Author's Note: Okay, just a short one. People have been asking repeatedly about Clark and I just wanted to say that he will be making his appearance in the next chapter. It should be out in two or three days. Also, I know the wedding scene is sort of vague, but everyone I've asked doesn't seem to remember a whole lot about his or her weddings. Nervous, I guess.


Let them talk about us

Let them call us funny things

People sometimes do

I don't care as long as you know I love you

Oh, and you know I do

I'll be there

But you might not see me

It's never easy to get through

But when the laughter dies away

I'll take care of you

-Dixie Chicks


November 4th, 1984-

During the months that followed, Emma grew rapidly. The features of her tiny face grew more distinct (anyone who saw her would tell you she was the spitting image of her daddy) as did her personality. She continued to be a content, happy baby, who only cried to let Jonathan know her diaper was wet, or that she was hungry, but she wasn't one who craved a lot of attention or had to be doted on at all times, even though nearly everyone she met enjoyed doing just that. Even Jonathan's buddies, especially his old football teammates, loved to play with her, eager to hold her and pinch her chubby cheeks. She would just smile and jabber away at them, sometimes in English and sometimes in her own made up language.

Her curiosity and her perception of everything around her amazed most people; Jonathan included, and kept her occupied most of the time. Every time she reached, she explored and if she found something she liked, she would laugh and clap her little hands together. She could be content for hours with one toy, turning it over in her hands, tasting it, testing it's firmness, and tracing it with the tips of her fingers.

When Jonathan sat with her in his lap, she would explore his face with her fingers, touching his nose and lips, occasionally going "ohh." If he smiled, she smiled. If Jonathan stopped to gently chastise her, Emma would grow serious and always listen. He liked to play peek-a-boo with her, lowering the blanket to reveal his hair and his forehead, but Emma would only laugh when she saw his eyes. Then she would explode with giggles.

By the time she was ten months old, her hair had grown down nearly to her shoulders, and she would let Martha or Jonathan's mother brush and comb it. She was already very feminine, always happy to be bathed, sitting quietly to have her hair brushed, and attracted to any kind of loving attention. Whether it was Jonathan, his parents, or Martha who sang to her, she would sit quietly and listen intently, her eyes so still that they all were sure she had already memorized their songs and was waiting for the parts she knew would come.

Any musical expression fascinated her, whether it be their singing or music on the radio and cassette tapes. Jonathan had even taken to turning on MTV or CMT (whatever he was in the mood to listen too) and sitting Emma down to watch it. Crib toys that played tunes were favorite, though, and if she cried for anything, other than being fed or changed, it was for someone to pull the cord that set the toys tinkling. Finally, Jonathan showed her how to do it on her own, and she kept herself occupied for hours listening to them. Everyone that knew the Kent's knew Emma had propensity for music, and on her first birthday, she was flooded with picture books with built-in music boxes, windup toys that played children's songs, and even a toy piano for her to play. That was her favorite. She was already fascinated with her ability to make musical sounds.

But, on this day, on the fourth of November, Emma wasn't playing anything at the moment. No, she was sound asleep in her daddy's bed, snoring softly. Jonathan sat in an old chair beside his window. It wasn't even light yet, just a gray sort of darkness. There was a red line to the east, suggesting that the sun would soon be coming up. It looked like it had been drawn with a thick, red crayon. Everyone else in the house was asleep, but Jonathan was too jumpy to sleep. After all, he and Martha were getting married today.

No, you heard me right. I said they were getting married. A lot of people commented on how short of time the two had dated, how young they both were. Even more people speculated on whether or not Martha was pregnant and if this was a shotgun wedding. Of course, it wasn't. Martha wasn't able to have children, although she didn't know that yet. No, Jonathan had proposed inAugust and Martha decided she didn't want to wait very long. Jonathan had tried to go about things in the right way; he had asked Martha's father, William Clark, for his permission. Mr. Clark, who never liked Jonathan (or Emma, for that matter), said no, he didn't want his daughter with some no-good hick who already had an illegitimate child to begin with. Jonathan…well, he sort of lost his head. He didn't mean to hit the man, but it sort of happened that way. Not only had he insulted Jonathan, but he had insulted Emma and that just didn't fly. No one said anything bad about his daughter without paying for it.

