"I still think you should have gone to the hospital." Lois said irritably.
"Lois the paramedic checked me out. There's nothing wrong with me." Clark told her for the tenth time.
"I would feel better if you got checked out by a doctor." She muttered.
"What's this. Lois Lane actually cares. Could she be falling for a farmboy from Smallville? Who would have guessed?" Clark teased her.
"Yah right, like that would ever happen. Don't you wish, Smallville." Lois retorted.
Suddenly Clark felt a pang of sadness. 'Wait a minute, why do I care? I don't like Lois more than a friend. Do I?' Clark mentally slapped himself. 'Don't even start to think that. Lois is loud, rude, bossy, annoying, and always has to have the last word. But she's also smart, beautiful, and she cares.' He sighed. It was going to be a long day if he was already arguing with himself at 8:00 in the morning.
Lois was watching Clark as he had a mental discussion with himself. 'I wonder what he's thinking about. He's been quiet for almost ten minutes.' "Hey Clarkie, wanna share what you're thinking about?" she asked him, bringing him back to reality.
"Oh,…. Uh, it's nothing important." Clark said nervously. Lois glared at him, seeming to try and find out what he was hiding.
"Ok," she shrugged. "If you wanna talk I'm here for you." Lois told him honestly.
"Thanks, Lois." They got into the car and drove back to the farm.
It was late in the afternoon. Clark was in his loft and Lois was helping Martha at the Talon when Chloe came by.
"Hey, Clark. What's up?" Chloe asked as she walked into the loft.
"Oh hi, Chloe." Clark looked up to see her staring at him. He realized that he had had his head in his hands. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Oh and would this something happen to be loud, bossy, and visiting Smallville?" Chloe looked at him intently.
"Who Lois? No why would I be thinking about Lois?" Clark asked nervously. When Chloe just stared at him he realized it was no use. "Yah, I don't know. She's loud, rude, and as you said, bossy. Yet somehow I can't get her out of my head. But you didn't come all this way to talk about Lois, So why are you here?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "Clark I know about your powers. Remember that night when Alicia called you and told you that the car was out of control? Well she transported us out of there just before you got there. Then when you lost your memory I found out about all your other powers."
Clark looked stunned. "You weren't mad or upset? You didn't think 'Oh, he another meter freak. Better be careful he might go psycho just like the others'?"
"Clark, you're my best friend. That's not going to change, whether or not you can bench press a tractor." Chloe was hurt. Clark was her best friend and nothing was going to change that.
"Sorry Chloe, its just that,…..well I told Pete and the real reason he had to move was because he was tortured for information about my secret."
"Wow, I would have never guessed. No wonder you didn't tell me or anyone else. But why are people so interested in you, I mean tons of people were affected by the meteors."
"Uh,… see the thing is I wasn't affected by the meteors. I'm an alien." Clark paused for a moment letting that sink in. When Chloe wasn't phased by that knowledge he continued. "The meteors are pieces of my home planet. They're the only things that can hurt me."
"So what planet do you come from?" Chloe asked it as if were nothing unusual.
"I came from a planet that used to be called Krypton." Clark told her with a note of sadness.
"Wait, you said used to be. Why the past tense?" The young journalist inquired.
"The planet was destroyed for some reason. That's why I was sent here. I'm the last son of krypton. As if that weren't tough enough my father keeps telling me that the time to fulfil my destiny is coming." Clark turned away for a moment. "Chloe do you think I'm capable of becoming evil?" He asked quietly.
"Of course not! Why would you think you would turn evil?" Chloe was clearly upset.
"A message from my father said 'They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength.'" Clark said depressed.
"Clark it's you who decides your own destiny." Chloe told him compassionately.
"Thanks Chloe, its good to know one of my friends has my back again." Clark smiled at her, then went over and embraced her.
"Lois, thanks for helping me out here." Martha said. "The lunch crowd was brutal, huh?"
"Yah well, it's the least I can do. Thanks for offering to let me stay with you guys for a couple days." Lois told the older woman.
"So Lois, how's Met U? Meet any nice guys?" Martha asked trying to sound off hand. She knew that Lois and Clark really liked each other deep down. Even if they didn't know it yet.
"No, but then again I probably scare most of guys with my nail hard reputation." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever meet the right guy. Then other times I tell myself I shouldn't fall in love because I've gotta take care of myself." Lois sounded like she was broken.
"Oh sweetie, there's somebody out there for everyone. And don't be afraid to fall in love, nobody can take care of themselves all the time."
Martha knew that if Lois didn't confide in anybody, someday it would become too for her to bear and she would break down. Martha also knew that she was not the one Lois would confide in. Lois might open up to her once in a while but Lois really needed someone who would always be there. Somebody who would always love her unconditionally.
