Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

One Little Mistake

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • One Little Mistake

    Author: phoenixnz
    Title: One Little Mistake
    Rating: PG (for now)
    Pairing: Clois
    Characters: Clark, Lois, Chloe, Lex, Martha, Jonathan, Lana, OFC

    Summary: One little mistake can change an entire life.

    a/n: I know I should be updating the other story, but thanks to my binge-watching another show, I got inspired. Let's just say that this first chapter is based on the background of this show I've been binge-watching, but I have no intention of copying the main premise of the show.


    Annie Harrigan had a secret which she had never told anyone, but the moment she saw the young girl on the doorstep of the Smallville Inn, she knew she had found a kindred spirit, of sorts.

    The Inn was normally closed for two weeks in the height of the summer. It was a rather old building, having been built well before the Civil War, in the early days of Kansas. It had once been a stately home but had been refurbished in the late eighties when Bed and Breakfast places in out-of-the-way towns became the rage.

    Miss Harrigan - Bubsy to her friends - was a spinster in her early fifties. Almost everyone in Smallville had once asked her why she had never married and she had spoken of a love affair when she was young, but she had never given any more detail. Some speculated that the absent lover had been sent off to Vietnam and had never returned, but still, she never confirmed it.

    None of that mattered that August day when she found the teenager almost passed out from the heat on her doorstep with her baby daughter in her arms.

    There was nothing remarkable about mother and daughter, other than the fact that the infant had a shock of thick, dark hair and the most intense blue eyes that almost seemed to bore through whoever she was looking at. She was a rather cute little girl, even at four months. No doubt she would be a heartbreaker when she grew up, Bubsy declared to herself.

    “I’m sorry,” the teen mumbled as she sat on the step. “I …”

    “Goodness. How did you get here?” the older woman asked.

    “Bus,” was all the girl would say. She was clearly suffering from heat exhaustion, her face flushed and sweaty.

    “You must come in out of this heat before you faint from dehydration, dear.”

    “I don’t want to … I mean, I …”

    The spinster shook her head and waved her hand in slight impatience. “Oh, pssh … I know you think you’re imposing but come in before you both get heatstroke. I insist,” she added firmly.

    She helped the girl to her feet, careful of the baby in her arms, and led her inside. She sat her down in the parlour, making sure she was in the coolest part of the room, before going out to the kitchen to find a pitcher of lemonade. She returned to find the girl trying to comfort the baby, which had started to cry. The infant’s cheeks were very red and she appeared to be also suffering from the heat.

    “You can’t be hungry,” the girl was saying. “I just fed you. And your diaper’s not wet.”

    “Perhaps she’s feeling the heat, love,” Bubsy told her. She set the pitcher and a glass on the table next to the armchair and reached out. The girl flinched. “It’s all right,” the older woman assured her. “I just want to check her temperature.”

    “Oh. I’m sorry.” The girl visibly relaxed and sat back. “Are you a doctor?”

    “No, but I was a nurse before I took over the Inn.” She felt the baby’s forehead. “She’s hot but I think it is just the heat. Babies her age are prone to heat rash. How long have you been gone?”

    “Gone?” the girl asked, frowning. “Um …”

    “When did you run away?” she prompted gently.

    “A month ago,” the teen said quietly. She was pretty, with long honey-blonde hair. It didn’t appear to be her natural colour as the older woman could see darker roots. She was thin, her face pale and drawn as if she’d lost a lot of weight in a very short time. She had no doubt the young mother had reserved all her energy into taking care of her baby, who, in spite of her current malaise, looked very well taken care of.

    “Oh, you poor thing,” Bubsy said sympathetically. She didn’t press her for more information. “Are you hungry, dear? You look like you haven’t eaten a thing in days.”

    “I don’t want to …”

    She knew the girl was going to argue and waved her hand to dismiss any attempt at refusal before the girl could do so. She bustled about, making them both a good meal.

    She learned the girl’s name was Lois Lane and her daughter’s was Kally. She again asked no questions, knowing that the eighteen-year-old would volunteer that information when she was ready.

    With the aid of a cool washcloth and leaving her without clothes for a couple of hours, little Kally’s heat rash was soothed and she settled down to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Lois appeared less stressed now that someone else was there to help her take care of her daughter.

    She sat in the armchair, drinking the lemonade.

    “I can’t pay you …” she began.

    “You don’t have to,” Bubsy replied. “I was once in the same situation as yourself.”

    Lois frowned. “I don’t understand.”

    “It’s all right, dear. You see, when I was your age, I fell in love. With a wonderful man. But we were both very young and there was a war …”

    “Vietnam,” Lois said quietly.

    “Yes. Now, there are those in town who believe they know the truth, but they don’t. You see, he was engaged, to a girl his parents approved of. I was just a simple girl from a small town and I would never be suitable. The night before he shipped out to Vietnam we had … well, I think you know. I was seventeen.”

    “So, what happened?” Lois asked, staring at the older woman. She suspected she knew what had happened, but didn’t want to seem like she was prying.

    “Two months after he left I realised I was going to have a baby. Well, my parents were furious. Of course they were. They couldn’t have the town finding out such a scandal. As soon as they could arrange it they had me shipped off to a home for unwed mothers, telling friends I was helping out on a family farm.”

    “What happened to the baby?”

    “It was adopted out,” the woman said sadly. Lois could see the grief etched on her face. She knew enough about such situations that she could understand why the other woman was so grieved. “As soon as it was born, they took it away. I never even knew if it was a boy or a girl.”

    “I’m so sorry,” Lois said sympathetically. While her father hadn’t been pleased at her pregnancy, and had suggested she have the baby adopted out, she had known she couldn’t do that. Yet, she couldn’t live with the way he looked at her either. Like she’d brought shame on him.

    “Anyway, my love returned from Vietnam and married the girl he was engaged to. I never saw him again.”

    Lois’ heart broke for the older woman. Imagine falling in love with someone only to learn that she could never be with them.

    She was glad Bubsy, as the other woman told her to call her, didn’t press her for more information. For the next week or so, Lois was left to her own devices.

    She went into town with Bubsy a couple of times to help her with shopping, taking Kally with them. The town was quiet but they did run into a few people. It wasn’t long before she noticed townspeople whispering. She hated the stares from the older women, who even shot glares at Bubsy as if it was somehow her fault.

    “Stupid old biddies,” Bubsy muttered. “They’ve got nothing better to do than gossip. I thought things would have got better once Nell left.”

    “Who’s Nell?” Lois asked her once they were back at the Inn unloading the groceries.

    “Oh, she used to own the Talon.”

    “That place I saw boarded up?”

    Bubsy nodded, pouring them both some lemonade. “It used to be the town’s only movie theatre, but then Lex Luthor decided to buy the property. He was planning on turning it into a parking garage but Nell’s niece convinced him to refurbish it and turn it into a coffee shop.”

