Chapter 4: Stray
~~~
Clark opened his eyes and realized he was in the truck, leaving the bowling alley on that harrowing day. The flickering police lights behind them grew more and more distant as they made the journey home. Martha and Jonathan were in the front while Ryan sat in the back with Clark. He closed his eyes clutched the purple stone in triumph.
"There's something different about you," whispered Ryan.
"I think we already established that."
"No something more. You're not from around here are you?"
"You could say that. I'm from the future."
"You're here to protect me?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am."
Ryan gave him a funny look but questioned him no further. He laid his head on Clark's shoulder and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events.
~~~
"Clark, he's not ours to keep!" Martha Kent exclaimed.
"Well I wasn't yours to keep either!"
"Son, that was different. Ryan has family to take him in," Jonathan replied.
"I'm asking you to trust me here. If we give him up, something horrible is going to happen to him. Call it alien's intuition," Clark responded, his eyes pleading.
Martha and Jonathan looked at each other skeptically, both wondering exactly what Clark was talking about.
"I won't go Mr. Kent, I'd rather take my chances with a foster family. I trust Clark more than anyone and I believe him without question," Ryan said bluntly from the living room doorway.
"Ryan, I thought you were upstairs sleeping."
"It's hard to sleep when there are people downstairs talking about me."
Jonathan rubbed his temples and looked over to Martha. She gave him a hopeful look. He took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Well I'm sure as hell not going to let social services put you in a foster home."
They all smiled in unison as Ryan ran up to Jonathan and hugged him.
~~~
"So that rock let's you time travel? Why do you get all the cool powers?"
Clark laughed and threw the basketball back to Ryan after picking up the rebound from his own shot.
"Reading minds is pretty cool."
"Yeah, but you get a headache sometimes when there's lots of people. And you hear things that you shouldn't be hearing. Lot's of secrets."
Ryan drained a jumper and passed the ball back to Clark.
"At least you don't have the weight of the world on your shoulders," he replied, setting up for a long shot.
"You sure you don't want to hear Lana's secret?"
Clark stumbled and shot a perfect airball right into Ryan's hands.
"What? She's in love with me or something? They all are," he responded with a sly smirk.
"The whole world doesn't revolve around Clark Kent you know," exclaimed Chloe as she came into view from behind the barn.
Ryan shook his head is dismay. 'If he only knew,' he thought.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?" asked Clark.
"I'm here to give myself to you, oh great egomaniacal Clark Kent!" she said in the girliest voice she could muster. "Actually, I didn't know if Ryan was up for it, but it is my responsibility as a reporter to ask."
Ryan looked briefly at Clark before turned back to her and replying: "No comment."
"Oh come on! It's a great story. Your name would be in the paper, please, let me interview you! Lana would be really impressed if she saw your picture in the Torch. I think she likes you!"
"Really?" Ryan asked, his hands suddenly slack, as the basketball he was holding fell to the ground and rolled away.
~~~
Clark looked down at the purple stone and smiled. The meteorite was down to the size of a golf ball, but he figured it would last a few more trips through time.
"Hey Clark, just wanted to say goodnight," exclaimed Ryan, standing at the foot of the stairs. "Sorry for taking your room."
"It's fine, I spend most of my time in the loft anyways. I got in touch with Lex, he's got some friends that will push the adoption along."
"So, I'm gonna be Kent soon?" he asked a broad smile on his face.
"Yeah, so I'll have less chores to do around here."
"You're leaving aren't you?"
"I thought you said you couldn't read my mind?"
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I can just tell. I see it in your eyes."
"Don't worry, you won't miss me. I'll still be here, just a different me."
"Where are you going?"
"I have one more friend to save. And then it's back to my time."
"Good luck, Clark. And be careful," Ryan said with a smile as he walked away.
Clark sighed as he left and turned his attention to his telescope. Travelling to the past and saving lives was great, but it meant Lana was out of reach. for the time being. He peered into the lens and pointed the device toward Lana's house hoping to catch a glimpse of her. His efforts were interrupted by someone tapping on his shoulder. Clark jumped a little before turning around and seeing one Lana Lang with a raised eyebrow looking intently at his face.
"Hey Clark, Whatcha doing?"
He discretely spun the telescope around with the hand behind his back before replying.
"Just looking at some stars," he said with a awkward smile. "So what brings you by?"
"I thought I'd come by and congratulate the family on its newest addition."
"Well it's far from final yet, but Lex says he doesn't foresee any problems with the adoption."
"Well that's good cuz I don't think I've seen your mother this happy in a long time. Was that Ryan I saw leaving here at first? What were you guys talking about?"
"It's a. a secret."
"More secrets? Clark Kent. International man of mystery. I'm gonna find out everything one day you know."
'I sure hope so,' he thought.
"I'd better get going, I've got to meet Whitney soon. See ya Clark."
"Bye."
Whitney? He had forgotten all about him. He certainly didn't want to see his grubby little hands on Lana again. The sooner he left to finish his mission, the sooner she'd be back in his arms. He took the stone out of his pocket.
"One down, one to go."
