Hope you all had a great weekend and those of you in the US had a great Thanksgiving as well!
As promised, I spent part of the weekend trying to determine if I could keep up my posting schedule and as expected, I can not. However, given that I still have a fair amount of buffer, I think I can post once every three days and still keep up. This gets a bit tight at the end, so if my writing doesn't keep up with the new schedule, I may need to slow down a little, but I'm hoping that's not going to happen.
So, expect part 12 on Thursday.
From Chapter 10
Chad nodded. “I guess. You're right,” he said, leaning forward to place a kiss on my nose. “If I try to imagine learning I could do all those things as a teenager, it might not have seemed so cool.”
“Can you imagine trying to fit in when you can fly?” I asked.
Chad gave me a sly grin. “No, but the x-ray vision would have been fun. Starting with the girl's locker room.”
I swatted at his arm. “Good to know.”
“I would have used it on you, too, you know,” he said.
“Well, that makes me feel so much better!”
“Hey!” Chad said, snaking an arm out to grab me around the waist and bring me closer to him. “I bet you were cute in your gym shorts.”
“We had gym together in the ninth grade,” I pointed out. “I don't think you even knew I was in that class.”
Chad blushed. “So, I was stupid in the ninth grade,” he smiled at me. “But if I had had x-ray vision maybe I would have wizened up to how attractive you were sooner.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“You know,” Chad nibbled on my ear. “I think I'm developing some x-ray vision right now. Care to join me upstairs and confirm or deny?” I giggled as he leaned down to pick me up.
Chapter 11
I dragged Chad behind me up the walk. He had turned into a sullen little boy this morning. For all his strengths, Chad was a terrible apologizer. “Come on,” I said as he seemed to stop moving.
“I'm coming,” he mumbled behind me and I had to stop and laugh at him.
Leaning up, I placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Clark isn't going to bite your head off, you know.”
“I know,” Chad said, “but I really was insensitive yesterday.”
“And that's precisely why we're here,” I pointed out as I rang Clark's doorbell.
We stood on the stoop for a few minutes just waiting before Clark came to the door. “Oh, hi,” he said looking at us questioningly.
“Clark,” Chad said, his voice a little higher pitched than normal. “I'm really sorry about last night. It was really insensitive of me.”
Clark moved away from the door to motion us inside. “It's okay,” Clark said. “I'm sure it was a huge shock and…”
“But I wasn't trying to make you feel like some sort of science project or something and I know that's what it sounded like,” Chad said. “I just… I don't know. I see you as so amazing partly "cause you're not some weird green guy with antennas or something. You're just so human.”
Clark smiled and I could see him start to relax. “I know. I guess it's different. I grew up with these differences and I learned how to hide them so I'm not used to people asking about them.”
“What about your parents?” I asked.
Clark shrugged. “You'd have to meet my parents to understand, but they take most everything in stride. And they found me in a spaceship, so I guess while it was surprising when I started being able to bench-press the tractor, it was a bit less surprising than it might have been otherwise.”
“So you really were here as a kid, then?” Chad asked.
Clark nodded. “When my parents found me, I was about three months old. Kansas born and bred,” he smiled.
“Wow!” Chad said, but no more questions.
“When I was a teenager,” Clark said quietly, “I had a lot of questions about myself and why I was different. But then I realized, I'd probably never know and… I don't know. I spent most of my time in this tree house I'd built. I called it my "Fortress of Solitude' and wondered what made me different and what my limits were. But I also worried that this meant I was too different to be friends with my classmates.
“My parents have the best marriage,” Clark said softly. “I really want that some day. They are true partners,” he said “and I want to have someone I can share a life with. Like you have. And I realized if I spent so much time focusing on what made me different and trying to hide away like that, I'd never have that. So, I just stopped wondering.”
“What if you could have that and still know?” Chad asked quietly. “I mean, you sort of have the building blocks for now, right? I could help you learn more about yourself in a way that was safe and no one else would know about by using some of the stuff in the lab at the hospital. And Clark Kent and Superman are different people, so you can have a real life. And Rachel…”
“Until she knows the truth, I can't really know what will happen with Rachel,” Clark interjected.
“So tell her,” I suggested.
Clark shook his head again. “No. I… the fewer people who know the better. I can't tell Rachel until I'm sure and I'm not there yet. We still need to decide about the living arrangements.”
“But you're liking it here, right?” I asked, suddenly worried that Clark was thinking of moving back to Smallville. Perry would insist I work with another partner and I just couldn't do it.
“I am,” Clark said, “but that doesn't change the fact the Rachel is the sheriff of Lowell County. Even if she decides she likes Metropolis, too, she doesn't exactly have a career that is easily transported to the big city.”
“She could be a police officer here, couldn't she?” I asked.
Clark nodded. “She could, but I don't think she'd like it. Being an officer in Metropolis is not exactly the same job as being sheriff of a county made up mostly of small farming towns.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Chad asked quietly.
