Bedazzled

*Xavier Institute, October 11, 2007*

It was evening at the Xavier Institute, and Kitty, in her regular clothes, sat in her room, next to her phone. Her eyes were narrowed in determination, as she picked up the phone, dialing the number, and hoping to God that she'd timed this right.

*"Hi, this is Dynamo D at the Triple-B, your main event, and you are lucky Caller #8! Anything you'd like to say?"*

Kitty let out a soft squeal, before she answered, "I'm Kitty Pryde, and the Triple-B is the bomb that rocks the country!"

*"Hey, that's the phrase that pays, Kitty Pryde!"* Dynamo D answered. *"I hope you've cleared your Saturday schedule, because tomorrow, you and two lucky friends are going to be hanging backstage with the one and only Alison Blaire! Drop by the main office of Dynamite Recording Studios with photo I.D. tomorrow, and you'll be set to hang with Alison! Peace out!"* With that, Dynamo D hung up.

*"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!"* Kitty squealed jumping up and down. She had to tell everyone! Brimming with excitement, she practically *bounced* down the stairs, to tell the others.

It was just after sunset when Superman returned from his evening patrol. After donning his street clothes in his room, Clark headed down to the living room where everyone else had gathered. Scott and Jean were watching a movie on the TV, sitting on the couch, Scott's arm looped around Jean's shoulders. Evan was just walking in after skateboarding outside for the past hour. Rogue was sitting in a chair, reading a novel. Lance was in another chair, absently strumming his guitar. Ororo was watering her indoor flowers with mini rain-clouds. John and Sean were getting some sodas from the kitchen. And Remy was sitting at the table, playing poker with Logan, who was scowling. "You better not be cheatin', Gumbo."

Remy grinned. "Why, Wolvie', would Remy do a 'orrible t'ing like dat?"

"You want me to answer that?"

Clark chuckled. "Hey, Logan, any mail, today?"

"Yeah; it should be on the kitchen table, and I think there's something there for ya, Flyboy." Logan replied.

"Thanks." Clark replied, as he walked towards the kitchen...pausing to open the kitchen door just enough to lift up the bucket of ice-water that had been placed above the door. He laughed.

"Nice try, Bobby!" He called.

At that Bobby, Ray and Roberto peered out from behind the corner.

"How did you know?" Bobby asked.

"Lad, did ya seriously try to prank someone with X-Ray vision?" Banshee asked.

Clark set the bucket down, walked into the kitchen, and picked up the letter addressed to him; it was from the University. He opened the letter, read it...and sighed.

He'd been assigned to intern at the Daily Planet. He'd visited the Planet last year, and made a few friends, like Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson...but it meant that, for the rest of the year, his boss would be J. Jonah. Jameson.

*'Won't that be fun.'* Clark thought. *'Well, it says here that I have to check in with ol' JJ before I start in one week; I guess I can do that tomorrow...'*

*"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!"*

Clark winced as he - along with the rest of the Institute - heard Kitty's squeal, as she bounced down the stairs, overjoyed.

*"I won!"* She squealed. *"I actually won!"*

Remy looked up.

"Won what, *Petite*?" He inquired.

*"I won three backstage passes to meet **Alison Blaire**!"* Kitty squealed.

"Whoa!" Ray exclaimed. "You mean, teenage pop diva, swimsuit model gorgeous, girl of my dreams *Alison Blaire*?"

Clark blinked. *"Who?"*

Kitty stared at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"*Hello?!*" She cried. "*Alison Blaire?!* The most talented, nicest singer *ever*?! The girl whose first CD sold over ten million copies on the first day it was released?!" She held out a CD for emphasis.

Remy stood up and took a look, as Clark walked over. Remy whistled.

"Merde...no 'offense, Chere, but Remy got t' admit; dat be one *belle femme*."

Clark had to agree as he looked at the photo of the smiling, slender, curvaceous blond-haired young woman in a pink tank-top and blue jeans.

"Wow, she's a *doll*, all right." He said, and there was something...*familiar* about her...

*'No. It couldn't be **her'*****...** Clark thought.

"So, Kit, who's going with you?" Scott asked.

Smiling sheepishly, Kitty looked to Rogue. "Rogue...?"

*"Hell. **No**."*

"Oh, please, Rogue?!" Kitty begged. "I can't ask anyone else! Scott and Jean have plans tomorrow; Evan, Lance and Remy don't like her enough; Kurt's still on probation, and so is Tabitha; I can't ask any of those hormone-crazed New Mutant boys; and the New Mutant girls are just as fanatic about her as *I* am! I need someone who can keep cool, and keep me from gushing too much! *Please*, Rogue!"

Rogue rolled her eyes.

*"Fahne."* She muttered. "But ya still need one more, and ya just said that there was no one else!"

Kitty smiled slyly.

"Not quite." She said. She put on her sweetest smile...as she turned to Clark. "Clark...?"

"*No*, Kitty." Clark said firmly. "I need to go check in with the boss of the newspaper I'm interning at, tomorrow. Ask someone else." Kitty's expression saddened...and Clark knew what was coming next.

Whenever Kitty ever asked him to do something he wasn't fussy about, she always managed to "guilt" him into it with her "puppy-dog" eyes. Recently Clark had finally developed an immunity to that tactic, and he'd thought his problems were over...

...until Kitty had developed a new trick...which she was using *now*.

The "Puppy-Dog-Eye-Lower-Lip-Quiver-Sniffle-Combo." Her face now looked like she was ready to burst into *tears* at even the slightest *hint* of refusal.

And *that* - other than Kryptonite - was Clark's weakness; he *hated* it when girls cried. He'd been that way for as long as he could remember; every time he heard that sound, he would *say* anything, *do* anything, just to make them *stop*.

"Kitty, you do *not* fight *fair*." Clark muttered. Kitty's sniffling started to increase in frequency.

"Okay, okay!" Clark cried. "I'll go!"

"Oh, thank you!" Kitty squealed, her expression becoming joyful again, as she hugged him. Then, she hugged Rogue, too. "Thank you both so much! You won't regret it!"

"Too late." Rogue muttered. "Ah'm gonna spend tomorrow talkin' to another run of the mill, curvaceous, blond, leggy diva. What fun."

Just then, Clark's hearing picked up a transmission on the emergency channel. *"Uh oh."*

By now, everyone knew what that meant. "Uh oh."

"France. Cargo ship in distress." Clark said. "Gotta go, guys; duty calls."

Rogue grinned. "Hopefully it'll call tomorrow, too."

Clark chuckled, as he darted to his room, donning his uniform and ran for the nearest window, opening it and flying out, heading for France at top speed.

It looked like another job for Superman.

*Dynamite Recording Studios, New York City, October 12, 2007*

"I'm afraid that ten million just *won't* be enough, my friend. Alison's talent is worth *far* more than that; if you insist on wasting my time and hers, there are *plenty* more studios who would be interested..."

17 year old pop sensation Alison Blaire sighed to herself, laying her head on the office table as her agent, Tom Petersen, and the studio manager kept on negotiating the terms of her recording contract. Alison was fairly tall, and slender, with a delicate, willowy frame, with ample curves, and long, shimmery, wavy strawberry blond hair, which reached the middle of her back, as well as sapphire blue eyes and light, peach-creamy skin, with the lightest hint of a tan. She wore her favorite sleeveless pink tan top, which accentuated her curves tastefully and showed her toned midriff and slim blue jeans, which accentuated her slender legs. Alison had always tried to keep her image cleaner than some of the other singers in the business.

