Clark hadn't quite mastered a graceful takeoff from the ground and wasn't really comfortable enough with the Kents to ask if he could jump off their roof, so he was finishing giving the cows an "I'm the boss of you" look in case they decided to try jailbreak again when a car pulled up.
He felt an idiotic grin spread over his face as the driver got out and ran towards them. "I got it! I got the column!" It was the girl at the newspaper, Chloe. Her hair had had been fluffier before, touching it would have been a bit like touching a dandelion, but now it was smoother and silkier. He liked that just fine, too. Her smile was just the same and that was even better than fine with him.
"Chloe! I'm so proud of you!" Mrs. Kent hugged her and Mr. Kent was smiling as he punched her lightly on the shoulder. Clark shifted his weight from foot to foot and then realized she was looking at him. *Okay, feet, move. Right, then left. You got it.*
"Well, hi! I never expected to run into you again." She was looking up at him like seeing him was a good thing. "I didn't know you know the Kents?"
It was very definitely a question. "I'm a neighbor of a relative of Mrs. Kent's. I, uh, just dropped by."
"I met Clark on a newspaper tour in Gotham City," Chloe explained.*Okay, legs, stay steady. The brain is the only part that needs to process that she remembered your name.*
"I didn't think you'd remember me." *Way to go, Luth..Kent, that's the way to impress her.* "I mean, I know I did, remember you, that is, but..." He gave up on talking and tried to referee the debate going on in his head. One group of brain cells was telling him that he pulled people out of burning buildings and didn't get scared, he could ask her out for coffee, just to celebrate. Another group was snorting at those cells and saying that yeah, it's not like the people in the building burning would have turned him down and she would. She probably has a boyfriend already and a line around the block if there's ever a vacancy in that department. A third group was telling him not to listen to either, that he couldn't exactly stroll down the streets of Smallville without a lot of people thinking that he looked like Clark Luthor, but the group that had the final word was the one that said that he was wearing glasses, his hair was lighter, Alfred had taught him about walking differently, saying that it was how you walked that gave away a disguise more often than not, and that it's not like he spent that much time downtown anyway when he was in Smallville and he should say something before she decided he'd forgotten how to talk. "If, uh, you don't have anything planned, uh, maybe if there's a coffee place or someplace, we could celebrate a bit?"
She looked at him as though he were a *really* nice present somebody gave her, grinned again, and said, "Coffee? I haven't had any in an hour, so I'm way overdue." Mrs. Kent was pursing her lips a bit like she saw how nervous he was but wasn't really laughing at him. Not quite with him because he hadn't been laughing, but like she'd been there, done that, and knew what it was like. "I'm also proud to say that this is about the only Starbucks-free town I know." She hugged Mrs. Kent again, "You didn't even say 'I told you so,'" and looked a bit surprised when Clark got to the car door before she did and opened it.
When he got to the other side, he looked over at the Kents. "I'll let you know when I catch up with him," and waved before getting in.
"So you're all Kents but not related, right?"
"Yeah. Kind of a coincidence but not really, it's not a rare name, I guess."
"In this town, there *are* no coincidences. It's all one conglomerate of weirdness, centered right here. Mutants, Greek drama mysteries, people going whacko, but no coincidences."
Okay. Mutants he got. People going whacko he got. "Greek drama mysteries?"
"Oh, yeah, two of the Luthor family lived here for a while, the two sons." She looked right at him, which scared him for a bit until he realized she was just being dramatic. "You know about the Luthors, right?"
"Kinda."
"The Greek drama bit is that the younger brother, Clark, had an accident and a friend and I found him. I went to get help and found the older brother, Lex." Clark blinked. He didn't remember having an accident and meeting her. "Lex took him away and next thing you know, Clark and the dad are both dead."
"Oh. What do you think happened?"
She shrugged and Clark was momentarily distracted. "Dunno. Some people said that Lex was a nice enough guy, just weird. Kind of like the castle ghost found a body and wasn't quite sure what to do with it for a long time. But then, he's really doing a lot to help Gotham City, so I think if there's something weird, it's not like he killed them off." Clark was still trying to take all this in when his phone rang.
"Sorry." He checked the display, the call was from Gotham. That must mean the phone system was just about back up and it was probably Lex, about to start a lifetime of getting it rubbed in that Mr. Leave Word with Somebody didn't. "Hey."
It was Alfred. "Master Clark?" He sounded worried.
"What is it?"
"If you're in a position to return immediately, it would be wise to do so." Clark performed the mental translation into "Get your ass back here NOW."
"Sure, but what's..."
"It appears that your brother has switched loyalties."
