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Smallville: X-men
Episode 2: Saying Goodbye - Pt. 2
By Geor-sama
Adding a last handful of books to the others inside the large travel case resting on the couch, Clark paused. The loft had been his private sanctuary for so long that seemed strange to see it so empty. The only thing he had yet to pack was the telescope, but it would soon join the rest of his luggage.
Turning away, he zipped his travel case shut and sighed as uncertainty crept over him again. The decision to attend the Institute remained the right one, but doubt still gnawed at him at times. But his doubt gave way to the memory's of a burning classroom and Lana's screams .
Resolve hardened once more, Clark carried the bag to the others. He might not want to go, but to keep those he loved save he had no other choice. Though he hoped to avoid the conflict between the Brotherhood and the X-men.
Of course, thanks to his own experience, he knew better. People like the Brotherhood dragged you into their conflict no matter how hard you tried to avoid it. Worse, the more you tried to stay out of it, the more determined they became to involve you.
Shoulders slumping, Clark sighed.
"Having second thoughts already?"
Grinning Clark turned as his best-friend Pete bound up the last three stairs.
"You know me," Clark said ."Over analyzing everything."
"Yeah, well, I forgive you. Man, this place looks so alien without all your books."
"I know." Clark agreed, somewhat amused at Pete's choice of word.
"So, you're really leaving." Pete said pausing next to the couch. "I never thought I'd see the day you know?"
"I know," Clark said. "But you guys threw me that going away party last night, so now, I'm sorta obligated I think."
"Ha. Ha." Pete said, rolling his eyes, before turning serious. "Have you and Lana talked yet?"
"No, she's been avoiding me since I told her about the scholarship." Clark answered, not hiding his disappointment or annoyance.
"Yeah, I noticed her glaring at you last night." Pete said with a faint chuckle.
"I'm shocked, I was pretty sure you spent all last night fawning over Melissa."
"Please, she was the one all over me." Pete said, then smiled as he added. "We have a date later this week."
"That's great. Just try not to copy any of your brothers moves."
"Yeah, no problem there, I want a second date." Pete said before turning serious. "So, you said you wanted to tell me something last night."
Clark nodded, now unsure if he should go through with what he had planed. It had seemed like such a good idea last night, but now he just...
"I hope its not to admit that you've been spying on Lana all these years with your telescope." Pete said, laughing. "Because Clark, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but me and Chloe have known that for years."
"What? I don't spy on her!" Clark protested, which only made Pete laugh even harder. He glared a this friend until the laughter finally tapered off.
"Relax Clark, we know you don't actually spy on her. You're too much of a boyscout."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"So, if it's not that, what do you need to talk about?" Pete asked. "You made it sound serious."
"I - Pete, you know your my best friend and that you always will be right?"
"Yeah.".
"You're sure?" Clark repeated, nervous and refusing to meet his friends gaze. This went against a lifetime of caution and habit, his parents were going to be furious.
"Clark," Pete said in a voice equal mixes of worried and exasperated "You are my brother. I mean, I'm obviously the good looking one, but out of all my brothers, you're the only one I actually like."
"Good."
"So now will you tell me why we had to have this 'Lifetime-Movie-of-the-week' moment?"
"The thing is," Clark started but faltered, but gathered his nerve and tried again. "Pete, what if you learned something... something big. Important. I mean a huge life altering secret – and it's something that someone has been hiding from you for years."
"Clark," Pete said with surprising calm. "I don't know what you think you know, but I haven't kept anything like that from you."
"What?" Clark asked in surprise, before shaking his head "No, Pete, I'm not talking about you."
"Oh."
"Look, I need you to promise me that you listen to everything I have to say before you do or say thing ok?"
"Ok." Pete said, crossing his arms.
"Thanks." Clark said, unsure how to continue before deciding to follow his dad's example. "The thing is... my parent's, my real parents weren't exactly from around here."
"So where are they from, Topeka?"
