No towels, I'm afraid... 
Thanks to LaraMoon for betareadingFrom Part 18:*Kick him*, he thought. *Kick him somewhere where it really hurts.* But Clark wasn’t really sure whether they had already had told her about that place. Probably not, since she was only seven. He cursed himself for not having taken better care of her. *Please let her be okay,* he prayed silently. The mere idea that something could happen to his little whirlwind was enough to shoot new energy through his body. Clark used the remainders of his waning strength for a last attempt to get free. It was hopeless, though. Clark hung between his captors and struggled for air.
Serendipitous Infinity
Part 19 “Oh, look at them!” Martha exclaimed happily as she held out a picture to Lois that she hadn’t seen yet.
At least, Lois was quite sure that she hadn’t seen that one. Martha had an incredible pile of them. Pictures of little Clark, pictures of little baby Becca, Clark as a school boy, in his early teenage years, in his late teenage years and finally pictures of Clark with Becca in his arm. Lois wondered where Martha stored that heap of photos. The farmhouse almost seemed too small. But strange as it was, neither she nor Martha got tired of looking at all those pictures. When Martha had arrived with one album after the other, Lois had feared that it would end up being one of those endless sessions of looking at pictures taken on some vacation that was years ago. Everybody had forgotten about it and only the proud presenter did still know where all those places were. Or rather they thought so, correcting themselves over and over again until nobody was able to follow anymore.
The latest picture showed Clark at about seven years. Next to him was a girl who was a little older, perhaps by two or three years. Clark was grinning at the camera with an incredibly nice, but strangely toothless smile. Lois couldn’t help the impression that he had lost every other tooth, which gave his smile an interesting touch. Even more fascinating than this was that Clark was smiling at all. Lois hadn’t ever met a boy who would wear a scarf wrapped around his head like a turban and a pink tutu. A lavender feather boa was hanging around his shoulders and his legs were drowning in grey rubber boots that were most likely his father’s.
The girl next to him wore a bathing cap over her long dark hair. A much too large bikini hung loosely over her usual clothes. She had a large vest on that Jonathan Kent would usually wear for fishing and a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. Another feather boa, this time a yellow one, completed the outfit. Lois burst into laughter. She didn’t know who of the two looked more ridiculous.
“Who is the girl next to him?” Lois asked. “Lily?”
“Yes,” Martha replied with a loving smile towards the old picture. “She loved disguises and made Clark dress up in the most ridiculous ways. He wasn’t always happy with it, but he adored his older cousin and did almost anything for her.” There was a sad tone to her voice and Lois could feel the sadness of the older woman next to her. She had considered the girl with the broad impish smile her daughter.
“He is raising her child,” Lois added.
Martha chuckled. “Did he tell you that she just came and held out her child to him? She introduced Rebecca as his daughter and told him that she had named him as the child’s father. He called me that evening, furious. He said that Lily had gone too far and swore that he wouldn’t help her this time. He didn’t mean it, not a second. He thought that maybe he would let her handle this alone. But I already knew that he couldn’t. I was worried because I knew that Clark didn’t yet feel ready for this kind of responsibility. He was only twenty-one and he was scared of making mistakes. So very afraid that I think he overdid things a lot at first.
Lily was a nice girl, kind and caring, but not very considerate. She greeted each new day with a smile and didn’t think much about tomorrow. Maybe it was because her tomorrows began with a breakfast in a house that was a silent as a church. I sometimes wonder how my sister survived there so long. When we were children, she just couldn’t stop talking, not even for a second. Lily was very much like her in that respect.
Lily’s father managed to show her every single day how unwelcome she was. He read the newspaper and no one was allowed to disturb him. Any word above a whisper was too much. When she came here, it was as if the sun was rising on her face. She was so happy here and it was awful letting her go after a long day out on the fields.”
“That must have been hard. What about your sister? Didn’t she love Lily?” Lois wanted to know.
“I guess she didn’t dare to show her affection. Besides, my sister didn’t get pregnant again. I think she spent more time trying to give her husband the son he had demanded than she had ever had for her daughter. My sister must have really fallen in love with him. She wanted to please him and get something in return. But it never happened and I don’t know if my brother in law was capable of loving anyone but himself.”
Lois glanced at Martha who was still smiling despite the sad story she told. There was something strong in Martha Kent that provided her with seemingly unbreakable spirits. She never ceased to smile, however faint her smile became. It was hidden somewhere on her lips, like a smile was always hidden on Clark’s. He might not be her biological son, but he was her child in every sense of the word.
