Present
Clark worked on the tractor, feeling better to be doing something with his hands. But he was sweating in the hot sun, which he wasn’t used to. He suddenly realized why his father always carried a bandana in his back pocket on hot days to wipe away the sweat.
Clark brushed his arm over his brow, suddenly feeling very weak and tired. As his arm came back into view, he noticed little beads of green sweat. Clark stared at it in fascination, until he realized what it meant.
This is the reason his powers hadn’t returned. Green kryptonite was in his system.
He wiped the toxins off his body, suddenly longing for a shower, but knew the cause of his delayed recovery went deeper than just the residual green stuff on his skin. He wondered if there was a way to remove it from inside him.
Clark actually felt some relief. At least he knew what the problem was. His powers weren’t gone forever. But it also meant he had to figure out a way to get well again. Kryptonite in his blood stream long term couldn’t be good either.
He’d see Dr. Hamilton in the morning.
Clark looked around, realizing he hadn’t seen Lois and Joel in a while. He wondered what they were up to. He also had a strong desire to tell Lois his little discovery. Clark knew he’d been exceptionally moody lately, and he wanted to make it up to her. Maybe he’d do something romantic, like set up a candlelight dinner in the barn, or do something she’d find fun, like go to a monster truck rally. He felt a slight pang of discomfort thinking about that. Both because he didn’t really understand her love of monster trucks and because he still felt residual guilt over how he had handled that first potential date.
Clark finished up with the tractor, packing in his supplies. He headed to the barn to put his tool box away. As he set down the toolbox, he started thinking about how he might do up the barn to make it more romantic, opting to avoid bringing up his failed first date attempt by going to a rally. It would probably be better to do it in the loft, though Clark knew it had been a long time since he’d been up there. He started loathing not having his super powers again, as before he could clean it up in a heartbeat. Still, he might as well check it out to estimate how much real time it might take to make it a romantic little bistro.
As Clark climbed the steps, he noticed fresh footprints in the dust. He wondered who had been up here. Possibly Lois, but why? As Clark reached the landing, his heart stopped, seeing his drawer of Kryptonian relics tossed all over the floor. Who had been digging through his things, and more importantly, why? Clark started collecting the objects, mentally cataloguing what he knew was in the drawer. Jor-El’s crystal, five carefully locked boxes of kryptonite, his journal… what was missing?
The Legion ring.
Clark immediately ran down the steps to head into the farmhouse. Lois and Joel had to be there, because the alternative idea was terrifying to contemplate. Or would it be worse if someone else had been up there, digging through his things?
Clark burst into the kitchen. “Lois! Joel? Where are you?” Not seeing them downstairs, Clark bounded the steps, two at a time. “Lois? Are you up here?” Each second that passed without finding them sent Clark into a deeper panic.
Finally, after rushing around the entire house, Clark had to reconcile what he already knew. Lois and Joel were gone, vanished somewhere in time.
~L&C~
January, 2009
It was like being snapped awake out of a dream.
Clark watched as Lois headed up the stairs, having seen that look of hurt in her eyes, and he had the desire to follow after her. He glanced down at Lana, who was holding his arm, hoping to continue what they had started on the roof of the Daily Planet, and Clark was suddenly very confused.
Chloe had mentioned to him earlier that he needed to be careful of Lois’ feelings with Lana back in the picture. But had Lois really developed feelings for him? She knew his history with Lana—mostly. But if she did feel something, then he knew he couldn’t sleep with Lana with Lois under the same roof. Besides, he suddenly wasn’t sure that was such a good idea anyway.
Clark sighed, disentangling himself from Lana. “I’ll go talk to her. Maybe she can stay at the Talon,” he said, though he wasn’t convinced by his own suggestion. Sending Lois off to the Talon was tantamount to the same thing as announcing he and Lana were planning on more than just a make out session tonight.
His comment seemed to placate Lana though, and she nodded, letting him go.
Clark paused on the stairs, out of sight from both females as he tried to gather his thoughts. Just yesterday he had been on the verge of kissing Lois. And while a kiss wasn’t necessarily a declaration of anything, he knew in that moment he had wondered what it would be like to be with Lois in a relationship. And he had seen in her eyes that she had been scared of the prospect as well, which told him it would mean something to her if he had kissed her.
And Lana… his teenage crush was a different woman now. Clark knew that. He had been shocked that she had gone so far as to don a super suit to be with him, but he had been willing to buy into her dream.
“…that's why it's so important to live in the present. Whatever happened in the past and whatever happens in the future, it doesn't matter.”
