Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

NEW TROY, METROPOLIS

Haley Rose Lane was an eleven-year-old who had been raised by a single mom. She and Lois lived in a two-bedroom apartment in New Troy, Metropolis. Haley had grown surrounded by library walls and a fast-paced living. Daughter to a Pulitzer-Prize journalist with a slight addiction to work and sugar, Haley was used to navigating her every-day through chaos.

Unlike her mom, she wasn’t the academic type. From a young age, she had been drawn to nature. By the age of four, she had learned to grow her own beans, radishes, and cherry tomatoes. Haley was also an animal lover, sadly her only pet had been a baby chick that her mom’s boss had given her when she was two. The only memory she had of Peep were the photos that Lois had taken of them together.

Every morning, Haley woke up early. She had never needed an alarm clock; it didn’t matter if it was school day or a Sunday, she would be up by six in the morning. The first thing she did upon waking up was to make her bed, and tidy up her room — she was the only kid she knew who would willingly do so. Haley couldn’t help it though; her mom was always telling her that she was just built that way.

Naturally, as an early bird, Haley always found chores to do. Even among countless books, she never cared for them with the exception of one bedtime story that her mom had penned for her. Even if it was a pre-K reading, Haley read the story every night before bed; it was about a superhero who once looked upon the city. He had once saved an intrepid reporter from being crashed by a helicopter and then had fallen in love.

One of her favorite hobbies was gardening. Haley had a few plants in the apartment and she attended to them. She also liked going to the store across the street to get fresh eggs and milk every day.

It was Friday morning, Haley was all dressed up wearing a tank top and an overall. She had managed to do so much around the apartment before her mom was up and that always made her feel proud — she had her time well administrated. Haley was making breakfast now, she cracked an egg and let it drop into a pan to make it fried.

She looked up from her spatula upon feeling her mom’s warm kiss over the top of her head. “Morning, mom.”

“Good morning, Lieutenant Trouble.” Lois was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. She smiled at her daughter and ran her fingers down her long curly hair.

Haley had a slim figure. She had fair white skin like her mom’s and also had her striking, bright blue eyes. Ever since she was a baby, she had a head full of thick curly black hair; possibly the only thing she hadn’t gotten from her mom — She’d met her grandparents and was old enough to figure out the curls had come from the other half of her gene pool.

“I’m not military.” Haley made a face. Her physical appearance hadn’t been the only thing she’d gotten from her mom: she was very smart and they shared political views.

“Then stop behaving like one.” Lois teased her as she reached for the cupboard. Bringing a box of Pop Tarts out, Lois opened a pack and set it in the toaster.

“No! What are you doing?” Haley had gotten over her mom’s eating habits by the age of eight and learned to cook herself, “I’m making eggs…and was-I’m making bacon too!” She stopped the toaster, grabbed the still cold Pop Tarts, turned around, and threw them out.

“Haley!” Lois gasped like a tragedy had happened in front of her eyes, “Why did you—those were perfectly fine Pop Tarts.” Lois opened the trash can and sobbed as she mourned her breakfast.

Rolling her eyes, Haley insisted, “They are barely a snack. I’m making you breakfast.” She tried to persuade her, “Plus, there’s nothing better than the smell of—”

“—Crispy fresh bacon in the morning.” Lois rolled her eyes as she finished the sentence along her daughter.

“Yeah.” Haley smiled with pride.

“I’ve heard.” A shaky breath escaped her lips. Lois leaned down to meet her daughter’s eyes who was still about five inches shorter, and cupped her face. “I love you, you know that?” She faintly smiled, secretly glad that no one in the room could hear how her heartbeats had shifted just now. “Even when you have a tiny farmer living inside of you.”

That nickname she happily took ownership of; “Oh! Maybe we should—”

“Veto.” Lois let go of her and turned to the fridge where she brought some bacon out to help her daughter with breakfast.