"No, I mean..." Clark fumbled for a moment before gesturing at the telescope. "Do you ever wonder why I'm always watching the stars?"
"Because this is Smallville and you live on a farm." Pete deadpanned and at Clark's level look, blinked in sudden realization before he broke into a hysterical fit of laughter.
Clark remained silent, unmoved, letting Pete wear himself out.
"Oh man Clark. You had me going there for a minute." Pete said as he caught his breath. "I mean, seriously. You as an alien, that'd explain so much."
"Pete."
"No. Nu uh, no. There's no way you're from outer space man."
Clark stared at Pete in patient silence, much as his dad had at the beginning of Clark's freshman year.
"Please." Pete scoffed, a note of uncertainty creeping into his voice.
"Pete, I'm not joking."
"Where's your spaceship then? Buried in a field somewhere?"
"Actually, we used to keep it in the storm cellar." Clark said, trying to joke through the awkwardness. "There's no telling where it ended up after the tornado's."
A beat of silence passed.
"You're serious." Pete said, and at Clark's reluctant nod, shook his head in disbelief. "So you're some sort of... what? Martian?"
"I don't think so." Clark said, optimistic at how well things seemed to be going. Of course, Pete could still be in shock, but there was no going back now. "I don't know where I came from, I don't think they ever backtracked the meteor shower."
"So, you're from...you're an alien?"
"Yes." Clark said, flinching at the distrust in Pete's tone. "I grew up here, in Smallville. But I wasn't born here, like I said, we don't know where I came from. Just that I arrived on the day of the meteor shower."
"Wow." Pete whispered, staring at Clark for several long minutes. "Uh, so do you have, you know, like in the movies how some of them have...you know..."
"Powers." Clark said, earning a sheepish nod from Pete. "Yes, I do. I mean, I can't do a mind meld or anything...but I have powers."
"Really?"
Clark considered how to respond to that and decided that a demonstration would be best. With a blur of speed Clark retrieved a crowbar from the workbench below.
"What, wait, how did you-" Pete rambled, staring from the metal bar to Clark and then back.
"Sorry." Clark said with some embarrassment, realizing that it must have looked like the crowbar just appeared in his hands. "I wanted to give a demonstration...so I ran downstairs."
"Are kidding me? That was...just holy crap..."
"Yeah." Clark said, then holding the crowbar up to draw his attention, Clark snapped it in half before wielding it back together with his heat vision.
"Holy shit!" Pete shouted, almost tripping as he stumbled back in shock.
"There are others...but we can talk about them later."
"Others. Right. Later." Pete said, finally collapsing onto the couch.
"Pete-"
"You know, I sort of knew...well about the powers." Pete said while staring at his hands. "I mean, you'd miss the bus almost every day and still get to school ahead of use and those bursts of strength. I just brushed them off..."
After a few moment of watching Pete, Clark realized that he had went a little too far with his demonstration. With an unnoticed smile, Clark decided to return the crowbar to the work bench so Pete could recover. Pete had yet to move when he returned and so Clark stood in the corner, growing ever more nervous as the silence grew.
Finally, Pete mumbled something.
"What?"
"I asked," Pete said, glaring at Clark. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I wanted to. There wasn't a day I didn't want to tell you."
"But you never did."
"I almost told you when we were eight." Clark said in a soft tone. "But my parents told it was too dangerous for anyone else to know."
"What about when we got older? I mean we're in high school! Didn't you think you could trust me?"
"What – of course…Pete, I didn't not tell you because I didn't trust you." Clark protested, then taking a breath to collect his thoughts, continued. "Pete, I would trust you with my life. Actually, I am trusting you with my life."
"Then why?" Pete asked, and beneath the anger, Clark could hear the hurt.
"I was afraid." Clark said quietly. "I knew how angry you'd be with me for keeping it secret, but that wasn't why...I..."
"What then?
