Thanks, everyone, for your patience. Here's the next section, from Clark's POV.
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Part 4.5
Clark hovers above the ground for a moment and then touches down as lightly as he can so that the landing won’t be too jarring.
“Again, again,” Teddy chants enthusiastically.
“Not tonight,” Clark says.
Now comes the difficult part. Chloe is as limp as a rag doll in his left arm and the children are squirming in his right. He needs to put them down without dropping anyone in the mud. He might be strong enough to lift a building, but he doesn’t have enough arms to juggle an unconscious woman and two small kids.
He flips Chloe up so that she’s flopped over his shoulder. It’s not exactly dignified, but, Hell, Chloe won’t notice. With his left arm now free he can lower the kids down so that they’re standing on their feet.
Teddy looks around a bit, but Lizzie just stands and stares up at Clark.
Clark readjusts Chloe so that now she’s draped in his arms, not over his shoulder. He’d rather she wake up in this position, although it doesn’t look like she’s going to wake up anytime soon.
“Is this a farm?” Teddy asks.
“Yeah,” Clark says as he watches the steady rise and fall of Chloe’s chest. At least she’s breathing normally.
Lizzie, still standing at Clark’s feet, raises her hands over her head. “Up,” she says.
“No more flying tonight, Lizzie,” Clark says. “Maybe we’ll do it again tomorrow.”
“Are you a farmer?” Teddy starts to walk over to the barn.
“Teddy, don’t wander off. We’re going to go inside the house.” Clark takes a few steps in the direction of the dark farmhouse. Lizzie doesn’t move.
“Up,” she says again.
“No, Lizzie.”
“She wants you to pick her up,” Teddy says.
“Oh.” Clark looks down at the little girl and now he can see that there are dark circles under her eyes and her mouth is set in a pathetic frown. “Sorry.”
He squats down so that Chloe’s body is resting on his knees. He extends his right arm to Lizzie and says, “Hold on to my neck.”
She climbs up, wraps her little arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder.
Clark’s not sure why, but he likes how Lizzie clings to him. It feels comfortable.
He stands up. “Come on, Teds,” he calls and walks to the house.
“Where are the animals?” Teddy follows behind him.
“They’re asleep.”
“When will they wake up?”
“In the morning.”
By the time they reach the back porch there’s a light on in a second floor window and when he opens the door he can hear his mother’s feet on the stairs.
“Clark?” she calls down to him.
“Who’s that?” Teddy asks.
“My mom,” Clark says as he shuts the door.
“Is she a farmer too?”
Martha is now at the bottom of the steps. She wears a bathrobe over her nightgown. Clark hasn’t turned on the light yet, so she peers into the dark kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“You’re Clark’s mom,” Teddy says.
Martha smiles at the sound of the boy’s voice. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
“I’m Teddy.”
“Hello Teddy.” She kneels down in front of him so she can see him better. As soon as she does she shoots a look to her son. “Clark.”
She knows in an instant what it took him almost a week to figure out.
“Can you grab this one?” he asks, motioning to Lizzie, whose grip around his neck is loosening.
Martha stands up and takes the girl from Clark.
“Mommy sleeping,” Lizzie says before settling into Martha’s arms.
Martha studies the unconscious woman. “Will she be alright?” she asks.
“I think so,” Clark says and he starts to move from the kitchen into the living room. “They drugged her with something, but I think it just needs time to wear off.”
“Who drugged her? What’s going on?”
Clark glances at the children and then says, “Can we talk about it later?”
“At least tell me who she is and why you’ve never mentioned her before.” Martha says.
Clark lays Chloe down on the living room couch. “Her name is Chloe Sullivan,” he says as he spreads a blanket over her. “I just met her a week ago.”
“Clark.” His mother doesn’t believe him.
He looks her directly in the eyes and says, “I swear to you, we met for the first time last week.”
Teddy has wandered into the living room. Now he sits down on the couch and rests his head on his mother’s legs. “When can we go home?” he asks.
“Let’s find you a bed,” Martha says as she shifts the sleeping Lizzie from one arm to the other.
“I’m not tired,” Teddy yawns.
“Of course you aren’t,” Martha says and she holds out her hand, “but maybe you’d like to see where Clark used to sleep when he was a boy.”
Teddy silently takes her hand and follows her to the stairs.
Martha turns and looks at her son. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she says.
Clark nods, then pulls a chair closer to the couch and sits down. He closes his eyes, not because he’s tired, but because he needs to concentrate.
About a mile away he can hear a car, but it’s moving away from the Kent farm. There are countless creatures in the fields and woods surrounding the house, but he can tell from their footsteps that they all have four legs. There are no other people around. They’re safe. Finally.
He can hear his mother as she walks back to her bedroom. The children breathe slowly but deeply as they sleep in his bed.
His children.
He always thought that he didn’t want children, that he wouldn’t make a good father. Now he can’t imagine the world without Teddy and Lizzie. He wants to be there for them, to help raise them. He has to help raise them. No one else will be able to explain to them why they’re different. No one else will be able to teach them how to use their abilities. He knows what it’s like to grow up this way alone. He smiles at the thought that his children won’t have to go through that.
He opens his eyes and looks at their mother.
Chloe.
He’s not sure what he feels about her. Certainly he admires her. She’s been through so much and still managed to stay strong. And he can’t deny that he’s attracted to her.
He thinks about the first time in her apartment and how much he wanted to kiss her. Now he wishes he had.
He closes his eyes again and listens to her heart beat, slow and steady. He leans back in the chair and feels his body relax. Maybe he is tired, because the thought of falling asleep to the rhythm of Chloe’s heartbeat is really nice.
His eyes shoot open. He can’t have heard right.
He leans forward and listens again.
It’s there, faint, but unmistakable, another heart beat.