“I could grow so many things there! …Have my own cows to milk and my own eggs to pick.” Haley allowed herself to daydream for a moment; “That’s the dream.” She found her mom giving her a look so she fixed her composure; “…What-why are you looking at me like that?” She brushed her hair as she rode a light flush.

With a side smirk, Lois wondered; “Like what?”

“Like I’m entirely from another planet or something.”

“Mm. Not entirely.” Lois giggled and nudged her; “But, definitely half alien.” Catching herself frowning, she added; “Just waiting for a second head to grow or something.” She gently tilted her daughter’s head to the side, and playfully pinched her neck.

Between chuckles, Haley adjusted now that her mom had let go. “I’m going to work my butt out and figure out a way to get my own farm!” She had her heart set on that; “…And you won’t be invited.”

“OUCH?” Lois would happily never step foot in a farm, but still; “I can’t believe I just got uninvited to your imaginary farm.” She was gasping, genuinely not believing it.

“Teehee.” Haley hugged her mom from her waist and rested her head over her chest; “I’m kidding! You know my farm is where you will spend the last days of your life.”

“Some humor!” Lois looked down to her daughter who was grinning big.

“I got that one from the best!”

“Mm.” Lois narrowed her eyes. Her fingers brushing her daughter’s curls as they shared a light smirk. “That’s what I get for letting you be your own person. Now I get to die a tormented death surrounded by smelly pigs and loud roosters, Yay!”

Haley pressed a kiss on her mom’s cheek and went back to her cooking. “Speaking of which, don’t forget that I need a ride to the airport tomorrow. I would like to be there three hours ahead of my flight.” With a grin, she added; “Camp Birchmont, here I come!”

“You sound very excited to spend a whole month away from me!” Lois shifted as she crossed her arms against her chest, slightly feeling that separation anxiety hitting her.

“It’s not personal and you know it.” Haley reassured her, “I’m going to miss you too. But it’s summer! Kids should spend it in the mud having fun.”

“If you reconsider, I’ll buy you an iPad!” Lois tucked from her daughter’s overalls; “Or a Nintendo Switch! You could get that game that Cat was obsessed with a few years ago…the one with bossy neighbors. Do their chores, instead!”

“No, thank you.” Haley didn’t even have a phone, a personal choice: “But can I get the money for a—”

“Hey, how about freelancing at the Planet? It could be fun?”

“Writing is your thing, mom.”

The light in Lois’s eyes was out. Her voice was low and slightly broken as she mumbled with a shrug, “We’ve never spent a night apart.”

Haley frowned. She thought her mom was just adding a comedy tone to their temporary separation, but right now it looked like it was actually hard for her. “I’ll be back in four weeks.” Her eyes examined her mom’s features. “It’ll be a nice test run for when I inevitable move out to college.”

“Ugh.” Lois let out a breath and scratched the back of her head, “New Hampshire, huh?”

“Only two hundred seventy-one miles away.”

“ONLY.”

“I'll tell you what.” Haley proposed, “I’ll tag along to the office with you. We can grab lunch, and we spend all day together, all night too.”

“What about your packing?”

“All done!”

“Of course.” Lois smiled and opened her arms to welcome her daughter into them; “Of course you already packed and all.”

Haley had changed to a business casual get up, making sure she followed the Daily Planet’s dress code. She was smiling wide as she rode the elevator with her mom. Haley was carrying a box with her too, inside she had small pots that were housing a sprout each. Lois side eyed her, biting her lip and trying not to make a big deal out of it. The Planet was her kingdom and it meant a lot to see that her daughter liked hanging out there even if she pretended not to — the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, after all.

As the elevator pinged, Lois let her daughter step out first.

“Hi Haley, didn’t know you were going to hang out with us today!” The receptionist was the first one to greet the pre-teen from the front desk.

“Hi, Nancy!” Haley waved with one hand as they kept walking. Turning to Lois, she let her know; “I’ll meet you at your desk.” Once her mom nodded, she went the other direction.

