Chlark Fanfic: Crisis, Chapter 8

[babydee1]

Hi All!

I seem to have the 'Double Updates' thing down to a science these days. :-)

Here's the next chapter of Crisis.  Enjoy.  If you're just tuning in, I updated a few hours ago here.


 

Title:              Crisis

Author:          BabyDee
Pairing:          Chlark/Kaloe

Rating:           NC-17 (slight torture in this chapter)

Warnings:     Graphic sex, non-con/rape, angst.  Kal isn’t going to come off very nice in this story (see the warnings), so if you’re a fan of his, you might want to look away now.

Timeline:      Season 2-3 (Exodus – Exile; Clark’s RedK Summer)

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

Summary:     A violent encounter between Chloe and Clark threatens to destroy their friendship forever.

Feedback:      …is much appreciated. J

 

 

Read previous chapter here.

Read story from the beginning here.

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 

Clark’s heart sank at Chloe’s unfriendly reception.  He hadn’t expected her to run across the room and fling herself into his arms, but it was jarring to see just how scarred his attack had left her.

 

He spoke again.  “Chloe, I’m not here to hurt you-”

 

“I don’t believe you,” she growled.  “Now get out before Pete comes back.  I swear, I’ll tell him what you did to me-”

 

“He got hauled away for football practice,” he said quietly, and pulled his hand out of his pocket and extended it to her.  “He said I should give you this.” 

 

She briefly glanced down at the Hersheys Chocolate Kisses he held out to her and jerked her head towards her desk.  “Put them on the table and leave.” 

 

“I need to talk to you-”

 

“Just get out!” she yelled.

 

“Chloe please, just let me explain…”

 

“Explain what?  Why you raped me?” she screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.  “What could you possibly say to defend that?”

 

He flinched at the ugly word and stared sadly at the ground.

 

“There is nothing you can say that will make me understand, Clark,” she said icily.  “You hear me?  Nothing.  Now get out before I do what I should have done and call the police.” 

 

“I did a horrible thing to you, and I’m so sorry,” he said.  “I know nothing I can say will change what I did, but I owe you the truth…about everything.” 

 

“You owe me a lot more than that,” she shot back.  “How about my virginity, for starters?”  She started ticking items off her fingers.  “What else?  Oh yes, there’s my peace of mind, my sense of safety, the indignity of an intrusive examination at the hospital, the therapy bills that are doubtless going to follow, the sleepless nights, the constant fear, and a non-existent social life, because hey…if I can’t trust my best friend not to hurt me, who can I trust?”

 

Each word was like a dagger to his heart.  “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely, feeling utterly helpless.  “I’m so sorry.”

 

“Whatever.  You want to talk about what you owe me, Clark?  Make a list.  Now leave.”

 

“Chloe…” he took a cautious step towards her.  Automatically she took a step back and whipped a pistol out of her pocket with lighting speed.

 

 “Take one more step, and I swear I’ll shoot you,” she threatened gravely, glaring back at him with fierce determination in her eyes.  

 

He stared at her in horror, because he didn’t doubt that she would.  He knew how deeply he had wounded her, but he was only just beginning to realise the knock-on effect of his horrific attack.  If she could bring a gun into school simply to feel safe…

 

“You’re not a killer, Chloe,” he said softly. 

 

In answer she cocked the safety and aimed at him again.  “Feel free to test that theory,” she said coldly.  “One more step and you’re a dead man.”

 

He shook his head.  “Chloe…you can’t kill me.”

 

She swallowed and shrugged.  “Fine.  At the very least, I’ll bust out your kneecaps.  Don’t think I won’t do that.” 

 

“What I mean is…” he sighed, and stepped forward.

 

“No!” she screamed, and her finger reflexively tightened on the trigger.  The gun went off with a deafening bang, and her hands flew to cover her mouth as her eyed widened in shock. 

 

Clark zipped into superspeed and caught the gun before it could land at her feet and possibly let off another shot.  Unsure of what to do with the weapon, he held it out to her, waiting for her to take it from him.  Unsurprisingly, she was still frozen in shock; either from the fact that she’d actually pulled the trigger, or that he’d suddenly appeared in front of her.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked in concern.

 

She didn’t answer.  Her hands were still over her mouth, her wide eyes fixed on his chest where a smoking hole marred the front of his t-shirt.  Her eyes widened even further as a squashed, flattened bullet fell from his chest and landed on the floor with an ironically pleasant-sounding tinkle.

 

Chloe peered into the hole left by the bullet, blinking and staring at the unbroken skin beneath.  She stared up at him and her hands left her face. 

