AN: This is the last chapter of what has turned out to be my longest story. And I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews.
Chapter 23
When Clark imagined someone finding out his big secret, he never imagined things turning out well.
On the one hand, there were folks like Lionel Luthor, who would have him on some mad scientist's examining table faster than you could say, "Let's begin the dissection." And there were reporter types, who could make a career out of exposing the alien living on a farm in Kansas. Not to mention all the non-reporter types, who would sell his story to anyone willing to pay the right price, never mind how making that information public knowledge could destroy the lives of everyone in his family.
And, even if he was pretty sure the person in his imaginings wouldn't betray his secret, that didn't mean they wouldn't look at him like the biggest freak ever to walk the planet. Or to be afraid of him, even. Look at how Pete reacted when he first found out, and he was one of Clark's best friends.
But, really, after knowing the Halliwells for less than twenty-four hours, he should have known they wouldn't react the way he'd imagined.
"So, you're really"—Piper leaned forward on the living room sofa, a tough maneuver in her condition, and lowered her voice to a whisper—"an alien?"
"Uh, yeah," said Clark, who was sitting in front of her on the coffee table.
"Which means you're from"—and she pointed up at the ceiling—"outer space?"
Before he could answer, Paige—who was sitting on the arm of the sofa—said, "Yes, Piper, I think it's safe to assume that aliens do come from outer space."
"Hey, don't get snippy with me, missy," Piper snapped. "It's just hard to believe, that's all."
"What's so hard to believe about it?" Phoebe asked, plopping down next to Piper. "After some of the stuff we've seen and experienced, an alien is kinda normal in comparison."
"Yeah," Paige said. "Like remember the time we all turned into Greek goddesses?"
"Or the time the Lady of the Lake gave you Excalibur?"
"Or the time the Headless Horseman managed to decapitate all of us?"
"Or the time when the dragon…"
As Phoebe and Paige kept tossing out other amazing experiences they'd had, the Kents could do nothing but stare. While his parents were obviously shocked by what they were saying, Clark was staring partly because of their non-reaction to the whole "I'm an alien!" revelation. As much as he hated to admit it, he kinda wished the sisters had been a little more, well, impressed by his secret. He angsted quite a bit about telling them. But, as it turned out, they were all so blasé about the whole thing. Well, except for Piper. And, even though she was having a hard time believing Clark was an alien, she was very calm about it.
"Hey!" Piper finally interrupted her sisters. "I didn't say I didn't believe it. I just said it was hared to believe."
"Well, I find it hard to believe that you find it hard to believe," Paige said chidingly. "After all, you did marry, and have two children with, an angel."
"Wait," Martha interrupted. Now, she looked as doubtful as Piper did. "Piper married an angel?"
"You mean, an angel angel?" Jonathan asked, his face a mask of disbelief.
Sighing, Paige nodded. "Yeah, it's this whole big thing. Forbidden love, obstacles to overcome, risking the wrath of higher powers to be together, yada, yada. But, before you ask, no, Leo doesn't have wings." Then, after a thoughtful pause, she turned to Piper. "Leo doesn't have wings, does he? Like, hidden under his shirt or something?"
"No," Phoebe scoffed before Piper could answer. "I walked in on him in the shower once and, believe me, if he had wings, I would…"
"Okay," Paige interrupted, holding up one hand. "Too much information."
"Way too much information," Piper agreed, glaring Phoebe. "And I thought you said you didn't see anything."
Phoebe grinned. "Oh, I saw some things."
Clark lowered his head, biting his lip to keep from laughing, even as a blush turned his face red. Jonathan made a choking sound, like he was trying to hold back a chuckle. And Martha managed to look scandalized but amused at the same time.
"Please, no talk of seeing my husband in the shower, sans clothing, in front of my youngest child," Piper teased, looking around the room. Then, looking puzzled, she asked, "Hey, where's Chris?"
Clark frowned, looking towards the corner where Chris had been standing when he began to tell the sisters his life story. As he saw that Chris wasn't there, Clark suddenly remembered what happened before the probes appeared. After the attack, Chris had acted pretty normal, not at all like someone who'd just relived one of the worst days of his life. Then again, it was easy to forget just how good he was at hiding his feelings. But that didn't mean he didn't have them. And, in his place, Clark would want to be alone right now too.
Clark turned back to the sisters, momentarily blanking on what to say. He was pretty sure Chris hadn't told them about re-living that memory. In fact, Clark had the feeling Chris hadn't really told his family just how bad his future was. And it certainly wasn't Clark's place to tell them now.
"Uh, he must have gotten bored hearing my life story again and just slipped out," Clark finally said. He'd gotten better at lying over the past few years, and the Halliwells seemed to take his words at face-value. But the looks his parents threw his way told him they knew he was fudging the truth. "I'll go find him."
Clark found Chris sitting in the loft, staring out the window. He appeared to be lost in thought, blind to the beautiful, golden sunset taking place before his eyes.
Clark hesitated, reluctant to disturb him. But he wouldn't feel right walking away, either. So, taking a deep breath, he said, "Hey."
Chris didn't respond at first. Clark figured, if he didn't want to talk, he'd eventually tell him to go away. Instead, Chris just said, "Hey," in return.
Taking that as an invitation, Clark moved closer, and sat down next to Chris.
"So, how did it go?" Chris asked, eyes still on the view outside the window.
"Good," Clark said. "You're mom and aunts were even less shocked by my secret than you were."
