Well, gosh... That took me forever to read and I had a lot to say! LOL One of these days I'm going to run into a post-length limit or something...
An hour-old breaking news email from the Planet about yet another pipe bombing.
Rut roh! I forget who said it in the last part’s feedback...but they’re totally right about the pipe bombings being a part of the bigger plot. Eeeep!
Y’know, when we first heard about them, I was thinking... ooh, I wonder if Lois is going to get that tingly feeling about wanting to investigate it?? She didn’t... and then other stuff happened, so I dismissed it. But now! I’m worried and excited about how it might fit into the story!
A reminder from the kids’ school that yearbook sales were closing soon. An automated email from the library about overdue books.
She sighed and tossed her phone on the counter. “Dinner time!” she called, as she stepped over to the sink and lifted the colander full of noodles.
Haha... sigh. Life.
And then everything happened so quickly that it seemed to all happen at once, and she couldn’t even fully process it until later.
First, there was a loud bang in the previously silent kitchen causing Lois to jump and cry out in surprise. And then JP’s little voice said, “Sorry!” And then Superman was on their kitchen floor, glass shards from the picture window shattered around him.
They all froze. Then Superman stood, brushed himself off, and looked around, obviously confused.
“What...just happened?” Lois asked.
What’s happening??? What are Clark and Lois going to do about Superman suddenly in the house? LOL omg....
“I dropped my water bottle,” JP said timidly, edging toward her and away from his idol, who was now larger than life in his kitchen.
Lois looked down and saw the stainless steel water bottle lying on the hardwood floor and realized that must have been the crash she heard.
Ohhhh! Poor kiddo! To be so scared of your hero.
“I… I thought… I heard you scream,” Superman stuttered.
I LOVE IT. Because now he’s more attuned to her again and...oops. <G>
“What just happened!” Mattie yelled, running into the room and skidding to stop, eyes widening.
“Just a little mix up,” Lois said, quickly pulling herself together. “JP dropped his water bottle and startled me. I yelled and Superman thought I was in danger, so he swooped in to help.”
“Through the window?” Mattie asked incredulously.
Ahhh, Lois, so good at this!
And LOL! That’s right, Mattie... let’s ask Superman what was so troubling that he had to burst through the window... <g>
“I was flying overhead when I heard the scream,” Superman replied, standing up straighter and smoothing his features into his confident superhero facade. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued. “I heard your mom scream and instinct took over. It’s been a few years, but apparently I’m still attuned to Lois’ screams. Sorry I scared you.”
I mean... pretty well done covering, Clark! And hee hee... yep, still attuned. Will Mattie be fooled??
JP’s eyes widened until he looked like a comic book character. “Sorry,” he whispered finally.
Lois dropped to one knee immediately, pulling him in for a hug. “No, no, buddy. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was just an accident. You just surprised me...and then Superman surprised us. You’re not in trouble.”
His little body relaxed, but he still hovered close to her, eying the superhero suspiciously.
Awwww poor little guy!!!
“Superman,” Lois said with a cheerfulness she didn’t feel. “Could I...talk to you outside please? For just a minute?”
“Of course.” He strode to the back door, boots crunching over glass and opened the door
for her.
Uh oh... lol
“You need-”
“I’m so sorry,” Clark started at the same time, interrupting her. “I wasn’t spying, I prom-”
WERE you?? LOL I can imagine him flying overhead and peeking in just to check that all is safe... sighing happily and maybe a little wistfully that he’ll be part of that routine again. And as he’s flying away... bang! Scream! Window crash! <g>
“Stop,” she said softly but forcefully, reaching out and touching the tips of her fingers to his arm as if to physically prevent him from going further. “We can talk about that later. Right now, you need to fix this. Your son is terrified of you. This cannot be his first memory of Superman.”
She saw the realization wash over his face as he saw this incident from his son’s point of view, and he nodded in agreement.
“Go back in there and get down on the floor and play with him. Take him for a flight. Something. Anything. Make this a special memory. Now.”