    “Lex Luthor?” She frowned. She remembered some article she’d read about Lionel Luthor being arrested on murder charges but only due to the fact it had something to do with her cousin. When she’d heard Chloe had been killed in an explosion, she had tried to find out what had happened, but with the baby and everything she just hadn’t been able to. “I think he might know something about what happened to Chloe.”

    Bubsy nodded in sympathy. “Yes, that was a terrible business. Is that why you decided to come to Smallville?”

    Lois shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it, to be honest. I just … needed to get away.”

    “Of course, sweetie.” She handed her a glass of lemonade. “So, what are your plans now?”

    “I don’t know. Find a job, I guess. I have to do something to support Kally. I … I didn’t finish high school.”

    “Well, there aren’t that many jobs around, except for the plant.” She looked thoughtful. “There is something around here … it doesn’t pay much, and you probably wouldn’t …”

    “What is it?” Lois asked eagerly. “I’ll do anything. I will. I mean, it can’t be worse than scrubbing a bathroom floor with a toothbrush.”

    She noted the older woman storing that bit of information away.

    “One of my maids quit at the beginning of the summer and I hadn’t got around to advertising for another. I have a small cabin out behind the inn. You could set it up. For you and Kally. If you come to work for me as a maid, you would get free room and board and any tips you make would be yours.”

    She was right. It wasn’t much, but then again, Lois wouldn’t have to pay rent, and they’d eat free. Bubsy had already told her about the food and nutrition program so she could get assistance there for various things Kally would need.

    “I’ll do it,” she said.

    Bubsy looked surprised at her quick decision.

    “Are you sure you don’t want to think on it, sweetie? It’s hard work.”

    “I know. I’ve never been afraid of hard work. And this is for my daughter.”

    Everything was for her daughter. Whatever it took. She’d felt that way from the moment she’d discovered she was pregnant.

  • #2
    OK, so the baby is a few months old and this takes place after Chloe's "death" between seasons three and four. And the baby's name is Kally, sounding similar to a certain someone roaming the streets of Metropolis a year earlier... I wonder who the daddy might be.

    Comment


    • #3
      Oh yeah, a new story! Kelly huh? Not sure where this is going but I like it already😊 Setting notification and excited for more.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by DJ Doena
        OK, so the baby is a few months old and this takes place after Chloe's "death" between seasons three and four. And the baby's name is Kally, sounding similar to a certain someone roaming the streets of Metropolis a year earlier... I wonder who the daddy might be.
        Oh yeah, the clues are not subtle. Expect Lifetime movie channel cliches galore.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Sykobee
          Oh yeah, a new story! Kelly huh? Not sure where this is going but I like it already Setting notification and excited for more.
          Yep, the name is chosen deliberately. As for the new story, the plot bunny wouldn't stop hopping in my head. Damn plot bunnies!

          Comment


          • #6
            Chapter Two

            It was the sound that brought him to full awareness. A sharp cracking sound that filled the air around him, heavy with a kind of energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The next thing he became aware of was that he was lying on some kind of vegetation. It smelled almost charred, which was hardly surprising given the fact that as he opened his eyes he could see the flickering of flames from a few small fires. The third thing he became aware of was that he had not a stitch of clothing on him. Not that that concerned him.

            He sat up and looked around him. The surroundings beyond the fires were pitch black. It was night. That much he understood. He got to his feet, continuing to look around. He had no idea where he was or what time of night it was. All he knew was that something, somewhere in the darkness, was waiting for him. Or he was waiting for it. He didn’t really know which.

            He decided to start walking beyond the circle of flattened vegetation. He had no real sense of a destination in his mind. He just figured that he would find whatever it was he was looking for eventually.

            Within a short time, he found himself on a flat, hard surface. Asphalt, he told himself, although he had no idea how he knew the word or what it was supposed to mean. The question now, however, was which direction did he choose?

            As he stood there trying to decide where to go, lights from a vehicle shone brightly in the night. He turned to gaze at it. There was a squeal of brakes and the engine coughed as it stalled. Blinded by the brightness of those lights, he could only stare as he heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps running toward him.

            “Oh my god! Are you okay? Did I hit you?”

            He frowned at the feminine voice. It was soft but with a slight husky quality that he rather liked. He heard anxiety in the tone. She was clearly worried about something. There was almost a pregnant silence between them and he realised she was waiting for an answer.

            “I am fine,” he said.

            “What’s your name?” she asked.

            He thought for a moment, blinking as he turned away. His name. It was … it was … It didn’t want to come. He should know his own name. Shouldn’t he? Did he have a name? Of course he had a name. It was … The realisation that he had no idea who he was felt like a hard knot in his stomach.

            “I don’t know,” he said. He turned again to look fully at the woman from the car.

            She was pretty, although rather thin. Her face had almost a pinched, worried look and she had circles under her eyes as if she had spent too many nights staying up too late.

            He heard a sharp intake of breath from the woman. “Oh my god,” she said quietly, at a volume he suspected he wasn’t meant to have heard, but somehow had.

            He stepped toward her but she stepped back, her expression taking on a sudden nervousness.

            “Um, I should get you to a hospital,” she said.

            “I am fine,” he repeated stiltedly.

            She shook her head. “You’re standing naked in the middle of the road and if you were anywhere near where that lightning hit a few minutes ago, you probably … I’m thinking maybe you got struck. The hospital’s a couple miles from here.”

            She turned away from him and hurried to the back of the car. He heard her mutter something about hoping there was a blanket of some kind or this could get very awkward. She returned to his side and handed him a garment.

            “Put that around you,” she said. “Before you catch your death or something.”

            He reluctantly allowed her to usher him into the car. He didn’t think he needed to go anywhere with this woman, especially not to a hospital. He had no idea how he knew what a hospital was but something in the back of his brain told him it was a place where they took the sick or injured.

            Part of him wondered whether he should trust his new companion, but something, some instinct, told him that she was someone who could turn out to be very important to him. If only he understood why.

            Lois drove in silence, acutely aware of the way her heart was pounding almost frantically in her chest. He was sitting so close beside her. If she put her hand on the gear shift she would be almost touching his leg. His bare leg. The blanket she’d given him barely covered his torso.

            Oh God, why here? Why now? she wondered.

            She didn’t know much about amnesia patients and had no idea if people with amnesia should be told the truth or if they should be allowed to come to it on their own. If he knew what she knew …

            She bit her lip, thinking of her baby daughter in the care of her friend. Bubsy had offered to babysit Kally, telling her to take the night off. Lois had had errands to run in town and since Kally was again suffering from heat rash, she had been reluctant to take her knowing her almost five-month-old daughter would grizzle and perform. To top it off, she was cutting another tooth. The first one had been difficult enough, considering they had both been on the run.

            Her friend and boss had insisted Lois take the small car while she ran her errands instead of walking into town. Bubsy had even told her to go grab dinner for herself at the local diner - take a real break from Kally. Not that she didn’t love her daughter, but the older woman had told her it was important she take some time for herself as well. Lois had even had time to stop in at the local newspaper office, hoping she might be able to find some answers as to what had happened to her beloved cousin.

