Prologue
Clark
It was early. Most people dislike mornings. Not me. Maybe its because I live on a farm, or maybe it's because I'm not human. Either way, I like mornings. Maybe I should fill you in on the basics.
In 1989 there was a meteor shower from a far away galaxy, the meteorites found their way to Earth. More specifically, they landing in a little town called Smallville that lies right in the middle of Kansas. The planet that the meteors came from was my home, that is if you use the word "home" loosely. The planet was called Krypton. For some reason my parents sent me away. I have no idea why. I know this much because a world famous scientist/billionaire Doctor Virgil Swann has been researching my origins for most of his life. Turning back to the meteor shower now. The meteors hurled at the earth like a ball of fire. Soon they reached our leafy hamlet Smallville. One after the other they fell. Not many people died because of the shower. In fact, only two people were killed. However, with my luck, it ended up to be the parents of the girl I love. At first, I thought it was a cosmic joke. But back to the story. I was brought to Earth in that meteor shower. I was in a small space ship. When I crashed for a brief moment in time my luck changed, and my parents found me. Jonathan and Martha Kent found me. They adopted me and raised me as their own.
As I mentioned earlier there is a girl. There is always a girl. This girl happened to be Lana Lang. She is the girl of my dreams. Unfortunately, we tried being together several times but it did not work out. This trip is my last chance to be with her. My best friend is Lex Luthor. The only downside to him being my friend is I have to remain so guarded around him. He researched me for a while. I don't know how much he knows all I am sure of is that he knows more than I care to think about. Did I mention he is rich? He's a multi-billionaire. He is the CEO of Luthor Corp. It once belonged to his father, but to make a long story short, Lex owns the company now. I'm guessing if you're reading this, you already know the story that's why I'm not spending much time on my origins.
So as I was saying, it was early. I looked at the clock and it read 3:30 a.m. I was in the kitchen. It was dimly lit; maybe one or two lights were on. My large red duffle bag was on the floor. Next to the duffle bag was my backpack. My duffle bag had my clothes, toothbrush, ect. My backpack had things to keep me entertained, books, a CD player, a few good CD's to go with it, a cell phone, and more stuff like that. I was wearing a pair of my faded jeans and a black turtleneck, complete with my signature red jacket. I looked around everything was in order; I decided I needed to get going soon. Then Dad and Mom walked in.
"Son, I know we agreed about this trip for your winter break, but I want you to be extremely careful." He began.
"Dad, I know if there is one person you don't need to worry about getting hurt, it's me." I said.
"Even so, I want you to watch your step, no heroic stunts. You are not to use your powers on this trip. You are going to have to deal the human way." He said.
"I know Dad; it's just two weeks in Greenland. I'll watch myself; I'll be the mildest mannered tourist Greenland has seen! And Lex went over the details with you, the way he has it planned out there is no way anything can possibly go wrong. Plus, I'm in college now and I think I can handle it." I stated. I was trying to get them off my back because I really needed to get going.
He looked at Mom and she was smiling. He looked over to me with a half-smile and put his hand on my shoulder. "Alright, I just worry. Have a good time, son. And don't forget to call!" He added.
I smiled and replied. "Thanks Dad, Mom, I'll see you in two weeks! Expect a postcard!" I yelled as I ran out.
"Bye!" They yelled in unison.
I through my bags in the truck bed, then I hopped in the truck. I stuck the key in the ignition and the truck roared to life. I turned on the radio to my favorite station. The dial read 105.9. The station played mostly alternative rock. Right now Existentialism On Prom Night by Straylight Run was playing. How did I get so lucky? I was soon rolling down the road. I remember from a history class a while back that the Vikings named Greenland because it was, filled mostly with ice and Iceland because it was mostly fertile land. They wanted to fool people to thinking Greenland was where they wanted to go. It was something like that anyway. I was really wishing I had grabbed some coffee to go. My thoughts drifted to the trip, to assignments I have due coming up for Kansas Central, to how I would like my coffee. Finally, they arrived at their usual destination, which would be of course Lana. I think I had pretty well screwed things up with her. I forget why we separated this time, but all I know is that we did. This trip would be the perfect opportunity to get back with her for good. It was now or never. Since it certainly wasn't going to be never, its now. How I was going to get her was another subject entirely. I had no idea. I guess I was just hoping my charismatic charm would do the job for me. I'm thinking it's going to take a little more effort on my part anyway.
When Lex organized this trip, it was originally meant to be an apology of sorts to Chloe for the way he treated her before our latest meteor shower. Of course, she wanted to take some friends along. So she invited Lana, Pete, Lois, and me. I of course was thrilled that Pete and Lana were coming. Lois, well, I think this is where the saying "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" applies. That's how the six of us wound up headed to Greenland. We were all supposed to meet at the Talon, then once assembled we would take a limo to the Luthor Corp. private jet. It was a newer jet Lex just bought it last month. I got the tour and I must say I was impressed. Then the jet would then take us straight to Greenland. According to Lex he had a small place up there. I'm thinking though that my opinion of small and Lex's opinion of small might differ a bit. I'm sure what ever it is its nice. He also mentioned there was a ski-resort nearby. I've tried snowboarding once or twice so I guess if "the gang" wants to go board or ski or whatever I would be up for it. He mentioned a bunch of little activities; I don't really remember them all. I'm sure we'll be kept busy.
I slowed the truck down a bit, realizing I was close to the Talon. I pulled the truck up to the coffee shop. I turned the key and the engine died. I got out of the truck and grabbed my bags. I then closed and locked the door. I slowly walked into the dimly lit Talon. It had maybe five lights on at best. Everybody's bags were in the center of the room, so I through mine onto the pile. I looked over to Pete who had collapsed on a table, apparently out cold. Lois was on the floor on top of her sleeping bag mumbling something or other. It looked like she was drooling. That's attractive. Chloe was sleeping on the bar table of the Talon. I then saw Lana. She was awake, more or less. She was wearing a white sweater and a light blue jacket with light colored jeans. I smiled at her.
"What does a guy have to do to get a coffee around here?" I asked smiling brightly.
