Chapter 14 [Next Morning—Kent Farm]

Lana pulled off her work gloves. Her rag swiped away Sweat's beads from her forehead. With her super speed, she'd finished Clark's chores and hers in only a few minutes. She patted Rosie's side. "Thanks for the milk." She picked up the pail and meandered toward the house. I wish I didn't have that shift today. I wonder what Clark's doing?

"Lana! Good morning!" Martha greeted from the stove. She flipped several pancakes in the skillet. "Mr. Kent's in Dodge until tomorrow. How did yesterday go?"

"We did great! We got everything boxed up. We met some of Peter's and Gwen's friends." Lana set the pail of milk down. "That coffee sure smells great! Can I…?"

"Of course! Thanks for doing all of the chores, Lana. I'm sure Clark appreciates that too." Martha set those pancakes on top of the three others on the plate. "That'll do it." She checked the milk pail. "This is perfect. Thank you." She walked the pail back over to the door. "I've been meaning to show you how to strain the milk. We'll get to it. Please sit down."

"I'll bring these pancakes over to the table first." Lana balanced the pancake platter and her coffee mug. She set both on the table. Then she set it at super speed.

Martha set the pail down next to a milk jug. "Lana…"

"I'm heading this way anyhow." Lana shrugged. "After yesterday, this is pretty easy. Besides I have my shift. Kind of a nice warm up."

"Yes it is." Martha sat down beside her. Intuition hinted at something going on beneath the surface with Lana. "Are you sure that everything's all right? It isn't Clark. Is it?"

"Clark? No he's been absolutely great! It's been great not to have any more secrets." Lana smiled. "You should've seen him yesterday. He did great!"

Martha raised an eyebrow. "Really? So he didn't fall or anything?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "There was one thing where Professor Dubois took a sharp right turn over the Great Lakes. Clark got a little confused. He fell about fifty feet. Then he got himself set again. And we kept going. She landed in the woods just outside of New York City. He landed without a problem! We ran in the rest of the way. Nobody saw us. We got there, ate breakfast and packed their things up at super speed. It was just so great to help out."

"That's wonderful!" Martha smiled. Relief eased her mind. Jonathan will be glad to hear that. Clark's been working so hard on that! "Landing outside of the city was a good idea too."

"We definitely didn't need the attention. We got everything done around their house that we could. Clark's helping them some more today. Then Professor Dubois will fly back with him tonight. Their friend, Harry Osborn, wanted to say hi to you. He's out of the hospital and doing great. He met a lady named Liz while he was there. She went to high school with Peter. I don't know what happened to their friend, Mary Jane. Lex arranged for Harry to be in Metropolis. It's really great that they're going to have friends in Metro with them. Don't worry. We were really careful around them."

Martha sliced some banana bread. "I trust you both. I'm sure Professor Dubois had her eye on you both as well. I wish you two could help Mrs. Parker. From talking to her, I don't think she could deal with your secret much less Peter's. She's going to need help getting her house packed up."

Lana nodded. "I wish he could tell her. Since Gwen found out, they're a lot more relaxed."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "I don't think the word's relaxed. I think she's glad to know what's going on. It's like how you felt after Clark told you about himself. On the one hand, it's a relief to know and to feel trusted. On the other hand, it's a bigger burden. For her, she now worries every time he heads out as Spider-Man. She's seen what he faces. I worry about Clark. Now I'm going to worry about you too."

"Yeah. That's kind of harsh now that I think about it." Lana mulled over Martha's words. "I remember when we were flying there, I kept thinking about Clark. I knew he'd be okay. Still, I just wanted to make sure."

"That's how his father and I feel about you both. We just don't want anything happening." Martha brought the banana bread to the table. "He's run into certain situations. People have found out about him. They've tried to blackmail and sue us. You saw what happened with those students from KU and Morgan Edge's men. There have been other cases as well. We just need to be so careful."

"Clark and I know that, Mrs. Kent. I'm glad that we went. We got to help our friends and learn about his abilities. I'll start practicing at some point. He won't let me go charging right in." Lana bit into her banana bread. "By the way, Lex and the Duboises are planning a Fourth of July picnic up in New York State. There's going to be a picnic at their farm. Sam's going to be playing with the Albany Symphony that night. There are going to be fireworks! It'll be great!"

Martha nodded. She understood Lana's desire to be with their friends. She'd call Dave and Angie to find out more about the event. Still Responsibility beckoned as well. "That's great, Lana. I just need to ask what about the Talon and this farm? Somebody has to be here to keep them going."

"We're closed on the Fourth. Professor Dubois said she can come and get me after work on the third. Maybe Clark can fly up then too? I'd be back to open the next morning." Lana studied Martha's face.

Martha drank from her coffee. Consideration saw that Lana had thought out the whole plan. Detail seemed to go along with her thinking. "I'll talk to Mr. Kent, Lana. Still maybe Clark and you should think about coming back early? You can still see the fireworks here. I know Sam would like you two at her performance. Who else can open the Talon the next day?"

"That's true." Lana shrugged. "I don't want to be exhausted either."

Martha placed her hand on Lana's forearm. "I know how much you want to support Sam. That's really nice. It's a balance however. Where would you stay?"

"Lex is arranging hotels up there. That's all I know." Lana took another mouthful of coffee. Disappointment ate at her. It's all part of being an adult. At least I can talk to Sam ahead of time and wish her luck.

"I'm sure he'll pick a suitable place. Thanks, Lana, for understanding. Even when Clark has more practice, we still need to keep the farm and the café going." Martha saw Lana's mood sinking. Still, she wasn't about to say anything further until she'd talked to Lex and Jonathan.

"I'll ask Lex. Thanks, Mrs. Kent." Lana took in Support's vibes. She turned back to the breakfast at hand.

Some things were harder to deal with than others….