AN: Oh my gosh. I so had heard rumors about Ryan being still alive for season 7. I so hope so!!! For anyone that doesn't get it, it takes place after Crimson. Enjoy!!!

Lois Lane paced in her cousin's apartment. She couldn't stop thinking about the day before. Although some of it was cloudy, she basically remembered most of it and that's what was making her heart race.

She'd remembered going to the Talon and talking to a strange lady who offered here a red lipstick that was sure to bring her love. After applying it, she remembered acting strangely around Clark. He'd acted normal at first, shrugging her off, but then when she'd kissed him, he'd suddenly changed; he'd become dangerous in a way.

She remembered him taking her into a room and telling her about Oliver and him being the Green Arrow, but somehow that didn't seem important after he'd grabbed her and jumped over several buildings and landed in Oliver's apartment.

Lois sighed in memory of the exhilarating jump. Clark had been hiding such a secret and she wondered who else knew. Did Lana, his current love, know? What about his best friend Chloe, her cousin? Lois sighed and smiled to herself. She couldn't help but feel utter bliss.

Of course she'd always thought that he was cute, in a farm boy way, but the super strength and the dangerous side of him, really made her excited. She couldn't wait to see him again.

The buzz didn't last long as she reminded herself that Clark had clearly stated who he wanted last night. He'd been all over her, until he saw Lana. Lois felt a pang of jealousy hit her. Her mind went back to last night, just before Chloe had saved her from the spell of the lipstick. She'd told Clark that she was his future, and he'd said, almost laughing, that it was the present that they were in and ran off with a distraught Lana.

Lois felt a tear roll down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away. This wasn't the true Lois Lane. Lois Lane didn't cry over a guy, and especially not over Clark. Just because he had powers didn't change the way she felt about him, did it? He was still just Clark wasn't he? Plus he loved Lana still, and she wouldn't be a rebound for anyone. She'd just have to keep her memories of last night to herself and go on as if she didn't know about his powers and if she didn't feel anything right now, even though she wasn't sure of what she was feeling.

Clark Kent was sprawled on the couch thinking about the day before. He'd been once again under the wonderful yet, at the same time, terrible red kryptonite. Of course, he had all his memories of night and although some made him smile, others made him cringe.

He'd crashed Lana's wedding party and dragged her out of there. He'd acted like a fool in front of her, even though all the things he'd said, he felt. He couldn't believe that he'd done that. Or that he had been ready to kill Lex to be with Lana. If it hadn't been for his mom and the green kryptonite she brought, he didn't know what he would have done.

Shaking his head, he got up and went into the kitchen to get a snack. As he opened the refrigerator, the phone rang. Clark paused for a second and closed the fridge, thinking about where he'd left the phone. After the second ring, he remembered that he'd left it in the barn, and wouldn't have heard it if it hadn't been for his super-hearing. Super-speeding to the barn, he picked it up before it could ring again.

" Hello?" he said, answering the phone.

" Clark?" said a low voice of a young boy.

Clark's eyes bulged and his heart began to race. Could it be? Was it just his imagination or did that sound like Ryan? Clark would have given anything to have saved his pal. But he couldn't have done anything more.

" Ryan?" Clark's voice broke slightly with emotion.

" It's me. I know you thought I was dead, and I can't explain now, but I need you to come find me. Lex has me under experiments at this 33.1 lab. I don't know where I am exactly, but I need your help. Please Clark, only you can save me."

Clark was just about to respond when the line went blank. He couldn't believe that Ryan was still alive? How was that possible? Clark shook his head, either the death had been a scram with a clone, or Lex had brought him back with kryptonite. Clark shuddered. He needed Chloe's help. Pressing her number on his phone's speed-dial, he waited for her to pick up. She did on the second ring.

" Chlo. It's me. I need your help. I can't explain now but I need you to trace a call. I'll be right over," he said as he dropped the phone and super-sped to her apartment. Within a few seconds, he was knocking on her apartment.

Chloe opened the door and quickly ushered him in. " You're lucky, Lois just left… So that number?"

Clark stood there stunned for a second as he remembered kissing Lois. When Chloe gave him a weird look, Clark quickly snapped out of it and gave her the number. After quite some time of Chloe hacking, they got an address. Clark thanked his best friend with a smile and then super-sped to the address.

Just as Ryan had said on the phone, it was a 33.1 building, full of meteor-infected people. Clark mentally noted that he would come back and save the others later, but his buddy came first. As Clark broke in silently and quickly, he searched all the rooms, until he found stairs leading to the basement. Clark super-sped down them and into the room.

Seeing Ryan helplessly drugged and semi-unconscious on an experimenting table, raged Clark. Looking around the room, he found it empty for some reason and decided not to question it now but just hurry to save his friend. Maybe he could make it out of there without having to hurt anyone.

Ripping the metal pieces holding him down, Clark helped his buddy unto his shoulders. Making sure that he was in fact breathing, Clark super-sped out of there, burning all cameras with his heat-vision.

Once back at his house, he placed Ryan on the couch and called Chloe again. Asking her if she could come over, so that he could explain. Also, he was sure that Chloe would love to see Ryan again too. Plus, since his mother was out of town doing some senator business, he could use the company. He just hoped that his little buddy would be okay. He'd been through so much already.