Finding Herself, Chapter 1

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Clark/Chloe, Lex
Season 7, based on a plot arc by Steven DeKnight
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to the CW and DC Comics, not to me.

She hurt. Everywhere.

Her body ached all over, but she forced her eyes open to bright, dappled sunshine. That hurt, too. She winced, squinting against the light, and stared at her surroundings, discovering that she was sprawled on the ground in the middle of a forest. She had no idea where she was, or how she'd gotten here.

She pushed herself to a sitting position, wincing. It hurt to move, but she certainly couldn't lie here forever. She frowned at the trees and underbrush, trying to remember how she'd gotten here, and why she might be lying alone in the middle of the woods.

But as hard as she tried, she couldn't remember why she was here.

In fact... she couldn't remember who she was.

A sudden panic filled her. It was disorienting, disturbing on a deep level, to not know her own name. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't remember what she was called, or what she did for a living, or any personal details.

She scrambled to her knees and started looking around frantically for some clue to her identity. A wallet, a drivers license, a cell phone. Anything that might have her name on it. But her pockets were empty, and she couldn't find anything nearby that might provide a hint.

Her clothes didn't provide a hint, either. She was wearing an orange-striped shirt, an orange jacket, and black slacks. Her clothes were wrinkled and dirty, and she wondered again how she'd gotten here, and what she'd been doing.

Bewildered and unhappy, and a little frightened, she struggled to her feet, deciding she needed to go find help.

As she turned, she saw something glinting on the ground where she'd been. She bent and picked it up. It was a simple silver bracelet, and as she examined it, she found that it was engraved with the words, To Lois-- Love, Dad.

Lois, she thought, trying the name on for size. Lois.

It seemed to roll off her tongue pretty easily, and she decided that it was probably her name. It felt reassuring to have a name, at least. Lois, she thought again, then slid the cuff bracelet on and started walking. Her legs hurt at every step, but she squared her shoulders and ignored the pain.

Before long she came to a flat, straight road. She was apparently a long way out in the country, because there were no cars to be seen. She sighed, picked a direction at random, and began trudging down the grass at the side of the road, limping a little.

Before long she heard the low purr of an engine. She turned and saw a silver car approaching. As it neared her, she saw its license plate read LEX XX.

Weird, she thought. She couldn't remember her name or who she was, but she could read. She'd been able to read the bracelet, and she could read the license plate too.

Even so, she had no idea who Lex might be.

The car braked smoothly to a stop, and a bald man leaned out the window, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. She went toward the car, smiling hopefully, but the look of suspicion on his features only deepened.

She wasn't terribly surprised he looked suspicious, because she was definitely bedraggled. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair fell lankly around her face, and besides, she was pretty sure there were leaves in her hair.

"Hi," she said, still smiling. "I think I've been in an accident, and I need help. My name's Lois."

She saw his eyes flash with something very like surprise, and wondered at the reaction. But then the expression faded, and he offered her a friendly smile.

"Get in, Lois," he said, his voice warm and kind. "I'll help you."

Read Chapter 2 here.