Clark found Pete in the cafeteria of the hospital, his spoon buried deep in lime Jell-O. He still hoped that this wasn't what he thought it was, that Pete had discovered some deep love of volunteering, but Clark wasn't a good liar, even to himself.
"Isn't it a little early on the weekend to be enjoying gelatin?"
Pete glared back up at him and pushed his dish away from his place. "I don't owe you anything. I thought you made it quite clear that we weren't friends. That you don't like people who treat you 'like a pet.'"
Instinctively, Clark looked over his shoulder. Pete hadn't been loud, but, still, it wouldn't be good for him if even more people knew he wasn't like everyone else or even like the meteor mutated set. "I don't and sometimes things between us weren't great and some of that was my fault because I should have been more honest when you were doing things that made me feel uncomfortable and, instead, I just tried to ignore it."
"How noble."
"What are you really doing here? You've never volunteered outside of the forced hours school makes us do and you know it. So what are you actually here for?"
"Maybe I'm thinking of getting serious about a career."
"You like politics and law, like your mom. You've never given a shit about medicine."
"Maybe there's a doctor here I've thought about talking to."
It took everything Clark had to resist slamming his fist through the table. "This isn't a game. Do you get that? You tell the wrong person about me and my life? My parent's lives, Chris's? They're all done. If I'm lucky I get to be the paparrazzi hounded story of the century, if I'm not, I get to be cut into little pieces and Chris with me."
Pete snorted. "After being friends since we were three, you'd think that I'd sell you out that fast?"
"I hope not but I don't know. Do you realize that the wrong person learning about me and I'll wish I were dead?"
"I have been keeping your secret for six months and I'm not an idiot."
"You were here to speak with Dr. Bryce. I know you were."
"And as far as I've heard, she knows more than she should anyway, but, no, I didn't have you on my mind. I don't think about my pets much."
"God, I shouldn't...it came out badly phrased."
"But you think that. You think I don't see you as human."
"Can you see me as human?"
Pete didn't say anything for a while, just stirred the mass of green slop. "You're not."
Clark nodded and tried to ignore the flare of pain in his chest. "I wasn't born here, no. I can do things I didn't ever ask for, yeah. I'm human where it matters."
"Maybe," Pete conceded. "But you're not just any other guy. You can do basically anything you want, be anything you want."
"Not the thing I want most."
"Man, why settle for ordinary? I'd kill to be able to do a fraction of what you do. You act like it's some curse, what the fuck man?"
"Where have you even been since Dr. Hamilton tried to infect you with the Jitters? Really? You think any of this is fun?" Clark hissed. "I have to lie to everyone, all the time. I have to try and stay one step ahead of 'doctors' like Hamilton and sociopaths like Lionel Luthor. I can't be with the girl I thought I loved because I'm not like her and since her parents died in the shower, it's not like she's gonna let bygones be bygones and in the last few weeks I find out that not only am I an...you know...but there aren't any others like me in the whole freaking universe. Oh and my ship raped my mom. Yeah this is real fun."
"You can do anything," Pete said, like it was the cure all for his life.
"I can't do anything. Yeah, I'm real strong and fast and have heat vision, great. It doesn't mean I'm invulnerable if people find out about the Green K; it doesn't mean the whole world doesn't scare the shit out of me. I can do the math. People at large found out about me or Chris and we'd be toast."
"I suppose I could point out that who cares? You could-"
"What? Go King Kong on anyone who came for me. No, I don't know how you can have been in the thick of this for months and not get how trapped I really am."
"You're just not taking advantage of what it could be."
"Well since I don't want Uncle Sam to cut me into a hundred tiny pieces, I think caution's a good thing."
Pete shrugged and took a bite of his green slush. "I wasn't here to turn you and Chris in to Dr. Bryce. She knows more about you than I do anyway since your dad was dumb enough to give her your blood work."
"Yeah not the best decision."
"Even if you're a dick, I wasn't gonna turn anyone onto you."
Clark took in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "You were going to tell Dr. Bryce about Chloe, weren't you? What asshole purpose would that even serve?"
"I didn't name names," Pete replied. "I just told her that if I were her, I'd be worried about people trying to break into the ICU on a misguided idea that they could help in a verySmallvillian way."
"This isn't a game. Did you tell her about Chloe or not?"
"You mean Lois Lane? Not in so many words, just let her know there was a meta with a messiah complex out there who wasn't you and to be wary."
"Not every mutant is going to end up like Jody or like Tina Greer. Do you even understand that?"
"Keep telling yourself that. They're defective and they're killers. It's only a matter of time before Lois turns into one of them. You can save people from a lot of things, Clark, but you can't save her from that." Pete sighed and finished the remains of his Jell-O. "Is it ironic?"
"I don't know what your talking about except that you've been playing with Chloe's life out of some misplaced rage at Jody Melville."
"Then pay attention. I have. I noticed lately that you could give two shits about Lana. You're in love with Chloe...Lois...whoever she is, aren't you?"
"And you can't stand her. What's it to you?"
"End of the day, Clark, her real father is a three star general in the military. What the fuck do you think he'd do to you?"