She found the Chief-of-Staff’s office and lightly knocked at it before gently opening the door. Haley had the biggest smile as she set her box down and rushed to hug the man in there.

“Haley!” He was equally happy to see her. “Ready for summer camp?”

“Hi, Perry.” She closed her eyes as her thin arms barely closed around his belly. “I am! I’m leaving tomorrow. She nibbled on her lower lip, “Mom isn’t taking it too well.”

Sad eyes understood as Perry nodded, “You two have never spent a night apart.”

“But you will take good care of her while I’m gone.”

“Oh, your mom is a big girl. She can tie her own shoes; she’ll be all right.”

“Promise me!”

With a soft chuckle, Perry observed. “You worry about her don’t you?”

“She’s my mom!” Now that Perry was side-eyeing her, Haley added; “…And you know how she gets.”

Perry was quiet, an amused smile still on his face as he remembered with a breeze of melancholy how there had only been one person who worried as much as this sweet girl about the intrepid Lois Lane.

“So what do you’ve got there?” He wondered as he tried to peek into the box.

Excited that Perry had shown interest, Haley brought out two of the small pots. They all were hand painted by her with different designs. She set a black with white one and a colorful light blue one over the desk. “Gifts! They are African Violets.” She presented him with the two sprouts; “This one is for your office.” She said about the black pot, “And this one to bring home to Alice.” Haley had made the light blue pot for his wife.

“Oh, I know Alice is gonna love it!” Perry commented.

Haley knew how the several plants she had given the Whites had a special place at their home; Alice was the one person she could talk to about botany so always looked forward to the times she and her mom were invited over for dinner.

“She’s the one who suggested African Violets, actually.”

“I’m sure your mom is loving this.” Perry looked up from the pot.

“She begged me all drive over to leave them behind. That no one is expecting to get gifts for going to work.” Haley shrugged, “I think it is nice and maybe not expected but it sure makes a day brighter. I don’t know.”

Perry found a spot for his new pot as he reassured her, “It takes a special type of kindness, to want to see people smile.” Perry looked away for a brief moment before finding the girl smiling at him; “Don’t you dare tell her I told you this, but…I’m positive that she loves that about you.” He tapped his desk, by the sprout, “Have fun at your summer camp, kiddo.”

“Thanks, Perry!” Haley hugged him once more before she left back to the bullpen, “Tell Alice I say hi.”

Upon closing the door behind her, Haley looked around, finding her mom at her desk on the phone. On her way over, she stopped by an empty station right behind the column near Lois’s desk. She always felt drawn to it so sat on the chair and set her box over the desk. Haley always opened the drawers, even if empty — the first time she’d done that, she found a pair of glasses in there. She never told anyone and kept them to herself. That had been when she was around six and since then she hid them in her bedroom, every night she put them on. There was something special about them since when she looked in the mirror, they sort of made her look different.

She had a second secret, Haley had found that there was a nice spot to sit on the floor between the desk and the column, so she liked to sneak under and hang there. She always felt the texture of the column with her fingers and looked around — the little corner always made her heart pound fast, she liked the way it felt.

With her mind preoccupied, she missed the pair of shoes that had approached the desk.

“What’s up, Hay-Hay.”

The sudden greeting made her jump as she rested her hand on her chest. “Hi Jimmy.” She looked up before standing up.

“What you got here?” Jimmy looked through the box, “Does your mom know you are hiding down there?” His eyes barely looked up from the pots as he checked them out, aware that Lois had had a peculiar reaction the first time she’d caught her daughter behind that desk — Lois had apologized since, but Jimmy liked to tease the pre-teen about it.

“Is this where she hides?” Haley pushed the desk a little with her feet, the space was all right for her but surely tight for an adult. “It’s a terrible spot.”

Rubbing his chin, he chuckled; “Mm. You tell her that.” Jimmy bent over the desk and motioned with his finger for her to get closer; “You can see it from right there.” He pointed to the side. “That’s how I knew you were there.”

