Clark landed in the driveway of his house. Chloe excitedly smiled and ran up to the house. Clark smiled and followed her inside. Chloe burst open to tell the Kent's her news but stopped at seeing Lex in the kitchen. Everyone looked over at her. The Kent's gave her a cautious look indicating silence. As Clark walked in and greeted Lex, she kept her smile and politely said, "Hey, Lex. What brings you out to the farm during the busiest time of the year for Luthorcorp?"
Lex gave a half smile that Chloe immediately identified as untrustworthy and which made her skin crawl. He stated, "Well, we adjourned for today after reacting strangely. Everyone at the company suddenly experienced extreme pain and disorientation. The Kent's tell me the whole town felt it." He subtly glanced at Clark and tilted his head. "I was checking in to see how you guys are doing." Chloe looked grateful and replied, "Well, that was really nice of you. I hope that you and your clients weren't hurt either."
Lex nodded and walked to the door. He looked back at Chloe and commented, "I like your hair. When you decide to grow it out?" Chloe shrugged, "A couple days ago, why?" Lex shook his head, "No reason. Have a good day." He walked outside and moved out of view, hoping to hear something out of the ordinary.
The Kent's started to talk but stopped when Chloe held up her hand and shook her head. She glanced at Jonathon and asked, "Mr. Kent, I noticed you still had some 2 by 4s in your truck. Maybe you and Clark should go and put them away." She then moved to face the door where Lex was hiding. She looked at Clark and raised her hand to her nose. He looked confused for a second then understood. He nodded and walked to the door. "Yeah, dad. Let's go put that wood away." Jonathan followed him looking confused. They opened the door and Lex flinched at the door hitting his elbow. Jonathan instantly became suspicious at him but pleasantly asked, "Lex, what are you still hanging around for?"
Lex rubbed his elbow and answered, "I was just enjoying the view of your farm. No matter how often I come here I never get tired of seeing it."
Jonathan forced a smile and invited, "Well, feel free to come over anytime you want to. Our door is always open."
Lex smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Kent. I might do that." He walked around the house to his car and sped away toward the town. After a minute, Jonathan turned to Chloe and asked, "How did you know he was still here?"
Chloe simply shrugged and answered, "I could smell him. He smells of leather and steamed air. It made me kind of dizzy." Martha chuckled and questioned, "Is that another mutation you have now? You can tell people by the way they smell?"
Chloe nodded. Jonathan tilted his head and asked, "What do Martha and I smell like?"
Chloe sniffed and replied, "You smell like sun burning the grass and Martha smells like fresh baked bread." She hesitated and chuckled; "Now I feel hungry. Do you have any bread, Mrs. Kent?"
She nodded and put some bread in the toaster. Being curious, Martha asked, "What does Clark smell like to you?" Chloe thought for a moment. She then answered, "I honestly can't figure it out. If I had to describe it, I would say he smells like cold air." Chloe sniffed the air and commented, "Are you cooking something, Mrs. Kent? I think something is burning." Martha paled and ran to the oven. She opened and smoke billowed out into the kitchen. She waved her hands and groaned. "Well, there goes our dinner. I can't believe I forget to check the roast." Chloe smiled and replied, "Well, it still smells pretty good." Martha gave her a warning glare. Chloe held her hands up in mock surrender when the smoke alarm went off. Chloe screamed in pain and covered her ears. She grabbed the counter and went down to her knees. Jonathan and Martha looked horrified and concerned. Martha kneeled by her and tried to help her. Chloe looked up in pain and growled out, "Clark, turn that thing off!" Clark zipped over and pulled the alarm off and ran it out to the barn and zipped back. Chloe uncovered her ears and stood feeling dizzy and slightly sick. Jonathan asked, "What was all that about?" The Kent's looked from Chloe to Clark waiting for an explanation. Chloe weakly replied, "You two now know what my weakness is. I think my body is extremely sensitive to high levels of noise and sound waves."
Martha frowned, "So, any loud noise will hurt you?" Chloe nodded. "Well, we will remember that, and not have anything to hurt you in the future." Chloe thanked her and Jonathan. She suddenly remembered her news and said, "By the way, I have good news. Clark and I flew to New York and spoke to a man running a school for mutants. They're not meteor freaks, they are actual mutants. He is arranging for me to spend the remainder of my schooling there." They started to object but Chloe continued, "I realize that the move will be unusual happening so quickly, so we figured we would act like I applied for a student exchange program. It will maintain some legality and be a reasonable cover. I also have been offered an internship at the Planet from a mutant we met there. After I graduate, I will be working for him, but I will have the chance to become a reporter."
Jonathan looked concerned and asked, "Chloe, this is good news, but it seems too good to be true. How do you know you can trust these people?" Chloe didn't get upset; she knew that was a reasonable question. She sighed, "I guess my gut is telling me I can believe them. Some of them were even scared of us. They believed we were going to kidnap them. They even have a kid who is faster than Clark. I don't remember him, but he said he came to Smallville before."
Jonathan narrowed his eyes, "Do you mean Bart Allen? He was there?" Chloe nodded, confused. Martha commented, "Maybe they are trustworthy. Bart is not quick to trust anyone." Chloe looked confused, "How do you know him?"
Jonathan answered, "Earlier this year, Clark and I were going to a Sharks game and I was nearly rolled over by a logging truck. I was pulled out of the way and assumed it was Clark. He hadn't done it and I discovered my wallet was gone. He had you trace the credit charges, and met him in Metropolis. Clark chased him through Metropolis and lost him. He came home to find Bart here having lunch. Bart was a lot faster than Clark. He almost got himself and Clark killed by stealing an artifact from Lex and trying to sell it."
