Clark refilled his cup with punch and glanced at the crowd that had
gathered in the Talon for Rose's going away party. His folks were there,
of course, as well as Pete's, fit and tan from their vacation. But there
were also kids he barely knew from school, and some people he didn't know
at all.
"Funny how one life can touch so many others, huh?" Chloe mused as she seized another petit four off the buffet table. "Clark, don't let me keep eating these-they're so good!" She popped the little pink cake in her mouth.
"It's a nice turnout, and a really nice spread," Clark nodded. "Unfortunately the guest of honor isn't getting much out of it."
On the other side of the table baby Rose was dozing in her mother's arms as Charlotte talked animatedly with Lana Lang. The bruising on Charlotte's face and neck had started to heal, and her clothes were neat and clean, as were Rose's.
"I hope you and Pete aren't mad at me."
Clark raised his eyebrows at Chloe. "Huh? About what?"
"If Lana and I had gotten back from Metropolis sooner we could have told you who Charlotte Wilkins was, maybe saved Pete from what happened."
Chloe had indeed struck pay dirt in Metropolis, but of course by now the Kent's had heard the entire story from the source. Charlotte had been only fifteen when she had gotten pregnant, and her parents had sent her away to have her baby. Fearing the authorities would force her to give up her baby Charlotte had run away and been living on the streets when her daughter was born. She had been ecstatic when the baby's father, a petty criminal named Tommy Radcliffe, had found her. But her enthusiasm hadn't lasted long. Tommy drank too much, and treated her badly. Worse, he fell back into his old habit of robbery to support them. Fearing that the Metropolis police were on to him, Tommy had dragged Charlotte and the baby to Lowell County, where he'd robbed a liquor store with Charlotte and his child in the car.
Fleeing the scene, Charlotte had begged Tommy to let her and her baby go, promising they wouldn't go to the authorities. Tommy had refused, saying that Charlotte obviously didn't love him any more. To punish her he'd stopped on the Lowell Bridge, grabbed the baby (who'd been sleeping, wrapped in her mother's only warm coat) and threw it into the river.
"Charlotte seems like such a nice girl-I can't believe she'd ever fall in with someone like Radcliffe," Clark mused.
"She thought she was in love with the guy," Chloe countered. "Women do stupid things when they think they're in love. She probably would have taken the abuse for years if he hadn't tried to hurt her baby."
"She says she was in the bushes, watching, when Pete found Rose. She's been following us ever since. Guess she thought the baby'd be safe with us."
"And I think subsequent events have proved her right," Lex Luthor drawled, appearing next to Chloe. "You and Pete risked a lot for that little girl."
"But I still don't get why she turned up in your car, Lex," Chloe mused aloud.
"Only because Charlotte thought it must be one of ours," Clark explained. "She seized her chance to get the baby back at Pete's house, but once she heard about the other robberies she knew Tommy was still in town. So she left Rose someplace she knew we would find her."
"Sheriff Adams says Radcliffe's been charged with first-degree murder for the robbery-homicide," Lex explained. "Not to mention attempted infanticide for throwing Rose into the river, assaulting Pete, breaking and entering.I think it will be a long time before anyone has to see him again."
"Not long enough for me," Charlotte said as she and Lana approached. Rose was now sound asleep, drooling on her mother's shoulder. "I'm just glad child welfare is giving me a second chance."
"Do you know where you're going to go? You could stay here," Clark offered.
Charlotte smiled at him, the first genuine smiled he'd ever seen from her. "Thank you, Clark. But the home I was in before is helping me get a place in Central City. They have a special program there that will help me finish high school and get a job."
"That sounds great," Lana enthused.
"I got my little girl back-that's the most important thing." Charlotte smiled down at her baby. "If it hadn't been for all of you, I don't know what would have happened to us."
"We were happy to do it," Clark said lamely.
"But you do need to be thinking about your daughter's future," Lex said. He reached into the pocket of his expensive Italian jacket and produced an envelope. "This should help."
Charlotte opened the envelope and gasped.
"$25,000? Oh my God, I can't keep this, Mr. Luthor."
"It's not for you to decide, Ms. Wilkins. If you'll look closely you'll see the bond is in your daughter's name, not yours. It should be maturing about the same time Rose is getting ready for college."
The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly awed.
Clark had to laugh.
"It's the reward money, isn't it, Lex?"
"It is."
"Then you might was well keep it, Charlotte," Lana urged. "You did solve the case, after all. And if you hadn't been watching the Kent house and saw Tommy break in he might have killed Pete."