"I was afraid of the way you'd look at me, of the way you'd react when you learned I was an alien." Clark said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not human Pete. I look it, but I'm not. And I just - I know your family, but my greatest fear is that when people find out, they'll treat me like a monster."
"So you never told me, because you were a scardy cat?" Pete asked, trying to take the sting out of his words with a joke.
"Well, that and..." Clark paused, studying his friend for a moment. "I also couldn't put you in that kind of danger."
"What danger?"
"When we were kids I didn't understand why my parents were so frightened of anyone finding out about me. But then as I got older, and started reading history and looking online for people like me, I figured it out."
"And?"
"Think about the cold war, how far did the Soviet Union go to 'level the field' with the United States?"
"So..."
"So imagine how far our government or others would go to get a hold of me. Worse, imagine what someone like Lionel Luthor would do to 'level the field'. Do you think any of them would care about the methods they went about getting a hold of me? Can you tell me that you believe for one minute that they would care who they had to hurt to control me?"
Pete said nothing, but from his expression, Clark could tell he realized how serious this was.
"It sucks and I want to hit you, but I understand why you never told me." Pete said after another long stretch of silence. "But now I have to ask, why did you decide to tell me at all?"
"Huh?"
"You're leaving Clark, going hundreds of miles away. So why did you decide to tell me about this now?"
Clark opened his mouth to answer, but stopped.
"Well?"
"There's no one answer." Clark said at last. "But the most important one is that you are my brother. Before I met Chloe or Lex, or fell for Lana you made friends with the weird home schooled kid. We grew up together, we're brothers in everything but blood. If I left without telling you about this, I'd be betraying my family."
"Damn Clark, you could have just said because I wasn't Lex." Pete said, trying to break the tension with humor. "You didn't have to get all emotional on me."
In spite of the joke, Clark see it all the relief, pride and annoyance that Pete felt.
It gave him hope that things were going to be ok between them. Pete was angry of course, but he wasn't going to do something reckless or turn on Clark.
"Hey, this is a big dramatic moment," Clark said with his own humor. "Shouldn't there be a big swelling of emotional music?"
"Yeah," Pete said with a faint grin, before sighing. "So now what?"
A beat.
"Basketball?"
"Basketball." Pete confirmed with a nod.
Antarctica, Unclaimed Territory - 90°W to 150°W...
Thing were progressing quite well in Magneto's opinion.
Xavier remained occupied with Mystique's brotherhood, leaving him unable to hinder the Acolytes missions. It also left Magneto free to focus on his grandest undertaking. Asteroid M would be the haven from which he and the chosen could guide mutantkind to their bright future.
Of course, things had not been easy even without Xavier's interference. Getting the more mundane equipment and materials had been tricky, if pedestrian. Then there were the classified prototypes that generated atmosphere, gravity, and a stealth field.
Those had taken herculean effort to secure.
But by far, the most challenging part of Asteroid M were the needed calculations. The easiest of these being the velocity and vector needed to insert Asteroid M into a stable orbit. The complexity only rose from there, with a hundred other details complicating things further.
As his latest simulation ended in yet another failure, Magneto swore in disgust. The tiniest flaw in these calculations would invite an ecological disaster of unforeseeable proportions. Which Magneto could not allow, if his people were to inherit the earth then it needed to be able to support them.
Resetting the simulation parameters, Magneto revisited the idea of bringing in an outside consultant. His normal consultant, Mister Sinister, was more geneticist than physicist. Thaddeus Sivana Sr. could have been a viable choice if he did not make the devil appear trustworthy. Then there was A.I.M, the jack of all trades in the black market sciences.
Only they co-opted ideas turning them toward ventures too repugnant for words.
His communication suite hummed to life and he broke off further thought on the subject. Stepping away from the simulator and his notes, Magneto checked the connection. Satisfied that the link was secure he waved his hand prompting the red helmet and omega symbol disappeared, replaced by a familiar figure.
