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Excited for the next up date!
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Me, too!
And it's very good to be back! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. 
Well, the next update is here, read on!
Okay, guys, first time I've had to do this in a while, but I would definitely classify this update as one that deserves a Kleenex warning. Let me know what you think!Comment
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Martha and Jonathan shrugged off their coats, handing them over to one of the people Lois had wrangled in to making sure the party ran smoothly. She felt the clasp of her grandmother's pearl necklace catch in her hair and asked her husband, "Can you fix this? I think it's caught." As he began to untangle it, she teased, "One more district and you'll have a new commute to Topeka."
He fixed the necklace and she could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, "Whatever the outcome, sweetheart, the only victory that has ever changed my life," she turned to face him, curious as to his answer, "was when I won your heart."
She leaned up for his kiss, marveling at how all these years later he could still find the words to surprise her with his love. Then the crowd demanded their attention and with a wry smile, he turned to face them.
"The man of the hour, Jonathan Kent!" Someone yelled as they went through the throng of people.
It was then that Martha spotted Clark standing there and though he smiled proudly at his dad, she could see the worry in his eyes.
She knew Jonathan caught it too, when he gave their son a searching look and asked, "Everything all right, Clark?"
Clark grinned even as he lied, "Yeah, everything's great."
"Good." She could tell Jonathan didn't believe him, either but couldn't ask more questions with the three of them at the center of the crowd's attention. Martha watched as he did the only thing he could at the moment as Clark's father- he pulled his son into a strong embrace. She watched as Clark returned it fiercely, seeming to gain a little bit of strength from it and wished that they could get away, just the three of them.
After the party, she promised herself, they would sit at the island and talk everything out like they always did- as a family.
"Good luck tonight, Dad."
Clark smiled at her when she rolled her eyes and gave him a teasing look of exasperation as she followed her husband around the room, shaking hands and accepting encouragement from everyone.
Then the television anchor came on the flat screen someone had set up, announcing that Jonathan had won the senate race. She whirled around to face him, feeling so proud, knowing how much this had meant to him. She gave him a kiss, watching as he was praised by everyone.
With a hiss and a snap, the lights went out. Martha turned, looking around to see what had happened, having been separated from her husband in the darkness. Chloe walked past her calling Lana's name. She spied Jonathan answering his cell. Thinking that Clark might have slipped off to the breaker box, she headed that way herself, using her cell to light the way.
When she reached it, Clark was nowhere to be seen, so Martha opened the box and threw the main switch. Nothing happened. She opened the back door to check if it was just the Talon or all of Smallville that was suffering from a power outage. She saw the lights were on across the street, then frowned as an ambulance pulled up to the Talon. "Oh, no."
She made it back to the main part room just in time to see the EMTs carry a gurney down the stairs with Lois strapped to it. Clark was following behind them. She had to push her way through the crowd that was surrounding them to get to their side. "Honey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, Mrs. Kent, totally. It's just a little bump. Clark's just over-reacting, you know how he is."
Martha glanced up at her son and he shook his head grimly, letting her know how bad it really was. Knowing that Lois had to be cajoled, she suggested diplomatically, "Well, Lois, why don't you let them look at you, just to be sure?"
The paramedics let the legs down and locked them into place. "Okay, let's go."
Embarrassed by the crowd gathering, Lois patted her hands together nervously. "Do I really need an audience? Everyone back to the party, there's lots of chocolate cake, nine cases of Merlot."
Clark walked beside the stretcher, cautioning, "Lois, you were out for a while, you should have someone take a look at you."
"Do you really need to haul me off to HMO Land just for committing a serious party foul?" She asked, her agitation plain in her voice.
Martha watched as her son smiled and shook his head after Lois. She heard Chloe call out for him and turned back toward the expectant crowd. "Anyone up for some chocolate cake?"
****
When as much of the refreshments had been dispensed as possible, Martha spied the tall form of her son talking to Chloe as she circulated the room. The young blond woman moved away as Martha walked towards him, announcing, "Clark, I've decided to go ahead and end the party because of the blackout. I called the power company and they said the earliest they can have the power on again is tomorrow morning. I've sent everyone home with as much chocolate cake as they can handle."
Clark grinned. "Lois will be happy to know that it wasn't wasted. Where's Dad?"
"I'm not sure," she said, frowning as her eyes scanned over the crowd. In the confusion, she had lost sight of him.
"I bet he just slipped back to the farm," he said, even as he looked around, too. "You know Dad doesn't like crowds."
Martha laughed tiredly, wondering if either of them were really prepared for how everything was going to change. She was already missing those mornings when it was just the two of them shutting out the rest of the world. "He'll have to get used to them, I'm afraid. That's going to be our future from now on."
He hugged her to him, reassuring, "And he's going to be great at it. Come on, I'll drive you home."
On the way back to the farm, Martha filled him in on all the highlights of the party, sharing in her son's now lighter mood.
Clark pulled the car into the driveway, the headlights illuminating the barn just as Jonathan walked out of it.
"What's your dad doing here?" Martha wondered, laughing, still riding the high of the party. "What?"
She watched as he put up a hand to block the light from the headlamps. She was reaching for the door handle before she realized it as she heard Clark call out, "Dad?"
"Jonathan?" They both started towards him, his rattling breath warning them something was wrong.
Then, as surely as the world was ending, her husband, the man she promised to love forever, slipped to his knees, one arm bracing himself up against the frozen ground.
"Jonathan!" She screamed.
"Dad! Dad." They scrambled to his side, Clark reaching him first, lifting him to his feet. "Dad."
"Jonathan." She made it to his other side.
"Let's sit him down over here, come on. Come on." His whole body seemed to sag as they guided him to a hay bale.
