Bruce Wayne's holiday visit to Smallville!
Just in time for the holidays, I have a short story about Bruce Wayne's visit to Smallville -- set in the middle of Season Four, the 'Jason Teague era'. My stories of Bruce in Smallville have developed their own internal continuity, so I'd suggest that you read "Vigilante" at least, with "Archer" as supplementary reading.
I've posted an excerpt of "Comfort and Joy", and a link to the full story. Enjoy.
Have a great holiday, Smallville (and Bruce Wayne) fans! See you in '06.
[Excerpt from Comfort and Joy]:
Lana Lang, dressed in a mauve Nordic sweater and black slacks, warmly embraced Jason as they shared a joke. The Kents invited their closest friends for a Christmas party. Martha rushed out to the dinner table with her ‘Jolly Snowman’ apron and matching oven mitts, bearing a stuffed turkey. They had also invited Pete Ross. (He sent his regrets.) With his parents’ divorce still fresh in his mind, Pete chose not to dwell on his disrupted home life and he readily accepted an offer to go snowboarding in Whistler this December with his new extreme sports buddy, Oliver Queen.
Clark didn’t expect that Pete would come to Smallville for the holidays, since their friendship had been on an uncertain footing for months. Jason and Jonathan mourned the possible loss of the entire NHL season and complained about the greed and animosity surrounding the high-stakes labour dispute, but Clark’s concerns were more immediate.
Seeing Lana – the only girl he believed he truly loved – effortlessly flirt with Jason Teague made him jealous. He hoped that no one would notice his awkwardness, but to his dismay someone already did. Lois quietly approached him, with two mugs of mulled apple cider in her hands.
“You know, Smallville,” Lois smirked. “This is none of my business, but I think you should wake up to the facts. The Lana ship has sailed, buddy. That ocean liner of love has left the port.”
Clark tugged Lois aside, out of range of the dining room. “You’re right about one thing: it ‘is’ none of your business!” His reddened face betrayed that Lois had hit her mark … again.
“The New Year is upon us, Clark,” Lois continued, unfazed by Clark’s stubbornness. She looked at Lana and Jason, who were teasing each other over the dinner table. “It’s not all about you, Clark. Lana is happy with Jason. Get over it! If you’re as close to Lana as you say you are, then why aren’t you happy for her?”
“I am happy for her,” Clark muttered unconvincingly. His eyes avoided looking directly at Lana, who seemed to notice Clark’s aloofness this evening.
Lois abruptly handed him the mug of cider. “Then eat, drink and be merry, Clark Kent! It’s time for company and good cheer. And I, for one, am not going to allow your grumpiness to ruin a good Christmas party.” She wrinkled a surprised nose at the homemade cider’s spiciness. “Wow, Martha’s cider has some kick to it!” Before Clark could respond, Lois joined Jonathan and Jason at the table and quickly got into the debate over the NHLPA’s luxury tax proposal. In her eyes, it was designed to fail and the hockey season was as good as lost.
Chloe was stuck in rush hour traffic near Metropolis and called to say that she would be there in time for the after-dinner socializing. Clark remained relatively quiet, while Lois seemed to create a seamless conversation that combined Jason’s thoughts about collegiate football (too much money spent on recruiting and not enough on players’ scholastic achievement) with Jonathan’s views on the environment (heavy penalties on polluters – read: Luthor – were in order) and Lana’s impressions of Parisian urban planning (she felt Metropolis could develop stricter zoning and preservation by-laws). Lois was Chloe’s cousin … but she was bold, brash and had the tact of stampeding herd of elephants. Yet, she was clearly the centre of attention at the dinner table. He could not deny that Lois Lane knew how to light up a room.
While Jonathan retired to the living room to show Jason some old photos from his football glory days, Clark hurriedly ate the last of his pumpkin pie and sat on the stairs, away from Lois and Martha’s impromptu carolling near the Christmas tree. Pete was gone, Lana was now with Jason and high school graduation would be upon him in a few months. So much had changed, and he was having difficulty accepting that. He wasn’t even sure if he and Lex could remain as good friends.
After Lana helped Martha with the dishes, she found Clark on the staircase. He’s keeping his own counsel – again, she sighed to herself.
“Clark,” Lana began, “is everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“I’m fine,” Clark said. “I’m alright.” He couldn’t bring himself to confide in her about his concerns: Jason, Lex’s changing behaviour, and the escalating tension between LuthorCorp and Wayne Enterprises. He believed he could never confide in her about his secret. It was necessary – to protect her – he concluded.
“Alright?” Lana challenged him. “You’ve hardly said a word to me this whole party.”
Clark cleared his throat. “It’s Pete.” His friendship with Pete was a concern, though Lana’s romance with Jason had become a growing issue with him.
Lana suspected that Clark was still trying to come to terms with her new romance, but she felt it was better not to press the issue under his own roof. “I know that Pete would want to be here, if he could. But with the divorce, you know –“ There was an uncomfortable silence; they couldn’t really know. Pete watched helplessly as his parents’ marriage disintegrated before his eyes. Who could prepare for an event like that?
A doorbell ring interrupted their uneasy conversation. When Martha opened the door, a tall, imposing figure in a fine woollen overcoat and royal blue scarf beamed at them.
“Martha Kent, the classiest lady this side of the Mason-Dixon line,” Bruce Wayne kissed her hand. Martha gave him a big hug, and accepted his rather large box of presents.
