A/N - So sorry for the delay. frown This part gave me a bit of trouble. Hopefully it's at least worth the wait. smile

Part 15-B

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Part 16

“So, she knows about the Kryptonite?”

Michel dug his way out from under the heap of blankets and adjusted his now-skewed glasses. Clark was standing by the door, frowning at him. “Yes.”

Clark raked a hand through his hair, the anxiety coming off him in waves. “Why on Earth did you tell her you had it?”

“I didn't want to!” Michel protested. “She sort of pried it from me when...when I first brought it to my lab,” he finished quietly, not wanting to dredge up the memory of their argument and his storming out of the Kent home at top speed. Even so, he felt a flash of guilt from Clark's direction.

Michel reached for the water still sitting on his coffee table and took a long drink. “There must be a way to get it back,” he said at last.

Clark gave a firm nod. “I agree. And as soon as we do, we need to destroy it once and for all.”

“What?!” Michel stared at Clark, his eyes wide. “Destroy it? Are you insane?”

Something very peculiar happened to Clark's expression, and he made several failed attempts at speaking. “What?!” he finally managed.

Michel set his glass down again and looked Clark in the eyes. “It's a piece of our home planet, Clark! Does that not mean anything to you?”

Clark sighed and picked his way over to the sofa. “Michel,” he began, sitting down beside him, “I get why you think it's fascinating, but that rock is also a deadly poison! It's simply too dangerous!”

Too dangerous.

Michel stilled.

Too dangerous.

The words echoed infinitely in his mind, the voice that spoke them morphing into his mother's, then his father's, then back into Clark's as the loop repeated. Too dangerous. Flying was too dangerous. Playing sports with the guys was too dangerous. Confiding in his best friend was too dangerous. Seeing the world with Superman was too dangerous. Keeping even a part of his ship was too dangerous. Owning a piece of his birthplace was too dangerous. Anything remotely, tangentially related to his past or his biology...

“...Michel? Michel!”

It took Michel a while to register Clark calling his name. He took a deep breath and reached for his glass, a slight tremor in his arm causing ripples in the water. After a few calming sips he turned back to Clark, who was now watching him with wide eyes and a slightly paler face.

“Are...are you okay?” Clark asked.

After a moment, Michel nodded.

“I'm sorry,” Clark said before Michel could speak. “I...didn't realize that would hit a nerve. But, Michel, someone out there now has the perfect weapon to use against Superman, and if it is who I suspect, then there could be serious trouble in the near future! Even if we get it back, what's to stop him or someone else from trying to go after it again?”

Michel hung his head, seeing the sense in Clark's words and knowing he couldn't really argue. “I understand. But... Clark, you have your ship and your globe to connect you to Krypton. What do I have, except that rock?”

“Well, you have me,” Clark whispered, sounding oddly distant.

“I suppose that's true,” Michel conceded, turning to give him a weak smile.

Clark looked confused. “What's true?”

“That I have you.” Michel frowned. “That is what you just said, is it not?”

Clark's eyes grew wider. “I didn't say anything!”

They both froze. 'Can you hear what I'm thinking?' Michel thought. He didn't hear a reply, though it looked as if Clark was concentrating very hard on something.

Finally, Clark sighed and slumped back against the sofa.

“We must try to figure this out,” said Michel.

Clark nodded. “Definitely. But, right now, I'd better go check on Lois.”

For some reason, Michel suddenly pictured a belly-dancer swaying seductively, her dark eyes peering above a gauzy veil. What on Earth—?! He blinked, dispelling the image, and turned to Clark who was now rising to his feet. “Wait,” he said.

Clark waited.

“Are you still coming to dinner tonight?”

Clark blinked at him, then shrugged. “Sure, if you want me too. Do you want to postpone it until you're feeling better?”

Michel shook his head. “I'll be fine, Clark. Besides, if we suddenly reschedule, my mother would ask why, and I do not want to lie to her.”

Clark's eyebrows rose. “You're not going to tell her what happened?”

“You mean tell her that a group of murderers infiltrated my office, stole a rock that can kill both of us, exposed me to it, drugged me, and then rigged my lab to explode?”

Clark paused. “We said seven, right? Do your parents like sake?”

TBC...


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