KARA KENT

Martha raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Kara.

"We've been working on her super secret identity disguise," Clark explained. "I'm heading out. I'll be back for supper." Clark gave them each a small hug and a kiss on their tops of their heads, walked outside and disappeared in a 'WOOSH!'

"Come, Linda, help me clean up breakfast."

"I think I wanna be called 'Kara' from now on." Kara followed Martha into the kitchen and they proceeded to clear the table and clean the dishes. Kara had never cleaned dishes before, so Martha patiently demonstrated for her.

"Huh?"

"Clark says that's my real name. It'll take some getting used to, but I don't want anything to remember Dr. Elbe by. He's the one who named me 'Linda.' He was weird and creepy and he hurt me all the time."

"Ugh," Martha murmured under her breath.

"Clark says it's a special name. There's so much food left," Kara noted.

"Oh, I never worry about that. It all disappears pretty quickly, mysteriously, it would seem." Martha chuckled, and Kara let out a little giggle. "But I did notice you didn't eat much at breakfast. If you need something to tide you over until lunch, help yourself. This is your kitchen too, now. Don't be shy. But with privilege also comes responsibility, so whatever you do in here, I expect you to clean up after yourself."

After breakfast was cleaned up, Kara stayed standing by the sink, feeling awkward and not knowing what to do next. Martha smiled at her reassuringly and nodded toward the refrigerator. She knew the girl must still be very hungry. She wanted Kara to know that she was sincere about her helping herself. This was Kara's home now too, and she wanted her to feel at home. "Go ahead," she encouraged her.

Kara opened the refrigerator and took the leftover French toast back out. "This is definitely the best French toast I've ever had." Martha showed Kara how to reheat it.

After Kara finished eating and cleaning up, Martha gave her a tour of the farm and introduced her to chores. She also introduced her to Shelby, who took an immediate liking to Kara, and she to the dog. Then, after conferring with Clark over the phone whether or not it was OK to do so, Martha drove Kara into town to do some shopping.

Kara had never shopped before so it was quite an exciting experience for her. She was painfully shy and nervous, especially around men. Martha supposed that was to be expected. She helped Kara pick out a whole new wardrobe, as well as a new bed set and other decorations to make Clark's old room her own. They ate lunch at McDonald's and then walked across the street to the Dairy Queen.

"Have you never had ice cream before, either?"

"Actually, I have a few times." Kara eagerly perused the menu on the wall in front of her. "We had ice cream parties at school twice a year."

The boy behind the counter overheard their conversation. "We don't have ice cream here. It's actually soft serve." Martha and Kara both stared at him blankly. "Just F-Y-I. It doesn't really matter, I guess, as long as it tastes good." He grinned at them.

Martha smiled warmly at the boy. "Ethan, this is L…Kara. She's my niece, come to live with me… because… she's come to live with me."

"Nice to meet you, La' Kara," Ethan smiled at Kara. "Are you going to go to school here?"

Kara glanced at Martha. "Yes, she is, in the fall."

"What grade are you in?"

"Sixth," Kara managed to whisper.

"She'll be in seventh, I think, next year," Martha clarified.

"I'm going into 6th. We'll be riding the bus together. Same stop. Our farm is just down the road from the Kent's."

Kara had assumed he was much older. Ethan was very tall, and his Dairy Queen uniform made him look more mature.

"Don't let this job fool you. My uncle owns this place. It's not really legal for me to work here so…" Ethan leaned over the counter toward Kara, towering over her. He whispered dramatically, "… please don't tell anyone."

Kara took a couple steps back and hid behind Martha. Ethan face fell. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright, Ethan," Martha assured him. "Linda's just a little overwhelmed right now."

Ethan tilted his head gave Martha a questioning look. "Linda?"

"Oops," Martha whispered to herself, but she didn't offer any explanation to Ethan.

Ethan turned back to Kara and smiled at her again. "I hope it's nothing Ethan's super hot fudge sundae banana split rockin Elvis combo special can't help with, even just a little bit."

"You really don't have to. I'm sure a regular small sundae would do just fine, right Kara?"

But Kara's eyes were wide with delight.

Ethan explained, "For Mrs. Kent, everything here is on-the-house. My uncle adores her, and Clark too. She's always telling Clark not to take advantage… but he never wants just a regular small sundae either." Ethan chuckled, winked at Kara, and turned around to get to work. "One Ethan super special coming up! Aaaand one extra-small vanilla in a cup, no toppings."

Kara was feeling sick before she finished a quarter of the "Ethan Special." Martha sighed as she dumped practically the whole thing into the trashcan. She had wanted to stop at a few more stores before heading home, but Kara wasn't feeling up to it.

When they got back to the farm, Martha helped Kara put her new clean linens on her bed so Kara could lay down for a nap. When she woke up, Martha helped her put her new things away and rearrange the room to her liking. They carefully packed up Clark's belongings. Martha kept reassuring her that Clark was thrilled to give her his room. He hardly ever stepped foot in there anyway. He hadn't slept but one time in his bed in the last 15 years, that one time being the night he returned from Krypton.