Charlotte hung her head. "I only wanted to watch out for my baby. The Kent's were the one who knew what to do. Clark was so brave to go by himself."
Clark cleared his throat, hoping for a change of subject.
"Still, the money is Rose's, and Lex hates it when his gifts are refused," Clark joked. "Right, Lex?"
"Right, Clark."
The guests chatted, and ate cake, and drank the Talon's strong coffee. It was almost like a birthday party, only they would never get to see Rose enjoying her new clothes and toys.
Clark tried hard to be happy, but he couldn't help the growing ache in his chest. Ever since Charlotte had reappeared Clark had been trying to steel himself for Rose's eventual lose. But now the time had come it was making him miserable.
Charlotte seemed to recognize this, and finally she cornered him by the serving bar.
"Clark? I want to talk to you."
"Sure."
She smiled softly at him. "Clark, I know this must be hard on you. But I want you to know I am going to be the best mother I can be. You and Pete gave us a second chance. You two are our heroes, Clark."
Clark blushed, and hated himself for doing so.
"Thanks."
"You know, I haven't seen Pete all night," she hedged.
Clark cleared his throat. "This is kind of hard on him, Charlotte. He really got attached to her."
"I know that. I can see it when he holds her. But we'd still like to stay goodbye."
Clark sighed. "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but." He pointing a finger toward the swinging door separating the main room from the storage area.
"Thank you, Clark." Charlotte stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Pete was sitting on an upturned storage box with his chin on his hands. He'd tried to be upbeat all week, but now that it was getting down to zero hour it was too depressing for him to be at the party. All of Lana's carefully prepared food tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
"Peter? Can I sit with you for a minute?"
He looked up to see Charlotte standing in the door. Rose was balanced against her shoulder.
"Sure, I guess. If you want."
The girl sat next to him.
"People are missing you out there."
"I'm not really in a party mood."
"Because of me?"
"No. Well.yeah."
Charlotte laid her hand on his.
"Pete, I don't want us to leave on bad terms. I don't want you to a hate me."
Pete sighed. "I don't hate you. I really wanted to, though."
Charlotte laughed. "I could tell."
"You could?"
"Yeah, the way you hovered over us every time I changed or fed the baby. Like you were hoping I'd screw up."
He winced. "Sorry."
"Hey, if I were in your shoes I'd feel the same way. I mean, I put my own baby's life at risk because I trusted some jerk guy. If I'd gone to the cops when I should have."
"But you did the right thing when it counted."
"I guess."
The baby stirred slightly in her sleep, and Charlotte absently patted her back.
"Are you sure you don't want to join the rest of us? Your folks are saving you some cake."
Pete shook his head. "Maybe in a little while."
Charlotte nodded, and stood up. Before she opened the door, however, she paused and turned back to face him.
"And Pete?"
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm keeping the name you gave her. Her name will always be Rose."
Pete swallowed the lump in his throat and grinned crookedly.
"Thanks."
Clark slammed his locker door shut and tossed his backpack over his shoulder. The hallways of Smallville High School thronged with people moving between classes.
Pete emerged from his physics class and leaned against the row of lockers.
"Seems a little unreal, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, a little. Like we're just supposed to forget her and go on with our lives."
"Well, we kinda are. We don't have to forget her, though." Pete stared at his sneakers for a moment. "Charlotte called last night. She and Rose are settled in their new apartment. She says we can write, if we want."
Clark studied his friend's neutral expression.
"Are you going to?"
Pete shrugged. "Yeah. Kid can't read yet, but someday she might like to hear the whole story."
"Without the scarier moments," Clark amended. He joined Pete in walking down the hall. "Do you still think we did the right thing?"
"You mean getting involved in the whole mess? Yeah, I do. I mean, I guess I thought being a hero would be more glamorous, and, I dunno, easier."
"Tell me about it."
"But we did a good thing, Clark. We reunited mother and child. It's a Paul Simon song waiting to happen."
"Pete, don't joke. I know you miss Rose."
"Of course I do. And I guess I always will. But I wasn't really ready for the whole 'teen father' gig. I got a lot of years ahead of me before I'm ready to settle down for good." Pete winked.
Clark followed his friend's gaze, and saw a pretty sophomore waiting in the doorway of Pete's English class.
"Isn't she on the cheerleading squad?"
"Yep," Pete beamed. As he walked away Pete clapped his friend on the back.
