Chapter 16

Bayville...

Taryn Fujioka is sitting on the stairs outside the block of apartments she lives in, waiting to be picked up by her best friend Jean Grey. Taryn had been invited to attend the party Clark was throwing for one of his friends tomorrow and somehow, don't ask Taryn how, she ended up agreeing to help put decorations up this evening.

She supposes she could blame it on her friend's psychic powers but in reality Taryn knows Jean wouldn't do that. In reality Taryn agreed for another reason entirely. There is something she wants to raise with Jean and this seemed like a good way to get some alone time with her best friend.

Taryn checks her watch. 17.08. Jean's now 8 minutes late. They will be having words. Stern words about keeping to agreements.

Taryn sighs. She'll give it 5 more minutes before she phones Jean to give her a peace of her mind. That's only fair. She places her purse down on the step next to her and waits.

Next thing she knows is that a guy walking past her on the sidewalk has grabbed her purse and is running off down the street with it. "Stop! Thief!" she yells.

Suddenly a red/blue blur streaks by throwing up a gust of wind that blows her dark hair about. A few seconds later a figure clad in red and blue appears before her, her purse in his hand. "I believe this is yours," he says in a gentle voice that makes her insides warm.

Taryn looks up to see, the now named, Superman standing in front of her offering her her purse back. He smiles at her and Taryn almost melts. 'Be cool Taryn. Be cool. Remember to breathe,' she mentally tells herself not to act like a complete yutz in front of her superhero crush. She reaches up and takes her purse. "T-Thanks," she stutters out and then mentally berates herself, ' Oh yeah that was smooth.'

"You're welcome," Superman says politely. "You do have a knack for trouble though," he lightly teases.

"Wha-huh?"

"I saved you from a fire here."

"Oh. Yeah...but you know that wasn't my fault."

"Really? I remember reading it was a pair of hair straighteners that had been left plugged in that caused it."

Taryn's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Yes the fire was her fault...sort of but the hair straighteners were faulty. The company that made them had to end up paying to repair the damages to her home.

Superman smiles in a good-natured manner. A car pulls up behind him at the kerb. Jean in Scott's convertible.

Jean gets out of the car, surprised to see Clark here. "Superman," she says and smiles when Clark frowns at her.

Clark frowns because of the slight amused tone Jean spoke in and mischievous twinkle in her eye as she said 'Superman'. He has had no rest from the teasing this last week from everyone...even Rogue. Some girlfriend. "Jean," he greets her, his tone deliberately flat in response.

"What happened?" Jean asks at the fact he happens to be here.

"Oh only a would-be purse snatcher targeting your friend. I just happened to be passing."

"Passing?" Jean queries that because passing for Clark could mean anything up to like a 20mile radius if not further.

Clark shrugs. "Well I should go," he says. "Try and stay out of trouble Miss Fujioka," he says with a quick friendly wink before vanishing.

Oh god. Taryn definitely feels more than a little warm and she was quite envious at how easily Jean speaks to Superman. "How do you do that?" she asks Jean.

"Do what?"

"Speak to him like...like..."

"He's a friend?"

Taryn nods.

"Because he is a friend," Jean says and that isn't a lie. "You ok?" she asks Taryn.

"Yeah I'm fine. We should go," she decides as she stands up and walks over to the car. She gets in the passengers side while Jean gets in the driver's side. "So what kept you?" Taryn asks. "You're late," she accuses.

"Sorry," Jean apologises. "Lost track of time."

"Really? What were you doing? Making out with Scott?"

Jean's cheeks turn red.

"You were!" Taryn laughs.

"Well he is my boyfriend," Jean says defensively as she starts the car up.

"Yeah. I'm still stuck fantasising on Superman."

"Well I did tell you to try asking Paul out," Jean reminds her friend something she mentioned literally months ago. Jean pulls out into the street and starts the drive back to the Institute.

"I know. I know. It is just...I don't want to risk it and ruin our friendship you know."

"Yeah. I really do know," Jean says because that was part of the reason she and Scott took so long to hook up. She confused her feelings for him with their close friendship. "However the risk can be rewarded by something wonderful," Jean argues using herself and Scott as the example.

"I'll think on it ok?" Taryn decides.

"Sure," Jean shrugs. She isn't going to push it too hard.

They drive along for a bit and Taryn raises the point she wanted to earlier. "By the way I've been meaning to ask about Clark."

"What about him?"

"As I recall Paul and I were promised the true story about him but we still haven't gotten it. He keeps avoiding talking about it. I don't want to sound pushy and I don't mean to be insensitive if he has issues but a promise is a promise so I thought I'd talk to you first."

