Chapter 4 [Ten Minutes Later—Kents' Kitchen]

Nerves stood on edge around the Kents' kitchen. Martha brewed coffee and sliced a freshly made apple pie. She'd called someone on the phone but kept it short. Jonathan's eyes burrowed into the two teens' faces across from himself. His mind struggled to put together the previous half hour's events. Lana tapped her fingers on the table. She'd all but forgotten about the St. Finnigan's program.

No…everyone's mind now remained fixed on Clark….

The Person of Interest ground his teeth. He glared at the ceiling, the floor or anything besides his three companions in the room. It's not like I knew Lana was there. I was in the Loft! She will keep my Secret. Still how's she going to deal with it? Mom and Dad are freaking out.

"Clark?" Martha noted Consternation clearly written across his face.

"Huh?" Clark stirred. "Sorry." He slowly eased himself from the chair. Then he joined her by the coffee maker. Embarrassment reddened his cheeks. "I've got these." He carried mugs to his Dad and Lana.

"Thanks, Clark." Lana fixed her coffee. "Can I have a plate? Lex sent a treat for all of you. You like honey?"

"That's how I fix my coffee, Lana." Jonathan watched her unwrap the baklava from the protective paper towel. "What's that?"

"It's baklava, Jonathan. It's filo dough, nuts and honey. I had this a long time ago in Metropolis!" Martha brought a plate over to Lana. "That's really sweet of you, Lana! Thank you!" Gratitude spread a smile across her face.

"It's my pleasure, Mrs. Kent. Lex wanted you to enjoy it." Lana arranged the seven pieces onto the plate. She set it in the table's center.

Paranoia lifted Jonathan's eyebrow. He considered a piece with care.

"Jonathan, I'm sure it's very good." Martha shook her head at him. "It was very kind of Lex to think of us."

"So what do you think, Clark?" Lana met her Plaid Prince's gaze with her own.

"It kind of fancy, Lana." Clark shrugged at her.

"This seems to be a night for experiencing new things." Lana picked up a piece. "Miranda talks about this all of the time. It's kind of sweet." She broke a piece in half. "How about it, Clark? I'll take half and you can try half?" She waved the piece back and forth. "Live a little?

Clark took his piece. Honey and Walnuts teased his nostrils. He glanced at her again.

Lana shrugged. "Go on, Clark. Live a little." She bit into her half. Daring sparked in her eyes enticing him onward.

Clark put the piece in his mouth. He chewed on it for a while. His mouth and taste buds took in the Middle Eastern desert. Then he swallowed. "That's surprisingly good."

"I'm with Clark on that." Jonathan finished his piece. He chased it with his coffee. "You've had this before?"

"Dad had it at the firm for Holiday parties." Martha let the point drop. She didn't want to spoil the moment by talking too much about her father at that point. "Hopefully you'll add this to the Talon's menu, Lana."

"We're going to try it, Mrs. Kent. Let's see how it goes." Lana cleared her throat. "This is kind of awkward." She gulped down some coffee. Impatience wanted to blurt several questions out. Diplomacy wanted answers yet a permanent place at that table.

"What is, Lana?" Martha placed her hand on Lana's forearm. "It's okay."

Jonathan nodded. "I was going to bring it up. Thank you for doing so, Lana." He set his mug down on the table. "And thank you for talking with us about it. This secret is a very big deal."

"I can see that." Lana turned to Clark. Her hand squeezed his. "I'll keep it no matter what. I know there's a lot I don't understand. I just want to learn more. It's a lot to get my head around. You know?"

"It is Lana. We're glad you know." Martha sipped on her coffee. Then she pressed on. "I know you've wondered about Clark for some time." She glanced at Clark for a heartbeat. Then she turned back to Lana again. "First of all, he's wanted to tell you since the tornadoes."

"We asked Clark not to," Jonathan cut in. "You have to understand, Lana. There are a lot of people who would misuse his secret. We have had several close calls."

"I do try to be careful, Dad." Clark bit into another piece of baklava.

"You really put yourself out there, Clark, in Metro." Lana frowned. "Why do you think those creeps followed you back here? What did you do back there?" Her eyes flared. Anger sharpened her tone.

Clark stiffened. "I tried to get rid of them. Their boss, a guy named Morgan Edge, wanted me to do some real bad stuff. I was out of my mind. Guess that's why I agreed to do it." He shook his head.

Lana rolled her eyes. "That's one way of putting it. It was a lot like the way you were at that biker bar. There are those times when you turn into some fifties bad boy with the leather jacket, the sunglasses and your bike. What is going on with that, Clark?" She rolled her eyes.

Clark squirmed. "Lana, you remember what I told you. Right? I told you that the bad boy was always going to be a part of me. At the biker bar and in Metro, you saw that class ring on my hand?"

Lana rubbed her chin. "Now that you mention it, yeah I did. What's so special about it?"

Clark gulped down a big mouthful of coffee. He winced. "The ring stone was a red meteor rock. Those rocks affect me. They bring out another part of myself. I guess his name's Kal."

