Thank you for the kind words and suggestions! They made my day.
++++
Martha was terrified; she had never seen her boy lose control. He mumbled something and was at Lois’ side in an instant, cradling her in his arms. She was trembling. Her father had yelled at her yes, told her he wished she had been a boy countless times… but he had never been so coarse or crude. And he had never called her a whore. And during the times when the drink pushed him past where he could control his words, she could almost always spot the real man, apologetic for the words he was saying. She could always forgive him, though it never allowed a callous to form on her heart. It just left tender flesh, brutally whipped time and time again.
But she didn’t think she could forgive him for the things he had just said.
How had Clark known she needed him? She thought idly. She didn’t care. He was crushing her against his chest. This was what she needed… the crass words of her father resounded relentlessly in her mind. “…hands and knees for… country hack….roll in the hay…”
That wasn’t it! That wasn’t it at all! To see her budding feelings so callously torn and ruthlessly exposed in such a blazing light made her shudder again and pull Clark closer.
“You’re not like that. You’re not like that,” the words were repeated by her ear and for a moment she wondered if it was Clark or herself speaking them. “I won’t let you go back to him. Stay with me forever.”
For a moment Lois believed him. She relaxed slightly in his arms, her mind rapidly clearing. She could stay in Clark’s arms forever… he knew exactly what to say…
What to say…
Lois gave a startled gasp and jerked out of Clark’s embrace.
“You…you…” She stood, backing up from him.
“Lois?” Clark stood, the red rage clearing from his head as well. He wracked his clouded mind. What had he said to make her back away like that? “Stay with me forever…” Oh. He inwardly groaned. He had probably scared her off. That was easily fixable. He moved a little closer to her, softening his voice.
“Lois… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to come on so strong. I was just so worried for you… what he said to you…”
And then, in a terrible moment of clarity, he understood.
“You—you listened in on my conversation with my father?”
Clark stood in mental anguish. He had been in such a rage over the words from Lois’ father, he had forgotten that there was no earthly way he could have heard them. Unless he had picked up the extension in the kitchen and shamelessly violated her trust.
Oh boy. He had known Lois long enough to figure that she did not give her trust lightly. And he had just shattered his one chance into a thousand tiny pieces.
Clark moved toward her, his mouth forming a soundless word. Lois backed away violently, glaring at him.
“You… you’re just like him.” And with that, she spun and fled as far away as she could from the most powerful man in the world, who currently didn’t feel like he had enough strength to hold himself up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clark Kent found out what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the infamous Lane fury.
The incident, as he had bitterly taken to calling it, had happened two days ago and Lois hadn’t spoken a word to him since. After she had run out of the room, she had curled up in a chair by the window, refusing to speak to anyone, even Martha.
Martha had been horribly confused, desperately trying to work out her son’s complex relationship. How had things escalated from good to war zone in a span of twenty minute?
Clark had run after Lois, but couldn’t even get her to look at him. After pleading with her for ten minutes, and being greeted with icy silence for each approach, he sullenly withdrew.
His mother had somehow wrestled the story from him, though he refused to repeat what Lois’ father had said. After an hour or so of staring aimlessly out the window, a sheen of angry tears in her eyes, Lois had gotten up and casually asked Martha if she could set the table.
Dinner was a solemn affair, Lois speaking only to Jonathon and Martha. Clark stared miserably at his plate, his food untouched.
Two days had passed. Lois seemed to be back to her old self, laughing with Martha, trying to help Jonathon… Except for Clark. She refused to speak with him. Clark walked around morosely, spending most of his time outdoors, chopping firewood and completing other unnecessary chores. Lois was staying in his bedroom, and every night she’d curl up in his sheets, fancying she could smell him on them.
It was miserable half lie for the both of them.
The roads had cleared sufficiently. After making a few calls, Jonathon had Lois’ car picked up by Jim McKinley, Smallville’s resident mechanic. While Jonathon was in town, Martha and Lois were sitting at the kitchen table, playing a game of rummy.
