AN: Sorry I've left all of you in suspense for so long! Thanks for your patience! Don't worry; I haven't given up on this story and I won't. I practically have it all laid out - now all I have to do is finish writing it! Anywho, enough from me. Enjoy and please review! I promise to respond if I can! :)

08: Meteorites and Festivals

"Krypto!" Clark shouted at the edge of the woods.

His dog didn't answer. Panicked, Clark looked back and forth, straining his ears for Krypto's heartbeat. Two seconds later, he was positive he found it. Breaking into a full out run, Clark shot down the road like a rocket. A mile later, which he ran in two seconds, he came to a screeching halt. There, lying on the side of the road, was his dog.

"KRYPTO!" Clark cried, rushing to his side. He fell on his knees and shook Krypto's shoulder gently.

Krypto! KRYPTO! Can you hear me? KRYPTO!

In his panicked state, Clark didn't notice the glowing green rocks a stone's throw away. It took an entire minute for him to realize that he was sweating and shaking more than he should have been.

"W-What?" he muttered, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

His eyes blurred when he looked away from Krypto and the sound of his heart pounded in his ears. Then his muscles convulsed and for the first time since he'd woken on Earth, Clark felt pain. His stomach lurched and he threw up everything he'd eaten that day. He barely had the strength to wipe his mouth before he fell over, his body slumping down next to Krypto's, his hand landing on one of the glowing green rocks directly. Immediately, his hand felt like it had been pierced with a thousand tiny needles and Clark cried out in pain, retracting his hand away despite the enormous throbbing he already felt coursing through his body. He winced as he flexed his fingers and squinted through his half closed lids to look at his hand. To his shock and dismay, there was blood on his fingertips; his blood.

"W-What's happening to me?" he groaned.

His brain was fuzzy. It was so hard to think! His eyes darted around until they caught the greenish hue coming from the rocks. The rocks…the second he touched one of them, it caused him to bleed! Blinking furiously, trying to stay conscious, he looked at the green rocks that were so beautiful and yet so deadly. The radiation coming from them was poisoning him! Clark's heart fluttered. How long had he and Krypto been lying here? Were they going to die? Instinctively, he placed an arm protectively over Krypto's body. A thick darkness descended upon him and he lost the battle to stay conscious.

Half an hour later, the beam from Jonathan's flashlight caught sight of Krypto's white hair. "MARTHA!" Jonathan shouted, "I found them!"

"Oh, thank heaven!" Martha cried, running to Jonathan's side.

"Clark!" Jonathan yelled, turning him over.

Martha gasped. "Oh, Jonathan, what happened to him?!"

"I don't know," Jonathan muttered, panicked. He pressed his ear to Clark's chest. The beats were there but they were alarmingly slow paced. "He's alive but just barely!"

Martha fell to Krypto's side and placed her hand on the dog's chest over his heart. "Krypto's the same," she said. Then she noticed the rocks. "Jonathan, aren't those meteor rocks?"

Jonathan looked around. "Yeah," he muttered distractedly, "Honey, now is not the time to be focusing on them!"

"But they're glowing!" Martha cried. "They've never done that before!"

Jonathan finally gave the meteorites his full attention. Martha was right; they were glowing! The meteor rocks that littered Smallville were remains of a meteor shower that occurred eighteen years ago. The most common meteor rocks were laced with a really pretty green color but there had also been findings of rocks laced with red, blue, black, and even gold. The gold meteor rock wasn't solid, however, so its worth wasn't valued by the populace. In fact, most of the meteorites were still scattered throughout Smallville, only a small portion having been carted off to museums shortly after the shower had ended.

"Jonathan, I think it's the rocks!" Martha said wildly.

"The rocks?" he asked, confused.

"Yes! They're scattered all over the place but only the ones right by Clark and Krypto are glowing," she said.

Jonathan looked around and noticed that Martha was right again. He knew these woods were littered with meteor rocks from his occasionally hunting weekends with Ben but only the meteor rocks within a ten foot radius of Clark and Krypto were glowing.

"Let's get them out of here," Jonathan muttered, grabbing Clark and hoisting him over his shoulders with incredible strength.

Martha groaned a little as she picked up Krypto, carrying his dead weight away from the rocks onto the road. She noticed that the further she and Jonathan trudged down the road with Clark and Krypto, the less the meteorites glowed. When the glow completely vanished, Clark woke with a start.

"What? Dad?" he muttered.

Jonathan stopped. "Clark! Oh, thank goodness! Martha! He's awake!"

Kal?

Clark gasped as everything that happened came crashing down on him. He stood firmly on his feet and rushed over to Martha who had set Krypto down. Clark knelt at his dog's side.

Krypto? Krypto are you okay? He asked fervently.

The dog's tongue came out and gently licked Clark's hand. Took you long enough to find me, Krypto said weakly.

Clark smiled in relief. You idiot! Why didn't you call for me sooner?

I didn't know what was going on until I was too weak to move, Krypto complained as he started getting to his feet.

"Clark, are you two okay?" Martha asked worriedly.

Clark looked up at her and gave her his best genuine smile. "We are now thanks to you two."

"Do you have any idea what happened, son?" Jonathan asked.

Clark swallowed. "I ran off to find Krypto when I heard his heartbeat. It was really weak. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I panicked. I wasn't thinking straight."

Martha put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she muttered.

"When I found Krypto, I didn't realize the rocks were giving off some weird kind of radiation until all the muscles in my body were convulsing. The pain came on all at once and I felt sick. I could hardly move. I threw up and then fell over and my hand touched one of the rocks. There was blood!" he paused and looked down at his hand but found that it was fine. "How is that possible?" he muttered.

Martha and Jonathan inspected his hand. "No blood," Jonathan muttered.

"There isn't even a scar!" Martha cried, shocked.

"I guess my body rapidly healed once you pulled us away from those rocks. Do you know what kind of rocks they are?" he asked, looking from Jonathan to Martha.

Martha nodded. "Eighteen years ago, Smallville was hit by a meteor shower. Those rocks are the remains from it."

"Meteor rocks," Clark muttered. "So they came from outer space?" – He looked up into the sky – "I guess it's comforting to know that it's not from Earth."

"Why do you say that?" Jonathan asked.

"The less of it there is, the better," Clark replied. "I think that whatever it is, it has the capability of killing me. Think about it; it's the only thing that's made me bleed here."

I think you're right, Kal, Krypto mumbled. I haven't felt this weak before in my entire life!

Clark nodded. "Krypto feels the same way. Both of us have never felt that weak before. Even now, I still feel worn out, like I've been running for an entire day without stopping."

"Are you talking about how it felt like to run before you had your powers?" Martha asked.

"Yeah," Clark mumbled, suddenly really tired.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jonathan asked. "Do we need to contact Jor-El?"

"No!" Clark said quickly. The last thing he needed was his father ending his stay on Earth early out of over protective concern. "I just need to sleep. I'll feel better in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Martha pressed.

Clark nodded emphatically. "I'll be fine, mom, honest. Krypto will be too. We just need to sleep."

"Alright," Jonathan sighed. "Come on, let's go home."

I think we should tell your father about this, Krypto argued as they slowly trudged back to the Kent farm.

Krypto, you know that if we do, he'll force us to go back to the ship!

Would that really be such a bad thing? We almost died a few minutes ago!

Krypto, I don't want to go back! Clark retorted.

Your obsession with that imaginary woman in the red dress is going to be the death of us, Krypto grumbled.

I have to find her. I won't be content until I do, Clark said stubbornly.

Fine! But we're going to stay as far away from those rocks as possible. I'd like to live through this ridiculous escapade!

I can agree with you on that one.

