Last time:
Clark
"How're you doing, Clark? Really? I know this isn't the life you'd planned – not even close – but how are you really doing?"
I stared at the barn. "It's hard," I finally said. "The apartment's a hole; it's being shut down for renovations in May for a reason, but I don't have a clue where we're going to go and there's very little available that our scholarships will cover so we're probably going to have to pay for it out of pocket. School's fine. I've got four classes with Lois, two of those are with Lana, too. I've got another class with Lana that Lois isn't in. I'm doing fine in all my classes. I got a job at the Daily Planet a few weeks ago – in the mailroom. It's not glamorous but it's a paycheck. I don't think it's going to pay for an apartment and childcare and all that." I sighed. "To be honest, things aren't great with Lois. A lot of that's my fault – I know that. I've been avoiding her a lot because even though I made the decision to marry her for the sake of the baby and I still think it was the right thing to do, I resent her and the baby at the same time because it's *not* the life I was planning on."
"Clark..."
I hurried on. "I know. It's not right. It was my decision. She didn't pressure me or anything like that." That much was the truth. "*I* was the one who suggested we get married. *I* was the one who made the arrangements. *I* was the one who bought the rings." I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I know I need to make more of an effort. I need to get to know her better and she needs to get to know me if this is going to work." That was true, too; even though it was only going to last about five years, we were going to have to get along or we were going to be absolutely miserable.
"You finally got what you always wanted," Dad said after a few minutes. "A family. Not the way you planned but..."
"Yeah."
We heard Mom calling from inside and I picked up the cooler as we went in.
*~*47*~*
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
Well, the evening hadn't been *horrid*.
Martha and Jonathan seemed like very nice people and I could see how Clark turned out to be a good guy.
But now... Now it was time for bed. They'd just gone to their room after saying good night and Clark had shown me his room.
With the twin bed in it.
I sighed. How were we supposed to manage that?
Clark came in just then. "Dad said they put the air mattress in here for us." He looked around and found it sitting with the stack of stuff they'd brought in earlier. "Said there was no way that we'd want to sleep on my old bed."
I shrugged. "Probably not."
"He also said they're planning on going to church in the morning, but for us to sleep as late as we wanted."
"*That*," I said with a yawn, "I will take them up on."
"Yeah." He shut the door behind him.
That made me slightly uncomfortable. Not that I wasn't safe with him or anything like that, but I'd never been in a guy's room, with the door shut and his parents right across the hall before. Even if he was my husband.
"They didn't figure we'd want to go anyway. Mom meant what she said about hanging out here all week if you want. You probably don't really want to go exploring Smallville just yet."
I shrugged. "Maybe some other time."
He nodded and set to work on the air mattress. While the pump was running, he moved close enough for me to hear him over the noise. "Listen, if you want to take my bed, that's fine. It'll probably be a lot more comfortable than this thing. I mean, it's not bad and great for camping or whatever, but it's not a real bed."
What he didn't say was that the two of us could spend the night in separate beds for once. That we wouldn't have to sleep together. I could only hope that we'd get two hotel rooms on the way back to Metropolis and then we could do the same thing.
Except that sleeping on his bed was a bad idea. It wouldn't be good for one of his parents to look in sometime tomorrow and realize that it had been slept in.
"Why don't you take the bathroom first," he said. "And I'll finish getting this set up."
I nodded and he pointed me in the right direction. I decided against a shower – I could take one in the morning while his parents were gone and I was exhausted. It amazed me how tiring twenty-some hours sitting in the car could be. I brushed my teeth and changed clothes before heading back to my home away from home for the next week.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
I sighed as I turned the pump off. I picked up the sheet Mom had left and put it on the mattress.
I heard Lois leave the bathroom and pushed the mattress against the wall, flipping the other sheet over it. I tossed our pillows on it before digging out something to sleep in.
Lois walked in wearing some of her own pajamas. I wasn't sure why that relieved me.
I didn't say anything as I left and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When I made it back, Lois was nowhere to be seen. I finally realized that she'd taken her pillow and blanket and was sound asleep on the floor on the other side of my bed.
What was she thinking? I'd told her she could have my bed so that she'd be more comfortable, so why was she on the floor? I thought she'd jump at the chance to sleep in a real bed and alone, too.
