Never Alone

I don't own Smallville, Batman, but Chase, Alex, Sky, and Touya are mine.

Touya means peach blossom if you care. I think it's cute! Malice Mizer is a JRock band, which lost one of my favorite members, and they pretty much dress is drag and do perverted things on stage. Visit http://moonglow.nu for images.

Blows raspberry what's a timeline but a set of walls to keep you boxed in and from expression your ideas to the fullest tosses timeline and all semblance of sanity out of the window...okay it's AU, and I don't mean gold.

Slash abounds, just `cause I like it so much, and if you think it's icky and want to flame me, sod the hell off...sorry, that British dialect pops up even in my writing. But pairings haven't been written in stone so I am open to most suggestions. ^-^

Hs anyone notice that Batman, Superman, and Robin all have black hair and blue eyes? Was DC feeling unoriginal or something?

The ground shook again and a woman winced as some of her better china went crashing to the floor. She sighed and continued her trek to the lab where her husband and three women waited.

"You were right." One woman said, brushing curly brown hair from her face. "Our plant is doomed."

The man smiled at her sadly. "So I was right. I must say it brings me no pleasure."

"Of course not." Another women, this one small with hair the color of peaches said softly. "We must hurry if we are to this, correct?"

"Yes. Consider this our thanks for believing and trying to help us." The man turned to see his wife with one of their children in her arms. "I have five pods, small ones. So you must understand this is the last time you will see them." All of the women nodded. "Dear?"

She smiled and sifted her sons weight in her arms. "But we have recording gems. When the time is right and they all meet again, they will learn of us and of our world. Despite it's many flaws. You'll find them next to the pods, but we must make this quick."

The first woman to lay down her child was the wife of one of the members of the council and her husband had been one of the leading skeptics. Well, he was dead now, gone in the first quake. Oddly enough she couldn't help but want to scream 'I told you so!' in his face.

She raced for the small violet crystal and pushed down on the end.

"My darling son, my only son. I'm not sure what...No, I am a noble woman, and I shall act like it." She whipped the few fallen tears away violently "Your name is Too-El the third, named for your father and his father before him. I have given birth to four girls before you, but as my son I send you off of our planet, which is about to fall beneath my feet. You are of a respected family; so remember to act with dignity, no matter what the case. I expect for you to do a many great thing with your life, like your father...yet listen when if someone tells you the world is going to end. Your father was a great man, but he was very foolish in the end. And I leave you with this. Respect and status are important, but family more so."

She placed the crystal next to the form of her son, who stared with wide blue almost purple eyes. She kissed his forehead then reached up to pull the top of the capsule down. Before it was sealed she heard crying.

"No, no, we do not cry my love, it's unbecoming." She said, frowning at the thought of her husband`s last words. He must have thought them poetic. He was an idiot. She wrenched the ring from her finger and dropped it onto the ground. She pulled a necklace from around her neck and dropped it into the capsule then shut it firmly.

Another woman stared at the blue crystal in her hand, not sure what to say. She was the wife of a teacher, she had never worked herself, hadn't even gone to school. Her father and then her husband wouldn't hear of either. She had no wisdom to pass on to him, no comforting words.

"I'm sorry Eas, I can't think of a thing to say to you. I am not smart, or wise, too different things, don't forget that, we were not a rich or respected family, I have no special trinkets for you, I was not famous myself, I doubt I ever left the house. But I loved you, I always will, and I am sorry I will not live to see you go to school, and on to collage. I will not see you get awards and good scores and make friends. I will not see your first date, or bonding ceremony. I am sorry."

She placed the crystal around his neck than brushed back pink curls.

The next woman was tall and beautiful; with smooth brown skin and eyes so green they almost glowed. She pushed the end of the silver crystal and cleared her throat, and then she sang. Her voice was pure and sweet. She sang the lullaby she used to sooth her son to sleep and soon the small child was calm and quite.

"Good-bye." She tucked away the crystal and closed the capsule. She sniffed then turned and walked away. She couldn't watch her son be shot off who the hell knew where. She wasn't that strong.

The last woman stood with her husband, gray eyes wet with tears. She turned the clear crystal over in her hands.

"My little boys, Kal-El and Gam-El, I do hope where ever you end up you are happy and loved and I hope you are not separated. But if it happens I know you will find each other. Know your father and I loved you so much, and it hurts to send you away. Never doubt that we loved you or think that we wanted to send you away." She faltered then looked away.

"Kal, you are to look after your younger brother, he is the last of your family. Take care of him for us, I'm trusting you with this, and don't forget as long as you have each other you are never alone." He offered his wife a tiny smile as he tucked the crystal in their younger son's pod.

"What about Kal?"

He picked a stone tablet up from a table then laid it at the older child's feet. "I wouldn't leave him out. Ladies, please, back away!" When everyone had complied he typed in a few things into the computer, which connected to the pods, then joined the women.

A loud mechanical voice began counting down the seconds before they said good-bye to their children forever. The ceiling of the lab was opening slowly and the tall pristine buildings sparkled as moonlight hit them.

Seconds crawled by, seeming like hours, and they almost breathed a sigh of relief when the voice called zero. The pods were gone in a flash of light and a faint roar, and all they could think was that it shouldn't look so beautiful and be so peaceful outside, when they had just given up what was most important to them.

Alexander Mead was not a happy guy. He had grown up in Chicago, gone to some of the most expensive schools, hung out with some of the worst people, but it had been fun because it was fucking Chicago! It was busy and loud, because he lived in a downtown apartment with his parents and younger sister, and it was impossible to get a good night's sleep.

And he was moving. To Kansas. Correction, to Smallville, Kansas.

He was convinced his parents had lost their minds; he swore it was the only explanation. They were already out there, had found a place and enrolled him in the high school. His sister got off easy and was staying with his aunt in DC, because she had gotten a scholarship to some prissy school out there.

And he was going to Kansas. Was he the only person who saw a problem with this?

"Flight 360 to Metropolis now boarding!"

He shook his head and grabbed his duffle bag and CD player. He found his gate quickly and waited semi-patiently for the stewardess to go through his bag.

Three minutes later and he was about to make a comment on how his clothes could not be that fascinating when she pulled a silvery crystal from his bag and turned it over in her hands. A spark of anger ignited and he scowled. He hated when people touched that, it was worse than punching him in the face.

Stupid bit-

"Is this line moving anytime soon?" A voice asked from behind him.

The stewardess, Jane he saw upon further inspection, cracked her gum and ignored the person behind him.

"This looks pretty sharp."

"Too bad we can't say the same for you, girlie."

Touya Creek was not well known for his patience, more for his lack thereof. He had a short temper, and he would chalk it up to being a redhead, but his hair was more of a pinkish color so he assumed he was just a mean bastard by nature. He could also say it was because his father was Irish, but he was adopted. Just couldn't win.

And this stewardess bint was getting on his nerves. It was a sodding crystal; he did not see what was so special about it! He had one just like it, except his was blue and he wore his on a chain around his neck.

The woman gave him a withering look then went back to the young man ahead of him. "Did you run this by security? If not I'll have to call them."

"It's a crystal." The boy said, and Touya could hear him restraining the urge to strangle the girl. "There's a line, which is besides the fact that thing can't cut paper."

Jane frowned. "It looks sharp, I think it best if security looks."

