Again this chapter ran away with itself.

Martha ran a harried hand through her hair as she rushed into the kitchen that evening, trying to remember what she had taken out of the freezer for dinner that morning. Had she taken something out the freezer? She glanced at Clark who was sitting at the kitchen table, his chin resting on his hands. "I hope you've finished your homework if you're taking the time to sit around."

"Haven't started it yet," he admitted, his face creased in a worried frown.

Martha paused, closing the fridge door before she had even looked to see what, if anything, she had available for dinner and turned to examine her son. She pressed her hand against his cool forehead and asked in concern. "Are you ok?"

"Not sure," Clark admitted. "This woman turned up at school today and said she was my real mother." He looked up at his Mom, as he picked distractedly at the skin around his fingernails.

At his words, Martha felt her blood run cold, her stomach lurching uncomfortably. She had never thought she would face this, she had considered it but then dismissed it, telling herself that if Clark's birth parents had sent him hurtling through space in a spaceship then clearly they were in no place to come and claim him back. "I...right." She swallowed heavily as she hauled out the seat next to him and sat down. "Was she..."

"Human?" Clark supplied helpfully.

Martha managed a small smile. "Yes. Seems odd to dance around the issue, but then I didn't expect this."

"Neither did I, and yeah, she's human. Says she gave me to the adoption agency, that she didn't want to and she wants to get to know me."

It was awful but she felt relief flood through her, she wasn't going to lose her son, this woman must have it wrong. "Then you know that she can't be-"

"Yeah," he interupted. "I know, but she was pretty insistent, said I just needed to get used to the idea. She said that Metropolis United Charities handled her son's adoption, and that's who handled mine. You and Dad said that I was the only adoption that they cleared."

Martha's features settled into a frown. "That's what I thought."

Clark studied her carefully for a moment before telling her, "She's going to be pretty hard to avoid, she's bought a house in the area." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "She gave me her number to give to you, she wants to meet you, to talk to you."

"Ok." She took the paper from him, squeezing his fingers reassuringly. "I'll deal with this," she told him. "Try not to worry about it." She forced herself to smile. "Now, go and do your homework, I'll arrange to meet her tomorrow and I'll put on some dinner."

"Yeah." Clark relaxed slightly. "Thanks Mom."

"That's why I'm here."

She watched him go, and stared at the phone number for a few moments, she and Jonathan had never told Clark just who had arranged his adoption and provided them with the required paperwork, Jonathan had always be so insistant that Clark didn't know, that he never feel that he was beholden to the Luthor's. Martha sighed and rubbed at her forehead, perhaps it was time to talk to Clark, to tell him just what had happened that day, she didn't think he would have the same complex that Jonathan had about the Luthor's, she certainly didn't. She could understand why Jonathan had been so bitter about what Lionel had done, but she was more used to his type and knew that he was a business man, if he could twist something to his benefit then he would do it.

Her head ached. Panicking, Jonathan had rushed ahead and advised the Ross's to sell to Lonel before he had spoken to her. It was sweet how he'd wanted to protect her, not wanted her to worry that the little boy she'd loved and adored on sight might not be theirs, but if he'd told her then she would have assured him that Lionel wouldn't want to draw attention to his own dubious part in securing Clark's adoption. Afterwards, when she had wrangled out of him what had happened, when he was mired in guilt at letting Lionel get his foot in the door of Smallville, she hadn't the heart to tell him that it had all been avoidable. Lionel had seen a weakness in Jonathan and exploited it.

That didn't matter now though, what mattered was Clark, and not allowing this woman to start asking questions about his origin. She wouldn't lose her son, not to anyone.

"Mrs Kent?"

Martha looked up from her coffee into the eager but anxious face of Rachel Dunleavy, and took the proffered hand, shaking it politely. "Ms Dunleavy, please sit down." She waved her hand at the stool across from her.

"Thank you." Martha saw her shoulders relax slightly and in that moment she wished fervently that Jonathan was here. He would have stayed calm, whilst her nerves were frazzled. She had barely slept, again, worrying about what this women would say. She was drawn back to the present moment by Rachel twittering anxiously, "I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here, thinking that I have no right to turn up after all these years, after giving up my son."

"I'll admit the thought did occur to me." How could it not? She had desperately wanted a child and she couldn't imagine having one and giving then away.