Clark shrugged. “I don't know. I'm not ready to end things – I love her too much, but I know that at some point something has to give. We can't keep living this far apart.”
“If she knew, you could see her more often,” I suggested again gently.
“No,” Clark said again, but more firmly. “Not until I'm sure this is going to work. I trust her, but… the less she knows, the less trouble she could be in and… what if she's not interested in being with me once she knows? I don't know. I guess I don't want to know that if I don't have to.”
“She loves you, Clark,” I started, but he cut me off.
“I know. I don't… I really don't want to talk about it anymore.”
I blushed. I had dragged Chad here to apologize for asking Clark all these personal questions I knew he didn't want to think about and then I went ahead and did the same thing.
“I'm sorry,” I said quietly.
Clark nodded and turned around to pour us all cups of coffee.
Chad chuckled. “Sorry. I guess it's clear that Lois and I both have a tendency to butt into other people's business.”
Clark smiled. “But you mean well, and I know that. I do appreciate it. Really, I feel lucky to have people who care about me so much in Metropolis. It was definitely one of my biggest concerns with moving here. I have such a strong emotional base in Smallville, I was sort of worried about that here.”
“But you make friends so easily,” I said, surprised by this concern.
Clark nodded. “I know, but… friends are not always the best support structure given how close you are to them.”
I nodded. I did know what he meant. I had lots of friends from college I still traded Christmas cards with but I couldn't count on them if I really needed help. Not in the way I already realized I could count on Clark.
“So, we should head to work soon,” Clark mentioned to me and I groaned. It was comfortable here and I didn't want to leave.
“You're going to head home early, right?” Chad asked me as we all walked out the front door.
I groaned again. “Right. I forgot. The piano is coming today.”
“Right,” Chad confirmed. “My mom is at Grandma's making sure all the stuff that anyone wants is taken out. I think the dumping company is coming tomorrow. So, she'll make sure the movers pack up the piano okay. But they're supposed to move it into our place around three and I'll be at the hospital.”
“The dumping company?” Clark asked.
“Oh, you've got to hear this,” I said.
“This company comes and basically empties out the house,” Chad explained. “Grandma had lots of stuff in there – she was a bit of a pack rat. And no one really wants to go through it all, so we took anything we wanted and now this company will come in and empty out the rest for a thousand dollars. Sure beats spending several days of us doing it.”
“Clark wouldn't have that problem, honey,” I reminded him.
Clark laughed. “Well, I appreciate that you didn't offer my services, Lois.”
“So, you'll be home?” Chad checked with me again.
“Yes,” I grumbled.
“Okay. Thank you, hon,” he said, before bending down. I saw Clark turn away to give us some privacy.
“Chad?” Clark called as Chad got into the car. When Chad turned around, he continued, “I'm not sure if Lois mentioned it, but I can help you fix up the piano. I can't tune it, but I can do everything else. I even can show you how to play a little.”
Even from here, I could see Chad's eyes light up. “Really? That would be awesome, Clark. Thanks!”
************************
January 1994
“So?” I asked as Clark entered the pit smiling and whistling again. “Was it worth the wait?”
“Was what worth it?” he asked as he nearly danced in place.
“Seeing Rachel. I thought you were going to go crazy ever since you came back after New Year's,” I smiled at him.
Clark grinned. “Yeah. It's been awhile since Rach and I have been able to see each other every day for so many days in a row. So, I missed her more when I got back. And yes, it was completely worth it.”
“Are you still sleeping on the couch?” I asked him with raised brows.
Clark coughed in surprise. “Sometimes you really don't understand boundaries, do you?” he asked.
“No. So are you?”
“Yes. I told you. We won't do the pre-marital thing. I know it seems silly and old-fashioned here in Metropolis, but in Smallville…”
“There's no premarital sex in Smallville?” I asked. That was hard to believe.
“Of course there is. The problem is that everyone talks about it. When Lana and Pete started dating,” he started, “I guess they didn't wait all that long. I think I mentioned they broke up with us just before the prom?” he asked.
I nodded. “Did they do it the night of the prom?” That was a popular night for girls to lose their virginities at Lincoln High, too.
Clark nodded. “All summer long all anyone could talk about – kids, adults, anyone, was how foolish and irresponsible they were being.”
“Did Lana get pregnant?”
“No,” Clark laughed. “And she and Pete got married a few months after they started college, so they clearly thought they were right for each other. Didn't stop the talk, though. It took ten months before people could accept that they got married as they wanted to and not because they had to.”
“It must have hurt you and Rachel, though. Them getting married so soon after they broke up with you.”
“No, not really,” Clark shrugged. “It actually made it better. It sort of seemed like if they were so perfect for each other, it was okay for them to break up with us.”
“And it ended well, didn't it?” I asked.
“Very well,” Clark said and all the doubts I'd seen in his eyes when he talked to Chad last month were gone. I was starting to think Rachel was going to learn the truth about Clark very soon. I only hoped that didn't mean he'd be going somewhere.
