Chapter Two: Formalities

Clark was working on the family tractor in front of the barn when a baby blue and white '58 Corvette with white wall tires pulled into the drive and up to the barn. Wiping his hands on a rag, he stood, as the door opened.

A high-heeled, red, stiletto touched down into the dirt driveway. It was followed by a leg clad in black denim and, then another, until Merida McConnell finally emerged with a form-fitting, V-neck, black and red tank top.

Clark's smile was wide as she smiled her greeting. "Good mornin', Mr. Kent."

"Good morning, Miss McConnell," he looked at her feet. "Did you know you were coming to a farm?"

Her eyebrows rose then drew together in a frown. "Yes, why?" She wobbled as the heel of one of her shoes sank into the dirt.

"Those are ridiculous shoes for a farm."

She pulled her heel out of the dirt and put a hand on her hip, frowning. "Yes, well, I thought the driveway would be paved." Then she grinned, a small closed-mouthed grin, with a raised eyebrow. "And I was trying to balance the scales."

His eyebrows rose. "The scales?"

"Well," she pinked slightly. "You're just so tall!"

He chuckled. "I have seen you in your bare feet."

Her smiled turned demure. "You've seen me in my bare - almost - everything."

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. He reddened and looked down, then realizing that his eyes were focusing on the point of her V-neck , he looked back up, quickly.

She laughed. "Sorry; that was a bit wicked of me."

He swallowed, rubbing his hand on the hip of his jeans, nervously. "So what brings you out to our non-paved road?"

She wobbled again and pulled the offending heel out of the dirt again, giving him the impression that she was trying very hard to balance completely on her toes. "Well, as much as I love seeing you, again," Meri took her turn looking him up and down, enjoying his oil-smudged, white T-shirt and blue jeans, with very sensible work boots. "I actually came to speak to Ms. Martha Kent. Lex and Lana tell me that she is the best baker in the county."

Clark smiled, proudly, straightening. "She is." He turned back to her to see her wobble yet again as she again pulled a heel out of the dirt. Then he crossed his arms and grinned at her with his eyebrows raised. "How do you plan to get to the house?"

Her mouth opened slightly and her eyes narrowed. "You are evil!" She poked a finger into his chest. "I'll manage, thank you very much." She took a wobbly step to pass him, trying very hard to keep her heels from sinking into the ground.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, he threw the rag at the tractor and stepped to her. "Here. Let me," he said.

She looked grateful for a second as she started to reach for his arm. But instead of giving her an arm to lean on, he impulsively, swept her up into his arms like she was light as a feather.

"Oh!" She gasped and, as she had at the Talon, her arms went up to circle his neck as he began to walk. When she caught her breath, she murmured. "I guess the shoes weren't too ridiculous after all."

He looked down at her as they entered the gate. "No?"

Her cheeks grew pink again. "Would you be carrying me to your doorstep if I were wearing boots?" She noticed that, though the walkway from the gate to the house was paved, he wasn't setting her down.

He grinned. "Probably not."

"Then, from my perspective, the shoes were a great idea."

He chuckled and gently released her legs. She slid down the length of his body, still holding onto his neck until her feet touched down on the step above where he stood.

Martha Kent opened the front door to find a redhead with her arms around her son's neck and Clark's hands on her waist. They were looking at each other more intimately than she was comfortable with. "Clark?" she asked, frowning.

Clark looked up and the woman's hands slowly left his neck, touching his chest before she turned. "Mom, this is Merida McConnell. She's come to see you." He smiled, oblivious to his mother's reaction.

Martha's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Me? Really?"

Meri turned and smiled. "Yes, Ma'am. I was told you're the person to see for baked goods around here." She ascended the stairs. "I'm planning a small party at the Luthor Mansion next Saturday and I need cakes and cookies and the like."

Martha looked back at Clark, who was watching them with a smile, and narrowed her eyes at him. Then she smiled at Meri. "Why don't we go inside and talk?"

Meri turned and smiled back at Clark. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Kent."

Clark's smile widened. "Anytime, Miss McConnell."

Her eyebrows rose over dancing eyes and she bit her lip as she smiled. Then she turned back to Martha, just as Martha erased the frown from her face. Together, they walked into the house.

When Clark turned to return to the tractor, he saw his father leaning against it with a wry grin on his face.

"Who was that, son?" Jonathan Kent asked when his son neared the tractor.

"Meri McConnell. She's a friend of Lex's."

"Remarkable recuperation."

Clark frowned, curious. "What?"

"Whatever was wrong with her legs," Jonathon grinned.

Clark warmed. "She wore the wrong shoes for the dirt drive and was in danger of tripping over her shoes, so I carried her to the porch. That's all."

"I'm sure it doesn't hurt that she's very pretty."

Clark glanced back at the house, smiling. "Oh? I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, okay." Jonathan chuckled and threw the rag at his son. "This tractor's not going to fix itself. Get back to work."

