Smallville: An Alternate Future Chapter 3, a smallville fanfic

Author's Note: Italics signify thought, emphasis, etc.

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Aen showed Clark the markers she had brought to designate the property line. The metal stakes with small white flags on the ends would be easy to jab into the ground and would be visible from a distance.

"Zin may never actually put up a fence," Aen told Clark as they walked, "but in case he does he doesn't want to accidentally build it on your property."

Clark nodded and looked back at the house. "You don't have to come on Friday if you have other plans. Zoey will probably forget she even asked you."

"I want to," she said simply.

They continued walking in comfortable silence until they reached the spot on the map that indicated the first meeting of the Kent property and the Bowman – now Smith – place. Taking one of the stakes from Aen, Clark pushed it down into the earth. When he looked up at her, she was watching him. Aen blushed and glanced away. Her eyes returned to his face, only to find him watching her. Aen was very attracted to Clark, but she knew nothing could come of it. But even that knowledge didn't stop her from wanting to know him better.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Aen asked.

"I was adopted as a very young boy, but since then, yes, I have lived my whole life in Smallville."

"I've always wondered what it would be like to be able to call one place home instead of having to move around all the time," Aen murmured.

As they continued walking, placing the markers in the ground every thirty feet, Clark told Aen all about growing up in Smallville, about having one of the world's richest men as his best friend since he was fifteen. About his best friends growing up, Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. About the adventures they had in childhood and through high school. About going to community college before realizing that he didn't really need agriculture classes when he already knew everything it took to run the farm, that it was an unnecessary cost that in the long run wouldn't do him or his family any good. About being a big brother when no one had ever thought it would happen.

In return she told him about the thrill of traveling and seeing new places. Of the thrill wearing thin when you had lived more places than you had years in your age. Of losing her mother at the age of nine and being raised by Jisin's mother, her aunt, and being treated as an encumbrance much of the time. Of having a sense of family with her three closest friends.

Clark was setting the sixth stake into the earth when Aen heard a strange rattling sound. The next thing she knew, there was a snake hanging from the ankle of Clark's boot, it's teeth sunk into the leather.

Clark!

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Clark stared at Aen in confusion. He could have sworn he heard her scream his name, but her mouth hadn't opened. He followed her horrified gaze down to his own foot and saw the rattlesnake that had "bitten" him. He leaned down and gently grasped the small animal's tail, tossing it away from them.

"W-We need to get you to the h-hospital," Aen choked out.

She made a move toward him as if to support his greater weight, and Clark took the opportunity to lightly touch her arm. She was shaking infinitesimally. Clark gently rubbed both of her arms with his hands, trying to draw her out of her shock.

"I'm okay, Aen. It didn't bite me."

"How can you know that? You could be dying right now!"

Realizing only physical proof that he was okay would calm the young woman down, Clark sat on the ground to take off his boot and the sock under it.

"Come here," he lightly commanded.

Aen obeyed, squatting down to his level to be close to him. Her eyes scanned the flesh of his ankle, widening when she found no sign of injury. Releasing a sigh of relief, Aen sank down beside him.

"He didn't completely puncture the boots, Aen," he told her. He didn't like lying to her, but what was he supposed to say, it's okay, my invulnerable skin is rattlesnake bite resistant as well as bullet proof? It probably wouldn't go over too well even if he could tell her. "I'm fine."

Aen nodded slowly. After a few minutes, a dull blush colored her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I overreacted, I've just never seen a rattlesnake before."

"It's okay, Aen," he soothed. "Immediately wanting to get a snake bite victim to the hospital is the right instinct to have. I just got lucky."

"Thank you, Clark," she said.

Clark put his sock and shoe back on and pondered what would have happened if the snake had attacked Aen instead of him. Would he have risked exposing his secret to her in order to save her life? Somehow Clark knew that the answer to that was a resounding yes. It was slightly terrifying to realize she already meant so much to him.

The rest of their afternoon walking the property line was uneventful, though Clark did catch Aen glaring suspiciously at every blade of grass that dared to moved within a five foot radius of them. It touched him that she had been so concerned for him, and when Clark said good-bye to Aen later, he realized that though they had greeted each other earlier that day as barely acquaintances, they had parted as friends.