As the seasons changed and Clark settled more comfortably into school life, Martha and Jonathan often found themselves marveling at how their extraordinary son managed to be both remarkably different and perfectly normal at the same time. He could lift a tractor without breaking a sweat, but he still needed help tying his shoes. He could hear conversations from across the playground, but he still got excited about chocolate chip cookies in his lunch box.
One evening, as they watched Clark playing fetch with Krypto in the yard – the game made more interesting by both participants' enhanced abilities – Martha leaned against Jonathan's shoulder and sighed contentedly.
"We're doing okay with him, aren't we?" she asked softly.
Jonathan wrapped an arm around her, watching as their son deliberately threw the ball at normal strength, even though they both knew he could launch it into the next county if he wanted to. "We're doing better than okay," he replied. "He's learning the right lessons. Not just about controlling his powers but about using them wisely. About being kind. About helping others."
"He's going to change the world someday," Martha said, not as a boast but as a simple statement of fact.
"Maybe," Jonathan agreed. "But for now, he's just our boy. And that's more than enough."
As if hearing them (and perhaps he had), Clark turned and waved, his smile bright enough to rival the setting sun. Krypto barked happily, tail wagging as he dropped the ball at Clark's feet for another throw.
In that moment, watching their son play in the golden light of a Kansas evening, Martha and Jonathan felt a deep sense of rightness. Whatever challenges lay ahead, whatever powers might yet manifest, they knew that the most important thing they could give Clark wasn't guidance about his abilities, but love, support, and the understanding that being different didn't mean being alone.
Smallville 1993
Eight years passed, each one bringing new challenges and developments in Clark's abilities. By the time he reached seventh grade, he had grown into a thoughtful, reserved teenager who worked hard to maintain the careful balance between his extraordinary capabilities and his desire to live a normal life.
The autumn afternoon started like any other, with Clark, now thirteen, sitting near the back of the school bus beside Pete Ross. Lana sat across the aisle, occasionally glancing over at Clark with a look that made his heart do strange flips in his chest. Their friendship had grown more complicated lately, charged with the awkward energy of early adolescence.
"Did you finish the history homework?" Pete asked, rifling through his backpack. "I swear Mr. Patterson assigns more reading every week."
"I finished it last night," Clark replied, trying not to mention that he'd read the entire chapter in about thirty seconds thanks to his enhanced speed-reading ability. "You can copy my notes if you want."
"You're a lifesaver, Clark," Pete grinned, then lowered his voice. "Hey, did you hear about the Halloween dance coming up?"
Before Clark could respond, Billy Thompson leaned over the seat in front of them. "You guys going to ask anyone?" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Shut up, Billy," Sarah Jenkins called from two seats ahead, but she was smiling. "Not everyone's obsessed with dating like you are."
"I'm not obsessed!" Billy protested. "I'm just saying, seventh grade is different. We're practically grown up now."
Lana rolled her eyes at this declaration. "Really? Is that why you still put ketchup on everything like a kindergartener?"
The bus erupted in laughter, and Clark found himself smiling despite his discomfort with the dating conversation. He couldn't help stealing another glance at Lana, who caught his eye and gave him a small, private smile that made his heart race.
"Well, I heard Kenny's going to ask you, Lana," Sarah said, turning around in her seat.
Clark felt his stomach drop, though he tried to keep his expression neutral. Lana's cheeks turned slightly pink, but before she could respond, Jamie Thompson, a first grader sitting across from Sarah, tugged on Lana's sleeve.
"Can you help me with my shoelace?" Jamie asked, holding up her undone sneaker.
"Of course, sweetie," Lana smiled, grateful for the interruption. She'd been helping Jamie with little things like this since the school year started, remembering how scary it had been to ride with the big kids when she was that age.
Behind them, Tommy Parker and his third-grade friends were trading baseball cards, while up front, high school freshman Lisa Martinez was helping her sixth-grade brother Miguel with his math homework. The familiar chatter of twenty-some students of various ages filled the bus – a typical afternoon on Route 31.
"Hey Clark," six-year-old Danny Foster called from two seats up, "did you see what I drew in art class today?" He held up a crayon drawing of what might have been Krypto.
