Chloe's visits were becoming regular, to which Alicia was grateful. The days at the Daily Planet also were pleasant. With some exceptions, however.
Kyle Rayner and his buddy, Guy Gardner, seemed intent on getting the two of them to date both of them. While Chloe met this with amusement, Alicia was irritated by it, especially Guy calling her desk every thirty minutes.
"The idiot just won't stop!" Alicia exclaimed as she slammed the phone down against its unit. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply and then sighed and turned to Kyle who was leaning against Chloe's desk as she was typing.
"Kyle, could you talk to him, please." Alicia had been getting on better terms with Kyle, seeing as how he worked in the same building and that there were things about him she liked, rather than his friend.
Kyle shrugged, "I can try, but there are no promises. Guy's a hard guy to tell off."
Alicia sighed, "I think I'll start carrying a gun from here on in."
Both Chloe and Kyle laughed.
"What's funny?" Alicia looked up and met, eye-to-eye, with Lois Lane as she came by Chloe's desk.
Lois, upon seeing Alicia, stopped in her tracks; her mouth gaped. She pointed at Alicia and started garbling incoherent words.
Then, by some surprise, Oliver came up also to Chloe's desk.
"Good morning Chloe, Alice, and you must be the Kyle Rayner, am I right?" Oliver extended his hand.
Kyle took it and nodded.
Lois seemed to find her voice as she looked between Oliver and Alicia.
"Alice? What's going on here, Queen? First I see this girl at the department store where Chloe and I saw you, I went home and convinced myself that I was seeing things, and now, I'm seeing her here, alive and obviously dressed better than I could ever manage. What's going on? Both Smallville and myself found her dead!"
Oliver grabbed Lois by the arm and pulled her away as her voice was beginning to cause several people turn their heads to look at her.
"Hey!" She exclaimed.
While Oliver pulled her away, Kyle turned to Alicia, intrigued. "Dead, huh?" He said, smirking.
Alicia rubbed the back of her neck, feeling incredibly self-conscience of her environment now that Lois had started something.
Chloe put a hand on Alicia's and squeezed it, reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry." She then turned to Kyle and said, "She's in the government's witness protection program, so yeah, she's "died"."
Kyle whistled in awe and nodded. "Cool."
Soon, Oliver returned with Lois who looked more confused than she had before with a befuddled look now on her face.
"Now," Oliver said, giving Alicia a reassuring nod, just before speaking again, "I'm sorry about that outburst, Lois can get a little ahead of herself when she doesn't have all the facts." He turned to Lois who crossed her arms in contempt. He continued, "Alice, I'm sorry to tell you this but I have to leave Metropolis and I'm not sure as to when I'll be back."
Alicia sighed. She remembered Oliver telling her that his visits were temporary and that he'd be leaving soon. Now, she was feeling a bit uneasy about it, despite the fact that he had told her this when she had first met him.
Oliver seemed to pick up on her uneasiness about this. He smiled, "Hey, don't get upset, alright? I see you and Chloe are getting along okay, so you DO have a friend that'll take my place very quickly. However, should you find yourself in REAL trouble, call one of these people and they'll be there to help you." He then handed her a folded piece of paper.
Alicia took it and sighed, but gave a soft smile. "Thank you."
Oliver nodded and then checked his watch, "I'm sorry to be cutting this short but I have a meeting in Kyoto, so it's so long for now, but not goodbye, got it?"
Alicia nodded and accepted the hug he gave her. As soon as they parted he parted he turned to Lois.
"Behave yourself, Lois."
Lois gave a smug smile, "Please."
Oliver then nodded to Chloe and Kyle and then walked out.
Lois watched him leave and then leaned forward on Chloe's desk and looked inquiringly at Alicia.
"So who are you really? I know you're not her 'estranged twin-whose-been-living-in-Sweden' like Queen says you are."
In the end, giving up on trying to make the excuse Oliver made for her to Lois seem plausible, Both Chloe and Alicia used the excuse Chloe gave Kyle, that Alicia hadn't really died but had been put into the government's relocation program and have only been recently returned. Lois seemed to buy it, for the moment at least and her questions stopped. However, remembering the kind of personality that Lois had, has, Alicia knew that this was just the calm before the storm. In a way, Alicia was relieved that Lois had finally found out about her being back alive, no matter how fabricated the actual truth was that she was given. Knowing that she could face Lois at work and not feel terrified as to what might come out; felt good. Still, there was still one person who had yet to see her, a person she was eager to cross off her list yet all the same reluctant upon seeing, Clark.