"Kal?" Martha shot him another look. Jor-El calls him Kal-El. Is it related?

"That's what everyone called you at that nightclub!" Lana nodded. "So you've got a split personality? Clark, there are therapists for that."

"No doctors or therapists, Lana. As long as I stay away from those red rocks, I'm fine. I put one on and he takes over. He doesn't have any inhibitions. It's kind of like how Dad and you were with the Nicodemus flower."

"What…we were?" Lana stared at him. "Clark, you said nothing happened." She tapped her fingers on the table. "I know about the Talon but…."

"Not a big deal, Lana. I got Saturday detention. It's nowhere near as bad as what happened last summer." Clark shook it off not wanting to talk about Lana's escapade on the school's diving board. "You dared me to go into the pool. Then you took off. Kwan busted me in mid doggie paddle. Can you do me a favor though?"

Lana nodded. "Sure."

"I know it's my problem. I get that I have to face up to it. Maybe we can make it like everything else?" Clark shook his head. "That sounded so lame. Sorry."

"No. Actually, Clark, that was great. Fair enough. Maybe we can talk about your abilities?" Lana bit her lip. "Okay. I know you're really strong from your punch in the barn. Now I know about how those pipes got twisted when the bees attacked us at the Talon. I saw your fire vision. I remember you flew in the tornado to save me. Before that, I saw you just appear as the tornado sucked the truck and me up. And you've rescued me even when Tina and that deputy buried me."

Jonathan cleared his throat. "So much for being careful, Clark."

"Jonathan, Clark was trying. What was he supposed to do? Let Lana die?" Martha rubbed her forehead. "Clark told us about those times."

Jonathan drowned his next reply before it got him into another argument. He was not about to tell any of them about his deal with Jor-El.

"Clark, it's okay. I know about that stuff. What happened with those fires? The classroom, Talon and then the jail?" Lana turned back toward him.

Embarrassment choked Clark's response. He coughed. "I…umm…got…." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"You got what, Clark? It's okay. You can tell me anything." Lana smiled. "It can't be that bad."

"Well." Clark rolled his eyes. "You remember when Desiree was talking about pheromones?"

"Yeah." Lana let a small snort escape her lips. "Talking, showing the film or reenacting Fatal Attraction?"

"Lana." Clark rubbed his forehead at the reference. It escaped him. He could see his parents caught it. "I got aroused. It wasn't Desiree though."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "I've really got to hear this."

Clark grimaced. "It's you. All right?"

"Me?" Surprise widened her eyes. She nearly choked on her coffee. "What did I do?"

"You're you. All right?" Clark cleared his throat again.

Lana rolled her eyes. She recalled their kiss. Then his forehead flushed and heated up. The fire followed soon after. "So that's what happened at the Talon too? Clark, you're lucky the insurance covered the damages. And what about the other fires?"

"Desiree torched her own car. I did set the jailhouse fire to get to the mansion. Had to save Lex." Clark leaned back in his seat. "I run really fast too."

"Lana, did you see Clark fly?" Jonathan cut in.

"He did that one time." Lana raised an eyebrow. "Kind of cool actually."

"Lana, that's the only time I've been able to do that. I don't know why." Clark shrugged off the point. "Maybe it'll come back to me? Wish I knew."

"Be kind of cool to try when you do learn about that. You aren't going to combust or burn something down?" Lana turned the subject back toward the heat vision again.

"I practiced and got control of it. Even when I got worked up, I aimed away from everything. I don't have to tell you how stressed out we've all been. You know better than anyone, Lana. When I said I don't want to hurt you, I meant it." Clark shook his head. "You want to know what triggered me tonight?"

"Sure, Clark. If you want to tell me I'd like to hear it," Lana agreed.

"We'd like to hear that as well, Son." Jonathan interjected.

Clark sighed. "Lana, you've been really patient. I appreciate that." Butterflies banged off of his stomach. Parch tightened his mouth and throat. "I never wanted to stop trying for us. I know what I said at the sign out front."

"And what did I tell you?" Lana reminded him.

Clark stared at the ceiling. "I never had to try." I Told You So stabbed at his psyche.

"You never had to try." Lana tapped him on the shoulder. "I know you have a lot going on. Now I understand why you have your issues. Didn't I tell you that there will be things I won't understand? It's okay! Please, Clark. Just trust that I can handle your secret. I want to handle it."

Jonathan shook his head. "Lana, Clark has wanted to tell you. I can understand how frustrating it can seem for Chloe and you. Still, we have to be so careful. We've taught Clark to be like that. Do you remember those kids from KU? Remember that you had to catch that kid, Andy, in the act? He was going to sue us. If he did, Clark would've been exposed. The fire in the Talon could have exposed him. There are cases besides that."

Lana rubbed her chin. "Wait, Mr. Kent. You said Chloe and me. What about Pete? Does he know?"

