"Okay, take five." "Kent and Turner, you're in the final." "Dude, I'd definitely take you in a rematch." "My foot slipped on the dive, ruined my rhythm." "It's funny, I thought you were just slow." "He's a hottie, isn't he?" "Look at him." " Who, Clark?" " Oh, come on, Lana." " Krissy, Clark and I are just friends." " Right." " So, what do you think?" " Awesome." "I'll ask the principal if we can hang it in the cafeteria." "You've really thrown yourself into Spirit Week." "I'm impressed." "Well, these are the best times of our lives." "Isn't that what they say?" "To be honest, I'd forgotten how much fun this can be." " I'm looking forward to it." " Krissy." "Hey, baby." "Hey, Troy, you're dripping on my signs." " Don't you have another race?" " Finals." "I need a good-luck kiss." " Go." "I can finish up here." " Thanks." "Follow me." "Not a problem." "All right, this one's for bragging rights." "Fastest in the school." "Okay, guys, on the blocks." "Come on, Troy, hurry up." "Swimmers, take your marks." "Three, two, one!" "Troy?" " Hey, hey!" "Troy!" " What's wrong with him?" "He's going under!" "Somebody help him!" " Troy!" " Help him!" "Open your mouth." "Hey, that's perfect." "All we have to do is come up with a snappy name, we'll make a fortune." "Forget Mrs. Fields." "You could be "Mrs. Kents."" " I like the sound of that." " This is turning into a bigtime operation." "Thanks." "I've added two convenience stores and the retirement center to my client list." "That's great." "What?" "I don't see how we'll pay the feed bill this month." " I could get an extension on our credit." " We're already three months behind." " Henry's a friend, he'll understand." " He already said no." "My salary from Lionel isn't enough." "What are we gonna do?" "Maybe we should talk to my father." "Why is it whenever anyone mentions Granddad everyone becomes quiet and uncomfortable?" " Isn't it weird I've never met the guy?" " Clark, I'm..." "I'm sorry that you haven't had a relationship with your grandpa, I really am." "But there's too much bad blood." "I'm sorry, but I've got work to do." " Lana, where would you like these?" " You can just put them on the counter." " Getting ready for the Spirit Week bash?" " Trying to." "I think Nell's used the projection booth as her personal storage since the late '70s." "What are those?" "Clark, these photos are of my mom and some guy." "Maybe he's an old boyfriend." "They were taken when my parents were married." "Maybe he was just a friend." " I'm sure you're right." " Right about what?" "The mystery man with Lana's mother." "Hey, they make an attractive couple." "And there could be a million explanations." "Who do you think it is?" "I don't know, but I'll bet Nell does." "Then mystery solved." "I wish they were all this easy." "Well, it's late, we should get to school." " I'm heading that way, if you need a lift." " I've got the first two periods off." " Clark?" " No, I was just gonna run." "I don't think you could outrun my Porsche, Clark." "Excuse me." "What's going on?" "I need to get in there." " You should've been here earlier, Mr...?" " Kent." "Clark Kent." "Of course." "I noticed in your records you have a penchant for tardiness." " Who exactly are you?" " I'm Mr. Reynolds, your new principal." " Oh, nice to meet you." " Yes." "So you're aware, from now on this gate locks when the bell rings and doesn't open until school is out." "I'd..." "I'd appreciate it if you'd give Clark a pass." "He was late because of me." "Lex Luthor." "The Porsche, the attitude." "Somehow I'm not surprised you're involved." " You know each other." " Mr. Reynolds was headmaster at Excelsior Prep during my stay there." "You might find this hard to believe, Lex but people should take responsibility for their own actions." " It won't happen again." " I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. Kent." "The next time it happens, automatic detention." "Catch you later, Clark." "Spare the rod, spoil the child." "You haven't changed." "What's next, school uniforms?" "I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away from my school and my students, Luthor." "Listen, I know we had our share of run-ins at Excelsior, but I was 14." "Don't you think it's petty to be holding a grudge?" "That's awfully noble, coming from a Luthor." "I'm a little confused." "Exactly what did I do to earn such enmity?" "Goodbye, Lex." "Kristine Parker?" " I'm Principal Reynolds." " Hi, nice to finally meet you." " Did you get my memo about the uniforms?" " I did." "Thank you, I'm looking into it." "I understand you're the visionary behind our Spirit Week activities." "Well, I just want everyone to have the best time ever." "I admire your enthusiasm." "I was going through the student files, trying to get to know everyone better and I noticed we don't have the transcripts from your last school." "That's weird." "But it figures, my guidance counselor was a total ditz." "We need a copy on file." "If you can have your parents forward it I'd appreciate it." " No problem, I'll tell them tonight." "I see Troy's death has joined the