Sorry it's taken so long to update (I usually pride myself on doing it every week) but changes in work schedule and routine messed me up and derailed my train of thought for a while.

And the 100th episode of Smallville (Reckoning) didn't help either. How Clark kept from killing (or at least pounding the snot out of) Lex I'll never know.

Rest In Peace, Jonathan Kent. Bet you're all glad this is an ALTERNATE universe.

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

Chapter 4

"Beauty and the Beast"

"Let me get this straight," said Jonathan Kent, not sure he'd heard his son correctly, "you want to invite the son of a world-class super villain here…the same kid who nearly burned down the cafeteria and fought with you TWICE…to stay here and go to the Fall Festival in town this weekend?"

"No," replied Clark, "I want to invite my friend and Save the Citizen partner to stay for the weekend and go to the Fall Festival."

"Son," said Jonathan, "no."

"Come on Dad," said Clark, "Warren's not a bad guy. He's had to live down a lot of what his father has done…his FATHER, not him."

"You make the same argument for Lex."

"Warren ISN'T Lex, Dad. Sure, I wonder about some of the stuff Lex has done, but I've checked on Warren's background. Did you know he'd NEVER been in detention until I fought with him? I don't think he had any friends until we won Save the Citizen to save the sidekicks from Lash and Speed. Now they all follow him around like he's their savior and I really think it's helped him a lot."

"John," said Martha, "what harm can there be in having him stay the weekend? He's probably been cooped up in the city his whole life and I trust Clark's judgment on this. Besides, I was able to look up some of the stories about his mother when she was still an active heroine, and a woman like that is sure to have raised a decent son."

"Even if she had bad taste in a husband?" he replied.

"Now you sound like MY father," Martha smiled, "talking about me and my choice."

"Alright," said Jonathan, holding up his hands in surrender, "you two win. He can stay here while the Festival's on. I'll just make sure our fire insurance is up to date." He said the last part with a grin and a wink.

It had actually taken a LOT of convincing from Clark to get Warren to come for the Festival. At first he had been totally against it, but Clark finally wore him down.

That Friday afternoon the bus from Sky High pulled up and dropped off Clark and Warren…at least it was supposed to be Warren. Clark was still not sure even after the long bus ride.

The young man was the same height and build as Warren, but his long black hair with red streaks had been pulled back into a ponytail, revealing a handsome face. His usual leather jacket, sleeveless t-shirt and blue jeans were in his backpack as he wore a nice dress shirt and dark jacket that matched the slacks he wore. His beat up tennis shoes were replaced with polished black dress shoes, but the wildest thing was that he was wearing glasses. They were not prescription glasses, just black frames with glass lenses, but they made Warren look like a young business executive or a college freshman for an Ivy League school instead of the fireball throwing tough guy Clark knew him as.

When Clark asked him about the transformation Warren had a good answer.

"Dude, my dad is Baron Battle, not Sabretooth. I know how to dress up to make a good first impression. Besides, it was my mom's idea."

Warren looked about the farm as they approached the house, taking in the sights and smelling the clean country air.

"Yeah," muttered Warren with a grin, "I hate this place already."

"I knew you would," Clark smiled back as they entered the house.

Not far away, in one of the hollows in the woods, lurked a thing of horror. Known as Solomon Grundy, the monster hid from the daylight that seemed to weaken him, driving out the green energy that had revived him at the bottom of Crater Lake many nights ago. Only when darkness came could Grundy stalk the countryside, staying out of sight and planning his horrific revenge on the people of the town who had driven him into the swamp to die. Grundy was not sure what had happened to him after that, all that he knew was that he was awake, stronger than ever, and he knew tomorrow night would be the Fall Festival where the entire town would be…and where he would strike.
After Clark had introduced Warren to his parents the two boys went upstairs to Clark's room where he insisted Warren take his bed while he would sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. Once there Warren took off the glasses and unbuttoned the shirt like it was choking him to death.

The way Warren had acted around his parents Clark was positive he'd brought the wrong guy home. He had been very polite and soft-spoken, constantly fiddling with his glasses and acting like a shy bookworm instead of a fiery powerhouse. It was only when Warren undid the cuff buttons and Clark saw the flames tattooed on his wrists that he knew it was Warren.

