AN: Sorry about the wait but if it helps any its a REALLY long chapter.

Chapter 21:

The past four hours seemed like a never-ending nightmare to Cassie. After the fleeing from the massacre before fate caught up with them, Cassie dropped Robert off at his apartment, deciding they shouldn't contact one another for a while. The unknown killer could be anyone, and they thought it would be best if they attempted to continue life as normally as possible. Robert already had her address from when he sent the original files to her a couple months ago, and, as far as Cassie was concerned, she felt no need to jeopardize her life anymore than she had to by gaining excess information about Dr. Baum.

Immediately afterwards she spent the rest of the morning in a hot bath, unsuccessfully trying to melt away her anxiety. Once she realized she couldn't hide in fear, she quickly got dressed and jumped in her black sedan, one goal in mind. Two hours later, she sped past the infamous 'Welcome to Smallville' sign, proudly stating how it was the home of the largest meteor shower. The sparse scenery providing nothing to keep her mind occupied, images of the laboratory came rushing back to her mind. Her hands nervously trembled as she slowly reached the lone farmhouse. Her breath was still for a moment as she pulled into the gravel driveway, forgetting how simply beautiful the landscape was.

Inside the house, Martha was mindlessly humming a cheerful tune while cleaning the furniture in her son's room. She couldn't believe the amount of dust that had accumulated over the past dreadful months. The mother still remembered the long nights she spent beside his vacant bed, praying tonight would be the last night bed would remain cold and empty. She quickly glanced at her son, who was looking over some old photos at his desk. Just the sight of him made her previous shattered heart mend a bit more. Never taking her eyes off Clark, Martha placed the duster on the forgotten nightstand. "Hey," she softly said as she gently placed her hands on the back of the chair.

Completely focused on the photos, Clark flinched at the sound of a random voice. For the first time since he had sat down, he looked up from his desk. A confused look washed over his face as he scanned the small room. "Clark," the soft voice spoke again. He followed the origin of the voice, and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden sight of his mother three inches away from his face.

Placing her arm hand on his shoulder, she said, "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you."

Clark bit his bottom lip for a moment before looking away from his mother's kind face. As he hung his head slightly, large strands of hair fell down, covering most of his face.

Martha subtly observed Clark, secretly wondering what was going on in his abused mind. Suddenly, the doorbell rang throughout the house, breaking the awkward silence held between mother and son. Noticing her son hadn't moved a muscle, her hand slid away from his shoulder. "I'll be right back, okay?" she asked as she tried to look at his hidden face. Clark merely nodded, as if he didn't deem his words good enough for his mother's ears.

Bleakly sighing at Clark's sudden withdrawal, Martha made her way towards the door, praying to God for the strength to heal her baby. Right before she walked out of the room, she glanced back at her son, who was discreetly rubbing his shoulder where her hand was moments ago. The mother dismally made her way down the stairs, as if the last couple minutes sucked the remaining ounce of energy out of her. She never thought about who could be ringing her doorbell in the middle of the afternoon. Such a minute subject seemed to be trivial in her ever-changing life. Yet, the moment she opened the door, she realized her day was long from over.

"D-Dr. Harris," she slightly stuttered, her voice high with surprise.

"Please, call me Cassie," the young doctor whispered, her mind obviously elsewhere.

"Of course, Cassie," Martha repeated as she shook the formal name out of her head. Stretching out her arm, she held the door open for the guest, curious at what made her stop by. "Please, come on in."

Cassie scuttled past her, glad to be off the road and in somewhat hiding from the mysterious killer. Her heart was beating a mile per minute with every constant recollection of the bodies strewn about like a gruesome horror film.

Noticing the once calm and collected psychologist now appeared to be a nervous wreck, Martha hurriedly asked, "Is everything okay? Did they find out where Clark is?" She couldn't imagine the pain of having her child torn away from her a second time. She didn't care if they had to sell the farm and move, she would do anything in her power to make sure that would never happen.

