"Clark, what are you doing?" Chloe asked, as Clark finished putting together his telescope on her porch. "And, I know I'm not Lana, but doesn't the telescope belong over there, pointing at my room?" She was sitting on the newly installed porch swing, pushing it once in awhile with a bare foot.

Clark grinned at his girlfriend over his shoulder. "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I can arrange that, but I want to keep an eye on Kara tonight." He looked through the scope, and adjusted the angle. "There's a boy coming over, a kid from the circus."

"A circus performer?" Chloe nodded. "That cute goalie from the Smallville Middle school team not her type?" Clark's sour expression made Chloe laugh. "Oh come on. She is a girl, you know."

"I know that." Clark rolled his eyes. "But she's not like the girls her age, Chloe. Sometimes she's older, sometimes she's younger. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Hurt is a part of it, Clark. When I was her age…" Chloe began and then stopped, remembering. "I can't believe I even am going to say this, but, okay, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, that was quick." Clark laughed. "I'm right all of a sudden, huh?"

"No." Chloe replied, kicking him lightly as the swing moved forward. "I still think you're wrong, but I don't want to see her hurt either."

Clark eyed the telescope regretfully. "Think I'm being paranoid?"

"Bruce would be proud." Chloe nodded, folding her arms around a pillow. "Come on, Clark. She's young. It's a really pretty night, and it's spring. This is right out of the teen girls handbook for perfect moments and you're going to be all stalkery and ruin it." She threw the pillow at him, and shook her head. "Calm down."

"I don't even know this boy. I mean, a local kid, whose parents I know, then yeah. But this is a…" Clark stopped, looking for the right word. "an acrobat. From a travelling circus. I don't know if he's a nice kid or not." A scooter motor hummed by and Chloe covered her grin. The suspect acrobat drove by, a bunch of flowers clasped in one hand. Clark groaned, banging his head against the porch column. "Don't say it." He thumped his head again on the column and Chloe giggled.

"What a monster, he's bringing her tiger lilies." Chloe deadpanned. "Come on, Clark. We'll walk over to your house if you want, so you can spy on, I mean, supervise them more closely." Chloe stood, sliding on her sandals. "You could learn a lesson from him, Clark."

Clark, who had not taken his head from the column, turned so he could see Chloe. "What's that?"

"You could bring me flowers more often.." Chloe poked him. "I'd settle for you not to act so much like your Dad right now, though." Her mother had put music on, they could hear it drifting through the screened windows, soft and romantic.

"My father was a good man." Clark objected, and Chloe smiled, nodding.

"I know, but I never wanted to kiss him." Her tongue appeared, just ever so slightly from between her lips, her eyes teasing. Clark turned, and folded his arms over his chest, grinning.

"That so? Well, then." Clark took her in his arms, and pulled her close. "Hi."

"Hi." Chloe smiled up at him as if seeing Clark for the first time. "It's you."

"It's me." Clark bent down to kiss her, and laughed to hear Gabe very loudly clear his throat on the other side of the screen just before their lips met. "I'm not the only one spying tonight, I guess."

"Dad!" Chloe turned, and was rewarded with a cascade of laughter from inside the house, her mother's giggle blending perfectly with her father's throaty chuckle. "So funny."

"Come on." Clark took her by the hand and led her down the porch steps. "I'll have Chloe back by eleven, Mr. Sullivan!"

"Make it midnight, Clark!" Sarah called back. "Have fun!"

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked, and Clark grinned at her, saying nothing. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me."

"Yeah, ha." Clark scooped Chloe up and with two leaps, landed in the loft. "See, now we're alone."

"Alone." Chloe snuggled up to him and sighed. "That's so nice." Clark walked over to the couch and sat down, holding Chloe on his lap. "Now, where were we?"

"About here." Clark said, tipping Chloe's face up to his to kiss her. His lips touched hers and then the kiss grew more involved, Chloe's arms going around his neck.

Dick knocked on the screen door, his knees weak from the aroma of whatever Kara's family had for dinner, and the sight of the girl herself, her long white blond hair flowing around her shoulders. Normally confident to a fault, Dick swallowed deeply as she smiled at him, opening the door.

"Hello." Kara said, her eyes wide. "Those flowers are lovely. Come in, please."

"Thank you, I mean, they're for your aunt." Dick said, handing them to Martha, who'd appeared from the kitchen.

"Oh, how lovely." Martha smiled. "Thank you. And I'm Kara's Aunt Martha. You must be Dick Grayson. Why don't you two go out for a walk and when you come back, I have some fresh blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream."

"Vanilla, mm my favorite." Both Kara and Dick said together, and then Dick laughed.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!"

"I do?" Kara asked, and then grinned. "I'm not supposed to speak until I give you a soda, right?"

"Right, and if we were in town you could buy me one. I'd hate to be here to see you and not get to talk to you." They both looked hopefully at Martha who laughed.

"I know the rules of jinx are iron clad, but I have some cans of soda in the refrigerator. Help yourselves." Martha waved them into the kitchen.

"Come on." Kara said, and then kissed Martha's cheek. "Thank you, Aunt Martha."

Later, after both teens were full to the top with blueberry pie and ice cream, Kara and Dick sat on the front steps, watching the sun go down.

"So, you like Kansas?" He asked, and Kara nodded.

"Oh, yes. It's very different from where I grew up." Kara said, smiling up at the sky. "And you? Do you like Kansas?"

"It's pretty great from where I'm sitting." Dick replied, looking at Kara. "You are so pretty."

"So are you..um, I mean, thank you." Kara blurted, and they both laughed. "I can't wait to see you fly. Can you really?"