He had told her that it did matter. He thought about all the times Lana had hidden from him, had even gone so far as to marry Lex. And their future?
With Lana, he knew it was just a dream that they could fight evil together. Surely their past would come back to haunt them; the lies, the manipulation. He realized it had been incredibly selfish of Lana to don that suit. She was forcing him to undo a choice he had already made. Having the power suit made her think she was his equal. But he had known for a long time that it wasn’t his powers that made him who he was.
His parents had instilled in him his character, and the difference between right and wrong. He knew that with Lana there had always been a few more shades of gray than he was comfortable with.
Clark sighed. Perhaps Lois’ untimely arrival had just saved him from making a huge mistake.
Clark heard Lois with the baby, making little cooing noises. She seemed on rather comfortable terms with the baby, and he wondered when Lois had become good with children. He always thought she chose to stay away from them. Still, it endeared him to know that she had this side to her.
He knocked gently on the door. “Lois?”
“Come in, Clark.”
He saw her, sitting on a chair in the corner with Joel in her arms. “Not sure where I should take him,” she said, sounding slightly defensive, like she feared she was about to be thrown out.
“You can stay here, Lois,” he answered, his voice full of compassion.
She shook her head. “All things considered, I’d rather not.”
Clark met her eyes, seeing the hurt there. He had been right. Lois did feel something more for him than she had let on. “Lois, nothing will happen with me and Lana tonight,” he said quietly.
“Oh,” she answered, half between a sigh and a question.
Clark let out a puff of air, trying to get past the awkwardness of the situation. “We just need to talk… But um, Lois? Why are you babysitting, again?” he couldn’t help asking, still puzzled as to why she had a baby with her.
“For a friend. Sorry… I uh, well, I didn’t plan on coming here. Let’s put it that way."
The baby was smiling at him, and Clark couldn’t help but be drawn in. He sat down on the bed next to them. “He’s a friendly little guy. What’s his name?”
Lois hesitated a moment, seeming a bit distracted. “Joel. Would you like to hold him? I just changed his diaper, so he’s safe.”
Lois passed the baby to Clark, who immediately grinned, looking down at the baby.
“He certainly likes you,” Lois commented softly. She then sighed, her hand going to her pocket. She paused in her movements, biting her lip. “Well, Smallville, I uh, guess you should get back to Lana, huh?”
Clark’s smile froze on his face as he turned to look at Lois. Then he sighed as he passed Joel back to her. “Yeah, I—need to sort some things out with her. But Lois, please—please don’t feel uncomfortable staying here tonight. I promise, nothing will happen, okay?”
She looked relieved at his words, and answered him with her own smile. “You don’t have to make me any promises, Clark. But trust me when I say I appreciate it nonetheless.”
~L&C~
Clark found Lana pacing in the living room. She smiled when she saw him come down the steps.
“So, is Lois and the baby heading off to the Talon, or what?” she asked, reaching up to give Clark a kiss.
Clark sighed, knowing this was going to be hard. His libido had been tempted by the possibility of being with Lana tonight, but he knew it would be a mistake. And an even worse one with Lois here.
“Lana, we need to talk,” he said, taking her hand and bringing her to sit by him on the sofa.
“Oh, I thought we were past the talking stage and moving on to more…interesting things,” she said playfully as they sat down.
Clark sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. “Lana, I—don’t think this is such a good idea.”
She nudged him. “Why, because Lois is here?”
Clark nodded. “That’s just one reason… But Lana, you and I have changed. And just because you donned that suit…Lana, it doesn’t mean we can be together.”
He glanced at her, and saw the hurt in her eyes. But there was an underlying anger there too that took him aback. “Clark, I don’t understand. I thought we were going to give this a shot. You and I, saving the world together, remember? What happened?”
Lana had been right. She is a distraction. “Lana, it’s just—too much. And I—I’m not sure what I feel anymore. I mean, so much time has passed, Lana. And there were just so many—lies. From both of us,” he admitted quickly, knowing he hadn’t always been entirely innocent. “ And I wonder, if we weren’t just caught up in the idea of what we could be…rather than look at what we are.”
“But Clark, I did this for you. For us. So that you wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore, don’t you see?” she asked, her eyes bright with tears.
Clark shook his head, warring with himself. His heart was still drawn to her, but his head was very much aware of her manipulation. “No, Lana. You did it for you. While a part of me will always care about you… I can’t forget the past. And I can’t ignore who I am now.”
“What did Lois say to you?” Lana asked, full of incredulity. “I thought ---I thought you wanted us to be together.”
