After Clark put his shirt back on he ran his hand through his hair. Chloe caught him doing it and correctly interpreted this as a nervous gesture. She wasn't sure what he was nervous about, but she decided to try and take his mind off of whatever was bothering him. She immediately thought of a way to both distract him and answer a few questions of her own.

"How many people know about you?" Chloe asked.

Clark stood still for a moment and then closed his eyes as a small smile appeared on his face. 'Oh, boy, I'm in trouble now.' He thought to himself.

"Well, that depends on what you mean. Do you mean how many people know I'm different or how many people know I'm an alien, because this could take all night if I have to list all of the people who think that I'm different."

"That many huh?"

"Well, most of the people who know that I'm different are people who were infected by the meteors. It's kind of hard to stop some of them without showing something. Fortunately for me, their all locked away where no one will believe them even if they try to tell someone about me. Of course, they all think that I'm one of them, so it's not too big a threat. There are one or two others people who know who aren't locked up or dead, but I'm on pretty good terms with most of them so it's not a big deal. Now, one the other hand, there are only a few who have ever known that I'm actually an alien, and many of them are dead. Kyla found out when the cave collapsed on us and I saved her. She quickly figured out that I'm actually Numan. Her grandfather also figured it out soon thereafter. She died and he won't say anything because he believes the legend about Numan being a hero to their people. I'm still a little uncomfortable about him thinking that. Then there was a reporter named Nixon. He found out about me somehow, but I'm still not sure what turned him on to me. However, I can tell you how he confirmed that I was different. Do you remember how you had to come and pick me up for the dance because, how did I put it, my transportation had gone up in flames?"

Chloe nodded, remembering that very well. For a split second her eyes misted at the thought of how happy she had been at the time. Fortunately Clark didn't notice because he was busy trying to tell he what had really happened that day.

"Well, I meant that a lot more literally than you thought. It did go up in flames and with me in it. I found out much later that the truck had been rigged with a remote control bomb that caused it to explode. When Nixon saw me get into the car he activated the bomb, trying to determine how tough I really was. Fortunately all that I suffered was a few ruined clothes and a room that smelled like smoke for the next couple of weeks. Nixon taped the whole thing and snuck down into the storm cellar during the dance, which is where we kept the ship. He was busy filming the ship when my dad walked in and tried to take the film away. He ended up chasing Nixon out into the storm. Then when they were rescued Nixon tried to kill my dad but Lex killed Nixon before he could do it. Then there's Dr. Swann. He intercepted a transmission from my home planet on the day of the meteor shower and decrypted it. When you put the picture of my barn wall in the Torch he came across it and contacted me. I went to see him and he told me a little about who I was and what happened to my parents. He didn't know much, just that the planet had been destroyed, but it was more than I knew at the time. Over the last couple of years I stayed in contact with him until his death recently. His assistant also knew, but she disappeared a while back. I'm pretty certain that she is dead. Off hand I can't think of anyone else who knew except, of course, my parents. Oh, I almost forgot. Pete knows." Clark said that last part with a grin, fully expecting the coming outburst.

"WHAT! You told Pete and you didn't tell me? He didn't tell me either! I'm going to kill him! And you! How could you tell Pete and not tell me?" She voice broke as she said the last stament. Suddenly Clark realized that she wasn't mad any more, she was hurt. This wiped the smile off of his face very quickly. He hurried to explain.

"No, I didn't tell Pete. He found out. There is a massive difference between the two. I've never really flat out told anyone. Pete found my ship. It had activated during the tornado and took off out of the cellar and we couldn't find it, but Pete did. He was going to prove to the whole world that there really were aliens. He even talked about a movie deal." Clark smiled at the memory. "Anyway, I had to stop him from doing that because if he did, sooner of later someone would figure it all out and come after me or my family. So, I stopped him. Literally. He was going about thirty miles an hour in his car when out of nowhere I appeared in front of his car and stopped it dead just by pushing against it. He took it pretty well, all things considered. Oh, it got a little hairy for a while because he thought that I didn't trust him, but once he found out the hard way that I was just tying to protect him and that it had nothing to do with trust or the lack thereof, he was O.K. with it. It apparently took some getting used to though. I remember the first time he and I played basket ball after he found out. His almost exact words were, "So does this mean you've been holding back on the court? Well let's see what you've got. Now you know that there is no way your going to get past me no matter what powers you've got." You should have seen the look on his face when I jumped thirty feet into the air straight over him and dunked the ball, sending it back to him after it hit the ground. You would have died from laughing so hard. But he was pretty cool about it from then on. He even helped to cover for me a few times. Oh, and just so you know, we did tell you once. Do you remember the time that you had the parasite in you that made you do wild things? Or, more to the point, you don't remember. We told you then, when all there of use were infected, me with red k and the two of you with those parasites. You took it very, very well. I think your exact words were 'this is so cool.'" Clark said grinning from ear to ear.