            Chloe.

            She sneaked a glance at the man sitting beside her. They’d been silent for the past ten minutes as she had driven along the highway. Lois hated uncomfortable silences. It stemmed from years of sitting opposite her father, who was stoic at best and uncommunicative most of the time.

            She wondered what he would do if she told him she knew him. Had known him intimately. Or at least, as intimate as two people could be who had slept together one night. It had all been because of Chloe. If she hadn’t decided to go out clubbing with her Daily Planet colleagues one night, and if Lois hadn’t decided to join her, neither of them would be here.

            Almost Fourteen Months Earlier


            Lois’ father had been sent on a mission overseas. It was one of those missions that he was never allowed to talk about. Top secret, hush-hush. She wasn’t even allowed to know if he was going into a war zone, although it was more than likely. He’d told her to stay on base but Lois was almost seventeen and considered herself mature enough to be able to go anywhere she liked and do anything she liked.


            Without telling anyone on base where she was going, Lois had decided to visit Metropolis. Her cousin Chloe lived in a small town about an hour or so away but was working part-time at the city’s biggest newspaper. She chose to stay with a friend of the family when she was going to be in the city late instead of driving back to her father’s place in Smallville.


            She was not surprised when Lois turned up at the Daily Planet. They had been sending texts back and forth and Lois had mentioned wanting to get away from the Missouri base for a few days.

            Chloe was packing up for the day when Lois entered.

            “Hey,” her cousin said, coming around the desk to give her a quick hug. “When did you get in?”


            “Just now. I thought we could …”


            “Grab a bite to eat? Sure.”


            A woman a few years older than Chloe paused by the desk.


            “You still coming with us tonight?”


            “Sure,” the blonde replied. “Can I meet you there? My cousin just got into town.”


            “Yeah, no problem. See you around ten-ish?”


            “Sounds good.”


            Lois soon found out where ‘there’ was. A club called Atlantis on the fringes of the city centre. According to Chloe it was an extremely popular nightclub where the bouncers looked the other way as long as the fake i.d. looked passable. Lois had used a fake i.d. to get into a club once before and she knew how to get around bouncers.


            The club was loud and filled with bodies dancing way too close to be decent. In the first hour, Lois was sure she had seen a few drug deals go down and a guy she didn’t know had tried to stick his tongue down her throat. She might not exactly be a ‘good girl’ but she wasn’t stupid enough to fall for that, knowing he was more than likely to have a tab of Ecstasy or something else that he was hoping to slip her. She might have been smoking since she was fifteen and had drunk shots with Navy Seals and Green Berets but she refused to cross that line.


            She had decided to take a break from dancing when Chloe went off to get them some drinks. Her cousin had been a little distracted but when Lois had asked her what was up, she had brushed off the enquiry, saying it was nothing. Yet from the way the blonde was looking around, it seemed to Lois that she was hoping to see someone and was disappointed when they hadn’t shown up.


            Lois turned to go look for a table when she bumped into someone. The man was tall and extremely well-built. He gripped her arm as if to steady her.


            “Going somewhere?” he asked.


            “Yes, not that it’s any of your business,” she told him brusquely.


            “I like the way you dance,” he said.


            “That’s nice.” She tensed. “You’ve been watching me?”


            He nodded, giving a disarming grin, showing pointed incisors in the corners of his mouth. He was very good-looking but the shape of his teeth added a certain kind of charm.


            “From over there,” he said, nodding toward a dark corner. She knew from what she’d seen already that night that that was where most of the drug dealing went on, but something told her that wasn’t why he’d been there.


            “Well, why don’t you go back over there and keep watching,” she returned snarkily.


            He laughed as if that was the funniest thing he’d heard all night. “You’re cute. Feisty too. I like that.”


            “Charming,” she replied, feeling the weight of his appreciative gaze as he looked her up and down. Like he was sizing her up. For what, she didn’t know.


            He pulled her close and she tried to push him away.


            “Hey, personal space, buddy!”


            “Kal. Not Buddy.”


            “Whatever.” She again tried to pull away.


            “Tell me your name.”


            “Why?”


            “Because I want to get to know you.” His grin was pure arrogance.


            “Well, maybe I don’t want to get to know you. Let go.” She wrenched her arm out of his grip and turned away, just as Chloe managed to get through the crowd. She took her drink from her cousin and looked around but the man was gone.


            Chloe decided to leave an hour or so later since she had to get back to Smallville the next day. Lois stayed long enough to go to the bathroom, saying she would meet her cousin at the friend’s place. On her way out, she was accosted by a few men asking her to dance but she refused.


            A few minutes later she was able to get back outside and past the line of people still waiting to get inside the club. As she started for her car, she spotted the young man from earlier. He was on his knees on the pavement opposite the club, almost as if he had been throwing up. She hesitated, thinking she shouldn’t get involved, but she knew she would never forgive herself if she ignored someone who might need help.


            She crossed the street and approached him, touching him gently on the shoulder.


            “Hey, are you okay?”


            He flinched and pulled away. “Don’t …” he said. She frowned. It didn’t sound like someone who was sick. It sounded like someone who was in pain.


            “Do you need someone? A doctor, maybe?” she asked gently.


            He shook his head. “No doctor. I’ll be fine. I just … need a minute.”


            “Look, my car’s just down the street. I can drive you home.”


            He looked up at her. She couldn’t see much in the darkness but she thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. She decided she either imagined it or it was just the reflection from the street light.


            “Lois,” she said. “My name’s Lois.”


            “Kal,” he replied. She nodded.


            “Yeah, I know. You told me back in the club.”


            He gazed at her for a long moment. Gone was that apparent arrogance, replaced by an uncertainty.


            “I promise I’m not an axe murderer,” she told him. He bowed his head and his shoulders shook with laughter. He let her help him to his feet and they walked together to her car.


            “Did you have a little too much to drink?” she asked.


            “Something like that,” he said.


            “Well, the trick with learning to hold your liquor is to pace yourself,” she told him. “I learned that the hard way when I was drinking with some of my dad’s buddies.”


            “Your dad?”


            “He’s in the army. He’s off on some top-secret mission somewhere. I don’t know where. It’s one of those, ‘if I tell you I’ll have to kill you kind of deals’. Anyway, I was bored on base so I decided to come visit my cousin. She lives around here. Well, not here exactly. Some place out in the middle of Podunk.” She rolled her eyes. “Like I could ever live in a place where everybody knows everybody else’s business.”


            Kal sounded amused as she continued to babble on.


            “You talk a lot,” he said.


            “Yeah, I do. It’s one of my failings.”


            He looked at her with a smile. “Actually, I kind of like it. It’s cute.”


            She raised her eyebrows. “Cute? You think babbling is cute? Okay, you’re either so drunk you won’t even remember this conversation in the morning or …”


            “Will you still be there in the morning?” he asked.


