As always, I own nothing.

A/N- Sorry for the long delay folks. It was a combination of calculus and Fable 2. Initially this was going to be a much longer chapter and close out this first story arc, but I'm so behind right now that I've decided to just post in smaller chunks so that you have something to tide you over. From this point on, expect about two weeks between chapters, I just have too much school work right now. Plus I'm about to leave the territory that I had already outlined to start with, so my writing is going to take a bit longer. I have plenty of ideas for this altered time line, but getting them all arranged so that everything works together and flows right will take some doing. As always, reviews are appreciated.

Clark didn't stop running until he reached the hallway outside the gymnasium, where he reduced his speed to that of a quick human jog. A part of him felt that he should be rushing home right now to check on his parents rather than stopping at the school. After all, the school hadn't been in the path of the tornado; his parents had been. But as worried as he was, he knew that Chloe deserved to know that he was alright before he did anything else. The perfect night he had promised her had ended badly enough without adding "abandoning her at the dance" to the list.

The gym was still packed when he entered, the students mostly milling about aimlessly, talking amongst themselves. Since it had become obvious that they were in no danger where they were, the majority of the students had already moved on from the problem in typical high school fashion, a few even questioning why they shouldn't continue the dance. Why should they waste a perfectly good Friday night after all? Clark snorted disgustedly at their attitudes as he scanned the crowd for Chloe. Didn't these people realize the enormity of what had just happened? People had been hurt, many seriously, and some might even have died in this storm and all they were worried about was missing out on their fun.

Finally he spotted her near the back wall and began to make his way towards her, pushing his way through the crowd and ignoring the affronted and shocked looks from his classmates. Clearing the crowd, he stopped, still unnoticed by his friends as guilt began to gnaw at him. Chloe was mere feet away with Pete and his date right next to her. The latter was chatting loudly with nearby friends while the former tried hopelessly to calm the visibly agitated Chloe who stood ramrod stiff, tension clear in her posture as she swore violently at the cell phone she held in trembling hands.

"Damnit! This stupid thing is completely worthless! There was no answer on Lana's cell or at his house, and the hospital told me not to call unless I had a real emergency."

"Chloe calm down, I'm sure Clark's fine."

"How do you know? Anything could have happened, he could be-" Her voice caught in her throat and a hand flew to her mouth. Her jubilation at seeing him alive quickly faded, horror dawning across her face as she took in his appearance. In hindsight, it might have been a good idea to clean himself up a bit before he came in; he really did look like crap. From head to toe he was coated in a thick layer of dust and his back was literally covered in dirt stains from his fall. Worse than that was the massive tear in the left shoulder that left the sleeve nearly detached. Too late he realized that looking like he just came out of a tornado would inspire a lot of questions that he wasn't prepared to answer.

"Looks like I'm not going to be getting my deposit back." She ignored the attempted humor, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Clark, oh my god, what happened to you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Her eyes narrowed, a hint of anger present in them.

"Don't you give me that Clark Kent. You ran out and left me here all by myself. And after taking off like a bat out of hell you show back up half an hour later looking like you just came through a war zone." The pitch of her voice was rising as she worked herself into a frenzy, the first tears making their silent trek across her porcelain skin. "I have been scared out of my mind here. "I'm fine" is not going to cover it." She was close to hysterical now and Clark closed the distance between them in a few massive strides, engulfing her trembling body in his as his arms ran soothingly up and down her back. Pete gave him a small smile and moved off to give them some privacy.

"Shhh…..it's going to be alright. Everything really is fine, I promise. Lana was caught in the storm and I found her and took her to the hospital." Her eyes widened in shock and he moved quickly to reassure her. "It's alright though; it looks like nothing worse than a few broken bones. She should be on her feet in no time." She squeezed her eyes closed and buried her head in his shoulder, struggling valiantly to retain her composure in the face of the emotional overload that had been building up since Clark had disappeared.