She half smiled and poured me a cup. I took a sip.
"So how is your morning going sunshine?" I asked cheerful.
I guess she wasn't amused. "Its 4 a.m… I can't handle cheerful right now." She then poured herself another cup of steaming coffee.
Chapter 1
By 4:13 a.m., Lex had arrived. Two minutes early even. He looked wide-awake and proud of it. He was wearing his black long coat with a black button down shirt and black dress pants. It seemed like ever move he took was smooth. He flashed a relaxed smile. I looked to Lana and she raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Here goes." So I grabbed my bags and Lana's bags. Chivalry was always my thing. As a walked out, I heard Lois screaming at the top of her lungs. I guess she's not a morning person. For that matter, she's not much of an afternoon, evening, or night person either. As I walked out of the Talon, I saw the trunk of the limo was open so I neatly placed our bags in the trunk. I turned around to see Chloe fumbling with her bags.
"Here I'll get 'em Chloe!" Pete shouted. It looked like he was weighed down by his own bags. Could he be any more obvious?
"Thanks Pete! These things were gonna bite me."
"Haha, anytime for you Chloe." He said with a silly grin.
I walked over to him and patted him on the back. "Way to be Romeo." I whispered. Then I hopped into the limo.
The limo was long from the inside. The leather seats in the limo wrapped around the open space in the middle. I sat down on the left side bench/seat of the limo. Lana then climbed in and sat next to me. Wow! This is nice. I know I shouldn't question this but…
"What did I do to deserve this honor?" I asked.
She simply smiled and leaned her head over on my shoulder. I smiled as if I had just won the lottery. This trip may not be so bad after all. I looked over as the rest of the gang climbed in. I heard the driver close the trunk. Soon the vehicle was in motion. Lois, Pete, Chloe, and Lex really seemed to be into their conversation. They were talking mostly about what they would do in Greenland. I stayed out of the conversation mostly. Lana was fast asleep seconds after she laid her head on my shoulder. So she was pretty quiet. She is so cute when she sleeps it just like, magic I guess. Although, I guess I shouldn't be thinking of that since we aren't technically together yet. However, that's just a matter of time before we are. It's as if I can tell its going to happen. It's a weird feeling.
"Let's get some tunes crankin!" Pete shouted.
Soon the radio was blaring Failures Not Flattering by New Found Glory. Maybe not my first choice, but it wasn't bad by any means. Lois looked like she was going to have a heart attack. She had soft pink blanket she used to cover her ear from the noise. If I didn't know any, better I would say she had a hangover. From what I hear, hangovers are horrible, but I wouldn't know because, well I could drink 20 bottles of vodka and not get even the slightest buzz. That comes in handy if you wanna drink your problem away without killing yourself in car. It seems like first thing people want to do when they are drunk is drive a car. Funny how those things happen. However, usually if I want my problems away I always have Red K. Not that I would ever do that again, last time I used Red K things got a bit out of hand. I'll leave it at that because I'm sure you witnessed my little escapade in Metropolis. I have to admit I am pretty excited about going to Greenland.
"So, how long till we get to the jet?" I asked.
"Well Clark, I think we are pretty close. Four more minutes at the most." Lex chimed in.
"Do they have day spas up in Blueland?" Lois asked. A long awkward silence followed.
"We're here!" Lex said breaking the silence.
I gently nudged Lana. "Hey wake up sleepy head." I whispered.
She smiled with her eyes still closed. Her hand slowly grazed my cheek. Then she opened her eyes. She giggled and then hurried out of the limo. I smiled. This may not be so difficult after all. I got out of the limo. We were on some sort of a runway, although I had no idea where we were. I looked up to see the jet. It was white and it was fairly large considering it was a private jet, not a commercial carrier. The Luthor Corp. logo was in purple on the side of it. The stairs were down. I couldn't really see it from where I stood. Also, it was very dark, so I was lucky to see the stairs. I grabbed my bags from the trunk and headed towards the stairs.
Chapter 2
Lana
The interior of the plane was beautiful! Lex surely spent at least a few million on making this. To think we get to use the plane on our way to Greenland and back I'm impressed. I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself before we continue.
My name is Lana Lang. I was born in Metropolis. The first three years of my life things were completely normal and carefree. One day that all changed. My parents had come down to Smallville to see the Crows play, I guess relive old times. They let my Aunt watch me. That day changed my life forever. That day a meteor shower attacked Smallville. My parents died in the meteor shower right in front of my eyes. I was three. That was the worst moment, the most horrifying moment of my life. My Aunt Nell then adopted me and raised me. She moved to Metropolis with her husband Dean a few years ago. At first, I lived with my best friend Chloe. She was kind enough to let me live with them. Now, I live in an apartment above the Talon. It's not magnificent or anything but its home. Wow, I'm surprised I could make it this far without mentioning Clark. Clark Kent is the man I love and always will. The thing is he has so many secrets its hard to get past this protective "armor" he puts around his heart. He's never let me in. I don't know if its because he doesn't think I'm strong enough or what it is. I can handle whatever it is he thinks he cant tell me. This trip to Greenland that we are going on, I'm making it my personal mission to have Clark Kent let me in. The only way we can be together and work as a couple is if we can be totally honest with each other. And since we ARE going to be a couple, he's going to open up. So with that brief history of my life let's go back to the jet, shall we?
This jet was beyond amazing! The seats were leather and colored a light brown color. The floors were covered with white carpet. At first when you walk in the jet there were four chairs evenly spaced out. In the room ahead of the seats, a wall separates them from the pilots. A big screen TV was also hung on that wall. Past the walls behind them was a game room, complete with a pool table, foosball, and of course a Pac-Man arcade game. Through the next doorway was a large hot tub in the middle of the room. This flooring in this room was made with blue colored tiles. It was in this room that I realized there was music playing in the jet. Right now, it sounded like Mr. Brightside by the Killers. One would think Lex had more civilized tastes in music. But then, I guess one would be wrong. Then I walked into the next last room to find leather plush benches with a big screen TV again. Then the last room of the plane was divided in half with a wall. Half was a kitchen and the other half was a bathroom. All in all the plane was not too shabby. I sat down on one of the leather benches in the last room. Soon, Clark found his way to back here. He gave me a quick smile and sat next to me.
