ACT II
Chapter 3 - Watchtower

Clark zipped back into the watchtower.

Dr. Hamilton, Oliver and Chloe all glanced up from the bank of monitors.

"There was no sign of Corben at the warehouse. Tess was telling the truth, he's fully operational and apparently still has a major grudge against the Blur." Clark had just returned from checking out all the possible leads that Tess Mercer had given him. "The Kandorians still deny their involvement in his creation but I would not put it past them to lie about it in order to keep me involved in their plans."

Oliver nodded. "We were tracing Alia. She was tracking you when you were at the warehouse."

Clark hadn't noticed her presence. He had been distracted the last two days with his visitor from the future. "I must be getting sloppy, I didn't realize she was there."

Dr. Hamilton punched up a map on one of the monitors. "She isn't exhibiting any signs of extraordinary behavior. But she is the most unique of the Kandorians as far as we can tell."

"She's dangerous." Clark glanced at all three of them. "She's more than willing to kill any one of you in order to get to me. Just keep your distance when it comes to her. She didn't track me here did she?"

"Relax Clark." Chloe punched up a video feed showing Alia, wearing a familiar looking scarf in front of her face near the monorail tracks stop and turn around and disappear. "She never actually came back into Metropolis. She's been watching Smallville more closely."

Clark felt his heart rate increase. "The farm?"

"No, she's safe." Oliver gave him a reassuring glance. "Alia's been investigating the gorge and Crater Lake."

"AC?" Clark asked.

Oliver nodded. "He'll be here tomorrow to see what she's been doing there. He's the one best suited for jumping in a lake."

Dr. Hamilton took the momentary pause as the opportunity to chime in with the burning question. "Has there been any change in the visitor from the future?" He had been contacted to run a preliminary examination on Garth after he had appeared at the Kent farm. Due to his alien biology, and avoiding losing another member of their team in the hospital, Clark suggested to the others that they leave him at the farm as it only appeared to be a comatose state that Garth was in. The fact that Clark had revealed to him that the red haired young man was actually a visitor from one thousand years in the future had been truly fascinating to the doctor.

Clark nodded. "Lois sent a text that he was up and she was going to give him something to eat." Lois had been under the assumption that Garth was a cousin of Kara's and Clark had been visiting his family while she had been missing. The lies bothered him, but he had felt it was the best thing to do under the circumstances.

Oliver winced. "Oh, that can't be good."

Chloe glared at Oliver and he shrugged. She turned back to Clark, "I'm sure she won't try and make anything too elaborate that could kill Garth."

Clark looked at her without saying anything.

"Any ideas as to how our friend from the future made his return visit?" Chloe asked.

Clark shook his head. "No idea. He was in uniform but didn't have his ring and he was unconscious when he was there. Now that he's awake, I'll see what he remembers about coming here."

He stopped talking and looked out over the view of the city.

Oliver walked up to him and looked at him more closely, his eyes examining Clark standing there looking out over the city. Clark turned to face him and the concern that had been hidden just behind his eyes dropped as he smiled at Oliver.

Oliver raised his eyebrows signaling that he was ready to listen. Clark gave a small laugh to himself realizing he'd been caught in a moment of reflection.

"Yeah," Oliver started. "The whole looming shadow over your head and carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders is hardly noticeable when you smile like that."

Clark couldn't help but laugh slightly at the imagery.

"There's that rainbow smile of yours that all the girls go for," Oliver teased.

"All the girls?" Clark asked.

Oliver nodded. "Well, Zee, Dinah, Mia have all expressed thoughts at one time or another that they thought you were a pretty man."

Clark glared. "You're the pretty boy. Not me."

Oliver gestured with his head out towards the city. "What's really on your mind?"

Clark turned back towards the window, "It's just," he stopped thinking about the last time he'd seen Rokk and had been told he had one day left to live. He still hadn't opened up about that to Lois, but she'd let it go, as she'd let so many things go when he seemed to have to disappear out of the blue or just wouldn't say certain things. The whole honest, open and mature relationship he'd been hoping for was there, it was just, now he was the person in the relationship who was definitely not being open.

