Chapter III
The Masquerade
Clark went upstairs to get ready for Lana's costume party. His mother had made him a long black cape with a red lining. He planned to wear it over his one good suit, which Lex had given him to be Best Man at his ill-fated wedding ("The Mystery of Desiree Atkins"). He could slick back his unruly dark hair, show his strangely pointy teeth a lot, and claim to be a vampire.
Clark's mother was in the kitchen when he finished dressing and came back downstairs. Martha Kent was a friendly red-haired woman who was never idle. "Ready for Lana's party?" she asked, stirring up a batch of muffin batter.
"Uh huh," Clark answered. "How do I look?"
Mrs. Kent looked up at her tall son and smiled. "You're very scary," she told him, trying to keep a straight face. "Why don't you take that bag of cookies with you when you go?"
"Thanks, Mom. I'm sure everybody will appreciate them."
"Behave yourself! And have fun!" Martha yelled after Clark as he ran off towards town, his cape billowing behind him.
Mere moments later, Clark pulled up short behind the Smallville Town Limits sign. He walked to the Talon at a more sedate pace, so that no one would suspect he was not exactly a normal Earth boy. Other than Mr. and Mrs. Kent, only Pete Ross, Clark's best friend since kindergarten, knew that Clark Kent was really an alien from outer space.
A silver convertible pulled up in front of the Talon just as Clark walked up to the front door. Lex got out. He was dressed as a stage magician, with a top hat, dark suit, long black cape and a wand. "Hey, Clark," he greeted his young friend.
"Hey, Lex. Nice cape. We almost match!"
Lex looked Clark up and down and smirked. "What's in the bag?" he asked.
Clark held it up in front of him. "Blood of the innocent," he joked, showing his teeth. "Actually it's cookies Mom sent for the party."
"I love your mother's homemade cookies. Shall we go in?"
When Clark and Lex entered the big main room of the coffee shop, they were hailed by a camel with four human legs, Spaceman Prito, and many other fantastic figures.
Pretty, brown-haired Lana was dressed as a fairy princess, and blonde, vivacious Chloe as a page boy. The two girls hurried forward to greet the late arrivals.
"Clark! Lex!" Lana exclaimed. "My word! You two could be twins!"
"Not exactly," Chloe observed, eyeing both boys appraisingly.
"Totally unplanned," Clark reassured them. "Mom sent cookies, Lana. Do you want to show me where to put them?"
"Sure, Clark," Lana said, taking the bag from him. "We'll just take them into the kitchen and...." Lana's instructions petered off into nothing when she saw the boy who had just come into the party. The other three turned around to see what was attracting her attention.
"Hi, guys. Sorry I'm late." Short, muscular Pete Ross was wearing cargo pants and a T-shirt and zippered sweatshirt from two different Los Angeles sports teams. The feature of his costume that was causing everyone's jaw to drop, however, was his shaved head!
Lex, long accustomed to being the only bald young man at any social gathering, was the first to speak. "What are you supposed to be?" he asked dryly.
"I'm Charles Gunn!" Pete exclaimed, brandishing the big makeshift ax he was carrying. "You know, the demon-hunting guy from the WB's hit show, 'Angel'."
Everybody looked a little confused except Lana, who squealed happily, "I wish you'd told me beforehand! I could've been Fred!" She gave a couple of earnest little nods, then spread her white fluttery skirts and spun. "As it is, I'm reclaiming my fairy princesstude!" she declared, wrinkling her nose cutely and adding another emphatic nod.
Pete looked her up and down appreciatively. "I think you look fine as is," he told her and grinned. "You want some protection while you're setting those cookies out?"
Lana preened and giggled. Pete went with her and the cookies in the direction of the kitchen.
Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes. "She and Pete have been like that all week," she huffed to Clark and Lex. "At school, at home -- I can't escape their relentless cuteness!"
The boys were sympathetic, but they laughed all the same. Clark explained LexCorp's problem to Chloe and asked her if she had any contacts at the airport.
"Of course I do!" the budding journalist assured them. "Andy Wilson took me skating last weekend. He works in the office of the FBO in exchange for flying lessons."
Clark didn't know him. "Does he go to Smallville High?" he asked.
"No," Chloe replied, "he's at Grandville Community College."
"Oh, an older man," Lex teased.
"He's only nineteen!" Chloe exclaimed. Lex kept laughing, and Chloe got mad. "Your former wife, Desiree, was SIX YEARS older than you, remember, Lex? You guys make me sick!" Chloe stomped off to get some punch.
Clark would have gone after her, if Lex hadn't looked so stricken. Clark punched him softly on the shoulder and pretended to misunderstand what his friend was upset about. "You know Chloe," Clark said cheerfully. "She blows up fast, but she cools down fast, too. She won't be mad for long. Let's go see what music they have. Ask her to dance in half an hour, and I bet she'll have forgiven you for making fun of her."
Lex looked up at Clark and smiled. He appreciated it when Clark tried to help him fit in with the younger crowd. Everyone Lex's own age in Smallville was off at college or working long days on a farm. If Clark hadn't saved his life the first day Lex came to town, and become his friend, and introduced him around to the high school kids, Lex might well have had no contact with anyone outside of work.
