"Thanks, this is perfect. Do you have a broom that I could use to clean this up?"
"Yeah sure, I'll go get it." She better not want me to clean this up. He left and brought the broom up to the loft.
"Thanks, I'll just clean up here and then could you show me what I'm supposed to do here?"
"In the loft?" Wow she's worse than I thought. If she can't handle the loft how is she supposed to do anything around the farm? Oh well, I only have to deal with her for a week.
"No, I meant around the farm. If you could just show me what you want me to do then I can get it all done without having to bother you."
I doubt that'll work there is no way she'll even remember what I tell her to do but I might as well go along with it. "All right, do you want me to show you now or later?"
"Now's fine, thanks."
"All right, come with me, I'll show you around the farm. We just need a little bit of help. With chores and everything."
"All right, just show me what you want me to do."
After he showed her what she was supposed to do everyday she went back to the loft with the broom and started sweeping the floor. When she was done with the floor she went in the house. She found Mrs. Kent in the kitchen. "I didn't know if you wanted me to knock or..."
"Just come right on in, no need to knock if you're going to be around here."
"Do you have anything I could use to dust in the loft?"
"Yeah sure, I'll be right back."
Mrs. Kent went and got the stuff for dusting and then gave them to Max. "Here you go. Just bring it back when you're done."
"Alright, thanks I will. I should go."
"Okay sweetie, did Clark show you what you're supposed to do here?"
"Yeah he did and I'll start working tomorrow, if that's okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's great. You can come here for breakfast and dinner if you want. You're on your own for lunch though, because Clark doesn't cook. If you find something in the fridge you're welcome to it."
"Okay, thanks. See you later."
Max went back up to the loft to finish cleaning it up. After she was done cleaning she brought the rag back to Mrs. Kent and almost ran over Clark on the way into the barn. "I was just going into the loft…my loft not your loft, I mean."
Max smiled, "I get it. I never really introduced myself to you. I'm Max."
He stuck out his hand, "Clark."
"So, how's your life been?"
"Good, considering I'm an alien sent to take over Earth after my planet blew up." Then he smiled at his joke, though Max noticed that he said it the same way that she did whenever she jokingly told somebody that she was a genetically engineered killing machine. She didn't know why but she kind of trusted him for some wacky reason. He was a person with a secret and so was she.
"Well, you better get started then. Earth, that's got to take awhile.
"Naw I think I can wait awhile. Besides I don't think my mom would approve." Maybe she won't be as bad as I thought at least she's got a sense of humor.
"You know I think you're right, she definitely wouldn't approve. But maybe you could talk to her about it." Then her cell phone started ringing. She looked at the caller I.D. and saw that it was Alec. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude, but I've got to take this."
"No, go right ahead."
"Hey Alec it's good to hear from you... Smallville… yeah it's great...that's because you're a city boy through and through, Alec How's Metropolis...Good, I'm glad. You're not doing anything illegal are you? She laughs Do you want me to come and get my stuff...are you sure? You don't have to. Thanks Alec. Just a sec. Can my friend bring my stuff down? He's going to bring it early so you won't even know he's here."
"It's fine with me."
"Thanks, Alright Alec I'll see you then. Thanks."
"When's he coming down?"
"Tomorrow morning, we're both night people so he'll probably be here at two and unless you have super- hearing you won't hear a peep." More like I don't need to sleep at all and he's just good at staying up at night.
You have absolutely no idea. Super- hearing is definitely on the list. "All right, it's not a problem, I'll go and tell mom."
"Thanks."
Outside- 2:00 am
"Alec thanks for coming….. She doesn't even sound a little tired Clark
"Grateful enough to kiss me?"
Laughter, she's got a nice laugh. "No, not grateful enough to kiss you." The voices faded out. Clark looked at his alarm clock, geez I thought she was kidding when she said 2 a.m. Alec and Max unloaded all of her stuff and put it in the loft. By then Clark had fallen asleep again. "Well I better get this car back to the owner. I'll see you later Max."
"Bye Alec, it's been good seeing you." When Alec left Max went back up to the loft to unpack. She didn't have much stuff because some of her stuff she left at Freak Nation to help get them started and some of her stuff she left with Original Cindy. She pushed her bed so that the head was at one corner of the big window just in case I need to get out quickly and put a night stand next to it with a lamp and alarm clock on top of it. She had a small dresser that she pushed against one wall that she put her clothes and other stuff in and a small refrigerator and coffee maker next to it. Last of all she put a thick curtain up where the loft was open. By then it was around three and she had slept the night before so she wasn't tired. So she went through some fighting routines, moving so fast that if anybody was looking they would only see a blur. After a couple of hours of moving through her routines she went and did everything that she needed to do around the farm. By the time she was done it was 6:00 so she went inside and took a shower but she forgot to bring clothes with her so she had to run across the yard in only a towel.
