During the meteor shower, many meteors had come and all but destroyed the town. So all of the citizens of Smallville came together as one and helped one of the families rebuild the barn they had lost. Living in a small town had its perks. Everyone knew everyone else, and that meant that all those same people would help out however they could. Smallville was almost like one big family.

Currently, they had just finished lifting up the last wall which meant the frame of the barn had been completed. They had worked hard, but there was still a very long way to go.

Emmeline grabbed two cups of water from one of the coolers and walked over to Clark and Chloe.

"Em, are you sure you should be here?" Chloe asked as she received the cup.

Emmeline smiled a little. "Yeah. Being here takes my mind off…"

Her voice trailed off which made her two friends look at her sadly. It had been about three weeks since the meteor shower which meant it had been about three weeks since her mother had died right in front of her. The funeral had only been two days ago.

"Look…" she said softly. "I don't like being in the house. It's empty without her."

"Well, we're glad for your help," Clark smiled. "And just let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Clark walked off to speak with Lana as Lex pulled up in his car.

"There's something different about him," Emmeline remarked.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know…I can't put my finger on it. He looks tired and how often do we see him tired? He's just…different."

"I think you're looking too much into it."

"Maybe I am."

Chloe bit her lip. She wasn't overthinking anything. Emmeline had always had an eye for noticing things. She was a little surprised that her friend hadn't yet figured out the truth about Clark.

It had taken everything she had to not tell her about what she had seen that night Alicia had taken her to see Clark's abilities for herself. But she just had to trust that Clark would someday tell her. It wasn't her secret to tell.

Clark and Lana headed to the loft to pick up some more nails to finish rebuilding the barn. Emmeline continued to pass out water and do what she could to help the building come along.

"Where is Clark with those nails?" she overheard Martha ask her husband. "He should've been back by now."

"I can go look for him," Emmeline told her. "It will give me something to do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I won't be long."

"Okay, thanks, Emmeline."

"No problem."

The girl made the short hike over to the Kent farm. First she checked in the loft.

"Clark?" she called. "Lana?"

No answer.

She moved on to the house. As she went up the steps, a thought hit her. Clark and Lana were alone. In a house. While the entire town was at a barn raising. Two people in love alone…

She grimaced, quickly trying to push all the unwanted mental images out of her mind. She would just make sure to tread carefully. She had no desire to actually see those mental images in real life.

She knocked on the door. "Clark? Lana?"

When she tried the knob, it was unlocked.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Suddenly, someone with very large muscles grabbed her and slammed the door behind her.

"Wait, you said you wouldn't hurt her!" Clark demanded stepping into view.

"Well, I wasn't…" the man holding her drawled. "But man, she is quite the beauty. You certainly surround yourself with some pretty girls. You shouldn't be keeping them all to yourself, buddy." Emmeline took shaky breaths as the man leaned his head next to hers and nuzzled her. "You could make me one happy man."

"Get away from her!" Clark yelled.

The man roughly pushed her into Clark's direction and he quickly caught her, shielding her from the intruder.

"Boys!" the man yelled.

Two bald and neurotic-looking twins came into view with Lana struggling in their hold.

"Put the girls in the corner. Watch them while I talk to our little friend here."

One of the twins let go of Lana and came towards Emmeline.

"No, no," she cried as she attempted to hang onto Clark.

He would stop them. He wouldn't let them take her. He would do something incredible like he always did.

But he didn't. He didn't do anything. The twin wrenched her from the safety of Clark's arms and pulled her to the corner of the living room on a piece of wood on stacked bricks next to Lana.

The two girls took one another's hands as the twins loomed over them.

"Level 3?" Clark asked the blond man.

Emmeline looked over at them. Level 3? Her freshman year…that man, Earl, had been looking for Level 3. She still wasn't quite sure if the place existed or not. But this man didn't look crazy like Earl. It had to be real…

"So, you've heard of it," the man smirked.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be a top-secret research facility at LuthorCorp. Everybody thinks it's just a myth."

"Yeah, spending a couple of weeks in there can make it pretty real."

"You've been in Level 3?"

"Yeah, I had a real nice stay. Gourmet food, satellite TV, and a nifty little green cocktail shot in my neck three times a day."

"They were experimenting on you?"

"Just trying to amp up what me and the Wonder Twins could already do. It worked. Then one morning, I woke up in Belle Reve. No more satellite TV. No more green cocktails."