 

“Who are you?” she whispered.  “What are you?  Some kind of meteor freak?”

 

He reached for her hand.  “I’ll explain everything-”

 

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed in fear, yanking her hand out of his and backing away from him.  “Don’t you ever touch me again!”

 

Clark felt like he was being slashed to ribbons.  The fear in her voice, the way she flinched every time he approached her told him just how much damage he’d inflicted on her.  Now that she knew that he was…different, she’d no doubt be doubly frightened of what else he might be capable of.  He didn’t want to scare her, but if he didn’t get to speak to her now, they would both be destroyed forever. 

 

There was only one way he could win her trust long enough to hear him out.

 

“Chloe, please,” he pleaded.   “You don’t have to be afraid of me, I promise you.  Here, take this.”  He handed her the lead box that Lex Luthor had given him a few years back.  Chloe stared suspiciously at it, and backed further away from him.

 

With a heavy heart, he slowly lowered the box to the ground along with the gun, and stepped back.

 

She nodded towards the box.  “What’s inside?” she asked stonily. 

 

He swallowed nervously.  “It’s a piece of meteor rock,” he answered quietly.  “It’s the only thing in the world that can hurt me; as far as I know, anyway.”

 

Chloe’s eyes narrowed, and she glanced from him to the box and back at him again.

 

He nodded towards it.  “Go on; open it.”

 

Cautiously she stepped towards where he’d left the box and the gun in the middle of the room, keeping an eye on him at all times.  When she got to where they were she used her boot and toed the box open. 

 

Clark took a deep breath and braced himself for pain as the seemingly innocuous rock began to glow.  Chloe looked up at him, seeing him breathing unsteadily.  Slowly she reached down and picked up the open box, and Clark grimaced as the gnawing ache in his gut intensified. 

 

Suspiciously, Chloe began to move closer to him, and the gnawing ache fast escalated into a stabbing pain.  Every muscle in his body screamed at him to step back from her, but he stood his ground.  He had to do this; had to endure it, for her sake, so she would realise just how much he was trusting her with. 

 

Chloe stopped just inches away from him and took the rock out of its box.  Clark’s legs wobbled and gave way, and he fell to the floor, unable to hold back the anguished moan of pain that escaped his lips.  Sweat gathered on his brow and dampened his shirt, and he gritted his teeth in agony. 

 

Chloe bent down over him and pressed the edge of the rock to his cheek.  Clark groaned as his blood boiled in his veins like acid, tears running down his face in little rivulets.  He stared at her with pleading eyes, but she wasn’t done yet.  Her face looked eerily green from the glow of the rock as she picked up a tack from the floor and drew it down his forearm.  He yelled as the pin pierced his skin, an ugly red line appearing where she had cut him. 

 

“Please,” he finally begged. 

 

She stared hard at him for a few seconds in morbid fascination before dropping the rock back in the box and snapping it shut.  Immediately the pain began to recede, and he sighed in relief, watching her stare in wonder as the cut she’d just inflicted on him faded away in seconds. 

 

“That really hurt you,” she said matter of factly.

 

He nodded.  “Yes.  It did.”

 

“If I’d kept it up, I could have killed you.”

 

He nodded again.

 

Her eyes narrowed into little slits.  “Then why did you let me do it?”

 

“So that you’ll know that you have nothing to fear from me,” he said honestly.  “We need to talk, Chloe, and I don’t want you to be scared of me.  If you feel threatened or frightened at any time, just open the box.  I mean that.” 

 

“You still want to talk?” she asked dryly.

 

He nodded again.  “After…after what happened…we need to.”

 

She folded her arms, holding the lead box tightly.  “Give me one good reason why I should listen to you, or even believe a word you say.”

 

He took a deep breath.  “Because once upon a time we were best friends,” he said quietly.  “Up until that day, you’d never been afraid of me.  It kills me to see you like this, Chlo, and I need you to know the truth, the whole truth, about me; I’m not going to hold anything back.  And…and you need to know how sorry I am, about everything.” 

 

“Oh, you’re sorry?” she said incredulously, and gave a short, mirthless laugh.  “I’m the one that’s sorry, Clark.  I’m sorry I ever followed your worthless ass to that apartment.  I’m sorry I ever thought I could get through to you, and I’m sorry I ever cared for you in the first place.  You’re a vile criminal, Clark, and you should be locked up in prison, with the rest of the violent sex offenders.”

 

Her words stung him deeply.  “I’m not denying culpability,” he said softly.  If you want to call the Police, I won’t stop you.  I’ll tell them what I did, and I’ll go with them and serve my time.  Honestly, I will.”