Tom and the manager had been negotiating for the past few hours, now, and it was past lunchtime, as Alison's cranky stomach was starting to inform her. She'd been up at 5:00 AM for the recording of her next CD, and she hadn't had time to eat. After that, she'd done her yoga and Pilates lessons, and then Tom had dragged her into this.

Tom, a lanky something 40-year old man, with slick brown hair, shaded eyes and a top professional suit - the ever sneaky talent agent - was not her favorite person. So far, all he'd mentioned was the money involved in her contract; he hadn't even *mentioned* the most *important* issue!

"Tom?" Alison asked. "What about me writing my *own* songs?"

Tom just smiled condescendingly.

"You just let *me* worry about that, Alison, darling." He said too-smoothly. "I'm getting to it."

He'd said that three *hours* ago.

Finally, Alison had enough.

"That's it! Tom, we've been here for over three *hours!* I am *starving!*" Alison said angrily. "I am *getting* some lunch!" With that, Alison stormed out, heading for her dressing room.

As Alison entered her dressing room, she sat down at her mirror, feeling utterly glum. Tom *never* listened to her; she wanted so *much* to sing the songs *she* wrote. Not only that, lately she'd been feeling a little homesick; she missed her family...

Just then, Alison's beloved Aunt Bridget - her manager - walked in, just hanging up her cell phone. Bridget Blaire was a delightfully irreverent-yet loving British lady in her late forties, with long brown hair and green eyes, wearing her usual blue jeans and grey sweater. Aunt Bridget and her family had "adopted" Alison ever since her father hadn't approved of her singing career, prompting Alison to simply walk out. Bridget had also been home-schooling Alison, making sure her "gorgeous and talented niece didn't neglect her academic life."

Bridget smiled at Alison.

"That was Jenny!" She said, in her British accent. "She said that Gadget keeps trying to eat the blankets in your room!"

The mention of her younger cousin and the family cat was too much for Alison, as she burst into tears, from a combination of hunger, frustration and exhaustion. Bridget instantly was at her side, her hands on Alison's shoulders. "Honey, what's the matter?"

*"I miss Gadget!"* Alison sobbed.

Bridget smiled. "Oh, I know, sweetie. Jenny said that he isn't the same with you."

Alison sobbed again. *"And...and I miss Jenny and Uncle Mike!"*

"And they miss you, sweetheart." Bridget said softly. "Jenny keeps saying that she wants to be just like you!"

That made Alison smile, her tears slowing. Her sapphire eyes narrowed. "And I *hate* Tom!"

Bridget chuckled.

"Now that I can understand!" She said. "What's he done, now?"

"Ignoring me, as *usual!*" Alison exclaimed. "I keep saying that I want to do my own songs, but does *he* listen? *No!*"

Bridget frowned.

"Sounds like I need to talk to him, again." She said. She smiled, and added. "Honey, if you're tired of all this, just tell me and you can go back to school for a while; if anything, you're *ahead* of your grade-level! It's all doable!"

Alison smiled.

"I know." She said. "But this kind of chance is hard to come by! I mean, how many girls my age get to live their dreams? I'm so *lucky!"*

Bridget smiled.

"Okay, sweetie." She said. Grinning, she added. "Now, I'll go talk to Tom." She turned to go...

Then Alison remembered something.

"Aunt Bridget?" She called, and her Aunt stopped. "There's...something I need to show you. Do you...remember the past three concerts? The ones where it looked like the lights kept overloading, but they hadn't?"

Bridget nodded; in each of these concerts, Alison had been on stage singing, when a flash of light seemed to surround her.

"Why, yes, honey." She replied. "We never found out what caused it..."

"*I* found out." Alison whispered. She reached over to her radio, and switched it on, turning the volume up high. As the music played, Alison felt a kind of energy just building up inside her, in tune with the beat of the music - just like at the concerts. She concentrated, controlling the flow...and formed a small sphere of white light on her palm.

"Aunt Bridget...it was *me*."

Bridget looked astonished. "How...?"

"I don't know." Alison whispered. "Aunt Bridget...is something...*wrong* with me...?"

"*No*." Bridget said firmly. "No matter what, sweetheart, there is absolutely *nothing* wrong with you; if anything, this ability, or whatever it is...it just makes you even *more* special." She smiled. "You can be sure that your Auntie Bridget will be right there to help you figure this out." She promised.

Alison smiled, and hugged her Aunt.

"I love you, Aunt Bridget." She murmured. Tears came to her eyes. "Oh, I'm so glad I didn't lose you on that plane, last month." Alison had been terrified when news of a plane about to crash in the Atlantic had reached her...and had been overjoyed to hear that it had been saved, somehow.

Bridget smiled.

"Oh, I love you, too, honey." She replied. Then, as the hug ended, Bridget grinned, rolling up her sleeves. "Now, you just let old "Battlin'" Bridget Blaire, the toughest talent manager in the business, get in there and play some hard-ball with that wanker, Tom!" With that, she headed out, as Alison laughed at the comment.

Alison really had been lucky. Her childhood had been relatively happy, though her parents, the gruff lawyer Carter Blaire and the free-spirited performer Katherine Blaire, had argued a bit more than occasionally. Her family had often traveled with Aunt Bridget and her family to spend summers in Smallville, to visit their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Kent...as well as their adopted son, who the young Alison an *immense* crush on. In later years, even after her mother had walked out, her father had never so much laid a finger on her, though he had frowned on her dreams of becoming a singer.

Then, at the age of 16, Alison's career had started. She'd auditioned for the American Idol competition; an incredibly nervous Alison had given the performance of her life at the try-outs, before nervously awaiting the judges' reactions, softly inquiring if they had liked it.

Simon Cowell - the brutally honest "Grim Reaper" of the contest - had been so moved, he'd actually gotten up and *hugged* her, before giving her the name of a talent agency, along with a reference that was so glowing, she'd been surprised she hadn't contracted radiation sickness.

That reference had been her proverbial "Golden Ticket." She'd been taken in for a recording...and Alison's talent did the rest. With her ever-supportive Aunt Bridget as her manager, Alison had signed a recording contract, marking the start of her career, quickly soaring to become the Number One pop singer in the States, showing no sign of slowing down, with the royalties from her CD's and the money from her concerts being tucked away in a trust fund until she was 18, the legal age of adulthood; Alison was planning on using it for University...while still recording CD's and doing concerts, of course.

Her father had not been impressed. He expressly forbade her to sing, saying that she was "throwing her life away." Alison had tried to get him to listen, but his mind was made up. Alison wasn't about give up her chance for her dream to become reality, so she'd left, to live with her Aunt Bridget and Uncle Mike, who'd welcomed her, as had her adoring younger cousin Jenny.

Alison had almost wanted to visit Smallville during the past summer with her new surrogate family, but decided against it in the end; when she had been twelve, her childhood crush, Clark, then fifteen, had simply *vanished* close to the start of fall, shortly after his father had died. Alison had cried herself to *sleep*, the night she'd found out. Going back would simply bring back those sad memories.