"What was that down there," Clark said, puzzled, "you came across as a real geek…not that there's anything wrong with it. It's just…not you."

"Think so?" said Warren, "I'm trying out an alter-ego type thing so I don't have to run around with a mask or in a pair of tights. That's just not me."

Clark picked up the glasses and looked through them.

"I'd have never thought of that," said Clark, "besides, the girls at school may think differently the way they cheer you in Save the Citizen."

"That's as close to tights as I'm EVER getting," said Warren, "period."

"Clark," Martha called from downstairs, "once Warren gets settled why don't you take him into town for a while and show him around. I'll have dinner ready when you get back."

"Okay Mom," Clark replied.

"And tell Warren it's okay for him to dress like he NORMALLY does. He's among friends here," said Martha.

Both boys sat stunned for a moment.

"So much for your disguise," grinned Clark.

"She's a MOM," said Warren as he started changing into his normal clothes, "they know EVERYTHING."

An hour later Clark and Warren were walking down the main street of Smallville, looking at all the last minute preparations being made for the Festival the next day. Warren was surprised at how everyone seemed so open and friendly, even to him…a stranger. Back in Maxville he was used to people avoiding eye contact or even going across a street to stay out of his way because he was a big teenager who looked dangerous. How would these people react if they knew who he was, what his power and heritage was?

"Clark," they heard someone yell, "hey, Clark!"

Clark smiled as he recognized the voice. He was hoping he'd run into her before everything went crazy for the festival in the next few hours, and here she was now.

"Hi Lana," said Clark, glad to see his childhood sweetheart/friend for the first time in days.

Warren turned, ready to give his usual sullen nod for a greeting until he saw the beautiful young woman Clark was talking to. Warren wasn't sure, but he thought his heart skipped a beat at the sight of the dark haired beauty with the most gorgeous almond shaped eyes he had ever seen.

"Lana, this is my friend Warren Peace from school, he's here for the Festival. Warren, this is my…best friend Lana Lang."

"Hey," said Warren, trying to maintain his fast fading cool as Lana rattled him more with a dazzling smile revealing dimples that should have been rated as "lethal". Warren had been calling Clark "stupid" since day one, and now that he saw this breath-taking beauty that Clark referred to as his "best friend", Warren was thinking Clark HAD to be stupid somehow.

"Warren Peace? That's a very unusual name," said Lana, "I like it."

Clark couldn't help but notice the sparks almost literally flying between Lana and Warren, and for a moment felt a twinge of jealousy until he remembered how he had been getting friendly with Layla back at Sky High.

"Lana, could you do me a favor and show Warren around? I just remembered a couple of things I need to get done before tomorrow night."

"Sure Clark," said Lana, "why don't you meet up with us at the Talon later?"

"The Talon," said Warren, "that sounds kind of ominous."

"It's just the coffee shop I run," grinned Lana, "you make it sound like a place where the Red Skull and Baron Battle meet and play chess."

Warren shot Clark a quick look, and Clark could only shrug his shoulders. How could Lana know she was actually talking to the son of Baron Battle?

"Come on Warren," said Lana, "let me show you the sights…then we'll get some of the best espresso in town."

Lana slipped her arm around Warren's and began leading him away, and he gave Clark a quick grin as they started down the street.

Clark didn't know what to think. Was Lana doing this to get back him? He realized he hadn't seen much of her since he had started going to Sky High, but he remembered how sad she seemed when he first told her what he was doing. Though he had promised her they would still spend as much time together as before, he found that it was a promise he hadn't been keeping very well. He had also not had much time with Pete, Chloe and even Lex, who he actually had not spoken to since he told him he was going to a "private school" that Lex had never heard of. Now that he had Warren here, Clark really wanted to see Lex and introduce the two of them. He knew that if either one needed a kindred spirit, they would find it with each other. He then started walking down the street, trying to make the most of the opportunity to think.

As twilight settled across the land, Solomon Grundy began moving about, feeling his strength returning as the sun went down. Once it started dipping beneath the horizon he lumbered out of his hiding place, his mind consumed with thoughts of vengeance. He had originally wanted to wait until the next night to attack the town, but he could not wait any longer. Patience was never a virtue when there was destruction to cause and people to maim.
Warren was only half-listening to Lana as he looked at her, totally entranced. No wonder Clark had never talked about her at school…she could match the most beautiful girls at Sky High, even putting Gwen Grayson to shame.