Jean silently groans. Clark has been procrastinating over that issue for weeks for no good reason that she can figure out. "I'll talk to him," she promises Taryn.

"Thanks Jean! You're a great friend!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Taryn confirms. "And you'd be a better friend if you could get me a date with Superman. I mean I thought he looked good in black but in the red and blue...god I could just eat him up. Yum yum!"

Jean has to hold back a snigger. When Clark tells Taryn the truth...boy is that going to be something worth seeing.

"If I'd known I was going to bump into him I would have brought a change of underwear. These panties are now officially sticky!"

"Taryn!" Jean cries as her entire face goes as bright a shade of red as to match her hair at her friend's bluntness. She is so shocked she almost loses control of the car.

Taryn laughs. She loves Jean as a friend sure but Jean can be such a prude sometimes.

At the Institute...

Many of the students were helping get the place ready to host a party. It helped that many of them had met Chloe before when the New Mutants took that trip to Smallville's woods so in many senses they were doing this for a friend. Plus she did help them out by testifying to Congress on their behalf just after Magneto had revealed the existence of mutants to the world. Giving Chloe a bitchin party, as Tabby had called it, seemed the least they could do.

Jean left Taryn to help out and it pleased Jean that seeing the others use their powers no longer seemed to freak Taryn out like the first time she saw it. Jean left her friend because she needs to have words with a certain teenage alien.

Jean walks off to find a quiet empty spot in the mansion. "Clark," she says in a slightly raised voice. "I need to talk to you. I know you can hear me."

"Of course I can hear you. I'm right behind you."

Jean jumps and clutches at her now fast beating heart. She turns round and gives him the glare of death. "Don't do that!"

Clark smirks. Appearing behind people and shocking them...always gets a priceless reaction. "So what can I help you with Jean?"

"Taryn."

"Is she alright?" Clark asks, because she seemed fine when he left.

"She's fine...except for the part where you promised to tell her about yourself and you haven't."

"Oh that," Clark says as his face falls.

"Yes. That," Jean says sternly.

"I suppose I have been procrastinating a little," he concedes.

Jean arches one of her cherry eyebrows. "A little?" she pours scorn on that.

"Ok maybe a lot," Clark might concede a little further. He sighs. "When do you want to do it?"

Jean wants to say right now but there is someone missing. "I suppose Paul should be here too."

"He is already here."

Jean's eyebrows rise in surprise. "He is?"

Clark nods. "He came over to see Scott. You didn't know?"

"No," she says in an angry tone that Scott neglected to tell her. She'll get Scott later. "I'll fetch Paul and Taryn. You work out what to say...or just do that spin thing of yours."

"Spin thing?" Clark queries, sounding a little insulted at what his quick changes are called.

"What? You have a better name?"

"It's my superspeed spin change," he announces with actual pride.

Jean bends over laughing in response, clutching at her sides.

Clark frowns at her. "Thanks Jean. You're such a good friend," he mutters sarcastically.

"I'm...sorry," she tries to say between guffaws so the apology loses most of the effect.

Clark shakes his head, thinking Jean isn't really sorry at all. "Just go get Paul and Taryn," he tells her in a sharp tone before he blurs off.

Jean walks off to find her two friends, still laughing as she goes. She feels slightly bad at laughing at him because Clark is her friend but she just couldn't help herself. Clark's her friend but he's just an utter goof.

"So really Bobby and Roberto are both dating Cat Grant?" Taryn asks of Tabby as she catches up on gossip.

"Yep," Tabby confirms.

"Just don't ask us to explain how it works without them killing each other," Amara says.

"How does it work?" Taryn asks because she needs to know.

"It's a friendly competition," Sam says from his spot leaning up against the wall, tucking into some chips.

Taryn looks at him, with an understandably confused expression. "Explain please," she requests.

"Sure," Sam says in his inbred polite manner. "It goes like this. The one who can impress her the most wins and the other graciously retires from the field."

"Does anyone actually expect this gracious retirement?" Taryn asks.

"Nope," almost everyone in the room says at the same time, except Bobby and Roberto who aren't here at the moment. Everyone else expects Bobby and Roberto to get into a punch-up sooner rather than later.

"We have an open bet going for how long before this blows up," Amara reports.

Hmm. Taryn thinks she might put a bet down and try and win some money.

Tabby is trying to put a 'Happy Birthday' sign up, hanging from the ceiling, and is overreaching on a step ladder. She starts to topple over only to land in male arms. She looks up at her saviour. "Thanks Sammy!" she says in her usual loud voice. She then plants a kiss on his cheek causing both of Sam's cheeks to redden.

