Chapter 31 [Kent Farm—A Couple of Hours Later]

The ride over from the mansion seemed quiet. Clark and Lana each sat with their thoughts. The previous revelations about Clark's abilities and origins had overwhelmed them. Lana's transformation into a being like himself presented challenges.

And that was before the beans had been spilled over the Other Big Secret….Lana's heritage and the Child's reason for being…well…him….

He forced himself out of Reverie's bonds first. He knew his parents would want to talk, argue or whatever about the latest events and their outcomes. He wanted to come up with a strategy to help her cope. Still he could see she needed something else at the moment. Somehow he picked up on Emotion's jangled mess within her. He forced himself to reach out and try for her benefit. He put his hand on her arm. "Lana?"

"What?" She jumped. Then she sighed. "Clark, sorry. You startled me."

"We haven't said three words since we left the mansion. I wanted to see if you were okay," he clarified.

She shrugged. "What's not to be okay about? Oh let's see….you're an alien with powers. You and your family have secrets. Now I'm an alien—I guess—with powers. Both of our birth families are power driven. I'm descended from a line of dark witches. Worse they made Mr. Dubois the way he is? And they really are responsible for the Talon still being there?"

"Actually, as they put it, Lex's Dad is responsible for the last two, Lana. We aren't responsible for our families' past. Guess we need to cope and move on." He rubbed her arm. "For what it's worth, I'm here. I'll help you with your abilities."

His offer lifted her spirits. She smiled. "Thanks, Clark. I really appreciate that. It makes me realize how much you deal with every day." She undid her seatbelt. "Guess we need to go in?"

"Sooner or later we're going to have to face Mom and Dad. Might as well get it over with." He noticed the lights burning in the front windows. He undid his seatbelt. "Together?"

"Together," she affirmed. She clasped his hand. "Stronger together. Remember that."

Yeah. Remember that. He followed her lead up the stairs and toward the house with that in mind….

[Inside of the House—Ten Minutes Earlier]

Tension buzzed through the house. Argument and Discord burned in the air. Minimal chores and cooking had come and gone. Otherwise Martha and Jonathan retreated from the daily grind to ponder, think and well…worry. After sharpening some farming tools, he'd taken off in his truck for a while. She worked on some quilting. Then she'd stopped by the Talon to find Lana or to see if Clark was there. Having no luck either way, she headed back home.

Signs around the farm had left her in a mixed mood. She could see that Clark had done the morning chores. He'd left the milk in the fridge. He'd even managed to clean his own dishes. Still she and Jonathan all but panicked over the tool box being left open. The storm cellar's condition petrified them. Disbelief occupied her mind. She didn't understand how they didn't hear the impact behind whatever cracked the concrete floor. She had considered the Ship sitting uncovered in the corner.

What happened now? Clark must have figured out something between the disc and the Ship. And why didn't Lana come back with him to the house? Martha scratched her head. She recalled looking in on him during the previous night.

Even though he technically slept, he tossed and turned several feet above the bed. Nightmare harassed him. He muttered sounds she'd never heard before. It almost sounded like a strange language.

What did the Ship do to him? She put on a pot of coffee. Then she turned to Jonathan.

Indignation boiled over in the farmer's mind. His blue eyes barely left the window. He merely watched the driveway for any sign. Clark should know better. We agreed that we'd face these issues together! Why couldn't the kids wait for us? He tapped his fingers on the table's worn surface. Various horrible scenarios plagued his mind. He gulped on a lukewarm mug. Maybe Lana wanted to know but he didn't have to show her right then and there!

"Ready for a refill? I put a fresh pot on," she told him.

"I have a little left but that would hit the spot. Thanks," he agreed without turning from his post. He shook his head.

"Clark is all right, Jonathan. He did the chores. He and Lana were at school," she assured him.

He coughed. His eyes met hers. "Martha, there is nothing 'all right' about this situation. The disc is missing. The storm cellar looks like a bomb hit it. Clark, from what you said, was floating and muttering in a strange language. Something happened. I know it." He ground his teeth.

"And yet he did everything before school that he was supposed to. I'm anxious too. Let's just ask him when he comes in. All right?" She brought out the freshly filled pot.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "If he tells us."

"Half-truths and evasions. Wonder how he learned to do that?" she supposed; Sarcasm flavoring her tone in the process.

"You know why we have to protect him." He stiffened. "Martha, can you imagine how many people would want to take Clark away if they knew?"

"I know. Still let's hear from him. I'm just as nervous as you are," she informed him. She saw a set of headlights coming into view through the dark. "Somebody's here."

