CHAPTER 4: TRIBULATION
His parents were there for him. Or so they claimed. On the other hand, he wasn't sure his other friends would be so understanding. He recalled Pete's absolute and bitter disappointment at learning of Clark's abilities. Not having made his friend privy to his actions of that one so full, so empty night, he feared the reaction he would receive upon the expulsion of the news.
Chloe was another he dreaded telling. Having acted so cool to her this morning had not been meant to hurt her in any way, and yet it had. When she found out the truth.she would most certainly be heart-broken. For both he and Lana were of her closest friends, and her knowledge of this would make her feel removed from the group.
In fact, he would not be surprised if this completely isolated them from both Chloe and Pete.
Clark allowed his gaze to drift back to his mother, who had an absolutely dreamy look painted on her rosy face. "Mom," he said loudly, intending to snap her out of whatever entrancing reverie had its hold upon her. It seemed unfair that she would be able to have happy thoughts when all Clark's mind could wander to were painful memories of his past decisions and mixed emotions of his future dilemmas.
"Hmm?" Martha shook her head to clear her mind, then smiled fully at Clark. "Well, I should get back to work. We're not going to let this disrupt our lives, Clark. There's no need for it. Things will be fine.great, in fact: perfect."
Clark just stared after her in confusion as his mother stood up from the kitchen table and wandered out the side door, presumably to return to her chores. Remotely, an air of guilt overcame him, and he wondered if not he too should do the same thing. After all, soon enough he would be too busy with a mewing creature the size of his palm. Oh, but what if he were to be bigger? Suddenly Clark realized that his own powers might be hereditary.
That said, his thoughts ran rampant. Perhaps it is time Lana knows the truth - after all, she had a right to know if she was to become part of the family - Chloe.she'll be the only one left out - You know, Lana really had a right to know after they shared that night together: was that why she wanted to know? Because she knows me physically now? - What will Lex procure as a baby gift? - a wedding gift? - Perhaps a car; he likes to give those away - A baby - a baby - what's a baby? - That's why Mom was so happy.
Not once did it occur to him to realize that maybe what he wanted was not what Lana wanted.
Sighing heavily, Pete shut the door to the Torch office quietly behind him. When Chloe was faced with a new and healthily mysterious challenge, she was completely traversed to another time and place; Pete was not a part of that. He had decided to leave her to her triumphant project and niggling worries about a certain someone, and distance himself from the world, consumed by his own demons.
Chloe's presumption about Clark, he found, was totally erroneous! The virtuous Clark knocking up the impenetrable Lana Lang? Clark hadn't even gotten close enough to her to kiss her cheek let alone permit his feelings to run rampantly in the physical form.
Virtuous. As much as Pete realized that his feelings on the matter made him even less virtuous himself, he couldn't help but resent Clark's perfection. The fire he witnessed as spewing from Clark's very eyes that morning was an testament to that perfection. It was symbolic, in a way. Warm, protective, bright, and alarming - that was Clark Kent, all right. And heroic. A true hero. Not the classic tragic hero Pete learned about in English class, for Clark was no Oedipus or Macbeth. No, Clark was the type of hero that everyone could revere, in their own way, and the most impressive part was that no one knew enough about him in order to pay that reverence. He kept it that way, purposely. An anonymous angel who descended from heaven to grace the earth, but who maintained his invisible wings stay wrapped tightly around his princely physique, Clark was simply incredible.
And so he wished for incredible things to surround him. Incredible things like great parents who cared ever-so much about him that never would they dream of exploiting or exposing his powers, but quite the opposite, keep him hidden and protected. For Pete could see that Martha and Jonathan Kent were intelligent enough to know that, while Clark could protect others, he could never protect himself without their loving help. And he wished for incredible things like the gorgeous Lana Lang, a raven-haired beauty with an ever-increasingly warm heart and enviable determination. And maybe Chloe was right to assume that Clark, in all his perfection, had attained that wish.
Not once did it occur to him to realize that, Clark having surrounded himself with incredible things, he had chosen Pete as a friend.
The next morning, Martha and Jonathan decided it would be a good idea to phone Nell to let her know Lana was all right. "Nell? It's Martha Kent." Martha drummed her fingers nervously on the counter, then, annoyed at her own impatience, shoved them in her jeans pocket. "Listen, I just wanted to let you know that Lana is at our place; she says she wants to stay here for a few days while she - they - get things figured out." She paused, listening attentively to Nell's reply. "Okay. And don't you worry about a thing, we're all in this together.Well, it's no problem. Of course we want to hel -" She furrowed her brow in beffudlement as Nell spoke, then pursed her lips. Very slowly, they opened to a little rounded "o" which conveyed her absolute shock. "Oh, I see. I didn't realize he would come, though I suppose it only makes sense. All right, Nell. Well I'll pass that message along to Lana, if she doesn't find out from someone else first. And I'll let her know you're very worried. All right. Say hi to Dean for me. Okay. Thanks, Nell. Bye."
Martha hung up the phone and took a few tentative steps towards her husband. Jonathan, not missing a beat, didn't even look up from his morning paper and coffee as he replied jokingly. "Of course he came, Martha. You know as well as I do how the whole thing works."
"Very funny," Martha said. "But that's not what I meant."
Her somber voice made Jonathan realize something was wrong. He looked up with an expression of concern. That's when he saw the uncontrollable tears streaming down his wife's face. He stood and drew her into a protective embrace. "What is it?" he asked urgently.