"Y-you're welcome," Sam says with a small stutter as he puts Tabby back down on her feet. "Ah'll...uh...go get a longer ladder," he offers since obviously that one Tabby used isn't cutting it.

"Aw you're always a gent," Tabby compliments him.

Sam leaves with some haste.

"I think he likes you," Taryn remarks.

Tabby looks genuinely surprised at that suggestion. "What?"

"All the time he was here he has been looking at you," Taryn had observed

Tabby looks to the door to where Sam left. "He was?" she queries, genuinely having not noticed that herself.

"Yes he was."

"He's never said anything."

"And this surprises you?" Amara inquires from her friend. "He's Sam. If a girl compliments him he dissolves into a stuttering mess...which he does around you all the time."

"Now that's not fair Amara!" Tabby snaps, with surprising passion.

"Whoa," Taryn remarks. "I spy with my little eye someone who might return the feeling," she sing-songs.

"Course she does." That comment comes from the Goth girl in scarlet red sitting reading a book off in the corner.

They all look at her. Wanda usually does not involve herself in the teen angst of relationships. Tabby has been meaning to work on that.

"You knew?" Amara asks.

"Well it was rather obvious," Wanda says in her opinion. "Right Jamie?" she asks for back-up.

Jamie, helping with the decorations, looks like a deer in the headlights. "Uh...how would I know. I've never even had a girlfriend," he tries to throw them off making him answer.

"Hmm we'll have to do something about that," Tabby says, pondering unleashing another of her crazy half-thought out schemes to help get Jamie a girlfriend.

"I...um...err...I'll go see what's holding Sam up," Jamie says, getting out of there as fast as possible before he gets further sucked in.

Amara tries to get this back on topic. "So do you like Sam?" she asks her blond friend.

Tabby is suddenly on the spot. Sam. She likes Sam...as a friend. After all he's polite and sweet and that accent seriously turns her on... "Well I'll be a Kentuckian's soon to be girlfriend. I do like him," she says as the realisation strikes her.

"Not a revelation Tabby," Wanda mutters, annoyed that no-one seemed to believe her. Just because she isn't interested in boys and stuff doesn't mean she doesn't notice what goes on around here in relation to all that especially when it happens to be her best friend that is involved.

"Now all I have to do is to get him to ask me out," Tabby decides, rubbing her hands with glee at what she can do to encourage Sam to do that.

"Why don't you just ask him out?" Amara asks, unable to see any reason why Tabby can't just do that.

"Oh Amara. My dear sweet naïve Mara. You have so much to learn about American boys. It's so much more fun driving them crazy as you flirt their metaphorical pants off." Tabby lips curve up into an eager grin of anticipation. "I'm going to make Sam so crazy for me he'll be on his knees begging me for a date."

Amara looks to Taryn for help in explaining how that one works but Taryn can't help her. As with most many aspects Tabby's view of things is unique.

Jean pops her head in at this point. "Taryn can I speak to you for a minute?" she requests.

As Jamie and Sam reappear at this point with the longer ladder Taryn sees no reason why not and leaves with Jean.

Tabby saunters up next to Sam as he puts up the new step ladder. "Hi Sammy! Thanks again for the save," she says in a sultry tone and rubs her hand over his arm.

Sam swallows. "Well that's...that's..." What is he trying to say?

Tabby grins. 'And so it begins,' she thinks to herself as she puts plan 'Seduce Sam' into operation.

Taryn follows Jean into the rec room where Scott is with Paul and Kitty, Rogue and Kurt are as well.

"Taryn. Paul," Jean addresses them. "You wanted to know the truth about Clark right?"

Both Taryn and Paul nod.

"Clark! Get your butt down here!" Jean orders.

A gust of wind later and Clark appears dressed in one of his plaid shirts, jeans, work boots and the thick glasses on his face.

"You bellowed," Clark says with a Rogue-esque comeback.

Rogue sniggers behind her hand.

Jean shoots her a glare before turning her attention back to Clark. "It's time," she states flatly.

Clark takes a breath. "Ok. Paul. Taryn," he addresses them. "I think the easiest thing first off is just to show you."

"Show us what?" Paul asks.

Clark pulls the glasses off his face and dissolves into a spinning whirlwind. This bit always amazes Rogue as she can't figure out how he changes in the midst of spinning.

The whirlwind changes to a red/blue mixture of colour before Clark stops dressed in his new costume.

Taryn's jaw drops and she points at him. "You're...you're..."