"They got you hooked then cut you off."

"Look, we all got a cross to bear, kid, and this is yours. You're gonna break into Level 3, you're gonna get me that serum. Otherwise, you're gonna be playing 'Patty Cake' all by your lonesome."

Emmeline took another shaky breath. How could this happen now?

"What do you need me for?" Clark demanded. "I've seen what you can do. Why not just go in there and get it yourself?"

"They got all kinds of defense systems to keep people like me out, but if the stories I hear at Belle Reve about you are true, then you shouldn't have a problem."

Lana and Emmeline looked at each other in confusion. Clark may somehow do miraculous rescues, but he was still human.

…Wasn't he?

The sound of a truck pulling up into the gravel alerted them that someone else had come to the farm.

The intruder looked out the window towards the driveway. He turned back around with a sick smile. "Looks like we've got ourselves some company." The man started towards the two girls. He yanked Lana up as the two twins grabbed Emmeline. He faced Clark again. "For your own safety, and theirs, I recommend you lose them."

All of them disappeared into another room.

Clark quickly went about picking up wood to make it look like he was working. His parents walked into the room.

"Clark, we sent you out for those nails hours ago," Jonathon said. "What happened?"

"I got side tracked," Clark answered.

"Where's Lana?" Martha asked. "Emmeline also came up here about an hour ago to find you."

"Um, I haven't seen Em. She must've just gone home."

"Maybe."

"And, uh, Lana's not feeling well. She's lying down."

"Why is your shirt on inside out?"

Clark didn't answer. Behind the wall, Emmeline looked over at Lana. Lana smiled sheepishly, embarrassed despite the situation.

Jonathon started towards the next room. "I think I'll go check on Lana myself."

"No!" Clark exclaimed slamming his hand on Jonathon's chest to stop him. He couldn't let them find out what was really happening. "Wait! You guys never believe me! Why are you always all over me? Why can't you just back off for five minutes?"

"Clark Kent!" Martha admonished. "What has gotten into you?"

The blond man revealed himself holding Lana's neck in one hand while the two twins held onto Emmeline. "Yeah, boy! That ain't any way to talk to your mama!"

He tossed Lana over to Clark. The twins kept their hold onto the other petrified girl.

"What's going on here, Clark?" Jonathon asked.

"Pipe down, old man!"

"Listen, fella. I don't think you know who you're talking to—"

He was cut off when the man used his powers of electricity and slammed Jonathon into the opposite wall. Martha and Lana quickly ran over to him.

"Stop!" Clark begged. "Just stop! I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt anyone else."

"Smart move, farm boy," the man smirked. "You got two hours to get back here with the serum or I'm gonna fire me up some family barbeque."

To emphasize his point, a small ball of blue electricity appeared at the tips of his fingers.

Emmeline couldn't understand why this was happening. Normally, Clark could somehow stop these guys without trying. She didn't know how he did it, but he did. Why wasn't he doing that now? What had happened? Were these meteor freaks too different from the others and that's why he couldn't stop them?

She just wanted this to be over.

She wanted to go home.


Lana, Emmeline, Jonathon, and Martha sat in the dining room as the seconds passed by while they waited to see what Clark would do.

Emmeline was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. For the past several weeks, she had shoved down all of the emotions she had over losing her mother. In the face of death, those emotions and then some were quickly returning all at once.

The sound of a siren rang outside.

The blond man went to the window. "Looks like the kid done went and called the law on us. I guess he doesn't love you very much."

"Clark wouldn't go to the police," Martha said.

"I'm sure it's just routine," Jonathon added.

The man smirked again. "Yeah, well, too bad for her then."

"Wait!" Lana said quickly. "We'll get rid of her. Just don't freak out."

"Baby, you'll know when I freak out." He grabbed Martha by the back of the neck. "Look, get rid of the sheriff or your wife is toast." He looked over at Emmeline. "Boys, grab her too. She couldn't act normal if her life depended on it. Which funny enough, it does."

Once more, the twins grabbed Emmeline as she whimpered.

"Martha!" Jonathon said quickly.

"Em," Lana said at the same time.

The blond man sighed with annoyance. He whipped a pocketknife out of his jean pocket.

Emmeline cried out at the sight of it, sure he was going to kill her off now because she couldn't keep their cover.

"Shut up!" the man barked.

Emmeline flinched. She watched as the man grabbed her shirt and cut off a small strip at the bottom of it. He tossed the strip to the twins and pushed all of them into the next room over to hide from Sheriff Adams.

