Kryptonians couldn't read minds but Kal would have given anything to know what Lois was thinking. He'd been in Smallville a month and he still couldn't figure her out. One minute she was acting like they were the best of friends, the next she was … Kal couldn't describe it, but in many ways she was like a character in a novel he had read. Yes, Lois was exactly like that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

She hadn't kissed him again since that first time, which was a pity. Kal rather liked kissing Lois. He would never admit it to her, but he'd been dreaming about doing more than kissing her.

He wondered if her behaviour had something to do with the fact that he had steered clear of the likes of Mandy and barely talked to Alicia, although the girl was nice enough. She clearly understood that Kal was not interested in her romantically.

Kal sighed heavily, trying to concentrate on the lesson.

"Kal-El, you are distracted."

He stared at the Brain Interactive Construct. It had chosen to configure itself as a human, albeit a shorter male of the species. It also spoke with an accent similar to those Kal had heard from the young men in the town. Kal wondered if the construct had left the cave while he was in school so it could learn how to assimilate the culture. It certainly seemed far more knowledgeable than he was about the idiosyncrasies of American teenagers.

"I want to know about women. Earth women."

Brainiac adopted a smirk.

"I am afraid, Kal-El, that is a subject I am unable to assist you with. I can give you facts, but I cannot help you delve into the female mind."

"Great," he said sarcastically.

"Since your mind is elsewhere, Kal-El, I suggest we end the lesson for the evening. Perhaps it would be best if we were to end the lessons in assimilation and return to recording data. That is, after all, the purpose of your visit to this primitive planet."

"They're not that primitive," Kal defended. Perhaps technologically speaking they were thousands of years behind Krypton, but their ideas were certainly on a par with his own planet. They too wished to find ways to save their civilisation using peaceful methods.

The artificial intelligence adopted a derisive expression, wrinkling the human nose. Brainiac had no use for human emotions. Or humans in general.

Kal left the caves, making sure the secret chamber was sealed with the tiny crystal his father had given him. The crystal could only be activated by someone with Kryptonian DNA and was safe from detection. He still didn't want to take any chances.

As he left the cave, a light flashed on the entrance.

"Kal? Is that you?"

Kal shielded his eyes and the light was lowered.

"Lex?"

"I had a guard checking the area," the older man said, smiling at him as Kal approached. "He told me someone was down in the caves. I thought I'd better come and see what was going on. The last thing either of us want is another rave."

According to what Kal had learned, the caves had been discovered a couple of years earlier by a girl who was descended from the local Kawatche tribe. Her grandfather was a professor in Native American studies at Central Kansas and they had been searching for the caves for longer than Kyla had been alive.

The land had belonged to Luthorcorp, and Lionel had had full intentions of building an office park, but of course with the discovery of the caves, the land could no longer be developed. Lex had apparently convinced his father there would be better PR in them preserving the caves as a heritage site than bulldozing them and the state government had given them full conservatorship.

About six months after the caves had been discovered, several students had decided to hold a rave which had had tragic consequences. No one really knew what had happened but three students had been killed in terrible accidents not long after the rave. Luthorcorp had decided to have guards patrolling the area to prevent another incident.

"I'm sorry, Lex," Kal said. "I was studying for a term paper."

The lie slipped smoothly off his tongue. He had been studying in some respects, although, of course, it hadn't been for a term paper.

Lex shrugged. "I appreciate that Kal, but you can't just go into the caves when you feel like it. These caves are a valuable asset to the Heritage Council and if it were discovered that Luthorcorp was allowing you free rein …"

He nodded, trying to seem understanding, even though the constant security presence would hinder his efforts to make his reports through Brainiac. He should have known not to come while there was still daylight. At least when it was dark he had less chance of being detected. A cold wind blew around them and Lex shivered.

"It's freezing out here," he complained. "Come on, Kal, I'll give you a ride home."

"Thank you, but I …" He'd been going to say he could get there faster on his own but remembered in time that it would be dangerous for Lex to know about his abilities.

An idea came to him and he looked at the older man.

"Actually, I wondered if I could talk to you about something."

Lex arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

Kal pretended to shiver as the cold wind blew around him.

"You're right, it is freezing. The mansion is closer, isn't it?"

Lex studied him thoughtfully, then nodded. He led the way to his Porsche, a model similar to the one he'd been driving when Kal had met him, and they got in.

Once at the mansion, Lex ordered some hot chocolate for Kal and poured himself a small amount of liquid in a glass. Kal remembered from the few visits he'd had to the mansion that Lex preferred to drink a beverage he called alcohol. Scotch to be exact.