I LOVE this for so many reasons... and I can’t quite find the words! But overall... GO Lois!
JP cracked a small smile and reached out timidly. “I like your cape,” he said softly.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” he stage whispered. “My mom made it for me.”
JP’s eyes grew wide again, but this time with wonder. “Really?”
Awwwwwwww
“Really. I told her it would get in the way when I was working, but she liked the way it blew in the wind.” He stood and flew across the room, cape streaming behind him.
“Whoa!” JP gawked, and Lois felt her heart swell.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
“If it’s all right with your mom,” Superman said, raising an eyebrow in her direction, “I could take you for a little ride.”
“Really?” he screeched, turning to Lois for permission. She nodded and gave him a smile, and he ran full tilt into Superman’s arms.
GAHH!!! SOO GREAT! And how awesome for Clark to finally fly with one of his kiddos??? I mean... he can’t be himself, but still. AWWWWWW!!!
“I found this on the roof,” Superman said, turning to Mattie and holding up a yellow softball. “I assume it’s yours?”
She nodded shyly and he flipped it to her. She caught it handily, and he grinned with approval.
LOVE
“Hey, hey. No playing ball in the house,” Lois chided playfully. “I don’t need anymore broken windows.”
“Sorry,” Superman said, looking not one bit apologetic. “What do you say, Mattie? You want to go for a ride?”
LOL!! Love it!
“You know my name?” she asked quietly.
“Of course, I do,” he replied. “It’s been awhile, but this isn’t the first time we’ve met.”
She smiled shyly, and Lois could tell she was trying to play it cool but was just as awed as her little brother.
“A ride?” he offered again, opening his arms to her.
She hesitated, uncharacteristically reticent.
AWWWWW! Love it!!!
Unless anyone else wants a ride,” he said, turning and winking at Lois.
Lois rolled her eyes and threw a dishtowel at him.
“Hey, hey. No throwing things in the house,” he reminded her with an impish grin.
Mattie cracked up, and his grin widened into a full fledged smile.
LOL!!!! I freaking love this!!!
“I’ll walk you out. Unless you are planning to leave the way you came,” Lois deadpanned, gesturing at the broken window, and Mattie laughed even harder.
“Uh, the door will do nicely,” he said, looking abashed. “It was good to see you, Mattie. Tell JP I said goodbye.”
LOL!!! Love this!! He’s not going to offer to sweep it up real quick?? ;P
“Thank you,” he said immediately. “That could have been so bad.”
“It’s fine. You did great. JP will be talking about it for weeks, and Mattie was smitten.”
“I’ll fix the window tomorrow. I could come by tonight and put cardboard over it. We can talk about...the other thing. If that’s okay,” he asked hesitantly.
“That would be great.”
Lois saves the day!!!! And yay...more coming over and talking.
“I didn’t think he was ever going to calm down enough to fall asleep,” Clark said
LOL! No kidding!
“Mattie’s tucked in and lights out, but she wants you to come kiss her goodnight.”
“Ok, let me go do that, and then we’ll talk.”
Lois slipped out of the room and up the stairs, tapping gently on her daughter’s door before poking her head in. “Hey, sweet girl.”
Awwwwwwwwwww!
Mattie giggled. “The best part was when Superman was leaving and you made fun of him for coming in through the window. He looked just like Daddy does when you tease him.”
OOOPS!!! *snicker*
Lois laughed softly, strengthening her resolve to talk to Clark again about when they would talk to Mattie about the truth.
Yeppp needs to happen soon before she figures it out!
“Okay. Good night, Mommy.” Lois’ heart twisted pleasantly. Mattie often seemed so big and grown up, but at moments like these, Lois could see the adorable wide eyed toddler she’d been not so long ago.
Awwww!!!!!
Downstairs, Clark was pacing restlessly in the living room. Lois sat sideways on the couch, one leg tucked under her, and patted the cushion beside her. Clark sat cautiously beside her.
“Okay, how mad are you?” he asked nervously.