Clark grimaced. "Pete found out last year. I had to rescue him from Dr. Hamilton. He's been keeping the Secret. He'll tell you that I wanted to tell you. Now I don't have to hide the truth from you. I don't have to keep pushing you away."

Lana wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Relief and Joy lightened her heart and soul. "I want that too, Clark. You said you didn't want to do that to me anymore. I'm glad you meant it. I mean it too. That's why I went to where you were staying last summer. I didn't hide you from your parents. I fought to protect them when those men were going to kill us. I had to kill someone!"

"You what?" Shock widened Clark's eyes and dropped his jaw. He turned to Martha and Jonathan.

"It happened, Clark." Martha's face paled. The sides of her mouth sagged. "You need to think. You can't just run away because it gets too hard. You exposed yourself. Those men came because they wanted to use us to get to you. Lana's affected. You're affected. Your Dad and I are affected. We can't get last summer back. What we can do is be more careful in the future. Please, Clark. If you need to talk then talk to us."

"I won't do that again." Clark shook his head. He'd initially thought the "Kal Act" would intimidate Edge and his goons back to Metropolis. He hoped that everything would work out.

Obviously the act didn't impress Edge. And despite the kidnapping, things did get worse…and nearly permanently so….

"Lana, I…." Regret and Remorse for Lana's ordeal. Words glommed shut in his throat and mouth. "I didn't know."

Innocence Lost burned in Lana's heart. A tear burned its way down her cheek. She bit her lip. Somehow she kept Anger's fire at bay.

Jonathan put his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Son, you didn't think. You tried to deal with things on your own. We're here for you. That means your mother, Pete, me and you too, Lana. You definitely proved yourself last summer."

Lana wiped her eyes. "That means a lot, Mr. Kent. Thanks. I just want to know what was so bad that Clark stopped fighting for us? He always did. He is now again. But what happened? Everything was so great! There was that awesome toast at Lex's Rehearsal Dinner. Then we had that horseback ride and sat by the tree. That's when you started acting strange. I remember finding you in the crater up there. You were raving about a voice. What happened? Why didn't you tell us?"

"That's a question. Clark, she deserves an answer." Martha sipped on her coffee.

"Martha." Jonathan winced. He really did not want to talk about Jor-El.

"Dad, Mom's right. Lana needs to know. Considering that he threatened you guys." Clark got up and walked over to the pot. "I'm making a fresh pot." He emptied the small remainder out of the carafe. Then he refilled and poured it into the coffee maker. "Regular or the vanilla, Mom?"

"Is it okay if we have the vanilla, Clark? Mrs. Kent?" Lana felt the definite need for a pick me up.

"Sure, Lana." Martha nodded to Clark.

Clark exhaled a heavy breath. "Lana, that voice…that was my birth father. His name was Jor-El. He's dead. His ghost won't stop."

"Won't stop?" Skepticism narrowed Lana's eyes. "Clark, he's dead. So? Just tell him to go away."

"I did, Lana. He threatened Mom, Dad and you. So to stop him, I kind of went overboard." Clark grimaced. "I blew something up."

"You…blew something up?" Lana raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait. So the explosion and that shockwave through Smallville…that was you? Clark, what did you blow up?"

Clark rolled his eyes. "My Ship."

"Your…ship?" Lana giggled. "You blew up a sailboat or something? Clark, you've never had a boat here."

"That's not what he means, Lana." Martha cleared her throat. "He means a spaceship." She drank a little more of that lukewarm coffee.

"Spaceship? I know Clark's got abilities. But…that would mean…?" Lana stiffened. Memoria recalled Cyrus Krupp's claims from the previous winter. Her words to Clark stung her ears and heart. "You're an alien?"

Fear chilled Clark's heart in that moment. Hesitation stilled his tongue. He stood at the precipice's edge now. Either way, he felt there was no way back. "I'm an alien." He turned back toward the coffee maker.

"His ship crashed during the meteor shower. We found him in Chandler's Field." Jonathan gulped more of his coffee. "We've tried to raise him as…well…normal…as we could. Got more of that coffee, Clark?"

"It's almost ready, Dad. I just need a couple more minutes." Clark tapped his fingers on the counter. "So when my birth Dad's voice threatened, I wanted to deal with it. I thought blowing up the Ship would stop it. I was really wrong. After everything that happened, I couldn't deal with the pain. I took that ring and put it on. Then I guess I left."

Disbelief buffeted Lana's sensibilities. On the one hand, Clark being an alien seemed ridiculous to her. Still, she remembered the explosion and subsequent shockwave. The impact crater had resembled that of a bomb. "Good thing Sheriff Adams doesn't know. Wow. Now I really need that coffee." She shook her head. "You really need to start thinking, Clark. You're really great about helping people. I know you're a good person. I care about you more than you will ever know. But you have to think before you do stuff. You know?" She refilled her mug. "I'll get your parents' mugs."

Clark watched her serve her parents. Lana seemed to fit within the house and their family like a hand slipping into a perfectly fitted glove. Rebuke however stung his heart and mind.

He definitely had a lot to think about…a whole lot for that matter….