"The coast is clear," Pete called. He was standing halfway down the stairs craning his neck around to see the Kent kitchen. "You're parents are already outside."
Clark paused with his thumbs hooked under the straps of his mom's bra and let the contraption snap into place. He straightened his mom's t-shirt and nodded. "Thanks, Pete. I'll meet you at your car." Rather than risk a slow descent, Clark ran as fast as he could for that retro blue sanctuary in the driveway and threw himself flat into the backseat.
"Good thing I didn't blink," Pete said. Well at least Clark's other powers were apparently still working. Pete followed behind his speedy friend and tried not to laugh. Clark might not understand his amusement. You had to laugh at the situation though. Clark Kent, the tall manly man, was a girl. Pete's mind wandered back to the two appendages his friend had gained, and this time Pete blushed. Make that a young woman. Clark Kent was definitely not a girl. I am spending entirely too much time contemplating Clark's chest. We have to get this boy changed back before 'Little Pete' starts noticing the change. Our friendship might not survive the scandal. "Okay man," Pete said. His engine growled to life and they started rolling toward the open road. "We'll be clear of the farm in about ten seconds."
Clark peeked out the back glass and tried to spot his parents. They weren't anywhere in sight, and he sighed. This had to be temporary, didn't it? He was an alien though. Randomly changing genders might just be a predilection of his species. Maybe this was like his other powers, and he could control it? "Look out Pete, I'm coming up there."
Pete watched skeptically as Clark squeezed through the gap between his seats. "Hey, so where are we going?"
Clark slid low in the front seat and sighed. "I guess we should start at Lex's place, try to trace my steps home."
Pete snorted. It was a little coincidental that Clark's problems had started right after visiting Lex Luthor. Pete couldn't actually think of a way that Lex could have caused this, but there probably was one. "You think your buddy, Lex, had anything to do with this?"
"Not really. I remember leaving Lex's place. I was fine," Clark said. "You don't think he'll recognize me, do you? I mean if we run into Lex, he won't be able to tell, right?"
"Don't worry man. You don't look like Clark Kent in drag. We just have to play it cool. I'll call you Claire or Clara? Which do you like better?" Pete asked. He could see Clark covering his face and sighing out of the corner of his eye. "If you don't want everybody to know what's happening, we have to make this believable."
"I know, Pete. It's just weird. You're handling this all pretty well, you know. Thanks." With a resigned shake of his head Clark picked a new name. "Clara's fine, I guess."
"Clara it is," Pete announced. "I'm thinking we can get away with saying you're my girlfriend for the short term. Hopefully, there won't be a long term, right?"
"Your girlfriend?" Clark said. "I guess that's more believable than calling me your cousin."
Pete laughed. "If you want to go with cousin, we could say you're adopted. It wouldn't even be a lie."
"Let's just get out of here quick so we don't encounter anyone," Clark said. "It won't matter who Clara is if she doesn't meet anybody."
Pete threw the car into park and turned to Clark. "Okay, ready? Let's figure out what happened to you, man."
Once out of the car, Clark spun slowly. "I hope something happened to me. Otherwise this is just normal for whatever I am." His mother's bra caught him the wrong way and he winced. "And this just can't be normal."
"Buddy, no one who really knows you will ever accuse you of being normal. Maybe we can get you back to where you can fake it though."
Tap. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tap.
Lex squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the tapping cane that signaled his father's advancement through the house. At least he wasn't hard to avoid when he was moving. Lex never thought the drafty old manor would feel anything but massive and hollow, but Lionel, could fill a place with his presence, even diminished as he was. The dwelling had shrunk under his father's will until it was suffocating.
The incessant tapping was coming closer. Lex rose slowly and headed for the door. He couldn't avoid his father all the time, but there wasn't any reason to deal with the crippled wolf today.
Today Lex might just take advantage of his garage full of avoidance.
"So, is anything coming back to you?" Pete asked. Clark had wandered out into the field abutting the drive and was just standing there. "You okay?"
