I did get to go see Sarah Palin earlier today - was gone from about 8 to 315. My feet hurt. Stood for the better part of 2 hours while there, but it was good and we had good seats. Am going to type it up and will post it in OT... [and heard a song that I just wanted to vid... *sigh*]
Thanks to Alisha, Beth, Nancy, CarolynK.
Last time:
Lois
I heard a noise that sounded something like a growl. "I told her to leave you two alone. She loves Clark, has for years and loved the idea of Clark and Lana together. But the three of you are adults now and anything that needs to be worked out needs to be worked out between the three of you not through parents." She paused. "If you ever need someone to talk to, we'll be here for you, but we're not going to fight your battles for any of you."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Clark, on the other hand, was fighting my battles. That's why we were in this deal.
"Well, Laura has a hard time accepting that this is between you and Clark and Lana and not her. Don't let her get to you."
"I'll try."
"Well, I'll let you rest some more. You have to take care of yourself and that grandbaby of mine."
"Yes, ma'am." I heard a key in the lock. "I think Clark's home. Do you want to talk to him?"
"Not right now. Tell him to call us sometime this week. He knows our schedule."
"I will."
"Bye, Lois. It was good to talk to you."
Clark walked in the room and shut the door behind him as I spoke. "Bye, Martha." His head shot up and his eyes were wide. "It was nice talking to you, too."
*~*36*~*
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
Martha? Had she been talking to my mom? And was that a good thing?
"Who was that?" I finally asked.
"Your mom. She seems nice."
"She is. Most of the time."
"I bet you didn't get away with much as a kid, did you?"
I laughed. It felt good. It had been a while since I laughed. "No. I swear she has eyes in the back of her head and even the barn cats worked for her. Nana and Pop Pop sure did."
"Nana and Pop Pop?"
"Her folks. We lived with them for a while when I was little. Usually she knew when I'd been doing something I wasn't supposed to but they sure confirmed it. Well," I conceded. "Usually. Pop Pop would let me get away with more than Nana ever did – I guess that's because she was a mom, too."
She stared at her hands. "I'm sorry you're in the doghouse with them."
I shrugged. "It's not the first time and it probably won't be the last." I set my backpack down and then sat on the loveseat.
"Still. You're only there because of my stupidity."
"What?"
She swiped at her eyes. "If I hadn't taken a drink from whoever it was that slipped me something, we wouldn't be here."
She had a point, but this wasn't her fault. "If you want to blame someone, blame whoever it was that drugged you and then had sex with you without your permission and apparently without protection."
"But Latislan was my fault."
"Because they have archaic laws and corrupt officials who bow to whatever whim the ruling general has? That's ridiculous." It was.
"It was my fault we were there in the first place."
Well, maybe. "But I went with you willingly and I'm glad I did."
She looked at me at that, questions in her eyes.
"What would you have done if I hadn't been there?" I asked her gently.
She shrugged. "I would have figured something out. Regardless, I'm sorry you're in trouble with your parents."
"It's okay." I stretched my legs out in front of me. The bed was close enough that I could prop my feet up on it. "What else did she say?"
"She was hoping we might be able to go to Smallville for Spring Break."
"I thought you were going skiing with your dad."
"I'm not going to be able to ski."
Another good point. "Are you going with him anyway?"
"Well, part of the whole 'pretending it's real' thing means we probably need to whatever we do together."
I'd forgotten about that. I knew we needed to pretend this was real, but the reality of that hadn't set in. Lois hadn't been feeling well enough to go to classes on Thursday or Friday so I'd spoken with the professors that we shared and she'd emailed all of them, so we hadn't been in public together since this started. Not really. I closed my eyes. That meant I was going to need to hold her hand or put my arm around her while we walked around campus and probably even kiss her hello or goodbye. The thought turned my stomach. It wasn't that Lois wasn't attractive – she was, that was one of Lana's chief complaints last semester – and I was sure that kissing her would be nice. Joe had sure looked like he enjoyed it. In fact, he'd often looked like he would enjoy more than that, but I knew Lois had always told him no. At least, kissing her would be nice under other circumstances. Kissing her under these circumstances, and in front of the woman who should be my fiancé right now...
