Another CHLARK Smallville fanfic story: "Come Back to Where You Belong"

Come Back To Where You Belong – (Chlark)

Author: Mari2Anne (Mari2Anne is my ID at Kryptonsite where I post all my Smallville fanfics)

Warning: Abusive relationship/ Angst/ Jimmy fans might not like this story, but this was started because of a request...
Spoiler: Happy Ending; well at least a positive ending; actually I'm still working on it.
Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine; I do not own them or Smallville
Pairings: Chloe/Jimmy - Chloe/Clark
Status: Almost complete; this actually started out as a one-shot but the ending got a little too complicated so it still needs more work. PG-13

A/N: This was started a long time ago in response to Chlollie (at K-site) who requested a story about Chloe in an abusive relationship with Jimmy. Of course, Clark finds out and tries to help her; and it was to take place somewhere in S7.

Although there might be references to Season 7, I have strayed somewhat with some references to Season 8 and earlier seasons, but not exactly in the order or in the way they happened on the show. There really is no time line. In this version: Chloe, Clark and Jimmy all still work at the Daily Planet. And I’ve created a new “connection” Clark has to Chloe.

Oh, just to clarify Clana is ancient history and will barely be mentioned, if at all.

Comments are SO VERY welcome! Be kind if you can, but do let me know what you think. And Thank You for reading
****

Come Back To Where You Belong by Mari2Anne, for Chlollie who requested it.
__________________________________________________ _____________________


He hadn’t meant to listen. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.

And yet he could still hear it.

Even miles away…

Why he was connected in this way to her, he still didn’t understand. He would never forget that she was the first distinguishable voice that came from the mega decibels that were his ear-splitting, headache inducing, heart pounding frightening introduction to his super-hearing back in high school.

In some ways those were horribly confusing days when each of his powers emerged at random and with no apparent reason and no rule book on how to control them; or which powers were permanent or temporary… Or even more frightening, which would increase in strength…

He tried to shake the memories. But even to this day he still thought often of the wisdom of Jonathan who helped him deal with each newly discovered ‘behavior’ as if it were just a normal part of growing up. He never told his Dad how worried he sometimes got during those “formative” years about whether the discovery of new powers would ever end. Nor did he ever reveal how much he had feared what they would do if one emerged that could not be controlled.

But he hadn’t discovered any new powers in quite some time and thought he’d finally ‘matured’ to be ‘all’ that he could be; with the one exception of the illusive flying ability. And if it weren’t for the memory of actually flying while he “wasn’t quite himself,” he could almost convince himself this was never going to happen.

This new ‘power’ was a very recent development; or at least, he’d only been aware of it for the last few months.

Since the very first time back in high school when he’d heard her talking on her cell phone to Lionel Luthor; her voice the first that wasn’t a screeching pain to his new super hearing, he had never really stopped hearing her when her voice or her heart beat called out to him. Or even, as was happening right now, her tears. And just as her voice and her heart beat had become as recognizable as his own over the years, he had quickly accepted that the only tears he seemed to be able to ‘hear’ were hers.

But instead of calming him, as often her heart beat reassured him that she was alive and well, even as it pounded erratically calling out to him because of some danger she was in, the sound of her tears was anything but calming.

Anger filled him, helpless uncontrollable anger. Why was he ‘hearing’ her tears? Tears made no sound; it’s what he always told himself each time he heard them. But they were hard to ignore and impossible to shut out; so great was her power over him; so intense their connection.

A connection they both continuously denied.

Denial!

Their favorite solution to every problem they didn’t want to face.

And, so very obviously, a useless waste of energy.

He couldn’t deny their ‘sound,’ especially as they were increasingly more frequent lately. It drove him to distraction and, of course, towards the uncontrollable anger. He had rushed to her side at least half a dozen times and she’d told him to mind his own business, there was nothing he could do to help her.

On the rare occasions her tears were caused by physical pain, Chloe’s bruises had healed each time before Clark had shown up, even though he’d rushed to her side at super-speed. So there had been no proof of what Jimmy had done to her. And for the same reason, Jimmy didn’t believe he’d really hurt her anyway, the bruises disappeared too quickly.

The last time as Clark had helplessly stormed out of her apartment after Jimmy’s temper had gotten out of control, he’d overheard Jimmy yelling at her, “Quit whining, I’m not strong enough to have hurt you anyway- didn’t even leave a mark, not as much as you hurt me each time you look at that boyfriend of yours!”

Chloe had avoided him at work the day after each incident. But Clark couldn’t take the darkness in her eyes; he missed the smile that kept him going. He missed her voice when she was this quiet. By the end of the day after the latest useless rescue attempt he needed answers and cornered her when she went into the copy room.

