Chapter 3

Across town, Lionel Luthor paced around his office. "Thank you," he dismissed the assistant standing before him. The man closed the door behind him. So Harmony Kent is still alive, he thought to himself. Whose head will roll for this inadequacy?

Suddenly the doors were thrown open and Lionel's son Lex strode in. "How many times do I have to tell you to leave the Kents alone, Father?" he barked.

"Good afternoon, Son," Lionel took a sip of his scotch. "What can I do for you today?"

"It would seem you've been messing around with the long-lost brother of Jonathan Kent," Lex accused.

"Hmm," Lionel tapped his finger against his lip. How much does Lex really know? "What makes you think that I even knew Mr. Kent even has a brother?"

Lex turned on him. "Because your boys in Edge City had him killed. Yes, Dad, I know all about your little control operation out there. Pretty sure that's how you kept track of my brother, right?"

Lionel said nothing. Where is he getting his information? He wondered to himself as he took another sip. He must know where the Kent brat is.

"So what did Joseph Kent do to deserve to die?" Lex prodded.

"I assure you, I'll have to look into these accusations, Lex," Lionel avoided the question smoothly.

"You do that, Dad," Lex smirked. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he turned from his father and left the room. He had a feeling there was a lot more to this issue with Joseph Kent than even young Harmony was aware of.

In Clark's loft, Clark and Harmony were flipping through some old photo albums. Harmony laughed and Clark blushed when they came to embarrassing pictures of a young Clark in the bathtub, and later, Clark beamed when he showed Harmony the pictures of Smallville High's spring formal.

Chloe Sullivan watched for a moment, then cleared here throat. She smiled when Clark jumped. "Hey, Clark," she said as she made her way up the stairs into his loft. She'd been here so many times, but each time felt different.

"Chloe!" Clark rubbed his hands on his jeans. "Uh, this is my cousin, Harmony. Harmony, this is my friend Chloe from school. She runs the Torch."

"Chloe," Harmony tapped her lips for a second, and then picked up the photo album again. "The lovely lady from the Formal." She smiled as she turned the album so Chloe could see the pictures of her and Clark together at that spring's dance.

"Yeah, that's me," Chloe grinned to hide the stab of pain brought on by the sight of those pictures. "Pretty in Pink. So, you're Clark's cousin? I didn't know he had any family besides his parents."

"Yep," Harmony nodded. "Just me."

"Ah," After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she continued. "So, Clark, did you get that story on next year's potential football lineup done yet? I need it tomorrow."

"Yeah," he reached for a folder on his desk. "Sorry. I was gonna bring it by your house tonight, but I got a little distracted with the photo album."

"Anything interesting?" Chloe asked as she took the folder from Clark.

"No," Clark said, a little too rushed. He shut the album and returned it to his shelf. "You've seen them already."

Taking note of Clark's rush to put away the album, Harmony grinned. "Well, a second time never hurts. Right, Little Cuz?" She snatched the album back and darted around Clark to sit on the steps beside where Chloe was standing. "Let's just be sure you've seen them all." She patted the spot next to her.

Chloe laughed. She had a feeling she was going to like this mischievous cousin of Clark's. Their giggles followed a chagrined Clark out of the barn as he sought the comfort of his parents.

Inside the Kent kitchen, Martha was just preparing to put a freshly-cooked pie into the refrigerator. The look on Clark's face prompted her to change her mind. Rather, she swiftly pulled a slice from the pan onto a plate, poured a glass of milk, and set both, along with a fork, in front of Clark, who had very ungracefully plopped himself onto a stool.

"Where's Harmony?" She asked as she proceeded to put the remainder of the pie into the refrigerator. "You two have been glued at the hip since she got here yesterday."

"Girl-time with Chloe," Clark grumbled around a bite of pie. "At my expense."

Martha stifled a smile. "What are they talking about, Clark? It can't be that bad."

Clark concentrated for a moment, then his face turned the most horrible shade of red Martha had ever seen. "She's telling Chloe stories about when I was little! Mom!" He leapt from the stool, knocking it over.

No longer able to contain herself, Martha burst out laughing. "Clark, calm down! It's harmless. They're stories. She's not gonna tell the really interesting ones and you know it."

Clark looked at her puzzled, so she explained. "The ones that involve the discovery of your strength and speed."

"Oh. Well, yeah," Clark huffed as he straightened the stool. "Well, can't you make her stop anyway? It's not fair! I don't have any good stuff like that to share about her."

"Oh, Clark," Martha shook her head. Clark could be so overdramatic sometimes. She knew it was just because he was a teenager, but sometimes he acted so far beyond his years that it was easy to forget he was, in fact, only sixteen. But she also knew that Harmony, already twenty-one, wouldn't tell any revealing stories about Clark's powers.

Just then Jonathan entered the kitchen from the direction of the barn. "What's with all the giggling out there? It's a little scary in the barn."

Clark huffed and stomped up the stairs to his room.

"What'd I say? Clark didn't finish his pie," Jonathan pointed out. With that, Clark returned to snatch up the pie and milk, then stomped again upstairs.

Martha chuckled. "Harmony is out there with Chloe. Apparently she's telling stories about Clark from when he was a kid. He of course is very embarrassed about them and wants me to forbid her from ever telling said stories again."

"But they're funny!" Jonathan grinned. He knew Clark was listening to their conversation to see what approach he would take. "Has she told the one about his first bath with us here after we adopted him?"

"DAD!" Clark hollered from his room. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Alright, alright! I'll go talk to her," Jonathan shook his head, and after planting a kiss on Martha's cheek, exited through the door he had just entered.

A few minutes later, Clark appeared on the landing, furious. "He joined them!"