From Part 14
The clock had moved more than five minutes when Lois spoke. “I have an idea,” she said.
Clark looked up, hope flooding him that she had found some illumination that could guide them through this quagmire. “What?”
“I think we should go into the Planet for a few hours,” Lois said. “I need to talk with Ian and Perry and catch up with the stories that will run into this week.”
“And I should get up to speed too,” Clark agreed. “Try to hunt down some possible leads for tomorrow.”
“Then I think we should take in a movie this afternoon. Something light ... a comedy, maybe.”
Clark stood and offered her his hand.
She stood and hugged him. “We’re in this ... whatever *this* is ... we’re in it together.”
Clark resisted the urge to sigh and produced a smile for her. “We’re together, honey,” he said. “And that is all I want.”
Part 15
A week later, they were no closer to a decision. Lois and Clark had returned to the Planet. Lois had asked Ian if he was interested in dividing his time between reporting and taking on an assistant editor role to lessen her workload. His response had been very positive – working with Perry had been great for his development and self-confidence.
She’d had two late nights in the week, but the other three, she had been home early enough to enjoy the evening with Clark.
From her desk at the Planet, Lois had often caught herself glancing through the glass door to Clark’s desk. Their eyes met across the room numerous times and always resulted in a shared smile. He brought her coffee. He kissed her. Touched her.
Lois felt like Clark had returned to her.
And it was wonderful.
Through the closeness, they had talked.
And talked.
And talked.
And made very little real progress.
Clark’s parents hadn’t called.
Lois knew they wouldn’t. They would do nothing to appear to be trying to influence the decision. She appreciated the space. But it didn’t make the decision any easier.
They had moved through so many stages.
There had been a time on Tuesday when Lois had wanted to go ahead and Clark had been plagued with doubts. A few hours later, as they lay in bed, their positions had switched. On Wednesday evening, they had both been sure they should not do this, only to wake up on Thursday morning, convinced it was the answer to their dreams.
Now it was Saturday morning. They had eaten breakfast and read the papers and then lingered over a second cup of coffee.
Lois looked up from her drink and saw that Clark was looking at her.
He smiled encouragingly, probably expecting she was going to say something – something about Martha’s proposal – something that had, more than likely, already been said multiple times.
Lois returned his smile. “I think we should go and visit Lucy and the boys.”
“Any specific reason?”
“A few,” Lois replied. “Firstly, we haven’t seen her this week and I really want to be there for her as she comes to terms with being a single mom. Secondly, we haven’t seen nearly enough of our nephews lately. And thirdly ...”
“Thirdly?”
“There is something about children that helps to cut through the extraneous stuff and get straight to the crux of an issue.”
“Let’s go,” Clark said as he drained the last of his coffee.
“We could get some chocolate fudge ice-cream on the way,” Lois said. “The boys love ice-cream.”
Clark grinned. “*Just* for the boys?” he teased.
“Well, I doubt they could eat an entire tub, so they might need a little help from their aunt.”
“Come on, Aunt Lois.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “Chocolate fudge ice-cream and the nephews await us.”
||_||
There was no response to their first knock. The second knock was met with a red-eyed, teary Lucy. She stared at them, seemingly unsure how to respond to their presence. “Ah ... come in,” she said finally.
“Is this a bad time?” Lois asked.
“No,” Lucy said. “Yes.” She pushed a tremulous smile through her tears. “It is a bad time, but I’m so glad to see you.”
They stepped into her home and from up the stairs could hear muffled crying.
“They haven’t stopped crying,” Lucy said dolefully. “Ethan was up until two o’clock and then when I finally got him to sleep, Tyler woke up and I just couldn’t settle him.” She winced as the screams surged again. “I have done everything I can for them and I just needed a few minutes of silence, so I put them in their cribs and came downstairs.”
Lois gave her sister a quick hug. “Are they sick?”
Lucy shook her head. “They have no symptoms,” she said.
“Do you know what has upset them?”
