Emmeline knocked on the door to the Kent home.

Clark smiled as he answered. "Hey, Em. What's up?"

"I was just dropping off these files to give to your mom. One of the psychologists at the clinic I'm working at helps Mrs. Kent out on the side and when she found out I knew her, she asked if I could make the trip for her."

"Oh, thanks."

Emmeline looked past Clark's shoulder and saw a girl of about eleven years nervously staring at her.

"Um, I see you have company. Sorry to interrupt."

"No, it's fine." Clark turned to the girl. "Maddie, I'm just going to be a second, okay?"

The girl made no response.

Clark stepped out on the porch and shut the door behind him.

"Who's Maddie?" Emmeline asked.

"She's the foster child of a friend of my mom's, Naomi. But…when I went over last night…she had been killed. Glass covered the place."

"Oh, geez…"

"Her parents died when she was three, and ever since then, she hasn't spoken at all."

"Well, it could be either selective mutism where certain situations or trauma render a person physically unable to speak or elective mutism where she simply chooses not to speak."

Clark stared at her.

"Sorry, I spent all day yesterday at the clinic. Coming out of work-mode now."

"Do you want to meet her? You're really good with kids and I think that you may relate to her in some ways."

"Sure. Maybe I can help her be a little more at ease."

The two of them stepped back inside the house where the girl quickly turned around at the sound of the door opening.

Clark smiled warmly at her. "Maddie, this is my best friend, Emmeline."

Emmeline slowly approached the girl, careful not to do anything too quick so as not to make her more uncomfortable or scared. "Hi, Maddie. It's very nice to meet you. You can call me 'Em' if you'd like."

Maddie looked back at her with wide eyes. Emmeline took note of her jacket balled up in her fists and her tense shoulders. This poor girl was terrified.

"You know, I bet you're going to have a great time here with Clark, Maddie. If there's anyone who can help someone feel better, it's this guy."

"Hey, Maddie, do you want to see the barn out back?" Clark asked.

Emmeline smiled at her. "It's really cool."

Maddie once again didn't make any movements.

Clark smiled. "Come on, we'll show you!"

Though Maddie continued not to say anything, she followed Clark and Emmeline out to the barn behind the house.

"And this is the world-famous Kent barn," Clark said as they walked in. "You know, when I was about your age, my dad used to let me jump in the haystacks in here." Clark looked around at the bare barn save for some stray hay littering the floor. "Why don't you close your eyes, turn around? I got a surprise for you."

Maddie stared back at him.

"It'll be worth it, I promise."

"Here, Maddie, I'll do it too," Emmeline said.

Though confused and skeptical, Maddie obediently turned around with her eyes shut as Emmeline did the same.

After two seconds, they both turned around and Emmeline smiled when Maddie's eyes widened. In the middle of the floor stood a huge haystack that certainly had not been there before.

"So, what do you think?" Clark smiled. "You wanna give it a shot?"

Maddie looked back at him with a trace of fear in her eyes.

"Let me guess, you're afraid of heights? I can relate." Clark knelt down in front of the girl. "You know, Maddie, you and I have a lot more in common than you think. I was an orphan too. And so was Em."

Maddie gave him a very small smile when she seemed to realize that she wasn't as alone as she thought.

Her smile broadened when Shelby barked and entered the barn. Maddie eagerly ran over and began petting the dog's head while embracing him and rubbing his fur. Even if she wasn't a huge fan of dogs, it was still one of the cutest things Emmeline had ever seen.

Clark walked over to Maddie and knelt down again. "Looks like Shelby likes you. Animals are great, aren't they? They listen to you, don't say mean things back. Look, I might not be as furry as Shelby or wag my tail or bark, but I promise I'll never say mean things to you."

Emmeline smiled. Clark was so good with children. It was so adorable to see the way he interacted with them.

She slowly walked up to stand next to him. "I won't either, Maddie. I know we just met, but I promise to look out for you. Is that okay?"

Maddie smiled a little and looked up at the loft. "What's up there?"

Emmeline's eyes widened in surprise. Maddie stood up and ran up the stairs while Clark and Emmeline smiled at one another, stunned Maddie had spoken but thankful she felt comfortable enough around them to do so.

"It's kind of like my clubhouse," Clark answered as he and Emmeline followed her up.

"Oh, you're so lucky."

"You can be lucky too, Maddie. It's not too late. We're gonna find you a good family."

"People don't like me."

"What? Well, those people are crazy. We like you."