AN: I'm going to be out of town until about the end of the month, probably only access to email, so if I'm not posting for a while, that's why! I shouldha known the Muse would come back with a cliffhanger just for the occasion...
He felt an idiotic grin spread over his face as the driver got out and ran towards them. "I got it! I got the column!" It was the girl at the newspaper, Chloe. Her hair had had been fluffier before, touching it would have been a bit like touching a dandelion, but now it was smoother and silkier. He liked that just fine, too. Her smile was just the same and that was even better than fine with him.
"Chloe! I'm so proud of you!" Mrs. Kent hugged her and Mr. Kent was smiling as he punched her lightly on the shoulder. Clark shifted his weight from foot to foot and then realized she was looking at him. *Okay, feet, move. Right, then left. You got it.*
"Well, hi! I never expected to run into you again." She was looking up at him like seeing him was a good thing. "I didn't know you know the Kents?"
It was very definitely a question. "I'm a neighbor of a relative of Mrs. Kent's. I, uh, just dropped by."
"I met Clark on a newspaper tour in Gotham City," Chloe explained.*Okay, legs, stay steady. The brain is the only part that needs to process that she remembered your name.*
"I didn't think you'd remember me." *Way to go, Luth..Kent, that's the way to impress her.* "I mean, I know I did, remember you, that is, but..." He gave up on talking and tried to referee the debate going on in his head. One group of brain cells was telling him that he pulled people out of burning buildings and didn't get scared, he could ask her out for coffee, just to celebrate. Another group was snorting at those cells and saying that yeah, it's not like the people in the building burning would have turned him down and she would. She probably has a boyfriend already and a line around the block if there's ever a vacancy in that department. A third group was telling him not to listen to either, that he couldn't exactly stroll down the streets of Smallville without a lot of people thinking that he looked like Clark Luthor, but the group that had the final word was the one that said that he was wearing glasses, his hair was lighter, Alfred had taught him about walking differently, saying that it was how you walked that gave away a disguise more often than not, and that it's not like he spent that much time downtown anyway when he was in Smallville and he should say something before she decided he'd forgotten how to talk. "If, uh, you don't have anything planned, uh, maybe if there's a coffee place or someplace, we could celebrate a bit?"
She looked at him as though he were a *really* nice present somebody gave her, grinned again, and said, "Coffee? I haven't had any in an hour, so I'm way overdue." Mrs. Kent was pursing her lips a bit like she saw how nervous he was but wasn't really laughing at him. Not quite with him because he hadn't been laughing, but like she'd been there, done that, and knew what it was like. "I'm also proud to say that this is about the only Starbucks-free town I know." She hugged Mrs. Kent again, "You didn't even say 'I told you so,'" and looked a bit surprised when Clark got to the car door before she did and opened it.
When he got to the other side, he looked over at the Kents. "I'll let you know when I catch up with him," and waved before getting in.
"So you're all Kents but not related, right?"
"Yeah. Kind of a coincidence but not really, it's not a rare name, I guess."
"In this town, there *are* no coincidences. It's all one conglomerate of weirdness, centered right here. Mutants, Greek drama mysteries, people going whacko, but no coincidences."
Okay. Mutants he got. People going whacko he got. "Greek drama mysteries?"
"Oh, yeah, two of the Luthor family lived here for a while, the two sons." She looked right at him, which scared him for a bit until he realized she was just being dramatic. "You know about the Luthors, right?"
"Kinda."
"The Greek drama bit is that the younger brother, Clark, had an accident and a friend and I found him. I went to get help and found the older brother, Lex." Clark blinked. He didn't remember having an accident and meeting her. "Lex took him away and next thing you know, Clark and the dad are both dead."
"Oh. What do you think happened?"
She shrugged and Clark was momentarily distracted. "Dunno. Some people said that Lex was a nice enough guy, just weird. Kind of like the castle ghost found a body and wasn't quite sure what to do with it for a long time. But then, he's really doing a lot to help Gotham City, so I think if there's something weird, it's not like he killed them off." Clark was still trying to take all this in when his phone rang.
"Sorry." He checked the display, the call was from Gotham. That must mean the phone system was just about back up and it was probably Lex, about to start a lifetime of getting it rubbed in that Mr. Leave Word with Somebody didn't. "Hey."
It was Alfred. "Master Clark?" He sounded worried.
"What is it?"
"If you're in a position to return immediately, it would be wise to do so." Clark performed the mental translation into "Get your ass back here NOW."
"Sure, but what's..."
"It appears that your brother has switched loyalties."
AN: I'm going to be out of town until about the end of the month, probably only access to email, so if I'm not posting for a while, that's why! I shouldha known the Muse would come back with a cliffhanger just for the occasion...