By the time they made it back to the house, Clark and Krypto's feet were dragging. They managed to get up the stairs and crawl onto the bed before passing out completely. Jonathan removed Clark's shoes and Martha draped a blanket over him that she'd retrieved from the closet. She made sure a portion of it was covering Krypto as well. Despite the fact that Clark said he would be fine, both Jonathan and Martha couldn't bring themselves to leave him. They plopped down on the floor opposite to his bed, Martha resting her head on Jonathan's shoulders, both watching over their adopted son and his dog with love and concern. At some point, both of them fell into a restless sleep, their hands intertwined, their ears open to answer any request Clark may voice during the night.

o0o0o

Lara knew that her husband was going to leave soon; he had to accompany the humans heroes back to Earth and start mining for iron. But she wasn't about to let him disappear without telling her where there son was, who he was staying with, and if he was alright! Surely he wouldn't deny her of the right to know such things! Her anxiety sprung her into action. Leaving her living quarters, she hastened to the fifth floor of the ship where the shield generators would be located. She walked briskly but kept the dignified demeanor of a woman of nobility. Thankfully, many had returned to their previous activities so there were few who stopped her in the halls to incline their heads and wish her well. Lara tried to be respectful but she only had one thing on her mind: get to Jor-El and demand he tell her what was going on.

She swiped her crystal across the panel leading to the fifth floor and descended the staircase after the door slid aside. She bypassed the large humming crystal structures and control panels vaguely taking into account what purpose they served for the ship. Weaving her way down the thin walkway, she picked up on the voices of the heroes and her husband. They were coming towards her.

Jor-El was in the middle of explaining to the heroes how he was going to perform the repairs when he picked up his wife's hurried footsteps. He paused mid-sentence to listen as she came closer.

"Jor-El?" Green Lantern prompted.

Jor-El shook himself. "My wife is coming," he muttered.

Batman raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"I can hear her."

"I don't hear anything," Flash said after a moment of silence.

Jor-El bit his lip. He knew he'd have to tell them about his abilities. He was going to be spending a lot of time with them and it would be ridiculous having to try and hide the amazing powers he was going to have while working with the iron. It would cut out a lot of stress, not having to come up with lame excuses. But now wasn't the time or the place to speak of such things. Knowing he had moments before Lara appeared, he turned to the heroes and said quickly, "There is something I have been hiding from you. I want to explain myself but I must refrain from doing so due to current circumstances. I promise that the moment we are away from the Endurance, heading back towards Earth, I will tell you everything."

Batman narrowed his eyes dramatically, silently threatening Jor-El that he had better come clean as he'd promised or else. "We'll hold you to your words," he muttered.

Jor-El shivered slightly before turning around just in time to find Lara coming around the corner. The moment he saw her, he knew he was in some kind of trouble. Her lips were pulled into a frown, her eyebrows drawn slightly together, and her eyes smoldering with inner fire; it was the expression she always had when determined to talk to him no matter what.

Ignoring the heroes completely, she marched up to Jor-El and demanded, "We must speak, my husband."

Jor-El swallowed. "Lara now isn't the best time."

"It is as good a time as any," she responded fiercely.

The heroes stepped back a little from the intensity flowing from this woman. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was absolutely gorgeous – all of them agreed on this – but right now, they felt sorry for Jor-El. He was most definitely in some kind of trouble that none of them wanted to get into.

Jor-El sighed. "Where would you like to converse?"

Lara glanced at the heroes briefly. "I request a place where we can speak privately."

Jor-El knew of two places on the ship where they would most definitely not be disturbed: his lab and their living quarters. Unfortunately the lab was only one big room so he couldn't speak to Lara privately there since the heroes would have to stay with them. No, it would have to be their home.

"Let us return to our living quarters," he told her. "That way the heroes can relax in a more private setting away from any prying eyes while we converse."

"Very well," she said, turning on her heel and walking away without waiting to see if he would follow her or not.

The heroes watched as this mighty leader followed after his wife without even the slightest hint of hesitancy. Green Arrow caught Flash's eye and the two grinned. It was obvious that Jor-El's wife ruled the roost. The other heroes were amused as well that Lara could command Jor-El the way she had. Batman silently recognized that he and Jor-El were very alike in this manner; though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he'd do anything Wonder Woman asked him if she were in a state similar to Lara's in order to avoid unnecessary conflict with her. Sometimes it was wiser to agree than to argue with a woman and now was certainly one of those times.

They followed Jor-El and Lara up three flights of stairs, passing several rooms that were filled with children being educated, families playing together, and adults tinkering over various objects. The familiarity of such activities put them a little more at ease; it was apparent that even Kryptonians had to go to school, spend time together as family units, and go to work. Though their methods were different from Earth, the concepts were the same.

The hallways they passed through changed from classrooms, workshops, and recreational environments to apartments. The doors were all the same with little numbers on the sides next to the control panels located where a door knob should have been. Lara stopped at an apartment, sliding her crystal across the control panel, activating the sliding door. She stepped inside without a word and marched into the hall leading to the private bedrooms.

"Please come in," Jor-El invited, walking into the living room and gesturing for them to take a seat.

The heroes were surprised. The living area was almost exactly what one would expect a human living room to be like. There was furniture, a table, and shelves lined with books and trinkets on the walls. The only thing missing was a television. There were even strange silvery plants with bright purple berries standing in the corner next to the shelves.

"Feel free to read anything that catches your eye," Jor-El said, pointing to the shelves. "We have a wide selection of novels. All of them are in Kryptonian so you will be able to understand them with the crystals. However, I must inform you that most of them have been translated into our language because they are from different planets we have visited. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. I will try to keep this private meeting with my wife as short as possible."

Batman surprised everyone by responding with a slight chuckle, "Take as much time as you need, Jor-El."

Jor-El's eyes widened. Batman seemed humored over this entire venture! Was he amused over the predicament Jor-El was in with his wife? The small smirk on his face definitely made it seem that this was the case. Jor-El could hardly believe it!

Slightly unnerved, Jor-El muttered, "Thank you."

Ignoring the others surprised expressions Batman walked over to the book shelf, pulled out a novel, and plopped down on the sofa as if he owned the place. He appeared so comfortable with his surroundings that for a moment Jor-El considered the possibility that he had been possessed by another person. Unsure of whether or not he should linger for another moment, Jor-El decided that it would be best to face Lara than stay. Turning on his heel, he walked into his and Lara's bedroom and slid the door closed.

He turned around and found Lara sitting on the edge of the bed. He was surprised to find that the look of intensity on her face had disappeared, replaced with desperation. "Is he okay?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Filled with compassion, Jor-El crossed the room, sat down, and pulled his wife into his arms. "He is fine," he assured.

"I have been so worried," she cried, her voice thick with emotion. Jor-El kissed the side of her head, rubbing his hand up and down the side of her arm. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to him," Lara continued.

Jor-El's heart constricted. "I am sorry," he whispered. "I should have been more considerate."

"Yes, you should have," she said bitterly.

Jor-El swallowed. "Are you… angry with me?"

"You can't expect a part of me not to be," she answered, sighing. She didn't move from his embrace however. "But I'm choosing to forgive you because you finally lowered your pride. Tell me, where is he?"

Jor-El smiled as he thought about the Kents. "He is in good hands, Lara. He is in a land called Kansas in an establishment called Smallville. It is a quaint little town and the perfect place for him to be inconspicuous. The humans he is temporarily living with are incredibly kind. Their integrity and compassion reminds me of the Green Lanterns."

Lara glanced up at him at this. "What did they think of Kal?"

Jor-El squeezed her shoulders. "They adore him."