After it was all done, Kara sat on her bed and looked around. She admired the comforter spread out on the bed. She had picked it out for its nighttime sky theme, glittery stars and crescent moons on a pink and purple background. She hoped that maybe if she slept among the stars, she could imagine being nearer to her parents, wherever they were. In place of the 'Metropolis Marauders' poster, she had chosen one depicting Krypton's galaxy. She stared at the poster and marveled that she came from so far away, and wondered again if she would ever find out how and why she had ended up on Earth. She turned to look at the photo siting on the dresser of Superman she had requested Aunt Martha buy for her. She giggled as she thought of her plan to ask Clark to autograph it for her. After all, she had lost the one he had signed for her in the schoolyard. The dresser drawers and the closet were filled with new clothes. On the desk, there was a pile of hair accessories, and an array of still-unopened toiletries that needed to be brought to the bathroom. Aunt Martha had even bought her a few pieces of costume jewelry and some nail polish. Those were all on the dresser. Kara continued looking around, trying to take it all in.

This morning, everything had had been so strange and confusing and … alien. Now things felt different. Kara felt different. She was no longer Linda Lee. She was Kara Kent. Kara Kent was home. And Kara Kent was safe.

Clark returned for supper as he had promised. Kara felt so proud as she set the chicken pot pie Martha helped her make on the table in front of Clark. It smelled so good. It tasted great too and was soon all gone along with the huge bowl of salad and countless cups of tea.

After supper, Clark pulled out a large package seemingly out of nowhere. "I brought you something." He handed it to Kara. Kara gasped in surprise and delight at the 240 piece art set.

"I noticed you like to draw." Clark was happy she was so excited. "And that you're talented at it. Your mother was an artist too. She mostly did sculpture type stuff, I think."

"I also like making stuff with clay!" Kara ripped the box open, and then carefully examined the contents of the kit. She could hardly contain her joy.

Clark turned toward Martha and grinned. "I guess we know what to get her for Christmas."

"Is there paper somewhere?" Kara inquired.

"There's some by the printer."

While Kara was busy drawing in family room, Clark and Martha talked in the kitchen.

"Kara mentioned this 'Dr. Elbe,' she lived with before she was at the school. Superman paid him a visit today. He's a retired biophysicist, a little on the eccentric side. He seems so harmless, it's hard to believe what he did to her. He belongs in prison, but I don't how that's gonna happen without Kara facing him in court. I really don't want to put her through that. I don't know…"

Martha covered her son's hand with her own and rubbed it gently. "Did he tell you anything?"

"He was actually quite willing to talk to me. At first. Until it occurred to him he should probably get Luthor's permission. Called him right there in front of me. You know, I think Luthor's voice affects me the same way fingernails on a chalkboard effect other people." Clark made a hissing noise and clawed at an imaginary chalkboard with his free hand.

"What did he tell you?"

"He found her near his house when he was out for a walk one night, about three and a half years ago. He thought she was dead, at first. She was lying on the ground, barely alive." He paused for effect. "She was wheezing…. and … had blisters all over her."

"That sounds … familiar," remarked Martha.

"Uh huh," Clark nodded his head. "When he got close to her, she grabbed his hand and …. something happened. He tried to describe it, but he didn't have the words. The next thing he knew, the blisters were gone and she was breathing fine."

"Mmm, I wish my hand could have done that for you." Martha looked at her hand, still resting on top of Clark's. "So she was still Kryptonian when she first arrived."

"That's my guess."

"How could she recover so quickly, and at night? Is there something special about his hand?"

"It's an Earthling's hand," Clark said cryptically.

"So's mine…"

"Remember I told you about the opalquine? Kara knows how to use it. If she was dying from exposure to Earth's environment, maybe she used the opalquine to turn herself into an Earthling. Touching Dr. Elbe gave her a … blueprint sort of… to work off of. That's my theory, anyway."

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"Before he clammed up, I asked him about his lab.. it's in his house. It's completely destroyed. That whole part of the house is collapsed. Everything's smashed. He was very vague about what happened, but he hinted Kara did it… and that's why he didn't want her there anymore and Luthor had to take her away. There were traces of a rotting human corpse in there too. I asked him about it, but that's when he got nervous and called Luthor." Clark furrowed his brow. "I hope I'm not putting you in danger."

"Pshaw! She's just a little girl."

"We have no idea where's she's been or what's happened to her." Clark glanced upward toward the ceiling briefly. "There's lots of weird things that can happen out there."

"Even if she could, she wouldn't hurt me. I'm not Dr. Elbe."

Just then, Kara walked into the kitchen and rather shyly handed Clark the drawing she had made. "I made this for you."

Clark looked at the drawing and smiled. It showed him and Kara kneeling next to each other on the ground between a house and a barn. There was a cornfield just beyond the house, and an orchard behind the barn. They were hugging. A goat stood nearby. A crescent moon and sparkling stars adorned the sky. "It's beautiful," Clark said quietly as he pulled Kara close with one arm. "But it was daytime."

"Clark," admonished Martha, who had started dabbing her eyes again.

"Mr. Danvers calls it 'poetic license.' He's also the art teacher. You said you could see Krypton better at night." She pointed to a faint red dot on the paper above the orchard. "That's Krypton. It has a red sun, right?"

"Yes. But it's too far away to see it from Earth, even for me. But I can show you where it is. Come on. Let's go stargaze. Then I'm going to take all my stuff and this beautiful picture to Metropolis and maybe finally decorate my apartment."

Kara giggled. "It would look great next to the Metropolis Marauder."

Clark and Martha chuckled and all three walked outside together.