"This is an amazing plane." I said.
"Yeah, Lex really went all out on it." Clark said.
"Yeah, I guess they are gonna play Mr. and Mrs. Smith up in the theatre room." I added.
"Really? I thought that was still in theatres."
"It is but Lex has (I held up my hands and made a quote unquote sign with my two fingers) connections!" We both laughed at this.
I looked out the window and saw it was still pitch black. Then I heard the engine start to whirl up.
"So what time is it?" I asked.
"5:01" He replied.
"Remind me again why we had to get up this early to go to Greenland."
"Lex wanted to get an early start."
"An early start is like 6:30, Clark; not 4:00, and if your counting what time I had to get up at it's more like 3:00."
"Hahaha, you've obviously never lived on a farm." He said playfully.
"Yes, and I'm proud of it." Then I folded my arms and looked away pretending to be hurt.
Then I felt his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry." He said.
"You're forgiven." I said and smiled at him.
Just then, I felt the jet going forward. Clark and I made our way back to the last bench so our backs could rest against the wall. We strapped our seatbelts in. Just as we had finished strapping in the plane accelerated and I felt it hop almost. Then again, again, and finally it lifted off and I felt us going upward. I looked over to find Clark with his eyes squeezed shut and his hand on my knee. I laughed and remembered Clark had a thing about heights. I knew how I could lighten his mood.
"Hey Clark?" I asked.
"Mmmhmmm…" He replied.
"I was wondering if you wanted to get in the hot tub with me?"
I was trying to hold back a laugh as his eyes opened quickly and fear was replaced by a different emotion.
"Yessss." He managed.
Chapter 3
Clark
How in the world I ended up in hot tub with Lana Lang on a jet going to Greenland, when last week my biggest concern was getting my Journalism Essay in is beyond me. The Brightside is that this is taking my mind off how high up we are. The down side was that Lois insisted on getting into the hot tub with us. Apparently, Pete did not understand what Lois was trying to do so he joined in. It is such a mystery why Pete doesn't have a girlfriend. Don't get me wrong normally I'd be thrilled to hang out with Pete, but when it's just me and Lana I really want this time to ourselves. If you catch my drift, and I think you do. So Pete was talking about his latest female obsession in Wichita. Pete reminds me of Alicia back when I met her. The only difference is Pete doesn't have any creepy ability to help him stalk his woman. So when they apply for the restraining order there's not much Pete can do about it. I think he was getting a little too comfortable with Lois in the hot tub. He seemed to be inching closer to her every couple of minutes. I think Lana was thinking the same thing I was because she was staring at Pete with an interesting look on her face. I thought it was funny. I've know Pete so long I just laugh at his actions because I know he's a good guy and harmless. I also kind of felt sorry for him because he's really not so hot with the ladies. Kind of. Lois seemed uncomfortable with the whole situation. I don't really think she wanted to be here, but for some reason she just didn't want Lana and I to be alone. There was really only one word that I could use to express my feelings about this entire fiasco, and I wasn't about to say it.
"So I said to her Girl, are you tired? Cuz you've been running through my mind all day." Pete explained.
"Then what happened?" Lana asked obviously disturbed by Pete's approach to women.
Pete got the funniest look on his face. "So Clark, how much longer do think it will take to get to Greenland?"
"Pete, answer my…" Lana began.
"A couple more hours." I said. I didn't mean to be rude to Lana, but Pete is my best friend and I just couldn't let him tell Lana he was slapped and told to go screw himself.
"I'm going to go change." Lana said.
"Sounds good to me!" I said climbing out with her. Also, in case your wondering Lex provided the swimsuits.
As we made our way to the bathroom I heard a loud slapping noise. Poor guy. So Lana and I had changed.
After we had changed, Lana was hungry so she went to the kitchen. I on the other hand was in the mood to play pool. So I went to the front of the plane, Lex seemed interested in the movie but I wasn't worried about pulling him away from the movie because I was positive he'd seen it at least a dozen other times. He agreed to come and play pool with me. I think he wanted to play as well. It's always hard to tell with Lex. We walked into game room.
"8 ball?" I asked.
"Sure." He said.
I slowly lined up cue ball to break. CLICK! The striped 7 ball went in the corner pocket along with the cue ball.
"Scratch." I said.
"So are you excited about the big trip to Greenland?" He quizzed. He shot the 6 ball in the side pocket.
"Yeah, I guess it is nice to get away. Thanks again Lex, for the trip and convincing my parents and what not." I said.
"No problem, Clark. I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I haven't been a good friend. The whole elements fiasco was totally inappropriate, I'm sorry." He said smoothly.
"I don't care about the elements. Why would you think it would make me upset?" I asked carefully.
Lex smiled and nodded like he expected I would say that, but yet he seemed disappointed. "Well, I suppose, I just thought since the caves meant so much to you, and since the elements and the caves were linked you just might be bothered by it." He shot and bumped the 4 ball in the corner pocket along with the cue ball.
"No worries Lex. We are still cool. And I'm sure with a few more months our friendship will be stronger than before. So I'm really not worried. Plus, we chill out and relax in Greenland." I said. I shot the 3 ball in the corner pocket. I shot again and missed my mark.
"I'm sure it will be a trip we'll never forget." Lex said slowly. Then he smiled and took his next shot.
Lana and I were in the front room in two of the seats. I think Pete and Lex were playing pool. I believe Lois was napping in the back room, and Chloe was playing Pac-Man. I had my backpack in my lap I pulled out my CD player and my CD's. I was planning to listen to some good music. Lex had changed the station to classical long ago. I knew he would. However, I love classical don't get me wrong but I really wanted to listen to some loud music. As I was looking through my CD's trying to decide what to listen to I saw Lana look over. She had her headphones on; I guess she had the same idea. She took her one earpiece out.
"What are you going to listen to?" She asked.