She could hear the panic in Clark's voice as he said, "Here, just sit down."
But for the first time, he resisted, instead stopping as he looked down at her. Terrified, she stared wildly back up at him. His breathing was labored, and there were tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. For a stolen moment, the world stopped. It slowed down to simply him and her and the feel of his heartbeat underneath her fingertips.
Jonathan gave her the same warm, barely there smile he had given her the first day she had walked up to him and asked to borrow his notes. In his blue eyes was all the love of a lifetime. His thumb brushed as light as a whisper against the clasp of her necklace.
Then he turned to Clark, and she saw the same frightened expression on his face that she knew was on her own.
Her fingers tightened on his dress shirt, denying that the rhythm beneath them was slowing. In horror, she watched his head loll to the side as she felt the last beat of his heart.
He dropped and they followed him to the ground.
"No. No! No, Jonathan!" She wasn't aware she was screaming hysterically. She wasn't aware that she had cradled his head against her neck or that her hand was over his heart, shaking him, trying to feel for a sound that was forever silenced now. All she knew was the horror of this moment that couldn't be real.
"Dad!" Clark shouted.
"Oh, no, please, not yet," she pleaded, rocking him in her arms, "Noo! No, no, Jonathan."
"Mom, Mom, I can fix this," she could hear Clark saying desperately.
And the little pieces of her heart that were still together shattered at that. Her boy, always trying to save everyone.
The sobs shook her whole body now. Her hand was still against his heart, still searching. For the sake of their son, she struggled to regain control as she answered, "Honey, you- you can't fix this. It's too late."
She turned her face into her husband's blond hair, wetting it with her tears. With those words, she felt as if she was betraying the hope he had always believed in, a hope he had brought to her life every day.
"Mom. Mom. Mama."
It was that word that finally reached her, the one word she had waited so long to hear from him. She lifted her gaze up to her son.
He said determinedly, "I'll take him to Jor-El. He can fix this. I'll bring Dad back to us."
She was unable to stop the hope that rose inside her, and she nodded reluctantly, willing to let him try, despite what she knew it would cost both of them if he couldn't. With a gentle hand, she turned Jonathan's face to hers. She kissed him, and inhaled the warm, masculine scent that had always told her she was home. She whispered, "I love you. I'll always love you."
She watched their son go into the barn, and, in that last moment with just the two of them, she hugged him as close as she could, praying that somehow one heartbeat could be enough for two bodies. "Please come back, Jonathan. Please let us find happy days again, together."
Then Clark was in front of her, lifting him from her arms. It took everything that she had to let him go, some horrible part of her whispering that this would be the last time she would ever have him in her arms again.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone. How long she sat on that bale of hay, staring at the spot they had been, she didn't know. Time seemed endless now. She noticed in a distracted way that she was starting to shiver and slowly got to her feet. Inside. She needed to be inside, waiting for them when they came home.
She walked unsteadily into the farmhouse, not bothering to turn on any of the lights or even to get a blanket to warm up. She wanted the cold numbness to envelope her, it was the only thing holding her together. Besides, she knew that a blanket wouldn't work. The only warmth she needed now was Jonathan's arms around her, the smell of him letting her know she was home again.
She pulled a stool from the island and placed it in the path of the kitchen door. Martha sat there and stared out, unable to do more as she waited for the world to begin again.
The phone started ringing some time later and she turned her head toward it, fear and hope shooting through her so fast that she felt dizzy. Her hand shook as she reached for it. "Hello?"
"Mom, it's me. I'm at Smallville Medical." Clark's voice faltered as he stumbled over his words, "I didn't- I couldn't-"
The soft cry escaped her lips before she could stop it. She pressed her hand over her mouth, knowing it would hurt him. She swallowed back her tears, saying quietly, "I'll be right there."
She hung up and walked outside, shutting the door carefully behind her. The snow fell thick and fast from the night sky, but she ignored it as she made her way to the car they had left in the driveway with the lights still on. Mechanically she got into the driver's seat and started the vehicle, making her way to Smallville Medical.
After she parked the car and walked up the sidewalk, she saw Clark standing at the entrance. He looked lost and for the first time since she had found him all those years ago, she had no idea how to comfort him.
Wordlessly, they walked in and sat side by side in the waiting room. Despite her best efforts, her hands shook as she removed her coat.
Clark got up and returned a few minutes later, handing her a steaming cup of coffee. She shot him a grateful look, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.
She couldn't make herself drink it, but held it between her hands, the only warmth in her body coming from it.
Doctor Scanlan approached, saying the words she didn't want to hear, "I'm sorry, Martha; it was a heart attack."
They had been friends for a long time, and Martha watched him blinking back his own tears as he tried to reassure them, "There's nothing you could have done."
Nothing? She was the one who had encouraged Jonathan to join the election, and it was the campaigning that had caused the strain on his heart-
"There's nothing else that you can do here," Doctor Scanlan said kindly. "Go home. I'll call tomorrow about arrangements."
They nodded mutely and rose. As he walked beside her, Martha wanted to reach out to her son, to find the strength their family had always found in each other. But she was afraid that at the slightest touch she would shatter and she couldn't add any more burdens to him.
Once again Clark drove them back to the farm, the headlights traveling the familiar path over the barn.
Her heart broke all over again as she looked over and saw Clark staring hopefully at the barn. She knew what he was waiting for. She said thickly, "Honey, turn off the car."
He glanced at her then and she gazed back, waiting. He turned the motor off, and they got out, staring at the darkened house, neither of them moving. Though it was the last thing Martha wanted to do, for Clark she found the strength, and stoically moved up the steps and into the house.
