Summr Story part 5 (it is 5 right?)
5/9/05 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roxyPrevious Parts are gamboling in the meadow like little lambs...or are they trying to nail little lambs...hard to tell from here....
The mood in the kitchen was noticeably down; even Jonathan could feel that something was wrong. He mouthed, fight? at Martha. She shrugged with her eyebrows and Jonathan pressed his lips together. Hmm. Something’s up, Martha half smiled. I have no idea what but yes
Clark sighed aloud. “I wish you wouldn’t talk about us right in front of us.”
“What?” Jonathan said. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Me either,” Martha said. “Milk? Coffee?”
Lex asked to be excused and left the room.
“What’s going on with Red, Clark?”
Clark frowned as he looked towards the stair. “His dad.”
Jonathan stood immediately. “Did his father bother him”—he started for the kitchen door but Clark stopped him.
“No, not really, he just passed us on the road…I think it just …brought up memories.”
Martha flushed and her eyes snapped. “Yes—I can imagine it did.” She looked as fierce as a mother lioness for a moment, and Jonathan had to smile, Martha really was something when her protective mode kicked in. He thought for a moment and said, “I think I should talk to Red…maybe I should ask him to give me a hand with the truck.”
“Ah, Dad, maybe something else?” Clark grinned.
“Well, you could hold the truck for us…”
“I think Lex would really like it if you guys talked privately. A little one- on- one time, I mean.” Clark looked expectantly at his dad, and Jonathan nodded.
“That sounds like something we both could use, son. Good idea.” Jonathan stood and scraped his chair back to the table and headed for the stair and Clark got ready to head out to the Fortress.
Martha coughed lightly before she sat at the table, bringing a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle. “Fine,” she smiled. “—but no one goes anywhere until the kitchen’s cleaned. It’s my day off, remember.” She put her crossword on the table and waved a freshly sharpened pencil. “Try to be quiet while you’re working, it’s too distracting when I’m trying to do my puzzle.” She grinned hugely, and Jonathan rolled his eyes at Clark.
“I’ll take care of the kitchen—so, pizza tonight, hunh Dad?” Clark grinned at his dad, who just snorted and walked away.
“I can cook, you know,” he muttered and flushed a little when he heard Clark and Martha laugh.
*******
“Red.” He tapped at Lex’s bedroom door. "Son, can I talk to you?"
Lex opened the door, and looked out, a little wary. Jonathan sighed inside. Sometimes the boy was as hard as a rock and sometimes he was like glass--today was one of those glass days he figured. Red was strong, so strong that sometimes they forgot that he was still a kid—
“Listen, how about we take the truck—your truck,” he hastened to add at Lex’s raised eyebrow, “and get some lunch. Just you and me?”
Lex looked pleased and Jonathan felt good—it was the right decision. Maybe he could get the kid to talk some.
On the drive into town, they chatted idly about the farm, and school, and discussed local news and because they were men it wasn’t gossiping, Jonathan thought. No sir. Just a healthy interest in local affairs.
Lex chose the Beanery to have lunch and Jonathan went along. He preferred the diner but it was his treat for Red so, his choice.
They talked around the subject on Jonathan’s mind until the food came, and they each concentrated on their meals until Jonathan spoke up again. “Good sandwich, how’s yours?”
“Pretty good. It’s hard to mess up a roast beef and swiss though.” Lex nibbled around the edges, and dissected his sandwich before eating it piece by piece.
Jonathan nodded. “True, true.” He worked his way through the french fries on his plate, watched Lex eat his sandwich, individual bit by bit and shook his head and smiled with a little shrug when Lex caught him looking.
They’d nearly finished, sandwiches gone and they were both kind of half-heartedly picking at their fries He figured now was as good a time as any to talk about this morning’s incident. He took a big gulp of coffee and asked, “So, Red…you want to tell me what went on this morning?”
He could see Lex’s face shut down, his smile freezing. Jonathan reached over and laid his hand on his arm. “Listen—I just want you to know, I’m here if you need me--Martha and I both are always here for you. You’re as important to us as Clark. If that man tries to bother you, or –or anything…you don’t ever need to deal with him….”
Lex sat back and looked at Jonathan. “What if I *wanted* to talk to him? I mean—would you guys mind?”