"Look, it's a necklace, it's not a big deal." Touya reached under his shirt and pulled out his own chain then undid the clasp. "Look, identical and I don't even know this guy, maybe they're common other places, a novelty item."

The crystal seemed to jump towards the other, mush to Touya's surprise and they both glowed faintly. The other boy raised an eyebrow at him.

Jane sighed, not noticing the light, and handed the silver crystal back. "Fine, but I don't want to see it again."

"I'm sure he doesn't fancy seeing you again either." Touya muttered, holding up the book he was reading then brushing past her.

Damn, he hated flying.

"A novelty item?" The other boy had waited and was giving him the strangest look.

Maybe it was the hair, because honestly, how many people had naturally pink hair, and even more then that, how many guys would leave it that way? It was always the hair.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I got it from my birth mum." Touya said, already redoing the chain. "I figure it was her way of saying, I know I left you in the middle of know where in Kyoto, but hey, no hard feelings right?"

"You don't sound bitter."

Touya laughed. "This isn't bitter, this is me being optimistic. Bitter is something completely different."

"I shudder to think." The boy shifted his bag then held out a hand. "Alexander Mead."

"Touya Creek." He shook the offered hand then noticed the CD in Alexander's player. Odd.

"A Japanese kid with an Irish accent, there's something I never thought I'd see."

"A black guy listening to Malice Mizer...fuck that, a guy listening to Malice Mizer." He shook his head. "You do know those are guys right? I know a few people might think they're girls but-"

"I know." Alexander broke in. "I happen to like it."

"The music or the drag?"

"Either or." Alex admitted shrugging. "Some people look good in leather, who am I to go against that?"

Skyler Schutz was bored. There was another bus to Smallville until tomorrow morning, since there was not a high demand for buses to the town. So he had gotten his mother to wire some money and was holed up in a cheap motel with some creepy looking guy/incredibly sexy girl.

He wasn't sure which.

Long, midnight colored hair, with white streaks in the bangs, eyes which couldn't decide whether they were blue or gray, long shapely legs clad in pants that were shamefully tight that laced up on the side, and a loose fitting black, button shirt. Dark red nail polish was chipping off of the nails, and the lips were wet and sparkly, so he was guessing lip-gloss. The face was feminine, but not. It was hard to explain, even to himself.

He shook his head and decided it was time to get out of here.

"You wanna get something to eat?"

His currant roommate looked up from his/her notebook then nodded slowly. The notebook was tossed into the book bag on the floor and boots were pulled on. Then an expectant look at Skyler.

"Uh...lets go to the front desk and ask where the closet cheapest place to eat is, okay?"

He got a nod in reply and he realized that striking up an actual conversation was not going to be happening anytime soon. Oh well.

They walked to the front desk only to find two boys arguing with the guy behind the desk.

"The vacancy sign is lit."

The guy, maybe twenty-three gave them a disinterested look then hit a button next to the phone. "Now it's off."

One of the boys growled. "Prick."

Skyler arched an eyebrow. He knew that voice and the pink hair did give it away.

"Touya?"

"Eh?" He turned and smiled, surprised. "Sky, hey, headed back to nowhere as well?"

"Of course." He walked over to his old friend, who looked pleased to see him. "Having trouble? You and your friend can crash with me and the person I got a room with if you want."

"Thanks." Touya looked relived. "But what about you're roommate."

"I don't care." The person, who had remained perfectly silent `til now spoke, and it became clear this was not a girl.

Chase Burlin was not a girl, but he had never cared is other people thought he looked or acted like one. He already knew he was Chase, a fifteen-year-old boy, from New York, with a bad attitude, anti-social behavior, and a lack of skin tone. He was best categorized as `pale as death' which was really pale.

And yeah, he wore makeup, still wasn't a girl. He was open-minded.

Unless it concerned moving. He was not happy about this sudden change and he had made it quite clear when he punched a hole through his bedroom wall. Chase hated change.

He craved a nice stable atmosphere to hold down his unstable life. So living in a one-bedroom apartment with ten other teenagers hadn't been stable, but it had been home, and he had some to love it there. Then some nosey people had gotten wind of the situation and next thing he knew he was on a plane to middle of nowhere Kansas to live with some old lady. His caseworker said to call her `Gram' to which he responded that she wasn't his fucking grandmother.

Then he got a speech on how grateful he should be, and how much better things would be with the old bat, who, as it turned out, was religious and old! Chase was young, hated authority, and was atheist to top it all off.

In the end he had gone, but if that woman made him go to church someone was getting hurt. End of story.

Sigh, back to the present. The three boys and even the ass behind the desk were staring at him, probably surprised that he wasn't female. Well, that's what they got for jumping to conclusions.

"Why don't you three stand there looking stupid, while I go find the nearest Wendy's? Cheeseburgers okay? Great." Chase turned on his heel, not heels, he had been forced to leave those behind along with most of his wardrobe, and walked out.

Some people just couldn't get past the nail polish, glittery lip-gloss, and wonderful sense of fashion, without straining a few brain cells. And some people just took it the wrong way.

A car slowed down next to him and he sighed. The world was full of pricks. He stopped and the window rolled down. A guy, maybe thirty and Chase caught the very distinct glitter of a wedding band on his finger, smiled at him.

"Hey, cutie, want a ride?

"Umm...that's a nice offer." Chase could tell the man was surprised. He did not have a girlish voice. His voice was low and husky, smooth and had charmed many a pitying lady out of a few dollars. "But I don't think I'm quite what you're looking for."

The man shook his head. "Nah, that's fine, doesn't even matter. How about it?"

Pig. Chase quirked an eyebrow. "No."

"Why not?"

"He said so."

Chase didn't need to look over his shoulder to see the three other teens had picked their brains up off the floor and followed him. The man glanced at them then rolled his eyes and tore off. Chase turned and faced them

"Chase Burlin, New York City."

"Touya Creek, Dublin."

"Alexander Mead, Chicago."

"Skyler Schutz, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

Touya smiled at him. "Where you going?"

"Middle of fucking nowhere." Chase said bitterly.

Alexander snorted. "Sounds familiar."

"Actually it does." Sky said musingly.

"So we're all going to Smallville? I'd contemplate the pure weirdness factor in that coincidence, but I'm too hungry to waste the brain cells."

The boys finished the walk to the nearest fast food place and talked the rest of the afternoon and eventually went to bed after making fun of some really bad porn the wasted thirty dollars on. (Their teenage boys, leave them alone.)

Late that night the crystal in Alex's bag started to flash bright enough for some of the light to make it's way through. The one around Touya's neck began to pulse in synch as did the violet one around Sky's neck. The clear one fastened to Chase's book bag also glowed, but this one didn't flash.

It was missing something.

But wither way all four boys would agree they had never actually slept better in their entire lives.

Too bad the same couldn't be said for one Clark Kent. That night he had nightmares, of a exploding planet, screaming people and a women, tall and beautiful with tearful gray eyes, standing next to man who was talking to him. Telling him to take care of something.

He was counting on him to watch something important, but he had failed, he hadn't done it, he had let him down, let them down, the man and the lady who smiled through her tears and said she loved him-them?

Then he woke up, drenched in sweat but feeling chilled to the bone. The cream which had frightened him so much was already fading and by the time he had gotten his heart rate back to normal all he could remember was a beautiful woman with black hair and eyes that wouldn't stay one color.