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Clark carried a platter of baked goods into the Luthor Manor. He entered the study to find Lex sitting at his desk. "Hey, Lex," Clark smiled. "My mom sent these samples for Merida."

Lex smiled and stood. "Put them on the table. I'll call her."

Within moments, Meri walked in wearing a diaphanous blue-green sun dress that touched her knees and left her shoulders bare. Clark smiled when he noticed that she was wearing high heels again, this time sandals. Her hair was completely down and flowing around her shoulders, held back from her face by a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she smiled.

"Good afternoon, Miss McConnell," Clark smiled, widely.

"How are you on this beautiful spring day, Mr. Kent?" her smile was gentler, more demure.

Lex frowned, looking from one to the other. "Why so formal?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

Meri didn't bat an eye. "Defense mechanism." Without pausing to acknowledge either of the men's confused looks, she pointed at the platter. "Are these the samples?"

"Yes. My mom says to write down which ones you want and the quantities and she'll deliver them Saturday morning."

Lex smiled. "Well, I'll leave you two to your work-"

"No!" She blurted and quickly recovered, with a nervous smile. "Now, Lex, you can't expect me to taste all of these by myself. Stay; the three of us can brainstorm." She sat down in the chair, leaving the couch for the men.

Lex looked at Clark with a curious frown, then shrugged and sat down across from her. Clark followed suit, then removed the covers of the platters.

Lex and Clark exchanged grins when Meri gushed. "Oooh!" She looked at them. "What? I'm easy to please. There's enough chocolate on this tray to keep me happy for years. Which one do you want to try, Lex?"

"What do you recommend, Clark?" Lex deferred with a sidelong smile in Meri's direction.

Clark began describing the various samples, adding his editorials to each description. Meri and Lex each chose one and the selection process began.

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Clark carried the empty platter and the list of Meri's selections out to his truck with Meri walking next to him, quietly. Clark glanced over at her while they walked, waiting for her to be the bubbly person she'd been up to this point. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and had to break the silence.

"Do you always wear heels?" he asked.

Meri looked down at her feet and smiled fully. "If you were all of five foot, three inches tall, you'd wear heels, too."

Clark's eyebrows rose and he looked down at her, amused. "You're only 5-3?"

"I know; that's like a foot shorter than you."

"Exactly," his smile widened. "No wonder! I didn't realize you were that..."

"Short?"

"Well..." His eyebrows did a nervous dance over a grimace, not wanting to offend her.

"I guess you were paying more attention to other things when you saw me in my bare feet," she grinned.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Hey, I turned away when I saw that you were in a towel!" He defended.

She grinned up at him. "And I appreciate your good manners. I wish I could say I'd do the same if our roles were reversed."

Clark looked surprised by this admission. He put the things he carried in his truck, then turned to her, curiosity written across his face. "What did you mean in there about using formality as a 'defense mechanism'?"

"Did I say that?" She deflected with an attempt at innocence on her face.

He stepped closer to her. "You did."

She bit her lip, looking at the button of his shirt for a moment. "I guess I did."

He waited, looking down at her.

She looked up at his face. "What?" she asked, as if she'd forgotten the question.

His eyebrows rose. "What did you mean?"

"What do you think I meant?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

She warmed under the intensity of his gaze. She took a deep breath and reached out to touch the button she had been looking at. She bit her lip for a second, then, clearing her throat, she spoke. "You are very attractive, Clark. A girl could easily fall for those big blue eyes and magnificent smile. And I've been burned enough to know that I should get to know someone before I fall for him."

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her sidelong. "So calling me 'Mr. Kent' reminds you to get to know me better?"

She looked up, relief on her face for a mere instant, then she noticed how close they were. "Exactly," she said, softly. "Mr. Kent," she added in a whisper, looking at his mouth.

Clark smiled widely which brought her eyes up to meet his. "I think it's a great idea," he said.

"What's that?" Meri frowned, confused.

Clark touched her arm, incredibly close to her. "Getting to know each other better. Why don't you come to dinner tonight?"

She blinked. "Tonight? Your mother won't object to a dinner guest on such short notice?"

"Not at all. Come by my house around 7?"

She swallowed and took a step back in an effort to clear her head. She took a deep breath, his scent still filling her nose, making her feel high, and tilted her head to look at him, thoughtfully.

"Just a casual dinner and talking. Getting to know each other," Clark insisted. "No pressure. You can keep calling me 'Mr. Kent', if you want."

She studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment more, then nodded with a small smile. "Okay."

His smile was broad when she agreed. "Great! See you then!" He climbed into the truck, started the engine, and rolled down the window. "And, Meri..."

"Yes, Clark?" She tilted her head, curious.

"No heels."

Meri threw her head back and laughed. "Fine. No heels."