Already standing up. Haley brushed her butt. “Those are gifts! I decorated them myself, with the paint you got me for my birthday!”

“Do I know how to give banger gifts or do I know how to give banger gifts?” He wiggled his eyebrows as they high fived. He then rested his hand by his mouth to announce; “Hey guys! Haley is here and she came bearing gifts!”

That was loud enough to get Cat, Ronnie, and Steve’s attention. They all had been warm to the gifts she always brought, always handmade by her. As Haley smiled around to her mom’s coworkers, she caught her in the group; Lois was proudly smiling as she held a spoon full of Jif peanut butter.

Next to her was Cat, “I will never get used to seeing you snack straight from the jar.” She had no idea how Lois did it, “How you stay fit is beyond me.”

With her eyes still on her daughter, Lois shrugged; “I guess I just have that type of genes.”

“Ugh. I hate you.” Cat envied that, “I think I just gained three pounds by only smelling it.” Her attention then moved to Haley who was behind the desk happily giving away the pots she had planted; “Excited about summer camp, girlie?”

“Yup. I’m all packed!” She was not exaggerating; “I’m so excited I would sleep at the airport waiting for my flight if mom let me.”

Cat and Lois shared a look as the latter shrugged.

“Ah, to be eleven…getting rid of your parents for the summer…” Ronnie remembered with light nostalgia. “Summer was my favorite time of the year.”

“Hey!” Lois pouted with a frown.

“Are you gonna tell me I’m wrong?”

“Nope. Cat agreed.

Jimmy was also on that same page; “Spot on.”

“Did you ever go to camp?”

“Mm.” Lois admitted; “Sam and Elenor sent me out once. I hated it. All I wanted was to be left alone with my books, out of sight; out of trouble.”

Ronnie snorted at it; “Your middle name is trouble.”

Lois just gave him a look.

“It’s not that,” Haley admitted about her motives. “I’m just DYING to spend some time in nature. The website highlighted their field and court activities; they give you cabin chores and all!”

“Chores?” The gang echoed as they looked at each other perplexed; “What’s so fun about that?”

Patting Lois’s shoulder, Jimmy shook his head as he lamented; “Yup. She wants to get away from you.”

“I’ll have to come to terms with that.”

That night, after dinner and a movie, Haley had gone to get ready for bed. She was in her pajamas, turning her bed when a light knot at the bedroom door announced that Lois was outside, wanting to say goodnight.

Already sitting in bed, with the covers up to her waist, Haley smiled at her mom and opened her arms so they could hug goodnight.

“Hey, I got you a little present for your camping trip.” Lois sat at the edge of the bed as she handed her the small gift.

Eager to find out what it was, Haley ripped the wrapping paper off. “A phone? Mom!” She gave Lois a look.

“It’s an iPhone. A normal eleven-year-old would be jumping on the bed, up and down.”

“More like a bribe-phone.”

“How dare you!” Lois gasped. “I-I just want to make sure we get to text and maybe facetime for two minutes at night.” She found her daughter’s eyes, “Please?”

“You’re gonna get me into trouble!” Camp Birchmont had a strict no technology policy.

Lois rolled her eyes, “If you get into trouble for using the phone, I’ll ground you and take it away. Deal?”

Haley gave her a look. “Thank you, for the phone, mom.” She was still grateful and hugged her mom from the neck as she kissed her cheek. “I have an early day tomorrow, though.”

That made Lois laugh. “Scoop over.” She nudged her daughter so she could have some space in the single bed. A smile grew in her lips when her daughter didn’t object and they snuggled in together under the bedsheets. “Goodnight, baby.” Lois reached for the bedside table and turned it off.

“Goodnight, Mom. Love you.” Haley offered as she snoozed out.