Lucy’s eyes filled again. “Dan came last night. It was late – he probably thought the boys would be asleep. They weren’t and that made him angry and he wanted to take some things from the house and I told him I didn’t think he had the right to just come here and take whatever he wanted and he got angrier and we ended up screaming at each other and then he left ... and it feels like the boys haven’t stopped crying since.”
Clark stepped up to Lucy and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go up there and see what I can do,” he offered.
“No,” Lucy said wearily. “I’m their mother, I’ll do it.”
Clark put a second hand on Lucy’s other shoulder and masterfully turned her away from the stairs. “You go with Lois,” he said. “She’ll make you coffee or whatever else you want. Just forget about the boys for awhile. I’ll look after them.”
The relief was stark on Lucy’s face. “Are you sure?”
Clark nodded. “It’s a nice day. Is it OK if I take them outside? Even if they keep screaming, it won’t seem so loud out there.”
“Thank you,” Lucy said with shaky gratitude.
Clark hurried up the stairs and Lois guided Lucy to the kitchen. “Do you want coffee or ice-cream?” Lois asked.
“Ice-cream?” Lucy said with a teary smile. “It’s not even lunch time yet.”
“Does that matter?” Lois asked.
Lucy chuckled. “Not today, it doesn’t.”
Lois hunted through Lucy’s cupboards and found two oversized bowls and heaped the ice-cream into them.
“Thank you,” Lucy said as she took her bowl.
They sat together. “Is every day like this?” Lois asked. “Or is this particularly bad?”
“This is particularly bad,” Lucy said. “Although I can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel completely exhausted.”
“There are two of them and only one of you.”
“Yeah. I’m realising that more than ever.”
“Has Dan said anything about taking them?” Lois asked. “For a few hours? Have you done anything about custody arrangements?”
“Roxy doesn’t like children,” Lucy said flatly.
“But Dan loves the boys.”
“I get the feeling that at the moment, Dan can’t see anything beyond Roxy. I think he’s found his true love.”
Lois checked her sister’s face for bitterness, but found none. “But he’s said he will see them?” Lois said. “He will take them sometimes?”
“He said he will, but when I pressed him to make a definite time, he said he needed to check with Roxy.”
The sisters ate in companionable silence for a time. Through the closed kitchen door, they heard Clark and the boys coming down the stairs. One of the boys – Lois wasn’t sure which one – was still crying, but Clark was talking cheerfully about all the fun they were going to have when they got outside. When Lucy put down her bowl and began to stand, Lois placed a firm hand on her sister’s arm. “Sit down,” Lois said. “If Clark can’t handle them, he’ll say so. Meanwhile, you’re having a break.”
Lucy collapsed back into the chair with a deep sigh.
“Are you OK?” Lois asked with concern.
Lucy nodded, again fighting back the tears. “I am now I have ice-cream,” she said in an attempted joke.
“Do you think Dan not being here has unsettled the boys? Do you think it will get easier when they get used to the new living arrangements?”
“I know it has unsettled them,” Lucy said. “Ethan asks for ‘Dada’ all the time.”
“That must be hard.”
Lucy nodded sadly. “As for whether it will get easier ...” She shrugged. “Not in the foreseeable future.”
“Have you thought about childcare?” Lois asked. “Just for an afternoon? You are going to need a break.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Lucy said. “But right now, I don’t want to add something else that is unfamiliar. And I’m worried that if I leave them somewhere, even for just a few hours, they will think I have left them, just like their dad did.”
They could no longer hear the boys crying. Occasional sounds floated in from the back yard, but nothing that sounded like tears. Lois noticed Lucy seemed to be relaxing. “We can stay for a few hours,” Lois said. “Would you like to go up and try to get some sleep?”
“No, thanks,” Lucy said. “I’m exhausted, but not sleepy at all. I’m too tense.”
“OK,” Lois said. “Would you like coffee?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Lois stood and filled the coffee maker. “Have you told Mom?” she asked. “About Dan leaving?”
She heard Lucy sigh. “Yeah.”