He had ripped his sheets and was going to need new one's when he got up tomorrow. Maybe his mom would let him skip that whole 'Show the new kids around' thing she had roped him into last week, and go to the movies with Pete and Chloe instead, or maybe see what Lex was doing.

He had been so busy this week he hadn't had a chance to talk to the older man once since last Monday. It didn't feel right, or even sound right when he thought it.

Yeah, he was going to visit Lex no matter what else he decided to do.

Chase woke up way before the other boys, his internal clock seemed to have convinced itself he had gone to bed at nine, not midnight, and therefore had to get up at, eww, two in the morning. He had no problem staying up until two, but waking up at two was totally unacceptable.

Then again he was in fairly large city, what the hell was he doing in bed anyway?

So a quick shower and a change of clothes later Chase was wondering down the street, with directions from a pretty girl who had taken the asshole's place behind the desk, to a Club Zero, or something. She had actually been nice enough to loan him a pair of boots with impressive heels. He was so going shopping tomorrow.

No shoes, no decent clothes, damn those caseworkers!

No about that club...

It sounded like fun, now there was just the problem of getting in.

Lex Luthor was more than willing to chalk it all up to his sleep deprived mind playing horrible tricks on him, really, for once in his life he was willing to just let it go. After all he had been up for two days working and he finally got a night to rest before he went to Smallville in the morning, and damn if he didn't have insomnia.

The common sense thing to do would have been take some extra strength sleeping pills and dragging his over worked ass to bed, but instead he went out. And came here, even thought this club hadn't been too kind in the past.

So he was going to watch a bunch a people get lucky, but not get lucky himself, because they weren't black haired, blue-eyed farm boys, with beautifully tan skin, and solid, illegal, bodies he wanted to touch.

And then out of nowhere, they were.

Tall build, face of an angel and that wonderfully, annoying smile. Hum.

Now this is where his lack of sleep theory kicked in, because even if there was a chance farm boy Clark Kent, could get out of Smallville and into Club Zero with his cute underage ass, there was no way he'd be dirty dancing with two guys, older then Lex was.

So it was Dopple-ganger...Clarks Dopple-ganger...so it was a Dopple-Clark. He must really be out of it.

And there was also no way, absolutely no fucking way Clark would be wearing what Dopple-Clark was. Skin-tight, shiny, black leather, everything, from head to toe, starting with a choker and ending with a pair of boots, that would make any man who valued his jewels, think twice before making a pass at him.

It was like a demented scene from one of his fantasies.

But he digressed.

So he watched the shameless movement of Dopple-Clark with interest and found it intoxicating. He moved with almost appalling liquid grace, and just molded into the bodies of his current dance partners.

After a good twenty minutes Lex couldn't stand to watch even a Dopple-Clark dance so close to anyone who wasn't him. Before he was fully aware of what he was doing he was pulling the boy from the club and outside.

"Hey, man, what are, HEY!" They were outside and the loud offended cry made Lex stop. "What the hell do you think you fucking doing?"

Dopple-Clark had a foul mouth to match his dancing style. And his gray-blue eyes glared with the intent of serious bodily harm.

"Well, I-"

"You could at least tell me your name before you go dragging me off places, its only polite." Dopple-Clark said, anger turning to outright scolding. Lex blinked.

This was not Clark.

"So you're used to strange people dragging you off?" The boy shrugged and pushed a strand of hair, which Lex noted went down to almost mid back, behind his ear, causing the dim lamplight to reflect off of his many earrings.

"It happens. Though I'm usually pressed against a wall of some sort by now, so I'm guessing your not in the mood for a quick fuck in the alley way."

"What?" Nope, looks aside, this kid was nothing like Clark. Lex didn't think 'Fuck' was apart of Clark's vocabulary, let alone used as offhandedly as this boy had used it.

The boy tilted his head off to the side, a little confused. "What do you want?"

"Uh...well, you kind of look like a friend of mine and I wasn't really thinking and," Was he about to apologize to somebody he didn't even know. "Sorry." Yes, damn it he had just said he was sorry!

The boy looked a little put out. "Yeah, fine. Though I don't know what I'm gong to do now, I barely got in last time."

Lex resisted the urge to say good and nodded. "I can give you a ride somewhere."

He shrugged and made a gesture for Lex to lead the way. "And my name is Chase. Can we try for yours again?"

"Lex."

Chase smiled what had to be patronizingly. "See, now was that so hard?"

Lex shot him an icy look. "And it's suddenly obvious why you're used to quick fucks in an ally, with an attitude like that who'd want to stick around."

"You get off your way, and I'll get off mine." He smiled. "And I'm guessing your way involves under age boys with black hair and blue eyes. Am I close?"

"To me trying to run you over? Yeah." Lex muttered, unlocking his car and letting Chase in.

"A pedophile and a murderer, how nice."

Okay, so Chase had slipped into annoying mode for no reason, he's be sure and say sorry when he got out the car, but it was fun!

"Where to?"

"Floral Garden on Gilmore."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a motel?"

"Mm hm." Chase was smiling again, but his eyes were closed and he seemed a little distracted. The next five minutes went by in almost total silence.

"I don't plan to sleep with you."

"I'm heartbroken." Chase opened an eye. "Hey, you're that Luthor guys son aren't you?"

"That Luthor guy?" Lex echoed. "That's a new one."

"The rich and famous evil guys of the world aren't exactly my thing."

"Then why are you in the car?"

"When one cares not for his life, then even the greatest risk seems like but a drop of water on the floor." Chase paused. "Or something like that. All I know is that I'm being forced to move to the middle of friggin nowhere and I'm not even getting laid before I do."

Lex had a thought. "This middle of no where wouldn't happen to be Smallville would it?"

"Yep!" Chase said with forced cheerfulness. "I get to spend the next three years with some religious old lady and a bunch of farm folk. I am so lucky."

"Oh...damn, you can't go to Smallville looking like that, they'll probably declare you a witch or something like that."

"Something to look forward to." Chase sighed then looked out the window. "This is it."

Lex glanced at the boy, long black hair, liquid movements and a love for leather, plus the face of the person he had a mild obsession with.

"Bye."

And then Chase was out of the car, standing on the curb and smiling thanks for the ride. And then he turned and walked into the motel, hips swaying just so and the boy almost oozed sex, but there was something very untouchable about him.

Almost like how no decent person would touch their best friends little sister or brother, but Lex wasn't exactly a decent person and Chase had been willing and very doable.

Maybe he just looked too much like Clark to be screwing, he could be Clark's long lost brother or something unbelievable like that, and then where would he be?

Deciding he was just being careful Lex pushed the encounter to the back of his mind, because it was just a little confusing and Lex did not enjoy not knowing things.

Though, if this boy was an example, he had the feeling Smallville was going to get even stranger.

"I feel naked." Chase whined, pouting at Touya who shrugged and continued cutting. "Tell me again why I asked you to cut off my hair?"

"Something about a bald guy and being burned at the stake." Alex said, ready with an electric shaver in case Touya messed up and they had to get rid of it all. Chase thought he looked just a little too eager to make him a bald man, and kept giving him these little fearful glances.

"How short did you want this again?" Sky, who was on Chase's side and was hoping to stop any major mishaps, asked.

"Shoulders." Chase supplied.

