Title: A Fallen Hero: A Follow Up

Author: DCForever

Contact: dcforever23@yahoo.com

Feedback: Yes, I would love to hear and read feedback.

Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction

Pairing: None.

Summary: Its a follow up on how things are going for Chloe and Lex since the gym fell.

Archiving: Archiving is permitted as long as I know of where it will be posted and that all the above info stays intact.

Disclaimer: Lets get this straight...I'm not affiliated with anyone...don't have anything of major value. Think that about covers it.

Author's Note: I guess you could call this part 2 of my "A Fallen Hero" story. I said the previous was going to be a stand alone story, but I liked how it was setup and decided I would write about the feelings and emotions and lives of the other key players in the show. So this is a my first follow up to my first posting. There is a possibility for another follow up as well, if people like this new addition.. Hope people like this part as much as they did the first. I beta read the story myself, but I'm sure there are still plenty of errors for others to report to me on. Enjoy the story.

"Martha? Mr. Kent? Is anyone around? Cla..." She had almost said his name. She still couldn't believe he was gone. She scurried throughout the deserted farm house looking for any sign of life, but none could be found. Exiting out the back door, the girl made her way towards the Kent's large, red barn. Shouting out again, but no responses came in return. She looked around the inside base of the barn, but kept looking upwards toward the barn's loft. The loft her friend, Clark, used to call his 'Fortress of Solitude.' Deciding against her better judgement, she started up the wooden flight of stairs. Slowly taking one step at a time. Each step caused a sicking feeling in the pit of her stomache. Many times in the past, she had taken these same steps knowing that when she reached the top that Clark would be star gazing through his microscope or staring out into the night enjoying the peace and silence that filled the air. The creeking of the boards beneath her feet awakened her from her thoughts. This time, her stairward journey wasn't like any of the past. As she reached the flooring of the loft it was as she knew it would be...deserted...no traces of human life...no man of her dreams...no Clark.

The young budding reporter stood in the center of the room spinning herself in a circle. The room started spinning as well as a dizzy effect took over her body causing her to fall back on a nearby couch. She couldn't remember the last time she and Clark had played 'Spinning the Room.' Having no idea why she had just done that, she settled her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. The effects soon left the drained girl. Her emotions had been overworked the last week and sleeping hadn't been an option. With her eyes still closed, she started remembering all the good times that her and Clark had spent together.

'The smile had started it all. When she first moved from Metropolis to Smallville, that wonderful, bright, ever glowing smile was the first thing she had noticed when she stepped foot on the Smallville Elementary bus. She was drawn to the smile's origin and from that moment on she and Clark had been great friends...possibly best friends. She got used to seeing that smile on a regular basis, even when things weren't going good for either of them.

As time passed, they both grew and matured, but none more than young Kent. The summer between middle school and high school, Clark grew more than a foot while the rest of his friends watched in awe. The short, chunky, curly haired young boy had grown into a tall, built, curly haired young man. Being that Clark wasn't all that popular at the time, he was mostly admired by his close friends. More so by Chloe. Her friendship with the still clumsy farm boy slowly started fading as a crush soon took its place. She thought she had hidden it well, but her and Clark's friend, Pete, was never fooled. And any others that joined their little group soon realized the
feelings Chloe had on Clark, but Clark never noticed them himself. He was always too busy staring at the girl of his dreams, Lana Lang. Chloe never expressed her feelings towards Clark and now regretted that decision knowing that she would never have that opportunity again.

The times the two were together were the times that Chloe wished would never part from her mind. She was so cheerful and open when he was around. He seemed to always bring out the good in her behavior, in her writing, and in her life decisions. He had always been there for her. She could always depend on his chest being a pillow when she needed his support the most. He
seemed to be around when everything was good and when everything hit the fan. No matter the situation, he was there and knew all the right questions to ask and how to find the answers. Clark had the blood of a reporter whether he was ever given the title or not.

The young blonde knew life wouldn't be the same without him. She settled her body more into the confines of the old, beaten down, comfortable couch as she fell into a whole sleep.

Sometime during the night, she awokened to deaf silence. She wasn't used to sleeping in silence. Her dad usually took care of that. As she awakened and looked around, the moonlight lit up the loft. Shadows were cast on every wall...some resembling people, others just half filled boxes or pitch forks. There she was in the loft of the Kent's barn, alone, no one around, place to herself, and many questions yet answered. It was at that moment her reporter instincts kicked in. Now was the perfect chance to see what Clark was all about. Its not like he could complain or fuss at her from where he was. It was a reporter's dream. She could snoop all she wanted and never have to worry about the consequences.