 

“But I’ve seen what you can do, Clark,” she said flatly.  “Why should I believe you?  If you’re bulletproof, then I’m willing to bet you’re superstrong, and prison bars won’t hold you.  How do I know that you won’t just escape?  There’s no one who can stop you.”

 

He glanced down at the box in her hands.  “You can,” he said softly. 

 

She looked at the box and bit down on her lower lip, concentrating hard.  Eventually she pulled out her cellphone and punched in 911, but for the longest time her hand hovered over which button to press: cancel or dial.

 

She hit dial. 

 

After two rings, he heard a female voice on the line.  “911, what’s your emergency?” 

 

Chloe stared hard at him, and then answered the person on the phone. 

 

“No emergency; sorry to have wasted your time.”

 

She shut off her phone, opened the lead box and placed it beside her, then she cocked the gun and looked up at him.

 

“You have five minutes before they get here,” she said evenly, holding the pistol firmly in her lap, but trained in his direction. “Start talking.”

 

***

 

Chapter 9…

 

 

Comments

[iluvaqt.livejournal.com]

Two updates in at once, yay! Wow there was a lot of volatile emotions in this but considering what she went through and the protective automated defenses she's created since childhood, I can see Chloe reacting this way. Forcing herself to be clinical and hard with him. Let your guard down once is a mistake, twice you're the fool. :D I like that he's coming clean, that he's taking a huge risk by telling her everything, it proves not only how sorry he is but how much he does value her friendship. I actually thought she had her taser in her pocket, the gun was truly frightening but I guess shows just how afraid she is.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

"Two updates in at once, yay!"

Wheee!!!! LOL!

"Wow there was a lot of volatile emotions in this but considering what she went through and the protective automated defenses she's created since childhood, I can see Chloe reacting this way. Forcing herself to be clinical and hard with him. Let your guard down once is a mistake, twice you're the fool."

It's like you live in my head, sometimes! You're exactly right; the challenge will be getting them back to being friends after something so nasty has happened. I have a plan; Ijust hope it'll work!

"I like that he's coming clean, that he's taking a huge risk by telling her everything, it proves not only how sorry he is but how much he does value her friendship."

It's certainly going to be a rough day for both of them; Clark most especially because he had to 'fess up to his folks all that happened, and now he has to face his victim and see the trauma he's created. :-(

"I actually thought she had her taser in her pocket, the gun was truly frightening but I guess shows just how afraid she is."

After going through something like that - from someone you love, no less - I can't imagine her ever feeling safe again. I really have my work cut out for me. :-)

Glad you liked it!

[rjchasez.livejournal.com]

...Oh. My. GAWD.

*blinks*

Okay wow... that just threw me for a loop. But in a good way. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat... literally. lol

Can't wait for the next update!

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

Glad you're likin' it, Rebecca! Awesome comment, thanks. :-)

[chloista4ever.livejournal.com]

WOW! what an intense chapter my heartbeat increased for every line I read. Again Dee excellent work and I'll wait patiently for an update.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

Glad you like, Ana! And thanks for all your stalking; it's really paid off! :-)

[grlmonday.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but Clark needs to go to jail. At the very least he should have to lose Chloe. Not all stories have to have a happy ending, and even if Chloe knows and understands what was wrong with Clark, there's just no way she can forgive that.

He raped her. OMG, he so needs to pay for this for the rest of his life. She may grudgingly forgive some day, but she can't possibly want to be with him, ever. I just can't imagine that. Frankly, I want him in kryptonite stocks, covered in honey and bees set loose on his naked body to get stung over and over grrrrr...

You've made me really hate Clark, LOL.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry, but Clark needs to go to jail. At the very least he should have to lose Chloe. Not all stories have to have a happy ending, and even if Chloe knows and understands what was wrong with Clark, there's just no way she can forgive that."

Well, if I packed his arse off to the pokey, there wouldn't really be much of a story, now, would there? ;-)

"He raped her. OMG, he so needs to pay for this for the rest of his life."

It's a horiffic crime, one that he definitely needs to pay for. We'll see how it all works out.

"She may grudgingly forgive some day, but she can't possibly want to be with him, ever. I just can't imagine that."

Yeah...that's the challenging part. The very, very challenging part. :-/

"Frankly, I want him in kryptonite stocks, covered in honey and bees set loose on his naked body to get stung over and over grrrrr..."

Ai-ai-ai! That hurts just reading about it! :-O

"You've made me really hate Clark, LOL."

And now I have to fix it, get him back to the warm, caring young man we all loved. Wish me luck!

Thanks for all your comments, they really helped make my day!

