The Double K Farm for At Risk Youth - How it Starts

[stands_for_hope]

It had been a hard year for the Kents.

The loss of a father, a husband, had hollowed out mother and son, though thankfully they'd managed to make due on the farm between the both of them. But that was just the financial parts. The farm felt empty without Jonathon Kent, their home felt empty, and Clark...

Clark was so angry with everyone, with everything. It wasn't fair.

He could do so many things, so many things, but he hadn't been able to do anything when his father's heart had given out. He hadn't been able to do anything when Jonathon Kent had dropped dead in a field while Clark was at school. He'd just been there to get pulled into the office, take the phonecall from his mother.

It was doubly hard to go through his days now. Before, there'd been a bit of a barrier between the people who liked to tease him; Jonathon Kent had been respected and folks had looked out for Clark because of it. They still looked for him, but now it was more about sympathy and less of a willingness to put themselves between him and trouble.

That's why he was here. Twelve years old, pushed against a chain link fence, holding onto the fence pole for their sake as much as his own. Anger boiled up inside him, anger enough to make his eyes start to lighten to red, anger enough to make him want to do things he couldn't do, shouldn't do. Because people were mean and cruel and they picked on weakness like a pack of jackals, even if the weakness was feigned.

I can't do it. I can't hurt anyone.

It was like a screen door trying to hold back a tidal wave. He was shaking and his eyes were so hot. He just hoped he could hold on long enough for them to get bored. Long enough for someone to wander by. He just had to hold on.

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[stands_for_hope]

Martha smiled at the kiss to her cheek before giving him one last squeeze and heading down to her own bed to sleep.

And she resolutely did not think of how much more she wished she could curl up with him instead of her old body pillow.

[longdaysknight]

Before he slept, Michael said a few prayers for everybody in the house and a few outside of it. He slept well, though, listening to the sounds of a real house settling around him as he drifted off. He was in just his undershirt and jeans when he came down the next day, his button-down in one hand, shoes and socks in the other, still debating whether or not he'd go get clean clothes first, or if he'd start breakfast. He decided on breakfast, and started getting out the ingredients for pancakes.

[stands_for_hope]

Martha made her way down to the kitchen, very much in need of coffee. Thankfully, the maker had been set last night, so she barely had to have her eyes open as she found her way to the machine via smell. When she noticed Michael, she gave him a warm smile and absently kissed his shoulder before heading straight for the coffee.

[longdaysknight]

The gesture might've been small and unexpected, but it was still enough to put a couple butterflies in his stomach and make him smile. "Good morning," he said, voice soft - the boys were still asleep, after all, but the smell of fruity pancakes would have them waking up soon enough.

[stands_for_hope]

She took a sip of coffee before her brain was functional enough for words.

"Good morning, dear," she said, her tone still a little sleepy but still warm. "Those smell good."

[longdaysknight]

"Strawberry jam," he nodded. "I've got some apple coming up and some blueberry, too - I'm not quite talented enough to make lemon pancakes for our citrus-loving kid, though."

[stands_for_hope]

"You just leave that to me," she said with a little grin as she leaned lightly against his arm on the way to the 'fridge.

"I've got some lemon curd in here for just such a thing."

[longdaysknight]

A warm laugh and Michael nodded. "See, this is why we work well together." He flipped the strawberry over so it would finish off. It felt good, sharing a kitchen with someone, cooking together, talking together.

[red_queen_kent]

"I coulda told you that," she said with a little smile just for him. Then she was sipping her coffee and reaching under the counter to pull out a small container of muffins that she'd saved from the last market.

"And this is for the chef. Something to nibble on while you feed everyone else."

He got a much more conscious kiss to the cheek after that.

[longdaysknight]

"Aw, thank you," he grinned. "Here I'd just planned to sneak a little bit here and there..." But he definitely wasn't saying no to a muffin. He kissed her cheek in return, then slid a nicely finished pancake onto a plate nearby. "What kind do you want?"

[red_queen_kent]

"Whatever kind you started with so I can get some quiche going for our guests and the boys once they're up," Martha said as she worked on her coffee.

[longdaysknight]

"How cool are you that you can just whip up a quiche?" Michael was grinning, shaking his head with amazement, but he cooked up a few more anyway - figuring on quite a few to make sure their boys and their guests had plenty of food.

[red_queen_kent]

That got a soft laugh out of her.

"I like to think I'm pretty 'cool'," she offered with a smile as she mixed together the large bowl of eggs and cream and butter. A quick lean into the fridge got her a couple of crusts she'd made up the day before.

"But I didn't know quiche was 'cool'. I just know it's one of Clark's favorites."

[longdaysknight]

"To me," Michael said, pan sizzling as he poured another pancake onto the hot surface, "quiche was always one of those fancy people foods. I got used to it being a finger food at some of the Foundation parties. That and caviar - which I still think is talked up more than it's anything else. Just tastes like salt to me."

[red_queen_kent]

"It can add a unique taste to certain dishes, and if you have it by itself," Martha mentioned absently, "but for the most part, it's just a show offy way to add a bit of salt, like you said."

Roll out the crust, put it in the pans...

[longdaysknight]

He nodded his agreement, watching her movements between pancakes. "Yeah - I was always the odd man out when the Foundation had their fundraisers. They needed me there to show off Kitt, but I was always awkward at trying to talk to the rich people. ...Except for one time. One time, I took a whole bunch of Japanese execs to a pool hall and bar for chili, taught them to sing Home On The Range - it was great."

[red_queen_kent]

She looked over at him for a moment as if trying to gauge whether or not this event had actually occurred... and then she started laughing into her hands, pulling away from the counter so she didn't spill.

"Oh god above, you would, wouldn't you?"

[longdaysknight]

"Would?" He looked over her, his grin bright. "Did! You can ask Bonnie - she was there. They all got cowboy hats, sang until dawn; I think one of them ate about four bowls of chili and tried to buy the recipe off the chef, but this was Texas chili, so you know he didn't sell it. Best time I ever had trying to raise funds for the Foundation."

[red_queen_kent]

She chuckled a few more moments before pushing herself back up to standing, still giggling along the edges a little.

"That's... that's fabulous, Michael. That is absolutely fabulous."

[longdaysknight]

"Sometime, I'll take you to one of the fundraisers. You might like it - it can be fun if you know how to look at it." And he had to admit, part of him was imagining her in one of those beautiful sequined dresses even if it meant he had to be in a tux.

[red_queen_kent]

Martha may have been imagining him in a tux, even if it meant she had to wear one of those overly-done up dresses.

"Take me? Well..." and she blushed just a little, "I'd certainly love to go. We'd just have to ask my sister to watch the boys for a night or so."

[longdaysknight]

"Maybe we could make it part of our vacation," he suggested. "Now's a good time to do it, while the boys are still little enough to all fit in Kitt's backseat. I was wanting to drive them out to California, stopping by Vegas so they could see the lights..." And if they happened to include a fundraiser in that, maybe while Kitt watched the boys, well, surely it wouldn't be so hard...

[red_queen_kent]

She considered it for a moment before nodding.

"That sounds perfect. I'll have to see if I can get my father to lend me a couple farm hands to tend things, make sure there's enough water for everything."

[longdaysknight]

Michael grinned. "And I know how important water is. Some things, I remember."

[red_queen_kent]

"Yes, you do," she agreed before taking a deep breath in and getting back to her work on the quiches. One was going to be spinach, the other one mushrooms, both of them packed with cheese. She couldn't get that protein into her son with meat so she'd find other ways.