“I’m not mad,” Lois started.
Hahaha! Poor Clark! He’s almost reverted to season 3 Clark, lol.
“I swear, I was not spying on you,” Clark said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “This pipe bomb craziness has me on edge. Every time I turn around, there’s one exploding. And there’s no rhyme or reason to any of the placements. Parks, office buildings, abandoned warehouses, a dock in the harbor, an apartment building downtown. There was one this morning in a south side library. I heard the bang, and I heard you yell, and I just reacted. I was through the window before I even had a chance to realize what was happening.”
AWWWWW poor Clark!!!!!
“Do you think I don’t know that?” she asked, stopping him short. She scooted closer, putting a hand on his knee. “Clark, if you were spying on me, you would have seen JP drop the bottle. This is a far cry from hovering over me swooping in to soothe a crying baby before I can get him settled. You threw yourself through a window in an obvious panic. I’m not angry. If anything, I’m worried about you.”
OMG. OMG. I totally take that back about season 3 Clark because... I FORGOT! About all the sad and the hurt and the drama, and I totally gasped out loud and clapped my hand over my mouth at the hovering and swooping... the... gah. Yeah, all that drama and hurt, and he was worried because of that and ruining this reconciliation! *exhales* Talk about turning a fun moment into... GAH.
Anyway... I love that she’s calm and comforting. I love that she’s calm enough to know logically that he would have seen JP drop the bottle if he had been spying...which leads me to believe that between the incident and now, she’s definitely thought about him spying...which no doubt brought up feelings for her—we don’t even KNOW the depth of those feelings because we weren’t there, and that was happening for a while, I think. But she...she has to be pushing that aside, right? It’s not just gone. But she knows the more pressing issue right now is Clark and his anxiety over the bombings... and now add that to the anxiety of not wanting to mess things up in getting his family back together... then you’ve got Clark back in the past, don’t you? Where he is terrified of not being able to save his family.
Damn, woman... how the hell did you pack so much into ONE PARAGRAPH?!
“I just… I feel like… things are so good right now. We’re so close to… and I can’t…” He ran his hand through his hair, obviously frustrated by his inability to communicate his fears.
Awwwww, don’t worry, Clark! She knows! (And can I just say that one of the things I dearly love about Clark is that he gets tongue tied when things are so important and emotional for him. Gah!)
“I’m scared too,” Lois said finally. “All the time. Like this thing is so fragile it will take only the slightest breeze to blow it away.”
“Yes!” He agreed, sitting up. “I want to squeeze it with all my strength so it doesn’t escape, but I’m terrified I’m going to crush it.”
AWWWWWWWWW
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think we should schedule a session with Dr. Booker. Not to discuss today specifically, of course. But this…development in our relationship has us both on edge and feeling extra vulnerable, and I just think-“
“I’ll call first thing tomorrow.”
I love that they’re so eagerly on the same page and quick to ask for help! Show’s already that there’s been tremendous growth in the years since.
And “on edge and feeling extra vulnerable” ... I think that’s what I was trying to get at earlier.
Lois reached up and stroked his cheek. He lifted his eyes to meet hers for the first time since they sat down, and she smiled at him. He captured her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, holding her gaze while pressing a gentle kiss in her palm.
“Stay for a while? We could watch a movie?” she asked, and was rewarded with a wide smile.
YAY!!!!!!
Also... nice detail, the meeting of the eyes for the first time! That’s so hard to do when you’re feeling vulnerable, so makes sense that one or both of them might not have been able to have direct eye contact during that convo! I don’t know if you even meant to do that, but it’s great!
“I could not possibly care less,” Clark replied immediately. The chuckle in his voice bathed her in warmth and she tossed the remote on the coffee table and sat up, reaching for him instead. He needed no more invitation, capturing her lips in a kiss and sliding his hand up to cup her cheek.
GAHHH I LOVE THIS!!!!!
settling beside him so she could study his face. “Now that the stress of the incident has passed, did you at least enjoy getting to take JP for a ride? That seems like a pretty decent silver lining to all of this.”
