Chapter 15

Standing just inside the entrance of the Talon, I sweep my eyes across the room. Seeing no other familiar faces, I nod in satisfaction and make my way toward the counter where Lana is standing. I had to leave right after the final bell to make sure I would get here while it was still a bit quiet.

"Lana?"

She turns quickly. "Liz, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be grounded?" Is that glee in her voice?

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"We have nothing to say to each other."

"Yes we do, Lana. And you know it. Are you that upset about your break-up with Clark that you would deliberately try to get me into trouble?"

Turning her back to me, she responds. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, so you weren't the one who told Aunt Nell that I hadn't returned last night?" Grasping her arm, I force her around to face me. "What were you doing, waiting up for us? For what purpose? What were you trying to achieve? Were you hoping that this would get me out of the picture and you and Clark back together?"

Pulling her arm out of my grasp, she gets in my face. "You're the one who came here, Liz, intruding on my life. You moved into my house, wormed your way into my relationships with my friends and my aunt and stole my boyfriend away from me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Lana." I am shocked, but mostly I find myself really disturbed. "But, you know what? Right now, I'm really disgusted by your selfish behaviour."

Watching her, I see her face change, the anger and apparent hate making her face almost ugly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her hand rising, and purely by instinct raise my own and catch her wrist before she makes contact. Holding tight, my own anger builds and I focus intently on her. "You got one free shot yesterday, deserved or not. You are not getting another." I grip her wrist tighter as she tries to get free. "I can't believe how insecure you are, Lana. I am not insinuating my way into your life, unless you are of the belief that you and I can't have the same friends. And for that matter, why would I even want to take any of your friends away from you?" I shake my head, the anger was fading and the disappointment was building.

This was not how I imagined my relationship with Lana would be. I thought that as only children we would each welcome a cousin round about the same age. I had imagined us growing closer, becoming best friends, becoming like siblings. Was that naïve of me? Had I been hoping for too much?

"As for Aunt Nell and I, we will never have the type of relationship that you already do. God Lana, she raised you since you were a child. Why would you think so little of her to assume her feelings for you would change just because I arrived on scene?" Sensing that some of the fight had gone out of her, I loosen my grip a little. "As for Clark, you guys broke up and you're going to have to live with it. I can't help you with that one. I won't presume to tell you your feelings, but you need to have a serious think about your relationship with Clark, and whether it was the be all and end all that you thought it was."

And into that frozen tableau, came Lex Luthor. "Good Afternoon, ladies. Am I interrupting anything?"

I let go of Lana's hand as we turn to face Lex. Taking a step back, I speak. "Hi Lex."

He was still looking between us, and I figured he was curious as to what we were talking about. Hearing Lana return his greeting and offer him coffee, I start toward the door.

"Excuse me. I have to be going. Bye Lex. Lana." It was as I reached the door that I hear Lex behind me.
"Liz?"

Stopping, I turn to face him. "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling? You guys rushed away so quickly last night…?"

"I'm fine, Lex. Thank you for asking."

Sweeping his hand toward a table, he asks. "Why don't you join me for coffee? We can get to know each other a little more."

"I'm sorry, Lex. Unfortunately, I can't today. I'm supposed to be at Aunt Nell's already, and I don't want to make matters worse." Damn, shouldn't have said that…

"Worse? Why?"

Might as well finish it out… Lifting my shoulders slightly, I explain. "I've been grounded."

"Um, okay. Why?"

"It was just a small misunderstanding – nothing major." I hope he would be satisfied with that. "Anyway, I really have to go. Bye Lex."

Turning once again, I dash out the door and run straight into Aunt Nell. Well, shit! "Hi, Aunt Nell."

"Elizabeth, what are you doing here? You were supposed to go straight home after school."

I open my mouth, and then realising I have no idea what to say, I close it again.

"I'm sorry, Nell. That was actually my fault. I wanted to talk to Elizabeth about an internship that LexCorp might be offering, and this was the only place we could meet to discuss it. I apologise if I was keeping her from anything. In fact, I was just about to drive her back right now."

Man. That must be some kind of record… Talk of two internships in one day… Damn, I'm good!

With a coy smile on her face, Aunt Nell responds. "Oh, Lex. I didn't see you there. Of course it's okay. Although, I can't imagine what sort of work you could possibly have for Elizabeth."

