babydee1 | Chlark Fanfic: Wounded Heart, Chapter 19 (Reply)

In spite of my current Smallville-induced depression, I managed to come up with another chapter. I’m not too pleased with it, but if I tweak it anymore I think I might make it worse.

So here it is. Please pardon my less-than-stellar mood…I’m still in a bit of a funk. L

*hugs*

Chapter 19

Title: Wounded Heart

Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlark

Rating: PG13

Warnings: None
Timeline: Post-‘Legion’

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.

Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.

“I love you, Chloe. I think I always have.”

Chloe stared wordlessly back at him, and he could see that she was rationalising and analyzing his words from every angle. He tried to keep the atmosphere light.

“Questions? Queries? Comments? Rotten tomatoes?” he joked.

She took a deep breath. “Clark,” she began carefully, “I know finding out we have a baby was a big shock for you, but that doesn’t mean your feelings for me have-”

He shook his head. “Doing it again,” he said with a sad sigh.

“What?”

“You’re doing it again,” he repeated tersely.

“Doing what?” she asked, baffled.

“Your pre-emptive strike. Backing away from me emotionally,” he said. “You did it after the Spring Formal, you did it when I got back from the Phantom Zone and you did it that day in Isis. And you’re doing it right now.”

“That’s not true!” she said heatedly.

“Oh no?” he challenged. “Let’s take an analytical look at those scenarios, shall we?” He held up his forefinger. “Spring Formal: ‘I think it would be best if we stayed really good friends.’”

“It worked, didn’t it?” she said defensively.

He went on, holding up another finger. “Phantom Zone: ‘Relax, Clark - it was the end of the world, it’s not like I’m expecting us to hook up,’” he quoted.

“And you agreed with me!” she flung back heatedly.

He ignored her, lifting a third finger. “Isis: ‘Clark, the “Best Friends” dynamic is what works for us. Please don’t ask me for anything more.’”

“I’m trying to preserve our friendship!” she argued wildly.

He shook his head. “Oh, Chloe. I can’t believe that after all this time, you simply don’t trust me,” he said.

She gasped. “Clark, you know that’s not true!” she said, shocked. “I trust you with my life!”

“But not with your heart,” he said softly.

Chloe opened her mouth to respond, then clamped it shut. He’d hit the nail on the head.

“You’re afraid to take things to the next level with me because you’re afraid of what might happen down the line,” he said.

She made a wry expression. “I think we already took things to the ‘next level,’ Clark,” she said, tilting her head toward the sleeping baby. “And if Kallie weren’t here, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“You sure about that?” he challenged. “Chloe, you weren’t pregnant when I asked you out to the Spring Formal. You weren’t pregnant when I came back from the Phantom Zone, and I certainly didn’t know you were pregnant when I asked you out at Isis.” He studied her carefully. “Kallie’s just another excuse for you to latch on to.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head. He saw her wordlessly contemplating everything he’d said, and decided to take advantage of her hesitation. He tilted her chin and turned her to face him. Slowly, he lowered his head and claimed her lips in the sweetest of kisses, prising her lips open and slipping his tongue through to tangle with hers. He felt her hands in his hair as she pulled him closer, returning the kiss with ardent fervour.

Clark could feel his body responding to hers eagerly, and knew she would be able to feel him swelling beneath her. With admirable control he slowly broke the kiss, taking deep breaths to try and calm his thrumming body back to normal. After everything she’d just gone through, Clark was sure that sex had got to be the last thing on Chloe’s mind.

He smoothed her hair and laid a hand gently on her cheek.

“I love you, Chloe Sullivan,” he breathed. “Get used to it.”

She burst out laughing, and all of a sudden tears rolled down her cheeks and she was sobbing loudly. Clark shushed her and held her close to him, stroking her hair and swaying with her gently. He smiled to himself. It would take a lot of time to peel away all the layers of doubt that surrounded her heart, but he’d wear her down…eventually.

“Clark?” he heard her mumble against his t-shirt.

“Yeah?”

“I love you back,” she said in a small voice.

He beamed. “I know,” he answered quietly.

She lifted her head and grinned at him.

So…” she said tremulously. “What happens now?”

