Subject: Chapter 31
Short summary: Finally back home, Clark doesn't feel free. The army, apparently still in pursuit, comes for him...
See all chapters here...
Chapter 31
Clark lay in his bed, confused why he kept tossing and turning. He'd been home for days, but he didn't know why he wasn't able to sleep any better at home than he had been on the run. He'd slept very little since he'd come back home. When he did sleep, he'd wake up in a fright, gasping for air, frightened from vaguely remembered terrors.
He didn't understand the continued nightmares. Maybe he was worried it wasn't real... It seemed a bit surreal that after all this time he was finally in his own house, gorging himself on his mom's home cooked meals and able to sleep his own bed. He still waited for the other shoe to drop... He felt like someone would jump out from behind the stack of hay bales in the barn and tell him it was all a joke right before darting him. So, cautious, he kept his eyes opened and would always search for signs of intrusion.
Or maybe he couldn't sleep because everywhere he looked reminded him of what had happened. When his parents had gotten his things back that the Man had taken, they had put everything back where it belonged. Everything was in its place, in his room, in the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, wherever his things had been before.
And it was odd they'd taken more than just his personal valuables, the Man had taken everything. He had even taken his toothbrush and his trashcan, including its contents. His parents had been reluctant to actually dispose of the trash or even throw away that old toothbrush, but maybe it wasn't surprising. Maybe they didn't want to throw anything away of what had been his before, but Clark hadn't known what to do with it either.
The trash that had been in his trashcan of course didn't mean anything to him, but he was oddly reluctant to throw it away again, as his parents had been. Perhaps it was because it was from before; maybe something that came before He had stolen Clark away should mean something, even though it was just garbage.
He couldn't stop thinking that the Man had touched everything in the house. No room had been overlooked for Clark's possessions. Somehow the close examination of everything of his, including his trash, suggested a level of intrusion into his life which made him feel even more violated than he'd already felt before.
He had originally tried to sleep with the lights on since he was still worried about the nightmares that might come, but it made it hard to not look at the things in his room the Man had touched. He hid the things away in drawers and in his closet, but he couldn't do that with the furniture. He felt trapped and he had to get out, away from the reminders...
He sighed heavily and looked toward the clock. It was close to midnight, he'd been trying to sleep since nine.... His listened for a minute, he could hear the slow even breathing of his parents, apparently both fast asleep.
He rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats over his boxers and stepped into his tennis shoes. He pointedly didn't put on his best pair of boots, the pair that had been returned, and then headed quietly downstairs. He stood at the back door and looked out toward the barn. He thought maybe it would be easier to sleep on the couch in the loft, it was about the only thing he hadn't tried since he'd come home...
Careful to not let the door squeak on his way out, Clark quietly left. Worried the steps would squeak, he floated out onto the driveway. He walked toward the barn, but stopped when he realized he had been walking over the spot where he'd lain all those months before... Where he'd been made helpless before the Man took him away... Where his life had forever changed....
He backed up and stared at the spot for a minute. He shivered, but not because of the cold night air. Clark walked around the spot where's lain all those months ago and went up to the loft.
He flopped down onto the couch, trying to not think about the perfect view he would have of Lana's old house from the open hay loft door if he only looked out. That view would be spoiled by the reminders of who had been the previous occupants of the old Potter farm.
Why they, the angry men who would have gladly taken him away again for their own dark purposes, had apparently given up on taking him back was inexplicable. They had put forth so much effort and invested a lot of time and money in pursuit of him, yet they had given up. Why?
He suddenly felt very angry. The Army's giving up was almost worse than the pursuit. They'd ruined his life in their hunt, so why give that up now? Why leave him damaged, possibly beyond repair, to try and pick up a life as if nothing had happened? It wasn't possible.
Nothing he looked at anymore was clean of their influence. Everything he had loved and cared about was sullied by them. And Him. Everywhere he looked all Clark saw were reminders of what had happened and what he'd lost. He could never go back to what he was before. He would never feel like himself again... He was furious at them and was incapable of expressing it fully.
He was frustrated and angry that burning down the place he was kept wasn't enough... He wanted to hit someone. Make someone hurt as much as he'd been but there was no one left to hurt. They were all gone. They had just walked away, leaving him to pick up the broken pieces of his life as best he could. He stared up at the ceiling, as angry tears stung his eyes.
He was surprised when he heard his mother's heartbeats close by. She stood at the bottom of the stairs... She waited... For what, he didn't know. Maybe she waited to decide whether she wanted to come up. Or maybe she waited to decide if he would like her to.
He sighed and rolled over onto his side and stared out to the night sky. It was a moonless night and the sky, clear of the light pollution from a large city, sparkled with star light in the late winter night. The air was crisp and clean, he should have enjoyed the view but he barely took in what he was seeing, his mind was going around in circles....
She had evidently decided to come up and he could hear her footfalls echo in the empty barn as his mother climbed the stairs. He didn't really want to talk to anyone, but he sat up and waited. She wore her robe and night gown underneath a heavy winter coat. It was very cold still.