Seeing the short man, Magneto wondered why he continued to wear the brown Ulster coat. Though with his muttonchops, it somehow managed to look dignified.
"Magneto, sir."
"Mastermind. I take it you have something of worth to me?"
"Would I contact you with anything less?" Mastermind asked. "The lead my contact within the Department of Extra Normal Operations provided proved correct. At least to a certain extent."
"Meaning?"
The rumor about the sudden influx of mutants in Belle Reve had been intriguing. Though Magneto had not expected anything to come of it, given that Smallville had been the source of rumors for decades. No different than Roswell or Dunwich, plenty of rumors but little proof.
Still Mastermind's D.E.O source held a high level clearance.
"Maddox was correct about Smallville experiencing an influx of new mutants." Mastermind said. "But, there is a serious problem with them."
"Which is?"
"Every single mutant I've interviewed has been psychotic to some degree, a few to the point of making an angry Sabertooth look rational."
"That is a problem." Magneto said. Provided they could serve the cause of Mutantkind, he had no problem with criminals or those with mental disorders. Still there were limits. "Are any of them of use?"
"One or two, perhaps. It appears that the more powerful their gift the more unstable they become."
"Strange, did Maddox hint as to what might cause such instability?"
"The D.E.O. thinks it's linked to the Meteor rocks, if these were simply human mutates the whole town would full of them. But instead it seems that these rocks 'jump started' their X-genes, but in doing so seems too led to mental issues."
"Do they affect natural mutants?"
"Inclusive."
Magneto resisted the urge to sigh, the rocks could have been of use in his enhancement machines, but he dared not risk it.
"Very well. Is there anything else?"
"Yes. I discovered that in each case that the more unstable ones were stopped by the same person. Clark Kent."
"A natural mutant?" Magneto asked.
"I believe so. To everyone else he appears as little more than a bystander, but thanks to my talents I learned the truth. Not only that, but what is truly remarkable is that it appears as though he possess three gifts."
"Three?!" Magneto shouted in shock.
Only a rare few had more than a singular power, it remained unheard of for any mutant to have more than two. Yet, the more he considered it the less outrageous it seemed. Three gifts were possible, especially if one was an outgrowth of another already present.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. My skills may lay with illusions, but I am confident in my telepathic gift." Mastermind said. "Clark Kent has displayed super-strength, super-speed and invulnerability."
"I see. Could you influence him, if needed to?" Magneto asked, mind whirling with the possibilities.
"I don't think believe so." Mastermind said his self-satisfied smile fading. "Besides, from what I learned he's been recruited by Xavier."
"Ah, Charles has ensnared yet another young mind." Magneto said his tone doing nothing to hide the fondness he felt. Xavier was one of the best men he knew and also the most idealistic. "Still, we should look into it further."
"I can keep looking into him from this end."
"Good, but before that, forward your notes to Mystique. No point in risking anything that would push him away from our cause."
"Understood."
Smallville, Ks. - Sullivan Residence...
This time of year always seemed unfair to Chloe. September was full of bright, warm days with only the occasional burst of crisp wind hinting at fall. Even now, toward the end of the month, September refused to give away to the inevitable.
Watching the tree in her backyard sway in the breeze, Chloe thought it more unfair than ever.
Of course, it did not help her mood that Clark would be leaving in the morning. He had been her one constant since moving to Smallville and in less than a day he would be gone. Unfair did not even begin to cover her feelings on the matter.
Some part of Chloe had always thought she and Clark would end up together, that they would have an epic romance. They were best-friends, and while he might not admit it, he did find her attractive. But things never seemed to work out for them...and now she had to try and wrap her mind around Clark being gone.
A Smallville without Clark Kent in it was like a Christmas without presents.
She tried to take comfort in the fact that she still had Pete, that she would not become that isolated weird girl. But still, unfair as it was to think, Pete was not Clark.
Sighing, the normally perky blonde shifted in her seat on the back porch and glowered at the tree.