"Yeah, well, after meeting fairies, ogres, elves, and more demons than they can count, an alien is just one more thing, you know?"
"I guess so," Clark said.
The two were silent for a long while, just watching the sun set lower and lower in the sky.
"That's really pretty," Chris finally said. "Sometimes, back home, I orb to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. I thought nothing could beat seeing the sun set over the city. But this is pretty close."
"Yeah," Clark agreed. Then he added, his voice low, "I'm sorry about Bianca."
Chris flinched, pain flashing across his face. But it was there and gone in seconds. Proving, once again, how good he was at hiding his feelings.
"I'm sorry, too," he said. "But she's not really gone. I mean, in the present, in my dimension, she's about five years old right now." At Clark's raised eyebrows, he smiled a little. "I always had a thing for older women." His smile quickly faded. "When I remember the day I saw her die, I also try to remember that it doesn't have to be that way. If I can change things, change Wyatt, none of that will ever happen." His eyes grew distant again. "That's the only reason I left her."
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, like he was intruding on Chris's pain, Clark looked back out the window. Once again, a silence fell over the loft. Ten minutes passed before Chris said, "It'll be dark soon."
"Yeah," Clark said with a melancholy sigh, suddenly remembering the Halliwells would be leaving soon after nightfall. So, here it was. Time to start saying their goodbyes.
"I think that's enough time to squeeze in a game of basketball."
Clark turned to stare at him. "Huh?"
Chris stood up. "Come on. I want to see what you're made of."
For a moment, Clark didn't know what to do. But he supposed this was one of the ways they were different. Clark tended to let his mind linger on whatever sad, depressing things were going on in his life. Chris, on the other hand, was more the type who tried not to dwell on stuff like that, especially if it was stuff he couldn't change. Instead, he got busy doing something else.
Nodding, Clark stood. If a game of hoops was what Chris needed to feel better about what he'd gone through today, Clark could do that.
"I'm up for a game," Clark said.
Chris hated goodbyes, probably because he'd lived through so many of them—ranging from mildly painful to truly horrific—over the years. But, while saying good-bye to the Kents was a sad occasion, it was…pleasant, in a weird kind of way.
The two families had gathered in the kitchen, voices overlapping as they said their farewells.
"I just wish there was a way for you to send me pictures of Baby Chris after he's born," Martha was saying to Piper.
"Well, according to Leo, this dimension-hopping business is pretty dangerous. It's not something you want to do on a regular basis. And, apparently, these dimensional tears can move, or even vanish after a while."
"Oh." Martha looked worried. "Does that mean your trip back will be dangerous?"
"Not really. The doorway is pretty strong and stable right now. But that might not be true a month, or even a week, from now." Then, Piper grinned. "But, if there's a way for me to get those pictures to you, I will."
"Thank you." Suddenly uncertain, she glanced down at Piper's stomach. "May I?"
"Go right ahead."
Gently, Martha rested her hand on Piper's belly. And a smile lit her face when she felt Baby Chris kick.
On the other side of the room, Phoebe and Paige were chatting with Jonathan.
"You know," Phoebe was saying, "I know some young professionals in San Francisco who pay good money for the chance to work on one of those dude ranches. And, okay, this isn't a ranch. But, your farm is relaxing and idyllic, two words travel brochures just love. I bet you'd make a small fortune if you offered a sort of 'working vacation' thing here."
"Yeah," Paige chimed in. "You wouldn't just be getting free labor. You'd be getting paid for letting other people do the work around this place."
"W-well, um…" Jonathan stalled, looking appalled by the very idea, but trying to remain polite. "I'll, uh, I'll think about it." Then, he fell back on the age-old tactic of changing the subject. "By the way, did you ever figure out what's been happening with Chris's powers since he got here."
Paige, who seemed to be the sister who most liked talking about magic, shrugged. "Not really. Although, we figure the same thing would start happening to all of us after a while. And having four witches with erratic powers around? Probably not the safest situation to be in."
"So, I guess this is it," Chris was saying to Clark.
"Yeah," Clark agreed, dredging up a weak smile. "It's been really…interesting getting to know you."
"Good interesting?" Chris asked with a wry smile. "Or bad interesting."
"Definitely good interesting," Clark assured him. "It was nice having someone close to my own age around. Someone who knows what it's like to be not-so-normal." He grinned. "And was cool finding out there are people out there with even weirder lives than me."
"Oh, I don't think there's much doubt about that," Chris laughed. But, soon, his countenance became more serious. "I just want to say that I appreciate what you're family did for me. If it hadn't been for you guys, I'm pretty sure my time here would've completely sucked. But you and your parents made it okay. Nice, even. So, thanks."
Clark seemed embarrassed by the kind words, but pleased. "Don't mention it. Like I said, it's been fun having you around. In fact, the house is going to feel pretty empty after you're gone."
After that, Chris went to say good-bye to Jonathan and Martha. Then, much too soon, he, his mom, and his aunts were gathered together in the middle of the room, ready to make their departure.
"Thanks," Chris said to the Kents. "For everything."
"You're welcome," Jonathan said, putting his arm around his wife. "And it was our pleasure."
Martha, whose eyes were wet with tears and seemed incapable of speaking, simply nodded and smiled in Chris's direction.
Chris turned to Clark. "You take care of yourself."
"You too," Clark said. "And good luck."
Knowing Clark was referring to his mission to save Wyatt, Chris nodded.
Then, taking each other's hands, the four Halliwells orbed away.
THE END