Lois pictured Lily as a girl who had longed to escape the boundaries of her childhood. She might have been a late hippie or an early punk, someone who protested against the old social conventions of life that served to cover how cruel life really was. Everything that happened in the family had to stay a secret for no one else to know. Lois could very well imagine that Lily had gotten into trouble more than once. She asked Martha what had happened before Lily had gone to far, as Clark had called it.
Martha told Lois that Lily had really been neither a punk nor a hippie. She had never been really extreme, but for the conservative climate of a town like Smallville. She had had a lot of boyfriends, more than it was considered suitable for a girl. Whenever the youth of Smallville met, Lily was the last to go and Clark had to bring her home. Sometimes she had been sober, at other times wasted. And Clark had always been the one to explain Lily’s sorry state to her parents.
But it had been a give and take relationship. Lily had been there for Clark whenever he had needed to be cheered up. Lois learned that Clark had retreated from the world when his powers had started to develop. He had been afraid to participate in sports and had seldom dared go out. With each new power that appeared he had dreaded that a next one would come, as soon as he had realized that it wouldn’t stop at being strong. Though he had never actually told Lily, it hadn’t been as difficult to hide from her. She hadn’t asked questions, figuring that he would tell her if something was bothering him. From her own experience of pain, Lily had known that talking about it would help. And it would help even more, if it happened without pressure.
She had been the one who listened to what Clark told her. She defended her younger cousin when someone dared mock him. Lily used to work in a small diner in downtown Smallville. She had made Lana and her new boyfriend pay twice the price of a meal after she had turned away from Clark. All in all the two of them had been some kind of old couple, even in their early days of childhood.
Lois hoped that her role in his life would be equally important someday soon. She wanted to be there for him to take away some of the pressure he was threatening to fall apart under. She knew that his problems hadn’t ended with her finding out about Margaret Donovan. And honestly, she still didn’t know the real source of all his problems. Lois studied Martha’s face and wondered how much Clark’s mother could tell her about Lily’s death and its connection to Margaret Donovan.
“Martha, I was wondering if you could tell me something,” Lois asked the older woman.
“Yes, dear?” Martha replied and gave Lois an affirmative smile to continue.
“I’m trying to help Clark solve his problems with Child Services,” Lois explained. “He certainly wouldn’t want me to, but I know that he can’t do this alone. I’ve found out some things that might help us to get rid of them, but there are others I still need to know.”
A moment there was silence between the two women and Martha studied Lois’ face as if to find an answer in it. Under the curious eyes of Clark’s mother, Lois felt flustered. Had she actually come to touch a family secret just as it had always seemed to her whenever they had mentioned Child Services or Lily before? The whole secrecy thing began to annoy Lois. There obviously wasn’t anything she could safely speak about without having her level of trustability checked. Lois impatiently waited for Martha to say something, bracing herself for further explanation.
“How bad is it, Lois? I mean, how bad is it really? Clark told me about Child Services. I don’t know if you have already noticed it, but my son is Mr. Understatement. He’d never tell me deliberate lies. But for some reason he thinks that he’s not only super strong, but has to be super brave as well. Sometimes it helps to ask Becca, but he doesn’t tell her everything either.”
Lois mouth fell open. She had expected a lot, but certainly not this answer. But thinking of Clark as she had found him in his apartment a few days before, it made sense. Interestingly, she hadn’t really thought about that evening since Clark had told her his secret. What had happened to Superman that he had been so close to unconsciousness when he usually was invulnerable? Lois couldn’t find a suitable explanation, but something told her that neither Clark nor Martha would be able to solve that mystery.
“Clark has made a powerful enemy, her name’s Margaret Donovan. She worked for Child Services years ago here in Smallville. She is not pursuing him in person, but she makes sure that wherever he is, he gets visited by her former colleagues. You should have seen the last one, she was really awful. Clark was actually afraid of her; I’ve rarely seen him so pale.” Lois started to tell Martha the whole story and Clark’s mother listened patiently. She was curious what Lois would like to know and how they were supposed to help Clark against the famous billionaire’s wife.
* * *
Clark was lying on the cold cement floor. He could hear sobs right next to him. He was awake, had been awake for almost the entire time but for the last couple of minutes, after he had been shoved down into the cellar. As he had hit the floor, Clark had passed out. Now he was shivering. The wet trousers were clutching to his legs and his invulnerability aura that usually served to keep him warm was completely gone. His body was aching all over, his arms were bruised and he was pretty sure that there were more bruises that he didn’t yet know of.
The sobbing resounded again in the darkness. The intense pain that green ‘something’ had brought him was gone. All that remained was an incredible soreness. Clark was tired but there was someone who needed him sobbing heart-wrenchingly in another corner of this room.
“Becca?” he asked. He could vaguely discern the shape of some furniture and other things that were all around him.