Though her professional life was going well, her personal life *stank*. She'd gone on a few dates after her career had gotten started, but she quickly learned that 99 percent of the guys in the teen singer crowd were *jerks*, and the few that weren't were either spoken for, or just didn't interest her.

The reason for that was likely due to the fact that Alison hadn't *entirely* given up on one day finding her childhood crush, again.

Her stroll down Memory Lane complete, Alison walked to her computer, to check her e-mail. She quickly brought MSN Messenger. and logged in. She didn't see any new messages...

*Lila-Singer has signed in.*

Alison smiled as she saw the IM address of one of her best friends, Lila Cheney, who was a very sweet girl, and a promising rising star in the music business. She quickly started an online conversation.

*Care-Blaire says: Hi!*

*Lila-Singer says: What's up?*

*Care-Blaire says: Not much. Tom's being a jerk. Again. lol.*

*Lila-Singer says: Yu should SO fire him.*

*Care-Blaire says: Very tempting. What's up with yu?*

*Lila-Singer says: Not a whole lot, but did yu hear? There was another Superman sighting!*

That surprised Alison a tiny bit. Even among the stars of music, movie and TV, the topic of Superman was becoming increasingly popular for gossip.

*Care-Blaire says: Where?*

*Lila-Singer says: In some African country: Wabanla, or Walkana, or something.*

*Care-Blaire says: I know of a country named Wakanda. Is that it?*

*Lila-Singer says: Yeah, that's it!*

*Lila-Singer says: Anyway, there was some big forest-fire in part of the rain forest, but then the country's radar picks up something near it just before the fire goes right out!*

*Care-Blaire says: Wow. Hey do yu remember that day, a few months ago? My 17th B-Day?*

*Lila-Singer says: Yeah. Those meteors. It HAD to be him.*

Alison allowed her memory to take her back a few months. Back in May, Lila had convinced Alison to come to a party in New York City, to celebrate Alison's 17th birthday. Alison and Lila had just stepped out of the limo, heading for the club - the flashes from the cameras nearly blinding them both - when Alison happened to look up...and spot a big, red meteor heading straight for the city. She - along with everyone else - had screamed...

But then she'd seen a red beam fire at the meteor, missing it. Then, she'd seen another. And another, only this one hit it. And then, there was another which blasted it into dust, as something flew overhead, leaving a sonic boom in it's wake.

*Care-Blaire says: He saved us, that day. He saved the WORLD.*

*Lila-Singer says: I heard that Paris has put up a big billboard with her number, telling him to call her.*

Alison nearly burst out laughing; leave it to the ultra-spoiled Hilton heiress to find another way to draw attention to herself. Alison wasn't exactly friends with the girl, and vice versa.

*Care-Blaire says: OMG, are you SERIOUS?*

*Lila-Singer says: Oh yeah. She didn't get him, but she sure got a lot of calls, that night. LOL.*

*Care-Blaire says: LOL. Yeah, like he'd stop in the middle of catching airplanes just because Paris Hilton wants him to call her.*

Then, Alison remembered that she had a music video to do, and after that, three fans were supposed to hang out with her after a winning a contest.

*Care-Blaire says: Sorry. Got to go; music video, plus I'm meeting three fans.*

*Lila-Singer says: Okay. Later.*

*Lila-Singer has signed out.*

After signing out of MSN, Alison simply waited for the make-up people to just do a light touch-up for the video. Before long, they'd arrived and had just applied a light coat of makeup, perfectly accentuating and complimenting Alison's own beauty. Ready for the video, Alison headed for the main recording room.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Clark, Rogue and Kitty had arrived at Dynamite Recording Studios; the studio had contacted Kitty about when they could drop by.

Clark had to smile at how giddy Kitty was as they walked into the studio.

"I can't believe it! I'm actually going to *meet* Alison Blaire!" She squealed.

Ever-stoic Rogue just sighed. "*Ah* can't believe ya dragged the *both* of us *with* ya."

By then, the receptionist had verified their ID's.

"Go right in!" She said. The three of them promptly headed in.

As they walked, Clark thought he heard a familiar voice, as a brown-haired lady in her forties - arguing with some guy in a suit - passed ahead of them, not noticing them, going off in a perpendicular direction.

"Hey...who was that?" Clark asked.

"Oh, that was Alison Aunt and her manager, Bridget Blaire." Kitty said.

Clark's eyes widened.

*'No way...it **is'*** **her!** He thought.

By then, they had reached Alison's dressing room, where they were to meet the young pop sensation. Kitty zipped in first, joyfully gushing, dragging Rogue with her. Clark stayed outside for a moment, listening...

And then he heard her voice...and he knew.

It *was* her.

Clark took a deep breath, and walked in.

After her video, Alison returned to her dressing room, flushed yet exhilarated, like she always felt after a performance. She'd felt that video had gone well. She'd never had any real problems with the dance moves involved in music videos; several years of ballet and dance lessons tended to give a girl pretty good coordination.

As she sat down, Alison checked her watch and smiled, it was time to meet her three fans. She clicked on the room's PA system.

"Okay, I'm ready! Send them in!" She said.

A minute or so later, two girls about a year younger than her came in. The first was a bit shorter than her, with chestnut hair in a ponytail and blue eyes, in a white t-shirt under a pink hooded sweater and blue Capri jeans. The other teen was closer to Alison's height, with Goth-style makeup, her auburn hair mid-length, with a white streak in the middle, and green eyes, clad in a black tank-top under a green semi-transparent blouse, with a black miniskirt and black leggings, with gloves on her hands.

"*Oh my god!*" The ponytail girl squealed, zipping in. "I-I'm so glad to meet you! I'm, like, your biggest fan! I'm Kitty Pryde and this is Rogue!"

Alison smiled.

"Hey, you made the winning call, right?" She asked. "It's nice to meet you!"

The other girl - Rogue - was a lot calmer.

"Yeah, and she had ta drag meh along with her." She said, in a Southern accent. Looking slightly apologetic, she added. "No offense. Ah mean, yer music is nahce and all, but it's just...not mah tahpe of music."

Alison shrugged, smiling.

"No problem." She said. "To each, their own." Then, she paused. "Hang on...weren't there three of you supposed to be here?"

Kitty smiled.

"Oh yeah, he'll be right in." She said. Her smile became sheepish. "I kinda had to 'guilt' him into coming, but he works *way* too hard! He *really* needed a day off, Alison!"

Alison smiled.

"Glad I could help!" She said. "Oh, and my friends call me..."

*"Aly?"*

Alison stopped when she heard that voice; it sounded so terribly *familiar*. She looked to the door, and stopped as she beheld a *seriously* handsome guy, who looked about 20, wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, with a black jacket over it. He was *tall*, with a *serious* amount of muscle on him, from the look of his frame, yet he was clearly agile and athletic from the way he moved. His hair was short, and black, a few tendrils spiking over his forehead and his face blended the best of any male model with the rugged good looks of a movie action-hero. And his *eyes*...his eyes were the clearest sky-blue Alison had ever seen...

She *knew* those eyes.

Alison gasped, her hands clasping over her mouth...as she realized that she was looking into the eyes of her childhood crush.

"*Clarkie?!"* Alison cried, overjoyed. The guy's smile confirmed it. "Oh my *God*, I don't *believe* it!" Alison ran to Clark, and gave him the biggest hug she had, smiling happily as he returned it. "I *missed* you so *much*!"

