Clark was sitting up in his loft, as usual. He had finished all of
his homework was looking through his telescope. Only this time he was
actually watching the stars, not Lana.
It was still pretty hot out. Most of the heat wave has passed, but there were still temperatures hitting the high eighties. Sighing, Clark removed his shirt in a lame attempt to fight the heat. 'If only I had a cooling ray,' he thought to himself.
Suddenly he thought he heard footsteps on the stairs.
"Chloe." Clark sounded surprised, and a little embarrassed when he realized his shirt was off.
"Hi Clark."
"What are you doing here?" He desperately tried to relocate the lost garment of clothing.
"Relax, it's like a million degrees outside. Plus it's not against the law for a guy to go topless. Me on the other hand..." Clark gulped at the though. Chloe thought he seemed to be a little edgy tonight. "That's not why I'm here though."
"That's right, why are you here?" Clark turned around to face her, completely disregarding his shirt.
"Jeez, is it so terrible to want to see Clark Kent? If I had known I needed a reservation I wouldn't have bothered."
"I'm sorry Chloe, it's just this heat is really getting to me." Clark genuinely looked apologetic.
"Yha, I know. It's getting to all of us. Which is kind of why I'm here."
"Ah, so you do have an agenda."
"Darn, my secret is revealed. I was going for the more subtle approach."
"Chloe Sullivan can never be subtle."
"Ouch." She smiled. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about those fires." Clark went pale. Thank God at that moment his back was turned to her.
"What about them?" He asked sheepishly, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Well I just thought it was kind of weird that they all happened while you were near."
"Freakish coincidence I guess." Clark was now wandering aimlessly around the loft, only looking at Chloe when he had to.
"That's not what I think. Take for instance the first fire, at the school. We were all paying so much attention to the video. Except for you. You were busy staring at the ex - Mrs. Luther. Then I talked to Lana who said that you were both talking about your relationship when the second fire started at the Talon. You see the pattern here? The only thing I don't get is why Desire's car exploded or the police station set on fire. Unless there was some secret sexual tension in those cases too. And I must say, if there was I am quite shocked, especially in the latter circumstance."
Clark, still nervous, finally regained his composure. He just had to sound convincing. "You're reading too much into this Chloe."
"Am I? Or are there some secret pyro tendencies hidden inside my best friend?"
"You think I would set those fires? Come on Chloe. I thought you knew me better than that."
"I don't understand Clark. I was there for one. You didn't get up and light the screen with your handy dandy Zippo and Lana said it was like the place erupted in flames. The police reports neglected to mention you standing anywhere but inside your cell so what the hell happened? You know you can trust me."
"Chloe, just let it go." Clark was beginning to get frustrated.
"But Clark, that's not the only thing that's happened around you that can't be explained. Lana still doesn't know how she survived that tornado or why she swears she saw you inside it with her. Then there's how you can miss your buss and magically arrive at school before it's even close. So just tell me Clark. What the hell is going on with you?"
"Chloe! Just stop!"
"You know you can tell me anything. I promise it will stay between us but I know there's something you're not telling me and I really wish we didn't keep secrets from each other. Like the mystery around your adoption."
"Chloe!" With that Clark couldn't contain his anger anymore. Without thinking, he set fire to his desk and everything on it. Chloe screamed.
"Clark!"
"Get out of here Chloe!" Chloe ran down the loft stairs and waited at the bottom while Clark expertly put out the flames. When Chloe thought it was safe again, she returned to her friend.
"Clark, what happened?"
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to me. I know you did that. Somehow you did it."
"Chloe, I really just can't."
"Please Clark. You know I never keep secrets from you. You're my best friend in the whole world so please let me in on whatever secret it is that you're harboring."
Clark sighed. There was no use now, she knew too much to let it slide. "Chloe, I'm an alien."
Chloe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he telling the truth or was this just some lame joke to get her out of his loft? She just stood there confused.
"Would you please say something?" Clark whispered.
"Are you serious?" Chloe came up to Clark who was standing in the middle of the loft and just stared into his deep eyes. She couldn't see a hint of a lie anywhere inside him.
"I arrived in a spaceship when the meteors hit. My parents found me and adopted me. I've always been different."
"Wow, Clark. Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"It's not exactly a conversation I want to have with the world."
"I understand. So who else knows?"
"My parents, me, you, and perhaps Lana. I don't know if she's clued in yet or not."
"Why not just come out and tell her? You know she of all people wouldn't judge."
"I know, but it's never been the right time. I dreamt of telling you guys so many times but I never knew how. You have to promise this won't leave this room."
"I promise."
"So does this answer your question now?"
"No. Explain about the fires."
Clark sighed again. "It happened for the first time during school when I was watching Desire. I felt really weird all of a sudden and this heat just flew out of my eyes and set the screen on fire. The same thing happened with Lana. That's what convinced me to try and control it. So I practiced. And now I can control it."
"So is that how you got out of the police station?"
"Yes, but I swear I never set Desire's car on fire. She did that to try and frame me."
"I know. I'm just glad she's gone now."
"I know. Now Lex can return to his usual self."
"The one we all know and love." Chloe laughed. "So why did you just set your desk on fire if you can control it?"
"I'm so sorry Chloe. I just got so mad. I wasn't thinking. Maybe you should go."
"Clark it's okay. I understand."
"No. I think you should go. It's getting late and I'd hate to set you on fire so please just leave."
Sadly, Chloe left Clark alone with his thoughts. She hoped he wasn't going to beat himself up for what had happened. She had provoked him after all.
Clark felt horrible. He didn't know what he would have done if Chloe had gotten hurt. Silently he promised he would never use his fire power again.