He nearly jumped out of his seat. He half-expected trouble to be honest. He relaxed at the sight of Lana's blazer however. "Martha, look!"

She saw Clark and Lana get out of the vehicle. They noted their deliberate expressions. "At least they're all right. Let's hear them out."

"Martha, we don't know that," he insisted.

"Well then let's find out." She fought the temptation to roll her eyes. The last thing they all needed was (yet another) father-son eruption. "They're coming in."

Clark opened the door slowly. He glanced at the waiting parents. He exhaled deeply. "Hi, Mom and Dad."

Jonathan fumed. "Clark, you and Lana come in here please. What happened last night? What's going on with you two?"

Lana exchanged looks with Clark. She knew that Nell would explode if she found out about this stuff as well. "It's a long story."

"We want to hear it, Lana. It's all right," Martha assured her. "Are you both all right?"

"Relatively speaking, Mom," Clark replied.

"Relatively speaking?" Jonathan glared at them.

"We didn't ask for what happened in the cellar, Mr. Kent. I wanted to know." Lana sighed. "It's my fault. I wanted to know more. Clark was telling me. Then we took that disc. He brought me to the storm cellar. We didn't know that the disc would do what it did."

"What it did? What did it do?" Martha's eyes went wide.

"The disc turned it on again. It hit us with some energy," Clark blurted out. He wanted to inform them in stages so that they'd be able to adjust gradually.

"And nothing else happened?" Jonathan put forward even though he knew otherwise. "Clark, the storm cellar looks like a tornado hit it. You were apparently floating in your sleep and muttering a strange language. What's going on?"

Clark glanced at Lana again. He really didn't want to reveal everything. "Dad, you better brace yourself."

"What happened?" Jonathan insisted.

Lana bowed her head. "I'm like Clark now, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. That's what his parents told me."

"His parents?" Jonathan and Martha chorused.

"We kind of met my birth parents. It was like some weird vision type of thing. I don't know," Clark explained.

"Clark, your mother and I raised you here on this farm. Your birth parents are dead. Your home world is gone. That's all there is," Jonathan reminded him.

"Their spirits are around here, Mr. Kent. We're of both worlds now, I guess." Lana squeezed Clark's hand. "I'm part of this now too. I want this to work."

"We both do, Mom and Dad. Lana was dealing with her strength and heat vision in the storm cellar. I'm going to have to help her with her abilities. It's okay to do that. Right?" Clark noted.

"That would be fine," Martha agreed cutting off Jonathan in the process. She wanted to know more of course. Still she understood how hard of a concession it was for Clark to surrender those events without the usual argument. In addition she knew how strong his protective instincts were toward Lana. "And this afternoon? Anything else?"

"I went to the cemetery to visit my parents' grave. After that, Clark and I went over to the mansion and spoke with Lex and Mr. Dubois about my parents," Lana told them. She glanced at the coffee pot. "Can I have a cup please?"

"Of course. Clark, I just made this pot." Martha agreed.

Clark filled a pair of mugs. Then he handed Lana one of them. "Mr. Dubois sure knew a lot about Mr. and Mrs. Lang."

"He would." Martha took a draught from her own mug. "He certainly saw enough of your family, Lana. But speaking of families, what about these people claiming to be Clark's birth parents?

Clark bowed his head. "Their names are Jor-El and Lara. Apparently I was sent here to Earth from Krypton. My birth name was Kal-El."

"That's why he called himself 'Kal' when he was all weird earlier this year," Lana deduced. She hoped that nobody would bring up Louise.

"Clark, how do we know they're who they say they are? How do we know you're really this Kal-El?" Jonathan accused. "They could have taken control of the Ship. They could be using some mind control. We can't trust them."

"And what if they are, Dad? They could have all of the answers! Don't Lana and I deserve to know more? It doesn't mean you aren't my Mom and Dad. I have to live here. It's like Lana said though. We're of both worlds," Clark countered.

"You're here on Earth, Clark. Can't you see that?" Jonathan refuted.

"Dad, you just can't stop it. Can you? I am being careful! I am looking out for Lana, you guys and me. I am trying to work on my abilities. I can't be trusted? We're trying to live our lives and deal with things," Clark spouted off. Frustration boiled over.

"Since we know, can't we just focus on getting through our week? Then maybe we can talk about this?" Lana insisted.

Martha nodded. "We do need to talk further about this. Still, Jonathan, we can get everyone through the reading next week. Then we will need to talk about this more."

"That's fair," Lana conceded. She shrugged to Clark.

Nobody was happy with the new chain of events. Still it was all they could hope for…..