Chloe walks off, leaving Clark standing there with a puzzled expression as he watches her cross the room. He turns back toward where Lex and Desiree were standing. Lex is gone, and Desiree is posing for several photographers. Clark watches her for a few moments, lost in thought, until a voice breaks him out of his daze.

Lex: (offscreen) Quit staring, Clark.

We pan over to see Lex approaching, champagne glass in hand.

Lex: (amused) You'll burn your eyes out.

Clark: (guiltily) I was just...

Lex: It's alright. Desiree's attractive. I understand. Oh, and thanks again Clark.

Clark hesitates, unsure if he should say what's on his mind, then decides to just say it.

Clark: Lex, I gotta tell ya...I was a bit shell-shocked. I mean, you go away on a two week business trip, and the next thing I know my mom's putting finishing touches on your wedding cake?

Lex: (chuckling) Believe me, when I left I had no intention of falling in love. I was struggling through another endless business function when suddenly...Desiree was there.

Clark: She must have made quite a first impression.

Lex chuckles, and leans in toward Clark, his voice taking on an amused, conspiritorial tone.

Lex: (amused) Actually, she said she'd come to save me. (laughs when Clark looks at him strangely) I thought it was a joke too...that she was only interested in my name or fortune, but...as the night wore on, I realized, she was different.

Clark: (smiling in disbelief) It just happened that fast?

Lex: (seriously) You can waste your time playing it safe, or you can go for it. But at some point, Clark...you just know when something's right.

Lex walks off to rejoin his bride, and Clark looks around as he thinks about what Lex said. His eyes stop on Lana, who is trying to cool off nearby with a drink in hand.

Cut to a shot of the Talon sign, lit up against the night sky. We cut to a shot seen through a video camera viewfinder, the REC flashing in the corner. In the viewfinder, we see Clark, still wearing his outfit from the wedding, speaking. As he speaks, we pull back away from the viewfinder to see him speaking to the camera.

Clark: And, uh, well...Pete's taping all the Sharks games for you, so you won't miss a thing. Although the way they're playing, you might want to. (chuckles) Uh...(sighs) Anyway, I haven't forgotten what we talked about, so don't worry. Just, uh, come home soon and be safe.

Lana: (pressing the off button and smiling) That was great! Thanks so much for doing this, Clark.

Lana climbs off the stool she was sitting on and crosses over to a table to set the camera down.

Lana: So, what did you and Whitney talk about?

Clark: Uh, just that he wanted me to keep an eye on you.

Lana stops and turns to look at Clark, an expression of disbelief on her face. Clark realizes what he said came out wrong, and rushes to explain.

Clark: Uh, not that he doesn't trust you...uhhh...

Lana nods her head, understanding Clark's uncomfortableness, and decides to quickly change the subject.

Lana: It's hot. (laughs) Do you want an iced coffee? I...I'm gonna go make an iced coffee.

Lana heads for the counter.

Lana: One of the perks of management...twenty four hour access to the cappucino machine.

Lana pulls out two tall glass mugs and begins filling them with ice as Clark approaches the counter.

Clark: So...what did you say to Whitney?

Lana: (scooping ice into the mugs) I started my message five or six times, but I can't seem to finish. There's so much I wanna say...

Clark: It's not easy, being in a long distance relationship.

Lana tuns to Clark and studies him for a beat.

Lana: (honestly) I miss him.

She and Clark stare at each other for a moment, before Lana turns back to the cappucino machine.

Lana: And I'm worried about him, but it's difficult putting your life on hold. I'm not sure it was the wisest decision for either of us.

Clark looks surprised at her honesty as she turns to face him.

Lana: (sadly) I get his emails. (turns back to the cappucino machine) He's having a really tough time, first with basic traning and now being shipped out. He needs someone he can count on.

Clark looks on in sympathy. Lana finishes the drinks and carries them around the counter, trying to lighten the mood.

Lana: Besides, I *do* have you to look out for me, don't I?

Clark: Well, I know I haven't been around much this summer..(takes the glass from Lana and says "Thanks" as he sits at the counter)...but ever since the storm, the farm has just been a disaster.

Lana: Seems like we're all trying to find our way back from that day.

Clark nods in agreement.

Clark: Except for Lex. I've never seen him so happy before.

Lana: It's kinda weird.