"Oh." Sky whispered and Touya stopped cutting. They glanced at each other then laughed nervously. "All done." Chase looked up then scrambled for the bathroom, nearly tripping over somebody's shoes as he went. A second later he walked out glaring. The other three boys started laughing

"That wasn't even funny."

"Yeah, it was." Alex disagreed and Touya and Sky nodded.

Chase shook his head then went back into the bathroom. Sky and Touya hadn't collectively mutilated his hair, thankfully, it was just a little uneven, but he could get it fixed later on anyway. It was a little below his ears and he could still pull it back in to a ponytail at the base of his neck.

He wouldn't have done this if Lex hadn't made that comment about be declared a witch. It hadn't really occurred to him that Smallville might be lacking in the `three steps from being a cross dresser' category. Which it probably was, and as much as he loved shocking people, he was not going to instigate a revolution anytime soon. Rebellion just wasn't his style.

"I know you think your pretty, but the bus is coming in 30 minutes so can we get going?" Sky asked.

Chase nodded and brushed the last strands of hair from his shirt then followed his new friends out of the room. They ended up walking to the bus station, something about it being a nice day, and almost getting caught in the rain. Alex looked sheepish.

"All in favor of never listening to Alex again?" Touya asked raising his hand. Chase and Sky followed suit. Alex stuck out his tongue then noticed their bus was letting people on.

Shock of shocks, they were the only teens, and other then some middle aged lady and her little kid, the only ones on the bus. They put their stuff into the overhead compartments then snagged some seats. Alex put on his headphones and listened to his CD player, Touya emerged with a book, Chase set to writing and Sky pulled a Gameboy ^TM from somewhere.

It was a long ride, mostly because they made stops along the way, first to pick up some old guys, then let off the mother then pick up and let off and it was really annoying.

In the end they were the only ones going to Smallville and were almost comatose by the time the actually got there. A woman, not old looking really but she had the air of somebody's mother, roused the boys from their stupors and hustled them off the bus.

Chase was the last one off, because he found he had lost his favorite lead pencil somewhere between falling asleep, slipping into a coma, and nearly flat lining.

He was about to show off his impressive vocabulary of vulgar terms when Sky's head appeared in the window, and grinned like an idiot. Why wasn't Chase surprised?

"I think we found your twin!"

"I don't have a twin." Chase replied then made a noise of triumph. He practically leapt underneath the seat and retrieved the pencil then bounced off the bus. He walked around, a fairly stupid smile plastered on his face when came face to face with someone who looked an awful lot like him.

Chase blinked, as did the other boy. All sorts of things flashed through Chase's mind and none of them he'd be able to recall except for one very intense feeling, like the world had just dropped out from underneath him and he was falling with no way to get up.

Clark whined, he complained, he even tried begging but his mother refused to see reason. And his dad was no help, he just told him to give it up and go along with it, it was only a few hours, he might even have fun. Clark just thought he was afraid to cross his mother.

It didn't really matter because he just ended up going to with the bus station with his mother to meet the boys anyway. He sat around for twenty minutes while his mother talked to Jennifer Greene, the young woman who worked at the bus station on the rare occasion someone was coming or going and didn't have a car. He was feeling pretty bored when he saw the bus come up outside the small building.

They didn't get off right away and the driver laughingly said he was almost positive they had died an hour or so back. His mom had laughed as well then gotten on to get the boys off.

The first one was tall with short blond hair and deep violet eyes, and Clark didn't mean a dark shade of blue, he meant honest to god purple. He looked friendly enough, but very tired.

The next was well...short. He was maybe 5'2" at the most. But he had this hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail, that was the color of peaches, a bright pink-orange color. He looked a little more awake.

Next was a black boy, average height, and his eyes glowed, almost like those rocks Clark couldn't seem to avoid. He looked...annoyed, like he didn't want to be here. Clark didn't blame him.

They didn't seem to notice him at first, which was fine with Clark, but when they did see him they stared for a long moment. He was starting to feel uncomfortable when the tall one walked over to the bus.

"I think we found your twin!"

"I don't have a twin." Was said back, a note of disinterest in this voice followed by a cry of success.

Okay. Then the last boy trotted around to their side of the bus and stopped dead in his tracks. Clark felt his eye widen.

It was kind of like looking into a slightly distorted mirror and he had the sudden urge to call for his mother to stop talking to the driver and tell him what had just happened and why did looking into the face of this boy feel like the end of the world.

Gray blue seemed to pull him in and it was scary and familiar all at the same time, and that only increased the feeling of fear. But there was a voice, smooth and confident, but laced with sorrow.

`Take care of him.'

Clark blinked as did the other boy and there was a sense of dj vu. But Clark was sure of one thing.

He knew him, knew those eyes that kept moving between blue and gray, and that longer then his own hair, and perplexed look that didn't look too out of place.

He knew him.

"Clark, what-" Martha Kent, normally a pretty levelheaded woman gaped quite openly at the boy who had her son's face. "Oh my."

Alex exchanged looks with his friends and he could tell they had both reached a similar conclusion.

"Mrs. Kent, maybe we can take the tour later?" He asked, drawing the stunned woman's attention. "I haven't seen my family in almost a week after all, and neither have Sky or Touya, so...?"

"Yes, that's fine." Mrs. Ken agreed. "If you ask Jennifer she'll give you a ride."

The three boys nodded then went into the small building to do as told.

"Umm." The boy reached up and pushed whit streaked bangs out of his eyes. "Hi."

"Hello." Clark returned.

"...I'm Chase." `See, I'm not a total idiot, I can do more then gape, I talk!' He smiled at the silly thought, which seemed to put the other boy at ease.

"Clark." `Names are good, names lead to words, which lead to discussions, which leads to explaining why I have a twin.'

"Well, Chase, I'm sure Ms. Grimm won't mind if you come home with us from a while." Martha said taking both boys by the arm and steering them back to the truck. "When was the last time you ate? I think I still have some of that apple pie I made last night left."

Chase allowed himself to be pulled along, a new experience in itself, him allowing an adult to tall him something, and climbed into the truck bed. Clark climbed up after him and offered a small smile.

"She overdoes the mothering thing when she's surprised."

Chase found himself smiling back. "I like apple pie." `And on the idiot scale of one to ten, that rates a twenty!' And why did he even care? He sees a kid who looks like him and suddenly he's acting like a nervous girl on a first date, it was enough to make him want to smack himself.

This wasn't him, he didn't get nervous and say stupid crap, but here he was, headed straight toward blushing. Why had his attitude deserted him in his time of need?

Okay, back to reality, he could cope he was good at coping. See this was him coping.

He wanted to go home. Home to his cramped apartment, to his selective attendance school, to Ms. Wolfe, the too concerned guidance consular, home to Dammy, Tracy, Ken, `Lita, Ron, and everyone else who had been scattered somewhere across this god damned country, because the neighbors couldn't mind their own business, home to bright lights, fights, and where his unique `skills' were useful.

He did not want to be here, in some boring little town, where news was something like who Corn Queen would be this year.

"It's not so bad." Clark interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm?"

Clark smiled. "You look ready to jump out and hitch hike back to where you came form. It's not big and flashy or anything, but it grows on you, I think, and most of the people are nice" Save the weekly insane mutant trying to kill everyone.

Chase sighed and looked around. He saw miles and miles of...tall plants in almost every direction, save a farm they were driving towards. He shook his heads.

Concrete, all he wanted was concrete.