"I don't blame you for that," Rachel sighed. "But you have to understand that I didn't want to give away my son, I had no choice."

Leaning forward, Martha met the other woman's gaze. "I'm sure you had your reasons, and I can understand how desperate you must feel about finding your son, and how much trouble you must have went through to find Clark, but I have to tell you that there has been a misunderstanding, Clark isn't your child, you have to understand that."

Rachel Dunleavy gave a somewhat eerily blank smile, as though Martha's words had bypassed her completely, shaking her head as she told her, "I've done my research, my Lucas was the only baby turned over to Metropolis United Charities and Clark was the only child that they ever placed."

Martha tried again, taking a different stance this time. "My husband and I raised Clark, we are his legal parents."

"I understand that," Rachel told her. "I just want a chance to know him, giving up Lucas was the worst thing I've ever done, I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because I had to." Her tone had changed, from benign to desperate.

"And if Clark was your son, then perhaps things would have been different, but he isn't," she replied firmly. "I sincerely hope that one day you do find Lucas, but you've made a mistake."

"No, no." Rachel made to grab her hand, and Martha gently pulled away from her. "He is Lucas, he has to be."

"He isn't." Martha got to her feet. "I wish you all the best, Ms Dunleavy, but please don't contact Clark again."

Martha felt awful as she walked out the cafe, Rachel Dunleavy had looked as though she had slapped her. Part of her wanted to stay, to try and make her see it wasn't possible, but the woman wouldn't listen. She supposed that she could understand the desperation, that need to find your child, to know what had happened to them but she didn't think talking to her would change her mind. She sighed, a frown crossing her features, she hoped that she would let it drop, but she had a feeling she hadn't heard the last of this.

"You've been distracted this morning," Lionel announced.

"What makes you say that?"

"The fact that I've asked you the same question three times and you haven't noticed," he remarked dryly.

"Ah." Martha flushed guiltily, "I'm sorry, my mind is elsewhere."

"Anywhere pleasant?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"Anything I can help with?"

Martha considered her options for a moment before replying, "Perhaps, it's about Clark."

Lionel gave a chuckle. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask about teenage boys, I barely handled Lex, as I'm sure he tells everyone who will listen."

"It wasn't for parenting advice," she assured him dryly. "It was about Clark's adoption."

His features slid into a frown. "What about it?" He honestly hadn't given it a thought since buying the Ross farm all those years ago.

"I thought that his was the only adoption you handled."

"It was, that subset of the charity was set up solely to facilitate his adoption procedure."

"That's what I thought, but a woman has turned up claiming to be Clark's mother." Martha watched Lionel carefully as she continued, "A Rachel Dunleavy."

Lionel could see Martha watching him, but even so he couldn't help his eyes from widening a fraction at the name. "Is Clark aware of her claims?"

"As she approached him first, yes he is."

"And what was his reaction?"

"He was confused, understandably so, but he has accepted that she can't be his Mother." Martha's eyes narrowed as she calmly stated, "He isn't the only one who's confused. Rachel Dunleavy claims that she handed her son over to Metropolis United Charities, which means that Clark can't be her son and yet you've just confirmed that only Clark was adopted out by your charity."

Lionel got to his feet, leaning on the palms of his hands, his voice firm and calm as he replied, "As a favour to your husband, to conceal the fact that you found an abandoned child and failed to report it to the authorities."

Martha had the grace to blush at his words, the colour spreading across her cheekbones, although her stare and voice remained resolute. "Clark would have spent years in foster care, we didn't want that for him. Legally we were in the wrong, but morally I don't regret our decision. And I think you'll find that you were repaying a favour, not that it stopped you from extracting your pound of flesh."

His lips twitched with the beginings of an incredulous smile, he hadn't expected her to be so firm, rather he had thought that she would shrink back, mutter some excuses and be disuaded from the subject. "I'm a business man, I saw an opportunity and I took it," he replied unappologetically. "Everyone got what they wanted from the arrangement."

"So what happened to the child Rachel Dunleavy claims she handed over?"

"Not your concern."

"Given that she has involved my son, I think you'll find it is. And your reluctance to talk about it is hardly reassuring."

Lionel couldn't help but chuckle at her words, Martha Kent irritated was a sight to behold, her skin flushed, blue eyes flashing. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No, and I'm amazed that you expect me to."