“Don’t blame Lois. She just made me realize that—I’ve changed, that’s all.”
“But Clark, I love you. I’ve always loved you… I don’t understand.” She leaned into him, touching his arm. Clark knew it would be so easy to believe her, to fall into her arms and forget everything.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget the look on Lois’ face just moments ago. Or how Lana had continually lied to him, and had even married Lex. She was trying to force feelings on him that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He admitted that he was surprised at seeing her at Chloe’s wedding, and how all those feelings from years ago had come rushing back. But looking at his present, and how far he had come with working at the Planet and being the Blur—he realized that Lana had been a distraction. And one he had almost willingly let carry him away again.
And then there was Lois.
She obviously cared about him. And she had been by his side in ways that Lana never could have been. Though he hadn’t told Lois his secret, she had been able to see more of who he was, and had just been there for him. He couldn’t betray that now just because Lana had walked back into the picture.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted a relationship with Lois, but he wasn’t willing to throw away the chance just to reconnect with Lana.
He needed time to think.
Lana was watching him with an expectant expression. “Well, Clark?”
“Lana, I’m sorry. I guess I just got carried away. But I can’t see this working. At the very least, we need time to get to know each other again. And I—I’m just not sure what I feel. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, sounding on the verge of tears. She sat back on the sofa, crossing her arms. “It’s always some excuse, Clark. Whenever you and I get close to being together, you pull away. I don’t get it, Clark. I mean, before, I know it was about your secret. But now? Why throw away this chance?”
“Lana, you have to understand. Things have changed. I’ve changed. But you just came here, without any warning and expect that we can just pick up right where we left off. And I’ll admit, I was tempted… but it is a dream, Lana. A fantasy of what we were—or what we hoped to be.”
Lana sat up, shaking her head. “Do you know why I did this, Clark?” she asked, indicating the suit grafted onto her skin. “I did it to be with you. To be strong enough so that you wouldn’t have to protect me anymore.”
“Lana, I don’t know what else to say. At the very least, I need some space. I just need to –think. That’s all I am asking. A little space. Can’t you understand that?”
Lana stood up, the tears that had appeared earlier now spilling onto her cheeks. “Sure, Clark. I’m always the one waiting for you. Waiting for you to realize that you can trust me. That we belong together.” Lana headed for the kitchen door. She turned to him before she left. “If Lois won’t make use of the Talon, then I will. Good night, Clark. Hope you figure out what you want,” she said indignantly, slamming the door before she sped off into the night.
~L&C~
Clark sat on the sofa for a long time, just thinking. He was sure he had made the right decision, though he felt bad about it. Lana was hurt, he knew that. But perhaps he was saving her from a larger hurt when he let his underlying concerns come to the surface – which he knew would have, eventually.
After about an hour, when he realized Lana wasn’t coming back to the farmhouse, he headed upstairs. It was late, after midnight, and he knew Lois must be sleeping. If she had been up, he was certain she would have come downstairs after Lana left. To at least see how he was. Because that’s the kind of thing she would do.
Face it. Lois is just a nicer person than Lana. Clark sighed. He knew there was more to it than that, but he wasn’t ready to admit the full depth of his feelings for Lois yet.
Still, he had a sudden urge to check in on her, to see her sleeping. And to check on that little guy. It still surprised Clark why she was babysitting, but he also realized that random altruism was a part of Lois as well. She could be loud, brash, and irrational, but she always had a good heart.
Once more he thanked whatever had brought Lois here tonight. He had almost fallen into the Lana trap once again, but Lois had saved him. She’d splashed the metaphorical cold water on him that he’d needed to come back to reality.
“Lois?” he said softly, gently tapping the door to her room. When he didn’t hear her answer, he used his super hearing to listen in. Both Lois and the baby were asleep, as Clark could tell with their slow, deep breathing.
He just wanted to see them again. He didn’t question the urge too much, but instead, let himself have this small pleasure.
He opened the door a crack, and while he saw Lois sleeping peacefully, what else he saw gave him a shock. The baby was floating at Lois’ side.
Clark started to close the door, then opened it again, just to be sure what he had seen. He knew he should be spooked by what he saw, but instead he was curious and oddly fascinated. Did Lois have some meteor-infected friends that produced a super powered baby? Had the baby been exposed to meteor rock?
Or, the more far out possibility—was the baby somehow Kryptonian?
Joel floated gently back into the crook of Lois’ arm, and she settled him closer to her.
Clark watched, captivated. Whoever the baby was, he wasn’t a run of the mill babysitting job. Lois slept with the little tyke like she had done it many, many times.