The young reporter stood up and started at one end of the loft and hours later ended up on the other end. She searched through school papers, college acceptances, personal stories, school journals and even previous issues of 'The Torch.' Clark truly was a pack rat. Papers were just the
start of Chloe's intrique. She booted up his computer and searched for files and folders that were frequently used. She delved into folders upon folders learning even more about her friend than the disks his parents had given her. She uncovered scanned in pictures of some of the bizarre cases
that they had covered in their school's newspaper, pictures of her and Lana and Pete, pictures of Lex's mansion inside and out, maps of the whole town, and even some nude pictures downloaded off the internet. Chloe was shocked that Clark would have such an assortment of pics, some good and others, she just didn't want to think about, in his possession.

One of the picture files was labelled 'apresentformyhero.jpg.' As she opened the picture, the screen quickly filled with naked flesh. She knew she had seen the woman before, just never in a pose, especially like the one on the screen. After she scrolled down the poster size picture, she saw an autographed signature that read, 'Thank you Clark for saving my life. I still have no idea what really happened, but it doesn't matter b/c you were there for me. Lex told me that I didn't need to send a gift or anything to say thank you because you wouldn't accept it. But I have a feeling you would accept this. Afterall, you are a teenage boy. If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask. Without a doubt, you saw everything I had when you saved me from drowning so the picture is just a little thank you and reminder. Enjoy the picture. Thanks and Love, Victoria.'

Chloe instantly realized that the picture belonged to the woman that Lex had introduced to her and Lana.

"Victoria Harwick. Clark, you devil. So you did think of other things besides the paper and Lana." Chloe spoke out loud. "What else have you been hiding?"

Chloe thought more about what she was doing...she was openly violating someone else's home and personal possessions, not including their personal life. She knew the moment of guilt would pass, but it wasn't to be on this night. Before she really thought about what she was doing, she grabbed a couple cd-r's and quickly copied all of Clark's computer onto a cds. She wouldn't search his files anymore tonight, but once the guilt faded she would be able to search his files at her convenience. Chloe had a dark side to her that her friends rarely saw. She was a ferocious cat when it came to a story or secrecy. She proceeded to shutdown the computer, but instead of the normal shutdown message, the computer screen flashed on and off and started scrolling as the discs from days earlier had.

The screen read, "Chloe! Hope you found what you were looking for. For my privacy and your's, the hard drive is being wiped clean as this text scrolls." Chloe couldn't believe all the time that Clark had put into protecting his files. First the stack of discs and now his computer. She was saddened to know that her best friend knew her better than she knew herself. She would have never thought that she would have sunk so low as to snoop through his files, loft, and life. The computer flashed a familiar 'S' symbol on the screen and turned off. She knew there was no reason to restart the computer.

Chloe Sullivan had just had an epiphany. Knowing that she had sunk to the lowest of lows, she made her way back over towards the lonely couch and layed down. Moments later, tears filling her eyes, she drifted back into dreamland. Night quickly passed to day as her worn out body laid prone across the couch. One leg hanging off, wrinkled shirt pushed up towards her chest, strands of hair a mess, yet she looked like an angel as she slept.

Day became night and night once again became day. Many sweet dreams later, she awakened. Popping her eyes open in a instant hoping that somehow...just maybe...something would be different. Maybe she had dreamed it all, maybe Clark would be waiting for her to awaken, giving her his signature gleaming smile, but those thoughts were the dream. Clark was gone and she had to live with it. Slowly rolling her head around trying to find some circulation, she looked around the loft. Eyes still hazy from the her sleep, she looked towards the loft's open doors and jumped from her sudden shock. There, standing by the doors, was a silhouette of a man. She quickly tried to blink and rub away ber blurry vision. As her vision started to clear she looked down at her clothes and realized whoever the man was, he had been given a treat no one had ever been given. She quicly grabbed for the separated buttons on her wrinkled shirt and brought them across her chest as she fastened them. She was embarrassed, but more so she wanted to know why he was there.