“No surprises?”
“No. It was just as bad as I had feared.”
Lois turned and rested her hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Luce. That can’t have been easy.”
“She covered an amazing amount of ground - most of it without noticeably drawing breath. It started with the fickleness of the entire male population and quickly moved to my chronic lack of wisdom in choosing a husband and then moved to a lot of advice about being a single mom and finished with a stern warning that if I didn’t do the job properly, my boys would grow up to be no better than their father.”
Lois slipped back into her seat and caught Lucy’s eyes. Without warning, they both erupted into giggles. Lois heard the edge of hysteria in her sister’s laughter, but figured it would help her to relax, so made no effort to restrain her own humour.
When they had laughed uncontrollably for a length of time more suited to a pair of teenagers, they dabbed at very wet cheeks with clumps of tissues and steadfastly avoided meeting each other’s eyes, knowing that would be a catalyst to further foolishness.
Lois stood and escaped to the relative decorum of the coffee preparation. When she put the steaming cup in front of Lucy, there was still a smile on her sister’s face.
“I needed that,” Lucy said.
“Don’t worry about anything Mom said,” Lois advised.
“Thanks.”
“Luce?”
“Uhm?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“If you had known this would happen – if you’d known Dan would find someone else and leave, would you have still married him? Would you have still had the boys?”
“Yes,” Lucy said without hesitation.
“You sound very sure.”
“I am.”
“But ...” Lois gestured towards the back garden. “But Luce, this is going to be so tough for you. The practicalities of looking after two small boys by yourself ... and that’s without all the emotional baggage of Dan’s unfaithfulness and betrayal.”
Lucy nodded her agreement. “But what’s the alternative?” she said. “If I hadn’t married Dan, the boys wouldn’t be here.”
“So, no regrets?”
“None.”
“Even with Dan showing minimal interest in the boys?”
“Lois, I took a risk,” Lucy said. “Deep down, I knew Dan and I didn’t have the sort of can’t-live-without-each-other-love that you and Clark have. But I was tired of being single and tired of looking for a good man to share my life. In some ways, that risk backfired. Dan has left me and he’s in love with Roxy. I’m angry and I’m hurt and sometimes I wonder if I can do this. But I have two beautiful boys and I wouldn’t be without them for anything in the world.”
“Even when you get no sleep all night?” Lois asked with a smile.
“Even then.” Lucy stood and stared out of the window for a moment. She reached over and took the bright pink hair tie from the window sill. “I know my life would be easier if I were still a carefree single girl who had never married,” she said. “I know it’s hard enough to find a good man without having two young boys as part of the package. But I also know I wouldn’t swap back, even if I could.”
“Clark and I will help you.”
Lucy smiled her thanks as she finger-combed her hair and then bunched it into pony-tail. “Are you considering IVF?” she asked.
Lois tried to stifle her surprise at the directness of the question.
Lucy shrugged. “Sorry,” she said. “But after you said that you and Clark wanted kids and nothing has happened, I wondered if you’d thought about other ways. You don’t have to answer; it’s none of my business.”
“If I had the chance to have a child, do you think I should take it?”
Lucy turned back to the window. “Come and look at this.”
Lois stood next to her sister. Clark was tumbling on the lawn with the two little boys crawling over him. She could hear their squeals of laughter.
“Don’t ask me what you should do,” Lucy said. “Ask what is in your heart and what is in Clark’s heart and find your answer there.”
“Are you saying Clark would make a great father?” Lois said. “Or are you saying he makes a great uncle and we should leave it at that?”
Lucy put her hand on Lois’s arm. “Only you can answer that,” she said.
“I don’t know the answer,” Lois admitted ruefully.
“You will,” Lucy said, with a gentle squeeze of Lois’s arm. “You will.”
||_||
After coming home from Lucy’s, Lois and Clark stood side-by-side preparing their evening meal.
“Did it work?” Clark asked as he chopped up vegetables to add to the chicken stir-fry.
Lois cleared away the scraps from the vegetables. “Did what work?”