"Yep," Clark says with a thin smile.

Taryn's eyes roll into the back of her head and she falls in a dead faint. Clark blurs forward and catches her before she hits the ground.

"Ah knew it! Pay up Kurt!" Rogue demands holding her hand out.

Kurt grumbles in complaint, fishes out a ten dollar bill and slaps it down into Rogue's gloved hand.

"What is going on?" Scott asks Rogue and Kurt.

"She bet me zhat Taryn vould faint vhen Clark did zhat," Kurt answers that question.

Jean looks at them in disbelief. "I can't believe you bet on that," she tells them off. Scott agrees with his girlfriend.

Rogue shrugs. It was only a bit of fun.

Paul hasn't fainted but is surprised. "That's...how have you guys managed to do that? I mean Clark's the last person I ever thought of being Superman."

Rogue chuckles lightly at the mention of the name Superman. She finds it funny that the 1st name they came up for Clark happens to be the one that the Bugle came up with and has now subsequently caught on.

Kurt meanwhile is taking all the credit because he was the one who thought it up.

"Wait a minute. I saw you standing next to...yourself that night of the school-board meeting," Paul remembers, utterly confused at how they did that.

"Holowatch," Clark replies, knowing they explained Kurt's holowatch to Paul and Taryn at some point. "It wasn't me sitting in the meeting. It was my dad wearing a holowatch."

"Why?"

"Long story. Better wait until Taryn comes round so I can tell you together."

"Yeah. Then ah can get another 10 bucks off Kurt," Rogue says with full confidence in that outcome.

"Why? What else did you bet on?" Jean asks with a frown.

"Taryn's reaction vhen Clark tells her vhere he is from," Kurt answers that one.

Well as much as Jean might not want to admit it she can see Taryn fainting again over that. This could be a long evening.

The next morning...

Rogue is walking into the kitchen for breakfast, her hand over her mouth as she yawns. One of the plus sides of having Chloe's party was that they had all been excused DR sessions for the day which had ticked off Logan...her father, although Rogue was still trying to come to terms with what that meant for the two of them. For now they were still playing it by ear and sort of just continuing their relationship as it had always been before the revelation. Neither of them had made any effort to form some deep father/daughter bond or anything like that.

Speaking of Logan he had gone into full grumpy mode at the fact he couldn't make them suffer in the Danger Room. Proof if anything that genetics don't define a person because Rogue is delighted by the fact she doesn't have a DR session...although if there's time before Chloe arrives she might hit the gym for an hour.

In the kitchen Rogue finds the usual suspects at this time of a Saturday morning and a few guests. Kurt was chatting to Amanda who must have arrived really early for the party. Paul was chatting to Scott and Taryn was animatedly chatting with Jean.

Taryn had fainted...again when they got onto Clark's origin but the way she is gushing about him as she talks Rogue can assume she got over it. Although it does kind of irritate Rogue that Taryn can still be so enthused about Clark when she now knows that he has a girlfriend. Rogue herself.

"Morning Rogue."

Rogue snaps out of her thoughts. "Morning Mrs Kent," she returns the greeting to the older red-headed woman.

"The usual?" Martha inquires as to what Rogue wants for breakfast. Teenagers for all their rebellious natures are creatures of habits when it comes to their favourite foods.

"Yes. Thank ya." Rogue sits down at the table. "Where's Clark?" she asks Mrs Kent.

"Gone to pick up Peter," Martha replies. She then briefly checks her watch and her brow quirks slightly as she contemplates how much time has passed since he left. "He's late. I think it is safe to assume he found someone to help on his way."

"Probably more than one," Rogue remarks knowing Clark as she does.

"Traffic accident as matter of fact," Clark's voice breaks into proceedings as his usual gust of wind blows through the kitchen.

"Clark! What did I say about superspeeding into rooms," his mother chides him.

Clark's shoulder's slump. "Sorry," he apologises meekly.

Martha turns her attention to the person Clark brought with him who is right now holding his stomach. "Hello Peter," she greets the brown haired teen.

Peter tries to snap himself back to the here and now. "Hi Mrs Kent. Give me a minute. My stomach is still in Queens," he jokes. A few moments later. "Ok. I'm good."

A light chuckle emanates from behind Peter and he finds Kitty Pryde has walked in behind him. Peter smiles. She was as pretty as he remembered her to be. "Finally someone who appreciates my humour," he quips.

Kitty chuckles again and then takes a minute to once again familiarise herself with Peter Parker. He was not hotness as like some of those boy-bands Kitty fawns over. In many ways he was just an average looking guy. Didn't mean he wasn't attractive and on the plus side for him Kitty is still a huge Spider-Man fan despite the nonsense the Bugle writes about him.

