Chapter 12
Sunday Night- Metropolis Museum
"It belonged to Alexander the Great."
Clark turned from the jewel encrusted breastplate he was examining as he heard Lex's voice.
"I didn't realize you were so interested in history." Clark said, and Lex laughed.
"I'm not. I'm just interested in people who ruled the world by the time they were thirty."
"Well you've still got a couple years to go Lex." Lana said as she walked over to them, wearing a silver dress.
"Lana. Hi, how have you been?" Clark asked, only now realizing that he hadn't spoken to her in more than two weeks.
"Better than you apparently. Your dad said you were sick with some kind of virus?" The brunette asked, and Clark nodded.
"Yeah. The last two weeks haven't been exactly...pleasant." He finished, and Lana nodded, scowling at something over Clark's shoulder.
"If you'll excuse me, I promised Whitney a dance." She said, looking toward the star quarterback who was sitting at a table by himself. Clark was pleased to see that Whitney looked as out of place as he felt.
"Well, the phrase if looks could kill comes to mind." Natasha said from just behind Clark, the young man relaxing as he heard her voice. He had been a couple seconds away from putting the person behind him on the floor.
"I've found that a lot of people are jealous of what they can't have. In this case, the quarterback's full attention. In fact, it seems like the majority of men in Smallville have an interest in you judging by my friend here." Lex said, gesturing to Clark who had seemingly been struck dumb by the beautiful redhead. Not that Lex could blame him. Natasha was wearing a beautiful red dress that ended just above her knee and hugged her figure. It was sexy without being too showy.
"Like what you see handsome?" Natasha asked quietly, smirking at her boyfriend's expression.
"I think the operative word is gulp." He replied, after a minute, and she laughed before turning to Lex.
"I'm guessing you didn't mention I'd be coming?" She asked, and Lex grinned.
"Must have slipped my mind."
"A great many things have slipped your mind Lex." A new voice said.
"Victoria. This is a surprise."
"Not an unwelcome one I hope." The redhead said, and Lex chuckled.
"Of course not. My apologies. Natasha, Clark, this is Victoria Hardwick. She's an old friend."
"A pleasure to meet you both."
"Likewise. Now if you'll excuse us, I believe I owe this lovely lady a dance." Clark said with a smile, taking Natasha's arm. As they passed Lex, Clark whispered in his friend's ear.
"How close are you keeping her?" He asked, and Lex just shook his head.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Clark just smirked before walking onto the dance floor with Natasha, taking her hand in his as his other hand moved to her waist.
"So, how close do you plan on keeping me?" Natasha asked, and Clark just smiled as he pulled her closer to the point where there was almost no space between them.
"As close as I can. Unless you object?"
"Not at all."
The two moved around the dance floor, lost in the music and each others eyes. The next song had barely begun when Clark tensed.
"I need to-"
"Go." She said softly, and he smiled as he let her go walking out of the museum as quickly as he could. A moment later he ran toward a bus that was out of control, feeling it slam into his right shoulder. A few seconds later the bus came to a complete stop, Clark breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the bus empty save for an unconscious driver. Straightening his jacket, the young man walked back inside, unknown that his actions had been observed with great interest.
Kent Farm-The Next Morning
"How was Metropolis?" His Dad asked, and Clark grinned.
"It was nice. The museum had some interesting exhibits." Clark said, and Jonathan nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Did one of those exhibits include an out of control bus?" Jonathan asked, throwing the morning's paper onto the table.
"It's fine dad, nobody saw me." He said, heading out the door before either of his parents could say another word. He was still furious over the events of the day he and Natasha returned to Smallville. Grant Ward was still a threat, not that Clark would ever say anything. His parent's would use it as further evidence of the supposed danger his relationship with Natasha caused, while the woman in question would most likely think he was overreacting. But the young man couldn't help it. As long as Ward was alive, there would always be a chance no matter how small, that he would come after Natasha again. Even if he totally ignored his anger towards Ward, there was still his parents. Neither one of them trusted him when it came to his abilities. All they were concerned about was the chance that someone might get hurt. He started running towards the school, only stopping when he reached the front doors. He walked inside, appearing his usual self. But inside he was a raging storm of emotions, just waiting to be unleashed.