Did I want to move her? I should. She'd wake up stiff and sore in the morning if she slept there all night. I pulled the covers down and then carefully picked her up. After setting her on the bed, I covered her up.
I flopped – carefully and using a bit of floating power so I didn't pop it – down onto the air mattress and after staring at the stars – through the ceiling – for a long time, I finally went to sleep.
I woke up when my parents were getting ready for church. Lois was still sound asleep and I was careful not to disturb her.
I grabbed my laptop bag and ran a hand through my hair as I yawned my way down the stairs. "Morning," I mumbled as I walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, honey," Mom said, giving me a big hug. "How was the air mattress?"
"It was fine. Lois fell asleep on my bed and I didn't have the heart to move her." That was close enough to the truth.
Mom frowned slightly. "Well, Dad and I were talking about getting a new bed sometime soon. We can move our old one in there once we do. That'll be more comfortable for you two."
I left my arm around her shoulders and she left hers around my waist as I poured a cup of coffee with my other hand. "Whatever works for you guys. I don't know when we'll make it back out here with the baby and all."
She rolled her eyes. "Once you tell her everything, you'll be able to come whenever you want, even if it's just for a few hours or an overnight."
I sighed. "That's on my 'to do' list for the day, I promise."
"I know it is." She glanced at the clock. "We've got to get going." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "We should be home about noon. Granny's going with us, but she's eating lunch up here and looking forward to meeting Lois."
I grinned. I'd missed Granny. "We'll see you then," I said. "Do you want me to fix something or..."
Mom shook her head. "Brisket's in the cooker."
I sniffed the air. "Smells great already. How am I going to wait till noon?"
Mom gave me a mock glare as she headed for the door. "If you don't, I'm going to tan your hide."
"Good luck with that." I took a long sip of my coffee.
Mom had left biscuits on the counter and gravy in the fridge. I checked on Lois' heartbeat and, assured she was still asleep, warmed it up with my vision then poured it over the biscuits. I opened my laptop and scrolled through my paper on Mark Twain. I was almost done with it when Lois wandered down the stairs.
"Good morning," I said.
"Must you be so chipper?" she groused.
"It's nearly 12:30 in Metropolis," I pointed out.
"So?" She poured herself a cup of coffee and doctored it.
"Mom said they'll be home about noon," I told her, changing the subject. "Granny Kent's coming over for lunch. She's looking forward to meeting you."
She groaned and sat in the chair across from me. "How many family members am I going to be on display for?"
"You're not going to be on display. And Granny's the only one coming as far as I know. Since she lives in the small house across the yard, she eats here pretty often."
"She lives across the yard?"
He nodded. "She lived in this house for a long time, until my folks got married, I think. Then she moved across the yard to the house where my Grandpa Kent's parents had lived once she married him."
"I see." She took another sip. "What about... Nana and Pop Pop? Grandma Davis? I think, I think you've mentioned them before."
I shrugged. "I don't know what the plans are. I'm sure they'd all love to meet you, but I also don't think any of them want you to feel uncomfortable either."
"Well, I think we're a bit late for that." She pointed to my computer. "Twain paper?"
I nodded. "Almost done."
"Wish I could say the same about the English paper."
I hesitated. Maybe that was the answer. I didn't know how to *tell* her about myself; maybe I could let her read my paper. That would at least get part of it out of the way. I'd written two versions of it – the one I was going to turn in and the one that told the real story. There was no way I could turn in the version that had me arriving on earth in a space ship. That was the version I was going to give to my parents, in part, as a way to say 'thank you' for everything they'd done; to tell them I understood what they'd done and why they'd done it and... even though they wouldn't realize it, part of the reason why I'd married Lois, why I was claiming to be the father of her baby, why I'd broken Lana's heart.
I realized Lois was still speaking. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I asked what the plan was for today."
"Ah. Well, lunch probably around 12:30 or so after they get back. Hang out with my folks and Granny. I can show you around the farm if you want. Do some schoolwork, whatever." I took a deep breath and finally blurted it out. "And later, I need to talk to you about something."
"What?" she asked as she stood up and walked to the counter to get a biscuit.
