Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Lacey, and believe me, she wishes I didn't. Everyone else belongs to Warner Brothers, DC Comics and all sorts of people that are not little old me.
Six
It was March now and it was already driving her batty. Why was she here? Why? She just couldn't fathom the reason for it at all. Lacey stopped staring at the scenery beyond the car window and turned to Clark, who was in the driver's seat of their rental car. "How did I get wrangled into this?"
Clark kept his eyes on the road with a small smirk. "I asked you."
"No, I remember that part." Lacey rolled her eyes. "What I want to know is what possessed me to say yes."
"Only you know the answer to that."
Lacey gave him a shifty look. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking." She leaned back in her seat and groaned. "I'm going to regret this. I know I will. You know, I swore to myself I wasn't ever going back to one of these places."
Clark grinned. "And yet, here you are." He pulled the car into a long driveway. "So, why did you?"
"There was this field trip back in third grade. Let's just say it involved something big, angry, and of the very hairy variety that wasn't my gym teacher." Lacey shrugged. "It kind of soured my whole outlook on it all."
Clark parked the car and turned it off before giving her a strange look. "One bad experience doesn't mean they'll all be like that."
Lacey opened her car door and got out of the car with a stretch. "Oh yeah? You haven't seen my dating track record." She shut the door without waiting for a reply and stared at the scene before her.
One Farmhouse? Check. Barn? Check. One dog barking? Another check. She glanced at Clark who was now leaning on the other side of the car and watching her reaction. "So, this is it?"
"This is it." He smiled. "Welcome to Smallville."
After settling in and taking a quick inventory of what was in the kitchen, Clark went looking for his slightly unwilling travel companion. He found her in his old bedroom, where she was staring at the star covered ceiling with a tiny smile. He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest as he watched her. For someone who liked to complain about it now, she'd agreed to come without a fight.
When his mom had mentioned the possibility of moving to Montana with Ben Hubbard after they got married, it was a slight blow to Clark. It was the first of many changes upon his homecoming. Now here he was, for what could be the last time. It hurt just thinking about it. Too many changes in what was too short of time for him.
"What's with that?" The sound of Lacey's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was staring at the stars and pointing. "The red star right there."
Clark looked up. "It represents the red sun of Krypton."
Lacey nodded. "Oh. Makes sense." She turned to him and toyed with the cuffs of her purple sweater. "So, do I get to meet your mom? Because if I'm going to be stranded in Smallville and forced to have flashbacks of my own home town, only with less farm stuff, I want to at least have one memorable moment."
"She'll be back later." Clark smiled warily at her. He was almost afraid to ask why meeting his mom would be memorable. Almost was the operative word. "How exactly do you expect it to be memorable?"
Lacey threw herself onto his bed and turned onto her back so she could see the stars again. Clark arched an eyebrow at her, but soon enough, he found himself joining her.
She briefly glanced at him as he lay down next to her on the bed. "Because she raised you. That's obviously some impressive work the woman's done. It should be acknowledged. I really hope you don't skimp on Mother's Day."
Clark chuckled. "Of course not-"
"And you know, you owe her big time this year. It's what, five years worth of presents to give? Mother's Day, birthdays, Christmas, Halloween--"
It was his turn to interrupt her. "Halloween?" Clark turned over onto his side and propped his head onto his hand. "When did Halloween become a gift giving holiday?"
"Must have been just my family then. Nothing says love like someone leaving a fake heart on your desk on Halloween morning."
Clark groaned. "Heart? Love? That was pretty bad."
Lacey elbowed him lightly. "Please. I could do so much worse. I have a million cow puns just waiting to be used while I'm here."
"Please don't. I'd like to have some mental functions left by the time we head back."
"That would require you to actually have some in the first place." Lacey snorted. On one hand it wasn't fair that Clark could be snarkyish to her, on the other, she absolutely loved the fact that he was. It meant no brooding. "That would be utterly ridiculous."
Clark could only stare at her. "Staring already?"
Lacey moved to face him with an innocent smile. "I have to milk it for all it's worth."
"You're trying to make me regret inviting you, aren't you." Clark said in an exasperated tone.
"You mean you don't already?" Lacey asked sweetly before sitting back up. She poked him lightly in the arm and then she did the unthinkable.
Clark's eyes widened when he found his glasses snatched off his face. Before he realized what she'd done, she was already at the door with a triumphant grin.
"Finders keepers!" She cackled at him before darting down the hallway.
Of course, stealing from the guy who moonlighted as Superman really wasn't a smooth move. Lacey knew this, but it didn't stop her. But she found out first hand when she reached the bottom of the stairs. An arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the floor, causing her to shriek in surprise.
"CHEATER!" Lacey cried out and tried to break free of Clark's grip. Naturally, that wasn't happening. She soon found herself facing him and she glowered. "I called no powers!"
