Thanks to those who gave me feedback. And thanks to rkn for betaing again.
Here's part fifteen.
A Box of Swiss Chocolates
When Kiley got home that night, she was walking on air. Literally. The night had gone amazingly well. Larry’s mother was nice and she had accepted her. She also helped Larry accept her other identity. And Larry was so sweet the way he tried to help his mother. He was sweet in so many other ways as well, of course. Like the way he kissed, for example. She really did love him.
Suddenly Kiley dropped to the floor with a loud thud. She loved him? Wouldn’t that mean it was time to tell someone about Larry? She had always said she wanted to wait until she knew he was the right guy. Well, now she knew, didn’t she? Larry had already introduced her to his mother. Was it time to return the favor?
But how could introducing Larry to her parents be a favor to him? She knew how her parents would react to him. They would consider him a junior Lex Luthor. They’d never accept him the way his mother accepted her.
Accepted her. That was another thing. Now that she knew Larry accepted Superwoman, was it time to tell him about her other identity? She remembered how upset he’d been when she had to leave in the middle of their date. There was also the time when she was late, and she couldn’t explain why. He almost didn’t let her in that day. She didn’t want to go through that again. Besides, there were a lot of things she’d like to share with him as Superwoman. Flying, for example. And how the stress of the job affected her sometimes.
Still, she really didn’t see how she could tell Larry she was Superwoman before she told her parents about Larry. So where did that leave her? What could she do? She sighed, and decided maybe her apartment needed to be cleaned again.
************************************************************************
The next day, Kiley woke up, remembering her dilemma from last night. Unfortunately, she wasn’t any closer to deciding what to do today. Maybe an answer would come to her as the day went along. So she got dressed and ate breakfast and was still no closer to an answer.
Suddenly she remembered her abstract portrait of Larry. Wouldn’t it be nice to finish it? Then she could hang it up in her bedroom. But she’d have to buy the brown paint first, remembering the reason why she couldn’t finish yesterday. So Kiley changed into Superwoman and flew off to the art store, making sure no one saw her change back into regular clothes in a nearby alley.
She picked up the paint she wanted and flew back to her apartment quickly. There. Now she was ready to begin. Then she looked down at her clothes. Maybe she should change first! The last thing she needed was to get paint on her Superwoman costume!
Five minutes later, she was finally ready to begin painting. She added the brown to Larry’s eyes that she had been meaning to do, making them look deeper. And she added his acceptance, both of her and his mother, because of last night. She made the finishing touches, showing how much she loved him. There. Perfect.
Or not so perfect. Well, Larry’s portrait had come out well, but she was still no closer to deciding what to do about her parents, Larry, and her other identity. Why did things have to be so complicated? She picked up another canvas and began doodling with her paints intensely. As she continued to obsess, she remembered a conversation from several years ago.
*******************************(flashback)********************************
“This is different from the stuff I usually paint,” twenty-year-old Kiley commented to Grandma Kent. She was in the process of painting Grandpa’s tractor with the corn fields in the background. “Usually I paint stuff around Metropolis.”
“Well, it’s a good idea to paint different things sometimes,” Grandma Kent replied. “That’s what my art teachers told me. Now, me I’ve got a lot of corn field paintings. I don’t know if I’ve ever tried that cubism you were telling me from your art class. Maybe I will try it sometime. But this is fine for now.” Grandma Kent was sitting next to her with her easel in front of her. She was in the process of painting an abstract of the porch swing out front.
Kiley and Grandma Kent smiled at each other as they enjoyed painting together. “It’s nice to have someone to paint with, you know. I’ve never had anyone to share it with,” Grandma Kent.
“I’m glad I’ve got you to paint with too, Grandma.”
“And you know it’s not just painting. The two of us spending time together like this is a good time for us to talk about what’s in our lives as well,” Grandma Kent added. So they did.
*******************************(end of flashback)**************************
Kiley smiled at that memory. Grandma was right; it was good to paint different things. She had painted a couple of “firsts” this year. “War’s Honor and Grief” was her first painting that wasn’t bright and happy. “Swiss Alps Mystic” was a first in so many other ways.
Would Grandma Kent be the one to talk to about this? It was true that after her father, and to a certain extent, her mother, she was definitely closest to Grandma Kent out of her whole family. So if she couldn’t talk to Mom and Dad, Grandma would be the next best option. She would probably be a little more objective about Larry then her parents. It was definitely less nerve-racking to consider talking to her. Although she continued to doodle, she slowed her pace down a little. At the same time, it would be good to talk about Larry to someone. She’d love to tell someone about his chocolate shop and the special mint chocolates he let her make. And what a great cook he was. And how much fun he was to talk to.