"I missed you, too, Aly." Clark said softly.

Kitty froze.

"Clark...do you and Alison...*know* each other?" Clark grinned.

"Alison was my neighbor back in Smallville; she visited Smallville every summer." He explained.

Alison savored their hug for a few seconds longer, before she stepped back to appraise him...blushing *fiercely* as she realized what a total *hottie* her crush had grown into.

"*Wow*..." She murmured. "Clark, have you been working *out?*"

Clark grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Sort of."

Alison smiled shyly. "So...what are you up to?"

Clark smiled back.

"Oh, I'm working on a Journalism degree at Bayville University." He replied. "I'd gotten an internship at the Daily Bugle; it starts in a week."

"Wow! That's *great!*" Alison exclaimed.

"Thanks." Clark replied. Laughing, he added. "I was going to report in with my boss...until Little Miss-Puppy-Dog-Eyes here guilt's me into coming!" Smiling, he finished. "But I'm glad she did...because I got to see you, again, Aly."

Now Alison's face felt like it was on *fire*. Then she paused.

"Clark?" She whispered. "You just...*vanished*, five years ago. Where *were* you?" Then, she stopped. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay, Aly." Clark assured her. His expression became so terribly sad. "I had...things...to take care of."

Alison looked at him.

"About...your birth-family?" She guessed.

"Yeah."

"Did you meet your birth-parents?" Alison asked.

"They're dead." Clark said softly.

Alison gasped. "Oh my god...Clarkie...I'm so *sorry*..."

"It's okay, Aly." Clark said, lightly smiling. "You didn't know."

Suddenly, Clark paused, his expression taking on a kind of far-away look.

Alison had seen it once before.

"Alison." Clark began. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. There's...something I have to take care of."

"Oh." Alison said softly...while her insides were twisting into knots; her childhood crush was about to leave...and she might never see him again...

"*Wait!*" Alison cried, before Clark left. Taking a pen, she walked over, took Clark's hand and wrote her cell-phone number on his palm.

"When you get a chance...just call me, okay?" She asked. "I really want to talk to you, again, Clark."

Clark looked surprised...and then smiled.

"Okay, Alison." He replied. "I will."

Alison smiled.

"Promise?" She asked.

Clark grinned.

"Aly, I *never* lie!" He said, and with that, he raced off.

As Clark left, Alison smiled, her heart racing, as she turned around...to face the grin of Kitty.

"Ali, we *have* to talk!" She exclaimed. Alison smiled.

"Why don't we all just grab a soda? My treat!" She said. Kitty and Rogue nodded in agreement and Alison headed towards the cafeteria, the other two girls following.

*'X-Men, report to my office immediately.'*

Scott and the rest of the X-Men ran to the Professor's office at their mentor's telepathic request.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Scott asked.

"Cerebro has detected a new mutant signature." The Professor said. "This mutant has been a blip on our radar for the past few weeks; her power had only been activated very briefly - the only reason we detected her is because she *consciously* used her powers." He paused. "This mutant...is Miss Alison Blaire."

"As in the famous pop singer?" Thunderbird asked.

"You're *kidding*." Evan said.

"I assure you, Miss Blaire is a mutant." The Professor said. "Her power is that of phono-photic transmutation."

"*Huh?*" Lance said.

"She can convert sonic vibrations into light energy, and she can re-convert it at will, storing the energy within her." The Professor explained. "Based on Cerebro's readings, she appears to have no natural limitation on the amount of energy she can convert and absorb, and thus she may very well be - potentially - one of the most powerful mutants on Earth."

The Professor looked worried. "X-Men, it is imperative that you find Miss Blaire at once; it is very likely that Magneto knows about her as well, and may try to compel her to join his cause - Alison may be in grave danger!"

"We're on it Professor!" Scott declared. "All right, guys; suit up and head to the X-Van! We'd better contact Kitty, Rogue and Clark, and tell them to be on guard!" With that, the X-Men hurried off, to help a potential new recruit.

*Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House*

It was Saturday, and Todd and Fred were just watching TV. There was still no word from Siryn...other than Pietro swallowing his pride and asking Siryn for a loan. There wasn't much going on...

"*THANK YOU! THERE **IS** A GOD!*"

Todd and Fred looked on in confusion as Pietro zipped downstairs, switching off the TV. "Get ready, guys! We're going on a recruitment drive!" he exclaimed. "Pops just called, and you will never *guess* who's a mutant!"

Fred blinked. "I give up."

"*Alison Blaire!*" Pietro exclaimed. "The hottest chick in the *country!* Maybe the *planet!*" He grinned. "And it's up to *us* to recruit her!" Smiling smugly, he ran his hand through his hair in what he thought was a suave gesture. "*After*, of course, I zip over and woo her with my charm."

Todd chuckled. "So, the plan is to make her *retch* until she joins us?"

"Har dee har har." Pietro said flatly. "Well, we'll just see who's laughing *after* you losers see me making out with ultra-hottie Alison Blaire. Come on, let's *go!*" With that, the three of them grabbed their gear, and headed out, to catch the bus to New York City.

Alison spent a little while showing Kitty and Rogue around the studio, before leading them to the cafeteria, which was empty, save for them. They each got a soda from a vending machine, and sat down at a nearby table.

All the while, Kitty had been smiling – ever since the revelation that she had known Clark, as a child. She took that opportunity to pounce. "*So*, Aly, how do you know Clark?" she inquired, smiling.

The mention of her crush's name made Alison's face go slightly pink. "Well, he...kinda *told* you." she replied. "We were kids, and my family always spent the summer in Smallville."

"How did you meet?" Kitty asked.

Alison smiled, as she remembered her first meeting with him. "I was about five at the time..." she began, as the memory filled her mind...

*After getting out of their car, 5-year-old Alison Blaire, in her light blue-and-white dress, her hair in pigtails, looked around at the vast fields in front of the little house. "Mommy, where are we?" she asked.*

*Her mother, a tall, elegantly built lady in her thirties, with long, golden hair and blue eyes, wearing a white blouse and a slim skirt, smiled at her. "We're at the farm of our friends, the Kent family, sweetheart." she said.*

*"Oh." Alison said. "Isn't Auntie Bridget coming?"*

*"Of course, honey; she'll probably be here, soon." her mother replied. "Now, you just play while we go say hello to Mr. And Mrs. Kent; I think their son should be around here – maybe you can find him!" With that, her parents headed towards the house, to say hello.*

*Her curious child-mind sparked, Alison started to look around, trying to find the Kent's son. She was so busy looking around, she didn't notice where she was walking, until she tripped, and fell onto the ground, skinning her knee. Alison immediately burst into tears, erupting in loud wails, hoping her mother and father would come and make everything better...*

*"Hey, don't cry!"*

*Alison's wails lessened at that kind voice, as she looked up...and saw an 8-year-old boy, who was pretty tall for that age, with short black hair, and sky-blue eyes, wearing a white t-shirt and blue shorts. "What happened?" he asked.*

*"I skinned my knee!" Alison bawled. "It really hurts!"*

*The boy smiled, and knelt by Alison. "Hey, it's okay." he said softly. "Are you Mr. And Mrs. Blaire's daughter? My Ma and Pa said you were coming!" He smiled. "I'm Clark."*

