Martha held a cookie to Jonathan's lips and asked with a smile, "Open your mouth. How does it taste?"
Jonathan chewed thoughtfully. "Hmm, all we need now is a catchy name for the shop, and then we'll be raking in the big money."
He gave his wife's handmade pastries an enthusiastic, high rating.
Martha laughed. "I think we should drop 'Farm Wife' and just use Mrs. Kent, Mom."
Just then, Adrian stepped into the room.
"Adrian!" Martha stood instantly, startled in a happy way.
Adrian gave a relaxed grin. "Just got in. I heard you talking about opening a cookie shop and had to see."
Martha rushed forward and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. "My son, this is your first Christmas home with Clark. How are you? Any trouble? Did you get the gifts Jonathan and I prepared? Did you reheat the turkey for dinner?"
Her questions came in a rush, born of pure relief that her son was home.
"Everything's fine, Mom," Adrian answered.
"Where's Clark?" Jonathan asked, noticing Adrian had arrived alone.
"He… got held up," Adrian replied.
Before anyone could ask more, another voice called out.
"Adrian!"
A middle-aged man in a paint-splattered jacket and wild blond curls appeared behind him.
"Uncle?"
Adrian's uncle Dustin approached with a grin, giving Adrian a firm handshake even though the smell of oil paint clung to him.
"I was just on my way to Smallville to talk about those illustrations you did for your book. I didn't think you'd be back so soon!"
Dustin's enthusiasm was boundless as he described the chaotic creatures in Adrian's art and rattled off names of art schools.
"Dustin, you never went to college," Martha pointed out.
"Well, I went for a few days before I, uh, dropped out," he admitted with a wink. "But I have plenty of connections that could help Adrian."
"Thanks, but it's not necessary," Adrian declined politely. He barely knew this uncle, having met him only a couple of times. He knew Dustin loved painting and often disappeared for days on end.
"It's okay, find me if you need anything," Dustin replied with a proud pat on Adrian's shoulder.
Martha offered Adrian a cookie. "Want one, Adrian?"
"Thanks!" Adrian took a bite.
Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside. Martha went to the door and opened it, her expression shifting.
Jonathan had seen who got out of the car through the window but said nothing, simply watching.
Dustin, oblivious, continued eating his cookie.
Adrian's gaze narrowed. Outside, in the yard, stood an older man in a suit with white hair. It was his maternal grandfather.
Adrian did not know him well. He had heard that the man was once a lawyer in Metropolis and that his relationship with Jonathan had long been strained.
"You look worn," the old man said to Martha.
"I'm fine, Dad. I'm happy with my life," she replied. "I have a family I love."
The old man sounded disappointed, speaking of her academic potential and how he had hoped she would follow in his footsteps.
Martha bristled. "I chose my path, and I'm happy with it."
Her father hesitated when she invited him inside to see Adrian, then shook his head.
"I brought this for you," he said, pulling out a check. "I know things aren't easy."
"We're not short on money. We're doing well," Martha answered firmly.
The old man sighed and walked to his car. After a moment, he drove off.
Martha closed the door and looked back inside.
"He left?" Jonathan asked gently.
"Yes," she said, her shoulders sagging. "He still wouldn't come in."
Jonathan poured a glass of water. "Some things are meant to move forward, but some things never change."
Adrian watched quietly before speaking up, "Was there a big problem between you two?"
"Yes," Jonathan admitted. "When I asked him for your mother's hand, he said he wouldn't let his daughter abandon everything to marry a farmer."
Adrian winced. "Not very pleasant."
Martha squeezed Jonathan's arm. "He's like that with everyone."
Jonathan sighed. "I once tried to apologize, but he refused to speak to me again."
Adrian reached for his mother's hand. "Nothing is set in stone, Mom. People can change."
"Maybe," Martha said, offering a small smile. "But stubborn minds are the hardest to shift."
At that moment, Dustin turned on the television.
"Looks like something big is happening in Metropolis," he said.
On the screen, news footage showed adults frozen in place on the streets and in stores. Cars stood motionless, pedestrians were statues, and only children moved freely.
"What is this?" Martha asked, alarmed.
"Maybe a virus?" Adrian suggested.
But deep down he suspected something even more dangerous.
Across the country, in Blue Valley, panic spread.
Courtney looked to Clark for answers. "What do we do? If that signal keeps spreading, Brainwave could take control completely."
"I'll stop the Injustice Society," Clark said, already vanishing in a blur of speed.
Courtney forced courage into her voice as Wildcat asked about her without the Cosmic Staff.
Suddenly, Pat's giant robot landed. But something was wrong. Pat did not respond to commands and abruptly grabbed Courtney, throwing her through the air.
Wildcat leaped and caught her, both of them crashing to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Courtney asked.
"I'm fine," Wildcat said with a grin, "but maybe you could lose some weight."
Elsewhere, within the hidden base of the New America project, Icicle worried that their plan was progressing too slowly.
"They will discover our radar," he said, pacing.
Dragon King nodded and left to mobilize their controlled humans.
When Icicle turned back, someone was sitting in his chair.
A figure colder and more intimidating than Icicle himself stared at him.
"Who are you?" Icicle asked, startled.
The answer came with an icy calm that froze the air.
"Homelander."
____
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