He smiled. “We go home,” he said. “All of us. Home to Smallville. It’s where you belong.”

“I’m going to have to explain to everyone why I left,” she said worriedly.

Clark shook his head. “You don’t owe anyone anything,” he said. “You’ve had a rough year. You felt like time away, and you took it.”

“And Kallie?” she asked.

He shrugged. “You had a difficult pregnancy and decided not to have your baby anywhere near Smallville. Anyone would understand that.”

“True,” she mused. She snuggled closer to him. “It’s going to be so weird, being back home, and with a baby in tow. I mean, in here it’s still very surreal, and if I have any doubts about anything I just page the nurses. From tomorrow, it’s gonna be just you, me and Kallie.” She shuddered. “I think it’s safe to say I’m more than a little terrified at the prospect.”

Clark patted her shoulder. “Come on, Chloe, where’s your backbone?” he challenged. “She’s just a tiny, nine-pound bundle who barely fits in my hands. How hard can it be?

***

Three days later he found out exactly how hard.

After he’d left the hospital for the night, he returned to the farm and spent the night transforming his old room into something resembling a nursery and converting his parents’ old room into something Chloe would feel comfortable in. He also, with Chloe’s permission, left messages for all their close friends and family telling them they had become parents, and would be receiving visitors a week from then. He wisely set his cellphone to divert all calls to voicemail so that he wouldn’t have to deal with a barrage of questions till he was good and ready. Luckily Chloe’s cellphone was still off since she was still in hospital, so they couldn’t bother her with calls.

As dawn broke, Clark debated running out buying proper nursery furniture, but figured Chloe would want to have a say in what went into their daughter’s room, so he decided that could wait until she got home.

Home. He smiled at the thought of the farmhouse being home to her, to all of them. It was a comforting thought, and long overdue.

Lastly, he dropped by the human resources department at the Daily Planet and arranged two week’s personal leave. Then he set off for Coast City to collect his family.

Even though all the medical staff and the books he’d read had told him to brace himself for post-partum tears, he was completely unprepared when they were unleashed on him in full force.

The first few nights were pretty uneventful. But on the third morning Clark heard a panicked Chloe yelling his name from the nursery.

He was there in an instant. “What is it?” he asked, worried.

“Kallie’s eyes are all sticky!” she sobbed.

He sighed in relief. “They’re adjusting to the outside world. It’s pretty normal in newborns, Chloe.” He put his arms around her. “Just clean them with cotton wool dabbed in sterile water. She’ll be fine.”

The following evening he heard Chloe scream from the bathroom. Sick with fright, he’d gotten there in an instant.

She held Kallie and looked up at him in tears. “She’s peeling. Her skin’s peeling!” she wailed.

Clark patiently explained that it was common for newborns to shed their skin once it was no longer bathed in amniotic fluid, and to make sure Kallie’s skin was kept hydrated with baby lotion.

On yet another afternoon, Clark returned from a shopping trip to find both mother and child blubbering loudly.

“Chloe what’s wrong?” he asked, putting the shopping bags down and picking Chloe up off the floor, gathering her close in a hug.

“Eighteen hours of labour,” she sobbed, “five hours of Pitocin poisoning, three stitches in a very painful place, and my baby doesn’t even like me!” she wailed pitifully.

Clark picked up the crying child and patted her back gently, shushing her as her sobs subsided. “Of course she loves you,” he said.

“Then why does she wail anytime I get near her, huh?” she challenged.

He sighed. “Chloe, she spent a significant portion of her life as a part of you,” he explained. “She’s bound to pick up on how you feel. If you’re happy, she’s happy. If you’re upset, so is she.”

“Oh,” she said thoughtfully. She sniffed. “I never thought of it that way.” She wiped her eyes and smiled. “What would I do without you, Clark?”

He grinned. “You’d yell for me, and I’d be there in a heartbeat. Or pick up a non-walking baby dictionary,” he said warmly.

“True.” She sighed. “Let’s hope these hormones work their way out of my system before the weekend, so I can be a good host to our visitors.”

“On that note, I think I ought to let you know I heard back from Lana and Pete,” he began.

“You did? What did they say?”

