Author's Notes: You know, I have so many stories to transfer, I'm just going to go ahead and postthis all at once. Have fun!

Chapter 3: A Talk with Mom

The following morning, Clark had just returned home after doing all of his morning chores. He rushes in, opens the fridge, and takes out a bottle of milk. Before he drinks it, his mother gives him a stern look, thrusting
Clark to reach towards the cupboard for a glass.

His mother spoke. "How'd it go last night?"

"What do you mean?" says Clark.

"I saw you hanging out with Lois and her... boyfriend?" she added with uncertainty.

"No, that was Bruce Wayne, they're just good friends"

The name struck a cord with Martha, she's heard it before. As if a light bulb went off in her mind. "Wayne," she began. "Wayne. Oh my god, you mean Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises?"

Clark shrugged like it was nothing. "I don't know. I guess." He never really thought of him like that. He looked at his mother curiously. "How do you know him?"

"I don't," she answered. "But I remembered writing a research paper about his father when I was in school. He was a good man from what I've heard."

"What do you mean 'was'?"

"He died," she pauses. "Murdered"

Clark's face fell. He had no idea. "I didn't know," he acknowledged sincerely. All last night, Bruce looked and acted like any other guy. He wasn't sure if he should pursue the subject, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to him?"

"Them actually"

Clark looked confused.

"From what I remember, Thomas Wayne and his wife were murdered coming back from the theatre. There were so much speculation and wild conspiracies happening at the time, especially with Wayne Enterprises being a world-wide empire of successful businesses, the height of people's curiosity was always
directed to Bruce, and what would happen to him"

"Wow, and I thought Lex had it bad when it comes to family"

"The saddest part of this was that they never caught the murderer. It turned out that the incident was random." Images of the past came barreling in, she remembered the day that the news of Thomas Wayne's murder made its way on the cover of The Daily Planet. Relaxing a bit, she continued. "Now that he's here, that may mean that he's going to take over the company, if he hasn't already. He seemed like a nice young man"

"Yeah, Lois seems to think so too." He actually felt sorry for Bruce, and he hardly even knows him. I guess that was just one other thing he and Lois kind of had in common. Lack of parents.

Martha caught the change in her son's voice, wondering momentarily if there was something else bothering him.

"You and Lois seem to getting a lot closer these days"

Oh no, not her too. "I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to be evasive, but he knew it always failed with her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Martha knew her son well enough to know he did.

No. Yes. Maybe. His mind begins racing. "It's just," he finally gave up. "I don't really know what's going on, I just know that," he stops, trying to find a way to describe what he's feeling. "I've been thinking about her a lot lately - and when I saw her with Bruce last night, I guess I kind of got a little jealous." He watched his mother eye him carefully. "Okay, maybe a lot jealous," he succumbed.

Martha smiled.

"Maybe she means more to you than you realize," she says. "Have you asked Lois how she feels?"

Clark laughs. She couldn't honestly be serious. "She's never said anything, and I'll never ask"

Martha continued to watch her son carefully, and knew that he was having his own mental conversation. She always knew there was something particularly special about Lois Lane, but the possibility of Clark and Lois together had seriously never crossed her mind. Never until now.

"Is a relationship something you want to have with her?" She knew the question needed to be asked out loud.

"I don't know mom," he blurted out. He calms himself down. Sitting on the stool, he leans on the countertop. "All I know is that I like who I am when I'm with her," he explained, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Who are you when you're with her?"

"Me," he replied softly. And it's true. He never really had to try too hard to hide himself with her. He could always just let it out, and it wasn't until last night did he realize how much of himself he has shown her. It was only three months ago that he'd decided that keeping that other 'unique' part of himself a secret from everyone, but now, all he's been doing all night is questioning his decision.

"And who are you now?"

"A guy just trying to fit in," he replied sadly. Martha's motherly instincts kicked in and she moved to embrace her son.

Night came and as the day was coming to an end, all evening, all Clark has been doing is watching the stars through his telescope while simultaneously
fiddling with the bracelet that was 'supposedly' meant for the woman he loved. He some times wondered if it was all a joke that this bracelet was just meant for him to hope rather than have.

Frustrated with his life, he threw the bracelet and everything it stood for forcefully out the window.

Across the farm, an SUV was straddled by the side of the road, its hood popped open with smoke coming out of it. With her back turned, she walks away from the direction of her vehicle, trying to explain to the person on the other line that her car broke down. When she finally gets her point across, she clasps the cell phone shut and threw it out in the corn field.

Upon realizing her idiocy, she goes after it. When she finally finds it, she notices a peculiar looking bracelet hanging on the brush of a corn. She grabs it and looked at it curiously.

"Hmm..." It looked nice enough. She shrugs. "Oh well, finder's keepers," she muttered to herself. Her phone rings again and she picks it up. "Lois Lane," she answered.

To be continued...