Beyond the Sun

22

When it came to coming home, Annie wasn't at all surprised that it was a lot harder than she expected. She could hear Rebecca downstairs with Martha even before she had moved out of the room. She had used the excuse of having to pack up, though it was a complete lie. She hadn't even unpacked, so there was nothing to pack away. Her bags still sat at the end of the bed, one was partially open from where she had raided through it previously.

"I'm a phone call away, if you need anything." She whispered while shutting her eyes and tightening her arms which were around Clark. He hadn't exactly moved much from the spare room. Annie presumed that it was perhaps the only room where he didn't possibly have memories of times spent with Jonathan. It was a room to haul away in, and just try and disconnect from everything.

He lifted his head from the pillow and he looked over his shoulder at her, she lifted her head away from resting against his back. "At any time?"

"At any time." Annie said while nodding slowly. She moved and propped herself up onto her elbow while she placed her other hand against his arm to steady herself. "It is a ridiculous question to ask...but will you be okay?"

"It is a ridiculous question, you're right." He replied while sitting up slowly, "I've got my mum to look out for. But I'm sure I'll be fine."

Annie tilted her head with a small frown. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came to mind. Shaking her head, she found that she was still in as much of a loss as she was yesterday. Swinging her legs over the bed, she stood slowly and limped over to her bags. She placed her satchel strap over her shoulder, while Clark picked up her other bag. She opened the door and shuffled out of the room with him following after her.

Wincing as she walked down the stairs, she turned the corner and looked to Rebecca and Martha, they exchanged one last hug before Rebecca moved over and did the same to Clark. He stood motionless while she did so, yet when she retreated she took Annie's bag with her. Looking over at Martha, Annie took a limped stepped forward, Martha met her halfway. Reaching up, Annie placed her arms around her neck and held onto her tightly before turning and struggling to do the same with Clark.

In the end, she just wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest. He placed a hand to the back of her head while the other rested against her back. Giving him a light squeeze she looked at him one last time before turning and following Rebecca to the car. She frowned, Robert wasn't in sight, which meant that Rebecca had driven here herself. Annie shot her a look, she wasn't allowed to do that she thought. Rebecca just frowned at her while putting her bag in the car before slinking into the driver's seat.

Annie gave the house one more glance before climbing in and buckling up. She leaned back in the chair and looked out of the window as Rebecca slowly and safely drove back to the apartment. The journey went quickly, and in a blur, and in silence. Annie didn't quite know when she appeared in the living room, but she sat nursing a cup of hot chocolate before putting it on the table and turning to Rebecca. She hadn't moved from her side and was just waiting for Annie to open up. Eventually she burst into tears and held onto her. Rebecca sat with Annie practically laying in her lap, with her arms tightly wound around her, while Rebecca smoothed her hair and gently whispered to her. It took a while before her hysterical sobs and cries quietened down.

Cupping her face, Rebecca smiled sadly at her. "Get some rest."

"I don't think I can."

"You've got to try," Rebecca said while wiping tears from her eyes. Truthfully, she had never seen Annie look so exhausted and hollow, it looked like she had had no sleep at all. Which to be honest with her, wouldn't surprise her in the slightest.

To be honest, Annie hadn't slept really. She got power naps, if she could call them that because she kept waking up to nightmares, and not just hers, Clark seemed to be in much the same way. They'd wake up, talk briefly about anything other than what was really on their minds, and then went back to sleep. This routine had happened throughout the night, up until the time Rebecca had come to get her. By then Annie was already up, dressed, packed and ready to go; not that she wanted to. She really didn't want to leave Clark. She didn't want to leave either of them. But they had to travel through this grief together.

Eventually though, Annie got one of those all-knowing looks sent her way, so she stood up and shuffled sadly off to her room. She passed Robert on the way who gave her a loose one armed hug before patting her gently on the shoulder as she moved into her room. She laid down on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Inhaling deeply, she exhaled just as deeply before a yawn suddenly appeared. She yawned a few times more before her eyes slowly slid to a shut, and she eventually ended up falling into a rather dreamless sleep which made a shocking change from her previous dreams of reliving every moment of the tornado accident.

——

A week later was the funeral. The man had seemingly touched so many lives, in such a small town where everyone knew everyone else; nearly every occupant of the town was present. Admittedly in the past week, Annie and Clark had become quite distant. Despite not wishing to push her away, he was; and admittedly Annie didn't mind, she did, but she didn't. If space is what he needed to work through this, then space is what she'd give him.

"Come on, darling," Rebecca said while putting an arm around Annie's shoulders. "Be brave," she whispered while kissing her on the temple. She merely nodded and limped slightly by her side, her leg though it was healing it was still causing her a small amount of problems. She'd had the dressing changed, and then sent on her way again.

The all encompassing sea of black clothed people all huddled under umbrellas as it seemed to continuously rain heavily was truly something. The vicar began reading passages from the bible, as well as pieces of poetry. All in all, it was a simple service, for a man who didn't seem to like a lot of fuss. Annie stood in between her mother and Robert as she looked up and around at those gathered. It was literally like the whole town was present. She had never seen this many people gathered in one place at one time before, let alone in Smallville.

Her eyes skimmed and then darted back as she looked at Clark. He stood, shoulders hunched, hair soaked from the rain and falling into his eyes as he stood beside Martha, who was standing trying to contain her quiet sobs, yet no matter how hard she tried, she ultimately failed. Her hand held tightly onto him for some sort of comfort and support. Throughout the whole service, Martha expressed her sadness, whereas Clark just stood silent and unmoving. He was keeping himself strong for the sake of his mother, as she needed him so desperately.

With a sigh, Annie slipped back and away from her mother and Robert, they sent her confused looks. Yet they lost sight of her as she limped through the crowd before she appeared beside Clark. A week of silence and space or not, she stuck by her previous words. She was not going anywhere. So, with that in mind, she reached down and held onto his hand.

----

Edited: 12/Jan/2017

Reedited: 30/March/2021