Before Clark could respond, there was a loud bang from somewhere beneath the bus, followed by a violent swerve. The sound of a tire blowing out filled the air as the driver fought to maintain control.
"What was that?" Pete grabbed the seat in front of him.
"Everyone stay in your seats!" the driver shouted, his knuckles white on the wheel. "We've blown a tire!"
The bus fishtailed on the wet road, sending Danny's drawing flying. Little Jamie started crying, and several of the younger children screamed.
"It's okay, it's okay," Lisa called out, trying to calm the younger kids. "Just hold on tight!"
"The brakes aren't responding!" the driver yelled, wrestling with the wheel. "Everyone brace yourselves!"
The bus slammed into the concrete bridge barrier with tremendous force. The impact threw the driver forward, his head striking the wheel with a sickening thud. He slumped unconscious over the controls as the bus scraped along the barrier, its front half tilting precariously over the edge.
"Mr. Wheeler!" Miguel screamed from the front. "He's hurt!"
"The bus is tipping!" Tommy shouted, holding onto his younger brother Bobby as the front end dipped further over the edge.
Concrete crumbled beneath the bus's weight as it continued sliding forward. Through the windshield, the dark water of the river loomed below them. Jamie's crying had turned to terrified sobs, while several of the other young children were calling for their parents.
"I want my mom!" Danny wailed, clutching his fallen drawing.
"Clark?" Lana's voice trembled as she held Jamie close. "We need to do something!"
"Everyone move to the back!" Clark called out. "Lisa, help get the little ones up here! Slowly! Don't make any sudden movements!"
Lisa started guiding the younger children toward the back, but it was too late. The weight had already shifted too far forward. The bus teetered for a moment, suspended in a horrible silence as everyone held their breath.
"When we hit the water," Clark said quickly, trying to sound calmer than he felt, "take the biggest breath you can. The windows might break. Be ready to swim. Big kids, help the little ones!"
"We're going to die," Bobby whimpered, clinging to his brother.
"No, we're not," Clark said firmly. "Everyone listen to me! Take a deep breath when I say, and hold onto the seats in front of you. We're going to get through this!"
The last of the concrete gave way with a thunderous crack. As the bus began its plunge toward the river, Clark shouted, "Now! Deep breath!"
The impact with the water hit like a sledgehammer. Windows cracked from the pressure, and freezing river water burst through every seam of the bus. The interior filled with a chaos of screams and crying as the younger children clutched their seats, the water rising rapidly around them.
"We can't get out!" Tommy shouted, holding Bobby above the rushing water.
"Mr. Wheeler's not moving!" Lisa screamed, trying to reach the unconscious driver while keeping Miguel close.
"I don't want to die!" Jamie sobbed, her small arms wrapped around Lana's neck.
Clark fought against the rising water, pushing his way toward the emergency exit at the back. The current was already strong enough to make walking difficult, the freezing water now up to his chest. He could feel the bus continuing to sink, tilting forward as more water poured in through the cracked windshield.
"Everyone hold on!" he shouted. "I'm going to open the emergency door!"
"Clark, wait!" Pete called out, struggling to keep his head above water. "The current—"
But Clark had already reached the emergency exit. He knew they had seconds at most before the bus filled completely. "When I open this, the water's going to rush in fast! Everyone grab something solid and hold on!"
"Clark, please hurry!" Lana cried, struggling to keep Jamie above the rising water while gripping the back of her seat.
Clark grabbed the emergency handle, bracing himself against the door frame. With one powerful movement, he yanked it open. The force of the water was immediate and overwhelming – far stronger than even he had anticipated. The pressure differential created a violent surge as the river rushed to fill the remaining air space in the bus.
The current swept through the aisle like a horizontal waterfall. Lana, still trying to protect Jamie, lost her grip on the seat. Clark reached for her, but she was pulled past him in an instant, the force of the water yanking her and Jamie through the open door.
"LANA!" Pete screamed. "Clark, no!"
Clark dove through the door without hesitation. The current tried to sweep him away, but he fought against it, making his way to the back of the now-fully submerged bus. The water was dark and churning with debris, but he could see the vehicle slowly sinking deeper. Inside, his classmates struggled to stay afloat, their feet kicking desperately.
