----

"The Fortress of Solitude," Becky smiled faintly at her cousin as she followed
him up the steps into the barn's loft. "Hasn't changed a bit."

"Sure it has." Clark countered with a grin. "I moved the couch."

With a roll of her eyes, she sat down on the object in question and tucked her
legs up next to her side. "How could I have possibly missed *that*?! It's made
such an amazing difference in the 'feel' of the place."

Sitting down next to her, he shrugged. "You're slipping. All that dirty Gotham
air's fried your brain."

"At least I've got one to fry, farm boy." She countered with a laugh before
sobering and reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I missed you."

Having no siblings of their own, the cousins had naturally gravitated toward
filling that role with each other.

He smiled. "Missed you too..." Looking away, he hesitated then asked. "Why
didn't you tell me about the divorce?"

All signs of Rebecca's smile vanished entirely and she turned, hugging her
knees to her chest. "I wanted to pretend it wasn't happening. Telling you
would have made it real. I couldn't face that." Hiding her face against her
denim-clad legs, her long hair swung forward in a curtain that isolated her.
Protected her from having to look him in the eye. If she did, then she knew
she wouldn't be able to hide it. It was a hard enough struggle to keep from
blurting her secret to Clark when everything in her life was fine. Hiding it
now, when her life was falling apart, was going to be the battle of a lifetime.
She couldn't look in his face and lie. She knew she couldn't.

"Beck..." Clark leaned forward, worry in his eyes. "What's really going on here?
What's got you so upset?"

Regaining her control quickly, she lifted her head and offered a wan smile. "I'm
ok, Clark, really I am. It's just...it's been hard and now with the move and
everything, I guess I'm just worn out."

"Well...to be honest..." He grinned a little. "You do look terrible."

Latching onto his attempt to cheer her up like a lifeline, Rebecca laughed
with forced merriment. "Gee, thanks, I guess not all of us were born with
your model-looks and grace."

He grinned. "That supposed to be an insult?"

"That's a comment to do with as you please." She bounced up from her seat
and wandered over to the telescope. "Remember when you tried to convince me
that the man in the moon was Great Uncle Charlie?"

"You mean the Great Uncle Charlie that doesn't exist?" Clark countered smugly.
"Sure, I remember. You waved and called 'Hi' to him every time you went out
at night."

She flushed lightly and shook her head. "You should be ashamed of yourself
for that y'know, tricking a little girl like that."

"Yeah right, that little girl liked to push me into the mud every chance she
got." He replied with a tug to her hair.

"You deserved it, dump truck thief."

Clark rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I can't believe you still bring
that up."

Rebecca smiled cheekily. "I'm a girl, cousin dearest, we have *long* memories
for such things."

TBC