Aereopagitica: Monday [6-26]

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana opened the shop on time, despite having had a surprisingly unsettled night. She'd had a quiet day Sunday, but for some reason her sleep had been uneasy - filled with nightmares and strange noises. She definitely looked a bit the worse for wear.

Comments

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Lana."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana looked up, surprised to hear someone speaking when she hadn't heard the door open. Her mouth dropped open when she saw who was standing there. "Whitney?!"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Nice to see you remember me."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She wanted to go over to him, touch him, throw her arms around him, but his expression suggested that was the last thing he'd want from her, so she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"I... I thought... you were dead."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I am dead. Thanks in large part to you."

He looked away from her, scanning the store absently. "I got a sort of Get Out of Hell Free card to come see you. Kind of glad they picked me. There were a lot of us to choose from you know."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "I don't understand. A lot of you to choose from?"

Part of her thought she ought to be freaking out right about now, but this was Fandom... Ghosts shouldn't surprise her, right?

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

He gave her that scornful look that always made her cringe. "Don't be stupid, Lana. Think about how many people have died around you or because of you. You don't think most of them wouldn't have enjoyed the opportunity to come back and get in a last word or two?"

He took a step toward her. "My death was your fault, Lana. I got that damn Dear John video just as we were gearing up for a mission and I couldn't get my head in the game. You were all that had kept me going over there. I knew I could get through it because you were home, waiting for me - loving me. How stupid could I have been? You couldn't wait for me to leave. How long was it before you were dating Clark, huh? Did you leave me at the bus stop and head right back to go to the prom with him?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"God, Whitney, no. I would never have done that to you. I -"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

He cut her off. "Save it for someone who believes your sweet-faced little lies, Lana. That's not me. Not anymore. You broke up with me while I was fighting for our country - scared and alone overseas. I carried your picture in my pocket, like some good luck charm - everyone was jealous of my girl back home. Until you dumped me on that damn tape you sent over."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I never meant to hurt you," Lana said and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. "You have to believe me, Whitney. I never wanted to hurt you."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

He got up almost in her face. "I don't have to believe anything you say ever again. I died because I trusted you and you betrayed me."

He turned as if to leave. "Oh yeah, one more thing. As I understand it, your parents had first shot at coming here, but they were too disgusted with what you've become to want to see you again. Just a little something to think about until I come back. And believe me... I will be back. Sooner than you'd like."

And he was gone as if he'd never been there.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana stood frozen for a moment, then collapsed into tears.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

There were a few places one could get a newspaper in this town, but today Clark chose the bookstore.

He stopped suddenly when he saw the state Lana was in. "Lana?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana covered her face with her hands. "Whitney was here," she managed. "He said... terrible things."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark squared his jaw yeah right like it could get any squarer.

"Who's whitney?" he asked gently.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"My old boyfriend," she said through her tears. "My old dead boyfriend."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark really should have been used to these things by now, but his jaw still dropped in shock. "What? How?" At least he didnt' think she was hallucinating.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," she said. "I wish to God I did so I could make sure he never came back again!"

She dropped her face back down into her hands.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark swallowed and tentatively put an arm around her. It was kind of strange, he'd had a crush on a version of her when he was a kid, but this version, he imagined this was what it might feel like to have had a sister.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder and let herself cry.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark stood, his arms around her, and let her cry. He remembered what his mother had done when he'd cried and made soft comforting noises like she had.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana managed to get her sobs under control and pulled back. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like this."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

"That's okay." Clark said, handing her a handkerchief. yes, he had a handkerchief. "That's part of what friends are for."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," Lana said, wiping her eyes. "It's just so... terrible to get the chance to see him again and have it be like this."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark thought. Every ghost story he'd heard had some kind of trigger. "How, how long ago did he die?" he asked.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"About a year ago," Lana said quietly. "He was killed in action overseas. Just after I broke up with him."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Ouch. "Are we, I'm sorry, but are we near the anniversary of that or anything?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana shook her head. "No, not really."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark looked confused and thoughtfull. "I don't really know anyting about ghosts," Clark said. Or mental instability beyond megalomania if such was the case. "But all the stories I've heard, there's some sort of trigger for them showing up."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I don't know what it could have been," she said. "I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark sighed. Even Superman would have trouble with this one. "Sorry I can't be of more help. My Smallville was rather short on spooks."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"It's all right. I appreciate the thought. Hopefully, he won't come back again."

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark nodded. "Let's hope."