"You know, I'm not sure I really want to know what happened." Chloe said, having recovered from the pain that came from believing that Clark had trusted Pete more than her.

Which is exactly what Clark had hoped would happen when he told her the story. He hated to see her in any kind of pain, especially if he was the cause.

"You know, you might just be right. Oh, and since we've touched on the subject a couple of times, I want to tell you something that I've been dieing to tell you ever since it happened. When I left the dance, it was because I knew that Lana was almost certainly going to run into those tornados on her way back from seeing Whitney off. I left only because I knew that I could save her. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself had I stayed at the dance like I wanted to and she died when I could have prevented it. Which I did. Her car was sucked into the tornado with her in it. I climbed inside it and shielded her until it spit us out." At this, they both looked over at Lana, who was listening to their conversation, but never seemed to react to anything that was said. It was as if she had built a wall around herself and wasn't ever going to come out again. After a few seconds, Clark continued, "After I took her to the hospital I went to check on my folks to see if they were OK. When I got there I found out that my dad was missing, and you pretty much know the rest of the story. I just wanted to say that I didn't want to leave the dance, but I had to. I hope that makes you feel a bit better about what happened and I hope that it helps you to understand why I did it."

Clark and Chloe continued to talk about anything and everything that had happened over the last four years for the next two hours. Several times they both tried to include Lana in the conversation, but she wouldn't respond to Clark at all, and wouldn't talk to Chloe except to answer her questions and even then she spoke only the bare minimum necessary to get her point across. After the first hour or so they both left her alone, figuring that if she wanted to talk to them, she would.

Suddenly the comm. by the door chimed, startling all three of the room's occupants.

"Kal-el, you have one hour to be ready to fight. You must send the slaves out so that they can be prepared to watch you and the other contestants fight." Came a rough voice from the other side of the door.

Clark walked over to the comm. unit and pressed a button that allowed him to speak to the guard outside the door. He had to fight the urge to tell the guard to take a walk outside the ship, without a space suit.

"Give me five minutes and I'll send them out." Clark said, hating the words he spoke even as they left his mouth.

"Five minutes, but no more. We'll have to hurry to get them ready in time as it is."

"Understood." With that Clark turned from the comm. unit to look at the girls. Both of them looked scared. It was obvious that neither of them wanted to go. Unfortunately, Clark knew that they would have to go. It was the only way. But he could at least try to reassure them before he let the guard take them.

"I know that you both don't want to go, but you are going to have to. It won't be as bad as last time because you have to look presentable for the cameras that will be broadcasting live from the arena when they give you to the winner. Just do as they say as fast as you can and they shouldn't harm you, as the guards should have orders not to harm you unless absolutely necessary this close to the tournament. As soon as I've won, they'll give you both to me and we'll find a way off of this ship and we'll go home. Hopefully, a few hours from now we'll be back together and on our way home. You're just going to have to hang in there until then.

Chloe stepped forward and hugged Clark. Hard. She was just as scared as Lana was, but she was also knew that Clark was right. They didn't have much of a choice in the matter. They would just have to grit their teeth and bear with it, all the while hoping that Clark knew what he was doing and won the tournament. But she wanted one thing before they left and it wasn't just to give Clark a reassuring hug.

Moving back a little, she looked up at the man whom she had loved for a large portion of her life. She saw him as a man, even now, knowing all of his secrets and foibles. She wanted one kiss to remember him by, just in case none of this worked out. She had kissed him before, but not for real, not and remembered it. She wanted to be able to remember at least one real kiss, so she stood on her toes and kissed him with all of her might, pouring out all of her love for him into that one kiss, all the while greedily storing up the memory.

Breaking the kiss, she stepped back and announced that they were ready.

Clark shook his head, clearing it from the daze that had taken over him after the kiss that Chloe had just given him. He moved to the door and opened it, allowing Chloe to grab Lana and help her out the door. After he closed the door his eyes teared up for one brief moment before he set aside the thought of never seeing them again. This was no longer the time for sentiment. This was the time to harden himself for what was about to come. He was about to be in the fight of his life, and he had better prepare for it.

TBC