Several hours later, the Kent family was sitting in their living room.

"What do you mean 'Everyone found out'?" Jonathan Kent asked, disbelieving. After Clark had pulled him (along with the crushed body of some reporter) from kryptonite-laced death in a catacomb, he had been forced to sit down with his parents and have one of these 'nice family chats'.

Clark knew that his parents loved him, that they were only worried for his safety, but... he could take care of himself. Their hovering concern was somewhat... suffocating.

"I mean, Eric Summers and a bunch of other meteor freaks ambushed me at the Spring Formal. They locked the doors so nobody could get out. They forced me to reveal the truth about myself- about Krypton and everything. And then... they attacked me. I guess they wanted revenge for putting them in asylums and stuff." Clark sighed. After everything that had happened, it was hard to put it into words in a way someone who hadn't been there would understand.

"I fought them. I was trying to give everyone a chance to escape, to find a way out. Tina Greer and Greg Arkin ran into me hard enough to make a shockwave that shattered the windows. I tried to convince everyone to run, but they wouldn't. I still don't know why. Eric had kryptonite, and they beat me so badly I actually got knocked out." Martha Kent gasped, and Jonathan moved forward. "Are you alright, Clark?" Clark nodded hastily, and rushed on.

"According to Chloe, I stopped breathing. But they revived me, did CPR or something. Then the meteor freaks were coming after me again. I guess they really wanted me dead. And I think they would have succeeded, except..." Clark trailed away. He wasn't sure if he should reveal Kendra's secret. She didn't seem like she'd mind as much as Clark did. And her bravery should be recognized.

"Except what, Clark?" Martha asked. "There was a girl, Kendra Hall. The people there to kill me had sent Sean Kelvin to be the one to kill me off, and Kendra faced him down. She walked out there, all alone..." Clark heard Martha's breath catch. She knew the horrifying reality of Sean Kelvin's terrible power.

"Kendra was a meteor freak. Turns out there's a lot more of them than we'd ever have thought. She fought Sean, and then every meteor-powered person in the school was coming out of the closet to fight the bad guys." Clark smiled at his use of such a simplistic, childish term for Eric and his posse.

"There was a girl who could teleport herself. She got rid of the kryptonite. I think she said that she took it to China. And then I recovered enough to get back into the fight. We were able to round up all of them except for Justin Gaines. When he realized that he was the only one still standing, when he realized it was hopeless..." Clark shuddered. The moment he had understood Justin's suicidal rage, the focus of his intent, Clark had felt a kind of terror he hoped he'd never have to experience again.

He took several steadying breaths, trying to bring himself back to the present. He hadn't known anyone could be that desperate or that evil. "Justin tried to bring the entire ceiling down. He was going to kill himself and everyone there." Martha gasped, and Jonathan's hand tightened on Clark's shoulder.

"Everyone's okay, right?" Martha asked. "Yeah," Clark said. "I... caught it. I caught the roof. And then I... flew it away from the building." Jonathan's brow furrowed. "Run that by me again one more time, Clark," he said, shock on his face. "I can fly," Clark said simply. His mother's mouth dropped open.

"Anyway, once I got back from setting the roof of the gym down, everybody promised that they wouldn't tell anyone... about me, I mean. The official story is that there was another tornado, and it was that that destroyed the gym."

Jonathan nodded. "And do you think everybody will actually keep that promise, Clark?" After a moment, Clark smiled quietly. "You know, I do. Hard as it is to believe, I think I can trust everyone who was there today. I mean, they risked their lives to defend me while I was unconscious." Skeptical though he was, Jonathan accepted that for the time being.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Pete and Chloe stood outside. "Hello? Is anybody home?" And without another thought, they walked through the door.

"Hi Chloe, Pete," Martha said, standing up. "Are you two alright?" Pete nodded. "Can't really say the same for the school, though," Chloe piped up. "Thanks to those three weather girls, it looks like a tornado really did hit the area. But the rest of the town is pretty much intact." "That's what Clark said," Martha pointed out, gesturing to her son. "Well, can I get you two something to drink?"

"Oh, no Mrs. Kent," Pete said. "Actually, since the storm's passed on and the damage isn't too bad, we were actually wondering... Well, me and Chloe and a couple of people were thinking about having a little get-together later this evening. You know, since the spring formal was such a bomb and all." Clark chuckled. "Understatement of the year," he said under his breath.