(tbc)
Click here for Part Five
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Part 4.5
Clark hovers above the ground for a moment and then touches down as lightly as he can so that the landing won’t be too jarring.
“Again, again,” Teddy chants enthusiastically.
“Not tonight,” Clark says.
Now comes the difficult part. Chloe is as limp as a rag doll in his left arm and the children are squirming in his right. He needs to put them down without dropping anyone in the mud. He might be strong enough to lift a building, but he doesn’t have enough arms to juggle an unconscious woman and two small kids.
He flips Chloe up so that she’s flopped over his shoulder. It’s not exactly dignified, but, Hell, Chloe won’t notice. With his left arm now free he can lower the kids down so that they’re standing on their feet.
Teddy looks around a bit, but Lizzie just stands and stares up at Clark.
Clark readjusts Chloe so that now she’s draped in his arms, not over his shoulder. He’d rather she wake up in this position, although it doesn’t look like she’s going to wake up anytime soon.
“Is this a farm?” Teddy asks.
“Yeah,” Clark says as he watches the steady rise and fall of Chloe’s chest. At least she’s breathing normally.
Lizzie, still standing at Clark’s feet, raises her hands over her head. “Up,” she says.
“No more flying tonight, Lizzie,” Clark says. “Maybe we’ll do it again tomorrow.”
“Are you a farmer?” Teddy starts to walk over to the barn.
“Teddy, don’t wander off. We’re going to go inside the house.” Clark takes a few steps in the direction of the dark farmhouse. Lizzie doesn’t move.
“Up,” she says again.
“No, Lizzie.”
“She wants you to pick her up,” Teddy says.
“Oh.” Clark looks down at the little girl and now he can see that there are dark circles under her eyes and her mouth is set in a pathetic frown. “Sorry.”
He squats down so that Chloe’s body is resting on his knees. He extends his right arm to Lizzie and says, “Hold on to my neck.”
She climbs up, wraps her little arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder.
Clark’s not sure why, but he likes how Lizzie clings to him. It feels comfortable.
He stands up. “Come on, Teds,” he calls and walks to the house.
“Where are the animals?” Teddy follows behind him.
“They’re asleep.”
“When will they wake up?”
“In the morning.”
By the time they reach the back porch there’s a light on in a second floor window and when he opens the door he can hear his mother’s feet on the stairs.
“Clark?” she calls down to him.
“Who’s that?” Teddy asks.
“My mom,” Clark says as he shuts the door.
“Is she a farmer too?”
Martha is now at the bottom of the steps. She wears a bathrobe over her nightgown. Clark hasn’t turned on the light yet, so she peers into the dark kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“You’re Clark’s mom,” Teddy says.
Martha smiles at the sound of the boy’s voice. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
“I’m Teddy.”
“Hello Teddy.” She kneels down in front of him so she can see him better. As soon as she does she shoots a look to her son. “Clark.”
She knows in an instant what it took him almost a week to figure out.
“Can you grab this one?” he asks, motioning to Lizzie, whose grip around his neck is loosening.
Martha stands up and takes the girl from Clark.
“Mommy sleeping,” Lizzie says before settling into Martha’s arms.
Martha studies the unconscious woman. “Will she be alright?” she asks.
“I think so,” Clark says and he starts to move from the kitchen into the living room. “They drugged her with something, but I think it just needs time to wear off.”
“Who drugged her? What’s going on?”
Clark glances at the children and then says, “Can we talk about it later?”
“At least tell me who she is and why you’ve never mentioned her before.” Martha says.
Clark lays Chloe down on the living room couch. “Her name is Chloe Sullivan,” he says as he spreads a blanket over her. “I just met her a week ago.”
“Clark.” His mother doesn’t believe him.
He looks her directly in the eyes and says, “I swear to you, we met for the first time last week.”
Teddy has wandered into the living room. Now he sits down on the couch and rests his head on his mother’s legs. “When can we go home?” he asks.
“Let’s find you a bed,” Martha says as she shifts the sleeping Lizzie from one arm to the other.
“I’m not tired,” Teddy yawns.
“Of course you aren’t,” Martha says and she holds out her hand, “but maybe you’d like to see where Clark used to sleep when he was a boy.”
Teddy silently takes her hand and follows her to the stairs.
Martha turns and looks at her son. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she says.
Clark nods, then pulls a chair closer to the couch and sits down. He closes his eyes, not because he’s tired, but because he needs to concentrate.
About a mile away he can hear a car, but it’s moving away from the Kent farm. There are countless creatures in the fields and woods surrounding the house, but he can tell from their footsteps that they all have four legs. There are no other people around. They’re safe. Finally.
He can hear his mother as she walks back to her bedroom. The children breathe slowly but deeply as they sleep in his bed.
His children.
He always thought that he didn’t want children, that he wouldn’t make a good father. Now he can’t imagine the world without Teddy and Lizzie. He wants to be there for them, to help raise them. He has to help raise them. No one else will be able to explain to them why they’re different. No one else will be able to teach them how to use their abilities. He knows what it’s like to grow up this way alone. He smiles at the thought that his children won’t have to go through that.
He opens his eyes and looks at their mother.
Chloe.
He’s not sure what he feels about her. Certainly he admires her. She’s been through so much and still managed to stay strong. And he can’t deny that he’s attracted to her.
He thinks about the first time in her apartment and how much he wanted to kiss her. Now he wishes he had.
He closes his eyes again and listens to her heart beat, slow and steady. He leans back in the chair and feels his body relax. Maybe he is tired, because the thought of falling asleep to the rhythm of Chloe’s heartbeat is really nice.
His eyes shoot open. He can’t have heard right.
He leans forward and listens again.
It’s there, faint, but unmistakable, another heart beat.
(tbc)
Click here for Part Five
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