Clark wondered if he was having some kind of Stephen King Special day. He'd gotten sick of waiting for a good phone connection and decided to come see the Kents himself. But he couldn't see anybody in the house or the big barn. He knew it was kind of silly, but he knocked before using his x-ray vision, just because well, it seemed like it was polite, and he really liked Mrs. Kent.
He looked around and was astonished at how relieved he felt when he saw a couple of figures and one of them was Mrs. Kent, waving her arms at cows. He wasn't sure about using his speed, in case there was anybody around, so he just ran quickly, a bit faster than normal human speed.
Mrs. Kent seemed pretty excited and as he got closer, he figured that the break in the fence wasn't normal and that the cows weren't supposed to be roaming around eating things. There was a tall blond man fixing the fence and looking kind of exasperated. When Mrs. Kent heard him behind her, she still gave him a warm smile and a nice, "Hello, Clark" before blocking a cow from heading to the road.
"Uh, did the cows escape?" He hadn't really heard of cows breaking out but then he didn't know that much about them.
"The newest one just broke a hole in the fence and led the others out. They're not dangerous, just curious and eating the crops." He wondered for a moment if she thought he was scared of cows then decided that she wasn't.
"Oh. Is that your husband?" She nodded but like she wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "Could I help?" It was a change from rescuing people, at least. Part of him really liked showing off and it wasn't like there was any emergency, just a bit of weirdness, and he didn't want to think more about weirdness, at least for a bit.
"Sure, just..."
Clark peered into the neighboring house--just, he told himself, to make sure that nobody else could see, even though it was *her* house--and didn't see anybody. He advanced on the cow, not quite sure of exactly the best way to do things, and finally just hefted her up and carried her back inside the enclosure. He looked back at Mrs. Kent and smiled a bit more timidly than he'd expected to. "It's pretty easy," he confided, as he returned for another cow. She still looked stunned and her husband, whose name Lex had mentioned a couple of times but he'd forgotten, looked even more confused.
After a few moments and more than a few shakes of his head, Mr. Kent returned to fixing the fence while Mrs. Kent blocked any of the cows from leaving again. A few of the cows gave him what he figured were dirty looks in Cowese and he was pretty sure that the one that mooed at him was telling him to go away but none of them seemed to get really angry.
When the last cow was in, Mrs. Kent looked at him as though she were adding things in her head. "Lex said that you had some special abilities," she said, slowly. Her husband got up from hammering the last post back and came towards them, looking pretty confused, too.
"Yeah. Hi, I'm Lex's brother, Clark."
"Jonathan Kent. Martha said that she'd met you." Mr. Kent's handshake was about as strong as any Clark had encountered but his eyes looked noncommital, not hostile but not welcoming the way that she had been.
"That's kind of why I'm here, actually. Have you seen Lex?"
"No, not since that time in Metropolis. What's wrong?"
"I bet nothing, it's just that nobody's quite sure where he is, and I knew how much he likes you and wondered if maybe he'd..." He decided to be annoyed instead of letting himself stay a bit worried. "I bet he's just doing stuff somewhere but since he's always Amazing Lecture Man about me letting somebody know where I am all the time, at least while Dad's around, I was thinking maybe...you know, he's got a real high IQ but he can be pretty stupid sometimes."
"I'm not following everything here," Mr. Kent said, frowning. "Is Lex in some kind of trouble?"
"I don't think so, I'd just like to know that he isn't." Mrs. Kent nodded like she knew exactly what he meant, which encouraged him to go on. "He's not anywhere I looked so I thought maybe..." Clark decided that Mr. Kent was as okay as Lex said he was. He really liked the way that when he asked if Lex was in trouble, he sounded like he wasn't going to offer to help, he was just *going* to help. "Anyway, if you've not seen him, I'll check a couple other places."
She looked like she saw that part of him was worried and that she was kind of worried, too, but she wasn't going to let him know that she knew. "Let us know when you find him, okay? We'll keep an eye out, too."
"Yeah." He wasn't quite sure what to say but when he looked at her again, the expression on her face was exactly like Mom's, when she knew that something was wrong, just before she'd hug him. It was always real quick, unless he held on, as though she was telling him by being that quick that she loved him and would listen to him but that she wouldn't push. When she gave him exactly the same quick squeeze, he really understood why Lex always looked that way when he mentioned her. It was remembering Mom and wishing she were there but at the same time knowing how much Mom loved him and thinking that somehow she was still somewhere still loving him. For a moment he was jealous of Lex, who could hug her back as tight as he wanted. But this was still the best thing that had happened in a long time.
