Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of the writers, creators, and producers of the Smallville television series.
Story Note: Jonathan and Martha Kent have taken in Martha's sister's child. Martha's sister and her husband died in a car accident soon after Jessie was born and the 9 year old girl has been raised by her paternal grandmother. It's sometime during the second season and Clark is in the 10th grade.
After relentless begging from Jessie, Clark agreed to take her to see Lex's mansion the next weekend. Lex couldn't have been more a more perfect host. He invited them to spend the entire afternoon. They swam in the pool, watched a movie on his enormous screen television, played video games on real arcade machines, and finished the day with a gourmet meal that was prepared by his personal chef.
Clark practically had to drag her away when it was time to leave. The only thing that got her out the door was Lex's promise that she could come by anytime she wanted, no invitation necessary. Jessie surprised Lex and Clark when she motioned for Lex to lean down and gave him a huge hug.
Jessie was getting used to her routine of school, homework, and chores but she still didn't like it. She grumbled her way through her own chores most days but was always happy to tag along behind Jonathan as he did his. She had never had a father figure in her life and she was quickly growing quite attached to her Uncle Jonathan. And he was just eating it up with a spoon.
Jessie had cleverly found a way around the one hour per day television rule by taking an interest in Jonathan's favorite baseball team. That was usually good for a few extra hours of TV on Sunday afternoon. At first she did it just to get to watch TV, but soon she was as big a Royals fan as Jonathan.
There were still problems, of course. Jessie averaged at least one note from her teacher a week. She still complained about her chores and she still tried to sneak TV time whenever she could get away with it. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons were Martha's days to deliver food to shut-ins and Jonathan was almost always working away from the house that time of the day. She usually enjoyed a little Oprah or played a video game. Clark knew what she was up to but was nice enough not to tattle.
One afternoon Jessie was engrossed in Oprah's interview with Ashton Kutcher. Too engrossed. Suddenly, the image in front of her changed from Ashton to Uncle Jonathan. Busted.
Jonathan didn't even say anything. He just started unhooking cords. Jessie protested loudly but her complaints fell on deaf ears. Jonathan Kent didn't make idle threats. As he carried the television from her room Jessie was beside herself.
"Go ahead! Take the stupid TV! See if I care!"
Clark was coming in through the kitchen as Jonathan was carrying the set out to the barn.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Apparently your cousin doesn't think she has to bother with the rules around here," he said.
Noting the TV his father was carrying Clark quickly deduced what had happened. He went up to Jessie's room and found her sitting on the bed throwing everything within reach onto the floor.
"You know, you're just going to have to pick all that stuff up again," he cautioned.
"I'm not picking up squat!" she yelled.
"Jessie, knock it off before you get yourself in more trouble," he warned her.
"I'm going crazy on this farm totally cut off from all civilization!"
"Don't you think you're being a little overly dramatic?"
"I had a conversation with a chicken yesterday! I ask you, is that the actions of a sane person?"
Clark couldn't help laughing. "What you need is a friend. Haven't you met anyone at school you thought was interesting?"
Jessie thought about it. "There's this one kid who can drink milk and blow it out through his nose. That's pretty interesting, don't you think?"
Clark raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think that's pretty disgusting."
Jessie nodded. "So, you see my point."
"Look, Pete has a sister about your age. Maybe we could all do something this weekend," he offered.
"Well, if she doesn't cluck when she walks she's a step up from my current best friend."
"Okay, I'll see if I can set it up. Come on, I'll help you get this stuff picked up before Dad sees it."
"Thanks. Clark?"
"Yeah?"
"Sometimes I used to imagine that I had an older brother," she confessed.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, but I never imagined him as nice as you."
Clark smiled and pushed her back onto the bed. "Shut up and clean, Squirt."
The next morning Jessie was in the barn getting some feed for the chickens before school when she noticed her TV boxed up in the corner. The site of it sitting out here, HER TV, made something inside her snap. She stashed her backpack behind some boxes and started walking down the road.
A few hours later, the phone rang. It was the school reporting Jessie absent for the day. Martha ran out to the field to find Jonathan. Together they combed every inch of the farm but turned up nothing.
"I'm going to the High School to get Clark. Maybe he'll have some idea where she'd go," Martha said.
"I'll take a walk down to the lake. It's pretty hot. Maybe she decided to go for a swim."
Martha panicked. "Oh, my God! Jonathan, what if she drowned?"
Jonathan put his arms around her. "Honey, I'm sure she's fine. We'll find her. I promise."
At the High School, Martha had Clark called to the office. "Can you think of anywhere she might go?" she asked him.
He didn't have to think long. Lex.
"Actually, I have a pretty good idea. Go home, Mom. I'll call you if I find her."
Once he cleared the school doors, he was a blur. Two seconds later, he was at the front door of the mansion. Lex greeted him at the door.