In the dark, Lois noticed that Haley kept the window blinds open and the full moon was shining bright through it. Her eyes stayed on it for a moment, as she took in a deep breath. Contemplating it, she finally murmured; “I love you.”

SMALLVILLE, KANSAS

Hannah Rose Kent was an eleven-year old who had been raised by a single dad. She and Clark lived on a farm in Smallville, Kansas with her paternal grand-parents; Martha and Jonathan. Hannah had grown surrounded by fields and animals. Daughter to a farmer with a heart of gold, Hannah was used to navigating her every-day through order, organization, and predictability.

Unlike her dad, she wasn’t the nature type. From a young age, she had been drawn to literature. By the age of two, she had started showing premature linguistic abilities. She would memorize her favorite bedtime stories and say them out loud as they were read to her. Hannah had learned to read and write before her group age, as well. Always two steps ahead, she skipped a grade in school. She always asked for extracurricular activities and tried to be at the school library for as long as she was allowed.

With a racing mind, Hannah always found it hard to go to bed. She had learned to sooth herself with a book called Hangin’ Out with Cici by author Francine Pascal. Her curiosity always got her into trouble. At the age of six, she started wondering about her mom and so lived in the fantasy of an old book that she had found at the library about a teenage girl who accidentally traveled back in time and befriended her mother when she was her age.

Every morning, she woke up hugging the book. All four walls in her bedroom had built-in bookshelves, Pa had personally made them for her; something that had started as a small bookstand was now a library wall. The space wasn’t enough and her drawers were filled with books too, she even had them under her bed and with cases hanging from the ceiling.

That was her favorite hobby; to read. Hannah liked writing too. She had dozens of journals, liking to keep her thoughts in paper and pen them by hand. Although, she was secretly working on her first novel which she was writing on an old laptop that her dad had given her.

Hannah wasn’t sure if she was an early bird or a night owl. She was a third option that ran on sugar, if that was a thing. Upon waking up, she picked a book to read, and walked to the kitchen to find something to eat. Hannah read as she opened the door and brought a pitcher of Kool-Aid out of it. Her eyes were always on the pages of her book, reading, as she poured herself some of it in a clean glass. She blindly reached for the cupboards where she brought a box of Pop-Tarts.

Needing both hands, she set the book down. Hannah read a few lines from the passage before her attention moved to grab a pack of Pop-Tarts to open and set in the toaster. As she pushed the toaster lever down, the kitchen door opened.

“Good morning, dad.” She closed her eyes upon anticipating the kiss he would press on the top of her head. At the sound of the toaster getting cancelled, she grunted.

“Good morning, Hannah Banana.” Clark took the Pop-Tarts out of the toaster and also the glass with Kool-Aid.

Closing her eyes, she started to beg under her breath. She kept them close tight, “I can’t see this, god.” She brought her hands together as her ears picked on the sound of her Kool-Aid being drained in the sink. “Dad, please…” She opened her eyes and witnessed the tragedy of having her Pop-Tarts be thrown in the leftover trashcan that would later be used to feed the pigs. Letting out a yelp, she covered her face with her hands.

Side eyeing his daughter, Clark washed his hands in the sink and brought a pan out. He let it heat for a moment while he got some eggs and other things out of the fridge. “I’m thinking of a two-egg omelette with chopped tomatoes, onions, and pepper?” He melted some butter, “Sounds so good, I might make one for myself too.”

“Thank you, dad.” Hannah was grateful, even if disappointed. Everything in the Kent kitchen was organic and if not grown in their farm it was from neighbors. That included the hand picked oranges that she started to peel to make herself a fresh glass of orange juice.

In a second pan, Clark started frying a side for the omelette. He took a deep breath and with a smile announced, “There’s nothing better than the smell of—”

“—Crispy fresh bacon in the morning.” Hannah finished the line along to her dad, he was always saying that. She took the pen that she used to twirl her long hair up and used it to make a few notes in her book before closing it.

