Chapter 19

Gold Wing and a Prayer cont'd

Barb snapped off her phone, and turned towards Dick and Laura. "I left a message with Clark and or Kara, but at the moment, no one seems to be home." Laura took one last look out over the flowing river.

It reminded her of the Loracite filled stream back in Falcon Claw that she drew her power from.

"We can head over there." She offered. "Maybe they'll be back soon. If not, I can certainly show you the farm. I'm familiar with its layout. Clark and I had...a thing...a couple of years ago." Laura stretched the truth a bit. "Oh." Dick sounded disappointed.

"What happened?" Barb asked bluntly. "We had different views on the world." Laura began. "It just didn't work out. Neither of us were fooling ourselves." At least that was the truth, she mused. "I'm sorry, too much information?" Laura flashed a thin grin.

Barbara shook her head. "No, that's alright. We all have our issues to deal with." She'd been infatuated with Bruce since high school. Barb was just now starting to get over it. "Let's ride!" Laura suggested as the visiting teens mounted their bikes and followed her towards the Kent Farm.

Shortly thereafter, the three young cyclists pulled up alongside the yellow and brown ranch house. Shelby/Krypto barked at them through the front window. They dismounted and followed Laura into the barn. Dick spied the now mostly deserted loft hideaway. "Now that's cool!" He remarked.

The area was dusty and in some disarray. Next to the window sat a packed away telescope, and a dresser filled with decade old memorabilia. "Someone lived here?" Barb was incredulous. "Sure, Clark did." Laura answered. She went on to explain that the loft would give Clark and his parents some privacy.

"Pretty slick idea." Dick praised lustily. "Then you were up here a lot?" Barb grilled. "Yes." Laura replied simply, as a chill suddenly ran down her spine. Even Laura's Loracite saturated DNA couldn't avoid the body's natural fear reflex. "Clark's father, Jonathan Kent, died in this very area." She informed them. Actually, Jonathan had died just outside the barn, but the effect was still the same.

"Wow! That's intense!" Dick exclaimed. "I lost my parents and brother, when I was much younger as well." Laura could relate to that. "My parents also died when I was very young." She admitted. Barb offered no comment, still unsure what to make of their new friend, who just happened to know Clark Kent. Her naturally suspicious nature, forced Barb to question everything, just as Bruce had taught her.

"On that depressing note, let's check out the rest of the farm." Laura forced a smile. She led them out of the barn and towards the corral, where two horses galloped nervously across their pen. "They're beautiful!" Barb praised. "They certainly are." Dick flirted, gazing into Laura's eyes again.

She smirked playfully, catching his compliment. Barb ignored them as she watched the animals chase each other around the corral. Just beyond them was the chicken coop, and the cow pastures. Laura went on to explain the inner workings of the farm, up to and including the milking of the cows.

Suddenly, the teens were startled by a noise behind them. Laura whirled to face it, assuming an attack pose. "Hey K Girl!" Laura smiled broadly as she relaxed. The alien beauty approached them.

"Hi Laura." Kara Kent walked over cautiously, as Dick's eyes widened. Kara wore her common cropped midriff baring white t-shirt, blue denim miniskirt, and black, glossy boots. Her lengthy blonde hair was disheveled, as if she'd just been through a wind storm.

"Kara Kent, this is Richard Grayson and Barbara Gordon." Laura introduced them. "They're visiting from Gotham City." Kara nodded. "Hello." Her eyes went immediately to Dick's face. "Aren't you cold?" Barb questioned. "Oh...no, not really." Kara stuttered. "I just got through working out."

"Sorry to drop in unannounced, but we talked to your Aunt Martha, and she said that it was fine." Barb sounded unusually nervous. "That's okay. There's really not much to see." Kara began. Dick snickered, grinning lustily. From where I'm standing there is! He thought as Barb shot him a dirty look.

"Kara's my BFF!" Laura said cheerfully. "Back at you!" Kara pointed playfully. Sometimes Kara can be a bit naive and self absorbed, Laura criticized silently. I hope she's not wearing a thong underneath that miniskirt. She smirked. Imagine that sight flying over Metropolis!

"You've never actually been on a working farm before?" Kara grilled suspiciously, keeping in mind her hidden Kryptonian treasures, neatly placed in a cubbyhole below the barn floor. "No, we sort of live sheltered lives." Dick ventured. "Let's milk the cows first!" Kara said with a sparkle in her eye.