*Alison's tears slowed. "I'm...I'm Alison." she sniffled.*

*"Nice to meet you, Alison." Clark said. "Hey, I think my Ma keeps a First Aid kit in the house; she'll patch you right up!" He grinned. "I'll just give you a lift." He knelt down even more, his back facing her. "Hop on!"*

*Alison was surprised. "O-Okay." she murmured, as she looped her arms around Clark's neck, as Clark looped his arms under her knees...and stood up, as if she were as light as a feather. 'Wow...he's really strong...' Alison thought, lightly blushing, as Clark started to walk towards the house.*

*As Clark and Alison drew near the house, her parents, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Kent, ran out to meet them. "Clark, what happened?" Mr. Kent asked.*

*"Alison tripped and skinned her knee." Clark said. "I don't think it's too bad."*

*"Oh, my poor baby!" Alison's mother cried, as she rushed to her daughter's side, picking her up.*

*"Jonathan, go get the First Aid kit; I think it's next to the stove." Mrs. Kent instructed, before she looked to Alison. "Oh, you poor little thing..."*

*As her mother took her inside, Alison smiled at Clark. "Thank you, Clarkie." she said, her blush returning.*

*Clark smiled. "You're welcome, Aly." he replied. Then, Alison's mother took her inside, as Mr. Kent got the First Aid kit ready.*

"Oh, that's so *sweet!*" Kitty exclaimed. "Even back then, he was a total *sweetheart!*"

Rogue chuckled. "Looks lahke Wonder-Boy hasn't changed a *bit*."

Alison blinked. "Why do you call him that?"

Rogue froze.

"Oh...because he's always helpin' everyone." She said.

Alison smiled at that.

"That's Clarkie." She said. "He'd help the whole *world*, if he could."

Kitty and Rogue softly chuckled at that. Then, Kitty spoke up. "You *like* him, don't you?"

Alison froze, her face red. "Uh..."

"You *do!*" Kitty squealed. "You *so* totally *do!* I *knew* it!"

Alison smiled. "Okay, okay; *yes*, I have a crush on him. *Please* don't tell him!"

"Okay, but you *so* should ask him out!" Kitty exclaimed. "You'd be *crazy* not to! He is *so* crushable! I don't *blame* you for liking him!" Her expression saddened. "Clark *needs* a little fun; he's really busy, with his school-work, and his...'job.' He's so serious, most of the time; he *needs* to have more fun."

Alison nodded; she'd thought she'd seen traces of sadness, of weariness in Clark's eyes. "I think you're right." she agreed. "It looked as if he had the weight of the whole *world* on his shoulders." Then, she smiled, as she remembered the strength, the purpose she'd seen in his movements; as if he were made of solid rock, or something *stronger*, that you could chip and scratch, but *never* crack. "But if there are *any* shoulders capable of holding it up, it's *his!*"

Kitty giggled. "Alison," she said, "you have *no* idea how *right* you *are!*"

Just then, both Kitty and Rogue froze, as if they were listening to something. Kitty looked worried. "Um...Aly?" she asked. "Maybe we should go somewhere *crowded*..."

Suddenly, a 16-year-old guy, in an aqua-green bodysuit, with silver chest armor and boots, zipped up, sitting in the chair next to Alison. "Hey, gorgeous." he said smoothly. "Want to jet out of here and go somewhere *fun?*"

Alison rolled her eyes; how many times had she heard *that* from all the jerks who'd wanted to date her? "Get lost, creep." she said. "I'm *trying* to talk to my friends."

The guy just smiled. "Trust me, gorgeous; with me, you'll have *loads* more fun." he said. "Ever wanted to move at Mach Two? I can make it happen."

"Alison said to get *lost*, Pietro!" Kitty yelled. "So *get **lost**!*"

Alison paused. "You *know* this jerk?"

Kitty looked guilty. "He's a mutant...like we are...and like *you* are, Alison." she murmured.

'*A...mutant?*' Alison thought, looking at her hands. '*Is that what I am?*' She felt a little freaked-out...but, somehow, it just...made a kind of *sense*...

"These losers are trying to recruit you into their little do-gooder band." The jerk – Pietro – sneered. "Stick with us, Alison, and we'll have some *real* fun."

Alison had had *enough*. She took her soda and poured it over Pietro. "Yeah, just like every *other* jerk I've met!" she snapped. "Now, *beat* it!"

Pietro looked angry. "Fine! You wanna do it the hard way, babe? *Fine by me!*" With that, he whistled, and two other guys – one really large guy in dark pants and a vest, and a kind of frog-like guy in a green bodysuit and hunch-backed armor – stepped into view.

"*Toad!*" Pietro yelled. The frog-guy – Toad – took aim, and fired a slimy glob at Alison, who raised her arms in defense...

*Ping!*

Alison was amazed as the glob simply impacted her skin and slid off, not even leaving a trace. She looked at her hands...and saw that her skin was *sparkling*...*no*, there was a layer of energy formed *over* her skin, which had blocked that slime. Then, the energy-layer simply faded.

"Whoa..." Alison murmured.

"Alison, we've got to go!" Kitty cried. With that, she grabbed Rogue and Alison's hands...and ran towards the *wall*. Then, before Alison could cry out...they went right *through* it.

"*Wow!*" Alison exclaimed. "How did you *do* that?"

Kitty smiled. "Corporeal intangibility." She explained. "I can phase through solid matter, like walls."

Rogue half-smiled. "Ah can absorb lahfe-energy from anyone Ah touch; if Ah touch a mutant, Ah can copy their powers." she said. "Ah can't control it, which is whah Ah'm all covered up."

"And we've just gotten a message from our friend Jean – a telepath and a telekinetic – that the rest of our friends – the X-Men – are on their way!" Kitty said. "Our teacher, Professor Xavier, has just figured out that you're a mutant, Ali; you can change sound energy into light energy!"

"That is so *cool!*" Alison exclaimed, smiling. She looked at her hands. "No *wonder* I caused those light-flashes at my concerts; with all that music, my powers got *supercharged!*" She looked to Kitty. "You guys sound pretty cool; not like that Pietro creep!"

Rogue chuckled. "Yeah, he's probably the biggest player in Bayville...well, except maybe for Swamp-Rat."

"Oh, come *on*, Rogue! Remy's only interested in *you!*" Kitty laughed. To Alison, she added, "Our friends are heading for a studio on the ground floor, Aly; they're coming in through the back."

"I know that place; it's shut down for repairs!" Alison exclaimed. "Follow me!" With that, Alison hurried off with her new friends.

Before long, Alison and her friends had reached the studio, with the metal scaffolding still in place...and there, she saw six people, all about her age, in variants of the same basic black bodysuit.

"Are you...Kitty and Rogue's friends? The X-Men?" Alison asked.

"Aye. That's right, lass." A voice with a Scottish accent confirmed it.

The guy with the visor smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Blaire." He said.

The redheaded girl next to him smiled.

"We must be a pretty big shock to you..." She added.

Alison chuckled. "Actually, it's not *that* big a shock. There have been some amazing things happening in the world, lately; mutants just seem to be par for the course!" she said.

The red-eyed guy in the trench coat smiled at Rogue. "Looks like y' made a new friend, chere."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "*Gawd*, Swamp-Rat, don't ya eva *quit?*"

Alison chuckled. "I'm guessing you're Remy."

