Superfriends
Disclaimer: The characters of Clark Kent and Pete Ross from the hit series, Smallville, belong to Warner Brother Studios and Marvel Comics while the characters of Hercules and Iolaus from the hit series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys belong to Renaissance Pictures. No money is being made from this story. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.
SPOILER WARNING: This story was written as a missing scene for the Smallville episode “Duplicity” where Clark Kent’s best friend Pete Ross finds out Clark Kent’s secret as an alien. This story deals with the aftermath after the closing scene where Clark’s parents welcome Pete into the family after Pete discovers Clark’s secret. Some of the conversation is taken directly from the episode itself.
Summary: This scene was inspired in part because I found the episode “Duplicity” moving and touching especially how Pete readily accepts Clark as a friend even though his best friend is an alien so a friendship story was born.
CHAPTER 1
“Pete..you’re looking at me like a freak again..stop staring will ya! Didn’t your mother ever tell you that staring is impolite?” gasps a nervous Clark Kent.
Pete unconsciously backs away as Clark approaches. Clark is dismayed to find Pete afraid of him. “Look Pete..I would never ever hurt you..you have to believe me.” Clark gently takes Pete by the shoulders and looks straight into Pete’s eyes to convince Pete that he is telling the truth.
“I’m sorry Clark.I didn’t mean to flinch when you came close..it was just instinct..I guess..I know you would never hurt me..I just can’t get over it..I mean...but ever since I found out your secret..your abilities..your superpowers I just can’t stop staring at you” exclaims Peter. “You have the ability to run fast, heat vision and god knows what other powers…say can you see through to the girl’s locker room with your x-ray vision?”
Clark flushes “No Pete..I would never use my abilities that way..No way have I ever used my X-ray vision to stare at the girl’s bathroom. Never..”
Peter eggs his shy friend on “Aw come on..don’t tell me you were never tempted..not even for a little itty bitty peek..”
“Alright..alright..maybe just once”admits Clark ruefully. “..but only once..and you must never tell my mother..you swear..?” Pete is amused as a blush rushes over his best friend’s face at this admission.
“Don’t worry Clark..I won’t tell on your mother…” admits Pete with a impish grin.
“Pete, what’s so funny? Are you laughing at me? Didn’t I tell you to quit staring at me? You’re creeping me out! I’m beginning to feel like I’m on display or under some microscope to be dissected or something..”
Peter continues to stare at Clark. This had been an amazing week. It all started when Pete found a strange spaceship in the corn fields and confided this discovery to his best friend in the whole world, Clark Kent. Of course, Clark had to let Pete in on his secret after Pete discovered the very spaceship Clark had arrived in as a baby from Krypton.
“Pete..you’re staring at me again..look Pete..I’m still the same kid you met in kindergarden. The same kid you traded baseball cards with. The same kid who used to swap lunch with you. The same kid who used to go camping with you in your backyard. The same kid who tells you everything about his non-date with Lana Lang…come on Pete” as Clark feels uncomfortable and embarrassed under Pete’s continued stare.
“But Clark do you realize what you can do with your new abilities? You can make so much money! You can do anything..the sky’s the limit for you! I still can’t believe that my best friend is a superhero..” exclaims Pete.
“I wish you’d quit staring at me..you’re making me feel like a bug under a microscope…now you know why I didn’t want to tell you about my secret..you’re still treating me like a freak..” as Clark intently studies the ground, his face flushed red with embarrassment. “I do my best to be as normal as possible..as a matter of fact I do my best to be more than normal….you know to fit in..to blend right in..”
And Pete swears he hears Clark mutter under his breath “I do my best not just to fit right in but to be invisible..I just don’t want anyone to know..that I’m different..that I may not be human..”
“I’m sorry Clark..I don’t mean to stare..it’s just that it all makes sense now….I mean all the pieces of the puzzle all fits together..why you are always so reluctant to talk about yourself..why you are so shy..why you try so hard to be invisible..why you are so secretive..I mean you really have to be careful with your abilities huh? I mean you can’t let anyone else know? Some people won’t understand and be afraid of you or something? And it wasn’t easy telling me your secret huh? it’s not easy being you is it?”
“Look Pete..it’s always been so complicated..only my parents know the secret of who I am because they are the ones who found me in my spaceship when I was a baby..Outside of my parents I’ve never told anyone before..just you..I just didn’t know how you would take it…... I’m just like everyone else..just with some special powers that’s all..”