3 p.m.- Kent Farm
Clark walked into the barn, intending to get his chores done before heading over to Natasha's apartment for their nightly training session. Well, he supposed it was Natasha and Skye's now, the young man smiling as he thought of his newest friend. She had made friends with Pete and Chloe almost immediately, and she seemed friendly enough with Lana. Aside from a few catcalls from some of the male students, her first day seemed to have gone off without a hitch. Although Clark had a sneaking suspicion that the paper she was working on in English wasn't what their teacher had assigned them.
The young man was broken from his thoughts as he saw a piece of silver metal laying on the barn floor.
"Metropolis PD." He muttered when he bent down to pick it up. A second later he was on his back, the farm's backup generator on his chest.
He just sighed before lifting it off of him, eyes already searching for whoever had dropped it on him.
"That's very impressive Mr. Kent." A man said as he walked down the steps of the loft.
"Who are you? What do you want?" The young man asked, his eyes never leaving those of the stranger.
"I'm Detective Sam Phelan. As for what I want...I want your help Mr. Kent. To help me catch the bad guys."
"And if I refuse?"
"Well, let's just say I know a few people who would be interested in what you can do. I'll be at that coffee shop in town tomorrow morning at 11. We can talk about your future." He replied before walking away, the young man watching him leave. Clark could have stopped him, could have broken bones or killed him, but that presented a problem. There was no telling who knew Phelan was here, and if he disappeared, more people could come looking for him. And if they found him, it wouldn't take long for them to find Natasha or Skye. Any thoughts of mentioning his encounter with the Detective were gone in an instant. No, he was better off handling this himself. He would find out what Phelan wanted, and then he would find some way to send the Detective packing.
Natasha and Skye's Apartment- 7 p.m.
"Enough. Clark, enough!" Natasha spoke up, the young man releasing Skye, and helping her off the floor.
"You okay?" He asked, and Skye nodded, wincing as she rubbed her collarbone.
"Go put some ice on that. We're done for tonight." Natasha said, and the younger woman nodded, leaving Natasha and Clark alone.
"Care to tell me what that was about?" She asked, and he glared.
"Taking care of the threat. In this case, Skye."
"The threat was neutrelized. Anymore pressure and you would have crushed her larnx. You need to remember that Skye isn't Bobbi. Or Ward."
"I'm well aware of who she is thank you very much."
"Are you? Because this is the second time tonight I've had to tell you to stop the exercise. You've been pushing it too far."
"I've been pushing it as far as necessary. If I wanted Skye seriously injured, she would be. But she's not. She's just bruised."
"And if I hadn't stopped you? How far would you have gone? Until you finally get rid of all the hate that you have for Ward?"
"No. Skye's not Ward. She's not-"
He stopped, not willing to mention Phelan. Natasha would want to deal with him, and Clark wanted to keep her as far away from the crooked Detective as he could.
"She's not who?" Natasha asked, but Clark shook his head.
"No one. I guess I'm just frustrated over Ward. I'll see you tomorrow." He said before walking out the door.
Natasha watched him go, wondering why Clark didn't just tell her what was wrong. Or rather, who had him worried. Because she knew Clark well enough to know when he was lying. And he had just lied right to her face.
The Beanery- 11 a.m. the following morning
Clark walked into the coffee shop, not really seeing anything. In his head he was remembering his conversation with Lex the previous evening. The billionaire had come by the barn, and told him that Phelan had asked about the incident with the bus. Or at least that had been his premise for coming to see the Luthor heir. Phelan had quickly made it clear that his interest was in Clark Kent. Lex had not told the Detective anything, but had warned his young friend that Sam Phelan was his father's man at the PD, and notsomeone Clark wanted digging into his life.