And he couldn’t recall an instance where Lois had ever mentioned knowing someone with a baby before.
Something was going on here, but Clark was too tired to demand answers tonight. He slowly closed the door, full of questions.
But they would have to wait until tomorrow.
~L&C~
Lois awoke to the sound of Joel’s hungry cries. She stretched and opened her eyes, wondering why she was in her old room. Then, she remembered the ring. She sighed and sat up, pulling Joel into her arms.
“Let’s go, kiddo. We’ve got to feed you and I’ve got to figure out a way to get Clark to help us…”
Lois padded into the kitchen, peeking in the fridge for what she could mush up for Joel. She was surprised to see a few selections of baby food.
“I didn’t see a baby bag, and figured if you were staying overnight…” Lois heard Clark say from behind her. “I, uh, ran to the store this morning.”
“Thanks, Smallville,” she said with a genuine smile. But as she glanced around the kitchen, she reminded herself again that she wasn’t home. There was no highchair for Joel. Lois sighed as she shut the fridge door.
“Everything all right?” Clark asked, pouring himself some orange juice. “Want some?”
She nodded. “Sure. Uh, yeah, I guess. Maybe I should ask you that? How’d it go with Lana?” Lois couldn’t resist feeding her curiosity. Lana was obviously not there, so she assumed things hadn’t gone so well – at least for Lana.
“It’s—complicated. But, I—“ he sighed. “I don’t think we’ll be heading down that road again, if that’s what you mean. Lana and I – I think we’re on different paths.”
Lois was pleasantly surprised by what she was hearing. She kept her gaze focused on Joel as she fed him baby carrots, fearing Clark would read too much into her emotions. She was glad that she hadn’t been there the first time around with Clark and Lana. But she wondered if she had been brave before and stayed, if Clark would have reached the same conclusion.
“I guess I’ve moved on more than I thought,” Clark added.
Lois glanced up at him, surprised by the genuine affection she saw in his face. They were still hiding from each other at this stage in their relationship in the past. But perhaps interrupting Lana and Clark’s interlude had helped Clark see things a bit clearer.
Lois was curious about what Clark might say to her present self, but she also worried about tampering too much with time. Clark had moved on from Lana in their original time line, so she didn’t think she had affected things too much. But that brought to the fore her problem – about how to get home.
Clark was eying Joel carefully. “So, Lois, how long are you babysitting this little guy for?”
“Um…a few days. Not sure really, why?” she said vaguely, finishing the last few bites of mushy carrots herself since Joel was full.
Clark glanced at her through hooded lashes. “Who did you say his parents were?”
“I didn’t. Why?”
“He just seems like… an interesting baby. And friendly. I guess I can see why you don’t mind watching him.” Joel was smiling up at Clark, his face covered in carrots. “Here, let me help,” offered Clark, reaching for a clean towel.
Lois watched as Clark played and cooed with Joel. She had seen Clark do that often, but for him to connect with Joel and not know it was his son—well, it just made her miss home all the more.
How much could she tell Clark? Would knowing about their future together change anything? The change she feared most was somehow losing Joel. She worried telling Clark the truth would make him reconsider their relationship. He wasn’t exactly gung-ho about relationships at the moment, either. Lana had thrown him for a loop, and knowing that they have a kid together in the not too distant future – she didn’t want past Clark to fear that. If he pulled away from her even more now, she didn’t know what it could mean for their future.
She didn’t know, and couldn’t know. But she was unsure how to use the Legion ring to go home, and the ring frightened her. She just wanted to get back to her Clark. She knew he had his own problems to deal with, worried about not getting his powers back. But Lois was confident he would find a way to be well again. And besides, what mattered most to her was them all being together as a family. And that couldn’t happen as long as she was stuck with this Clark in the past.
Lois knew it was a risk, but she had to ask for Clark’s help. She pulled the ring out of her jeans pocket and laid it on the table between them. “Clark, do you know what this is?” she began carefully.
She saw the recognition in his features, but it was instantly hidden. “A little bit garish, wouldn’t you say? Even for you, Lois? Where’d you get that?” he asked, laughing nervously.
Lois didn’t have the patience to dance this dance with him. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t know the truth about him, not after all they’d been through. She felt just a little hurt at how much Clark had lied to her in the past. She understood that he had thought it was for her own good, but it still rankled that he hadn’t trusted her.
“Clark, drop the act, please,” she said flatly. Then she crossed her arms, shifting on her feet. “I—I’m not exactly who you think I am,” she began cautiously.
