Walking into the house everyone took a seat in the living room of the small farm house. Martha handed out glasses of lemonade to them. Jonathan walked down the stairs and stared at Lex. "Lex called in an expert from Metropolis." Martha said. "They should be here within the hour." Lex added. Jonathan looked at his wife and nodded. "I'm going over to the Myers." He said walking out the door. Lex sighed and set down his glass. "I'm going to survey the damage." He said getting up. Vivian followed him. "Clark, call me if anything new arises." He said. Clark nodded. Lex nodded a farewell to Martha as he walked out of the house. She watched Lex and Vivian drive away. "Why does dad have to make him so uncomfortable?" Clark asked. "He was only trying to help." He added. "You're father is a bit upset Clark. He didn't mean to make Lex feel awkward." Martha protested. Chloe stood up. "I have to get to the Torch. I have to put the finishing touches on tomorrow's issue." She said. Lana nodded following Chloe's lead. "Call me okay Clark?" Chloe said. He nodded as he stared into his lemonade. "Bye Mrs. Kent." Lana said. "Bye." Chloe added. "See you later girls." Martha replied. Clark set his glass down and walked out the porch door. "Clark?" Martha asked following him. Clark stopped and looked behind him at his mother. "You're father didn't mean for Lex to leave." She said. "I know." Clark replied. He smiled at her then walked to the barn.
Clark climbed the stairs to the loft that his father named his Fortress of Solitude. Flopping down on the couch he picked up a book that sat on the small coffee table. "Hey Clark." Clark looked over with surprise. Vivian was walking up the stairs with a smile. "Hey." He said with confusion. "Lex went in to talk to your mom." She said. Clark nodded and relaxed as she walked up and sat in his desk chair across from him. Vivian pushed the chair closer to the coffee table and spun it. "Why do you hide up here?" she asked still spinning. Clark shrugged. "I'm not really hiding. Anyone can find me." He said flipping through the pages. Vivian stopped the chair and walked over to the telescope. "You seem uncomfortable in your skin Clark." She said looking through it. Clark looked at her with confusion. "Especially around your friends." She added standing up and leaning on the loft doors. "I don't know what you are talking about." Clark said. She nodded and walked back to the chair; sitting down she spun. "I think you're afraid to tell them something." She said spinning herself faster. "Something that you think will make them look at you differently." She said. "I don't know what you mean." Clark said shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Vivian stopped the chair suddenly and stared at Clark. "Or maybe it's just that you like Lana." She said standing up. "I really can't be sure. I don't know you very well." She said walking towards the stairs. She sat on the railing and looked over the loft and barn. "This really is a pretty cool hide out." She said. "Clark?" Lex's voice rang from below. "We're up here." Vivian answered. Lex walked up the stairs. "My crew is here looking over you fields. They are going to take some samples and analyze them back at the plant." He said. "Thanks Lex." Clark said. "What were you guys talking about? I can cut the tension with a knife." Lex asked. "Clark has a secret crush." Vivian said with a smile. "On Lana Lang. We all know." Lex said. "He's just to shy to do anything about it." Lex said. Vivian smiled at Clark who looked at her with suspicion. "We have to go Clark." Lex said. "We're meeting with some people at the Manor in a half hour. Call me if anything happens." Lex said taking Vivian's hand. "I will." Clark replied as they descended the stairs. He rose and walked to the open loft door and watched them drive away before sitting back on the couch and thinking over his conversation with Vivian. Was he that transparent? Did his friends already know he was hiding something? Clark shook it off and walked back down to the house to help his mother with dinner.