Clark's trip down memory lane was interrupted as he felt, rather than saw, Natasha behind him.
"You're following me now?" He asked without turning around.
"Can't a woman come and get a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning?" Natasha asked.
"She can...But you're not. Are you?" He asked, still not turning to face her.
"I don't do well when people I care about lie to me. I thought we didn't do that to each other Clark."
"I will explain things later, but right now I need you to go. Please. If you care about me at all I need you to-"
"Clark! I'm sorry I'm running a bit late, traffic was a bear." Sam Phelan said as he walked up to Clark, the Detective smiling and shaking Clark's hand as though they were old friends. Clark returned the handshake, exerting just enough force to make the older man wince.
Phelan recovered his smile quickly enough, and turned to Natasha, extending his hand.
"And who is this lovely woman with you Clark? Girlfriend?" He asked, and Natasha laughed, shaking her head.
"Fiancee actually. Joanne Fredricks. Pleased to meet you Mr.-"
"Sam Phelan at your service. I'm just meeting Clark to discuss a business opportunity."
"What kind of business are you in Mr. Phelan?" Natasha asked, and Phelan smiled.
"I'm a Detective with the Metropolis PD."
"And what exactly is it that you want with Clark Detective?"
"I'm afraid that's private. Now, if you'll excuse us?"
"But of course." She replied, embracing Clark softly.
"We're not done with this." She whispered in his ear.
He just smiled and returned her embrace, joining Phelan at a nearby table a moment later.
"She's quite the catch isn't she?" Phelan asked, and Clark glared.
"If you go anywhere near her-"
"Save your threats kid. Now, I need you to meet me at this address tonight." He said, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket and sliding it across the table.
Clark didn't move to take it.
"And if I refuse?"
"I'm sure there are quite a few labs who would love to know how to duplicate your abilities. And if that doesn't worry you...well let's just say I can make your loved ones lives very unpleasant."
Clark didn't say anything. He just took the paper and stood up.
"Relax Clark. Who knows? You might even enjoy taking down the bad guys."
Clark walked out of the building, resisting the urge to go and wring Phelan's neck.
"What did he want?" Natasha asked as she pulled up to the curb.
Clark just sighed and got in, not saying a word for several minutes.
"He wants me to meet him at an address tonight." He finally said, and Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"And...he knows about my powers."
"He threatened you?"
"Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"He threatened my parents...threatened you. And last time I talked to Lex, he told me that Phelan was on his father's payroll. That he was the last kind of man I wanted digging into my life."
"So your plan was to...what? Play Phelan's game and hope that once you do what he wants he'll just let you go?"
"Of course not. But I can't run every single time someone shows up wanting to expose me. That brings too many questions. And making Phelan disappear isn't exactly an option. There's no telling who he's told about where he is."
"So you're going to go tonight?" She asked after a moment.
"I don't see that I have a choice."
"Maybe you don't...But maybe you do."
Metropolis- 10:30 p.m.
"You see that building up there?" Phelan asked, and Clark nodded silently.
"That building up there is the home of the man responsible for keeping criminals on the streets. For making my job a whole lot harder than it needs to be. The head of Internal Affairs. There's a file in a safe. I want you to get it for me."
"Does it have your name on it?" Clark asked, and Phelan glared.
"Just get me that file."
Clark didn't respond, choosing instead to just run up into the building. He saw the safe drilled into the wall, and he smiled, remembering the plan he and Natasha had come up with.
"Hey kid, what's the holdup?" Phelan called from the street. It had been nearly five minutes and Clark sill hadn't come down with his file.
"You want the file?" Clark asked, coming up to the window with the safe over his head.
"It's all yours."
The young man lifted the safe over his head and threw it down onto Phelan's car, appearing next to the crooked Detective a moment later. He tossed a manila file onto the top of the safe, Phelan's name clear on the side in black ink.