ranks of the unexplained and bizarre." "Big time." "The report said he died of an onset of a rapid aging disease, progeria." "Hi." "I thought that made you age over 10 years, not 10 seconds." "Exactly." "The coroner's running a test to tell whether Troy had progeria, or..." "Something unexplained and bizarre." "Good luck investigating." "You'll probably need a hall pass from our new principal." "A lot of schools have a closed-campus policy." " Why you so worked up?" " I had a run-in with him." "He busted me for being late." "Threatened to keep his eye on me." "Clark's on the principal's bad boy list." "First time for everything." " Guy's a real hard case." " Right." "First, it's a lock-down, next thing you know he'll be burning books." "Wait till he comes after The Torch." "I did some digging on our Principal Reynolds to find out his views on the fourth estate." "Harvard, B.A. Ph.D. At Columbia in education." "Taught at prep schools all over Europe and the East Coast." "Pretty impressive resume." "His name was mentioned as the new head of the Metropolis Board of Education." "Till one day he's dismissed from Excelsior Prep and he doesn't work again until here." "How does a guy on the fast track end up in Smallville?" "I don't know, but he's not Wall of Weird material." "Just because the guy doesn't love you like every other teacher in this school doesn't mean that he's hiding some dark past." "Hey." "Came by to see if you needed a hand." "Thought you were helping your mom this afternoon." " She said she's got it covered." " Something wrong?" "My mom's been secretive the last couple days." "A Kent secretive, that's shocking." " It has to do with my grandfather." " You've never mentioned him." "I've never actually met him." "I've only seen old pictures." " Do you know anything about him?" " He was a corporate lawyer in Metropolis." "He and my grandmother retired to Coast City." "When I was in sixth grade, I decided to call him." "I left messages but he never called back." "Guess he wasn't interested." "All these years I had this image of the Kents as the perfect family." "I guess we're just as dysfunctional as everyone else." "I never did pressure my parents for the story." "Maybe you didn't want to know." "Maybe it's easier to live with the image than the truth." "Looks like we're both dealing with secrets out of the past." "I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, but this is your chance to get some answers." "I'll catch up with you later?" "Lana, the place looks fantastic." " You've done a really good job here." " Thanks." " I wanted to talk to you about something." " Yeah, what is it?" "These pictures." "Do you know who he is?" "Must have been one of your mom's old boyfriends." "They were taken after Mom and Dad were already married." "Just a year before I was born." "Lana, what's this about?" "I'm not sure." "Listen to me." "Your mother..." "She loved you and your father more than anything else in this world." "She never would have done anything to hurt either of you." "You know that, don't you?" "Hi, Dad." "I appreciate you making the trip." "I was surprised to get your message." "Must have taken a lot for Jonathan to ask for my help." "Jonathan is at the co-op in Granville." "He doesn't know I called." "I should have known." "I imagined this place differently." "But it's not the life I wanted for you, Martha." "I'm happy, Dad." "It's a good life." "For some people, maybe." "But you had so much potential." "Top 10 in your class." "You could have gone to any law school you wanted." "I had hoped you'd take over my practice." "I never wanted to be a lawyer." "This is the life I chose." "This is the life Jonathan chose for you." " You just went along for the ride." " This isn't about Jonathan." "You raised an independent daughter." "You're angry because you got that." "Here you are, 20 years later, going behind your husband's back asking me for money." " Mom?" " Clark." "I thought you were at the Talon." "I finished early." "What's up?" "Clark, this is your grandfather." " Pleased to meet you, sir." " Hello, Clark." "I'II..." "I'll be at the motel." "I'll have a cashier's check drawn tomorrow morning." "Why don't you stay with us?" "We have plenty of room." "I don't think that would be a very good idea, Clark." "Well, how about dinner?" "One meal as a family." "I'm sorry." "I don't want your father having anything to do with our finances." "Jonathan, what was I supposed to do?" " Wait until the bank foreclosed?" " I wish you'd said something to me first." " What's the harm in hearing him out?" " You don't have to be the mediator." " I wish things could be different." " Why can't they be?" "You told me to look for the best in people." "Maybe he's trying to put this behind him." "I seriously doubt that, Clark." "What happened that was so bad?" "It can't be any worse than what's in the storm cellar." "Or can it?" "When your mother and I decided to get married, I went to him to ask for her hand." " What'd he say?" " I remember his exact words:" ""I will not let my daughter throw her life away by marrying