Spinning around towards the distressed mother, she quickly stated, "No…I mean, I don't know." Cassie placed her hand on her forehead sure she must be trapped in some horrible nightmare. Before she knew it she would wake up in her bed, as all thoughts of rescuing aliens and a mass massacre of scientist would drift away from her mind, lost in the pile of long forgotten dreams. She slowly blinked her eyes, only to open them to the same scene displayed before her. She sorrowfully sighed, knowing it was a distant but unreal hope.

Martha was quickly becoming frantic as every silent second passed. She rushed up to the motionless doctor and placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders. She looked straight into her hazel eyes, needing to know what had caused the doctor's unease. "Please, tell me what happened," she calmly instructed, but the quiver in her voice described the anxiety her words could not.

"When I got back to the laboratory, everyone was dead," Cassie whispered, knowing the image of their unseeing eyes would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

A short gasp escaped Martha's mouth. "What? How?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Cassie slowly regained her composure as she looked into the mother's eyes. "Someone killed them," she said, her face slightly scrunched as if she just understood it herself. She couldn't explain it, but it was as if saying it out loud made it definite. It caused an eerily calm feeling to rush through her body. Just standing there in front of somebody else gave her the feeling of survival. She lived when she should have died. The worst was over, and now she no longer had to keep up the façade of scientist at the laboratory. Finally, all of her thoughts could center on her patient.

"Oh my god..." Martha whispered. It never occurred to her how shady an organization must be to house an alien for almost a year. The thought that they would go to such extremes terrified the woman. Yet she couldn't help but be slightly relieved that the sadistic scientists got what they deserved for degrading her boy. Her thoughts flying back to the doctor in front of her, Martha's compassion instantly returned. "Are you okay?" she sincerely asked as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Nodding, Dr. Harris assured, "Yeah, I'm fine." Her thoughts already on her patient, she asked, "Where's Clark?"

"Oh! He's upstairs," Martha replied happily, just the thought of her son back home made her smile. Rushing towards the bottom of the stairs, she exclaimed, "Clark! Someone's here to see you!"

Dr. Harris watched the mother skeptically. To assume Clark would respond to her call was clearly expecting too much. He just returned home yesterday, it was impossible for the mind to heal that much. Physical contact always had to be established before he responded. Cassie curiously glanced towards the staircase, shocked to find Clark nervously standing at the top.

Martha's smile grew at the sight of her son. Realizing he wasn't moving, Martha walked up a couple stairs. "C'mon down Clark, Cassie's here," she encouraged.

Cassie silently watched Clark slowly walk down the stairs, his eyes never leaving the ground. The improvement was remarkable. Without thinking, Cassie glided toward the bottom of the staircase. Clark stopped a couple feet away from her, his eyes still locked on his feet. Cassie inwardly smiled at the now clean blanket wrapped around him. His parents were clearly taking excellent care of him. "Hey there," she softly greeted as she gently placed her and on bottom of his chin. She felt him slightly flinch as she slowly moved his head up. "Remember me?" she asked, smiling afterwards.

Clark furrowed his eyebrows as he looked into her kind, hazel eyes. She slowly cupped his cheek in her warm, soft hand. "Cassie?" he breathed, not believing the word as it left his mouth. Cassie left. She helped him, but then she left. He knew. She didn't exist in his new world with his parents. He was sure of it.

Smiling at his recollection, she stated, "Yeah, Clark, it's me." Before she knew it, large arms were wrapped around her in a warm, sincere hug. Blinking back surprise, she quickly returned the gesture.

"Cassie..." Clark whispered, still not believing his luck.

Silent and hurt, Martha stood to the side, wondering why her son could so easily trust a stranger before he trusted his parents.

To Be Continued...

oOo

Chapter 22:

Still as stone, Cassie sat comfortably in a rocking chair on the front porch. In front of her was a young boy who had been so traumatized he didn't even know who or what he was. For the first time in Cassie's career she felt she was under qualified for such a patient, yet she was the only one who could help him. For the first several seconds she silently observed him, knowing the situation was overbearing for the both of them. He warily looked up at her, probably wondering what was expected of him. Cassie casually leaned back in the chair and started calmly, "So, do you like it here, Clark?"

"Yes," he whispered, hanging his head as if he had something to be ashamed of.