Maddie looked at a picture of Lana. "Is this your girlfriend?"

"Well, she used to be. We kind of parted ways."

Emmeline wondered if Maddie could notice the awkwardness in the air or how much it hurt Clark to say that he and Lana weren't together anymore.

"Hey, you wanna go for a horseback ride?" he smiled though Emmeline knew he was mainly just trying to change the subject. "Just the three of us? Let's go."

Emmeline smiled a little. She could see that Maddie had a crush on Clark, not that she blamed her. After everything the girl had been through, she would let her have this one. "Actually, I've gotta get going, so you'll have to count me out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. So Maddie, you'll have to have fun enough for both of us, okay?"

Maddie smiled at her, and they all started down the stairs.

"You can chat up Buttercup all you want," Clark said.

"You have horses?" Maddie asked.

"So you can talk," a voice interrupted. Lois walked up the steps, and Emmeline noticed Maddie's eyes darken. "I knew that whole Marcel Marceau 'sound of silence' thing was just a rumor. I'm Lois."

Lois quickly stepped forward and held out her hand. Maddie stared at it for a second before taking a nervous step back.

"She's a little shy," Clark explained.

"I understand. A lot of artists are. I brought you some crayons and a coloring book. Maddie, check it out." She thrust the items in Maddie's direction. When she didn't take them, she shook them a little. "Go ahead."

Maddie flinched and took the book and crayons.

"Lois, she's not five," Emmeline said.

Lois turned around so she could talk to Clark without Maddie hearing. "Your mom called from Topeka. With her chief-of-staff gone, she's been in emergency meetings all day. She asked if I could help out."

"I think we got it under control."

Lois scoffed. "I'm the one with the little sister, remember?" She eagerly turned to face Maddie. "Okay, you ready for a few games of hopscotch? I'm a bit rusty, but you'll be the odds-on favorite."

"Actually, we were just about to saddle up and hit the trails," Clark told her.

"Great! Bust out the spurs, I'm game."

Maddie looked at Clark with a mixture of fear and disappointment.

"Um, actually Lois, why don't you help me out with something in the house?" Emmeline said.

Lois smiled awkwardly. "Oh, how adorable. You wanna be alone with Clark. Hey, no worries. I will be galloping way ahead of you guys."

Maddie began breathing faster and she quickly shut her eyes. Suddenly all the lights in the loft zapped and smashed at once causing the three adults to jump.

When the noise stopped, Maddie looked at everyone with wide eyes before bolting inside the house.

Clark and Emmeline shared a look and quickly ran after her.

"Maddie?" Clark called when they entered the house.

They looked over and found her sitting on the bench beneath the window hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hey, what just happened out there?"

Maddie didn't answer.

Clark pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "Did you break all those light bulbs?" he asked gently. "See, Maddie, I understand. You have powers, abilities that normal people can't even dream of."

Maddie sniffed and a tear ran down her cheek. Emmeline very slowly sat on the bench next to her and gently began rubbing her back.

"And it's okay. You can trust us. You can tell us the truth."

"We're here for you, Maddie," Emmeline said softly. "I promise. It's okay to talk to us."

Maddie took a deep breath. "Ever since I was little, I could break glass."

"Yeah?" Clark said.

"And when I get upset, I can't control it."

After a pause, he asked, "Were you upset with Naomi?"

Maddie looked at him in horror. "You think I killed her?"

"Maddie, you have the power to break glass. And the way that she died—"

"I didn't do it. Clark, I wasn't in the same room, and I can't do anything through walls. I liked Naomi. I would never hurt her."

"We believe you," Emmeline said. "All right? It's going to be okay."

"Clark!" Lois interjected.

The sound of Lois's voice caused Maddie to jump.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Emmeline looked at Maddie. "We're just going to be two minutes, okay?"

Maddie nodded and wiped her red eyes.

Clark and Emmeline followed Lois to the entrance hallway. "I'm gonna call the sheriff right now before we get sliced, diced and puréed."

"Lois, I'm not sure she killed anybody."

"Oh, yeah? So someone else with the power to shatter glass just moseyed on in and murdered her foster mom?"

"Just because she has this ability doesn't make her a killer."

"Clark, I always knew you were naive, but come on, don't let her rosy cheeks and saucer eyes sway you. That girl's one step short of the demon seed."

Emmeline clenched her fists in anger.

"Just give me an hour to see what I can find out," Clark said. "Then we'll call the police."