Lara smiled. "I'm glad…" – she paused – "They are not hostile towards him being a Kryptonian, are they?"

"Surprisingly, no," Jor-El answered. "They took the information well."

"Will you tell me what transpired between you? I'd like to be reassured about them."

Jor-El kissed her head and murmured into her hair, "Of course."

He then told her everything that happened with the Kents, including descriptions of them, what he thought of them, the exact conversation that took place between them, and their reactions and promises concerning Kal-El and Krypto. Lara was grateful for Jor-El's eidetic memory so he could explain these things to her. By the time he finished, she was content.

"It would appear that you found the perfect people to watch over our son," she sighed, leaning into him.

"The Kents are one of a kind," he muttered.

Lara twisted in his arms so she could look into his eyes. Her gaze transfixed him, her smile stirring the deep love he had for her in his heart. Lara tenderly placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing the surface of his skin gently with her thumb. "I am proud of you," she whispered, "for letting him go."

Jor-El leaned into her hand, closing his eyes. "Even now I am second guessing my actions," he admitted. "I know he is safe but I fear for him."

"As do I," Lara sighed. "But we know that the choice we made was the right one."

"Yes… it was."

Lara rested her forehead against his, her nose touching the tip of his own, her breath gracing his lips as she whispered, "I love you, Jor."

Jor-El's hands slid down the sides of her delicate curves, resting on her hips. He surprised her by suddenly twisting them around so she lay sprawled on the bed, her long dark curls spread around her like a halo. Jor-El looked at her teasingly, smiling over her startled expression, before lowering himself on top of her to claim her lips with his own.

Lara closed her eyes as pleasures swirled around inside her as her husband's lips trailed along her neck, sometimes dwelling in certain places under her ear. She tilted her head to give him greater exposure and Jor-El seized the opportunity, pleased to hear her little gasp of pleasure. Smiling against her skin, he kissed it tenderly, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. He raised his lips to her earlobe and kissed it softly before whispering, "I love you too."

Lara smiled. How lucky she was!

Jor-El continued to caress her, touching her tenderly, whispering adoration to her as he slowly worked his hands up and down her skin while kissing her. Instincts began to take over and the two of them began to undress the other. The clothing came off quickly; Lara was surprised that Jor-El actually ripped her dress off, the fabric splitting in half, completely ruined in one fluid motion. She didn't have time to mourn over it due to his advances.

Jor-El pulled back to look at his wife, to admire her the way she was meant to be adored. As his eyes took in her pale skin, her soft lips, her flowing hair, and the longing in her eyes for him to continue, his eyes began to burn. Just in time, he turned his head to the right and heat vision shot from his irises, slamming into the wall.

Lara cried out in shock as the wall melted from the intense heat. Panicked, Jor-El reeled backwards, shutting his eyes while shoving his palms into them, trying to get the image of Lara's current state out of his mind; he knew that it was the cause of the heat vision because that was what had caused it last time. He'd completely forgotten about his powers in the moment! It was fortunate that he turned away; if he hadn't Lara… he shuddered as the thought of what would have happened haunted his mind.

The burning in his eyes dissipated and he opened them slowly, cautiously. The damage wasn't bad; there was now a clean cut hole from their bedroom into Kal-El's. The melted metal from the wall was still incredibly hot, however, the boiling substance sliding down into the floor where it was pooling together. Jor-El swallowed fearfully as he turned and found Lara. She had crawled away from him and was now leaning against the wall, holding the sheet of their bed over herself to cover her body. Her fearful eyes went from the ruined dress on the floor to the hole in the wall. "Jor," she whispered, "what has happened to you?"

Jor-El sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, beckoning her to join him. She hesitantly did, spreading the sheet over him too, covering them both.

"I do not know where to begin," he muttered.

"The start is as good a place as any," she said.

Jor-El smirked a little. "Alright… but I will have to speak quickly. Please, do not interrupt."

"I won't," she promised.

Jor-El told her everything, starting with Uniaris and the experiences he had there. He told her his discoveries of how the rays of a yellow sun affected Kryptonian cells and his terror of anyone else discovering what he had. He shared with her the reality that at this moment, Kal-El was experiencing these changes in his own body which was why he hid him in a small town out on a farm, where he could display such remarkable abilities without drawing the public eye.

Lara was speechless when he finished but only for a moment. She took in a shaky breath. "Do the Kents know of these powers?" she asked.

"Yes," Jor-El answered.

"And they were still willing to watch over him?" she wondered, staring at the hole in the wall again.

"Yes."

Lara managed a small smile for the first time since listening to her husband. "You are right of one thing, Jor. They are practically angels."

Jor-El chuckled sadly, "They most certainly are."

"These powers are phenomenal," she whispered, standing up to pick up her ruined dress. "I know you are aggressive sometimes but I never thought you'd destroy my clothes," she teased, tossing the material at him.

Jor-El blushed deeply. "Lara, I didn't mean to ruin this."

Lara laughed a little as she returned to his side. Kissing his cheek, she admitted, "I honestly found it arousing to have you so eager that you did such a thing."

"Lara!" he cried, a little stunned at her forwardness.

Lara giggled, "Don't be so shocked, Jor!"

"I could have seriously hurt you," Jor-El complained, "and all you have to say is that you were aroused!"

Lara shrugged. "What can I say; your sudden strength is definitely something I find stimulating."

Jor-El buried his face in his hands, his cheeks on fire. "Please don't tell me you feel the same way about the heat vision?"

Lara chuckled, "Well, when it's not aimed towards me, I can say I do."

Jor-El shook his head. "This is not what I expected. I thought you would find me repulsive."

Lara put her arms around him, holding him to her tightly. "That is definitely not so nor will it ever be. These abilities you have are daunting but they are not something that I need to be afraid of. No, I'm more in awe of them. What terrifies me is having anyone else find out about them. Jor, no one can know about this."

"I know," Jor-El said emphatically. "That is why I stressed that none could leave the Endurance, even on the moon."

"If anyone is exposed for even a moment to the rays of the yellow sun, they will gain the same powers you have?"

"Yes," Jor-El sighed. "And the last thing we need is for certain individuals to discover this."

Lara paused, thinking of some Kryptonians who would definitely covet these abilities. They would be so obsessed with keeping them that they might start a war! "The Earth could be in remarkable danger if anyone with ill intentions discovered what you have," she whispered.

Jor-El was immensely grateful that she saw and recognized what he had. "No one must ever know," he muttered.

Lara nodded. "Jor? What of Kal? He has to know to keep this side of himself a secret!"

"He knows," Jor-El assured. "He is among a people that do not possess any of these abilities. He knows not to draw attention to himself. He will not betray his heritage to them. I'm sure of this."

Lara sighed, "You are right. He is logical. He will know what to do."

Jor-El kissed her head. "I am sure he will."

"Jor?"

"Yes, dearest?"

Lara blushed slightly. "With these abilities you temporarily possess…"

"Yes?" he prompted.

"Well… does that mean… we won't be able to be intimate? You did just burn a hole through the wall."

Jor-El's mouth dropped. He was not in favor of the idea of not being able to hold or caress his wife due to this anomaly. He gently took her hands in his and looking her firmly in the eyes, shook his head, "No it does not mean that. I will try to learn how to control my powers as quickly as I can. I am going to tell the human heroes about them so that maybe they can help me."

"I feel that is wise," Lara muttered, slyly smiling, "I would hate having to stay away from you for two weeks."

Jor-El narrowed his eyes playfully, "I doubt you could even if you tried, my love."

She grinned before kissing him fully on the lips. "You had better go," she urged, "We have kept them waiting longer than we intended." Jor-El nodded before dressing at super speed. Lara gasped. "I'm going to have to get used to that," she muttered, eyeing him with wonder.

