Here is the final part of my 'Commitment' trilogy. I hope you like it as much as the first two.
Spoilers: Anything in Smallville is fair game.
Answers
Clark sighs. "Well, Lois, please sit down." Now more curious than ever, Lois sees that Clark and Chloe both have serious expressions on their faces, she sits down. Clark starts pacing. Lois clears her throat and startles Clark. "Sorry, Lois. It's just; this is hard, really hard. I've only done this a few times, but it never gets easier." He takes a deep breath. "I guess I could just answer your questions in order. What was the first one? On, yeah, closed elevator. That can be explained by my… very… very good… hearing. The second one about saving you and Chloe. That is usually a combination of all of my… abilities? Powers? Gifts or curses? I guess that depends on the day. And for the third question, BDA. Chloe knows I don't especially like that term."
Chloe interrupts. "Well, BDA sounds better than BDGT."
Clark inclines his head. "The initials do, but the word doesn't. Do you really want to know what it stands for Lois?" He looks up at Lois.
Lois is staring into space, trying to wrap her head around Clark's second answer. He said he has abilities. What does he mean by abilities? Is he one of those meteor-infected people Chloe used to write about at the Torch, her high school paper? But every single one Lois had ever come in contact were insane or homicidal. Or both. But Clark was so… not insane, not homicidal. Without answering or even acknowledging Clark's query, Lois mutters, "You're a meteor freak?" Clark and Chloe both wince at that. Lois notices and states, "What? It's what you two called them, especially you Chlo."
Before Lois can say anything further, Clark speaks up. "Yes, that what we used to call people infected by the green kr- er… meteors, but we don't anymore." He glances at Chloe, who nods, telling him she's okay. "And, no, I am not of the meteor-infected populace. The people who I've… come against who found out some part of my abilities have assumed that. Chloe even once thought that. I've been like this almost all of my life. At least, my earliest memory. I didn't always have every single power. They came in at intervals. My hearing, the one that got me caught tonight, didn't manifest until I was seventeen, junior year of high school. I was temporarily blinded when my friend Pete was kidnapped, and I learned to use what I heard to find him." Clark stops and sits down. "You see, Lois, I'm exactly from around here. You know I'm adopted, right?"
"I had heard that, but never really thought about it. You and your parents always seemed to just belong together. But what do you mean about not being from around here? You mean from Smallville?"
Clark smiles at that. "Thank you, Lois, that means a lot to me. And I don't mean from Smallville." At that, he pauses.
After a few moments of silence, Lois can't take anymore. "Okay, you seem to need a few minutes to finish that answer. So, Chloe, maybe you can answer your question." Chloe looks at her. "The one about the Kent non-verbal's? When did you become fluent?"
Clark chuckles and both girls glare at him. But Chloe answers. "Well, the non-verbal's aren't just Kent-related. I think of it as Club Clark's Secret secret code. For a long time, the Kent's were the only members, and they have the most practice, that's why most people associate it with them. But I remember when Pete, our other best friend in high school joined the exclusive club all because of the secret code." Clark rolls his eyes and sighs. Chloe smirks at him and says, "What, he did. And Lois is going to have to learn it, because you seem to be making her a member of this ever-growing circle."
Clark scoffs and retorts, "It's not ever growing."
Chloe raises her eyebrow. "It's not. Would you like me to make a list of who are members?"
Clark shouts "No!" while Lois, who had been watching the two go back and forth, says, "Yes."
Chloe shots a victorious grin and proceeds to list everyone. "Well, the charter members are the elder Kent's, seeing as how they kept it from my favorite BDA for twelve years. And then there's Clark, who knew part but not all until he was fifteen. Pete was next, and Clark only told him after he found a certain something. Which, by the way, Clark, I am still jealous about. And then there was Dr. Virgil Swan. And then Kayla and her grandfather. I wonder what happened to Professor Willowbrooke? And then there was his student who tried to kill Lionel. Can't forget about Ryan; I still miss that little kid. Alicia was mostly in the know. And then there's me, who found out from her. Let's not forget Lionel, who was his father's vessel." Lois starts to interrupt, but Chloe cuts her off. "That's a long story that I'll let Clark tell you. Who else knows? Lana knows, finally. Dr. Swan's daughter, who only knew a bit because her father, the Teague's, the Queens, and Lionel formed a little group all about him. And because of all that Lex found out. Now if we just knew where he was, because I really hope wherever he is, he has amnesia. Kara obviously knew, because she's his only biological relative that's actually alive. And let's not forget Ollie and his little band of merry men and woman. And then there are the various people who had acquired different abilities and went insane from the green meteors. And the special criminals that only Clark could go after. I think that's a fairly large group. Especially when Clark didn't tell any of us willingly, and some knew more than he did before he did."