"Do you want anything to eat Peter?" Martha asks him.

"No. Thanks Mrs Kent. I've already had breakfast," Peter explains as he politely refuses.

"Well lucky for you you're here all day. You haven't liked lived until you try Mrs Kent's cooking," Kitty enthuses.

"And you won't live much longer after you try Kitty's," Clark quips.

Rogue laughs at that one. God it is always so amusing to watch Clark and Kitty in full flow as they banter off each other.

Kitty glares at both of them and swears to get back at Clark especially later. She turns her attentions to Peter. "So you've haven't seen the new mansion. Want a tour?" Kitty offers.

"As long as it doesn't involve walling me up in the abandoned mine."

Kitty looks at Peter oddly with a smile on her lips. She had truly forgotten how much he joked. "Well I don't know. The others down there could do with someone to keep them entertained," Kitty jests.

Peter shakes his head and mocks sighs. "Always the clown. Never the jester."

"Huh?"

"Not sure that one made sense Pete," Clark tells him.

Peter scratches his head. Yeah that might have not been one of his better ones. He gets reintroduced to Kurt, Scott and Jean and gets a brief introduction to Amanda, Taryn and Paul where it is explained that all 3 are human...just like him, wink wink, keeping secret identities and all that.

Kitty then takes Peter off on a tour striking up a conversation on a common science article both had read recently.

Elsewhere in the mansion that morning Tabby is on the hunt for Sam. She had squeezed herself into her tight jeans that showed off her ass and had done a similar thing with a size too small top that clung to her curves. She couldn't stop grinning at the thought of what Sam's face will be like when he sees her in this. It's just a shame it is the end of September now and that she hadn't realised Sam liked her during the summer. She would have bought an appropriate bathing suit otherwise to further entice Sam over to the Tabby-side.

After a little searching and no luck it suddenly occurs to Tabby where Sam will be. He'll be outside helping Mr Kent work that portion of land he grows crops and veg and stuff on. Well it wasn't a bad day to be outside so Tabby thinks she can still make this work. Plan in mind she heads outside.

Outside Sam is just helping with the usual task of removing the weeds. Spending time out here with Mr Kent reminded him a lot of home. Sam bends over to pull out a stubborn weed.

"Hi Sammy!" a bright voice says. Tabby's voice.

Sam looks up to see Tabby bent over slightly dressed in a top that showed off a lot of cleavage. Heat rapidly spreads through him.

"Like what you see?" Tabby asks him.

Sam's cheeks go red and he splutters, "Tabby...Ah'm...s-sorry. Ah wasn't..."

Tabby grins. "Why are you sorry?" she asks him plainly. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" she asks him, batting her eyelids at him, while her hands take a long journey as she runs them over herself.

God what Sam would give for those hands to be his. He mentally gives himself a slap. She asked a question. He should answer it. "Um...err..no. It's just...ah..." Sam's having a very hard time concentrating on what to say. Tabby tends to have that effect on him.

"Yes?" Tabby inquires, pretending to naively not know what the issue is.

Sam takes a moment and constructs a proper reply. "No. Tabby. There is nothing wrong with the way ya look. There is nothing ever wrong with the way ya look."

Tabby leans in and kisses Sam on the cheek. "Thanks Sammy! You know from now on I think I'll just come to you when I need an opinion on what I'm wearing. I have all this new underwear..."

Sam chokes at the mere thought of seeing Tabby in her underwear.

"Sam?" Tabby inquires.

"Ah...um...ah need a drink. A long cold drink. Do ya need a drink?" he asks in a sudden splurge of words.

Tabby has to hold back laughing her head off. This was going better than she imagined. She almost feels sorry for Sam and she would if the result wasn't that he gets to date the wonderfulness that is her. "Why yes Sam I would love a drink. You are always such the nice southern gent. I could just see myself marrying someone like that one day," she throws in.

"Really?" Sam asks, his voice suddenly squeaky.

Tabby nods. "Hmm, hmm." She flashes him a brilliant smile. "So drink?"

Sam nods.

Tabby wraps her arms around his and she had to say they weren't bad feeling. They were pretty solid. "Mr K!" she yells. "I'm borrowing Sam for a little while," she tells him.

"Well only for as long as I get him back in one piece," Jonathan says jovially.

"No probs!" Tabby promises. She turns her gaze to Sam. "Lead the way," she tells him.