"So, is the tree a shape shifter?"
Chloe yelped and lunged out of her seat, turning to face her unexpected guest. Clark stood there, hands in the pockets of his red jacket, staring at the tree with a thoughtful frown.
"Clark?" Chloe asked, trying to decide if she was happy or angry at his presence. Jeez, who just snuck up on people like that?
"So?" Clark asked, glancing away from the tree as he reached up to adjust his glasses with a smile. "Meteor mutant, or some government experiment gone horrible wrong?"
"What?" Chloe asked, thrown by not only his question but also the new black framed glasses that he had decided to wear.
Ugh, only Clark could wear something so dorky and still make it hot, so not fair.
"The tree. You were staring at it so hard I figured it had to be a shape shifter."
"Oh." Chloe said as she blushed. Turning away, she focused on the tree, trying to buy some time. "It's just a tree...I hope...cause one Tina was enough."
"Yeah. So, what were you doing staring at the tree?"
"Just thinking," Chloe said, turning back to him. "At least I was before you decided to be all 'ninja Clark' and scare me out of my skin."
"Sorry," Clark said. "I didn't think you'd be that out of it."
"It's ok. So, what brings you all the way out here?"
"I can't visit you?"
"Of course you can," Chloe said with a grin. "But you don't normally come to see me you know."
"I come to see you."
"Yes, you do." Chloe said with a nod. "But never at my house."
"Well, it's..."
"It's ok Clark." Chloe interrupted, touching his shoulder "Really, you're just not the visiting sort."
"Yeah," Clark said, reaching up to squeeze her hand.
For a brief moment, it seemed that everything that had happened between them faded away. At least, until Chloe pulled her hand away and she noticed a flash of something in his eyes. She wanted to talk about it, that look, filled her so many questions, but she did not.
"Chloe?"
"Yes?"
"Do you remember when we were in the forest after the tornado's?" Clark said, meeting her gaze. "When we were looking for my dad?"
"Yes, of course I do Clark." Chloe said, a shiver running through her at the memory. It had not been a good day, her dad had been missing just like Clark's, and Clark had ditched her at the dance.
"I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and what we talked about." Clark said voice nervous.
"I get that." Chloe said, gnawing at her lower lip as she studied his profile. "But we agreed that we're nothing more than really good friends."
There was a pause, filled with a strange sort of anticipation.
"You're destined for big things Chloe." Clark said at last, "I also know that no matter what, we'll always be in each others lives."
"You think so, huh?" Chloe asked with pride, but also realized that they had missed their chance again.
"Oh yeah," Clark said with a grin "Your like a bad Penny, I couldn't get rid of you if I tried."
"Funny, real funny." Chloe countered with a mock pout, wiping furiously at her tears.
"Seriously though," Clark said, pulling her into a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you... or Pete."
"Spiral into a frenzy of tossing bales of hay and reciting overly-maudlin poems outside Lana's window." Chloe said, hugging him tight.
At least she would have this moment.
Cross Plains, Tx. ...
Jean Grey grimaced as she hurried along the sidewalk, pulling her jacket tighter. A minute later, she huffed in annoyance and paused long enough to pull her red hair into a ponytail. That done, she resumed following the lingering psychic impression of her current target, Logan.
It was hard to follow, and most likely, the older mutant wanted his privacy, but she needed to talk with him.
This had been her first recruitment mission since the debacle with Rogue and they had failed. Again. It hurt worse than she expected, all the silent promises of how she would do better, scattered to the wind.
Jean knew she was taking it harder than she should, but she could not help it. Because, unlike Kitty and Kurt, she and Scott were Professor Xavier's first students. That position carried a lot of expectation and responsibility.
Noticing a blinking crosswalk light ahead, Jean quickened her pace. Sadly she did not make it in time and ended up needing to wait on the light. Setting off once the light changed again, Jean wondered why Logan had to be so difficult.