Jonathan was surprised. It had never occurred to him that Red would want to talk to that bastard. Not after everything he put him through. “Well, Red, that’s your decision. I’d never stop you …he’s your father after all. Though honestly I’d be just as happy if you didn’t.”
Lex nodded and said, “Thanks. I –I don’t want to, not really. I just needed to know—that it would be okay.”
“Okay,” Jonathan said, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.
Lex sighed. “Clark doesn’t get it-- he gets upset if I mention my father. He really hates him. He doesn’t want me to talk to him at all. He wants me to act like he doesn’t exist but that’s—he does. He’s there, whether I like it or not, my father’s always there, on the edges of my mind, you know?”
Jonathan looked at the young man. He knew what bothered Clark—it wasn’t Red talking to his dad that upset him, it was the games Lionel played with him. It was the jockeying for power between the two. It seemed that Red was holding his own but Lionel had many, many more years experience at playing the game then Red did…Jonathan had a pretty good idea that Red’s trip to Metropolis had less to do with university and more to do with Lionel. He sighed and sipped at his lukewarm coffee, made a face. Red watched him with a kind of …fond smile. It warmed him, and pulled an answering smile out of him, and he pushed his worry back down.
“Well, Red, you do what you know is right. As long as you remember who you are, and who your real family is, you’ll do all right.”
Lex blushed deeply. “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. It means so much to me, much more than you know.”
Jonathan squeezed his hand. “Sure, sure.” He coughed a little and grabbed the menu, looked at it hard and asked, “…dessert?”
Lex grinned. “Uhm-hmm. I think I have some room.”
******
tbc, oh most assuredly!
The mood in the kitchen was noticeably down; even Jonathan could feel that something was wrong. He mouthed, fight? at Martha. She shrugged with her eyebrows and Jonathan pressed his lips together. Hmm. Something’s up, Martha half smiled. I have no idea what but yes
Clark sighed aloud. “I wish you wouldn’t talk about us right in front of us.”
“What?” Jonathan said. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Me either,” Martha said. “Milk? Coffee?”
Lex asked to be excused and left the room.
“What’s going on with Red, Clark?”
Clark frowned as he looked towards the stair. “His dad.”
Jonathan stood immediately. “Did his father bother him”—he started for the kitchen door but Clark stopped him.
“No, not really, he just passed us on the road…I think it just …brought up memories.”
Martha flushed and her eyes snapped. “Yes—I can imagine it did.” She looked as fierce as a mother lioness for a moment, and Jonathan had to smile, Martha really was something when her protective mode kicked in. He thought for a moment and said, “I think I should talk to Red…maybe I should ask him to give me a hand with the truck.”
“Ah, Dad, maybe something else?” Clark grinned.
“Well, you could hold the truck for us…”
“I think Lex would really like it if you guys talked privately. A little one- on- one time, I mean.” Clark looked expectantly at his dad, and Jonathan nodded.
“That sounds like something we both could use, son. Good idea.” Jonathan stood and scraped his chair back to the table and headed for the stair and Clark got ready to head out to the Fortress.
Martha coughed lightly before she sat at the table, bringing a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle. “Fine,” she smiled. “—but no one goes anywhere until the kitchen’s cleaned. It’s my day off, remember.” She put her crossword on the table and waved a freshly sharpened pencil. “Try to be quiet while you’re working, it’s too distracting when I’m trying to do my puzzle.” She grinned hugely, and Jonathan rolled his eyes at Clark.
“I’ll take care of the kitchen—so, pizza tonight, hunh Dad?” Clark grinned at his dad, who just snorted and walked away.
“I can cook, you know,” he muttered and flushed a little when he heard Clark and Martha laugh.
*******
“Red.” He tapped at Lex’s bedroom door. "Son, can I talk to you?"
Lex opened the door, and looked out, a little wary. Jonathan sighed inside. Sometimes the boy was as hard as a rock and sometimes he was like glass--today was one of those glass days he figured. Red was strong, so strong that sometimes they forgot that he was still a kid—
“Listen, how about we take the truck—your truck,” he hastened to add at Lex’s raised eyebrow, “and get some lunch. Just you and me?”