"The hero thing does have some perks, Clark. And some of us intend to take advantage of them."
Clark just shook his head and headed for his own class.
The End
"Funny how one life can touch so many others, huh?" Chloe mused as she seized another petit four off the buffet table. "Clark, don't let me keep eating these-they're so good!" She popped the little pink cake in her mouth.
"It's a nice turnout, and a really nice spread," Clark nodded. "Unfortunately the guest of honor isn't getting much out of it."
On the other side of the table baby Rose was dozing in her mother's arms as Charlotte talked animatedly with Lana Lang. The bruising on Charlotte's face and neck had started to heal, and her clothes were neat and clean, as were Rose's.
"I hope you and Pete aren't mad at me."
Clark raised his eyebrows at Chloe. "Huh? About what?"
"If Lana and I had gotten back from Metropolis sooner we could have told you who Charlotte Wilkins was, maybe saved Pete from what happened."
Chloe had indeed struck pay dirt in Metropolis, but of course by now the Kent's had heard the entire story from the source. Charlotte had been only fifteen when she had gotten pregnant, and her parents had sent her away to have her baby. Fearing the authorities would force her to give up her baby Charlotte had run away and been living on the streets when her daughter was born. She had been ecstatic when the baby's father, a petty criminal named Tommy Radcliffe, had found her. But her enthusiasm hadn't lasted long. Tommy drank too much, and treated her badly. Worse, he fell back into his old habit of robbery to support them. Fearing that the Metropolis police were on to him, Tommy had dragged Charlotte and the baby to Lowell County, where he'd robbed a liquor store with Charlotte and his child in the car.
Fleeing the scene, Charlotte had begged Tommy to let her and her baby go, promising they wouldn't go to the authorities. Tommy had refused, saying that Charlotte obviously didn't love him any more. To punish her he'd stopped on the Lowell Bridge, grabbed the baby (who'd been sleeping, wrapped in her mother's only warm coat) and threw it into the river.
"Charlotte seems like such a nice girl-I can't believe she'd ever fall in with someone like Radcliffe," Clark mused.
"She thought she was in love with the guy," Chloe countered. "Women do stupid things when they think they're in love. She probably would have taken the abuse for years if he hadn't tried to hurt her baby."
"She says she was in the bushes, watching, when Pete found Rose. She's been following us ever since. Guess she thought the baby'd be safe with us."
"And I think subsequent events have proved her right," Lex Luthor drawled, appearing next to Chloe. "You and Pete risked a lot for that little girl."
"But I still don't get why she turned up in your car, Lex," Chloe mused aloud.
"Only because Charlotte thought it must be one of ours," Clark explained. "She seized her chance to get the baby back at Pete's house, but once she heard about the other robberies she knew Tommy was still in town. So she left Rose someplace she knew we would find her."
"Sheriff Adams says Radcliffe's been charged with first-degree murder for the robbery-homicide," Lex explained. "Not to mention attempted infanticide for throwing Rose into the river, assaulting Pete, breaking and entering.I think it will be a long time before anyone has to see him again."
"Not long enough for me," Charlotte said as she and Lana approached. Rose was now sound asleep, drooling on her mother's shoulder. "I'm just glad child welfare is giving me a second chance."
"Do you know where you're going to go? You could stay here," Clark offered.
Charlotte smiled at him, the first genuine smiled he'd ever seen from her. "Thank you, Clark. But the home I was in before is helping me get a place in Central City. They have a special program there that will help me finish high school and get a job."
"That sounds great," Lana enthused.
"I got my little girl back-that's the most important thing." Charlotte smiled down at her baby. "If it hadn't been for all of you, I don't know what would have happened to us."
"We were happy to do it," Clark said lamely.
"But you do need to be thinking about your daughter's future," Lex said. He reached into the pocket of his expensive Italian jacket and produced an envelope. "This should help."
Charlotte opened the envelope and gasped.
"$25,000? Oh my God, I can't keep this, Mr. Luthor."
"It's not for you to decide, Ms. Wilkins. If you'll look closely you'll see the bond is in your daughter's name, not yours. It should be maturing about the same time Rose is getting ready for college."
The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly awed.
Clark had to laugh.
"It's the reward money, isn't it, Lex?"
"It is."
"Then you might was well keep it, Charlotte," Lana urged. "You did solve the case, after all. And if you hadn't been watching the Kent house and saw Tommy break in he might have killed Pete."