"And we have never had a Corn Queen."

Chase felt his cheeks burn, and cursed under his breath. Acting stupid was one thing, but blushing?

"I didn't mean it like that, didn't even know I was talking out loud, it's just-"

"You end up in a small town and assume we're a bunch of hicks." Clark said seriously. Chase was blushing so hard his ears were a deep shade of red.

"Not exactly I...umm...I am very bad person and I shouldn't have assumed anything and I'm just going to sit here and stare at my hands for the rest of the ride." Chase nodded and looked at his hands.

Clark stared at him for a long moment then laughed. Chase glanced up and glared. Clark tried to stop, but he had actual tears in his eyes. Chase frowned then kicked him in the shin. Clark stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Um...muscle spasm?" Chase tried. Clark shook his head. "No? Uh...slipped? You're gonna hit me now aren't you?"

Martha did a wonderful job of ignoring the shouts coming from the back of the truck and the mess of limbs and hay she saw in the rearview mirror.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for her husband, Jonathan Kent, who came running from the barn like he was afraid someone was coming to try and kill him, though it wouldn't be the first time, so it wouldn't be held against him.

He saw his wife hopping out of the trunk, like nothing was going on, despite the fact two boys were wrestling in the bed of the truck, one of the boys who had to be their son, who could probably crush the other boy's skull.

"Martha, what's going on?" His wife shrugged and walked around to the bed of the truck. She paused, grabbed a book bag then turned to walk into the house.

He blinked then ran over to the truck. "Clark!"

Clark looked down at Chase who stuck out his tongue and rolled from underneath him and sat up. Clark smiled at his dad what he hoped was winningly.

"Dad this is Chase, Chase this is my dad."

Chase flashed him a smile almost identical to Clark's then frowned. "You got hay in my hair."

"You kicked me." Clark pointed out.

"You were laughing at me!"

"You looked stupid."

Jonathan watched with something close to awe on his face then turned around to go inside. His wife was the practical one; she could explain this to him.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Chase asked.

Clark nodded. "Mom's the reasonable one when it comes to strange stuff, so we should just give them a minute to talk and stuff."

"This doesn't feel weird." Chase said, picking hay out of his hair. "Well this feels weird, because hay is down my shirt, but you don't feel weird. Or...hold on a minute, let me sort this out so-"

"I know you and you know me." Clark interrupted.

"Uh, yeah, in a nutshell." Chase agreed. They sat for a moment then Chase sighed and laid down. "It is too damn quiet out here."

"I like the quiet."

"The quite is a scary thing. Total silence is the step between total darkness and total nothingness, which are not the same thing." Chase frowned. "Dumb quotes. I go to school once a week and this is what I learn, and it's not like I remember who said it."

"You babble at lot don't you?"

"Yeah, but somewhere in there you might find actual intelligence, it's unlikely, but completely possible." Chase smiled again. "But random Chase babble is a thing you have to put up with. You'll learn."

"Great." Clark looked over at his house. "I think we can go in now."

Chase nodded and hopped over the edge of the truck, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. "This is weird."

"Obviously."

"We should be freaking out."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Master of the obvious."

"But we're not."

Clark sighed. "You're just being annoying now."

"Yeah I am, and that's my point." Chase frowned again. "I'm so comfortable with you, I don't feel bad about kicking you or wrestling or being a pest. Seems normal."

"Go with it." Clark suggested. "I don't know about you, but I jump at anything that feels normal these days, so I'm not going to dwell on it."

Chase sighed. "When normal is abnormal, and abnormal is normal, smile and go with it."

Clark nodded. "And I think you're being a pest because you're younger."

"No, it's a natural thing." Chase disagreed. "Nothing to do with age, I'm just annoying in ways you can't understand just yet. And how do you know I'm younger?"

"I just do." Clark insisted. He pushed open the screen door of the kitchen and smiled at his father carefully. "So, are you freaking out or can we come in?"

Mrs. Kent smiled and set two plates of apple pie on the table along with cups of milk. "Well, go ahead and eat, then maybe Chase could tell us about himself."

Chase nodded, eyes focused on the pie. "Whatever you want."

Jonathan watched the boy who looked like his son dig in with an enthusiasm only Clark could share. But now that Chase was up close he could see that there were differences.

Chase looked feminine and had blue gray eyes, as opposed to blue-green like Clark. His hair was longer and he had bangs, which had white streaks in them. He had more earrings in his ears then Jonathan wanted to count, and by the looks of things he had a green jewel in his nose.

So he looked like Clark but at the same time he didn't. And he kind of acted like Clark, but something about him was different.

And between the two of them he'd be eaten out of house and home before the end of the week.

Clark inhaled a pop-tart then looked at the other boy who was staring at the clock on the wall with obvious fascination. He looked at the clock and seeing only a clock, looked back at the boy. Sometimes Chase worried him, and he had only known the boy for two days.

"Chase man, snap out of." Clark waved a hand in his brother's- he was starting to like the way that sounded in his head- face. Chase blinked slowly then peered up at him through blue and black bangs, Clark blinked back.

"Wasn't that white last night?"

"My hair? Well, yeah, but it was just bleached so the hair dye would stay in better." Chase arched an eyebrow. "You weren't the least bit curios why it took two hours to wake me up yesterday, but I got up before you today? No?" He shook his head in dismay. "That's pretty dense."

"Says the boy who ran into the oven door."

"Well we don't all have super reflexes alrigh? You open a door while I'm walking and yes, I might smack into it." Chase pouted. "Has nothing to do with being dense. As far as I`m concerned you got the brawn, and I got the brain."

Clark frowned. He had already noticed that, even though Chase had only been here two days, Chase didn't share his speed, reflexes, or strength. It was worrying in a way, since Clark knew Chase was his brother, he felt it in every part of himself, but if they were both from the same place, it seemed odd Chase didn't posses the same abilities as him. A little unnerving as well.

Maybe he would have been a freak on their own planet as well as here; maybe that's why his parents had sent them out here. Him for being different and Chase because they assumed he would be as well. And here was Chase, seemingly normal. Maybe it was his fault Chase was stuck here instead of being wherever they were from with their parents.

Guilt was a nasty thing.

Chase frowned. "What's wrong? I'm getting dark feelings and they so aren't mine. I'm too perky to have dark thoughts."

"Perky?" Clark repeated. "You're perky?"

"At the moment." Chase confirmed.

Clark considered the glazed over, extremely troubled expression Chase had been wearing a moment ago. "I'd hate to see you when you're in a bad mood."

"Things start floating." Chase said solemnly. Clark's eyebrows shot up.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah...but it might just be the fact that I only get angry when I'm hyper" or drunk "So I may be seeing things. But you know, reality and everything in it is only what the individual mind makes it."

"More quotes?"

"Nope, my excuse for overwhelming insanity." Chase grinned. Clark sighed.

"Let's go before we miss the bus."

Chase grabbed his book bag and followed Clark out of the house. He had stayed all weekend, just getting to know Clark, while irritating the hell out of the boy, for his own amusement. He knew sooner or later he'd have to go to see that old lady `Mrs. Grim`, since all of his personal things, books and his CD's, had been driven to Smallville as opposed to him taking the stuff on the plane, and he had to go get them at the very least.