"Here we are," said Lana, leading Warren into the Talon. We was actually surprised how modern looking the place was, especially in contrast to the Middle America look of the outside. He also noticed it was a madhouse of activity as both locals and tourists were jamming the place for a bite to eat or some fancy coffee of one kind or another.

Lana led him through the crowd to the back, to find that there was trouble with the gas oven again. The pilot light refused to ignite, nobody could find any matches, and they couldn't handle the orders that were swiftly backing up.

"Here," said Warren, "let me take a look…I'm good with these things."

Once everyone went back to work and Warren was sure no one was looking, he ignited his finger and touched off the burners, instantly starting all of them.

"There you go," he grinned to Lana.

"Oh," she smiled, "you're just like Clark."

"Like Clark?" Warren felt his heart skip again, but not in a good way.

"Yeah," she said, "one of those guys that just knows how to make things work."

Warren breathed again, and then noticed how short-handed the place was.

"Here," he said, "let me help." He quickly took off his jacket and threw it on a hook by the door as he put on an apron and tied his hair back in almost one fluid motion.

"I bus tables at my job, so this is no big."

Lana was extremely grateful to Warren, especially when she saw his muscular arms revealed by his sleeveless t-shirt. Warren grabbed a tub and started bussing the tables.

More than a few of the female customers noticed the new busboy hunk, amongst them was Chloe, who stepped into the door and saw Warren hard at work. She then made a beeline for Lana.

"So," she grinned, "who's the romance novel cover boy?"

"Warren," answered Lana, "he's Clark's friend from his new school."

"Wow," said Chloe, "maybe I should put in for a transfer."

Lana could only nod her head in agreement.

Clark used the opportunity to be alone for a chance to walk the streets of his hometown and think. This place was almost literally a world away from Sky High, yet there were so many similarities, not the least of which were the super beings he had encountered. How many of the teen "meteor freaks" he had encountered could have benefited from going to the school…at least those few that retained their humanity. If a means to help them control their powers had existed, would they try to become heroes or simply more bullies like Lash and Speed?

He also thought about Layla, the nature-loving redhead he was becoming more and more attracted to. She was supposedly with Will Stronghold, but he treated her more like a buddy or sister than a girlfriend. Clark still had feelings for Lana, but Layla KNEW Clark had powers, and so did she…though no one really seemed to know what they were.

There was something about Layla that reminded him of his home…was it her personality? Kind and thoughtful with a deep appreciation for the earth and everything on it, she was a vegetarian, but didn't ram it down anyone else's throat. Layla had told him how her mother could talk to animals, and Clark wondered if she could as well. How would that go over in a farm and ranch community?

Why had he just thought of Layla here in Smallville? She was from the city…what could she find here that would interest her? Something about her did seem like she would be very comfortable here in the country though…maybe living on a farm, albeit an organic one, with a house full of kids…

Clark shook himself. Where had THAT come from?

That was when he heard the crash and explosion. Clark took off in the direction of the noise and saw something that froze his blood.

A tanker truck was lodged into the side of one of the smaller buildings, where it had ruptured and now the entire building was on fire. Luckily there was no one inside, and the people in the street had wisely gotten back. At super speed Clark circled around to the other side of the building to see that no one else was around, except for one strange figure. Clark could not make out who it was because of the fire raging behind him.

Before him stood probably the largest man Clark had ever seen…at least it looked like a man. He towered over anyone Clark had ever met, and looked like something out of a horror movie. The "man's" ratty hair and shriveled skin was a ghostly white in color, and the eyes were sunken in and had a sinister green glow Clark was all too familiar with. His clothes were dark and dirty in color, possibly an old prisoner's uniform. If Clark didn't know better, he could swear he was looking at some kind of giant zombie.

"A…nice…little…fire," grumbled the thing as it reached for Clark, "and…something…tasty…to…cook…over…it."

Clark then charged into the monster, trying to tackle him, but the moment he made contact a strange weakness shot through his body…again something he had experienced before, but there was none of the jarring pain. He tried in vain to push the monster back like a tackling sled, but it was useless. Even if his strength wasn't being sapped, his opponent was monstrously powerful, possibly even a match for him.