With no time to hesitate, Clark braced his feet against the river bottom and placed his hands against the bus's frame. For a moment, he froze – everything his parents had taught him about hiding his abilities warred with the desperate need to save his friends. But the sound of children crying inside the bus made his decision for him.
Clark pushed upward with everything he had. The bus, despite its enormous weight, began to move. He adjusted his stance, muscles straining not from the physical effort but from the precision needed to keep the vehicle level as he guided it toward the shallower water near the shore.
Inside the bus, Pete had managed to pull himself to one of the rear windows. Through the murky water, he saw something that made his breath catch in his throat. Clark – his best friend Clark Kent – was somehow pushing the entire bus through the water.
"Oh my God," Pete whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Sarah, clinging to a seat nearby, followed his gaze. "That's... that's impossible," she breathed, watching as Clark's figure guided the massive vehicle through the current.
"Is someone... is someone moving the bus?" Billy's voice cracked with awe and confusion.
The water grew shallower, and finally, Clark felt the bus settle onto solid ground. Water began flowing out the open door, and he could hear coughing and crying from inside as his classmates realized they weren't going to die after all.
Without pausing to catch his breath, Clark dove back into the deeper water, scanning frantically for any sign of Lana and Jamie. The current had swept them downstream, but his enhanced vision cut through the murky depths. About thirty feet away, caught in the twisted remains of an old tree, he spotted them – Lana's jacket had snagged on a thick branch, her body jerking with the current as she desperately tried to keep Jamie above water.
Even underwater, Clark could see the determination in Lana's face as she fought to protect the younger boy. Her legs kicked weakly against the current, one arm locked around Jamie's waist while the other struggled with her trapped jacket. Jamie's small hands clawed at the water, his face a mask of terror as he fought for air.
Clark shot through the water like a torpedo, pushing against the current with everything he had. He reached them just as Lana's movements began to slow, her strength finally giving out. Her eyes met his for one brief moment, filled with both relief and fear, before they fluttered shut. Even as consciousness slipped away, her arm remained tight around Jamie, refusing to let the current tear them apart.
The branch that held them was thick and sturdy, weathered by years of river water. Clark grabbed it with both hands, careful not to create any shock waves that might harm them. With precise pressure, he snapped it cleanly, immediately wrapping one arm around Lana's waist. Her body was limp now, but her grip on Jamie hadn't loosened even in unconsciousness.
Jamie's eyes were wide with panic, his small body thrashing against Lana's protective hold. Clark carefully untangled them, keeping his movements steady and deliberate despite the urgency screaming in his mind. He positioned Jamie on his back, where the boy's survival instinct made him grab onto Clark's neck with desperate strength.
Cradling Lana's unconscious form against his chest, Clark kicked toward the surface. Her heartbeat was growing fainter with each second, but he forced himself to maintain a speed that wouldn't hurt Jamie. The surface seemed impossibly far away, the sunlight filtering through the water like a distant promise.
They broke through to air with a massive splash. Jamie immediately gasped and coughed, his arms trembling around Clark's neck. "Lana!" he choked out between sobs. "Lana won't wake up!"
Clark kicked powerfully toward shore, fighting both the current and his own terror at Lana's stillness. Her skin had taken on a bluish tinge, her chest motionless despite the faint heartbeat he could still detect. Jamie's crying grew more hysterical as they neared the bank, where he could see Pete and others running to help.
"Please help her," Jamie sobbed as Clark finally reached shallow water. "She wouldn't let go of me. She kept holding on!"
Clark lifted them onto the grassy bank with careful precision, laying Lana's limp form down as gently as possible while Jamie collapsed beside them, coughing and shivering. Pete skidded to his knees next to them, his face ashen with fear as he took in Lana's bluish lips and still chest.
"Is she...?" Pete couldn't finish the sentence, his voice cracking.
"Come on, Lana," Clark whispered, positioning his hands for chest compressions. Time seemed to slow as he focused entirely on saving her life. Too little pressure would be useless, too much could shatter her ribs. He had to find that perfect balance, just as his parents had taught him with everything else in his life.