a hick farmer that couldn't possibly support her."" " Well, that's harsh." " That's the way he dealt with people." "When he realized we were serious about getting married, he lost it." " He tried to shove me out of his office." " What happened?" "I hit him." "I'm not proud of that, I tried to apologize to him." "He wouldn't have anything to do with it." "Your grandfather and I haven't said a word to each other since." " That was 20 years ago." "He was willing to drive out here, maybe he wants to try again." "Believe me, Clark, he's not here to help." "He's here to gloat." "Hey, I got a message you wanted to see me." "Everything all right?" "I was wondering if you could do me a favor." "I take it Nell couldn't identify the mystery man?" "If she could, she wouldn't tell me anything." "I wanna know who it is." "Well, that shouldn't be hard to find." "But coming to terms with it could prove to be more complicated." "What do you mean?" "Come on, you know the story of Pandora." "She was given a box by Zeus and warned never to open it." " She couldn't resist the temptation." " I'm not afraid of the truth." "Neither was Pandora." "But once the box was open, it could never be closed." "All the misery could never be put back." "I appreciate the warning." "And anything you can tell me." "Go, Crows!" " Hey, Chloe." " Hey, Clark." "Clark, you might want to disappear for the next hour or so." " Why's that?" " I'm about to interview your new best friend, Principal Reynolds." "Thanks for the heads up." " What have you got there?" " Remember my buddy that works at the M.E.'s office?" " The guy with the black fingernail polish." "It's hard being Smallville's only goth." "He sent me the autopsy report of Troy." "It's amazing what lending someone your eyeliner can get you." "So Troy didn't have progeria." "No, but his pituitary gland, which produces a hormone that controls the aging process was completely drained." "Like someone just sucked the youth out of him." "Well, that's quite an assumption, Miss Sullivan." "Principal Reynolds." "I was just running through various scenarios, you know wild theories and stuff." "I'm shutting up now." "Well, don't." "I like my students thinking outside the box." "I've been reading back issues of The Torch." "I see a lot of creativity and insight there." " You're kidding." " Well, unverified insight." "But many a Pulitzer has sprung from the seeds of wild theories." "Just make sure you can back them up." "That'll be the difference between writing trash for The Inquisitor and reporting for The Daily Planet." " Are you still up for that interview?" " Well, give me half an hour." "Mr. Kent." "I was actually looking for you." "I'd like to see you in my office." " You look like you feel a little out of place." " I've never been in the principal's office." "You can start by sitting." "I'll cut right to the chase." "I think you're a slacker." "Quit the football team before you played the first game chronic tardiness, zero extracurriculars." "I get very good grades and I write for The Torch occasionally." "Retyping the cafeteria menu isn't exactly writing." "I see a lot of untapped potential in you, Mr. Kent." "Mr. Reynolds, I don't understand, we just met." "How could you judge me so quickly?" "How do you know Lex Luthor?" "Well, he's a friend of mine." "Why?" "A person is judged by the company they keep." "Lex Luthor doesn't have friends." "He sees people as a means towards an end." "I don't think that's true." "Time will tell." "Frankly, I'm more interested in your world." "What are your goals?" "Well, I'd like to help people." "Something like that." "Helping people is a noble aspiration." "It's also rather vague." "Where are you gonna be five years from now?" "To tell the truth, I'm not really sure." "Well, I'm gonna help you to focus." "I want you to write a five-page essay on where you're gonna be five years from now." "And I want it on my desk by the end of the school day on Friday." "Sir, why are you doing this to me?" "This isn't punishment, Mr. Kent." "Consider it a challenge." "Clark, hey." "Just in time to volunteer for the decorations committee." "Actually, I've gotta finish my essay for Mr. Reynolds." "That's a bummer." "What's it about?" "What the future theoretically holds for me." "Who cares about the future?" " I like to think there's life after high school." " Sure." "Yeah, as in a job, responsibilities, getting old." " Is everything all right?" " Of course." "Krissy, we've got the lighting the way you want it." "Great." "Let's see what you got." "Let me guess." "Reynolds wants to know where you see yourself five years from now?" "He made me do that assignment when I was at Excelsior." "He's nothing if not consistent." "He doesn't exactly have a high opinion of you." "I wasn't a model student, but imagine being a bald 14-year-old in an elite prep school." " Must have been tough." " I had a major chip on my shoulder." "But Reynolds saw through it." "He challenged me to own up to my actions, not to assume the mantle of the rich kid." "He was tough but fair." "I liked him for that." "I wish