"We wondered if Clark could come," Chloe said. "Well..." Martha hesitated, looking at her husband. "You know, since he's kind of... the guest of honor," Chloe hurried to add. Jonathan shrugged. "Sounds okay to me. Listen, you two... I know we can trust you guys, of course. But what do you think... Will everyone else keep Clark's secret?"

Pete and Chloe looked at each other. "I think the way the general sentiment was running after Clark 'took off'," Pete said, with an ironic smile, "You'll be really lucky if you don't have about two thousand people worshipping the ground he worships on, ready to do anything he asks, including keep the whole thing a total secret." Chloe nodded, grinning with mirth. "Seeing someone lift three tons of cement over their head like it's nothing and then flying away with it tends to do that to people."

Clark stared at them, shocked by the casual way they were dealing with the revelation of his superpowers. "You guys aren't... freaked out by this?" he asked. "Well, I've always kind of thought there was something... off... about you," Chloe said. "Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically. "And compared to realizing that most of the school has superpowers of some kind finding out my best friend being an alien isn't so huge," Pete added.

"Well, Clark, you coming?" Chloe asked. He glanced at his parents, who nodded. He rose, picked up his jacket (having long since changed out of his severely battered tuxedo), and followed his two best friends out the door. Jonathan and Martha Kent looked at each other. Martha shrugged, and Jonathan pulled her into a hug. "I guess our little boy's growing up," he whispered into her hair.

Pete drove, insisting that his shiny blue convertible would make a better entrance than Clark's truck. Chloe rode proudly in the front seat beside him, and Clark sat alone in the back. He sighed. Was this the way it would be from now on? Would he always be slightly separate from everyone else? Different... revered, perhaps, but still unapproachable and unique?

He had a very long ride to contemplate the horrifying possibility. Pete drove far out of Smallville, into the rolling hills that surrounded the little farming town. When they reached one of the last remaining patch of old growth forest left in the area, Pete stopped. There were several dozen cars parked in the same area.

"Uh... Pete? There's a lot of people here," Clark said, nervous. "Yeah, it's okay. They were all at the dance this afternoon." "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Clark muttered.

Pete and Chloe dragged him out of the car, and lead him into the trees. The massive, widespread trees- oaks, mostly, dimmed the light until it was dark as night beneath the branches. "Man, by the time it actually gets dark, this place is gonna be wicked," Pete said with conviction. In the distance, they could see the glow of a fire.

After several minutes of walking, they reached a clearing, in the center of which someone had built a massive bonfire. About fifty people were milling around, some dancing to the music blaring from the massive stereo set up on one side of the fire.

As Clark emerged into the firelight, flanked by Pete and Chloe, someone screamed, "There he is," and the clearing erupted in cheers. Clark waved awkwardly. "Pete, help me out here," he muttered out the side of his mouth.

Pete stepped forward, putting up his hands to calm the crowd. "Hey, hey people. Get it all out now. There's going to be people here later who aren't in on the big secret. Now, tomorrow we're all going to be out on the highway clearing up dead branches or whatever from the storm, so tonight let's celebrate. And that means all of us. Don't mob poor Clark here. He's still the same guy he's always been- a guy who really doesn't appreciate the spotlight. And since this party's supposed to be to thank him for saving all our butts today, I suggest we leave him alone to do his brooding thing." There was some laughter from the people who had encountered Clark's 'serious face'.

At first, people didn't heed Pete's advice. Clark was overwhelmed by the number of people (and more entered the clearing every minute) who seemed to want to hear his life's story. After several pained explanations that it wasn't really something he wanted to talk about, he finally caved. "Okay!" he yelled across the crowd. "Anyone who wants to know why I'm on this planet, come over here! I'm only telling this story once!"

The entire crowd- every last one of them- gathered around him in a tight cluster. "Okay," he began awkwardly. "I was born Kal-El of the planet Krypton. Apparently I was the heir to some noble lineage. The House of El. Apparently a name recognized across the galaxy, if what I've learned is anything to go by. My father, Jor-El, was a scientist and politician on Krypton. He had been doing some kind of experiment, and... I don't know how he figured it out, but..."

Clark hesitated. This was difficult to think about, let alone talk about, with total strangers. "There was a war going on. I don't really know many details about it, but somehow the core became unstable. There was no way to keep the planet from exploding. So my parents, Jor-El and Lara, did the only thing they could. They sent me here, to earth. I was just a baby, a few weeks old."

