Lex paused on the stairs leading up to Clark's loft. The living room light in the farmhouse had just gone out, and now only the light in the kitchen remained on. He knew Martha Kent was busy cleaning up the kitchen after finishing a delicious meal with her family, the aroma of which wafted through the large barn window, carried by the evening breeze.

Clark had become a creature of routine since returning, so he knew that in a few minutes he'd leave the house through the front door—avoiding his mother, and head towards the barn. Lex took a moment to take in the surroundings while he waited. He'd never really paid much attention to the little details and pieces of Clark that cluttered the space. There were two old bookcases that were probably built by his grandfather crammed with books ranging from a tattered copy of the Velveteen Rabbit, to Nortons' Star Atlas and other astronomy books. Recent acquisitions that mainly consisted of classics and books on psychology were neatly piled next to the bookcases on the floor. There was a toy airplane with a broken wing on one of the shelves, and a solved Rubix Cube, a globe that also doubled as a pencil sharpener, and a Wolverine baseball team bobble-head on another.

Before there had been several Native American blankets, no doubt gifts from various workers over the years, strewn over the old sofa and loft railings, but now they were all neatly folded and placed on top of an old chest. This Clark he had noticed was a lot neater, not that Clark had ever been a slob, but his décor in the past was handled with the carelessness you would expect from a teenage boy.

Lex sat down on the top step avoiding any comfort, needing to feel the contrast of the roughness of old wood against his light gabardine trousers. He had spent most of the evening trying to determine the exact amount of force applied to the chair to disintegrate it. He needed more time and more equipment to get a precise reading, but suffice to say, Clark was amazingly strong. He thought part of the reason he came to the farm, aside from needing to win back Clark's confidence was that he needed to be reminded that Clark was real, and made of living flesh, even if he didn't know if that flesh was human. That fact wouldn't deter him from the course he'd now definitely set upon, but it would aid him in figuring out the best way to reach Clark.

The sound of Clark's footsteps pulled him to attention. Judging by the way Clark cautiously approached the barn Lex knew he was probably already aware of his presence. He rose from the steps and stood waiting on the landing. Clark stopped when he saw him, and Lex saw the shame in the slump of his shoulders, as Clark avoided his eyes and looked down, with unsure foot raised to ascend the stairs.

"I was a worried after you ran out of the mansion so fast—I came to check on you. Are you ok?"

Clark glanced up at Lex quickly then returned his gaze to his feet. "Look, I'm really sorry about what I did, I didn't mean to…. I'm not positive what happened, but I didn't mean to lose control like that." He looked up and met his eyes. "I'll find a way to pay you back, somehow."

Lex looked at Clark standing there, still deciding whether to actually face him. There was a new tension in him, an impatience that had little to do with him being sorry for what he did. He suddenly had no doubt that if he told Clark he never wanted to see him again; he would have accepted it without question. He had the look of someone who no longer expected things to go in his favor. Lex decided to take a risk, it could backfire, but he felt like he had few choices now.

"I just came over here to talk. Do you mind if we sit? I promise you, I'm not angry."

Clark just nodded, feeling he at least owed Lex some sort of explanation. He walked up the stairs and sat on the couch. Lex took the desk chair next to it and faced Clark.

"Now, I could care less about a chair. My only concern is you, and whatever it is you're going through."

Clark smiled weakly, trying not to feel embarrassed. "I'm ok, I really didn't' mean to worry you, I'd just had such a frustrating day already….it was just one more thing."

Lex smiled warmly. "Well I know all about bad days."

"I bet you've never ruined an expensive chair because of one."

Lex laughed. "You'd be surprised." He softened his tone. "Clark, how were you able to break the chair? Did Dr. Carr ever say anything about you having extraordinary strength?"

Clark looked at Lex for a long moment, then just nodded. "But he didn't have to tell me, I knew it wasn't normal to be able to lift my bed over my head with one hand to look for something."

It shouldn't have mattered at this point, but Lex couldn't help but react a little to Clark saying simply that he possessed superhuman strength after all this time.

"That's incredible."

"It doesn't make me a freak." Clark said it so softly Lex barely heard him.

"Or maybe it does."

Lex gently placed his hand on Clark's hand that was destroying what was left of the tattered upholstery. Clark froze and pulled his hand away.

"Sorry."

"That's ok, I just thought you probably wanted to give up destroying furniture for a while. "

Clark just grimaced and leaned back on the sofa, his frustration growing.

