Stay With Me

By Serena

Pairing: Davis Bloome/Chloe Sullivan

A/N: Written because I just love Chlavis. And since they left us with a horrible cliffhanger in this last episode, I decided that something needed to be done about it. So I wrote my own version of the last scene in "Eternal, rewriting some of the dialogue.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Smallville. If I did, Davis would not become Doomsday but get together with Chloe and live happily ever after. So I'm a die-hard romantic.

I returned with a heavy heart to a dark, empty Talon. Holding back tears, I dropped her bag on a side table and tried to regain my composed state. However, finding that extremely difficult, I had to slap a hand over my mouth and furiously rub at my wet eyelids. However, no matter how much salty water I seemed to displace, more always seemed to follow.

Stop it, Chloe Sullivan, I angrily told myself. Stop it right now. Crying won't bring him back.

To emphasize this point, I took another swipe at my eyes, inwardly cursing when my hand came back wet.

STOP, CHLOE! I internally screamed at myself. He needed to die. He had to die. He would've killed Clark… and probably you, too! He was the ultimate destroyer that had to be destroyed. You did the right thing. You saved Clark. You saved the world. That's all that matters.

A strange noise caused me to freeze momentarily.

What was that?

When I heard it again, I brushed some stray hair out of my face and started cautiously towards the origin of the sound. It came from… the basement. Never one to be afraid, considering everything that I'd seen before, I opened the door to the basement and peered down into the dark basement. Seeing nothing from at the top of the stairs, I hesitantly stepped down until reaching the bottom and gazed around.

Nothing.

But when I pressed forward further into the basement, I halted upon seeing a makeshift bed and a backpack on that bed.

Someone's here.

I took a step forward to inspect the scene, but when I heard a noise behind me, I whirled around.

"Don't be afraid," came a quiet voice.

I stifled a gasp as a familiar dark figure stepped out of the shadows.

Alive… he's… alive.

"You're… alive!" was the only thing I could blurt out. Stiffening, I suddenly remembered what exactly he was. "The kryptonite didn't kill you."

"No," he said, looking for the first time at peace. "It made me stronger." He stepped closer to me.

Stronger… that can't be good. Oh, boy. Why is this so hard?

"So… are you invulnerable now?" I cautiously inquired, keeping my distance. There was so much I wanted to say to him, so much I wanted to tell him… but my mouth wouldn't get the words out.

"I'm more than that," he added solemnly, and moved even closer to me in the dim light. "I'm immortal, Chloe."

Oh. What am I supposed to say to that?

"So now you're going to kill Clark." I swallowed and tore my gaze away from his intense stare.

"I don't want to," he insisted. "And I won't."

It doesn't matter what he wants or doesn't want.

"It may not be what you want, Davis," I said, gathering up the courage to brush past him towards the stairs. "But it's what you are." A fresh bout of tears threatened to gush out, but I held the internal pain inside.

Oh, Davis, why does fate seem determined to continually separate us?

"Chloe…please don't go."

I halted at the quiet pleading in his tone and rubbed my temples. Stopping at the first stair, I slowly turned around to face him.

"Please," he added softly. "This thing inside me is strong, but maybe there's something stronger. Something that can overcome the beast in me. The way I feel about you… it takes away the darkness in me. I'm in love you, Chloe."

I couldn't take it anymore. Launching myself at him, I burst into tears and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. Instantly his strong arms wound around my back. "I didn't want you to die," I sobbed into his shoulder. "I didn't want to kill you, Davis."

"I know, Chloe," he replied quietly. "It's all right."

"No, it's not," I cried. "You're going to kill Clark."

He stiffened and pulled away, gazing down at me calmly. Reaching up a hand, he brushed it over my cheek. I tried not to lean into his warm palm, but it was hard. "Not," he said, "if you're with me."

Bewildered, I sniffled and demanded, "What do I have anything to do with it?"

"There's something about you," he said, his eyes searching mine. "Whenever you're with me… I can control myself. I can control the beast within me. There's a connection between us, Chloe. It's what's kept me going this far. But I can't do this without you anymore."

"What are you saying?" I questioned.

"Chloe… I love you. I need you," he pleaded. "I'm asking you… to stay with me. Please."

I fell silent. Staring up into his desperate dark eyes filled with pain and longing, I felt conflicted. How could I be with a man destined to kill my best friend since childhood? How could I side with the destroyer and not the savior?

But if I didn't… then he'd kill Clark, anyway. Maybe if I stayed with him, he could hold it back. Maybe he could control Doom.

I had two choices. Leave, and have him eventually kill Clark.

Stay, and there was less of a chance that he'd revert.

Either way, Davis couldn't be killed.

Inhaling deeply, I glanced down at the floor. "Davis…"

I felt him stiffen as if sensing that I was about to reject him. But I wasn't finished. "I'm so tired," I breathed wearily. "So tired of doing everything for everyone else. All I think about is saving Clark, saving the world, saving everyone else. I'm so tired of it, Davis. All my life I've helped people to get ahead, knowing that I was left behind. I know I'm being selfish… but I just can't let you go one more time."

"Chloe," Davis said, taking my face in his hands, "You are the most unselfish person I've ever met. Everything you do is for other people. Never for yourself. You're not being selfish if you just want to be happy."

I blinked back a fresh wave of tears. "Ask me again," I whispered, unable to find my voice. "Ask me if I care about you."

Davis blinked and hesitantly questioned, "Chloe… do you still care about me?"

Tears ran down my face. I didn't care at this point. "Yes," I murmured. "Of course I care about you. Davis… I love you."

I don't think I've ever seen him look so shocked. "Chloe," he breathed, running his hands through my hair, "I love you so much. You are everything to me." And before I could get another word out, he bent down and captured my lips with his in searing, hot kiss that left my body numb and my fingers tingling. Winding my arms around his neck, I allowed him to pull me closer and deepen the kiss until everything but his hot breath, his hands burning through my shirt, and his strong, warm body against mine faded distantly away.

Somehow, I knew everything would be all right.

END

Yes, I know, it's merely wishful thinking. But hey, that's what fanfic is for, right? ;D

- Serena