Jonathan stood from his chair and started to pace the room, much like he had done the night a Emma's birth. The wedding was going to take place at eleven o'clock that morning, which left him with roughly six hours. He was nervous beyond belief.

"Daddy?" A small voice said

He looked at the bed to see Emma awake. She was sitting up, her Barbie pajamas rumpled and her hair a tangled mess.

"What is it, baby?" He asked. "You should be asleep."

"I want you to hold me." She whimpered. Another thing that astonished people was Emma's growing vocabulary. She loved to talk and when you got her going, she just didn't want to shut up.

Jonathan bent over and let her climb into his arms. He carried her to the window and they both watched as the sun came up over the rise of the barn. "Today's a big day, Em." He whispered in her ear. "Do you know why?"

"Martha's gonna be my mommy." She answered. "I never had a mommy before."

"I know, baby. But you do now."

It wasn't long before Jonathan realized that he needed to be getting himself and Emma ready for the wedding. Emma was going to be the flower girl. He carried her into the bathroom with him and sat her on the floor with some of her toys while he took a shower, then he gave her a quick bath. His mother and three aunts were going to be fixing her hair and getting her into her little yellow dress. Jonathan knew next to nothing about dressing a flower girl for a wedding. Hell, he knew next to nothing about dressing himself for a wedding.

"Where's the baby?" His Aunt Helen burst into his room a few minutes later, followed by his Aunt Blanche and Aunt Sophie. His mother was the last to enter. They were all going over to the Smallville Inn, where Martha had spent the night, to get ready, while the men stayed on the farm.

"Here she is." Jonathan handed Emma to his aunt. He had just dressed her back in her pajamas and her hair was still wet from her bath. He kissed her cheek. "Bye, baby. Daddy'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

She smiled at him over Aunt Helen's shoulder. "Kay."

After the women left, the men piled into Jonathan's room. Besides Jonathan and his father, his two Uncles', Jack and Karl, and Jonathan's two cousins: Korey and Bruce. So, it was six men in one room, who had no idea what in the hell they were doing.

"What the hell is this?" Uncle Jack held up the cummerbund.

"It's a cummerbund, Dad." Bruce said. "Haven't you ever worn a tux before?"

"Why the hell would I need a damn tux?"

"Didn't you go to your prom, Uncle Jack?" Korey asked him.

"Please. When I was in school, it was one room. We didn't have dances and all that crap. We walked five miles to school, uphill both ways-."

"In three feet of snow," Hiram interrupted. "Yes, Jack, they've heard it all before. Who cares about the damn cummerbund anyway? My boy's getting married!"

"She's a pretty little thing, too." Karl said. "Korey, you need to rope you one like that Martha."

"Oh my God, Dad, you make it sound like Jon found her at the freaking rodeo or something." Korey said. "And besides, why should I worry about getting married? I'm not even sixteen, and this is Kansas, not Kentucky."

Karl rolled his eyes. "All I was saying was-."

"Excuse me," Jonathan waved his hand in the air. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to get ready for my wedding before the century lets out. Do you guys mind?"

The Kent men mumbled apologies and hurried to help him finish getting ready.

Meanwhile, at the Smallville Inn, the women were having similar problems.

"Are you nervous about your wedding night, Martha?" Her Aunt Sue asked.

Sue's teenage daughter, Lindsey, rolled her eyes. "Mother, it isn't like tonight's going to be their first time together." She shot a quizzical look at her older cousin. "Is it?"

"Of course not." Martha answered, rolling her stalkings up her legs. "But I am excited. Just think: in a few hours, we'll be on the coast!"