Martha walked as far as the middle of the living room and slowly turned on the spot, her gaze searching over the room as a lifetime of memories bombarded her. Everywhere she turned, he was there and everywhere she looked, he never would be again. She raised her eyes to his as she lost the last of the control she had been holding onto.
She felt Clark's arms go around her as her knees buckled. She could no longer hold back her sobs and latched onto their son, wishing it was Jonathan who was holding her.
He rocked her until she stopped crying, then guided her down to the couch.
"This is my fault." His words were full of self-recrimination.
"No, Clark, it was a he-heart attack," her tears started again, "you couldn't have stopped it."
"Mom, it was the deal I made with Jor-El." He wouldn't look at her while he spoke, but she could see the shame on his face. "I've lived this day once already. I proposed to Lana, and I told her everything about me. And she said yes. Then there was... an accident. She died. I went to Jor-El and he gave me back this day, but he told me that someone else would-"
He shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes once more. "I thought that I could protect everyone. I saved Lois, I saved Lana, but I- I couldn't stop what happened to Dad."
"Oh, sweetheart." She put her hand on his face, but he flinched, standing up and walking away. He braced his arms on the mantle, then turned his head away from the pictures of Jonathan that were there. "Clark-"
"Mom, I can't," he interrupted, his voice harsh. Then he met her eyes and repeated softly, "I just can't."
She nodded reluctantly, understanding, and wiped at her tears. Drawing in a deep breath, she stood and walked away. When she reached the bottom step of the staircase, she couldn't stop herself from trying in some small way to comfort him. She turned back to their son. "Clark, your dad loved you, always."
He nodded, but she could see the pain in his eyes.
Not knowing what else to say, she turned and went up the stairs, not stopping until she had closed the door behind her. She didn't move, couldn't move, just stared at her feet encased in the red high heels she had bought just for tonight. She stayed there as she heard Clark make his way to his room and then go back downstairs and outside.
Forcing her head up now, she stared at their bedroom. A well-worn copy of Huckleberry Finn was on his beside table, where he had started rereading it. His reading glasses were laying on top of it. One of his flannel shirts was slung across the bottom of the bed. It looked like he was going to walk through the door at any moment. It was as though the room didn't know yet that he wasn't going to go clomping across its floor in his work boots or sling his shirt down when he was tired. It didn't know yet that he wasn't coming back. She felt the edges of herself start to break as she let the thought cross her mind that maybe if she didn't leave here, then she would never have to know, either.
She blinked back tears, walking to the window. She watched as Clark made his way out of the barn, carrying tools and a roll of barbed wire. She shook her head with a rueful smile, saying before she realized it, "You know, he is so much like you. Whenever something hurts him, he just turns his back on the world and goes straight to working on this farm."
She didn't know that she was waiting for the sound of his soft laughter until she was met with only silence. A whimper sounded and she pressed her fingers across her mouth, sobs shaking her frame. Blindly she felt her way across the room, stripping her clothes off as she went. Shivering in the cool night air, she stood before the dresser and opened a drawer that wasn't hers.
Martha pulled out a soft white t-shirt and slipped it over her head. Then she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over her. She buried her face in Jonathan's pillow, inhaling his scent, searching for the comfort of her husband. She turned on her side, wishing for his warm arm to hold her close. She stayed so still in the cold bed, waiting for him, and this time when the tears came, they couldn't be stopped.
****
Martha walked into the Talon, stepping awkwardly through the bustling crowd that surrounded her.
She felt so disconnected from everything, as though she wasn't really part of this world anymore, that she hadn't been since the last beat of her husband's heart.
Things like warmth and laughter seemed to have faded from her life. Quietness had descended on the farmhouse, and she still found herself looking for him in every room she went into, even though she knew he wouldn't be there.
The world seemed as hollow as she felt. Sometimes it was like she couldn't even feel her own heart beat anymore. It seemed like it had gone away when his did. She looked around at the blue and gold decorations, the colors feeling over bright and garish. It was almost as if she were to touch the walls they would be made of cardboard and collapse beneath her fingers.
"Mrs. Kent?"
She turned helplessly and met Lois's concerned gaze. Her mouth moved as she tried to say something, to reassure the younger woman as she had everyone else that she was okay, that she was dealing with it, but nothing happened.
Her eyes became as teary as Martha felt her own were. Lois threw her arms around her, hugging her fiercely. Martha's arms crept up and she clung to the woman who had become as dear to her as her own son. She closed her eyes, oblivious to the rest of the world as she grieved with Lois.
Lois pulled back with a sniff, asking, "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"
She smiled, the first genuine one to reach her lips in days. "I'd like that."
Lois ordered a couple of coffees and then nodded toward the doors. They went outside and found a bench. They watched people passing by, not saying anything. She noticed Lois fiddling nervously with the edge of her cup. She waited patiently for her to say something.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately," Lois blurted out without looking up. "It's just that I'm known for sticking my foot in my mouth, and I didn't want this to be one of those times when I said the wrong thing."
Martha reached out and covered her hand, squeezing gently, granting her the absolution she seemed to think she needed.
Lois's eyes shot to hers, the grief written plainly there. She whispered, "I miss him."
"I know," she said. Maybe it was because Lois was the first person who had cared about Jonathan as much as she and Clark had or maybe it was because this was the woman her son had said was part of his destiny, or maybe even because she felt like Lois was her own daughter, but Martha found herself confessing, "I can't seem to get through to Clark."
Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"He's just," she trailed off, shrugging helplessly. "He's trying so hard to be strong, to do everything that Jonathan did and he's not letting himself say goodbye."