“Did being with the boys clear away the junk and make it easier to see the real issue?”
“No.”
Clark glanced sideways with a smile. “Oh,well, it was a good day anyway.”
“Do you want more days like that?”
“Yeah,” Clark said. “Lucy is going to need our help.”
“That wasn’t what I meant,” Lois said.
“I know.”
Lois reached across him and turned off the heat under the pan. “I want to go and see your parents.”
“Now?”
She nodded. “Now.”
“To ask them questions?” he said. “Or to tell them ... what?”
“I want to talk with them,” Lois said. “Specifically, I want to talk with your mom. I want to know exactly how she feels about this.”
Clark quickly completed cooking the chicken with a zap of heat, cooled it with his breath and put it in the fridge. “Ready?” he said.
Lois smiled, feeling less confused than she had in days. “Ready.”
||_||
Jonathan Kent was in the barn. The last of the animals had been fed and he only had to put away a few tools and do a final check before heading to the farmhouse for dinner with Martha.
They hadn’t heard from Clark and Lois.
The passing of time had brought Jonathan to the conclusion that they would not accept Martha’s suggestion.
He didn’t know if he were disappointed or relieved.
Martha believed they were just taking the time to make the right decision.
Jonathan didn’t know if she would be disappointed or relieved either.
Then he heard footsteps – footsteps too heavy for Martha. He looked up and saw Clark.
“Hi, Dad,” Clark said.
“Hi, son.” There was awkwardness between them. Awkwardness that had never been there before.
“How are things?” Clark asked. “Are the animals all OK?”
Yep, awkward. “Everything’s fine,” Jonathan said. “How about you?” Normally, he would ask after Lois too. But that just didn’t seem as easy as it used to be. What *did* you say to your son after you’d offered to inseminate his wife?
“Good. We’re good.”
“How’s work?”
“Good.”
Jonathan dragged his eyes from the far wall of the barn and looked at his son. Their eyes met and Jonathan saw all of his own uncertainty and indecision reflected in his son’s face. Then, with three quick steps, Clark came to his father and wrapped his arms around him. Jonathan held his son close.
“Thank you, Dad,” Clark muttered. “Thank you.”
“You’re ... you’re going to do it?”
“I don’t know. But thank you.”
They pulled apart and both smiled hesitantly.
“Dad,” Clark said. “I need to know if you really are OK with this.”
Jonathan went to the rough hewn log that had served as a seat since before Clark had come into their lives. He sat down and waited for Clark to sit next to him. “I’m OK,” Jonathan said. “I’m concerned about Martha and you and Lois. But I’m OK.”
Clark looked at him searchingly. “Truthfully?”
Jonathan nodded. “Yes, son. Truthfully. When your mom first raised the idea, I felt like I’d been kicked in the head by a bull. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that if it’s what you and Lois want, it’s OK by me.”
“What has Mom said?” Clark asked. “Does she feel pushed into this because she was worried that Lois and I were going to divorce?”
“She would do anything if it meant you stayed with Lois.”
Clark sighed. “That’s what I thought. So ... she doesn’t really want this ... she’s just feels she has to do it?”
Jonathan took a deep breath. “No, son. I don’t think so. I think she really wants to give you and Lois the chance to choose this if it’s what you want.”
“If we decided to go ahead, would she be all right?”
Jonathan chuckled. “Have you ever met a woman like Martha who wouldn’t be over the moon at the thought of a coming grandchild?”
Clark’s smile broke suddenly. “When you put it like that,” he said.
Jonathan stood. “We should get over there. I need to wash up before dinner.”
Clark stood too. “I love you, Dad,” he said.
Jonathan put his hand on Clark’s shoulder and together they walked from the barn.
||_||
“Martha, are you all right with this?”
Martha turned from the gravy she was stirring with a small smile. “I assume you’re talking about the one thing we’re both thinking about and have so carefully avoided mentioning?”
Lois nodded. “I need to know why you suggested it.”