Sam and Tabby leave watched by Jonathan who shakes his head with a chuckle. He almost feels sorry for Sam and almost feels bad for finding it funny. 'Teenagers,' he wryly thinks to himself. They never change.

Meanwhile Peter's tour had gotten as far as the Danger Room. "You guys really train in a room full of death traps?" he asks, a little disbelieving of that.

Kitty nods brightly. "Yep. It's not so bad really. Although I would like totally avoid one of Logan's programmes. Those are insane but then again he doesn't have to worry about his health with that healing factor of his."

Peter could see how that made sense. If you knew you would recover from any injury why bother with holding back. He looks to his companion who brushes a lock of her hair back and smiles at him. Peter has to say she was prettier than he remembered her to be. Peter also has to say Kitty was good company. Now if only he could figure out why someone as obviously intelligent as she is speaks like some Valley Girl the world might start making some sense. In fact that is probably the key to solving the great mystery of the universe. He chuckles at his own joke.

"What's so funny?" Kitty asks him.

"Oh just a...crazy thought. I get a lot of them."

"That explains why you like get on with Clark. He gets crazy thoughts too."

"Yeah but he's an alien. He has an excuse."

"He told you," Kitty says with notable surprise.

Peter nods. "Yeah. The whole thing. You know about being the last."

"Yeah. There I like totally feel for him...and then I remember all the jokes he plays on me."

"He does? Clark?"

"Oh don't let that boyscout routine fool you. He's a piece of work."

Peter can't help but note it funny how Clark said something similar about Kitty. "So how does this place work?" he asks, gesturing at the Danger Room.

Kitty breaks into a as full explanation as she is capable of giving even if Forge came up with most of the technology behind this. Peter nods mostly, makes jokes and asks clever questions when he has one. Kitty had forgotten how smart he was but to be fair to herself they never talked for that long that one morning he was here. She was really enjoying his company. A fleeting though enters her head. She wonders if he's single...

It is after lunch that Clark finally hears Chloe approaching the mansion...well more correctly he hears Lois' voice blaring like a foghorn. He reminds himself that she is Chloe's cousin so he can tolerate her for a day for Chloe's sake. He will give Chloe a nice party. She deserves that after all she's done for him and for just being his friend and remaining his friend after he told her what he was.

Clark, his parents, Storm and the Professor move to stand outside the main door to greet Chloe and Lois. Rogue had joined her boyfriend because Chloe was her friend too. The car pulls up. Chloe and Lois get out followed by...

Clark draws breath in pure surprise. "Lana? Lex?"

Lana greets him with a gentile smile which Clark struggles to remember the last time she showed that smile to him. Before they broke up obviously. Clark's hand reaches out in instinct and he feels Rogue's fingers slide in between his. He squeezes her hand gently.

Chloe looks abashed. "Uh surprise!" she belatedly says.

Clark looks at Chloe with near panic in his eyes. He had not planned anything to deal with seeing Lex. Lex who was working with SHIELD, the very organisation who were after the stones not to mention his hide. Then there was his ex-girlfriend whom ended up very bitter at him at the way their relationship ended. This could only be bad and remember that Clark's an optimist by nature.

Lana steps forward to explain her and Lex's presence. "Hi Clark," she greets him first off with an almost flirtatious tone. Rogue's eyes narrow in response.

Clark swallows hard. "Hi Lana," he responds a little awkwardly.

"Now don't be afraid. I've forgiven you over our whole break-up dealy," Lana assures him, seeming to instinctively know what has Clark so on edge.

"You have?"

"Of course. It's the past. You've moved on as have I."

"S-so what brings you here?"

"Well the short version is I was a little homesick so I came back to see Lex and I dropped in on Chloe when I overheard her and Lois discussing her birthday party and what kind of friend would I be if I missed out on that?" Lana asks in her very pleasant sickly-sweet tones.

'Gee was her voice always that irritating?' Clark asks himself or maybe he is just likes Rogue's sarcastic laden voice a lot more. Clark then looks to Lex. "And you agreed to come too?" he asks.

Lex's expression is one of a man who isn't sure how he ended up here. All he can say is, "Lana can be very persuasive."

"I most certainly was," Lana murmurs in a low, sultry voice, giving a hint of how she persuaded Lex.

Luckily for Clark in some ways he is still that naïve farmboy and he doesn't pick up on it.

Unluckily Lois isn't that naïve and she does. She makes the appropriate face in response. Lana is just lucky she doesn't know how close Lois came to strangling the snobby witch. Chloe had told her about Clark's crush on the dark haired girl. Lois didn't get it. Even if she doesn't know Clark that well she doesn't see what he could find attractive about the shrew.