"Maybe he feels like he never really got the chance," Lois murmured softly. Martha looked at her questioningly and she explained, "My mom was in the hospital for weeks before she passed. And when she died, it didn't feel like she was dead. It was like she was just gone or something, like she could still come home. The day after her funeral, the General packed up everything. In a few days it was like she had just disappeared. It even smelled different."
"What did you do?" Martha murmured, thinking of the boxes she had already packed, trying to make it easier on both of them. Maybe she had made a mistake.
Lois had a faraway look in her eyes, the same look that had been in Clark's so often lately. "I was in their bedroom, getting something for the General and it fell under the bed. When I reached for it, my hand hit a cassette tape. I was curious, so I put it in the stereo and pushed play. That's when I heard my mom's voice." She smiled, remembering. "The only way Lucy would go to sleep when she had a sitter was if she heard my mom. So, she made a tape of herself singing lullabies. I must have stayed there for an hour just... listening. When the General found me, I was laying on the carpet, crying. I expected him to yell, but he didn't say anything. He just sat down on the floor beside me, picked me up and put me in his lap and started the tape again."
Lois finally refocused her attention on her and Martha could see the embarrassment she felt from letting herself be so vulnerable. She cleared her throat nervously.
"Thank you, Lois." When she looked up questioningly, Martha smiled. "You said exactly the right thing."
She had told Chloe last night that she had been happy to have someone to help carry the burden of Clark's secret, but in that moment, she realized that she also needed help to carry the weight of something much more important- Clark's heart, and there was no one but Lois that could do that.
Later that day, Martha sat in the living room, going through the tapes in front of her. She knew that Clark was in the loft and it could be hours before he came in. But she realized she needed this as much as Clark did. Lois was right, it had been like he had just disappeared, as though, she took a deep, trembling breath, as though one day he would come back.
She blindly picked out a tape and put it in the VCR. Sitting back on the couch, she pushed play on the remote. It had been one of the big snows they'd had, much like this one, and Clark couldn't have been more than six or seven. She smiled faintly, remembering. Clark had begged to learn how to drive the tractor, and Jonathan had finally given in.
It had been so quiet that day, her throat tightened at the thought, as if they were the only people in the whole world.
"Here, go that way. Make a figure eight," her husband told their son as he drove.
"Please, be careful," she heard herself say from behind the camera.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. It's going to be fine," he reassured her, always so sure that things worked out for the best.
"That's what you always say," she said, exasperation in her voice.
Martha blinked back the tears that threatened to blur her vision. She needed to see this.
"That way?" Jonathan asked their son, pointing to the right. Clark nodded enthusiastically and the tractor turned.
"Hang on tight!" The woman she had been cautioned. She was always so worried about him.
"What, are you kidding?" Jonathan scoffed. He curled his bicep up, declaring with a grin, "This young man's a man of steel. Look at him."
He lifted Clark's arm up like his own and Clark grinned bashfully at the camera. "Make one more turn."
That was Jonathan, always daring to go just a little bit further.
"Where are you going?" She asked as the tractor started to pull away.
"Thought I'd show our son the back forty. After all, it's all going to be his one day, right?" He asked, laughter and happiness in his voice. "Clark, wave bye to Mommy, son."
Martha looked up and found Clark standing there.
"Bye bye," Jonathan said with a smile, his hand waving to the camera just as the first tears fell from Clark's eyes since before the funeral. She glanced down at his hand and saw Jonathan's watch there.
She paused the tape and stood up, going to his side as both her hands cupped the wrist the watch was resting on. She smiled, faintly, wanting to ask him so many questions, but when she looked into his eyes, she could see the last of his walls crumbling before her.
Martha reached for him just as his head found a home on her shoulder. He sobbed softly, holding her so tightly. She ran her hand over his dark, curly hair, rocking him gently as her own tears began to fall.
They were finally getting to say goodbye, together.
Well, what do you think?Comment
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amazing wow more plzComment
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Oh, I missed two updates. I should check this thread more often.
I really liked them both.
I wasn't sure about Lois playing a part in the death episode, especially when it came to Clark and Martha's relationship, but you managed to make it very organic and I felt that it really could have gone that way. It was just that small touch and it didn't take anything from their relationship, so I thought you did a very good job with that. And you weren't kidding about the tissue
The ending scene where Jonathan waves goodbye and Clark stands there finally letting everything out, is one of the saddest most emotional scenes of the series. It never fails, and you put a nice twist on things, and I felt it gave it even more depth.
Thanks for sharing
Comment
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Thanks!
Yep, always check for frequent updates.Oh, I missed two updates. I should check this thread more often.
I really liked them both.
I wasn't sure about Lois playing a part in the death episode, especially when it came to Clark and Martha's relationship, but you managed to make it very organic and I felt that it really could have gone that way. It was just that small touch and it didn't take anything from their relationship, so I thought you did a very good job with that. And you weren't kidding about the tissue The ending scene where Jonathan waves goodbye and Clark stands there finally letting everything out, is one of the saddest most emotional scenes of the series. It never fails, and you put a nice twist on things, and I felt it gave it even more depth.
Thanks for sharing (LOL, even when they aren't so frequent sometimes!)
Yeah, I didn't want her part in Martha and Jonathan's grieving to be obvious because I think that's something that belonged to them, but at the same time, I wanted to acknowledge how something you might think is small that you do for someone can actually be something really big, you just never know it. And that's really how it was here.
Yeah, I cried myself, so I thought it only fair to warn you guys ahead of time. I think it is. I cry every time I watch that part.
You're very welcome and thank you for commenting! It means a lot!
Okay, guys, here's the next part and I think you're going to like it! Not only is it a little bit happier, but we also get to see the start of the Guitar Hero weekends mentioned in season eight!