"It was a joke Clark, I told you already, I don't care about the stupid chair. If you'll let me, I can try and help. Do you want me to contact Dr. Carr for you?"

Clark's eyes lit up for a moment, but then he quickly shook his head. "No…I don't think that'd be a good idea. My parents wouldn't like it."

'I think right now they'd be willing to do anything if they thought it would help."

"I don't think he'd help…I think I'm beginning to realize a few things."

Lex joined Clark on the couch. "About Dr.Carr?"

He shrugged. "I'm beginning to wonder if I was anything more than a science experiment to him. He was kind to me, but there was never much more to our relationship than running tests and me watching movies while he worked…. and talking to him wasn't like talking to you."

Lex did his best to keep his excitement under control. "And what about your parents?"

"Can I talk to them? I suppose I could if I gave them a chance, but I guess I was always afraid of upsetting them. I think I should try and be a little more open with them, they've been nothing but patient with me. The only thing I don't like is having to hide. They drilled me for a long time about hiding what I can do from others. But I guess I can understand why. "

"Well you never have to hide anything from me Clark. I think what you can do is an incredible gift."

"I wish I could believe that."

"Trust me, People have been writing amazing stories about people with your abilities for centuries. They're nothing to be ashamed of."

Clark smiled bitterly. "Stories are one thing…but seeing something right in front of yours eyes,…It probably scares most people."

"Maybe, but just know you have somewhere to come where you can completely be yourself. So, are we good?"

Clark smiled and nodded. "I can't thank you enough for not being angry with me."

Lex rose from the couch and walked towards the stairs. "What's a little broken furniture between friends?"

Clark laughed, a rare sound from him. "Good night Lex."

"See ya Clark."

The full moon had slipped behind the clouds, casting an eerie luminescent glow over the farm. Lex turned and looked back towards the barn. Clark was silhouetted in the window and waved when he saw Lex looking up. Lex waved back, taking a deep breath, assuring himself that he could do what needed to be done. His phone rang as he climbed into his car.

"Yes."

"Lex, we just checked on Carr, he's gone again, the whole place cleaned out."

Lex put the car in reverse, and smoothly backed out of the Kent drive.

"Let him go. Its better if he just stays out of my way. If you find him in the area again; let me know."

"Do you want us to still keep a surveillance on the place?"

"No, meet me in town tomorrow. I have something more important for you to do."

Clark waited for the light to go off in the kitchen before finally returning to the house. He didn't notice his father sitting by the fireplace, reading under a small lamp in the living room until he spoke.

"Clark? I saw Lex's car out there, what did he want this late?"

He resisted the urge to pretend he didn't hear him, and walked into the living room.

"Nothing really, he just wanted to see if I was OK" He regretted saying that as soon as the words left his mouth.

His father removed his glasses and looked at him. "Is everything Ok, son."

"Yes…Dad. I was just a little down earlier when I visited him. I'm ok now."

"Listen…Clark, your mother told about your talk earlier, and I just wanted you to know how sorry I am, I know I've made some mistakes, but I think if we all can just be honest with each other, it'll make things a lot easier, for all of us."

"I promise."

Jonathan smiled. "Good. You should probably get some sleep, you have school tomorrow."

He had forgotten all about going to school in all the excitement of the last twenty-four hours. He wanted to protest, but he swallowed hard and just nodded.

"Goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight, Son."

Clark wondered if in his previous life he'd been a morning person. Of course he probably had been, growing up a farmer's son. He sighed heavily wishing at least an inkling of that part of himself remained. The alarm clock blinked repetitively at him—or what was left of it. A clock hadn't yet been made that was a match for a super-powered being determined not to get up on time. He looked up sleepily at the sun glaring through the blinds, which meant he had once again overslept. The agreement was that he rise with his father and take care of feeding the animals and cleaning out the stalls—a job he loathed but never complained about—before breakfast. It was 7:30 already, so he barely had time to shower, dress and eat, even if he used his speed. He didn't know why his parents let him sleep in, but he was grateful.

He sped through his shower fully intending to dress in a hurry, but the choices in his closet made him come to a dead stop. It was definitely no accident that all the clothes he'd packed from the Institute were relegated to the back of the closet, and the front was a sea of plaid and bright colored tees. He rooted around in the back until he pulled out a dark navy polo shirt with a single maroon stripe across the chest. The fabric was a lot softer than most of the tees and flannel, and he smoothed it against his chest, smiling a little at his silliness. After selecting the least baggy pair of jeans he could fine, he zipped downstairs for breakfast.