Chloe nodded. "So the fastest man alive met the strongest man alive. How did he get his power? Is he a mutant or is it a meteor power?" She looked to Clark for an answer. Clark replied, "It's neither one, actually. He was struck by lightning. He said it sent his body into overdrive."
Chloe sighed. "I wish I could move that fast. You would never be late for anything. Well, unless you're six feet tall and always wear plaid. Then nothing can help you."
Clark shook his head while Jonathan and Martha refrained from laughing. Clark shot back, "Maybe that person just had trouble getting ready. I tended to take my time."
"And you being late all the time got me and Pete betting during high school. We always traded the cash back and forth."
Clark smirked, "Glad I able to help." Chloe bowed in thanks. She stood up and said, "Well, I need to go pack. Professor Xavier is preparing a room for me, and I need to get some things ready. Clark, could you fly me back in the morning?" Clark nodded and walked her to her car. She waved goodbye as she drove away.
Clark sped back inside smiling ear to ear. His parents just gazed at him and he noticed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Martha commented, "Clark, I think you are falling for Chloe." Clark raised his eyebrows and replied, "Mom, Chloe is my friend."
His parents waited. Clark reiterated, "Chloe is just my friend. My feelings don't go beyond that." Jonathan then agreed with his wife, "Your mother may be right, Clark." Clark frowned slightly and asked, "What makes you think that way?" Jonathan answered, "You defended yourself, for one. You maintain she's just friend. And most of all, you didn't once mention Lana in your objections."
Clark opened his mouth to object, but closed it after a second. He sat down and looked at his parents slightly startled. He quietly answered, "You're right." He paused. "Now that you mention it, I haven't even thought of Lana for months. At first, Alicia and I were together. And when that mental attack happened, I was only worried about Chloe when she collapsed. Lana didn't even register in my mind." He looked seriously at them, "Even now, I don't feel that concerned for her. Am I finally over her?"
Martha walked over to Clark, "Only you can figure that out, Clark. I do know you still care for her. I know you will always worry about her. But you don't need to be in love with her to do that. Also, Chloe's situation has brought the two of you closer together. We have never seen you so relaxed around anyone. Even with Alicia, you were reserved and worried she was untrustworthy. With Chloe, you are extremely open and speak your mind. It almost seems like a mild red exposure."
Clark denied, "I'm not on red k." He swallowed and continued, "Although some mutants saw me on it earlier." His parents exclaimed, "WHAT?!"
Clark hid his eyes and quietly explained, "Chloe and I took a green and red rock to show what I was. Anyway, one of the mutants there was trying to protect a young girl and attacked me. I dropped the ring box and he picked it up, and then tossed it to me. Needless to say, I lost control." He looked them in the eye and continued, "If Chloe hadn't stopped me, I could have killed him."
Martha sighed, "How many people there saw you like that? Do they know about your origins?" Clark nervously nodded. "I didn't want to tell them, but Chloe suggested they would be suspicious of my reactions to the rocks."
Jonathan scowled, "Well, I can't say I am happy about this, but Chloe had some logic behind her reasons. I will give some leeway but we need to think about how much we can trust these people."
Clark sighed. He looked at the clock. He saw it was 7:26. He stood up and said, "It's almost 7:30. I'm going to go finish the chores and then stop by Chloe's to help her pack and talk about her plans to cover around here."
They nodded. Clark sped out the door and came back a minute later. His parents were staring at him as he came back inside. He saw them staring and sighed, "Why do you always stare at me when I do that?" They smiled and answered, "It still amazes us how fast are. You go talk to Chloe about your plans. Be back at 9 pm."
He nodded and raced out the door. He stopped outside the Talon, noticing that Chloe's car had not pulled up yet. He went inside and ordered a latte while he waited. He waited for 10 minutes and turned to the door as Chloe walked in. She sniffed the air and looked toward him. She smirked at him and walked over to him. She glanced around the café and asked jokingly, "Have you been here long, Kent?" He smiled and retorted, "No, but long enough to enjoy a hot coffee."
She raised her eyebrows in amusement and looked around. She narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Clark in confusion. He frowned and asked what was wrong. She just stared at him in shock. She asked, "How long have you been in the Talon, Clark?" He replied, "I would say about 15 minutes. Why?" She indicated behind him and he looked over. He looked around and noticed Lana and Jason sitting in a far booth. Clark looked at Chloe and shrugged, "Lana and Jason are having dinner. What's wrong with that?" She looked at him in awe and asked, "Who are you and what happened to Clark Kent?"
He sighed, "Nothing has happened. Lana is happy with him and I am fine with that. I don't need to obsess over her. She has her own life. I have mine."
Chloe bit her lip and argued, "Clark, if I didn't know better, meaning I can smell your sincerity, I would say you're full of it and totally lying to me and yourself. When did you realize you were over her?"
Clark looked serious and replied, "I realized about 30 minutes ago. My parents noticed I hadn't even thought of her through this whole thing. All I worried about was how you were. They also say I seem more open and expressive around you. Mom even compared it to a red k high."
Chloe unconsciously shivered, "I never want to see red k again. That side of you is not very appealing. Plus, I don't like having to turn to our favorite green rock to bring you down." She looked at Clark in the eye and whispered, "I never want to have to do that to you ever again. Please don't put me in that position again." He looked back and put his hands on her shoulder. "I promise I will never put a red ring on again. I can't promise I won't get exposed again. I'm sorry for that." She nodded. She gave a small smile and said, "Well, I think I should go pack. I have a flight to catch in the morning." She walked up the stairs and went to her room. Clark followed and commented, "I'll help you and we can come up with something to tell everyone without raising too many suspicions." She nodded and they packed and talked about the cover story for 2 hours. They finished and then Clark left and sped home. Chloe went to sleep excited for the next day. She quickly fell asleep.