Clark clenched his hands at his sides as he stood up. "Pete, get some therapy, some help, whatever. Your attitude sucks. Chloe's not like the rest of them and you trying to witch hunt her is sick."
"Or maybe I'm just rounding it off at the pass."
"I was hoping I'd see you again."
If it wouldn't have brought attention to him, Clark would have punched a hole through the wall in the isolated hospital corridor. He was having a terrible day. The last thing he needed was for Helen to press him on his origins and blood work.
"Dr. Bryce, I'm not interested," he said, not bothering to stop or slow down.
"Clark, Pete-"
"I know. Why the Hell do you think I'm here?" He asked, turning around. "You two think my life and everything in it is a game. Fuck you both."
Helen smiled, unfrazzled. "I suppose the mutual respect angle is gone. Clark, I haven't told anyone about your blood work or about your mother."
He blinked. "My mother was sick; she got better."
"No, I mean I was the one assigned to her check out blood work."
"You mean you maneuvered your way into having that job."
"Well that too."
"I can't even," he said, starting to walk again.
"She's pregnant. What is she pregnant with?"
"A baby. Shocker. Sometimes there's nothing to tell."
"There's always something to tell with you. Pete mentioned something about a possible mutant threat to keep my eye on. I assume you don't know anything about that like you don't about your sunlight processing abilities or your coming sibling."
"Pete's an asshole and you're creepy but I hope still have a code of ethics, somewhere."
"I've not told Lex about you."
Clark stiffened. "What about Lionel?"
"Lionel?"
"Don't play dumb. He's the highest bidder in town for weird crap. I suppose even in Smallville that I'm the weirdest."
"Nothing. I just want to understand who you are. I want to know whom it is you know that might be breaking in to play Florence Nightingale on my ward."
"I'm just a guy, Dr. Bryce, and if I could do half of what you and Pete think I can, I wouldn't be drowning so badly. Good day."
"Chlo, I don't want to be the one to tell you this," he said, handing her a large mocha and extra chocolate biscotti as he took his seat at the desk in his loft.
"We have more problems?"
"Pete went to Helen about you. He apparently, for all our sakes, had some slight part of his soul intact. He warned her about a mutant out there with healing abilities who might be screwing around in her hospital. I don't know why he just didn't turn you over wholesale."
She nodded and sipped her drink. "I knew it was too good to last."
"What?"
"You, our friendship, having a life here as just 'Chloe Sullivan.' I knew that I wasn't going to be allowed to keep it. It's my fault for exposing myself but I couldn't let you die."
"Wait, what?"
"I'll tell my uncle right away. Dad has accounts for us set up for moving emergencies. We'll abandon the house and use a new account to just start somewhere else. Maybe even in Canada, change countries this time around."
"I...you can't just run!"
"How long do you really think it'll take Helen to piece together that the mutant is me, if she hasn't already? How long do you think Pete can sit on his anger before he just flips and tells anyone in listening distance that he knows where to find Lois Lane?"
"No, you can't leave."
"Because you think you love me? Clark, it'll pass. You'll find someone else, obviously not a Kryptonian, but you'll find someone you can care about. I can't afford to get attached anyway. I need to be able to run and I'm practiced at it. Uncle Gabe and I can be in Montreal in under forty eight hours."
"You're so detached about this. We're talking about the life you built for three years, about us, and you're just gonna leave it?"
She set down her cup and laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "I run or I get killed over and over on a loop. You can't even begin to understand that kind of pain. I won't do it again. If I have to run to Timbuktu, I would."
"I love you."
"You love the idea of a girl who's similar to you. You love Chloe Sullivan as a sister, and you don't know shit about Lois Lane."
"I know you're not as tough as you want people to think. I know that some serious shit went down with you and I can't even pretend to understand the horror that the Teagues perpetuated on you, I can't, but you love it here in Smallville. You loved what we did last night in Edge city. You love me."
"I have a crush, Clark. Hate to break it to you, even those baby blues aren't worth getting vivisected for. Deal with it."
He was there then, using his speed against her, before she could bolt on him. Grabbing her shoulders gently, Clark kissed her. She was stiff against him and then relaxed. It was chaste between them, just his lips on hers but he wanted her to understand his position. Pulling back, her stroked her cheek. "I love you, Lois Lane and Chloe Sullivan. Do you get that?"
"I can't stay. I can never stay. God, if I could just die, if all I had to worry about was torture til it stopped but it won't stop. It was a fluke the first time that I escaped. It won't be next time; they won't allow it."
He pulled her onto his lap and was glad when she let him. "Then let me protect you."
"You mean in addition to all the stuff that's on your plate? You have so much going on in your family. You have your own secrets to protect, a baby brother. You don't need my bullshit."
"Then think about it this way. Pete tells Dr. Bryce there's a powerful meta with healing capabilities in Smallville. One of Pete's best friends leaves town before the weekend's even over. What does that look like to you, Chloe?"
"Like I was guilty as sin."
"Exactly. You do what I do, what you've done for a while now."
"What's that?" she asked, letting her head come to rest under his chin.
"You hide in plain sight and you help me figure out how to get the Teagues away from you. Now, tell me everything you know about The Traveler and we'll figure out where he or she really is."