Charlotte hung her head. "I only wanted to watch out for my baby. The Kent's were the one who knew what to do. Clark was so brave to go by himself."
Clark cleared his throat, hoping for a change of subject.
"Still, the money is Rose's, and Lex hates it when his gifts are refused," Clark joked. "Right, Lex?"
"Right, Clark."
The guests chatted, and ate cake, and drank the Talon's strong coffee. It was almost like a birthday party, only they would never get to see Rose enjoying her new clothes and toys.
Clark tried hard to be happy, but he couldn't help the growing ache in his chest. Ever since Charlotte had reappeared Clark had been trying to steel himself for Rose's eventual lose. But now the time had come it was making him miserable.
Charlotte seemed to recognize this, and finally she cornered him by the serving bar.
"Clark? I want to talk to you."
"Sure."
She smiled softly at him. "Clark, I know this must be hard on you. But I want you to know I am going to be the best mother I can be. You and Pete gave us a second chance. You two are our heroes, Clark."
Clark blushed, and hated himself for doing so.
"Thanks."
"You know, I haven't seen Pete all night," she hedged.
Clark cleared his throat. "This is kind of hard on him, Charlotte. He really got attached to her."
"I know that. I can see it when he holds her. But we'd still like to stay goodbye."
Clark sighed. "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but." He pointing a finger toward the swinging door separating the main room from the storage area.
"Thank you, Clark." Charlotte stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Pete was sitting on an upturned storage box with his chin on his hands. He'd tried to be upbeat all week, but now that it was getting down to zero hour it was too depressing for him to be at the party. All of Lana's carefully prepared food tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
"Peter? Can I sit with you for a minute?"
He looked up to see Charlotte standing in the door. Rose was balanced against her shoulder.
"Sure, I guess. If you want."
The girl sat next to him.
"People are missing you out there."
"I'm not really in a party mood."
"Because of me?"
"No. Well.yeah."
Charlotte laid her hand on his.
"Pete, I don't want us to leave on bad terms. I don't want you to a hate me."
Pete sighed. "I don't hate you. I really wanted to, though."
Charlotte laughed. "I could tell."
"You could?"
"Yeah, the way you hovered over us every time I changed or fed the baby. Like you were hoping I'd screw up."
He winced. "Sorry."
"Hey, if I were in your shoes I'd feel the same way. I mean, I put my own baby's life at risk because I trusted some jerk guy. If I'd gone to the cops when I should have."
"But you did the right thing when it counted."
"I guess."
The baby stirred slightly in her sleep, and Charlotte absently patted her back.
"Are you sure you don't want to join the rest of us? Your folks are saving you some cake."
Pete shook his head. "Maybe in a little while."
Charlotte nodded, and stood up. Before she opened the door, however, she paused and turned back to face him.
"And Pete?"
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm keeping the name you gave her. Her name will always be Rose."
Pete swallowed the lump in his throat and grinned crookedly.
"Thanks."
Clark slammed his locker door shut and tossed his backpack over his shoulder. The hallways of Smallville High School thronged with people moving between classes.
Pete emerged from his physics class and leaned against the row of lockers.
"Seems a little unreal, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, a little. Like we're just supposed to forget her and go on with our lives."
"Well, we kinda are. We don't have to forget her, though." Pete stared at his sneakers for a moment. "Charlotte called last night. She and Rose are settled in their new apartment. She says we can write, if we want."
Clark studied his friend's neutral expression.
"Are you going to?"
Pete shrugged. "Yeah. Kid can't read yet, but someday she might like to hear the whole story."
"Without the scarier moments," Clark amended. He joined Pete in walking down the hall. "Do you still think we did the right thing?"
"You mean getting involved in the whole mess? Yeah, I do. I mean, I guess I thought being a hero would be more glamorous, and, I dunno, easier."
"Tell me about it."
"But we did a good thing, Clark. We reunited mother and child. It's a Paul Simon song waiting to happen."
"Pete, don't joke. I know you miss Rose."
"Of course I do. And I guess I always will. But I wasn't really ready for the whole 'teen father' gig. I got a lot of years ahead of me before I'm ready to settle down for good." Pete winked.
Clark followed his friend's gaze, and saw a pretty sophomore waiting in the doorway of Pete's English class.
"Isn't she on the cheerleading squad?"
"Yep," Pete beamed. As he walked away Pete clapped his friend on the back.
"The hero thing does have some perks, Clark. And some of us intend to take advantage of them."
Clark just shook his head and headed for his own class.
The End