Clark then found the monster's huge hands grabbing him underneath his chest and lifting him effortlessly into the air. There was a moment of vertigo as he felt himself being flipped over in mid-air then slammed back down into the street onto his back. The air was driven from his lungs and he was stunned, realizing that he had just been the victim of a move he had seen on tv watching the WWE when he was young…a vicious power bomb that drove him several inches into the street.

"You…are…strong…boy," said the hideous creature in a gravelly voice, "but…no…one…is…stronger…than…Solomon…Grundy."

Clark's eyes went wide at the revelation. Was this really the legendary boogieman of Slaughter Swamp? A quick look with his x-ray vision revealed that the heart in the body, in fact all of the internal organs, were atrophied and inactive, yet somehow this…thing was moving and lashing out in a vicious, violent way. He also saw the faint green glow throughout it. Somehow Solomon Grundy had been reanimated by one of the damned meteor rocks that had plagued Clark from the beginning. That also explained the strange weakness he experienced in contact with the monster.

Clark shot out of the way just as Grundy brought his massive fists down, nearly crushing him as they instead smashed into the pavement, crushing it to powder.

Clark stopped for a moment, remembering some of the lessons he had learned in Sky High. First, lure an enemy, especially a rampaging monster, away from any and all citizens, preferably to a place where no one would get hurt. It made sense, and it was something Clark had had experience with anyway.

Suddenly the building began to crumble, and Clark rushed to get out of the way as it fell over, completely blocking the street. Unfortunately it had also missed Grundy, who strangely seemed unnoticing and unharmed by the few burning embers that landed on him and started his clothes smoldering as he grinned menacingly at Clark again.

As long as the burning wreckage was between Grundy and the fleeing people, Clark knew he would not be seen but still wanted to get the monster out of town before he continued his rampage.

Clark also knew he needed help, and that Grundy seemed slow enough so that he had a little time before the monster could find anyone to harm. Clark headed for the Talon at top speed, arriving there in a heartbeat. He slowed and ran in at normal speed to see everyone watching the huge plasma screen tv as news reports were coming in about what was going on up the street.

Clark spotted Warren, and got to him to quickly tell him what was going on.

"Do you guys USUALLY have stuff like this going on? I thought Maxville got wild on Friday nights."

"A lot of it goes on behind the scenes," said Clark, "I've never fought one of these meteor beings who just came out and attacked in the open…then again I've never fought a zombie before either."

Warren ran into the kitchen to lose the apron and grab his jacket when he saw Lana looking at Clark.

"Uh, sorry Lana," said Warren, "but….Clark had something come up and I've got to go with him. You just stay here where it's safe and we'll get back as soon as we can."

Lana nodded her head. She was used to Clark pulling this kind of stuff, and apparently Warren was the same way. Why couldn't she just find a nice guy without all the mystery…or maybe the mystery was what drew her to them. She really wished Chloe hadn't run out the moment the news broke to find out what was going on, but she was a natural nosey reporter.

Back outside, Clark and Warren were ready to take off when a car came flying through the air and slammed down near them. Both turned to see Grundy lumbering down the street towards them. From the looks of the devastation behind him the monster had not bothered to move around anything as he followed after Clark, instead smashing through everything in his path be it parked cars, power lines or even buildings.

"Just get going," Warren said to Clark, "you've got a better chance at putting out the fires…I cause them, remember? I'll take care of the "Resident Evil" reject over there."

Clark nodded and disappeared in a flash. Once back at the site of the burning building he used his super speed as Speed had done to Warren during Save the Citizen a couple of weeks ago; he raced around the fire, creating a vacuum that sucked away all the oxygen, and in seconds the flames flickered and died.

When he heard sirens Clark realized he had to provide what help he could with the damaged power lines and other fires started from Grundy's path of destruction and then hurry back to help Warren against the monster.

Warren stood out on the deserted street just as he saw Lana running towards him.

"What are YOU doing out here?" he asked, "you've got to get inside before…"

Another car came flying through the air, landing mere feet away from them, and Lana froze as she saw the lumbering form of Solomon Grundy bearing down slowly, but unstoppably towards them.