Martha sat down next to Lois. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what Clark told me. Then this idea came from nowhere. At first, I thought we couldn’t do it. I thought I couldn’t suggest it.”
“But you did.”
Martha gave a little shrug. “I wanted it to be your decision. You and Clark. If I’d said nothing, I’d made the decision for you.” She looked directly at Lois. “I’m sorry if I put you in a difficult position, Lois. Jonathan and I discussed whether we should tell you first, or tell Clark first ... then we decided that the only way was to tell you both and trust you to make the right decision together.”
“I admire your ...” Lois stopped, not sure exactly which word best described what Martha had done.
Martha smiled suddenly. “Recklessness? Impropriety? Lack of discretion?”
Lois smiled too. “Is Jonathan truly OK with it?”
“He is,” Martha said with quiet certainty. “He’s a little embarrassed, but he also wants it to be your decision.”
“Martha, I want you to be honest with me,” Lois said sombrely. “Are you really OK with Jonathan fathering a child that isn’t yours?”
Martha put her hand over Lois’s. “Honey, I’ve known for forty-five years that nothing could ever challenge my place in Jonathan Kent’s heart.”
The door opened and Clark and Jonathan came in. Martha jumped from the table with a little squeal.
“What wrong, honey?” Jonathan said.
Martha turned from the stove with an anguished look. “We have lumpy gravy,” she said.
Jonathan chortled as he went over to his wife and encompassed her in a big hug despite her frantic efforts to redeem the gravy. He bent low to kiss her cheek. “I like lumpy gravy,” he said.
Martha swatted his arm. “Go and wash up,” she said, smiling again. “Dinner’s nearly ready.”
||_||
They ate the dinner Martha had prepared with something close to normalcy. Martha and Jonathan *were* comfortable to be around. The food was, despite the gravy, delicious. The atmosphere was cheery and relaxed. The talk was of normal things like the farm and the Planet.
It was almost possible to believe that nothing had changed.
But something had.
Lois knew it.
She knew Clark knew it.
She knew Clark’s parents knew it.
It sat between them like a huge unopened gift. A gift that had been given, but not accepted.
After they had eaten and cleared away, Lois edged closer to Clark. “Walk with me?” she said.
Clark looked to his parents. “We’ll be back soon,” he said.
“Take as long as you like,” Martha said cheerfully. “I’ll have the coffee pot on for when you get back.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Once outside, Clark took Lois’s hand in his. “Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“I want to go to the place where your parents found you,” she said.
“OK,” he said. If her request surprised him, he didn’t show it. “Walk, fly or drive?”
“Drive and then walk,” she said.
“I’ll get the keys from Dad and be right back.”
||_||
Clark stopped the truck near the gate to Shuster’s Field. He helped Lois over the gate and took her hand as they began the short distance to Rocky Cove.
Lois was silent as they walked, but Clark could sense a new purpose, a new certainty in her manner. He strongly suspected that she had made her decision.
Clark wondered what she had decided. When she had suggested they visit Lucy, he had thought that perhaps being with the boys would influence her towards accepting his parents’ offer. Then, things had been so chaotic at Lucy’s, he’d thought it would have the opposite effect. He’d been aware that Lois and Lucy had talked while he played with the boys, but he had deliberately kept himself from listening.
He’d known, almost from the moment his mother had spoken, that the ultimate decision had to rest with Lois. Sure, if he’d had a strong and definite aversion, he knew Lois wouldn’t force him into accepting their offer. But in the absence of such feelings, he’d known the decision would be Lois’s.
He would certainly accept her decision without question if she didn’t want to do it.
And if she decided she did want to ... he’d known for a long, long time that he couldn’t deny Lois anything if it were within his power to give it to her.
So, what had she decided?
And what was he hoping for?
He expected that Lois had decided against the idea. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was her sudden serenity. As they neared Rocky Cove, Clark tried to imagine what he would be feeling as they walked back ... their future decided.