He looked around and was astonished at how relieved he felt when he saw a couple of figures and one of them was Mrs. Kent, waving her arms at cows. He wasn't sure about using his speed, in case there was anybody around, so he just ran quickly, a bit faster than normal human speed.
Mrs. Kent seemed pretty excited and as he got closer, he figured that the break in the fence wasn't normal and that the cows weren't supposed to be roaming around eating things. There was a tall blond man fixing the fence and looking kind of exasperated. When Mrs. Kent heard him behind her, she still gave him a warm smile and a nice, "Hello, Clark" before blocking a cow from heading to the road.
"Uh, did the cows escape?" He hadn't really heard of cows breaking out but then he didn't know that much about them.
"The newest one just broke a hole in the fence and led the others out. They're not dangerous, just curious and eating the crops." He wondered for a moment if she thought he was scared of cows then decided that she wasn't.
"Oh. Is that your husband?" She nodded but like she wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "Could I help?" It was a change from rescuing people, at least. Part of him really liked showing off and it wasn't like there was any emergency, just a bit of weirdness, and he didn't want to think more about weirdness, at least for a bit.
"Sure, just..."
Clark peered into the neighboring house--just, he told himself, to make sure that nobody else could see, even though it was *her* house--and didn't see anybody. He advanced on the cow, not quite sure of exactly the best way to do things, and finally just hefted her up and carried her back inside the enclosure. He looked back at Mrs. Kent and smiled a bit more timidly than he'd expected to. "It's pretty easy," he confided, as he returned for another cow. She still looked stunned and her husband, whose name Lex had mentioned a couple of times but he'd forgotten, looked even more confused.
After a few moments and more than a few shakes of his head, Mr. Kent returned to fixing the fence while Mrs. Kent blocked any of the cows from leaving again. A few of the cows gave him what he figured were dirty looks in Cowese and he was pretty sure that the one that mooed at him was telling him to go away but none of them seemed to get really angry.
When the last cow was in, Mrs. Kent looked at him as though she were adding things in her head. "Lex said that you had some special abilities," she said, slowly. Her husband got up from hammering the last post back and came towards them, looking pretty confused, too.
"Yeah. Hi, I'm Lex's brother, Clark."
"Jonathan Kent. Martha said that she'd met you." Mr. Kent's handshake was about as strong as any Clark had encountered but his eyes looked noncommital, not hostile but not welcoming the way that she had been.
"That's kind of why I'm here, actually. Have you seen Lex?"
"No, not since that time in Metropolis. What's wrong?"
"I bet nothing, it's just that nobody's quite sure where he is, and I knew how much he likes you and wondered if maybe he'd..." He decided to be annoyed instead of letting himself stay a bit worried. "I bet he's just doing stuff somewhere but since he's always Amazing Lecture Man about me letting somebody know where I am all the time, at least while Dad's around, I was thinking maybe...you know, he's got a real high IQ but he can be pretty stupid sometimes."
"I'm not following everything here," Mr. Kent said, frowning. "Is Lex in some kind of trouble?"
"I don't think so, I'd just like to know that he isn't." Mrs. Kent nodded like she knew exactly what he meant, which encouraged him to go on. "He's not anywhere I looked so I thought maybe..." Clark decided that Mr. Kent was as okay as Lex said he was. He really liked the way that when he asked if Lex was in trouble, he sounded like he wasn't going to offer to help, he was just *going* to help. "Anyway, if you've not seen him, I'll check a couple other places."
She looked like she saw that part of him was worried and that she was kind of worried, too, but she wasn't going to let him know that she knew. "Let us know when you find him, okay? We'll keep an eye out, too."
"Yeah." He wasn't quite sure what to say but when he looked at her again, the expression on her face was exactly like Mom's, when she knew that something was wrong, just before she'd hug him. It was always real quick, unless he held on, as though she was telling him by being that quick that she loved him and would listen to him but that she wouldn't push. When she gave him exactly the same quick squeeze, he really understood why Lex always looked that way when he mentioned her. It was remembering Mom and wishing she were there but at the same time knowing how much Mom loved him and thinking that somehow she was still somewhere still loving him. For a moment he was jealous of Lex, who could hug her back as tight as he wanted. But this was still the best thing that had happened in a long time.