He sighed. "The child Rachel Dunleavy thinks was adopted through the charity was placed into the system."

Confusion flashed across Martha's feature. "Why?"

"Because while Clark's adoption merely involved pulling some strings to obtain the paperwork, this child would have required a full adoption placing, even I couldn't pull that off without attracting some scrutiny." He held his hands out in a suplicating manner, as he added, "Then later when Clark was to be adopted out, it meant that the numbers were balanced, one child in and one child out."

"So basically Jonathan and I finding Clark was the gift that kept on giving for you."

"I wouldn't have put it quite like that."

"So," Martha eyed Lionel carefully. "Why would you take in a child you couldn't place? I somehow doubt that it was down to the goodness of your heart."

"I don't need to have this discussion with an employee."

"You're right," Martha agreed. "But I won't work for a man who I believe is putting my family at risk."

"I don't appreciate empty threats."

"And I don't make them. I'll have my resignation on your desk by the end of the day, I'm assuming you'll want it to be effective immediately?"

"Martha..." Lionel growled warningly. She ignored him, turning towards the door and he realised that she wasn't bluffing, that she wasn't going to back down and he suddenly found himself desperate to make her stay. "Fine!" He snapped. "I knew Rachel Dunleavy, she was Lillian's nurse."

Martha stopped and turned, taking a few steps back towards him as she put the last of the pieces together. "And you had an affair," she stated.

"Yes. It was brief and Rachel decided to leave after it ended."

"Decided to?"

"Yes," Lionel confirmed. "Although I'll admit that I was relieved, I hadn't thought she would take the end of relationship as well as she did. She turned up over two years later with a child she claiimed was my son, demanding that I leave Lillian and marry her."

"I imagine that went down like a ton of bricks."

"She turned out to be rather troubled," he continued as though she hadn't spoken. "After much negotiation she turned the child over to me and agreed to seek treatment in a residential care facility. I funded it of course, but didn't remain involved in her care. I haven't heard anything from or about her since then."

"And the baby?"

"I couldn't risk Lillian finding out about him. She was still very weak and I had done enough damage, so I did what I had to do."

Martha winced at his words. "Do you regret it?"

"I try not to think about it," he admitted. "There was no other option, none that I could see."

Suddenly feeling exhausted, Martha pressed her fingetips against her forehead. "If that's the case then can you not just put Rachel Dunleavy on the right path?"

"I don't think that's wise. Anyway, she has no rights to Clark."

"Not my point," Martha snapped. "You've told me that this woman is mentally unstable, and she is determined to involve herself with my son's life." She levelled a finger at him. "You need to fix this."

"I don't take well to be ordered about and especially by a personal assistant waving her finger," he warned her unthinkingly.

Martha dropped her hand as her eyes widened. "You can see," she stated.

Lionel cursed under his breath. "I can hardly deny it, can I?"

"No. How long?" She asked bitingly.

"My sight gradually came back over a few weeks ago."

"And you can see normally?"

"Yes."

"So you've been pretending to be blind." Martha felt her blood boil. "Why?"

"I wasn't sure if it would continue to improve or if it would even be a permenant improvement. I was biding my time." He took his glasses off and managed a quirk of a smile. "It did have it's benefits, it's amaxing what people will do when they think their boss can't see them."

"You never cease to amaze me, and that isn't a compliment."

"I assumed," he replied smoothly. "But I can assure you that involving myself in this situation with Rachel Dunleavy will not make anything better."

Martha wanted to scream at him, instead she took in a deep breath and considered her options carefully. She supposed that she could see why Lionel had hiden the return of his sight at first, that wasn't her main concern, her main concern was Clark. "If she approaches you-"

"I will make it clear that Clark isn't the boy she's looking for. Although for obvious reasons I would appreciate if you would keep what I've told you quiet."

"As you pointed out I'm an employee, I do as I'm told." Her back straightened and she met his gaze. "I'll make you an appointment with the specialist, they can confirm whether the return of your sight is permenant." She turned on her heel to leave as she added dryly, "I draw the line at working for a man who's pretending he's blind." She would have drawn the line a while back if she didn't need this job so badly.

"Very well." Lionel watched her go, his eyes dropping to the sway of her hips. He would be better cutting Martha Kent loose, but it would appear that the challenge if having her was more tempting than the lure of common sense.