Speaking of chocolate, she put her paintbrush down and went to get some more. The chocolates were delicious, of course, but what really made them special was thinking about Larry and how he gave them to her.
Still, if she really was going to fly out to talk to Grandma Kent, she should call first. Of course, she almost never did that, it was much easier to just fly out there than bother with the phone. But she didn’t want to take the chance that Grandma wouldn’t be there and she’d end up running into Grandpa, or worse, Thomas. As much as she loved Grandpa Kent, she didn’t find him as easy to talk to as Grandma. And she really didn’t want to involve her siblings in this. They’d feel caught in the middle between her and Mom and Dad. Grandma was the only one she wanted to talk to.
Kiley took a deep breath and went over to the phone, running her fingers through her hair as she went. She dialed the number.
Did she really want to do this? Telling Grandma was not like telling her parents, but it was a step. Was she ready for this step? She could stop right now. All she had to do was hang up right now and pretend she had never dialed this number. Her hand moved to hang up the phone.
Then she remembered how Larry had been willing to introduce her to his mother. He had been brave. She remembered how much she loved him. How much longer could she honestly keep Larry a secret? She sighed and waited for the phone to be answered.
“Hello?” Grandma Kent’s voice answered.
“Hello, Grandma,” Kiley answered.
“Hi Kiley!” exclaimed Grandma’s surprised voice. “Not that I’m not glad to hear from you, but what’s the occasion, Kiley? Usually you fly over if you want to talk.”
“Um, yeah, usually I do,” Kiley replied. She knew this was going to be an issue. “I just wanted to make sure you were home.”
“Well, I’m right here, just like I always am,” Grandma replied cheerfully, although there was a little wariness in her voice as well.
“That’s good,” Kiley answered hesitantly. “Um, well, I’d like to come over. But, um can you tell me if Thomas and Grandpa are going to be around the house today first?”
Grandma paused for a minute. “No, I think they said they had a lot of stuff to do in the field today. Why?”
Kiley sighed and maneuvered the phone onto her shoulder so she could run her fingers through her hair. “Well, I just want this to be between us, Grandma. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” Grandma answered, sounding a little confused. “I’ll get the easels set up. See you in a few minutes.”
Despite being still nervous, Kiley smiled as she hung up the phone. Grandma knew they always painted while they talked. Even if it was nothing but doodles.
She took a deep breath and spun into Superwoman. This was it, she said to herself as she headed for the window. I’m about to tell someone else about Larry. Then she jumped in the air and headed for Kansas.
Kiley certainly took her time getting there, though. Was it her fault that the clouds were so much fun to fly through today? Or that she had never noticed how beautiful the landscape Tennessee was from the air? Tennessee had wonderful mountain ranges. Not quite as spectacular as the Alps, but still, nice.
Eventually, Kiley came across Kansas. Slowly, she found Smallville and flew down next to Thomas’s and her grandparents’ house. She looked around her quickly. The last thing she needed was for Grandpa or Thomas to see her right now! Taking a deep breath, she spun back into her painting clothes and walked into the kitchen. “Hi, Grandma.”
“Oh there you are, Kiley. I thought maybe you were held up somewhere. It took you a lot longer to get here than it usually does.”
“Yeah, well, you know…”
“Yeah, I do. A superhero’s work is never done.”
Kiley looked at the floor. She hadn’t said anything, but she had certainly given Grandma Kent the impression that she was late because of a rescue or other kind of emergency. When in reality, it was only her cowardliness. Wasn’t today about coming clean to at least one person? “Well, um…Grandma…where are the easels?” One confession was enough, she decided.
“Over in the living room,” Grandma replied.
Kiley followed her into the next room. Off to the side of the room, near the window, two easels had been set up, complete with new paper, brushes, paint, and newspaper on the floor incase they spilled. She grinned and sat down in front of one. She may be very nervous about this conversation, but she loved to paint with Grandma Kent.
“So what’s bothering you Kiley?” Grandma asked, as she sat down at the other easel and picked up a paintbrush.
“How do you know there’s something wrong?” Kiley asked, feeling defensive all the sudden. After all, she met the man she loved, so that was a good thing right? She picked up a paintbrush as well and began making random strokes.
“Please!” Grandma replied, laughing. “You call me up before you come, and I can’t remember the last time you did that. You make sure I’m the only one who’s going to be at the house today. Plus, do you have any idea how much you’re like your father when you’re worried about something? You’ve been brooding for a while about this, haven’t you?”
Kiley sighed. Grandma was right, of course. Kiley had been told that she had a lot of her father’s qualities, from her compassion, to her patience, to her nervous habit of running her fingers through her hair. Her habit of worrying, or brooding, or obsessing, whatever you wanted to call it, also came from Dad. But hearing that now only reminded her of how much her news was going to hurt her father when and if she finally told him.