            She stared at him. “What?”


            “Well, you just said I won’t remember this conversation in the morning.”


            “I didn’t mean … I mean …” Thankfully they ‘d reached her car. She took her keys out of her bag and unlocked the car door, ushering him inside. She quickly went around to open her door and turned on the ignition. Kal sat in the passenger seat.


            “I’m sorry.”


            “For what?”


            “I made you uncomfortable.”


            She didn’t get him. In the club he was arrogant to the point of being obnoxious but now it was like he was a completely different person. He was almost … nice.


            She glanced over and noticed he was holding something in his right hand. Turning it over and over. She frowned, trying to see what it was but whatever it was seemed to be dwarfed by his big hand. All she could tell was that it was metal.


            “Um, so where do you live?” she asked.


            “It’s a few blocks from here. Go down the street and make a right.”


            It was a short drive from the club to the apartment building. Lois wondered if Kal was rich or something as the building was fairly modern and she guessed the apartments would be fairly expensive to rent.


            She stopped the car and waited for Kal to get out. He remained seated and looked at her.


            “Do you want to come up?” he asked.


            “I don’t know,” she said.


            “I promise I’m not an axe murderer,” he replied, trying for a disarming smile. She snorted.


            “Sure. Throw that back in my face, why don’t you?”


            He bit his lip. “I just … I don’t feel like being alone.”


            “Kal …”


            “Please? Just for a little while.”


            “I should really ….”


            “If you’re worried about your cousin, you can call her.”


            She bit her lip as she studied him. He looked at her pleadingly. Lois was not in the habit of picking up strangers in the street, let alone going home with them but he just looked so pathetic she knew she couldn’t leave him alone. It seemed to her like he was going through something and he probably just needed to talk to someone.


            “All right,” she said, relenting. “Just for a little while.”


            She followed him into the building and waited as he activated the elevator. They stood in silence as the car travelled to level seven. A few seconds later he opened the door to apartment 701 and led her inside.


            “Do you want something to drink?” he asked quietly.


            “No,” she said.


            He gestured to a leather couch, before sitting down in an armchair in the same style. Lois sat down, putting her bag on the seat next to her.


            “So.”


            “Yeah.”


            “You’re feeling better now?” she asked, noticing he was still playing with whatever it was in his hand.


            “A little. I guess you were right before. I just had a little too much to drink.”


            She doubted it. She’d been around drunks before and he was not acting like someone who had drunk too much. He looked almost dead sober. There was something else going on, she decided.


            The silence between them was palpable. She didn’t know what to say or what to do.


            “Maybe I should …”


            “Why are you here?” he asked abruptly.


            She frowned at him. “You asked me.”


            “No. I mean in Metropolis. You said something about your dad.”


            She nodded. “He’s a general. In the army. He goes away a lot.”


            “So … how old are you?”


            “That’s kind of a personal question,” she said.


            “I just … I mean, you live with your dad on an army base so you’re not in college or anything.”


            She nodded, seeing his point. “I’ll be seventeen next month.” She chose not to ask him how old he was. He had to be older than her, since he was living on his own. He looked older. Then again, what did she know? She had always been a poor judge of people’s ages.


            “What about you, Kal? What’s your story?”


            “Nothing to tell.”


            “Where are you from?”


            “Some place I want to forget,” he said. She detected a note of grief in his voice. It sounded to her as if something bad had happened.


            “I’m sorry.”


            He shrugged. “Not your fault.”


            “I’m not from anywhere, really. My dad gets transferred a lot. Sometimes I feel like a spare piece of luggage rather than his kid.”


            “What about your mom?”


            “She died. A long time ago.”


            “I’m sorry,” he said, echoing her earlier sentiment.


            She shrugged. “Don’t be. Unless you were the one who got her hooked on smoking cigarettes behind the high school gym.”


            “Yeah, well I don’t think time travel’s been invented yet,” he returned, giving her a cheesy grin.


            She laughed softly. They moved on to talking about other things, eventually getting comfortable enough with each other to exchange banter. Kal convinced her to stay and watch a movie with him.


            She didn’t realise she had fallen asleep until she woke up to find it was daylight and the apartment was empty. She sat up on the couch, looking around with a frown.


            “Kal,” she called.


            She heard the sound of the elevator operating and a few seconds later the door opened. Kal came in carrying a takeout tray of drinks and a paper bag.


            “Breakfast,” he said.


            She studied him, noticing he appeared to be a little more sure of himself than the night before. A little brash.


            “I thought we could eat and then go for a ride up north,” he said.


            “Ride?” she asked.


            “On my bike.”


            “I should really …”


            He sighed, sounding a little annoyed. “Don’t say you have to go home, Lois. I’m just asking you to spend the day with me. It’s not like you have any place else to be.”


            He was right about that, she thought. When she’d called Chloe the night before to let her know she had met up with a friend, her cousin had sounded rather put out. She and Chloe were a lot alike. Her cousin tended to be the type to not forget or forgive a rebuff easily. Even if it had been unintentional.


            Lois clung to Kal with her arms around his waist as he drove them out of the city. She had been on a motorcycle before but her last ride hadn’t been this far or this fast. Kal had laughed when she had hesitated to get on behind him.


            “Not scared are you?”


            She dismissed him with a ‘pfft’. “Me? No!”


            “Right. Hurry up and get on.”


            An hour or so later found them near the man-made lake. Kal stopped his bike outside a diner on Highway 77. It was well after noon. Lois’ stomach rumbled at the aroma coming from the diner’s kitchen.


            “I come here sometimes when I just want to get away from the city,” Kal told her coolly as if in answer to her unuttered query.


            “Oh.”


            They ordered food and sat talking for a while. Lois thought they would have talked themselves out the night before but they still managed to find some subjects they hadn’t yet covered. Lois picked up a copy of the Daily Planet and noticed a front page story about a mystery man going around robbing banks and ATMs.


            “Guy’s got some balls, huh?” she asked.


            Kal flinched. “So?”


            “I just meant … I mean, the way he’s taunting the cops and stuff. I’m not saying I like it. Someone like that would be pretty dangerous. That’s all I’m saying.”


            He visibly relaxed. “Well, don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”


            “Well, I doubt I’ll run into him anytime soon,” she said. “So thanks for the offer.”


            He laughed but his laugh had a false ring to it. Lois wondered what that was all about but he quickly changed the subject.


            They rode around on the bike for a while before returning to the city late that night. Kal stopped the motorcycle and turned off the engine. Lois got off.


            “It was a nice day,” she said. “Thanks.”


            He reached for her hand before she could go to her car. “Stay.”


            “I can’t. I should …”


            “Don’t say you can’t. It’s not like your father’s gonna come beating down my door.”


            She hesitated. She had enjoyed the day out with him but there had been moments when he had seemed a little ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. Almost as if he was two different people. He could be alternately arrogant and obnoxious, then sweet and gentle.


            “Stay,” he said again.


