Lex brought his hand up to the door and was about to knock but stopped short. He listened again. It was early, but there was noise coming from the barn. Good.

He rapped his knuckles against the screen door frame three times. He always felt so odd when he knocked. Was there a debonair way to stand when someone answered the door? He rested his forearm against the doorframe and leaned against it. …Why didn't they have a doorbell anyway? …They must not get a lot of visitors out here. The farm wasn't exactly near anything.

He straightened and raised his hand to knock again when the wooded door behind the screen door swung open. Martha Kent smiled warmly from the other side, "Lex, what are you doing here?" She was drying her hands on a white and blue checkered dish towel.

"I know that it's early, but I was wondering if I could catch Clark," he said without preamble. The noises in the barn had quieted. He didn't fear Jonathon Kent, there was nothing to fear. But he deeply valued his friendship with Clark and staying on good terms with his father was a good idea. Lex had figured out that their relationship went much more smoothly when he didn't see the family patriarch very often. …However, there was a part of him that yearned for The Kents approval. He was only willing to admit that to himself after some – adult refreshment. Usually it was scotch or brandy, wine wasn't normally enough.

Her smile faded slightly, "I'm sorry, Lex, he left early this morning. Chloe needed some help with next week's Torch layout."

Lex couldn't help wonder what Martha Kent considered early. It was almost 7 am right now. He didn't even go to sleep last night. He didn't sleep very well normally, but Griffin had come to his mansion and told him that someone he – was friends with – was missing. And there was nothing he could do to find her. He also had a light queasy felling in the pit of his stomach, which was odd because he didn't get sick.

He nodded in understanding and glanced over his shoulder. He looked back to her and with a gesture asked, "What happened to your field?"

Martha Kent looked passed Lex with slightly widened eyes and a soft intake of breath. There was a field behind the barn; normally flat and grassy, but now had curled lines of sod with no definite pattern. She quickly put a comforting smile on her face, "Jonathon was testing out the tiller."

He looked at her for a moment, thinking that tillers didn't make random grooves like that. But then, what did he know about farming anyway? "Maybe I'll try to catch him there then, thank you," Lex started to turn to walk away. He felt guilty about making her stand in the door. It was getting colder outside as November came nearer to an end.

"Would you like to come inside, I made breakfast," she offered politely.

Of course you did, Lex thought. "I already had something, thank you," the thought of eating made his already upset stomach turn. Any other time he would have said yes. He always wanted a dinner invitation, but this was a step in the right direction. She probably had a pound of greasy bacon or sausage in there… Ugh, he swallowed hard.

He started for his car. Should he have mentioned the purpose of his visit to Mrs. Kent? He was going to ask Clark if he had heard anything from Rhone. She had seen him that night. They also spoke on the phone occasionally… And that was obviously information that he didn't have. What if he found out something and couldn't tell Griffin? He had started his own search for Rhone but needless to say it had come up with absolutely nothing. His face became sour as he reached for the handle of his car door.

XXXXX

"Lana, you're here early," Clark walked into an empty Talon. He told his parents he was going to school to help Chloe – and he was, just not directly there. He was just going to grab some coffee. That wasn't lying; it was just a – detour.

"One of the girls overslept," Lana sighed as she filled a napkin dispenser.

Clark sat on one of the stools on the other side of the counter and gave her an imploring look.

Lana smiled softly and Clark wondered if, despite his super strength, he could get off of this stool under his own free will.

XXXXX

"Where is Clark!" Chloe angrily snapped at her computer. She looked around innocently to make sure that no one else was in the room. She was alone. Good, no one really needed to see or hear that little outburst – especially the subject of the outburst. He was always late. She checked the time again and exhaled loudly.

Maybe she should have asked Pete to help her instead. She had asked him to in the past, but he never wanted to get up more than a second before he had to. And seeing as it was Friday and classes had been canceled for two extra days for a teacher conference involving training for fire emergencies, the school was deserted. She couldn't really blame Pete that much; even she had fully celebrated the preceding day off by doing nothing.

She shook her head to herself; you have to make sacrifices for good journalism. She looked to the door again, empty. Obviously, she was the only one that felt that way.

She refocused her attention on her computer and the article she was writing about a minor car accident. She nodded her head once in a definitive manner.

…

A door closed somewhere. Chloe furrowed her brow as she sipped her coffee and stood slowly. She straightened her long skirt with her free hand as she walked to the half closed door. When she reached the door she peaked around the corner.

…Nothing. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. She was about to walk back to her desk when she heard another noise that she couldn't identify – a rustling. She walked out of the door and into the empty hall. For the first time, she noticed a very odd, faint smell. She smelled the coffee in her hand and smelled the air around her again in hopes to more easily identify it from contrast. Her eyebrows knitted and she began to walk down the hall.

XXXXX

Lex unbuttoned his trench coat as he walked down the abandoned hallway towards The Torch office. He saw Chloe's car in the parking lot – the only other car in the parking lot – so he was slightly perplexed at the empty office when he got there. He was debating whether or not to stay and wait for Clark – he was coming if he told his parents that is what he was doing – or if he should just try later.

He looked at the watch Rhone had given him – Friday – and decided that maybe he should shake up Claire by showing up early. The thought of slight vengeance brought a smirk to his lips.

He started to walk out when it hit him – the smell. …Rhone. It smelled like her but on her it was so faint that you couldn't smell it unless she was – close. Lex took a deep breath. He turned and walked down the hallway, towards the smell. It was getting stronger and he was putting a fair amount of effort into identifying it. He still had not been able to pinpoint the association he made with her scent.

He was directly in front of a glass trophy case when his foot hit something. He looked down and saw a disposable coffee cup from The Talon and a puddle of dark fluid that his Italian loafer was resting in. He sighed.

Suddenly, he got a strong whiff of the smell he had been following. He straightened instantly – he remembered. It came to him like the sun's first glimmers over the horizon and in that second, the day starts.