Enjoy and as always, I love to read what you guys thought about the story!Comment
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Martha was reading over the latest proposals she had brought home with her from Topeka when she heard the telltale squeak of the kitchen screen door. She stood up and smiled when she saw Clark standing in the doorway. "Hey, sweetheart. I've been making chocolate chip cookies and the last batch is in the oven now, if you want s-"
The lost look on his face stopped her. "Clark, what happened?"
He said quietly, "I broke up with Lana."
She hurried to him, putting a hand on his arm, unsure what to say. Finally, she asked, "Why?"
Why now? What had changed that he felt he had to do this now? But he didn't say anything, and she knew her questions would have to wait. "Come on."
She lead him over to the table without resistance.
"We need chamomile," she told him as she went to the cabinet and pulled out a kettle. She filled it with water and put it on the stove.
He looked down and smiled a little. "Tea?"
She returned the smile, though hers was more solemn. "Chamomile helps with broken hearts and sleepless nights." She turned and got out two cups with a shrug. "At least, that's what my grandmother always said."
She placed a black mug in front of him while she chose one of Jonathan's cow coffee cups for herself.
"Is that why you've been drinking so much of it lately?" Clark asked, the question somewhere between innocent and knowing.
She stopped, staring at him, the pain freezing her in place. It was how it hit her now, sharp and unexpected as though a knife was going into her heart. She forced herself to nod. "Yeah, that's why. Clark, how long have you been thinking about this?"
"A while," he admitted softly.
He didn't say anything else, and she let the silence be interrupted only by the sound of the tea boiling. When it was ready, she poured it into her favorite yellow pot, the one Jonathan had always said looked like sunshine. Bringing it over to the table, she fixed herself a cup, then Clark. "How did she take it?"
"I've never seen her so hurt or so angry." He sighed, "Saying those words was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
Her eyes traveled over him. He looked so in control that it worried her. Even when Jonathan had passed, and he had worn that emotionless mask, she had still been able to see the pain underneath. But now, it was as if he was just empty.
Martha sighed, wishing this could be like one of those times when he was little where she would have all the answers, but she didn't anymore. "You're an adult now, Clark, in an adult relationship, and they rarely end the way we want them to."
"You know, I just didn't know what else to do," he said helplessly.
She nodded, understanding, because growing up didn't mean that you suddenly had all the answers. The older she got in life, the more Martha realized that it was a journey, not the answer to a question. Everyone fell down and got lost, but they had all just had to try their best to keep going until they found their way again.
"It was either make a clean break or tell her my secret."
Sometimes loss could bring people together or push them even further apart and when Lana had walked away from Clark at the funeral, some part of Martha had wondered which would happen to them. She hadn't been blind to the problems they were having. The relationship that had once made Clark so happy no longer did. But he hadn't confided in her, so Martha had stepped back, letting him deal with it alone, until today.
"Yeah. I know you didn't tell Lana the truth because you want to protect her," she hesitated, unsure if she should bring this up now, not knowing if he was ready to see the truth that had been staring him in the face all this time, "but maybe there was actually more to it."
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
She reminded herself to tread carefully. "Do you think you didn't tell her, because, maybe deep down," she winced a little as she continued, "you didn't think she was the one?"
He seemed to consider this for a moment before the familiar response came, "Mom, I'll always love Lana."
She nodded, understanding that he wasn't ready. Clark had never considered why or what it was about Lana that he loved, just that he did. "I know," she conceded softly for now, "that's why you did this. But you didn't just break her heart, Clark, you gave her a reason to hate you. I just hope her anger doesn't drive her to do something we'll all regret."
Clark gave her an uncertain look, as though he hadn't considered that before. She shook her head. She didn't know if he could begin to understand the depths that a person who felt betrayed could go to.
The front door suddenly swung open, and they heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey, Smallville, ready to get your butt kicked at Guitar Hero again?"
They both glanced up, watching as Lois made her way into the living room, her arms loaded down with an XBox, plastic guitars, and a brown paper bag of groceries. She dumped everything on the couch, and put her hands on her hips, looking at him with eyebrows raised. "Ready?"
Clark stood from the table and moved toward her to forestall her hooking up the game. "Look, Lois, I'm not really in the mood today."
"Come on, Smallville, rules are rules and we decided that there was no way that we were missing any Guitar Hero weekends. So, let's get started."
"Lois, I really don't," Clark began to protest, but Martha laid a hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked questioningly down at her.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go ahead? It might take your mind off things," she said lowly, so that Lois wouldn't overhear.
He sighed heavily, but nodded and bent down, helping Lois get it ready. "Fine, Lois, but I get the red guitar this time."
She scoffed, "In your dreams, Smallville."
Martha leaned against the wood post in the kitchen, watching them. She shook her head with a small smile as they continued to quibble. Arguing over everything was more of a past time for the two of them than a real fight. He had never had someone like Lois in his life before. Thinking back to the first time Martha had met the quick talking, seemingly over-confident girl, she had to admit, they seemed unlikely to form a lasting friendship, but something about her fit with Clark. She continued to pull him out of his shell in ways that no one else could.
Martha opened the front door to the farmhouse and froze in the foyer as an unexpected sound reached her ears- Clark's laughter. The weeks following her husband's funeral had been the hardest that she and Clark had ever been through. For her son, she had kept going and tried to heal. Life was no longer as good or easy as it had once been, but most of the time it was bearable now.
But as much as they both had tried, she had still been worried for Clark. Ever since the day he had seen the old videotapes of Jonathan, the grief that had held him captive had been released. He looked her in the eyes now, he even smiled sometimes, but he hadn't laughed since Jonathan's death. It was as if the world held no real joy for him now. She understood the feeling, and hated even more that she was unable to find some joy of her own to share with him.