"One, two, three..." Clark counted steadily, each compression precisely measured. The faint sound of her weakening heartbeat drove him forward, knowing every second counted. Thirty compressions, then a pause.
Taking a deep breath, Clark tilted Lana's head back, pinched her nose, and gave two rescue breaths. He could hear the air entering her lungs, but still, she didn't respond.
"Please," he begged, starting another round of compressions. "Please breathe, Lana."
By now, other students had gathered around them in a loose circle. Sarah Jenkins was holding Jamie, who couldn't stop crying. Billy Thompson stood nearby, staring at Clark with wide eyes.
"Clark," Billy stammered, his voice shaking. "How did you... I mean, we all saw you... the bus..."
"Not now, Billy," Pete warned, but Tommy Parker was already stepping forward.
"You pushed it," Tommy said, his voice filled with awe. "The whole bus. We were sinking and then you just... how did you do that, Clark?"
Sarah nodded, clutching Jamie closer. "You saved us. But what you did... it wasn't possible."
Clark blocked out their questions, focusing entirely on Lana. Another set of compressions, another two rescue breaths. Above them, he could hear cars stopping on the bridge, people shouting as they noticed the partially submerged bus and the group of students on the bank.
Just as he was about to start a third round of compressions, Lana's body suddenly convulsed. She jerked violently, water erupting from her mouth as her lungs fought to expel the water from them. Clark quickly turned her onto her side, supporting her as she coughed and retched, bringing up what seemed like gallons of murky river water.
"That's it," he encouraged softly, rubbing her back. "Just breathe. You're okay."
Color slowly returned to Lana's cheeks as she drew in ragged breaths. Her green eyes fluttered open, focusing hazily on Clark's face. "Clark?"
"I'm here," he said softly, helping her sit up. "You're okay. You're safe now."
The wail of approaching sirens filled the air as the first emergency vehicles arrived at the bridge. People who had witnessed the accident from above were already making their way down the embankment - some to help, others drawn by the dramatic scene of the half-submerged bus and the group of shivering students on the riverbank.
"Clark," Billy spoke up, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and confusion. "What you did back there... I've never seen anything like it. Even Captain America couldn't—"
"Not now," Pete cut him off sharply, moving protectively closer to Clark. "Can't you see they need space?"
The first wave of paramedics reached them, quickly assessing the situation. Two immediately headed for Mr. Wheeler, who lay unconscious but stable near the bus. Others began distributing emergency blankets to the shivering students, calling out instructions and questions.
"Everyone who was in the water, over here!" called out a senior paramedic, directing them toward a hastily established triage area. "We need to check for hypothermia and secondary drowning!"
"You kids are lucky to be alive," a female paramedic said as she wrapped a blanket around Sarah's shoulders. "That current's usually strong enough to sweep away a car, let alone people." She paused, looking at the half-submerged bus. "How did you all get out?"
Before anyone could respond, an older paramedic was already on his radio: "Dispatch, we need additional units at Loeb Bridge. School bus accident with multiple minor injuries, one unconscious adult, and at least two near-drowning victims requiring immediate transport. Request police assistance for traffic control and family notifications through the school's emergency contact list."
The scene quickly transformed into organized chaos. More emergency vehicles arrived, their lights painting the darkening afternoon in alternating red and white. Police officers began setting up barriers on the bridge while firefighters assessed the partially submerged bus.
When paramedics tried to separate Clark and Lana for individual assessments, she gripped his hand tightly. "Wait," she said, her voice still rough from the water and coughing. "Just... wait a minute."
"Miss, we need to check you both over properly," the paramedic insisted gently but firmly. "You were underwater for several minutes. We need to monitor for secondary drowning."
Reluctantly, they were separated. Clark found himself being guided to one ambulance while Lana was taken to another. Through the bustle of activity, he could hear the murmur of awed conversations as more adults arrived on the scene:
"The whole bus just started sinking..."
"If that Kent boy hadn't been there..."
"Never seen anything like it..."
The paramedics seemed puzzled by Clark's vitals - perfectly normal despite his prolonged exposure to the cold river water. After basic checks, they left him sitting on the back step of an ambulance, a blanket draped over his shoulders more for appearance than necessity. He watched as Lana underwent a more thorough examination in the next ambulance over, an oxygen mask temporarily in place as they monitored her condition.