"Wait, you want me to babysit that little glass-smasher? Does my life mean nothing to you?"

"Look, I don't think she's dangerous. And if you're scared, Em can stay."

"Who said I was scared? I'm not scared."

"I think I'll stay anyway," Emmeline said.

"Thanks," Clark smiled. Then he hurried out the door to find some way to prove that Maddie was innocent.

Lois threw her head back and sighed. "Okay, let's go deal with that little devil."

"Lois," Emmeline said quietly. "She's not a devil."

"You know, I don't know why Clark thinks she's so cute and innocent when all the facts are right there in front of him."

"Lois—"

"He's such a huge sucker for kids and it's going to get him killed. Because that girl—"

"Lois, listen to me!"

Lois turned in surprise. It was very rare for Emmeline to raise her voice at her. But then, Lois could admit she rarely gave the introverted girl the chance to ever talk at all.

"What?"

Emmeline sighed heavily. "Please, just…enough with the 'demon' talk. She's a scared little girl."

"Yeah, but she—"

"Please…please let me finish. You feel like you know how to handle her just because you had a little sister. But there's a huge difference between family and a little girl who feels like a freak and has lost everything she cares about. I'm the one studying psychology and I used to be almost exactly like her."

"Look, I know she has these powers. But barring that, all kids are the same. You can handle one, you can handle them all."

"No, it-it doesn't work like that. There's a reason she hasn't spoken since she was three and only did now with me and Clark. First of all, you can't make any sudden movements because it makes her nervous. You have to talk softly and gently using words that are easy to understand. Don't tell her to do things, ask for her permission to do something. But you can't treat her like she's a toddler. And what I've learned helps people who are scared is to say their name often. It reassures them that the person talking to them knows who they are and cares about them."

Lois sighed. "Look, Emmeline, I'm not a psychology major. All I know is that the girl sitting in that room could skewer me to pieces of she wanted to."

"If you treat her like a human being, she won't want to. This is the same thing that happened with Alicia. Everyone blamed her because they thought she was the obvious culprit when it was actually someone completely different. But no one knew it until it was too late. I really don't want to see history repeat itself."

Emmeline went back to the bench under the window. She slowly sat down next to the girl.

"You know I used to be a lot like you. I didn't talk to anyone unless I had to and even when I did, they could barely hear me. But then I met Clark and my friends, Chloe and Lana, and they helped me to open myself up. I realized I didn't have to be scared anymore." Emmeline gently reached out and touched Maddie's shoulder. "When you're around me and Clark, you don't have to be scared, okay? You can smile and laugh with us. You have a very beautiful smile. I'd like to see it more often."

Maddie looked over at Emmeline but didn't say anything.

Emmeline wished she knew what to do or say to somehow make it so that she was confident enough to speak. She wondered if that was how her own parents felt for all those years.

Lois came around the corner with a picnic basket in hand. "Why don't we get out of the house?" she said with a forced smile.

Emmeline stood up from the bench. "How about it, Maddie?"

She held out her hand for her, and Maddie very slowly took it.

The three of them all began to climb the hill behind the Kent home.

"Whoever said you had to be indoors to have fun?" Lois said, still keeping her forced cheeriness. "Some of the best times I've ever had were way out in the boonies, as far away from breakables as possible."

Subtle, Lois, Emmeline thought.

"Where's Shelby?" Maddie asked.

"Oh, I have no idea. I'm allergic to him, and let's just say he's not too fond of me. Here." She roughly handed Maddie the picnic basket. "You know what? We're gonna have a good old time. We can pick flowers or catch bugs. Whatever floats your boat. I even packed that little picnic for us. Granted, I'm not the greatest chef in the world, but how can you screw up PB&J?"

While Lois started to put out the checkered blanket, Maddie took off running back to the farm.

"Shelby!" she called.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Emmeline put her hands to her head. "I guess I should've added not to talk too much."

Lois gave her a look. "I ramble when I'm nervous, okay?"

Maddie ran inside the barn, calling for the dog. Emmeline realized that Shelby had become Maddie's 'safe' object, something she could be around that would help keep her calm.

"You can play with the pooch when Clark gets back," Lois told her. "Turn around, and we can—"

The glass all around them started rattling fiercely while Maddie glared at Lois.

"Maddie, it's okay, honey," Emmeline said quickly as she gently touched the girl's shoulder. "Look at me. Clark's going to be back really soon, okay? I promise. Just take some deep breaths. Relax. It's okay."

The glass around them settled.

"Good girl."

