The drive from Manhattan back to Metropolis wasn't a long one. The long straight highway was surrounded by cornfields full of barns and farms, but Kate couldn't see any of them. The night sky made sure of that. Its blackish blue tint was speckled with bright stars that grabbed her attention. Staring off into the space of the dark blue, a loud yawn erupted from her body.

"Wow, excuse me..." She spoke lightly. "I didn't mean to that so loud."

"It's okay. It sounded good." Clark replied, eyes still focused on the road.

"Oh, it felt good, Clark. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, it has. What time did you get up this morning?"

"Ummm...4, I think. I don't remember; it was so early."

"Well, it's late now, and we're almost to the apartment complex."

"Good. I should get some sleep."

"You aren't coming out with the girls and me?"

"I'm sorry, Clark. I really shouldn't get anymore excitement tonight. You guys go out and have fun for me, and we'll have fun tomorrow, okay?"

"You promise?"

"Promises are things I keep, Clark. Yes, I promise."

The drive continued on a little longer, until Clark turned the truck off the highway onto a group of streets in town. Finding the right turn, he made it and found himself on a shorter street, heading towards a lot full of cars, buildings and playground equipment, among other things. He drove the truck into a parking spot and turned off the ignition. He exited the cab of the vehicle and moved swiftly over to Kate's side, opening the door, helping her out.

"Let me get your bags, ma'am." Clark stated to her.

"Tomorrow..." Kate spoke up, grabbing his arm with both hands. "Wait until tomorrow. Just put my luggage in the cab of the truck and lock it."

"Katie, I don't want any of your things to get stolen."

"Clark, they won't get stolen."

"I'll move it into the garage, before the girls and I leave tonight. Just to be safe, alright?"

"Okay, Clark... 'just to be safe'. Now, let's go upstairs. I'm tired and cold."

"Yes, ma'am, and would you like me to 'super-speed' you up to the apartment?"

His sarcasm wasn't lost on her at all.

"Funny, Clark..." She retorted. "The last thing I need to be is nauseous."

"Understood. We'll walk."

The two entered the building, thanks to a key and a pass code from Chloe, and made their way up the residence. Finding the right number of the place, Kate took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from falling over. Clark found the right key and unlocked the door swiftly. He pushed the door open slowly and announced, before entering the room, "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Clark?" A familiar voice questioned from another room.

"Yeah, Chloe?"

"Just making sure it was you...we're in the kitchen."

"Okay, fine."

The two made their way further into the space. As Katie stayed in the living room, Clark roamed around to find two recognizable faces sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, guys." He spoke up.

"Hey, Clark..." Chloe replied. "How was the trip to the airport?"

"Oh, it was fine."

"Your girl didn't make the flight?" Lois wondered.

"Oh, she did."

"Then, what happened?"

"We saw each other, we greeted each other...you know, the general 'welcome-home' routine."

"Did you kiss her?"

"Lois! God, you are so annoying!" Chloe stated to her cousin, upset by her question .
"What?! Some people do weird stuff in their 'welcome-home' routines. Maybe Clark does, and we'd never know, now would we, unless we asked, correct?"

"You are so rude sometimes."

"Chloe, it is a fair question." Clark piped up, reentering the conversation. "And, to answer your question, Lois: no."

"'No'? You mean to tell me that you didn't kiss her at all?" The young brunette reporter inquired, amazed by his response.

"Lois, I said 'no' to your assumption that I do weird stuff in my 'welcome-home' routine, and if you must know, Madame Nosey...yes, I did kiss her."

"And, she didn't come back here with you?" Chloe interjected curiously.

"Oh, she did. She's waiting on the other side of the door."

The two girls looked at each other quickly, before darting from their seats, nearly knocking Clark over as they made their ways out the door to the living room, where Katie was standing. Upon seeing Katie, they both hugged her close, almost cutting off her circulation and her breathing. When they finally released her, Katie took a deep breath, allowing the blood to go back to her appendages correctly.

"Thanks for letting me go..." She spoke up, when she was able to. "I was about to faint."

"Sorry, Katie," Chloe answered first. "We're just so excited that you're home."

"When Clark told us that you were coming back here, we were kinda scared that something was wrong." Lois added. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing wrong. I just didn't want to be away from my family and friends anymore." "Really? Wow...we thought you'd be gone forever."

"Lois, I think forever would be too much for me. I'd go crazy before that."

"Well, it's good that you're home." Chloe retorted, hugging her friend close again. "Now, we all can go to the dance club and party."

"Yes, good idea, Cuz." Lois responded. "Let's go party!"

"Not me..." Katie interjected. "I'm not going to go..."

"Oh, that's good, because you really shouldn't come with us anyway."