Clark thought about what he really wanted to say and opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. Trying to find words to express anxiety seemed odd to him. He took another breath. "The last time I had a visitor from the future, it was to warn me of my impending death."

Unsure how to react, Oliver remained silent and stared out the window as well.

"I let Lois get kidnapped, right from under my nose. I couldn't save Corben, and he's out there gunning for me. I have a murderer from the future running around displaying powers and stalking me, I have the Kandorian army trying convince me to join them in arms against human kind. Mercer is a time bomb who knows everything about me and is trying to manuveur her way into position to best support her own needs. And now I have another visitor from the future who may have come back to warn me that I've already screwed things up again royally. The last time that happened, Jimmy died, Lois took a one-way trip to the future. What could happen now?"

Oliver sighed. "Well, there are two things to keep in mind, Clark. Time travel? While a little over my head, I'm sure he's going to give you relevant information that could help with everything. Even if it is just to deliver a warning, you'd at least know then. We all know you hate surprises."

Clark scoffed at that. "And the second?"

"She chose you, Clark. When you're ready, you'll let her in. But she's with you because she wants to be. So why are you hanging out here with me and the geek squad?" Oliver raised his eyebrow to accentuate his question.

Clark turned to him and shook his head. "I understand what they're saying though."

Oliver shook his head. "I still don't understand how she chose you over me."

Clark furrowed his brow and stared at Oliver. Oliver cracked the slightest of smiles and Clark realized Oliver was testing him. He narrowed his eyes and raised one eyebrow. "You're still giving me grief over that?"

"Why not?" Oliver asked as he grinned wide. "It's hard being the last guy standing on the playground."

Clark tilted his head to challenge Oliver's assertion. "Last guy standing? What about that little moment with you and Dinah I stumbled across at the Christmas party? That was a hell of a-" he added a pair of air quotes on the last word, "conversation."

"Lois made some very strong eggnog?" Oliver suggested.

"If I hadn't walked in, the amount of heat you two were generating was liable to burn down my barn."

"Well," Oliver started, "you effectively doused out the flames with that ever sobering question you asked us both."

Clark nodded. "I'm sorry I was shocked. The words were out of my mouth before I knew I had thought them."

Oliver laughed. "Lois must be rubbing off on you." He laughed again recalling Clark's voice cutting thru the moment. "You two are having sex out here and I have guests!" He threw his hands up in mock horror and frowned in a rather Clark Kentish manner.

"It was more a statement, not really a question." Clark shook his head. "I definitely owe you one after that, sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Clark." Oliver made a face and ran his hand thru his well-groomed hair. "It's complicated. It's been a long distance sort of thing and I don't know if I'm ready for a working relationship."

Clark gave him a knowing glance.

Oliver threw his hands up. "What?"

"Well, you said relationship. It must be serious," Clark raised his eyebrow at Oliver who gave him a guilty look.

Clark smiled at Oliver's reaction. "Anyways, haven't you slept with every executive assistant you've employed?"

Oliver shook his head. "Always the boy scout. Just cause you're dating your co-worker now doesn't mean we're all ready for that."

Clark opened his mouth as if to say something and stopped. A familiar sound reached his ears as he looked off towards the horizon and spun around into his Blur uniform. "I have to go."

Chloe and Dr. Hamilton scrambled to keep from losing the latest data sheets they'd printed out earlier and Oliver just laughed.

"You two are getting paperweights as a very late Christmas gift." He walked back towards them and asked, "We done here?"

Chloe nodded.

Oliver walked towards the door and turned around. "Come on Doc. I'll give you a ride back to the hospital."

Dr. Hamilton stood there a moment.

Oliver stared at him. "Coming?"

Dr. Hamilton pushed his glasses back up his face and asked, "Is Ms. Dearden driving?"

Oliver nodded.

Dr. Hamilton buttoned his coat up. "I'd feel much safer if I walked, thank you though," Dr. Hamilton said as they walked out the door.