His parents were there for him. Or so they claimed. On the other hand, he wasn't sure his other friends would be so understanding. He recalled Pete's absolute and bitter disappointment at learning of Clark's abilities. Not having made his friend privy to his actions of that one so full, so empty night, he feared the reaction he would receive upon the expulsion of the news.
Chloe was another he dreaded telling. Having acted so cool to her this morning had not been meant to hurt her in any way, and yet it had. When she found out the truth.she would most certainly be heart-broken. For both he and Lana were of her closest friends, and her knowledge of this would make her feel removed from the group.
In fact, he would not be surprised if this completely isolated them from both Chloe and Pete.
Clark allowed his gaze to drift back to his mother, who had an absolutely dreamy look painted on her rosy face. "Mom," he said loudly, intending to snap her out of whatever entrancing reverie had its hold upon her. It seemed unfair that she would be able to have happy thoughts when all Clark's mind could wander to were painful memories of his past decisions and mixed emotions of his future dilemmas.
"Hmm?" Martha shook her head to clear her mind, then smiled fully at Clark. "Well, I should get back to work. We're not going to let this disrupt our lives, Clark. There's no need for it. Things will be fine.great, in fact: perfect."
Clark just stared after her in confusion as his mother stood up from the kitchen table and wandered out the side door, presumably to return to her chores. Remotely, an air of guilt overcame him, and he wondered if not he too should do the same thing. After all, soon enough he would be too busy with a mewing creature the size of his palm. Oh, but what if he were to be bigger? Suddenly Clark realized that his own powers might be hereditary.
That said, his thoughts ran rampant. Perhaps it is time Lana knows the truth - after all, she had a right to know if she was to become part of the family - Chloe.she'll be the only one left out - You know, Lana really had a right to know after they shared that night together: was that why she wanted to know? Because she knows me physically now? - What will Lex procure as a baby gift? - a wedding gift? - Perhaps a car; he likes to give those away - A baby - a baby - what's a baby? - That's why Mom was so happy.
Not once did it occur to him to realize that maybe what he wanted was not what Lana wanted.
Sighing heavily, Pete shut the door to the Torch office quietly behind him. When Chloe was faced with a new and healthily mysterious challenge, she was completely traversed to another time and place; Pete was not a part of that. He had decided to leave her to her triumphant project and niggling worries about a certain someone, and distance himself from the world, consumed by his own demons.
Chloe's presumption about Clark, he found, was totally erroneous! The virtuous Clark knocking up the impenetrable Lana Lang? Clark hadn't even gotten close enough to her to kiss her cheek let alone permit his feelings to run rampantly in the physical form.
Virtuous. As much as Pete realized that his feelings on the matter made him even less virtuous himself, he couldn't help but resent Clark's perfection. The fire he witnessed as spewing from Clark's very eyes that morning was an testament to that perfection. It was symbolic, in a way. Warm, protective, bright, and alarming - that was Clark Kent, all right. And heroic. A true hero. Not the classic tragic hero Pete learned about in English class, for Clark was no Oedipus or Macbeth. No, Clark was the type of hero that everyone could revere, in their own way, and the most impressive part was that no one knew enough about him in order to pay that reverence. He kept it that way, purposely. An anonymous angel who descended from heaven to grace the earth, but who maintained his invisible wings stay wrapped tightly around his princely physique, Clark was simply incredible.
And so he wished for incredible things to surround him. Incredible things like great parents who cared ever-so much about him that never would they dream of exploiting or exposing his powers, but quite the opposite, keep him hidden and protected. For Pete could see that Martha and Jonathan Kent were intelligent enough to know that, while Clark could protect others, he could never protect himself without their loving help. And he wished for incredible things like the gorgeous Lana Lang, a raven-haired beauty with an ever-increasingly warm heart and enviable determination. And maybe Chloe was right to assume that Clark, in all his perfection, had attained that wish.
Not once did it occur to him to realize that, Clark having surrounded himself with incredible things, he had chosen Pete as a friend.
The next morning, Martha and Jonathan decided it would be a good idea to phone Nell to let her know Lana was all right. "Nell? It's Martha Kent." Martha drummed her fingers nervously on the counter, then, annoyed at her own impatience, shoved them in her jeans pocket. "Listen, I just wanted to let you know that Lana is at our place; she says she wants to stay here for a few days while she - they - get things figured out." She paused, listening attentively to Nell's reply. "Okay. And don't you worry about a thing, we're all in this together.Well, it's no problem. Of course we want to hel -" She furrowed her brow in beffudlement as Nell spoke, then pursed her lips. Very slowly, they opened to a little rounded "o" which conveyed her absolute shock. "Oh, I see. I didn't realize he would come, though I suppose it only makes sense. All right, Nell. Well I'll pass that message along to Lana, if she doesn't find out from someone else first. And I'll let her know you're very worried. All right. Say hi to Dean for me. Okay. Thanks, Nell. Bye."
Martha hung up the phone and took a few tentative steps towards her husband. Jonathan, not missing a beat, didn't even look up from his morning paper and coffee as he replied jokingly. "Of course he came, Martha. You know as well as I do how the whole thing works."
"Very funny," Martha said. "But that's not what I meant."
Her somber voice made Jonathan realize something was wrong. He looked up with an expression of concern. That's when he saw the uncontrollable tears streaming down his wife's face. He stood and drew her into a protective embrace. "What is it?" he asked urgently.