Lana. I almost groaned. I had three classes with her. Lois was in two of those and the two of them had another class together. That was going to be fun. Lana had sat next to me in the big lecture hall for our biology lecture on Thursday, but somehow I didn't think that was going to work long term. I'd meant what I told her the day before. If we were alone together anytime soon, I don't know that I could stop myself from making love to her. I probably shouldn't have kissed her when I told her about me and Lois and I *really* shouldn’t have kissed her in the library.
Friday, we'd sat in desks next to each other in English Lit and Poli Sci. Lois was in both of those classes with us. I guess I'd probably end up sitting next to Lois and probably as far away from Lana as we could get. And those classes were back to back so we'd be walking together from one to the other which is where the handholding and arm slinging would have to come in. And I'd have to do it in front of Lana.
Of course, Lois and I were in another class together without Lana – something she hadn't been happy to hear about when we'd looked over our schedules together. I wasn't sure if they'd be easier or harder. We wouldn’t know anyone so maybe we wouldn't have to keep up as much of a pretense, but at the same time Lana wouldn’t be there either and, even though I knew Lana knew the marriage wasn't truly real to me, I also couldn’t let her see any cracks between me and Lois. Not now.
"Clark? Earth to Clark?"
I looked up. Lois was snapping her fingers in my direction. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I *said*, whatever we do for Spring Break we probably need to do together."
"Right. You're right." And she was. Which was why I'd told my folks that I probably wouldn't be home.
"So, your mom wanted to know if we could go to Smallville for Spring Break."
My eyes widened. "Are you sure you want to do that? I've told you what small towns are like. They probably won't be very nice to you."
I could see tears in her eyes. "I know and your mom said the same thing, but she also said that they'd like to get to know me and I could hide out at the farm the whole time if I wanted to."
I sighed. "How about a maybe for now? I'll talk to them and you think about whether you really want to make a cross country trip six months pregnant."
She nodded. "She also indicated that they weren't mad about last night – not after I told her why you had to go so abruptly. She said that me and the baby were more important than a conversation with them, but that they did want to finish it sometime soon. You're supposed to call them this week."
I nodded. "Well, she's right. You two are more important than a phone call." I shrugged. "You needed me."
"Yeah, I guess we did," she finally said softly.
"So did you get any rest?" I really hoped she had.
She shrugged. "I slept a little bit, but the phone woke me up."
"You should have told her. My mom would have understood even without knowing about last night."
"The first call wasn't your mom." She didn't look at me, but played with the comforter that was still pulled over her legs.
"Who was it?"
"Lana's mom." I almost couldn't hear her.
"What did she want?" I really wasn't surprised to hear from her, but I was surprised that she hadn't hung up when I didn't answer.
"To talk to you. You're supposed to call her."
I laid my head back. "I don't know that I will. She's always tried to interfere in my relationship with Lana. I mean, she always approved of me, but... She stuck her nose in if we were fighting or whatever."
"Your mom said not to let her. She told her to leave us alone – that it's between you and me and Lana, not her. But I guess she didn't listen."
I snorted. "Laura Lang doesn't listen to anyone but Laura Lang. And maybe Lewis from time to time. She certainly doesn't listen to Martha Kent."
"Why not? Your mom seems nice."
"But my mom's a farmer's wife. Laura is First Lady of Smallville and has been for as long as anyone can remember."
"Your mom sure seems smart."
"She is. She has a Bachelor's degree from UMKC and is getting her Master's but that's not the point. No farmer's wife is going to tell her what to do."
"That's... stupid," Lois finally said.
I nodded. "It's ignorant, is what it is, but that's Laura for you." I sighed. "I'm sorry if she gave you a hard time."
"Who? Your mom? She was nice as could be, especially given the circumstances."
"I have no doubt she was. My mom is very adaptable. I meant Laura."
"Oh. She didn't say much of anything, just to have you call her. But she was kind of snide about it."
Snide probably didn't begin to describe Lana's mom, but I let it drop. "So you didn't get a whole lot of rest did you?"
"Some." She shrugged. "Enough that I feel better."
"That's good."
"What about you? Where did you go?"
I sighed. "Great Wall of China," I finally said. It was the truth but I wasn't sure why I'd said it. We'd just had the first real conversation in over a week and I had to ruin it. I tried to back track. "I was studying. Thought that getting a jump start on the semester was a good idea."