"I haven't decided." I answered.
"Oh." She said. I thought for a moment for the right response.
"Here listen to this." I said and I handed her Maroon 5.
"Songs About Jane?"
"Yeah, track 4 makes me think of you." I said with a half smile.
She then started digging through her backpack and pulled out a CD. She took the disc out of it's case and handed it to me.
"The Cranberries?" I asked. "Aren't you supposed to listen to like TLC or something?"
"Very funny. Listen to track 10, Dreaming My Dreams. It makes me think of you." She said and then she quickly looked away.
I started humming that song "don't go chasing waterfalls", while I put my head phones on and turned it to track 10. I saw Lana turn on Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" after she stuck her tongue out at me for the little tune I hummed. This song has a nice rhythm to it.
' All the things you said to me today
Changed my perspective in every way
These things count to mean
So much to me
I'll be dreaming my dreams
With you
And there's no other places
That I'd lay down my face
I'll be dreaming my dreams
With you'
Chapter 4
The plane landed at 11:23 p.m. Greenland time. We had left the plane and went to find our hotel to stay for the night before we rode over to the mansion Lex had here. We found a very nice one. Lex of course was funding our whole trip so I assumed he would only stay at the best of the best. We all got suites. We were on the top floor. We all had amazing views of the city. My room was rather large. It had a king size bed, a wet bar, a fridge, a big screen, a leather couch, a kitchen area, this place was amazing it was like an apartment! After checking in we all wanted to do some physical activities before going to bed after being cooped up on that plane all day. So we headed to the fitness area. Lana, Chloe, and I hit the gym. Pete hit the pool. Lex and Lois were playing tennis. The weight room walls were glass so we could see outside to the balcony where Pete was swimming. I was bench-pressing just to stretch my muscles. It wasn't much of a strain because I'm used to bench-pressing my tractor. Lana was on the stationary bike. Her hair was in a bun. She looked kind of pale, but she was working really hard at it. Chloe was doing the step machine. Right now, the weights were on 400. I told the girls it was on 250 though. Although, I'm sure Chloe was well aware it was 400 since she recently discover that I'm not exactly from around here.
"This trip is going to be great!" Chloe exclaimed. Lana and I looked at her for a minute.
"Yeah." I said my attention was focused on my lifting. And maybe something else that was bothering me.
"Tomorrow I'm going to hit the slopes and get some serious skiing done. And you both ARE coming with me!" Chloe continued.
"That sounds good Chloe." Lana said and took a drink from her water bottle.
"Then the next day you and I are going to get the full spa treatment!" Chloe said.
"Do we have too?" I asked, knowing full well how she would respond.
"Not you! Lana and I!" She said looking to Lana with a mischievous grin.
"Mmmf." I was trying too hard.
"And tomorrow, I'm thinking pancakes!" Chloe said.
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of strawberry waffles." Lana said.
"Yeah, I'm with Lana on that one." I said.
Lana suddenly looked at me. She stared for a minute then asked "What's wrong, Clark?"
She's good. "It's probably nothing."
"What?" She insisted.
"It's just that Lex said this was going to be a trip we'd never forget, and it didn't seem like he meant it in a good way. I'm just over thinking things I guess." I said.
"Clark, Lex organized this entire trip for us expense free and your worried because you didn't like the tone of his voice when he said something to you? You know how…" Chloe began.
"I know your right I'm sorry." I said. Chloe let it go but she still looked upset by my rudeness. Lana looked distant though. What was she holding back? We continued to exercise in silence.
Lex was playing on the outdoor tennis court playing with Lois. He was wearing his favorite white polo shirt. He was winning as well, which no surprise considering he learned from the best. The court was outside. The was a cage around it thought because it was on a balcony and if it wasn't the tennis ball would be gone in a very short span of time. There were lights on the side of the building since it was pitch black out. Lois lunged for the ball, swung and missed.
Lex laughed. "Almost had it!" He said.
"Yeah, haha." She replied, exasperated. "Your serve!" She tossed the ball over.
Lex hit the ball with amazing accuracy. "Excited about the trip?" He questioned.
"Yeah! It's like going to be the highlight of my year!" She said as she hit the ball with the tip of her racket.
Lex hit it back over easily. "You didn't seem to hit it off with Clark too well this morning." He commented.
"Guh!" She again barely hit it back over. "Yeah, sometimes I wonder if he would care if I died."
Lex swung and looked intrigued. "Really, why do you say that?"
"I guess I, guh, shouldn't," she said as swung "I'm sure he would but I'm not sure if he would be as sad as if Chloe or Pete died."
Lex's phone rang. He swing at the ball and Lois missed it by a long shot. "Game!" He called and he answered his phone. "Yeah?" He asked out of breathe. "You spooked the kid Lex." The voice at the other end said. "What kid Ramble?" He asked not putting the dots together. "Clark." Ramble replied.
I was in my blue plaid pajamas and a white undershirt. I was in my hotel room and I had the game on. It was The Chiefs vs. The Jets. It proved to be a good game so far. I had just showered so my hair was kinda wet. As I walked over to get a coke I heard a knock on the door.
"Coming!" I said as I walked over to the door.
I opened it to find Lana. She walked right in. I shut the door. "What's up?" I asked.
"About what you said earlier about Lex," she began.
"Yes?" I said as we sat on the couch.
"When I was in the kitchen, I was finishing my sandwich and I heard Lex in the bathroom on the phone, it must have been after you finished playing pool with him. This is all I heard. He said 'Phase one is complete I have their trust. I'm going to begin phase two.' I don't know what that means or if it means anything at all but when you said that about his tone or whatever I got worried I don't know Clark, I'm sorry I just get startled and…" she sped talked.
"Hey, it's ok. It's probley just the jet-lag but we'll figure this out ok?" I said calmly as I hugged her. We would figure it out, that's for sure.