Phelan glared at the young man, but before he could say a word, the lights and sounds of the Metropolis Police Department filled the air.
"You called the police?!" Phelan yelled, and Clark just smirked before speeding off.
Two Days Later- Kent Farm
"You know, you caused me a real problem kid." Phelan said as he walked into the barn.
"You asked for a file. I gave it to you." Clark replied, without turning aroud.
"Don't be a wiseguy. You've caused me some real trouble, and now I've got Internal Affairs even more interested in me than they were before."
"They maybe you should spend more time doing your job, and less time being a criminal with a badge."
"You know, it's easy to say that when you've got nothing to lose."
Phelan walked out, the young man having a feeling that this wasn't over by a long shot.
7 p.m. - Kent Farm
"You okay?" Clark asked as he helped Skye off the floor.
"I'm good. I've had worse from Ward." The brunnete replied, seeing Clark tense at the mention of the older man's name.
"Look, I know you're-"
"Excuse me." Clark said as he heard the doorbell ring. The young man walked over to the door, wondering if his parent's had forgotten their keys. They were heading over to the Luthor Mansion to meet with Lex and some other investors about a business deal that might get the bank off their backs.
"Sheriff Adams. Can I help you?" Clark asked as he saw her standing outside his door.
"Are your folks home Mr. Kent?"
"I'm sorry, but you just missed them. They had to head into town for a meeting." He replied, and she nodded.
"That's probably just as well. I get the feeling your father isn't fond of your girlfriend given her former profession."
"What's this got to do with her?" Clark asked, and the Sheriff sighed.
"Is she here?"
As Natasha's car was parked in front of the house, Clark saw no point in lying, and nodded his head.
"Now before I let you in, how about you tell me what's going on Sheriff?"
"What's going on is that I have a warrant to search your barn Mr. Kent. And for your girlfriend's sake, you'd best pray I don't find anything."
"You're not making sense Sheriff." Clark said, still not moving from where he stood in front of the door.
"I received a package today Mr. Kent. A package with this inside." She replied, pulling a plastic bag with a gun inside. But not just any gun. A Glock that looked exactly like the one Natasha kept in her desk door at Smallville High.
"Where did you get that?" Natasha asked as she came up behind Clark, Skye having been told to stay out of sight.
"There was no return address. But there was a note that gave me enough cause to believe this gun may have been used in a murder."
"And what? You think the body's stashed in my barn?" Clark asked with a glare.
"Just let me do my job Mr. Kent, and I'll be out of your hair."
He nodded once, and led the Sheriff and Natasha over to the barn. He opened the door, and felt his heart drop into his chest.
A dead body was lying on his barn floor.
"Natasha Romanoff you are-"
"No." Clark spoke up, stopping the Sheriff as she began to put cuffs on Natasha.
"Mr. Kent, I know you don't want to see this happen but-"
"She wasn't the last one to use that gun Sheriff. I was. I was pissed off about what we discussed earlier, and I decided to get in some target practice. But I didn't shoot anyone." He said, looking at Natasha as the Sheriff put cuffs on him, and began reading him his rights.
Smallville Jail- 8:30 p.m.
"Five minutes." The Sheriff said, and Natasha nodded in thanks before looking at Clark, who stood in the center of his cell wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.
"What the devil were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking the last thing I want is you in a cell, especially as Natasha Romanoff. How long would we have until Gonzalez or someone just as bad sent someone to kill you?"
Natasha glared, but nodded. Much as she hated to admit it, Clark had a point. If she had been arrested Phelan would still have leverage over him, and the chances of her being found and the both of them having to run again would have increased drastically. From a tactical standpoint, Clark had done the only thing he could. But from an emotional standpoint, Natasha was furious that he had been so reckless.
"I'll get you out of here." She said, and he smiled, reaching through the bars and taking her hand. He lifted it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.