He'd talked about the process to create the Scotch, something to do with fermenting and aging and Kal had tuned out very quickly. Lex had made some remark; something to do with Kal's people preferring something he called 'Vodka', but Kal was too young to drink anyway, according to the American drinking laws.

"How about a game?" Lex asked, indicating the pool table.

It was another thing his new friend had introduced him to on his infrequent visits. Pool was a strange game. Each player took a long stick and hit a white ball, which would collide with a coloured ball and the object was to get the coloured ball into a pocket. Kal had slowly realised the game was not just a matter of skill as it seemed to involve a little bit of physics and geometry, or knowing at what precise point to hit the ball to send the next one on the right trajectory and knowing just how hard to hit it.

Lex set up the table as a man came in with a cup of hot chocolate on a tray. Kal took it. Hot chocolate was one of many things he was coming to enjoy about this culture. Kryptonian food was nothing like this. Their dried supplements were ingested like the humans would ingest various medications. It was rather boring.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Women!"

Lex was leaning over the table as he took a shot but looked up at him.

"Are we talking women in general or one in particular?"

"Um …"

"Who is she?"

"You've met her. Lois."

"The tall one with the mouth?" Lex nodded. "Yes, I've met her. Not my biggest fan," he grumbled.

Kal nodded. "Yeah, Mr Kent's kind of …" He decided the rest was better left unsaid. "Anyway, she's kind of …"

"Contradictory?"

"The thing is, she, uh, she kissed me like a month ago and now it's like she's doing her best to stay far away from me."

"Let me guess. She's got you wondering which way is up and which is down?"

Kal frowned at the reference.

"I hate to say this, Kal, but none of us understand the fairer sex. That's why we're so captivated by them."

"It's not just that. She's always, I don't know, we always seem to be arguing."

Lex stood up, his hand on his stick. He grinned.

"Well, I don't know, Kal. It sounds like love to me."

Kal rolled his eyes. "That's not funny. And I don't think it sounds like love."

Lex frowned at him. "Haven't you ever heard the saying: 'you always pull the pigtails of the one you love'?"

"What are pigtails?"

"Girls, little ones, usually, put their hair up into what looks like tails, one on each side."

"I still do not understand."

Lex sipped his scotch. "Well, pulling hair is supposed to hurt."

Kal frowned. "Why would someone want to hurt the person they love?"

"Well, sometimes love is painful."

"Have you ever …"

"Loved someone? I was dating this woman a couple of years ago. Helen. She was a doctor. I wanted to get married. She didn't. She took a research grant at Johns Hopkins instead."

"But did you love her?"

"Sometimes it's not about love, Kal. It's about mutual benefits."

That sounded rather cold to Kal. He wasn't sure if his parents loved each other but he knew they loved him, even if his father could be rather distant at times. Then again, he was a scientist and often absorbed in his work.

"What do I do, Lex? I like her and I know she got jealous of me talking to another girl, even if she won't admit it. I just wish she wouldn't play games with me all the time."

"Then maybe it's time you put all your cards on the table," Lex said simply.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Have you ever played poker, Kal?"

"No," he said, wondering what 'poker' was.

"Back in the days of the wild west, a lot of the men would make their money from playing poker with their fellow cowboys. A few had the talent to become what they used to call card sharps. These were people who made a living off knowing how to bluff. There used to be a television show called Maverick which featured one such character. Anyway, like I said, these were in the days of the wild west when as they say, men were men."

"I have seen something like this. Jonathan watches old movies on a Sunday."

"Then you know the kind of situation I'm talking about. Well, these games could often get rather violent, especially if it was suspected that one of the card sharps was cheating. So, to prevent this, they would tell the players to put all their cards on the table."

Kal considered this for a moment.

"So you think I should just tell Lois. I've tried though. I told her I preferred to be direct."

"Then perhaps you should try another tack." Lex walked over to the desk and opened the drawer, taking out two small slips of cardboard. "Here. If this doesn't work, nothing will."

Kal looked at the slips Lex gave him. The name Maroon 5 was typed across the top in bold font. He frowned at it.

"Maroon 5?"

"I may not know everything about women but I do keep up with the Billboard charts. They're apparently the hottest music act around at the moment. Trust me. Take her to the concert and she'll be putty in your hands."

"What if she says no?" Kal asked.

"Then you'll know where you stand with her and you can move on to the next girl. Kal, if Lois is jealous of you even talking to another girl, even if she won't admit she's jealous, then she has feelings for you. I guarantee it."

Since the next day was Saturday, Kal spent the morning doing his chores before heading out to the Beanery. Jonathan had begun teaching him to drive and while it certainly seemed a much slower process than running, it was at least a way for him to get to and from town without anyone detecting his abilities.