"Clark. So you've decide to spend your day off from school here at Luther Acres as well, eh?"
Clark looked past Lex and saw Jessie sitting on the couch in front of the big screen TV sipping a soda from a wine glass.
"There is no day off, Lex. Jessie's ditching. And Mom and Dad are going crazy looking for her."
Lex walked into the room where Jessie was sitting. "Gotta give you props, kid. Gutsy move. But lying to a friend? Not too cool. And I though you and I were going to be great friends."
Jessie had the decency to at least look ashamed. "I'm sorry, Lex. I didn't think you'd let me hang out if I told you I was skipping."
"I guess I can appreciate your dilemma."
"Get your stuff. We're leaving," Clark ordered.
"I don't have any stuff. I ditched it in the barn. Besides, I'm not ready to leave yet."
"I said we're leaving," Clark said as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.
Lex walked them to the door and opened it. "Clark, please explain to your parents that I never would have allowed her to stay if I had known the situation," he said above the noise of Jessie kicking and screaming to get away from her super strong cousin.
"Don't worry, Lex. I will," Clark assured him.
Lex grabbed a set of keys from the table by the door. "Here. Take the Porsche."
"Thanks," Clark said gratefully. "I'll bring it back tonight."
"Just drop it off on your way to school tomorrow."
"Will do. Thanks again."
Once outside, Clark deposited Jessie into the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt around her. Clark used the phone in the Porsche to let his parents know that Jessie was safe and sound and on her way home. Clark, Jessie, and Martha arrived home at the same time. Jonathan was on the porch waiting when they pulled up. He walked to the car and opened Jessie's door.
"Out!" he ordered.
Jessie shook her head. "Uh, uh."
Jonathan reached in and unhooked her seatbelt.
"Jessica, I am going to give you until the count of three to get out of that car. One, Two…"
Jessie quickly scrambled out and ran past him into the house. She was about one-third of the way upstairs when Jonathan's voice stopped her.
"Freeze!"
Jessie froze.
"You get yourself back down here right now!"
Jessie turned and came back down the stairs. Jonathan pointed to the living room.
Martha and Clark were already there waiting. Jessie joined them and sat down on the couch.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Jessica?"
"Can we get a big screen TV?" she asked.
"Jessie." Martha scolded softly.
"Why did you play hooky from school and why did you go to Lex Luther's house of all places?" Jonathan asked loudly.
Jessie could feel herself starting to fume. "I played hooky from school because school is stupid!" she said, equally as loud.
Jessie got up and walked towards the fireplace. "And I went to Lex's house because he has really cool stuff to do there. I played video games and pool and played with these awesome electric trains," she yelled, getting louder as she talked.
Martha and Jonathan looked at each other as she continued her tirade.
"Now ask me what I wasn't doing?" Jessie shouted. Not waiting for a response, she continued. "I wasn't picking weeds, I wasn't cooking, or cleaning." She then stepped up on the coffee table and got right in Jonathan's face and shouted in her loudest voice yet, "and I wasn't walking around in chicken crap!"
Demonstrating enormous restraint, Jonathan calmly looked at Martha. "Sweetheart, this might be a good time to get some things from the garden for dinner."
Martha was happy to make herself scarce.
Noticing Clark still standing in the doorway, Jonathan added, "Clark, why don't you give your mother a hand."
Clark followed his mom out the back door, giving Jessie a sympathetic look as he went.
Now alone with Jessie, Jonathan took a step towards the coffee table where she was still standing.
Jessie looked scared and took a small step backward. "You'd better not touch me," she said, now with more fear than bravado.
"Darlin', I've been patient with you up until now. In fact, I think I've been more than patient. But now it's time for you and I to come to an understanding."
With that, he scooped her up under his arm and carried her over to a nearby chair.
Jessie didn't go without a fight. She kicked and squirmed and at one point even tried to bite Jonathan on the arm but it was useless. Her number was up and she knew it. Jonathan bent her over his knee and gave her 5 or 6 fairly hard swats and Jessie suddenly burst into tears.
He picked her up and carried her over to the couch and sat down, holding her in his lap.
"Shhhh. Okay. Cry it out. Just cry it all out."
And Jessie did. She cried for her grandmother. She cried for her parents. She cried from loneliness. She cried from frustration. And as the tears flowed, Jonathan held her and stroked her hair. When the sobs finally began to subside, he talked to her in his most tender voice.
"I love you, Jessie. And no matter how hard you push, you can't push me away. I know you're a tough cookie, kiddo. But here's something you don't know. I'm kind of a tough cookie myself. And no matter how many times you try to go down the wrong road, I'm going to be right there to set you straight, because you're my little girl now."
He leaned her head back to see her face. "Got it?"
Jessie nodded slightly. "Got it."
She sat up and wiped her face on her sleeve. "Now, about that big screen TV…" she managed to choke out through her tears.