Chapter 5
Lana
The alarm went off like a firecracker. I pulled the pillow over my head hoping it would make the noise go away. It didn't, imagine that. I rolled over and yanked the alarm and threw it across the room. I sighed. I hate mornings. I don't think there is anything I hate more. Maybe carrots. But that's it! So I got out of bed and looked in the bathroom mirror. Lovely. I definitely need a shower. So I took a long warm shower. I felt slightly better. I got some dark jeans and a black tank top. I then put my hair in a bun and applied my make up. I was satisfied now. I still needed coffee though. I walked over to my bags and packed up all of my stuff again and zipped the bag shut. I also had an urge to make the bed, but seeing as I wasn't the maid, I let it go. I sat on a chair and turned on the TV. I let the weather channel play. Apparently, it was going to flurry today. Marshal Seese droned on. I found my way over to the mini-fridge and grabbed a cold coke. I took a sip and stood at the window. It was a gorgeous view. I sighed and sat back in the chair and stared mindless at the TV. Then I head a knock at the door.
"Be right there!" I said. I walked over and opened the door to find Clark with a bright smile holding two large Styrofoam cups most likely filled with coffee. He was wearing a black sweater and his less than fashionable red jacket. One of these days we are going to have a talk about that jacket. As for right now, I needed coffee.
"Thanks Clark!" I said and smiled. Then I quickly took the cup of coffee and sat down at the table. He followed me and sat across from me, he then set his coffee down and produced a bag.
"You missed the complementary breakfast. And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day I brought you a Danish." He flashed a very impressive smile.
"Alright, I'm starved!" I said smiling. I took the bag opened it and took a bit of the Danish. Clark was looking out the window and he sipped his coffee.
"So it's supposed to flurry today." I said.
"That should be good for the slopes." He said as he turned to face me. He took a sip of coffee. The local on the 8's music began to play.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." I took another bite of the Danish.
Clark looked like he was deep in thought for a few minutes as I finished my Danish.
"So I'm going to talk to Lex about the phone call and stuff today." He said.
"No, Clark don't worry about it I was just tired and I made a big deal out of nothing. I feel like a fool right now, so don't worry about it." I explained.
"Ok, Lana your not a fool. And, I want to know what the deal is. I'll tell him it was me that overheard him. I'm not taking any chances." He said.
"Common Clark, it's Lex. He would never do anything to hurt us." I commented and took a drink of coffee.
"Like you said, it's Lex." He stated.
Lex sat in his room. He was at the coffee table sitting talking on his cell phone. He had a black button down shirt on with black dress pants. Folders were scattered all over the table. Large black and white photos of Clark, Lana, Lois, Chloe, and Pete were scattered along his desk. Confidential FBI files, medical records, the whole nine yards. Also, personal files were scattered. Lex was not happy with what he was hearing. The room was a mess. Lex had a cup of coffee on the table with him that was half empty.
"What do you mean they heard me?" He asked.
"Lex, I saw it on the cameras! Lana heard you talking to me on the plane. Your trying to gain his trust and your not doing a good job. You know what you have to do to fix it." Ramble said.
"Why does it always cost me a few million to fix things?" Lex asked impatiently.
"Do you want his trust or not?"
"Fine! Make the call." Lex said as he hung up the phone.
Lex stared at the phone for a minute. Then he screamed and threw it at the wall breaking it. He stood there a moment and calmed down. He grabbed the files and straightened them up. He carefully put them in a briefcase. He locked the case and put it on the table. He finished his coffee and sighed.
Clark and I stood at Chloe's door. He knocked. A few seconds later Lois opened the door. Clark stared at her for a moment.
"Lois?" He asked, obviously annoyed.
"Yeah Smallville?" She asked.
"What are you…" He began.
"Chloe and Pete are playing connect four. I swear they are 3 years old. You should feel right at home Clark!" She said with a fake smile.
Clark was not happy. Neither was I, it seemed to me like she was trying to flirt with him, in her own peculiar way. Lucky for me, I think he likes her about as much as he likes giving Shelby a bath. The three of us walked into the room. Just like Lois had mentioned Pete and Chloe were playing connect four. Chloe was biting her lip looking eagerly at the game. Pete was giggling. He should have his testicles revoked. Clark and I sat on the bed. Lois then plopped herself next to Clark. If she's trying to aggravate me it's working. She looked at me for a moment.
"Lana, you ok?" She asked clearly surprised that I was unhappy.
"Yeah!" I said smiling. . Ok, normally I'm not like this, but I've been really stressing about this whole trip and getting Clark to let me in only to find Lois trying to flirt with Clark.
"Ok, Lex said we leave at nine, it is now" he looked at his watch "7:56 a.m. We have one hour to kill, ladies and gentlemen, what do you guys want to do?" he asked.
It was quiet for a few minutes until Pete shouted 'CONNECT FOUR!' Clark, Lois, and I stared at him. Following "the glare" Pete looked dumbfounded and sat down quietly.
"I have an idea." Chloe stated.
"What?" I asked.
Chloe then abruptly grabbed a pillow and swung it as hard as she could at me. The force knocked me off the bed and I fell face first butt in the air on the floor. I managed to untangle my limbs and sit on the floor.
"What was that all about?" I questioned.
"Pillow Fight!" She screamed.
"What are you five?" Lois asked. Immediately after Clark swung a pillow at her and now she too was on the floor. Just I looked up, Chloe's butt was in my face. Pete had hit her with a pillow and knocked her down. Oh, it is on now! I grabbed a loose pillow and started swinging.
Soon feathers were everywhere I was currently jumping on the bed with Clark. We both kept swinging and missing and neither of us wanted to end up on the floor. I felt something brush under my legs. It was another pillow with Lois at bat. I fell on the bed. I was staring at her upside down when I saw a pillow swing at Lois' head. I heard a load THUD a few seconds later. Pete smiled and held his pillow proudly. There is justice. I decided Pete can have his testicles back. I heard a click and the door opened. Lex was stood their and watched the feathers fall to the floor. None of us moved. We were all watching Lex. A maid walked by the door with her cart. She walked backwards back into view and looked at the mess. She hung her head and slowly walked away. Lex walked into the room.
"We, were just uh.." Clark tried.
"It wasn't their.." Chloe tried as well.
