Okay - I have a new chapter outline/timeline worked out and a schedule to try to get it done in. If all goes as planned, I hope to be done BEFORE Christmas [you'll note that I was supposed to post the last chapter of OTOH by early next week to get UP in this year - yeah that's not gonna happen...]. That should get the final post in before New Year's unless it grows on me again... /sigh/
Seriously. Why do I do these things to myself?
Oh, right. I had no freaking clue when I started...
Thanks - as ever - to Alisha, Beth and Nancy.
[Note: this chapter is a little odd in that it's all Clark but by the time I finished what I wanted to with him, it didn't make any sense to switch so here 'tis...]
Last time:
Lois
His little arms were around my neck a second later. "I wuv you, Mommy."
"I love you, too." I held him for a long minute before pulling back. "And now it's time to go back to the farm, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
I straightened up to find Clark had picked Nate's seat up.
"You ready?" he asked.
I nodded, holding my hand out to Christopher.
As we headed for the door, I saw something in the reflection.
Lana.
Watching us.
*~*120*~*
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
I didn't see why Lois had to go home.
I mean I understood that we had to get up early and the boys would travel better if they had a good night's sleep but I was surprised at how disappointed I was that she was leaving. She made good points about how she didn't really know anyone and she didn't want to take any of us away from the reception but still...
Granny offered to take them home, but Lois insisted that she wanted to – and I knew she was tired. Nate's current eating schedule had taken a huge toll on her. Granny even agreed to be my partner in the dance contest in a while. I hadn't line danced with Granny in a long time – it would be fun at least.
Of course, Christopher started to throw a fit when Lois said it was time to go.
He said something to her that I didn't catch but the look on his face said enough.
"Come on," she said to him, holding out her hand. "Let's go."
"*No*!" he practically yelled, plopping himself down on the ground.
He knew better.
I picked him up, throwing a sympathetic glance at Lois as I did. "You're coming with me, young man."
He kept his arms folded in front of him as we headed into the hall. I set him on his feet and squatted in front of him.
"Is that how you're supposed to talk to Mom?" I asked him.
He didn't answer, the defiant look still on his face.
"Chri-stopher." I knew he didn't miss the warning tone. "Is that how you're supposed to talk to Mom?"
He shook his head slightly but still didn't say anything.
"What are you supposed to do when Mom tells you to do something?"
"Do it," he muttered sulkily.
"What do you say when Mom tells you to do something?"
"'es, Mommy."
"Do you think you need to go tell Mom something?"
He nodded. He really was a good boy most of the time, but he did have his moments. I was glad they were few and far between.
"What do you need to tell Mom?"
"I so'y fo' not yis'ning."
"That's right." I pulled him towards me. "Thank you listening to Dad. I love you."
"I wuv you, Daddy."
"You ready to go find Mom?"
He sighed. "Wanna stay wi' you."
"I know but tomorrow we have to go on a plane, remember?"
"I don' yike p'anes."
Why didn't that surprise me? "I know. I don't either. Will you hold my hand?"
"Mommy hol' you ot'er han'."
"Mom'll hold my other hand," I confirmed. "But right now you need to go home and go to bed, okay?"
He sighed. "'Kay."
I stood up and held out my hand. "Come on." He put his hand in mine and we headed towards the entrance where Lois had finished being sidetracked by nearly half of Smallville.
"He has something to say to you," I told her when we got there.
"I so'y fo' not yis'ning, Mommy," he said.
Lois set Nate down and squatted in front of Christopher. "Thank you for saying you're sorry."
He gave her a big hug. "I wuv you, Mommy."
"I love you, too." Lois held him for a long minute. "And now it's time to go back to the farm, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
I picked up Nate's car seat and we headed out the door. When we got to the rental car, I stuck his seat in the base and buckled Christopher in while Lois stowed everything else.
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "Stay and have fun. You don't get to see these guys very often."
"You're sure?" I asked again.
She rolled her eyes as she sat in the car and turned it on. She pushed the button for the passenger window as she closed her door. "I'm sure. I'll see you later. Just bring me a piece of cake."
Of course she'd want a piece of cake. "Will do. I'll see you in a little while. And Mom said she'd get up with Nate tonight since it's our last night here and that way you can get one more good night's sleep."
"Tell her thanks. I'll probably be out by the time you guys get there."
"Okay." I leaned in the window. "Bye, bud. Be good for Mom," I added sternly.
"Bye, Daddy." Christopher waved as Lois pulled off.