One of the twins slipped the strip of her shirt in between her teeth to gag her. The blond held Martha close to him, daring her to make a sound.

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Just a second!" Jonathon called. After confirming everyone was out of sight, he opened the door. "Sheriff."

Sheriff Adams stepped inside. "I'm sorry to trouble you folks, but three real mean cusses busted out of Belle Reve last night. Put about half a dozen guards in the hospital, and we found the car they stole a mile up the road."

"We'll keep our eyes open."

"Well, you be sure and do that. Where's the missus?"

"She's still at the barn raising," Lana quickly answered.

"Oh, I was just there. I didn't see her. Well, make sure she knows what's going on when she turns up."

"Sure will, thank you," Jonathon said.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone in the house froze. Had she discovered them? Was this the end of the line?

"Is that coffee I smell?"

Tears began to run down Emmeline's cheeks once more from the intense fear she felt in the grip of the two psycho twins.

She couldn't take much more of this.

While the sheriff slowly sipped her coffee to the point where everyone felt as if they were going to explode from the tension, the blond man grabbed some yellow rope off the shelf and tied Emmeline and Martha's hands together. Then he slipped his hand over Martha's mouth to ensure she didn't make a sound.

"Good coffee, Mr. Kent," Sheriff Adams said.

"Thank you, Sheriff," Jonathon answered. "Um, would you mind if I finish the rest of my chores while there's still some daylight out there?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I should get going, myself. Thanks for the coffee." After a short pause, she asked, "Wouldn't think a man with your heart condition would take to smoking, Mr. Kent."

"Those are mine, Sheriff," Lana interjected quickly. "I started after the meteor shower. Nerves."

"Nasty habit, Miss Lang. You better quit before they kill you. Thanks again for the hospitality. I'll let myself out."

Emmeline breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed.

The blond man threw Martha into the wall and went out onto the porch.

"Oh, Sheriff!" he sang tauntingly.

Sheriff Adams started to draw her gun, but the man shot a bolt of electricity towards her, sending her flying over her car.

Jonathon flew out onto the porch and tackled the man down the steps and onto the grass.

"Mr. Kent!" Lana called in alarm.

When Jonathon turned his head, the blond man punched him in the face.

One of the twins released Emmeline and went after Lana. The other twin kept a tight hold on her.

Lana backed the twin grabbing her from behind into the wall. She leaned over and grabbed a nail gun on the stool. The twin attempted to grab the gun from her, but Lana used that opportunity shoot the gun and nail his hand to the wall.

Emmeline firmly stomped on the foot of the twin holding her. Then she turned and hit him with her tied hands. She quickly took the gag out of her mouth.

The other twin wrenched his hand off the wall, the nail deeply embedded into it.

The twin with the bruise on his face looked at his brother. "That really—"

"—hurt!" the other one finished.

"Get the field up!" the blond from outside called.

The twin took the bloodied nail out of his hand.

Emmeline put her tied hands around the twin she had attacked earlier, effectively choking him. He elbowed her in the stomach. She coughed roughly, but her hands didn't move from their position. The other twin lifted her hands from his brother's neck and hit her in the face.

Lana came over to her and quickly untied her hands.

The two brothers put their hands together and energy emitted from them which created a large force field around the entire house.

The man ran back inside with Jonathon in hold. He threw him down on the floor next to Lana and Emmeline. Then he looked out the window at the many police cars that had arrived and slammed his hands down on the shelf in frustration. "Well, ain't this a right pickle?"

While the twins continued to hold up the force field, the man pushed the four of them onto chairs and the wood in the living room. Then he tied all of their wrists and feet together. Luckily for Emmeline, he didn't gag her again.

"We cannot—" one twin started.

"—maintain the field."

"You know, the whole finishing each other's sentences is really starting to grate on me!" the man growled.

"We need the serum!"

"You ain't the only ones, Heckle and Jeckle! You keep that field up! We're almost home!"

"Perhaps we should—"

"—cut our losses."

"No! We're gonna stick to the plan and wait for the Kent boy to get back. So, you two just shut up and concentrate."

"Is it just me or are they starting to look desperate?" Martha asked quietly.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kent," Lana said softly. "Clark will figure out a way to get us out of this. He always does."

That's Emmeline had always thought. But he didn't save her earlier. He let that man take her from the safety of his arms and into the arms of the psychotic twins. What could he possibly do about this now when he hadn't even been able to save her then?