Lex nodded knowingly. Then he smiled and laughed. "Nice work guys, you did better that most rock stars." He patted Clark on the back. "Let's get rolling I want to get an early start." Lex said walking out.
I looked around and saw a broken lamp, a crack in the window and a few overturned chairs. Wow, I guess we really did a number on the place.
Lex stopped and turned his head slightly, although he was facing the opposite direction of us. "By the way I got the slopes at the Mountain closed. We have the place to ourselves for our stay." He said.
"How did you do that?" Chloe asked.
He turned around. "It took two phases, phase one was the strike a deal with the owners." He paused. "You know. Get their trust." He smiled and continued. "Phases two I negotiated the price down." He said.
"How much did that cost?" Lois asked.
Lex got a look on his face that I've never seen before. As quickly as it came it went. "Price isn't important I'm just looking forward to having a great time with my friends." He said and walked out.
That was a relief! I was so worried here he was doing us a favor! I looked over to Clark. I was relaxed but he looked even more puzzled than he did last night. Why? Lex just explained everything and it was totally legit. It doesn't matter though. In about 2 hours we'll be at Lex's mansion. We'll be relaxed and have a good time. I can't wait!
Chapter 6
Clark
I looked out the window and had an amazing revolution. Weathermen lie. The snow was falling hard and fast. This is not what I call "light snowfall". The snow was everywhere. I turned my head around to face my friends. We were all in the limo. They were talking, but I was too deep in thought to really carry on a conversation so I didn't try to. Lex had explained to us that he had closed the mountain for our own person use. He used the exact same terminology as he did on the phone. It seemed like a plausible explanation but something just wasn't sitting right with me. I know Lex well enough to know he wouldn't hide in a bathroom, in the back of the plane to make plans for closing a mountain. He also wouldn't keep something like that from us. He wants us to be excited about this trip and I think that might help his case. And there is no way he wanted to spend that kind of cash on the trip. The whole thing was just confusing. I mean unless he was spying on us, which I suppose he could be. I knew one way to know for sure. The vehicle came to a halt.
"It looks like we have arrived!" Lex exclaimed.
He opened the door and climbed out. One by one we slowly followed him. I was the last one out so I shut the door behind me. Then I looked up to where we were staying for the next two weeks. I was right it was amazing!
"Wow." Chloe said softly.
It was a humongous log cabin. Imagine ten log cabins back to back, then put 10 just like them on top, and you have the size of the mansion. It had long glass windows evenly spaced on the bottom and top of the place. It also had a long wrap around porch. The main entrance had two doors with the handles about an inch from each other. It didn't have any shudders or trim but it didn't need any. Each room it appeared had its own personal balcony. I guess that sometimes it's good to be Lex. There was no other place in sight. It was completely secluded.
"Want to check it out?" Lex asked smiling aware of our awe.
"Yes!" I said half laughing.
"Let's go!" He said.
We walked up the small stairs onto the porch and Lex opened the doors. The interior was amazing! A very large Persian rug was on the floor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. It had a few leather chairs carefully positioned in the room. I also had a cozy looking couch for two. That might be nice for long nights with Miss Lang. It had a fireplace a few feet from the door. Pictures of snow scenery hung from the walls. It was impressive. I then saw a stairway in the back of the room. I looked up and saw it lead to seven rooms. The one in the center had a larger door. I guess that bedroom would belong to Lex.
Everybody seemed to start exploring the place so I did the same.
I walked into the room to left of the room with the fireplace. I guess this was the dining room. A long shiny oak table was in the center of the room. It had a small statue of a plain looking woman in the center of the table. It didn't look like much but I'm sure it was priceless. I also saw a few vases positioned around the room. This room had a few black and white photos of an old town. This room reached the side of the mansion so I walked into the room behind it. It ended up being the kitchen. It had a few state of the art machines. A cook was in the room with me. He looked like a native. He was chopping some vegetables.
He turned to see me. "Hullo!"
He seemed friendly enough. "Hi, I'm Clark." I said.
"I'm Fredrick. Normally, I'd shake your hand but…" He started.
"Ha-ha, I understand it was nice meeting you." I said smiling.
There was only one door in this room. It lead to the back porch. I walked out onto the porch, and then I shut the door behind me. I saw a hot tub built in to the wooden flooring. That was a nice touch. I looked out and saw an amazing view.
"Pretty swanky, huh?" Pete said.
I turned to realized he was standing next to me. He was wearing his gray Smallville Athletics sweatshirt, with a puffy dark green jack on. He was smiling as he stared at the hot tub. I could only imagine what he was thinking. Then again knowing Pete, maybe I didn't want to know. I ran my hand through my hair.
"So this might come in handy later." He said rubbing his hands together.
"Really?"
"Yeah, you know me and Chloe, you and Lana." He said.
"Speaking of Lana, can I ask your opinion on something?" I asked.
"Yeah, you know you talk to me about anything." Pete said more seriously.
"I thinking of telling Lana." I said it.
"Telling Lana what?" He quizzed.
"The big telling Lana." I stated.
"You mean about you're…" He tried.
"Yeah." I finished.
"I can't tell you what to do man, but I think it's probably time." He said.
"It's just such a risk." I confessed.
"I think she can handle it."
"Think or hope?"
"Both."
Pete and I decided to check out the rest of the house together. We walked in through the other door on the back porch to find a home theatre. This was amazing though, it really looked look a movie theatre. It had about 50 seats, with a screen in front of the projector, which was high up near the ceiling. I was very impressed by that room. The doorway out of it, lead to a library. It had bookshelves wall to wall with a moving ladder connected them. The room had four desks that sat two people at each they were evenly spaced out. A maid was in this room. She was short and somewhat plump. She had a dust rag in her hand. She was cleaning one of the shelves. She didn't say anything to us. She did however wave. We waved back. She then resumed her cleaning as if nothing had happened. The next door was at the side of the room and it lead out to the main room with the fireplace. The only place left was the upstairs. We walked up the staircase. Pete went to open the largest door. It was locked.
"That's my room guys. Off-limits. Sorry." Lex said sympathetically. He had appeared somehow behind us.