"Pass!" Barb quipped. "Just don't milk the bull!" Laura teased the city slickers. Dick and Barb dutifully followed Kara around the farm doing chores. "K Girl!" Laura called over her shoulder. "I'm going to get some lunch and drinks set up for our guests."

Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Chloe was busily investigating the out-of-towners on her super computer system. "Let's see." She muttered. "Bruce Wayne. Yum! Rich and handsome." She appraised. "Whoa! This guy's loaded. Richard Grayson, ward of Wayne Estate, Barbara Gordon, the Gotham police commissioner's daughter." She continued to think out loud.

"It seems odd that they'd be interested in a farm, specifically Clark's." Chloe bit her lower lip. "Something smells, and it's not the pollution here in Metropolis." As if on cue, the familiar whirlwind appeared, as Clark blasted through the Watchtower Control Center.

"Geez, Clark!" Chloe protested. "You'd think I'd be used to that by now." He ignored her comment, instead heading straight for her view screen. "I'm fine, and how're you?" She sniped, as Clark glanced over her slim shoulder. "Hey Chloe!" Clark said shortly.

Chloe spun in her chair to face him. "Okay, talk to me! What's on your mind? You're not exactly your old chipper self." He shrugged it off. "I just have a lot to think about." Chloe's eyes sparkled. "Sure, I bet you do!" She rode him. "What did you promise my ambitious and currently amorous cousin?"

Clark cracked a quick smile. "How did you know?" Chloe laughed. "I'm Watchtower! It's my job to know! C'mon, spill it, space boy!" Clark sighed. "Resistance is futile, I get that!" He quipped. "I asked Lois out to dinner!" He admitted. Chloe put her tongue in her cheek.

"It's about time! She's been mooning over you since she mysteriously reappeared on that wrecked train!"

Chloe searched Clark's eyes for any comment. "You know, Clark, just because you and Lana went down in flames, it doesn't mean that you and Lois would do the same!" She reminded him.

"I'm more worried about you, Chloe!" Clark changed the subject quickly. "Why?" She dead panned. "Oliver's got me Cyber-globe hopping, playing nursemaid to his band of not so merry men." Clark gave her 'that look'. "Because you and Jimmy are on the outs, that's why." He confessed.

Chloe's eyes began to tear. "Yeah, Jimmy and I are likely heading for splits-ville. It's okay. I mean it's not okay. I knew we were doomed when I started keeping secrets from him." Clark sighed. "Preaching to the choir here. So what makes you think it would be any different for Lois and I?"

"This time, you might try telling Lois the truth up front." Chloe suggested. "Chloe, we've been down that rocky road before, remember the debacle with Linda Lake?" Clark defended. "So we're back to me leading two completely separate lives, with or without Lois."

"True," Chloe absently pressed some buttons on her keyboard. "I was actually considering doing the same with Jimmy. Think Ollie would let me borrow his Green Arrow outfit to disguise myself from him?" Clark smirked. "I think you could come up with a more original outfit."

"How about a big "C" on my chest for Cyber Girl?" She joked. "Works for me!" Clark toyed with her. Suddenly something on the monitor caught his eye. "Hello? What's this?" He directed Chloe's attention to the farthest monitor from them. "Oops! Big Sister is watching you!" Chloe reddened.

The monitor was placed in Clark's parents house kitchen, where Kara, Laura, and two other young people were busily snacking on a recently delivered pizza. "Chloe! You've got my house wired up!" Clark protested. "Now Clark, before you rip my head off, I thought it would be good to secure the house and loft when you and Kara aren't there. Besides, I can keep an eye on Shelby/Krypto as well."

"Fine! But you could have mentioned that." Clark grumbled. "I suppose you forgot to tell Kara as well." Chloe flushed a deeper red. "Yes, but look at this. Seventeen hundred thirty hours." She gave a voice command to the monitor's camera server. "Your cousin is squirreling away some kind of souvenirs."

The tape clearly showed Kara hiding three objects in the floorboards of the barn. Clark sighed. "She probably hasn't gotten a chance to tell me..." He defended as Kara flew off through the window. "She's also not taking your advice about staying grounded. Thirteen hundred twenty two." She ordered.

"This is two F18 jet fighters trailing airborne Barbie home from who knows where." Chloe explained as the camera panned out, showing the jets circling aimlessly above a Kansas cornfield. "Luckily, your cousin is faster than a speeding fighter. Our boys in blue never saw her. Probably think she's a UFO."