He arrived at school before the others, shrugging off his father's offer to drive him, instead preferring to run. Nothing was ever intimidating with all the people and noise removed, and Smallville High was no exception. He wandered the brightly colored halls, listening to his feet echo against the linoleum. If he memorized the hallways, he thought maybe he'd be able to use his speed in between classes; as long as he knew where he was going, he could weave through the people pretty easily he hoped. His parents would flip if they knew he was contemplating using his powers away from the farm, but if he was going to survive life in Smallville, he'd need to make his own rules.

A quick glance at his watch told him he had at least twenty more minutes of peace before the other students arrived. Most of the teachers were congregated in a room he passed that emitted the overwhelming aroma of burned coffee, and a few were in empty classrooms shuffling papers and writing on the chalkboards.

A loud clicking sound—at least it was loud to him, drew him to a room at the end of the hall. He peaked in and saw Chloe, the blonde girl he'd met his first day of school in the boiler room. She was typing away on her green computer with such ferocity she didn't even notice him standing there. He decided to ignore all his usual impulses and not slip away, instead he continued to watch her, silently hoping she'd look up. She'd mentioned they knew each other before, and he promised himself he'd try and expand his social circle beyond Lex.

"Give me two minutes Jordan, I just need to finish this sentence."

Apparently she thought Clark was someone named Jordan, he kept silent and waited. Chloe finally looked up less than a minute later and was startled to see her former friend standing in the doorway.

"Clark! Hi, um…. come in!"

Clark was equally startled by her enthusiasm, which must have read plainly on her face, because she immediately calmed her tone.

"Sorry, I was just surprised to see you there. Is everything ok?"

Clark was still standing in the doorway, fingering the jam. "Yes, I just heard you and wondered who was here this early…"

Chloe laughed a little. "Oh I'm always here, a permanent fixture, they'll probably have to surgically remove me after graduation."

Clark entered the room, looking around at the array of bright colors everywhere. This town definitely seemed to never shy away from vibrant paint.

"What is this place?"

Chloe watched him wander around the room, and she felt a small pang remembering the countless hours they had all spent there, first with Pete, and then just the two of them. Most of the time, when she thought of Clark, she thought of him perched on the edge of one of the desks, playing with her airplane phone, or tapping a pencil in the air, never being able to keep his hands still, and judging by the way he fingered everything, it was a habit he retained.

She swept her arm dramatically in mock pride. "This is the Torch office—the school newspaper, and I'm editor, and you used to be on staff here, though technically I guess you still are."

"I worked on the school newspaper?"

Chloe smiled. "Well, getting you to turn an article in on time was like pulling teeth, but you turned in some pretty decent articles once in a while, and you were really helpful at the investigating part."

Clark, without thinking sat on the edge of the desk opposite her. He realized that Chloe probably knew about a part of his former self that neither Lex nor his parents knew about.

"Was I lazy?"

"No, just…well you did things in your own time, I liked to call it "clark time". But I could always depend on you."

Clark just nodded, now dreading the sound of the first bell in just three minutes.

"Well, I guess school is about to start, and I need to drop off a note from my parents for yesterday." Clark rose and slung his backpack over his shoulder, heading for the door.

"Clark, you know if you still want to work on the paper, I'd love to have you back."

He paused and looked at her. "I'll think about it."

"Ok, well you know where to find me. See you later Clark."

He waved bye, and she watched him go, and tried to keep her elation that he had sought her out under control. It didn't mean anything, but seeing him again made her realize just how much she missed him all these months.

School was much easier than it had been on the first day. He studied the other students, learning their behaviors; when to ask a question, and when to give a wrong answer, and he'd surmised the acceptable length of time it took most people to finish a test. He returned smiles, and said "Hi" whenever greeted in the halls, and even managed to have two very brief conversations with another student. By the time lunch rolled around, he was all smiled out and just wanted a moment of peace. He avoided the cafeteria, and made his way towards the room he'd met Chloe in that morning, hoping it'd be unoccupied at that hour.