the feeling was mutual." "Whatever he has against you, he's taking it out on me." "I'm sorry being friends with me comes with such a high price." "So exactly how long were you planning to work on this essay?" "I'm just not ready to go home yet." " Something wrong?" " No, it's just family stuff." "Come on, Clark, I'm the king of family dysfunction." "My father and grandfather hate each other, and I feel caught in the middle." "And you'd like to play peacemaker." "Best thing to do is put them in a room and let them fight it out." "So you're saying I should play hardball." "That's up to you, but it'll take that sort of determination to bring your father and grandfather together." "What do you think?" "Perfect." " Thank you for doing this, Russell." " It's been a weird week." " Feels good to be doing something." " I know you and Troy were friends." "I really miss him." "Well, that's why I came to see you, Russell." "For Troy." "For the others." "The others?" "What are you talking about?" "The ones who will live inside me forever." "Hey, Dad, got a minute?" "You gotta talk to me while we're working." "We got a lot to do before it gets dark." "There's someone I want you to see." " Your mother put you up to this?" " No, this was all my idea." "Don't blame the boy." "The problems we have are between us." "Martha says you need help." "I'm here to give it." " So now you want to be part of this family?" " I don't want anything from you." "I brought a check because I won't watch my daughter suffer." " Couldn't resist turning that knife?" " Dad, give him a chance." " You two can work this out." " I don't think so, son." "It's just like 20 years ago, the same argument and attitude." "Not quite." "It has been 20 years." "But everything I predicted has come true." "I knew Martha was making a big mistake when she married you." "That's not true, Granddad." "You'll have to swallow your pride to save this farm." "I don't need a lecture on how to take care of my family." "You're just as stubborn and pig-headed as you were the day we met." "You get off my land." "Gladly." "Granddad, wait." " It wasn't supposed to be like this." " Just let him go, son." "I know you had good intentions but some things just can't change." "Let's unload the truck." " Clark, wait up." " Hey." "You look like the wind got knocked out of you." "I'm just dealing with some family issues." "You want to talk about it?" "The more I talk about it, the worse they get." "Did you guys hear about Russell?" "They found his body behind the Talon." " What happened?" " He aged, like, 100 years." "The police thought it was a homeless guy until they found his ID." "Two progeria deaths in two days, what are the odds?" "Lana wanted to cancel the Spirit Week party but Principal Reynolds asked her not to." "He said he wanted to keep things normal." "He obviously hasn't had his normal meter reset for Smallville." " What is it, Clark?" " I saw Russell with Krissy at the Talon." "Troy was with her before he went geriatric." " It's not exactly a smoking gun." " It's worth a look." "We could check out her old records." "See if there's anything strange." "I'll get started and I'll tell you what I find." "Interesting choice." "The Count of Monte Cristo." "Classic tale of a man whose past comes back to haunt him." "Why are you here, Lex?" "We're upgrading our computer system at the plant." "Thought we might donate our old computers to Smallville High." "You are not an alumnus." "Call it a thank-you." "You pushed me." "And in hindsight, I appreciate that." "In some ways, you're responsible for the man I am today." "I'm not sure that's a burden I care to take on." "Besides the tax deduction, what's the quid pro quo?" "Now, why do you think I want anything in return?" "Because I've learned there's always a price when dealing with the Luthors." "I want you to stop turning your antagonism towards me against Clark Kent." "Lionel has taught you well." " My father?" " Yes." "This meeting?" "It reminds me of the incident that almost got you expelled." " He had nothing to do with that." " No, only later." "After receiving notice of your expulsion hearing he generously offered the school's trustees a new library, with two conditions:" "That you were allowed to stay, and I was allowed to go." "History has an interesting way of repeating itself, doesn't it?" "Clark, I hope I'm not interrupting." "No, I could use the inspiration." "I thought you'd be swamped with party prep by now." "I was heading over to the Talon, but this arrived at my house." "I asked Lex to look into those photos of my mother." "You think there's more to it than meets the eye?" "I don't know, he sent me this." "I haven't opened it yet." "As badly as I want the truth, I'm afraid I won't like what I find." "Why the change of heart?" "The image of my parents the way I thought they were is all I have." "You don't want to lose that." "Maybe just by doubting, I already have." "How are things with your grandfather?" ""Disaster" is an understatement." "I took him to see my father." "It was like watching history repeat itself." "So, what's