Clark: (relieved) You know, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Lana: (laughs) Still, you have to admit it's romantic.

Clark: Well, Lex makes it seem easy.

Lana: (smiling) Maybe it is. Lex learned to act on his passion...never hold anything back. I wonder if we'll ever be able to do the same?

Clark and Lana lock eyes, and Clark gets an eager smile on his face. Suddenly, his face takes on a look of panic and he begins blinking his eyes and squeezing them shut. He realizes what's about to happen, and climbs off the stool.

Clark: (sounding sick) Uh...uh...

Lana: (concerned) Clark, what's wrong?

Clark begins heading quickly for the exit, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. staggering away from Lana, his eyes still closed

Clark: Uh...I'm just not feeling so well...

Clark stops as the pain gets more intense, and Lana comes up behind him, reaching around and putting a hand on his forehead.

Lana: (alarmed) Oh my god...you're burning up. Let me drive you home.

Lana quickly heads back to the counter to get her keys. Clark spins around, eyes closed, trying to regain his balance. As he opens his eyes, the heat waves shoot out of his eyes and ignite the cappucino machine, which explodes in a burst of flames. Lana screams. Clark, looking shocked, turns his head and the heat waves, which are still shooting from his eyes, ignite the wall. Clark looks around in panic, everywhere his eyes pointing to on the walls bursting into flames. Eventually, the heat waves subside and Clark groans, he shakes his head, closes his eyes and rubs his temples.

Lana comes up behind Clark, clutching his arm and staring in shock at the strips of flames burning along the walls of the Talon, and at the flames coming from the cappuccino machine incredulously. Clark puts an arm around her.

Clark: (concerned) Are you okay?

Lana: (shocked) Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?

Clark: I'm not sure...

Lana rushes away from Clark.

Lana: I'm gonna call 911.

Cut to a shot of the Kent barn, the next day. We go inside and see Clark sitting on the steps in the dark. The barn door opens and Jonathan enters. Clark blinks and turns his head at the sudden light flooding the barn.

Jonathan: Clark? I thought you'd be in school already.

Clark: (miserably) I'm not going.

Jonathan just looks at him, silently asking for an explanation.

Clark: (sadly) It happened again at the Talon.

Jonathan: What, another fire?

Clark: (becoming increasingly upset as he talks) It was worse than before. I was afraid it wasn't gonna stop...(gets up from the stairs) ...and the fire department said the fire looks suspicious...and what can I say, they're right...

Jonathan comes over to Clark, trying to calm him down.

Jonathan: Come on, you and I both know that you didn't mean to start any of these fires...

Clark: (extremely upset) Dad, Lana was there...if I'd have hurt her...

Jonathan puts his hand on Clark's shoulder to comfort him, but Clark shakes him off and crosses the room.

Jonathan: Look, son...*Clark*!

Clark stops in his tracks at the authortative tone in his dad's voice.

Jonathan crosses the room and puts his hands on Clark's shoulders, turning him to face Jonathan. Clark keeps his eyes trained to the side, refusing to meet Jonathan's eyes

Jonathan: (softening his tone) Hey...come on...Clark...look at...*look* at me.

Clark reluctantly brings his eyes up to meet Jonathan's.

Jonathan: Son, I think I have a pretty good idea what's triggering this thing.

Clark looks at Jonathan hopefully.

Cut to a shot of a post being driven into the ground by Clark. We pull back and see Jonathan and Clark standing out in the field, next to a scarecrow which is mounted on the post.

Jonathan: Alright. Rule number one. Always practice away from the barn. Come on.

Jonathan claps Clark on the shoulder, and the two men walk several paces away from the scarecrow.

Clark: Dad, I don't get it. I thought the whole point was to stop this from happening.

Jonathan: (nodding) Well, in order to find the off switch, first we need to find the on switch, right? Alright...

Jonathan turns Clark around so that he's facing the scarecrow.

Jonathan: (Pointing to scarecrow) Now, I want you to remember exactly what you thinking about the first time it happened.

Clark just looks at Jonathan, then looks back at the scarecrow. The two men stare at it for a few seconds.

Jonathan: (clapping Clark on the shoulder encouragingly) Come on.

Clark stares at the scarecrow, trying to concentrate, but can't do it.

Clark: (uncomfortably) Dad...this might be easier if I was...