Awwww, yeah!
Clark’s face lit up. “It was incredible. His sweet little giggles. The look of awe on his face. It was…so special. I know all the reasons why it was so important never to let them be associated with Superman, but it’s so hard sometimes to hide that part of myself from them.”
GAH!! Yay for Clark!!! <3
And whoa... never quite thought about that before, that he’s hiding part of himself from them. And why didn’t I think of this before??? I mean, it was one thing with Lois because Superman was this new thing...and then there was Clark insisting on the love me for Clark and not Superman stuff... which I totally get, but we all know that just Clark isn’t the real him either. I think he never quite realized that until Lois knew and she could appreciate ALL of him for who he was. But with kids... wow. I mean, having to hide part of yourself from your kids all the time? Wow...that’s got to be hard!!
When she’d become pregnant with Mattie just a year into their marriage, shocking them both given Dr. Klein’s warning that it would be impossible, their first concern had been for her safety. They knew all too well how anyone associated with Superman could be used as leverage, and the thought of their tiny, vulnerable baby suffering because of him had kept Clark up at night for weeks on end.
Love the first bit. <3 And oh... that makes sense that Clark’s anxiety would start here.
Ultimately they had decided to slowly shift their professional focus away from stories that involved Superman, giving those exclusive interviews to other reporters, including Jimmy, who by that time was working as a full fledged reporter and photographer. As they cut back at work, they also began the work of compiling all their past articles and research into a book about Intergang.
Given their obvious elation over her growing pregnancy, no one had thought twice about this professional transition, even those closest to them. Clark was careful never to show more than polite courtesy to Lois when he did encounter her publicly while in the suit, and after a while the public’s short attention span stopped automatically associating his name with theirs, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Oh, smart! Very smart!
All of that had been a natural, if not easy, decision. Deciding how much of himself to hide from their daughter had been harder. As an infant, in the privacy of their own home, he hadn’t bothered to hide what he could do from her. And he’d flown her and Lois to Kansas regularly to spend time with her doting grandparents.
Awwwwwww! And this makes me wonder if Mattie will have vague memories surface later? (Though probably not... I think most long-term memories don’t start until like 5ish? I don’t know! Can you tell I’m eager for Mattie to figure it out before they get a chance to tell her? <eg>)
They’d always known there was an expiration date on this innocent time. If they wanted to keep his identity a secret from her — and they must, because no toddler or young child could be expected to keep that kind of secret — they would have to stop before she was old enough to remember or communicate. But they’d been naive about how much time they would have.
Haha exactly...
clapped, and exclaimed, “Dada!”
An icy fist of fear knocked the wind from Lois’ lungs. Clark’s face was stricken. Their eyes met, bodies frozen.
Naïve indeed! Eeeep!
Their last two days in Smallville had been bittersweet, and Lois had done her best to hide her tears on the flight home. When they landed on the balcony of their new home, Clark had kissed them both, spun out of the suit, and never again wore it in the presence of their daughter.
Awwwwww! Bittersweet for sure!!
When they had begun trying to conceive a second child that summer, she had imagined Clark having that special time with the new baby too. They wouldn’t be able to fly as a family to Smallville with their inquisitive toddler, but he could at least play with the new baby in their home and perhaps fly him to Smallville alone occasionally to visit his grandparents, leaving Lois and Mattie home for some special bonding time of their own.
But the months bled into years, and the hope for a second child grew into a desperate, gnawing need. Their infant daughter grew into a wild, ferocious toddler and then a confident, chatty preschooler. And her bathroom counter grew cluttered with bottles of fertility drugs and then vials of injectable fertility hormones.
By the time JP was finally in their arms and in their home, traveling to Smallville was a bittersweet prospect without Jonathan there to greet them. And Clark was so consumed with fear for her well being that he couldn’t bear to leave her and Mattie alone for the hours the visit would take.
Oh, OUCH!