Vaguely irritated with her, I concentrate on my shoes. I'd really rather not be a participant in this conversation. I'm surprised at how smooth talking Lex seems to be. But with the way Aunt Nell was acting around him, I'm sure it wasn't too difficult. You would think that he was the president or someone equally important, instead of just Lex…

"We at LexCorp like giving students the opportunity to learn while at school. It prepares them for the outside world, and in some cases, LexCorp gains as well. And with Elizabeth's grades, she shows excellent promise as a future asset to the company."

Lifting my head in surprise, I stare at Lex. What did he know of my grades?

"Oh, I didn't realise that." Glancing at me, there was clear surprise on her face. "Liz, I gathered from your mother that your grades had been slipping and that you had moved here to get back on track."

Obviously, Aunt Nell had assumed the worst, and was she trying to make me look bad? "Yes ma'am, they had."

"Well, if that's what you call slipping, then I can't wait to see Elizabeth at full potential."

I wish he – both of them – would stop calling me Elizabeth! "Well, thank you for your time, Lex. Aunt Nell, I'll see you at home later." I retreat quickly.

"Liz, my car is this way." Lex points to a silver Porsche.

We both get in the car and before I know it, Lex is speeding out of town.

"So, Liz. What's wrong with Clark?"

Baffled, I answer. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Liz. Clark and I have grown very close over the years, he's like a brother to me, and I can tell when there's something up with him… So, despite the excuse you gave me, I couldn't help but notice that it was definitely more to do with Clark than with you last night."

I had hoped he wouldn't see it… but then I guess that was asking too much. I can just imagine what would have happened if Clark's parents had been around…

As Lex speeds around the corner, I hold on to my seat belt. This guy drives way too fast… "Lex, it's nothing really. Clark and I just had a couple of things to sort out."

Squealing to a stop in front of Aunt Nell's house, Lex asks. "And would one of those things be Lana?"

Whipping around, I stare at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I couldn't help but observe the um… shall we say, discussion… going on inside the Talon."

His face is carefully blank. Clark told me that Lex liked Lana – along with everyone else – and that he used to push for Clark to ask her out on a date. Where does this leave me? I'm still not sure how to answer anyone's questions regarding Clark and my relationship. Only once he knows the whole truth will I feel comfortable bragging that Clark is my man… "Lex, I think you'd do better to talk to Clark about this." Unfastening the seat-belt, I face him once more. "By the way, thanks for your help with Aunt Nell back there. Its bad enough I was in town at all… I have to ask though, How did you know about my grades?"

"Actually, Liz. I checked up on you."

"What?!" What the hell… What gives him the right…?

He is speaking casually, as if he is not rocking my world… "It's amazing what kind of information there is out there if you are willing to look."

"What the hell gives you the right to check up on me at all? I have nothing to do with you." I am hopping mad but I'm also scared out of my wits…

"I told you, Liz. Clark is like a brother to me. You've gotten awfully close to him in a very short space of time. All I'm doing is looking out for him… He's too trusting, always too ready to believe in people. So, I step in to make sure that the trust he places in people isn't ill-used or readily abused."

"You know what, Lex. You can just go to hell!" Slamming out of the car, I lean in again. "Maybe you should try to trust his judgement a little more, instead of always assuming the worst or jumping in to play saviour." Turning, I stomp away from him.

"Liz?" He called out, softly.

With the bottom dropping out of my stomach, I turn to face him.

"You didn't ask what kind of information I had found out…" Revving, he put the car in gear and roared down the road.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I sink onto the ground. Why would he do that? This had been my once chance. I was going to come here and start over. There were no aliens; no one knew about the shooting, there was no FBI… And with what happened yesterday… If he's asking questions, then it's just going to bring more attention down on everyone's head. Shit! I wonder if I should call Michael and give him a head's up. No, that probably wasn't a good idea… It would freak him out unnecessarily. Besides, I might be panicking for nothing. Sheriff Valenti was there, he would call if there was anyone around asking questions. Maybe, I should call him. No. Stop. Lex is just trying to scare me away. It's best to just let it play out for a while… Besides the attention will be focused on me, not on Roswell…

Slowly lifting myself up off the floor, I go inside the house. Homework first and then I could start practicing, or maybe that should be the other way around while the house is empty. Walking into the kitchen, I half-fill a glass of water and grab a tomato. That should do for now… Entering my room, I close and lock the door, and place the glass on the bedside table before sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Staring at the tomato in my hand, I wonder how to start this. Setting the fruit on the bed, I place my hands on my knees and close my eyes. Slowly focusing, I try to find that alien energy source again… Obviously, it's connected to my emotions, and I've definitely used it before. I just need to find out how to trigger it when it's needed, and shut it off when it's not convenient.