“Hey Clark..calm down..I’m not freaked out..I mean you’re still Clark Kent..my buddy..so don’t worry about our friendship..it’s still very much intact..you’re still the geeky shy kid I met in kindergarden .I won’t look at you any differently just because..well just because..ah you arrived in a spaceship..so cool down..Listen Clark..I want you to know that you will always be my best buddy..my best friend..I don’t care if you are from the moon..To me you’re still the same kid I used to swap lunches with..or walk home from school when you used to get so lost…you’re still my best friend..I’ll always be there to watch your back..”
“Aw gee whiz.. Pete…thanks..you have no idea how much that means to me..I’m sure glad to have a friend like you , Pete.”
Pete blushes and tries for a lighter mood before things got too mushy by changing the subject “...Clark..haven’t you been curious about where you are from? That maybe you are from another planet or be an alien or something?” asks Pete.
“I don’t know where I’m from. I haven’t been able to open the spaceship that I arrived in. All I know is that I’m Clark Kent of Smallville and that my parents are Jonathan and Martha Kent. And they are the ones who found me in that spaceship when I was a baby and that’s it.”
“Oh and Pete there’s a possibility that I might be able to fly!”
“Fly?”
“Yeah..during the tornado..when I went to rescue Lana from the truck..when I was inside the tornado..I could feel myself flying..”
“Wow..how cool..just think how you can impress a girl..you could fly her to Paris or something to have a REAL French dinner…not just some French restaurant down the street..this flying has major possibilities..all the honeys will definitely want you, Clark! And then you could fly her to China to take a long romantic walk along the Great Wall..you’ll have girls begging to have a date with you! You are really lucky!You can literally sweep a girl off her feet!”
“Aw I don’t know Pete..I sometimes wish I were more like you? I mean I just want to be like everyone else and have a normal life..I didn’t ask for these abilities you know..I just want to be ordinary..a superhero doesn’t have a life..he’d live his life under the glare of cameras or something..or worse yet some mad scientist might want to capture me to experiment on me..or the bad guys might want to harm my folks for harboring an alien..no I don’t consider myself lucky..I just wish I were you know like you”
“Whatever for? Why would you want to be me? Granted I’m a handsome African American dude who happens to be string quarterback of the football team and who is looking forward to a scholarship..but if I had your abilities..my god..I could do so much..I don’t know Clark..but I would think of something fun..great..who knows! ”
“All I ever wanted was to fit in..blend in..you know be normal like everybody else! Not be a freak! And you’re right it’s not easy being me. I can’t have close relationships with people because I always have to be careful what I say or do to guard the secret.
“Clark..that’s boring! With these powers of yours, man..what an exciting life you will have..”
“That’s the point Pete..I have to keep my powers hidden. My parents will be in danger. Every creep will want to try to get to me by kidnapping those closest to me..I can’t take that risk Pete.. …And then there’s Lana...”
“What about Lana?” asks Pete.
“I’ve wanted so much to tell Lana how I rescued her from that tornado..Lana was in this truck..and the tornado was whirling her and the truck around..I couldn’t just stand there and let that tornado kill Lana..so I flew up to the tornado..I put my arms around Lana and made sure she was safe..I put my body around hers so that she wouldn’t get hurt..afterwards when the tornado was gone..Lana was unconscious..I left her at the field after calling 911..and then later Lana remembers me protecting her..she wants to know the truth..Pete..she wants to know how I battled a tornado and rescued her..but I’m afraid to tell her the truth about my powers..I’m afraid she’ll reject me after she finds out what a freak I am..I mean who wants to go out with a science experiment..Pete..I have no idea where these powers come from..what if I’m the botched result of some Russian experiment..or some alien from some planet..I don’t think Lana will look at me again except with disgust..she’ll be repulsed by me because she’ll know I’m not human..I just can’t stand losing Lana..she means the world to me..I just can’t lose her Pete. You know Pete I hate this…all of this..”Clark gives a disgusted stare to his muscular fit body.
“Clark, you shouldn’t hate yourself..you should be proud of who you are..and someday I bet you’ll find out that your biological parents were great people because you are a great guy with a great heart..and if Lana is really your friend she will accept you for who you are and if she doesn’t..well it’s her problem and her loss..and she wouldn’t be worth your time of day..there are lots of cute babes in the sea..Clark..I got to believe that somewhere out there is a cute babe for you who will love flying to Paris..China..a deserted tropical island with you…trust me on this Clark..I would never hang with someone who didn’t like me just because I’m African American..I wouldn’t give him or her my time of day..so don’t sweat it about Lana..she’s either with the program or not. Don’t be so hard on yourself..you take everything so seriously..Life is short so you got to have fun and lighten up..”