Clark grinned and easily took his glasses back from her, but he didn't let her go. "That's funny, I don't remember hearing that."
"It was implied." Lacey pouted.
"Last I checked, mind reading wasn't one of my abilities." He said dryly. She continued to pout even as she attempted a grab for his glasses. Clark held them just out of reach with a smirk. "Will you stop that?"
"No. I need something to do and annoying you is a great way to start the weekend." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Now be a good boy and take it like a man." Lacey made another grab for the glasses, but he was now holding them above his head. She growled at him. "Damn it!" Reach. "Stop." Stretch. "Being." Grab. "So.." Miss. "Damn." Missed again. "TAL-Mmph!"
She should have expected it this time. But yet again, her buddy had to do the stupidest thing to distract her.
And hey, a kiss was a good way to do it. If she weren't so distracted, Lacey would have been thinking of a way to retaliate. But his maneuver worked so well that when he pulled away, her eyes were still wide with astonishment.
Clark smirked at her as she merely blinked. She was like a deer caught in headlights.. Up until she thwacked him on the chest. He didn't even pretend to wince as he grinned at her.
Lacey's eyes narrowed. "That was definitely cheating, blue eyes. I'm calling foul play."
"I think you're just jealous of my ability to render you speechless."
Her jaw dropped at his smug smile. Lacey wondered if this smug bravado of his was her doing, and for a second or two she felt a bit of pride at the possibility. But then she remembered that he was using it against her. That just wouldn't do. "I'm awfully close to risking injury to myself in an attempt to beat you up."
Clark laughed and with a move to surprise her yet again, placed his glasses on her face. They slid down her nose and he pushed them back up with a smirk. "We can't have that, now can we. With my luck, you'd send me the medical bills."
"Damn right I would. You'd also get my therapy bills." Yet again, the glasses slid down the bridge of her nose.
Clark pushed them right back up again. "Why would I be getting your therapy bills?"
"For the mental anguish and emotional trauma you've put me through. Really, Clark, you give me an inferiority complex that can only be repaired by devouring mass amounts of sugar." It took Lacey a moment to realize how close they were again. Clark was smirking at her and she wanted to smack him upside the head.
"An inferiority complex? You?" Clark found that hard to believe. "That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible, Clark. You, of all people, should know that." She said with a slight roll of her eyes and an amused tone. Lacey's borrowed lenses once more slid down. She sighed and was about to push them back up, when Clark beat her to it again. He was staring at her again. It wasn't the same stare they exchanged when they were bantering. It was the kind that made her question what was going on inside that head of his. Instead of musing on it, she tried to finish her comment. "Things are just," Huh. He was leaning down. That.. "improbable…"
Her eyes closed when he kissed her this time. If it was one thing Clark Kent was getting good at, it was confusing the hell out of her. She couldn't peg him anymore. Maybe she never could. Not that it really mattered, because at the moment, she was busy wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. Coherent thought barely existed. Not that it ever existed in Lacey's mind before.
Timing. Bad. Good. Either way, that would be the way Martha Kent found them. The older woman walked inside of her home and her eyes widened in shock, but it only lasted a moment before she chuckled.
Of course, the sound brought the pair back to reality. They nearly jumped apart and Lacey removed Clark's glasses and practically shoved them into his hand. Then she put at least five feet between them and tried not to run and hide. Maybe she could find a cow to eat her.
"Mom!" Clark exclaimed. Nice job. He hadn't been paying attention at all. "Hi. How are you?"
Martha was enjoying the pair's flustered and nervous state and she didn't bother to hide it as she embraced her son. "I'm fine. I'd ask how you were, but I think you're doing rather well." She smiled more at the blush on her boy's face.
He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh.. Yeah.." Clark glanced at Lacey and noticed the distance she'd put between them. He found he didn't like that much and immediately bridged the gap and grabbed her hand. He led her over to his mother, despite the fact that Lacey refused to look anyone in the eye. "This is Lacey Voorhees. I told you about her. Lacey, this is my mom, Martha Kent."
Lacey's attention was snared. Clark told his mom about her? Oh dear god, what did he tell her? Not once in her life had she ever been in a situation like this one. She had prided herself on never getting involved in one like it. Now here she was, all thanks to Clark Kent.
He would pay dearly.
She tried to compose herself and forced herself to look at Mrs. Kent. She found the woman giving her a genuine and very amused smile. Lacey managed a nervous smile back. "Um.. Hi. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kent." That was simple. Now she just had to- "And now I think I'm going to into your barn and die of embarrassment." --keep her mouth shut. She groaned and covered her face with her free hand. "Or right here will do just fine."
Martha burst out laughing and Lacey found herself being hugged by the woman. Her eyes were as wide as they could be and she felt Clark give her hand a gentle squeeze.
Jesus fuck, the entire Kent family knew how to confuse her.