“Okay, yeah, I have. But there is some good news, too. I’ve…been dating someone for two months now. And I think, no, I KNOW that I’m in love with him.”
Grandma Kent broke into a huge smile. “That’s great, Kiley! It’s always wonderful when you’ve found your special someone.” Grandma leaned over and hugged her. “So what’s he like?”
Kiley grinned. Here was her chance to talk about how wonderful Larry was! “He’s great. He runs a wonderful little chocolate shop in Switzerland, with the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Recently, he even gave me a tour of his bakery and let me make my own chocolate candies! And he’s really sweet, always wanting to look after his mother and everything. He’s always fun to talk to. And he doesn’t just cook chocolate, either. He’s a wonderful chef. He kind of reminds me of Dad, in that way.”
Grandma looked confused for a second, seeming to be wondering what the problem was in this situation. Then her eyes widened, in apparent understanding. “So since you said he runs a chocolate shop in Switzerland, does that mean he lives in Switzerland?”
“Um, yeah,” Kiley replied. She doodled with her paints some more.
“So you’ve been flying out to see him?”
“Yeah.” Why did Grandma Kent consider this issue so important? She hadn’t even told her the important stuff yet!
“So does this cause problems for your other identity? Do you feel guilty for keeping that from him?” Grandma began painting a few circles.
Ah. So that’s where Grandma was going. She thought the reason why she was brooding was because of her Superwoman persona and how that affected her relationship. Of course, that was an issue, but certainly not the biggest one.
“I remember this was a big issue when your father was dating your mother,” Grandma Kent continued, seeming to be sure she was on the right track. “He felt so guilty for lying to her, but he couldn’t face the idea of telling her the truth. In fact, he almost ran away because of that.” Grandma’s voice continued as her mind wandered back to that time.
********************************(flashback)*******************************
Martha and Jonathan were helping Clark pack all of his belongings, even though neither wanted to see him do this. He was planning on pretending to move oversees, and then becoming Superman full time. And Clark said something like, ‘I don’t want to do this, but I don’t see anything else that’s fair to Lois. I said to him ‘If Lois is the problem, why are you running away?’ But Clark still couldn’t see the answer right in front of him! So, not wanting to push any further than they already had, Martha and Jonathan went out to eat.
*******************************(end of flashback)**************************
When we came back, they seemed to have solved at least some of their problems, so your father didn’t run away. But, in the end, he had to accept he had to tell your mother.”
Kiley got the message loud and clear. She did want to tell Larry about Superwoman, especially knowing he would accept her other identity. But she couldn’t bring herself to do that without telling her parents about Larry first, even though she had a feeling the former would be easier. She sighed and swirled her paintbrush around the paper. “Grandma, I understand what you’re saying. And I want to tell him the truth about Superwoman. But I have to do something else, first. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that, yet. That’s what I’m here to talk about.”
Grandma looked incredibly surprised. “Okay, what is it?”
Kiley took a deep breath. Could she really manage to get the words out? She put her paintbrush down and ran her fingers through her hair a few times. Then she picked it up again and made random dots of paint on the paper. “The guy I’m seeing? His name is Larry Luthor. He’s Lex Luthor’s nephew.”
Grandma dropped her paintbrush, creating a big paint streak across the front of her picture. “Did I hear right? Did you say ‘Luthor?’
Kiley nodded nervously.
“As in the root of all evil in Metropolis thirty years ago?
“Yyyeeeesss……That was Lex Luthor.”
“Are you sure about this, Kiley?” Grandma Kent’s voice sounded doubtful.
“Yes, Grandma. I know it’s hard to take in, but Larry isn’t like his uncle. He’s sweet, and not at all power-hungry. And he’s really concerned about his mother, who was Lex Luthor’s sister. He seemed to really have destroyed her self-esteem.”
Grandma still looked unconvinced. She remembered how Clark used to talk about Lex Luthor when he first settled in Metropolis.
**********************************(flashback*****************************
“There’s someone testing me, Mom. The jumpers the other day were from opposite ends of Metropolis, but only seconds apart. And the bomb today. It didn’t go off until I was inside the building.”
“Are you sure, Clark?” It did sound a little too coincidental, but could someone really be trying to hurt her boy?
“Pretty sure. And I’ve got an idea who it might be, too. The jumpers both worked for Lexcorp.”
“But a lot of people work for Lexcorp in Metropolis. Doesn’t he employ over a million people?”
“Yes, but Mom, this is different. And Lex Luthor tried to sabotage the space program, too, you know. I just can’t prove that.”