"Ahhh, I see the fair and beautiful Chloe Sullivan has awakened. You really should watch how you sleep, but I'm not one to complain when given a once in a lifetime opportunity." The man gave her a sly smile, as she pulled her hands tighter across her chest. "Not to shabby if you ask me. Now, why may I ask are you here, Ms. Sullivan?"

Reaching to regain her her spunky attitude and directness that she was known for, "Maybe I should be asking you the same thing, Lex!"

The young, rich, bald headed man kept staring out at the land below.

Not looking at the girl, he spoke again. "This was Clark's safe haven. I can't remember the number of times I saw him stand in this very spot, day in and night out. Other than the Lang's house, I always wondered what drew him here. Now, as I look out at the wonder before me, I know. Peace from the world. Gorgeous, serene view. A place to let go of everything. A place to think." He looked down at the floor as if he was remembering something.

"I wanted to see and feel what Clark did. At least once in my lifetime, I wanted to know what it felt like to walk in his shoes." The man of no emotion suddenly felt tears well up in his eyes. "I'll miss him more than you'll ever know."

Standing to her feet, "We all will. He meant a lot to all of us."

"Well, I better be going. Limo is waiting for me outside. I've decided to take my dad up on his offer to move back to Metropolis and take over as second in command of Luthor Corp. So, this will be the last time I see this place for a while."

Turning towards and locking eyes on the girl for the first time, "I'll miss Clark dearly, but I'll also miss the adventuresome friendship I got to know and love between you and Lana. Pete never gave into my friendship and maybe he was right in not doing so. You, Chloe, and your friends, were the first people to really accept me and for that...I thank you! Now if you will excuse me, I have some things to take care before I finalize my move."

Chloe stopped Lex as he started to walk by her. In a fluid motion, she pulled him into a hugging embrace, laying her head against his chest as she had done with Clark on many occasions.

"Lex, your friendship meant the world to Clark. It took the rest of us a while to come around, but Clark wanted us to give you a chance so we did. I know, and you can agree with me or not, you aren't Mr. Innocent and as clean as Clark once thought you were. You probably have more skeletons hidden in more closets than all of Smallville, but thank you. Thank you for never showing the true colors that we all felt you were capable of showing. Thank you for being there for Clark. Thank you for all the moments you gave us; limo rides, ball room dancing, fireworks, and the right medical cures. And a much deserved thank you for fighting your dad, fighting for the people of Smallville, fighting to keep the fertilizer plant going. Without your efforts, my dad and many others would have no place to go. For that alone, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now get going before I break down and cry!"

Before pushing the young man away from her embrace, she reached up and placed a kiss on his unexpecting lips.

"Thank you , Lex. This town won't be the same without you."

"Thank you, Chloe. I hope you're right. Maybe the town will be better once I'm gone and my skeletons follow. Take care and please tell the others I said goodbye. And if you happen to see Lana, tell her to check the Talon's safe. I feel she will be greatly pleased with what I left her. Your friend, Pete, never has liked me and has always stood up for what he believes in. For that, I admire him. He's strong and over confident. Much like someone else I once knew. I left him something as well. Don't worry, I'm sure you will hear all about it."

Walking towards the stairs, Lex stopped and turned around. "When you see the Kents, tell them I'm sorry for their great loss. Clark and I...we were going to be stuff legends were made of. Looks like he beat me to the punch; risking his life for Lana and the others. You know, people aren't saying much about what really happened in the gym before it collapsed. Maybe its best it stays that way."

"Bye Lex. It was nice knowing you!"

Chloe's words hit home with silence as Lex made his way down the stairs, towards the awaiting limo. They both knew they would never lay eyes on each other again...at least not in the small town of Smallville, Kansas.

-----------------

Two weeks after Lex departed Smallville, he stood by his father, Lionel Luthor, the billionaire himself. They stood on a small platform, raised up from the crowd below. Today was the grand opening of the new $120 million Luthor Corp Offices and Research Facility. This was also the day the Luthors were to announce the reunion of father and son.

Lionel Luthor was the first speaker on the day. He stood behind the wooden podeum that embodied the Luthor Crest.