She thought about making Logan skip around while singing 'I'm a little teapot'.
Jean pushed her amusing daydream aside as she realized that she had found Logan. For a moment Jean, stared at the plain exterior and the battered neon sign saying 'Chasn Tavern'. She sighed, wishing it surprised her that he was in a bar. But she had known him long enough to realize that he was far from being a social person. As a matter of fact he had a tendency to ditch people without a word. Storm complained about it all the time, and even the Professor had his own wry observations.
Gathering her resolve Jean, opened the door and entered.
The interior was low light and smoke filled, with sawdust on the floor and scratchy music in the air. Then there were the stares she received, Jean knew herself to be attractive so it did not surprise her. Still she made it a point of sending out a low grade telepathic command to nudge their attention away from her. As the patrons turned back to their drinks, Jean headed for the bar, grimacing at the tacky-wet floor.
This place was nothing like the dance club she had snuck into with her friends from the soccer team. Of course, it also did not match how she pictured a bar Logan might frequent. Reaching the bar, Jean leaned against the battered counter and stared at the hunched form of Logan. If noticed or cared, he gave no sign content to drink his beer and puff on his cigar.
She considered ranting at him, or using her telekinesis to take his cigar or beer away, but she did not want to fight.
"Can I help you with something Red?" Logan asked at last, tapping his cigar in an ashtray.
"I just..." Jean said, and then stopped, reconsidering her words.
"If this is about earlier, deal with it." Logan grunted. "We got scooped, it happens."
"I know, but, I just...doesn't it bother you?" Jean asked, taking the stool beside him.
"Red, I've been doing this a long time. I might not remember much, but from what I do remember this is not my first dance with this sort of thing."
"So...you're not bothered by this?" Jean asked, frowning in confusion.
"Bothered?" Logan asked, giving her a glare. "Hell yes I'm bothered, I'm downright pissed."
"Well, you're not acting like it!"
"Just because I'm pissed, doesn't mean I'm going to pout or get all worked up over it."
"But how can you not?" Jean asked, irritation leaking into her voice.
"Experience." Logan grunted, and then taking a drink of his beer sighed. "Look, we both know this ain't about me. This is about you and Cyke."
Jean said nothing, surprised that he was so insightful, though maybe she should not be.
"You two are the 'leaders' and this is the first time you got knocked on your asses like this. You're trying to get a handle on it, wondering what the hell you're supposed to do and all sorts of other stupid psychobabble."
"And?" Jean asked when he fell silent.
"There's only one thing you can do Red, and that is get up, dust yourselves off, and try again."
"That's it?" Jean asked, disappointed. She appreciated him trying to help her, but still, that was not what she expected.
"Like a pretty good movie said 'The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. Life hits harder than anything, and it'll beat you down if you let it. All you can do is take the hits and keep moving forward.'"
Jean remained quiet, pondering what he had said and what it meant for her. She decided he was right, was that not why she had agreed to go on this recruitment trip? It was just harder than she expected and she had lost sight of that for a moment.
"Now, if you're done bothering me go shopping." Logan grumbled. "Hell, you're in a damn bar, have a beer."
Jean's eyes widened in surprise at that and Logan smirked as he motioned the bartender to give him a refill.
Smallville, Ks. - Kent Farm...
"Hi."
Clark gave a start at the voice and his hands crumpled the edge of the engine casing of the tractor. Panicked he spun around as he stood to face the dark-haired beauty Lana Lang, blocking her view. Not that he should have bothered, Lana had her attention focused on the ground and seemed nervous.
After they both stood there in awkward silence for what seemed like hours, he cleared his throat.
"Lana?"
"I hope I'm not interrupting." Lana said, looking at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
"No, of course not." Clark said, thankful that she had not caught him while he had been changing the oil or tire. He mentally cringed picturing Lana walking in as he held the tractor aloft like a beach ball.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I was just...chores, you know, before I leave in the morning."