She closed her eyes as she let the sound of his laughter wash over her, tears stinging behind her closed lids.
Clark chuckled again, the song "I Love Rock and Roll," sounding from the plastic guitar in his hands. He smirked over at the woman beside him. "Face it, Lois, I think we've found something that I'm better at than you."
Lois blew out a skeptical breath. "Please, Smallville, that hasn't been invented yet. You're just still sore that I kicked your butt earlier. I was just trying to give your ego a break."
He scoffed, "Sure, Lois." Then he looked up and caught sight of her standing there. "Mom."
Martha cleared her throat, blinking back her tears and smiled widely. She walked into the living room, gesturing to the console and the bright plastic guitars. "What's all this?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Lois said, dismissing it with an airy wave. "The General just sent me an early birthday present and Chloe isn't really into video games, so I brought it over."
Martha gave her a searching look and watched as Lois' eyes dropped, a guilty flush climbing her neck. Lois' father wasn't the type to remember his daughter's birthday, let alone send a gift months early. Martha's throat tightened again at the thoughtfulness of the girl who continued to reach Clark when no one else could. But she could see this was another gesture that Lois had done that she didn't want acknowledgment for. So, instead, Martha just smiled and nodded, assuring her silently that this was another secret that would be kept between them.
She was brought back to the present by the crinkle of a bag. Lois had stood up and was holding the paper sack. "Before we get started, I brought reinforcements."
Clark stood up as well. "Lois, I told you, you didn't need to do that." He walked into the pantry and pulled out a box of ding dongs. "And we've got cream soda in the fridge."
Lois looked at him in surprise, and Martha hid her smile. What had started out as that one night had evolved into a weekly ritual. At first, Lois would just show up once a weekend armed with the console and guitars. Their natural competitiveness with each other had caused Clark's protests to die quickly and from there they established a day and a time. Then Clark had started making sure that their house was stocked with Lois's favorite junk food as well. She just hadn't noticed he had been doing it until now.
It was almost as if they were having a date night without either of them realizing it. With a pang, her thoughts went briefly to pancakes and flowers.
Lois caught Martha watching them and hurriedly smirked to cover her surprise. "Well, Clark, it looks like you're doing better than I thought."
He returned her smirk. "Just trying to keep up with Lois Lane."
Once the snacks were ready, they sat down and began playing while Martha moved back into the kitchen, taking the last of the cookies from the oven before immersing herself in the proposals she had been working on. She smiled as the sounds of laughter and playful arguing filled the air. The house was too quiet now, too often. It was amazing, she mused, how you could get used to the silence and how not hearing the sound you needed could be something you became accustomed to. And one of those sounds needed was laughter. It seemed almost as if the joy in their life had gone away the day her husband had. But Lois had helped to bring part of that joy back and Martha was grateful for it.
Sitting at the table, her pen paused in the middle of the note she was making as the last strings of the song echoed away and instead of hearing gloating, the living room had gone quiet. She glanced over to see Clark staring off into the distance, something obviously having reminded him of what had happened earlier.
She half-expected Lois to simply pull him into another game. Instead, she put the guitar in her lap and looked at him expectantly. "So, what's up?"
He glanced over at her and Martha could tell he was getting ready to deny it, clearly not wanting to talk about what had happened. But Lois just raised her eyebrows and waited. Then he sighed. "I broke up with Lana."
Shocked, Lois stared at him. "Why?"
"Because," he sighed heavily, "it was the right thing to do. For her."
Lois didn't do anything for a long moment, just watched him. Then she said softly, "I don't think being away from the person that she cares about is the right thing for her, Clark."
His voice was hard now as he insisted, "It was, Lois."
Martha watched as she withdrew into herself at Clark's harsh tone, but before she could intervene, Lois straightened and put the guitar on the floor, coming to her knees. She could see the retreat on the young woman's face before she even spoke. It wasn't often that Lois offered up emotional counsel and Clark didn't realize how much it took for her to put herself out there like that.
"You know, if you want to be alone, that's fine. I mean, it's not like this is a tradition or anything, right? It's just a stupid game-"
His hand shot out, wrapping around her forearm. She stopped abruptly and looked down at where he was touching her. He did the same and then slowly their eyes met. He said quietly, "I don't want you to leave."
Martha saw something flicker across Lois's face, her eyes searching his as she said softly, "Then I won't go until you want me to."
He nodded roughly, releasing her.
Lois smiled brightly then, breaking the spell. "But, if this is going to be more than just a regular Guitar Hero weekend, then I think we're going to need pizza and at least a movie or two."
His eyes were lighter as he stared up at her now. "Fine, but I get to pick the movie."
She rolled her eyes, sitting back against the couch. "Whoever wins the next round gets to pick the movie, deal?"
"Deal," he agreed, picking up his guitar, tilting his head toward her, "and for the record, you're not going to win against me, Lois."
She settled more firmly beside him, reaching for the red guitar, her shoulder brushing against his. "We'll see, Smallville."
Martha watched him stare at her, and a real smile touched the edge of his lips. He looked down at where she was sitting next to him, their bodies almost touching. "Yeah, we will."
Martha looked away, her eyes going to the two cold cups of tea sitting on the other end of the table. She smiled to herself as she went and picked them up, taking them to the sink to pour the tea down the drain. Maybe chamomile wasn't the only cure for a broken heart.
****
Well?Comment
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amazing moore plzComment
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You've got me reading this instead of doing work. Shame on you
What a sweet chapter!