Cassie sifted in her seat and leaned over, trying to seem more approachable. "What do you like about it?" she asked curiously.

The question got an immediate nervous reaction from Clark. What was he supposed to say? The last thing he wanted was to say something wrong, and then have Cassie hate him. She was so nice. "I-I...um..." Clark stuttered, as he gripped the sheet that was wrapped around him.

Cassie scooted the rocking chair closer to Clark. She reached out and lovingly rubbed his knee with her hand. "It's okay, Clark. Just say what you feel."

Trying to sort out his thoughts, Cassie's words went unheard. He needed an answer and quick. Making people wait for an answer was bad. He was finally good. He didn't want to be bad again. When he was bad it hurt. Painful things happened to him. Now he was good, and he liked it.

Noticing Clark's demeanor was quickly changing, Cassie decided to act immediately, before he entered a state of panic. The doctor rose from the chair and slowly placed her hand on his face. "Clark," she said, as she slowly raised his head. Even thought he didn't resist, he still refused to look directly at her. "Clark, look at me," she softly instructed. She was instantly met with large green eyes. "Why do you like it here?" she asked softly as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

Transfixed by the woman's hazel eyes, Clark whispered, "It's nice..."

Smiling, Cassie slowly backed away and sat down. "What's nice?"

Looking to the side towards the wide, green fields, Clark slightly shrugged. "Everything," he said as his grip relaxed on his blanket. He glanced at Cassie for a second before hanging his head once again.

Leaning back in the rocking chair, the woman replied genuinely, "That's good, I'm happy to hear that." At her words, Clark peered upwards and slightly smiled. Attempting to look relaxed and nonchalant, Cassie rested her hand in her hand. "Do you want to stay here?"

"Yes, please," Clark answered more forcefully than usual.

"Okay, then you can stay," the doctor answered while slightly nodding. The answer seemed like a given, but Cassie had to give Clark the choice. This way Clark would hopefully one day realize he was here on his own, free will. He no longer had to depend on people to tell him what to do and when to do it.

"Thank you," the boy replied, smiling a bit afterwards.

Cassie reached across placed her hand on his knee. Her words were important and she wanted to make sure he heard them. "Don't thank me, Clark. It's your decision. You can leave whenever you want to," she calmly explained. Seeing him slightly nod, Cassie switched the topic. "So, what did you do today?"

Right when he was starting to get comfortable again, another question was thrown at the disturbed boy. Clark bit his bottom lip as the words echoed in his mind. 'What did you do today...' He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus on one memory long enough to recognize it. Feeling his chest tighten in apprehension, he glanced back up at Cassie, who was soothingly rubbing her hand on his knee. The sunlight glimmered off her hazel eyes making them appear golden. Triggered by the image, a single memory flew into his mind. "The sun was rising...as you drove," he said slowly, unsure of himself. Trying to hold onto the memory for just a second longer, he closed his eyes. "You were driving...after we left. We...we came here." Clark quickly looked up, his eyes filled with hope.

Thrown off by the answer, Cassie slightly bit her bottom lip. He seemed so proud of himself for remember something, yet he remembered the wrong thing. She didn't have the heart to crush his newfound pride, so as comfortingly as possible she said, "Good job, you remembered." Cassie sincerely smiled for a second before asking, "I forget. When did that happen? Yesterday or today?"

Clark's eyebrows instantly furrowed at her question. "Y-Yesterday...?" he answered his voice high with uncertainty. Staring at the wooden planks, he tried to sort out the random memories soaring through his mind. "Yes, it...it was yesterday..." he muttered, now completely transfixed on his thoughts.

Slightly nodding, Cassie agreed, "Yes, you're right. It was yesterday, wasn't it?"

Clark's head shot up at the sound of her voice, as if he had forgotten she was there. Cassie remained still, appearing as relaxed as possible, until the look of recognition washed over Clark's face. Embarrassed by his sudden movement, Clark slowly looked away and brought the blanket a bit closer to his body.

"So if that happened yesterday, what happened today?" the doctor asked as she brought her hand up to her chin.