When she got to the barn she went up the steps and almost ran into Clark. "What are you doing here?" Clark
She looked at him quizzically and pulled her towel closer to her. "I sleep here." At least I would if I slept. "What are you doing here?" After she said that she slipped by him and pulled the curtain back. "Do you mind if I get dressed?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't"
"Thanks." Then she closed the curtain and got dressed quickly. "So, you were going to tell me what you're doing here."
"I was coming to wake you up so I could show you what you needed to do again."
She walked back into the loft, silently welcoming him in. He walked in after her and noticed how clean everything was (A/N: She was at Manticore for a long time.) She had grabbed a brush and was brushing her hair out. She already took a shower. "I'm already done."
"You're already done? How can you already be done? Did you do all of it?" She probably did a sloppy job of it or something.
She laughed at his questioning. "Yes, I'm already done. I got up early to do everything in case I forgot anything." Like that's going to happen, I mean hello photographic memory! "And yes I did all of it. You can check if you want to. Make sure I didn't screw anything up."
"No, that's okay. I trust you." Yeah, I doubt that. I'll just check when I'm doing what I have to do. "Are you coming to breakfast?"
"Sure, what time?" Not like I have anything else to do. And I am a little hungry after that workout. That shower was bliss. Hot water….awesome. This place is way better than Seattle, except I miss everybody back there.
"Right now."
"Okay, I'll be down in a minute, just going to put my hair up."
Great, I wonder how long that's going to take. He went down to the bottom of the steps and in a matter of seconds was joined by Max. She had dried her hair and put it back in a ponytail. That was faster than I thought. Huh, maybe she's different than I thought. I'll figure that out after I check out her farm work. "Ready?"
"Yeah, I'm starving."
Yeah I bet the first time attempting farm work will do that to you. "I'm sure, you did a lot. For this early in the morning." Not.
Yeah right, you think that's work. Actually he probably doesn't just humoring me. More like 3 hours of heavy exercising will do that to. I'd like to see farm boy here attempt half of what I just did. "It wasn't that much work, just hungry. I was up late unpacking." Not that unpacking would make me hungry an X-5 can go a long time without food.
"Really, you don't think that, that was that much work?" She must have more endurance than I thought.
"No, not really. Do you think it's that much work?"
"No, but I grew up here. I'd think a city girl like you wouldn't be used to it." Oh god, did I just say that. I hope she doesn't hate me now. Wait what am I thinking? Why would I care? Just in case she ends up staying around longer than I thought.
Max just laughed. "I'm used to a lot of physical activity. I was a bike messenger back in the city. Besides I'm not a city girl at heart." Yeah physical activity as in fighting, not that a bike messenger requires half as much physical activity as a soldier. But it does help with endurance.
"Born for the country, eh?"
"Something like that." Not that I was born more like whipped up in a lab. "So what's for breakfast?"
"Don't know whatever mom makes."
She smiled, "Not the chef, eh?"
"Definitely not. Do you cook?"
"As I've been told ever so politely I could burn water."
"Same here."
After breakfast Clark and Max walked out together. "What are you going to do?"
"I've got work to do and then I'm going to the Talon. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go put 600 ccs of raw power between my legs. Check out the back roads and everything, get to know the town. I thought I was here to do the work."
"Definitely lowered all that I need to do, but you don't need to do everything. Speaking of that Shelby is at the vet I know this is a lot to ask considering you just started working here, but could you pick her up? You can take my truck"
"Yeah, I can do that. I'll go pick her up, bring her here and then go on a ride."
"Thank you very much. I almost forgot about her."
At the Vet
Max walked into the vet that Clark had given her directions to. "I'm here to pick up Shelby. Clark Kent sent me."
"All right, who are you?"
"I work for the Kents. My name's Max."
"Okay, I'll go get her."
When the vet brought Shelby out Shelby started barking and pulling at her leash snarling at Max. Guess she smells the feline DNA. I'll fix that when the vet's not looking. "Guess she doesn't like me very much. Oh well, hopefully when she gets to know me she'll change her mind."
"Yeah, I hope so." Then she handed Max the leash. "Here you go."
Max held the leash slightly away from her so Shelby wouldn't be able to bite her. When they left the vet's office Max went around to the back of the car and got down on eye level with the dog. "Let's get one thing straight here; I'm the leader of the pack." When she said that Shelby immediately calmed down and started whimpering. "Good girl." And then she pet her. She put Shelby in the truck and then took her back to the Kents. After she dropped Shelby off and gave Clark his keys she took off on her bike…