TBC.
It was still pretty hot out. Most of the heat wave has passed, but there were still temperatures hitting the high eighties. Sighing, Clark removed his shirt in a lame attempt to fight the heat. 'If only I had a cooling ray,' he thought to himself.
Suddenly he thought he heard footsteps on the stairs.
"Chloe." Clark sounded surprised, and a little embarrassed when he realized his shirt was off.
"Hi Clark."
"What are you doing here?" He desperately tried to relocate the lost garment of clothing.
"Relax, it's like a million degrees outside. Plus it's not against the law for a guy to go topless. Me on the other hand..." Clark gulped at the though. Chloe thought he seemed to be a little edgy tonight. "That's not why I'm here though."
"That's right, why are you here?" Clark turned around to face her, completely disregarding his shirt.
"Jeez, is it so terrible to want to see Clark Kent? If I had known I needed a reservation I wouldn't have bothered."
"I'm sorry Chloe, it's just this heat is really getting to me." Clark genuinely looked apologetic.
"Yha, I know. It's getting to all of us. Which is kind of why I'm here."
"Ah, so you do have an agenda."
"Darn, my secret is revealed. I was going for the more subtle approach."
"Chloe Sullivan can never be subtle."
"Ouch." She smiled. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about those fires." Clark went pale. Thank God at that moment his back was turned to her.
"What about them?" He asked sheepishly, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Well I just thought it was kind of weird that they all happened while you were near."
"Freakish coincidence I guess." Clark was now wandering aimlessly around the loft, only looking at Chloe when he had to.
"That's not what I think. Take for instance the first fire, at the school. We were all paying so much attention to the video. Except for you. You were busy staring at the ex - Mrs. Luther. Then I talked to Lana who said that you were both talking about your relationship when the second fire started at the Talon. You see the pattern here? The only thing I don't get is why Desire's car exploded or the police station set on fire. Unless there was some secret sexual tension in those cases too. And I must say, if there was I am quite shocked, especially in the latter circumstance."
Clark, still nervous, finally regained his composure. He just had to sound convincing. "You're reading too much into this Chloe."
"Am I? Or are there some secret pyro tendencies hidden inside my best friend?"
"You think I would set those fires? Come on Chloe. I thought you knew me better than that."
"I don't understand Clark. I was there for one. You didn't get up and light the screen with your handy dandy Zippo and Lana said it was like the place erupted in flames. The police reports neglected to mention you standing anywhere but inside your cell so what the hell happened? You know you can trust me."
"Chloe, just let it go." Clark was beginning to get frustrated.
"But Clark, that's not the only thing that's happened around you that can't be explained. Lana still doesn't know how she survived that tornado or why she swears she saw you inside it with her. Then there's how you can miss your buss and magically arrive at school before it's even close. So just tell me Clark. What the hell is going on with you?"
"Chloe! Just stop!"
"You know you can tell me anything. I promise it will stay between us but I know there's something you're not telling me and I really wish we didn't keep secrets from each other. Like the mystery around your adoption."
"Chloe!" With that Clark couldn't contain his anger anymore. Without thinking, he set fire to his desk and everything on it. Chloe screamed.
"Clark!"
"Get out of here Chloe!" Chloe ran down the loft stairs and waited at the bottom while Clark expertly put out the flames. When Chloe thought it was safe again, she returned to her friend.
"Clark, what happened?"
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to me. I know you did that. Somehow you did it."
"Chloe, I really just can't."
"Please Clark. You know I never keep secrets from you. You're my best friend in the whole world so please let me in on whatever secret it is that you're harboring."
Clark sighed. There was no use now, she knew too much to let it slide. "Chloe, I'm an alien."
Chloe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he telling the truth or was this just some lame joke to get her out of his loft? She just stood there confused.
"Would you please say something?" Clark whispered.
"Are you serious?" Chloe came up to Clark who was standing in the middle of the loft and just stared into his deep eyes. She couldn't see a hint of a lie anywhere inside him.
"I arrived in a spaceship when the meteors hit. My parents found me and adopted me. I've always been different."
"Wow, Clark. Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"It's not exactly a conversation I want to have with the world."
"I understand. So who else knows?"
"My parents, me, you, and perhaps Lana. I don't know if she's clued in yet or not."
"Why not just come out and tell her? You know she of all people wouldn't judge."
"I know, but it's never been the right time. I dreamt of telling you guys so many times but I never knew how. You have to promise this won't leave this room."
"I promise."
"So does this answer your question now?"
"No. Explain about the fires."
Clark sighed again. "It happened for the first time during school when I was watching Desire. I felt really weird all of a sudden and this heat just flew out of my eyes and set the screen on fire. The same thing happened with Lana. That's what convinced me to try and control it. So I practiced. And now I can control it."
"So is that how you got out of the police station?"
"Yes, but I swear I never set Desire's car on fire. She did that to try and frame me."
"I know. I'm just glad she's gone now."
"I know. Now Lex can return to his usual self."
"The one we all know and love." Chloe laughed. "So why did you just set your desk on fire if you can control it?"
"I'm so sorry Chloe. I just got so mad. I wasn't thinking. Maybe you should go."
"Clark it's okay. I understand."
"No. I think you should go. It's getting late and I'd hate to set you on fire so please just leave."
Sadly, Chloe left Clark alone with his thoughts. She hoped he wasn't going to beat himself up for what had happened. She had provoked him after all.
Clark felt horrible. He didn't know what he would have done if Chloe had gotten hurt. Silently he promised he would never use his fire power again.
TBC.
