Rogue sat separate from everyone, leaning against a tree. She needed to be alone. So many things were running through her mind, mostly Clark's memories and abilities. She had no fear of not knowing how to use them. One of the only few perks of also absorbing the mind. She knew in her heart that this time it was different. Not only had she nearly killed Clark by sucking him to the edge of death, but he was also an alien. She didn't know what effects that would have on her.

She let out a small laugh. Alien? Who would have thought? He looked so normal. Of course, so do I.

*****

Chloe watched the keys in her hand. Two of the keys were enemies but in the same way very precious to her. One to the school's back door, the other to the Torch office. She stared at the keys as if they were talking to her.

It had been ten days now since her two best friends had vanished. She had looked for days in Metropolis to find Clark, she had hoped Pete would be in the same place. She was sure she would find them there. She planned on going again tomorrow.

She knew that it was better to leave the room alone. If she left the room alone then she wouldn't be investigating Clark. She wouldn't be tempted to put more information up on the board. She knew if she went she would be putting her friendship with Clark at risk. No she knew it would be finished.

But what if she did the research to find her friends? Yes, she was doing this to help them. She wasn't going to do this to find out about Clark she was doing it to find him. What if somewhere in this mystery was the answer to why they were gone? But deep inside her she knew it wasn't to find them; the reporter in her wanted to know everything there was to know about the mystery that was "Clark Kent."

She put the key in the door. Her heart beat faster as if she were doing something to break the law. She turned the key and quickly stepped inside the school then let out a sigh of relief. Through the dark halls she found her way to the Torch office and let herself in.

*****

Bobby was sick of this. He knew that Rogue needed time. But he wanted to help and something told him that even though she said she wanted to be alone, she really didn't. He knew exactly where she would be. Other than coming in for class, food or sleep she always made here way back to the tree.

He slowed when he approached the tree. He could see her feet sticking out on the other side. He took a deep breath then approached her. "Rogue, I know you said you want to be alone but I don't believe you anymore. It has been about a week since, you know. And I believe you need someone to talk to."

"Did the Professor send you?" She asked as her voice cracked. He could hear she had been crying.

"No," Quickly Bobby moved closer and knelt beside her. She had tears streaming down her face. It looked like she had been crying for a good while. "Rogue..." was all he could get out. Then with instincts he placed his arms around her and hugged.

"Bobby.... " She said as she started to cry more. She hugged him tighter as the sobs got stronger. "I thought you wouldn't...I thought you wouldn't like me anymore."

"How could you think that?" Bobby asked surprised.

"Everyone has been avoiding me... like a plague... I nearly killed Clark." She said as the crying subdued a little.

"No, no we all thought you wanted space. You told me to stay away."

"Then you don't hate me?"

"I could never hate you." They finally let go of each other and Bobby sat on the ground facing her. "Now is there anything else you would like to talk about?" Bobby asked as he smiled. Glad he had not left her alone a moment longer.

*****

Dr. Henry McCoy was running through the hall excited. He almost bowled over a couple students as he ran but dodged them at the last second. "My apologies!" He said as he continued on his way. Seconds later he was at Professor Xavier's office. "Professor! I-" He stopped as he saw eight young faces looking back at him. "I'm sorry I did not realize you had a class." He turned to leave.

"Hank, please stop." Xavier said, then he looked at the children. "Please write a page on your theories of the butterfly effect and turn them in to me tomorrow." The class then left the room.

"I'm sorry." Hank said as his face lit up once more from excitement.

"No harm, no foul. Please tell me what you have found."

"Clark is the most amazing... well anyway I have found that his abilities appears to be linked directly with the sun. I was growing some Fersilius Corsicrun; it's a plant with the amazing ability to- well back to the point. When I upped the power on the lamps there was a spike in Clark's charts. When I discovered the change at first I was baffled but then I realized that his change happened at the same time that I adjusted the lamps. You see I have modified some of my lamps to duplicate sunlight. So I tested my theory and moved the lamps to be giving Clark direct sunlight. And he instantly started to show improvement. At this rate he should be awake by the end of the day."

*****

Jonathan came in from the field to find Martha sitting in Clark's loft. He could tell she had been crying but she was trying to hide it. He sat down and put his arm around her. She leaned over and lay her head on his shoulder. He knew he must stink to high heaven but he also knew that over the years she didn't care about the smell nearly as much as he thought she did.

"Did we do something wrong? Is it our fault he left?"

"I don't know Martha, I honestly don't know." He kissed the top of her head. "We'll find him. Then he will come home to us."

"What if he doesn't want to be found?"

She ask the right question, the same one that had been plaguing him from the beginning. He gave here a tight squeeze. "We'll find him."

They sat in the loft together until sunset.

*****

"What have you done?" A familiar and hated voice asked.

"No! Stay away from me!" Clark yelled back.

"What have you done, my son?" Jor-El choked as sorrow invading his words.

"If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here!" Clark yelled angrily.

"I did not do this. You are the one to have chosen this path."

"Why do you want me to rule the world? I will not do it. I don't want to harm anyone."

"Your actions would suggest otherwise."

"You have no control over me!"

"No, I don't, and I see now that you were not ready to accept your calling."

"I will not harm anyone for you!"

"My son, I have never asked you to do harm."

"You threatened my family. You threatened to hurt them if I didn't leave."

"I was trying to protect them."

"Protect them from what?! You threatened them!"

"I was protecting them from you , my son."

Clark felt as if he had just been slapped in the face. Shock spread across his mind. Was I such a horrible monster that he thought I would hurt them? Then he thought to all that had happened. He had hurt them. His mere arrival to this world was cataclysmic.

Lana's parents killed, my fault.

Tina and her shape shifting, my fault.

Greg and his bug problem, my fault.

Lex and his baldness, my fault.

Sean permanently cold, my fault.

Coach Walt's pyrokinesis, my fault.

Principal Kwan's murder, my fault.

The nicodemus plant, Jeremy Creek in a coma, Ian and well, Ian, Dr. Walden, Dr. Hamilton, and countless others effected by the meteors, all my fault.

I am a monster.