Clark's absence from the Daily Planet building, made it feel safe but, at the same time, troubling, as it was growing on her on how much she wanted to let him, of all people, know that she was, in fact, alive and well. She wasn't naive, though. She knew he was in a relationship with Lana Lang, again, from Chloe. Was that fact going to make it all the harder for her to confront him and let him know? Or was it best just to wait it out and hope that he'd come through those doors and see her again and then, for some reason, all would be all right, again? Alicia didn't know.
The day ended slowly. By the end of it, Chloe promised Alicia that she'd come by her place to watch "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with her. Kyle insisted that he should come also, to which Chloe replied, "Sorry, boy. It's a "girl's night in" sort of deal."
Kyle then grabbed his jacket and gave a smile and shrugged, "Maybe next time, then."
As he walked away, Alicia looked at Chloe and the look on her face.
"You LIKE him, don't you?" Alicia said, nudging her.
Chloe turned her head to the side and shrugged, "What's not to like?"
Alicia studied her as Chloe went back to her desk for her bag. She saw all the signs when Chloe gave a sideways look toward the photo on her desk of her and Jimmy Olsen at the county fair.
"Ah," Alicia said as she walked up to Chloe, "Now I see."
Chloe sighed, "A part of me thinks he's going to come back, you know. That the little feud we had over my hiding things will all be for nothing and that he'll want me in his life, again."
"What about the other part?" Alicia asked.
Chloe looked to her and then to the floor, "That part tells me that he is NOT coming back and that I should move on with my life. That Kyle is something new and exciting."
Alicia smiled, "So, what are you going to do then?"
Chloe shut off her computer and walked back to Alicia, shrugging. "I don't know right now, but maybe I'll find out along the way. Care to take the ride with me?"
Alicia laughed and hugged Chloe. "You bet."
The mood was interrupted; however, when a woman's loud cry gave out.
"Help! He took my purse!"
Both Chloe and Alicia watched as a man was sprinting across the hallway outside the doors of the Daily Planet's office.
Alicia closed her eyes and she felt the familiar sensation of the rushing of wind and when she reopened them she was standing about three feet away from the oncoming purse-snatcher.
Seeing her, the man tried to change directions only to find his face to the floor, a loud cracking sound ensued followed by blood coming from his nose as he had been slammed to the floor, face first.
Alicia, with her foot on the back of the man's neck, found herself breathing heavily as she looked wildly about.
What on Earth has gotten into me? She wondered, aghast. Looking down, she felt a sudden burst of immense pride in the fact she had stopped this man. She bent down and retrieved the purse and walked back down the hallway.
Dr. Robards was feeling nervous as hell. Going to the Luthor's mansion for his review, he knew that he would have to be direct with Lex Luthor, otherwise…
Having not seen anyone else besides the Sullivan girl visit with Alicia Baker, Dr. Robards wasn't all that sure as to what to do. Stepping up to the main doors, Robards was greeted by a maid of the mansion.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Luthor." Robards told her.
She looked at him suspiciously and then talked to someone behind her before turning back to him.
" Mr. Luthor will meet you in the library, Dr. Robards." She then stepped aside and allowed him to pass her by.
Walking inside, Robards was taken back by the elegance of the Luthor mansion, he had only read about the place in some magazines, but seeing it now and walking through it, he felt truly awe-inspired. Although, the place still had a coldness about it that was unnerving, to say the least.
It wasn't long before Robards found his way to the library. The library, like the rest of the mansion, was impressive. Large shelves filled with everything that normally would be impossible to find or out of print, lay in large collections. Robards pulled one out and began studying it, when he jumped as a sliding sound from the case next to him, which began to open outwards, revealing a darkened room within. Coming out from this room, was Lex.
He smiled when he saw Robards.
"Ah, doctor. Welcome. Will you join me inside?" He indicated to the inside of the secret room.
Dr. Robards gulped and followed Lex inside. The room itself was a makeshift lab. Various beakers, chemicals, vials, test tubes, and instruments were shelved. Robards followed Lex to a stainless steel, handle-less, door that had a security card swipe next to it. Lex took out a card and swiped it and said aloud "Lex Luthor." An electronic voice responded. Voice pattern recognized. The door then opened and, looking past Lex, Robards saw a medical slab in a very cramped, small, room. A heavily bandaged man occupied the room as he was laid out on the medical table. He was hooked up to several machines and had several IVs attached to several parts of his body. Lex moved to him and extended an arm out to Robards.
