Clark couldn't believe how awesome their suite was. They each had their own room with enormous beds. The living room had a full video game system with about a million different games. There was a huge indoor pool that was just for them, with water slides. There was also a little private movie theater with movies that hadn't even come out yet.

Clark hadn't even gotten to check out all of the rooms in the suite when Lex called them out to the main living room to give them each a map of the resort and tell them what they could do. Swimming, sailing, surfing, jet skiing, archery, laser tag, paintball, rock climbing . . . The list went on for so long that Clark kept waiting for the things Lex would say they couldn't do, but it never happened. He moved straight on to recommending his favorite places to eat, and Clark was wondering if he'd give them some money for food—his dad usually did that for field trips—but Lex just told them that he'd already cleared all of them with the management at the resort, and their meals would automatically be charged to the room, which Lex would take care of. Clark was tempted to throw his arms around Lex, but he definitely wasn't seeing either of the other guys doing that, so he just grinned and thanked Lex like they did.

After a few minutes of unpacking, Sam and Dean took off to check out the rock climbing wall, but Clark had had enough of heights for one day. Somehow, the jet ride had actually been kind of fun, but Clark figured there was a pretty big difference between fear of planes, or thrill rides, and the fear of climbing. Planes, it turned out, were okay; but he didn't like being able to look down. He knew he wouldn't fall, and that it wouldn't hurt him if he did, but he didn't like the feeling of being up high. And of course, if he did fall, his secret would be revealed. Clark was already in enough trouble with his dad for arguing about doing chores; the last thing he needed was to be showing off his secrets on this trip. It was bad enough that Sam knew.

"Anything you want to do, Clark?" Lex asked after Sam and Dean left.

"You're not going with them?"

Lex shrugged. "Not my idea of fun."

"Me neither."

"Got that. Want to do something?"

Clark picked up the resort brochure and skimmed again over the list of activities. They all looked amazing, and Clark wanted to try all of them—not that a week was enough for that, but he could always try—but the one thing that was on his mind wasn't really on the list.

"Something else? I can get something shipped in or set up. Heck, I'll fly you somewhere else for the afternoon if you want."

"Can you . . . teach me how to fence?"

A slow smile spread across Lex's face. "Would your dad be okay with that?"

Clark lowered his head. "No, probably not."

Lex nodded. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Really?"

"How's he going to find out, Clark?"

Clark laughed. Of course, he'd have to be very careful with the fencing sword, since he could really hurt Lex if he wasn't careful enough, but Clark figured he'd just let Lex win every time, and it would be okay.

Lex made a quick phone call to book out a mat room a little ways from the resort, then they took a helicopter to get there. The helicopter flew over the shore line, and Clark could have sworn he saw a pod of dolphins in the distance. Later, when the other guys weren't looking, he would have to use his super speed to swim out to them and get a closer look.

Out at the mat room, they both changed into white fencing clothes, and Lex picked up a couple of foils. He showed Clark how to use his feet, how to carry the foil and hold himself, and gave him a few starting exercises. Then he walked through the rules of the game, and they did a couple of simple matches. Clark wasn't sure how fast to move or how hard to swing, so he mostly stayed still for the first couple of matches, letting Lex win quickly and easily.

"Come on, Clark. You're gonna let me beat you that easy?" Lex tapped Clark's chest a bit harder with the foil.

"I'm trying," Clark lied easily.

"You're barely moving, and you're not following any of the directions I gave you."

"Yeah, well, there were a lot of them."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Thought you were smart enough."

Clark clenched his teeth. They began another match, but this time, Clark didn't take it lying down. He played defensively, never actually trying to land a touch, but he never let Lex get even close to landing one, either. His reflexes were a lot faster than Lex's. After a good twenty seconds of this, Clark started feigning attempts, letting Lex defend himself until Lex was backed up against a wall.

But Clark overestimated how much energy Lex would have. Cornered, breathing hard, Lex missed one of Clark's swings. Clark's foil cracked hard against Lex's shoulder, and Lex shouted.

Clark dropped the foil and stepped back, taking off his helmet. "Lex, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Lex took off his helmet as well, but when Clark saw his face, he realized Lex was laughing. "That was awesome, Clark! You're a natural!"

"I—I didn't mean to hit you."

"Well, you can be a little lighter about it, but you're supposed to do that, Clark, that's the game." Lex put back on his helmet. "Again?"

Clark grinned and put his helmet back on as well.

-------

The rock climbing wall wasn't exactly like Sam had expected. He'd seen rock climbing walls in movies where kids went to camp; that was what he was expecting. It wasn't that. It was literally a section of the cliff face that had been carved for easier access, with guides to show them how to use the harnesses and ropes.

This was way cooler than anything Sam had expected. Just like everything else about the island.

Sam considered with a shudder what his father would say if he could see where they were now. Dean had made up a story about needing to check up on a potential case in Kansas. It was pretty unusual for Dean to tell a direct lie to Dad like that, or to go against anything the old man said in any way. Usually it was Sam who did the rebelling.

While they were strapping themselves into their harnesses, Sam looked up at Dean. "I still think we should have a plan, Dean."

Dean groaned. "Come on, man, we're on an island paradise with everything we could ever want. Can you try not to ruin the mood?"

"I'm just saying. If Dad finds out while we're here, that's going to ruin the mood a lot more."

"Some things are worth taking a licking for, Sammy. This trip . . . I think it's one of them."

"I know, but we should at least make sure we're clear on our cover story."

"You let me do the talking. That's how this is going to work."

Sam sighed and finished buckling the harness. He didn't want to have to spend the whole week worrying about what would be waiting for them when they got back home.

But a few feet up the wall, Sam quickly realized that wouldn't be a problem at all. He could feel the sunlight on his skin, the salty wind in his hair, and there was a certain power in being able to lift himself from one rock to the next. The rush in his stomach when he looked from the nearly-cloudless sky, then back down at the sandy beach below him . . . he couldn't think about anything but how amazing this all was. And when he looked over at Dean, who was steadily keeping a few feet ahead of him, he could tell Dean was feeling the exact same way.