A police officer approached him with a notepad. "Son, can you tell me what happened?"
Before Clark could answer, Pete appeared beside him. "Maybe that can wait? He just pulled two people out of the river."
The officer nodded sympathetically and moved on, turning his attention to some of the other students who were now huddled in small groups, wrapped in emergency blankets and giving their accounts of the accident.
Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, Lana made her way over to him. She sat beside him on the ambulance step, their shoulders touching. Her hair was still damp, and he could hear a slight rasp in her breathing from the river water.
"Hey," she said softly, looking at him with an intensity that made his heart race.
"Hey," he replied. "Are you okay?"
"Thanks to you." She was quiet for a moment, watching as Jamie was reunited with his hysterical mother nearby. "You know, I wasn't scared at first, when the bus went in. I thought someone would come, that we'd figure something out. But then when Jamie and I got swept away..." She shuddered. "The water was so dark and cold. I couldn't hold onto him anymore, couldn't even tell which way was up. And then suddenly you were there."
"I had to try," Clark said simply. "I couldn't just..."
"But that's just it, Clark," Lana interrupted, turning to face him fully. "You didn't just try. You did something impossible. The paramedic said that current was strong enough to kill an adult, but you swam through it like it was nothing. You found us in water so dark I couldn't see my own hands. You got us out."
Clark stared at his hands, unsure how to respond. Around them, the scene continued to grow more chaotic as more parents arrived, having been contacted through the school's emergency phone tree.
"I've known you since kindergarten," Lana continued, her voice dropping lower. "I've always known you were different somehow. Special. The way you'd sometimes hold back in gym class, or how you'd hear things nobody else could hear. But today..." She took a shaky breath. "Today you saved all of us. Not just me and Jamie, but everyone on that bus."
"It was the right thing to do," Clark said quietly. "I would do it again if I had to."
"Even knowing people would see? That they'd ask questions?"
"Even then," he nodded. "Some things are more important than keeping secrets."
Lana studied his face for a long moment. Then, with a decisiveness that surprised them both, she leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn't a quick peck of gratitude - it was a real kiss, soft but lingering, filled with years of friendship transforming into something new.
When they finally broke apart, Clark felt dizzy in a way that had nothing to do with his earlier exertions. This was Lana - his childhood friend, his constant companion through years of small-town life. But suddenly everything felt different, charged with new possibility.
Their moment was interrupted by approaching voices. Sarah and Lewis Lang were hurrying toward them, faces etched with worry and relief.
"Lana!" Sarah Lang called out, already reaching for her daughter. "Oh, sweetheart! When the school called..."
Lewis Lang helped Lana up, pulling her into a tight embrace, but his eyes were fixed on Clark. "Son, we can never thank you enough. When we got the call... if you hadn't been there...
Around them, similar scenes were playing out. The Thompsons were hugging Billy, who was still telling anyone who would listen about how Clark had saved them. Pete was with his parents, Mrs. Ross already wiping tears from her eyes as she listened to her son's account. Sarah Jenkins' mother was crying as she held her daughter, repeatedly looking over at Clark with grateful eyes.
The story was spreading through the growing crowd of parents, each retelling adding to the sense of miracle. Clark could hear fragments of conversations - "miracle," "so brave," "thank God he was there" - and felt a growing unease. He caught Pete's eye across the crowd, and his friend gave him a reassuring nod.
Finally, he spotted his own parents rushing down the embankment. Martha immediately pulled him into a tight hug while Jonathan surveyed the scene with worried eyes, no doubt hearing the same murmured conversations about "impossible strength" and "divine intervention" that were growing louder by the minute.
"We need to get you home," Jonathan said quietly, but Clark could hear the concern in his voice. This wasn't like the small incidents they'd managed to explain away before. Too many people had seen too much, and in a town like Smallville, news like this would spread faster than even he could run.
As they led him to their truck, Clark glanced back one last time. Lana caught his eye and gave him a small, private smile that made his heart skip. Whatever happened next, whatever consequences came from this day, he knew he'd made the right choice. Some secrets weren't worth keeping at the cost of a life.