Jor-El smiled sheepishly.

Five minutes later, Jor-El and Lara reemerged into the living room to find the heroes sitting around the living room. Some of them were talking, laughing together over their words, while others were reading books from the shelves. Batman was the first to notice Jor-El and Lara and the former was surprised to find he was slightly smirking. Jor-El felt himself blush; he had a feeling that Batman had guessed what had taken them so long. Shaking it off, he cleared his throat, gaining the other heroes attention.

"Are you prepared to return to Earth?" he asked.

Batman stood up and delicately replaced the book back on its shelf. "We're ready to leave if you are," he said with his back turned.

It didn't escape the other heroes' attention that Lara was now wearing a different dress and her hair seemed a little frazzled. Several of them were smirking but thankfully none of them voiced their thoughts aloud. Wonder Woman thought it appropriate for Jor-El to give such attention to his wife; to her, it showed love, trust, and devotion. She smiled approvingly at the couple but refrained from commenting.

Jor-El turned to Lara. "I will return soon," he muttered.

She smiled. "I know. Take care while you are gone. It was nice to meet each of you," she added, addressing the heroes.

"It was nice to meet you too," Green Lantern replied. "Hopefully we'll be able to meet again."

Lara then surprised them by kissing Jor-El on the cheek. What was even more surprising was he responded with a kiss of his own. Hawkgirl then remembered that Jor-El said that intimate moments were often shared between spouses behind closed doors. They were in their own home but even she recognized that it was bold to show such affection in front of others. None of the heroes dared tease or joke with Jor-El about what happened as they left his home and Lara to go back to the Traveler. They knew they'd just seen something personal and were to treat it with the respect it deserved.

To their surprise, the Kryptonian Council and General Zod were there to see them off.

"We had the ship analyzed to ensure you safe passage to and from Earth," General Zod said.

Jor-El smiled. "Thank you kindly, Zod."

"When can we expect your next return?" Tray-Ur asked.

Jor-El thought a moment. An Earth week was only half a week to a Kryptonian. "Three and a half days," he concluded.

The others nodded. "Very well," Tray-Ur muttered. "If you run into any complications, please inform us immediately."

"I will. May Rao be with each of you in my absence."

"The same sentiments returned to you, Jor-El," General Zod replied.

"We hope each of you enjoyed your stay," Han-Jar said to the heroes. "Please feel free to visit any area of the ship you'd like while you are here."

"Thank you for your hospitality, councilman," Green Lantern answered. "We will keep that in mind."

Jor-El inclined his head to each before walking up the platform and disappearing into the Traveler. The heroes followed. Jor-El went to the control room and waited until the docking bay was clear before commanding the panel to open to deep space. The heroes had gathered in the control room to watch the launch.

Earth was before them, the wondrous orb swirling with white clouds over the patches of green to their eyes. The Atlantic Ocean was the most prominent to their view, the edges of the American continents just barely being touched by the sun.

"Looks like we were gone most of the night," Green Arrow commented.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm calling off work," Flash yawned.

Green Arrow and Batman smirked at each other; their secret identities allowed them the ability to pick and choose however they desired to spend their time. Sleep sounded like a great idea, though. The other heroes could all agree. It had been a rather trying day.

Jor-El commanded the ship forward, slowly allowing it to creep out of the Endurance before increasing the speed. "The estimated time of arrival on Earth is fifteen minutes," he said.

"Wait, I thought it only took us ten to get here the first time," Hawkman said.

"It did," Jor-El admitted. "I have set the ship at a slower pace so as to tell you what I could not on the Endurance."

"What is it, Jor-El?" Wonder Woman asked due to the distain on the Kryptonian's face.

"Before I begin, I must implore you to withhold comments until I finish."

The heroes looked at each other, silently communicating that they were in agreement. "We promise to wait," Martian Manhunter said.

"Thank you." Jor-El took a deep breath and then began, "As I have already told you, my people have been searching for inhabitable abandoned planets in order to start a new life. Because I was the one who discovered the doom of Krypton, I alone was entrusted to leave the ship and explore the alien worlds we found. I have only come across one planet in the last seventeen years that passed the test. It was called Uniaris; the solar system next to it had named it that. Uniaris' solar system was almost identical to Earth's except it has twelve planets orbiting its sun. You're probably wondering why I told my people that we had to keep searching. It was because of the yellow sun.

"Krypton's civilization lived under the rays of the red sun Rao. The radiation for the red sun made us just like ordinary human beings from Earth. But a yellow sun… the radiation from the yellow sun gives a Kryptonian powers beyond imagination. I discovered them while studying the planet Uniaris for about a week. I developed super hearing first. I can hear anything, anywhere, all the time. I can hear your heartbeats, the blood flowing beneath your skin, the air your lungs intake, the humming of the crystals in this ship, and when we were on it, every single conversation on the Endurance as well as the ship itself. When I am on Earth, I can hear everything. I can't tell you how deplorable it can be, hearing everything." Jor-El paused, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "It can be a nightmare. The only way to control it is to force myself to concentrate on one thing specifically and then branch out my hearing to my immediate surroundings. It is difficult but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

"Besides super hearing, I have different kinds of vision. I can see through anything. I can focus my eyes like a microscope to see finite details the human eye can only dream of seeing, and… under certain circumstances… I have heat vision. Red beams shoot from my eyes and melt through anything I am looking at. I would say it is the most exhausting of all the powers I have. I think it takes up more of my energy to use it than the others. I also am completely invulnerable; you could stab me with a knife and the metal would be ruined while I remain unscathed. I have strength that can bend metal at the slightest touch and turn boulders into powder. When focusing my breath, I can kill fires and freeze the ground. I can also run at incredible speed, as you have all witnessed, though I don't think I am as fast as the Flash." He finished, smiling sadly at the hero in red.

The other heroes stared at Jor-El in wonder and slight alarm. Green Arrow was the first to break the stunned silence. "So, you're saying that a yellow sun gives you all these powers?"

Jor-El nodded.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Do your people know this?"

Jor-El shook his head. "I did not tell anyone about them except for my wife… and that was only because I nearly killed her with heat vision while we were alone."

"What?!" Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl cried at once.

Jor-El felt his face growing hot. He couldn't meet their eyes as he softly admitted, "From what I have gathered… heat vision occurs when one is… aroused."

"Oh," Hawkgirl breathed.

"That stinks," Flash muttered.

Jor-El smiled sadly, hearing him even though it was a comment made under his breath. "It is… unfortunate. But, I feel that if I concentrate, I will be able to control it."

"Can you imagine if the rest of your people learned of these powers?" Batman growled.

Jor-El satisfied them by looking just as terrified as they felt. "It would be disastrous!" Jor-El cried, throwing up his hands, beginning to pace. "There are several on Krypton who are very proud and that emotion could lead them to committing horrifying actions! Not to mention the terrors of children with such abilities! Any civilization could be razed to the ground. You can imagine my relief when we found that Earth was already inhabited and that your people were so wary of aliens. These two things ensured that none of my people would dare to leave the Endurance and explore the land. Nobody will learn about these powers from a yellow sun if they follow the laws of staying aboard the ship the entire time we are here."

"Do you believe that they will obey this law?" Batman demanded.

Jor-El swallowed. "I believe they will. But… if something were to happen… and Earth and its people were threatened… will you help me protect it and your people against mine?"

That response was surprising. Batman stared at Jor-El in a different light. "You're willing to fight against your own kind to protect ours?" he asked.