“What act, Lois? What do you mean?” Clark responded, in a falsely light tone.
“The ring, Clark. You know what it is, don’t you? And what it can do?” she prodded, hoping he’d be honest with her. “Joel and I were in the loft while I was looking for something, when wham—we ended up here.”
Clark swallowed, looking like he had been struck in the chest. “Are you saying you’re from the future?”
“How do you know I’m not from the past?” she queried, curious as to how Clark knew that.
Clark seemed to contemplate how much to admit to her, then sighed. “The ring. I only got it a few days ago.”
“Oh… interesting,” was all Lois said, as that information hung in the air between them for a moment.
Clark glanced at Joel, a wrenching curiosity on his face. “And the baby? Is he—yours?”
“Yes,” she answered directly, wiping her son’s messy face once more. “He is.”
“Oh…” Clark paused. “Do you mind if I ask, who the father is?”
Lois turned to Clark, wanting more than ever to tell him the truth, but not sure it was prudent to do so. She was only about a year in the past, but she had come a long way with Clark since then. Besides the potential consequences of telling Clark the truth, she simply wasn’t sure he was ready to handle it yet. “Look, Clark. I don’t know much about how this time travel thing works, but maybe it isn’t such a good idea for me to tell you everything… all I want to know is, can you get us home?”
~L&C~
Clark stared at Lois a moment, unsure what to tell her. He had seen Joel float last night, which made him want to push Lois for answers. And knowing that they were from the future—Clark wanted to ask her a million things. He wondered if she knew his secret. She knew about the ring, but that didn’t preclude her knowing about how he acquired it, did it?
But there was something else. What if Joel were his son? Clark felt an unexpected excitement well up inside him at the possibility. It would not only mean that there was hope that Krypton could live on here on Earth, but it would mean that he had a future with Lois. The idea felt so right, but it was just as suddenly tampered down by the possibility Joel might not be his… Joel could have gotten his ability because of meteor rocks.
Clark met Lois’ eyes, which were watching him with her own curious stare. He wondered if he could read the truth there, somehow. Were they together in the future? He noticed Lois had on an engagement ring, and another pang struck him in the chest. He hadn’t realized until now that he wanted to be that future partner for her, that he wanted to be Joel’s father.
The hope, and fear that he was wrong, made it difficult for him to speak. He almost didn’t want to know. He had only ever vaguely fantasized about what a future with Lois might be like, but if this were the reality – it took his breath away.
“Clark? Are you all right?” she asked, uncertainty clouding her voice. “Did I say too much?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m all right, Lois. Just – shocked, maybe.”
Lois touched the ring on the countertop between them. “Do you know how to use this thing? How to send us home?”
He felt a little helpless as he shook his head. “All I was told was to focus on a year in the future. I didn’t know it could take you into the past… “
“Well, knowing is half the battle, GI Joe. So, you think if I just concentrate on my present time, I’ll go home when I slip this on?”
Clark nodded, hoping he was right. “As far as I know, yeah.”
Lois picked Joel up, shifting him so he was comfortably in his arms. “I’m just worried about where I might end up with this little one, you know?” she asked, kissing his head.
“I—saw something. Of the future, and it wasn’t pretty… But Clark—you were the one, really. You fixed everything so that terrifying future never happens, it’s just—I want him to be safe.”
He suddenly didn’t care whether or not Lois knew his secret. He realized that she knew him, with or without it. Her implicit trust in him was the same trust he had experienced with her talking to Lois as the Red Blue Blur. And whatever they were to each other in the future, she obviously still trusted him. He watched as she held Joel closer to her, and he knew she’d do whatever it took to protect her son. He didn’t know for certain if Joel was his, but he knew that Joel’s father – and Lois’ presumed fiancé—was a lucky man. He hoped that man might be him. “You’re a good mother, Lois,” he offered softly.
She gave him a warm smile. “Thanks.”
Clark knew she was ready to leave, about to put the ring on again and hopefully return home. He wanted her so desperately to stay, and tell him more about the future, but he thought he understood her reticence. Whatever she knew about their future, was for him to discover, whether he wanted it that way or not. “So you’re not going to tell me anything else, are you? About the future?” Clark pressed, hoping to glean just a little more about what lie ahead of him.
Lois hesitated a moment, seeming to feel bad about leaving him with so many questions. “Just this,” she said, and then leaned in to kiss him, surprising him. “Don’t worry about Lana, and don’t forget about me.” Lois grabbed the ring and started to slip it on. “See you in the funny pages, Smallville.”