Lois laughed nervously. "Uh, why don't we all just ease on out of here before one of us gets hurt?"

"What do you mean 'gets hurt'?"

They all turned to the barn door to find a man in a suit standing in the entrance. Emmeline put a protective arm around Maddie's shoulders.

"Who are you?" Lois asked.

"Frank Colbert, Child Services. What's going on here?"

"Okay, look. I know this sounds crazy, but I'm trying to keep her as far away from glass as possible."

"Lois," Emmeline pleaded. If she knew one thing, people with powers preferred them to stay secret.

"Maddie, why don't you get in the car?" Frank asked nicely.

Maddie nervously shook her head.

"Um…is it okay if I go with her?" Emmeline asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"She needs a familiar face to be with her throughout the next few steps. And please don't take offense to this, but she might be more comfortable with a female."

"Well, I'm the one who's been assigned to her. Maddie, it's okay. Can you get in the car for me?"

"No, no, no, not the car," Lois said quickly. "You don't understand. I am telling you, this girl, she can shatter glass just by looking at it."

Frank looked at her hardly, clearly not believing her story. "Thank you for your concern." He knelt down a little to look at the girl. "Maddie, I'm going to take you back to the shelter where you can be properly taken care of."

Frank escorted Maddie out to his awaiting car.

Emmeline knelt down and put her hand to Maddie's face. "Listen, Maddie, everything's going to be okay. This nice man is going to take very good care of you, and I promise that Clark and I will find you and make sure you're okay. All right? Just stay calm and let him do his job."

Maddie nervously got into the car.

"Trust me," Lois continued. "For your own safety, the girl can't be near glass."

"I heard you the first time," Frank told her. "Will you get her belongings, please?"

Lois started to head back inside to get Maddie's possessions when the glass windows of the car started to shake.

"Maddie!" Emmeline said quickly. "Maddie, relax, honey. Breathe. I promise, it's okay."

Maddie shook her head frantically. Emmeline looked over and saw an older man standing in the entrance to the driveway.

"Maddie, get out of the car!" Lois screamed.

With nowhere to run, Maddie quickly ducked beneath the car seat just as the windows exploded.

Frank had no time to comprehend what was happening before the shards of glass cut him to pieces.

Lois and Emmeline threw themselves to the ground, but it didn't stop Lois from getting several shards embedded in her shoulder and a large shard slicing deep into Emmeline's arm.

Maddie tried to get out of the car, but the man shoved her back inside.

"Stay there," he ordered.

He got into the driver's seat while Maddie stared helplessly out the broken rear windshield.

"Maddie!" Emmeline cried.

She groaned in pain and quickly threw her hand over the cut to stop the bleeding.

"Come on, Lois. We need to get to a hospital."


"Em!" Clark called. "You okay?"

Emmeline held up her arm. "Five stitches," she answered. "So that was fun."

"Where's Lois?"

"Uh, Room 5, I think."

The two of them went to Lois's room where she had just gotten all of the glass shards taken out of her shoulder.

"Lois, are you okay?" Clark asked quickly.

Lois sighed. "I've screwed up a lot in my life, but this ranks up there. That little girl was on my watch."

"Lois, don't beat yourself up," Emmeline said. "I was watching her too. There was nothing we could've done."

"Em's right," Clark added. "I should never have left you guys alone."

"Who's kidding who, Smallville?" Lois scoffed. "If you had been there, you would have been shredded beef."

Clark and Emmeline shared a look.

"Look, Clark, she's gonna be fine. They put out an amber alert. Every cop in the state is looking for Maddie."

"Did either of you get a good look at the guy?"

"Like I told the sheriff, mid-30s, sandy-blond hair, good-looking in that psycho-killer kind of way."

"I just don't understand. Who would want to kidnap Maddie?"

"Considering her dangerous disposition, I'm guessing somebody who's pretty desperate to be with her."


Clark and Emmeline headed over to the Daily Planet to see what Chloe could find on Maddie's kidnapper.

"His name is Tyler McKnight," Chloe explained after pulling up a picture of the man. "And I think he might be Maddie Van Horn's long-lost father."

"What makes you say that?" Clark asked.

"Well, he was Maddie's mom's college sweetheart the year before she was born."

"Okay, but what does that prove?"

"12 years ago, he landed in Belle Reve with the ability to control all things glass."

"So he really is Maddie's dad."

"Which means that Maddie Van Horn's meteor powers are second-generation. Her dad had the misfortune of being in a stained-glass workshop when the first meteor shower hit."

