Martha
Now:
Martha Clark Kent patted her companion's hand as they waited for the processional music to begin so they could be seated. Ben Hubbard gave her a tentative smile. They were both a little overwhelmed by all the fuss of such a grand wedding, much less that Martha's little boy was getting married in a cathedral in Chicago to an air force officer.
It was something Martha Kent hadn't been sure she would ever see: her son, a refugee from a dead planet, getting married, having a chance at a normal, human life. This despite the fact that he wasn't human at all, really. He was Kryptonian, he was Superman.
She smoothed her skirt with an arthritic hand. She fancied herself a simple woman, a farmer's widow. She didn't have much use for fancy dress, but she had to admit the light blue suit was very nice.
My baby's getting married.
His bride was a good woman, of that she was sure. She was from a good family who had accepted Clark with open arms, welcoming him into their midst without reservation.
From her place in the side hall, Martha could look out into the nave. She saw a well dressed, dark haired woman take the arm of one of the uniformed ushers who led her and the two men with her to the pew just behind where she knew she and Ben would be seated. Martha recognized the woman: Lois Lane. She'd met the woman and her son once, during the vigil outside of Metropolis General Hospital, after Superman fell to earth.
Martha assumed the older man with her was Perry White, Clark's former editor. The younger man had to be Lois's husband, Richard White, the senior White's nephew. Lois Lane, the woman who broke her son's heart, tossing it aside like rubbish. Martha took a deep breath to calm herself. It wouldn't do to get angry at the woman who hurt her son.
My baby's getting married.
Then:
"Mom, she's beautiful," her son said, standing in her kitchen, drying the supper dishes. "She's brilliant, and she's ...well, she's... complicated. Domineering, uncompromising, pig-headed..."
Martha smiled at his enthusiasm. After four years of working his way around the world, then college, Clark had landed his dream job as a reporter at the Daily Planet. That he thought he'd found the girl of his dreams was frosting on the cake.
Martha just hoped this Lois Lane would appreciate what a rare prize her son really was.
"Mom, the ship is finished. I'm leaving tomorrow," he said solemnly. Again, they were in her kitchen, this time seated at the kitchen table, savoring coffee and homemade muffins.
"Don't you want to call your friends?" Martha asked. Clark had left the Daily Planet nine months before so he could build, grow, create the starship he would use to return to Krypton, to find his roots. Martha didn't quite believe the reports that Krypton had been found by astronomers, that the planet might not be dead. But she didn't share her misgivings with her son. He was so hopeful to find his place in the universe. A place he hadn't really found on Earth.
He shook his head. "A clean break works best, don't you think? And I've done that already. Besides, if they wanted to find me, they would have called you."
"That boy, Jimmy, did call," she said. "I told him I'd try to get in touch with you."
He shrugged. "Jimmy's a good guy. Please remember to send those postcards, okay?"
Martha nodded, eyes filling with tears. Her son was leaving, not just leaving home, but leaving the planet. She was filled with the fear that she would never see her beloved son again, never see his warm blue eyes, his easy smile. She feared he would die in the cold depths of space, that she would never know his fate. That he would die alone.
She hugged him, feeling him withdraw into himself, distancing himself from her.
Then he was gone.
She felt the crystal starship's return before she saw it. The farmhouse shook, the very air vibrating from its passage. The sonic boom was followed by an ear shattering explosion.
The cornfield was on fire as she drove her ancient truck across the field. Got out on shaky legs to see the still glowing crystalline construct that was so alien yet so familiar. Her heart nearly stopped when a hand touched her shoulder.
"No, don't. It's too hot," a deep, impossibly familiar, voice stated.
She turned to see her son, face gray with fatigue and pain, fall to the ground, unconscious.
My baby's come home.
"The world can always use more good reporters," she told him when he tried to convince her to let him stay at the farm, even for a little while. She was ready to move on with her life, already made plans to sell the farm.
"You're dating?" he'd asked in confused disbelief when she left to play bingo with Ben Hubbard. Martha sent Ben out to start his truck. She turned back to her son. "I'm selling the farm, Clark. We're moving to Montana."
Clark called Perry White the next day and was back in Metropolis the next week. Superman reappeared in Metropolis. And when Superman fell from the sky, Martha and Ben flew to Metropolis. She didn't tell Ben exactly why she had to be there, only that she needed to find Clark. They didn't find him, naturally. She couldn't tell Ben why, after all her demands, she wasn't overly concerned about not finding her son. She couldn't tell him she knew where Clark was. He was in a hospital room, unconscious, under the name of Superman.
She and Ben ended up outside the hospital, part of the spontaneous vigil that had formed to wait for news of their hero's condition. She watched Lois Lane and her son come out of the hospital, accompanied by a police officer. She managed to get close enough to talk to the woman. "He'll be okay," she assured the young woman. "He's a strong boy."
Lois gave her a confused look, not understanding.
"She hates me, and I don't know what I did," Clark said. This time the kitchen was in a lake cabin in Montana. Ben had gone into town, so she and Clark were alone. She knew he would leave before Ben got back.
"Is it Clark, or Superman she hates?" Martha asked softly. She'd seen him upset before. Despite an easy-going nature, his childhood hadn't always been easy, always hiding his extraordinary abilities, fearing to get close to people.
"Both," he answered. "I told you she told me that Jason was my son, Superman's son."
She nodded, remembering.
"Right after she and Richard set the date for their wedding, she told Superman he was no longer welcome to see Jason, that since he'd left her, he had no rights, no obligation to him."
Martha stared at him, dumbfounded. He didn't seem to notice.
"It's gotten worse at work. I've been escorting one of the society writers to the theater about once a week. There's nothing romantic. I'm not half-bad looking and she knows I'm too much a gentleman to try anything but it keeps other guys away. Lois... I don't know... She hates me and everyone in the office knows it. I don't know which is worse, the people who think I did something to deserve it, or the people who are sorry for me, that Mad Dog Lane has finally lost it." He finally looked over at her, eyes dark with pain.
"You know the worse part of it is, though? I think I still love her." He looked like his heart was breaking. "I gave Perry my notice yesterday. He arranged for me to transfer to the Chicago Star instead. I start there Monday."
"Honey, what about...?"
"Superman?" He laughed, but there was no humor there. "Metropolis will figure it out eventually. Metropolis moved on. Now it's time for Superman to."
"Do you really think she wants you out of her life completely?" Martha asked softly.
"That's what she said. I have no reason to doubt her." He stood to go. "I'll call you Monday with my new cell number." He kissed her cheek and disappeared.