Clark takes a moment before introducing Lex and Lana to the Professor and Storm. They then exchange greetings with his parents. Storm then leads Lex and Lana inside.

"I am so sorry about this," Chloe says the second Lex and Lana are out of earshot. "Lana talked herself into coming and for some reason I couldn't find a reason to say no."

"Or warn us?" Rogue asks, especially in reference to Lex and what he is up to.

Chloe frowns. "No," she says as if that is odd. Why didn't she phone ahead? Chloe can't seem to find an answer.

Lois' face puckers up in confusion. She doesn't get how she ended up agreeing either. It doesn't seem like her at all. She shakes it off. "Mrs K. Mr K. Smallville," she greets the 3 Kents.

"Smallville?" Rogue queries.

"He needed a nickname," Lois explains.

"No I didn't," Clark says forcefully as he counters Lois' conjecture.

Lois shrugs. "So did you follow my instructions to the letter?" she asks in reference to the party.

"If he wants to live he ignored most of it," Chloe says, glaring a little at Lois knowing what her cousin would suggest.

"I made a few alterations," Clark tries to mediate the position he ended up in.

"Come on people!" Lois exclaims in frustration. "Lets live a little. You're only 18 once!" she pronounces before she walks into the mansion.

"I'm sorry about her," Chloe feels she has to apologise. "I'm having the tests done as we speak to disprove our cousinly relation."

That joke gets a small laugh for everyone.

"I really am sorry about Lex and Lana," Chloe also apologises for. "I don't know how Lana managed to get me to keep it all secret her coming," she says with another frown upon her brow, as she really struggles to remember what Lana said.

"It is alright Chloe," the Professor says. "But we must spread the word round for the students to be careful what they say around them," he adds. Lex is too close to SHIELD.

Chloe takes a breath and says hello Mr and Mrs Kent.

"A happy belated birthday," Martha says to Chloe.

Chloe's actual birthday was a couple of days ago but she had put off any major celebration until today. "Thanks."

Jonathan and Clark wish her the same before she heads inside with the two elder Kents and the Professor.

Clark hangs back for a moment with Rogue.

"Ya goin' ta beh alright?" Rogue asks Clark.

"Sure. I mean it's just awkward." He looks down at Rogue into those pools of deep green he could just lose himself in forever. He leans down and kisses her. "You won't leave me right?" he asks with concern that without her strength he won't get through this.

"Nevah sugah," Rogue promises.

Clark takes a breath. He can do this. He's met Lana before since their break-up...only he wasn't doomed to be stuck around her for hours on end. "I really wish there was a manual on dealing with exes," he says.

"Fraid not," Rogue says.

"Yeah," he has to agree sadly. "You don't have any I should worry about do you?" he asks.

"Can't touch," she reminds him.

"I know...but you're beautiful. I kinda thought guys would line up to date you."

She wishes. "Only in your head Clark. Not in reality."

"Really? There's never been anyone? Even before your powers kicked in? Didn't you say you had a 1st crush once upon a time?"

Rogue hesitates. She did promise herself to try and open up a little to Clark. "It was...ah mean...we nevah officially dated or anything. It was flirting. Ah was hoping he would ask meh out but then mah powers kicked in."

"What happened with you and him?"

Rogue bites her lower lip and then says in a deathly quiet voice. "Ah put him in a coma for 2 weeks."

Clark instantly draws her and holds her close to him. "It wasn't your fault," he assures her. He then pulls back and gently wipes away a solitary tear that had escaped from Rogue's left eye.

Rogue hadn't even realised the tear escaped. She takes a shaky breath.

Clark smiles at her gently. "You know I won't push but when you're ready to talk about that I'll be here."

Rogue gives him a watery smile in return. This is why she loves Clark so much. He listens and never judges her but also never pushes her faster then she is comfortable with.

Clark puts his arm across her shoulder. "We should get to the party. Peter was saying he was going to challenge Dom to see who talked more."

"Oh god," Rogue theatrically moans. "They'll nevah stop. We'll beh here until time ends."

"More than likely but it'll be good for Peter. He's pretty depressed."

"Didn't look that way ta meh."

"You've got to know him. Trust me under the endless chatter and lame jokes he's depressed. That's why I invited him. To cheer him up."

"Yeah well ah think Kitty wants ta do more than cheer him up."

"Huh?"

"She's crushin' on him. Ah've seen all tha signs before when she crushin on Lance."

"If you say so," Clark remarks because he hadn't noticed what Rogue had.

"Ah do."

