Lana joined Clark and Pete in the hallway on the way to Gym class. "Hey Lana, I've been looking for you. Pete, I'll catch up with you in a minute, okay?"

Pete nodded and smiled. He knew what Clark wanted to talk to Lana about and was happy to excuse himself so that they could be alone.

"So," Clark said, "I was wondering if you'd like to meet me tonight…at Highland Point. You know, the big hill, near the cemetery. I kind of have a surprise for you."

Lana looked at him inquisitively. "A surprise, huh? Okay, I'll ask Nell. What time should I meet you there?"

"How about 9:00?"

"That's a little late. Nell might want to know exactly what we'll be doing."

"I'll call her and take care of it." Lana looked at him strangely. "Okay, I'll see you then," she said laughing. She turned to walk away.

"Uh, Lana?"

"Yeah?"

"We both have gym next."

"Oh, right." She nodded. "Right."

That night Lana, with reluctant permission from her aunt, walked past the cemetery, to meet Clark at Highland Point. He was standing at the top of the hill waiting for her and staring up at the sky. When she reached him she saw that he had set up his telescope next to a blanket.

Clark handed her a thermos. "Hot chocolate?"

"Wow, you've thought of everything. Clark, this is great."

"It's going to get better. There's a meteor shower scheduled for tonight. It should start any minute now."

Lana swallowed hard, her face turning pallid. She looked down at her hands and didn't say anything.

"Lana, I know this may seem like a weird thing for us to be doing together. But so much has happened to you as a result of the meteors, and I just thought you might like to see them once, without having to think about what happened. It really is beautiful Lana."

"Yeah well, your parents weren't killed by one."

"I'm sorry," he said guiltily.

"Don't be, I don't want your pity," she responded coldly.

They were silent for a moment. "I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I just figured that maybe you'd like to make some new memories of the meteors. Good memories…with me."

Lana's heart melted. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She smiled.

Clark's cheeks flushed. "So, you'll stay then."

"Yes," she said tentatively. "I'll stay."

He motioned for her to sit down on the blanket.

"Thanks for talking to Nell."

"Yeah. She gave me the third degree. You'd think I was asking to take you away for a weekend in Aspen."

"That's Nell. She's really protective of me. Especially since, well you know."

Clark nodded. "So…are you going to Winter Formal?"

Lana took a deep breath. "Uh, no. I wasn't planning on it."

His face fell.

"It's just that…I'm nominated for queen. And Whitney's nominated for king. The ballots went out two months ago when we were still dating and well…what if I won?"

"Then you'd go up onstage and accept."

"Yeah…but what if Whitney and I won?"

Clark nodded. "You probably did. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go."

She cocked her head. "Are you asking me?"

"I was getting to that. So, Lana…will you go to Winter Formal with me?"

"Yes." She grinned. "I was actually hoping you'd ask."

"I was hoping you'd say yes." She laughed.

"So…how long have you had a crush on me Clark Kent?"

He looked at her, surprised. "You knew about that? I guess I was pretty obvious."

"No, actually it was your friends. They kept giving me all these little hints. And then there's Lex, and well you know Lex. He was less than subtle. Besides, I always sort of suspected you had a thing for me. You were always really sweet about it though. You never tried to ask me out when I was with Whitney."

"It wouldn't have been right. That and…I didn't know what you'd say. I didn't want you to say no."

"I probably would have, too. That was before I knew how great you were, though. So, how long?"

"I don't know. A while."

"Clark…"

"A long time. Like, years."

"Really? Years?"

"Yes, years."

"Well, I wasn't dating Whitney that whole time. Why didn't you ask me then?"

"I honestly don't know. It just didn't seem like the right time."

"Oh."

"What about now? Is now the right time?"

"Yes," she said certainly, nodding her head.

"Okay. Lana, will you go out with me."

"Absolutely." And then it was quiet. "Lana…we're dating."

"Yeah," she said, reaching for his hand.

Wow."

"Yeah."

Suddenly the first of the meteors lit up the sky like fireworks. They both leapt up to get a better view. Clark instructed her on how to get the best results from the telescope. She stared at the bright balls of light against the black sky. She realized that she didn't feel afraid, or even sad anymore. And then she looked over at Clark, and realized that he was the reason why.

"You were right Clark," she sighed. "They really are beautiful."

"I know."

"Thanks for bringing me here."

"Of course."

After a while they sat back down on the blanket and watched as the meteor shower slowed. Clark stayed fixated on the burning rocks until they died down. When he looked back over at Lana he saw that she was fast asleep. He smiled as he gathered up the telescope and the now empty thermoses and put them in a bag, which he slung over his shoulder. Then he gently picked Lana up, still wrapped in the blanket and carried her down the hill. She mumbled in her sleep something that sounded like his name, but he couldn't tell for sure. When they reached her house Clark used his only free finger to ring the doorbell. It was late, but the lights were on in the living room. Clark figured Nell was still up worrying about her niece. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Clark standing there carrying Lana. Nell opened the door for him and led him to the couch where he set her down softly. She clung to his neck. Smiling, he unwrapped her arms and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Lana."



TBC…Next up: Winter Formal, and Lana gets herself in a whole lot of trouble with Clark.