"So that means that acquired meteor powers are able to be passed down to the children," Emmeline added. "And the poor girl never had anyone who could help her learn to control her abilities."

"Maddie never met her father because he's been locked up all her life," Clark concluded.

"That's what happens when you use your powers to rob a jewelry store," Chloe said. "He got caught. The seven 5-karat diamonds he stole didn't."

"Did he just escape?"

"He walked out. He was a model patient. The shrinks gave him a clean bill of mental health."

"Chloe, we have to find Maddie. We don't know what this guy's capable of."

"How? We have no idea where he's headed."

"Where did he live when he was arrested?"

Chloe quickly typed in Tyler's information into a search engine. "With his mother, 145 Hastings Road."

Clark looked over at Emmeline. "Let's go."

The two of them went to the address Chloe had given them to find out what they could about Tyler.

"Hi, Mrs. McKnight?" Clark asked.

"Yes?" the woman at the door said skeptically.

"My name is Clark and this is Emmeline. We were hoping we could talk to you about your son."

"My son?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is it okay if we come in?"

"Uh, sure."

She stepped aside and allowed the two young adults to enter her home. When she saw Clark standing by one of the doors, she gave a sad smile.

"That leads to the basement. Some of Tyler's old designs are still down there. I haven't had the heart to throw them out. You can head down if you'd like. Did he get hurt at Belle Reve?"

"No, quite the opposite. He's been released."

As Clark and Emmeline went down the stairs, the older woman followed them in disbelief.

"I can't believe they let my son out. Why didn't he come and see me?"

"He probably went straight to see his daughter."

"Daughter? Tyler doesn't have a daughter."

Clark turned to look at her in surprise. Her face told him she wasn't lying.

"Her name is Maddie, and she's 11 years old," he told the woman.

Her mouth dropped in shock. "I have a granddaughter?" she said softly.

"Yes, ma'am, and it's very important that we find her. She could be in danger." His eyes wandered past her and he walked over to an unfinished stained-glass piece resting on a lit table. "I've seen this before at the Talon."

"Isn't it beautiful? He made it right before he was arrested. I don't have the finished piece. I had to sell it after my husband passed away."

"The seven diamonds he stole…did they ever find them?"

"No."

Emmeline knew that look. Clark knew where Tyler was. And more importantly, where Maddie was.

"Thank you for your time," he said politely. "If you'd like, we'd be happy to introduce you to your granddaughter. She needs her family right now. Without you…she'll be put in the foster system."

The woman's face turned desperate. "No, I can't let that happen. I…I would really like it if she could come live with me."

"I think she would like that too. We'll find her."

"Thank you."

Clark and Emmeline quickly left the house with their new information.

"Clark, go," Emmeline said firmly.

"What about you?"

"Maddie needs you right now. Go!"

"But—"

"Go!"

Clark raced off in a red and blue blur while Emmeline watched, hoping he got there in time.


"Maddie?" Emmeline called through the screen door as she entered the Kent home.

Maddie came around the corner and smiled broadly. "Em!"

"There's that beautiful smile I love. I'm glad to see you're okay."

"You're okay too, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm tougher than I look."

"Clark told me I'm going to be staying with my grandmother."

"We met her yesterday. She's so excited to meet you and have you come live with her. I'm sure you must be pretty nervous abut living with someone you don't know after everything you've been through, but she's going to help you and be there for you, okay?"

Maddie nodded. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Do you like Clark?"

Emmeline laughed. "Of course I like him. He's my best friend."

"No, I mean…do you like him more than a friend?"

"Uh…" Every part of Emmeline screamed for her to lie, but Maddie had had enough lies and hidden things in her life. "Am I that obvious?"

Maddie smiled. "No. I could just tell. Does he like you too?"

"We're very close, but that girl you saw in the barn is the one he's really in love with. I can't really compete with her."

"But they're not together anymore."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean his feelings for her have changed. Right now, I'm happy just being in his life. If it ever changes, then that's great, but I'm not going to force anything right now."

"I hope he ends up with you." Maddie excitedly grabbed Emmeline's hand. "Come on. Clark and I are building a house of cards upstairs!"

Emmeline laughed as the girl pulled her up to the second level of the house. She was thrilled to see that the shy and scared little child had gained the courage to speak and smile.

And even if she wasn't happy someone knew about her feelings for Clark, she could see that it made Maddie happy that she had confided in her.

