Foundations Chapter 8(Additional note: This scene takes place about two weeks prior to "He's Gone".)
[A month later....]
Clark and Lana walked out of the Economics Building on a Friday afternoon. Their classes had proven to be challenging as advertised between quizzes and the amounts of assigned reading. Still, they were enjoying themselves and getting to know the other "special" ones like themselves. Heading for the Student Union, they observed the constant activity of the students running to class or just to get to another place in general.
"It's something, isn't it?" he asked.
She exhaled deeply and smiled. "It is. But, I really think we made the right decision."
"Yeah? I might remind you of that one after Adam's training session tomorrow," he cracked.
She chuckled. Maybe the others found them to be difficult, but she enjoyed the chance to test herself. It's the chance not to be the fairy princess anymore. Emma had really been a great help in that regard, getting her to relax and not worry about outside tensions. "We'll see."
As they descended the stairs, the duo saw Michelle, Mika, and Samantha sitting at a corner table.
"Hi," he greeted. "How's everything?"
"We just handed in the essays for Dr. Messenger," Michelle shrugged. "Mine was okay, I guess. She really helped me."
"Mom warned me it would be hard at first. I don't know-with Uncle Dave's guidance, it wasn't that bad," Mika added.
"That class he gave over in the library along with Professor Castalaine made a difference for me. I think my paper's going to be okay," Samantha said. Looking up at their two friends, she asked, "Want to join us?"
"Sure. Thanks," Lana accepted, pulling out a chair and sitting down. After Clark did the same, she asked, "Mika, I don't mean to be intrusive, but why do you call Professor Dubois, 'Uncle Dave'?"
"That's okay. He's always been like an uncle to me, I guess. He and Auntie Angie are my godparents. Mom and Dad are the same for the twins and Deirdre," Mika answered with a shrug sipping on her coffee.
"Sounds good to me," Clark indicated, twisting the top off of a Pepsi.
"Sorry for being so abrupt. It's been a long week," Lana apologized, feeling a bit flustered.
"It's okay. We're all going through the same thing," Mika said reassuringly. "Well, it's almost time to meet Uncle Dave over at Social Sciences. Shall we?"
"Sounds good. See you guys in Astronomy," Lana concluded.
"Absolutely. But we'll be in class tomorrow as well, right?" Samantha asked, her brow arched and a humorous smile on her face.
"Right."
"See you all later," Clark told them as he and his two female companions headed back for the stairs.
As they left, Michelle grinned. Thank you, Emma.
****
Two hours later, the dinner plates were being cleared away in the Dubois condo. Dave, Angie, Francesca, and Eve enjoyed having the three students over for dinner once a week. It gave them a chance to talk outside of the classroom.
"How are you all doing?" he asked them.
"We're all right," Clark replied. "Just trying to get ready for your midterm."
"Don't be in too big of a rush," Angie advised, casting a humorous verbal slap at her husband. "One never knows what kind of an impression that will make on a professor's ego."
"I don't know, Angie. Maybe that enthusiasm might wash off on their classmates," Eve disagreed.
"Michelle and Samantha are enjoying your class, Dr. Messenger, as am I," Mika complimented.
"I can tell," the former messenger mentioned, sipping on her coffee. "Keep up the good work."
Dave looked at the clock. 6PM. Hmm...I hope everyone's in place. "Excuse me," he said, walking into his study and checking the computer to make sure the settings were right. Okay, we're looking good so far.
Entering the chat program, he saw that Miri was already online.
Dave: Hey, Short Stuff. How are you?
Miri: Hi, Uncle Dave. I'm fine. Dad will be back in a bit. Everything okay back there? Mika sent.
Dave: Hang on.
Walking back into the other room, he said, "Clark, Lana, want to come in here for a minute? Miri's online if you want to talk to her.
Lana grinned and walked quickly into the other room. I hope she's okay. Sitting down in front of the computer, she typed, Miri?
Miri: Yes, who is this?
Lana: This is Lana. How are you?
Miri: Oh wow! I'm great! Hey, I'll be out there in a couple of weeks to see Uncle Dave and Auntie Angie. Would you and Clark mind introducing me to all of your new friends?