Remy nodded. "*Gambit, pour mes amis.*" he replied.

Kitty then gestured to each of her friends, introducing each one. "And this is Scott, Jean, Lance, Kurt, and Evan."

Just the, Pietro and his friends burst in.

"Oh, *great!*" Toad muttered. "The X-Geeks are here!"

Pietro's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, but their powerhouse isn't." He sneered. "We can take 'em."

Kitty looked to Scott. "Any word from...You-Know-Who?"

Scott nodded. "We contacted him in Europe; he's on his way." He said. "We should be able to hold the Brotherhood off until backup arrives."

'*They came here to help me.*' Alison thought. She *had* to do something...and then she saw the switch for the audio-system on stage...and remembered that it was still working.

*Her powers ran on sound.*

"Jean? You can move things with your mind, right?" Alison asked. Jean nodded. "See that switch up on stage? Can you turn it on?"

Jean just smiled...and the switch flipped on, sending music echoing through the studio. Alison instantly felt the familiar energy start building within her, as the energy-layer coated her entire body, making her skin seem to *sparkle*, as she now felt *supercharged*.

Pietro and his pals – the Brotherhood – had messed with the *wrong* girl.

As the big guy lumbered towards them, Jean concentrated, levitating him a few feet off the ground, as Scott clicked his visor, firing a red force-beam at him, and Ali focused her energy to her hands, firing twin off-white beams from her hands, in tandem with Scott's attack, sending him flying a good twenty feet. As he tried to get up, Lance concentrated, and the earth *shook*...causing a sandbag to fall from the ceiling, knocking the big guy out.

Pietro was zipping to and fro, as Kurt – the blue furry guy – kept vanishing and reappearing, trying to attack, but Pietro was just too fast. Focusing energy in her hands, Alison let it out in a small flash, momentarily blinding him, giving Kurt enough time to kick him, sending him stumbling away. Kitty then tackled Pietro, sinking into the floor, trapping his feet, before she rose up from the floor...as Remy walked towards Pietro, shuffling a deck of playing cards. "Up fo' a li'l game o' Five-Card Draw?" Remy asked, as he drew five cards. Instantly, the cards began to glow fiercely, as Remy flicked them at Pietro...as they exploded, sending him flying.

"*Non?* Mus' been a bad hand, den."

Toad was hopping towards Evan and Rogue, firing one of those gross slime-globs. Alison raised her hand, sending energy between the glob and her new friends; instantly, a shimmery wall appeared in front of them, repelling the glob. As Alison lowered her barrier, Rogue removed her gloves, lightly tapping Evan's hand. Then, both mutants fired bony spikes from their forearms, pinning Toad to the wall.

Kitty smiled as the last of the Brotherhood went down.

"Alison, you *rock!*" She exclaimed.

Alison smiled, her sparkling layer fading. "Thanks!"

Just then, the Brotherhood started to recover, picking themselves up. Alison frowned, ready to unleash a flare that would send them *packing*...

...when she heard a creaking to her side.

Alison turned, her eyes widening in horror as she saw the nearby scaffolding start to collapse towards her; it had come loose in the fight. The others noticed it, too. "*Ali!*" Kitty cried, trying to run and phase her out of danger, but it was too late. None of her friends could reach her in time...

Until a red streak came in and carried her to safety as another figure held the scaffolding up. The rest of the Justice League had arrived to back up the X-Men after Martian Manhunter picked up on Jean's telepathy.

"Looks like you could use some help." Flash retorted as Alison looked up at him.

"Nice save Flash." Kitty breathed a sigh of relief.

He was tall, with an incredibly powerful frame: the physique of a Greek *god*. He wore a blue bodysuit with tight red shorts, a yellow belt, red boots, a long red cape...

...and a stylized red 'S' on the suit's chest, within a red-outlined yellow diamond.

Alison couldn't believe it; he was *here*. She took him in, nearly *swooning* at how ridiculously handsome he was. His face was *perfect*, combining the features of a movie action-hero with the looks of a male model; a ruggedly handsome, *heroic* face, with a smile that told her that everything would be alright. His hair was black, a few tufts arcing over his forehead, only *enhancing* his good looks, and his eyes were the most perfect sky-blue, as if an endless sky had been carved into his face...

*Wait a minute.*

Alison's eyes widened. She *knew* those eyes. '*Oh my God...*'

Superman smiled, as he set her down. "Are you alright, Miss?" He asked politely.

Alison could barely speak.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine." She stammered.

Superman's smile grew.

"I'm glad." He said. Then, his expression became determined. "Stay back, Miss." he added. Glancing to the X-Men, he smiled. "Sorry I'm late, guys. There was a train in Spain that needed help."

Scott grinned. "No problem, Big Blue."

Superman then looked to the Brotherhood. "I think I can handle this, guys."

"Sure thing, big guy!" Evan laughed.

Alison could only watch. She didn't know what was more amazing: watching Superman kick bad-guy butt...

...or what she'd just discovered.

Superman's eyes narrowed as the Brotherhood turned to him, Quicksilver looking especially ticked.

"So now Magneto is *kidnapping* recruits?" Superman asked. "That's a *new* low, Pietro."

"Stay out of this, Super-Dork!" Quicksilver yelled. "This is none of your business!"

Superman sighed.

"Pietro, after all this, I really thought you'd know me better than that." He quipped.

Snarling in fury, Quicksilver ran at him, ready to punch him...but Superman simply caught his fist, like a patient adult catching the fist of a spoiled child throwing a temper-tantrum. He then simply reached for Quicksilver, releasing his fist, and just *flicked* him with his pointer finger...which sent him flying to the far side of the studio, landing hard on the ground.

Toad hopped towards him, firing a slime-glob, but Superman fired his eye-rays, incinerating the glob, before unleashing his gale-breath, blowing Toad over to where Pietro had landed.

Only Blob remained. Roaring, Blob charged at Superman, who simply inhaled, unleashing his freeze-breath, *literally* stopping Blob *cold*, before he flew at Blob at high speeds, slamming him with a punch that echoed like thunder, sending him flying thirty feet...towards his pals.

Quicksilver and Toad had only enough time to look up as Blob's impressive shadow loomed over them...

"*AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!*"

...and then Blob landed, sitting on them, their arms and legs flailing from under him.

"Huh?" Blob murmured. "Guys? Where'd you go?"

Pietro managed to poke out his head from under Blob's girth. "*Get your big, fat butt offa me, Fred!*" He yelled. Quickly – for him, at least – Blob got up, allowing his partially-squished teammates to get up. "This..." Pietro snarled, "...is *not* over, Super-Dork!"

"It never *is*, with you." Superman replied firmly, folding his arms. "Now, get out of here...before I get *angry*." At that, Toad and Blob ran away as fast as they could, while Quicksilver glowered at Superman, before fleeing, as well.

Nightcrawler laughed. "Zhere's nothing like vatching zhe Man of Steel kick bad-guy butt!" he joked.

Superman chuckled. "All in a day's work." he quipped, as he turned to make sure Alison was okay.

Alison simply looked at him, her mouth open in an awed expression...before she smiled, looking him over. "Red and blue...a cape...shorts and boots...a belt and an 'S.'" she appraised, smiling. "Very inspirational...*Clarkie*."