Jonathan: (interrupting) Alone. Yeah. Sorry.

Jonathan claps Clark on the back again, and starts to walk away.

Clark: (embarrassed) Thanks.

Jonathan heads back toward the barn, leaving Clark to practice alone. Clark stares at the scarecrow, his face squished up in concentration, but nothing happens. Clark stares at it for another second, then...

Clark: Lana

Suddenly, Clark's eyes begin to glow and the heat waves shoot from his eyes. Over Jonathan's shoulder, we see in the distance the scarecrow exploding into a ball of flames. Clark looks over in his dad's direction, smiling proudly with accomplishment. Jonathan just chuckles and smiles, shaking his head in amusement.

Cut to a shot of some Jiffy Pop popcorn being hit with some heat waves. The foil rises slowly as the heatwaves cause the corn inside to pop. We pull back and see Clark, standing in the Kent kitchen, aiming the heat waves at the popcorn as Martha and Jonathan look on.

Jonathan: Five scarecrows, two water barrels, and our mailbox later...

Clark: Dad, you were right. Once I understood what triggered the heat, I was able to control it without thinking about...sex.

As Clark says, "sex", the Jiffy-Pop container explodes, sending popped corn flying everywhere. Martha and Jonathan study Clark with amusement.

Jonathan: (amused) You sure about that son?

Clark: (walking over to pick up his backpack) Trust me. Next time I have a date, I'll be able to take her out without setting her on fire.

Jonathan: Well, that's a relief.

Clark: (smiling) I'll be fine.

The Kents nod, although their faces look little less confident than Clark's.

Cut to a shot of the loft window in the Kent barn at night. We pan inside and see Clark, sitting down and lighting a row of candles using his heat vision, smiling proudly at his control. Suddenly, we hear the door of the barn open, and footsteps on the stairs to the loft. We see a set of female legs climbing up the stairs.

Desiree: Hey, Clark...you in here?

Desiree laughs as she enters the loft and sees every surface covered with burning candles.

Desiree: It's a little hot in here for candles, Clark.

Clarks up from his seat and crosses the loft.

Clark: (surprised) Mrs. Luthor...

Desiree stands there in a red outfit that doesn't leave much to the imagination, holding her hair up off her neck in an attempt to cool herself down.

Desiree: (smiling) Only at school. The rest of the time, I prefer Desiree. (lets her hair tumble to her shoulders) I went by the house...but nobody was home, and then I saw the light in the loft...

Clark: (quickly) Uh, yeah... my parents went into town...

Desiree: Well, actually, I came by to see you.

Clark looks surprised.

Clark: Really?

Desiree stares at Clark seductively. Clark just looks at her in confusion. Desiree starts to slowly walk toward Clark, like a hunter stalking its prey. Clark tries to back away as she comes closer.

Desiree: You see, most girls like older men, but not me. I like younger guys. What they lack in experience they make up for in passion.

Clark: (nervously) Is that right?

Desiree: Yeah. I saw you...staring at me the other day in class...

As Clark backs up, he trips over a chair and lands on the seat in a heap, knocking his head on a hanging lamp. Desiree takes advantage by moving even closer to him and running her hands over his shoulders.

Clark: (swatting the lamp out of the way) I'm sorry, I, uh...

Desiree: No, it's okay. I was actually flattered. As a matter of fact, I was hoping we could work on our...student teacher relations.

Clark fidgets nervously in his seat, extremely uncomfortable.

Clark: I...uh..mm...you're married to my best friend.

Desiree moves closer, about to kiss Clark, almost nuzzling his face with her own. As she does so, the pink mist comes from her mouth, and Clark inhales it. Desiree smiles slightly, then pulls back and begins running her hands seductively over Clark's thighs. She leans in and attempts to kiss Clark, but he pulls away and jumps up from the chair.

Clark: Uh, wait...

Clark crosses the room, moving away from Desiree

Clark: (nervously) I...I don't know what you expected here tonight, but Lex is my best friend. I'm not gonna do anything to hurt him.

Desiree: (feigns embarrassment) I don't know what came over me. (almost crying) Please don't tell Lex about this, OK? I am so sorry.

Desiree quickly leaves the loft, leaving Clark standing there with a worried expression on his face.