I headed back inside, wondering how long until the dance contest.
"Clark?"
I turned, startled at the voice that stopped me before I made it inside. "Lana?"
"I wanted to talk to you for a minute."
I shifted uncomfortably. "How about inside?"
"I'd rather talk where we can't be overheard. No one else needs to hear our business."
I sighed and moved backwards slightly so that I was in full view of anyone looking out the door.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm just not sure it's a good idea for me to disappear with my ex-girlfriend right after my wife pulls out of the parking lot."
"Doesn't she trust you?"
I sighed. "Yeah. She trusts me. I don't know that she trusts you or us together, but she trusts *me*." I ran a hand through my hair. "She saw us at the library," I told her. "The week after we got married and..."
"I remember. I was there," she interrupted. "That was when you told me she was pregnant but it wasn’t your baby. I've seen Christopher, Clark. He might as well be your identical twin, just a bit younger."
"I know. He *is* my son, but we didn't know that at the time."
"From the cabin?" she asked quietly.
I nodded. "Just once. I never meant to cheat on you." I shoved my hands in the pockets of my Dockers. "It was the first night when we both nearly died. Neither one of us really remembers what happened that night – just that it did."
"What about the rest of the time?"
"What I told you then was true. The second night, I wasn't feeling well still and fell asleep when I went to check on her and the fourth night she had a nightmare."
"You told me later that you weren't completely clothed those nights." She didn't look at me.
"I wasn't wearing my shirt either night," I explained. "But nothing more than sleep happened those nights. I swear. Except the one night that I still don't really remember, I never cheated on you and I hate that you think I did deliberately. That wasn't how it was and I'm so sorry that you got hurt."
"It's a bit late for that," she said quietly.
"I know."
"Why'd you marry her if you didn't think he was your son?" She swiped at her cheeks.
"Because Navance was going to make her his concubine and raise Christopher to be just like him. And if she'd had a girl..." I practically shuddered at the memory. "You don't want to know what he said he'd do if she had a girl."
"Ah. Why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have liked it but... You didn't trust me that much?"
I sighed. "I trusted you, but Lois and I had said that we wouldn't tell *anyone* the whole truth, just that we found out she was pregnant with my baby and so we got married. Sam didn't know until the semester was over and my parents didn't know until after he was born. I told you more than I should have. She was my wife and no matter what was going on with you and me, I betrayed her trust and I shouldn’t have done that. That's why I retracted it later." I stifled a scream and ran my hands through my hair. "I did it again." I looked at her earnestly. "No one else knows that we didn't know he was my son. You're the only one and I shouldn’t have told you all that. I shouldn't have confirmed that we didn't know."
"I wasn't really surprised when I found out it was you two in Latislan," she said suddenly. "I remembered it being on the news and someone said something about wouldn't it be funny if it was you two since you'd disappeared together. I thought of it again after you told me you'd gotten married, but forgot all about it until after Pop Pop's funeral." She finally looked at me again. "It wasn't me. I don't know who told, but it wasn't me. I may have wondered but I didn't *know* and I wouldn’t do that to you or Christopher."
"But you would to Lois?"
She shrugged. "Who can say? She never liked me and I never liked her, but it's a moot point since she's your wife and Christopher's mom." She sighed. "You're a great dad," she said quietly. "I always knew you would be."
"Thanks. You're going to be a great teacher."
She switched topics suddenly. "Do you love her? Are you in love with her? Like you were with me? Or was everything we had a figment of my imagination?"
I sighed and thought for a minute before answering. "There's lots of different kind of love, Lana. I really was in love with you – I never lied to you about that. And I do love my wife and our sons." I wasn't sure why, but it was important to me that she knew both of those things. And I avoided the 'are you *in* love with her' thing.
She nodded and swiped at her cheeks. "I never really meant it you know – when I said I could never play step-mommy to her kids. If we ever had ended up back together like you told me we would, I would have loved them because they were your sons."
"I know," I said quietly. "You don't have it in you to hate any kids."
"And you never had it in you to turn your back on a friend in trouble."
I heard the door open. "Clark?"
I turned. "Yeah, Mom?"
"There you are." She turned to see who I was talking to. "Hi, Lana."
"Hi, Mrs. Kent."
"Granny's looking for you," she told me. "They're about to start the competition."
I nodded. "I'll be right in."
"Lois and the boys get off okay? Christopher had a little bit of an attitude, it looked like."