I sighed. "Something that, if we were more conventional, I should have, and would have, told you a long time ago. But I didn't tell you, in part, because I was scared to and... for a lot of reasons that I hope you'll understand once I tell you about it."
"Are you still seeing Lana?" she asked, without looking at me.
It didn't register for a second. "What?" I asked, incredulous. "No. And after yesterday, she probably won't talk to me for a very long time."
"Sorry."
"I wouldn't do that," I said, fiddling with my coffee cup. "I know you said it was okay for us to keep seeing each other but when we got married I promised you my fidelity and I meant it. Besides the whole 'if he finds out it's not real' thing, I wouldn't break my wedding vows."
She nodded.
"It has nothing to do with Lana. It's something Lana doesn't know." I paused, wondering how much to reveal. "I would have told her after we got home from Europe but..." I heard tires crunching in the yard. "They're back."
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
Granny Kent was a lot of fun.
That was my first impression of her as she climbed down out of the truck when they got home from church.
She was a slight woman, probably five foot tall in her bare feet, and she was one of the ladies I'd once heard called 'the little blue haired Jesus ladies' except her hair was snowy white. She was wearing a nice white blouse - which was all I could see at first since she was on the other side of the truck, but as she came around the bed, I could see that my very first impression of a stereotypical 'blue haired Jesus lady', wasn't accurate.
With the fairly plain white blouse came a pair of rainbow capris, bright red knee high socks and a pair of black patent leather Sunday shoes.
Somehow, she pulled it off. I hoped I'd be able to do that someday – wear whatever I wanted and look great doing it. If I remembered what Clark had told me once, she was in her early-seventies, but she looked great.
I'd smiled shyly at her when we were introduced, but immediately she hugged me for all she was worth. When she pulled back, she was *chatting* for all she was worth about being so glad to meet the young lady Clark had married and how she was looking forward to having a great-grandchild. She promised to go through the photo albums with me sometime during the week and tell me all kinds of stories about Clark as a kid.
She'd insisted on sitting next to me during dinner, telling Clark he could sit by me whenever he wanted.
Once lunch was over, she'd asked me to walk her home and I obliged. She told me that a nap in the afternoon was part of her routine these days. I confided in her that it was often part of mine.
When we'd reached her porch, she'd turned and studied me to the point that I was a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Then she'd said something that confused me. She said that Clark was a very special man – what grandma didn't think that? – and that, while Lana was nice enough, he needed a very special woman and she'd never thought Lana was right for him. Apparently, I'd measured up to whatever standard it was she had.
When I made it back to the main house, I discovered that Clark had gone to help his dad do some work and Martha asked what I wanted to do. After a few questions, she admitted that she did have some work to get done and I told her to do it. I needed to work on my English paper.
I managed to get a couple pages written from my perspective on the death of my mom and sister, but that was about it.
I felt quite anti-social as I holed up in Clark's room working – or trying to work – but Granny, as I'd been practically ordered to call her, was still at her house; Martha was somewhere else working on whatever kind of art she did; and Clark and his dad were off on the farm somewhere, so it wasn't like there was anyone else to do anything with.
Finally, I gave up on the paper and logged into the wifi network using the password Clark had written down for me. I checked my email and then surfed the web a bit, reading a couple new chapters of NCIS fan fiction that authors I trusted – trusted to write decently and actually finish their stories – had posted new chapters on.
I heard stomping outside on the porch and then voices downstairs. It sounded like Clark and Jonathan were back from wherever they'd been. A few minutes later, I heard a female voice join them.
I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall and stretched my legs out in front of me on the bed. I shouldn't have been surprised the Clark had moved me off the floor and onto either his bed or the air mattress, but I still was.
"Hey."
I glanced up, startled, to see Clark leaning against the door jamb. "Hi."
"Get anything done?"
I sighed. "A couple pages on the English paper, but that's about it."
"Still blocked?"
"Yeah." I played with the hem of my shirt. "It's a pretty painful time in my life, but I think if I can get through it and get it on paper, it'll be a good one. Better than like, my first date with Joe or the official version of how we got together or something."
He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Well, dinner's ready. Leftovers from lunch, if you're hungry."
I stood up and headed towards the door. "Sounds good to me."
"And after that..." He sighed. "We need to go find a quiet place to have that talk."
*****
TBC