“Thanks Pete..you’re right..it’s hard for me to lighten up..especially after I almost lost you to Dr. Hamilton..when I came into his office and saw you all bound up and he was about to inject some poison into you..my heart went into my mouth…I was so afraid that you were going to be hurt..I knew I had to move fast to save your life..you almost died because of my secret Pete..I’m a dangerous person to know..knowing this secret will always put your life in danger..I just feel so guilty about what you had to go through because of me! I mean that crazy scientist was trying to poison you in order that you talk about me! You almost died because of me!”
“Clark, I must admit that at first when I found out about your secret, it shocked me to my socks and I kept staring at you because I couldn’t believe it. Then I felt hurt that you never felt that you could trust me enough to tell me earlier about your abilities so I shut you out. I was just so angry. I didn’t understand how dangerous your secret is. But when that crazy scientist kidnapped me, he kept asking me who owned that spaceship..he then threatened to shoot me up with poison..then and there I realized I couldn’t tell him your secret..you would be in danger..I think that crazy scientist would have killed you..no..I had to protect your secret even if I had to die to do it…I couldn’t let Hamilton ruin your life and take you away to some lab to be experimented on..At that moment in time when I saw that poison needle about to be injected into my skin ..Clark that needle was just inches from my arm..I knew I had to protect you at all costs..the second that Hamilton threatened me with that poison., I understood..I understood why you couldn’t tell me..about your secret..I understood that you were trying to protect me from the Hamiltons of the world ..even when Hamilton threatened to kill me and I could see my life flash by..believe it or not I saw all the good times we had Clark…all the fun we used to have together...then I saw you dead by Hamilton’s hands if I talked..I knew then what I had to do..I had to keep my mouth shut..even if it mean’t my death..nothing became more important to me than your life, Clark..it was like an epiphany....no I , I just couldn’t tell..I didn’t want you to be hurt..you are my best friend..so don’t worry Clark..your secret is safe with me. I wouldn’t want those government types to come and dissect you like a frog or something…and I’ll make sure nobody else ever knows your secret either..best friends?”
“Definitely Pete…best friends…come on..let’s shoot some hoops..”
“ Come on Clark..show me what you’ve got..”
“Aw I don’t know ..Pete if I should use my powers..it wouldn’t be fair..”
“Hey..you’re talking to THE champion..give it your all Kent!”
“Well alright..don’t say I didn’t warn ya!”
Clark shoves the basketball into the hoop at superspeed. Pete watches Clark play while at the same time admiring Clark’s superabilities “Cool..I love it when he does that. Wow! He can move really fast. I wonder where he is from. It must be cool to be able to move that fast. He could make tons and tons of money. The professional teams will never be able to get enough..ah but Clark is just too shy. Ah well..he’s still my best friend regardless of who or what he is. I just know that he will have a great destiny.
Pete strokes his chin with a thoughtful frown as he continues to ponder Clark’s future..You know Chloe’s cousin, Lois Lane might be just the cute babe for Clark..Chloe says her cousin loves to do the craziest things and that danger is her middle name. Didn’t Lois Lane bungee jump from the Metropolis bridge just for the fun of it? If she loves flying so much, well I think I should partner shy Clark with Lois. Lois and Clark..kind of has a ring to it..yeah I’ve got to talk to Chloe about this. The daredevil girl and the shy superguy yeah that could work..they don’t call me the supermatchmaker for nothing..everybody I fix up is now happy..yup..Lois Lane is the girl for Clark..hmm I can’t tell Clark yet..it’ll have to be a surprise..hmm..Clark’s birthday is coming up..yeah wouldn’t it be cool if I could get Lois to pop out of the cake..yup..what a yummy image that makes.
Pete flashes Clark a bright smile that would light up the sun itself. Clark is happy that for once he could be himself and not be thought of as a freak. Pete has no idea how much having a friend that would accept him meant to Clark. All his life, Clark had to hide his secret from his friends, afraid that people would gawk at his abilities and treat him like a freak of nature. Nope, Pete is treating me like I’m a normal person and that’s all I ever wanted. Life just can’t get any better than this.
THE END NOT!