“The usual congratulations. And Lana said not to buy a single thing for Kallie’s room because she already has that covered.”

“She’s giving us a whole nursery!” She smiled, then narrowed her eyes as she noticed his cautious expression. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“It depends…” he hedged.

She regarded him warily. “On what?” she demanded.

“On your colour preference.” He stopped, then sighed and continued. “Chloe, everything she’s ordered is in Pink.”

Chloe stared blankly, and her lower lip trembled. Clark predictably held out his arms again as Chloe started wailing helplessly. He cuddled her close and smiled to himself. Good thing he had told her now; one less thing to get out of her system later on.

***

Chloe had to admit, Clark had done a brilliant job fielding would-be well wishers from visiting and calling, giving her time to adjust to having a baby around the house without having to deal with guests at the same time.

Eventually, she was ready to take phonecalls, and the first was from Senator Martha Kent. Chloe could hear the delight in her voice as she spoke of her baby grand-daughter, and promised to visit as soon as she had a break in her schedule.

Next up were Lois and Jimmy, who came visiting the first afternoon she was allowed visitors. Clark busied himself in the kitchen trying his hand at one of his mother’s recipes while Chloe played host to their guests.

Lois and Jimmy were a little guarded when they walked in, but as soon as they spied the baby any awkwardness was dropped as they gushed over the little one and went on about how precious she was.

At one point in the afternoon, Jimmy pulled Chloe aside with a rueful expression on his face.

“Chloe - what I said to you in Star City-” he began.

Chloe waved his attempted apology away. “We both said a lot of hurtful things, Jimmy. We were both angry, and I understand completely.” She took his hand. “I’m just glad to see that you’re happy.”

He sighed in relief. “Thanks, Chloe. And I can say the same for you.” He gestured to where Lois sat holding Kallie in her lap. “I can’t believe you’re a Mom.”

She laughed. “I can’t either,” she agreed. “And Lois seems to be taking her ‘Auntie’ duties very seriously. I never thought she’d be the baby-hugging type.”

It was Jimmy’s turn to laugh as he regarded Lois with a look that spoke volumes. Chloe smiled to herself. She and Jimmy had had their differences, but underneath it all she cared about him, and wanted him to be happy. She was beyond pleased that he and Lois had been able to heal each other and find that deep connection to each other that Chloe recognised in Clark and herself.

Lois came over with Kallie, beaming from ear to ear. “She looks so much like Smallville, it’s a travesty,” she grumbled. “But at least you won in the gender department.”

Chloe laughed. “I see you two have bonded over booties.”

Lois snorted. “She was bored, cuz. Nodded off right at the pinnacle of my monster truck story.” She smiled as she stroked the baby’s soft cheek. “Where can I put her down?”

“Clark’s old room is the new nursery. Come with me.” Chloe led her upstairs and opened the nursery door.

Lois made a funny face. “I know she’s a girl and all, but what’s with all the pink?” she asked bluntly.

Chloe shuddered. “Don’t ask.”

“Whatever,” she murmured, amused. She gently placed the baby in her crib, patting her gently.

“You know,” she continued, “if you ever need a babysitter at a moment’s notice, all you have to do is holler, okay? Auntie Lois will be glad to take this little lady shoe shopping every now and then.”

Chloe smiled. “I’d like that. I think she would, too.”

Lois stood by the crib stroking the baby’s hair. She was stalling, Chloe noticed, watching her cousin take deep breaths as she geared up for what she thought would be an awkward conversation.

Finally Lois turned to face her and spoke.

“Um…Chloe - about me and Jimmy…” she began nervously.

Chloe smiled. “You love each other,” she said warmly. “That’s all that matters.”

“Thanks for understanding,” she whispered gratefully. “But I want you to know that nothing ever happened between us while you two were together, not even a kiss. We never meant to hurt you.”

“I know, Lois.” She walked over to her older cousin and gave her a warm hug. “And you didn’t. I’m just glad we both ended up with the right people at the end of the day.”

Lois hugged her fiercely, exhaling in relief. “Thank goodness that’s over with,” she said gratefully. She pulled back and sniffed experimentally. “Is that pie I smell?”

***

Chapter 20...