The Masquerade
Clark went upstairs to get ready for Lana's costume party. His mother had made him a long black cape with a red lining. He planned to wear it over his one good suit, which Lex had given him to be Best Man at his ill-fated wedding ("The Mystery of Desiree Atkins"). He could slick back his unruly dark hair, show his strangely pointy teeth a lot, and claim to be a vampire.
Clark's mother was in the kitchen when he finished dressing and came back downstairs. Martha Kent was a friendly red-haired woman who was never idle. "Ready for Lana's party?" she asked, stirring up a batch of muffin batter.
"Uh huh," Clark answered. "How do I look?"
Mrs. Kent looked up at her tall son and smiled. "You're very scary," she told him, trying to keep a straight face. "Why don't you take that bag of cookies with you when you go?"
"Thanks, Mom. I'm sure everybody will appreciate them."
"Behave yourself! And have fun!" Martha yelled after Clark as he ran off towards town, his cape billowing behind him.
Mere moments later, Clark pulled up short behind the Smallville Town Limits sign. He walked to the Talon at a more sedate pace, so that no one would suspect he was not exactly a normal Earth boy. Other than Mr. and Mrs. Kent, only Pete Ross, Clark's best friend since kindergarten, knew that Clark Kent was really an alien from outer space.
A silver convertible pulled up in front of the Talon just as Clark walked up to the front door. Lex got out. He was dressed as a stage magician, with a top hat, dark suit, long black cape and a wand. "Hey, Clark," he greeted his young friend.
"Hey, Lex. Nice cape. We almost match!"
Lex looked Clark up and down and smirked. "What's in the bag?" he asked.
Clark held it up in front of him. "Blood of the innocent," he joked, showing his teeth. "Actually it's cookies Mom sent for the party."
"I love your mother's homemade cookies. Shall we go in?"
When Clark and Lex entered the big main room of the coffee shop, they were hailed by a camel with four human legs, Spaceman Prito, and many other fantastic figures.
Pretty, brown-haired Lana was dressed as a fairy princess, and blonde, vivacious Chloe as a page boy. The two girls hurried forward to greet the late arrivals.
"Clark! Lex!" Lana exclaimed. "My word! You two could be twins!"
"Not exactly," Chloe observed, eyeing both boys appraisingly.
"Totally unplanned," Clark reassured them. "Mom sent cookies, Lana. Do you want to show me where to put them?"
"Sure, Clark," Lana said, taking the bag from him. "We'll just take them into the kitchen and...." Lana's instructions petered off into nothing when she saw the boy who had just come into the party. The other three turned around to see what was attracting her attention.
"Hi, guys. Sorry I'm late." Short, muscular Pete Ross was wearing cargo pants and a T-shirt and zippered sweatshirt from two different Los Angeles sports teams. The feature of his costume that was causing everyone's jaw to drop, however, was his shaved head!
Lex, long accustomed to being the only bald young man at any social gathering, was the first to speak. "What are you supposed to be?" he asked dryly.
"I'm Charles Gunn!" Pete exclaimed, brandishing the big makeshift ax he was carrying. "You know, the demon-hunting guy from the WB's hit show, 'Angel'."
Everybody looked a little confused except Lana, who squealed happily, "I wish you'd told me beforehand! I could've been Fred!" She gave a couple of earnest little nods, then spread her white fluttery skirts and spun. "As it is, I'm reclaiming my fairy princesstude!" she declared, wrinkling her nose cutely and adding another emphatic nod.
Pete looked her up and down appreciatively. "I think you look fine as is," he told her and grinned. "You want some protection while you're setting those cookies out?"
Lana preened and giggled. Pete went with her and the cookies in the direction of the kitchen.
Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes. "She and Pete have been like that all week," she huffed to Clark and Lex. "At school, at home -- I can't escape their relentless cuteness!"
The boys were sympathetic, but they laughed all the same. Clark explained LexCorp's problem to Chloe and asked her if she had any contacts at the airport.
"Of course I do!" the budding journalist assured them. "Andy Wilson took me skating last weekend. He works in the office of the FBO in exchange for flying lessons."
Clark didn't know him. "Does he go to Smallville High?" he asked.
"No," Chloe replied, "he's at Grandville Community College."
"Oh, an older man," Lex teased.
"He's only nineteen!" Chloe exclaimed. Lex kept laughing, and Chloe got mad. "Your former wife, Desiree, was SIX YEARS older than you, remember, Lex? You guys make me sick!" Chloe stomped off to get some punch.
Clark would have gone after her, if Lex hadn't looked so stricken. Clark punched him softly on the shoulder and pretended to misunderstand what his friend was upset about. "You know Chloe," Clark said cheerfully. "She blows up fast, but she cools down fast, too. She won't be mad for long. Let's go see what music they have. Ask her to dance in half an hour, and I bet she'll have forgiven you for making fun of her."
Lex looked up at Clark and smiled. He appreciated it when Clark tried to help him fit in with the younger crowd. Everyone Lex's own age in Smallville was off at college or working long days on a farm. If Clark hadn't saved his life the first day Lex came to town, and become his friend, and introduced him around to the high school kids, Lex might well have had no contact with anyone outside of work.