"Good morning, Metropolis" Turning to stare at the tv cameras. "Good morning, International bodies." Turning back to the crowd before him and continuing his speech. "It brings me a great honor to be standing here before you on this wonderful day. Not only are we here to celebrate
another Luthor milestone and the opening of this fabulous new building...no, no, there is an even greater reason. As I stand here, my son, Lex, now stands as well." Lex steps up to stand by his father. "The son has in fact come home. Makes me want to become religious all of a sudden. But with all kidding aside, he has come home to help his father make the Luthor name known world over. As of 4:35pm yesterday, Lex is Luthor Corp's new Vice President of Operations, second in command to your's truly."

Lionel gave the type of speech that all expected to hear and he was accustomed to delivering. It was just another day at the office. Another great Public Relations blitz for keeping the clueless residence of the great city of Metropolis at bay. He knew he held the key to the city and could
bring it to ruins with just the right words. Too bad the citizens had no idea what Lionel Luthor's game really was. They were his pawns and if he decided to sacrifice them for his behalf, then so be it. Money and power was what ran the city and he possessed both. Now with the help and
knowledge his son had, soon the world would fall at the mention of the Luthor name.

"Now, may I introduce, my son, Lex Luthor." Lionel pats his son on the back as he takes the podeum and microphone.

"Good morning great people of Metropolis. I don't want to take more time than is needed this mornig. There is something that I've come to terms with and have accepted. This city and many like it, worldwide, run on money, power, and determination. And those are three things that my dad and this company strive towards. Yes, I have taken my dad's offer to join him and the company in Metropolis, but was it really a good move on their part? I think not. They had no idea who they were accepting through those glass, high-rise doors." Turning and staring at his father with a gleam in his eye.

"Two Luthors emboding the same city not to mention the same company. Money and Know-how means Power and Power means Control. You taught me that, dad!"

Once again facing the crowd of confused on lookers. "And Power is what the Luthor name strives on. Seems I have a great challenge before me. My dad bestowed in me what it took to be great...to fight like the great Alexander: The Great. To stand toe-to-toe with my enemies. And to never stand for being second best. Guess he forgot what he taught me through the years. In following in my father's footsteps, I will never be second best to anyone, including him and his company.

So without his knowledge, I am here to announce, with the perts of my new position and gain of new stock, I have completely bought out all Luthor Corp and its subsidiary's stocks in the Smallville Fertilizer Plant. For those that don't know, my dad gave me the Smallville plant to teach me a lesson. I turned the failure of the plant into a goldmine, all at the disappointment of my father. He wanted to shutdown the plant and cause innocent people to lose their jobs, all because his son had done something he never could. Well, by this time, 1200 acres of farmland have been given back to the town and above all...not a single job has been lost at the fertilizer plant. In fact, there are designs being considered for possibly another plant in the near future. And even more to my father's disapproval, the plant's stock is being divided among its workers."

Turning back towards the stern and angry look on his father's face and back towards the people. "My father, the great Lionel Luthor, indeed as a fight on his hands. As I've stood and fought for the wonderful, simple people of Smallville, I now will fight for the great people of Metropolis. Indeed, the Luthor name will be known world over...but Metroplis comes first." Banging his fist on the podeum, listening as it echoed throughout the crowd, " I, Alexander Luthor, will see that its done! Thank you for taking time to come out and for welcominig me back home...where I belong. This city has fallen ruin to my father and men like him for far too long. Its time someone cleaned up their act. Thank you!"

Lionel Luthor was furious at his son's speech. He couldn't believe the audacity his son had to show him up at his own press conference. As Lex stepped down from the platform, cheers and clapping could be heard all around. Lex just smiled as he watched his dad's face in passing. Lex had certainly made his mark in Metropolis. His limo awaited him in the distance. Lionel watched as his son walked away. "That's my son! He is a Luthor after all!"

"Great speech, Mr. Luthor!"

"Thanks, Roger. You don't think I went a little too far do you?"

"No, sir. Your dad disapproved. It was fantastic!"

"Yeah, it felt great. I spoke the truth or at least something close enough to the truth and they believed every word."

"Sometimes I think you could be just as bad as your father. It scares me!"

"Glad to hear that, Roger. Because the Luthor Bad Boy ... is back home. Metropolis has no idea what is in store for them."

"You're a good, bad man, sir! Where to?"

"My penthouse! No wait! Is there a small, coffee cafe' nearby? I could use some cappuccino and some down time. Hard to believe, I already miss...the simple things."

The End
(If there is enough feedback there could possibly be one more follow up with Lana, Pete, the Kents, and Chloe.)