Jor-El stared Batman down with an intensity so undeniable that it caused all doubt towards him from the heroes to flee. "I would," Jor-El stated unblinkingly. "The Earth is your home. It is not ours. We have no right to come and destroy what you have taken centuries to build. The selfishness of such an act is outrageous. I do not agree with any creature under the delusion that they can rule over others because of the powers they possess. Abilities that are given should be used to help not to destroy. And if any Kryptonian discovers these abilities and tries to use them to control and destroy, I will do everything in my power to stop them. But I need your help. I do not know how to fully control some of my powers. I do not want to alert any attention to me possessing them and therefore, while I am on Earth and before my people, I need to make sure that I keep them in check. Will you help me to do this?"

"We will," Batman answered instantly while the other heroes nodded emphatically. "You have earned our trust, Jor-El."

Jor-El smiled. "And you have earned mine. Thank you."

o0o0o

General Zod was alone and now he was glad that he was. He was sitting in his office with the door closed, his fingers twirling a crystal back and forth while his thoughts ran wild. He had been suspicious of the human heroes the moment he had learned they desired to come see the Endurance. He had planted the audio recording crystals in the Traveler so he could spy on them. He'd never thought he would learn the secret Jor-El had been hiding from him for years.

Powers beyond the wildest imagination… the second he had overheard Jor-El finish telling the others about the gifts that came from the yellow sun, he had deactivated the audio recording; his brain was swirling with too many thoughts to pay attention to anything else Jor-El had to say. Besides, the abilities were all that mattered!

Zod felt a fury of emotions course through his veins. Jor-El had betrayed them. He had lied to them! He was keeping these powers to himself! And he had known of them for years! Uniaris would have given them all of these things! Why then had Jor-El told them that the planet could not be inhabited? Why had he made them move on? Zod had thought Uniaris was the perfect planet to recreate Krypton. He had looked over the studies that Jor-El had been sending to the ship for the other scientists to look over and had found nothing wrong. The only thing they had to go off of was Jor-El's word a week later that he'd come across something so dangerous that they couldn't stay there. Zod had been suspicious of Jor-El's decision but he didn't dare disagree with him when every other Kryptonian trusted him with their lives.

But now… now Zod had something he could use against Jor-El. Jor-El had lied to the people. He was lying to them now! Did the humans even forbid them from coming to Earth or was that one of Jor-El's lies too? Why would he trust the human heroes with this secret before his own kind? Had there been other worlds that could have been inhabited that Jor-El deemed as unworthy? How many lies did the man have to hide?

Zod narrowed his eyes, his fingertips resting against his lips. He would not allow Jor-El to get away with these lies. He would not be rash, however. This had to be calculated perfectly. The people still adored and trusted Jor-El. He needed to break that trust. A plan began to form in his mind… but the only way to accomplish it would be through using the powers he would inherit from a yellow sun. Zod smirked to himself; it was a good thing he was one of the few that had access to the doors that opened and closed the ship itself. If he were cautious, his designs would come into fruition and then Jor-El would fall.

o0o0o

The sun's rays woke Clark the instant they touched his skin. He looked around, his brain a little fuzzy. How was he back in his bedroom? The last thing he remembered…

"Krypto!" he cried aloud, looking around frantically.

Do you have to shout so early in the morning? Krypto's voice automatically grumbled.

Clark felt immediate relief and despite his dog's foul mood, Clark grabbed him around the middle and hugged him to his chest as tightly as he could.

"You're okay," he muttered, hugging him.

Kal, I can't breathe!

Clark let him go. "Sorry. I'm just so relieved! When I found you…" All of a sudden he remembered all the pain he felt, the weakness, the dreadful thoughts of dying…

"Clark! Krypto! Oh thank goodness! Jonathan, they're awake!" Martha's voice came from somewhere on the floor and Clark looked over just in time to see both of them rising from the ground, Jonathan rubbing the sleep from his eyes. They'd stayed with them all night? Clark was touched.

Martha rushed over and hugged him, squeezing him as tightly as a mother could. "Honey, are you okay?" she asked, her hands running down the sides of his face, her eyes scrutinizing him.

Clark was unfamiliar with such concern but he loved it none the less. He smiled kindly. "I'm fine, mom."

"You scared us there, son," Jonathan muttered, patting him on the shoulder while Martha, finally convinced that he was alright, took a step back.

"I scared myself," Clark muttered.

"Krypto, are you okay?" Martha asked, turning her motherly concern to the dog that was in the middle of stretching.

I'm fine.

"He's okay too," Clark said.

Martha sighed, holding a hand over her heart. "Oh, thank heavens."

Clark looked at them. "You stayed with us all night."

Jonathan smiled. "Of course!"

"You didn't think we would leave you alone after finding the two of you in such a state!" Martha said seriously.

"I'm just… surprised," Clark muttered. "Thank you both."

Martha bent down and kissed his forehead. "You're special, Clark. Both of you are. Now, come on, let's go have some breakfast! I'm starving!"

"Are you well enough to get out of bed?" Jonathan muttered.

Clark stretched his muscles. They still ached but he had plenty of strength to get up. He left the bed, stretching a little bit. "I think I'll be okay. I just don't understand why a rock could hurt me."

"We can look it up online and see if scientists have discovered its origins," Jonathan suggested.

Clark nodded. "That might be a good idea. I also think Krypto and I should get a little sun. Do you mind if I take him for a quick flight?"

Jonathan smiled. "Go ahead. We'll have a huge breakfast waiting for the two of you when you get back."

Clark grinned. "Thanks, dad. We won't be long. Come on, Krypto!"

Krypto followed him out of the house while Jonathan joined Martha in the kitchen. Clark smiled as he looked at the dawning sky. It was a perfect day for flying.

"Since you haven't learned to fly yet, I can carry you," Clark offered, holding out his arms.

Krypto snorted. Hmph. Watch this!

Krypto leapt into the air but he didn't come back down. Clark's jaw dropped. "What?! Did you just do that on a whim?"

Krypto's smug expression disappeared a little. Honestly, no, he admitted. I practiced yesterday after I ran off. I flew high at first but then I decided to try to dive.

"And you unknowingly dived into a meteorite infested field," Clark finished.

Krypto nodded. I pulled out of the dive to rise higher but found that instead my body had grown weak. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, unable to move.

Clark shook his head. "I'm glad I found you."

Me too. Krypto surprised him then by flying forward and licking his face.

"Wow! Krypto!" Clark laughed, taking to the air to avoid his dog's tongue.

Krypto let out a hearty bark before chasing after him, the two whizzing through the air, climbing up into the clouds. The morning rays of the sun soaked into them, energizing them in a way that food never could. Krypto managed to tackle Clark in midair and they tumbled a bit from the force of impact before settling above the clouds. Clark lay back, putting his hands behind his head, staring up at the blue sky. Krypto circled in the air a couple of times before stopping next to him, his head resting between his paws.

"This feels great," Clark sighed, closing his eyes.

It's quieter up here.

"Yeah it is."

It's nice.

"Yeah."

Clark decided to play with his hearing. He blocked out the voices of the Earth to just the voices of Smallville. There was quite a bit of excited chatter coming from below him. Shutting out the voices, he settled on the sounds of the Earth itself, the wind blowing around him, the wheat and corn bending from the breeze, the animals crawling across the dirt, and so much more. Then, he blocked out these sounds, leaving one; a dull thump-thump, a steady rhythm… the same one as before.

Clark sighed. He knew the heartbeat he was listening to was far away. Part of him wanted to fly directly to whomever it belonged to right then and there but he knew he couldn't be rash. What would humans think seeing a flying man without any strings attached? He would cause global panic and then his father would swoop in, throw him in his room on the Endurance, and never let him see the light of day again. No, it was better to just sit and wonder over the heartbeat, to enjoy the comfort that it brought.