Jonathan clasped Bruce on his shoulders and shook his hand warmly. “What brings you to our little corner of Kansas, Mr. Wayne?”
Read the full story here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2707327/1/
I've posted an excerpt of "Comfort and Joy", and a link to the full story. Enjoy.
Have a great holiday, Smallville (and Bruce Wayne) fans! See you in '06.
[Excerpt from Comfort and Joy]:
Lana Lang, dressed in a mauve Nordic sweater and black slacks, warmly embraced Jason as they shared a joke. The Kents invited their closest friends for a Christmas party. Martha rushed out to the dinner table with her ‘Jolly Snowman’ apron and matching oven mitts, bearing a stuffed turkey. They had also invited Pete Ross. (He sent his regrets.) With his parents’ divorce still fresh in his mind, Pete chose not to dwell on his disrupted home life and he readily accepted an offer to go snowboarding in Whistler this December with his new extreme sports buddy, Oliver Queen.
Clark didn’t expect that Pete would come to Smallville for the holidays, since their friendship had been on an uncertain footing for months. Jason and Jonathan mourned the possible loss of the entire NHL season and complained about the greed and animosity surrounding the high-stakes labour dispute, but Clark’s concerns were more immediate.
Seeing Lana – the only girl he believed he truly loved – effortlessly flirt with Jason Teague made him jealous. He hoped that no one would notice his awkwardness, but to his dismay someone already did. Lois quietly approached him, with two mugs of mulled apple cider in her hands.
“You know, Smallville,” Lois smirked. “This is none of my business, but I think you should wake up to the facts. The Lana ship has sailed, buddy. That ocean liner of love has left the port.”
Clark tugged Lois aside, out of range of the dining room. “You’re right about one thing: it ‘is’ none of your business!” His reddened face betrayed that Lois had hit her mark … again.
“The New Year is upon us, Clark,” Lois continued, unfazed by Clark’s stubbornness. She looked at Lana and Jason, who were teasing each other over the dinner table. “It’s not all about you, Clark. Lana is happy with Jason. Get over it! If you’re as close to Lana as you say you are, then why aren’t you happy for her?”
“I am happy for her,” Clark muttered unconvincingly. His eyes avoided looking directly at Lana, who seemed to notice Clark’s aloofness this evening.
Lois abruptly handed him the mug of cider. “Then eat, drink and be merry, Clark Kent! It’s time for company and good cheer. And I, for one, am not going to allow your grumpiness to ruin a good Christmas party.” She wrinkled a surprised nose at the homemade cider’s spiciness. “Wow, Martha’s cider has some kick to it!” Before Clark could respond, Lois joined Jonathan and Jason at the table and quickly got into the debate over the NHLPA’s luxury tax proposal. In her eyes, it was designed to fail and the hockey season was as good as lost.
Chloe was stuck in rush hour traffic near Metropolis and called to say that she would be there in time for the after-dinner socializing. Clark remained relatively quiet, while Lois seemed to create a seamless conversation that combined Jason’s thoughts about collegiate football (too much money spent on recruiting and not enough on players’ scholastic achievement) with Jonathan’s views on the environment (heavy penalties on polluters – read: Luthor – were in order) and Lana’s impressions of Parisian urban planning (she felt Metropolis could develop stricter zoning and preservation by-laws). Lois was Chloe’s cousin … but she was bold, brash and had the tact of stampeding herd of elephants. Yet, she was clearly the centre of attention at the dinner table. He could not deny that Lois Lane knew how to light up a room.
While Jonathan retired to the living room to show Jason some old photos from his football glory days, Clark hurriedly ate the last of his pumpkin pie and sat on the stairs, away from Lois and Martha’s impromptu carolling near the Christmas tree. Pete was gone, Lana was now with Jason and high school graduation would be upon him in a few months. So much had changed, and he was having difficulty accepting that. He wasn’t even sure if he and Lex could remain as good friends.
After Lana helped Martha with the dishes, she found Clark on the staircase. He’s keeping his own counsel – again, she sighed to herself.
“Clark,” Lana began, “is everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“I’m fine,” Clark said. “I’m alright.” He couldn’t bring himself to confide in her about his concerns: Jason, Lex’s changing behaviour, and the escalating tension between LuthorCorp and Wayne Enterprises. He believed he could never confide in her about his secret. It was necessary – to protect her – he concluded.
“Alright?” Lana challenged him. “You’ve hardly said a word to me this whole party.”
Clark cleared his throat. “It’s Pete.” His friendship with Pete was a concern, though Lana’s romance with Jason had become a growing issue with him.
Lana suspected that Clark was still trying to come to terms with her new romance, but she felt it was better not to press the issue under his own roof. “I know that Pete would want to be here, if he could. But with the divorce, you know –“ There was an uncomfortable silence; they couldn’t really know. Pete watched helplessly as his parents’ marriage disintegrated before his eyes. Who could prepare for an event like that?
A doorbell ring interrupted their uneasy conversation. When Martha opened the door, a tall, imposing figure in a fine woollen overcoat and royal blue scarf beamed at them.
“Martha Kent, the classiest lady this side of the Mason-Dixon line,” Bruce Wayne kissed her hand. Martha gave him a big hug, and accepted his rather large box of presents.
Jonathan clasped Bruce on his shoulders and shook his hand warmly. “What brings you to our little corner of Kansas, Mr. Wayne?”
Read the full story here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2707327/1/
posted by President Luthor at 11:01 PM
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