Disclaimer: If I owned them, there would be LOTS of Clana! Too bad I don't :(
Summary: What would happen if Martha and Johnathan Kent were murdered? Short.
A/N: Ok, so I am continuing with more POV's.
WAITING
He was waiting - either for the train to come and take him to the place he had called home for most of his life or for him to wake up and find out that this was all a dream, or rather a nightmare. He would give anything for the latter to happen.
Disbelief and a strange numbness had settled over him after the initial shock and pain that had come when he had found out about it. And he had found out in the most impersonal way. The previous day played out again in his mind.
He lounged on the couch, waiting for another re-run of his favorite show to begin. Summer break had started several weeks ago and he had nothing better to do than to laze around his house and watch TV, while moping about the lack of adventurous friends he had in his new town. After seeing the same tacky commercial - for some brand of toothpaste he had never heard of - for the third time, he decided to channel surf a bit in the few minutes he had before his show began. Normally, he had no interest in the news and made a point not to watch the depressing accounts of how many soldiers had died in some war that most had stopped believing in a long time ago and how many terrorists had taken innocent lives for an agenda that no one could fully understand. However, that day, as he passed the news channels, he felt compelled to flip back just to check up on the world. He figured it wouldn't hurt to find out how things were progressing every once in a while.
The weather man had just finished informing the residents of Wichita that they were in for another scorching hot day, though he didn't need a weather man to tell him that. Immediately after, the words "BREAKING NEWS" flashed across the screen and a reporter began to report the latest major event. From his relatively short experience with news media, he knew that whatever followed those two words was never good news, so instead of depressing himself, he decided to check to see if his show had started yet. Just as he was about to press the button that would send him back to the previous channel, something caught his attention. Sitting up, he raised the volume and listened intently as the reporter relayed the events that had occurred just a few hours ago.
"...thank you for joining us Susan. I know you are right there in Smallville where this horrible tragedy has just occurred. Do you have any new information about what happened?" The screen showed the reporter, Susan, standing on a dusty road in front of yellow house. Behind her, there was a swarm of people - lots of cops, a few medical personnell, and several other news crews, along with numerous curious bystanders wanting to know what had happened on the familiar farm. The police officers were cordoning the area around the house off from the bystanders and news crews. The word "Smallville" had caught his attention before, filling him with an unusual sense of dread that had kept him from changing the channel, but it was nothing compared to the feeling that came over him when he suddenly realized that the bright yellow house on the screen behind Susan was one that he knew very well. Refocusing his attention on what the reporter was saying did nothing to alleviate the growing fear that he was beginning to feel in his gut.
"Yes, thank you Karen. First let me just fill everyone that just tuned in on what has happened here in Smallville, Kansas. About two hours ago, police responded to a 911 call here at the well-known Kent farm. The anonymous caller had reported that a murder had taken place and authorities confirmed a double homicide when they arrived on scene. We have now learned that the identities of the victims were, as suspected earlier, Jonathan and Martha Kent - the owners of the Kent farm. We have also confirmed that the 911 caller was their only son, who came across their bodies when he came home earlier this afternoon. The couples' son, Clark Kent, waited for authorities to arrive, then left the scene. At the moment, his whereabouts are unknown, however, he has been ruled out as a suspect in the crime. According to friends and neighbors, the Kent family was well-known and well respected throughout the small town of Smallville. Everyone in the town is stunned that such a horrific tragedy could happen..."
The reporter continued on, but he had stopped comprehending what she was saying. His heart had all but stopped and his mouth had gone dry. His stomach churned and he felt like throwing up and passing out at the same time. He realized that he had stopped breathing at some point, and the effort it took to finally take in a breath was monumental. Unable to move or think, he sat on the couch, staring blankly at the television screen in front of him.
Some time later, through the pounding in his ears, he faintly heard the front door open and the familiar click of his mother's heels. His position had not changed, though the news program was long over. He absently noticed that the show that had come on after the news was another favorite of his. The clicking of her heels stopped suddenly. After a moment it began again, much slower this time, as she approached him. He felt the couch sink next to him and her arms gently wrap around him. For a moment, he remained stiff, still unable to think or move. His mother held him patiently, and soon he began to tremble, and the floodgate of emotions opened. He held onto her tightly as he cried, his entire body shaking with sobs.
He shifted his position on the small wooden bench as he heard the whistle of yet another approaching train, though he knew it was not his yet. He had not slept that night. Instead, he had booked himself a train ticket to Smallville and, though he had several hours before the arrival of the train, left the house to wait at the station - despite his mother's protests.
By now, his back was getting sore and he was sure his voice would be hoarse when he finally had to speak, as he hadn't uttered a single word since he heard the news. But he knew he needed the time alone. He had to gather his strength so that he could help his best friend through the most difficult time he had ever faced. His mother had told him that Clark was doing all right, under the circumstances, and that Lana had not left his side since she found him. He had visibly relaxed at that. He was confident that Lana could give Clark the strength he needed right now.
He didn't know what he would do or say when he finally did see the man he had come to think of as a brother. He didn't know how he was going to react when he went to the Kent house and Mrs. Kent wasn't in the kitchen offering him a slice of her famous pies and Mr. Kent wasn't walking in through the door, greeting him with a clap on the shoulder. He didn't know how the rest of the group of friends who had come to know the Kent's as second parents would react. And he definitely didn't know how this was going to affect them all in the future.
But he did know that he would stick by his best friend's side from now on. He was ashamed that he had left Clark's side the first time he was threatened because of the secret. He vowed to himself last night that he would never turn his back on his friend again - he would stick by him, even if it meant he had to put his own life on the line to do it.
Hearing the whistle of another train, he put away the unread newspaper that had been sitting on his lap - it was time to go. He waited for the train to stop, then stood, bringing the small suitcase up with him. Pausing, he took a deep breath, wiped his moist eyes and walked onboard.