He wasn't sure but he had thought he heard Mrs. Kent arguing that him staying there would be a great idea since Clark would like having him around. And the Kent's were nice enough; they were actually kind of cool. Not counting the fact they had insisted he go to school despite the whole weirdness factor.

A question struck him. "So, since you're the older one, how come were in the same grade? It seems odd."

"I'm not that much older." Clark reasoned, looking down the road and seeing the bus. "Maybe...an hour."

Chase made a face. "How the hell do you know all of this?"

"I'm older and smarter."

"No, I was being serious."

Clark didn't bother turning to glare at him. "Funny. And I told you already, I just know."

Chase stuck out his tongue then looked down the road. "What're you looking at?"

Clark glanced at him, confused, then looked again. But this time he didn't see anything. "I thought...but it was...and then...what?"

He spent the next five minutes letting Chase ask him questions pertaining to his sanity, or more accurately, lack of sanity, when the bus came into sight. He stared then looked at Chase.

"You do see it right? It's not just me?"

"I see it." Chase said, touching Clark's arm soothingly, and giving him a pitying look. Then snickering at the dirty look he got in return.

"I can beat you up."

"But then you'd miss out on all the fun of explaining me to your friends." Chase said cheerfully. Clark hesitated then groaned. "Forgot about that did you?"

"Shut up." The bus came to a stop in front of them and Clark got on, trying to ignore the slightly queasy feeling in his stomach. How was he going to explain Chase to Pete and Chloe?

Thankfully he didn't have to worry about it just then. Chloe had called last night asking him to come to school early to help her with something on The Torch, but Clark had said no so he could help his mom get Chase out of bed and make sure his brother actually made it too school.

Chase had admitted to only going to school enough to pass, and had set a record for most skipped days. Clark had doubts about whether or not Chase could make it to school on his own

But Chloe and Pete, who had been drafted to help since he couldn't, not being there didn't mean Chase's presence went unnoticed. He saw a few kids whispering and he felt his cheeks color. Chase sat next to him, gave him a quick look, then snickered.

"Don't stress, it's so not a big thing."

"How is this not a big thing?" Clark demanded.

"Does it bother you to have a twin?" Clark shook his head no. Chase nodded. "Then a few people with nothing better to worry about are not a big thing. At least not where I'm form. I could be wrong I guess."

"Most people don't have evil twins."

"Neither do...are you saying I'm evil?"

And Clark's worries were abandoned in favor of listing the reasons Chase was evil, all of which seemed to revolve around the fact Chase thought `Annoy the Crap out of Clark' was a hobby.

They got off the bus, still arguing/debating, depending on whom you asked, when a voice called Clark's name. Both boys turned and a stupid smile curved Clark's lips. Lana Lang was standing there looking...perfect.

Her long dark brown hair was perfectly in place, her eyes were dancing and she was smiling as she jogged over. Then she got close and stopped dead in her tracks, confusion written all over her face.

"Um, Clark, are you going to introduce me?" She asked nervously, taking Chase in slowly.

"Oh...yeah, um, this is...is...err..." Clark faltered, suddenly at a loss for words. Lana was still smiling, but it looked strained. Chase thumped him on the back of the head. "My brother Chase."

"Oh." Lana looked at Chase, who just shrugged.

"Hey."

Clark was on the verge of turning the color of an overripe tomato, something he didn't want Lana to see, so he grabbed Chase's arm and began pulling him towards the school.

"He needs to see the principal. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, Clark, sure." Lana said, voice faint.

"That's a surefire way to impress a girl." Chase said, shaking his head. "You sounded like a scratched CD. Not that I approve of her, but still-"

"What?" Clark stopped and looked at Chase. "Why not? Not that I care, but Lana is..."

"All but perfect, a tad on the dense side, but kind, sweet, and lovable, with a slightly rebellious edge, a nice figure, flawless skin, and just all around beautiful." Chase listed then smiled crookedly. "And I bet she was a cheerleader and dated the quarterback."

"They're still dating." Clark said admitting Chase was right. "So?"

"Well first, you're crushing on somebody else's girl, which is just wrong on so many different levels, and even if they weren't dating, it's too perfect a set up. Poor farm boy lusts after cheerleader, Pom pom girl gets fed up, quits, and eventually dumps super jock boyfriend, giving farm boy a clear shot. They get married straight out of high school, the end. It's so...what's the word.

"Typical?"

"After school movieish?"

"Clich?"

Chase smiled at the three boys who had emerged form the mass of students. "I was thinking teenage romance novel like, but all of that too. And what have you three been up to?"

"Baby-sitting for my mom." Sky said

"Helping Sky." Touya supplied.

"Plotting my parents demise." Alex said, and then added. "And helping Sky. He's got four younger sisters."

"Then your Cynthia's son." Clark said. "My mom is a friend of your mom."

Sky nodded. "Yeah, my mom gushed about how wonderful Martha's son was and how big a help he was, and how he had saved all sorts of people. And all I do is take all the advanced classes and a few college courses."

"He doesn't sound bitter." Touya said, still smiling.

"I don't?" Sky looked put out. "Let me try again."

Clark glanced at Chase who shrugged then looked at them. He smirked.

"You spend a few hours on a bus with the only other teens in sight and you'll make friends, no matter what they`re like."

"I think he's insulting us." Alex said.

"We're crushed." Sky said sarcastically. "But, do you know where we idiots can find the office? We've been wandering around for nearly ten minutes."

"Come on." Clark said, walking towards the right. Two minutes later the four new boys were lined up in front of the receptionist waiting for their class schedules. The receptionist handed them out but paused when she got to Chase, looking confused.

"Clark, when did you get your ears pierced?"

Chase smiled winningly. "I'm not Clark, I'm Chase, he's brother. Clark is over there."

She looked then nodded. "Oh, sorry dear, but you look so much alike. Well, here you are, have a good day boys, you too Clark."

"Did she call me dear?" Chase asked, walking out.

"She fancies you a bit." Touya teased.

"Oh, eww, she was like fifty." Chase shuddered dramatically. "I'm going to be traumatized all day."

"Only all day?" Clark asked, arching an eyebrow. Chase shrugged a little and opened his mouth, when someone brushed past him. He turned a little and caught sight of a tall boy with broad shoulders and blond/brown hair.

"Who's that?"

"Who?" Clark followed Chase's gaze then frowned. "Whitney, the quarterback."

Chase sighed. "Naturally." Why were the cute ones always straight?

"I don't suppose any of you are taking Career Pathways or Advanced Business management the next two periods?" Alex asked, frowning at his schedule. At the confused looks he shrugged. "My moms runs her own law firm and my dad's a doctor, I was not given a choice in the matter."

"Oh. Well I've got Gourmet cooking this period, anyone else?" Sky asked. "Or maybe computer graphics designing?"

"No, I've got Junior ROTC." Chase scowled. "And Calculus."

"Isn't that the class with the army kids?" Clark asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's junior something something something. I didn't take it last year, and forgot to say I was dropping it, so I have to not take it again." Chase looked over at Touya. "What about you?"

"Art and Calc." Touya smiled. "I'll keep you company."

"Well, I've got Biology and Political Science, both on the other side of the school, along with Career Pathways, so." Clark looked at Alex

"Right behind you." Alex said, veering off and following Clark back into the crush of students.

"Well, I'm going to the library." Chase said carelessly. "See you in class Touya."

Touya looked at Sky and smiled carefully. "Are you having a first grade flashback?"