[grlmonday.livejournal.com]

It's just good to read a story that makes me feel this strongly :)

[jlvsclrk.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a great update. I find it hard to believe Chloe can ever forgive him, but then again she's got a huge heart and the circumstances are more than a little odd. At least she's willing to hear him out.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

Chloe's certainly bending over backwards to save Clark from a criminal record. I don't doubt that she'd turn him in if his explanation doesn't cut it; but I think she needs to know why. Like you said, the circumstances were odd, and she's lived in Smallville long enough to know the score.

Glad you liked it, Jen! :-)

[kitmerlot1213.livejournal.com]

This was wonderful!

The fact that Chloe not only pulled a gun on Clark but that she actually fired it shows just how badly off she is. I hope that after her talk with Clark, Chloe goes to a rape counselor and gets some help--for her own piece of mind.

And I am proud of Clark for accepting the consequences of his actions, for exposing his weakness to Chloe and for wanting to tell her everything about him.

Continued excellent work on this fic :)

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

"This was wonderful!"

Thank you! :-)

"The fact that Chloe not only pulled a gun on Clark but that she actually fired it shows just how badly off she is. I hope that after her talk with Clark, Chloe goes to a rape counselor and gets some help--for her own piece of mind."

Good point, but how much will she really be able to say without revealing Clark's secret? And won't the rape counsellor contact the police, seeing as Chloe's still underage? :-/

"And I am proud of Clark for accepting the consequences of his actions, for exposing his weakness to Chloe and for wanting to tell her everything about him."

It took balls of steel to do that, so credit where it's due. It's not over for him yet, though; in fact, it's barely begun.

"Continued excellent work on this fic :)"

Thank you so much, Kathy! Glad you like. :-)

[christina-kat.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks for the updates and they're talking! They actually talking. This story really keeps me in agony. Can't wait for more.

[saurina.livejournal.com]

Man, you're an amazing writer! This last two chapters were so intense. I think you've nailed Chloes reaction towards Clark. Here's a man who's not only her best friend but also the man who she's deeply in love with and he has violated her in a way, that has made her doubt her whole world. Her reactions are so raw and so real, shaking body, the hiding, the gun for protection, the yelling in fear well everything... I know I'm babbling, but it's just because it's that good.

I'm really curious to see what comes next. I know Clark is about to tell her his secret, but will it be enough for her to forgive him? I mean even if her mind understand what has happened, can her heart be healed and what about their friendsship?? Soo many questions and I can't wait to see your answers..:)

I have followed many of your Chlark stories on K-site, but I haven't been there for some time, cause it's just not fun being a chlarker or chlollier for that matter on K-site anymore. So I hope it's okay that I'm friending you here on LJ..;)

[simi24.livejournal.com]

I actually thought she had her taser. When she had the kryptonite on him I was sitting on the edge of my seating wondering will she keep it on him or stop.
Will she press charges?

[latetothpartyhp.livejournal.com]

This development makes such perfect sense - matching vulnerability to vulnerability - and yet it wasn't what I was expecting at all. I wonder though if Chloe realizes the power she has now? And will it matter to her? power =/= trust

[phantom-queen.livejournal.com]

Oh nice, very nice.

[jacques21.livejournal.com]

This was a powerful and very heartbreaking update.

Man the whole Chlark confrontation was even more brutal then I thought it would be.

Clark giving Chloe the meteorite and not backing away when she used it on him was... wow.

Chloe actually shooting Clark was definitely unexpected. Wonder how she'll react when she learns everything.

Can't wait for more.

[abarbiestory.livejournal.com]

wow that was strong writing. I really like how clark let her weaken him, although I don't think it makes up for what he did, it did show a sign of good faith. I still don't know if i want clark to go to jail. A part of me thinks "well he obviously needs to, what he did was beyond wrong", then the other part thinks "on redk clark isn't clark", i'm all confused!I can't wait to see how Chloe reacts to all the truth! great update

[eternal-moonie.livejournal.com]

great new chapter!!!

[marikology.livejournal.com]

I was coming to whine about an update, as it's been a month today, but then I realized I hadn't commented on this chapter. I'm sorry, but I honestly do hope the police haul Clark off. I think he needs to face real world consequences for what he's done. I think Chloe needs some counseling, like, yesterday and maybe after everything, she can learn to forgive him, and because of the circumstances, (red K and all) still maybe love him. But I kinda love that she shot him anyway, and if I were here, I'd have had him in more pain for longer.

and now I can whine about an update.

[ellyfanfiction.livejournal.com]

Poor Chloe. Poor Clark. This is tough on everyone:-(.