He leaned against the door as he closed it. She raised her eyes from the over-sized article she was trying to turn correctly onto the copy machine and quietly told him, “Don’t get involved, Clark.” She carefully looked through the glass wall into the other room.

“He’s not in the building,” he quieted her apparent fears. Fears that he wished he could erase because the sudden knowledge of them made him sound harsher than he’d intended,

“You’re my friend, Chloe; I am involved already and I’m making it my business. This can’t go on. You have to talk to me.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Clark,” she whispered evasively.

Clark continued on as if she hadn’t spoken, “I thought you two were getting on so much better after you told him about your meteor abilities. Why does he think you have a boyfriend, Chloe?”

She’d finished getting her copy but Clark refused to unblock the door, so she gave in, “Because he doesn’t trust me.”

Clark’s eyes showed his concern, “Why?”

“You know why…” she responded, resignation in her tone as she looked right into his worried eyes.

Her unwavering gaze tore at Clark as he realized how much her heart was breaking and how alone she felt. Guilt consumed him, “He thinks I – he thinks I’m the boyfriend?”

Her continued steady gaze told him his guess was right on. Something he’d hidden deep inside his soul broke free and he knew he would never be able to deny the need again. He suddenly ached to tell her that he wished it were the truth. Then, if nothing else, he at least would have a reason to pull her out of her current situation.

It took all the strength he had to not take her into his arms, confess how much he loved her and beg her to dump Jimmy. He did the only other thing he thought could save her,

“Tell him the truth about me. My secret is not worth the pain it’s causing you.”

“I won’t ever do that, Clark. I promised you I’d never betray you!” she almost shouted at him, appalled at his suggestion.

“It’s not a betrayal if I ask you to do it. If you love him, Chloe, you have to learn to trust him. And if you trust him, I will too.”

His words echoed in her head, “If you love him...” If? Did she? She didn’t know anymore. Had she ever known for certain? Had she ever loved him?

She dropped her papers on top of the copy machine and paced the room, the confusion she felt so evident in her eyes and also in the lack of questions coming from her. She wasn’t sure what to ask and finally stopped pacing and settled for, “Why?”

He didn’t have time to think of a lie convincing enough and let go of the words that filled his troubled heart, “Because the only thing I care about is your happiness. If that means adding another member to the Clark secret keepers, then it’s a small price… well worth paying.”

He could see the surprised look in her eyes and a new uncertainty that he feared she would want clarified, but she let it go. Maybe she didn’t quite believe what she was hearing, he couldn’t possibly care that much! So she simply chose to ignore it. She gathered her items off the copy machine, “I have to get back to work, Clark. I’ll think about it. Okay?”

It wasn’t okay; not really, but he didn’t push it. It was enough for now that he’d made the offer and that she would consider it. He knew all too well how heavily the burden of his secret had often weighed on her small shoulders.

Maybe if she followed his advice she could finally find the happiness she deserved. If all else failed, he did always have the choice of telling Jimmy himself if that was the only way to convince him that Chloe wasn’t cheating on him. So he smiled as he moved to open the copy room door and told her, “Okay.”

During the next few weeks they avoided each other as much as possible.

Clark tried to be more conscious of how he took advantage of her willingness to drop everything and help him. He asked less of her; did more of his own research and hacking when necessary. He became more conscious of when she mentioned she had plans with Jimmy and made sure he never interrupted those plans.

He learned a new kind of patience, always waiting for her to be available to help him when he really couldn’t solve something on his own; and not just barging into her space and expecting her to take care of his problems immediately. And though he really didn’t need a lot of sleep, it had become a natural habit over the years to get several hours of rest whenever he could. A habit he was now trying to break and learn again how to survive on minimal hours of sleep.

It had taken him only three days to realize she would never reveal his secret to Jimmy. It caused him a lot of sleepless nights. Since he didn’t really understand how this ‘power’ worked, he was afraid to fall asleep in case he wouldn’t ‘hear’ her tears if she called out to him.

During the days at the Daily Planet, Clark kept his distance and yet watched them more closely; they appeared to be happier and the look of fear in her eyes that had worried him so much that day seemed to have disappeared.

Jimmy was always polite yet cool towards him at work. He never asked Clark why he’d shown up uninvited at Chloe’s apartment each time while they happened to be in the middle of fighting over one thing or another. On some level that disappointed Clark as he wanted an excuse to warn Jimmy to never hurt Chloe again. But maybe Jimmy was expecting some kind of lecture and didn’t want to give Clark a chance to get started on one.

But the calm didn’t last.

tbc