Chapter Ten

Clark rolled up the window as the rain got heavier. Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Wow, this really isn't letting up." He said from the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, that's crazy Kansas weather for you." Chloe replied, flicking the wind-shield wipers up another notch.

"I hope it doesn't get any worse." Clark said. This comment was greeted with a stony silence from Chloe. Best not to tempt fate, as in Kansas, worse usually meant twisters.

"Anyway," He said, breaking the silence. "Now that we're both properly clothed, I was thinking the best place to teach you about these powers would be the caves. It's sheltered, at least."

Chloe sighed and turned down a side-road for a short-cut to the caves.

"Clark, I do have one more question." She started.

'Shoot."

"Well, I've been thinking. You told me that meteor rocks make you sick. But then I remembered that there is more than one sort. They used the red meteor rock in the class rings." Chloe said, stopping for breath. "So, I realized that the day you bought your class ring was also the day you started acting really strange. Were they… connected?"

"The red meteor rocks affect my brain, instead of my body." Clark explained. 'It makes me do things I wouldn't normally do. You might remember Metropolis."

"Of course! You were wearing your class ring!" Chloe said in slow realization. She thought back to the day she had gone to visit him. She could hear the voices in her head as clearly as if she were listening to them on tape. 'I've erased Smallville from my past.' 'Really? Is that why you're still wearing your school ring?'

"Chloe, you might want to put your journalistic impulses aside for a moment here." Clark said, sounding a little hurt.

"Sorry." Chloe apologized. "Old habit."

"It's ok." Clark assured her. "I never got the chance to say, just, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Chloe was silent for a few seconds as she processed this belated and much awaited apology. Clark had been so scary. It had seemed like his eyes were practically on fire. 'Clark, you were not forced into exile. You ran away from your problems. You are not being noble, you're being a coward!'

'Chloe, get out! If you tell anyone where I am, I'll go so far away from Metropolis that no one will ever find me!'

It was as if he was a whole different person. But now she understood.

"Don't worry about it, Clark." She said finally. "You weren't yourself."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until they reached the caves. The main chamber was large. Large enough to practice most of his abilities. Strength, x-ray vision, hearing. Heat vision was not a good idea down here; there were most likely traces of flammable gasses left over from the Luthorcorp excavation. And the chamber was big, but not big enough to practice speed, without running through a wall or something. They'd better hope the storm let up, or that they found another area to practice, or they would probably have to go back to the farm. Not on the top of Clark's to do list.

"Okay, so, you gonna show me how to work this thing?" Chloe asked, breaking the long silence.

"Well, if anyone comes along while we're breaking in, you'll be able to see and hear them." Clark started, feeling oddly like a school teacher teaching a wildly inappropriate lesson. "I'm gonna teach you how to use x-ray vision first."

"Ok…" Chloe said, looking slightly nervous and apprehensive. Clark picked up on this and sighed.

"It's not gonna hurt, Chloe." He said.

"Uhh… of course not." Chloe said, regaining her composure. "Go on then"

"Ok, umm…" Clark said, looking around for inspiration. He spotted a small bulge in Chloe's pocket. "Check your pocket. I think I left a pen in there."

Sure enough, Chloe reached in and pulled out a blue ball point pen. Clark leaned forward and took it, and, without showing Chloe, wrote the number 81 on the palm of his hand. He held it up, facing away from her.

"Try to see through it." He said.

Chloe squinted until his eyes were almost shut. Through his hand. Through his hand. It seemed impossible. But slowly, slowly, everything else started to fade, and the number 18 became visible on the inside of Clark's palm. 81, if she turned it around the right way. She unfocused her eyes and turned to Clark, her face lighting up. This was incredible.

And thus continued Chloe's training. Nearly four hours had passed by the time they emerged from the cave, having learnt x-ray vision and super hearing. Chloe had also lifted enough heavy stuff so she didn't freak out and drop it.

They ran through the pouring rain back to the truck. The rain had gotten heavier still, if that was possible, and once they had run the only eight feet to where the truck was parked, they were already drenched.

It was only 2.30, but the rain clouds made it look dark enough to be late evening.

"How do you feel?" Clark asked as they piled into the truck.

"Exhausted." Chloe replied, turning the key in the ignition and pulling away from the caves. "How's about that coffee break at the Talon that you promised?"

"Sure." Clark answered. They had both worked really hard, Clark couldn't believe she had picked everything up so quickly.

After a failed round of paper, scissors, rock, Clark consented to go in and buy the coffees, He wished he had remembered that Chloe always did paper.

As he entered the Talon, he realized that this was his first time out in public as Chloe. He decided he didn't like it.

"Hey, Chloe!" Lana greeted him from behind the counter. "Crazy weather, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty random." Clark said, doing his best impression of Chloe. 'But hey, that's Smallville for you."

'Don't tell me you've actually been outside?" Lana asked, scanning Clark's saturated clothes and hair.

"I, uh… heh." Clark mumbled. He couldn't very well tell her that he and Chloe had been down in the caves, teaching her how to use his abilities.

Lana frowned.

"Chloe, are you ok?" She asked. "It's like I haven't seen you at all for the past few days. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding me."

"No, Lana, it's just…" Clark quickly tried to come up with a clever lie. "Um, the Torch has been really behind lately. I've been swamped."

"So swamped that you don't even bother coming home?" Lana asked, incredulous.

Clark shrugged.

"So I pulled an all-nighter. It's not like I haven't done it before."

"You didn't even leave a note." Lana said. "Your dad was really worried."

"Well, tell him I'm really sorry, but right now, I need two white chocolate mochas, then I have somewhere to be." Clark said, hoping that he wasn't coming off rude. He quickly checked the time on the modern, black and silver clock on the wall of the Talon. A quarter to five. It got dark around seven at this time of the year, and taking into account the bad weather, probably a little earlier. But, just to ensure their success, it was probably better to be earlier rather than later. Around ten would be good. So that gave them a little over five hours to prepare.

Lana handed him the drinks, and took his money.

"Well, I might see you around then." She said flatly.

"I hope so." Clark replied, adding discreetly to himself; More than you know. then turned and hurried out of the coffee house, before he gave anything away.

He climbed into the truck, freshly soaked, and put Chloe's coffee in the drink holder. He sighed and wrapped her freezing hands around the warm paper cup.

"You'd better appreciate this."