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I blinked spots out of my vision. Clark's eyes, only inches from my own, pierced my eyes as soon as I could see again. Wait a minute, that wasn't right...I shook my head, blinked, and tried again to get my barrings. We were back in the barn, in the same positions we'd been before the black kryptonite had sent us into that dreamscape: with me leaning over Clark and him lying on his back on the barn floor. Only it was Clark who peered up at me through those green eyes, and not Kal-El. Pain flared in my right arm and I jerked it back toward me while wincing through my teeth. "Dad?" Clark asked, confused and worried. "It's okay, son," I said, giving him a slight smile - it was all I could manage. "We're back home. Kal-El's gone. You did, son." He smiled. "No, Dad. We did it." His smile widened even more. "Jor-El and his 'correction' won't bother us again." Martha rushed over. "Oh, Clark!" She enveloped him in a hug, then turned and gave me one. Both of us winced. "Oh, my God! Are you two all right?" "I think I need to go to the hospital," I said, holding up my right hand, which was burned slightly. Martha gasped. "Clark?" "I'm just a little sore," he said. "That really you, Clark?" Bart asked. Clark looked at him, puzzled. "Bart? What are you doing here?" His eyes slipped past Bart and widened. "Chloe?" I winced. I'd forgotten Chloe was there. I turned and looked at the girl. She was as white as a sheet. Everyone else seemed to freeze, uncertain what to do. That meant I had to take charge. I reached into my left pants pocket for my keys, then tossed them to Bart. "You know how to drive?" He nodded. "You're taking me to the hospital. Chloe, Martha, get Clark in the house. We'll be back soon." ***** Somehow, I didn't know how exactly, I managed to convince the doctor not to call the sheriff again, even if all burn wounds were supposed to be reported. I wasn't exactly the nicest patient, wanting to get home, and I think the doctor wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. He did say he was going to call the sheriff in the morning. At least I wouldn't have to worry about it that night. As we drove back to the farm, Bart asked, "So, I'm guessing Chloe didn't know about the whole Clark-being-an-alien thing?" I sighed. "No, but she probably does now." Clark and Martha had probably told her. I wished I hadn't left that responsibility up to them, wished that we could have avoided it altogether, but I doubted even Clark would be able to explain it all away this time. I hoped he did. Jor-El was gone, along with Kal-El. I didn't think it had sunk in yet, and that probably had to do with the fact that I was really, really tired, and really worried about what Chloe was going to do. We passed Chloe's car on the road. It sped past us toward downtown Smallville. I tensed as I watched it pass. I couldn't see inside the cab. A blue blur trailed after the car. "Uh-oh," Bart muttered. "What?" I asked. "Clark didn't look very happy. I don't think Chloe took the news well." We reached the farm to find Martha waiting for us. "We told her," she said without preamble. She looked so tired and worried. I probably looked the same way. "Clark will take care of it," I said. Chloe was a reasonable girl. I may not have wanted her to know the truth with good reason, but if anyone could convince her to keep the secret, it was Clark. It had to be. There was nothing we could do but hope for the best. Martha had been cooking despite the fact that she should have been resting. She said it was a welcome distraction. We offered to host Bart for dinner, but he declined and took off, going so fast we saw nothing but a long, yellow streak. Clark returned after a few hours. He looked as worn out as us. "How'd it go, son?" I asked him from my chair. Martha and I were sitting on the porch. The sun had set while we'd eaten dinner and the evening was a cold one, but we hardly noticed. I motioned to the chair next to me, expecting Clark to remain standing. He usual did, having so much energy that he couldn't even think of taking a rest. This time, however, he plopped down in the chair. "I think she's going to keep it a secret," he said. "She needs time to think about it, though. She doesn't want to see me." "She won't sell your secret to the Planet?" I asked, too tired to even try to mask my skepticism. He shook his head. "No. I made her promise not to." I sighed and leaned back in my chair, too tired to sit upright any longer. If only a promise couldn't be broken. "I hope we can trust her." Clark matched my sigh with one of his own. "Me, too, Dad. Me, too." "Chloe's a sensible girl," Martha assured us. "As long as we make it clear what being a part of this family is all about, she'll want to help." I let out a shaky breath. If only I could share Martha's confidence. Still, there was a chance that everything would turn out alright in the end. They had so far. "We'll work it out somehow, son," I assured Clark, placing a hand on his shoulder. Clark winced and moved away, and I let my hand fall back to my armrest. The mood was suddenly very awkward between us, and I had no idea what to do about it. What do you say to your son after he'd killed his own biological father, even if logic dictated that Jor-El had died fourteen years ago? The guy was an asshole who didn't deserve to be given the label of 'father', and I didn't feel sorry for his passing in any way. Still, it wasn't right for Clark to carry that sort of burden. Clark took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm just feeling really tired right now." He got to his feet, and I reached out and snagged his arm. He didn't move away this time, although he did flinch. "Clark, Jor-El didn't have the right to do any of the things he did to this family. And while I'll never regret his passing, killing is still not alright. All we can do is try to move past this and learn from it." Clark nodded. After a long moment, a smile slowly spread across his face. "And now I can move past it," he said, softly, more to himself than to Martha or me. He looked at me. "No one's in charge of my destiny anymore except me." I smiled back. "That's right, son." I got to my feet. "Though why don't you sleep on it before acting on this new freedom of yours?" He gave me the full Kent grin. I felt myself relax. Martha did, too. Clark suddenly hugged Martha and me simultaneously. Martha squeezed back tightly, probably ignoring the pain in her ribs by doing so. I didn't say anything about it. "It's over," she said, and squeezed tighter. "It's all over. Nothing's ever going to tear this family apart again." "Damn straight," I said. "Damn straight." We still had a few problems to deal with, namely Lana and Chloe, but we'd deal with them. We were the Kents, and no one could get in the way of that now. THE END |