He looked up at her sadly when he saw the concerned look on her face. "Have you gotten any sleep at all, Clark?"
He shook his head and looked down at his hands. When he looked down Clark realized he'd forgotten to pull on a jacket, like a human would. His bare, yet warm, arms in the frigid air were yet another testament of how different he really was. He frowned and looked away from his mom as she sat down next to him. "I thought you and Dad were both asleep."
"He's sleeping, but I couldn't. Not with you tossing and turning like that..."
"You should go back to bed, Mom. No point in both of us losing sleep."
She looked at him quietly for a moment before she continued. "You know, it's not going to be easy... Maybe you should give Lana or Chloe a call. They've both have been asking about you. Chloe's confused what happened. Didn't you talk to her about it?"
"I never told her my secret, Mom... If I talk to her about it then I'd have to explain everything..."
"Lana called earlier. She was hoping to come over and talk."
"I don't want to talk to anyone about this, Mom. Not yet..."
"Maybe it would make you feel better if you did, sweetheart. You haven't talked to us about it yet either." Clark just shrugged. "Well, you know you can talk to me and your dad about anything.... When you're ready, we'd love to talk to you about it."
"I'm finally home, I should be happy..."
She wrapped an arm across his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. He let her and enjoyed the comfort of her embrace.
She spoke softly as she gently rubbed his back in a soothing circular motion. "So much has happened to you. Things have changed, you've changed. It's not like... Well, it's not like you can go back to where you were."
Clark was about to reply, but he heard something in the distance that disturbed him. He pulled out of her embrace.
"What have you heard?"
"Helicopters."
He listened but there was nothing to hear; the people in the choppers were silent. He got up and stepped to the open loft door. He looked toward the helicopters and concentrated. The two helicopters held grim faced military men and they were headed his way.
Clark's heart stopped...
He whispered in shock. "It was a trick... they're coming again." He slammed his fist into the door frame, suddenly furious. He yelled as the wood splintered into pieces. "It's not fair! Why did they want me to think they'd given up?"
His mother stood, shocked and confused. She joined him at the open door. "Are you sure? It seemed that they had..."
"I'm going to make it stop!"
Clark was about to take off but a touch to his arm stopped him. "Clark, what are you going to do? If they have kryptonite, you won't have a chance..."
"Lex started it, he can stop it."
His mother looked horrified. "Lex? What did he have to do with it?"
Clark growled as he lifted into the air. "Everything."
Continued here....
See all chapters here...
Chapter 31
Clark lay in his bed, confused why he kept tossing and turning. He'd been home for days, but he didn't know why he wasn't able to sleep any better at home than he had been on the run. He'd slept very little since he'd come back home. When he did sleep, he'd wake up in a fright, gasping for air, frightened from vaguely remembered terrors.
He didn't understand the continued nightmares. Maybe he was worried it wasn't real... It seemed a bit surreal that after all this time he was finally in his own house, gorging himself on his mom's home cooked meals and able to sleep his own bed. He still waited for the other shoe to drop... He felt like someone would jump out from behind the stack of hay bales in the barn and tell him it was all a joke right before darting him. So, cautious, he kept his eyes opened and would always search for signs of intrusion.
Or maybe he couldn't sleep because everywhere he looked reminded him of what had happened. When his parents had gotten his things back that the Man had taken, they had put everything back where it belonged. Everything was in its place, in his room, in the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, wherever his things had been before.
And it was odd they'd taken more than just his personal valuables, the Man had taken everything. He had even taken his toothbrush and his trashcan, including its contents. His parents had been reluctant to actually dispose of the trash or even throw away that old toothbrush, but maybe it wasn't surprising. Maybe they didn't want to throw anything away of what had been his before, but Clark hadn't known what to do with it either.
The trash that had been in his trashcan of course didn't mean anything to him, but he was oddly reluctant to throw it away again, as his parents had been. Perhaps it was because it was from before; maybe something that came before He had stolen Clark away should mean something, even though it was just garbage.
He couldn't stop thinking that the Man had touched everything in the house. No room had been overlooked for Clark's possessions. Somehow the close examination of everything of his, including his trash, suggested a level of intrusion into his life which made him feel even more violated than he'd already felt before.
He had originally tried to sleep with the lights on since he was still worried about the nightmares that might come, but it made it hard to not look at the things in his room the Man had touched. He hid the things away in drawers and in his closet, but he couldn't do that with the furniture. He felt trapped and he had to get out, away from the reminders...
He sighed heavily and looked toward the clock. It was close to midnight, he'd been trying to sleep since nine.... His listened for a minute, he could hear the slow even breathing of his parents, apparently both fast asleep.
He rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats over his boxers and stepped into his tennis shoes. He pointedly didn't put on his best pair of boots, the pair that had been returned, and then headed quietly downstairs. He stood at the back door and looked out toward the barn. He thought maybe it would be easier to sleep on the couch in the loft, it was about the only thing he hadn't tried since he'd come home...