"Right." Lana said, shifting her weight. "Uh, can we take a walk?"
"Uh...sure, yeah," Clark said, an odd weight settling in his stomach.
As they left the barn, Clark debated about what he should say, but came up blank. He had played out how conversation with Lana would go several times, to the point that he was almost sick of it. But Lana was Lana, he had liked her since the first time he saw her and at least she was finally talking to him.
Lana led the way across the yard in silence heading for a field, where Clark could see Lana's horse waiting. Reaching the fence, they both climbed over and resumed their walk in silence. At last Clark got fed up with the silence and decided to at least try and talk it out.
"So, I thought you were mad me."
"I was." Lana said in a small voice, before shaking her head. "I mean, I understood why you accepted the scholarship. It's a huge opportunity for you and everything. But, I just...the more I thought about it, the more upset I got."
"What?" Clark asked, thrown by that. "Why?"
"That's just it Clark, I was so angry I wasn't even thinking about why I was angry." Lana said, coming to a stop as she took a deep breath. Turning to face him, she continued with fierce determination. "But I finally figured it out and I couldn't let you leave thinking I hated you."
"Ok?" Clark asked, unable to hide his confusion. "So what made you so mad?"
"That's just it Clark, I wasn't mad."
Neither of them said anything else until they reached her horse.
"The thing is, for the all the problems I had with Whitney before he joined the Marines when I learned he was leaving, I went through the same thing." Lana said, turning to face Clark. "But I had...I mean, you were here for me Clark. Part of me actually thought...I got so upset because..."
"Because..." Clark echoed, trying to prompt her to continue.
"Because, I had started to convince myself that you would always be there for me, like in a fairy tale." Lana said at last, giving him a sad look. "That you were my personal white knight, even with all your secrets and disappearing."
"Lana -"
"Clark, it's ok." Lana said, and then after a moment swung herself into the saddle. "The thing is I finally realized I'm too old for fairy tales and white knights."
Lana gave him one last look with a face full of regret and resolve, before she urged her horse into motion.
"Goodbye Lana." Clark whispered when she at last disappeared beyond the horizon.
He stood there for several more minutes, staring after until at last he let out a heavy breath. Turning he made his way back to the barn, caught in a swirl of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Climbing over the fence Clark did his best to push it all aside, but found it hard to dismiss the what-if's and could-have beens.
"Clark? I thought you were working on the tractor?"
Clark blinked, jerked out of his thoughts and focused on his dad who was standing in front of the barn.
"Lana came 'round and wanted to talk."
"Ah," Jonathan said, his face turning sympathetic. "How'd that go?"
"About like I expected." Clark said in a sad tone, prompting his dad to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"I know you wanted things to be different, but you have to do what's right even if the rest of the world never knows. Remember, we don't do things for praise. We do them because their right, and because they need to be done."
"I know pa, I get it." Clark said, before adding with a sigh. "But it still sucks."
"Yeah, yeah, I suppose it does."
"So," Clark said, changing the subject. "Did you need something?"
"Ah, no, not really." Jonathan said. "Just wanted to check up on you, you're normally done with the tractor by now."
"Yeah." Clark said, and then groaned. "It's going to take me a little longer...Lana, startled me..."
"I see." A beat. "Well, don't take too long. Your mom's got a big going away dinner planned and we've got to get up early to make it to the airport on time."
"I won't." Clark said giving his dad a reassuring smile. Jonathan stared at him for a moment, then squeezing his shoulder headed back to the house.
Clark sighed and headed into the barn. Between his heat vision and strength the dents were easy enough to bend back to place. After that it took him no time to finish what he was doing before Lana arrived.
This turned out to be a good thing, no sooner had he finished than another visitor arrived.
"Thought you had a meeting Lex?" Clark asked without turning.
"How did you know it was me?" Lex asked sounding curious.
Turning Clark grinned at his bald friend, and then cast an eye at his dress shoes. "Mud on nine hundred dollar shoes has its own sound."