"Lois!" Chloe exclaimed. "What in the hell is your problem?"

"What in the hell is 'my' problem? You're the one who doesn't want her to find out."

"'Find out'? Find out about what?" Katie inquired, confused as all get out.

"Come with us and see."

"Shut up, Lois." Chloe retorted, trying to keep her cousin quiet. "Katie, you don't have to come, if you don't feel like it. There's nothing to find out; Lois is just crazy, that's all."

"Chloe, you shouldn't hide anything from Katie." Clark spoke up from the kitchen doorway. "She's one of your best friends."

"You know she is hiding something, Clark." Lois answered. "But, she's doing it for Katie's sake, and she shouldn't be."

"Lois, stay out of it please." Chloe reacted softly.

"If you want me to stay out of it, Chloe... tell her yourself. Do it."

"Fine... I will. Thanks, Lois." The blonde replied, giving her relative a dirty look. "Katie, the reason why we don't want you to come to the club is that: Lex will be there."

"Are you serious? Why would you keep that fact from me? It's Lex, and I haven't seen him in like...well, forever. I'd love to see him."

"He's changed a lot since you last saw him, Katie. I don't know if you're going to like what you see."

"Who cares? Let's go party, guys. I mean...what's the worst that could happen, right?"

"Exactly what I was thinking, Katie... now let's party!" Lois added happily.

She picked up her purse and made her way out the door, arm-in-arm with her friend, leaving Clark and Chloe in tow.

"This isn't going to be good, Clark." Chloe stated truthfully.

"I know, Chloe, but she has to see what he's turned into." He responded as he put his arm around his best friend, leading her out the door.

The four of them made it inside of Club Solstice, the newest club on the Metro Strip. Since the smoking ban wasn't in effect yet, Club Solstice was the only club, where the smoke is created for dancing on the dance floor from a machine. The four of them entered the place to the sounds of "Blood Rave" by the Crystal Method, thumping in the background.

They looked around the room, seeing if there was anyone they knew within visible distance. Chloe and Lois automatically clued in on someone and moved towards that person, while Clark and Katie moved onto the dance floor as the song changed to Sean Paul's "Temperature". The cousins, meanwhile, found their 'someone' and she was seated in the V.I.P. area, flanked by several agents of Lex's security forces.

Lana was wearing a dressy black and silver sequined maternity top with white gauchos and black boots, showing up her friends, who wear wearing cute tops with blue jeans and high heels. She waved at them and let the guards know to let them sit with her.

"Hey, girls..." She started up. "How's the line outside?"

"Long...thanks for putting all of us on the list..." Chloe answered with a smile.

"You're welcome. Where's Clark?"

"He's on the dance floor."

"So, he brought a date?"

"Yep, he brought Katie along, or should I say, 'I' brought Katie along." Lois responded. "She would've stayed home, if it wasn't for me."

"Well, that's good. She should have fun; she's allowed to."

"Thanks, Lois. Good work." Chloe commented under her breath.

"You're welcome." Her cousin answered just the same.

Ordering her drink, Lois cleared her throat and started a new conversation piece.

"So, where's Lex tonight, Lana? Is he trolling for chicks already?" She started up sarcastically.

"That's funny, Lois, but no, he's not 'trolling' for chicks. He's with a business colleague, discussing some things at the bar right over there."

Lana pointed at him, making both Chloe and Lois's heads turn to see him, standing at the bar with a gentleman in a traditional blue suit with matching tie. Lex, on the other hand, was wearing a black suit coat with a pair of designer jeans, a purple dress shirt unbuttoned at the top and a pair of black designer shoes.

Meanwhile, on the dance, Clark was still grooving pretty well with Katie to "S.O.S." by Rianna. The two looked hot and heavy in their moves, and they were starting to attract a little bit of a crowd. Katie was starting to get tired and rather warm, so she decided to postpone her dancing skills for a moment.

"I'm gonna go and get us some water, alright?" She shouted to him.

"Hurry back, Dancing Queen." He replied with a smile.

"Hold my place on your dance card, Prince Charming."

She moved her way through the crowd, finally making it to the bar.

"What can I do for you, sweetheart?" The bartender questioned.

"Cosmo and a bottled water please." She answered back, catching her breath.

"You got it."

As she stood there, awaiting her drink order, she felt a faint tap on her shoulder. Turning around slowly, she came face to face with a purple shirt. Looking up swiftly, she smiled, knowing that person that embodied it.

"Alexander J. Luthor..." she spoke up.

"Kathryne A. Vermagnussen..." he answered back. "What brings you to Solstice?"

"I dunno...the ambience?"

"Surely, it has to be that. When do you arrive back in town?"