Okay, the blast came when I was angry, so let's not think about Lana. The intensity was overpowering. Rage and fury… It was a lively, pulsating emotion that could barely be controlled.

The projection was possible because I was connected to Max… But then I was also connected to Isabel. But, did I need the connection? Obviously, distance wasn't a problem, and Isabel helped me kick start it, but what emotion was present? I was worried and desperate to find him. Terrified that something could be happening to him. Afraid that he might need me and I wouldn't be there… My body, my soul, my entire being had called out to him.

The premonitions and flashes are fine… I need to be completely open to receive those, and I have no intentions of making out with anyone right now, although if Clark were to pitch up, wouldn't that be a great way to spend the afternoon…

Grinning I open my eyes and see a green light shining from the palms of my hands. Amazingly enough it doesn't hurt, but I can feel something within me feeding it. Focusing on that something, that power, I allow it to grow. It's almost like stoking a fire… like a slowly building, constant boost of adrenalin. Lifting up my hands, the light expands until a wall has formed in front of me.

Oh my God! It's a shield... I've just created a shield… Excited, I jump off my bed and the light fades. Dancing around the room, I do a little jiggle and laugh, absolutely thrilled. Okay, so it wasn't big, only the length and width of my body, and it wasn't strong, not like Max's but it was definitely a start. Damn right, it was a start… better than either Michael or Isabel could manage... Now for the trigger. I was thinking about Clark, and how he made me feel alive, how he brought something to life inside of me. Hmm, that actually made sense… If you needed to protect yourself, it would help if you were fighting to stay alive, right…? Okay. Maybe I should stop thinking and try again… Clenching my fists, I focus on that emotion and find it becoming easier to build up the energy needed. Opening my hands, I lift them out in front of me, and when I can barely contain the energy inside me, I let go. The intensity of it surprises me. It was the same size, but glowing much brighter. This was really cool… Feeling myself weaken, I pull the shield back in and sit on the bed. Wow! Wow, wow, wow!

This was so much easier that I thought it would be. I suppose it helped that I had used my powers before, and I knew how to access the energy, sort of… I had just never thought about it analytically. Right now though, I had to make sure I could call it up at will, without having to picture something or someone first… But, practice makes perfect, right? Barely able to contain my joy, I feel the need to call someone and share the good news with them… Maria? No. The aliens? Definitely no. Kyle? Hell no. And no-one in Smallville… What a bummer!

Spying the glass of water on the table, I reach for it before I remember the tomato. Maybe I could use that instead. Leaning back against the headboard, I look at the fruit again. Picking it up, I close my eyes and picture an apple – the whitish flesh on the inside, the hard red skin on the outside… Calling on my reserves, I release a little jolt of energy and immediately feel the mush in my hand and the wet splashes on my face. Looking down, I see that the tomato has exploded and there is red tomato juice everywhere; on my hands, my face, my clothes, on the bed… Okay, so maybe that one didn't work so well. All the pieces and the juice was still red, so I reckon that one didn't go over so well. Maybe I wasn't focusing properly… maybe I released too much energy… Maybe I wasn't concentrating on changing the tomato on a molecular level… Hmm, this one might need work.

But right now, I needed to clean up this mess. Throwing out the bits of tomato in my hand, I grab a cloth and try to wipe away most of the splotches on my clothes and the bed. Staring at the closest stain, I decide to try again. Picturing the tiny droplets of red rising off the bed into the air, I imagine then dissolving into nothing and wave my hand over the stain. Looking at the stain still on the bed, I feel disappointment. I suppose it can't all be easy… Vowing to try again later, I return the cloth to the kitchen and hear the phone ring.

"Potter residence."
Hi. What happened to you after school?
"Hi, Clark. I've been grounded remember? Besides, I had a few things to sort out with Lana."
Oh yeah, like what?
"Never you mind, Clark Kent. It was girl stuff. So, are you at home now?"
Yeah, just finished my chores, and sitting here miserable, wishing I could see you.
"I know." I sigh into the phone. "Hey Clark, can you come over? There's no-one here, but you'll have to leave before Aunt Nell gets back, otherwise I'll be in serious trouble."
You sure?
Rolling my eyes, I reply. "No, I was just joking. Of course I'm sure, unless you don't want to come over."
I'll be right there, give me 15 minutes.
"Great, I'll see you then."