next?" "I hate to see it end like this." "But I can't control the way they act around each other." "Are you gonna try again?" "I can't do anything about the past." "Maybe I can do something about the future." " Clark." " I don't want our relationship to end before it ever had a chance to begin." "Well, you can come in if you want." "But you'll have to excuse me, I'm running a little late." "There's something I wanted to show you." "It's our photo album." "School plays, camping trips, backyard activities, stuff that families do together." "I wanted you to see our family the way I do." "We're more than old arguments and overdue bills." "I'd like you to give this to your mother." "It's a cashier's check." "Tell her she can use it now, a year from now whenever she needs it." " Why don't you give it to her yourself?" "I'm sorry, Clark." "I don't understand how a man who hasn't seen his family in 20 years can walk away." " Krissy, I need to talk to you." " Is there a problem, Mr. Reynolds?" "I left three messages for your parents, still no answer." "They've been really busy." " Is this still about my transcripts?" " And you." "I've been making an effort to get to know the students and parents." "Maybe I can come by your house this weekend when they're home." "They'll be at the Talon for the rally." " You could meet us there before the party." " That'll be fine, see you there." "Where have you been?" "I left you six messages." " Sorry, it's been a weird day." " Well, it's about to get weirder." "Take a look." "Florida, 12 years ago, Piper High School." "Three students died of the same mysterious?" "Ber-progeria." "All in a 48-hour period." "Let me guess, Krissy was involved." "Try "Missy."" "Class of '90, Missy Parker." " Different name, same face." " Yeah, it gets better." "Lakewood High, Class of '81..." "There she is again." "You won't believe this." "I matched Krissy to triple progeria cases going back to Hammond School for Girls, class of 1921." "It's like she feeds off youth to stay young." "Takes the Peter Pan complex to a whole new level." "Troy was killed almost two days ago, Russell was killed yesterday." " Krissy's gonna need another victim." " I'll call the police." "Clark?" "Krissy?" "Krissy?" "Mr. Reynolds." "So, what do you think?" "I think you've taken Spirit Week to a whole new level." " Are your parents here yet?" " Actually, Mr. Reynolds they died." "Over a century ago." "What are you talking about?" "See, I've seen the future, Mr. Reynolds, again and again and I've learned one thing:" "These are the best years of anyone's life." "Clark, thought you were the band." "If they don't show, we're stuck with a half-dozen MP3s and my boom box." "Have you seen Krissy?" "Yeah, she was just here." " What's going on?" " Just go lock the door, don't let anyone in." "Krissy, stop!" "I know what's going on." "You need help." "I need him." "I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else." "I am saving them, Clark." "From lives that will never be as happy as they are right now." " There's more to life than cheerleading." " You're wrong." "You will never be this young, this beautiful or this perfect again." "But I will." " More bills, huh, Dad?" " Yeah." "Seems like these darned things keep right on coming." "Clark, you've had quite a week." "Any fallout from school?" " Spirit Week is officially kaput." " I'm sorry to hear that." "Principal's gonna be okay." "He warned me about being late when they loaded him into the ambulance." "I know the situation with your grandpa is bugging you." "It should, but..." "I went to go see him." "He asked me to give this to you." "He said he tried to get involved in my life after the adoption." "Why wouldn't you let him see me?" "Well, it's complicated." "It can't be that complicated, he's my grandfather." "Clark, when you were a little boy you couldn't control your abilities like now." "If he'd spent any time with us, I think he might have found out your secret." "He's family." "We had such a history of disagreeing on things we just didn't know how he'd react." "We couldn't be sure we could trust him." "So he's not a part of our lives because of me?" "Son, every young man wants to have a relationship with his grandpa." "But in your case, it just may not be possible." "Lana." " Working on something important?" " Just finished my essay." " So where you gonna be in five years?" " In college, probably studying journalism." "You're kidding." "Don't tell Chloe, but I think it's growing on me." "I like to find the truth behind things." "I'm tired of having secrets in my life." "And personally?" "I've decided I'm gonna find a way to have a relationship with my grandfather." "How about you, is everything okay?" "Clark, I read Lex's file." "According to court papers, my parents filed for divorce in 1985." "Irreconcilable differences." " But they worked it out, right?" " Eventually." "But they were legally separated for over a year." " So the guy in the picture...?" " Could be more than a friend." "I was born right after my parents got back together." "My father could still be alive."