There were stifled gasps in the crowd, as people understood the sacrifice that Clark's parents had made. "The planet exploded just after I escaped. I'm the only survivor of my species. The meteors that landed here in Smallville... it's my theory that they were little fragments of Krypton that drifted through space with my ship. They're poison to me. I'm really not sure why, just like I'm not sure why I don't have these powers. I think they're solar induced, but... who knows?"

Everyone was staring at him. "And that's pretty much it. My parents- the Kents- found me during the meteor shower. They couldn't have children of their own, so they adopted me." He shrugged. "That's all I know. Everything else is a mystery. I keep hoping that maybe someone else survived, that maybe there's even one other Kryptonian out there somewhere, but it's looking pretty unlikely."

"Oh, Clark," whispered Alicia Baker. "That is so sad." There was dead silence in the clearing. Then from somewhere in the back of the crowd, Lana said softly, "Yes, it is. But it's more than that. His parents gave him to us... gave us a truly amazing person. Let's face it, earth needs someone like Clark. Thank god he's here."

Everyone turned to look at Lana, and Clark sighed with relief as the burning gaze of the crowd left him. There were nods and cheers in response to Lana's comment.

Clark sat down on a massive log on the edge of the clear. "Oh... I hope I never have to tell my life's story ever again." he groaned, as Chloe sat down next to him.

"Yeah. That's pretty intense, Clark. Or should I call you Kal-El now?" she asked. He made a face. "Don't. Only Jor-El calls me that." Chloe looked at him strangely. "Jor-El? Your father? But I thought he was--" "He is. But he talks to me somehow through my spaceship. Some kind of advanced technology, I guess." Clark sighed. Jor-El was frustrating, with all his talk of destiny.

Chloe was silent for a moment. "By the way, Clark, remind me to introduce you to my cousin. Her dad's a general and he just got transferred to Fort Ryan. She's in town for the weekend, and I promised her this afternoon that I'd show her a good time in Smallville. Actually," she said, checking her watch, "She should be here any minute." Clark nodded absently. His mind was still on Jor-El and the future.

After awhile, Chloe said, "I can tell something's on your mind. Want to talk about it?" Clark looked at her for a moment, then forced a smile.

"This whole mess today... it's made me realize that there are so many people out there in the world that just want what they want, and will do anything to get it. They may not all be meteor freaks like today, but I could stop it. I could save so many people from hurt and suffering... I could protect so many people..." He trailed away.

"But?" Chloe said, sensing a hesitation. "But... I'm scared. Everyone's reacted pretty positively to me today, but a lot of these people have powers of their own, and..." "And you're worried about how the rest of the world would react." Chloe finished for him.

"I want to go out into the world and do all the good I can, but... I could make enemies that way. What happens to you, to my parents, to Pete? They may not be able to hurt me, but everyone I'm close to... I've seen today that the world really needs me, and Lana's thoughts on my life only reinforce that. But how do I do it without putting the people closest to me in danger? And how do I have a normal life?"

Chloe sighed. She didn't know the answers to the questions he was asking her. And she was beginning to realize that, though she loved Clark still, her affections for him were more brotherly than anything.

"I don't know, Clark. But I'll think on it, okay? If I come up with any answers to the hard questions, I'll let you know," she said, and meant it. Clark could change the world in a huge way. He was so powerful... the way his life went could influence the history of the entire planet. She would help in any way she could, both for the world's sake and for his. No matter the revelation she'd had today, Clark Kent would always be her friend.

She stood up silently and wandered away to speak to Alicia Baker. She found that she rather liked the shy girl.

Clark sat in silence for a few minutes, pondering all the things going around and around in his head. Finally, with a half-hearted laugh, he stood up and went to join the party. The world could wait a few more hours. For now, he'd try and have a little fun.

Kendra Hall and a group of her friends managed to talk him into dancing for awhile, laughing when he proved to be a terrible dancer. "You know, you'd think that, being who you are, you'd do better at this," she said. "Oh, and Sean Kelvin's okay," she added as an afterthought. "He froze right back up after you left." Clark nodded absently. Chloe was beckoning him over. "Um... I'll see you guys around," he said to Kendra and her friends.

Chloe grabbed his elbow as he reached her. "Come on, Clark. I want you to meet my cousin," she said, still laughing from something Pete had said before Clark reached them. She dragged him across the clearing.

As they approached their destination, a tall brunette with strands of honey gold that glinted in the firelight stood and moved toward them. Clark thought she was beautiful. Maybe not in the same way that Lana was beautiful, but there was a subtle grace to her that he admired.