Kal, we should get back. The Corn Festival is today.

Clark's eyes opened. "What? It is?"

Krypto rolled his eyes. I guess you forgot playing woman in the kitchen after the meteorite trauma.

Clark frowned. "Playing woman?"

Krypto smirked, showing a bit of his pearly white teeth. I wonder what your father would say if he found you wearing an apron let alone if he discovered you cooking!

Clark rolled his eyes. "Father doesn't have to know about that."

Wait. Don't tell me you actually like to cook?!

"And if I did?" Clark asked hotly, turning around to fly back to the Kent farm.

Kal, you can't be serious! You're already…

Clark stopped, whipping around to face him. "Already what, Krypto?" he demanded, folding his arms.

Krypto stopped, his brown eyes filling with regret. I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that both of us know you don't really fit the typical Kryptonian mold.

"You're right," Clark said angrily. "You know what? I hate being Kryptonian!"

Krypto gasped. What?!

"You heard me! I hate it! I hate putting on a mask, hiding my feelings, walking with dignity, bowing to everyone, speaking formally instead of from the heart… I hate all of it!"

Krypto swallowed. Kal, you don't hate being Kryptonian. I think what you hate is the culture.

Clark looked away from him, staring over the town of Smallville. He was quiet for a long time. "You're right," he mumbled. "Maybe I was born on the wrong planet."

Or… maybe you were just meant to be led to this one.

Clark looked over at him. "Why do you say that?"

Krypto came over to him and rubbed his head against his hand. I've never seen you like this before. So free. So happy. You love everything about this place.

Clark couldn't help the smile that came across his face as he sighed. "I do…" – his smile faded – "But… do you?"

Krypto twirled around a couple of times. I think I can learn to like it.

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Do I detect a sense of contentment?"

Perhaps. Having powers is a plus.

Clark grinned. "It's a lot better than the Endurance, huh?"

Krypto sighed. I'm not going to lie that I find Earth's culture to be overwhelming but… yes… it is better. It is more…

"Real," Clark finished.

Yes.

Clark nodded. "Krypton hides behind a mask of formalities while Earth freely displays the heart for all to see. It's fascinating. The more I see, the more I feel like I could live here forever."

I may just agree with you… We should probably get back. The Kents are starting to wonder where we are.

Clark nodded and then grinned. "Race you?"

Krypto took off immediately, laughing as Clark shouted after him, "No fair!" before following in his wake.

Clark managed to beat Krypto by a millisecond even though the dog had a head start. "I guess I'm faster than you!" Clark teased.

I let you win! Krypto grumbled but he was trying to keep the humor from his tone.

"Right," Clark smirked. "Come on; I smell bacon."

Krypto's ears perked up. Bacon? Is there some for me?

Clark grinned as he looked through the house to see a plate of bacon on the floor. "Looks like it."

Krypto blurred into the house at top speed. Clark laughed as he followed him, though he chose to go at a normal pace. "Hey mom, dad!" he called as he shut the open door and entered the kitchen.

Martha and Jonathan were sitting at the table, Jonathan reading through the Daily Planet, Martha the Smallville Post. Blue berry pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, and orange juice were spread over the table.

"Eat up, son!" Jonathan invited. "Martha made enough food to feed an army!"

Clark grinned. "It smells delicious! Thanks mom!"

It tastes even better, Krypto sighed with satisfaction, his lips lapping around the edges of his mouth as he munched on three pieces of bacon at once. Martha satisfied him further by getting up and scrapping ten more strips of bacon onto his plate. I love this woman!

Clark snorted into the orange juice he was drinking, trying to hide his laughter over Krypto's joy. Nobody noticed, the Kents busy reading their papers and Krypto so busy he didn't catch the chuckle. Feeling himself suddenly famished, Clark loaded his plate with food and inhaled the whole plate in five seconds. Martha raised an eyebrow but instead of saying anything, she merely smiled before returning to her paper.

"Well, looks like Metropolis had another bank robbery," Jonathan muttered, setting the Daily Planet down.

Clark peeked over at the cover. Fifteenth Bank Robbery in Two Weeks, the title read, by Lois Lane.

"Is it the same person?" Martha asked, looking up from her paper.

"According to Lois Lane it is," Jonathan sighed, sitting back to eat the rest of his pancakes. "They're still at large but hopefully they'll be caught sooner than later."

"May I?" Clark asked.

"Sure," Jonathan muttered, passing him the paper.

"We should head to the festival soon," Martha said.

Clark read through the whole paper in two seconds as Jonathan stood to help clear the table. "Here, let me," he offered and in a whoosh of wind, the kitchen was sparkling clean. "I took the liberty of loading the baked goods into the truck," he added with a grin.

Martha smiled, looking around the kitchen. "Thank you very much, Clark. Let's go!"

"Come on, son!" Jonathan said heartily as he put on his jacket that hung next to the door. "It's time for you to see what kind of fun we really have around here."

"Are you coming Krypto?" Clark asked.

I suppose I shouldn't miss out on all the fun, Krypto said running out the door and hopping in the truck bed.

Clark followed after him while Martha and Jonathan got into the truck cab. "You two comfortable back there?" Jonathan called out the window.

"Yep," Clark called, grinning as Krypto nodded.

Jonathan pulled out onto the road and as the wind whipped around the truck bed, Krypto hung his head over the side, sticking his tongue out.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked.

It feels good, Krypto said smugly.

Clark grinned.

They made it into town ten minutes later. A large white banner with the bright red letters in elegant scrawl read Smallville's Annual Corn Festival! Small red and yellow triangular flags on strings ran throughout the town from building to building. People were everywhere walking on the sidewalks ranging from groups of young adults to families to old folks. Clark felt a little nervous being around so many people. He'd never seen so many humans in one setting; he'd heard them, sure, but he'd never actually seen them. It was a whole new experience. He swallowed painfully but tried to mask his nerves by taking in the scenery.

There were balloons, carnival attractions, rides, and a Ferris wheel; like everything else Clark only knew what these things were because of the education crystal. Hay bales were stacked as barriers, serving as pathways to navigate the crowds of people amidst the carnival games. Stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes hung from the sides and walls of the game booths to be won as prizes for those who spent their money. The flurry of activity was astounding to Clark and Krypto.

Jonathan drove around as directed by several men and women who wore reflective vests to stand out from the other members of the crowd. The truck soon left the mass of people and traveled behind the booths before coming to an area where the aromas of all different kinds of food permeated the air. Jonathan parked and both he and Martha got out of the truck. Clark jumped down after them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent! It's nice to see you two!"

Clark looked up in time to see a young woman with flaming red hair addressing the Kents with a kind, radiant smile. Her green eyes sparkled and she had a kiss of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her form was thin and Clark had to admit there was a hint of attraction he felt towards her but it was nothing compared to what he felt for the mystery woman in the red dress. As he thought of her, he immediately dismissed the fleeting feeling he felt towards the red head.

"Lana, wow, look at you!" Martha said, hugging Lana with motherly warmth. "It's been a while since we last saw you. How are things?"

Lana smiled as she smoothed the front of her volunteer tee shirt. "Things are great! Since I graduated two months ago I got a job at the Talon and Pete and I have been talking about getting engaged!"

"Oh, that's wonderful dear!" Martha smiled.

Lana beamed. "Thank you. So, I assume you're here for the auction? You've never missed a year!"

Jonathan laughed, "You're right about that one! Which charity gets the money this year?"

"We're donating everything to the hospital this time," Lana answered, checking her clip board. "So far we've been able to raise over five thousand dollars. Though I'm sure that one of you pies will double that amount, Mrs. Kent. I've had men begging me to know if you're pies were going to make an appearance since six this morning and it's not even noon yet!"

