Thanks again to my wonderful betas!
From Chapter 36
“Can I ask you something?” Superman asked, wanting to know the answer to a question he had been dying to ask his own mother when this happened.
Martha swung her head around to look at him.
“Why are you waiting a couple of days to come to Metropolis? Why not come today and tell him now?”
Martha smiled, “I'm angry at him for not trusting me. For not knowing better how I feel. Maybe it's unfair, but I need a few days so I can tell him this without making it worse by getting upset.”
Superman nodded his head. “Can I tell him? That you're not having an affair, I mean?”
Martha nodded. “Of course. I don't like the idea of him hurting. I'm just… so angry at him for needing to be told.”
“Everyone needs some reassurance sometimes,” Superman said softly.
Martha smiled at him. “Thank you for listening to me, Clark,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Really. I appreciate it.”
Superman smiled, then he headed back to Metropolis.
Chapter 37
“Jimmy, it's okay to have an affair when your husband is a brutal sociopath,” Lois said.
“No!” Clark said, just a shade too sharply. “It's not okay. It's never okay to have an affair.”
“Clark?” Perry asked sounding concerned.
“CK?” Jimmy echoed.
“Clark, what are you blathering on about?” Lois asked, annoyed that the attention had fallen off of her story and onto Clark.
“Nothing,” Clark mumbled before staring at the paper in front of him some more.
“You know what your problem is, Clark?” Lois asked.
“What?” Clark asked, seeming wholly uninterested in whatever it was that Lois had to say.
“You don't understand. You've never been carried away by passion before.”
Jimmy laughed. “And you have?”
“Yes, I have,” Lois said, sounding wounded.
“Has it really only been a month?” Lois asked breathlessly between kisses.
“No idea. I stopped looking at a calendar after day two. It just… the days were so long,” he said in reply as breathless as Lois had been.
“Just stay here,” she said, holding him tightly. “Don't go back. Don't go anywhere. Just stay here forever.”
Chad smiled against her neck before he kissed her there again, moving to dart his tongue into the hollow of her throat. “If you stay here with me, that won't be a problem.”
Neither said anything for a few more minutes, until Lois softly said, “Let's not wait anymore, Chad.”
“Hmmm?” he asked, his mouth now on her ear.
“Make love to me,” she whispered.
“Really?” Chad breathed into her ear.
“Really.”
Chad leaned up to pull his shirt over his head quickly before moving back to capture her lips with his own. “Lois,” he whispered reverently as his hands made their way to buttons on her blouse.
A second later, two buttons undone, he backed away and stood up. “We can't do this,” he said, his tone repentant and pained.
“What?” Lois asked, confused by the fact that he was suddenly standing by the side of her bed.
“We promised we wouldn't do this. We would never make this decision in the heat of the moment. If we want to revisit the decision that's fine, but only when we're both clear headed,” he leaned over to hold the top of her blouse closed, “and fully clothed.”
Lois buttoned her blouse back up, but looked at him with wide eyes. “That was before…”
“I know, baby,” Chad, with his shirt back on, said as he sat back on the bed. “But nothing's really changed.”
“I know,” Lois said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I know.”
“You're right, Lois,” Clark said sarcastically. “That's my problem. I don't believe that it's okay to cheat on your spouse as I've never been swept away by passion before. As if that's an excuse.”
“What is with you today?” Lois said, sounding annoyed.
“Nothing. Everything's just peachy,” Clark replied before turning back to his computer.
***********************
“Jonathan,” Superman said softly as he landed. The sound had startled the older man from the staring into space he had been doing.
“Oh, Clark. Sorry, I was sort of lost in thought,” Jonathan said.
“I was just in Smallville,” Superman said softly, sitting beside Jonathan on the couch.
Jonathan turned towards him with interest. “How is she?” he asked.
“Funny,” Superman smiled. “The first question she asked was about you.”
“It was?” Jonathan said, sounding doubtful. With a sigh, he said, “I need to do something. Go to the gym or something. Become more like the man she married.”
“Did she marry you for your body?” Superman asked gently.
Jonathan gave a small laugh. “I can't imagine that she did. I was always kind of… soft.”
“So, why did she marry you, do you think?” Superman asked.