"I submit to your superior knowledge of the situation." He then leans in and whispers in her ear, in a deep husky tone, "And tonight I'll submit to anything you want."

Heat flushes through Rogue. It had been weeks since they became regular lovers but still she couldn't get enough of him. She doubted she ever would. When she thought she could never touch another person she got by by telling herself that all the stories people told were exaggerations and that it wasn't really that good and that she wasn't really missing out on anything. Well that was a monumental lie. With Clark, at least, it was that dang good and his suggestion about submitting to her...well roll on tonight is all she can say.

An hour later the party is well under way with music blaring away. Lois was getting on like a house on fire with Tabby just as Martha thought they would. Peter and Domino were trying to out quip each other with Bobby trying to outdo both. Everyone else seemed to be happy enough milling around, tucking into the food and punch. Even Wanda was here although she was off at the side not really interacting a whole lot. It was still Wanda's nature to be over-protective around herself...especially around new people.

Lex and Lana's appearance wasn't putting a complete dampener on things. Clark had spoken to them briefly but the truth was he didn't have a lot to say to either any more. There was too much time and too much distance between them now. Anyway right now Lana was sharing some stories about her time in Paris with Amara.

Kurt had been a little concerned at first about the surprise guests in relation to his somewhat odd appearance but it had passed over without major incident. Lois even made him blush by calling him cute and pinching his fur covered cheek. Amanda scowled slightly in response. Jealous girlfriends; never incur their wrath...although Amanda couldn't disagree. In her eyes Kurt was undeniably the cutest guy in the world. Not to mention sweetest, kindest, funniest...you get the idea. She has it bad for him.

As for Chloe, Clark had seen Chloe smile and her eyes light up when she walked into the room with the banner and everyone shouting 'Happy Birthday' at her. It made Clark glad to see that look on her face.

Right now he was just catching up a little with her. "Ha! I knew I could get you hooked!" she grins triumphant at Clark confessing his caving in to being a reporter on the school paper.

"You're taking credit for this aren't you," Clark assumes.

"Damn straight I am," Chloe says. "So where's this partner of yours?" she asks in reference to Cat.

"Out of town. Family business," Clark reports what Cat said when she turned down her invite to the party.

"So how it's going?" Chloe asks, seeing if Clark is enjoying it. Deep down she always believed he had a talent to be a good reporter.

"Good...so far. I'm still trying to feel my way into it. As amazing as it may sound Bayville is quieter than Smallville."

"Well Smallville's a lot quieter with Lex's stormtroopers keeping order," Chloe snarks in relation to the private security forces Lex pays for to supplement the police and keep order in Smallville.

Clark looks up at Lex across the room who thankfully didn't hear Chloe's critique. "It can't be that bad?"

"I suppose not...but it's not right. This is America. It shouldn't take an army hanging around to keep order."

"Has there been any trouble since the breakout?" Clark asks in reference to all the meteor mutants Magneto freed from Belle Reeve.

"No strangely but then again I'm thinking the ones the courts sent there probably left with Magneto...or they're in hiding. You know since mutants became public knowledge a few of the meteor infected have gone to live together on what use to be your parents' farm."

"Really?" Clark says with surprise.

Chloe nods. "No-one else took it over so they're squatting on the vacant land. I'm guessing they think safety in numbers of something. There's about 30 of them last time I looked. Most of them are there because their parents kicked them out," she reports from talking to them. They weren't bad. Afraid is the word Chloe would use. Afraid of how people would treat them.

Clark frowns. He wishes there was something he could do about that. Help some way.

"Still as I recall you said there should be about two to three hundred of them in Smallville so it could be worse," Chloe supposes.

"Are they treated badly?"

"I would go with people are still trying to figure out how to treat them. The same goes for the country as a whole...heck the same probably goes for the whole world. It takes more than a few months to adjust to something this world changing."

Chloe, as she often did, had nailed it precisely.

Meanwhile Lana had broken away from Lex, after finishing her chat with Amara, to get some more punch. She takes a moment to check no-one is paying her much heed and then waves her hand over the punch bowl and mutters something under her breath. The punch suddenly glows with a pinkish-red sparkling energy for but a brief moment before returning to normal.

Lana then smiles secretly to herself and says ominously, in a voice barely above a whisper, with just a hint of a French accent, "That should liven things up...and then the real party can begin."

Author's Note: Hmm isn't it odd how Lex, Lois and Chloe can't explain exactly how Lana talked them into agreeing to bring her. It's like magic or something. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Everyone wakes up the next day with hangovers, no memory of the party and find Lana, Rogue and Wanda are AWOL.