"Come meet Jason, doctor."
Robards walked up slowly and looked down at the patient who only had one eye exposed from the bandaging, besides his nostrils. Jason's eye opened slightly and wearily looked at Lex and then at Robards, to which it seemed to affix in curiosity.
"What happed to him?" Robards asked, still looking at Jason, "Was he in an accident of some sort?"
Lex nodded. "Remember the second meteor shower that hit Smallville? Jason here was in a house at the time. My cleaning crew had found him while clearing the wreckage and we managed to save every part of him. It took three years of slow-going recuperation, surgery, and intensive care; but he's healing nicely, although there's still some organ failure. "
Robards looked to the tubing that was injecting a florescent-green like substance into Jason's body from the IV bags, which were labeled with a series of numbers.
"What are you putting into him?"
Lex smiled, "A little "pick-me-up", if you will. When Jason is back on his feet, doctor, he'll be assisting you in the apprehension of Alicia and the other." Lex then turned to Robards. "Where are we, with that?"
Robards took a deep breath, "Well, other than Chloe Sullivan, Miss Baker hasn't seen anyone else, well other than Mr. Oliver Queen, that is."
Lex closed his eyes and chuckled, "Ah, yes. Oliver Queen. Now it's making sense…"
Robards looked to Lex, curiously. "You think he was behind the breaking out of the patients?"
Lex shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm sure he acted on the side lines, all the same." Lex then motioned Robards to follow him out of the room and soon out of the lab itself. Once they had left, Lex walked to another bookcase and pressed several buttons inside a space between several books. The bookcase then closed it self-up again, hissing in the process. Lex then replaced the books in the gap and then walked back to his desk.
"You say Chloe Sullivan and our patient, Alicia Baker, have been visiting eachother, doctor?"
Robards nodded and sat down in the chair in front of Lex's desk. "Yes. Miss Baker got herself a job as Chloe Sullivan's secretary at the Daily Planet. Since then, the two of them have been spending a lot of time together."
Lex nodded. He then reached into a drawer of his desk and retrieved a file and passed it to Robards.
"Take a look at that and tell me what you think, doctor."
Robards took the file and opened it and saw that it was a medical report on Chloe Sullivan. Deciding not to ask about it until he read the file, Robards read into it and found, to his shock that Chloe Sullivan had been pronounced dead earlier this year, a flat-liner. She was taken to the morgue but her body was found missing and the door to her cold storage opened.
"What is she, exactly? Another meteor-infected?" Robards asked Lex, looking up from the file.
Lex leaned across his desk, "This stays between the two of us, you realize, Dr. Robards."
Robards nodded.
Lex nodded, "Alright. As you can see Chloe Sullivan is of an interest as well. She apparently has the power of self-resurrection; her body can bring itself back to life. Thus, I want you to add more to your compiled records and keep track of Chloe Sullivan while looking after Alicia, as well."
Robards nodded and then gave the file back to Lex, "There's still the matter of the third person, sir. You haven't mentioned as to who he or she is."
Lex nodded. "There'll be time for that, doc. Soon, Jason will be back on his feet and he'll assist you in capturing the women. After that, the third subject will come after them and then you'll be able to capture this person, as well."
Robards nodded. However, he felt this was all too easy. There surely were going to be problems and Robards felt as if an unprecedented doom was looming over himself.
Lex got up, thus signifying the end of the meeting.
"Good luck, doc." He said and shook Robards hand.
Lex watched as Robards left before removing himself from the desk and he went back to the bookcase and repeated the process to gain entry to Jason's room. Walking to Jason, Lex leaned on the slab and hovered over Jason, waiting for him to look at him.
Jason's eye flittered before opening. It was red and was tearing up. Jason looked to Lex.
"Don't worry, Jason. You'll get used to it, after all you're going to have to if you want to see your mother alive and well."
Alicia, after the excitement of what happened yesterday, felt the tediousness of her secretary duties at the planet, dull and unfulfilling. She expressed this to Chloe during a break.
"Be careful, Alicia. If you aren't careful you'll wind up like Clark and end up wanting to save everyone else but yourself."
Alicia smirked, "Hey, I can control myself."
Chloe smirked back, "Oh, really? Who was it that, after she was released from Bellevue Institution decided to trick a certain farm boy into going to the alter with her, after she had promised him that they'd take things slowly?"
Alicia sighed, "Okay, okay, there was that ONE time, alright? But I AM better now than I've ever, been, haven't I?"
