Exile – Chapter Twenty-Six
Kent Farm, night
Clark and Rory walked into the loft, looking around. Everything had been packed into brown boxes, one of which was labelled 'Clark and Rory's loft'.
Slowly walking up the stairs, drinking in the familiarity of the place where they had spent a lot of their life, they looked around, feeling safe.
Clark paused near an open box. Reaching inside, he pulled out a framed picture of himself, Rory, Jonathan and Martha, all looking very happy.
Suddenly, they both heard a voice that set them on edge – their mother's.
"I spoke to the bank," Martha said. "They still want us out before the auction."
Without communicating, Clark and Rory drew off to the side, hiding instinctively from their parents. Peeking over the banister, they were able to see that Jonathan and Martha were packing cardboard boxes into the truck, completely oblivious to their presence.
"You know, it's amazing how you can fit your whole life into the back of a pickup truck," Jonathan remarked, trying to keep the mood up.
Martha smiled sadly, appreciating the attempt. "Is, uh, Bill Ross still okay with us storing our stuff in his garage?" she asked.
"Yeah, he said as long as we needed it, it's fine with him," Jonathan sighed.
"Oh, Lana gave me the keys to the apartment over the Talon," Martha remembered. She pulled the keys from her pocket and handed them to Jonathan.
"Great," Jonathan murmured quietly.
"Yeah, it-it's small," Martha said, her breath hitching in her throat.
She began to sob and Jonathan put his arms around her.
"It's okay, Martha," he whispered comfortingly. "Martha, Martha..."
"It's just not fair," she said brokenly, between sobs. "This farm has been in your family for three generations, four including Clark and R-Rory."
"It's sad," Jonathan said quietly.
Clark and Rory continued to listen quietly, unable to walk away.
"Since when have our lives been fair anyway, huh?" Jonathan asked her rhetorically. They sat down on the back of the truck.
"You remember the day we found out we couldn't have children?" Jonathan asked her. "You grabbed my hand, and you told me not to worry. You said that we would have happy days again, and you were right."
His voice grew softer as he continued, "We have had happy days with Clark, and Rory. But even though they aren't here with us anymore, I am here to tell you, Martha Kent, that we will have happy days again."
Martha continued to cry as she leaned over and kissed her husband.
Clark and Rory glanced at one another, coming to the same conclusion. They both made to leave but Clark bumped the picture he had pulled out just before and it fell to the ground.
The twins both stopped, looking at each other then down at the picture frame.
"Clark! Rory!" they heard Martha yell.
Turning towards the window the twins supersped to it immediately. Clark grabbed Rory in his arms then jumped out the window, putting her down gently the instant his feet hit the ground.
They supersped down the road, not turning back as their mother called their names tearfully.
A few days later, the apartment
Lana peered through the window of the apartment. She was sure this was the right one – the address Chloe had given her matched.
But nobody was home.
She turned and started down the stairs, thinking about where she should look next. The problem was, Clark and Rory had both changed drastically according to Chloe, so Lana didn't know where the new Kents would go.
The sound of a motor broke through her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see a motorcycle driving up. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the driver.
Lana ran down the stairs, stopping in front of the motorcycle and forcing it to stop, too.
"What are you doing here?" the driver asked in a dangerous tone.
"Looking for you," Lana said, lifting her chin stubbornly. Changing her tone to slightly pleading, she said, "Clark, you need to come home."
"Smallville's not my home anymore," Clark said back coldly.
Lana stared at him. "Where's Rory?"
"Elsewhere," Clark replied coolly. Lana continued to glare at him, and he reiterated, "I don't know. But I'll find her, tonight." He smiled. "We always do."
His tone and face grew hard as he said, "Now, if you don't mind, you're in my way."
Lana looked at him for a long moment, then took a step closer to him.
"I am not letting you ride out of my life again," she said intensely.
Clark stared back at her for another long moment.
Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Then get on."
Atlantis (Edge's club), not too long after
Clark pulled Lana by the hand through the crowd of people dancing to the music that pulsed through the air. She looked around nervously and a young waitress walked past.
"Hey! What's up Kal?" she greeted Clark. Clark acknowledged her with a flick of his head and kept moving.
"Why'd she call you Kal?" Lana yelled over the music.
"It's my secret identity," Clark called back, smiling.
Lana stopped abruptly, turning him to face her.
"Clark! I have been worried about you for three months and you've been hanging out in nightclubs?" Lana yelled angrily, glad that the music was so loud she had an excuse to yell.
Clark grinned at her, not at all irked by her outburst. "You're so cute when you're angry," he said mischievously. He turned and pulled her to the bar.
"Lana, if you keep talking about Hicksville, you're gonna be on the next bus back," he threatened light-heartedly. "Now, I thought you were here to have some fun."
"What's up, Kal?"
Lana turned to see a strange man, evidently the bartender grinning at Clark.
