Perry Part 1

Martha Kent thought she had gotten used to unusual noises. Moving to the country from the big city had been an adjustment in sounds. First, she had to accept the simple quiet. Then there were the various animal noises. And there were different animals in the morning and the day then there were at night. Noises of tractors and farm equipment replaced her familiar sirens and shouts.

But screams remained unusual enough to draw her attention in the morning. Especially if they came from her son's bedroom.

Martha had been going about her normal morning routine, making coffee so she could have some quiet time to wake up when the scream occurred. Johnathan was downstairs with her, eating breakfast before starting his day. The scream did not sound like Clark, though it came from the direction of his room. Johnathan assured her he would check it out. Martha listened as she heard her husband open the door and start talking.

Then silence.

"Clark Kent I will see you downstairs. Now!" Johnathan shouted, followed by the slamming of a door.

"What happened?" Martha asked as her husband came down the stairs, his jaw clenched and face turning red.

"Our son…our son!"

Over the next several minutes Martha managed to get out of Johnathan that he walked into Clark's bedroom to see him with a scantily clad Alicia.

"I don't know, Martha. It's what we've always discussed. We have rules in this house. Boundaries. Limitations. Clark knows that. I don't understand…"

A cough alerted them to Clark's presence. His face was as red as Johnathan's, though Martha could tell it was from embarrassment than anger. "Alicia's gone."

"Right. What'd she do? Climb out a window?" Johnathan brushed past Clark to the stairs, leaving Martha alone with her abashed son.

"Mom, before you say anything," Clark rushed to explain, "I just want to say that I thought I was dreaming. You know how I've been having vivid nightmares lately. I thought I was finally having a nice one."

"Okay, where is she?" Johnathan came back downstairs.

Clark gulped. "I told you, she left."

"How?"

Clark evaded the question. "Dad, I was just telling Mom, I thought I was dreaming. If I knew things were real, I would have handled it differently."

"Clark Kent, I will ask you one more time: how did Alicia leave this house?"

"I…I, I can't tell you that."

Martha silently watched the exchange between father and son. It was unusual for their son to not listen to them. Clark looked ashamed, but resolute. Johnathan looked like he was going to blow his top.

"Johnathan…"

"Clark Kent, I just asked you a question and you will answer me, young man!"

"Johnathan…"

"Where…"

"Johnathan!" Martha finally got her husband's attention. "Clark, go do your chores and get ready for school."

"Martha…"

"Clark: go!" Martha pointed to the stairs. Her son disappeared in a gust of wind. She turned her attention to her husband. "I think I know what's going on; I think Alicia has powers."

Johnathan paused a minute to think it over. "Disappearing powers?"

"And powers that apparently get her into boy's bedrooms. Clark's not telling you because he's protecting her secret."

"Oh. Oh." A wave of understanding dawned on Johnathan. "Wait, so…do you think Alicia knows about…"

"It's a possibility."

"Well, why didn't he tell us!"

"He probably thought we'd overreact."

Martha watched her husband pace the floor.

"Pete, I understand telling. But Alicia? He hardly knows her!"

Martha had a hard time understanding Clark's motivations as well. Over the past couple of months, she had witnessed her son being happy with Alicia. But he hadn't been willing to have a deep conversation with her about his new girlfriend. Nor had he completely forgotten Lana Lang. There was just a heavy sadness that crossed his face when her name was brought up. He always had some excuse to not visit her, or to change the subject when Lana's name came up.

"This is unacceptable," Johnathan continued. "I have half a mind to keep Clark from school to talk with him."

"No. We need to talk with both of them," Martha pointed out.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Clark sped through his chores, making extra care to avoid contact with his parents for the rest of the morning. Thankfully, what he had expected to be the most awkward conversation of his life had only lasted a few minutes. And the destruction of his bedroom curtains hadn't even been mentioned. To have talked about that would have been so embarrassing!

The mishap with his heat vision had been stranger than finding a girl in his bedroom. Ever since Clark developed that power, he learned how to control it. And even when he had been kissing Alicia in bed, he hadn't felt the normal feelings he had when his heat visions first developed. Clark truly had been half asleep; his thoughts weren't as clear. And there had plenty of other more heated situations that entered his mind when nothing had burst into flames.

So, what had set his heat vision off?

Clark's thoughts were interrupted as a car sped past him.

The farm boy watched the car speed off into the distance in shock. He had been using his superspeed to get to school. Clark was sure of it.

Then how could a car have passed him?

