Lana POV

I inhaled into Clarks' neck and snuggled into him softly. Out of nowhere, I felt Clark tense up.

"Clark? What's-." I began. Clark put a finger to my lips to shush me. Quickly, he sat up and tilted his head slightly to the side causing the sheet covering us to slide off his chest and pool into his lap. I sat up next to him, my body rigid and ready to jump into clothes at a moments notice. His Mothers earlier warning echoed in my head and his body language was scaring me.

Clark pushed the sheet out of his way as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up. I couldn't help but notice the flexing of his bottom as he strode across the room to the window completely nude and oblivious to the effect his nakedness was having on me. I inhaled quickly as I felt a blush creep into my cheeks.

Down girl.

Feeling silly, I wrapped the sheet around my body and shuffled my way to Clark as he looked out into the distance.

I couldn't take the unnerving silence anymore. I touched Clark slightly on the shoulder and gave him a perplexed look when he turned to look down at me.

"What is it?" I mouthed.

Clark shook his head once and gave me an impish smile. "How would you feel if I told you Pete doesn't need X-ray vision to know what you look like without your clothes?"

"HUH?"

Clark laughed slightly and ran a hand through his hair. He looked down at himself and I saw a slight blush cover his cheeks. His eyes traveled the room as he walked around. "Have you seen my underwear?"

"CLARK!" I said impatiently. "What the heck are you talking about?" I stepped to him clumsily, my feet getting caught up in the sheet, and swirled him around only to see him trying to hold back laughter. "CLARK!"

At my exclamation, he broke out into laughter. "I'm sorry Lana." He said in between gasps.

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a seething look. "Clark Kent. You tell me what's so funny and you tell me now! And what do you mean Pete knows what I look like naked?"

Clark's laughter died as he saw the look on my face. "I'm sorry." He repeated and sighed. "Chloe and Pete came back to the house to get Chloe's camera and they kinda walked in on us. I used my superhearing to listen into there conversation."

My mouth dropped and my earlier blush returned in full force. "Wha-. What do you mean walked in on us? Where are they now? Why didn't you hear them? "

Clark shook his head at my last question. "I'm not sure why I didn't hear them. I've been out of whack since last night. Or should I say this morning. I guess I was too engrossed in you to worry about anything else." Clark smiled at me and ran a finger down my cheek and slid it to my lips, tracing the outline. "When I'm with you the whole world goes away." My eyes fluttered at his statement and I nipped softly at his fingertip. I heard his breath intake at the small bite. I looked up into his face and for a second I forgot what we had been talking about…

Oh. Yeah. Me. Naked. Pete.

Those words should never go to together.

Instantly, my desire was replaced by a queasy feeling in my stomach. "So, when did you hear them?"

Clark reluctantly dropped his hand and continued to look for his underwear as he answered me, "I heard the car start when they were leaving and I listened to the end if their conversation. Pete kept asking Chloe if she was okay and she kept telling him 'Yes, I am Pete. It's not like I haven't seen Lana naked before.' " I groaned out loud as Clark moved the comforter on the bed to the side and held up his underwear in triumph. "Found them!"

I raised my eyebrow at him. "I can see that. Now do you mind putting them on so I can have a decent conversation with you without my eyes traveling south?"

Clark grinned at me and slipped on the boxerbreifs. "Am I making you nervous?"

I shook my head slowly at him and stepped forward. I let the sheet fall off of me and onto the floor. "Lets not forget who makes who nervous here Clark." Clarks eyes burned and practically swallowed me whole. Just as he reached for me I reached around him to his t-shirt hanging from the chair next my desk and slipped it over my head. I stepped away from him and winked before getting back to the business at hand. "Now, did it seem like Chloe was upset?" I felt my face take on a concerned expression. Despite everything, Chloe was still my friend and I DID live in her house. I didn't want to live in a war zone.

Clark gave me an apologetic expression and shrugged. "I don't know Lana. From what I could hear, her laugh and the conversation did sound a little forced. But…….I don't know. Besides, she has Pete now. She'll be fine."

I gave Clark a perplexed expression and sighed. "Maybe you're right. This is just NOT what we need right now. Our bodies are going crazy, we're going through a "melding" process and we still don't know what kind of danger we could be in."