"No to both questions," Clark said. "I don't even remember which route I decided to take home."
Pete heard the wrought iron gate behind him begin rolling slowly back. He spun and stared at the little silver sports car waiting on the other side. Great, that was all they needed, an audience. What were the odds that Lex would just drive on by? "Look out, man. We got company."
Clark cringed and made his way to Pete's side. "Am I a girlfriend or cousin?" He tried to stay calm. Pete said he wasn't recognizable. No one could possibly connect Clara with Clark, right?
Pete grinned and wrapped his arm around Clark. "Smile sugar plum."
Lex pushed his perfect black tinted designer shades up and frowned at the couple standing outside his gate. Pete Ross had never been one to come visit. The last time he'd wandered anywhere near the mansion, it had been under the influence of the Nicodemus flower and he'd been gunning for Lex.
Driving past with a wave was tempting, but Lex let his curiosity get the better of him and he pulled up alongside the couple. "Pete, what's so interesting about my field that you're occupying it this early on a school day? While your at it, who is the lovely creature there with you?" Lex asked. He scanned the girl quickly, a little tomboyish with the short curls but well put together. Not to mention she had quite lovely green eyes to top it off. Lex offered up his most debonair smile and waited to see if he'd get a reaction.
Pete couldn't believe the gall of the man. Lex didn't even know who Clark was and he was flirting. It was despicable. "Morning Lex. This is Clara, my new girlfriend. We're an item, together, you know, dating."
Clark had started to blush when Lex called him a 'lovely creature'. Then when Lex had smiled at him a strange feeling made his stomach go all fluttery. It was like the feeling he always got when Lana smiled at him. Clark was so confused and freaked, he hardly heard Pete's introduction. "Hey, down boy," Clark said. He patted Pete's arm and forced a smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Luthor."
Lex dismissed the girl from his mental list of interesting people. The blush had been quaint, but the tomboy wasn't his type. Besides, there was no reason to step on the ever-moody Pete's toes. "Nice to meet you, Clara. Now if you don't mind me asking again, why are you two love birds hanging out in front of my home in a field?"
Pete and Clark exchanged a quick panicked look. "Uh, we just, we were taking a drive," Pete stammered.
"Yeah, and I wanted to see what the Luthor estate looked like," Clark added. "Coming here was totally my idea. We aren't trespassing are we?"
"Not at all, any friend of Clark's," Lex said. He nodded to Pete and dropped his shades back into place. "I'd offer you a real tour, but I have to be running." Lex didn't completely believe Pete and Clara's explanation for their whereabouts, but for now his desire to drive beat out his curiosity.
"That went well," Pete said. "I almost believed us."
Clark couldn't bring himself to agree. "Pete, I think the female hormones are taking over. I just got the weirdest feeling when Lex smiled at me. What if this is permanent? What if I have to be Clara?"
"Whoa buddy, it's okay. We're going to get your testosterone back." Pete put a comforting hand on Clark's shoulder. "Even if you are stuck like this, it wouldn't be all bad right? It isn't like you turned into a three-headed monster. So you have to live part of your life as a woman, there are worse things that could have happened."
Clark moaned and sank down into the grass. "Wasn't my life complicated enough? I can't handle this."
Pete frowned down at his buddy and squatted next to him. "Hey, I can't find your testosterone without your help. Are you giving up?"
"No. I can't give up. If we haven't fixed this by tonight, I have to face my parents," Clark said. He leveled Pete with a very serious look. "I cannot face my father like this. We have to fix it."
"Then get on your feet and we'll work on it," Pete said. He offered Clark and hand and pulled him up. "I think we should get some help though."
"Help?" Clark said. "Who are we supposed to ask for help?"
"Simple, we need Chloe."
Author's Note:
Hehehe... I got a review that called my story odd. Woo hoo! At least it isn't boring right? lol Seriously, thanks for the reviews and I'll see you in a week probably. School just had to start back didn't it?