"Fly? Well, they don't call me 'the Boy Wonder' for nothing." Dick said, standing. "Are there open rafters in that barn?"

'Yes, and hanging ropes too. My cousin is in there, though." Kara looked up at the glowing loft window. "He won't want to be disturbed."

"Oh, okay." Dick sat down again. "You'll have to come out and watch us practice one day. Maybe tomorrow, after you get done with school."

"I'd like that." Kara said with a small sigh.

"Yeah, me too." Dick nodded, shifting closer to Kara and then stretching, letting his arm float down around her shoulders. Kara started in surprise, and then grinned a little, relaxing against him a little.

"How cute is that?" Chloe asked, peeking around the loft window at the younger pair. "Clark, come on, they're adorable."

"Yeah." Clark was sitting on the couch, tossing his football in the air. "'From where I'm sitting'? This kid is smooth. I'm going down there in five minutes if the talking stops."

Chloe turned away from the window and faced him, hands on her hips. "You are such a hypocrite, Clark Jerome Kent. I can't believe you. It's okay for you to have me up here all to yourself…" She swayed toward him, exaggerating every seductive move and reveling in his eyes on her. "but poor little Dick Grayson can't put his arm around your cousin, in full view of all of Lowell County?"

"Right." Clark said, nearly dropping the football as Chloe came closer. "It's different, and you know it."

"Clark, come on." Chloe stopped, standing between Clark and the loft window. Clark sat forward, and put the football down, listening. "Don't you dare go down there."

"The talking stopped, Chloe. I have to." Clark rose, and Chloe ran back to the loft window.

"Look at this, Superman, and then start relaxing." Chloe pointed, as Kara and Dick re-emerged from the house, each putting earbuds in their ears to listen to music from Dick's mp3 player. "She's not in any danger. Besides, she can flatten him if he does try anything."

It was nearly nine when Clark came down from the loft with Chloe. Dick and Kara were still sitting on the porch, taking turns playing with a handheld video game Dick had brought with him. Chloe looked up at Clark with a playful pout, and Clark laughed, making Kara and Dick look up from the game. Dick stood, and offered Kara a hand to help her rise. It was an unconscious gesture, and Clark liked that the boy had manners enough to realize that he needed to let go of her hand when she was standing.

"Hi," Dick said, as Clark got close. "You're Clark. Your mom told me all about you before." They shook hands. "Neat trophy."

"Thanks. I've heard a lot about you too." Clark said. "It's getting dark. Do you want me to put your scooter in the back of my truck and drive you home?"

Dick and Kara looked at each other, and Dick nodded sadly. "I guess so. I can't believe it's almost nine already."

Martha came out to the porch. "Dick, why don't you call your parents and see if they'll let you stay a little longer? I'm sure Clark can bring you later." Clark grimaced, but his mother smiled beatifically at him, making Chloe giggle.

'Oh, I can stay until ten, Mrs. Kent." Dick said quickly. "If that's okay."

"Wonderful." Kara said, grinning up at Martha. "Thank you, Aunt Martha."

"Clark, Chloe.." Martha held the screen door open. "Pie?"

"Mrs. Kent, I would LOVE some pie." Chloe grinned, walking up the steps, her long skirt flouncing as she did. She gave Kara a small poke, which sent the girl closer to Dick, who put his arm around Kara to keep her from falling over. Clark eyed Dick fiercely, but the boy didn't budge. He was too busy smiling down at the girl in his arms. Clark walked past them and into the house,

"Chloe, you can't do that." Clark said, taking a plate of pie ala mode from his mother. "You're being a bad influence."

"Mrs. Kent, please help me remind your son of what he was like at 15. As I recall, he was mooning over one Lana Lang, dreaming of what Dick Grayson is lucky enough to be doing right now." Chloe turned to Martha, who nodded.

"Chloe's absolutely right, Clark. You need to back off a little. Kara's a smart girl. She can handle herself and Dick seems like a very nice boy." Martha handed Chloe a piece of pie and then cut one for herself. "Besides, it's not good for Kara to be with adults all the time. She needs to have friends."

At nine thirty, Clark loaded Dick's scooter on the back of his truck while the younger boy said goodnight. He didn't kiss Kara, Clark noted, but he did REALLY want to. Again, Clark felt a grudging respect for the kid. All the same, he tapped on the hood of the truck fairly loudly to draw attention to the fact that it was time to go.

"So, tomorrow, after school? You'll come by the fairgrounds and see me fly?" Dick asked, holding Kara's hand as they walked to the truck.

"Yes, I will. It sounds so exciting. Flying and everyone can see you." Kara replied, smiling. "I can't wait to see you."

"Me neither." Dick said, staring into Kara's eyes. Clark honked the horn, making both teens jump. "I'd better go. Is your cousin always this much of a grouch?"

"No, and it is most out of character." Kara said, frowning at Clark. She punched him, and Clark was actually shocked to feel that it did hurt a little, sort of a sting. "Usually he's very nice."

"Ow, Kara." Clark said, laughing in surprise as he held his upper arm and Kara stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, Dick, let's get you home."

"Right." Dick hopped into the truck, but leaned out to kiss Kara's cheek. "Night, Kara." He flashed a bright grin at her as the truck pulled away. "Boy, I'm glad I did that!"

Her hand fluttered to her cheek, and Kara's eyes grew very wide. "Night, Dick. See you tomorrow." She breathed, waving as they pulled away. When Clark turned onto the road, Kara hugged herself and spun in the yard, her feet rising off the ground.

"I guess Kara found her date for the dance." Martha said to Chloe, who was sipping a cup of coffee with her on the porch. Chloe laughed and set her mug down. "We'd better go dress shopping."