MF – meteor freakMFotW – meteor freak of the weekRMR – red meteor rock / red kryptoniteGMR – green meteor rock / green kryptonite MR – meteor rocks / kryptonite of undisclosed colour

PARTY

By the time they arrived at the party, Lex was standing to give a toast to Lana.

"Could I have everyone's attention, please? I just wanted to thank you all for joining us to celebrate. Over the years, I'm sure some of you have placed a few bets on whether I'd settle down. But, this couldn't be further from settling. I'd like to toast my beautiful fiancée for making me happier than I thought I could ever be." Lex looked lovingly at Lana.

The crashing entrance of Kal and Chloe interrupted the quiet.

"Looks like we missed dinner." said Kal.

"Clark, what are you doing here?" asked Lex, trying to contain his anger.

Clark moved around the table. "Come on, Lex. You didn't think I was gonna miss this, did you?" Clark turned towards Martha Kent. "And look. My own mother would rather raise a glass with the enemy than stand by her own son."

"Clark, stop this. Let's just leave, please. You don't want to do something you're gonna regret in the morning." said Chloe. She turned to Lana. "I'm so sorry Lana, I tried to stop him. I'm sorry…"

Kal gave her a withering stare. "Don't worry Chloe this will only take a minute," he interrupted.

There was a flash of recognition as Martha realised Clark had somehow been exposed to red-meteor-rock. She wondered, briefly, whether Chloe had slipped the stone on Clark and was now regretting her actions, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Chloe was not that stupid, she had experienced the drugged Clark far more than the rest of them and was fully aware of the risks. "Clark, you're not yourself," said Martha, trying to comfort and dissuade her wayward son.

"It's okay, Mom. You're more a Luthor than a Kent these days anyway. I mean, dad's been, what, dead a year? But who can blame you for joining the race with Lana to see who's gonna add the Luthor monogram to their name first?" Martha couldn't deny that the words hurt. Did Clark really think that she had forgotten his father, that she no longer loved him and that she was trying to replace him with Lionel?

Lex couldn't stand much more of this. Clark had gone far past the line. This was neither the time nor the place. He made a move towards Kal but Lana interrupted him.

"Lex, he's obviously on something, and he wants us to react. Please don't." Lex held off.

"You know, I got to hand it to you." said Clark as he approached Lana. "If you were gonna rebound, why not choose the one person that I hated the most? But, I mean, come on, Lana. The joke's over by now, isn't it?"

"Clark, I think you've done enough damage. Why don't you leave?" said Lex, trying to spare his fiancé from whatever Clark was about to say.

"I'm not done yet!" shouted Kal in an unfamiliar tone. "Besides, Lex, I haven't given you my gift yet."

Kal picked up Lex's glass of champagne from the table. "Congratulations on sealing the deal. To baby Luthor... the real reason that Lana's marrying you." he said as he threw a baby's rattle to Lex. He toasted his glass towards Lana, about to down it when he was tackled through the stack of champagne glasses to the side.

"Lex! How dare you?" spat Lana towards Kal.

"C'mon, Lana, if no one else in this room is gonna save you from Lex, then I will." said Kal as he grabbed Lana's arm as he pushed past Chloe.

"You're humiliating me in front of my friends." said Lana, angrily as Clark dragged her through the winding corridors of the Luthor mansion.

"Come on, Lana. You hardly know anyone at this party."

Lex ran after the pair down the corridor, mostly recovered from his trip through the champagne. "Lana! Lana!" he shouted after them.

Kal turned and faced Lex. "What you gonna do Lex?"

Lex pulls a gun out from behind his back. "I'll do what I have to, to protect what I love."

"Gotta say Lex, I'm impressed."

"Stay away from her Clark."

"Lex what are you doing. Please be rational…" screamed Lana.

Kal ignored her and took a step toward Lex, lifting the lapels of his jacket to bare his chest at Lex. "You don't want to do that. You can't win. You don't even know the rules of the game."

Lex hesitates. He still can't find it within himself to kill Clark. The hesitation was all Kal needed. He moved again, sidestepping the gun and pulling it out of Lex's hands. He tosses it out of the way and back down the corridor. Using his other hand, he grabs Lex by the throat and forces him against the wall.

"Clark, stop it!" shouted Lana, desperately as Lex gasped for his life. "Clark, you're killing him!"

Chloe emerged from somewhere and called to Clark to stop. He didn't listen to her either. "Clark, stop it! Clark! Kal!"

The use of the name he had used in Metropolis got his attention. He loosened his grip on Lex.

"You remembered Chloe. I'm touched. Now what exactly are you trying to accomplish. Did you want to pick up where we left off in Paris? You're not jealous of Lana are you, because I promise you sassy blondes are far superior to bitchy brunettes."

"Kal, you have to stop. You have to let Lex go. You'd never forgive yourself if you killed him. I know you."

"Chloe, Chloe, Chloe… Clark couldn't deal, me on the other hand, I couldn't care less about Lex."

"You and I know both know that's not true. Please… let him down."

Kal lets Lex drop to the ground coughing and spluttering as Lana runs to his side. Unable to leave without the final word Clark look to Lana. "You know Lana, you couldn't be with me because of secrets you thought I kept, but do you really think you know the real Lex Luthor. There are more skeletons in that closet than I could even fit on the farm."

Kal grabbed Chloe and exited the mansion, speeding in the direction of the Kent farm. Chloe broke out of Clark's loose grip and sank on the couch while Kal stood by the window.

