Spoilers: Not really.

Disclaimer: You know what? They ARE mine? Don't like it WB? Tough! You want a piece of me? Come and get it, punks.

Rated R. For profanity, pretty hard core violence and a mention of nudity.

Dedications: Oh, Ktbaxter, Miss windy and the rest of the TWOP crowd. I'll have to add Elrond50 and the rest of the the folks in miss Windy's chat room on the eric Johnson web site for making me wonder how I could bring Whitney back to life convincingly (by Smallville standards anyway).

Slip

Chapter 2

I can't remember a feeling of joy greater then when I first saw that American outfit and knew, really knew, that we were safe. I am treated as a hero. I receive a medal, and another medal and was completely floored when I was awarded the medal of honor. Douglas McCarthur, Audi Murphy and Whitney Fordman. I was ashamed to be in their company. I didn't deserve it, I was a fraud, a fake. But the Marines don't allow you to say no, and I certainly am not going to tell them about another mutation. I barely got in as it was.

So they give me their awards and I finally am allowed to go back to Smallville. I get off the bus and see a crowd of several hundred people there. The Smallville high banner people worked overtime with signs that said "Welcome home Whitney" and "Our hero returns" . My mother is in front of the crowd and I jump off the bus and gave her a hug. Lana is there too and of course Clark Kent is right next to her.

I get through hugging my mother and Lana throws herself into my arms. "I missed you so much," I say near tears.

"I'm so glad to see you," she says and we kiss for a while. Finally she stands back and says with a somewhat teary smile "We have a party planned for you at the Talon.

I smile, the lump in my throat almost painful. "Yes, that's great." I say.

Finally Clark Kent comes forward. "I did what you said," he says and extends his hand.

"I never doubted you, Clark." I say and shake his hand.

I arrive at the Talon. More banners. Lex catered the whole affair in the normal ostentatious Luthor manner. I'm at home, but I don't feel at home. I'm still in the marines. Everyone wants to know about the medal, the attack, being lost and being found. I don't want to say, but I tell them anyway.

Lex Luthor begins to talk to me. "I read the account of your actions, Whitney," Lex says, "I must say, I'm impressed." But his voice, his manner, are accusatory, downgrading.

"Thanks Lex," I say with a false smile.

"They say that you called for your men to fire on a hill without even knowing that there was a fire support team there."

"I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye."

"The men who filed the report say that you ordered them to fire just on the hill, you didn't even give them any general area, if you spotted someone why didn't you tell them where you spotted it?"

"I guess I just had an instinct," I say.

"That's some instinct," Lex says, "You must of passed hundreds of hills like that and not once did you ask them to fire. You happen to do it at the one hill with a fire support team. I'd say you're psychic."

"Just lucky, I guess." again smiling. Lex is also smiling but his eyes convey everything. Liar. Tell the truth, liar. What really happened?

Clark walks up and I've never been so happy to see another man. "Hey Lex, what's with the third degree?" Clark says smiling.

Lex looks at Clark and his gaze immediately softens and his smile becomes genuine. "Just curious," Lex says.

"It's supposed to be a party for him," Clark says.

"Yes, of course," Lex says.

I start to mingle, talking to many people in the crowd. The gaze of Lex lingering in my head the entire time. Liar. Fake. Tell the truth, liar.

Finally Lex gets up to give his speech. To welcome home the conquering hero. I get ready to brace myself from cringing. I've heard this speech time and again. Praising my heroism, my valor, saying that I am all things good in the world. I have learned to hear these lies and smile.

"I'd like everyone join me in welcoming our resident hero, Whitney Fordman," he begins in much the same way all the speeches begin. He looks casual, his hands in his pockets of his black jacket. "While I commend Whitney in so diligently defending us against our enemy in Indochina I'd like to alert everyone to an even greater danger. A danger living among us. A danger that has been actively poisoning our water, our livestock and out food. An enemy that possesses the strength of 1000 of us. An enemy that has been posing as a friend to us, as a normal kid. He is not, he is in fact an alien from another planet sent here to conquer and I can prove it."

He turns and faces Clark Kent who is looking ashen and I hear gunfire and I almost dive for cover. There is a hole in Lex's jacket and I glance over and there's a hole in Clark's shirt, but Clark is unharmed. Lex fires again, again, and again in rapid succession and Clark merely grimaces. "Lex," Clark says, the look in his eyes expressing hurt beyond pain. I could see the years and years of hiding of keeping the secret and then having it exposed by his best friend. His eyes are not the eyes of a conqueror but of a wounded kid.

I glance over to Lex who still has a bemused smile on his face as he pulls out another gun. This is metal and looks almost like a high tech squirt gun. He points it at Clark and a stream of green liquid emerges and Clark falls to the floor in obvious agony

Pete Ross steps forward "Lex!" He says and starts to tackle him but Lex shoots Pete in the head with the first gun and I see bits of brain matter fly out behind him as Pete's body falls to the floor. "Damn, I always wanted to apologize for my Dad swindling your Uncle out of the creamed corn factory, I guess I'll never get the chance now."

Lex still has a bemused expression as the crowd finally starts to break and scream and run to the exits. "People!" Lex shouts, somehow above the crowd, "The only one in here I want to kill is the alien bastard, the rest of you have nothing to worry about. Just leave calmly and no one else will get hurt."

I should take his advice but instead I stand transfixed. I have no weapon I can't help. Lex moves rapidly to Clark. He pulls Clark up from his fetal position on the floor the look on Clark's face of pure pain, Lex's, pure hate. He gets really close to Clark and whispers, "You know I was going to make a bullet out of the green stuff but that would not be nearly satisfying enough. MOTHER FUCKER!" He screams and knees him. I start to run forward and Lex points the gun at me. "I LIKED Pete," he says, "Do you think I'd hesitate?" That stops me.