There was no sign of Chloe when he got to the room, and the door was locked. He glanced around the hall quickly and twisted the knob until he heard the lock give. There was definitely something drawing him to this place, and he guess it was the fact that he'd probably spent a lot of time there and some part of him remembered. He sat at the desk closest to the window, closing his eyes for a moment as the rays of sun fell across his face. He pulled out the lunch his mother had prepared for him—a cold meat loaf sandwich topped with provolone cheese on whole grain bread. Even his father wrinkled his nose at his odd new favorite meal, but his mother prepared it for him happily. He smiled when he saw she had included a piece of the apple pie he spotted on the counter last night, and of course she'd never forget his half-quart of milk.

Clark leaned back in the chair, and pushed the computer keyboard out of his way and began enjoying his lunch. He let his eyes sweep the room while he ate and wondered why he hadn't taken a closer inspection of the main wall before. It was covered with articles and pictures, but he had assumed they were just past clippings from the school paper. For the first time he noticed a few of the headlines insert real headlines.

He stared for a long time, letting his eyes trail over the wall until he'd read every article twice. His whole body felt like it'd be doused with ice water and he stood there stock still letting the information sink in. There were others like him. Whatever had happened to him that day, he wasn't the only one. This green rock had caused mutations in everything from cattle to other students, and Chloe seemed to be collecting information on all of them.

"Hey, how'd the lock get brok…Clark?"

Chloe noticed the door ajar as she passed the Torch office, and was pleasantly surprised to find Clark in there, until she realized what he was staring at. She froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. All indications said Clark heard her come in, she'd seen the slight shift of his neck, and his eyes move towards the door, but he didn't move.

If she had something resembling foresight, she would have prepared him for this, maybe introduced him to the wall when he was there that morning. But she'd be so surprised and so happy to see him, she didn't have time to think. And now that wall must seem like some sort of tabloid monstrosity exploiting people like him.

She'd known about Clark's abilities before he disappeared—she found out purely by chance, though she'd always suspected there was something strange about him. He was gone before she had the chance to talk to him about it, and now she wasn't sure how much the Kents had told him about himself, if they had even told him he was a meteor freak. She winced, and silently reminded herself not to even think that term anymore—there as nothing freakish about her best friend.

"Clark?"

He turned to look at her finally, but she couldn't read his expression.

"I didn't realize, I didn't realize there were others…"

"That there were others like you?" She decided there was no point in keeping up the pretense.

Clark turned and looked at her sharply and his eyes widened with surprise. "You know? but how?"

"I saw you use your abilities once…I mean I've always suspected."

He walked over to the desk and sat on the edge staring at her, looking confused. "But I've been pretty careful I thought, where did you see me?"

"It was before you left, I wanted to tell you, but I never got the chance."

Clark furrowed his brow, his confusion deepening. "What do you mean before?"

It was Chloe's turn to look confused. "Before you disappeared…"

Clark felt a panic rising in his chest, a reaction to something he knew should be clear, but his brain wouldn't allow it into his consciousness. "But they found me unconscious after a blast they said, and that's when this happened to me….I wasn't."

Chloe's stomach dropped; she felt sick. He didn't know; how could she have assumed he did? But she had no way of knowing what story he was told, no details of his disappearance had been released, she didn't even know where'd he been.

"Oh god, Clark..I.." She watched the color drain from his face.

He was careful not to understand the full implications of that—maybe Dr. Carr hadn't lied, maybe they just assumed his mutation occurred in the blast—but what if there had never been any blast. He thoughts drifted to the other "patients" at the hospital. He never really knew why they were there; he assumed they were sick, he was never really allowed to associate with them. But what if they were others just like him. He took a deep breath, trying to stay focused. There was no reason for him to think such things that would only upset him.

"So.." he said very evenly. "I was always like this?"

Chloe nodded very slowly. "I'm sorry Clark, I thought you knew. I'm really sorry."

Neither of them said anything else for a long moment. Clark just sat there staring at the wall. Chloe just watched him, cursing herself and waiting patiently for his reaction.

He looked away from the wall, then slowly bent down to pick up his discarded backpack, leaving the remnants of his lunch scattered on the desk. He glanced at it quickly, but rose to leave.

He mumbled softly. "The bell is about to ring."

"I really am sorry Clark."

Clark looked at her, and gave her a small crooked smile that was all too familiar.

"Its ok Chloe. I'll see you in class."

Clark walked out the door and kept walking until he reached the back doors of the school, then he sprinted across the fields in a dark blue blur heading back towards the farm.