Careful to not let the door squeak on his way out, Clark quietly left. Worried the steps would squeak, he floated out onto the driveway. He walked toward the barn, but stopped when he realized he had been walking over the spot where he'd lain all those months before... Where he'd been made helpless before the Man took him away... Where his life had forever changed....
He backed up and stared at the spot for a minute. He shivered, but not because of the cold night air. Clark walked around the spot where's lain all those months ago and went up to the loft.
He flopped down onto the couch, trying to not think about the perfect view he would have of Lana's old house from the open hay loft door if he only looked out. That view would be spoiled by the reminders of who had been the previous occupants of the old Potter farm.
Why they, the angry men who would have gladly taken him away again for their own dark purposes, had apparently given up on taking him back was inexplicable. They had put forth so much effort and invested a lot of time and money in pursuit of him, yet they had given up. Why?
He suddenly felt very angry. The Army's giving up was almost worse than the pursuit. They'd ruined his life in their hunt, so why give that up now? Why leave him damaged, possibly beyond repair, to try and pick up a life as if nothing had happened? It wasn't possible.
Nothing he looked at anymore was clean of their influence. Everything he had loved and cared about was sullied by them. And Him. Everywhere he looked all Clark saw were reminders of what had happened and what he'd lost. He could never go back to what he was before. He would never feel like himself again... He was furious at them and was incapable of expressing it fully.
He was frustrated and angry that burning down the place he was kept wasn't enough... He wanted to hit someone. Make someone hurt as much as he'd been but there was no one left to hurt. They were all gone. They had just walked away, leaving him to pick up the broken pieces of his life as best he could. He stared up at the ceiling, as angry tears stung his eyes.
He was surprised when he heard his mother's heartbeats close by. She stood at the bottom of the stairs... She waited... For what, he didn't know. Maybe she waited to decide whether she wanted to come up. Or maybe she waited to decide if he would like her to.
He sighed and rolled over onto his side and stared out to the night sky. It was a moonless night and the sky, clear of the light pollution from a large city, sparkled with star light in the late winter night. The air was crisp and clean, he should have enjoyed the view but he barely took in what he was seeing, his mind was going around in circles....
She had evidently decided to come up and he could hear her footfalls echo in the empty barn as his mother climbed the stairs. He didn't really want to talk to anyone, but he sat up and waited. She wore her robe and night gown underneath a heavy winter coat. It was very cold still.
He looked up at her sadly when he saw the concerned look on her face. "Have you gotten any sleep at all, Clark?"
He shook his head and looked down at his hands. When he looked down Clark realized he'd forgotten to pull on a jacket, like a human would. His bare, yet warm, arms in the frigid air were yet another testament of how different he really was. He frowned and looked away from his mom as she sat down next to him. "I thought you and Dad were both asleep."
"He's sleeping, but I couldn't. Not with you tossing and turning like that..."
"You should go back to bed, Mom. No point in both of us losing sleep."
She looked at him quietly for a moment before she continued. "You know, it's not going to be easy... Maybe you should give Lana or Chloe a call. They've both have been asking about you. Chloe's confused what happened. Didn't you talk to her about it?"
"I never told her my secret, Mom... If I talk to her about it then I'd have to explain everything..."
"Lana called earlier. She was hoping to come over and talk."
"I don't want to talk to anyone about this, Mom. Not yet..."
"Maybe it would make you feel better if you did, sweetheart. You haven't talked to us about it yet either." Clark just shrugged. "Well, you know you can talk to me and your dad about anything.... When you're ready, we'd love to talk to you about it."
"I'm finally home, I should be happy..."
She wrapped an arm across his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. He let her and enjoyed the comfort of her embrace.
She spoke softly as she gently rubbed his back in a soothing circular motion. "So much has happened to you. Things have changed, you've changed. It's not like... Well, it's not like you can go back to where you were."
Clark was about to reply, but he heard something in the distance that disturbed him. He pulled out of her embrace.
"What have you heard?"
"Helicopters."
He listened but there was nothing to hear; the people in the choppers were silent. He got up and stepped to the open loft door. He looked toward the helicopters and concentrated. The two helicopters held grim faced military men and they were headed his way.
Clark's heart stopped...
He whispered in shock. "It was a trick... they're coming again." He slammed his fist into the door frame, suddenly furious. He yelled as the wood splintered into pieces. "It's not fair! Why did they want me to think they'd given up?"
His mother stood, shocked and confused. She joined him at the open door. "Are you sure? It seemed that they had..."
"I'm going to make it stop!"
Clark was about to take off but a touch to his arm stopped him. "Clark, what are you going to do? If they have kryptonite, you won't have a chance..."
"Lex started it, he can stop it."
His mother looked horrified. "Lex? What did he have to do with it?"
Clark growled as he lifted into the air. "Everything."
Continued here....