As Lois dealt, Martha regarded her carefully. She had never seen Clark quite this miserable. A small part of her wanted to be angry with the woman who had so casually broken her boy’s heart, but a larger part sighed in acceptance. Lois had a right to be angry, it was an extremely personal matter and she believed Clark had violated her trust. It tore Martha up inside to think that things like this might happen with a great frequency as Clark grew older. Picking up her hand, Martha idly arranged the cards by suite. Perhaps it was time to talk to Lois about it. She had built a sufficient level of trust with the woman, Martha being her primary companion for the past two days, and she felt that perhaps now she was willing to listen.
“Lois?”
Lois looked up from her close scrutiny of the cards. “Yes?”
“Can you look me in the eye and tell me I’m really the person you’d like to be with right now?”
A gleam flashed in Lois’ eyes for a moment that Martha had trouble identifying. Was it reluctance? Acceptance? Fear?
“Martha, of course I like being with you,” Lois avoided her eyes and played a card. “Your turn.”
“Clark didn’t mean to overhear you, Lois,” Martha said gently. She was treading on thin ice here. One slip and she might lose it all. “He just cares about you so much. I’ve never seen him so affected by anyone.”
“How could he not help it? He picked up the phone and listened in. How can I forgive him for that? That was my business, my private business,” Lois quickly swallowed angry tears. “I know it must seem silly, small and inconsequential, but my situation at home isn’t for any bored bystander to sit back and enjoy. If I had chosen to let him in, it’d be different, but I’m not ready for that yet!”
Martha leaned back in her chair. “Perhaps you don’t know the full story Lois. But again, it isn’t my story to tell.” Martha hated being so cryptic, but she needed Lois to understand. “Clark… he’s had such a rough time. He was hurt very badly when he was younger, I don’t think the pain ever really left him.”
Lois lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling ashamed for adding to his list of worries. She quickly squashed that feeling. He was at fault here, not her! But outwardly her words were soft. “About what was written in his yearbook?”
Martha shook her head sadly. “That was the least of it, Lois. Clark won’t tell you this, he hates pity, but I think you should know.” She took a deep breath, obviously hating the words she had to speak. “It was a boy, his best friend for so many years. They did everything together, absolutely inseparable. Then something happened and they fell apart, but Jeff, his friend, was not one to take it lying down. Jeff spread lies throughout the town. He said Clark was gay, that he had tried to come on to him.”
Lois furrowed her brow. “Clark is most definitely not--”
Martha cut her off. “I know he isn’t. But this is a small Midwestern town. Homosexuality isn’t as well tolerated as in urban cities. Suddenly the people Clark has known for years stopped talking to him. His friends dropped him like a hot coal. People whispered as he passed. He received a death threat.”
Lois bit back a strangled gasp and Martha continued. “The police traced it back to Jeff, but he was let off with a few hours of community service. Since it hadn’t been acted upon, and because Jeff was a minor at the time, the police regarded it as an idle joke and let it be. That all happened about two years ago, though Jeff and Clark had their falling out when they were fourteen. Since then, the rumor has been gradually accepted as just that, a rumor, but Clark’s never fully recovered. How can he trust the people who turned their back on him when he needed it most?”
Martha looked at Lois pleadingly. Both were blinking back tears.
“That’s awful,” Lois said thickly. “Clark…” She trailed off, mentally cataloguing his many wonderful qualities. His sense of humor, his beautiful smile, his loyalty, his quick wit... all in spite of the certain hell that had encompassed his teenage years. Perhaps she didn’t know the full story of why he had listened in to her. But at least it wasn’t done out of spite, he cared for her. Lois mentally revisited that terrible conversation. Clark had come charging in, ready to defend her honor. She mentally had to smile. He kept coming to her rescue at the moments she needed him most. And whether or not she still had a right to be angry with him, she had needed him after that phone call and he hadn’t let her down. But she hadn’t returned the favor. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain. She had been so cavalier with his feelings.
Lois stood up, the chair nearly toppling over.
“Excuse me Martha; can I take a rain check on this game? There’s someone I need to see.” Lois spoke the words firmly, grabbing her jacket from the hook outside the door and yanking open the back door.
Martha stood up slowly and watched Lois trek across the yard until she reached the barn. Clark was inside repairing the tractor. Martha had to smile when she saw Lois throw open the door and barge in. Yes… she had definitely gotten through to Lois.