Clark had his head in his hands, shaking from either laughter or what Chloe couldn't tell. Lois just stares at Clark for a minute, trying to comprehend the list of people in on Clark's secret. But the two names she heard were Lana and Ollie. "Okay, I think I get Lana being on there, but Oliver? Why is Oliver in the know? Unless…" She thinks for a second before it dawns on her. "You both know Oliver's secret." Chloe nods her head, but Clark blushes. "Clark, why are you blushing? Oh, my God! He told me it was a friend covering for him, but I didn't even know you were friends. That was YOU!" Lois stands up and moves to hit Clark, but Chloe stands in her way.
Before the glare of death gets to bad Chloe explains, "Here, take this." This being the magazine Chloe used to hit Clark with earlier. Lois raises her eyebrow, but just says. "Trust me, you'll need it. I learned that the hard way." Lois rolls her eyes, but takes the magazine anyway and proceeds to hit Clark with it. When she's finished, the poor magazine is ragged. "Better?" Chloe asks.
"A little" is her answer. "So, why did I need the magazine? I hit Clark all the time."
Chloe looks to Clark and nods her head, as if to say, "You tell her."
Clark sits up in his chair and exhales heavily. "Well, Lois, if you would have hit me like you wanted to, you would have a shattered hand. I will explain that but I think I'll answer one of your very first questions. BDA is Chloe's… nickname for me when I'm being particularly stupid. I really don't like it, but I can't get her to stop using it. It stands for Big, Dumb…. Alien." Clark says the 'alien' so softly Lois can't hear it.
"What was that?"
Again, Clark slumps and puts his head in his hands. "Alien. The A is for Alien."
The time Lois hears it and she starts laughing. She thinks Clark was joking, but when neither her cousin nor her best friend laugh with she looks up. They are both staring at her, completely serious. "Wait, you're serious? You're a… an alien." Clark nods, and Lois turns to Chloe. She nods as well. "Okay, if you're an alien, where are you from?" At this, the other two look at her like she's crazy. "What?"
Chloe looks at Clark, who now has a look of guarded hope on his face. "You're… okay with this?" she asks, intent on protecting her best friend, even from her cousin.
"Well, it certainly explains a lot, doesn't it?" is Lois's answer. "Now, come on, where are you from?"
***********************
The three friends spent the rest of the night talking about Clark and his Kryptonian heritage, at least as much as he knew. Lois got a display of every one of Clark's powers, some she liked, some she didn't.
"So, x-ray vision, huh? What color underwear am I wearing?"
"Pink." All involved blushed.
"And super-speed? Well, can you go by the Planet and grab the file for Queen Industries of my desk?"
Almost before she was finished, there was a burst of wind. "You get used to that." Chloe said. Not even a minute late, Clark was back, file in hand.
Finally, all three crashed on the floor of Chloe's living room. Clark was the first one up the next morning, and fixed breakfast for them. Since Chloe was low on supplies, he went to the farm to get the food.
Lois and Chloe woke to the smell of coffee and bacon a little after ten. They all ate, cleaned up the kitchen, and then Clark made his excuse to leave. "I have some work to do at the farm, but if you have any more questions, Lois, just come by and I'll answer them."
When the two cousins were left alone, Chloe turned to Lois and asked something that had been bugging her all night. "What wouldn't you ever admit to Clark, Lois?"
Lois blushed and then muttered, "I would never admit to Clark that when he does his whole recue thing, I think he's really sexy."
When Chloe realized what her cousin said, she burst out laughing.
So, what do you think?