Hannah had a slim petite figure. She had fair, white, skin; porcelain like that gave it a delicate complexity. Hannah also had striking, bright blue eyes. Her hair was black, thick, and straight. She knew her dad was adopted and she looked nothing like him, so she always wondered if maybe she looked like her mom — she had never asked, though. Her need for truth had her investigating on her own since she was about eight and all she did was discover that her dad was technically not human. She let go of the subject, but promised herself that one day she would find her.

“Sense and Sensibility, huh?” Clark showed interest in his daughter’s literature. “Aren’t you a few years too young for it?”

“Mmm. It’s my first Jane Austen, I’m loving it so far.” At his comment, she frowned; “You don’t think I’m mature enough to handle the satirical tone, heartbreak, and complex themes.”

Clark only smiled at his daughter, “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“Apology accepted.”

Changing the subject, he wondered; “How about tomorrow, are you excited?”

“No?” Hannah curved an eyebrow, “Kinda weird that you are looking forward to getting rid of me. What’s up with that?”

That made him laugh. “No. No.” He made contact, “I’m not, it’s killing me that we are going to spend a month apart. I don’t think we’ve ever spent a night away from each other.” He wiggled his lips and shrugged, “But, I think summer camp is gonna do you good. You’ll surely make some friends.” He pointed out; “Get out of Smallville like you desperately want to.”

“Camp Birchmont is in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire.” Hannah rolled her eyes; “Same old life, different cow.”

“Now, come on…” Clark tapped her hand, finding her looking down to them, “Please give it a chance?”

“Why are you paying for me to do chores?” Hannah didn’t understand, “The concept of you paying ME for chores, though…now that we can negotiate.” She curved an eyebrow as her dad shook his head and smiled at her in that peculiar way he only did when she was trying to question him; “What?”

Letting out a deep breath, Clark rubbed the back of his head. “Nothing.” He lowered his voice, “I’m just glad I’ve got you, that’s all.”

Hannah smiled at that. “I love you too dad, even if you throw away my Kool-Aid and feed my Pop-Tarts to the pigs.”

Clark gave her a look, “Hey, I love that about you too. But I won’t let my pre-teen kid get prediabetes. You are free to add half a pound of sugar to your coffee once you are an adult.” At the look his daughter gave him, he cleared his throat; “Anyways, are you all packed?”

An innocent grin curved in her lips, “Um. About that, I might need you to check-in my bag online.”

“Hannah Rose?” Clark walked out of the kitchen. “The site offers laundry service twice a week — a carry-on should be enough.”

“Not the full name…!” She whimpered as she followed her dad to her bedroom.

There, she covered her face with her hands as Clark found the luggage that she had packed for summer camp. Upon taking her hands down, her face looked like a deer caught in headlights, watching her dad pull the extra large bag by her bed. Hannah whimpered at the look she had gotten from her dad.

“Hannah…?”

“Phew, you dropped the ‘Rose’, that’s something.” She sat on her bed and looked down to her hands.

Clark quietly sat next to his daughter and tapped her knee, she was still wearing her pajamas. “Did you even pack some clothes and essentials?”

“Define essentials…”

“Hannah?”

“I can’t fit a single book in a carry-on, though.” She understood she needed to bring something to wear, “And that’s not fair either.”

“Can I open the bag?” Upon getting consent, Clark set the luggage over the bed and opened it. His daughter had packed at least fifty books in it. He looked over to find her pouting. Scratching his head he let out a sigh. “I’ll let you upgrade to a medium checked bag, that should give you enough room for at least three books.”

Hannah immediately looked up and smiled, “Really?” She hugged him, “Thank you, dad.”

“Now, you should change, those chores aren’t gonna do themselves.” Clark stood up and before closing the door to the bedroom he added, “I’ll go finish breakfast while you do.”

She nodded and shifted her attention to her luggage filled with books; picking just a few to take was going to be tough.

