Chapter 2 [Kent Farm]
Martha walked out into the hallway. For the first time in a week, she and Jonathan slept well. They had Clark back. They celebrated Lana's survival and closer bond with them. Life, it seemed on the surface, resumed….
…seemed to continue….
Ramifications reverberated across both farm and Smallville. Construction crews repaired roads. New buildings rose from their predecessors' rubble. Bumps and bruises healed for the most part. Jonathan and Clark could rebuild the storm cellar in short order. Tragic changes, however, sent matters careening off course. Sarah lay in her grave rather than in her arms. Jor-El had almost sent Lana toward a similar fate. Speaking of Jor-El, now they knew he and Virgil Swann watched Clark, Lana and the farm closely. And Lana? Lana was Clark's counterpart in many ways.
Nothing would be the same again….
Coffee's aroma wafted toward her. It tugged at her nostrils. She tied her robe and descended the stairs. "Jonathan? Clark?" Her feet creaked on each stair in their path. Her eyes scanned the kitchen and dining room areas to find Jonathan at the table. "Thank you for making the coffee this morning, Jonathan." Her eyebrow raised. She knew he only did that when he wanted to talk about a serious matter.
"I didn't actually…" Jonathan took a heavy draught from his mug. His eyes met hers for a fleeting heartbeat. Then, they drifted back out the window and toward the barn. "Clark must've made it. I checked the barn. The chores were already done. The new milk's already in the refrigerator."
A pronounced frown creased her face. Her previous mood dissipated akin to Fog before Sol's rays. "Don't tell me he's gone again! Clark!" She rushed back up the stairs and toward Clark's room. She eased open the ajar door.
The largely undisturbed bedroom told her that Clark hadn't slept there on the previous night. The chair remained slightly pulled away from the desk. The closet door remained closed. The bed remained made.
"Clark." Worry burned at her heart. "Not again!" She hustled back down the stairs. "Jonathan! Clark's bed hasn't been slept in! He was at his desk but…."
Jonathan ground his teeth. Once more, Resentment flared up inside of himself. Why did he have to discover those caves? Everything was *just fine* until then! Frustration smoldered in his eyes. "Martha, we have to hope he didn't run away again. He seemed better last night. He did the chores. From what he and Lana told us, even that Swann told Clark that he had to be more responsible." A tense gulp washed that notion down. "We have to hope that he's close by."
She nodded. She dialed her cellphone and listened. Hope waited for a response. Dial tones beat on her ears and mind. Seconds crawled like mini-eternities. Clark, pick up! Please tell me you took your phone! Scenarios…none of them good…blitzed through her mind.
"Mom?" Clark answered.
"Sweetheart, it's good to hear your voice! Your father and I are so worried!" She pointed toward the receiver. "Where are you?"
"Sorry, Mom. I didn't sleep well last night. I did the chores and left coffee on for you guys. Then, I headed for the cemetery. I…" Clark's voice trailed off.
She wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. She heard Guilt weighing down his tone. "That's fine. Just come home when you're ready. All right? I'll let you have your space. Thank you."
"Sure. Thanks, Mom. Tell Dad sorry." He hung up on that note.
She slid her phone back into her robe's pocket. "At least he answered the phone. He's at the cemetery. He couldn't sleep."
Jonathan nodded. His mood eased. His eyes glanced outside at the brightening sky. "At least he's thinking about what happened. Maybe we can all learn and move forward."
"Learning is fine, Jonathan. We don't need Clark drowning in guilt over the whole thing." She poured herself a mug. "Between what happened here and the lectures afterwards, I think he knows."
"Martha, look at the destruction outside and in town! Think about the baby! It's like the last time Clark put one of those rings on. We had to deal with everything after that too." Memoria played images of Kal's previous rampage across the area. He saw Kal's assault in the school parking lot. He recalled the charged-up electronics sitting in the Loft outside.
"And we will deal with them. Jonathan, Clark's only been back here since yesterday afternoon. He's still processing everything. Don't you think Lana talked with him? She told me she did. She made herself very clear on that front. Besides, she has to deal with Gabe Sullivan over her taking off like that. At least, we helped her on that front."
Jonathan shook his head. "I'm more worried about Nell. Emancipation or not, she can still make trouble for Lana. We have enough to deal with without that too." He drained his mug and set on the table. "I'll be back."
She leaned up against the counter. She agreed with Jonathan about Nell's and Gabe's potential issues. She wanted Clark to learn how his actions affected others. Still, she didn't want him wallowing in his issues either. Moodiness, after all, weighed down on Clark enough as it was. If I ever see another red meteor rock, it'll be too soon. And now, we have both Clark and Lana to think about like that!
Matters, it seemed, weren't getting any easier….