Lana: As many as we can manage! Clark says hi by the way.
Miri: Great. Wait a minute. Hey, Chloe just came on.
Lana: I see that. I'm going to talk to her. Hang on. Is she going to be surprised.
****
[Dorm Room, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY]
In her dorm room, Chloe sat typing away on an email message to her father. Classes were going okay, but she wished that her last exam had gone better. At least the student newspaper likes my columns. She signed off, wondering what was going on with her friends. Lex Luthor sent occasional emails to say hi. His messages always had something subliminal in them and it was hard to tell where he was coming from in them. One of these days, I need to figure you out, Lex.
Staring at the picture on her bureau, she studied her friends' faces. Pete was doing all right out at UCLA. Clark and Lana were making some progress at Arizona under the Duboises' tutorage. Those must be interesting classes.
Then her computer speaker beeped at her.
What the? She looked at the screen to see a little screenshot in the corner. It said: Message from Lana: Hi! Wanna talk?
Talk about perfect timing! She logged in and typed: Hey, what's going on? How are you doing?
Lana: We're okay here. Professor Dubois is letting us use his computer to chat with you. His classes...are well...interesting to say the least.
Chloe (after allowing herself to chuckle): I'll bet. Classes here are a challenge. I hate Algebra! History's proving to be a bear. Arrrgggh!!!
Lana: You should take it from Professor Dubois. He makes it interesting.
Chloe: History interesting? That would be a first. So, how's our resident farm boy?
Lana: He's right here. Hang on.
Just before Clark was going to start typing, Dave motioned to him. "Let me ask her something please."
He handed their host the keyboard.
He typed. Hi, Chloe. Do you have a set of headphones with your computer?
Chloe: Sure. I can plug them into the speaker. Why?
Dave: How about a microphone?
Chloe: Yeah, why?
Dave: Plug them in if you would.
Chloe: Okay, now what? Then she saw a message on the Chat screen. Lana invites you to do a voice chat. Click here to accept. Sure! As she clicked, her chat screen configured the computer. What's going on?
Dave: Do you have everything on?
Chloe: Yes, why?
Then over the headphones, she heard Clark. "Hi, Chloe. Can you hear me?"
Fumbling with the microphone, she responded, "Yes! Clark, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me," he responded, a smile crossing his face. "How are you hanging in there?"
"Well, as I was telling Lana, classes are going okay. I miss you guys though," she told him.
"It isn't the same without you here, Chloe. That's for sure," he stated. "You ought to come here for a visit."
The reporter smiled and her eyes sparkled. They haven't forgotten me. Oh come on, Chloe, of course not. "Sure, Clark, maybe you can send somebody up here to pop me down there and back."
"We'll see what we can do," Dave's voice chuckled in the background. "Meantime, don't keep Miri hanging, okay?"
"Right," Lana said, enlarging the first chat window and typing Miri, can you do a voice chat?
Miri: Sure. Why? Is Chloe chatting with you?
Lana: Yes. Jump in. I'm sending the invite out now.
Miri: Cool. Hang on. She grabbed her father's headset, plugged it into the speaker, and asked, "Hi! Anyone there?"
Is that? No way! "Miranda?" Chloe's voice asked through her earphones. "Is that you?"
"Yeah. Chloe, how are you?" Miri inquired.
"I'm feeling better now. Thanks!" Chloe responded. "Are the others still there?"
"Right here," Lana assured her. "Where were we?"
"You were about to let me type," Clark cracked, kissing her cheek.
For the next three hours, the four kids were having fun catching up on things, cracking jokes, and reassuring each other.
Watching this scene, Dave and Angie smiled contentedly. This connection was important to their young friends. Certainly, there wouldn't be a problem in letting them do something like this on a weekly basis?
Not as far as I'm concerned, Dave mused. Looking at his wife, he could see that she agreed with him. It was settled: they would have this as a set chat time for the students.
["Come on," Angie urged through their link. "Let them have their conversation in peace."]
"Okay," he agreed, joining her and their other guests in the front room. Things were working out for the best after all. Perhaps this will work. One can only hope.