Wearing large rubber boots, Hannah was walking through mud. She was surrounded by hungry pigs that kept oinking at her as she fed them. Part of her chores was to bring the slop over to their pen and serve the feed trough.

“Enjoy my Pop-Tarts, Porky.” She was still bitter about that; “I hope you like the Frosted S’mores kind.”

“His name is Wilbur.” A chuckle in the background corrected her.

Emptying the last bucket, Hannah cleaned her forehead with her arm avoiding getting it dirty and looked over her shoulder, “Good morning, Pa.”

“Are you excited about tomorrow?” Hannah faintly shook her head so he continued, “Well, I’ll trade ya. You can stay here waking up at three in the morning to milk the cows and I’ll go—”

“—They got chores there too.” She lamented, “Wake-up time is seven forty-five, so that’s something.”

“Never mind, then.” Pa chuckled. “I’ve already had a rhythm going on around here. Might as well stick to what I know.”

“Dad let me check-in a medium bag at the airport, though!” That was nice, “I managed to fit four books in there.”

“Score!” Pa showed interest, “How did you narrow it down?”

“Easy. All Paperbacks, which is a doable sacrifice.” Hannah shared, “The Outsiders, Little Women, Dracula, and last but not least; The Catcher in the Rye.”

“Something for every mood, smart.”

“I think so!” Hannah proudly grinned, “I’m currently reading Sense and Sensibility, so of course I’m taking that in my backpack for the plane.”

“Have you told Ma you’re reading it? She loves the series; still has the VHS somewhere.” He then added, “Wanna clean up and meet me inside? I wanna show you something.”

She nodded and steadily got out of the pig pen. Hannah made sure it was secured and locked before she ran back to the mudroom, leaving Pa behind.

Once showered, she changed into a pair of jeans and a Phoebe Bridges ‘I Know the End’ t-shirt. Hannah followed the tile path from the shed to the main house and walked in from the kitchen door in the back.

“Morning, Ma!” Her nose immediately informed her that she was being spoiled; “COOKIES!” She hugged her grandma, pressing her cheek against hers. “My favorite!” A tray of triple chocolate cookies was getting cooled off over the countertop.

“You must be parched, too.” Ma winked as she handed her grandkid a tall glass with pink lemonade and ice.

After a long sip, Hannah grinned; “Thank you, Ma!”

“Of course, dear.” Turning back to her cooking, Ma figured; “I want to bake you some for your trip to take with you tomorrow. But you have to promise that you won’t eat them all before you make it to the airport.”

“You raised Cookie Monster, that’s on you.” She closed her eyes and threw her hands in the air, not taking fault for that.

“We did not raise anything; that’s just how you are built.” Ma was quiet for a moment. A shaky tone then wondered, “Have you ever had peanut butter patties?”

“No, I don’t think so. But peanut butter?” Hannah was interested to hear more. She had already fetched the Jif jar in the cupboard and was looking for a spoon; “Right up my alley.”

“Would you please switch to organic?” Ma pointed at the peanut butter jar; “I promise you won’t taste the difference.”

Looking down to her jar, Hannah countered; “But this one only has four percent added sugars.”

“Exactly.”

“—And the organic one would end up with twice that, maybe triple!”

“Nice try missy.” Ma corrected her; “Organic peanut butter does not come with added sugars in it—” Upon seeing the look her grandkid was giving her, she shook her head.

Hannah still said what she had in mind: “That’s why I said it would end up with…” She motioned with her hands. She then moved her attention to her cookies and tapped one to make sure it wasn’t hot. “Thanks for the cookies, Ma!” She pressed a kiss on Ma’s cheek as she picked the cookie and spread some of her peanut butter on the back of it.

Walking into the house, she found Pa was waiting for her in the living room. She sat next to him and smiled as he handed her a small present; it was hard to the touch.

“I got you this to take with you on your camping trip.” Pa shared as he watched her unwrap her present.

“A journal!” Hannah hugged him, “Thank you, Pa.”

