Clark had to admit by Tuesday he made sure he ran into her, wondering how things were going for her. He found her outside with a guy, who looked like he'd failed a couple grades. He was much too old for her, and he didn't like the way he was looking at Lois like she was his personal plaything. They were talking together in a cozy manner.

He had to agree with her father's consensus. He was trouble, and he didn't like the guy one little bit.

She grinned when she saw him. "If it isn't my truant officer come to check up on me. You can relax. I went to school today just for you."

"You should've gone for yourself."

"He thinks he's my babysitter," she explained to Robbie, who sat right up against her.

He shook his head in annoyance. "Well, maybe if you didn't act like a baby..." he trailed off.

"Look at you," she said like a proud mother bird. "I didn't know you had it in you to verbally spar."

"I'll let you deal with your nanny," Robbie said, leaning down and kissing her like he was marking his territory.

"I'll catch you later," she said, giving him a wave as he departed.

"Where's your bag?" Clark asked. "Didn't you just get back from school?"

She shrugged. "I didn't take it. Why strain my back when I don't plan on doing my homework?"

He couldn't argue with that logic except, "Why don't you do your homework?"

"Because there's essentially no difference between an A and a D. In both cases, I pass, so what's the point of trying harder when my future's already set? My sister makes the good grades, and I have all the fun. That's the way it works in my house."

He was surprised by the mention of another Lane family member. "You have a sister?"

"I didn't mention that?"

"No, I got the impression it was just you and your father."

"Because it is. She's younger, but she's away at boarding school."

It was hard to imagine a girl more trouble than Lois was. He was too polite to say it, but she read it on his face.

"It's because she's a genius. She speaks three languages, plays violin."

He wondered if he detected a note of jealousy. "Do you see her?"

"Of course I see her. On holidays. She's not in prison." Under her breath, she muttered, "I'm the one in prison."

"Are you close?"

"What is this Twenty Questions, Mr. I-Never-Reveal-Anything-About-Myself."

She didn't really want to know about him. She just wanted him to stop asking personal questions.

He'd hit a sore spot, but he could take a hint. "So if you don't do your homework, what do you do?"

"Lots of things." She looked back at the obstacle course in the distance. "Care for a challenge?

He didn't actually, but he found himself saying yes when what he probably meant was no.

The course looked even more impressive up close. "Still up for the challenge," she taunted.

He was even less sure now. Some of the obstacles looked high. "Actually-"

"You'll do great," she said annoyingly cutting him off. "I'll even go first to show you how it's done."

There was a rope that she climbed up it like she was part-monkey or something. Then there were beams she walked across when she got to the top. Then she climbed down a net. She made it look a breeze.

He swallowed his fear. If she could do it, he could do it. The rope was the hard part though being up high was probably the hard part for him.. Fortunately, he had experience from P.E. class.

She applauded. "Not bad for someone who comes from the middle of nowhere."

He just shook his head at her.

The next obstacle was a rather large wall. She was over the wall in less than thirty seconds like she could do it in a single bound. He could, but he couldn't let her see that.

So he made sure he was slower about it until she laughed at him and then he pulled himself on over. He didn't know why it was so important to him to prove himself to her. After this week was up, he would never see her again.

The next obstacle looked like something out of Mouse Trap. He watched her closely. You had to vault off of a low beam and somehow wrap your belly around the high beam. It looked like something a gymnast would do. He was no gymnast.

"Come on, Clarkie! If a girl can do it, you can do it," she called as he hesitated.

She, of course, had done it like a pro but then she had the unfair advantage of having done all this before. He was less successful in his attempt. He had to oomph like it hurt when he missed and fell.

She ran over. "Are you hurt? I'm sorry. We can stop."

So she did have a heart after all. "No, I'm fine. We can keep going."

Of course, he wished he had faked an injury when he saw the next obstacle.

"It's called the confidence climb," she said. "Something tells me you could use a little confidence."

He didn't have the words for a smart comeback. It made the first obstacle look like child's play. It was crazily high, and there was no net.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" he asked.

But she was already climbing. The problem with her is she had too much confidence.

"The view's great from up here! You should join me!" she called down when she reached the top.

His heart beat faster and his head spun just seeing her up that high. He climbed about the height of a step ladder, and he could go no further without feeling sick. He climbed back down.

So did she. "Don't worry about it; braver men than you have tried and failed," she said in what was supposed to be encouragement.

"Good to know," he said with a roll of his eyes.

There were six vaults up next, and she got over them like they were nothing and kept on running to the next one. It was starting to seem like there was nothing she couldn't do. "Do you do track?"

"Extracurricular? Pff, please. Like school isn't long enough?"

"They look good to colleges."

"I told you. I-"

"-already got into college," he finished for her. "Yeah, I know."

He went next being careful not to overdo it but performed considerably better on it, and she smiled with approval, which made him smile.

The next one seemed simple. You took a rope and swung to a stop on top of a beam. He overshot on his first couple of tries; it was trickier than it looked, but at least he didn't have to fake being hurt.

He was confused by the next obstacle because there was none just a short dirt path.

"You crawl on your belly," she said.

"In the dirt?"

"A little dirt never hurt anybody. I've seen soldiers have to crawl out here in the pouring rain. Try crawling through mud."

"I'd rather not."

She did the army crawl, and he followed after her though he was sure his crawl was lacking in form.

"One more and you'll have made it," she said as he brushed the dirt off.

The last one might have been the easiest one. She put her hands behind her head and weaved herself in and out between the last bit of beams.

When it was his turn, he made sure to stumble over a couple of them, not only because he didn't want her to see him as anything but normal but because he had seen her father appear on the scene to watch as they completed this last challenge.

There was no denying she could have held her own at boot camp given how fast she had completed the course, but he guessed she wouldn't enjoy it given her lack of desire to follow rules.

She may have thought that the reason she wasn't at a fancy boarding school was her lack of scholastic aptitude, but she didn't see the look of pride on the general's face that he saw right now. He felt that it had more to do with the fact that he saw himself in her and that made it easier for him to know how to handle her because he seemed more at ease as a general than a parent.

"You must be the new boyfriend," he said when they walked over to him. General Lane with his piercing glare seemed to be scrutinizing him harder than he would have any military unit.

"Uh," he said, unable to formulate a response. If he said no, Lois wouldn't be happy, and if he said yes, well, he doubted General Lane was ever happy.

Lois intervened, taking her father by the arm and turning him the other way. "There'll be plenty of time to interrogate the enemy tomorrow."

Why had he ever though coming here was a good idea?