After a full evening of various attempts at building a house of cards and various board games, Clark eagerly ran downstairs with the two girls in tow.

"Hey, Mom!" he called. "We need another deck of cards."

All of them froze when they saw that the glass on the back door had been smashed. In the distance, they all heard the distinct sound of glass breaking.

"Em, stay with Maddie," Clark ordered.

Emmeline once again put a protective arm around Maddie's shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Clark will take care of it."

Maddie wrenched herself out of Emmeline's arms and ran out of the house towards the barn.

"Maddie!" Emmeline called.

She ran after the girl, and they both arrived on the scene to find Maddie's father aiming hundreds of shards of glass at Clark.

He sent the shards flying in his direction, but they just circled around his head before flying back to Tyler in four bunches aimed directly at his neck.

"Don't worry, Clark," Maddie said firmly with her arm outstretched to control the glass. "I'm not gonna let him hurt any more people."

"Maddie, no," Clark said quietly.

"Princess, what are you doing to me?" Tyler trembled, his hands up in surrender.

"Maddie, please, if you kill him, you'll be just like him. You don't have to turn into your father."

"Maybe I don't have a choice," Maddie said without taking her eyes off her father.

"Maddie, just because you're his child does not mean that you're destined to follow in his footsteps."

"…But I don't want him to hurt any more people."

"I won't, honey," Tyler pleaded as he went down on his knees. "Please. I promise. I made a mistake, Maddie."

"Maddie, listen to me," Emmeline said. "Think about what you're going to do. He may have done some very terrible things, but he is your father and you don't want his death on your conscious. We won't let him hurt anyone else, I promise."

"Maddie, your father has already destroyed his life," Clark told her. "Don't destroy yours. You have too much to offer this world."

"It will be okay, sweetie."

Maddie lowered her hand and the shards of glass crashed to the barn floor. She turned to Clark and Emmeline with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The two of them quickly went up and embraced the girl.

"Everything's okay," Emmeline said quietly. "Everything's all right."


The next day, Maddie nervously grabbed her possessions and headed out to the porch to meet her new guardian.

Emmeline could tell she was terrified about what was going to happen and how her grandmother would react to her abilities. But after she and Clark met the woman, Emmeline knew that things were going to be just fine.

"Go ahead, Maddie," Clark said gently. "There's nothing to be scared about."

"Yes, there is," Maddie said, her eyes reddening with unshed tears. "You both won't be with me. I'll have no one to talk to."

Clark knelt down in front of her. "That's not true. Maddie, your grandmother can't wait to talk to you. She wants to hear every word you have to say."

Maddie looked at the woman approaching the house. "What about my powers? What if I can't control them?"

"But you can, Maddie. We've seen you. Just like you did in the barn, remember? But if you ever feel like you're gonna lose control, all you have to do is pick up the phone. You call me or Em. We'll be right there to talk you through it, okay?"

"I already miss you guys." She tightly wrapped her arms around Clark.

"I miss you, too. Your grandmother is waiting for you. She's gonna take good care of you."

Maddie released him and then hugged Emmeline around the waist.

Emmeline pulled back and tucked a piece of the girl's hair behind her ear. "You are such a brave girl, Maddie. I'm so happy I got the chance to meet you. Just like Clark said, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'll be right here for you. Especially for the girl talk, if you know what I mean."

Maddie laughed lightly and hugged her again. "Good luck."

Emmeline laughed a little. "Good-bye, Maddie."

"Bye, Em."

"I almost forgot."

She took a picture out of her sketchbook and handed it to them. Clark and Emmeline looked at it and their hearts overflowed with affection. Maddie had drawn around the poor stick figure Clark had drawn on Maddie's first night at the Kent home and filled the paper with the farm, Shelby, Martha, and herself. A drawing of Emmeline along with the stick-figure-Clark held Maddie's hands, and a rainbow stretched over the entire scene.

They both watched as Maddie's grandmother tightly hugged her and kissed her forehead. She then handed her a purple present.

Maddie turned and smiled at them as she got inside the car.

"She's going to be okay," Emmeline breathed.

"Why did she say 'good luck'?

Emmeline felt herself blush but she smiled. "Girl stuff."

She and Clark walked down the porch steps to wave to the departing car.

"How is it we always seem to befriend the strays?" she asked.

Clark smiled. "I guess they're just drawn to us."

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but we do make a pretty awesome team."

He laughed as he put his arm around her shoulders, unaware he made her heart skip a beat with the action. "We sure do."