"An hour ago...when did you make it back here?"

"Today... Lana wanted to come and see the zoo's newest exhibits, so I took her, and then, she wanted to come here to dance with her friends, so I came along...for the ambience."

Hearing that he was hanging around Lana, was like a knife beginning to be stabbed into her chest. The tip had gone on, but it stopped to torture her.

All last summer in case you don't recall

*I was yours and you were mine: forget it all*

Is there a line that I could write

Sad enough to make you cry

All the lines you wrote to me were lies

"You came here with Lana? Why? I thought she was waiting here for Clark." Katie wondered.

"Why in the hell would she be here for Clark, when she's my fiance?" Lex inquired inquisitively.

The knife went further into her chest. This time, it stopped halfway down the blade, right in the middle of the stainless steel utensil.

The months roll past the love that you struck dead

*Did you love me only in my head? *

Things you said and did to me

Seemed to come so easily

The love I thought I'd won, you give for free

"She's your fiance? When in the hell have I been that I didn't know that you two were even together?" Katie said to him honestly.

"Katie, I thought that you knew that with you leaving the town, let alone the country, that we were going to end." Lex began to say. "I mean, seriously...you returned everything I gave to you: the gifts, my advances, everything. I knew you didn't love me, so I moved on to someone who does and wants to spend the rest of her life with me. Hell, she's even having my baby."

Whispers at the bus stop

I heard about nights out in the school yard

I found out about you...

*I found out about you. *

The dagger was fully in now. Blood gushed from her body like a freight train, faster and faster until there was no stopping it, just as the drinks came. She paid for them and turned back to the bald gent right behind her.

"Well, Lex...I guess you got everything that you've ever wanted. I hope you're happy with the decisions that you've made." She stated to him, keeping her emotions in check.

"Oh, Katie, I'm very happy with them, and nothing could change them, even a tabloid scandal can't detour me from Lana." He responded.

Rumors follow everywhere you go

Like when you left and I was last to know

You're famous now and there's no doubt

In all the places you hang out

They know your name and know what you're about

"I'm glad for you then, Lex." As Katie spoke, she smiled suddenly, which interested him. "I wouldn't want the world to find out that Alexander J. Luthor, deeply in love with a small-town beauty, who is very pregnant with his child, is still in a committed relationship with a teacher from Kansas, which just spent a year instructing in Switzerland."

Whispers at the bus stop

I heard about nights out in the school yard

I found out about you...

*I found out about you. *

Lex's facial expression turned from one of merriment to one of irritation. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, changing her expression as well.

"How dare you bring that weekend up?" He spoke to her, displeased with what she had said.

"How dare you forget about it?" She inquired in return. "Does Lana even know that you came to see me, when I was vacationing in Zurich?"

"No, she doesn't know, and she'll never know, if you keep your mouth fully shut."

"Threatening me, Lex, will get you nothing and no one's trust."

"Don't make me do something I'll regret, Katie."

"You don't scare me, Lex. Trust me... our secret is safe, until its not."

Looking to the side of the millionaire, Katie saw Clark approaching quickly. He move towards them, concerned about what was going on.

"Lex..." He entered the conversation. "How are you? How are things?"

"Clark, it's nice to see you. Things are good and I'm fine. Look, you two, I have to get back to Lana. We'll talk again, alright? It's nice to see that you're safe and in one piece, Kathryne."

"It's nice to be home, Lex."

"I'm bet it is..."

As Lex walked away, he turned back to Katie, who was standing there, downing her drink swiftly. "What was that all about?" He questioned.

"Nothing... I just want to go home." She answered nonchalantly.

"You know, he ruins everyone's night."

"Yeah...he's just the 'ruin' type of guy."

"Definitely. Come on, I'll call Chloe on the way to tell her that we're left."

"Clark, you don't have to leave. I'll take a taxi back to the apartment."

"Naw, I'm not leaving you alone tonight. Let's go."

"Alright..."

The two strode toward the crowd and out the door, walking down the sidewalk, where the car was parked nearly half a block away. Clark surveyed the car for damages and tickets before they left the area. Katie sat in the car on the way back to the apartment, knowing that she was there in the club for one reason and one reason only: to found out about Lex and Lana. Now, that the 'found out' was over, it was time for a new plan: getting rid of any possible threats to her relationship with Clark.

Street lights blink on through the car window

I get the time too often on AM radio

You know it's all I think about

I write your name, drive past your house

Your boyfriend's over, I watch your light go out

Whispers at the bus stop

I heard about nights out in the school yard

I found out about you...

*I found out about you. *

Whispers at the bus stop

I heard about nights out in the school yard

I found out about you...

*I found out about you. *

I found out about you...