“She’s a big girl, and Superman is a stranger to her. Honestly, I’m not sorry that she’s hesitant to jump into the arms of a stranger who just came barreling into her life.”
“I don’t seem to remember you hesitating when you jumped into the arms of a strange flying man,” Clark teased.
Lois laughed. “Well, she’s smarter than her mother. I never claimed to have the best self preservation skills. Anyway, I had a good feeling about that guy.”
Awwww, sweet! <3
“You know,” she continued more seriously. “Once Mattie knows the truth, you’ll be able to fly with her again. She’ll trust you to take her.”
Clark stiffened, his gaze sliding from hers.
“What are you scared of, Clark? What are you worried will happen? Do you think she’s not ready? Are you scared she’ll let something slip?”
Oh! My first reaction was the same...what are you scared of, Clark? But I think he’s afraid (especially given Mattie is so like Lois) that she’ll hate him, be mad at him... and oh... if he had trouble with Lois being mad at him, it’s going to kill him to have Mattie mad at him!
His eyes met hers again, and he shook his head. “I trust her. I just don’t want her to have to carry that burden yet. It’s such a big secret to keep.”
Lois nodded. “It is. But she won’t have to carry it alone.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. I don’t want to wait too long.”
D’oh... I underestimated Clark! We’re in Lois’ POV all the time (which I love!), so it’s much easier to remember that she’s been a mom all this time and that she’s different now and has all this history and stuff. Not having had Clark’s POV makes it a little harder to know him as he is now...that’s not exactly true... it’s more that it’s harder to remember? So yeah, forgot for a minute how long he’s been a dad, and of course he’s worried about burdening her with such a big responsibility so young! (But still... there’s got to be a little of that fear in there about her being mad. ;))
She said, ‘He looked just like Daddy does when you tease him.’”
Clark closed his eyes and swallowed.
*deep breath* Yeah, it’s time, buddy.
Lois nodded quickly in agreement, and then slid both hands around the back of his neck and waited for his eyes to meet hers. “It’s going to be okay. Better than okay. It’s going to be so good. I promise you. Give her a chance to adjust, and it’s going to be so good.”
AWWWWWW
His mouth was on hers in an instant, needy and insistent. Her hands slid into his hair, holding him to her.
When they pulled apart, he rested his forehead against her and let his hand slide from her shoulder down to her hip, pulling her close. “I could never do this without you. I’m so thankful you’re here.”
She lifted her chin again and his lips found hers, softer and sweeter this time.
GAHHHHHHHHH!
She tried to keep her voice light, hiding the trepidation she felt at the mention of his mother.
Martha had been unfailingly kind to her since the divorce, but their relationship had gone from one of genuine love and affection to polite but distant acquaintances.
OHHHHH This breaks my heart. So much. For both of them. GAHHHHHHH.
Once, Clark’s mother had filled the void in Lois’ life left by her own self-absorbed, absentee mother. And losing Clark had felt like losing her family as well.
Yeah... just started sputtering and the dog is worried. Part of this is because of Lois’ pain, but part of it is because I know exactly how that feels! Best friends with someone from the time we were 13 to like 25...half my damn life. Her mom was like a mom to me... her sister like a sister...and when our friendship was over (in not a great way, either), I lost them all and it was crushing. So... I’m REALLY feeling for poor Lois here! In addition to the fact that I just ADORE the relationship between Martha and Lois because it’s just something they both need so much! So yeah... breaking my heart here!
Lois had longed to cry on Martha’s shoulder so many times in the year she’d felt her marriage slipping away from her. But she’d been acutely aware of not wanting to put Martha in a position to defend her only son, and had been careful never to discuss any of their reasons for divorcing with her.
POOR Lois!!!!!!!!!!!
She had no idea how much Clark had confided in his mother, but she assumed it was a good deal given the closeness of their relationship. And she knew that must include the fact that the divorce was not only her idea, but that he had pleaded with her repeatedly and protractedly not to go through with it.