The gift had excellent timing, “I saw you writing on your current one the other day and looked like you only had a few pages left.”

“I was bummed about that, figured I could get one when I came back.”

“And leave a whole month undocumented?”

“Exactly.” She smiled down to her new journal, “I’ll take it with me, make sure the experience is very well logged.”

“That’s my girl.” Pa smiled. “Hey, we are going to the street market. Do you want to come with us?”

Looking down to her journal, Hannah shook her head, “No, not really. I’m sorry Pa.” She met his eyes and wrinkled her nose.

“Alright.” He smiled, there was no foul in that. “Imma go get ready, though. I don’t want your grandma rushing me out the door.” He chuckled as he fixed his belt.

“Pa?” Hannah bit on her lip as she hugged her journal to her chest; “Would you bring me a caramel apple, though?”

With a wink, Pa agreed to it and waved bye.

Hannah happily wiggled at that. Once she was left alone in the living room, she opened her journal. The first page had a small dedication hand written by Pa.

Late that night, Hannah was hiding under her covers using her phone’s flashlight as she read her bed night book. She was nibbling on gummy worms even after having brushed her teeth.

At the sound of voices outside her bedroom door, she closed her book and hid it under the pillow, plugged her phone, and turned around in bed. She closed her eyes as the door was opened, her gripped tight around the covers.

The light knock let her know that Clark was aware that she was still up. “You forgot to put the candies away.” He pointed out.

“Ah, F….” She dragged the sound of the letter as she caught herself and swallowed the cuss word. “I think it is a violation to my privacy that you lurk with your Super Hearing and CHOOSE to listen to everything I’m doing.”

“I’m your dad, it’s my responsibility to know you are getting enough sleep…or eating healthy.” He took the bag of gummy worms from her and set it on the nightstand table.

Not really wanting to be scolded, Hannah changed the subject, “It’s that for me?” He caught the small gift he was holding; “I’m not going to lie, random presents hit different, I love this family.”

Clark gave her the small present and watched her unwrap it. It was a reading light, “I can’t stop you from spending all night reading while you are gone; but I can prevent you from getting in trouble for it.”

“Thank you, dad!” Hannah made sure to pick her copy of Sense and Sensibility that she had on the nightstand and tried her new reading light out. “It’s perfect!”

They hugged. “I hope you give camp a chance, though.”

With a light frown, Hannah looked down to her hands. “You still love me even if I don’t fit here, don’t you?”

Clark tilted his head and tucked a strand of her hair trying to find her eyes; “Of course, I do. It will be impossible not to love you.”

Watery eyes looked up as she listened.

“Your sweet tooth and your love for books are two of the things I love the most about you.” Clark comforted her as he welcomed his daughter in his arms and they sat in bed next to each other; “And I get it…that feeling of belonging somewhere else, knowing there’s a place out there where you should be.”

“We don’t belong here, do we dad?”

Clark only shook his head. He felt tears building behind his eyes so he sniffed and tried to keep calm. “I’m going to miss you while you’re gone.” He shifted the subject, “Who am I going to get into arguments with now?”

Hannah chuckled at that as she cleaned her nose and tears with her hand. She smiled now that her dad was offering the tissue box that she kept around. She took one and blew her nose. Hannah then held the box and offered him one too.

Clark took one and also cleared his nose. Taking the used tissue from his daughter, he helped her get back into bed and took the book away from her.

“I’m glad you are my dad.” Hannah offered, “Even if you annoy me sometimes.”

“I’m lucky you are my daughter, even if you frustrate me sometimes.”

They shared a chuckle.

Clark noticed that Hannah had the window in her bedroom opened. The full moon could be appreciated from there. He stood up and walked over, keeping his eyes on it.

“Goodnight, dad. I love you.” Hannah called out from behind as she slowly started to fall asleep.

Closing his eyes, Clark took in a breath and then admired the bright moon for another second. “I love you, too.”