Resurrection Part 3

"I'm telling you it fell out of the sky!"

Pete watched as the stranger, or Mr. White as he learned his name to be, waved his hands in the air. Thankfully, the cleanup crew wasn't paying him any mind.

"From the man who begged the nurses to keep the flying monkeys out of his room," Sherriff Adams muttered, jotting down on her notepad. "Mr. Kent, can you tell me what happened?"

Pete stood by and listened to Clark explain how he had walked out of the barn and saw two people putting the tractor on a flatbed. Pete's official story was that he didn't see anything happen as he rode onto the Kent farm but managed to give Clark a ride as they tried to follow the criminals. The tractor must have fallen off and this is where they stopped the pursuit. Of course, the real story was that Pete had driven behind Clark as his friend sped after the flying tractor.

"Clark, are you all right?" Alicia wove her way through the mess to envelop Clark in a hug.

Why am I not surprised.

"I'm fine. Can't say the same about the tractor."

As Clark rested in Alicia's embrace, Pete watched Mr. White stare intensely at the couple. Mr. White looked around, noticing there was no new car in sight. And that begged the question: how did Alicia get here?

"Clark," Mr. White walked over to them. "Looks like I'll be staying longer in town. This whole fiasco made me miss the last bus. Don't suppose you could offer a ride? It's the least you can do. After all, you standing in the middle of the street was what caused my first accident."

Clark, normally thoughtful enough for strangers, just glared at the man.

"Oh, come on," Mr. White chuckled. "Still upset by me ambushing your girlfriend earlier?"

"I'm his girlfriend," Alicia hissed, clutching Clark tighter.

"Well, I'd like a talk with you too, little missy. Come on. We can work something out. Do your little disappearing act for the cameras. What do you say?"

"Goodbye," Clark growled, moving Alicia away from the journalist.

"I can give you that ride." Pete offered. The sooner he got that guy away from Clark, the better.

Mr. White wasn't happy at the offer, but with no other choice, was forced to accept.

"So, what's your take on all this?" Mr. White asked Pete inside the car.

"All of what?"

"You've lived here for a long time. Have you seen any of these people do amazing feats?"

"No." Pete lied. "Smallville's just a quiet, boring town."

"Even Clark?"

Pete forced a laugh. "Look, I've known Clark all my life. He's as normal as they come. Nothing special. If it's excitement you're after, you're better off going someplace else."

"I can't leave now. Not without my story." Perry White seemed rather determined on that point.

Back at the Kent farm…

"I can't believe that guy didn't know we were a couple," Alicia said. Her arms were crossed as she sat on top of the toolbox. She was a safe distance from Clark, who was chopping wood at regular speed. With his powers being unpredictable, Clark didn't want any more surprises.

The physical labor was a thankful distraction. The loss of the tractor was upsetting enough, without having to look forward to explaining what happened to his dad. And there had been time lost. Even at superspeed, there was no way Clark could finish all the chores in time. And do his homework.

"We look like a couple, don't we?"

What does that even mean? "Course we do."

"Clark, this is serious."

Clark sighed and took a break. "Alicia, we are a couple. And everyone in this town knows it." Clark walked over to kiss her forehead.

"What really happened with the tractor?" Alicia played with the collar on his shirt.

"I threw it. I didn't mean to," Clark continued at Alicia's raised eyebrows. "I just…it's just that my powers have been a bit…glitchy lately."

"Like how?"

"I either don't have them, or I'm super-charged. I couldn't lift it at all until I overshot my strength."

"Has this happened before?" Alicia asked as Clark returned to the wood pile.

"Kind of. At least, for the past couple of days."

"Where do your powers come from?" Alicia asked thoughtfully. "You couldn't have gotten them from the meteor rocks. Those make you sick. The green ones at least."

Clark was silent as he continued to chop wood.

I'm an alien. Clark couldn't tell Alicia that. Not yet. He wasn't ready to share his final secret. But that made Clark ponder the origin of his powers. His alien heritage was the reason, but what was the source?

"Did you fall in a vat of toxic waste? Struck by lightning?"

"No. Nothing like that." Clark brought down the axe, splitting another log. "I guess I'm not sure."

"So how do the other colored meteor rocks affect you?"

"The red makes me…well, it affects me mentally. I get unpredictable. And dangerous. It's best I stay away from it."