Sue's husband, Martha's Uncle Philip, had insisted on buying them plane tickets to anywhere they wanted to go. Both Martha and Jonathan had decided on the Cape of Massachusetts. People were surprised. If you could go anywhere, why the Cape? Why not Paris or Tuscany, or Hawaii? But they wanted to go to the Cape and that's where they were going.

"Almost time, kiddo!" Jonathan's Aunt Blanche put her arm over Martha's shoulders.

Martha felt the butterflies in her stomach. She wished her mother and her sisters were here, but they weren't. Her father hadn't allowed anyone in her immediate family to come.

"Let's head to the church!" Someone shouted. She wasn't sure who it was, she was too nervous to pay attention. "It's time toget the show on the road!"

Next thing Martha knew, she was being shuttled into the front seat of a dark blue Trans-Am.

"It's a nice day for white wedding."

"Billy Idol." She mumbled, looking at whoever was driving. Lindsey, it was Lindsey. "How appropriate."

"Well, at least you can identify the music." Her cousin joked. "Oh, what the hell is this? Goddammit!"

"Lindsey!" Her mother scolded.

Construction spread out before them, ten miles worth, at least. It would take thirty minutes or better to get through it all. But they didn't have thirty minutes, Martha realized, the wedding started in five.

"Screw this!" Lindsey muttered, throwing her car into reverse. She backtracked down some old country road full of potholes and God knows what else. They screeched into the church parking lot ten minutes late.

"Where have you been?" Jonathan's mother said. "The wedding should have started ten minutes ago!"

"Sorry, sorry." Lindsey panted. "Construction."

"Are we ready?" Martha asked, pulling on her heels.

"She's here!" A male voice shouted into the church. "Cue the music."

The rest seemed to be a blur. Martha watched as Emma walked down the aisle in her little yellow dress, followed by Jonathan and Martha's female cousins in their matching yellow bridesmaid's dresses. And then it was her turn. She asked her Uncle Philip to walk her down the aisle since her dad wasn't there.

"Ready?" He asked, offering his arm.

"I think." She whispered, taking it.

The wedding march began and she walked nervously down the aisle. She could see Jonathan, grinning in front of the altar, looking incredibly good in his tux. She could see Emma waving at her. And that was all. They were her future and she liked the thought of that. She liked it a lot.

The next thing Martha knew, she was holding Jonathan's hand as they rushed down the steps of the church. He was holding Emma in the crook of his left arm as their family and friends threw rice and birdseed at them. Someone had rented them a huge black limo and they, plus the entire bridal party squeezed into it.

Jonathan settled back in his seat. He had a feeling that this was the exact same limo he had rented when he took Nell to the Senior Prom. His cousins and uncles had scribbled 'Just Married' and 'Another one bites the dust' all over it. Emma sat content in his lap, picking pieces of rice from her hair, and Martha leaned up against him.

"Happy?" He whispered to her.

"Very." She answered.

The reception was going strong when they arrived. The limo driver had driven them all over town, honking his horn. Jonathan knew it was the same limo he used at his prom when he heard the horn. How many horns play 'Home on the Range'?"

It was a fun reception, he thought. He danced with practically every dance with Martha or Gabbie, but reserved a few for his mother, aunts, and cousins. The bride and Groom dance was to 'Lookin' for Love' and he danced a special dance with Emma to 'White Rabbit'. He could see her now, dancing in the middle of the floor with Hiram, singing loudly.

"When a problem comes along, you must whip it! Now whip it! Whip it good!"

"She looks like she's having fun." Martha commented, drinking some punch.

"I know." Jonathan sighed. "Must be getting about time for us to go."

"Don't bowl me over with your excitement."

Jonathan smiled at her. "Sorry. I am excited. I'm just nervous about leaving Emmie. A whole week. We've never been apart for that long."

"I know, but she'll be fine." Martha told him. "And when we come back, we'll be a family."

He slipped his arm around her waist. "We're already a family."