Hey, guys!
Sorry it's been so long. This chapter hated me and I hated it back for a couple of days, lol. Plus I've been pretty busy with Thanksgiving coming up this week.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Fifteen.
Martha sat at the kitchen table and sipped her coffee as she waited for Clark to wake up.
Surprisingly, the night before had been a good night. Clark had only had two nightmares and they were hours apart. Martha honestly wondered if things were beginning to look up for them.
When she had woken up that morning, she took one look out the window and grinned. She instantly decided that she was going to do her morning chores as quickly as possible, then try to spend the whole day with Clark.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted as she heard the tiny footsteps against the stairs. "You hungry?"
The child climbed into his designated chair, then nodded sleepily. Martha watched as he rubbed his eyes with his fists.
In his hands was the blue blanket that Lex had left with Clark when he disappeared. It went almost everywhere with Clark, the only exceptions were the places Martha and Jonathan had banned it from being. It wasn't allowed in the bathroom or in any of the barns and stalls. It really needed a bath, but Martha figured that she wouldn't be able to get a hold of it for that long.
Martha sat down in her chair and smiled as she began to fill his plate full of the breakfast she had laid out on the table. "Milk or orange juice?"
Clark hesitated as he seemed to consider this for a moment, then pointed at the jug of milk. "Milk."
Martha smiled, then poured the glass. "How's that?" She asked as she placed it in his place at the table.
"Thank you," Clark said before starting to eat his breakfast.
Martha watched as Clark ate. He ate in a way that she found interesting. Sometimes he would eat his food as fast as possible, like he was inhaling it, but other times he savored every bite like it was the last meal he was ever going to eat. She had the feeling that it was related to whatever had happened in that lab, but she wasn't sure.
"Hey, Clark?" Martha said after a few minutes of silence. "Have you ever played in the leaves before?"
She already knew the answer to the question. There was no way the child had ever played in the leaves before. He probably hadn't even been outside until after Lex found him.
Clark shook his head, and Martha grinned despite the pain in her heart from the fact that the child had been denied a normal childhood. She couldn't even describe in words how happy she was that Lex had freed him, she just hoped it stayed that way. The child didn't deserve to spend his entire life as a lab rat.
"Okay, once you're done eating I want you to go upstairs and put on something warm while I do the dishes, does that sound good?" She said.
Clark nodded. "Okay."
A few minutes later, Martha practically hummed with excitement as she washed the dishes. When she had seen the sun shining for the first time in days and the leaves all over the ground, she knew that this would be the best time for Clark to get out some of his energy. If she was lucky, he would even forget about his past for a little bit while they enjoyed their time outside.
Jonathan walked into the room and grabbed the truck keys and his coat. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I've gotta go get that feed and then work on getting the last of those veggies out of the garden before it gets too cold," he told her.
Martha smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I don't have much planned for the day," she said. "Gonna take Clark outside for a bit, then probably bake something."
"Pumpkin muffins?" Jonathan requested, his pleading puppy eyes were almost audible to Martha.
Martha chuckled. "Only if you're good," she said playfully. "Now go!"
Jonathan grinned, then pressed one last kiss to her cheek. "See you for dinner."
Martha looked back down at the dishes she was washing. "Bye," she told him. "Love you."
Martha listened as the front door shut behind Jonathan as she began to dry the dishes. It had been awhile since she had actually played outside, and she hadn't realized how much she missed it. She was excited to show Clark what fall was best known for.
She looked up as Clark walked into the kitchen. He was all bundled up in a thick jacket and definitely ready to play outside in the leaves.
She set down the last dish on the counter, then grabbed her own jacket before grabbing his hand. "C'mon," she told him.
It was a bit colder outside than Martha had expected, but the sun shined brilliantly down on their cold cheeks as red and orange leaves fell from the trees.
Martha let go of Clark's hand and walked into the barn, then grabbed a couple of rakes. When she brought them back to Clark, he tilted his head.
She smiled at him and handed him one. "We're gonna rake up the leaves, okay?" She explained.
The two of them managed to rake them up pretty quickly, much faster than Martha had expected, but now there was a huge pile of multicolored leaves that was almost as tall as Clark.
She turned to Clark and grinned. "You ready?" She asked.
Clark tilted his head. "Why?"
"Jumping in leaf piles," she told him.
"Huh?" He began, but before he could finish, Martha scooped him up, then ran to the leaf pile. At the last second she tightened her grip on him and jumped.
Martha laughed as the child looked around and pain shuddered through her bones. She would be so sore tomorrow, but it would be so worth it.
"You okay?" She asked Clark.
Clark looked up at her, then grinned. "Again!"
Martha stood up and picked him up as well, then tossed him into the pile of leaves.
He squealed, then rolled in the leaves. They got tangled in his hair, crushed into his jacket, and definitely wedged into his shoes, but Martha could tell that it was worth it to him.
"Again!" He said as he ran up.
Martha smiled, then picked him up before dropping him into the leaf pile again.
She listened as he laughed, giggled, and squealed. It made her smile, but it made her heart throb ever so slightly. She shouldn't be the one enjoying his squeals of happiness, it should be his father.
If only Lex could be here to see this…
The sun was starting to set when Martha and Clark walked back inside.
In Clark's cupped hands were over a dozen little acorns that he had found. Martha had told him that he could keep them in a mason jar in his room, but she had the feeling he wouldn't be putting them down any time soon.
"Go wash up," Martha told him as she walked back into the kitchen and washed her own hands. "Then you can help me bake something."
Clark nodded, then ran off to his room to put up his acorns and clean up.
Martha chuckled, then got out a bowl and some of the pumpkin she had frozen. She also grabbed spices, flour, sugar, and eggs.
"Hey, cutie," she greeted as Clark walked back in. His cheeks were still pink from the cold wind beating as his cheeks. "Wanna help me make some pumpkin muffins?"
Clark climbed up onto a chair so he could properly see the items on the counter. He was so small, it melted Martha's heart.
She let Clark dump in cups of sugar, and let him whisk the eggs in with it. She also let him measure out the flour and spices, with her help of course. He enjoyed every moment of it, and Martha could feel his happiness as she let him help.
"Do you like baking, Clark?" She asked as she placed the muffin pans in the oven and set the timer.
Clark nodded. "Yeah."
Martha looked at the time, then sighed. Jonathan would be back at any minute and she hadn't even thought of dinner.
She opened the fridge, then looked at the container of leftover chili from the night before… Nuking it in the microwave and having it with the pumpkin muffins would have to do.
Martha looked over as Clark yawned and laid his head down on the table. She smiled, then walked over. "Are you sleepy, sweetie?" She asked as she stroked his hair.
Clark nodded, but didn't raise his head from the table. "Uh huh," he said.
Martha chuckled. "Did you have too much fun today?"
Clark nodded again. "Can we do it again tomorrow?"
She smiled. "Of course we can."
There you go! No Lex in this chapter, but some cute stuff with Clark! Please follow, fave, and review! I would love to know what you thought!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!