Chloe shrugged, "As far as I can tell." Chloe then noticed Kyle coming up to them, along with Guy Gardner.
"Brace yourself," Chloe said grinning, "Here comes trouble along with more trouble."
Alicia looked behind her and then turned back sighing, bitterly.
Kyle placed himself next to Chloe while Guy took the seat next to Alicia.
"Hello, ladies." Kyle said as he took Chloe's hand into his and kissed the top of it.
"Hey, you." Chloe said as she took another sip of her coffee, looking at Kyle as she did so.
"Somebody looks like their down in the dumps," Guy said trying to catch Alicia's attention, putting his hand in front of her face only to have her swat it away.
"Get away, Guy. Better yet, take a hint and stand in front of an oncoming bus."
"Touch-y." Guy said, grinning.
"Do you even work? Or have you just made it a job, for yourself, to bug the living hell out of me?" Alicia said, scowling at Guy.
Guy shrugged and gave a cocky grin, "What can I say? When I see something beautiful, I got to have it. Hello…" He looked away from Alicia and then stood up.
Alicia turned and noticed Lois who was with another woman, both looking uneasily at Guy who was looking at her.
"What are YOU looking at, Ritchie Cunningham?" Lois said.
Alicia grinned. NOW she was feeling better.
Guy smiled, "Two pretty women. Would any of you like to join us?"
The woman opposite Lois sighed and shook her head, "You just don't stop, do you, Guy?"
Lois, Chloe, and Alicia looked to her.
"You know him?" Lois asked.
The woman nodded, "I, unfortunately, attend the same classes with him at Met U."
"Oh," Lois said, chuckling, ruefully, "Everyone, except Guy, I'd like you to meet Vicky Vale. She's working in the classifieds section of the Planet."
Alicia and Chloe both said "hi" to her.
Lois and Vicky joined the others at the table. Alicia observed Vicky, who, with long flowing blonde hair, tied up in a ponytail, soon was able to strike up a conversation with Chloe, much to Kyle's displeasure. Lois, in the meantime, was giving Guy the 'cold-shoulder' as he was putting all the energy he was using, originally on Alicia, on her.
Vicky seemed pleasant. She was honest, cheerful, and, as it turned out, very ambitious. She described how she wanted more than what the Daily Planet had to offer.
"I'm thinking about taking up that interning position at the Gotham Gazette and, after that, I'm thinkin' of doing freelance work as word journalist."
Chloe's eyes brightened, "I'm so envious, that's exactly what I want to do."
"Why don't you? I've read your work and you yourself are pretty impressive. I'm sure you'd have no trouble striking it out in the world." Vicky said.
Chloe shrugged, "I don't know, why, exactly."
"Can't bare to be away from me, is so more like it." Kyle said grinning, happy to have a word in the conversation.
Chloe looked at him, grinning. "Oh, really, you think so, huh?"
"Pervert!" Everyone watched as Lois splashed coffee in Guy's face. She then stormed off.
Guy, taking a napkin and wiping his face, looked at everyone. "What?"
The break soon ended and Alicia went back to her desk just as Susan came up to her.
"Alice? You got a sec'?" She asked.
Alicia nodded and followed her to Pierce Bradley's office, where Pierce was looking at several files.'
"Sit down, Brewster." He said, not looking at her.
Alicia did as instructed, pushing her dress forward, to avoid 'wrinkle-age', after she sat.
Pierce finally looked up and motioned to Susan who closed the door. After it was closed he then leaned forward.
"So, how do you like it here, so far, Brewster?"
Alicia smiled, "It's great. I like it."
Pierce looked back down to the file, "Well, that'll change after a few months. How do you like working under Sullivan's wing?"
"It's good." Alicia answered.
"But?" Pierce asked.
"No 'but's'." Alicia responded, quickly.
Pierce sighed and took off his glasses as he rubbed his eyes. "In a week we're going to have to transfer you to another person in the department."
Alicia's eyes went wide. "What?"
Pierce nodded in confirmation of what he had said. "Anyone you have in mind you'd like to work for?"
Alicia was having a hard time wrapping her mind around this. Were they serious?
"Why can't I continue to work for Chloe?" She asked.
"Sullivan's going to be placed in Records. Vale's going to take her place. She's a nice girl, that Vale, would you like to work for her?" Pierce asked.
Alicia stood up, "Records? Chloe will be miserable in there! You know she's one of the best journalists you've got!"
