You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
-Dr. Seuss

Clark's POV

"You look so handsome. Your father would have been proud," Mom gushes for the one hundredth time. She touches the lapels of my collar affectionately.

"Thanks, Mom," I say, smiling. Looking around through the mass of red and gold, I manage to spot Chloe and her dad off to the side, Pete chatting with a few people we used to hang around with when the two of us where younger, but no Lana.

Suddenly, the world goes black as someone behind me covers my eyes. I smile, knowing who it is.

"Guess who."

"Lana?"

She drops her hands and steps out from behind me. "Hey there, handsome."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my mom beaming at the two of us.

"Well, I think that I'll go sit now. It's about to start." Mom hugs me and then Lana, leaving us alone as she weaves past the masses of seniors decked out in red and gold gowns and hats.

"You look nice."

"Me?" Lana questions. "Clark, I'm wearing the same thing as you and everyone else are."

I shrug and grin. "Well, I think you look sexy."

Lana laughs and grabs my hand. "C'mon, let's find our seats. I think that Mr. Reynolds is ready to begin."

On our way to the section cut off for the middle of the alphabet, we bump into Chloe.

"Hey, you two! Can you believe that this is it?" Chloe asks, barely able to contain the excitement in of her voice.

"Not really. It seems like only yesterday we were walking through those doors."

"Actually," Lana pipes up, "I think you tripped."

"What can I say? You made me nervous." I grin as Lana and Chloe both share a laugh at my expense.

"Well, I'd better get going," Chloe says suddenly. "I think the S's are starting to miss their only Sullivan."

Chloe heads off to her section and Lana and I to ours.

Once we're seated, next to each other, might I add, the principal takes to the podium, taping the microphone and hurting our ears once again.

"As many of you know, this is a very special time for the seniors of Smallville High and the parents of those students. Today marks the graduation of the class of 2005. A gifted and unique class, I might add. When I first started working as Principal for Smallville High, these young adults that you see sitting before you were merely sophomores, young…"

Lana leans over, whispering in my ear. "You haven't heard from Jor-El, have you?"

I smile, glad to deliver good news. "Nope. It's been a Jor-El free day so far."

Comforted by the news, she leans back in her seat as Tim Burton takes the stage to give his valedictorian speech.

"To the parents of the graduating class of 2005, I would like to say thank you for pushing us and getting us to this day. To my fellow classmates, I have no words to express how overjoyed I will be to never have to spend another class period listening to you all whining about your life and how school sucks."

There's some hissing and booing, but most of the student body gets his joke.

"Okay, for those of you who caught my sarcasm there, thank you for the wonderful memories you have given me of high school. And for those of you who didn't, I would like to say, you made my high school days miserable…."

"Listen," I bend close to Lana's ear, "I know that we have plans with Chloe and Pete after this, but do you maybe what to blow them off?"

Lana smiles, but keeps staring straight ahead. "Hmm…what do you have in mind?'

"It's a surprise."

Lana turns toward me and smiles. "A surprise, huh? Do tell."

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

The clapping of the crowd cuts Lana's reply off as Tim waves to the crowd, yelling, "We did it! Class of 2005!"

After the chaos has died down, the principal begins calling out names.

"Kristenne Abalos."

"Bobby Awayen."

Several minutes later, "Dan Jameson."

"Clark Kent."

I rise from my seat and glance down at Lana. Her encouraging words are, "Don't trip, big guy."

I take to the stage and shake hands with Principal Reynolds and accept my diploma. From the crowd, I can spot Mom, snapping away at her camera. She takes a breather from it and smiles at me, waving. I wave back and join follow the J's to the seats. As names are being called, the middle and end alphabet are constantly moving up seats to eventually accommodate the empty front rows. The names that have already been called follow the line to the back rows and take what were once the end alphabet's seats. Confusing, isn't it?

"Lana Lang."

I look up in time to see Lana walk up to the stage gracefully. She shakes hands with Mr. Reynolds, keeping a smile on her face. I spot Mom also taking pictures of her, too, since no one else is in attendance for her.

Lana eventually catches up with me and takes my hand as we sit and wait for the rest of the alphabet to be called.

"Chloe Sullivan."

Chloe takes to the stage, posed and confident. Mr. Sullivan is clapping the hardest.

"Jack Zamon."

The alphabet is over and all of us rise, ready to tip our caps off. Lana squeezes my hand, smiling at me. I smile back at her, knowing that she is my future.