"Hey, what's up," Clark said back, shaking his hand and continuing into a series of elaborate movements, ending in a snap.
"Kara's over there," the bartender said, jerking his head to the side before walking away.
"Kara?" Lana asked, puzzled. "She another new friend of yours?"
Clark laughed and said back, "No, this one you'll recognise."
"Hey, Kal-El!" Rory dropped into the seat next to Clark. "How you..."
Her voice trailed off as she recognized Lana. Eyes narrowed, she said through clenched teeth, "Clark..."
Lana didn't notice her expression however, she just smiled and said to Clark, "You were right. I'm sorry. I'll go freshen up."
She got up and Clark reached for her arm, stopping her.
"Hey, why?" he asked. Smiling sweetly and cockily, he said, "I think you look great."
He leaned in and kissed her passionately. Rory rolled her eyes and looked away, crossing her arms angrily.
Clark finally pulled away, took a deep breath then murmured seriously, "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," Lana replied huskily. She stepped away into the crowd.
"Yeah, well, I sure as hell didn't," Rory muttered sulkily.
"What's the matter with you?" Clark asked good-naturedly.
"I cannot believe you're still hung up on her, Clark!" Rory exploded. "I mean, it would take me hours to explain your history to a stranger, but the only times you've ever hooked up have been because of red K or other meteor stuff!"
"That's not true, Rors," Clark replied, still agreeable. "We got together just before the accident, and besides, I think you're just jealous."
"And so what if I am?" Rory shot back. "It's kinda weird to watch your brother hook up with your best girlfriend."
"That's not what I meant, Rory," Clark said gently.
"We are not having this conversation on red K," Rory hissed at him.
Their conversation was interrupted by the return of the bartender, who had seen Lana leave.
"If she's the one you've been saving yourself for, Kal..." he said with a grin, "I can understand the wait."
Rory scowled.
"Oh, don't worry sweetheart, I still think you're much prettier," he said with a laugh, noticing her expression.
Rory smiled and said sweetly, "Aw, thanks, Ben."
Turning back to the crowd, she called, "But I'm still not gonna go out with you!"
Twirling a strand of hair listlessly, she scanned the minds around her for anything interesting.
He's being such a jerk tonight...
Man, that chick is HOT!
I wonder if I...
...my number...
The thoughts slowly faded into a confusing babble as Rory closed her eyes and sighed.
Suddenly, she came across a familiar mind voice – Lana's.
Rory decided to listen in.
"Hello?" came a familiar voice through the phone's speakers.
"Mr. Kent, I found Clark and Rory," Lana said.
Rory gasped. That bitch!
"Lana, where are you?" Jonathan asked instantly.
"A nightclub in Metropolis called Atlantis. Clark's acting really strange," Lana told him, fear in her voice.
"What about Rory? How is she?" Jonathan asked.
"I don't know – she looked at me kind of weirdly the only time I've seen her here."
"Lana, listen to me. They are not themselves right now," Jonathan warned her seriously.
"Ro- Kara? Kara, are you okay?" Clark asked her, concerned.
Rory replayed the conversation for him quickly, watching as his jaw set firmly and his eyes burned with anger.
"I want you to be very careful," Jonathan continued. "Now I'm on my way down there, but if either of them want to leave, I don't want you to try and stop them."
"Okay," Lana replied.
Rory said to Clark in a blur, "Hurry!"
They both leaped up and supersped until they stood behind her. Clark assumed a cavalier grin to mask his feelings, but Rory didn't care about appearances anymore – the red Kryptonite affected her worse than it did Clark.
Lana turned and saw them standing behind her. Shock registered on her face first, then fear.
"Who are you talking to?" Clark asked innocently, a wide grin on his face. He took the phone out of her hand and raised it to his ear.
"Who's this?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
He heard a swallow from the other end of the phone, then, "Clark, it's me."
"Jonathan," Clark said detachedly. He grinned and said condescendingly, "How's the farm?"
"Clark, your mother and I love you and your sister very much and we want you to come home," Jonathan said, sadness permeating his voice.
Clark nodded, still grinning. "Is that right?" he asked. "Hey, what about not dwelling on the past and making a fresh new start?" Clark paused.
"Come on, you can admit it. You're happier now we're gone," Clark said, still pleasant even though his insides boiled with rage.
"Clark..." he heard Martha utter faintly.
"Son, that's not true," Jonathan defended.
Clark lost it at those words.
"I'm not your son!" he roared into the phone. "And my sister is not your daughter! And you're not our parents, you never have been! You never will be!"
Clark threw the phone to the ground and Rory crushed it under her foot.
"Clark, what is the matter with you?" Lana asked, heartbroken. "Your parents love you, and you Rory!" she said, looking at her best friend.
Looking back to Clark, she said softly, "I love you."
"Do you always betray the people you love?" Rory spat, her face twisted with anger.