"You never cease to surprise me." Lex said, grinning.
"Nah, my dad can do it better." Clark said, returning the grin. "So?"
"Postponed." Lex said, holding his hand up to reveal a present. "Besides, I missed your going away party."
"It's ok Lex." Clark said shaking his head, before motioning that they should head up to the loft. "I actually spent most of the day saying goodbye to everyone all over again. It got a bit awkward."
Lex laughed.
"So, are you nervous? I mean, you're moving across the country without your family."
"It's a new experience," Clark said as he and Lex moved to the loft window. "But I'm not nervous. Besides, I look at what happened when you moved here and figure things didn't turn out so bad for you."
"Exception to the rule Clark," Lex quipped, chuckling. "I moved to Smallville and found the one guy I could trust. That's a rare thing to find, especially on the first day in town."
"Maybe," Clark said experiencing a mixture of guilt and wariness. "But I can hope can't I?"
"That's one thing I've always appreciated about you Clark. You never stop dreaming, that's a powerful thing. Dreamers are the ones that change everything."
"I'm just a farm boy from Kansas."
"Einstein worked in the patent office, Ford started out as a watch repairman, and Lincoln ran a small general store." Lex said voice firm. "It doesn't matter where you start Clark, only that you dream big and go after it with everything you have."
"What about you Lex?" Clark asked, chuckling self-consciously. "Are you going to change the world?"
"For now I'm going to change my little corner of it." Lex said before tossing Clark the bundle he had been carrying. "The rest of the world is on my 'to do' list."
Catching the wrapped item, Clark chuckled before turning the gift over in his hands. He could peek of course, but he did not want to ruin the surprise.
"Well, come on. Open it." Lex encouraged with a grin, hands in the pocket of his black overcoat. "I promise it won't bite."
Giving Lex a look of mock suspicion Clark did as directed, undoing the string and letting the brown wrapping fall away to reveal a black leather case. He glanced up at Lex, noted how smug he seemed and then opened the case itself. Inside was a book with a partially faded green cover showing a crude rocket heading toward the moon. Above that, in large diagonal white letters was the title 'From the Earth to the Moon'.
Clark blinked, staring at the book. "This is...you didn't have..."
"What give you a book?" Lex asked, smirking. "Clark, I figured it would be something you would appreciate, at least more than I would. It always struck me as more of a physics class in narrative form than an adventure. Besides, it was just gathering dust in my library."
"Yeah, but Lex -"
"Ahut! No buts. I know Kent's have trouble accepting gifts from Luthor's, but let's try and overcome that." Lex said, holding a finger up. "This isn't like a truck, I mean yes it's a first edition, but it's more than that."
"Ok," Clark said, looking at the book once more. "Why this book?"
"Honestly?" Lex asked, walking over to join Clark beside the window and stared up at the stars. "Because I never use to look up and wonder. Ever since you saved my life and became my friend, I've found myself looking up and wondering. That book, as dry as I find the writing and as one-dimensional as I think the characters are, is all about looking up and asking 'What-if?'."
"Thanks." Clark said with quite appreciation.
Lex looked at him and they shared a smile.
"What are friends for?"
AN:
Asteroid M location - Honestly, I did a lot of looking to find out where it was located. I found one source that said the 'Arctic' and the rest just said basically 'space'. One image had what appeared to be icy tundra and an Aurora band, but that did not really help. Both the Arctic and the Antarctic have Aurora. (FYI so does South America, Australia and New Zealand. I did not know that until now.)
So I did some *further* research, looking at both the Arctic and Antarctic...and ultimately decided to use the Antarctic, because it seems to have far less activity going on and plenty of room to operate out of. Besides this is an AU, so things are obviously going to be different.
Update - Yes, I did another update, don't expect double updates every month. I happened to noticed that day was the 10th and since I promised to update on the 10th...I had to.
Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter.
Geor-sama