It's really great to finally get a story behind the guitar hero sentence. Those weekends seem like fun! I'd love to be there with them
I really like how you entwine the story in a very gentle subtle way, making it flow with what really happened in the series. Not once do I feel it's forced. I'm not sure if I'm conveying what I mean, but what I'm trying to say is, that it seems very hard to write something that is both AU in a sense because we know it didn't happen (and that's too bad), yet make it feel like it did and add so much depth to Lois and Clark's relationship without it being too obvious or feeling like you side tracked too far. Yet you manage to do it every time and amazingly soComment
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can't wait for the next chapter!update please...Comment
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more plzComment
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Thanks!
I know, I am an instigator of trouble- bad briee!You've got me reading this instead of doing work. Shame on you
What a sweet chapter!
It's really great to finally get a story behind the guitar hero sentence. Those weekends seem like fun! I'd love to be there with them
I really like how you entwine the story in a very gentle subtle way, making it flow with what really happened in the series. Not once do I feel it's forced. I'm not sure if I'm conveying what I mean, but what I'm trying to say is, that it seems very hard to write something that is both AU in a sense because we know it didn't happen (and that's too bad), yet make it feel like it did and add so much depth to Lois and Clark's relationship without it being too obvious or feeling like you side tracked too far. Yet you manage to do it every time and amazingly so
Yeah, when they mention it in season eight, I always regretted that it was one of those things that we never got to see and just heard about later. So, I had to go back and do a little research for this and it turns out that the very first guitar hero did come out that year and not only that, it had the song that Lois sang in season four at karaoke, which I think just made it even more of an awesome thing. I think they were.
But- and this is just to warn you- Lois said "remember" the guitar hero weekends, which means they stop at one point. Now, they won't in this story, but that time is coming. And I'll give you three guesses as to why they stop.
Thank you for that, really. This series requires a lot of time and checking- both with SV itself and the stories written before this. So it is always very much appreciated that someone thinks that this flows together as if it was part of the show- which is what I always intended.
So, thanks for your continued interest and comments, they help to keep me writing!
Your wait is over, enjoy!
Well, since you said please. Here ya go!
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Martha smiled at Megan, one of the Talon waitresses she had trained, as she went up the steps that lead to the apartment above the coffee house. She knocked on the blue door and immediately heard her Chief of Staff answer.
"Come in."
"Hi!" Martha said a little breathlessly, not used to hurrying up stairs in heels. She held up a manilla folder. "I brought over Senator Whitman's voting rec-" She stopped as she took in the sight behind Lois. Her bed was covered in what appeared to be every piece of clothing she owned. She finished faintly, "record. Wow. Somebody's got a big date or spring cleaning's in full bloom."
Lois laughed, saying self-deprecatingly, "Oh, well, since my idea of spring cleaning is taking out the trash, I'm afraid what you're looking at is a serious wardrobe crisis."
"Oh, who's the lucky guy?" Martha asked as she moved around the side of the bed, putting her purse down.
"Oh, I don't know how lucky he is, going on a date with Miss Fashion Faux Pas, but he is the most generous and mature guy I've ever met," she replied, her soft voice revealing her nervousness.
"Really?" Years of being a mother made her hands automatically go to the first shirt they found and start straightening and folding it.
"And if you can believe it, he even held the door open for me," Lois confided with a smile, holding up a shirt against herself.
"Lois, that's great. You deserve nothing less than a true gentleman," she said, shaking her finger in emphasis. She picked up a jacket next to fold as she asked, "Does he have a name?"
Lois walked over, examining the shirt in front of the mirror. "Graham." She looked back with an impish smile. "As in the cracker."
"Oh," she said carefully, recognizing the name, "the same Graham who sent Clark the extravagant 'thank you' gift?"
Apparently deciding against the brown sweater, she rolled it up as she walked over to her desk, tossing it down and lifting up a hanger that held a purple sleeveless shirt. "I told you he was generous." She held this one up to her in front of the mirror as well as she admitted, "Okay, so maybe the THX care package was a bit over the top, but Clark did save his life. And for whatever reason, Clark wants nothing to do with him."
"What gives you that idea?"
Lois discarded that shirt as well and picked up yet another one. "Well, he threw a party for Clark last night- another attempt to say thank you- and the man of honor came and went in less than five minutes. Graham felt terrible."
Martha nodded. "Well, tell Graham not to take it personally. I just don't think Clark's in a mood to celebrate these days." Between the loss of Jonathan and breaking up with Lana, Clark had retreated again. Not so far this time, but he still buried himself in work at the farm, ignoring the outside world. The only time he came out of his shell was during his game days with Lois.
"Well, I'm definitely not an expert on this, but if you ask me," Lois turned to the mirror with a fire red shirt this time, "I think he needs to finish the chapter on Lana. Turn the page, start dating again."
As much as she might agree, she knew that her son couldn't be rushed and tried to explain this to Lois, "Well, Clark's always gone at his own pace on these things, and I doubt this will be any different. Here," she reached for a blue jacket, "try this."
Lois smiled, sticking her arm out. "Okay."
"Here we go." Martha helped her put it on and pulled her hair out from underneath the collar. "Let's see, now this, try this underneath it." She held up the yellow shirt to the jacket. "Oh, that's nice. Oh, that's so pretty, yeah."
Lois tucked the edges of the shirt under the blue material, her smile wide as she joked nervously, "You know, if I'd had a mom around, I'd have learned to dress myself a long time ago."
"You're doing great, Lois." She smiled encouragingly at her, before admitting aloud what she'd felt for a while now, "In fact, if I'd had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like you." Martha touched the edges of her blond hair nervously, not sure how the comment would be received.
But Lois just seemed surprised and pleased. "Really?"
"Yeah." Feeling a little overcome with emotion herself, she said, "Now, I have to go make sure that Senator Whitman's secretary has an appointment down for us next week, and you," she touched her arm briefly, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "have a good time tonight."