[A month later....]
Clark and Lana walked out of the Economics Building on a Friday afternoon. Their classes had proven to be challenging as advertised between quizzes and the amounts of assigned reading. Still, they were enjoying themselves and getting to know the other "special" ones like themselves. Heading for the Student Union, they observed the constant activity of the students running to class or just to get to another place in general.
"It's something, isn't it?" he asked.
She exhaled deeply and smiled. "It is. But, I really think we made the right decision."
"Yeah? I might remind you of that one after Adam's training session tomorrow," he cracked.
She chuckled. Maybe the others found them to be difficult, but she enjoyed the chance to test herself. It's the chance not to be the fairy princess anymore. Emma had really been a great help in that regard, getting her to relax and not worry about outside tensions. "We'll see."
As they descended the stairs, the duo saw Michelle, Mika, and Samantha sitting at a corner table.
"Hi," he greeted. "How's everything?"
"We just handed in the essays for Dr. Messenger," Michelle shrugged. "Mine was okay, I guess. She really helped me."
"Mom warned me it would be hard at first. I don't know-with Uncle Dave's guidance, it wasn't that bad," Mika added.
"That class he gave over in the library along with Professor Castalaine made a difference for me. I think my paper's going to be okay," Samantha said. Looking up at their two friends, she asked, "Want to join us?"
"Sure. Thanks," Lana accepted, pulling out a chair and sitting down. After Clark did the same, she asked, "Mika, I don't mean to be intrusive, but why do you call Professor Dubois, 'Uncle Dave'?"
"That's okay. He's always been like an uncle to me, I guess. He and Auntie Angie are my godparents. Mom and Dad are the same for the twins and Deirdre," Mika answered with a shrug sipping on her coffee.
"Sounds good to me," Clark indicated, twisting the top off of a Pepsi.
"Sorry for being so abrupt. It's been a long week," Lana apologized, feeling a bit flustered.
"It's okay. We're all going through the same thing," Mika said reassuringly. "Well, it's almost time to meet Uncle Dave over at Social Sciences. Shall we?"
"Sounds good. See you guys in Astronomy," Lana concluded.
"Absolutely. But we'll be in class tomorrow as well, right?" Samantha asked, her brow arched and a humorous smile on her face.
"Right."
"See you all later," Clark told them as he and his two female companions headed back for the stairs.
As they left, Michelle grinned. Thank you, Emma.
****
Two hours later, the dinner plates were being cleared away in the Dubois condo. Dave, Angie, Francesca, and Eve enjoyed having the three students over for dinner once a week. It gave them a chance to talk outside of the classroom.
"How are you all doing?" he asked them.
"We're all right," Clark replied. "Just trying to get ready for your midterm."
"Don't be in too big of a rush," Angie advised, casting a humorous verbal slap at her husband. "One never knows what kind of an impression that will make on a professor's ego."
"I don't know, Angie. Maybe that enthusiasm might wash off on their classmates," Eve disagreed.
"Michelle and Samantha are enjoying your class, Dr. Messenger, as am I," Mika complimented.
"I can tell," the former messenger mentioned, sipping on her coffee. "Keep up the good work."
Dave looked at the clock. 6PM. Hmm...I hope everyone's in place. "Excuse me," he said, walking into his study and checking the computer to make sure the settings were right. Okay, we're looking good so far.
Entering the chat program, he saw that Miri was already online.
Dave: Hey, Short Stuff. How are you?
Miri: Hi, Uncle Dave. I'm fine. Dad will be back in a bit. Everything okay back there? Mika sent.
Dave: Hang on.
Walking back into the other room, he said, "Clark, Lana, want to come in here for a minute? Miri's online if you want to talk to her.
Lana grinned and walked quickly into the other room. I hope she's okay. Sitting down in front of the computer, she typed, Miri?
Miri: Yes, who is this?
Lana: This is Lana. How are you?
Miri: Oh wow! I'm great! Hey, I'll be out there in a couple of weeks to see Uncle Dave and Auntie Angie. Would you and Clark mind introducing me to all of your new friends?