"I know."
"What are you going to do?" Sheriff Adams asked as Natasha walked past her.
"I'm going to finish this." She replied, without looking back.
Metropolis Police Department- 10:00 p.m.
"In a hurry Detective Phelan?"
Phelan turned from where he was clearing out his desk, only to fall flat on his back as Natasha punched him in the face. Before he had time to react, the woman was standing over him, one hand holding the crooked Detective by his tie while the other held a gun that was pressed against his head.
"Look Joanna, I don't know what you-"
"My name's not Joanna. It's Natasha. And it will be the last name you ever hear unless you call and confess to everything you've done. Otherwise I'll just blow your head off right now."
"Listen sweetheart-AHH!" He screamed as Natasha moved the gun back to his forehead. The former KGB spy had moved and fired her weapon in one motion, the silenced bullet putting a hole where Phelan's kneecap used to be.
"I'm not your sweetheart. What I am is the most dangerous woman in the world, and the last person you want as an enemy. Sadly for you, that's what I became the minute you started digging into Clark Kent. Now he's in jail right now on a trumped up charge."
"If you're so dangerous, why don't you get him out yourself?"
"Because that brings a lot of trouble. Namely, I would have to run away, and I kinda like it here. So that's a no no. Now, are you going to call an end to this farce or am I going to put a bullet in your head?"
"If you kill me, you'll be hunted. More questions will be-"
Natasha just laughed, cutting him off midsentence.
"Thanks for the concern, but I once killed a high-ranking British official in the heart of London, and I was never suspected. And let me tell you, there are so many camera's there that you can't even sneeze without some cop or MI-6 agent seeing it. So I'll have no problem's killing you and getting away with it. Now make up your mind before I make it up for you."
"I'll need a phone."
Natasha reached just past his head and grabbed the phone, dialing the number for the Sheriff's office.
"Sheriff Adams."
Natasha placed the phone against Phelan's ear, moving her weapon to just below his waist. The message was clear. If he said anything other than what was needed to get Clark out of jail, he would die. But he would be in a lot of pain before feeling death's sweet release.
"Sheriff, this is Detective Phelan. You got the package I sent?"
"I did. As a matter of fact, that package has a young man sitting in my jail cell. Well, that and the dead body that we found in his barn."
"Well I have good news. You can release him immediately."
"Oh, and why is that?" The Sheriff asked.
"Because I have uncovered new evidence that shows the young man in question was framed. That the body and gun were planted there deliberately."
"And what evidence is that?"
"I'm afraid that I can't go into detail right now. You'll just have to take my word until I can get to Smallville. I should be there in the morning."
"Well then, that's when I'll release my suspect. I don't know how you do things in Metropolis Detective, but in my town we don't let suspect's go based on someone's word. Until you can produce actual evidence, my suspect will remain in custody."
"Now Sheriff-" Phelan said, his eyes going back and forth from Natasha's eyes to the weapon she had covering a certain part of his anatomy.
"Now, I'm going to go hang up and enjoy myself a cup of coffee."
Natasha just looked at him, beginning to pull her finger back on the trigger.
"WAIT! I have your evidence!"
"I'm waiting." The Sheriff said in a seemingly bored tone.
"I did it! I killed the stiff in the barn and planted the gun!"
"You'll sign a written confession?" The Sheriff pressed, and Phelan hesitated. One look at Natasha was enough to convince him what the proper choice was.
"YES! I'll sign your confession! Just come arrest me already!"
"I'm on my way. You just sit tight y'hear?"
The Sheriff hung up, and Phelan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Natasha move her weapon. His breath hitched when it came to rest beside his left ear.
"What are you doing? You said if I confessed, you'd let me live!"
"And you are alive. I never said I'd let you live long."
"Please, I...I won't say a word I swear!"
