6 ⓢ country style

[supes]

[It's late, but Clark is up anyway. He's making a late-night snack of baked apples for him and Lois, and because the oven in their apartment is on the fritz he's doing it in the kitchen. Chris is tucked into bed, the dogs are walked, and presumably Conner is off doing teenager-y things... he'll check in eventually.

But for now: baked cinnamon apples, the smell wafting through the kitchen, the buttery cinnamon and brown sugar topping bubbling. He's doing dishes at the sink while he waits, cleaning up after not only himself, but also whoever else has left dishes around. Who says the ghosts should do all the work? His journal lays on the kitchen table.

And he whistles cheerfully while he's at it.]

I made a few extra baked apples. Come help yourself in ten minutes, if anyone's interested.


------ Private -------

[And some hours later:]

Hey, Mom.

I know it's been a really long time since I've written. You remember how things get here; you're either up to your eyeballs in things to do and things to deal with, or you're left with so much free time you can just drift and lose track of time.

Married life is amazing. It's funny how almost nothing changes but a title, but it really does feel different. Lois and I had been living together for well over a year anyway, and we spend many of our days reading and writing and trying to put together this whole Paradisa puzzle just like we did before we were married, but it still ends up feeling so different. I can't compare this feeling to anything else in my life; I wake up every morning feeling humbled that of all the people in the world, Lois Lane chose me, and thankful that I'm going to get to spend the rest of my life with her.

We've got Chris with us, too, and Conner just returned. It's weird to be twenty-eight -- twenty-nine next week, I guess! -- and have a kid and a teenager, but given how unusual so much of my life has been, it's something you just accept as usual. It's just

[Long pause.]

Well, the room just changed and I'm sitting in some weird Greek-style office, and I'm wearing a toga. I should see what's going on and get back to this letter later, so that's all for now.

Love you and miss you,
Clark

Comments

[antichauffeur]

[Hesam will sleepily come in and follow his nose towards the food]

I can have one?

[supes]

[Clark looks up and smiles. Aww, cute kid.]

You sure it isn't past your bedtime?

[antichauffeur]

[What? No....]

You're not gonna tell on me are you?

[amiable]

[ That gets her attention, even if she should be trying to sleep. But food... ]

Baked apple?

[ Why has she never tried this before? ]

[supes]

Yeah, baked apples. Have you never had one before?

[amiable]

I've had candy and caramel apple before. I've never tried to bake an apple alone...

[secondchances]

[It's not THAT late, c'mon.

Steph pokes her head into the kitchen. Did she hear the invite? Did she just smell the deliciousness? The world will never know.]

Did I miss the food?

[supes]

[It's not late for a Bat, maybe. It is late for a family man with a small child. He smiles at Steph when she comes into view, happy to note that she looks a little better off than she did the other day.]

Not at all. I don't think baked apples get people running the same way cake or chocolate might.

[secondchances]

[She approaches to check out what's going on over here. She's doing her best not to think about previous conversations, though that just does the opposite.]

There's still sugar involved, right?

[cheerupemoborg]

[Apple pies? How typical--

...wait, where's the 'pie'? Ew.]

[supes]

[Dude, how can you not like baked apples?]

[cheerupemoborg]

[I bet you drink warm milk, too.

Enjoy your phlegm.]

placeholder!

[mom_to_us_all]

[That smells... DIVINE! It actually wakes her up from one of her million naps. She enters stealthily into the kitchen (ah, the kitchen has become her second home) and stands right in front of the oven, drooling...]

wahhhh ammy *_*

[supes]

[Clark glances over. Out of the corner of his eye he'd thought it was Krypto -- one of the few dogs that could sneak up on him -- but the red marks are a dead giveaway for the only other canine that can pull it off. Curious that the trait runs in big white canines, but that's a thought for another time.

It's been a while since he's seen Ammy. He knew she'd been back, given the whole sun-powers thing, but he hadn't said hello.

He smiles.]

Five more minutes and they'll be finished. You can have one then!

c:

[mom_to_us_all]

[Hello, big guy! Oh? She notices certain familiarity in the way he speaks at her. He's not surprised to see a wolf in the kitchen, and that works wonders for her.]

Aroo~ [Wags her tail at him in anticipation of savoring the sweet, sweet apples.]

[payback]

I want one!

[supes]

I will save one for you, then! Not heading here all the way from the Dead Zone, I hope?

[20thcentury]

[Jenny peeks around the corner, because who on Earth is cooking apples and doing dishes at this time of night ...]

You ought to have an apron on, you know.

[supes]

[He chuckles, setting a dish aside in the drying rack.]

I don't know that I'd find one that fits in the chest.

[precede]

[ And look who slinks into the kitchen to sniff at said baked apples? ]

Is it Autumn already? Time sure flies.

[supes]

Well, that's the pleasure of a magic castle -- everything is always in season.

action → forever

[yeahihidmypants]

[He's on his way out to patrol. Yep. Green Leather and all.]

You know, I'm glad to see that you're not letting married life go to your head.

[supes]

[Grin.]

I'm pretty sure if there's anything that should be going to a man's head, it's devotion to his wife.

[atetheapple]

[She's not here for the apples not really, not that it makes a huge difference...Everything tastes of apples. And all of the time. Snacks, she's starting to like them as an alternative to large meals.

But at the moment, she's just looking for a plain old glass of milk, but she spares him a smile in greeting]

That's generous of you.

[supes]

[He smiles back. New girl!]

Thanks. I just figured it never goes to waste here, considering most people seem to have a sweet tooth.