Martha laughed. "Well, they won't be disappointed! I made twelve this year."

Lana's eyebrows rose. "Twelve? That's twice as many as you made last year!"

Martha grinned. "I had a little help this time." Her eyes traveled to Clark who took this as his cue to step a little closer to them. Lana's eyes widened slightly as her gaze turned on him. "Lana, this is our son, Clark."

Clark extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lana," he said while thinking remember, she's like a piece of cardboard; fragile, fragile, fragile!

Lana's mouth dropped open in surprise but she tried to mask it as she shook Clark's loose grip. "Um, it's nice to meet you," she said.

"The Kents adopted me a couple of days ago," Clark said, saving her the trouble of prying.

"Oh! Wow, that's great!" she said glancing to Martha and Jonathan who were all smiles before turning back to him. "You're really lucky. The Kents are the best people I've ever met!"

Clark grinned. "I can agree with you on that one."

"Clark, will you help me get all these baked goods where they need to go?" Jonathan asked, coming around to the bed where Krypto still sat, watching everything silently.

"Sure, dad," he said. "Excuse me," he added to Lana before walking around the truck to help Jonathan out.

"Remember, don't pick up everything at once," Jonathan muttered under his breath. "And no super speed."

Clark nodded, "Got it." He picked up four boxes of pie like Jonathan with ease.

"Where would you like these, Lana?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, um, right over here," Lana said, her eyes still on Clark.

Why is she staring at me? Clark wondered.

Maybe she's attracted to you.

Clark frowned. Krypto…

What? Her heart started beating harder than usual when she observed you for the first time.

Clark rolled his eyes. She's not my type.

You mean she isn't the woman in red.

Exactly.

Krypto chuckled.

Ignoring him, Clark followed Jonathan around a small stage that stood before a small crowd of people shouting out numbers over some object they wanted to buy. There were tables behind the stage that housed all different kinds of baked goods and a few tables that held handmade knick knacks. A special spot was reserved for the Kents where Lana directed them to set the pies down.

"I'll get the others, dad," Clark offered.

"Thanks, Clark," Jonathan said.

Clark walked off to the truck, picked up the rest of the pies, and carried them back to the reserved spot. Jonathan had wandered over to Martha, deep in conversation with the auctioneer who seemed ecstatic to see them. Clark joined them. "I got all the pies, mom."

Martha smiled, "Thank you, Clark. Paul, this is our son, Clark."

Paul, a middle aged man with a slight beer belly, held out his hand and shook Clark's enthusiastically. "It's nice to meet you, son! Martha and Jonathan were just telling me about you. You've been adopted by some pretty spectacular folks! I'm jealous!"

Clark laughed. "I got lucky."

"That's an understatement," Paul laughed. "Well, I'm up for another auction. Care to bid, Jonathan?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Jonathan laughed. "I had to invest in a new tractor yesterday."

Clark's face fell a little guiltily but Jonathan wiped it away by giving him a wink and a smile.

"You've wanted to get a new one forever, haven't you?" Paul asked.

Jonathan nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Yep and I finally got around to actually doing it."

"Well, feel free to watch if you'd like," Paul invited. "It was nice to meet you, Clark."

"Nice to meet you too," Clark said, shaking his hand again.

"I'm going to set up the table to sell the cookies," Jonathan said.

Martha turned to Clark. "Clark, why don't you go and wander around for a bit? Lana could show you around, introduce you to some kids your age."

Lana materialized out of nowhere. "I'd be happy to do that, Mrs. Kent!" she said, grinning.

Clark felt his nerves skyrocket. Leave the Kents to wander off with strangers? Could he be trusted to be unsupervised so soon? Martha certainly thought so. "Oh, um, I don't know," Clark protested, "Don't you need help around here, mom?"

Martha smiled, shaking her head. "No, I think your dad's help is plenty enough. You go on and have fun. Take Skip with you."

Skip, Krypto huffed, jumping out of the truck bed. What a terrible name.

Clark smiled. "Um, okay, if you're sure."

"Come on, Clark," Lana encouraged. "I just got finished with my volunteer hours. I was going to meet up with my boyfriend, Pete, and my best friend, Chloe. I'd be happy to introduce you!"

"Oh, um, sure," Clark muttered. "Come on, Skip."

Lana looked down as Krypto came wandering over to Clark's side. "Oh, wow, he's beautiful!" she complimented. She bent down and scratched Krypto's head. "Is he yours?"

Clark nodded. "I've had Skip since I was little. We practically grew up together."

"Wow, how did you manage to keep him with you through the years?" Lana asked. "I heard that… um… well, I heard it's hard for orphans to travel around," she finished, blushing.

Clark searched around for something to say. "Um, he and I are a special case."

"Oh," Lana said, feeling the need to pry further inappropriate. "Well, I'm glad it worked out for you to stay together! So, uh, shall we?"

"Sure," Clark said, looking at his adopted parents with slight terror. Martha and Jonathan only nodded encouragingly.

And we're fed to the wolves to fend for ourselves, Krypto opined.

At least neither of us was fed to them alone.

Oh, yes, it's much better to be attacked together. Although, I'm a dog. You look like one of them. They'll give you most of the attention.

Clark frowned. Perfect; just what I need.

"So, how do you like Smallville?" Lana asked.

Clark turned his attention to her, wandering around the crowds, trying to stay by her side. "Oh, um, it's nice."

"If you don't mind me asking, where were you before here?"

"Metropolis," Clark responded, saying the first city that came into his head.

"Seriously?" Lana asked, excited. "I've always wanted to go there! It's a huge city! It's even more famous than New York! What's it like?"

Clark didn't know what to say so he decided to play the evasive tactic. "Um… Lana? I'd rather not talk about the past, if that's okay."

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be insensitive!" she gasped, mortified over possibly offending him.

"No, it's okay," Clark muttered. "You didn't know."

They were silent for a few more moments before Lana tried to start conversation again. "So, um, what's it like having the Kents as parents?"

Now that was a safe subject. "They're fantastic!" Clark exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Lana said encouragingly.

Clark nodded. "I'm very lucky to have them watching over me. They're one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

Lana smiled. "I've always loved the Kents. All my life, they've been a huge part of the community. Even though they couldn't have their own kids, they've practically babysat every kid my age myself included. They are like second parents to all of us."

Lana led him and Krypto over to the Ferris wheel. There was a huge line to get on the ride. Steering him around the line, Lana caught the attention of a young man with short blonde hair. His green eyes lit up when he saw her. He wasn't as tall as Clark, a little over 5'8, but his strides were long and eager as he closed the distance, meeting Lana halfway. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her full on the mouth without a care in the world. Clark was surprised by this; he had become familiar with seeing Jonathan and Martha kiss and found it appropriate because they were married but Lana had said Pete was her boyfriend. How intimate were they? It had to be different than the bonds shared between husband and wife, surely? He desperately wanted to ask but was too embarrassed to do so.

Krypto wanted to know too but agreed that he should remain silent. You can ask the Kents about that later, he suggested.

Good idea.

Lana and her boyfriend pulled away. "I missed you," the boy said, kissing her briefly again.

"You know, if you two keep it up, I think I'm going to hurl," a pleasant female voice said behind them.

Lana grinned. "Chloe! Hi!" she raced around the boy to give the young woman a hug.

Chloe was shorter than both Lana and her boyfriend, but Clark immediately felt that what she lacked in height she made up in spirit. She had an aura about her that automatically made Clark feel comfortable. Her hair was cropped short, the ends sticking out in a few directions around her ears and the base of her neck. Her eyes were hazel, the colors harboring both green and blue. Her smile was full of compassion and her eyes sparkled as she eyed her two friends with amusement. She turned her gaze to Clark who stood silently watching, a little apprehensive.