"When they put us in different classes? Yeah, actually I am." He reached out and ruffled Touya's hair playfully. "I'll see you at lunch."

With a finale smile Sky turned and left as well. Touya looked around and sighed. It was just great to be home.

Chloe smiled as she finished up the last of the editing she had needed to do, which had been a lot since she had been doing the Torch, and helping out with the year book, and helping to publish the school twice a year literary magazine. She had really needed both Clark and Pete's help on all of this, but had to settle for just Pete in the end.

Clark had probably been too busy thinking about Miss perfect Lana Lang.

The minute she thought the words Chloe felt bad. Lana really wasn't that bad, she was actually very sweet and funny, and caring, and why did Clark only want her! Clark had been hers first, then Lana had waltzed in and suddenly Clark was all over her, and then she was such a great person. Chloe couldn't even hate her properly.

"Umm, hello?" A familiar voice asked.

"Clark, you rat, where have you been?" She demanded, jumping to her feet and stalking over, then stopping when she got a good look at the dark haired boy.

It looked like Clark, tall, black hair, blue eyes. But the tight black jeans, which she decided she liked, and black t-shirt with 'Slipknot' in dark red writing was not Clark like things. She didn't think Clark even knew who Slipknot was let alone listened to them and owned a shirt. Plus the earrings, nose piercing, and blue streaks weren't there on Friday.

"Clark, what did you do?"

The boy blinked. "Huh?"

"You're...kinda punky." Chloe said, tilting her head off to the side. "Pete's is going to have a heart attack when he sees you."

"Sees what?" Pete asked walking out of the supply room with the paper Chloe had sent him after. The paper promptly fell to the ground when he laid eyes on the boy. "Oh."

The boy looked between the two of them then shook his head. "Forget it. I'll find it myself." He went out of the door and back into the hallway. Chloe looked at Pete who was just gaping.

"Do you think that's why he didn't help today?"

Pete just blinked then bent down to retrieve the paper for the printer. "That didn't happen."

Chloe shrugged. "Whatever."

Clark had to admit the day went fairly well, other then the fact he got a few odd looks, and English was awful since it was the only class he had with Chase this semester and the teacher looked so confused, he just wanted to leave to make it easier on her.

Other then that it had been pretty normal, other then the fact he was sure Chloe and Pete were avoiding him. Oh well, he didn't have time to brood about it, he was supposed to make a delivery at Lex's and he figured it be a good chance for Chase to meet Lex.

Finding Chase wasn't a problem; it was keeping the small following of girls off of him long enough to get out of the building that proved difficult.

"I have a gift, the ladies love me." Chase joked. "Ninth graders flock when I walk down the hall."

"Yeah."

"Uh hu. Too bad they are not my type." Chase sighed. Much top curvy and fleshy for his taste, but whatever. He'd have no trouble getting a girlfriend; it was getting what he actually wanted that proved to be beyond his vast people skills.

Clark nodded again. "Did you do anything besides get mobbed and stress out our English teacher?"

"Umm...I ran into these two kids who called me Clark and looked at me like I had two heads." Chase supplied. "I meant to tell you in English actually. It was a short blond girl and a guy named Pete."

"Well...that actually clears a lot up." Clark shook his note, making a mental note to invite Chloe and Pete over for dinner tonight when they got on the bus.

They jogged down the steps and were about to head towards the bus when he noticed a very shiny, sleek black corvette. And since those weren't exactly commonplace in Smallville, he had a pretty good idea who it had to be. He took Chase by the arm and led him that way.

Chase pouted. "I can walk on my own. I am a big boy thank you very much."

"Hey Lex." Clark said, ignoring Chase's whining. He should have said something to Chloe and Pete, but he hadn't talked to in the better part of week. He had seen them Friday. They could wait a few more hours.

"Lex?" Chase echoed, snapping out of his little brother whininess. He could bug Clark later after all.

The man arched an eyebrow at him but remained silent otherwise. Clark didn't notice.

"Lex this is my brother Chase. He came from New York."

"Hello." Chase said pleasantly, smiling wickedly. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Lex said, suddenly very hot and uncomfortable considering the fact it was mid-October and pretty chilly out. The calculating look Chase had fixed on him was not comforting in the least. He could just feel his perfectly laid plans crumbling.

Chase just smirked and bounced from one foot to the other, enjoying himself just a little bit too much for Lex's liking. Clark was still smiling, thinking nothing was wrong.

Far be it for Lex to point out that Clark's brother was an evil person, so he went for normalcy.

"You need a ride?"

"Umm...I guess, yeah." Clark agreed. "I was going to bring your stuff up in a little bit actually, so I guess now I won' have to." He couldn't keep the disappointment from his voice.

"Well, actually, I've finally developed enough courage to go back to the Beanery without fear of being poisoned, so if you and your brother are free." Lex said, ignoring the tiny voice that was listing all the things he needed to have done for tomorrow, he would just stay up a little later then usual.

Clark smiled happily and, glancing at Chase warningly, walked around to the passenger side door. Chase slid past Lex and smiled again.

"You've got a crush on my brother." His tone was teasing and singsong, but his eyes were intense. "And I must say the two of you dance rather well."

Skylar's room was small, very small. There was just enough room for his bed, a desk with his laptop, a gift from his...estranged father, his stereo and the pile of clothes on the floor. It was a dark forest green color with a brown carpet, he like the natural tones. His sheets and covers were tan and the frame of his wood smelled like pine. So it was small and fairly junky, but Alex and Touya agreed they liked it more then their own rooms.

Plus they got to play with Sky's little sisters, who were just adorable. But, as it turned out, they could not play with the babies and talk to each other at the same time, Sky figured they didn't have the brain capacity to multi-task.

"Mom!" Sky whined, ignoring the amused looks Alex and Touya shared. "Get your kids!"

"I'm busy." Mrs. Schutz shouted back. "Keep an eye on them until I finish this article then I'll drive you and your friends to that coffee place."

"The Beanery mom." Sky said, shaking his head. "Like you didn't live here until you were twenty five."

"Skyyyyyy!" His nine-year-old sister attached herself to his leg and made puppy eyes up at him. "Can you and your friends play tea party with me?"

"God no." Sky said a little too loudly.

"Sky."

"But mom."

"Don't make me get up Skylar."

"Fine. Get your junk squirt." The little raven-haired girl smiled winningly then ran out of Sky's room. That being done Sky glared at the two boys on his bed. "I need a life."

Touya blew a raspberry at the baby in his lap who laughed and batted a fist at him. To Sky he spoke mockingly. "And of course helping out your mom is what's keeping you from having one, I'm sure."

"I think so." Sky muttered.

"Because you'd be so popular otherwise" Alex deadpanned. "Ignoring the fact we've been here all of three days and have spent most of that time unpacking."

"Shut up and play with the baby." Sky growled, plopping onto the floor and picking up the other baby then handing her to Alex. "She likes you, indulge her."

"Hey Ricky, want to get away from your jackass brother." Alex cooed at the baby who just stared at him then grinned widely.

"Ohh, you cussed, I'm telling mommy!" Claire, who was thirteen and the oldest of the girls, said before turning and attempting to run off. She suddenly found herself being dragged into her brother's closet by three boys, all of whom were stronger then they looked, while the twins and Patrice looked on in delight, something that was either amused or gassy, and shock.

"MOM!"