"Thirteen hundred and thirty." Chloe directed the camera playback. "Here's your girl showing up just as Kara set back down, with a carful of laundry I might add." The video showed Lois parking her car and dragging a few baskets of laundry into the farmhouse. "Oh yeah, Lois was..." Clark reddened.

"Listen Clark, if you ever take Lois upstairs for a ride, I'm shutting down the cameras." Chloe teased. "Something like that could scar me for life." Clark flushed a deeper red, and Chloe's eyes sparkled with satisfaction. "Funny!" Clark smirked. "Lois was extremely bored, and the washing machine at her apartment condo was on the fritz. Do you have my Metropolis condo wired up as well?" He accused.

"Not yet." Chloe defended. "Would you like me to?" Clark thought about that for a moment. "Maybe. The problem I have with it is you catching me doing a quick change into the Blur on video. That stuff has a habit of falling into the wrong hands." Chloe considered that. "We'll figure something out."

"What's all that?" Clark redirected a monitor to another screen. "Is this Tess?" Chloe nodded. "Yes. I still have several hookups that Lana left within Luthor Manor." The video showed a feed from behind Tess's head. Her laptop was opened to view a bald man being airlifted into a hospital wing.

"Uh oh!" Chloe commented. "You don't suppose...?" Clark scowled. "I wouldn't put anything past our girl Tess." He grumbled. "Could she have cloned Lex?" Chloe asked the obvious. "I hope not. If so, we need to get all evidence, and I mean all evidence of Veritas, Krypton, and the Blur out of Tess's hands."

Clark sighed. "It just never ends, Chlo'." She shook her head. "This is going to be tough."

Back in Smallville, the teens were just finishing up their pizza. Laura and Kara did the dishes, and Barb helped. Naturally, Dick just wandered away to look at the photo collection on the Kent's fireplace mantle. "This is Clark?" He awaited confirmation, pointing to the Clark in football uniform picture.

"Yes. It's from a few years ago." Laura explained. Barb hurried over to see, commenting: "Wow! He's hot!" Laura sighed loudly. Not another one, she mentally groused. Kara chuckled. "That's my cousin!" She said proudly. At that moment, Dick had taken to checking out the other girls again. I can't decide, he quickly fantasized. Both women have varying degrees of sexiness, he continued to muse.

"By the way, Richard." Laura's tone directed his attention back to her face, and off of her lower body. "We've been talking about a Halloween party, right here at the Kent Farm, for this coming Saturday. Will you and Barbara still be in town?" Kara looked shocked. "We have?" Laura rolled her eyes. "Didn't you get the E Mail?" Kara shook her head. "It would be sponsored by Oliver. Clark knows." Laura added. "It probably slipped his mind."

"Uh, I don't know." Barb hedged. "We have to check with Bruce." Kara cocked her head, casting a puzzled glance at them. "Bruce?" She parroted. "Um...yeah, he's sort of like our big brother." Dick stammered, nervously placing his hand behind his head, and fussing with his hair.

"He's welcome to attend as well." Laura threw down the gauntlet. "Can you give one of us a call back if you'll go?" Barb nodded. "The theme is costumed super heroes." Laura smirked, smiling brightly. "You don't necessarily have to go that route, but most of us will be dressed in that genre."

Kara's eyes widened. Was Laura bluffing, or was she truly on the level? The alien beauty wondered. "Okay, thanks. We'll check it out and let you know." Barb replied diplomatically. Shortly thereafter, Dick and Barb mounted their motorcycles and headed back to Metropolis.

Kara watched them go, and then turned to Laura. "Are you serious? A Halloween party here, and we're supposed to dress up like super heroes? What orifice did Oliver pull that out of?" She sniped. "He's actually getting the whole crew together for a meeting." Laura explained. "The super hero theme was meant to protect everyone's identities from Lois, Jimmy, or anyone else not privy to the group."

"Kal didn't mention that at all." Kara complained. "I guess he's busy at the Planet, or Lois's condo." Laura tossed in the dig, making Kara wince. "What are you going to dress up as?" She grilled Laura. "Duh! Gold Wing of course." Kara's mind went a different route. "What if we all switch identities to avoid any suspicion?" Laura snapped her fingers, letting it echo throughout the silent house.

"That's brilliant, K Girl!" She praised. "We'd better tell the boys."

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