He gets within an inch of Clark's battered face. "I didn't think you should die without knowing that pain," he says. "Five years from now I'd never be able to get this close, but now, now you're as easy to kill as any punk teenager. "GODDAMNED FREAK!!" he cries and butts him in the face with his pistol. "No one thought I could do it. They all thought I was just flesh and blood and bone like all the rest. How could I defeat a god? BASTARD" He cries and butts him again. "ALIEN, FREAK!" Again and again the obscenities come pouring out of his mouth and soon Clark's face, once beautiful, is a mottled lump of flesh. Lex is smiling unable to contain his joy. Clark is somehow still alive, writhing on the floor. Lex can't contain himself. "Well, who's on top now mother fucker?" He says and lowers his face to Clark's neck. He soon chews through Clark's carotid artery and blood flies forth everywhere. "Aaah!" He says, his face covered in red blood still flying from Clark's neck. "That's way more satisfying then a Snickers bar." He starts to laugh and I run for him he fires and hits me in the shoulder. I fall down and

slip

back

and hear Lex say "I'd like everyone to join-" I take a quarter of a second to check my shoulder, it's fine, I'm fine, and I attack. "You sick bastard," I cry and the crowd gasps. I punch Lex in the face. He goes sprawling to the floor. Clark is there almost immediately suppressing me with an impossibly strong grip.

"What the hell?" Lex says grabbing his chin.

"He wants to kill you, Clark." I say and the crowd looks at me like I'd grown a second head. "He's got a gun." Clark squints, and looks at him. "No he doesn't Whitney." Clark says. "Yes he does! Search him!"

"Go ahead, search me," Lex says calmly. They do, and find nothing. "It must be post traumatic stress disorder," Lex says "I can fly in some doctors from --"

"Fuck you and your doctors from Metropolis," I spit out. The crowd is still looking at me.

"Whitney needs some rest," Lana says, still trying to salvage what is left of her goddamned party. Did I love this girl once?

"I don't need rest, this man is a sick bastard."

"Why don't you go home, Whitney, I'll be fine." Clark says gently, expressing more concern for me in that one moment then Lana ever has..

"I know what I know Clark. I know about you. You've GOT to believe me. He hates you more then I've ever seen anyone hate. He wants to kill you." Clark's grip, somehow tightens when I say I know about him and I wince in pain.

"I believe that you believe it, Whit. I'll be careful, but you have to go home and get some sleep now, OK?"

I'm in a fishbowl and the crowd is looking in, eyes in wonder at the crazy man. I think for a moment. Clark is safe. Lex has no guns and I can't talk to Clark now. "Please, Clark, please," I say ," Please be careful."

"I will Whitney, I promise."

"OK, OK I'll go," I say. And with that the crowd noticeably exhales.

Me and my mother walk out the door. The crowd staring an arrow through the center of my back. Me and my mother drive home, she can't help but glance over to me as she drives.

I get home and throw my coat on the chair. "I'm not crazy, Mom. I swear," I say.

"I could never think you're crazy." she says. "I think you need some rest."

"I don't need rest," I lie. The adrenaline is wearing off and I'm starting to become more tired then I have ever been in my life.

"Well, why don't you try lying down," she says. "I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow." she says and I can see such worry that I have no choice but to concede.

"Yes, momma," I say and kiss her on the forehead. "I don't want to worry you."

"It's ok, Whitney," she says and bursts into tears. "Shh," I whisper, "I'm sorry I'm sorry" and she buries her face in my chest as I hug her. "I don't want to worry you, Mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

We hold each other for a moment and then reluctantly I go to bed. I think that the adrenaline will keep me up all of the night, but it doesn't. I pass out almost as soon as I hit the bed.

I wake up the next morning. I have to see Lana, I have to explain. I quickly get dressed shower and head to the Talon. It's Sunday, she opens a little later but she should be there getting ready. I drive slowly, trying to think of what I am going to say. But how do you tell someone that you slip back and forth in time?

I knock on the door, there's no answer. I turn the handle, it's open. Terror runs through me. She'd never leave for the night and not lock up. I open the door and walk in. "Oh God." I say and look at the Talon. It's as if someone had thrown buckets of blood indiscriminately throughout the place. Lana is lying on the floor, naked. Her throat is cut.. Clark is next to her, also naked. Green liquid is intermixed with the blood surrounding him. He has been beaten and stabbed to death with a savagery beyond comprehension. There's a knife on the floor next to Lana. I walk forward without thinking to grab Lana. "Lana, jeez, Lana," I say hugging her close.

Then I hear the door open. Quickly I grab for the knife and stand up, ready for an attack.

"Hey Lana," Ethan says, "you left your door un- HOLY SHIT!" He says and stumbles for his revolver. I'm standing over two dead bodies holding a knife. I see people do shit like this on TV and I think "How stupid can they be?" but when someone you love is there, dead, your brain takes a vacation.

"Drop the knife, Whitney! Drop the knife, now!"

"It's not what you think," I say and sputter absurd sounding denials.

"What I think," Ethan says, "Is that you ought to drop the knife and get down on your knees, right now with your hands behind you head."

I think for a crazy second about running. Where? Ethan has the exit covered. The emergency exit is on the other side of the shop. I drop the knife and get on my knees with my hands behind my head.

He puts a handcuff quickly around my right wrist. "You're under arrest for the murder of Clark Kent and Lana Lang," He says and I close my eyes. I am feeling light headed as I open my eyes, look at Clark and Lana again, and pass out.