"Not right now Claire."

Touya snickered and slid the first thing he saw, Patrice's baton, through the handles and took a step back, watching as the girl pounded on the double doors of his best friend's closet.

"Should we feel bad?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Well it's obvious you're an only child. Little sisters are on this earth to bug you and then tell your parents when you bother them back."

Sky nodded solemnly. "And later when they get older and date." Alex shuddered and walked back to the bed. "You take up the task of giving anyone stupid enough to try anything with her a bloody nose, black eye, and maybe a few broken limbs. Depending on what he tried."

"But outside of the mentioned things, little sisters do nothing." Alex added

"MOM!!!!" Claire screamed. "Sky and Touya and that kid Alex-"

"I feel special." Alex put in

"Are making fun of me!"

"Sky."

"Sorry mom." Sky said, still smiling. He pulled a CD from his holder and popped it into his stereo. He turned it up all the way then laughed at the assorted groans when it came on.

"I though I burned that Enya crap last time I say you." Touya muttered, barely heard by his friends.

"This is Claire`s. I borrowed it in case I needed to lock her up or something." Sky said loudly. Alex just blinked.

"Anyway!" Alex glanced at the closet. "How long are we leaving her in there?"

"Until she decides that telling my mom you said ass is pointless." Sky said then looked at Patrice who had a small chest of tea party stuff ready to be seat out. He couldn't help but smile as he reached under the bed and pulled out the blanket he kept there for such occurrences. "Or until 'ri is done playing tea party with us. Which ever comes first."

It was an hour and two rounds of party later, that left Touya in a ridiculously floppy hat, Alex decked out in costume jewelry, and Sky getting his hair braided, which may have worked better if it weren't so short, but why argue with the girl, when Sky's mother popped into the room.

She winced at the music then smiled. The two other boys had managed to get her youngest brats to sleep, Patrice was almost done braiding her brothers honey colored hair and it didn't look that bad, and Claire was...where was she?

"Where's your sister?"

"Doing my hair." Sky said absently, his mind more focused on trying to figure out what the square root of X was then where his sisters were.

"No, Claire." Sky glanced at the closet guilty and her eyebrows shot up. "You didn't? You did!" She stepped over the boys and pulled out the baton. The sleeping form of her daughter fell onto the floor.

"I was wondering why it was so quiet." Touya admitted. "She banged on the door for thirty minutes then nothing."

She turned, wanting so badly to be able to scold the boys for what they had done, but she remembered being in high school with Touya and Lana Lang's mother and locking Samantha, Touya's aunt, in the bathroom for two hours.

"Put the babies down then get your coats."

The three boys slid out, Sky to lead the way to the nursery and she set to the task of picking up the tea set with the help of her only normal child, Patrice. Then she walked into the kitchen and put a few cookies in front of the girl.

"I'll be back okay? Don't go outside or let anyone in, I'm just driving Sky and his friends somewhere, it should only take a few minutes."

The little girl nodded, sending black curls flying, then started munching on her cookies. Mrs. Schutz smiled then grabbed her coat and walked out of the house, shutting the front door after her. The boys had piled in the car, a black land cruiser, and were waiting patiently.

Ten minutes later she was handing her son some money then watching as they vanished inside the Beanery. She smiled wistfully. To be young again.

Chase was in a good mood, because he was succeeding in driving Clark crazy by being his normal self and slowly driving Lex Luthor himself to murder, by not doing a damn thing. He felt special.

Clark noticed something and sat up hastily. "I'll be back."

Chase watched Clark hurry off then looked at Lex, who glared at him. Uh oh, his little plot had depended on him not being alone with Lex, so not to get his ass kicked or sued if he should beat Lex up.

He laughed nervously. "So...I cut my hair."

"I noticed." Lex said with fake politeness. 'I will not rip his throat out, I will not rip his throat out' he smiled at Chase. "Too bad, I kind of liked it."

Chase couldn't hold back on the comment that left his lips. "I'll tell Clark to grow his out."

And bad choice of words. The look that Lex gave him said quite plainly `If we were alone right now, you'd be regretting all of this.'

"Lovely day isn't it?" Chase squeaked and rose to his feet. "So lovely in fact I think I'll walk back to the farm, and I'll have to start now if I want to get there before dark so-"

"Sit back down."

Lex's tone was so commanding Chase wouldn't help but do as he was told. Lex nodded.

"So what do you think you know?"

"You like Clark, I should have known the minute I first saw him or the first time he mentioned you." Chase frowned, wondering at his intelligence.

"He mentioned me?" Lex tried to hide his surprise. No such luck. Chase smirked smugly.

"A lot actually. Too bad he's total jailbait, I think he likes you."

Lex laughed and shook his head. "You don't know your brother that well then. Clark is rather obsessed with a certain Miss Lana Lang."

Chase shuddered. "Don't remind me. She's dating the cute football player." He pouted for a moment then went back to Lex; maybe his glimmer of a scheme would work either way. "But back to Clark, he has no idea what's best for him."

"And you do?"

"I'm his twin, of course I know." Chase said like it was common knowledge, and maybe as far as he was concerned it might as well be. "Lana and Clark don't fit, exactly, but Lana and her football player do. You and Clark could fit, but you and I could fit, so maybe my logic isn't all its cracked up to be."

"I doubt we could fit."

"We have similar personalities, which is why we could fit, but we'd end up trying to strangle each other and Clark would be mighty depressed, so my logic must be flawed."

Lex smiled slightly. Chase seemed so sure of what he was saying even though it made no sense. He was a persistent kid, that much was clear, and whatever he had going on his head was going to happen if Chase had to see it through step by step. He was either going to be a problem or a halfway decent friend.

"So you think I should screw the jail time and make a pass at your brother?"

"Uh, no." Chase shook his head and Lex sighed. Looks like a problem. "Wait a few months, his birthday is December 24th, then he'll be sixteen and legal. See I think things through."

"Are you listening to yourself?"

"I try not to." Chase admitted. "But whether you like it or not, I think you're good for Clark and this can be the fifteen years worth of birthday presents I owe him, so I'm playing evil twisted matchmaker."

Lex frowned, genuinely worried about the sinister gleam in Chase's eyes, which would have been out of place in Clark's, but was at home in the gray-blue pools.

"Should I be afraid?"

Chase laughed and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Of course...can you sign a release form before I actually start? ...I'm just kidding!"

"About?" Clark was back and the two kids Chase had seen earlier were in tow. And giving him those weird looks again, which he found very unnerving. And kind of rude.

"Making Lex sign a release form before becoming friends with me." Chase lied, and did it very well Lex noted. Clark as a horrible liar and half the time Lex wanted to smack him for it. If he was going to lie about everything he should at least try to make in convincing.

"Figures." Clark said then looked at his friends. "Chase, these are my best friends Chloe and Pete, guys, this is my twin Chase."

"Hullo." Chase said giving them each a once over, letting his eyes linger on the boy a little longer then was actually needed. "Nice to meet you. And I see my friends, so I'll drag them over and we all do the uncomfortable silence thing."

"He's blunt." Lex said, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's one of his few good qualities." Clark said, shrugging.

"I see he got the short end of the stick when it comes to good qualities." Lex said, watching Clark closely. The boy turned a deep pink and Lex found himself thinking about Chase's claim.

Smallville was getting interesting in a way that wouldn't threaten his life it seemed.