"Thanks, Mrs. Kent. That helped." Lois looked as if she were trying not to cry. She went back to helping clean up.
"I'll always be here if you need to talk. And dear," Lois looked up at Mrs. Kent, "Call me Martha." Lois smiled and laughed.
"Okay, Martha."
Above Martha and Lois, Lana and Jason were arguing at that very moment. "Jason, I can't believe you!" Lana yelled in anger and frustration.
"What Lana? What have I done to make you mad now?" Jason asked clearly annoyed.
"You lied to me! You told me that you were done with the stones! I just found out that your mother and you have using me to get the stones!"
"Lana, if you would stop and think for a moment. With these stones come all the knowledge in the world. Don't tell me that that doesn't sound tempting."
"Not if it meant using those I care about." Lana told him truthfully.
"Lana, please-"
"No Jason, we're through. I expect all of you're stuff gone by the time I get back." With that she walked out the door.
"Mr. Luthor, sir. There's a slight complication." An employee informed him.
"And that is?" a cold voice asked.
"The truck driver had an accident. The truck caught fire and exploded. The meteorites were destroyed in the explosion."
"Where was the driver when the truck exploded?"
"He was thrown to safety by a young man by the name of Clark Kent. The boy was caught in the explosion. The odd thing is that he had not a scratch on him from it."
The billionaire stopped to think for a moment. He turned toward the window, glaring at the darkened city below. "I want you to follow Mr. Kent at all times. Do not, I repeat do not, let him out of your sight. Got it?"
"Yes sir." The man left Lionel Luthor to brood over the events that had happened earlier in the day.
Clark was surprised to hear that the school would be closed for the week. 'It's the middle of April. I wonder why the boiler blew up. Hmm, maybe Chloe's digging into it.' He walked into the kitchen to see Lois drinking her morning coffee.
"Hey Smallville, what's going on? Shouldn't you be at school?" Lois asked.
"The school is closed for the week. The boiler blew up. Nobody knows why. I was going over to Chloe's to see if she knows anything." Clark paused. Should he ask her to come?
"Alright I'm coming too." She told him before he could decide. 'Oh well, I guess I don't have to worry about asking her to come.'
"Fine, let's go. I'm driving though. Whenever you drive something always happens."
"Oh, really?"
"First when you found me, then you almost killed Shelby, plus yesterday with the explosion. Need I go on?" Clark had a smirk as Lois scowled at him.
Lois handed him her keys. "Shut up and drive, farmboy."
"Hey Chloe."
Chloe turned around to find Lana greeting her. "Oh hey." Lana motioned for Chloe to join her so she did. "What's up?"
"Nothing much. I broke up with Jason, I'm trying to finish my essay that was due today, and I'm trying to figure out some way to get this tattoo off my back so that evil witch can't posses me anymore. So what's new with you?"
"Whoa, hold on there. First off you broke it off with Jason?" Chloe was a little confused. Lana had been rambling only moments before.
"Yah, well he and his mother were using me to get the stones." Lana said calmly.
"Well, I guess that's that then?" Chloe asked cautiously.
"Yah I don't think I'm going to keep dating somebody who just uses me."
"Good you deserve a guy who truly loves you." And under her breath Chloe muttered, "And who doesn't have a hidden agenda."
"The tattoo has got to go. I don't want Isabel making anymore visits."
"I agree there. I'll call my contacts and see what we can come up with."
"Thanks, Chloe." Lana rose. "I got to go. I've got a meeting with some 'witches'. See ya later."
20 minutes later Clark and Lois walked into the Talon. They spotted Chloe and sat down with her. "Here you are. We went to your house and you weren't there."
"Well duh, Lois. If she's her she's obviously not going to be at her house." Clark said with a just a touch of sarcasm.
"Will you two stop bickering long enough to tell me why you've been looking for me?"
"Sorry cuz. We came by to see if you knew anything about the boiler exploding."
Chloe thought that her cousin could be a top-notch reporter one day-if she was interested. "Yah, well you came to the right person. I bribed some people and found out that the Boiler blew because it over-heated."
Clark sighed in relief. 'Now I don't have to track down another meteor freak.' "However," Clark's heart stopped for a second. 'Oh crap. She 's continuing.' He inwardly groaned.
Chloe went on, "There were two holes in the furnace."
"So somebody probably cut some holes to get to the boiler." Lois said indifferently.
Chloe shook her head at her cousin. The she looked at Clark as she spoke. " No. The holes were parallel, made at the same time, and were melted. Whatever melted the holes also blew up the furnace."