By this stage of my life I've kind of come to expect the unexpected. When you find out you're an alien, your home planet was destroyed and you were sent to Earth perhaps to conquer it, little things doesn't exactly catch you by surprise. Even so, Alicia Baker wasn't someone I had ever thought to hear from again. It had been a long time since I'd even thought about her.

I never forgot about her through high school. Even that night at the prom, I spared a thought for Alicia. I suppose that sounds horribly pitying, but I sincerely wished she could have been there. Not, of course, as I had known her in the end… that would have complicated an already overcomplicated prom night. But I always thought there was another side to Alicia, one that had somehow been shared with me and me alone. I don't think the girl I went on that date with, who lay on top of me in my bed one night, was a total fabrication. It's always been my belief that that girl is a lot closer to the real Alicia Baker than the one who used Kryptonite on me and tried to kill Lana. The prom was a wonderful night (all things considered), and she deserved to have a part of it. I guess it comes from being friends with two girls for so long… you come to understand that every girl should have her prom night.

Alicia wasn't well back then though. She was lonely, something I could certainly relate to, but she'd also been infected by the same thing she used against me. My family and I were able to get used to my abilities gradually, while hers happened overnight. It was me who brought the meteor rocks to Smallville, and I can't help but feel that they stole Alicia's sanity away much as they stole the life of Lana Lang's parents. I also can't help but feel partly responsible, no matter how much my father tries to convince me otherwise.

Two orderlies escorted me through the institute. I have to say the place was a step-up from Bellreeve; this was a place that offered at least a few home comforts. I could see various bookshelves lining the walls, though most of the patients I saw were currently gathered round watching the television. Not Alicia; she was sitting on a chair, a book in her lap, engaged in conversation with a man about my age. She stopped when she saw me, and as she turned and smiled at me I once again failed to expect the unexpected. My heart skipped a beat.

"Clark, I'm so glad you could make it," she said, totally forgetting the other guy and letting the book drop to the floor. I kind of smiled lamely at her (although compared to Alicia's most smiles would have looked pretty lame; she has a smile to die for) and she wrapped her arms around my neck in an embrace. She leaned her face close into mine and I could feel her breasts pressing against my chest… then the orderlies pulled us apart.

"I got your message."

Her eyes were locked onto my face; feeling more was expected from me, I said the first thing that came into my head.

"So, Chloe says you're doing a lot better."

I realised immediately what a stupid thing this was to say. I'd gotten Chloe to look at Alicia's medical file before coming to see her. If she was still ill, my coming here would have been the last thing she needed. Unfortunately this was also a breach of Alicia's privacy, and I'd just let her know how badly I'd pried. The fact that she was now looking at the floor told me she wasn't thrilled.

"There's a room down the hall where we can talk, Clark," she said, shyly pushing her hair back from her head. She also managed a small smile, a mere echo of the one earlier, to let me know she wasn't completely furious with what I'd done.

The orderlies followed us as we went. There probably wasn't much here that went on without them seeing. I went into the room after Alicia, who took a seat on a sofa. I'd forgotten how truly stunning she looked. For such a long time I'd only ever had eyes for Lana… Alicia was the only other girl I ever truly… well, I suppose 'desired' is the right word.

I was loathe to take my eyes off of her, but I figured I'd better check the room to see how private our conversation was going to be. A quick scan of the room with X-ray vision told me it was clean, so I wouldn't have to worry about Alicia slipping my powers into the discussion. I wondered then if she'd mentioned them to anyone else. One of the orderlies stayed in the room with us, but he was too far away to hear what we were saying if we kept our voices low.

"Look, Alicia I'm sorry…"

"It's all right, really. Actually, I suppose I'd have more reason to be mad if you hadn't checked up on me. I'm taking a big risk seeing you as it is. The doctors were dead against it, in case there's any set-backs. They've been talking about letting me go in the next few weeks."

I could see how happy Alicia was at the thought of getting back out into the world again. There was something else I saw though; I think she was also a little scared as well.

"That's great news. Your parents must be thrilled," I said.

"They don't even know about it yet," she said quietly.

"Why not?"

"I kind of stopped them from coming to visit. I didn't want them to see me until I was cured. Also… I so ashamed of what I did to them. You don't know what it was like, Clark…"

I put my arm around her shoulders then, ignoring the glance from the orderly.

"You're blaming yourself for things no-one else blames you for."

"Yeah, right, I'm sure everyone's going to be fine with the crazy teleporting girl on the loose again. I'm sure no-one's going to hold me responsible."

"Not the people who matter. I don't blame you, for one. Your parents don't either." I rubbed her shoulder gently in what I hoped was a reassuring move.

"You spoke to my parents?"

"Yeah, I spoke to them a little while after… after what happened. They just wanted you to get better Alicia. They just want you to be happy."

I saw her eyes light up a little, and I moved my arm away. Not that I really wanted to; it felt good to hold Alicia. I couldn't help but notice her eyes follow my arm as if she were going to grab it and put it right back where it was. We fell silent for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence. I still wasn't sure why she had asked me here, but I was already glad I'd come.

"Is that why you wanted to see me? Because you're getting out soon?" I asked.

"Not exactly," she said. "Like I said, the doctors didn't want me to see you. It took a lot of effort to convince them."

"This won't affect your release, will it? I mean I don't want to do anything to jeopardise…"

"No, it's all right. Basically, I told them that I needed to apologize to you for what I'd done so I could move on from it. I guess that's not a complete lie either. I really am sorry."

I took her hand in mine, not caring that the orderly probably thought I was trying to pass her something.

"I told you: it's not your fault." She nodded. I knew she believed what I was saying, but some part of her just couldn't push that guilt away. Just like me with the day of the meteor shower.

That's when she told me what was going on, who that man in the other room was. The way she told the story was a little jumbled, but I didn't interrupt. I had some questions, but those could wait. Because one thing was very certain in my mind, and it was the only thing that mattered. This guy wasn't going to be hurting her.

Alicia Baker was under my protection.