"Yeah. She's supposed to call me when they get there. It's dark and she still doesn't drive around here very much. And he apologized to her before they left. He knows better than to talk to her like that."
"Just like you knew better than to play in the barn after bath time?" She was smirking as she said it.
I rolled my eyes at her. "Something like that."
We heard the DJ make the announcement about the contest.
"That's my cue," I said. I turned back to Lana. "I'm glad you got the job – you'll do great."
"Thanks." She wiped her cheeks again. "Go on. I'll be in in a few minutes."
I nodded. I put my arm around Mom as we walked inside.
"Are you sure that was wise?" she asked quietly as soon as we were inside.
"I made sure anyone anywhere near the door could see me. She was right, though, if we'd talked inside everyone would have been straining to hear what was said." I sighed. "We cleared the air about a couple things and that's it. I promise. And I'll tell Lois about it as soon as I can." My phone vibrated in my pocket. "I bet that's her."
"Come on, Kent!" Pete hollered. "You're holding this thing up."
"Just a second," I hollered back, pulling my phone out. I pushed the button. "Hey."
"Kent!"
"Hang on, Pete!" I called. "Sorry," I said back into the phone. "You make it home, okay?"
"Yeah, only one wrong turn," Lois said. "Who's hollering at you?"
"Pete. They're ready to start the competition but they're waiting on me."
"Go on. I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay."
"Bye." She hung up before I could say anything else.
"You, too," I said to the dead air. "See you soon." I needlessly pushed the end button and stuck it back in my pocket. "What are you guys waiting on?" I asked finding Granny on the dance floor.
Fifteen minutes later, Rachel's niece and Pete's nephew won the competition. As the flower girl and ring bearer, they were definitely the cutest couple.
I shared a dance with each of my grandmas and Mom, then Rachel.
"I'm sorry Lois had to leave early," she said as we danced.
"Me, too. But we have to get up early in the morning to catch our flight back to Metropolis. The boys won't travel well at all if they don't get a good night's sleep and Nate's been keeping her up a lot lately."
"I'm so glad he's doing well. Pastor Gary prayed for him nearly every Sunday for months, especially the week before his surgery."
"Well, that's as good a reason as any for his recovery. Thank you," I said sincerely. "That means a lot."
She nodded. "That's what friends do. He's a doll – and tiny enough to be one still, too. And Christopher is cute as a button."
I laughed. "Thanks. I'd take full credit but Lois is the one who's sacrificed a lot for them."
"I heard that it was pretty rough on her. What are you guys doing after graduation? Lois doesn't strike me as the stay-at-home-mom type."
I laughed again at the thought of Lois as June Cleaver. "She loves them like crazy, but no, she's not. We both have jobs at the Daily Planet unless we screw it up in the next few weeks."
"That's great. Your dream job. Writing for the best newspaper in the world."
"Yep."
The music stopped and someone else claimed Rachel for the next dance.
I went back to a table – no one was where they were originally anymore – grabbing a glass of water on my way. Pete sat down next to me a minute later, followed by Josh and a couple other guys from high school. Before we knew it, we were reenacting football plays from high school.
Not long after that, Rachel sidled up to Pete and whispered something in his ear. A grin crossed his face.
"My bride has just informed me that if I'm bored enough to run football plays then it's time for us to go find something more entertaining to do."
Rachel turned eight shades of red. "That is *not* what I said."
He shrugged. "Close enough and you're right." He kissed her and all of us whooped, drawing the attention of the small crowd that was left. "It's time for us to go spend some real *quality* time alone."
He stood up and grabbed her hand, whistling loudly as he did. "Ladies and gents, it's time for us to *go*! Take the birdseed home for the birds; we're not waiting long enough for some line to form." With that, he tugged on her hand, both of them laughing as he practically ran them out the front door.
The rest of us laughed, too.
Josh smacked me on the back. "Speaking of quality time, I think it's time I found my wife and had some of that myself." He'd gotten married over Thanksgiving weekend - because of Nate's surgery and everything else, we hadn't made it. I was supposed to have been in the wedding, but he'd understood when I backed out at the last minute.
I laughed. "See ya later."
"You ready, Clark?" Mom asked.
I nodded. "Let's go."
Dad grabbed Mom around the waist as I trailed them, heading towards the door. Mom laughed as he whispered in her ear and I was glad I couldn't hear what he said, though I could make a pretty good guess. Hearing would be turned *off* for the rest of the night.
I sighed.
It seemed like I was the only one not going home to make love to my wife.
*****
TBC