"I will. Thanks, Mrs. K," she said softly.
Martha smiled at her and left the apartment.
****
She stood at the counter, a cow mug in one hand, the paper in the other. She glanced up at the sound of the kitchen door opening as Lois walked through it carrying her briefcase with a thick folder tucked under her arm.
"Good morning, Senator."
"Hi," she returned.
"Good news, you have Senator Whitman's vote," she said as she walked up to the counter.
"That's great, Lois." But more than the vote, Martha cared about how the girl who was like her own daughter was doing. She reached out a hand to her. "So, how are you? Clark told me what happened."
"Me?" She shrugged nonchalantly, as though Martha hadn't seen her pillage through her entire wardrobe just yesterday looking for the perfect outfit for a date with Graham. "I'm fine. Getting swept off my feet by a notorious hit man is just my way of livin' la vida loca."
She followed her over to the dining room table. "There's no way you could have known the truth about him," Martha reassured her, hearing the lingering note of self-recrimination in Lois's tone.
"Maybe," she sighed, pulling files from her briefcase, "but it does confirm a very disturbing trend in my life. In as much as I'd like to deny it, I seem to be a magnet for guys who end up on America's Most Wanted."
"Oh, I don't believe that," Martha denied with a shake of her head. It was clear that Lois was angry at herself not only for not seeing what no one else saw, either, but also for believing his interest in her was sincere and taking a chance on him.
"Trust me, you don't want to see the rap sheets." She exhaled a frustrated breath, then burst out, "Why can't I just find a decent guy from a decent family who happens not to be a psychopath?"
"Oh, Lois." She shook her head, sitting down at the table. She wait for Lois to sit as well, then confided with a smile, "You know, when I was your age, I wasn't dating Prince Charmings, either."
"Really?" Lois asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I used to attract the dark mysterious type, too," Martha smiled as she thought back to her younger days, "until I met Jonathan."
Lois nodded, confiding her own fears, "See, what worries me is that when my Jonathan finally does come around, I'll be looking the other way and I'll miss him completely."
Martha wanted to tell her that if there was such a thing as fate, that it didn't work like that. The things in life that were meant to be simply didn't give up at the first miss. They were the things that were always there, waiting until the day you finally noticed them. But she knew it took living that to believe it, so she just said, "Well, you have to keep a closer watch. You know, I think that we go through these bad relationships for a reason."
"Well, if there's a good reason for all the pain and aggravation, I'm dying to know," Lois said disbelievingly.
"Maybe you have to get through all the wrong men, so you can recognize the right one," she offered as her thumb rubbed slightly over her wedding band.
Lois seemed to consider this and then a smile stretched across her face.
Martha heard the familiar 'whoosh' but before she could turn around, Clark was walking into the kitchen from the living room, shrugging off his blue jacket.
"Well, Lois, ready for our Guitar Hero rematch?"
"Smallville," Lois frowned at him, gesturing down at her clothes, "I'm not exactly dressed for game set match today. Besides, your mom and I have work to do."
He rocked back on his heels, a smirk on his face. "I thought you said that there were no exceptions and that a tradition is a tradition."
"Clark-" She started to protest but Martha cut her off.
"Lois, why don't you go ahead? The main thing I had planned for today was the next pitch to get Senator Whitman's vote. Now that I've gotten that, I'm farther ahead of the game than I thought. So I'm going to take a bit of a break myself and just decide who's next on the list that we need to persuade." She reached a hand out and squeezed hers. "Go."
She smiled at Martha, then raised a challenging eyebrow at Clark. "Ready to get your butt handed to you again?"
He just shook his head wryly.
"First I need to go back to the Talon and grab a change of clothes and my Xbox." She stood up and started for the door, stopping when she saw that it was already sitting in the living room, hooked up and on, the red and white guitars propped up against the couch. "When did you get this?"
Clark cleared his throat nervously and Martha hid her smile, knowing now why her son had been in such a hurry a little bit ago. "Well, I knew that today was the day that we usually play, so when I was running some errands in Smallville earlier I went ahead and got it. Ready to get started?"
She hesitated, looking down at her business suit.
Martha offered, "I think you still have some clothes upstairs, Lois." She often came out to the farm to run and when she did, she would leave an outfit or two here to change into.
Lois nodded and dashed up the stairs. Once they were alone, Clark avoided her eyes. Martha went over to him and kissed his cheek. He looked up at her in surprise.
"That was very nice of you, Clark," she said with a smile.
"It wasn't," he shrugged, not finishing his sentence. Martha frowned, seeing sorrow and something else in his eyes. "I just thought it might help... both of us."
Before she could say anything else, Lois had bounded down the stairs in a t-shirt and jeans, barefoot. She darted past him, sitting down on the floor and grabbing the red guitar before he could. "Nothing like a little Guitar Hero to fix what ails you, is there?"
He sat beside her, reluctantly grabbing the white one. "No, there isn't." His eyes held that sorrow again before he turned to Lois with a small, but real, smile. "Sometimes, Lois, this is the highlight of my day."
She looked taken aback by this, but her lips curled up slightly and a blush hit her cheeks. Then she recovered enough to punch him playfully in the arm. "We definitely need to get you a life, Smallville."
He rolled his eyes and nodded toward the television. "Just play the game, Lois."
Martha sat back down with a smile and began to peruse the files Lois had brought with her while the sounds of electric guitars and playfully traded insults hit the air.
****
Let me know what you guys think!Comment
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awesome, loved, pls more
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As you know I really like vulnerable Lois, especially with Martha. These moments were all too rare on the show. This chapter seemlessly mixes the dialog from the show with your own. I know how hard that is to do. Great chapter.Comment
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