Clark gathered me in his arms and I inhaled his scent. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be here to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."

I nodded my head and raised it to look into his face. "I know." I gave him a quick

peck before stepping away from him to gather up my clothing. "So, what do you want to do next?"

Clark ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "Pete and Chloe are going to the open market, do you want to go there?"

I blushed. "I don't know Clark. Aren't you embarrassed? Even a little? I mean, they saw us…….doing…..stuff."

Clark shrugged again. "We're going to have to face them eventually. It might as well be sooner than later." Clark walked to the door and opened it before stopping at the doorway. "Besides, they don't know that we know that they know." Clark scratched his head at my amused expression. "You get the point."

I sighed and followed Clark to the door. "Fine. But isn't there anything else we could do here in Smallville?" Clark gave me a wicked grin and I hit him in the arm. "Besides what we just finished doing about 10 minutes ago Clark!"

He laughed and said, "Then I guess the open market it is."


"Ouch! Isn't there any way we could do this without practically choking me to death?"

Rex rolled his eyes and let go of Alexa to put out his cigarette. He placed the electric pick gun in his hand back on his workstation and gave her an irritated look. "Listen, babe, lets not forget who's doing who the favor here."

Alexa lifted her head from the slouched position it was in and gave the tall, broad faced man a sweet smile. "You're right Rex. I'm so sorry." She tilted her head to the side and maintained her smile while ignoring the disgust building up in her stomach. "You're a lifesaver handsome."

Rex's mouth lifted into a sneer that Alexa guessed was supposed to be his sexy smile.

Well, at least this one has teeth.

"Now that's more like it babe. Now turn around and bend over." Rex laughed at Alexa's conflicting expressions. "I mean bend your head over."

Alexa forced a smile and did as he requested. She clenched her teeth as the vibrations of the electric pick gun started to grate on her nerves.

Finally, Alexa heard the welcome sound of the clasp breaking and watched as the necklace fell to the floor. A look of complete satisfaction came over her features quickly followed by pure bliss when she kicked the necklace away from her vicinity and felt her powers return in full force.

"Allright babe. All done." Rex lay his tool down once again and brushed the dust off his hands.

Slowly, Alexa's head came up and her eyes rolled into the back of her head in ecstasy. She took in a deep breath and flexed her neck slightly enjoying the cool air now circling her naked neck. Alexa could hear Rex shuffling around behind her as she gained her composure.

"Allright. That'll be thirty bucks." Rex said as put his tools away.

Alexa smiled to herself before slowly turning around and facing Rex. "Oh, I don't think I'll be paying you anything. In fact, I think you'll be giving me whatever is in that cash register."

Rex gave out a loud snort and shook his head. "What are you smoking babe? Cause I want some." Rex said sarcastically.

Alexa stepped forward slightly and took Rex's face in between her fingers, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I said, you are going to give me whatever is in that register."

Rex's eyes widened at the abrupt contact but quickly glazed over as Alexa delved into his mind. The grown man trembled in Alexa's hands as his minds eye changed her face into someone he hadn't seen in three years. "Gina?"

Satisfied that she had her hold over him intact, Alexa let go of Rex's face and nodded her head. "Yes Rex baby, it's me." Alexa's eyes burned into Rex's as she continued to read his mind. She saw an image of a much younger looking Rex and a beautiful woman on their wedding day. A very happy Rex and an equally euphoric woman. But those images were quickly dashed as a scene from Rex's mind unfolded before her. Rex on his knees beside a body on a road…..his heart breaking as he sobs in grief…..His hands shaking as he caressed her face and heard her take her last gasps.

It was his wife…Gina…..hit by a car right in front of his eyes when he was on the way to pick her up.

Sad.

Alexa mentally shrugged her shoulders and outwardly smiled at Rex.

As a tear rolled down his face, Rex grabbed Alexa by the shoulders and took her face in both of his hands, his eyes frantically searched her face before he roughly took her into a bear hug. "Oh Gina. I thought I'd lost you forever. I don't know how I've continued witho-."

"Yeah, yeah honey." She said awkwardly patting his back. "Now about that cash

register."


End of Chapter Twenty - Eight