She didn't look like she believed me but finally she nodded. "That's a good idea. I probably need to do the same thing."
"You need to get some rest." She suddenly looked more tired than I'd seen her in a long time – since we'd left Europe. "Tomorrow's going to be a big day with your first day of classes and everything." Regardless of how it happened, the doctor was right. She was my responsibility. Knowing Lois, she probably wouldn't see it quite that way, but that's the way it was. I leaned over and picked up my backpack. I pulled something out of it and tossed it on the bed next to her. "I got you some grape bubble gum."
The expression on her face was priceless. I could tell she wanted to be grateful, but she wasn't quite sure why she should be.
I couldn't help but laugh, which didn't help matters any. "The doctor said that some women find that grape bubble gum makes morning or whatever sickness easier."
She still looked skeptical and I raised my hands in surrender. "That's what he said, I swear."
She picked up the pack and stared at it. "Well, thanks then."
"Have you eaten anything since we got home?" I asked gently.
She shook her head. "I probably need to though."
"How about we start with some crackers and I'll see if I can't make some chicken broth? It's like soup but without the chicken and noodles. See how you do with that."
She nodded and I moved to my self-assigned task, hoping it would be enough to get something in her.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
I couldn't do this. I stood in front of the full length mirror on the door to the bathroom and realized that I wasn't going to be able to wear these jeans. They'd fit last week but now... Now, they steadfastly refused to button. I sighed and flopped back on the still unmade bed.
Clark emerged from the bathroom as I did so. "What's wrong?"
"My pants don't fit," I told him.
"That surprises you?"
"They fit just fine five days ago and they're my favorites." I covered my face with my hands, realizing but not caring at the moment that doing so raised my shirt enough that most of my rapidly growing stomach was showing and the fact that my jeans were undone probably meant my underwear was visible too. Right then, though, I just didn't care. I'd already done my makeup and I really didn't want to have to fix it. I didn't have time to anyway. And I still had to figure out what I was going to wear.
"Can I get something else out for you?" he asked me.
I shook my head. "No, I'll get up in a second and find something."
"Where's your first class at?"
"Lincoln. You?"
"Addison. Right next door. I'll wait for you and we can go together."
This was it. The start of 'real'. "Thanks." I managed to stand up and rummaged through the closet until I found a pair of tan pants with a drawstring waist. I turned my back to Clark and hoped that he wasn't looking as I tugged my jeans down. I put the pants on, fastening the flat hook and tying the drawstring. They were actually pretty comfortable. They wouldn't fit forever, but for now... For now, they'd work. I put my tennis shoes on, even if they weren't the best match now that I wasn't wearing jeans, but I didn't care. I grabbed my coat out of the closet and shrugged into it. I finally turned back to find Clark staring out the small window over the sink. "Ready?"
He turned and smiled at me. "Let's go."
Before I realized what he was doing, he'd grabbed my backpack as well as his and slung both of them over his shoulder. He opened the door and waited for me to go through before shutting and locking it behind him. By then, I was halfway to the elevator. We both smiled politely at the other couple standing there but none of us said anything. When we reached the ground floor, I headed for the front door when Clark's hand on my arm stopped me.
"Are you *sure* you want to walk?"
I glared at him as I shoved my hands into my gloves. It was the third time he'd asked me. "With traffic and one way streets, it'll take twice as long and the walk from the parking lot to the building is almost as long as walking from here. I promise I'll take the shuttle back if I need to."
He nodded and took my gloved hand in his. "Okay then."
It took about fifteen minutes to get to Addison and our path took us directly past Weller Hall. I don't think either one of us realized it until Lana stepped out in front of us. She looked right at us and even I could see the hurt in her eyes. Clark's hand tightened around mine until I wondered if he might actually break it. Once Lana turned away, his grip loosened. I glanced at his face but couldn't read what was written there.
Unfortunately, Lana and I were headed to the same place. Several months ago, I hadn't been thrilled to find out my first class of the week was with her and I really wasn't looking forward to it now.
She sped ahead of us and I unconsciously slowed a bit to give her more of a head start. I still thought I'd be early enough that I wouldn't get there and discover the only empty seat was right next to her.
Clark seemed to sense my hesitation and his steps slowed with mine. "It's going to be okay," he muttered, but I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or himself.
"Yeah," I replied without certainty. "Okay."
We reached the sidewalk between the two buildings and stopped. "This is it," he said without looking at me.
"Yeah." I chewed my bottom lip. What was he going to do? Kiss me? Kiss my cheek? My forehead? My... my lips were suddenly occupied. It was fleeting, but it was a real kiss.
"See you in a bit." This time he kissed the side of my head before taking my backpack off his shoulder and handing it to me.
"Bye." I watched him walk towards his building, then sighed and headed towards mine. I'd see him in little more than an hour, but Lana would be there too.
I was grateful to see that Lana was in the far back corner of the room when I walked it. She was avoiding watching the door, I was sure, but I also knew she was aware the minute I walked in. The instructor was already there, so I set my bag on a desk near the front corner by the door and dug out a doctor's note. I headed to talk to him.
"Dr. Whitt?"
He looked up and smiled at me. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm Lois Lane. I'm sorry I wasn't here last week, but I'm three and a half months pregnant and Friday was a really bad day for me." I handed him the paper. "I know it doesn't cover Friday, but I did spend part of the weekend in the ER because I was dehydrated."
He read it over and frowned. "It also says you're not supposed to be here until Wednesday."
"I know, but I really am feeling much better and I've been able to keep some food down both last night and this morning and with a good night's sleep... I don't want to miss any more than I have to and I'm afraid that another bad day might hit so I need to be here every time I can." I motioned towards my seat. "I'm planning on sitting near the door just in case, but I hope I don't have to run out."
He nodded. "Keep me informed of any time you need to miss and we'll see if we can work something out if you do miss anything big." He pulled a few papers out of folders on the table. "Here's the syllabus and some other information you need. I trust you're capable of reading it over so I'll let you do that. If you have any questions, please ask."
"I will. Thank you."
He stopped me as I turned, handing me a piece of paper. "Just in case you do get sick, could you write down who would be best to call if you need someone?"
I took the paper and wrote down Clark's name and the number of the room he was in during this class. "That's my husband. He's just right across the way if anything happens." He thanked me and I returned to the desk I'd staked out and waited for class to begin.
An hour later, I was the first one to bolt out the door. I wasn't sick; I just wanted to make sure I avoided Lana. It wasn't going to be easy, I knew. Our next class was together. With Clark. So was the one after that.
He wasn't there when I got to the classroom, so I took a desk near the front door for the same reason I had in the other class and then went to talk to this instructor as soon as she walked in the door. I saw Lana come in while I was deep in conversation and, hot on her heels, was Clark.
Okay, that might have been a bit of a stretch, but he came in just a minute after she did.
He was leaning against the wall when I moved back to my desk. I realized that all the spaces around me were taken. And I was nervous. Was he going to kiss me here? In front of everyone? In front of Lana? Wouldn't she know it was fake? I remembered how he'd kissed her when they met in our shared class last semester and I knew he wouldn't go there.
He pushed away from the wall as I approached, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I'd never seen him do that to Lana.
"Hey," he said quietly. "How was class?"
I shrugged. "Fine. Both profs have been pretty understanding so far." I glanced at the clock. Three minutes. I looked around the room. There were a couple of seats together but they were all the way in the back and nowhere near a door. "Do you want me to move?"
He shook his head. "You need to be near a door, just in case. I'll try to get here earlier next time and get a seat next to you." He leaned down and kissed my temple, then moved until his mouth was next to my ear. "I'm sorry. I know we need to be more convincing than that, but I just can't." His voice wavered a bit as he spoke.
"It's okay," I whispered back. "The whispering probably goes a long way anyway."
He pressed his lips against the side of my head and was gone.
This class went much slower than the last one. I knew I would enjoy it – I loved reading and had read several of the books on the reading list already. The problem was that I couldn't see Clark or Lana and had no idea if they were anywhere near each other or exchanging longing glances or what.
I shouldn't care, I told myself, but I did. I didn't want to be played for a fool. Even if they stayed together secretly, I prayed they could avoid each other in public.
*****
TBC