“So, what did you do last night?” I asked.
“Um…” Clark blushed. “We just hung out at home.”
I laughed. “Okay. Maybe I don't want to know. Are you guys coming over again tonight?”
Clark nodded. “Yeah. Did I tell you that she's staying until next weekend?” Clark asked.
“She is?”
“It was sort of a Christmas gift,” Clark smiled.
“Nice gift,” I winked at him.
“The best.”
************************
“Thanks,” Rachel said as I passed her a glass of wine. She was wearing a red sweater tonight that seemed to set off the highlights in her hair. Clark seemed a bit mesmerized.
“So, how are you enjoying Metropolis in the winter?” Chad asked.
“It's… different,” Rachel said and I could tell she was trying not to bash Metropolis. “Parts of it are very pretty,” she said. “We went for a walk in Centennial Park today and it was beautiful.”
“I love it there in the winter,” I smiled.
“Yeah, we saw them taking the trimmings off the giant tree,” Rachel said, grinning as she reached over to grab Clark's hand. “And Clark bought me a giant hot chocolate from the restaurant near the ice skating rink.”
“Did you go skating?” Chad asked.
Rachel looked aghast at the suggestion. “At $7 an hour plus $3 for the skates. You've got to be kidding. We can skate for free in the Kent's backyard.”
“You have a place to skate in your backyard?” I asked Clark in wonder.
Clark grinned, “We have a small pond in the yard. It's not quite an ice skating rink…”
“But it's private,” Rachel said. “No little kids to watch out for.”
Clark laughed. “You're just still sore at Lizzie Bells,” he teased her. “A few years ago, we decided to skip my parents' pond and skate at the rink in Smallville – which is only $2 by the way and we have our own skates there,” he explained to us. “But Kathy Bells daughter, Lizzie, thinks she could be the next Kristi Yamaguchi. She was zipping around the rink practicing and knocked Rachel right off her feet.”
Rachel laughed. “Luckily, knight in shining armor that he is, Clark caught me before I fell.”
I was still amazed at the fact that Clark's parents had a pond in their backyard. “Just how big is your backyard?” I asked.
Clark laughed. “Well, you may have noticed – I've chosen to live in Metropolis and thus do not have a backyard. I am lucky enough to have a balcony that I can stand on if I stand sideways and no one else tries to join me,” he laughed.
I grimaced. Was mocking Metropolis in front of Rachel really going to help?
“But,” Clark continued, “my parents have 120 acres.”
“One hundred and twenty?” I asked. How much was an acre again? I wasn't sure, but the house we lived in before my dad moved out was only a quarter of an acre. So, Clark's parents' place was… 480 times that?
Rachel laughed. “Not all places in Smallville are that big. The Kents are farmers, so they need a lot of land. I live in town and my place is only a couple of acres.”
“Your house is on a plot a couple of acres big?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Rachel smiled. “Just big enough for a reasonable sized garden.”
I turned to Chad. “Rachel's house is on a couple of acres of land,” I said to him. He smiled at me.
“How many feet are in an acre?” I asked Clark knowing that was the type of thing he would know.
“Forty-three thousand, five hundred and sixty square feet,” Clark said.
“So our place is…” I looked at Chad. The math was too hard for me.
Chad shrugged as he got up to get a calculator. “Three hundredths of an acre.”
Clark smiled. “It's probably best not to think of our apartments in acres.”
“This must seem so cramped to you,” I said to Rachel.
Rachel laughed. “Well, it does seem sort of small,” she admitted. “But not for an apartment. And it's much nicer than my house, I assure you. I'm never there so it's sort of a sty.”
“Except for her garden,” Clark said smiling at her.
Rachel smiled. “Well, yeah. That's sort of my passion. I spend all my free time in the garden when it's warmer out.”
I felt my heart sink slightly. How would she ever be comfortable in Metropolis if she was so in love with her garden?
Suddenly, Rachel looked around the room with a frown. “Sorry, I just realized this, but you rearranged things from last time, didn't you? Wait,” she said as she stood up. “Is the piano new?”
Chad smiled and explained the story behind the piano.
“Does it work now?” she asked.
“No, it's in sad shape,” Chad said. Turning to Clark he said, “Although I finally got all those parts you told me to order this morning.” He turned back to Rachel, “Clark's going to help me fix it up. I looked into doing it professionally, but it was too much.”
Rachel smiled at Clark. “He does know a bunch of useless stuff, doesn't he?” she teased.
“Hey!” Clark acted offended. “That useless info came in handy when you were trying to determine the smell from Mrs. Gerdun's furnace. And when…”
“Okay, okay,” she walked over to him, grinning. “Sometimes you can be useful to have around.”
Clark tried to look offended, but failed. Seeing how happy they looked made me feel a little sad. Clark was going to move back to Smallville. I just knew it.