Pierce sighed, "I receive orders from the Editor-in-Chief, he says that Sullivan goes to Records, then she goes to Records. That's not why we're here, Brewster, we're here to discuss on where YOU are going."
Alicia sighed. "Have you told her yet?"
"No," Pierce replied, "I figured you could, Brewster. You and Sullivan seem chummy enough that it would be better to come from you, a friend, rather than me."
Alicia glowered at Pierce. "How…how could you…She's my friend and you want me to tell her something that would crush her spirit!"
Pierce pointed a stubby finger at Alicia. "Watch it, Brewster. A tone like that could put YOU in some serious water."
"Fine." Alicia said, her temper rising, "Then, you won't have to put with it at all. I quit."
With that, she turned and walked out of Pierce's office and soon out of the Daily Planet's main doors.
Alicia was about half a block away when she realized that she left her purse at the Daily Planet and decided to double back. Walking, she noticed a van behind her that seemed to be going at a slow speed. Looking, as she was walking, Alicia saw that she couldn't see the driver, the windshield completely darkened.
Oh no. She thought and began quickening her pace and then darted into an alleyway. Taking out her cellphone, she looked for the number of Bart's. Bart's number was one of the ones listed on the paper Oliver had handed her prior to leaving. Knowing that Bart was one of those that had saved her from the 33.1 facility, Alicia decided to put his number on her cell, just in case something like this were to happen. She knew that if someone from Luthor Corp. was tracking her then it was a good guess that they have been keeping track of her and know where she was living. With all the facts laid out, Alicia knew that even if she teleported away to somewhere, she had almost nowhere to go.
Alicia quickly dialed his number and she turned to see if the van had entered the alleyway. It hadn't, instead it was parked across the street but had a view of her, still.
"Hello?" Said a voice on the other end.
"Bart? It's Alicia. I need some help, someone's following me." Alicia said in a whispered tone, just in case someone might hear her.
"Where are you?" He asked.
"In Metropolis, in an alleyway across from Susan's Bakery, please-" Alicia was interrupted as a gust of wind knocked her back, a little, and when she opened her eyes she looked in surprise as a short, red-hooded Bart was looking around and then looked at the van.
He then took her into his arms and lifted her legs up and said, "Hold on." The whole world then became a blur for a couple of seconds and then finally came back into view when Bart put her down.
Breathing heavily, Alicia looked around and then at Bart.
"How?" She asked.
Bart grinned, "Just a little ability of mine. How about you, any neat tricks?"
Alicia smiled, "What makes you think I can do anything?"
Bart crossed his arms and shrugged, "Well, you were in the 'Luthor Lab' so, I'm guessing there's something special about you."
Alicia looked around and sighed, "I guess you're right. Otherwise they wouldn't be trailing me, huh?" She noticed that they were in a warehouse that had been crudely turned into a residence. She was guessing Bart's, due to the red hoodie's on the floor.
"Nice place." She said, albeit in false-politeness.
"Thanks." He said.
She turned to him. "So, now what?"
Bart sighed as he walked over to stack of papers on a cluttered desk; he then pulled out a sheet. He handed it to her.
"These are the designated "safe houses" Oliver has set up for people who've been found out by Luthor Corp. I guess you just need to choose which one you want to go to."
Alicia looked down the list and sighed, despairingly. "They're all in Europe."
Bart nodded as he grabbed a box of Cheez-its. "It's the only place where Lex's bloodhounds aren't going to find you. So far, practically all the people we've rescued have opted to go there rather than stay here. Of course, the option's up to you."
Alicia nodded. Looking at the list, however, brought up the thought of Chloe. Alicia loved the friendship she had with her and knowing what those bastards at the Planet were about to do to her, Alicia felt she really needed to be here to help her through it.
"I'm staying." Alicia said.
Bart looked at her surprised and then shrugged. "If ya wish."
Alicia sighed, "I'm tired of always looking behind my back." She then recalled about the time when she apprehended that purse-snatcher. "I'd like to do what you guys do. To be able to defy those who feel they have power and I'd like to help people at the same time."
Bart looked more surprised than ever. "Really?"
Alicia nodded.
"Well," Bart said, setting the cracker box down, "You really must be something special if you feel that way."
Alicia grinned and then closed her eyes and when she opened them she was behind Bart, who looked wildly around the room.
"Where'd you go?" He asked.
Alicia tapped him on the shoulder, having him jump. "Oh, I'm more than "special"." She said.
Bart turned and laughed, "Yeah, I guess so." He then looked down to the floor and thought for a moment. "You know what, I think there's something you can help AC and me with."
