16.

"Clark. Answer my question. Please." Her eyes pleaded at him for an answer. 'What was he and how did he start the fire without being anywhere near it?' Alex's mind was racing. She knew why she was ... different it was just a matter of why Clark was different. Her mind quickly went over if Clark was anywhere on Chloe's infamous wall of weird.

"I could ask you the same thing." He said looking at her with interest. 'Shit, shit, shit. He seen me use my powers. What am I going to say to him? How can I explain, that I am some freak?'

"You first."

"Can you keep an open mind?"

"Sure." Alex looked at him carefully.

"Well so can I," he smiled, "And that means you have to go first. I'm not the best person to start explaining things. You go first."

"Its very complicated."

"I bet mines more complicated. And not really that interesting." Clark mumbled.

"I highly doubt that."

"So what can you do? Exactly."

"Pick an object, Like a pen or something."

"Why? Are you going to melt it or something?"

"No, I'm going to make it fly. There's a difference." She smiled at him confidently.

"What do you mean? Like telekinesis?"

"Exactly. Except I don't belong on Chloe's wall."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not - meteor based - Clark. None of my problems started thirteen years ago. They started sooner than that, actually." She laughed a little at the end of her sentence.

"Sooner than that? The meteor rocks are still active, maybe the rocks-"

"No, Clark, the rocks have nothing to do with me. My problems all started in California. With a chemical spill."

Clark looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When I was fourteen," She chose her words carefully, concisely, "I was in an accident. A chemical plant truck swerved to miss me. This is hard for me to explain, Clark, but, I was doused in a chemical. It's called GC-161, and it gave me these powers." She held her hands out to him. "I've told you my story, now tell me yours. Please Clark?"

"I'm not from around here." He said smiling at her nervously.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific Clark, I'm not from around here either, remember, I'm not from Smallville, I'm from Paradise Valley."

"I'm from a distant planet."

"You're from a whoozimaha?"

"I'm from a now non-existent planet called Krypton." He spoke quietly. "That's my story. I told you it wasn't that interesting."

"Wow, you're right, yours is way more complicated than mine." She rolled her eyes at him. "Besides," she took a step towards him, "if you aren't from Earth," she smirked, "where's your space ship? And don't give me any of that 'in your pants' bull shit."

"Actually it's in the storm cellar."

"How convenient."

"Actually, not as much as you'd think." He said with a nervous laugh. "Maybe some time I can show you it."

"Why can't you show me it now?"

"I think I should let my parents get used to the idea of somebody else knowing my secret before I show you."

"Somebody else? Who else knows about it?"

"Pete."

"Captain Football?" She chuckled. "Nice." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Does Chloe know?"

"She did at one point, the only time she's actually made the wall, but she doesn't remember it."

"Why is that?"

"She was infected by a parasite." Clark looked down, nervously. "It accelerated her adrenal gland, and eventually would have killed her."

"Oh. Well, that's pretty scary. I guess there's more to being in Smallville that meets the eye." She said smiling at him. Clark leaned down to kiss her again, but this time she caught him by surprise, and pulled him through the little space between them.

Lana Lang was stopping by Clark's barn unexpectedly. Since Chloe was out doing God knows what with God knows who from the swim team, she decided to stop by the barn to put the thoughts of Lana Lang back into Clark Kent's farm-boy head. It turns out that he already had thoughts of another kind put into his head.

Lana watched in sheer horror as the tomboy slut made out with her boyfriend. Well, her ex-boyfriend, but that was why she was here, now wasn't it? To show that now insignificant farm boy that she was the goddess of his being. There was another girl making out with Clark, and it was pissing her off. She had to do something about this, and there was one person that she could discuss this with. And he would know exactly what to do about the situation.

She scurried out of the barn, teary eyed, towards her final destination. Metropolis.

(meanwhile, in the penthouse)

"Lex?" Chloe asked softly. Cradled in his arms, laying in his bed. Their bed. The one place that she felt safe.

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to be my date for the school dance?"

"Chloe - You know that I can't." She pulled away from him. Sitting, she was looking down at him.

"Is this another publicity thing? Lex, It's a school dance! The only press that is going to be there is me." She smiled. "And I hardly think that the Torch would be interested in our relationship. Aside from my personal involvement of course." Her smile widened.

Lex chuckled softly. "School dances are hardly my forte. You know that Chloe."

"I know. It's just that, I know that you get jealous, and Pete's asking Lana, and if Operation Mant goes as planned, Clark will be taking Alex. I don't want to be a fifth wheel."

Lex's eyebrow rose at her last comment.

"A fifth wheel?" He chuckled softly, "I hardly think that you are a rather large motor home."

"You know what I meant. Besides, Mr. Knowledge, a fifth wheel is a trailer, not a motor home." She smiled.

"Same difference," he said leaning up to her for a kiss.

"No way." She turned away.

"Women flock to me to let me kiss them, and yet you turn away. I'll never understand you Sullivan." He said shaking his head mockingly.

"Quit making fun of me." She said crossing her arms under her chest. "You don't get a kiss until you find me a date for that dance." She said smiling.

"How about that guy from the football team?"

"Lex, you're going to have to be a little more specific, there are a hell of a lot of Jockstraps in the school."

''Ok, um, can't Pete set you up with one?"

"Well, there's a lot more in my head than bubbles and air thank you."

"You're right, I wouldn't wish you on my worst enemy." He said pulling her down to him. "How about I get you a date for this thing? He can be at your doorstep ten minutes before you have to be there."

"Only ten minutes? Don't you trust me?" She smiled mischievously at him.

"Oh, I trust you. I just don't trust the guy I have in mind."

"And who is this mystery guy?"

"What would be the fun in telling you that?" He asked before placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Because I could hold back something," she ground her hips into his side. Whispering she finished, "Valuable."

"I bet you that I can withstand all that you will try to withhold from me."

"Wanna find out?" She asked grinning.

"I don't see why not." He replied before flipping them both over.