"What's the matter Chloe, you practically jumped me earlier, and now you don't wanna know. Come on you can't fool me!"

"No, Clark, you aren't yourself. No matter what my feelings may be, I won't be a substitute for Lana until the meteor rock effects wear off. I.. I.." Chloe was on the verge of tears. She had thought that when Clark had taken Lana from the engagement dinner that he had finally proved his love for Lana beyond a doubt to the rest of the world, but a small, yet completely unrealistic, glimmer of hope won out for her. Perhaps it was about hurting Lex and that saving Lana was so ingrained in his being that it was like a second nature to him. Then again, fools in love made up the stupidest reasoning.

Kal moved towards Chloe and sits next to her. "But Chloe, haven't you been dreaming about this, about me, since high school? Haven't you lain in bed every night for years, just imagining all those nasty little things I could do, no, that I should do to your scorchingly hot body? I just don't see the problem. You want me and I want you." Kal seemed to be inching himself closer to Chloe all the time. He punctuated his last sentences with soft kisses to her neck and Chloe was having a hard time not giving in.

She stood again walking to the barn window. She looked out trying to collect her thoughts. Should she give in to temptation? She may never get another chance. Clark hadn't ever tried to get her attention, even though she was pretty sure he knew she loved him. That had to mean that Clark wasn't interested. But, that wouldn't explain why Kal was still with her, why he had left Lana and come with her instead. Perhaps he did feel something, but he repressed it. Guh, why did it have to be so complicated? Kal's arms were around her again. She had to be strong. She had to know Clark would still want her in the morning, it would be too much to have him apologise again, for leading her on again. She had made her mind up, she was going to turn around and tell Kal she was leaving. Any minute she would turn around and remove his comfortable arms from her waist and his lean away from the soft kisses that had resumed on her neck.

Martha returned to the farm. She saw Clark standing in the window of the barn, arms wrapped securely around Chloe as he kissed her. Chloe seemed to be a million miles away, deep in thought and a million miles away from her son. Martha saw her opportunity. She had to stop the effects of the red-meteor-rock while she had the chance, before he had the chance to do something stupid. She found the green-meteor-rock discarded outside the barn. She picked it up and hoped her son would forgive her for this later. She approached Clark, while he was still distracted by Chloe. As she got closer, he began to feel the effects. He abruptly stopped what he was doing, turning to face his mother. He doubled over in pain, unable to say anything, but the betrayal was all too easy to read in his eyes. Chloe looked at Martha, searching for a reason.

"I'm sorry," said Martha, looking at Chloe, but really she was talking to Clark. "It's the only way, he has to sweat the effects of the rocks out of his system. This is the only way to do that."

There was a pregnant pause. "Chloe, what happened, how did Clark get infected?"

Chloe wasn't sure what to say, not really. "It was my fault."

"What! Chloe how could you? You know how dangerous Clark gets when he gets exposed to the red-meteor-rocks."

"I'm sorry. There was a woman at the Talon. She was selling these lipsticks, red of course. I guess the colour was from powdered meteor-rocks. I was infected and I think I came on to Clark, which would explain it, but my memory is a little hazy."

"Chloe, I'm sorry, it wasn't your fault. Clark is going to need a little while to recover, would you help me get him onto the couch."

Martha and Chloe manoeuvred Clark onto the couch and Chloe sat on the edge, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief she had found in one of the drawers.

"Chloe, will you be alright here, I'm just going to the house for a moment."

"Sure, Mrs Kent."

"Would you like me to get you a drink?"

"Yes, please. A cup of coffee would be great, thanks."

"Okay. I won't be long."

Chloe sat with Clark until morning broke over the horizon. She dropped off to sleep, resting her head on Clarks chest. She was too tired to care about how it would look to him or to Mrs Kent or anyone else for that matter.

When she woke up Clark was looking down at her. He had obviously been awake for a while.

"Morning," he said.

"Erm, morning Clark?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said catching the questioning tone. "Look, I'm sorry… about everything. I should never have…" Clark couldn't seem to be able to find the words to apologise. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Clark, before you go beating yourself up for what happened, I think it is important to establish that you were not responsible for this. I seem to remember that I was the one who seduced you. I was the one who infected you and I think that means that I get to share some of the blame. I mean come on, who buys lipstick in a coffee shop. You would think that my reporter's instincts would have been set off at some point."

"Chloe, you can't take all the responsibility either. Just so you know, if you hadn't kissed me, I think I was seconds away from kissing you first. You made it very hard… erm difficult for me to resist you."

"Sorry about that. Can I plead meteor-infection and get off with a warning or something?"

"I don't think so Chloe."

"What!" she exclaimed. "Why not?"

"Because, while under the influence of the red-meteor-rock, inhibitions are broken and feelings are amplified, but they have to be there to begin with."

"What are you saying Clark?" Chloe thought she knew. She hoped she did, that she hadn't imagined his feelings, but she needed him to say it.

"I… What I mean is… I think we should go out … together … for coffee, or you know something else might be better."

"You mean like a date?"

"Yeah, I mean it's cool, if you don't want to. I just thought, well, I had the impression that…"

"Clark, stop babbling. I would love to! But please, can we stay away from the Talon for a while. I think it might be a good idea to take a little longer this time."

Chloe broke into a wide grin and Clark followed. They sat together for a long while, basking in their own personal bliss. They both knew they had a lot of apologising to do to Lana (and Lex too) for what they had done last night. But that could wait. A least until after breakfast.