            She found herself relenting once more, unable to resist those beautiful blue eyes and the pleading expression.


            The next morning she woke in his bed wondering what she’d done. The bed was empty beside her and the apartment felt just as empty. She slipped out of bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her nakedness. She was sore, her body aching.


            She tried to make sense of what had happened in her head. Kal had been charm itself, supplying her with dinner and even beer, since he’d discovered she preferred that to wine. He’d seduced her with humour and long, soulful gazes, but for all that, once they’d gone to bed together, it was almost as if he didn’t really know what he was doing. He’d been a little too clumsy, almost aggressive, a little too insensitive to what she needed. She had slept with only one other guy before him so it hadn’t been her first time, but it had hurt almost as much as then.


            As she began putting on her clothes, her movements slow and deliberate so as not to aggravate the soreness, the door opened and Kal strode in. He frowned at her.


            “I thought you would have …”


            “Would have what?” she asked.


            “Nothing. Never mind. Um, something’s come up. You need to go.”


            She had barely managed to get her jeans on and he was trying to usher her to the door.


            “Kal!” she exclaimed. “You’re rushing me.”


            “I’m sorry, it’s just … I figured you’d need to head back to your dad’s. Or something.”


            She stared at him as she slowly put her arms through the sleeves of her blouse.


            “Uh, yeah, I guess I should,” she said.


            He appeared to relent. “I really like you, Lois. I’ll call you. I promise.”


            She nodded, biting back the urge to cry. He wouldn’t call. She knew he wouldn’t.


            Lois sighed as she pulled up outside Smallville Medical Centre. She hadn’t heard from Kal in over a year. Now he was here and he had no idea who she was. He didn’t even know who he was. Just how was she supposed to handle this? And how could she tell this man that he was a father?

            Comment


            • #7
              . . . That was intense in a deceptively subtle way. Just not sure who I feel more for. It's the suspended train wreck effect. Just seconds after the crash you are looking at the wreckage suspended in time. Now here we are 14 months later and it's not much better😢 Woman, where are you getting these bunnies from?! What type of stuff have they been nibbling on? I have every faith that you will unravel this and I'll even enjoy the ride. However, I think I now have some mistrust of these plot bunnies that heretofore always sounded cute with the possibility of annoying. Oh well, omelet and eggs. I am locked in as this has run away with my mental leash attached. Trying not open the box on how the Kents will respond to this scenario once Jonathan is lucid and upright. Yeah just gonna keep sitting on my runaway thoughts and wait. 🙄

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Sykobee
                . . . That was intense in a deceptively subtle way. Just not sure who I feel more for. It's the suspended train wreck effect. Just seconds after the crash you are looking at the wreckage suspended in time. Now here we are 14 months later and it's not much better Woman, where are you getting these bunnies from?! What type of stuff have they been nibbling on? I have every faith that you will unravel this and I'll even enjoy the ride. However, I think I now have some mistrust of these plot bunnies that heretofore always sounded cute with the possibility of annoying. Oh well, omelet and eggs. I am locked in as this has run away with my mental leash attached. Trying not open the box on how the Kents will respond to this scenario once Jonathan is lucid and upright. Yeah just gonna keep sitting on my runaway thoughts and wait. 
                All I'll say is, it does look like a train wreck and the reaction will not be good. At least until everyone settles down. You're right, it will be a Pandora's box once the Kents find out.

                I tell you, sometimes those plot bunnies are not the fluffy bunnies we think they are. Some of them are downright evil. All I can tell you is, it will work itself out.

                Comment


                • #9
                  a/n: I've been on a roll with this story. *shrug* Makes me happy, so why not? I extended the deadline on my personal stuff so I'm taking a break from it.

                  Chapter Three

                  Bubsy wasn’t worried about Lois even though she was late. The young mother was clearly an independent girl and she was sure the teen was just out making the most of her free time. She really didn’t mind keeping an eye on Kally, who was sleeping soundly in the little crib Lois had found in the Smallville Goodwill Store. It was nothing fancy, but it had obviously been made by loving hands, little decals carved in the wood.

                  The pair had turned up on her doorstep almost a month ago and already Lois had become almost like family. Bubsy had felt it the moment she’d seen the poor waif. She certainly didn’t go about confessing the sins of her past to anyone. Not even her closest friends in town knew the truth, but there had been something about Lois that had made her feel she could tell her.

                  She looked down on the infant. Little Kally was sound asleep. Thankfully the heat rash hadn’t been as bad as the month before and the teething had been taken care of with a washcloth having been placed in the freezer. Bubsy smiled and gently stroked the baby’s rosy cheek. She was still a little flushed, but that was probably due to the sore gum, she decided. Her nursing career hadn’t really included caring for babies but she knew enough and what she couldn’t remember she could look up online.

                  The phone on the table beside her began to ring. Luckily the sleeping child didn’t wake as she picked up the handset and pressed the key to answer the call.

                  “Smallville Inn. Miss Harrington speaking.”

                  “Bubsy? It’s Lois.”

                  “Hello, sweetheart. Are you on your way home?”

                  The teen’s voice sounded almost apologetic. “I’ve been delayed. I kind of ran into someone on the road. Well, not really, but … I took him to the hospital and they won’t let me leave until they can identify him. He didn’t have anything on him and doesn’t even know his own name.”

                  She clucked in sympathy.

                  “Oh, the poor love. Don’t you worry, dear. Kally is sleeping like an angel. You just come home when you can.”

                  “I will. Thank you.”

                  Lois hung up the phone, relieved that her friend wasn’t too worried about why she was delayed. She glanced at the clock. They’d been waiting in the room for almost forty-five minutes. Not that that was all that long in the grand scheme of things, but she couldn’t help worrying about her daughter. Afraid she might say something to Kal.

                  She looked at him. He was sitting on the bed, practically staring into space. The hospital orderly or whatever he was had at least managed to find Kal some scrubs so he was no longer naked. Lois smiled as she thought of the reaction of the elderly lady when Kal had shucked off the blanket and stood without clothes in the middle of the waiting room.

                  Suddenly he got up from the bed and started for the door. She intercepted him.

                  “Wait. What are you doing?”

                  “I’m leaving,” he said.

                  “You can’t. You have to wait for the doctor.”

                  “I’m fine. I do not need to see a doctor.”

                  “Well, that’s for the doctor to decide,” she told him. “You can’t just …”

                  Without warning he gripped her arms just below her shoulders and picked her up, before turning to put her down again so she was away from the doorway. Lois was taken aback. She knew from experience he was strong but hadn’t known he was strong enough to lift her as if she was a featherweight.

                  She ran out after him, chasing him along the corridor.

                  “Wait, you can’t just …” He ignored her. “Kal!”

                  He stopped mid-stride and turned to stare at her. “What did you call me?” he asked in almost an accusatory tone.

                  “I …” God, it had just slipped out. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

                  Fortunately she was saved by the appearance of an older woman with red hair. The woman called out the name ‘Clark’, pursuing them as Kal turned down the corridor. She reached for him and pulled him around to face her.