Hanging up the phone, I plop myself down on the sofa with a grin. I'll be seeing him in 15 minutes... And then catching a glimpse of the red tomato juice on my clothes, I jump up, horrified. Rushing to my room, I quickly get into the shower and just manage to put on a pair of denim shorts and a white baby tee, before I hear the doorbell.

Running to open the door, I see Clark standing on the porch and moving aside, I gesture for him to step inside. Leaping into his arms, I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze tight. "Hi."

"Hi yourself." Leaning down, he lowers his mouth over mine and gives me a quick peck. Setting me back on the floor, he rests his hands on my hips. "I missed you today."

"Yeah?" At his nod, I continue. "I missed you too." Pouting at him, I mock-complain. "Chloe kept you to herself the whole day and didn't even give me a chance. It's not fair…"

"Well. You deserted me for Principal Reynolds. I had to find someone else to spend my time with." He grins down at me.

"Please, I spent like five minutes with him. It wasn't what you would call entertaining." Leaning in, I rest my cheek on his chest, close my eyes and savour the feeling.

"Oh." His hands move up until he was lightly stroking my back. "So, why didn't you come to the Torch?"

With a sigh, I reply. "I'm trying to avoid Chloe, until she gets that whole expose idea out of her head. Besides, it was warm outside in the sun, and it gave me time to catch up on some of my homework."

"Fine. You're forgiven this time. But next time, you get your butt over to the Torch when I ask." And saying it, he smacks the just-mentioned area.

"Hey." Protesting, I pull away from him, ignoring his laughter. "Watch it, mister." Taking his hand, I lead him to the couch. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Nope, I'm good. So, what did Reynolds want?"

Lying down, I rest my head on his thigh. "Oh, he wanted to discuss my grades and how I was going to go about improving them." Turning so that I was looking up at him, I smirk. "He did tell me that I needed to stay away from distractions, especially ones that go by the name of Clark Kent." I can't help but laugh at the scowl on his face. "So you want to tell me what's up with you and the headmaster?"

Twirling the strands around his fingers, he replies. "When he first arrived at the school, he put up a gate so that any late-comers would be locked out."

"I assume that was you?"

"Yeah. I got a lift with Lex on that day, and apparently they have a history. Reynolds was the principal at Lex's prep school, and it seemed that they didn't like each other."

"I can't imagine why." I sarcastically mutter under my breath. Returning my gaze to Clark's face, I see the confused frown. "What?" I ask, hoping he hadn't heard me.

"You tell me. Did something happen between you and Lex?"

I could be completely honest, but then what purpose would that serve… He and Lex were like brothers and it wasn't a crime for Lex to look out for Clark's interests… "Nothing. Aunt Nell saw me in town outside the Talon and Lex jumped in to save the day before giving me a lift back here."

Apparently not appeased, he asks. "And…?"

"And nothing. We just had a few words, that's all."

"About what, Liz? If he said something to you, I want to know." The dark glower reflects a great deal of anger.

That's not what I wanted… Maybe there's a different way to approach this… Reaching up, I cup his cheek and gazing into his eyes, I speak honestly. "Clark, do you realise how protective Lex is of you?" Seeing the frown, I continue. "He feels like you're his little brother, and that he needs to look out for you all the time. It's his job as the older brother, and isn't that how you feel about him?"

The frown fading, he nods. "Yes."

"Well, there you are…" Returning my hand to my stomach, I go on. "Remember what we spoke to your parents about? How we didn't fully understand why this relationship was progressing so fast?" He nods again. "Well, as your brother, we should have spoken to Lex about it as well, because he is even more confused. You've been talking to him about Lana for years, and now all of a sudden, Lana is out of the picture and here I am, and it's not even been a week. He's never heard you speak of me. He's never met me except briefly on Monday night, and he's wondering if I'm doing something to you, although I couldn't imagine what it is."

"But Liz, he shouldn't have been talking to you about it."

I shake my head. "Clark, you haven't been around and today, I was. So, he saw the opportunity and took it. There was nothing malicious in it..." I hope… "But, I think that you might need to talk to him soon, and be honest about how you feel. Tell him that we are slowly trying to figure out what's going on between us."

"Maybe, you're right."

