The Girl of His Dreams

Clark/Chloe
Season 5, from "Hidden"
Rating: PG
800 words
Disclaimer: These characters belong to the CW and DC Comics, not to me

I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend
-Chloe Sullivan

He'd only been mortal for two weeks, and already he'd managed to get himself shot.

Clark Kent looked down at the spreading red stain on his t-shirt with something akin to surprise. There had been a time when he'd been invulnerable to bullets, a time when he could simply step aside when he saw them coming, or let them bounce off his impenetrable skin. But two weeks ago his Kryptonian father Jor-El had taken his powers, and now he was just as vulnerable to injury and death as anyone else.

He gasped, struggling painfully with the simple act of drawing a breath, and looked at the guy who'd shot him. He and his best friend Chloe Sullivan had gone to confront this kid Gabriel, who apparently intended to nuke Smallville. But when Clark had walked up behind him and demanded to know which missile silo he'd activated, the guy had just spun around and fired a gun at him.

Being shot hurt like hell.

His chest burned like it was on fire, and at the same time he felt cold. Very cold. He saw Chloe lunge at Gabriel, her fists raised, saw the guy grab her, and he wanted to protect her, to save her, the way he always protected his friends. But he couldn't make his feet move. He struggled to say something, to tell Gabriel to leave her alone, and blood dribbled out of his mouth.

Slowly, he fell to his knees, hearing Chloe screaming in furious panic.

"No! You can't just leave him here! He could die!"

He thought she was probably right. He was going to die. But he was more worried about her than he was about himself. He'd known Chloe since eighth grade, and she meant more to him than anyone besides his parents. And his girlfriend Lana, of course. He and Chloe had a long history together, and he desperately wanted to rescue her.

But he wasn't part of what Chloe called the "superpowered persuasion" any more. He was just a regular guy, a regular guy with a bullet wound in his chest, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make his body obey his brain's commands.

The motorcycle revved, and then Gabriel blew past him, Chloe an unwilling, struggling passenger on the bike.

Chloe, he thought as he fell to the asphalt. Everyone and everything he loved was about to be blown to pieces, his best friend had been kidnapped by a madman, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about any of it.

Being mortal wasn't quite as great as he'd imagined, he thought, and passed out.

*****

When Clark woke up, he knew he was dying. He wasn't exactly sure how he knew, but some instinct told him he wasn't going to survive long.

With an enormous effort, he pulled open his eyelids. They felt like they were weighted down with lead, but he managed to force them open and focus his eyes. It was worth the effort, because his girlfriend Lana Lang was sitting next to him.

He'd been in love with Lana for years, and they'd finally made love last night. This morning, when he'd awakened with her next to him, he'd thought, Now I can die happy.

It looked like the universe had decided to take him up on that.

Lana smiled at him hopefully, her eyes shining with tears, and he looked at her for a brief moment, wanting her beautiful face to be the last thing he saw. He didn't want to look away from her. But his eyelids were too heavy, and they drifted shut of their own accord.

Part of him worried about what would happen to Smallville, to his friends and family, but he shoved his concerns aside, knowing there was nothing he could do about it now.

Lana, he thought, repeating her name in his mind like a mantra, envisioning her lovely face.

He wanted his last thoughts to be of the girl he loved. The girl of his dreams.

Darkness settled around him, and the noises of the hospital faded away. Just as oblivion closed over him, another face came to him, and it wasn't the face he'd intended to hold in his mind as he went into the unknown darkness that awaited him.

He remembered Chloe flinging herself furiously at Gabriel, screaming, in an effort to defend him. He remembered the way she'd smiled at him when she told him she knew his secret, remembered her soft voice telling him he was amazing. He remembered dancing with her in his arms, almost kissing her, a long, long time ago.

He saw her in his mind, smiling her bright, happy smile, and peace filled him.

Chloe, he thought, and fell into nothingness.

-The End-