                  “It is you!”

                  Kal stared at her, confused. He clearly didn’t recognise her.

                  “Who are you?” he asked.

                  “I’m your mother,” she said. She appeared grieved as she looked at the man. “Don’t you know me?”

                  Lois felt the need to intervene. “Uh, I think he was struck by lightning,” she said. “He doesn’t know who he is.”

                  Kal turned to stare at her. From the look on his face she realised he remembered what she’d called out and was about to question her about it, but the older woman again caught his attention.

                  “I should get you home.”

                  “I’m waiting for the sign,” he said. Lois frowned. It was the first time since she’d found him that he’d given any indication of what he was doing out on route 31.

                  “Um, maybe you should wait for the doctor,” Lois told the other woman gently, thinking that perhaps Kal had suffered brain damage or something.

                  “Thank you, but this is a family matter.” The woman turned back to her son, who was once more staring at Lois. “You need to come home with me,” she said. Kal ignored her until she forced him to look at her. “I can help you find the sign.” That seemed to interest him so she was able to lead him away, leaving Lois to just stand there staring after them in disbelief.

                  She turned away, only to bump into the orderly from before.

                  “Where is he?” the man asked.

                  “He just went off with his mother,” she replied, pointing to the elevator where the woman was waiting for the doors to open.

                  “That’s Martha Kent. She’s in here all the time.”

                  Kent? Lois vaguely remembered Chloe talking about a friend named Clark Kent. If this was Clark, then who was Kal? Did he have a twin or something? But that didn’t explain his reaction to her calling him Kal either, she thought.

                  It was a mystery. One she couldn’t possibly solve tonight.

                  She returned to the inn. Bubsy was waiting for her in the little cabin, sitting in the rocking chair Lois had managed to pick up with her first lot of tips from housekeeping at the Goodwill store. The older woman looked up from her book and stood up, putting the volume down on the table.

                  “She’s still sleeping like an angel,” she said quietly. “How are you, sweetie?”

                  “I’m fine,” Lois said, taking off her jacket and draping it on the arm of the chair.

                  “What happened to the young man?” her friend asked.

                  Lois related what had happened as best she could. Bubsy nodded.

                  “Oh yes, Martha Kent. Her husband Jonathan is in the hospital. He’s been in a coma for three months. Clark, you say? Hmm, those old biddies in town kept saying something about Clark being missing. Last summer he ran away to the city. There was some kind of tragedy on the farm, but …” She looked at Lois and must have seen something in her face as she stopped. “Oh dear. What is it?”

                  “I …” As much as she liked the older woman, she wasn’t sure she could tell her about her encounter with Kal in Metropolis. At least, not until she was sure of the whole situation herself. “I don’t know. It’s just been a long night.”

                  “Well, don’t you worry dear. Why don’t you get ready for bed? Get a good night’s sleep so you can be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.”

                  Lois nodded. She had an early start, since there would be a couple of guests checking out. The work wasn’t too taxing but Bubsy had certain standards the staff had to maintain.

                  Her friend left the cabin to go to her own room on the top floor of the inn. Lois sighed and sat down next to the crib, watching her daughter sleeping soundly.

                  “I met your daddy tonight,” she said. “I don’t think he even remembers me.” Part of her hoped he hadn’t. Her greatest fear was that someone would take her daughter away from her. She would protect her baby with her life if that happened.

                  Three days later

                  Clark left the farm feeling a little dejected. While he was glad his father was out of his coma and doing well, he felt out of sorts. His memory of the last three months was a little hazy but he remembered with extreme clarity the young woman who had almost run into him on the side of the road.

                  Just as he remembered her from over a year earlier.

                  He’d tried to get information out of the hospital administration on where Lois was staying, but they had refused to give that out. He had figured if he could find her he could at least talk to her and maybe try to make up for the way he’d left things in Metropolis. He’d promised to call her and he hadn’t. Or rather, Kal had. At least, that was the name he’d been going under while he’d been under the influence of the red Kryptonite.

                  He still remembered the night they’d met. How she’d seemed so worried when she’d found him practically on his knees, his chest burning from whatever punishment Jor-El had seen fit to dole out. He’d let her believe the reason he’d been that way was because he’d had too much to drink rather than the pain from the scar. Removing the ring had helped somewhat, but he’d still been shaky.

                  For some reason that night he hadn’t wanted to be alone and she had been so caring, so sympathetic that he had found himself enjoying her company. So much that he’d begged her to stay and watch a movie with him in his apartment. He’d liked talking with her, bantering with her. Lois gave as good as she got.

                  She’d reminded him a little of Chloe. He’d already guessed she was Chloe’s cousin, since he’d seen them together at Atlantis. He hadn’t wanted his best friend to see him so when she’d returned to Lois’ side with drinks he’d taken the opportunity to slip away where he could resume watching them.

                  Normally he’d take a girl to the club where sooner or later something would happen to piss her off and she’d leave but Lois had been different. She hadn’t been impressed by his efforts to get her to dance with him. When she’d driven him home, he’d realised she wasn’t like the other girls. She wasn’t interested in the way ‘Kal’ threw his weight around.

                  That was why he’d asked her to spend the day with him. For the first time in the month or so since he’d left Smallville, he hadn’t felt so alone. Maybe part of him had recognised some degree of loneliness in her.

                  He hadn’t planned on sleeping with her. The tiny part of him that wasn’t under the influence of the red K had realised he’d somehow hurt her that night. He’d always been afraid to get too close to someone for that very reason, but as Kal, without any of his inhibitions, he’d only cared about getting what he wanted. And what he’d wanted was her.
                  At least, then. Once he’d got what he wanted, he’d discarded her like the rubber sheath he’d thrown away after their night of intimacy.

                  Kal-El hadn’t cared either, he thought. Kal-El had been focused on Jor-El’s mission. Even if he hadn’t known who he was in those first few hours since he’d emerged from the cave. Clark remembered Lois calling out his name – the name she’d only known him by in Metropolis, and Kal-El had paused, torn between completing his mission and returning to the side of the woman who had lied to him about not knowing who he was.

                  There had to be some reason why she had done so, he thought. Maybe it had something to do with the amnesia. Maybe she believed that he needed to recover his memory on his own. Without her help. That had to be it. What other reason could there be?

                  With a heavy sigh, Clark made his way to the cemetery. His mother had told him that Chloe had apparently died in a huge explosion and while he didn’t want to believe his best friend was dead, he at least figured he should pay his respects.

                  To his surprise, Lois was crouched down by the grave, talking about hating funerals and feeling alone.

                  “You’re not alone, Lois,” he said.

                  She stood up suddenly, obviously startled. She stared at him.

                  “What are you doing here?”

                  “I came to pay my respects to my friend,” he said.

                  She snorted. “Right! So which one are you today? Jekyll or Hyde?”