Winking at him, I reply. "Of course I am."

"Yeah. Yeah. What would I do without my smart girlfriend?"

"Wonder aimlessly around town without a clue? Wither away out of loneliness? I don't know. What would you do?"

Leaning down his hair falling over his forehead, he gives me a soft kiss. "I don't ever intend to find out." Sitting straight up, he grows serious. "However, I do need to know what other secrets my smart girlfriend is keeping from me… I believe she owes me the second half of a story she started last night. You know anything about that?" Both eyebrows disappear beneath the hair on his forehead.

Scrunching my nose up at him, I whine. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," he replies, tweaking my nose. "I would dearly love to know how you can get shot and not show any sign of it, at all."

"Well, I wouldn't say that I don't show any sign of it."

"Liz, I meant any physical marks, and you know it."

"Man, you're really pushy."

"And you're stalling."

"Okay. Fine." Playing with the edge of my T-shirt, I gather my thoughts and try to remember where I left if off last night. "So, I was lying on the floor, right? Gradually getting weaker, my body becoming numb and the black spots were growing, beginning to encompass me." Breathing in, I look into his eyes. "From a far distance, I heard a voice calling my name. It was really weird, you know? There I was, swimming in a sea of darkness, ready to let go, when this urgent voice kept on calling me back. It was such a struggle to open my eyes, but the voice wouldn't stop." Clark was staring at me intently, willing me to go on. "Eventually, I opened my eyes, just barely… But apparently, that was enough. I could hardly see him, but I felt him pulling my uniform apart. Anyway, he laid his hand over the wound and healed me."

"What? Who? How did he do that?" He asks, his hand holding mine on my stomach.

"Max." I whisper. "Max healed me."

"How?"

"I think to some degree the basis of his healing powers lies in the manipulation of the molecular structure of objects, and the inherent ability to understand the basic make-up of the human body." I say, frowning.

"What?" He sounds completely lost.

"Sorry. Um… he can change certain things at a molecular level… sort of like break it down to each separate molecule. Like for instance, he can shape a mould of clay into a face with a wave of his hand, understand?"

"Okay."

"So, when he healed me, he dissolved the bullet, and then repaired the damage that the bullet had done. Unfortunately, he couldn't clean up the mess because he had used up too much power. So, I still had a bullet hole in my uniform and he had to break a bottle of ketchup and pour it over me to hide the blood. That was the first time though, with practice his healing power grew so that he could repair everything at the same time. Sort of a three for one deal, you know. Repair the body and eliminate all evidence of it."

"Alright, and then what happened?"

"Oh, well Michael freaked out entirely and pulled him out of there really fast and they drove off."

"Who's Michael again?"

"Michael is Max's best friend. He's also going out with my best friend, Maria."

"Wow, Liz. That sounds…"

"A little unbelievable, I know. If I hadn't experienced it first-hand, I would have had a hard time believing it myself."

"So, Michael and Max disappeared and then what?"

"Well, someone had called the sheriff and my dad had gone berserk, and there was this couple who were going around the restaurant trying to find the bullet. It really had been a bit of a mess. And the whole time, Maria was practically hysterical and constantly sniffing her cedar oil."

"Her what?"

I can't help but laugh. "Cedar oil. She carries a little vial of it wherever she goes and uses it when she needs to calm down. She definitely needed to calm down that day. I had to continuously reassure her that I was fine, that I hadn't been hurt… Between her and my dad…"

"But, didn't she see you get shot?"

"No. Everyone was on the floor, remember. From where Maria had been, she wouldn't have seen me get shot or Max healing me."

"Oh."

"In retrospect, I think it would have been better if Max and Michael had stayed. They could have spoken to the sheriff and the rest of the crowd. We were just checking on the waitress to see if she was alright, you know? Something like that. By running, they brought suspicion down on themselves because whoever was in the front of the restaurant saw Max by me and then the both of them leaving."

"Why would that have made a difference?"

"You must remember that this is Roswell, Alien Capital of the World. The couple who were looking for the bullet, and couldn't find it? They were fanatics, really into the whole thing… As far as they were concerned, everything was a conspiracy. So, when they couldn't find the bullet and I was covered in red but perfectly fine, they automatically assumed that Max had done something and since humans couldn't heal… Why then, he must have been an alien..."

"Okay, I'll buy that. So, how did Max obtain his powers?"

"Max?" Shrugging, I reply. "He was born with them, or rather hatched. But during the course of their life, they've actually gained and lost some as well."