Jonathan shrugged. “I have no idea. I wasn't nearly good enough for her. But I loved her to death. Still do. You know, she gave up her dreams for me. Martha wanted to move to Kansas City and have a career. She did not want to be a farmer's wife. But she did. Because she loved me.”
“Loved you? You think she doesn't love you anymore?”
Jonathan shook his head. “I can't imagine that. I can't imagine Martha not loving me anymore. It feels like she's loved me for as long as I can remember.”
Superman smiled. “I think it's best that you not tell Clark this, but just so you know, she's not having an affair.”
“She's not?” Jonathan asked.
“No,” Superman smiled, shaking his head. “Of course she's not.”
“Did she tell you about the fight we had before I left?”
“No, but she did say that the reason she wasn't coming here right away was that she was upset and she wanted some time to calm down.”
“It was pretty foolish of me to think she was having an affair,” Jonathan admitted, looking out the window. “Martha's the most loyal person I know.” Superman nodded. “Why can't Clark know?” Jonathan asked.
Superman shrugged. “I'm not sure. It may make no a difference at all, but just in case. In an effort to preserve the timeline or whatever. The truth is that when this happened in my universe, it threw me. I'm not sure if it had any impact on anything, but just in case.”
“Is Clark upset?” Jonathan asked.
Superman gave a slight laugh. “He thinks his mother might be having an affair. Of course he's upset.”
Jonathan grimaced. “I shouldn't have gotten him involved.”
“No,” Superman said. “It means a lot to him that you trust him enough to come to him when you're having a problem. The family the three of you have is important – it's what makes us who we are. A Kal-El raised by someone other than Jonathan and Martha Kent may not be Superman.”
“Kal-El?”
Superman grimaced. “Sorry. Another thing you can't tell Clark. It's our name. Or was – our Kryptonian name.”
“You know your Kryptonian name?” Jonathan said.
“Yes, well… I'm sorry,” Superman said as he tilted his head to listen more closely. “I need to go.”
“Good night, son,” Jonathan said. “Thank you.”
Superman nodded. “No, thank you. You and Martha have been great. Really.” With that, he took off.
***********************
“Tell me the biggest secret you have,” Lois demanded.
“What?” Clark replied in confusion.
“Tell me the biggest secret you have!” Lois insisted. “I'm about to tell you the biggest one I have and I need leverage.”
“Haven't we been through this before?” Clark asked. “When Trask was here?”
“Yeah,” Lois rolled her eyes. “And as I recall, you didn't say anything that time either.”
Clark sighed. “I think my mother is having an affair.”
Lois gave a dramatic sigh. “That's barely a secret. My dad had so many affairs when I was growing up, I couldn't keep count.”
“Lois, my parents have been married for thirty years.”
“Being married has nothing to do with having an affair,” Lois said. “Here in Metropolis, affairs are part of marriage.”
“Well, not in Smallville,” Clark said, starting to feel annoyed. Taking a deep breath, though, he tried to calm himself. It was easy to forget sometimes that he and Lois came from different worlds. “I'm sorry, Lois, but the fact that my mom might be having an affair is a big deal. My parents brought me up to believe that marriage is forever – as is the fidelity that is promised along with it.”
Lois smiled at him, patting him on the arm. “Okay, Smallville. So that's the best you can do?”
“So, what's yours?” Clark asked, ignoring her question.
“Eugene Laderman is hiding in my apartment.”
“What?!” Clark screamed and pulled away when Lois grabbed his arm.
“Stop screaming!” she said.
“Lois, the man is a wanted felon. For murder. Why would you allow him to be hiding in your apartment?”
“He's innocent, Clark,” Lois insisted and her voice was softer now, more pleading.
“Lois…”
“Just come by tonight. Listen to him and see if you still think he's guilty.”
***********************
Later that night, Clark followed Lois back to the newsroom.
“So?” Lois asked as they entered the Daily Planet building.
“I'm sorry, Lois. I don't believe it.”
“What?! Clark, were you there with me? Did you see Eugene?” Lois asked outraged.
“I'm sorry, Lois. Just because Eugene claims he's innocent doesn't mean he is,” Clark said.
Lois sighed. “What happened? When did you become such a cynic? You're supposed to be the one in this partnership that sees the good in everyone.”
“Well, maybe not everyone has good in them,” Clark countered.
“Does this have to do with your mom? You found out your perfect little world isn't so perfect and so now poor Eugene is guilty?”