"Clark, meet my cousin, Lois Lane," Chloe said happily. "Lois, my friend Clark Kent." Lois looked him over with intense amber eyes. "Plaid, huh?" was all she said. Clark smiled awkwardly, unsure how to reply. "This is the guy you've spent the last three years talking about nonstop?" Lois asked of Chloe.

"And what's wrong with me?" Clark snapped, before Chloe could reply. The nerve of this girl, insulting him before she could even say three civil words to him!

"Well, I'll give it to Chloe, she was right when she said you were pretty easy on the eyes, but... but plaid!" Lois said, as though that explained everything. "Not to mention, you live in Smallville. That automatically puts you on my blacklist. You've got grass stains all over your jeans." "Well, I live on a farm, it comes with the territory!" Clark protested, feeling his stomach flip in a way he'd never felt before.

"Farm boy, huh?" Lois snorted. "I'd bet you're a teacher's pet, too." "I don't know about that," Clark hedged. "Are you kidding?" Chloe said. "There isn't an adult who hasn't loved you on sight!" "People like me, so what?" Clark said defensively. "Ooh, somebody give the Eagle Scout a cookie! He can charm the pants off teachers!" Lois said sarcastically.

"Oh, and I suppose you pride yourself on being able to get on the nerves of everyone you meet within sixty seconds?" Clark said coolly. Lois raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. "Thirty," she said cheekily. Clark gave her a relaxed grin. "Well, then, I've still got ten seconds before you lose your thirty-second personal record. Eight... seven... six..."

"Whatever, Smallville." she said dismissively to him. "Come on, cuz. Let's go talk to someone more interesting." She walked away, leaving Chloe to say in a slightly strained voice, "Sorry about her. She's just... like that. Big city girl, and all that. You know, I've always thought the two of you would get along really well together. Guess I was wrong." "I... it's okay," Clark said quietly. "All day people have been treating me like I deserve some kind of worship. Lois is... a refreshing change." "Oi! Chloe!" Lois called from where she was talking to Pete. Chloe looked apologetically at Clark, and walked away.

Clark walked over to the log he'd been sitting on earlier. His conversation with Lois Lane, brief though it had been, had left him reeling. It was true what he'd said to Chloe. Lois wasn't quite like any other girl he'd ever met. The way she'd stood there, arms crossed, a cocky grin on her face, had intrigued him.

Dropping down to sit on the log, Clark pictured her eyes sparkling as she teased him, and his heart turned over. What was wrong with him? The girl was annoying as hell and incredibly frustrating! Why was he reacting like this to exactly twenty six seconds of conversation with her? He sighed, and allowed his thoughts to drift. But the currents of his mind continued to bring him back to Lois.

After several minutes, he was aware that he wasn't alone on his log anymore. "Who--? Lois!" he said, looking to his left. "What are you doing here?" Lois frowned sourly. "Move over Smallville," she said, giving him a nudge and indicating that he make room for her on the log. "I'm attempting to get away from Barrbie's twin sister," she muttered, when she was seated. "Who?" Clark asked. Lois gestured to where Lana and Whitney were sitting, across the clearing.

"Lana?" he asked. "Yeah. I guess she thinks that since we've both got roots in Metropolis, we should be best buds now," Lois sighed. "Lana's a good friend of mine," he said warningly.

"The pink princess is your friend?" Lois asked incredulously. "What?" Clark said. "You don't think it's possible for me to be friends with a pretty girl? And besides, she doesn't always wear pink. She wears blue sometimes," he said. Lois raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for once. After a pause, Clark caved. "But you're right. I could definitely go the rest of my life without seeing the color pink again." Lois laughed, and a shiver ran down Clark's spine at the sound. "I hear you! I just... hate... pink," she said, completely oblivious to Clark's reaction.

"Admit it, Smallville," Lois plunged on. "You've got it bad for Barbie, don't you?" Clark sighed. "I used to," he said quietly. Lois looked at him. "Well that's cryptic," she said, annoyed. "Don't you country types ever just come out and say what you mean?" "Maybe. Do you city types ever shut up and stop asking questions?" Clark smiled to take the sting out of the words.

Lois groaned. "Dammit. I finally find someone worth annoying the hell out of and he actually turns out to be decent with words," she said. "It's all the small-town politics. You have to be really good with words to be able to say what you want to say without offending half your neighbors. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to keep up with my tactful prowess in... oh... five years," Clark said, grinning wickedly. "Are you kidding? I've got no intention of sticking around that long!" Lois said, playful mock-horror on her face.