Lana didn't – couldn't answer. Rory and Clark turned and walked away.
Atlantis, very early the next morning
The two thieves that had attempted to kill Clark and Rory escorted them into the empty nightclub. Edge sat at a long dining table, the same as all the others that filled the room, lit with foreboding blue light.
"I'm glad you decided to consider my offer," Edge said, raising his voice a little so the twins could hear him. "But why the change of heart?"
"Our past is catching up to our present," Rory said, her voice strong. "We need to disappear."
"Free tonight?" Edge said casually.
Clark sat down and put his feet up on the table as Rory sat next to him, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other.
"Our calendar just opened up," she said charmingly.
Edge smiled at her as he handed Clark a slip of paper. "This is an account in the Grand Cayman. Here's how much is waiting for you."
Clark whistled and passed the slip to Rory. "That's a lot of zeros."
Rory nodded appreciatively.
"It's a serious job," Edge said, solemn now. "I need you to break into a secure building. The office on the 60th floor has a very valuable package. It's in a titanium-reinforced steel safe."
"Not a job for mere mortals," Rory muttered to Clark, enjoying the joke.
She looked over at the two thieves and said, "Sounds like easy money," as she dropped the slip of paper.
The thieves looked at each other, annoyed.
"I haven't told you where you're going yet," Edge said and Rory returned her attention to him.
He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Clark. Rory scowled.
Once giving you the important stuff was fine by me, but twice... that's insulting, not to mention sexist.
Especially when you could crush his skull with one hand, Clark murmured into her mind.
He took the card without looking at it and passed it straight to Rory.
"LuthorCorp Plaza," Rory said in a single breath. She looked straight into Edge's eyes, her own bright blue ones burning into his.
"You want us to break into Lionel Luthor's office."
"Will that be a problem?" Edge asked, retaining his outward composure.
"No," Rory said lightly. She smiled maliciously as she said cruelly, "It would be our pleasure."
LuthorCorp building, Lionel Luthor's office, the next night
Rory dropped to the floor through the panel she'd removed from the ceiling. Clark dropped down next to her and Rory motioned him towards the right, where a set of double doors stood.
Walking through them, the doors opened to reveal Lionel's office. They ignored everything in it except their target: the safe.
Clark went to the sliding doors that hid it and pulled them open.
"Ladies first," he said devilishly, bowing playfully for his sister.
"Thank you, brother dearest," she replied just as playfully, walking past him.
Reaching for the hinges of the massive door to the safe, Rory crushed the top one, then leaned down and did the same to the bottom one. She then pulled the door away and leaned it against the wall next to her.
Inside on the shelf was a small metal box, about an inch tall and around six inches long. Rory grabbed it and said, "This must be it."
"Then let's roll," Clark replied.
They turned to leave and stopped.
Jonathan stood there, waiting for them.
"Hello, Clark, Rory," he said solemnly.
Rory grinned, sauntering forward. "Jonathan Kent," she said, smiling. "Isn't it a little past your bedtime?" she asked him, condescending.
"How'd you find us?" Clark asked, his dark tone a direct contrast to Rory's playful yet cruel attitude.
"Your biological father," Jonathan said, still solemn and stern.
"Ohh. You two are working together now?" Rory said cheerfully, tilting her head to the side. "That's cute."
Stepping towards him and changing her manner instantly, she said threateningly, "But we didn't listen to him and we're sure as hell not gonna listen to you."
She tried to push past him and he grabbed her shoulder, stopping her once more.
"Rory," he said softly into her ear. "Rory, you need to put all this behind you, sweetheart. Come on home to the people who love you." He looked to Clark.
Rory smiled again, this time sweetly. She patted Jonathan's chest a few times and he relaxed, letting her go.
"Big mistake," Rory said, still sweet and charming.
She shoved him across the room with the same hand. He flew across the room and crashed into the wall, which dented.
Jonathan fell to the floor, unmoving.
"You should have stayed in Smallville," Clark said, the tone in his voice final.
Jonathan looked up from the floor and the twins looked back at him intensely, challenging. He rose slowly to his feet.
"You two are coming home with me," he stated calmly and firmly. "Now."
Clark and Rory didn't respond.
Without warning, Jonathan ran at them. Clark pushed Rory out of the way as Jonathan's body blurred with superspeed, hitting Clark hard.
They crashed towards the window and straight through it, breaking the glass and hurtling towards the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N I'm incredibly sorry, there really aren't words for it. I've been very busy lately – Breaking Dawn came out, school stuff, old friends talking to me for the first time in ages etc etc. So I'm really sorry for taking so long to get this out. No, I'm not putting it on hiatus. I couldn't, cause I really want to write the fourth season!
Thanks to all those people who continue to stick by me even though it takes so long for me to update. :o) I love you all!
Question 5: What's your favourite episode of Smallville and why? If you watch Supernatural, that too.
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX