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banner by CarrieReneChapter 27 Though Clark had told his parents they would be in Smallville for dinner at six, both of them lost track of the time as they continued to familiarise themselves with each other’s bodies. By some unspoken agreement they stuck to oral forms of pleasure. Lois wondered if Clark felt the same as she did — that it was enough that they were able to slowly learn how to please each other with no expectations and no added pressure. She hadn’t actually asked him, but she got the impression that Clark was just as happy as she was to be in the moment with him, especially with everything else going on around them.
As they lay together in the afterglow, with Clark’s arms around her, Lois thought about the fact that she had never felt more cared for or loved. She’d never had experiences like this with any man, and it made her appreciate Clark all the more while simultaneously making her want to go back in time and tell her younger self that there
were better men out there.
She felt Clark absently brush her hair away from her forehead, placing a kiss there. She shifted to get a better view of his face and noticed out of the corner of her eye the time on the clock. It was ten to six.
“I think we’re going to be late for dinner,” she giggled. He sat up and turned to look at the clock and groaned, but did not look particularly upset.
“I guess we got carried away,” he said sheepishly.
“I think we needed to,” Lois replied, thinking about everything they had been dealing with. “But we really should get dressed. Your parents are expecting us, and I don’t want to have to try to lie to your mom when she asks what kept us.”
“Good point,” he replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed before standing up and spinning into the suit. It took Lois a little bit longer to grab a sweater and jeans and shove them on. Eventually, they were ready to go and Lois was resigned to the fact that they were, in fact, going to be late.
“I’m engaged to the fastest man in the world and we still can’t be on time for dinner,” she grumbled with mock annoyance as Clark lifted her into his arms, and floated out the window and into the air. She shivered ever so slightly and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
Despite the fact that they had flown together many times since she’d discovered his secret, Lois didn’t think she would ever get used to the sheer freedom that was flying with Clark. It was different than when she had thought she was flying with Superman. With Superman, she’d always felt a sense of unreality — like being with someone that she could never truly touch. He’d always kept himself somewhat distant from her. But with Clark, it felt as if he was sharing what it truly meant to be him in every sense of the word. Instead of feeling distant, she felt most connected to him when soaring above the clouds, nestled in his arms. How he could have done this for so long on his own without being able to share it with anybody was both heartbreaking and amazing to her.
She lost all track of time and thought as they flew through the air. She knew he normally went a little slower when carrying her, but tonight she wondered if he was taking his time on purpose. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t question it.
Eventually, she saw the Kent’s farmhouse below them and felt themselves descending. Before her feet had even touched the ground, Martha Kent had thrown open the door to the Kent’s farmhouse and was making her way towards them, where she pulled them into a giant bear hug.
“I’m so sorry we’re late, Martha,” Lois said when she’d released them and begun to usher them inside. “We got…held up at work.”
And there it was. She’d lied to her almost-mother-in-law. She felt guilty immediately, especially since she had seen Clark attempt to sneak anything past his mother. It couldn’t be done.
“Nonsense,” Martha replied, dismissing her apology with a wave. Lois felt relieved immediately, and she was reminded of why she loved Martha Kent so much.
The table was already set, and before Lois realised it, they were eating, talking and laughing as if it were just an ordinary night at the Kent farm. Lois had almost forgotten entirely about their reason for being there until after dessert had been cleared away — an incredible homemade apple pie that Lois had enjoyed so much she might have asked for the recipe were she in any way domestically inclined.
Jonathan was bringing out a pot of coffee for all of them when Martha finally mentioned the elephant in the room.
“I tested the hologram equipment you wanted,” she said. She spoke with a feigned casualness that Lois knew all too well. It was the same technique she used to get information from reluctant sources. She had assumed Clark had explained to his parents everything that had been going on, but when she thought about it, he hadn’t really had the time to do so. Living together had meant being in each other’s pockets almost constantly, and Lois hadn’t seen him have a lengthy conversation with his parents at any point.
“Thanks, Mom,” Clark had replied, his own voice equally as casual but not nearly as good as Martha’s. “I promise not to damage it.”
“Are you planning on telling me why you wanted me to make a hologram of the President?” Martha asked, making eye contact with her son as she poured his coffee. Lois watched Clark wince as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. He looked away and stared down at his cup as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
“There’s a threat against the President’s life,” Lois said, figuring that if she told them some of the truth, maybe they wouldn’t dig too deeply. She knew that Clark likely hadn’t told them everything because he didn’t want them to worry. Lex Luthor was a sore spot for everyone. After all, he’d nearly killed their son with Kryptonite.
“And you want to lure the person responsible out with a hologram?” Jonathan guessed.
Lois nodded. “We know the date and time of the attempt,” she explained. “We figured if we could make it look as if the President was there, then police and Superman could apprehend the assassin so they can’t try again.”
“And what does Lex Luthor have to do with it all?” Martha asked softly. Clark’s eyes shot up, startled.
“How did you know —?”
“I didn’t until just now,” Martha replied, sounding a tiny bit proud of herself. “I know he’s in prison, but your voice has only ever sounded that frightened one other time and it was the day that —”
“That I almost married him?” Lois interjected, feeling her heart sink. She’d always secretly feared what Martha and Jonathon must think of her, given the fact that she’d turned their son down when he’d poured his heart out to her, only to throw herself at him as Superman not twenty minutes later. And then, as an added insult, she’d broken their son’s heart a second time by agreeing to marry a mass murderer. She couldn’t imagine any parent in their world wouldn’t hold at least a tiny bit of resentment or anger. She might as well get everything out in the open so at least she would know where she stood with them.
“Oh Lois, we don’t blame you,” Jonathan said quietly. “Clark told us how he manipulated everyone into thinking he was a good person.”
“Not to mention taking away everything that meant anything to you,” Martha chimed in. Her voice was firm, but her eyes were kind.
“Martha, I…” Lois scrambled to try to articulate what she wanted to say and found herself floundering. “Thank you, but there’s more to it than that. It’s…complicated.”
“Jonathan, could you show Clark that chore in the barn that you needed help with?” Martha asked pointedly. Jonathan took the hint immediately and stood up.
“C’mon, son. There’s a…thing I need help with.” He shot a look at this wife. “Apparently.”
Lois watched Clark go, feeling more than a little nervous and not at all convinced that she hadn’t in some way stuck her foot in her mouth.
“Martha, I —”
“Now, you just stop right there, Lois Lane,” Martha said, sternly. Lois froze at the tone in her voice, feeling certain that she’d been right about their feelings towards her all along. “Do you honestly think I have been harbouring anger towards you over Lex Luthor for all this time?”
She sounded incredulous and slightly hurt. Lois wasn’t sure what to feel or think, only that she knew how she had hurt Clark in the past and couldn’t imagine how Martha or Jonathan could be totally okay with the fact that she’d almost married the same man who had nearly killed their son.
“Honestly?” Lois said, feeling it was best to get it all out there. “Yes. At least, a little. After all, I almost married him and he —”
“I know what he did,” Martha said softly and the anger in her eyes took her by surprise. “To both of you. Honey, the man is a psychopath. A murderer. Of course he would manipulate and isolate and hurt you and anyone else to get what he wants. I
know that.”
“He did,” Lois agreed, feeling close to tears. “But I let it happen. Clark told me how he felt and I —”
“You were scared,” Martha interrupted, reaching over and squeezing her arm gently. “I know how that feels! But I don’t for a second think you ever meant to hurt Clark. I know how much you love him, how much you have always loved him. I knew it back then, just as much as I know it now.”
“How could you possibly have known?” Lois asked, the astonishment clear in her voice. “I didn’t even know.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Martha said soothingly. “And that’s mine and Jonathan’s doing. At least, when it came to who Clark really was. How could you know when you didn’t have the whole picture? We should have encouraged Clark to tell you who he was, but he’s had to be careful all his life, you see. We were so worried someone — the wrong someone — might find out about him that we…well, I think he could have told you when Lex bought the
Planet. If anything, I blame myself for not encouraging him to trust you.”
“How did you know I could be trusted?” Lois asked, feeling both humbled and awed by the fact that Martha had all but said she had known over a year ago that she could be entrusted with Clark’s secret.
“I told you,” Martha replied with a gentle smile. “I could see how much you loved him. It was written all over your face that first day I met you at the corn festival. When Clark got sick, the worry you felt told me how much you cared. I saw the way your face would light up whenever he smiled at you. When he saw you in that dress, I saw the way you blushed. I could see it then, even if you couldn’t, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before you figured it out.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Lois said, her voice hoarse with emotion. She’d never realised just how much the older woman had been not only rooting for her son’s happiness but for hers as well. “Thank you.”
“No, Lois,” Martha said, her eyes shining with unspoken emotion. “Thank
you. You’ve made him happier than I have ever seen him. However the two of you got here, I’m glad you did.”
“Me too,” Lois replied feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “He makes me so happy, Martha.”
“Good,” Martha said, her eyes twinkling with warmth, “and if he ever stops making you happy you let me know. I love him, but I don’t know if you’ve noticed, that he can be a bit of a lunkhead at times.”
Lois laughed out loud just as Clark came back inside the room with Jonathan. Lois noticed from the look that Jonathan gave Martha that he’d kept Clark away as long as he possibly could.
“What’s so funny?” Jonathan asked.
Lois shook her head.
“Nothing,” Martha said with a wink. “Girl stuff.”
“Girl stuff, huh?” Jonathan gave Clark a look. “Marriage tip, son, they start talking ‘girl stuff’, it means they are plotting against us.”
“I’ll keep it in mind, Dad,” Clark said with a chuckle. “Mom, can you show me how this hologram machine works again? I don’t want to make any mistakes.”
“Absolutely,” Martha said with a nod. “Anything to put that son-of-a-bitch back in prison where he belongs.”
“Mom!” Clark said, sounding slightly shocked. Martha shrugged, nonplussed.
“He tried to kill you with Kryptonite,” she said unapologetically. “Anyone who threatens my boy is a son-of-a-bitch. Now give me a second while I get the machine ready.”
Chapter 28 They lingered at the farmhouse long after Martha helped show them how to use the hologram machine, not wanting the night to end. Lois felt a newfound kinship with her almost-mother-in-law, and she could tell Clark also felt safer in a location where Lex Luthor would not be able to spy on them, no matter how good his sources.
Eventually, a yawn from Jonathan that he tried to conceal prompted Lois to glance at the clock.
“Oh, Clark, look at the time!” she exclaimed. “We’re so sorry, you two must be exhausted. We should go.”
“Nonsense,” Martha said with a wave of her hand. “You aren’t going anywhere…either of you.”
“We have to get back, Mom,” Clark protested, though Lois could see he didn’t want to go and Lois didn’t blame him. She finally didn’t feel as if she had to look over her shoulder every other second, afraid that someone was watching her or that Lex Luthor might phone her again.
“You can fly back in the morning,” Martha said pragmatically. “I’m sure Perry won’t mind if you’re a little late. He knows after all what’s going on, so just let him know you are somewhere safe and that you’ll be in later. I’ve already made up the guest bedroom.”
“Well, alright,” Clark relented and she heard the relief in his tone. He glanced at her. “As long as you’re okay with it?”
“I’m more than okay with it,” Lois said heartily, and she noticed Martha smile just a little bit wider. “We’d be happy to stay.”
“Good,” Jonathan said standing up. “But you’re right about one thing, I am tired. And since I have to get up with the chickens tomorrow, I’m going to get to bed.”
“I’ll do the same. Everything is ready for you both in the guest room. If you need extra towels in the morning, for a shower, let me know. Good night.”
As Lois watched Jonathan and Martha head to bed, she felt a powerful longing. She could see the ease with which the two communicated. The way they playfully teased one another. She could tell there was a deep and intense love still present between them even after all those years of marriage, and she knew that even though she and Clark were not quite that comfortable with each other yet, they were getting there. She wanted this. She wanted what they had more than anything and for once, she believed it was possible.
They just had to get Lex Luthor out of their lives once and for all.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Clark said softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders on the couch where they both still sat.
“Just thinking about how effortless your parents' marriage seems,” Lois replied. “But I know it isn’t effortless. I know now that it’s taken years for them to get to a point where it seems that way. I guess I was just realising that I didn’t know that before, you know? I just thought that if it was right it would just fall into place, but it doesn’t work that way, does it?”
“No, I don’t think it does,” Clark mused. “But if it helps, I guess I thought the same as you did. That because I love you so much, our relationship would just…work. I think it’s why I tried to rush it the way it did. Once you knew my secret, I felt that the last hurdle was gone. We were free to be together…to have the forever I always knew I wanted with you, but —”
“We couldn’t just pass go and collect our $200,” Lois replied with a nod. “I know. I’m glad, though. I think I like putting in the work. I got to know you first as a friend and partner. And then when I discovered your secret, I got to know you all over again. And we had to get to know each other as romantic partners. We’ve been learning so much about each other these past few days, and I’ve loved every second of it.”