Warren knew he had to get her to safety without revealing his powers, so he grabbed Lana and they hurried into a nearby alley. Unfortunately it was a dead end, the other way having been sealed up with a brick wall. They started to turn around just as they saw Grundy standing in the entrance, glaring and grinning at them before he started towards them.

"Get back down there," said Warren, pointing to the wall at the far end, "and no matter what happens, stay there! Understand?"

"I won't leave you," she said defiantly.

Warren smiled for a brief instant. All that beauty and brave too. If they got out of this alive, he was going to make a point of getting to know Lana better. That is if she would even talk to him once she found out about him.

"Don't worry about me," he said, "I've got a little surprise for big ugly there."

Lana did as she was told, though she desperately wanted to stay with this brave young man.

As Grundy got closer, Warren let the fire within in him come to the surface, and both hands burst into flame, drawing a startled gasp from Lana and a look of puzzlement from Grundy. Warren allowed himself a momentary smile as he knew that, for once, he did not have to hold back. This thing wasn't alive, so that meant the rules didn't apply.

Raising his hands, Warren hurled a massive fireball at Grundy; the monster had no way to dodge in the alley, and he took a direct hit. His clothes caught on fire, as did his thin hair.

But he kept coming.

Warren hurled fireball after fireball at the lumbering monster that, though on fire, continued on, intent on killing more than anything else.

Warren gave in to the rage seething in him. The thought of this horror getting its hands on Lana was too much, and he literally exploded in flames. Roaring like a lion, Warren charged and slammed into Grundy, trying to get in as close as he could so the brute couldn't reach him. Warren's flames were as bright as the sun, lighting up the alley so Lana saw everything that was happening. The light also began weakening Grundy, driving out the green energy empowering him. He started desperately trying to get away from Warren, but couldn't pull him off.

Warren roared again, and his flames totally engulfed Grundy, burning into him. The swamp liquid that had preserved his mummified tissues was boiling away, exploding in clouds of foul smelling steam and leaving the rupturing body to dehydrate and finally burn. The last of the green energy left the body and Grundy began to slump forward on top of Warren, but he still did not relent as he held the unmoving thing.

Suddenly the weight began to lessen, as Warren now knew that the body was being reduced to ashes and bone. With a shove he threw the hideous thing down onto the alley floor and saw it did not seem to resemble a human being anymore.

Warren turned from the pyre and saw Lana had gotten to her feet; tears streaming down her face as she looked at Warren like a wounded deer. Warren felt his stomach doing flip-flops as the adrenaline rush of his victory was destroyed by the fact that Lana had seen the whole thing.

Extinguishing his body's own flames, Warren held his hands up to Lana and took a step towards her.

"Easy Lana," he whispered, not wanting to scare her any worse, "it's okay…he's gone. Don't worry…I'm not going to hurt you…"

That was as far as he got when Lana bolted, running towards the alley entrance. Warren didn't want to let her go, he couldn't let her tell everyone about him and his powers, but he also didn't want to scare her worse. His heart dropped at the thought of ANOTHER decent person in the world scared of him, and he decided to let her go. He stepped aside to give her room to pass.

Lana instead ran right to Warren, slamming into him with quite the impact for such a small girl. She wrapped her arms around him as best she could and buried her sobbing face into his broad chest.

At first Warren didn't know what to do, then he put his arms around her and held her, marveling at how her soft, trembling form seemed to fit perfectly with his own hard, muscular body. He smelled her hair that carried the aroma of fresh ground coffee, cinnamon and a hint of perfume.

"It's okay," he whispered to her, "you're safe."

This was FAR better than saving a plastic dummy from an oversized garbage disposal.

This part of rescuing should definitely be covered in school.

Lana started to calm down, and looked up at Warren with tear filled eyes and an expression of happiness on her face at the same time.

Their eyes locked. The spark from earlier quickly grew in intensity for both of them, and they moved closer until their breaths were merging into one. They held there only for a moment, and then they kissed, deeply and passionately. It seemed to last a lifetime for both of them, but then they finally stopped to look into each other's eyes.

"Thank God," she finally whispered, "you're one of the good supers…like Clark."

To be continued

Next:

WHAT? How does Lana KNOW Clark is a super? And Warren meets another of Clark's friends who knows Warren's secret, but isn't as nice as Lana…a man named Lex Luthor.