"Wait. Firstly, hatched…?"

"Oh right. They were in stasis on board the ship when it crashed, but they were protected because they were housed in pods. When they did eventually break out, hence the hatching part, they looked like they were six years old."

"And how could they lose and gain powers?"

"I suppose powers are gained as needed and lost when not needed. When they first broke out of their pods, they couldn't speak any language, so they used telepathy to communicate. That was a power born out of necessity. Then once they learned how to speak, they stopped using that power and eventually lost it entirely. Understand?"

He nods. Then, obviously deep in thought, he sits quietly for a few minutes before asking. "When did the ship crash?"

"I told you that remember? 1947."

With a frown, he questions. "1947?"

"Yes. One of their protectors managed to hide the pods just before the government descended on the crash site. Anyway they remained I suppose you could call it cryogenically frozen… But they weren't simply frozen, they were growing as well. The only problem was that the ship had been damaged, so all the information that was supposed to be passed on to them didn't get relayed as planned. So, for a long time they didn't know who they were or where they came from or anything about themselves, save what they picked up along the way."

The fleeting emotions passing across his face were unreadable and I wondered what he was thinking. "Who is they?"

"Oh, didn't I say? Sorry. Max, Michael, and Max's sister, Isabel. Tess… Well, Tess hatched later and was brought up by their protector."

"That's the second time you've mentioned a protector. Where is he?"

"Nasedo." I couldn't keep the disgust out of my voice. "He's dead."

He looks sharply at me. "What happened with him?" Shrugging, he elaborates. "There's something in your voice."

"Nasedo didn't like humans. He had a complete disregard for them, to the point where he would kill a human simply for convenience. His own, that is. As for me, or us, he believed we made the aliens weak, that we split their focus. He felt that the four of them should stay together without outside influence and train as a group. He believed that they should pair up as they were meant to."

"And how was that?"

"We found these orbs – they were actually for communication purposes. Anyway, when the four of them activated the orbs, a hologram of Max and Isabel's mother appeared. She told them that they had a destiny, and that they belonged together. Max and Tess, and Michael and Isabel.

"But you just told me that Michael is going out with Maria?"

"They are. Michael and Isabel tried it out, but what they felt for each other was more like siblings than anything else."

"And Max and Tess?"

"Yeah." Licking my dry lips, I continue." "Max and Tess are together. Tess is expecting a baby."

"Oh."

He was stroking my hair, trying to comfort. "So, they can all heal?"

"No, only Max can do that. The guys have the physical powers and the girls have the mental powers."

"Tell me about them."

I'm not sure whether I should worry or not… He seems to be taking this way too calmly, and I'm hoping it's not the calm before the storm… "Well, all of them can change molecular structure. Max can heal and he has a shield – mostly defensive. Michael has the least control but the most powerful blasts and he sometimes has prophetic dreams – his powers are mostly offensive."

"If the guys have the physical powers, I wouldn't think that prophetic dreams fall under that category."

"Normally they wouldn't, but Michael's dreams warn of imminent danger and the possibility of other-worldly visitors. I would assume so that he can prepare and make plans should there be any trouble."

"Isabel can dream-walk. She goes into people's dreams and thoughts. Tess's main power is mind-warping. She goes into people's minds and makes them see things that aren't there. And of course, all of them can manipulate molecular structure. That's it in a nutshell, really."

"Oh, I see." There's something wrong…

Sitting up, I turn to face him. "Is this freaking you out?"

After a while, he answers. "No."

I watch as he walks over to the window and stares out, his shoulders hunched over. Now what? I can feel the fear building… Is this where he dumps me? Where he takes a step back?

"What's wrong?" He shrugs and runs his hands through his hair, before linking his fingers at the back of his head. "Clark, talk to me. Do you not want to be with…" I can't finish the question…

"Do you know what planet they came from?" His voice sounded odd.

"Um yeah. It's a part of the Whirlwind galaxy. A planet called Antar."

"Oh."

"Clark, what's the matter?"

"Liz, I'm sorry… I need to think…" Oh no, please… Is this my nightmare coming true? "I have to go, I'm sorry."

"Wait. Clark, where are you…" My voice dies away. Not looking at me, he practically runs out of the house, and I am left staring at a closed door. Tears running down my face, I blindly make my way to my bedroom. I lie on the bed, pull the covers over my head and start sobbing.