Chlark Fanfic: Agenda, Chapter 3

[babydee1]

Banner 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 twinsarein for 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 3
 
 
“Leaving?”  Clark echoed, getting to his feet.  “You can’t go back to Gotham so soon, you just got here!”
 
Chloe shook her head.  “No, we’re still in town for a few days.  I booked us into a hotel not too far from here.”
 
He frowned.  “Why are you staying in a hotel when you can stay with me?” 
 
She stiffened.  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Clark.”
 
“I don’t see why not; I have two bedrooms and a perfectly good couch,” he countered. 
 
Still she looked uncertain.  “Clark, it’s a huge imposition---” she began.
 
He shook his head.  “I don’t see it that way.  Gabriella’s my daughter, and I want to get to know her.”
 
“She’s a teenager, Clark.  You don’t know the first thing about teenagers!”
 
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Chloe. I’m sure you didn’t know the first thing about teenagers before Gabriella turned thirteen.”
 
“Not exactly true, I used to be one – once upon a time,” she argued.
 
“And so did I,” he shot back.  “There’s no way I can let you go back to a hotel Chloe, not now.  You just told me I have a daughter.  Don’t take her away from me so soon.”
 
Chloe gaped.  “Take her away?  The hotel is just at the other end of the block!”
 
“It’s still too far away for me.  Please, Chloe,” he pleaded. 
 
Chloe sighed.  “Gabby?”
 
“Yes, Mom?”
 
“What do you want to do?”
 
“About what?” she asked innocently.
 
“Cut the crap, Gabriella Marie.  I know you heard every word.”
 
Gabby softened.  “It depends on you, Mom.” 
 
Chloe shook her head.  “No, this is about what you want.  Would you rather go back to the hotel, or do you want to stay here?”
 
The girl glanced from one parent to another and fell silent. 
 
“I’d love to have you here, Gabriella,” Clark said, taking advantage of her hesitation.  “I know this is really sudden, but I’d really love to get to know you.”
 
Gabby bit her lip and glanced at her mother. 
 
“Whatever you want, honey,” Chloe said softly. 
 
That seemed to  assist her in making a decision.  “I guess here would be okay,” she said calmly.  “Besides, hotel food gets kinda boring after the first few days.  You do cook, right?”
 
“Gabby!” her mother said, scandalised. 
 
But Clark smiled and nodded.  “I do.  My mom taught me everything I know about cooking.”
 
“Yeah, my mom did the same,” she said wryly.  “Which really isn’t saying much…”
 
“Hey!” 
 
Gabby held up her arms and laughed.  “Just being honest here!” she smirked. 
 
“So it looks like I’ve been outvoted,” she said with a resigned sigh.  “Fine.  We’ll stay here.  But if you find that we’re getting in your way---”
 
“You won’t,” he said, overjoyed.  “It would be my pleasure to have you here for as long as you want to stay.” 
 
Chloe nodded and smiled.  “Thank you, Clark.”
 
He grinned back.  “Anytime.” 
 
“Yeah, thanks,” Gabby echoed.  “So, when do we get to taste your apple pie?  Mom says you have a killer recipe.” 
 
Chloe sighed and held a hand to her temple, looking dubiously at Clark’s smiling face. 
 
“You have no idea what you’re letting yourself in for,” she warned.
 
“Whatever it is, I’m ready for it,” he said confidently.  “And right now, I have a pie to make.  I just need to pick up some apples and other stuff from the market.  Gabriella, would you like to come with me?” 
 
Joy lit the young teenager’s eyes, but she shrugged indifferently.  “Yeah, I guess.  As long as it’s okay with Mom.” 
 
Chloe nodded.  “It’s fine.” 
 
“D’you wanna come with?” he offered, but she shook her head.
 
“I think I’d like to have a rest, if you don’t mind,” she said.  “It’s been a long day.”  And it meant the world to her that Clark was overjoyed to discover his daughter’s existence, and she felt it only fair that she allow them some time to bond. 
 
“You can use my room,” Clark offered.  “It’s just down the hall and to the left.  I’ll sort the spare room out for Gabby when we get back.”
 
***
 
He heard her calling out to him, her voice sifting into his subconscious like a beam of light in the darkness.
 
“Clark!” she screamed.  “Claaarrrrrk!”
 
In an instant he sat bolt upright, his brow sweaty, his breath coming in short gasps. 
 
Silence permeated the air, interrupted only by the soft ticking of the desk clock.  It read 2:15am.
 
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.  It was The Dream again; his subconscious reliving the night that he had found her as she fled from Davis, clothed only in an overcoat and staring into the headlights of an oncoming Mack truck. 
 
He hadn’t had The Dream in a while.  Why tonight?
 