"And…"

"And?"

"I mean…aren't there other colors?"

"I hope not. Two's more than enough."

"But, hypothetically speaking, there could be more colors, right?"

"I guess. Why…" Clark turned his head to look at Alicia, but the barn had vanished. Clark was suddenly staring at the front of semitruck that was barreling towards him.

"Ah!" Clark jumped out of the way. His gaze shifted and he now saw a backyard with a swing set. He turned his head by just an inch and saw a hot dog vendor on a corner street. But Clark couldn't hear the cars whizzing by. It was like watching a movie on mute.

"Clark?" he heard Alicia say.

"Alicia? Where are you?"

"I'm right next to you." Clark felt her grab his hand. "What's going on?"

"Not sure. Something's wrong with my eyes."

"Are you blind again?"

"No. I'm seeing a busy street. I think it's Metropolis." Clark tried to face where Alicia's voice was coming from. "No wait…now it's an empty field."

"Try closing them."

Clark did and was met with blackness. "Yeah. That helps." Clark felt the familiar tingle of being teleported. "Alicia?"

"Has there been any changes these last few days?" He heard Alicia ask. "New foods? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"No. Where'd you take me?" Clark gulped. He felt more helpless than when he was blind earlier that year. At least then Clark knew his other powers were working. Now, he didn't know if using his strength would break something or if when he tried walking he'd find himself in another state.

"Sit down. Now lay back." Clark felt Alicia climb on top of him and undo the top buttons on his shirt.

"Hey!"

"Relax. I'm just going to take your heart rate. I take it your parents never took you to the doctor, huh? So, there's no existing data to compare this to. We'll have to start a record. I'll take it now and we can take another reading when this passes."

Clark wanted to protest, but he couldn't argue with the logic. He laid still and breathed deep as Alicia instructed. He felt something cold and circular touch his skin.

"You have a real stethoscope?"

"What girl doesn't want one of these?" Alicia giggled. "Well, heart rate's normal. Any better?"

Clark opened his eyes and saw the vast night sky above him. As far as he could see were shining stars. It was like looking through his telescope.

"Nope." Clark groaned. "I don't have time for this!"

"Maybe it's stress." Alicia's hand reached out and stroked his cheek. "What can I do to help, baby?"

"I don't think that's it." Clark watched as he saw a comet float through the void. His eyes and head followed the trajectory of the rock. Clark could see it was hurdling towards the sun. The sun was already being hit with a dozen of other smaller comets, causing bursts on the sun's surface.

"It's kinda cool, though. I'm seeing straight into space. I think I'm watching the solar flare."

"Jealous."

"Hey, we never watched that special. That meeting went longer than I thought."

"It's okay. Catching a killer is important. Besides, I taped it. I can put it on for us if you like."

"But I can't watch TV. I got chores to do." Clark practically whined.

"You can't do them right now if you can't see."

Clark felt another tingle. "Where'd you take me now?"

"You're in my living room. You're going to lie here and relax as we listen to that special."

"What if your mom comes in?"

"It's late. She's sleeping and won't bother us."

Clark listened to the special as he watched the events take place in front of his super focused eyes. Alicia lay snuggled on his chest. The special ended, but there was no change in his eyesight.

"Clark, I thought of where I want you to take me for that special date." Alicia said, striking up a conversation.

"Where?"

"Take me to the caves."

"The caves?" Clark gulped. He couldn't take Alicia there. Not yet. If he explained the legend, the paintings, Alicia was smart enough to put it all together. She would know the Naman figure was him.

And that he was an alien.

"Not there."

"But they're special to you," Alicia protested. "And I want them to be special to me."

"Not yet."

"Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that…" Clark said, even though he wasn't sure anymore.

"You said honesty was important in a relationship."

"What happened to 'no comment'?" Clark grumbled as he lay helplessly on the couch. "Alicia, I can't explain. Just…not yet. Okay?"

"Fine." Alicia finally conceded.

Clark blinked several times and his eyesight returned to normal. He sighed in relief.

"Better?"

"Much."

"Wait right here. I'll get my stethoscope." Alicia disappeared and returned holding the device.

"Well, there's no change in heart rate. You need to take it easy, baby. Doctor Alicia's orders."

"I'll take it easy later." Clark kissed Alicia's cheek. "Thanks for taking care of me."