Awwwwww, but Lois... I think Martha knows you better than that... that she would have witnessed at least some of what was going on and/or read between the lines when Clark was confiding in her!
She could only imagine that despite her kind facade, Martha could barely tolerate the woman who had broken her son’s heart and destroyed his family. Imagining Martha’s disappointment in her made it hard to meet the older woman’s eye, and Lois generally attempted to spend as little time as possible with her while still encouraging her children to have a close relationship.
Nooooo... Martha’s not like that! She’s not! I mean... I totally get Lois doing this. Totally makes sense. And even could imagine this being true of Martha if Lois had been cruel and callous enough...which I’m sure Lois thinks she might have been, or fears that Clark portrayed it that way... oh... it’s so hard not knowing! GAH. I don’t want to relive those terrible and hard years with them, but it’s hard not knowing. I wonder what Martha is thinking! I mean... having Lois avoid her all these years... might well have turned any remaining affection into resentment. EEEK... I’m both looking forward to her visit and not!!!
Now that she and Clark were rebuilding their relationship, she worried even more about Martha’s disapproval. She didn’t even want to imagine the awkward conversation that would result if and when they told her.
Eeeesh... yeah. I might start biting my fingernails again...
Also!! You know what else is so hard not knowing??? What Clark is thinking? I mean...Lois is sitting here having all these super hard feelings come up (yikes, this is going to be a long road, isn’t it? If all this stuff just comes up in a “simple” conversation?
), but what about Clark? We only see what Lois sees, and she’s trying to spare him the awkward...
“She’s really excited. She misses them so much. I’m really worried about her. I hate her rambling around that house all by herself. She keeps busy with her classes and clubs and friends, but I know she’s lonely. I try to visit her as often as I can, but it’s hard. I’ve been trying to convince her to come out more often and for longer visits. Anyway, that’s my weekend already, but would you mind if the kids stayed a couple extra nights while my mom is here?”
“Of course not. They can stay at your house the whole time she’s here if you want. They’ll be thrilled.”
Awwwwww must be so hard for him!! And for Martha! And I love the natural flexibility of their custody for stuff like this.
“Thanks.” He hesitated, and she could feel something else unsaid.
“What? What aren’t you saying?”
Clark laughed. “I don’t know why I ever bother trying to hold out on you. Fine. There’s one other thing. Not a favor really. But something I wanted to ask. I mean-“
Why am I worried???
“Spit it out,” Lois said, sitting up and laughing. “Why are you being all cagey?”
“I’m not being cagey, I’m just nervous. It’s not my fault you make me feel all tongue tied sometimes.”
Lois laughed but felt her cheeks warm in response. “Out with it, Farmboy.”
LOVE IT! I mean, I said it before, but tongue tied Clark... GAH!!!
“I was hoping my mom could babysit one more night while she’s here. And I could take you out on a date. A proper one. Let me wine and dine you a little.”
She started to crack a joke to ease her own nerves but stopped when she saw the apprehension on his face.
“I’d love that,” she said simply instead, and the joy on his face twisted deliciously inside her.
Awwwwww!!!
She takes care of him so much...does he even know??
“Have you said anything to your mom about,” she asked, gesturing vaguely between them.
“No,” Clark said quickly. “I wouldn’t do that without talking to you first. We don’t have to say anything to her. I can just ask her to babysit. Tell her I have something I need to do. She won’t ask any questions.”
Lois nodded, nerves soothed a little. Perhaps whatever awkward conversations they needed to have could be postponed awhile longer.
Whew! Thank you, Clark!!
Though two more things:
1. Clark...Lois... do you really think that Martha’s not gonna know what’s up the second Clark walks in the door, beaming and on a cloud after his date with Lois???
2. Sorry, Lois... I don’t think you’re gonna get a postponement... <eg>
“Go,” she encouraged, kissing him on the cheek. “It’s late. Call me tomorrow.” His dazzling grin made something flutter deep in her belly.
Wheeeeeee!!!
Is it Wednesday yet??
Watching and wait for every part and plot twist to come!