Cut to a shot of the school the next day. We then cut to a close-up of a computer screen, viewing a document from the Metropolis Superior Court, displaying Desiree's picture. The document notes a legal name change from Alison Sanders to Desiree Atkins. We pull back and see Clark and Chloe are in the Torch office, tracking down facts on the new Mrs. Luthor.

Chloe: Oh, so the new Mrs. Luthor has an alias. That's interesting.

Clark pulls a copy of the document out of the printer.

Clark: You know...what would you say...if I told you Miss Atkins a.k.a. Alison Sanders, showed up at my loft last night and... tried to seduce me.

Chloe laughs in disbelief.

Chloe: I'd say you were living the voyeristic fantasy of every male student in this school. Clark, she *just* married Lex. Why would she possibly be interested in you?

Clark: (a bit hurt) Thanks.

Chloe simply raises her eyebrows at him, silently asking him to give her a reason to believe him.

Clark: (sighing) Look, she was dissing Lex. Saying he was the only thing standing between her being with me.

Chloe rolls her eyes.

Chloe: OK, you know, this is quickly going from merely nauesating to genuinely disturbing.

Clark: Chloe, I'm not making this up. She's got some strange hold on Lex.

Chloe: (sarcastically) Gee, I wonder what that could be.

Clark gets up from his chair, upset that Chloe doesn't believe him.

Clark: I'm serious. It's more than the fact that she's hot.

Chloe: (still disbelieving) Clark, this is *Lex Luthor* we're talking about. Don't you think he considered all the unfortunate possibilities before saying 'I do'?

Clark: I dunno. (looks down at the document on Desiree that he's holding) But I'm gonna find out. I'm gonna go talk to him. Will you keep digging?

Chloe: Yeah, sure. Where there's smoke there's fire. Excuse the aphorism.

Clark leaves the Torch office, heading for Lex's.

Cut to a shot of Lex playing pool in his study. He is upset about something, as he uses very hard, fast strokes to strike the pool balls. Clark enters the study. Lex calls out to him, his friendly tone in direct contrast to his earlier body language.

Lex: (walking around the pool table to set his next shot) Clark. I've been expecting you.

Clark: Really?

Clark stands there uncomfortably.

Lex: You can save the awkward silences. Desiree told me everything.

Clark: Lex, I really don't know what to say.

Lex lines up his next shot as he speaks.

Lex: All my life, I've had to second guess the intentions of others.

Lex strikes the cue ball very hard, sending the pool balls clattering across the table.

Lex: (continuing) I'd reached the point where I'd started to think friends were a luxuary I couldn't afford. (walks toward Clark with a smile) Till I met you Clark. From the day you pulled me out of that river, you've been the one person I could trust completely.

Clark smiles, happy to hear that Lex isn't mad at him.

Clark: (happily) I'm glad you feel that way, Lex.

Lex: (voice changing to a serious tone) Maybe that's why I find your infatuation with my wife so… troubling.

Clark: (stunned) My infatuation?

Lex simply stares coldly at Clark.

Clark: Lex, I don't know what she told you, but she came on to me.

Lex: Oh, you expect me to believe that? Come on...I saw the way you looked at her the other day. She told me you've been eyeing her in class...

Clark: (panicked) No, Lex...you have to see this.

Clark reaches in his pocket and pulls out the document Chloe gave him, unfolding it and show it to Lex.

Clark: Your wife's real name is Alison Sanders. She grew up in Smallville. I bet she didn't tell you that, did she?

Lex takes the document from Clark and looks at it.

Lex: (coldly) No.

Lex tosses the document on the pool table and turns his back on Clark, walking back around the pool table.

Clark: (desperately) Well, if she didn't tell you the truth about that, how can you believe anything she...

Lex: (raising his voice in anger) She's my wife and I love her!

Clark stares at Lex.

Lex: (still angry) To be honest, I was hoping for an apology, not more insinuations. I thought our friendship meant more to you, Clark.

Clark: It does...

Lex: (shortly) You can let yourself out.

Clark turns to leave, and Lex takes another pool shot, striking the ball very hard, his face a mask of anger. As Clark walks toward the study doors, Desiree comes in, staring accusingly at Clark.

Clark: (determined) I don't know what you're doing to Lex, but I'm not dropping this.

Clark leaves, and Desiree walks slowly toward Lex.