                  She’d once referred to that on the day they’d gone out on his dad’s motorcycle. He knew he’d confused her with the way he’d seemed to change personalities every so often. He couldn’t explain exactly how the red K affected him or why he’d acted the way he did.

                  He realised from her reaction that she’d realised he knew exactly who she was.

                  “I’m just Clark.”

                  “So what happened to Kal?” she asked, glaring at him. He understood she was hurt and angry. He couldn’t really blame her for that.

                  “Kal was just a name I used last summer. That’s all.”

                  “That’s all? So all that about how you said you’d call, what was that?”

                  “Lois, I can’t explain my actions last summer. I just … wasn’t myself then.”

                  “Well, then who were you?” she shouted suddenly. “I mean, who the hell are you, Clark? Are you Kal the a$shole or are you just some jerk who just decided it would be fun to yank my chain and then kick me to the kerb?”

                  “I told you, I can’t explain. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. If there’s any way I can make it up to you …”

                  She seemed to calm down, turning to look at the gravestone. Clark read the inscription. Chloe Sullivan. 1987 – 2004. Beloved Daughter. He swallowed, feeling tears threatening.

                  “You want to make it up to me?” Lois said. “Find out what happened to my cousin.”

                  He frowned at her. He would have thought she would want to investigate this.

                  “I’d help you if I could, but I have, uh, other things I need to do,” she said. She looked around. “I have to go.”

                  “Wait, at least let me …”

                  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

                  “But where can I …”

                  “I’ll find you. The Kent Farm, right?”

                  He frowned, wondering how she knew that. He guessed Chloe must have told her.

                  His inspection of the site where the explosion had occurred yielded nothing, except being chased off by what he assumed was the military, although why the military would be involved in a Federal case he didn’t know.

                  He returned to the farm to discover that his father had been discharged from the hospital. Only three days ago he’d been in almost a vegetative state yet the doctors couldn’t explain why he’d come out of it. Nor why he’d recovered so quickly that he was able to be discharged so soon.

                  His parents weren’t happy to learn where he’d been.

                  “Clark, that is a federal crime scene,” his father admonished him.

                  “I know, Dad, but I have to find out what happened to Chloe.” Lois was right. It was the least he could do for her, given how he’d treated her.

                  The older man expressed hope that the men at the crime scene hadn’t identified him or seen him use his heat vision on the engine of the helicopter. It wasn’t long before that hope was soon quashed.

                  Taking a leaf out of his best friend’s book, Clark had gone to the Torch office at the school and used the computer to do a little research. He’d discovered that Luthorcorp had paid for Chloe’s funeral. Knowing Lex as he did, he assumed it was out of guilt or not wanting any reprisals from her family, but the cynic in him wondered if there was a completely different reason. Like maybe Lex was trying to cover up something.

                  He returned home to find they had a visitor. General Sam Lane had turned up, in a helicopter, no less. It seemed that he’d been identified after all. His parents were cordial to the army commander and shot glares at Clark when his greeting was less enthusiastic.

                  “You want to tell me what you were doing at that crime scene, young man?” the general asked.

                  ‘Young man’? Clark refrained from rolling his eyes at the way the older man spoke to him. He wondered if this was Lois’ father, remembering she had talked about him being an army general.

                  “Trying to find out what happened to Chloe,” he said.

                  The man glared at him. He was somewhat shorter than Clark, and stocky in build. He had a military bearing and a manner which suggested he was used to intimidating others. Clark glared back at the man, standing tall and straight, taking full advantage of his height of six three to show the general he was not going to be intimidated.

                  He watched as the visitor took out a box of cigars, pulling one out and unwrapping it. He chomped on the unlit cigar.

                  “The FBI closed the file,” Clark continued. “I didn’t think it would matter.”

                  “The Feds may have closed the file, but it is still considered off-limits. That is where my niece died. Do you think I enjoy seeing …”

                  “No, sir, but then I don’t think Chloe’s dead.”

                  “And what makes you think that, young man?”

                  “Just a feeling,” he replied quietly. He hadn’t told his parents he’d actually x-rayed the grave and seen an empty coffin. The general huffed in annoyance.

                  “Stay out of it,” he returned gruffly before turning on his heel and walking out the door. Clark’s parents joined the man on the porch. Clark could hear them talking quietly but chose not to use his super-hearing.

                  He decided to follow up on his Luthorcorp lead and went to see Lex. His ex-best friend tried to pretend the incident with the ‘room’ hadn’t happened last spring but Clark wasn’t going to forget the way the bald man had been investigating him behind his back. So much for being a good guy, he thought bitterly as he left the manor.

                  He hadn’t left empty-handed, having picked up on yet another clue. General Lane was working with Lex in some capacity. The cigar stub proved it.

                  Chloe would be proud, he thought as he continued to follow the trail, right to the old foundry. Sure enough, he found her, just as a man was trying to strangle her to death. The weird thing was the man had the strange ability to turn his arm into some kind of metal, almost like the T-1000 in the second Terminator movie.

                  He was able to quickly deal with that with the aid of his heat vision. Chloe cried when he scooped her up, practically hugging the stuffing out of her.

                  “I’m so glad to see you,” she said.

                  He grinned. “Me too.”

                  “Let’s get out of here,” the blonde said. “So I can put the final nail in Lionel Luthor’s coffin.”

                  “You bet.”

                  Of course, when Lex and the general found out that Clark had gone ahead and done exactly what they’d told him not to do, they’d been furious. However, since Clark had saved the key witness in the trial’s life, he got a pass. From Lex anyway. The general told him he would let the matter drop but he was still going to keep an eye on things.

                  Chloe told him the general was now based at Fort Ryan, the army base about twenty miles out of town. He was now overseeing operations there.

                  Clark was relieved when the trial concluded with the conviction of Lionel Luthor for conspiracy to commit murder. The day the news came out in the Daily Planet he had a visitor at the farm. He was busy doing his chores when she appeared in the doorway.

                  “Hi,” she said.

                  He looked up and smiled. “Hi, yourself.”

                  “I just … I came to say thanks. For Chloe. You saved her.”

                  He shrugged. “She’s my friend.”

                  Lois nodded. “Well, she’s my cousin.” She pulled a phone out of her jeans pocket and looked at it. “I gotta go. Work. You know.” She turned away and began walking back down the drive. Clark noticed she’d parked on the road.

                  He bit his lip, then downed tools, moving quickly to catch up with her.

                  “Lois, why don’t you … I mean, could I get your phone number at least?”

                  She gazed at him for a long moment. “I don’t know, Smallville. I’ve just … I’ve got a lot going on.”

                  “Look, I know last year we kind of left things on a sour note but I’d really like the chance to get to know you. No pressure.”

                  He didn’t know where he wanted this to go. After all, he had slept with her. She was the first woman he’d ever slept with. He didn’t know how he felt about her, but he knew he wanted to at least try to build some kind of friendship with her. Maybe things had ended badly between them but for a while there he’d felt some kind of connection with her.