"Really?" Clark said, pressing his advantage. "I thought you had to stay until your father left Fort Ryan." "Or until I graduate from high school, whichever comes first," she said. "Prepare for a school year from hell, Smallville. I know that I for one need to prepare for the horror of going to the same school as you." She grinned at him.

"Of course, I'm guessing you've already resigned yourself to another year of misery," she said. Clark raised his eyebrows. "And what makes you say that?" he asked, smiling slightly. "Well, according to Chloe, this whole deal--" She gestured around the clearing. "--Was for you, yet you're sitting here..." She pointed to the log. "...Alone... and no one has come over here to say hi. That just screams 'geek' to me."

"Oh really. You've got me pegged so easily?" he said teasingly. "I'm good at character assessment," she said with a cheeky smile. "How do you know you're not wrong?" he asked. "Oh, you'll learn, Smallville. I'm always right." And with that, she leaped up from the log, and walked away with a quick stride.

Clark's head was reeling again. What the hell? This girl was stuck-up, she was rude, from the looks of things she was bossy as well. He should despise her. He should be furious with her. And on a superficial level, he was. But beneath the frustration was something else. He'd never felt quite this way about anyone else. All her sarcasm, her cavalier attitude, her gruffness was incredibly endearing to him.

He tried to pry his mind away from the enigma of Lois Lane, but it was impossible. So he settled for staring into the flames and losing himself in replaying every second of their brief conversations.

"Hey! Earth to Clark!" Pete's voice sounded from right next to him. "Huh?" he gasped, sitting up very straight. "Oh, Pete. What's up?" Clark stood up.

"Hey man, I just wanted to ask you..." Pete paused. "I was wondering, what exactly's going on with you and Chloe?" "Honestly?" Clark said. "Honestly, I think I'd rather stay friends. She means a lot to me, and I love her like a sister, but..." Clark was unsure when his eyes had drifted to Lois. Quickly he tried to refocus on Pete's face, but Pete had seen where his gaze went.

"You got the hots for the cousin?" he said, incredulously. "Man, I met Lois a few weeks ago... are you really sure you want to go there?" he asked. "I mean, she's hot and everything, but she's got a razor blade for a tongue, man. She's really..." Pete seemed to search for the right word. "Intense?" Clark suggested. "Yeah," Pete said, relieved that Clark knew what he meant. "Well, anyway, I'd better go. Just... consider yourself warned."

Clark watched with amusement as Pete tapped Chloe on the shoulder. He began to speak, and talked for a few seconds, before suddenly, Chloe threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Clark grinned. He'd always thought his two closest friends would make a cute pair.

A few hours later, Clark hadn't seen either of them for nearly a half an hour, so he walked over to where Lana was leaning up against Whitney. "Listen, if you two see Chloe and Pete, let them know I went on home without them. Assure them that I definitely didn't take the car," he said. Lana smiled, knowing what he meant. "Sure, Clark. We'll do that."

Clark strode a few paces into the forest. When he was sure he was well out of sight of the clearing, he stretched his arms skyward, and with a quick leap, hurled himself skyward. For a few minutes, he enjoyed the rushing speed of the flight. It was a great deal of fun. But soon, the image of a certain brunette woman invaded his brain. His headlong flight slowed, and he drifted gently on the winds, with only a general idea of where he was going.

Twenty minutes later, he landed on the front porch. He opened the window, and walked through the living room in the direction of his bedroom.

"Hi, Clark. Did you have a good time?" his mom asked. "Yeah. I explained about Krypton exploding to a couple people. Pete and Chloe are together now, I guess. And then Chloe introduced me to her cousin. Lois." Martha Kent knew her son far too well to miss the faint note of reverence in his voice when he spoke Lois's name.

"And did you like her?" Martha asked suspiciously. Clark nodded. "She's... very unique. It's very confusing. I should probably hate her, but she's just about impossible to dislike." And with that, he rose off the floor and drifted up the stairs to his bedroom.

Drifting down onto his bed, he stared up at the ceiling. A scattering of glow-in-the-dark stars crossed the ceiling above him, giving him the pleasant feeling of being outdoors. He smiled. Lois was staying at least until fall, according to Chloe. That was good... He fell asleep, still grinning.

A Note from Lara: Okay, yeah, I know that was kind of random, but there is a sequel story to this one. I haven't finished writing the first chapter yet, but if you want to read it in the future, the title will be 'Everybody Knows'.