“Lex Luthor? The philanthropist?” Martha had always heard pretty good news about that man. A self-made man. Gave money to orphans. Of course, he probably had his enemies, just like everyone did. But could he honestly be a criminal out to get her son?
A few months later:
“Lex Luthor used those kids, Mom. He seduced them with the idea of being smart without having to work at it. He told them how successful they’d be. And he knew if the kids drank too much of it, their brains would overload! This guy is evil. I just don’t know how to stop him.”
Lex Luthor encouraged children to take extremely destructive drugs? Martha thought to herself. Innocent children who just let their curiosity get the better of them when they accepted the “smart stuff”? Clark was right; he was evil.
Several months later:
“I found out the extra Superman was really a clone. He didn’t say who created him, but I think I know who. Whoever created the clone wanted their own Superman to take me out, and then influence the clone to their satisfaction. I can only think of one person that would fit that definition, not to mention have the resources to carry through with it. Lex Luthor, of course. You know, I think I can actually say I hate him.”
Martha understood Clark’s perspective of Lex Luthor. She had long since given up her perception of Luthor as a philanthropist. But hate was a very strong word for her boy to use. Was he sure he meant that?
“You know, I don’t like Lex Luthor, either. But hate is a very strong word, you know,” Martha told her son gently.
“I know, Mom. And believe me, I don’t use it lightly. But I think it fits in this case.”
*****************************(end of flashback*****************************
“You know, your father told me he really did hate Lex Luthor,” Grandma said carefully. “He had very good reasons for that, too. Are you sure Larry’s different?” Grandma Kent picked up her brush and began painting again.
“Yes, Grandma, I am. Believe me, I thought about that, too. ‘Are all Luthors the same?’ I asked myself over and over. And every time Larry would bring up Lex in conversation I would shudder. Larry does remember him, you know. ‘What does that mean?’ I would ask myself. But eventually I had to trust my heart. Larry wasn’t raised by Lex Luthor. He was raised by his mother, Lacey. And he isn’t his SON. He’s his nephew. It makes a difference. I know Larry. I’ve spent enough time with him to know who he really is.”
Grandma Kent nodded, her face showing understanding for the first time. “I see your point, Kiley. We all need to trust our hearts. But is two months really enough time to know that? From what I understand, Lex Luthor was a master of deception. How do you know Larry’s not deceiving you as well?”
Kiley sighed. She supposed Grandma had a point. What was the difference between knowing and thinking you knew? On the other hand, her Superwoman persona was already causing problems in their relationship. “How much longer can I keep deceiving him?” She made rough, angry strokes with her paintbrush.
Grandma sighed. “Kiley,…well,…I know I encouraged you to tell him about Superwoman, but Kiley, Luthor tried to attack Superman more than any other person I can think of.” She shuttered. “I’m just not sure…Do you know Lex Luthor put your father in a Kryptonite cage once? He came so close to dying that night.” Grandma Kent’s eyes welled up with tears at the memory of almost losing her son.
********************************(flashback)*******************************
“What’s wrong Clark?” You don’t sound too good.” What happened to her boy? As he was growing up, Martha had gotten used to, and thanked everything for the fact that her boy could not get hurt. Now that was no longer true.
“Well, Mom…I’ve been exposed to Kryptonite for the past twenty-four hours.”
Martha gasped. She had seen the problems that rock caused him after a short exposure. What kind of problems would result in such a long one? Was he going to be okay? “Kryptonite? Twenty-four hours?” she said out loud.
“Yeah,” he replied in the same voice. That voice really bothered her. He sounded withdrawn, maybe even depressed. And really tired, too.
“Luthor set a trap for me. And like an idiot, I walked right into it. He had a Kryptonite cage rigged up.”
That monster! Martha knew Luthor was out to get her son. But the very idea that he would put him in a cage like an animal, made of that horrible stuff that made her son suffer so…
“So I won’t be able to fly to Kansas for a while. If I ever will again,” Clark added, sounding even more depressed. “I was exposed to it for a lot longer this time. I was kind of out-of-it for a while.”
Martha decided then and there that she and Jonathan would fly out to Metropolis within a day or so. And she decided she was glad Lex Luthor was dead.
****************************(end of flashback)*****************************
“Lex Luthor kept Dad in a Kryptonite cage? He almost died?” Kiley was shocked. She expected that there would be some information her parents wouldn’t print, but she really didn’t expect this. How could she ever tell Dad about Larry now?
“Yes. We’ve had a lot of bad issues with Luthors.”
“I know. I know. That’s why I don’t know what to do about Larry. But I still love him, Grandma.”
Grandma sighed. “Then you have to have faith in that. And Kiley, I know this is going to be incredibly hard, but you need to talk to your parents. Otherwise, you’re living a lie.”