"AC?" Alicia asked.
"Arthur Curry, another member of our group." Bart answered, "Both him and I are trying to get into a storage house of Lex's where he has the blueprints of a new 33.1 facility. The only problem we're facing is that it has motion detectors on the floor which, when triggered, cause an adhesive residue to quickly spread out all over the floor, leaving anyone who are walking, or in my case, running, on it to remain permanently stuck."
He then grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder, "This is where you would be handy, in helping us. So, what do you say? Are you in?"
Alicia's thoughts trailed back to her discussion earlier with Chloe, she quickly blocked it out and smiled at Bart.
"You can count on it."
To add more to her amazement, Bart's warehouse-home was in Tampa Bay, Florida. He had quickly brought her back to her apartment where Chloe had been waiting for her. She was quickly surprised to see whom Alicia was with.
"Alicia, where have you been? I was worried when you took off from work, like that. Bart? What are you doing here?"
Bart walked up to Chloe and took her hand, "Nice to see you too."
"Easy there, shorty."
Alicia noticed that Chloe wasn't alone in the apartment as Kyle soon emerged.
Bart let Chloe's hand go and shrugged. "Whatever."
Chloe then took Alicia aside as Kyle and Bart looked eachother over, suspiciously.
"What happened?"
Alicia sighed and told her everything from what had happened in Pierce's office to when she left in a huff and then had to call on Bart as someone was following her. When she finished, Chloe sighed.
"You know what, I should be upset from what they're doing to me, but I'm not."
Alicia looked at her in surprise. "You're not?"
Chloe shook her head, "No. I shouldn't. After all, what do I need the Planet for? It's just like that little tart Vale said, with my abilities as a journalist I could go and do anything."
Alicia smiled, "A little "tart", huh? Glad you're taking this well."
Chloe flashed a toothy-grin and shrugged, "Might as well. You know as I do that there's no way in hell I'm going to work in Records, of all places."
Alicia nodded and sighed, "Well, it looks like we have some challenges, you and I. We're both out of work, I guess, and we're going into unknown territory."
Chloe nodded.
"Are you guys hungry?" Kyle asked.
"Starving, where did you have in mind." Bart said, grinning.
Kyle scowled, "It wasn't an open-invitation, pint-size."
"Now, boys." Chloe said, grinning.
Clark Kent was feeling tired, more than ever. Having just recently have a fight with Lana about some of the "side" things she was doing to get back at Lex, he was wondering if when it was all going to end and the two of them would start a normal, caring, relationship.
Walking down Main Street in Metropolis, carrying a bag of supplies for the Farm, Clark sighed as he dwelled more and more about the negative aspects of his new relationship with Lana. He had half-hoped when she came back to him that things were going to be better for a change. There were no more secrets between them and she said she loved him. That's all that mattered, right? Clark wasn't sure. It bugged him that all they had to talk about together was about taking down Lex, no "what's playing at the Smallville Multiplex" or "Should we add some more furniture in here?" nothing. However, there were some bright points to their reformed relationship. There was no distrust, no suspicions of the other, and no harsh words. Well, other than those spoken earlier in the day.
Clark looked into a sports-themed restaurant/bar watching a couple that had just got engaged. The woman holding a hand to her mouth as the man presented her the ring in the box. The tears, the joy, the jubilation; would Clark ever have that?
Clark sighed as he continued on to his truck, but when he looked inside the restaurant again he came to a complete stop. His eyes wide, his mouth moving to form intelligible words, Clark looked inside and saw four people sitting together. They were eating, laughing, and talking. Clark recognized only some of these people. One was Chloe, who was talking animatedly to a guy with jet-black hair in a Met U letterman jacket. The other was Bart Allen, who was using the silverware to make his baked potatoes do a funny little dance. The person sitting next to him, laughing, smiling, making idle chatter with Chloe and Bart, was a person gravely familiar to Clark. A tear came to Clark's eye as he sadly recalled someone close to him who was taken away, someone who he wasn't able to save.
"Alicia…" Clark breathed. "Y-You're alive?"
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Now Clark knows, but what happens next? You just wait and see :). I wasn't all too sure about bringing in Vicky Vale, but seeing as how I needed something to drive Chloe out of the Daily Planet, I thought Vicky would be the force to do it. I hope it translated well, if not please tell me and I'll fix the errors to the best of my abilities.
A/N II: As always, please read and review. Thanks.
Q-n-P