A heartbeat later, five hundred caps are flying into the air, all coming back down. As caps shower us, I draw Lana to me and kiss her full on the lips. She's a little shocked at the quickness of my actions, but eventually, she's just as into the kiss as I am.

Once we break apart, most of the crowd around us are fanning out, seeking friends and family. Mom comes rushing over to us, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Mom," I say as she hugs me.

"Oh, it's just you're not my little boy anymore."

"It doesn't mean that I won't need you."

Mom, obviously comforted by my words, turns to Lana. "Oh, and look at you, Lana. It seems like just yesterday when you were dressed as that fairy princess, granting me my only wish." She sniffles and hugs her, too.

Once they pull apart, I bend, whispering into Lana's ear, "Don't mind her today. She's just going through a phase."

Lana laughs and Mom slaps my arm. Behind Mom, I can see Pete and Chloe approaching.

"Well, you two go ahead and celebrate with Pete and Chloe. I'll be at the Talon if you need me."

"Actually, we're just going to do something together—just the─" I stop in mid-sentence, a ringing sound in my ears.

"It is time, Kal-El. You must return to me to begin your quest."

The message is short and simple, but it definitely gets its point across.

I let go of my head, stunned.

"Clark? Clark!" Lana cries.

"Lana…it's Jor-El."

"Jor-El?" Mom inquires, clearly lost. "What does─"

I look up at the both of them. Behind them, Pete is stalling Chloe, noticing that something is up with me. I catch his eye and he mouths, "What's going on?"

"I have to go."

"Didn't I tell you to leave me and the people I care about alone?" I yell, my words echoing back to me. I turn around in circles, waiting for a familiar flash of blue light.

It comes seconds later and I have to cover my eyes to adjust to the blinding light. Jor-El's voice booms loudly.

"I heard you the first time, Kal-El. But I am afraid that I can not abide to your wishes. You should have known this was coming. I gave you the first message in hopes of preparing you for this moment, but I can see that you are more stubborn than ever."

"I have every right to be! You came into my life, unwelcomed, and expected me to just listen to you and go along with this whacked plan of yours to take over the world! Well, I should have told you this before, but I'm telling you now: Stay away from me! Stay away from my friends and my family! I don't want your guidance; I never needed it!"

"Kal-El, you are wrong. You do need my guidance whether you know it or not. You must begin your quest or this planet that you call home will eventually end in turmoil."

"What are you talking about?" I shout.

"You interpreted the message that I left you in the ship wrong."

I shake my head, convinced that Jor-el is playing more mind games with me. "No, you said, 'They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength.'"

"Yes, that was the message. But you interpreted it wrong, my son. They are a flawed race. You must rule the flawed ones within the race with strength."

I shake my head again, feeling as if I'm in a bad soap opera. "I don't understand."

"Then, perhaps if I showed you."

The world around me shakes and twists, blue turning black. I snap my eyes shut and cry, "Jor-El!"

When I open them again, instead of seeing blue, a face swarms in front of me. I blink twice, unsure of the image in front of me.

"Clark? Clark, wake up, honey."

I feel a hand gently smooth the hair on my forehead and caress my cheeks. I blink again, concluding that I am, indeed, losing my mind.

"Lana?" I whisper groggily. Her expression visibly relaxes and her hands leave my face.

I sit up, rubbing my eyes. This can't be happening. I was just in the caves with Jor-El. How could I have ended up here?

"Clark, are you alright?"

I turn to Lana whose expression takes one of concern now. "I…what happened?"

"You had a bad dream," Lana says, scooting closer to me. We're both in bed. Lana's in a night gown that I've never seen before and I'm only in boxers.

"A dream?" I repeat. "So…the caves and Jor-El…it was all a dream?"

Lana nods, smiling a bit. "You had me worried, Clark. I couldn't wake you for a whole five minutes. You kept muttering stuff and crying out Jor-El's name."

I can see that she's still worried and concerned. I reach out to her and pull her close to me, kissing her on the forehead.

She giggles and pulls away, rubbing her stomach that's under the covers.

"What's wrong?" I ask, afraid that I hurt her.

She smiles. "Nothing…you just hugged me a bit too tight there. You have to remember that I'm carrying another person inside of me."

I blink, not sure if I heard right. "What?"

Lana laughs and begins to get out of bed. "Clark…you must be really out of it today."

"Lana…I don't…" I trail off when I see her standing.

