Chapter 10 [Kent Farm—Twenty minutes later]

Clark stood at the upper door to his Fortress of Solitude and took in the sunset view around himself. He observed how the fields below were already harvested and still brown with the winter wheat lying dormant therein. The trees hinted at some color and Fall's approaching chill.

Change was definitely in the air and not just for the seasons…..

He sipped on his coffee and considered the jolt his world had received over the previous weekend. Due to the fair, Lana and Chloe now knew his Secret.

Chloe it seemed drifted closer to Byron—a move Clark supported. Just the previous day, he'd talked to her about the reclusive poet and nudged her in that direction.

He definitely observed the girls' anxiety in school that day. He saw how their newly assumed burden's weight pushed down on them threatening to buckle the tiles underfoot it seemed. I'm here if you want to talk. He gulped an anxious swig from his mug. He wondered if it was fair to expect so much from them. They need someone they can grow with…to actually have fun with! He frowned knowing that his own obligations would forever separate him from such joys.

His parents were still adjusting to the girls' new place in the circle. After dinner on the previous night, they'd discussed how to help the others adjust to the new order so to speak. Nobody wanted the girls to go through what Pete was going through.

He wondered if they'd deal well with the resulting separation from certain class activities and other people. At least they know everything. I don't have to hide from them anymore. Now to deal with the fallout. I'm not alone anymore. He heard creaking on the wooden stairs from below; the footfalls getting louder with each second. He turned to see Lana standing at the Loft's landing watching him in turn. "Hey, Lana. Feeling better?"

She smiled. "I am. Thanks. Had a great ride after my shift. You really seem deep in thought. Lot on your mind?"

He walked over to her side and gazed into her warm eyes. His lips gently caressed her soft cheek in a gesture of affection. "Just dealing with things after Saturday. It's been really intense."

"You have no idea," she concurred. "But it was the right thing, Clark, for you, me and us. I have faith in that." She brushed her fingertips across the flannel covering his forearm and the back of his hand. "Went to the cemetery. I talked with my parents." She grinned. "We got our approval."

"That's great. I'm glad they accept us," he expressed. While he didn't usually hear them on their visits, he often felt a presence at the Langs' marker. He knew they watched over their daughter at least on a cursory level. Hearing Lana say it though signaled to him that she was working toward that transition.

"Clark, the acceptance came from someone else. Mom and Dad like you so that isn't the issue. More people know than you or your folks think," she informed him. "No I didn't tell her. She came to me."

"She?" He stared aghast at her. "Lana, I thought you were at the cemetery."

"I was."

"That would mean you saw another ghost?" he inquired. By now his mind swam with all sorts of implications.

"I did. Clark, your Secret is really heavy. I'm dealing with this stuff too. You can do all of these incredible things. Plus you're an alien." She hugged him tightly. "I will get there, Clark. I want nothing more. And now I really believe that."

He savored the sweet affirmation; its monsoonal deluge imparting life sustaining sustenance to the desert within his soul. His greatest wish was being granted at last. Still he worried. But for now, he just enjoyed the moment. "I love you, Lana. Never doubt that."

In turn the gentle breeze of confirmation buoyed her soul as well. "I know better than that." She brushed his lips gently with hers. "I love you, Clark Kent. I don't want to let you go as what happened before." She turned and walked toward the door. Now it was her turn to stare at the gathering dark. She stared up at the stars. "What do you suppose they're like out there?"

"Don't know. I was too young to remember anything," he admitted. "What do you mean 'what happened before'? Lana, I never wanted to hurt you. We haven't done anything…."

She shook her head. "No. Not us. Our families."

"Families?" He looked queerly at her. "I know Dad and Nell's thing didn't work out."

"There's that but that's not what I'm getting at, Clark. I met someone today…my Great Aunt Louise," she admitted. "It's so weird! We look so much alike. She sounds the way my Mom did in the high school graduation speech. But she was her own person. And so was your Dad."

"I know Dad's definitely his own person," he agreed.

"No, Clark. Your birth father."

Now it was his turn to drop his jaw. "My birth father? Lana, how?"

"He and Aunt Louise loved each other apparently." She scratched her head. "His name was Jor-El. She called him 'Joe'."

"Jor-El…" He said the name carefully. After so much doubt, he had a name and a link to his past. "He was here in Smallville?"

"If my aunt's right, he was." She looked him in the eye earnestly. "Clark, they weren't allowed to love each other. We have that chance. Please. Let's make the most of it."

"I won't hurt you ever," Clark vowed. His mind continued to wander over the mysteries swarming about themselves. Now they both had revelations with which to deal. "I want this. Just stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," she agreed. She sealed her affirmation with a passionate kiss.

He squeezed her hand gently. Whatever stood in front of them, they would face it together.

No more secrets…

No more lies….

And that was a solid foundation for future endeavors