She was fine, he reminded himself.  That was years ago; Chloe was fine, and she was in Gotham…
 
No – she was here.  In his house.  With Gabby, her daughter.
 
His daughter. 
 
Immediately the events of the day all came back to him, and he threw off the covers and sat up on the couch. 
 
Chloe and Gabby were here.  They’d picked up their belongings from the hotel and he’d made up the spare room for his daughter, leaving Chloe to use his room while he took the couch. 
 
Quietly he got to his feet and tiptoed down the hall, pushing the doors to the rooms open to check on his sleeping guests.  Chloe was carefully tucked up and fast asleep.  He peeped in on Gabby, and his heart constricted with warmth.
 
She slept like him; blankets thrown off, on her tummy, her left arm flung over the edge of the bed while she slumbered peacefully.  If he wasn’t already fully convinced that she was his child, this would have swayed him straight into belief.
 
Her dark hair fanned over the pillow, and in repose he could see just how youthful she really looked without the cynical expression she tended to wear.
 
His child. 
 
She stirred then, turning her head this way and that, finally ending up exactly where she’d started.  He smiled and pulled the sheets over her again.  No doubt they would end up at the foot of the bed again, but he couldn’t help it; it was probably an innate quality of fatherhood to rearrange their kids’ blankets.
 
Satisfied, he tiptoed back out of the room and returned to the couch, a smile on his face as he drifted to sleep. 
 
***
 
Chapter 4...

Comments

[jacques21.livejournal.com]

Gab's is such a bouncy? happy teen. It's like nothing can phase her.

Clark saying that a hotel is too far away when he has superpowers is hilarious. Seriously love Daddy!Clark already.

I guess the nightmares are coming back because Chloe is back in his life...

[mari2anne.livejournal.com]

What a sweet chapter! Love Clark's awe and wonder at having a child!

Hope the nightmare doesn't hang around too long! Although it might be his subconscious mind trying to cope with this huge change to his whole life!

Did I mention how cool it is just to be able to hop on over to the next chapter without waiting for the next awesome update...?

;)

[bkwurm1.livejournal.com]

Gabby's excitment at going somewhere with her Dad, even if she was trying to hide it was very touching. She'd been very careful not to show she cared until that moment. Even with staying at the apartment, she could have claimed she was doing it cause Clark really wanted it, but for just a second, we got to see how much this really means to her. Aww.

Chloe is wound very tight. Needs someone to help her relax, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll be more patient.

[voidknightsc.livejournal.com]

Why does Clark have to tiptoe when he could fly?

I think I recall Clark saying to Chloe that she is too young to be a cynic. Nice callback.

[laurelnola.livejournal.com]

*points to the banner* Ah-ha! That's the scene I was talking about- the "is she pregnant" scene!

"Clark smiled and nodded. “I do. My mom taught me everything I know about cooking.”
“Yeah, my mom did the same,” she said wryly. “Which really isn’t saying much…”

Hee! Poor Chloe. She'll forever be a salad and coffee girl.


"“You can use my room,” Clark offered. “It’s just down the hall and to the left. I’ll sort the spare room out for Gabby when we get back.”

That's right. Gabby will have the kid room, and her parents will get busy making more kids in Clark's room, just as it should be. *evil grin* What? Don't you think she'd like a baby brother, so they could set fire to stuff together? I'm just sayin'!


"He smiled and pulled the sheets over her again. No doubt they would end up at the foot of the bed again, but he couldn’t help it; it was probably an innate quality of fatherhood to rearrange their kids’ blankets."

What a heartwarming scene. You are already making me adore Clark as a daddy. *wistful sigh*

Off the for the next!!

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

"*points to the banner* Ah-ha! That's the scene I was talking about- the "is she pregnant" scene!"

Yup! The very scene that inspired Toby to ask for this story, in fact: what if the Chloe that Clark saved from Davis was actually Chloe and not a clone? It would make so much sense for her to literally cling to Clark's child just as he was walking out of her life.

"Hee! Poor Chloe. She'll forever be a salad and coffee girl."

Ha! Why should she learn to cook if she has her very own piemaster available on demand? Besides, if she's not in the mood for pie, he could always pick her coffee up... from Colombia. ;-)


"That's right. Gabby will have the kid room, and her parents will get busy making more kids in Clark's room, just as it should be. *evil grin*"

Cheeky bint! :-D

" What? Don't you think she'd like a baby brother, so they could set fire to stuff together? I'm just sayin'!"

How very interesting you should say that... *looks innocently skyward* :-|


"What a heartwarming scene. You are already making me adore Clark as a daddy. *wistful sigh*"

The thought of Clark with a little baby girl is just so precious! *sniff* :-)

Glad you like, and I'm having such a blast with all your comments! It's actually really nice to re-read this story again. I'd forgotten how much I loved creating it!