"Clark, what's wrong?" Lana asks, surprised by my behavior. I'm sitting in bed, stunned, gaping at her bulging stomach. She approaches me and puts a hand to my forehead.

"Lana…your stomach…" I stutter, not believing this.

Lana frowns a bit, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "Clark…why don't you lie down and I'll bring you some soup, okay?" She begins to walk away, but I call her back.

"Lana, you're pregnant," I say. It isn't a question, but a statement.

Lana stares at me for a moment and then she smiles. "I know I am, Clark."

"No…we're going to have a baby," I say, believing that if I say the words aloud, they'll eventually sink in.

"In about three months time we are," Lana says brightly, rubbing her stomach. She smiles again, absolutely glowing. "I'll get you that soup."

She exits through the door, leaving me stunned in bed.

"Lana's pregnant," I whisper to myself. "We're going to have a baby."

Five minutes later, I'm still lying in bed, reliving the morning's activities. I rack my brain, trying to think of the events before I landed in this reality.

I was in the caves…Jor-El and I were talking. He corrected my interpretation of the message in the ship and I told him that I didn't understand. Then what?

Jor-El said…he said, "Then, perhaps if I showed you."

"What the hell does that mean?" I think aloud.

"What does what mean?"

I look up and see Lana carrying a tray of soup and crackers. This feels familiar.

"Here you go." Lana sets the tray on the bed as I make room for her to sit with me.

"Thanks." I don't start on the soup. Instead, I stare at her. There are beginnings of aging on her face, but she's still as beautiful as ever. Her eyes…green and hazel holds much more wisdom and experience than the eighteen year old Lana I know. She's aged a couple more years, but, she's still young and beautiful enough to attract the attention of single men, I decide.

Lana notices me eyeing her and she smiles shyly. She's been doing that a lot lately—smiling, I mean. My guess is it has to do with the baby and that whole pregnancy glow.

"Lana?"

"Yes?"

"Can I…I mean…"

"Can you what?"

I lean in and kiss her on the lips, realizing that we're married. I play with her bottom lip, gently sucking it. She tastes the same and feels the same, but there's something different about this kiss than my kisses with Lana from home. There's more experience and boldness in the kiss.

"You're in a strange mood today," Lana comments once we pull away. "But I guess that I can live with it if there's more kisses like that in store for me." She winks at me and my heart literally melts.

"Lana, can I ask you some questions?" I lift the tray of food off the bed and set it on the bedside table.

"Okay," Lana says, snuggling up to me.

"Umm…they're going to sound a bit odd, though," I warn her.

"Well, it's not like I haven't heard any weird stuff coming from you…like, say, you're an alien." Lana laughs and looks up at me.

"Okay, well…remember our graduation?"

"Uh-huh."

"What happened after we threw our caps up and I kissed you?" I mentally kick myself, knowing how weird this question sounds. But I have to know in order to figure out why Jor-El sent me to the…the future.

Lana remains silent for a moment, and I wonder if she thinks I've lost my mind. But I know her well enough to know that she'll go along with this.

"Well…after that, I think your mom came to congratulate us. And then, you took me to the oak tree for a picnic and then to the Chandler's field to show me the sunset and the Metropolis skyline."

I nod. "That sounds about right…if Jor-El hadn't interrupted, I would have showed you all that anway."

Lana lifts her head off my shoulder, slightly confused. "Clark, what's this all about? Does this have to do with your dream?"

The perfect opportune to tell her about how I ended up here, I think. But I don't. I don't want her to act weird around me because I'm not exactly the Clark that she married and created a life with. She seems so happy and comfortable with herself and her life in this reality. If she's happy, then I must be happy in this reality, too. And for once, I want to be selfish and experience what this future Clark is feeling.

"It's nothing, Lana," I answer, shaking my head and smiling.

She doesn't look too convinced but she smiles anyway.

"Okay, well, go get dressed. We're going to your mother's today. I called Pete at the hardware store already and told him that you weren't feeling well." She pats my leg and gets up from bed to the closet to get ready.

I stay in bed for a while, watching her pull out maternity clothes and put them back, deciding on what she should wear. Again, she feels her eyes on her and she looks at me curiously.

"I love you," I say seriously.

Lana smiles at me and says, "I love you, too."

An hour later, we're on our way to Mom's place. In this reality, Lana and I live in Smallville. Lana's an artist—a painter to be more exact and I run a hardware store with Pete. It's not glamorous, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"…and we'll need a crib, too. Do you think that you can build one?"