"Today..." Clark lipped as a blank stare formed on his face. Cassie watched intensely as his breathing slowed down and he become as still as death. After ten seconds, Cassie turned her head curiously, her anxiety building. Finally, Clark relaxed his body and slowly blinked. "I...I milked a cow," he softly answered with an unknown confidence in his voice

Pleased beyond words, Cassie leaned back in the chair, smiling brightly. His improvement since yesterday was insurmountable. "Anything else happen?" she asked cheerfully, never wanting the miracle to end.

Acting off of Cassie's excitement, Clark smiled as he fidgeted in the chair. He let go of his blanket and placed his hand on his thigh. Closing his eyes, he started lightly rubbing his jeans with his fingertip. The movement seemed so familiar. Never opening his eyes, he answered, "I looked at photos." The image was as clear as day. He was in a room, sitting at a desk with dozens of pictures in front of him. Each one looked so familiar, yet he couldn't place it. Finally, he came across one of a young boy standing next to his father. His eyes never leaving the photograph, he brought his hand up and traced the boy's face with his finger tip.

Her enthusiasm growing, Cassie bit the tip of the thumb. She felt like she was about to explode. The person in front of her obviously excelled in much more than strength and speed. The power of his mind was phenomenal. She could hardly believe it. "What were the photos of?" she asked, never missing a beat.

Clark's right foot started to fervidly fidget against the floor. "They were of...of my family," he answered instinctively, never realizing the meaning behind the words.

Not expecting such a break through for at least another month, Cassie's jaw slightly dropped. "Your family?" she repeated, hoping the repetition would engrave the statement into his mind. "So, who's in your family?"

"My mom and my dad," Clark whispered, as if he was just realizing it himself.

"That's great," Cassie congratulated, wanting to positively build his self-esteem. "Are they nice?"

"Yes..." Clark breathed as a distant look formed on his face. After a second, he quickly blinked, obviously back in reality. "Yes, they are," he confirmed, his voice growing stronger.

Cassie leaned forward in her chair, about to fall to the floor with anticipation. "Do they love you?" she asked eagerly.

Ready to answer, Clark opened his mouth, but suddenly a terrified looked washed over his face. Shocked, Cassie watched silently as Clark sank back in his chair and hugged his blanket, protecting himself for all unwanted evils. The change was almost instantaneous. As quickly as he opened up just minutes earlier, he closed himself from reality.

Becoming worried yet intrigued by the transformation, Cassie leaned closer now only sever inches away from Clark's face. His eyes were squeezed shut, oblivious to the reality that laid beyond the dimension in his abused mind. Inadvertently holding her breath, Cassie watched as Clark flinched against something unknown. "Clark?" she said, her tone strained.

Her voice was left unheard. Clark continued to scoot further back in his chair as his shaking grew considerably. "Clark?" the woman repeated a bit louder, becoming increasingly worried. Trapped within his mind, Clark started spewing incoherent mutterings. Not waiting another second, Cassie leapt off the chair and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Clark! Clark!" she screamed frantically. "Open your eyes! It's not real." Maybe it was her emotional attachment or his unique physiology, but Cassie had never been so concerned for one patient in her entire life. "Please, Clark," she begged as she combed his hair with her fingers. "Open your eyes." Acting on her instinct, she brought her hands down and rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

"Cassie?" Clark whispered his eyes still shut from reality.

"Yes Clark, I'm here," she said as peacefully as she could, even though her voice was trembling with fear. She brought her hands up to his temples and started rubbing them in soothing circles. "Please, Clark, open your eyes."

"I..." Clark whispered as he cautiously peered through one eyes. Instantly he flinched and brought the sheet closer to his chest.

"What is it Clark? What do you hear?" Cassie asked as she ran her hand through his hair.

Clark continuously blanked as if the light hurt his eyes. "Him..." he breathed.

"Him who?" the doctor asked, kneeling beside the boy.

"I...I..." Clark stuttered as he brought his knees up to his chest.

Cassie instantly wrapped her thin arms around his trembling body. Blinking back tears, she whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here. Nothing will hurt you anymore."

To Be Continued...