"Are we there yet?"

Martha held back her groans. It was the fiftieth time Clark had asked.

"No, we're not." Lex sounded as exasperated as she felt, but she wouldn't have used that tone with her six-year-old.

"I just wanna know if we're there!"

"If we were there, we wouldn't still be driving."

That was the first time Martha had ever heard Lex lose his temper with Clark. She knew the seats in the back of the truck were cramped, but the kids were driving her crazy.

"Alexander," Jonathan said firmly, "be nice to your brother. Clark, behave."

"He's bein' mean." Clark pouted.

Lex scoffed. "You're being stupid."

Martha breathed in to scold Lex, but then Clark punched Lex in the arm. By the look on Lex's face, it hurt, too.

"OUT."

The intensity of Martha's voice brought silence over the family. Jonathan pulled over.

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She got out of the passenger side, opened the back door, and said, "Both of you. Out."

Clark climbed out first, whining a little. Lex's eyes were wide, body stiff.

Martha walked Clark over to one of the trees by the side of the road and faced him towards it. "Don't move," she said. She went back over to Lex, who flinched away from her reach, so she instead pointed to a tree a few feet from Clark's. "Face that one."

Lex trudged over to the tree, his head hung.

With that, Martha got back into the truck.

"You okay?" Jonathan asked.

"Just needed a few minutes of quiet."

He nodded.

She silently counted backwards from one hundred, whispered a prayer for patience, then called, "Boys, back in the car."

They obeyed silently. Lex's face was bright red, Clark's streaked with tears. Martha felt like a monster, but Lex was getting off light for calling Clark stupid, and Clark was getting off very light for hitting Lex.

As Jonathan pulled away, Martha reached into her purse and pulled out two rolls of quarters, handing one to each of her boys. "Now," she said, "every time you fight, you both lose a quarter."

"Quarters?" Lex said. "Are you kidding me? My dad—"

She reached back and took one from each of them. "That includes fighting with me."

Tears spilled from Clark's eyes again, and he frowned at Lex, lower lip trembling.

Lex winced. "Sorry, Martha. But . . . it's not really fair—"

"You still want to argue with me?"

"No, ma'am." Lex sighed.

"You each still have the rest of the roll. Do better next time."

She looked back at the road, but kept watching them through the rearview mirror. Clark crossed his arms and looked down, sniffling. Lex tapped Clark on the shoulder, then handed him two of his quarters. Clark grinned, and Lex smiled back and wiped his little brother's tears away.

Jonathan squeezed Martha's hand and winked at her. She kissed his hand.