The blond angrily dialed his phone. "Time's up, bright boy. Where's my stuff?"

Clark said something on the other end, but no one could hear what he said.

"You better be." He slammed the phone shut. "He's got a couple of minutes. Then I start killing me some people. Starting with you, Mom."

Several agonizing minutes later, the blond's cell phone rang. He quickly went towards the window. "Right. Nice and easy, kid. I'm feeling kinda twitchy. Get the force field down!"

"He did it," Lana smiled.

"Shut up! He ain't done anything yet." He resumed looking out the window. "Alright, get the field back up. Get it up!"

Clark quickly came through the door.

"I was starting to think you forgot about us."

"Don't worry," Clark assured to the four tied up. "Everything's going to be okay."

The blond grabbed the case Clark was holding. "Ain't nothing okay till I say so!"

"They really did a job on you at LuthorCorp, didn't they?"

"Look, they made me more than I was. I didn't ask for it. The power grows on me really fast. I guess some of the talk is true about you, kid. You really are out of this world."

"You have no idea."

When the blond opened the case, a flash grenade went off that blinded him with the light and resulting smoke.

"You little son of a—"

The blond started to shoot a beam of electricity at Clark, but he ducked out of the way just in time which allowed the beam to hit the twins instead. The twins flew apart, breaking the force field.

Clark grabbed a mallet off the floor. The blond tried to shoot him again, but Clark slammed the mallet into the breaker box which cut off all the power in the house.

With no electricity to draw from, the man was rendered powerless. He tried to punch Clark, but Clark blocked his arm and punched him hard in the face himself.

"Sometimes it's easier to just turn the power off."

The police swarmed inside now that the force field was down and put special handcuffs on all of the criminals.

Clark quickly helped untie everyone from their bonds. He and Lana tightly hugged one another.

"Are you okay, Em?" he asked the girl.

She nodded a little, the shock not worn off yet.

"Get him outta here!" Sheriff Adams ordered to the deputy handcuffing the blond. As he was led out, the man stopped and glared at Clark who had his arm protectively around Lana's shoulders. "Keep moving, Sparky."

"That guy has some serious issues," Lana remarked.

"Let's hope Belle Reve can hold him this time," Clark said.

"Or you could always knock his lights out again."

Sheriff Adams turned to face him. "Or call the authorities before you hatch another hair-brained rescue scheme."

"Sorry, Sheriff," Clark apologized sheepishly.

"That aside, nice work, Mr. Kent. You ever consider a career in law enforcement?"

"She's right, Clark," Lana smiled. "What you did was amazing."

At that moment, Chloe walked inside. "Hi."

"Hey," Clark greeted. "Can you guys give us a second?"

While Clark went to speak with Chloe, Lana turned to face Emmeline. "Are you sure you're okay, Em?"

Emmeline still looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second.

"It's fine now. Those men are going back to Belle Reve and they're going to make sure they can't get out again."

"Yeah…"

Chloe came over to Emmeline and tightly hugged her. "Are you okay? I can't imagine how it must've been to be trapped in here."

"I'll be okay. I'm just…I'm going to go home."

"Want me to come with you?"

Emmeline shook her head and quickly exited the house.

"Em?" Clark called when he saw her hasty departure.

She didn't answer him.


Some hours later, the doorbell rang at Emmeline's house. When she answered it, she saw Clark standing there.

"I wanted to make sure you were all right," he said gently. "I know today was pretty…stressful."

Emmeline didn't answer once again.

"Em…?"

Her eyes started to water. "I can't…do this anymore," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

She took another shaky breath. "These past few years…I have so enjoyed being your friend. I loved having someone to go to when I was hurting and know that there was someone I could be there for as well. I loved giving advice because I knew how much you really took it seriously. I loved how much you trusted me."

Clark didn't know where this was going, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. Especially once the tears started to fall from her eyes.

"But trouble follows you. I don't know what it is about you, but…I keep getting caught in the middle of things. Like I did today. I always trusted you to save me. And I know that you did again. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep fearing for my life just because I'm close to you."

"Em, that was all in the past. It won't happen again."

"You don't know that. You can't predict the future. I'm sorry, Clark. But…I can't…be around you anymore."

Clark was speechless.

Emmeline closed the door, leaving him standing awestruck on the porch. She sank against the door as she quietly sobbed.