"Let me show you your rooms." Lex brought us to one at the end of the hall.
"Pete, this is your stop." Lex opened the door with to show an eloquent Elizabethan room. There was an envelope on his bed. It simply read "Pete".
"Alright Clark your room." He said.
We walked to the other end of the hall. "This is your room." He said. He opened the door.
"Thanks Lex." I said.
"Anytime." We are leaving for the slopes in about half an hour so get ready.
"I thought because of the snow we were going to have to wait until tomorrow." I said puzzled.
"I have something that might get us there." Lex replied. He smiled and walked away.
I walked into my room. It was eloquently designed like Pete's. However, mine was larger. I walked over to the far end of my room to see a glass door leading onto a balcony. I walked back to the center of the room to see a door. I walked over and opened it to find I had my own personal bathroom.
"Not bad." I commented.
I walked back to the center of the room to find my bags and an envelope on my bed. I opened the envelope. It read,
Clark,
I was thrilled you could to come to Greenland with us. I wanted to apologize for the way I have been acting lately and this seemed to be a nice way to say, "I'm Sorry." I hope you like the accommodations. If you need anything, let me know. We are going to have a great time, I promise.
Lex
P.S. Try the top drawer.
I dropped the note and opened the top drawer only to find a box of Trojans, and another note.
You didn't think your room positioning was an accident did you?
Just then, I head a voice.
"Hey neighbor." Lana said.
Chapter 7
I stood in the lodge alone I was on my way to order hot chocolate. Apparently, when one closes and entire ski resort, the staff stays on duty. My luck keeps getting better and better. I had been snowboarding with everybody, it was a blast but I wanted to get warm again. Not that I was overly cold, considering I'm immune to temperature extremities, but I can still tell if something is warm or cool. To put it simply I had a craving for hot cocoa. I walked up to where you order food. I looked up to see the menu and grabbed a tray. I guess I was making sure they had what I wanted. I tapped my fingers on the tray while staring at the hanging menu.
"Can have some hot chocolate?" I asked.
A twenty something guy with a few tattoos and a piercing or two took my order.
"That everything?" He asked with a blank stare. Never do drugs before work.
"I guess I'll take a muffin too." I said.
"Alright, thanks." He said as he wrote the order down on a piece of paper. Why he wrote it down is beyond me considering I was the only customer all day and he was the only one on staff.
"Can I get a hot cocoa too?" A voice asked.
"Sure." He said.
I looked over to Lana who had apparently found me, and I smiled. She smiled back and elbowed me. I pretended to be hurt.
"Oh, stop being such a baby Clark." She said.
"I dunno Lana I think you might have broke something." I said. I was trying to get a rise out of her. Unfortunately, Lana can see right through me.
"Broke something huh?" She asked.
"Mmmhmm."
"I hope you don't expect me to kiss it and make it better." She stated firmly, avoiding eye contact.
I smiled. "And if I do?" I asked.
She eyed me and I saw a small smirk.
"Order up." The guy said.
"Thanks." I said. "Where do I pay?"
"You don't have to." He replied.
Cool. I looked over to Lana. "Shall we get a table?" I asked.
"We shall."
She walked in front of me. It always amazes me how graceful Lana is. We sat down at the first table we reached. I set the tray down and took a seat. Lana sat across from me.
"I might be nice and share my muffin with you." I said as she took her drink.
"Really?" She said with a bit of sarcastic emphasis.
I smiled and took a plastic knife from the tray. I carefully cut it in half. I handed her half.
"Thank you." She said and she took a bite.
"So listen Lana, I was hoping we could talk later." I stated. I then took a drink of the cocoa.
Lana ran her hand through her hair. "So was I." She said.
I looked and saw a fireplace with a few benches at the end of the room. "So you want to come by my room around 2 tonight?"
"Yeah that would be great." She said smiling.
I finished the last of my muffin. "So do you want to sit near the fireplace it's probably warmer down there and I don't know about you but I'm cold." I'm also a liar.
"Yeah I'm freezing too." She said.
We grabbed our hot chocolates and walked over to the bench. I sat down and she sat next to me. We drank our drinks in silence for a few minutes as we watched the fire dance. I finished my drink and put it on the floor. She finished her cocoa soon after and put it on the ground. I was trying to think of something to say to her without sounded completely stupid. I looked over at her. The fire mesmerized her. I looked again to the fire wishing I had something, anything to say.
"I've really been looking forward to going on this trip." She said. I considered thanking her for ending the awkward silence. I decided against it.
"Yeah me too." I said.
She looked directly into my eyes. "I've been looking forward to it, because I knew you were coming."
I was at a loss of words. "You were the reason I came." Maybe not a total loss.
Her eyes looked down briefly then back into my eyes. She leaned close to me and closed her eyes. I closed my eyes and felt my lips brush against hers so softly. I leaned in a little harder. We kissed slowly. Time had stopped. It was just us now. It was the most incredible thing I've ever felt. I kissed deeper. Only when we ran out of air did our lips part. Her eyes were still closed. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her waist. I watched the fire thinking only of her.
Lex stood outside the lodge. He told the kids he had to go to the restroom. He was on his cell phone. He looked up and down. His face showed only signs of stress.
"Let me get this straight, she found the folder and the surveillance equipment?" Lex asked as he rubbed his temples.
"Only the equipment that was placed in her room." Ramble replied.
"Those guys said nobody would find them! They were supposed to be the best!" Lex hissed.
"I'm sorry Lex. How do you want to handle it?" Ramble asked.
Lex rubbed the back of his neck. "Let me think about it." He said.
"Lex to be honest I think we don't really have an option here."
"I'll be the judge of that. Just watch them like a hawk and keep me updated!" Lex said as he hung up the phone.
He sighed as he looked out to the slopes. He has a serious decision to make.
The slopes were covered with thick snow. It was perfect for riding. They were making their way down The Jackrabbit. Pete was on a snowboard. Chloe and Lois were on skis. Lois was far ahead of Chloe and Pete. She apparently learned from a battle hardened Lt. Colonel who used to board the Alps in his younger days. Unfortunately, Pete and Chloe didn't fare as well. Neither Chloe nor Pete had ever snowboarded or skied. The two were now side by side. Pete looked over to Chloe.