“Me too,” Clark said as he pulled her close for a soft, lingering kiss. “Almost-living together has been pretty wonderful.”
“Seeing you naked doesn’t hurt either,” Lois said with an impish grin. “Finding out the suit does in fact come off has been pretty amazing.”
“Lois, my parents might hear you!” Clark exclaimed, looking both mildly scandalised and slightly embarrassed by the compliment.
“Only if your mom has super hearing as well,” Lois replied. “And I’m not fully convinced she doesn’t. Are you sure she’s not from Krypton too?”
“No, definitely Kansas,” he said with a laugh. “She’s just very perceptive. And I gather from the look on your face when I came back into the room that whatever she said must have given you…peace?”
“She’s not the only one that’s perceptive,” Lois observed. “But yes, peace. I’m getting there. Thanks to you and your parents.”
“What time should we head back tomorrow?” Clark wondered, giving the clock another quick glance.
“Later,” Lois replied. “I’m in no hurry. There’s really only one thing I need to do. Otherwise, I think we are set for the press conference.”
“I want you with Henderson,” Clark said. “When I take down Mills, I mean. I know you’ll want to be there, but I need to know you’re safe. Otherwise I can’t –”
“I know,” she interrupted softly, and a sense of knowing seemed to pass between them as Lois came to a fuller and richer understanding of the burden he carried and the lives that depended on him including her own. His shoulders seemed to sag with relief and the two of them settled into a comfortable silence, letting the peaceful sounds of the countryside wash over them as they felt their troubles melt away.
The following morning they awoke early and took their time in getting ready to leave. Martha made the most incredible pancakes from scratch. Lois raised an eyebrow at Clark as she watched him pour syrup all over his fourth helping. Though she knew he could eat whatever he liked, she had never seen him eat so much all in one sitting. It dawned on her that he had perhaps modified the amount he ate in front of her and other people in order to seem more ‘normal’. It was likely so ingrained in him, that even though they were ‘almost living together’, he continued to do it.
But here, on the farm…he was home. This was the place he felt most comfortable, surrounded by the people who accepted and loved him unconditionally and had always done so. And now she was included among them.
It also occurred to Lois that perhaps the reason he hadn’t truly allowed himself to feel this comfortable while they were ‘almost living together’ was because he was in her apartment — her home. Where they were going to live after the wedding was still a vague question mark. They had agreed to move the things she planned to keep into his apartment at first because it was larger, but hadn’t decided anything beyond that. And up until now, she had been okay with that. The future, after all, was full of change and Lois was not a fan.
But now, she was looking forward to it. Instead of fearing all the changes to come, she welcomed them.
“Lois, honey, you’ve barely touched your second helping,” Martha observed. “Are you full? I can put them in a container for you, though whether they’ll survive the flight, is anyone’s guess. Clark might just snatch them right out of your hand.”
“I promise to behave myself,” Clark said with a wink in Lois’ direction that said otherwise.
“They’re delicious, Martha,” Lois insisted, shoving a forkful into her mouth. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking…about pancakes.”
“Uh-huh,” Martha said, eyes twinkling. Lois was saved any further reply as Jonathan came into the kitchen, having completed the morning chores for the farm and eagerly helped himself to what was left of the pancakes.
Lois watched as the chatter resumed, still thinking about the wedding and the questions that lay beyond it. She suddenly found herself realising she didn’t want to decide which of her possessions she wanted to discard or keep as she moved her things into Clark’s apartment. She wanted the two of them to sit down and decide which bits and bobs of both their lives they would transfer over to a place that was neither his nor hers, and, if necessary, buy new things they could use to furnish it together.
She didn’t want to live in his apartment or for him to live in hers. She wanted a home that belonged to both of them. A home with a guest room for when Clark’s parents came to visit, where Clark could eat as many helpings of food as he wanted and where they could maybe someday start a family.
It was with these thoughts in mind that they said their goodbyes eventually to Martha and Jonathan and began their flight back towards Metropolis.
“You’ve been quiet all morning,” Clark commented as they flew slowly above the clouds. “What’s on your mind?”
“Family,” Lois said as she snuggled in closer against his chest. He didn’t say anything more, and Lois wondered if he was thinking the same thoughts she was.