Superman *froze*, as the X-Men gasped. "*W-What?!*" he exclaimed.

Alison giggled. "That uniform doesn't do much to conceal your identity, though."

Superman blinked. "But I was using my..." he began, and then he slapped his forehead. "Oh, *dang* it! I forgot my inducer *again!*" He smiled sheepishly; no sense denying it. "Hey...the uniform's worked for me, so far."

Alison nodded. "I guess I'm just smart enough to figure it out." she teased, smiling.

Superman smiled. "I'm glad...you're taking everything so well, Aly."

Alison grinned. "Are you *kidding?* This is so *cool!*" she exclaimed. She smiled shyly. "And that was *before* finding out about you, Clark." Her smile became a bit guilty. "Besides...I kinda...had a notion, beforehand." she admitted. "Clark...do you remember that day, five years ago? That car-crash?" She took a deep breath. "It was...the day your dad died."

Superman closed his eyes. "I remember." he whispered. When he'd been fifteen, he'd been walking home from an errand...with a twelve-year-old Ali following him. His hearing had been active in bursts at that point; he'd suddenly heard a car crashing, and he knew that someone was going to get hurt. He'd told Alison to get an ambulance, before he'd raced off, running at top speed, finding the crashed car a few feet ahead. He'd gotten two people – a man and a woman – out, and then saw their daughter, still in the car, banging her tiny fists against the windshield. Clark had ripped the windshield off and carried her out...seconds before the car blew.

Alison lightly blushed. "I...kinda followed you." she whispered. "I saw you save those people." She smiled. "When I first heard about 'Superman'...I just...*knew*...that it *had* to be *you*."

Superman lightly smiled. "Well...you were right." he said.

Alison's expression became a bit sad. "Is...this why...you had to leave?" she asked.

At that, Cyclops said, "Clark, we'll just...be in the X-Van, okay?"

"Sure." Superman replied. Once the X-Men had left, he sighed. "Yes. This is why I had to leave, Aly."

Alison looked sad. "But...why didn't this 'Professor Xavier' guy come find you? Nobody knew what happened, Clark! You just...*disappeared*." She looked stricken. "I-I'm so sorry...I mean, you must have been confused, finding out you were a mutant..."

Superman closed his eyes. "Aly, I'm *not* a mutant. I'm something else."

Alison looked confused. "Okay...what are you, then?"

Superman had *no* idea how to break this to her. "That...has to do with where I'm from, Aly." he said. "I'm from...*really* far away."

Alison blinked. "How far?"

"*Far.*"

"You mean, you're from somewhere like Asia, or the Middle East..?" Alison hazarded.

Superman shook his head. "*Farther*." he said. He had to tell her. "Aly...I'm from *Krypton*."

Alison looked confused. "'Krypton'?" she repeated. "I...I've never heard of it...where on Earth..?"

"It *isn't* on Earth, Alison." Superman said, closing his eyes. "Krypton...was the third planet of the Xerius Galaxy."

Alison's eyes widened. "The...third...planet..." she stammered. "You're...you're..."

"...an alien." Superman finished.

Alison's hands clasped over her mouth. "*Oh my God...*"

Superman lowered his head, as his father's words came rushing back to him.

*You are not one of them.*

Never before had that lesson hurt so much...

"...*that is **so COOL**!*"

Superman looked up, his eyes widening in surprise at Alison's amazed smile. "Oh my *God*, that is the coolest thing *ever!*" she exclaimed. "You've changed *everything* just by *being* here, on this planet! Oh my God – *talk!* How did you find this out? How did you *get* here?!"

Superman laughed. Alison hadn't changed at *all*. She was still so spirited, so full of *energy*, making her so amazingly *adorable* when she was younger...and utterly *enchanting*, now.

"Well, when I was about eight, after you'd left, one day I was about to jump into Pa's arms...and ended up jumping over the whole *house*." Superman said. "Ma and Pa just took me up to the old barn...and showed me the ship they'd found me in."

"Wow, you have a *ship?*" Alison exclaimed. "How did it land here?"

"It landed during that meteor shower 20 years ago." Superman said. "After that, I knew I'd come from space, but that was it. It was just after Pa died...that I started to get curious." His mind began to wander, back to that sad day...

*15-year-old Clark Kent ran from his home in tears, after his Ma had come home, with only four words.*

*"Clark...I'm so sorry..."*

*He ran for the old barn, in the middle of the night, too hurt and angry at the world to care who saw him. He ran inside, and tore open the crate that held the ship. "Why?!" he screamed at it. "Why did you send me here?!" He got no answer.*

*Breaking down, he knelt in front of it, weeping into the metal, absently pounding his fist with every word. "Why?! Why?! Why?!" The hull simply absorbed the impact, which could have shattered stone. He simply placed his hand on the hull. "Why..." he whimpered.*

*Suddenly, the metal felt warm. He looked up, and saw a glowing crest within the metal.*

*The crest of a stylized 'S', within a diamond.*

*Then, a hidden panel opened, and two crystals extended out from the ship; one was long, slim, and the other was flat, almost diamond-like. They were for him.*

*Clark took the crystals, and something just...woke up, within him. He then turned around, heading home.*

Alison looked horrified. "That...that must have been *awful*..."

Superman nodded. "After I found those crystals, I just...had to go." he said. "I decided to stay until Pa's funeral, and then I would leave." He sighed. "Ma wasn't too thrilled..."

*"What do you mean, you're leaving?!" Martha Kent cried, in tears. "Clark, you can't leave!"*

*"Ma...I have to." Clark whispered.*

*Martha started to cry. "Who...who'll feed you?!" she cried. "Who'll be there when you're sad?! Who'll look after you?!"*

*"Ma..." Clark said, his eyes stinging, "...I can't stay here, anymore..."*

*Martha walked over and hugged him. "You listen to me, boy..." she whimpered, "...I don't care who you really are, or where you come from...you'll always be Clark Kent, my son...and your Ma is going to love you without end, no matter what."*

*Clark started to sniffle. "I love you, too, Ma..."*

*Martha weakly smiled, releasing her son. "Go on, Clark." she whispered. "Go on...find your destiny." Clark smiled weakly, giving his Ma one last hug, before he walked out the door, cringing as he heard his Ma burst into tears.*

Alison looked ready to cry at that. "That must have been so hard..."

Superman nodded. "After I left, I headed north...all the way to the North Pole." he said. "Those crystals formed a massive crystalline sanctuary in the snow – my 'Fortress of Solitude.' I spent four years there, learning about Krypton, about my people, about my powers...and about why my parents sent me here."

"Why did they?" Alison asked. Then, she was struck with a thought. "Wait...why did you say that Krypton *was* the third planet of the Xerius Galaxy?"

Superman closed his eyes. "Those questions have the same answer." he whispered. "Thirty years ago...Krypton was destroyed. My parents' last act was to use that ship to send me here, to safety, leaving those crystals to teach me about who I was." He paused. "Aly...I am the sole survivor of the Kryptonian race...the Last Son of Krypton."

Alison didn't speak at that...and then she walked over and hugged him. "Oh my God...Clarkie, I am *so, so sorry*." she whispered.

Superman was surprised at that...and then smiled, gently returning the hug. "Thanks, Ali." he replied.

After Alison released him from her hug, she smiled. "So, you said those crystals told you who you were." she said.

