The next morning, Clark went over to the boys room before breakfast on knocked on the door.
"Hey Dad." Will said pulling on a shirt.
"Last day of summer, huh guys?" Clark said.
"Don't remind me." Ryan groaned.
Clark smiled and then remembered why he came to the room. "So… Do you have any idea what's going on with your little sister?" Neither son said anything but their body language was response enough. While Will stopped moving for a second, Ryan's eyes immediately dropped to the floor.
"Boys." He warned. With this, they looked at each other, but when Clark closed the door to their room, their eyes were on him. "Boys, I'm trying to be calm, but that's only gonna last for about three more seconds. What is wrong with Casey?"
"I-its not Casey Dad. " Will spoke up. "Casey's fine."
"Fine. You mean the girl had to sleep in my room last night. That is if she got any sleep, what with her waking up every 10 minutes in tears. Yeah she's fine."
"What he means is, Casey's not the one in danger." Ryan said.
Clark was about to ask what he meant when Martha called up. "Clark honey! It's Lana."
"Can you tell her I'll call her back Mom. I'm kinda busy."
"I would but she's here! She says it's important."
Clark sighed. "I'll be right back." He told his sons.
"Bad time?" Lana asked when he met her on the porch.
"I'm a bit busy. Whats going on?"
"I just… I had to tell you… I'm sorry." She said.
"Sorry about what?" He asked.
"What I said the night Will was born. You were only trying to help, but I didn't understand. I didn't get it until a few years ago Clark." She said honestly. She could remember the night so clearly. A few minutes after they'd named Will, Lana's husband Frank showed up. Clark had never like him. He was a jealous man. More than that, h always seemed was controlling of Lana. He spoke to her as if she was a child. Clark finally had enough of him and pulled Lana to the side and begged her to leave him. Lana was furious with Clark. She said he was the jealous one. She said he didn't know Frank and was just prying. She told him to stay out of her life and he did… for the next sixteen years.
"Please forgive me Clark." She pleaded.
Clark pulled her into a hug. "Lana it's okay." After a few more minutes, Lana left for work and Clark back up to his boys.
"Dad," Ryan said when Clark questioned them again "Dave is in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Clark asked. He heard a knock on the door and Casey walked in.
"What are we talking about guys?" She asked, directing her comment to her brothers.
"We have to tell him Case." Will said.
"No!"
"Tell me what?" Clark asked.
"Dad…" Ryan began.
"You promised Ry!" Casey squealed.
It broke his heart, but Ryan heard Will's words. He had to do what was right. "I'm sorry Casey." He sighed. "Dad, Ryans father is abusing him. Casey saw him punch him and you know how he always comes in bruised up. We're really worried."
Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing. First Lana, now Dave. And all before breakfast. It was going to be another long day.
"Casey!" Ryan called his sister as she stormed out of the room. He went to follow her.
"I got it son." Clark said.
"But Dad- I gotta make her understand or she'll hate me forever." Ryan sighed.
Clark put his hand on his shoulder and sat Will down beside him. "She wont hate you forever. She doesn't hate you now. I think that Casey knows in her heart, you boys did the right thing- and you did do the right thing. I'm proud of you for telling me. Trust me, I'll go talk to her and eventually she'll be apretiative of what you're done for her and for Dave."
Clark found Casey sitting in the loft by the window.
"Hi baby." He said softly. She didn't turn around. "Listen to me Casey, I'm gunna figure out a way to help Dave okay." He walked over to her. She looked so still and expressionless. Her eyes were glazed. Worried, Clark picked her up and sat down on the couching. Holding her as she sat on his lap, she felt like a baby. "Casey?"
She finally looked at him and blinked back a tear and looked at him. "Daddy." It wasn't a question. Just a statement as if she thought to herself "I should have known it was you."
"I'm right here." He went to wipe her tears, but she blocked his hand.
"Don't." She whispered.
"Honey, I'm gunna…"
"Gunna what Dad?" Her stoic innocence switched into unexpected irritation. She got off of his lap. "You cant fix this. Nobody can. Nobody's safe! Not Dave…not Mom."
"What do you mean Casey?" Clark asked.
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE DAD!" She turned to storm off.
"Cassandra Joanne Kent, you will not walk away from me." She froze for a second. When she finally did turn to meet him, Clark was heartbroken to see the tears well in her eyes. She began to collapse to the floor but Clark supersped over and caught her.
"It's all my fault Daddy." She wept openly now. Clark looked at her, confused. "They all get hurt. I let Dave get hurt. I let Mama get hurt. What's wrong with me. Everyday I get stronger and stronger. Why cant I help them?" She bawled.
"Shhhhhhh." Clark gently stroked her hair. "Hush now. What's going on with Dave and what happened to your mama, that's not your fault."
"But I…"
"No. Listen to me. Do you hear me?" she nodded "You had no control over this. Any of it. I don't know why these things have to happen, but you didn't cause them. If anything, you made them better. I promise you I will do all I can to help Dave. You finding out about his situation is going to help him. And as for your mom…" He swallowed "Your mom lived an incredibly happy life. She was blessed with three amazing children who were the lights in her world. You weren't what ended her life baby. You were what made her life." Casey sunk into her father as her rocked her soothingly. As he consoled his child, Clark came up with a plan of action, but first he needed to make a stop at Dave's house.
Clark knocked on the door of Dave's house.
"Mr. Kent? What are you doing here?" Dave asked when he answered the door.
"I came to drop off your check for this week." Clark said handing him an envelope.
"Oh." He looked relieved. "Well thank you, but you know I usually just pick it up myself. You didn't have to go through the trouble of bringing it over here…"
"It was no bother." Clark said. "I wanted to talk to you about something else too. Um, is your father her Dave."
"No sir, he went in for work about an hour ago. Is, um, is something wrong?"
Clark cleared his throat "You tell me."
Dave looked down at the floor. "Casey told you?" Clark nodded. "Well its really not that big of a deal, Mr. Kent. I mean, Casey's just b-being protective of me, but I promise I'm fine."
"Dave…"
"Mr. Kent, my father's strict and he rides me pretty hard but…but he's not abusive. He's a good man. He works hard and I can be really obnoxious sometimes. But he puts up with me cuz he loves me." He babbled.
"Dave who are you trying to prove this to?" Clark asked. "Me? Or you?" It was then that Clark noticed the black and blue mark of Dave's arm. "Did he do this to you? Answer me?" Dave nodded meekly. "Is this what you mean by love?" Clark said holding up the boys arm. "I'm gunna get you out of here."
Dave put his arm behind his back. "He's all I got. My mother left us and my grandparents are dead. He's my only family. I've thought about leaving so many times, Mr. Kent, but where would I go?"
"Dave, I have an idea. I'm trying to help you and I think I know a place for you to stay, but for this to work you gotta be willing to help yourself."
"Sir?"
"You have to be prepared to testify and report your father, otherwise your Dad WILL get you back again." Clark explained. "Are you willing to do that Dave?"
Dave thought about it. He thought about how much he trusted Clark. How he envied the relationship Clark had with his children. How he'd hoped for a life like that. Without the fear. Without the shame. He thought about all of that and swallowed. "I-I'll try Mr. Kent. I mean my Dad's pretty powerful in Samllville. I don't even know if the cops would take my word over his. And if they do make him stay away from me, where can I go?"
Knock Knock Knock.
"Hi Lana, I was hoping you could do me a favor." Clark said when she opened the door.