Clark refocused his energy at entering super speed. He could feel himself enter what he considered "Clark time" as the world slowed down around him. He could see the grass stand still; the birds pause in mid-flight.

And then, the world came back to normal speed.

Confused, Clark stood in the middle of the road, looking around.

"What the…" Clark questioned.

There was a car honk, and the sound of squealing tires. A car swerved to miss hitting him, crashing into a nearby telephone pole. The pole fell on top of the car from the impact, pulling up the electric lines, causing sparks of light.

Clark raced over, at a normal speed, but was thankfully able to rip off the car door and pull the driver out and to the safety of other side of the road.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked the driver.

"You pulled the door right off the car with your bare hands," the driver slurred. "You walked right through the power lines?"

Oh, no. The driver saw me use my powers.

But Clark's anxiety was replaced with relief as he took in the man's disheveled appearance. Clark could smell the liquor on the stranger's breath, and it was clear from his glassy eyes and the way he spoke the man was drunk. No one would be believing his testimony of Clark's "unnatural" feats.

"You're a little drunk, mister…"

"White," the man sputtered. "Perry White."

Opening theme song…

At the Torch office…

Chloe was staring at her secret photos on her computer screen. Photos of her and Clark dancing at the Freshman Spring Formal. The photos were a dark secret Chloe liked to keep hidden. She had pined after Clark Kent for so long only to have her dream made real. Only to have her heart broken seconds later.

She found herself opening the secret file as the morning hallway gossip revolved around Alicia and Clark being caught by Johnathan Kent in the farm boy's bedroom.

And Chloe couldn't help but wonder what had led Clark to Alicia's arms instead of hers.

"Good morning," Alicia walked in the office with her usual two to-go cups of coffee.

"Yeah." Chloe leaned back in her chair after minimizing her photos. "Word is you've had a really good morning."

"Oh, that." Alicia giggled. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Yeah, well, Clark's not here yet."

"Oh, I know. Clark's been detained; has to give a witness report. Guess there was a car accident? Anyway, would you like his coffee? Hate for it to go to waste." Alicia held out the cup, but it was not the typical to-go cup from the Talon.

"Sure. I'll never turn down free caffeine." Chloe took a hearty gulp that she soon regretted. The coffee was a bit too sweet and watery than what she was used to. "This from the new coffee stand?"

"Yep." Alicia grinned broadly. "I mean, who can support a business where they're prejudice against certain people? You should totally do a Torch story about it. Maybe Clark can write it."

"Yeah, definitely." Chloe took another sip; coffee was caffeine and caffeine was caffeine. "You know, I wouldn't mind waking up to find Clark in my bedroom." Did I just say that out loud?

"What do you mean?" Alicia's eyes narrowed.

That would be a "yes". Why'd I say that? Okay, I just got to play this cool and let Alicia know I'm over him. Cause I am. I am.

"I just mean that for the longest time I've had a crush on him. And then, freshman year, he asked me to the Spring Formal. I thought it was going to be this magical night, being in his arms, dancing with him…but he abandoned me on the dance floor to run off and rescue Lana. Broke my heart."

Why!? Why, why, why, why, why Sullivan?

"Do you still love him?"

No! For dignity's sake say 'no'!

"I do. But he doesn't love me. Clark only sees me as a friend. And that's the only way he'll ever see me."

To quiet her mouth, Chloe took another long swig of the terrible coffee.

"Has Clark had any other girlfriends?" Alicia asked.

"Well, Lana, of course. He's loved her forever. Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't fight harder to keep their relationship."

"So, only you and Lana."

"Yeah. Well, I mean, there was Kyla." Why can't I stop talking? Chloe took another gulp of coffee.

"Who's Kyla?" Alicia growled.

"Kyla Willowbrook. She and Clark discovered the Kawatche caves. I'm surprised he hasn't taken you down there yet. That's a very special place for him. But nothing to fear from her; she's dead."

"Oh." Alicia looked relieved. "So, really, my only real threat is Lana. Thanks, Chloe. That was very helpful."

"Anytime." Chloe called out as Alicia left.

The Torch editor wanted to melt out of embarrassment. She had never meant to share her feelings about Clark with anyone, let alone Alicia.

Maybe I've had too much caffeine.

I always found it weird Clark just told his parents about Alicia's power. If the situation were reversed, and Alicia shared Clark's secret with her parents…we all know he would have been furious. Alicia wasn't someone he was investigating/ fighting (at the moment); she was a friend. Still, the writers only had one episode and they needed a way for Clark to talk with his parents about her, so I get why they went that way.