Lex looked pleased and Jonathan felt good—it was the right decision. Maybe he could get the kid to talk some.
On the drive into town, they chatted idly about the farm, and school, and discussed local news and because they were men it wasn’t gossiping, Jonathan thought. No sir. Just a healthy interest in local affairs.
Lex chose the Beanery to have lunch and Jonathan went along. He preferred the diner but it was his treat for Red so, his choice.
They talked around the subject on Jonathan’s mind until the food came, and they each concentrated on their meals until Jonathan spoke up again. “Good sandwich, how’s yours?”
“Pretty good. It’s hard to mess up a roast beef and swiss though.” Lex nibbled around the edges, and dissected his sandwich before eating it piece by piece.
Jonathan nodded. “True, true.” He worked his way through the french fries on his plate, watched Lex eat his sandwich, individual bit by bit and shook his head and smiled with a little shrug when Lex caught him looking.
They’d nearly finished, sandwiches gone and they were both kind of half-heartedly picking at their fries He figured now was as good a time as any to talk about this morning’s incident. He took a big gulp of coffee and asked, “So, Red…you want to tell me what went on this morning?”
He could see Lex’s face shut down, his smile freezing. Jonathan reached over and laid his hand on his arm. “Listen—I just want you to know, I’m here if you need me--Martha and I both are always here for you. You’re as important to us as Clark. If that man tries to bother you, or –or anything…you don’t ever need to deal with him….”
Lex sat back and looked at Jonathan. “What if I *wanted* to talk to him? I mean—would you guys mind?”
Jonathan was surprised. It had never occurred to him that Red would want to talk to that bastard. Not after everything he put him through. “Well, Red, that’s your decision. I’d never stop you …he’s your father after all. Though honestly I’d be just as happy if you didn’t.”
Lex nodded and said, “Thanks. I –I don’t want to, not really. I just needed to know—that it would be okay.”
“Okay,” Jonathan said, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.
Lex sighed. “Clark doesn’t get it-- he gets upset if I mention my father. He really hates him. He doesn’t want me to talk to him at all. He wants me to act like he doesn’t exist but that’s—he does. He’s there, whether I like it or not, my father’s always there, on the edges of my mind, you know?”
Jonathan looked at the young man. He knew what bothered Clark—it wasn’t Red talking to his dad that upset him, it was the games Lionel played with him. It was the jockeying for power between the two. It seemed that Red was holding his own but Lionel had many, many more years experience at playing the game then Red did…Jonathan had a pretty good idea that Red’s trip to Metropolis had less to do with university and more to do with Lionel. He sighed and sipped at his lukewarm coffee, made a face. Red watched him with a kind of …fond smile. It warmed him, and pulled an answering smile out of him, and he pushed his worry back down.
“Well, Red, you do what you know is right. As long as you remember who you are, and who your real family is, you’ll do all right.”
Lex blushed deeply. “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. It means so much to me, much more than you know.”
Jonathan squeezed his hand. “Sure, sure.” He coughed a little and grabbed the menu, looked at it hard and asked, “…dessert?”
Lex grinned. “Uhm-hmm. I think I have some room.”
******
tbc, oh most assuredly!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
5/10/05 04:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 01:48 pm (UTC)thank you so very much. I'm so glad the part with Lex and Jonathan worked. I was nervous about that.
(no subject)
5/10/05 05:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 01:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 06:25 am (UTC)Bwa! They are soooo gossiping.
(no subject)
5/10/05 01:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 01:25 pm (UTC)Your previouslies ROCK!
And poor Lex...but Johnathan actually helped instead of being a dork like on the show!
:)
*smoooch*
*tiny thing. this sentence?
“That sounds like something we both could use, son. Good idea.” Jonathan stood and scraped his chair back to the table and headed for the stair. Clark got ready to head out to the Fortress and
is it supposed to end like that??*
(no subject)
5/10/05 01:39 pm (UTC)*roxy be ready to just write previously's and the hell with the rest...*
(no subject)
5/10/05 01:44 pm (UTC):)
*you could write MY previouslies!*
(no subject)
5/10/05 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 06:01 pm (UTC)Yes!
(no subject)
5/10/05 10:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
5/10/05 11:07 pm (UTC)