Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/I Am Number Four.

Chapter 5/5

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"I'm sure that Martha's father will recover soon and they'll be back." Gabe Sullivan reassured his daughter as he parked outside of school the next day. "It's not like they'll be gone forever."

Chloe sat in the passenger's side of the car, fingers clasped around the pendant Clark had given her, unable to pretend to be hopeful and happy for her father. She'd been unable to sleep the whole night, knowing that Clark and his parents were headed only god knew where. Chloe had preferred not to know, so just in case Mogadorians ever got a hold of her she'd never be able to reveal anything. She'd never come out and said the reason why she didn't want them to tell her their destination, but from the expressions on Martha and Jonathan's faces the blonde had known that they'd at least guessed that that might be a reason for the usually curious girl's change in attitude. They needed to protect Clark, and this was the best way she could think of.

Her gaze slid to her father, who was watching her worriedly despite the smile he was keeping on his face for her benefit.

He knew her enough to know that there was more than Clark's situation that was bothering her, but was respecting her need for silence.

He was always so awesome like that.

Chloe took in a deep breath and turned to him. "Dad. We need to talk."

Sensing movement, she turned to see Lana duck, smiling at her in the window. "Hey!"

Chloe blinked, shocked as hell. "Uh, hi."

Lana acted as if her coming up to Chloe wasn't the oddest thing in the world. "I was wondering if you knew if Clark was coming to school today? I wanted to, uh, thank him again, for saving me last night."

Chloe's hand clasped the pendant tighter. "Clark had to leave with his parents to take care of his grandfather, and they don't know how long they'll be gone."

Lana's smile fell, and she sighed, looking away. "Oh."

Chloe sighed, before forcing a smile on her face. "But I know that Clark would be happy whenever he comes back, for you to talk to him." Her smile grew more genuine as she looked up at Clark's Mate. "He's always liked you."

A blush tinted Lana's skin and she smiled shyly. "Really?"

Chloe nodded.

Lana giggled, grinning cutely as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll wait for him to come back then. Thank you." And with that she smiled once more at Chloe in thanks and hurried to where her friends where.

Chloe watched her go, hoping that it wasn't too long before Clark could come back and he could connect with Lana.

Her expression went blank, thinking of all he was going to have to face before that could happen.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Gabe frowned.

Chloe turned to look at him, biting her bottom lip, before looking up at him. "I've seen mom."

Gabe's eyes widened. "What?"

She couldn't hold back anymore, couldn't cover up, and really didn't want to. "She's in Smallville. I saw her last night."

Gabe looked as if he'd been slapped and then run over by a garbage truck-the garbage then being dumped all over his flattened corpse. "Where?"

She told him where, and wasn't shocked when he sped out of the school parking lot, heading towards there immediately.

Buckling her seatbelt, Chloe grabbed the hand-rest.

"What is she doing back in Smallville?" Gabe was asking himself. "She said that she'd never come back."

Chloe didn't say anything, just watching her father as he sped to the empty home and skidded to a stop before it.

She saw him look at the house, look at her, and then look away, turbulent emotions on his face.

"When you saw her...did you...did she do anything?" Gabe finally asked, protectiveness obvious on his every feature as he turned to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Chloe's eyes widened as she suddenly realized something. "You know."

He snarled. "She did something to you again!"

He turned to grab the door handle.

Chloe reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him. "She didn't hurt me-just showed me that she wasn't joking-that she could really-control people."

Gabe shook his head, pale. "I didn't care that she was...different...that she could do...things...that she wasn't completely...human."

Chloe's eyes continued to widen as she realized that her father knew everything.

"But I couldn't have her hurting you. Even if she hadn't meant it." Gabe's voice trembled as he looked at her, eyes filling with tears. "When I came home and found your blood all over the bathroom-the sink wasn't completely white after that-I couldn't find it in me to ask her to stay when she said she was leaving."

She looked up at her father, who was obviously fighting to keep from shedding those tears. "You were protecting me."

He nodded. "And I always will."

The blonde leaned over and hugged her father tightly. "I love you daddy."

He hugged her tightly. "And I love you baby."

They stayed like that, until they heard a soft tapping at Chloe's window.

Pulling away they found a nervous looking Moira standing outside Chloe's door, watching them. The woman gulped, pulling a strand of black hair behind her ear and watching them with obvious anxiety. She was fidgeting, messing with her clothes, and kept shifting the weight of her body from foot to foot.

Father and daughter shared a look before exiting the vehicle, exchanging awkward greetings with the woman before letting her lead them into the place she and Doll were squatting in for the time being.

Having heard most of what her mother had to say, Chloe looked over the things on the table her mother had taken over, while Moira and Gabe 'talked'...or argued.

According to the documents on the table, Number One had been killed in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. If Chloe could remember right, Moira had said something about Number Four having been in Ohio...so considering that Clark had been in Kansas...and Number Six was in America as well...maybe the rest of the numbers were as well.

"You can't just come back and expect me to let you take her! Not after what happened!" Gabe snapped.

"Have you not been listening to me?" Moira slammed her hand against the wall. "She's in danger! She can't be here when Mogadorians journey through looking for Number Five! If she's not here, they'll pass through following him! If she's here they'll catch her!"

"Why would they want her?" Gabe wanted to know. "She doesn't have a Legacy, she isn't a Garde, she only has traces of Lorien blood in her veins."

Moira looked away. "I-I don't know exactly why."

Chloe turned at that.

That wasn't what Moira had said last time.

"Look, I-I know someone-who can see the future. Sometimes. He called me up and told me of something he saw-that somehow, despite not having powers, our daughter is crucial in this battle and the Mogadorians know." Moira flinched. "And I only came here because he told me that if I didn't make her leave here, in four days she was going to be dead by a Mogadorian blade."

Chloe's eyes widened in horror.

What?

Moira looked up at Gabe beseechingly. "It's why I came back, Gabe. To save her."

Gabe looked as if he'd been punched. "Swear to me that you're not lying."

Moira looked slapped. "I wouldn't lie about this Gabriel! I-I might have-she's my daughter! I gave birth to her! I love her! I left so that I could protect her from myself and help save the world she lives in!"

Chloe couldn't look away from her parents, transfixed, conflicted.

"If you don't let Chloe leave with me when I leave tonight, she's going to be killed, and it's going to be your fault." Moira whispered.

Gabe collapsed onto the sofa.

From where she was sitting by the unused fire place, Doll watched them warily.

Finally, Gabe looked up, sighing, jaw tense. "We'll pack the essentials and be here by nine."

Chloe's eyes widened.

"We?" Moira whispered.

Gabe stood, nodding curtly. "I'm coming along as well."

His fierce glare dared Moira to challenge this.

The woman just looked at him in shock, before looking down and smiling softly. "Nine it is then."

Chloe went to her father when he motioned for her to join him.

Standing between her father and mother, looking between them, she gulped.

She was leaving Smallville, definitely not on her own terms, but at least she wasn't forced to leave her father.

Her life was going to change.

She was going to have to adapt to this, to her mother's mission, whatever the hell it was.

But at least it was helping the Numbers, of that Chloe was sure.

Clasping her fingers around Number Five's pendant, Chloe took in the first breath of her new life.

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Am considering writing a sequel in which Chloe meets her Number. Though nothing is planned.

Review?