~~~
~~~
Clark opened his eyes and realized he was in the truck, leaving the bowling alley on that harrowing day. The flickering police lights behind them grew more and more distant as they made the journey home. Martha and Jonathan were in the front while Ryan sat in the back with Clark. He closed his eyes clutched the purple stone in triumph.
"There's something different about you," whispered Ryan.
"I think we already established that."
"No something more. You're not from around here are you?"
"You could say that. I'm from the future."
"You're here to protect me?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am."
Ryan gave him a funny look but questioned him no further. He laid his head on Clark's shoulder and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events.
~~~
"Clark, he's not ours to keep!" Martha Kent exclaimed.
"Well I wasn't yours to keep either!"
"Son, that was different. Ryan has family to take him in," Jonathan replied.
"I'm asking you to trust me here. If we give him up, something horrible is going to happen to him. Call it alien's intuition," Clark responded, his eyes pleading.
Martha and Jonathan looked at each other skeptically, both wondering exactly what Clark was talking about.
"I won't go Mr. Kent, I'd rather take my chances with a foster family. I trust Clark more than anyone and I believe him without question," Ryan said bluntly from the living room doorway.
"Ryan, I thought you were upstairs sleeping."
"It's hard to sleep when there are people downstairs talking about me."
Jonathan rubbed his temples and looked over to Martha. She gave him a hopeful look. He took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Well I'm sure as hell not going to let social services put you in a foster home."
They all smiled in unison as Ryan ran up to Jonathan and hugged him.
~~~
"So that rock let's you time travel? Why do you get all the cool powers?"
Clark laughed and threw the basketball back to Ryan after picking up the rebound from his own shot.
"Reading minds is pretty cool."
"Yeah, but you get a headache sometimes when there's lots of people. And you hear things that you shouldn't be hearing. Lot's of secrets."
Ryan drained a jumper and passed the ball back to Clark.
"At least you don't have the weight of the world on your shoulders," he replied, setting up for a long shot.
"You sure you don't want to hear Lana's secret?"
Clark stumbled and shot a perfect airball right into Ryan's hands.
"What? She's in love with me or something? They all are," he responded with a sly smirk.
"The whole world doesn't revolve around Clark Kent you know," exclaimed Chloe as she came into view from behind the barn.
Ryan shook his head is dismay. 'If he only knew,' he thought.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?" asked Clark.
"I'm here to give myself to you, oh great egomaniacal Clark Kent!" she said in the girliest voice she could muster. "Actually, I didn't know if Ryan was up for it, but it is my responsibility as a reporter to ask."
Ryan looked briefly at Clark before turned back to her and replying: "No comment."
"Oh come on! It's a great story. Your name would be in the paper, please, let me interview you! Lana would be really impressed if she saw your picture in the Torch. I think she likes you!"
"Really?" Ryan asked, his hands suddenly slack, as the basketball he was holding fell to the ground and rolled away.
~~~
Clark looked down at the purple stone and smiled. The meteorite was down to the size of a golf ball, but he figured it would last a few more trips through time.
"Hey Clark, just wanted to say goodnight," exclaimed Ryan, standing at the foot of the stairs. "Sorry for taking your room."
"It's fine, I spend most of my time in the loft anyways. I got in touch with Lex, he's got some friends that will push the adoption along."
"So, I'm gonna be Kent soon?" he asked a broad smile on his face.
"Yeah, so I'll have less chores to do around here."
"You're leaving aren't you?"
"I thought you said you couldn't read my mind?"
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I can just tell. I see it in your eyes."
"Don't worry, you won't miss me. I'll still be here, just a different me."
"Where are you going?"
"I have one more friend to save. And then it's back to my time."
"Good luck, Clark. And be careful," Ryan said with a smile as he walked away.
Clark sighed as he left and turned his attention to his telescope. Travelling to the past and saving lives was great, but it meant Lana was out of reach. for the time being. He peered into the lens and pointed the device toward Lana's house hoping to catch a glimpse of her. His efforts were interrupted by someone tapping on his shoulder. Clark jumped a little before turning around and seeing one Lana Lang with a raised eyebrow looking intently at his face.
"Hey Clark, Whatcha doing?"
He discretely spun the telescope around with the hand behind his back before replying.
"Just looking at some stars," he said with a awkward smile. "So what brings you by?"
"I thought I'd come by and congratulate the family on its newest addition."
"Well it's far from final yet, but Lex says he doesn't foresee any problems with the adoption."
"Well that's good cuz I don't think I've seen your mother this happy in a long time. Was that Ryan I saw leaving here at first? What were you guys talking about?"
"It's a. a secret."
"More secrets? Clark Kent. International man of mystery. I'm gonna find out everything one day you know."
'I sure hope so,' he thought.
"I'd better get going, I've got to meet Whitney soon. See ya Clark."
"Bye."
Whitney? He had forgotten all about him. He certainly didn't want to see his grubby little hands on Lana again. The sooner he left to finish his mission, the sooner she'd be back in his arms. He took the stone out of his pocket.
"One down, one to go."
~~~