A/n: just a heads up, this chapter is a bit more serious…but just a bit. And thanks to those of you have left reviews. Enjoy this next chapter!
The Talon
It had been a month since Kal-El had arrived at the Kent Farm. The Kents took him under their wing and gave him a more Earthly name to go by. He'd spent most of the time helping out on the farm and assisting Martha with her various projects. He even learned how to cook some basic meals. But the one thing he hadn't done was venture off the farm. The Kents believed that he was afraid if he left then he would miss his father's sign. Finally, they decided it was time to go into town for a little oddly cohesive family outing. It took a bit of persuading but eventually the three Kents climbed in their pickup truck and went off to explore the cozy little hamlet dubbed Smallville.
The Kents enjoyed their pleasant ride through the countryside; past the vast quantities of corn stalks the town was famous for and into the downtown area. Martha suggested the trio stop at The Talon in the hopes that Clark could meet a few people his age.
The Talon was the only movie theatre within a 20 mile radius owned by the Langs, who were the Kents closest neighbors by a mile. They had transformed the lobby of the small business into a place cool enough to be the local hang out earlier that year. Clark was lucky that he'd get a chance to experience his first movie at the Talon as until very recently it had been closed to give the owners a chance to mourn.
A month and a half ago their only daughter, Lana, had been killed by a drunk driver. Many believed it to be an accident but Lana's best friend, Chloe, knew there was more to the story – she just didn't know what. Chloe spent weeks trying to get the police and the Langs to listen to her but it was to no avail. Finally, Chloe had to resort to calling in the big guns, her cousin Lois Lane. Chloe knew that Lois wouldn't stop until she got to the bottom of the mystery. Lois was a stickler for the truth and when she suspected deceit or corruption, she sniffed it out better than the most renowned bloodhounds. So, Chloe called on Lois to help solve her friend's murder. Over the past month they tirelessly worked, chasing lead after lead, always running into a stagnant dead end.
It seemed as though all their work was for naught until Chloe unearthed Lana's hidden journal. She didn't feel right prying into the private life of her deceased best friend, but Lois had no qualms as she was certain there would a clue within the bound leafs of paper that the victim had once scrawled upon. And she was right. They had stumbled upon something big – a secret boyfriend. Lana had been seeing some guy and no one had known, not even Chloe. In the journal, Lana never referred to him by name but the entries began to get more and more disturbing. In the last entry, which was dated two weeks before her death, she wrote that the man she was dating was "a crazy psychopathic jerk" and that "his plans won't pan out. I won't let him destroy it all."
All the information weighed heavily on the two girl's shoulders as they tried to find out what Lana could have been talking about. That's how they'd spent the last week. The two were sitting in the lobby of the Talon when they heard the door open. In walked the Kents, smiling and jovial as if they were the most normal family in the world. Lois' mouth dropped open.
"Chloe," Lois hissed across their table. She waited until her cousin had met her gaze before whispering, "That's the guy I told you about when I first got into town."
"That's 'Half Naked Plaid Guy'? Wow, Lo. He is hot. My eyes might fall out of my head from staring at him too long."
"Well, close your eyes cousin, he's mine."
"Yours? Haven't you only met that one time?"
"I gave him a blanket and some advice of decent dressing behavior. He obviously took my advice as he's wearing pants now…although I should probably have said something about the plaid," Lois said, her brow furrowed in mock contemplation.
Chloe let out a peal of laughter, catching the attention of the Kents. Clark turned his head toward the mirthful sound and was shocked to see:
"Lois," Clark stated with a smile.
The elder Kents exchanged curious glances wondering how their newly adopted alien had met the new girl in town.
"Clark do you know her?" Martha inquired
"We've met. Briefly," Clark answered with a coy smile that he'd picked up in his month on the farm. It was very un-Kryptonian but the farm brought out what he assumed was a dormant human side to him. A side that he liked.
"But you've been on the farm the whole time you've been on Earth," a bewildered Martha stated.
"Not the whole time," Clark told her. He paused before adding, "She let me borrow her blanket."
Jonathan's eyebrows shot up his forehead in surprise, while Martha suppressed a snigger. The joviality showed on their faces but from across the Talon, Lois only had eyes for Kal. Her gaze never left him as she asked her cousin,
"Who are the people he's with?"
"That's Jonathan and Martha Kent. They own a farm down on Hickory Lane."
"You know, he asked me if I knew where that was, the Kent Farm," Lois said, remembering their previous encounter as she spoke.
"I'm not surprised. He's their nephew from Minnesota, Clark Kent."
"How do you know that?"
"Small town," Chloe shrugged.
"Did you say his name was Clark?"
Chloe nodded.
"He told me it was Kal."
"Didn't you say he got struck by lightning?"
"I don't think he did. I mean I doubt he would have been able to stand if he had, let alone carry on a conversation."
"Maybe it's a nickname then."
"Why don't I find out?" Lois said with a wink. She stood up and strode purposefully toward the trio. As she approached, Martha silently told Jonathan to leave the kids alone and the two adults peeled off toward the ticket counter.
"Hey Kal, nice to see you again. Glad to see we're past the clothing optional stage."
Clark didn't blush as Lois gave him a lengthy look pausing at the brim of his pants before returning her eyes to the slightly amused face of her companion.
Humans are quite interesting, Kal-El thought, returning the same considerate glance upon and down her body, causing Lois' cheeks flush slightly. She is definitely the most interesting of the few I have met so far. She is also beautiful. An added bonus.
The next few moments, a semi-awkward silence filled the space between the two. It unnerved Lois to the point that she had to break it.
"My cousin says your name is Clark," Lois said, trying to determine if he'd lied to her before.
"It is."
"You told me it's Kal," Lois tried again.
"It is."
"It – wait, what?"
"It's both," he smiled again at Lois' confusion before continuing, "Now, if you'll excuse me, my aunt and uncle are waiting for me. It was nice seeing you again Lois. I hope to see more of you. With that the tall, handsome, imposing figure walked away leaving a very perplexed brunette in his wake.
"Weird," Lois whispered as she made her way back to the table she was sharing with her cousin. Little did she know, Clark heard her and turned around at the sound of her voice. He smiled again before returning his attention to the Kents.
"So, what's the verdict? Is Kal a nickname?"
"No," Lois responded, shaking her head. "It's both."
"Both?"
"Yeah, that's what he said. It's both Clark and Kal," Lois replied. Thoughts swirled around her head as she tried to make heads or tails of the odd run-in with the half-naked guy who had been running through some of her more pleasant dreams for the past month. It took her a second before she remembered what she and Chloe were doing at the Talon. "I would love to solve the mystery that is Clark Kent or Kal or whatever. But we only have time for one mystery right now. Let's get back to work."
Chloe nodded her acquiescence and buried her nose back into her research. A few moments later, Lois finally bent her head, tearing her eyes from Clark's back and began rummaging through their files. Both cousins were unaware of the person watching them from the shadowed corner.