She sidestepped Lana, strode up to him, and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Chloe Sullivan," she introduced, her eyes kind.

Clark was surprised by her initiative but grateful she'd started the conversation. "Clark Kent," he said, shaking her hand.

"Kent?" she said, an eyebrow raised. "Are you related to Jonathan and Martha Kent by chance?"

Her inquisitive question surprised him again. He had a feeling she was pretty sharp for a human. He smiled, answering, "In a manner of speaking; they adopted me two days ago."

"What? No way!" the blonde boy said.

Lana jumped in, "Clark's from Metropolis but he doesn't want to talk about what happened before so don't pry, okay, Pete?"

The blonde boy scowled. "I wasn't going to. I'm Pete Ross," he introduced, shaking Clark's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Clark."

"You as well."

Chloe noticed Krypto. "Is this your dog?"

Clark looked down at Krypto who was trying to have the appearance of dignity. "Yeah, this is Skip," he said, smirking. At least pretend to act like a normal dog instead of one from a show case.

It's harder than you think, Kal, Krypto complained. Human dogs are so… degrading!

Clark smirked as Chloe bent down to rub Krypto's head. "He's gorgeous! Hello, Skip!"

Krypto tried not to roll his eyes. Have I mentioned how much I hate that name?

Clark tried to keep a straight face as he said aloud to Chloe, "I think he likes you."

"Yeah? You think so?" Chloe said, smiling happily.

A loud sound came from a pole holding a microphone followed by a kind female voice, "Attention, the lawn mower race will commence in approximately ten minutes!"

Clark blinked. "Um… lawn mower race?" he repeated looking at Chloe, Pete, and Lana in slight disbelief.

Pete grinned. "Don't hate it until you've seen it, Clark. Come on; you're not going to want to miss this!"

"Pete, I thought we were going to get on the Ferris wheel," Lana complained.

Pete paused. "Oh… but, uh, Lana…"

Lana frowned. Chloe looked between the two of them. "Pete, can I talk to you for just a second," she asked as she dragged him away. Clark couldn't help but listen in. "What are you thinking, you idiot!" she muttered harshly.

"Ouch, Chloe," Pete complained, rubbing his offended arm.

"This is your big moment and you want to ditch it for some stupid race?! You've been planning to propose to Lana on the Ferris wheel for months! What is wrong with you?!"

Pete's face flushed and Clark noted his heartbeat picking up. "I guess I'm just a little…"

"Nervous?" Chloe asked.

"… Yeah…" Pete mumbled.

Chloe smiled. "Pete, Lana will say yes."

"How do you know?"

Chloe's eyes twinkled. "Trust me."

Pete swallowed and looked up at the Ferris wheel. "Okay. But, what about Clark?"

"I'll take him and Skip to the race. Don't worry, we'll tell you all about it."

Pete tried not to be disappointed about missing out on the race as he nodded and followed Chloe back over to Clark and Lana. Clark tried to be surprised as Chloe announced that she was taking him to the race while Lana and Pete were going on the Ferris wheel.

"We'll see you later!" Chloe called as she grabbed Clark's arm and dragged him away with Krypto at their heels.

Clark stumbled a little on his feet as he tried to match her pace. "Sorry," he muttered as he finally righted himself.

Chloe laughed. "That's okay. I'm a little eager, I guess. I love watching the lawn mower race! It's the biggest event of the Corn Festival."

They joined the throngs of people that all appeared to be rushing as fast as they could to the bleachers surrounding a dirt track sectioned off on either side with bales of hay. Chloe aggressively pushed her way to the bleachers and claimed front row seats. Clark was surprised by her actions and tried his best to dodge people as he attempted to join her on the bench.

This is ridiculous, Krypto grumbled as he was nearly trampled on by a host of teenagers. This behavior is equivalent to that of a savage.

Clark rolled his eyes. Humans obviously express their anger physically, Krypto. We naturally think they're crude because our culture uses words for everything.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Annual Smallville Lawn Mower Race!" a man with a rich, excited tone shouted into a megaphone as he walked across the dirt track in front of the bleachers.

The crowd hollered and cheered. Clark was astounded to see some of the men shirtless, swinging their articles of clothing around over their heads. A few even had the audacity to paint their chests different colors!

Oh yes, a very mature civilization this one, Krypto sneered.

Clark decided to remain silent.

There were five lawn mowers lined up next to each other, their racers standing next to them waving at the crowd. Each of them wore a jacket similar in color to their lawn mower, a different number painted on their backs.

"Kill 'em Daresnare!" someone shouted behind Clark.

Clark looked around in alarm. Kill?!

"Murder 'em Slit Throat!" someone hollered.

Clark's jaw dropped as a loud cheer followed this statement. "They don't really mean to murder or kill do they?" he asked, appalled, staring at Chloe with wide eyes.

At first Chloe laughed, thinking Clark was joking but when she saw the fear in his eyes, she realized he seriously thought people were cheering for the riders to battle to the death! "Um… it's just a figure of expression," she explained.

"Oh," Clark sighed, letting himself relax, feeling like an idiot for not realizing this. "Right," he muttered.

Chloe glanced at him curiously before turning back to the dirt track.

"Racers at the ready!" the announcer cried into the intercom.

Suddenly, the strangest thing happened. Despite the enthusiastic crowd, the thousands of hearts beating wildly with excitement, and the hundreds of clacks and whirls from the attractions in the distance, Clark honed in on a single click followed by a dull hum. His eyes darted around wildly until they landed on the source of the noise not as one but all of the lawn mowers exploded. The blast knocked the riders backward fifteen feet while the heat of the sudden flames flared dangerously towards the bleachers. People started screaming, scrambling over the benches, knocking into each other to get away from the chaos that had just ensued.

The main blast from the flames was rocketing towards the exact location where Chloe still sat, completely shocked. Clark leapt up, wrapped his arms protectively around her tiny frame, and shielded her with his back. Chloe screamed as the flames soared around Clark's shoulders though he felt nothing. After the worst of the blast had passed, Clark lifted Chloe into his arms and took off running.

Do you realize what you've just done?! Krypto cried as he bolted after them.

I know! Clark snapped. I didn't have a choice, Krypto! She would have died!

Krypto growled. I can't believe you, Kal!

Clark stopped suddenly behind an abandoned carnival booth sporting small basketball hoops and balls and set Chloe down. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned she might have gotten burned from a stray flame.

Chloe looked around wildly. "I-I think so… how in the world did we get here?" She finally focused on Clark and gasped. "Oh my gosh, Clark! Your back!" she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around before he even registered what she was up to. "I don't understand," she whispered, taking a step back from him. Even his clothes were fine; not a hint of a burn mark in sight.

Clark swallowed, turning slowly to face her. He opened his mouth to speak, to say something, but another noise rang in his head distracting him: alarms. He focused on the sound and heard the clicking of guns. "Are you sure that nobody is going to come over here?" a gruff man's voice asked nervously, his heart racing.

"I rigged the bomb perfectly; there's no way anybody is going to pay attention to us when the Corn Festival is on fire. Now, hurry up, where's the car?"

Clark blinked, looking at Chloe. "I'll be back. Stay here."

The word forming on her lips didn't even get out into the air before he disappeared in a blur. Chloe's eyes widened as her mouth dropped.

Krypto looked at her for a quick second before deciding to follow after Clark. Our cover has already been blown anyway, he grumbled to himself before disappearing as a white blur.

Chloe gasped, her heart racing. "No way."