Superman smiled back. "Yes; they carried all the knowledge of Krypton and all the worlds it had contact with." he said. "The Knowledge Chamber in the Fortress allowed me to absorb that information directly – it helped me learn very quickly."

Alison giggled. "So that Chamber basically replaced high school."

Superman chuckled. "Basically." he agreed. "But the crystals also carried messages from my father, Jor-El; they included several lessons about living on Earth, and about using my powers."

"'Jor-El'?" Alison repeated, smiling. "Do *you* have a...Kryptonian name?"

Superman grinned. "I am Kal-El." he said. "I prefer to use my Earth name, though."

"*Wow*, just when I thought you couldn't get any *cooler!*" Alison said, smiling.

Superman smiled. "You're taking this really well, Aly." he said. "I was afraid that you'd...well...freak out when you found out that I was an alien."

Alison smiled. "To be honest, the whole 'alien' thing is more believable than the whole 'selfless hero' thing." she admitted. "You just...drop out of the sky and start saving people, while taking *zero* credit for it. That's *amazing!*" Then, she smiled shyly, before she walked over, leaned up, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Superman felt his face start to heat up. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?"

"For saving Aunt Bridget." Alison replied, blushing. "She was on the plane you saved, last month. If it hadn't been for you...I would have lost my Auntie." She looked into his eyes. "*Thank you.*"

Superman smiled. "Hey...it's what I do."

Alison giggled. "So, what's the scoop on the X-Men and this Xavier guy?" she asked. "Did he help you learn to control your powers?"

Superman chuckled. "Actually, Aly, I had pretty much already mastered my powers when the Professor found me." he said. "But the Institute became my home, a place where I could fit in, and be *myself*...and it can be the same for *you*. I *know* the Professor can help you with your powers."

Alison smiled. "Sounds good." she said. "I guess I'd better tell Aunt Bridget; it's a good thing that I was in the middle of negotiating my recording contract." She chuckled. "Tom will probably have a *fit* when he hears that I'll want to attend school as well as doing my recordings and concerts!"

Superman chuckled. "I can imagine."

Alison smiled. "I'll just let my Aunt know what's going on." she said. "She can handle the contract negotiations. So...could I...go check out the Institute?"

Superman smiled. "*Sure.*" he replied. With that, he walked towards the door the X-Men had used, with Alison following him, as she took out her cell-phone, calling her Aunt. She then hopped in the X-Van with the others, after getting the okay from her Aunt, and the X-Men drove off, heading for the Institute, as Superman took to the air, heading for home.

It was evening by the time that a sore, humiliated, and – in Pietro's case, royally *pissed* – Brotherhood got back to the boarding house, expecting to simply watch TV and wallow in their defeat.

They'd been sorely mistaken.

They had just stepped through the door...and *froze* as they saw a cross-looking Anita standing there, arms folded, tapping her foot. "Well?" she asked. "Whose *brilliant* idea *was* that little...'excursion'?"

Todd and Fred both pointed to Pietro.

Anita's eyes narrowed. "I might've known."

"Hey," Pietro snapped, "Pops said to go get Alison..!"

"*No*, Pietro." Anita hissed. "Your father said to inform *me*, and *then* we would go get Alison. But your *hormones* got the better of you. Now, because of your colossal *idiocy*, the X-Men are now one recruit *stronger*."

Todd chuckled. "Yeah; one recruit who's got a thing for Super-Dork."

Anita whirled on Todd. "*What?*" she snapped.

Todd gulped. "Uh...well...I mean, I'm only guessing..." he stammered, "...but...it kinda looked like...Alison kinda...*liked* Superman."

Pietro scowled at that.

Anita, though, looked *royally* pissed. "I see." she muttered. "I will have to continue my research."

"What are you researching, anyway?!" Pietro snapped. "Maybe if you hadn't had your nose stuck in a..."

"*Silence!*" Anita yelled, and they all shut up. "I am *researching*, Maximoff, a way to increase my magical power, enough to *utterly* enchant Kal-El." She turned away. "And now, I must do so *faster*." With that, she simply snapped her fingers, disappearing before their eyes, leaving them alone, to wallow in defeat.

After arriving at the Institute, Alison got the grand tour of the place...by Clark, she noted with a smile; once Clark had donned his regular clothes, he'd shown her around. Professor Xavier had seemed really nice, as had Miss Munroe. Mr. Logan seemed a little grumpy, though.

After the tour ended, Clark led Alison back to the main hall, where the Professor and Aunt Bridget had been talking; her Aunt had been ecstatic to see Clark, and had given him a hug, after she'd finished gushing over "how handsome he was," and "how proud his mother must be at what he was doing with his abilities," much to a mortified Alison's chagrin.

"It's all worked out, Alison." Bridget said, smiling. "I managed to work it out so that you can attend the Institute, as well as Bayville High School, in addition to your concerts and CD recordings," she smiled, "and you can use your own songs."

Alison hugged her Aunt. "Thank you so much, Aunt Bridget!" she exclaimed.

Bridget smiled.

"You're quite welcome, sweetie." She said. "Now, you just behave yourself."

Alison giggled. "I will." She promised.

Professor Xavier smiled.

"We'll take good care of Alison, Mrs. Blaire." He assured her. "She's in good hands."

Bridget smiled.

"Thank you." She said. To Alison, she added, "I'll be by to pick you up for your concerts and recordings, honey."

Alison nodded, as she took her suitcases from her Aunt, before giving her a hug. "I'll miss you, Auntie."

"I'll miss you, too, sweetie." Bridget replied. She glanced to Clark, grinning, as she added, "Now, you look after my niece, mister, or, Man of Steel or not, you'll answer to *me!*"

Clark laughed. "*Yes, Ma'am!*" Laughing, Bridget headed out, leaving Alison with her new family.

With her Aunt gone, the other students, both the X-Men and the New Mutants, came to greet her. "Welcome to the family, Alison." Scott greeted.

"We hope you enjoy it, here." Jean added.

"Oh my *God!* This is so *cool!*" Jubilee – one of the New Mutants – squealed. "It's so *awesome* that you're here!"

Alison smiled. "Thanks." she replied. She cast a shy glance at Clark. "I think I'll like it here."

Clark smiled...and then his expression changed, as closed his eyes, *listening*. "*Uh-oh.*"

Everyone else knew what that meant. "Uh-oh."

Alison had a pretty good idea what it meant. "Trouble?"

"Australia. There's a plane in trouble." Clark said.

Kitty chuckled. "Looks like another job for Superman!"

Alison smiled. "Does this happen often?"

"Oh, yeah." Lance said.

Clark smiled apologetically. "I guess we'll have to talk later, Aly."

Alison smiled. "You could always call me." she said.

Clark smiled.

"I will." He said. Then, with that, he darted off, dashing upstairs, donning his uniform, before running to the nearest window, opening it, and flying off, a sonic boom echoing behind him.

"Wow..." Alison murmured. She still couldn't believe it; her childhood crush...had grown up to be the Man of Steel.

Kitty smiled. "Yeah...that's pretty much the coolest thing on the planet."

"Well, Alison, we'd best help you get settled in." the Professor said, smiling.

Alison smiled, and then she remembered the Professor mention that the other students had chosen code-names. "Thanks." she said. "Oh, and by the way..."

"...call me...*Dazzler*."