At Clark's look, Lois backtracked. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “That was uncalled for. How is your dad?”
Clark shrugged. “I don't know. I haven't seen him. As you may recall, I've been with you all day.”
“Clark, you don't really think your mother is having an affair, do you?” Lois asked. “I mean, she doesn't seem the type.”
“Who's the type to have an affair?” Clark asked.
Lois shrugged. “I'm not sure, but your mom doesn't seem like it to me.”
Clark sat down heavily. “To me either, but my dad said he saw her touching another guy's arm.”
“What?!” Lois shrieked. “All this because your mom touched another guy's arm? Clark, that's crazy. Do you realize how many times a day you touch my arm? That doesn't mean we're having an affair.”
“It's different,” Clark said a little defensively. He sort of realized Lois was right – his dad had over-reacted and he had just followed along. “We're not married to someone else.”
“Still,” Lois said. “It doesn't need to mean anything.”
Clark nodded. “I know you're right. But my dad is so worried.”
“That doesn't mean that your mother is having an affair,” Lois pointed out.
“I know,” Clark admitted.
***********************
Clark watched Lex carefully. This seemed like a dangerous pastime. “What happens if you miss?” he asked.
Lex looked at him thoughtfully. “Let's see, Mr. Kent. The clay pigeon weighs about two ounces and we're about fifteen hundred feet above street level. I would guess with the force of gravity, if it were to hit someone on the pavement, they would be killed. But it would be instantaneous. They wouldn't suffer.”
Clark glanced at Lois to see what she thought of this, but, of course, she was not paying attention.
“Luckily, I never miss,” Lex smiled at Clark before turning his attention to Lois.
“Hello, my dear,” he said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“So, about Henry Harrison,” Lois said. “He was an employee, wasn't he?”
“Yes,” Luthor said. “He was an ambitious and talented man when I hired him. It's a shame about the murder.”
Now, of course, Lois was all ears. Clark wondered how someone as smart as Lois could miss so much when they were around Luthor.
***********************
“Mom!” Clark said, happy to see his mother when he arrived home.
Martha smiled, giving him a large hug. “How are you?”
“I've been better,” he admitted. “Are you really having an affair?”
Martha raised her eyebrow at him. “What do you think, Clark? Do you think I'm having an affair?”
“No, but Dad…”
“Your father is a wonderful man, but he's not always very secure. You shouldn't let his wild fantasies guide your thoughts.”
The door opened as she finished this sentence and Jonathan entered holding a bouquet of flowers. “You're here,” he said, smiling.
“Are you happy to see me?” Martha asked wryly.
“Always,” Jonathan said. “I'm sorry. I should have known better.”
“Yes, you should have,” Martha said, but her voice was not stern. “You know you have always been the only one for me. And you always will be.”
“I saw the way he was looking at you, Martha,” Jonathan said. “I know it was foolish, but I got scared.”
“First of all, I'm old enough to be his mother,” Martha said smiling at him. “And second of all, he's not you. Do you know why I love you?” When Jonathan did not immediately jump in with an answer, Martha moved even closer to him. “Because no one understands me better than you do. And the only reason that you understand me that well is because you try – because you care. I know that you'll accept me no matter who I am or what I do.
“Jonathan, I don't want to stop growing or having new experiences. And I know that makes you uncomfortable, but just be there for me, the way you always have.”
“I always will be,” Jonathan said as he bent down to give his wife a kiss.
***********************
“Well, go ahead,” Clark said.
“With what?”
“What? No "I told you so'?” he asked.
“About what?” Lois smiled. “Your parents or Eugene's innocence?”
“Either,” Clark smiled back.
“You don't really need to hear it, do you, Clark? You know you were wrong. Very wrong. And cynical. On both counts. I mean you don't need me to remind you that your mother was not having an affair. And that despite your cynicism, Eugene Laderman was innocent as I said he was. That not only did he not murder Lena's husband, but he also used his knowledge of Henry Harrison to prevent the deployment of a computer virus that would have brought the country to its knees, do you?”
“So you don't feel the need to point any of that out?” he said with a smile.
“As long as you realize that you were wrong and I was right – on both matters, no need,” Lois smiled as she grabbed her coat. “Good night, Clark.”
Clark laughed at the self-satisfied smile on her face. “Good night, Lois.”