                  She still looked dubious. Clark knew if he didn’t do something he would regret it. Maybe if he put the ball in her court, so to speak …

                  “Or I could give you my number,” he said. “Then you can call me. If you want to.”

                  She nodded and handed over her phone. Clark quickly added his number to her contacts. She took the phone back and began walking to her car. He watched her go.

                  Small steps, he thought. Small steps.

                  Chloe was in the Torch office the next day, getting the school newspaper ready for the first day of their senior year. As the Talon had also been opened back up again, Clark went and bought his friend her favourite coffee.

                  The blonde looked surprised but pleased to see him.

                  “I never expected to see you here the day before school,” she said.

                  “I guess I figured I’d get a head start on my boy scout badge,” he replied with a grin, handing over the cup of coffee. Chloe grinned in return.

                  “Well, you’re certainly going the right way about it,” she told him. She sipped from the cup. “Mmm, you even got my favourite. Who are you and what did you do with the real Clark Kent?”

                  “Ha ha, very funny.” He grabbed a chair and swivelled it around, sitting with his chest facing the back so he could lean on the top and watch her work.

                  “So, General Lane, he’s your uncle, right?” He knew that anyway, but it was the only way to lead into the conversation.

                  Chloe’s attention was on the screen in front of her but she made a non-committal sound which he took to be assent.

                  “Your cousin’s name is Lois?”

                  “Yeah. And there’s Lucy. Only she’s at a boarding school in Europe. Switzerland, I think. Or was it Germany? I forgot.”

                  “So, uh, how much have you told Lois about me?” he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

                  Chloe turned from the monitor to stare at him. “What do you mean, Clark? Why are you so interested?”

                  “Um, I sort of met her. In … Smallville.” He chose not to mention Metropolis, not wanting to open up that particular can of worms.

                  Chloe stared at him in disbelief. “What? How? I mean, she’s here? Are you sure?”

                  “As sure as I’m sitting here talking to you. She was visiting your grave. Your empty one. That’s where I found her.”

                  He chose not to say anything about Lois almost running into him on Route 31. Or her visit to the farm. He had a feeling there was much more to the reason she had been out there in the first place.

                  Chloe looked almost alarmed and he worried he’d perhaps said too much. He told her it was more than likely that Lois had probably left town already since it had been two weeks since that meeting. She obviously had some reason why she didn’t want her cousin to know she was here or else Chloe would know about it already.

                  “Clark, Lois ran away from my uncle’s place two months ago!”

                  He stared at her. “What?”

                  The blonde nodded. “Uncle Sam’s been frantic. He’s had guys looking up and down the country for her. God, what is she …”

                  “But she’s eighteen, right?” He remembered she’d been almost seventeen when they’d first met. She’d told him her birthday was in early August, which meant she was now eighteen. “Why would he be looking for her?”

                  “Because of his grand-daughter.”

                  He blinked. “Grand-daughter?”

                  Chloe nodded again. “Lois got pregnant just over a year ago. She wouldn’t tell her dad who the father was. Just that he was some guy she met while he was on a mission overseas. Which is weird because she came to Metropolis to stay with me for a couple of days. Remember when I had that column at the Daily Planet?” She sighed, an odd expression crossing her face. “Wait. I remember. She didn’t actually end up staying with me. She said she met up with a friend and stayed with them instead. I wonder if that’s when she met the dad.”

                  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. If everything Chloe had been told was true then he … There was no other explanation. The colour drained from his face as he realised exactly what it all meant.

                  “Uh, so do you know the name?”

                  “Of the father? No. I just told you that.”

                  “No, I mean, your uncle’s grand-daughter.”

                  “Yeah. It’s Kally. With a K.”

                  Oh my god! he thought. I’m a father.

                  Why didn’t you tell me? he asked Lois silently.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Your break taking is our gain☺ I am loving the pace and direction. The milestones are present without a full rehash, yay. The pretty pink princess has been absent- no sense of loss there. Even more amazing? The BDA did the math and got the right answer!
                    Thanks, this has been a definite boost to my Monday. Can't wait for more.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Loving your story, can't wait to see where you take us. Great job!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Sykobee
                        The pretty pink princess has been absent- no sense of loss there.
                        Well, this does take place in (an alternate) season four. Seriously, for a large part of season four, you could cut Lana out of episodes without it affecting the story.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by jon-el87
                          Well, this does take place in (an alternate) season four. Seriously, for a large part of season four, you could cut Lana out of episodes without it affecting the story.
                          I literally did that. I ripped the episodes from DVD and used a video editor to cut out Lana scenes in certain episodes. I didn't do it to be mean, but the witch arc never interested me that much. Run, Bound, Unsafe, Recruit, Krypto and Lucy don't actually a single scene with Clark AND Lana in it. Jinx has just the one at the end where Lana makes (once again) an accusation at Clark. Gone can be condensed down to the meeting between Lois and Lana and then Clark. Crusade also doesn't need the Lana/Jason scenes to work independently.

                          Which gives you a really good run of the first year of Clark and Lois with Crusade, Gone, Recruit, Krypto and Lucy.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Sykobee
                            Your break taking is our gain☺ I am loving the pace and direction. The milestones are present without a full rehash, yay. The pretty pink princess has been absent- no sense of loss there. Even more amazing? The BDA did the math and got the right answer!
                            Thanks, this has been a definite boost to my Monday. Can't wait for more.
                            I didn't want to rehash episodes, but some canon stuff will still be there - just told in a different way. Lana will still appear, but there will be no Clana. You're right. Clark put two and two together and got the right answer.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by JoD_coyote
                              Loving your story, can't wait to see where you take us. Great job!
                              Thank you. It's a little different from what I usually do but blame the tv show that inspired it.

                              Originally posted by jon-el87
                              Well, this does take place in (an alternate) season four. Seriously, for a large part of season four, you could cut Lana out of episodes without it affecting the story.
                              That is so true. I'm not a fan of the Clana, so I'm staying away from it - at least in terms of romance. You'll see anyway.

                              Originally posted by DJ Doena
                              I literally did that. I ripped the episodes from DVD and used a video editor to cut out Lana scenes in certain episodes. I didn't do it to be mean, but the witch arc never interested me that much. Run, Bound, Unsafe, Recruit, Krypto and Lucy don't actually a single scene with Clark AND Lana in it. Jinx has just the one at the end where Lana makes (once again) an accusation at Clark. Gone can be condensed down to the meeting between Lois and Lana and then Clark. Crusade also doesn't need the Lana/Jason scenes to work independently.

                              Which gives you a really good run of the first year of Clark and Lois with Crusade, Gone, Recruit, Krypto and Lucy.
                              Exactly. I have to say I am not a fan of the witch arc either. I'm not a big fan of the stones arc, as well, mind you, but it does appear in this story, for a very valid reason. That will come up eventually.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X
                              😀
                              🥰
                              🤢
                              😎
                              😡
                              👍
                              👎