Kal listened as Jonathan lectured him about the road rules, his hands on the steering wheel.

"Always keep your eyes on the road when you're driving. Sometimes it's not about you being a careful driver but about knowing what the other driver is going to do."

"So you have to anticipate their actions," he nodded, recalling one of Jonathan's first lessons.

"Exactly. You're doing great, son."

Kal glanced at the older man, then returned his focus to the road. He often wondered why Jonathan and Martha never had children as they seemed such a loving couple and would have made wonderful parents. Jonathan was kind but firm. They'd had a few little clashes here and there, mostly over his visits to Lex, but when they were working together on the farm, Jonathan would tell him stories about growing up on the farm and about his parents.

Martha had been teaching him to cook and he rather loved baking cookies with her. It was funny, he thought, that most of his pleasures on this planet revolved around food. Then again, since their diet was rather boring, it probably wasn't that much of a surprise that he would love the food the best.

Kal pulled up beside the coffee shop and put the truck in neutral, turning to Jonathan.

"Why did you and Martha never have children?" he asked.

Jonathan looked a little taken aback, but inhaled and let it out slowly.

"Well, you know Martha couldn't have children."

"Why? I mean, couldn't the doctors fix it?"

"Unfortunately it wasn't something the doctors could fix."

"But there had to be another way," Kal insisted. "I just … I think it's a shame the two of you were never parents. You would have been good parents."

Jonathan smiled. "Thank you, son. That's nice of you to say. I suppose we could have adopted, but the process can be complicated and sometimes expensive. We put everything we had into the farm."

He glanced out the front windscreen. Chloe and Lana were watching them, clearly having seen them pull up.

"There's your friends," he said. "Have a good time and call me when you want me to pick you up."

"I can get a ride back," Kal told him. "Thank you for the lesson."

"You're welcome Kal," the blond smiled.

He got out of the truck so Jonathan could slip into the driver's seat and approached the two girls. Lana smiled at him.

"Hi Kal. Another driving lesson?"

He nodded and smiled at her. "Jonathan thinks I'll be ready to get my licence soon."

While driver's education was taught at the high school, Jonathan had decided it couldn't hurt if he gave Kal extra lessons. If he'd grown up on the farm, he would have learned much earlier, the older man had told him, as farm kids had to learn to drive various farming vehicles, like tractors.

He followed the two girls inside the coffee shop. Lois was already inside, sitting in their usual booth. Chloe slid in next to her, while Kal had to sit opposite Chloe so Lana could slide in to sit beside the window.

The waitress came over and took their orders. Kal slid his hand behind him to check his back pocket where the tickets sat. Still, he wasn't going to ask her in front of Chloe and Lana.

She was avoiding him again. He'd tried to catch her gaze but she quickly looked away, flushing. He just didn't get it. Either she liked him or she didn't. Why did she have to keep playing these stupid games?

The conversation was nothing very stimulating. Chloe and Lana talked about movies they had seen and an English paper, which Kal had already completed, even though it wasn't due for another week. Lois would probably leave it until the last minute. He'd noticed that about her. She usually rushed to do her homework and asked Lana to look it over for her. Never him.

Finally about an hour after they'd eaten, Chloe and Lana decided to go to the bathroom. Kal refrained from rolling his eyes. It was another thing he'd noticed about women on this planet. They all seemed to want to go to the bathroom at the same time. What exactly did they do in there anyway? he thought.

Lois continued to avoid his eyes as he settled back in his seat after letting Lana out.

"Uh, Lois?"

She finally looked at him. "Yes?"

"I was wondering … I was given tickets to a concert. Would you like to go?"

"Who's playing?"

"Maroon 5." She snorted, looking amused.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Do I have to give a reason?" she asked sharply.

"I guess not," he said, sighing, humiliation at being soundly rejected burning his face. "And I guess I have my answer then."

She frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna go."

"Wait a minute," she said as he stood up to leave. "Kal …"

He ignored her, dropping some bills on the table to pay for his share of the food before leaving. He heard her scrambling after him as he left the café but he began walking along the street, his shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets. He thought about running off at super speed but there were too many people on the street.

A hand caught his arm. "Kal!"

"Forget it, Lois. You made your feelings pretty clear."

She frowned at him, seeming genuinely puzzled.

"What feelings? You just said a concert. You never said anything about feelings!"

"Well, then tell me why you don't want to go to a concert with me."

She huffed and chewed on her lip.

"Well, if you must know, it's because I don't like Maroon 5. If you'd said Whitesnake I'd have been all over you like a rash."

He frowned at her, not understanding the reference.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. "You've gone out of your way to avoid talking to me for weeks."