Desiree: (sympathetically) I'm sorry Lex. That must have been difficult.

Lex stares at her angrily.

Lex: (indicating the document Clark brought) Can you explain this?

Desiree picks up the document and looks at it, then at Lex.

Desiree: Clark's right, I changed my name. (walks closer to Lex and stands between him and the pool table) But I changed it again yesterday to Luthor. That's all that really matters, isn't it?

Lex: I just don't understand why you would keep this from me.

Desiree stares at Lex seductively, then moves a little closer to him. She walks behind him, running her hands over his chest and talking softly in his ear as she does so.

Desiree: You know, it seems to me...that I haven't had a kiss from my husband in...oh, I dunno, at least six hours.

Lex: (exhaling in frustration) Desiree, we really need to discuss this.

Desiree stares at Lex for a moment, then opens her mouth and exhales, blowing a small stream of pink mist into Lex's face. He inhales it and drops the pool cue as Desiree moves in front of him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and blowing more pink mist into his face. Lex's eyes fall shut and Desiree kisses him passionately. She pulls back to make sure she has Lex under her control before speaking.

Desiree: (coldly) Clark is part of your past. Just like everyone else in this town.

Lex stares at Desiree with a blank expression.

Desiree: (continuing) You don't need 'em Lex. We don't need 'em.

Lex: Maybe you're right.

Cut to a shot of Chloe speaking to the camera. The red REC in the corner indicates she's speaking to a video camera, and the background indicates she's in the Talon.

Chloe: So remember, keep your head down. I'm counting on an exclusive interview from you when you get back.

Lana laughs and shuts off the video camera.

Lana: That was great Chloe.

Chloe: Thank you.

Chloe picks up her digital camera and starts going through the pictures as she gets up from her seat and walks to the counter.

Chloe: Oh, yeah, and thanks for the quid-pro-quo. Now I can move the 'library gets a new paint job' spread to page two.

Lana laughs.

Lana: So that must have been fun...spending the entire summer in Metropolis.

Chloe: (still looking at her camera) Yeah, it was really nice to get away. Sometimes, a little distance can just give you a new perspective on things you've done, you know? Mistakes you've made.

Lana: Going to the spring formal with Clark was not a mistake.

Chloe: (self depreciating chuckle) Yeah, it was. I let myself indulge in my feelings for him and I ended up getting hurt.

Lana gets up to come sit next to Chloe at the counter.

Lana: At least you were brave enough to take the risk.

Chloe: Oh yeah, that's me...Cupid's cannon fodder.

The girls chuckle at the joke.

Chloe: (introspectively) Ugh, three months. I thought I'd be over it by now. But when I saw him in the hall, all those feelings just came back. I even made up some lame story about meeting a guy in Metropolis to try and get a rise out of him.

Lana: (sincerely) Clark still really cares about you, Chloe.

Chloe: (honestly) I know. But he cares about you more.

Lana: I don't want Clark to come between our friendship.

Chloe: Me neither. So what are we gonna do about that?

Lana: Let's define ourselves by what we do, not who we date. Or don't date. (laughs)

Chloe: (smiling) Cool.

We hear the sound of the door opening, and see Lex striding into the Talon, papers in hand.

Lex: (seriously) Lana. We need to talk.

Chloe: (getting up from her chair) Umm...I ...have to get some work done at the Torch.

Lana: Alright. See ya.

As Chloe leaves, Lana turns to Lex.

Lana: I'm really glad to see you. (reaches over and picks up some papers from the counter) I just got the final insurance adjustments. (walking toward Lex and extending a pen) Once you countersign, we can get started on the repairs.

Lex doesn't respond, simply extending the blue folded documents in his hand. As Lana takes them, we see the header on the top sheet reads "Legal Buyout". Lana's face is stunned as she takes the papers.

Lana: Lex, I don't understand.

Lex: (matter of factly) It's not complicated. I've decided to invoke the buyout clause of our partnership agreement.

Lana rifles through the papers.

Lana: (shocked) This gives me 24 hours to vacate the premises.

Lex: That's right. I've decided to reassess my business relationships. The Talon's no longer a good fit.

Lex turns and starts to leave. Lana follows him.

Lana: (outraged) This isn't fair! The Talon has always carried it's own weight.

