BEM: Thank you thank you for the lovely reviews, bit of a shorter chapter today, but don't worry, there's more where it came from
Mel: Our story is success!
BEM: Forgive us, we wrote this over the summer when we were bored at my Aunt's cottage we're just happy people actually like it
Chapter 4 (Don't wear Orange)
"What you do? What is it?"
"Turn the Metropolis news on," he said.
"We're watching it," Martha explained, "it's just a car chase, what about Jonathan?"
"He's driving the orange one," Lex replied.
"WHAT?" Martha exclaimed grabbing onto a table, "You have to be wrong, I mean, it's Jonathan…"
"I have a man who is going to double check for me, but I'm pretty sure it was him," Lex sighed, "I did a double take myself."
"Thank you Lex," Martha responded weakly putting the phone down and falling onto the couch.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Clark asked in alarm.
"Mrs. Kent?" Chloe asked, "what happened?"
"That was Lex, he found Jonathan," Martha replied staring at the TV screen.
"That's great," Chloe responded smiling, her smile faded when she saw Martha's expression, "where is he?"
"Metropolis," Martha replied shaking as the orange car went up on two wheels to fit through two parked cars, "oh god, please don't crash!"
Chloe looked back at the screen, you could almost see the wheels turning in her head "Mrs. Kent, is Mr. Kent in that car?"
"He's driving," Martha added lying down on the couch, "oh god Jonathan, what have you gone and done?"
"Dad can drive like that?" Clark asked in awe backing up and knocking a photo album onto the ground, "what's this?"
Martha looked over, "I've never seen it before. Must be your father's," she replied looking back at the screen.
"The Dukes of Hazzard," Chloe read, "If I didn't know better, I'd say that sounded like a gang name."
Martha's eyes went wide.
"But obviously it's talking about the Duke family from Hazzard, Georgia," Chloe finished to calm down Mrs. Kent, "why don't you go lay down? We'll watch the news for you."
Martha decided that was a good idea, this was a bit much for her, she made her way upstairs to her and Jonathan's bed.
"Maybe my dad knew them," Clark remarked as he opened the album to find a young Jonathan and another darker haired man staring back from behind bars, "okay…"
"The first time we got arrested," Chloe read then looked at Clark with wide eyes, "your father was arrested?"
"Apparently," Clark replied looking underneath it to find a picture of an older man talking to a police officer, "when Uncle Jessie got us on probation…uh…"
"Mr. Kent has a hidden past," Chloe remarked and she pointed to another picture with a police officer and a cute dog sitting on his lap, "Flash and his pet," she read.
The next picture was rather chubby and wearing an all white suit while smoking a cigar.
"Boss Hogg," Clark read, "this is weird, I mean…" he flipped past a few more pictures to find one of a slim woman in short denim shorts pecking his father on the cheek.
Chloe frowned as she turned the page; it had pictures of each person in the "Dukes of Hazzard" picture, but one their own, under Mr. Kent's picture it read "Beauregard."
"Clark, look," she said pointing to it, Clark's eyes went wide.
"Uh-oh, how am I going to explain this to my mom?" he asked biting his lower lip, "I don't know if she can take it."
"You're mom's a fairly strong person," Chloe pointed out, "I'm sure as soon as this sinks in she'll be wanting to head of Hazzard to check this out."
"Yeah," Clark sighed, "I guess you're right."
"Come on, your dad will be fine, he's been through a lot and has always pulled through," Chloe reassured patting Clark on the back, "whoa, look at that!"
A newswoman had come on the screen, "The strange cars appear to be participants in an illegal car race known as the Cannonball Run, this year starting in LA and ending in Atlanta, Georgia, the prize money rumored to equal a million dollars. Police have successfully caught two drivers participating in this race, however the orange car with the name "General Lee" painted on the side and the black one with "Black Tilly 2 painted on the side" continue to evade police," she held her hand to her ear, "and this just in, apparently a white jeep with an eagle on the hood and "Dixie" painted on the side has also joined the mix."
"Oy Vey," Chloe remarked, "an illegal race across the USA? No wonder your dad left the way he did."
"But why?" Clark asked, "I mean, why would he do something like that? It's not like he needs the money, unless…"
"There's something he hasn't told you," Chloe pointed out then looked back at the TV, "and there seems to be a lot he hasn't told you."
Clark nodded in reluctant agreement and he turned the photo album to the last filled page, and inside was the invitation to the Cannonball Run, a letter, and an envelope. Clark pulled the contents out and laid them out on the ground.
"Bo, Uncle Jessie's farm is in trouble. Dixie and General will come pick you up on June 4th for the race. With Love, Luke and Daisy" Chloe read as Clark examined the envelope.
"Look the return address is in Hazzard, Georgia," Clark said showing the envelope to Chloe.
"Maybe we should head to Hazzard," Chloe suggested, "apparently that's the…"base" of all this…whatever you want to call it."
Clark agreed, and decided to run the idea by his mother once she got up, which turned out to be only a half an hour later. She'd readily agreed, determined to figure out what was going on with her husband Jonathan Kent, if that's who he really was.
Couples of miles out of Metropolis, Vance, Maria, Luke, Rose, Daisy, Coy and Bo all were gathered around a lone gas station, Maria, Rose, and Daisy had gone in to buy some food for the Cannonballers while Bo tried to explain to Vance and Coy who Rose was and where she came from.
"She was hiding in the backseat," Bo tried to explain, "we didn't notice she was there until we were a few hours into the race and decided to just let her ride along, she hasn't been too much trouble, Luke loves telling her some of the adventures we had in Hazzard."
Vance laughed, "I can see why."
"Me too," Coy added.
"She thinks they're exciting," Luke defended trying to put on an innocent face.
Little did either of them know they were being watched, Karl, one of Lex's… "flunkies" was hiding not to far away with a camera, taking snapshots. He'd been told by Lex to get as many pictures of the drivers of those three cars, and he wasn't going to let him down and risk getting fired. As the Dukes and Rose who were in the convenience store/ gas station exited he continued to take photos and didn't stop.
"We got sandwiches, chips, water, bit a soup, coffee;" Maria checked off on an imaginary list, "let me think…did we need anything else?"
"Antacid?"
Maria smacked Luke in the arm and proceeded in handing out the food to everyone. The coffee was for Coy and Daisy considering it couldn't be resealed and they had the best chance of not jumping their car and spilling it all over the place. Vance transferred the soup into a thermos and took a bottle of water while Maria took a sandwich and began wondering if she wanted chips.
"I don't know," she sighed, "I've got to watch my figure."
"Aw, you got Vance to do that for yah," Coy joked throwing her a small bag of chips.
Rose smiled, they really seemed like a nice family to be around, and then she asked "who wanted the roast beef sandwich?"
"I'll take it," Luke offered, taking a bottle of water as well.
After Daisy, Coy, Vance and Maria had taken their share of the food Rose took the rest and plopped it into the backseat of the General Lee, opting to sit up front with Bo and Luke.
"Nice going Rose," Bo remarked taking a bite of the sandwich, "guess you are useful for something…"
Rose laughed and pecked him on the cheek, then turned and did the same to Luke, "This is the best trip ever!"
Bo shook his head and climbed into the General Lee through the driver's window, Rose was in the middle with Luke climbing in the passenger side window.
"Alright cuz' let's go with this thing," Luke said patting Bo's arm.
"Yee haw," was Bo's only response as he started up the engine and took off followed closely by Dixie and Black Tilly 2.