"So Chloe, I'm going to try out the hot tub tonight." Pete said casually.
"That sounds fun." Chloe said looking away trying to hide her smile.
That wasn't the answer he expected. "Well, I think Clark and Lana are going to use it too, so I mean if you wanted to come along it would be cool." He said trying to sound as manly as he could in the process.
"Really? Did they tell you that?" Chloe asked trying to imitate innocence.
"Kind of. Well not really. I mean unless you..." He was clearly flustered.
"Yeah actually I was planning on taking a dip in the hot tub. Oh there is Lois, I'm going to catch up to her." Chloe said as she sped down the mountain.
Pete smiled as if he owned the world.
Chapter 8 –
I sat in large leather seat comfortably. I was watching the fire blaze. Pete was on the couch with Chloe and they were solving world hunger, last time I checked. Lex supposedly wanted to get to bed early because he "had a long day". Something told me he was not sleeping. Lana was lying out on the rug in front of the fire. Her eyes were closed I could tell she was soaking up the warmth. I was cold too, the fire felt nice. Lois said she wanted to retire as well. Why? I have no idea. Then again, I really don't care. I turned to see Pete and Chloe staring at me. Maybe they think I'm pretty.
"Clark? Earth to Clark! Did you hear me man?" Pete asked.
"No, sorry I must have zoned out." I said shaking my head.
"We were going to get in the hot tub; do you and Lana want to join us?" Pete asked.
That was priceless. Pete casually gets a group together to get in the hot tub so he can see Chloe in a bikini. He gets points for subtlety though. I smiled and looked at Lana. "I don't know," I said distantly, I was trying to make Pete sweat a bit "what do you think, Lana?" I said and gave fake sigh. I winked at her.
She caught the wink and tried to hold in a giggle. "It is getting kind of late." She said.
I looked over to Pete, he didn't look so hot. I guess he really has his heart set on the hot tub.
Lana sighed and looked at the floor. "I guess we can go for a few minutes." She said sounding reluctant.
Pete smiled with confidence.
Lois looked around her room casually in her pink pajamas. She looked tired. She walked over to the lone lamp that was on in her room. She clicked it off. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her, and sighed. She slowly closed her eyes. A few minutes passed and her eyes slowly opened again.
I was sitting in Lex's large, probably expensive, and comfortable hot tub. There was a jet right behind my back and it felt great. I looked over to see a beautiful woman looking right back at me smiling. My arm was wrapped around her. She leaned her head on my shoulder. I smiled.
"Don't get any ideas, Clark. I'm just tired." She warned.
"I wouldn't dream of it Lana." I said smiling.
She playfully punched my stomach with a smirk. "Sure you wouldn't." She replied.
"Guys, I hate to interrupt but this is why they have hotels." Pete said with a smug smile on his face.
I laughed and splashed water at him. "Or we could always use your room." I said.
Lana giggled. Pete looked over to Chloe, and smiled suggestively and looked back to me. He mouthed the words "watch this". He yawned, a long fake yawn and stretched his arm behind Chloe, and sighed relaxing.
"Pete…" Chloe began.
"But…" Pete tried looking like his puppy just died.
Chloe looked up and then back to Pete. "Fine." She said with a sigh. Pete smiled happily.
Lois slowly sneaked out of her bed without making a sound. She inched across the room. She opened the first dresser drawer and felt around inside then withdrew her hand. She slowly closed the drawer. She opened the next drawer and felt around inside and her movements stopped. She pulled at something. Finally, her hand withdrew silently and it held a tiny black microphone the size of a pinhead attached to a piece of tape.
I looked out past the wooden deck pillars was a beautiful view. The snow covered miles and miles of this foreign terrain. It was like an ice terrain. It was gorgeous with all the stars in the sky reflecting light out to the ground. A full moon was out. The perfect night. I looked to Chloe.
"Are we still on for facials tomorrow?" I asked politely.
She tilted her head. I laughed a long deep laugh. "Lana and I are getting facials tomorrow. Not you."
Pete looked back over to us hearing Chloe's comment. He smiled. "Don't worry Clark, I got us covered!" He said and raised his eyebrow up and down. I don't think I want to know what he has in store for us tomorrow. He smiled at us all and leaned back.
I smiled and leaned back and looked out to the beautiful skies, if this wasn't perfect I don't know what is.
Lois had accumulated three microphones, a small camera, and a phone tap. She held the items in her hand and laughed not believing this was happening. She didn't want to believe it, but here it was in her hand.
I was in my room lying on top of my bed. I had on a light blue shirt and dark blue plaid cotton pj bottoms. I rolled over to look at the clock; it read 1:06 a.m. My stomach was now doing summersaults. I need a drink. I wonder if Lex kept alcohol around here.
I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I was rooting through the refrigerator. I heard a gasp behind me. I turned as quickly as I could to see Lois standing in front of me with absolutely no color in her face. She saw my face and the color slowly returned. I closed the fridge door.
"I thought you were Lex." She whispered.
"Yeah, we get mistaken for twins ALL the time." I whispered back.
She laughed quietly. "Funny." She said then she swatted me on arm.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She looked around and looked at me. She held out her hand. I saw an array of state of the art surveillance equipment in her hand. "My room was bugged, and I'm guessing yours is too."
I grew pale and looked around the kitchen.
"I got all the bugs in here." She replied.
I sighed and relaxed. "Why would you tell me this, you hate me?"
"I don't hate you Clark. Look, I may be a little rough around the edges but we are friends. I just don't like you more than..."
"Friends." I finished.
"Yeah although I think your girlfriend disagrees." She said.
"Lana?" I questioned.
"Yeah, she gave me the 'stay away from my man' look. Really it's beneath her."
"Oh."
"Look, check your room for bugs we'll talk more in the morning." Lois said as she walked away.
"Ok." I replied.
Therefore, Lex was spying on us.