Lana: As many as we can manage! Clark says hi by the way.
Miri: Great. Wait a minute. Hey, Chloe just came on.
Lana: I see that. I'm going to talk to her. Hang on. Is she going to be surprised.
****
[Dorm Room, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY]
In her dorm room, Chloe sat typing away on an email message to her father. Classes were going okay, but she wished that her last exam had gone better. At least the student newspaper likes my columns. She signed off, wondering what was going on with her friends. Lex Luthor sent occasional emails to say hi. His messages always had something subliminal in them and it was hard to tell where he was coming from in them. One of these days, I need to figure you out, Lex.
Staring at the picture on her bureau, she studied her friends' faces. Pete was doing all right out at UCLA. Clark and Lana were making some progress at Arizona under the Duboises' tutorage. Those must be interesting classes.
Then her computer speaker beeped at her.
What the? She looked at the screen to see a little screenshot in the corner. It said: Message from Lana: Hi! Wanna talk?
Talk about perfect timing! She logged in and typed: Hey, what's going on? How are you doing?
Lana: We're okay here. Professor Dubois is letting us use his computer to chat with you. His classes...are well...interesting to say the least.
Chloe (after allowing herself to chuckle): I'll bet. Classes here are a challenge. I hate Algebra! History's proving to be a bear. Arrrgggh!!!
Lana: You should take it from Professor Dubois. He makes it interesting.
Chloe: History interesting? That would be a first. So, how's our resident farm boy?
Lana: He's right here. Hang on.
Just before Clark was going to start typing, Dave motioned to him. "Let me ask her something please."
He handed their host the keyboard.
He typed. Hi, Chloe. Do you have a set of headphones with your computer?
Chloe: Sure. I can plug them into the speaker. Why?
Dave: How about a microphone?
Chloe: Yeah, why?
Dave: Plug them in if you would.
Chloe: Okay, now what? Then she saw a message on the Chat screen. Lana invites you to do a voice chat. Click here to accept. Sure! As she clicked, her chat screen configured the computer. What's going on?
Dave: Do you have everything on?
Chloe: Yes, why?
Then over the headphones, she heard Clark. "Hi, Chloe. Can you hear me?"
Fumbling with the microphone, she responded, "Yes! Clark, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me," he responded, a smile crossing his face. "How are you hanging in there?"
"Well, as I was telling Lana, classes are going okay. I miss you guys though," she told him.
"It isn't the same without you here, Chloe. That's for sure," he stated. "You ought to come here for a visit."
The reporter smiled and her eyes sparkled. They haven't forgotten me. Oh come on, Chloe, of course not. "Sure, Clark, maybe you can send somebody up here to pop me down there and back."
"We'll see what we can do," Dave's voice chuckled in the background. "Meantime, don't keep Miri hanging, okay?"
"Right," Lana said, enlarging the first chat window and typing Miri, can you do a voice chat?
Miri: Sure. Why? Is Chloe chatting with you?
Lana: Yes. Jump in. I'm sending the invite out now.
Miri: Cool. Hang on. She grabbed her father's headset, plugged it into the speaker, and asked, "Hi! Anyone there?"
Is that? No way! "Miranda?" Chloe's voice asked through her earphones. "Is that you?"
"Yeah. Chloe, how are you?" Miri inquired.
"I'm feeling better now. Thanks!" Chloe responded. "Are the others still there?"
"Right here," Lana assured her. "Where were we?"
"You were about to let me type," Clark cracked, kissing her cheek.
For the next three hours, the four kids were having fun catching up on things, cracking jokes, and reassuring each other.
Watching this scene, Dave and Angie smiled contentedly. This connection was important to their young friends. Certainly, there wouldn't be a problem in letting them do something like this on a weekly basis?
Not as far as I'm concerned, Dave mused. Looking at his wife, he could see that she agreed with him. It was settled: they would have this as a set chat time for the students.
["Come on," Angie urged through their link. "Let them have their conversation in peace."]
"Okay," he agreed, joining her and their other guests in the front room. Things were working out for the best after all. Perhaps this will work. One can only hope.