing of the sort, and you might want to keep your voice down,” Clark warned. “She’s got superhearing now, but I think she might be able to hear you just fine without it.”
Chloe folded her arms and glared at him. “Okay, fine. What’s her problem? Why has she been giving me grief for the last three years? What did she want from me?”
“Her father.”
***
Chapter 9…