"I run a hardware store, Lana," I reply, getting into character. "I think that I can manage a crib."

Lana laughs. "You know, you're sounding more like yourself than you were this morning."

"Must be the company," I say, shrugging. I came to a decision that as long as I'm in this reality, I might as well enjoy it.

Lana, satisfied with my answer, grins and leans back in her seat. The rest of the car ride to Mom's house is in peaceful silence.

Once I pull up on the familiar gravel driveway, Mom comes running out to greet us. Her hair has specks of white in it and there are noticeable wrinkles under her eyes, but she looks as healthy as she was in 2005.

"Hi, Lana." Mom hugs Lana and pats Lana's tummy. "How is my grandson doing?"

"He's been acting up more than usual. Last night, Clark and I sat around and just waited for him to start up."

Upon hearing this memory, I smile and wish that I could remember how future Clark was feeling last night.

Mom turns to me and hugs me. "Hey, Mom."

"Clark…Lana told me over the phone that you were out of it this morning."

"I'm fine, Mom," I assure her. "I just had a bad dream that's all."

Mom peers at me closely. "Well, if you say so."

"If you need anymore persuading, Martha, just ask me. He's back to his old self again," Lana pipes up.

"Well, then, let's go inside, shall we?" Mom leads us in and I look around at the display of pictures sitting on the side table. There are the usual pictures I've gotten used to and there are new ones. A picture of me in my graduation gown and cap. Another one of Lana and me posing for the camera. And…our wedding photo.

I pick up the frame that houses our wedding portrait and examine it. Lana looks as happy as she is now and I look pretty content, too. A feeling of melancholy washes over me and I find myself wistfully wishing that I could remember our wedding day. As lucky as I am to be here as Lana's husband and the father of her baby, I also am reminded that I want to get back to 2005 with my eighteen year old Lana.

"Clark?" Lana calls from the living room. I put down the frame and join her and my mom.

The TV is on, switched to a local news channel. On the screen, a fire is blazing, ripping apart the apartment complex. At the bottom of the screen, the headline reads that the fire is, indeed, happening now, in Metropolis.

"Again, this is just breaking news. The apartment complex just apparently caught fire. Police have no suspects at this point since they are, as you can see, still evacuating people out of the building."

Behind the newscaster, a frantic lady is being shown, screaming about something. The newscaster glances down at a report just handed to him and reads, "I have just been notified that a five year old girl is still inside the building. I repeat, a five year old girl is still in the building. Fire fighters are trying to get her out, but they think that she is on the top floor. No word on her condition."

I stand there, stunned. Mom shakes her head sadly, and turns off the TV abruptly.

"I just made some cookies. Do you want any?"

"Thanks, Martha," Lana says, answering for the both of us. Mom gets up from her seat and disappears into the kitchen.

"Clark? Is everything okay?" Lana asks, standing slowly from the couch. She approaches me.

"I have to go save that girl," I say quietly. I turn and run out of the house, onto the porch. Lana calls my name and I stop.

"Clark? What's gotten into you?" Lana demands. She grabs my arm and turns me to face her.

"I don't know," I say truthfully. Lana gazes at me, hurt. I then realize that this Clark, this future Clark, loves his wife and his baby too much to risk his life for others.

"Clark, this morning…and now this…." Lana trails off, confused and hurt. "What's going on? Why won't you let me in?"

"I wish that I could," I say quietly. "But I can't."

Lana glances before looking back at me. After a moment, she says, "You're different. Something's different about you."

"There is something different about me, Lana," I confess, taking her hands. A gentle breeze blows from behind me, lifting her raven hair and casting an ethereal effect on her.

"The truth is, I'm not the Clark that you married and created this life with," I say sadly, placing my hand on her stomach. "I'm not even sure who I am. But I do know this; I love you with all my heart. And I will always love you."

Lana glances away again, staring out at the fields. When she finally turns back, surprisingly, there are tears in her eyes.

"If you're not my Clark…then where is he?"

"I don't know, but I swear that once I do what I have to do, he'll come back to you. And he'll love and protect you and the baby."

She nods and kisses me softly on the lips.

"Take care, Clark," she whispers, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

I turn away from her and without a second glance, I super speed out to the caves. Knowing Jor-El, he'll have another surprise for me. I just hope that I will eventually find my way home to the life that I have created and to the Lana that I love and know.