The Strangest Little Object -- Clark Kent/Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy Olsen had had a normal day so far. He had given his fiancée Chloe a kiss as they parted ways until nightfall. He had gone to the Daily Planet and the chief had assigned him to check out some wooded area in Smallville where some girl's truck had crashed three-and-a-half years ago. The people living nearby said they had felt something strange when they had taken a picnic there.

Something strange! Jimmy was thrilled -- he had become used to strange when Chloe and he had started officially dating. The only normal day when he was with her had consisted of their first time together. And then nothing for three years. Metropolis' darkest hour had proven to him the irony of life -- he had been reunited with the woman he loved -- it didn't matter if it was at gunpoint, did it.

He pulled up to the edge of the woods, parking his car carefully on the side of the road. He hopped out with his camera around his neck and shut the door. He cautiously made his way down the steep incline, before he felt it too. It was a throbbing, a heartbeat almost. He could feel the tempo speed up and slow down as he walked amongst the trees. Once he felt it speed up, he continued in that direction, turning different directions until he came upon a small clearing. He searched around, the thrum of the beat making his heart match the tempo. He felt as if he were about to burst with excitement when he spotted it. It was a glowing pink rock. He quickly took a picture of it. Bending down to get a closer look, he felt compelled to reach out and touch it. Yet something held him back. The closer his fingers reached out toward the rock, the stronger the beat -- the noise was pounding in his ears, and he could feel an onslaught of blood rushing through his body. It was almost sexual in its own nature. Ignoring his instincts, though knowing the outcome could be dangerous, he reached forward and picked up the small rock.

The beating had stopped; it was quiet. Yeah, it was sure something strange. He pocketed the item and headed back to his car. It took him a while to find his way back out to the road, and the trek up the hill proved a little difficult. He unlocked and opened the door, eager to get back to the Planet. First, he sent Chloe a text message, telling her to meet him there; then he was on his way.

He wasn't surprised to find Chloe waiting for him, but the real kicker was that Clark was waiting with her. He knew they were close friends, and C.K. didn't seem the type to lie about being more than close. Any mention of Chloe and Clark as an item and Chloe bottled up, while Clark quickly denounced it. Oh well, he knew Chloe would never cheat on him.

TSLO TSLO TSLO

Clark was on his way to see Lois after he got a message to meet her at the Planet. He happened to bump into Chloe while walking up the stairs and engaged in some light conversation. She asked about the farm, he asked how things were with Jimmy.

'What? You want the details?' Chloe asked slyly.

'No!' Clark hastily explained. 'I was just . . . trying to make sure . . . well, I mean, if you two were . . .'

'Jimmy and I are happy together, Clark,' Chloe said, smiling as his nervousness to clarify the question lessened considerably. 'Look, here he comes now.'

Sure enough, Jimmy was walking up the stairs. Chloe walked back down a few and met him with a short kiss. 'Hey, C.K.,' Jimmy said. 'Seriously, you need to stop stalking my girlfriend.'

'Actually,' Chloe added. 'Clark come here to see Lois.'

'Look, she said she wanted my help investigating something, that's all.'

'Hey,' Jimmy said, fishing in his pocket for something. 'Speaking of investigations, check out what I found.' He pulled a rock out of his jacket and held it out on his palm for them to see. 'Normally, the meteor rocks are green or red, but this one looks almost pink.'

'Pink? No. It's probably just a small piece of red hidden underneath some crystallized sediment.' Chloe stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

'You know, every time I bring up something strange like this, you're the first one to denounce it. Look,' he said, holding it up so they could get a glimpse of the rock sideways at eye-level. 'The pink vein runs all the way to the top. What do you think, C.K.? You know a lot about these rocks, right?'

Before Clark knew it, he had caught the rock Jimmy had tossed him. Then lightening hit him. Sure, it wasn't storming outside. The only clouds he could see were white wisps, but Clark's every nerve lit up like Christmas lights, synapses firing rapidly. Then it was over. He didn't feel any different. It certainly wasn't red, and it obviously wasn't green. He looked at Jimmy questioningly. Oh God, it was pink, wasn't it?