He realised with profound shock, that he would be devastated. Somehow the hope had taken root within him and grown despite the choking vines of confusion and qualms. It had flourished in the background, almost unnoticed as he had battled to bring clarity to the possibilities and wisdom to the decision they faced.
He realised his grip on Lois’s hand had tightened and he consciously loosened it.
She must have noticed because she glanced up and smiled at him. Clark saw a quiet peace in her face. Yes, she had made her decision and she was happy with it.
So, whatever it was, he would accept it.
Because Lois was happy. And there was nothing he wanted more than that.
She stopped and faced him, taking both of his hands. “It was here, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Right here where a spaceship landed carrying an alien baby.”
“I’ve been thinking about your parents a lot,” Lois said. “About the risk they took in taking you in.”
“Risk?”
“Well, they must have known you were from another planet. I mean, the fact you were in a spaceship would have been clue enough, but if they had thought there was any chance you were from Earth, they would have known that there were parents somewhere who had lost their baby boy and would have taken you to the authorities.”
“I guess so.”
“And while they couldn’t have expected you to develop the powers, they must have known there was the definite potential for some surprises.”
“Yeah.”
“And one very real possibility ... which did happen ... was that if others ever came here from your planet, either hostile or friendly, they would look for you.”
“That’s true.”
“If they’d turned away from you, think of all they would have missed.”
“Think of all I would have missed.”
Lois put her hand on his face and looked into his eyes. “Ten years ago, I was wary of loving anyone. I didn’t want to get hurt again and, for a time that seemed more important than anything else. But you changed my mind ... and saved me from missing out on being in love with you.”
Her eyes, her touch, her words – they conveyed her heart. With a surge of pure, impossible joy, Clark knew ... they were going to do this. “You’ve decided,” he breathed.
She smiled, and her smile warmed every part of him and infused him with glowing excitement. “I’ve decided what I would like to do.”
“What *you* want to do?” Clark said, trying to keep a tight rein on his emotions. “Or what you think *I* want to do?”
“I want *us* to have a child,” Lois said. “I had thought ... hoped ... that I had subdued that desire enough that we could live happily without children. And I think I did.”
“But?”
“But now we have been offered a chance ... and I want to take it.”
“Lois ... there are risks.”
She laughed – freely and exultantly – head thrown back with joy. “Of course there are risks, Clark,” she said. “But it seems to me that people who choose to live risk-free miss out on so much.” She grinned impishly. “And no one has ever accused Lois Lane of being too cautious.”
Clark threw his arms around her and swung her in a fast circle. Then he kissed her, but it was a clumsy effort because he just couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. He knew she was smiling too.
They separated just enough to see each other’s faces. “What do *you* want to do?” she asked, her smile beaming.
Clark pulled his smile enough that speech was possible. “I want to give you the world,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
She smiled and lovingly grazed his cheek with her fingertips. “But you want this? For you? Not just for me?”
Clark nodded, as emotion pushed hard into his throat.
She smiled and her excitement shone in her eyes.
Clark wanted to just look at her - to commit how she looked right now to his everlasting memory - but something within him urged him to speak. “Lois,” he said roughly. “I want you to know that whatever happens, I am with you. Always.”
Her fingers draped down his face. “I know,” she said. “And that’s what makes this possible.”
Clark felt another wave of emotion. “You know ...” He stopped and fought for the control and coherence to express something of his feelings. “You know ... you and Mom and Dad, you have given me everything. I’m an alien on a foreign planet, yet from the first day, they gave me love and acceptance and protection. And then I met you ... and you talk about their risk, but Lois, you took a huge risk, not just in loving me, Clark Kent, but in loving an alien ... and actually marrying me ... giving me the chance to be married, to fit in, to be just like everyone else. And now this ... again, the three of you are combining to give me far, far more than any alien has the right to expect.”
“You’re not an alien,” Lois said gently. “You’re their son ... and my husband ... and maybe one day, someone’s daddy.”
Clark looked into the face of his wife – the woman he would always love more than anything. “I love you, Lois Lane,” he said.
“And I love you, Clark Kent.”