“Daddy?” she replied in a muffled cry.
“Becky, talk to me, so I can find you. It’s too dark in here,” Clark said and as she answered with more sobs, he followed the noises she made. He got closer and finally he could make out his little whirlwind sitting on the floor. Her head rested on her knees as she was trying to be as small as humanly possible. She was shivering like a leaf, but Clark could tell that it wasn’t from the cold. She was afraid and, unlike him, she had absolutely no idea what had happened to them.
Clark sat down beside her and pulled her in an embrace. “Come here,” he murmured and held her tightly.
“I couldn’t find you,” she whimpered against his arm.
Clark let her cry, caressing her back softly as she was shaken by more sobs. He knew that the past hour had been horrible and full of angst. There was no way to make it better with just a kiss and soothing words. Their whole situation was a testament to the trouble they were stuck in. He really hoped that his powers would return soon to help him get them both out of this. But right now he felt incredibly drained, almost unable to move his limbs let alone break out of this dark room.
“Daddy, why are we here?” Becca screamed in panic. Clark was afraid as well, but this had to be much worse for Becca. He knew that the time she had had to struggle alone against these men had taken a huge toll on her. She was used to his being there for her, but he hadn’t been able to help. Becca was hysterical and her voice resounded loud in his ears. Clark flinched and tried to calm her as her crying became louder. “I want to go home now. Home, daddy!” She squealed, painfully aware of the fact that there was no easy way out.
“Shhh, honey. I want to go home just as much as you do,” Clark replied and realized at once that it had been the wrong thing to say. She only cried louder. His answer had only served to convince her that they couldn’t get out of this. Becca had already known that, but hearing her father say it was a hundred times worse. Clark cursed himself inwardly for not having said something to give her hope.
“Then why don’t we just go?” she asked desperately, tugging at his shirt to make him stand up. She pulled at his arm, frantically, forgetting that she wasn’t strong enough to lift him up. “Come on daddy, let’s go! Let’s go!” she repeated.
“Rebecca!” Clark raised his voice far above the usual level he used with her. He took her by the shoulders so firmly that she could barely move. His loud voice took her by surprise and interrupted her roar. “Look at me, Becky. We will get out of here. But now I need you to be brave. You are brave, aren’t you?”
He could see that she was shaking her head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her lips trembled. Clark got to his feet with some effort, wincing from the bruises that covered his ribs and most other parts of his body. He needed rest, just a little bit. Clark wanted to regain some strength so that he didn’t feel as weak anymore.
At least he had a good idea as to where they were. The guys had dragged him though the snow towards the Shuster’s farm. Chances were good that he and Becca were stuck in their storm shelter. Clark was familiar with those shelters. They weren’t big, but he was quite sure that there was a light somewhere. At least a flashlight had to be in here. Any light would be good, but the shelter also meant that there wasn’t any heating and it was already cold.
Clark didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary and he decided that it was probably best if he tried to free them. His glance wandered over his surroundings. He was able to see more of it, now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He could discern the shape of a bed in one corner. Right next to it was a chest that probably contained blankets. This was rather useful to know in case he wasn’t able to get out right away. In the other corner of the room was a shelf with several preserves and a few other things Clark didn’t recognize. He had to find a flashlight on this shelf.
“Wait a moment,” he told Becca and went to the place where he hoped to find the light.
He was slower than usually, considerably so. He hoped that nobody would wait for them outside so that they could escape unseen. He surely wouldn’t be too successful at running away. But they had to try, giving up was not the solution to their problems. He would escape and find Lois. Together they would call the police and stop whatever crime was actually taking place here. He and Becca hadn’t done anything except come across a couple of guys who were digging up Mr. Shuster’s field. That they were now in this kind of situation could only mean that their captors were acting against the law. Lane and Kent would stop them and write a Pulitzer story. Then they would reorganize their lives and there would be a happily ever after for both of them. At least Clark hoped this would happen.
This on his mind, Clark managed to walk a little more steadily and quickly searched the shelf. Only moments later he held a flashlight in his hands that was actually working. Luck was on his side, it had to be. With the light in his hands, he had a closer look at the place they were stuck in. A ladder led to a heavy looking cellar door that was probably locked form the outside. Clark couldn’t imagine that anybody could be dumb enough to leave the only exit opened. If it had continued to snow since they had been shoved down there, their escape would also be covered with a heavy white blanket.
*Don’t discourage yourself!* Clark admonished himself silently before he went over to Becca again. She was standing close to the ladder and clutched her arms around her body to keep warm. Clark tried to use his heat vision on her, but it was futile. *Not good,* a hopeless voice in the back of his mind stated, but Clark did his best to calm it down.
to be continued...