For his part Clark stood immobile, stroking her hair softly and whispering quiet words of comfort while his heart pounded in his chest. Holding her like this made him feel warm and content, like her presence helped anchor him to the ground. But at the same time she made him feel much like he did earlier that night as he had soared through the heart of the tornado; terrified and apprehensive, but more alive than he had ever felt before. Even Lana had never made him feel so much at once and it left him more than a little frazzled, which meant it was a nearly a minute before he remembered that he still had to get home and check on his parents. Releasing her from his grasp he took a step back and paused for a moment so she could collect herself before he spoke.

"I hate to run off again, but I have to go. My house was right in the path of that tornado; I need to make sure that my parents are ok." Her eyes shone with guilt, ashamed with herself for delaying him when his parents might be hurt.

"Of course. I'll go with you."

"No!" His sudden shout caused her to her jump a little. "Sorry. Chloe, you should stay here where it's safe; I mean what if the storm isn't over? Besides, I don't think they're letting anyone leave yet and I don't think that I can sneak both of us out." Not without using his powers anyway, he thought. His logic sounded weak to her, and she was perfectly prepared to argue the point, but something in his eyes was pleading with her to trust him. So she did.

"Ok Clark. But be careful and promise me you'll call when you find out about your parents." He smiled and reached up, cupping the back of her neck with his hand and leaning in to brush her lips with his own.

"I promise," he whispered, drawing away. By the time Chloe opened her eyes, which had closed in anticipation of the kiss, he was already gone.

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A few minutes he was in his driveway, gravel kicking up around him as he slid to a stop. Heart pounding, he surveyed the area for damage and noted happily that the house and barn were still intact; he had been half expecting the roof to be gone and the tractor hanging out of the side of the barn. But the worst of the storm appeared to have missed them, for while their was plenty of debris lying around, the worst damage he could see was a mailbox that he recognized from the Johnson farm three miles down the road plunged into his bedroom window. He winced. That was going to be fun to clean up.

"Clark!" His mother was hurrying down the front steps now and he ran to meet her, catching her up in a sweeping hug as he laughed in relief.

"Mom, I'm so glad you're all right!" He put her down, shouting out questions as he scanned her for injuries. "Where's dad? Is he all right? Did you two make it to the shelter in time? What about-" She placed her hand on his mouth, cutting him off.

"Clark calm down and take a deep breath." Her hand fell as his breathing slowed and his panic settled down. "Yes we did make it to the shelter, but when we got in there, that reporter was there with a camera filming your ship. Your dad tried to stop him but he took off into the storm and your dad ran off after him. He hasn't come back yet. I was just waiting on you to get back so we could start looking for him." Guilt flooded through him and his words began rushing together as he tried to justify himself.

"Mom I am so sorry, I should have been here sooner. But Lana was in trouble and I had to pull her out of the tornado and I thought you and dad would be fine since you've been through this so many times and then I went to go check on Chloe and Pete and I'm so sorry. I should have just come straight home." Eyes shining with sympathy, she placed her hand on his cheek to stop his guilty rambling from working him into a frenzy again.

"Honey you don't have to explain yourself. You took care of yourself and your friends, and for that I am very proud of you. But now is not the time for blame or guilt, we just need to focus on finding your father." He knew she was right; guilt wasn't important right now, only finding his dad. Pushing those feelings to the back of his mind, he straightened, demeanor changing completely.

Martha smiled. She had always loved the change that came over her son in times like these. When the time came for action and lives were on the line, all of the worries and self doubt that plagued her son's handsome face vanished. In their place was a hard steel to his jaw and a burning determination to help people that shone in his eyes. She saw that same look now and in the face of it, her own fear and worry melted away, leaving only a deep trust in her son and their family. Clark would find Jonathan and they would see this crisis through together, as they always did. He turned, ready to speed off and begin his search of the property.

"Clark!" Pausing, he faced her once more. "After you find your father, perhaps you can explain to us what exactly you meant by "I had to pull Lana out of the twister." He winced, knowing exactly how his father was going to feel about that situation. Grinning nervously, he disappeared from her view as he sped across the farm at top speed, shouting 'dad' into the darkening evening sky.