Lex: (coldly) Breaking even isn't my idea of a good business model. (turns to face Lana) And frankly, I have to question the judgement of a partner who causes thousands of dollars in damage while entertaining friends after hours.

Lana: (angrily) I was here with *Clark*!

Lex: My faith in Clark evaporated along with my enthusiasm for the coffee shop business.

Lex turns and leaves and Lana stares after him, speechless.

Cut to a shot of the school hallway. Clark walks down the hall and sees Lana angrily throwing her books into her locker and slamming the door. He approaches her.

Clark: (concerned) Lana, what's wrong?

Lana: (angrily) I've just been evicted from the Talon.

Clark: (stunned) What?

Lana: Lex is using the fire to justify taking back the building.

Lana finishes locking her locker and walks away. Clark follows.

Clark: No, he can't do that! It wasn't your fault!

Lana: (laughing sarcastically) He *knows* that. He was just looking for an excuse.

As she talks, Lana becomes more angry and upset.

Lana: People *warned* me about doing business with him. When I saw how hard he fought to keep the plant open, I actually thought he'd *changed*!

Clark steps in front of Lana and stops her from walking.

Clark: (desperately) Lana, you brought the Talon back from nothing. It means everything to you!

Lana: (upset) This proves it was never really mine.

Lana walks off, leaving Clark alone in the hall. As he watches her leave, he notices Desiree nearby, tacking a flyer up on a bulletin board in the hall. She stares back at him, and Clark's face goes from upset to angry. He marches over to Desiree.

Desiree: (smugly, her back still turned to Clark) Hello, Clark. Lana looked upset. Did she tell you what happened?

Clark: (angrily) Yeah. She mentioned that Lex is closing the Talon, and somehow, I think it wasn't completely his decision.

Desiree: Well, you're right. We made the decision as a couple.

Desiree turns to look at Clark before walking slowly down the hall. Clark follows.

Desiree: I wanted to prove a point.

Clark steps in front of Desiree, stopping her progress.

Clark: (angrily) To who? Lana?

Desiree: (coldly) No, Clark. To you. I want you to understand something.

As she speaks, Desiree circles Clark so that he's behind her again.

Desiree: I can control the people in your life. I had Lex close down the Talon in a heartbeat, imagine what would happen if I turned him against this town. Your friends. (turns to face Clark) Or even your parents.

Clark: (threateningly) I won't let you do that.

Desiree: You want this to stop? Then stay out of our lives.

Clark: (defiantly) I'm not gonna back off.

Desiree and Clark stare at each other angrily.

Clark: And I'll find a way to get through to Lex.

Clark walks off, and Desiree stares angrily after him, then smiles as she notices a few people looking at her in the hall.

Cut to a shot of a license plate on a red car. The Metropolis plates read "Desiree". As we pan down, we see a clear liquid running down over the license plate and onto the back bumper, then down to the ground, landing in a puddle under the car.

Cut to a shot of a match being struck, then dropped onto a wet trail in the parking lot. The trail is obviously gasoline, as it ignites instantly and the flame rushes toward the car. We pull back and see Desiree, watching as the flames engulf her car and it erupts in a massive explosion, flipping the car over. Desiree watches the fire for a few minutes before walking away.

Cut to a shot inside the Kent farmhouse. We see Clark's hand twirling a glass of lemonade, and in the background, Martha and Jonathan sit across from him with stunned and upset expressions on their faces.

Martha: (angry) Clark, why didn't you tell us about this earlier?

We see Clark sitting across from his parents, also looking upset.

Clark: I..I didn't know what to say. I guess I was embarrassed.

Jonathan: Well, I dunno know what we can do about the Talon. I mean, It's not against the law to sweet-talk your husband into making a bad business decision.

Martha: (upset) No, but trying to seduce a teenage boy is! (near tears) I'm calling the school board, first thing in the morning, and getting this woman suspended!

A knock sounds at the door, and Jonathan gets up to answer it.

Jonathan: Yeah...(pauses as he comes to the door and sees who is knocking) Ethan. Come on in.

The Smallville sheriff steps through the door, and Clark gets up to see what's going on.

Jonathan: What brings you out to these parts?

Sheriff Ethan: A teacher down at the high school, Mrs. Luthor, claims she saw Clark set her car set her car on fire.

Clark turns and looks at Martha in shock.