She pulled his arm and he let her pull him into the alley rather than fight her.

"I'm not avoiding you on purpose," she said.

"That's funny, because that is exactly what it looks like to me."

She huffed again. "You are such a jerk sometimes, Kal."

"Me? Why won't you just tell me what's going on instead of avoiding the issue?"

She bit down on the corner of her bottom lip, as if she was contemplating something, then fisted his shirt, pulling him closer and pressing her lips against his. Kal was startled for a moment but began to get into the kiss, thrusting his tongue forward to meet hers. Lois whimpered, her arms sliding around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair.

Kal found himself suddenly pressed up against a hard surface, realising she'd pushed him up against the brick wall. He curled his arms around her waist, holding her close. Lois whimpered again, then pulled away slightly, panting for breath. Her gorgeous hazel eyes were wide.

"Uh …" She was turning red, but it was hard to tell whether it was because she was out of breath or it was something else.

"Lois?"

She continued to pull away, breaking the embrace.

"I've gotta go," she said.

"Lois!"

She turned and ran without another word, past Chloe and Lana, who were staring open-mouthed in shock.

"Holy …" Chloe said, for once seeming completely speechless.

"I have to go after her," Kal said, trying to brush past the two girls. Chloe stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Let her go," she said. "You and I need to have a little talk."

"But she …"

He sighed and followed Chloe away from the alley and down the street to a bench. Lana followed silently, her cheeks flushed and eyes appearing slightly glazed. Chloe made him sit down.

"Look, Lois has what I like to call a tightly wound bolt reflex. Don't ask me where it comes from, I mean, I'm no shrink, but I think it has something to do with why she's never really had a steady boyfriend. The thing is, Lois … she and her dad have issues."

"They don't have to be ours," he pointed out.

"No, you're right, they don't. But she scares easily. Especially when things start to get hot and heavy like they were just now."

"She kissed me," he said.

"Maybe she did, but from the looks of things you two were about ready to take a rocket to the moon."

He frowned at the blonde.

"What are you saying?"

"You want to know the real reason Lois is avoiding you? Because she's afraid she's going to do something stupid like she did just now. Look, Lois is my cousin and I love her, but when it comes to you, she doesn't exactly think or act rationally. Trust me, you're the first guy I've ever known her to ever lose her cool over and it takes a lot for my cousin to lose her cool."

He knew it. He could sense it when she'd pressed him against the wall. He thought he'd imagined it, but he felt her temperature rising, her heartbeat quickening with desire. He may not know a lot about Earth women, or women in general, but he knew enough. If Lois had been an animal, or rather a different kind of animal, he would have said she was in heat.

She wanted him, and he wanted her just as badly.

He left the girls, telling them he needed to clear his head and wanted to walk back to the farm. He'd done it before and they didn't question it.

Despite Chloe's warning to give Lois some space, he found himself heading to the army base. Figuring it would take Lois about fifteen minutes to get home, he walked for a few minutes then ran at super speed, passing the gate at a blur. He'd been a couple of times to Lois' father's house and knew where it was.

Lois' car was in the driveway. Kal glanced at it as he walked up the path to the door.

She opened the door to his knock.

"Go away, Kal," she said, trying to close the door on him.

"No," he said. "I can tell you're upset."

She ducked her head, clearly trying to avoid looking at him.

"I'm not upset. I'm embarrassed. Now go away."

"Not until you talk to me."

She glared at him. "I don't know what it's like in your country, but when a girl says 'no' in this country, she means 'no'."

"I just want to talk," he told her.

"What part of leave me alone do you not understand? I know you don't have a problem with understanding English, Kal-El!"

"I'm not going away until you talk to me. What are you afraid of, Lois?"

"I'm not afraid," she said.

He softened his tone, one foot inside the house.

"Then why are you shaking?" he asked.

She stepped back, looking up at him, her eyes wide with … he wasn't quite sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't fear. Her hand trembled as she lifted it to her lip, as if remembering the kiss they'd shared. He could still taste her on his lips, remember the sweetness of her mouth, the delicate scent of her perfume.

"Kal," she said, sounding almost as if she was about to cry. "Please! Don't."

"Don't what, Lois?"

"I can't."

"You're not making sense," he said.

She seemed to make a decision, raising her hands and laying them flat on his chest, trying to shove him out the door. He stood still, refusing to let her push him. She continued to try, wailing when her efforts were in vain.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She pressed her face into his chest, not uttering a word. Kal kept holding her.

After a few minutes, she pulled away. He smiled down at her.

"Feel better?" he asked.

She punched his shoulder. "Jerk!" she said with affection.