Sweat was pouring down his face, and he looked ready to pass out. Natasha just looked at him, unimpressed. She had never seen someone look so weak in the face of their own death. She had seen animals face the end with more dignity than this pathetic excuse of a man.
"I can't take that chance."
She brought her weapon back and swung it forward, the gun crashing into Phelan's skull.
An hour after she had hung up with Detective Phelan Sheriff Adams walked into the Metropolis Police Department to find it buzzing with more activity than usual, especially given that it was almost midnight. She approached a Detective, and asked where she could find Sam Phelan.
"Sam Phelan's dead Sheriff. His body was found twenty minutes ago by one of our janitorial staff. It looks like he committed suicide. There was a single bullet in the side of his head, and his gun was found on the floor beside his desk. We'll have to do analysis to be sure, but the gunshot wound looks self-inflicted."
"Do you have a guess as to why he may have committed suicide?"
"We don't have to guess Sheriff. Phelan left a note. Apparently he had framed some kid in your town for a murder he committed. He also admitted to a whole lot of other crimes. My guess is the stress was too much for him, and he finally cracked."
"I'm sorry for your Department's loss Detective. I only knew Phelan a short time, but he seemed like a good man. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go let somebody out of jail."
The Detective just nodded, already turning to speak to an approaching officer.
Smallville Sheriff's Department- 1 a.m.
"Well Mr. Kent, you're free to go. Just try and stay out of trouble."
He just laughed, nodding his head before walking out of the Sheriff's Department. His laugh died in his throat as he saw Jonathan and Martha Kent standing outside waiting for him.
"How was the meeting with Lex?"
Kent Farm- 1:15 a.m.
"A crooked cop knows your secret. He threatens you, threatens this family, and then proceeds to have you break into the home of another cop and you don't say a word. You get arrested, a dead body is found in my barn, and you don't say a word. You don't bother to call and say you're in trouble. You don't bother to step back for half a second, and think that maybe your mother and I should know that our lives could be uprooted in an instant? That our son could be taken, and we would never see him again?"
"No, I didn't. I was thinking that I didn't want you anywhere near a scumbag like Phelan. I was thinking that I should just kill him before he got too close."
"You don't mean that." His mother said, and Clark just sighed.
"Maybe I do. I don't want to kill again, but if it means that you are safe, then a few nightmares are a small price to pay."
Jonathan just shook his head, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. He turned to Natasha, who was sitting next to Clark.
"I want you gone. I want you out of town. You will not attempt to contact any member of this family again, and you will have nothing to do with my son. Otherwise, I will ensure that the authorities know exactly what you are."
"And what am I Mr. Kent?" Natasha replied, unfazed by the farmer's comments.
"You're a monster. You're the person who turned my son into a killer. Before you came to town, Clark would never have acted the way he has."
"You're right dad, I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have said a word about killing a man. I wouldn't have complained in the least about your double-standard. The fact that at fifteen years old, I'm apparently old enough to take on meteor infected lunatics, but I'm not responsible enough to play football. I would have kept quiet about the anger that has building inside of me for months, for years. Now I understand why I wasn't able to play sports as a kid. I understand you're worried. But that's no excuse for insisting on controlling every aspect of my life. Or for treating my best friend like she's some kind of monster. All she's done is care for me, and accept me. She's been everything I could have hoped for and more. I finally have someone I can be myself around, and you want to take that away from me. And the only reason is because she's unpredictable."
"She's dangerous." Jonathan said, and Natasha smirked.
"You're right. I am dangerous. And there is a price when people attack someone I care about. Sam Phelan paid that price tonight. And I promise you Mr. Kent, anyone who attempts to hurt your son will pay that price. Now, I for one am tired and need to get some sleep. Call me when you want to have an adult conversation."
She stood, and turned to Clark completely ignoring his parents.
"Run me home?"
"I'd love to."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As you can tell Jonathan and Martha are still being stubborn, but they'll come around eventually! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it! Definitely before Christmas, so keep on the lookout!