Author's Note: I do not own the characters.
NO MORE RUNNING.
"I won't tell anyone if you don't."
His words were ringing in her ears as she made her way downstairs and out of the barn. She wasn't sure how he'd done it, but Clark had gotten her to open up about herself in a way that very few people ever had. Lois hated to talk about her life on a personal level, preferring to speak in anecdotes about the wild and crazy times she'd had growing up as a General's daughter travelling all over the world and moving from base to base. Talking about her family would inevitably end up steering the discussion towards her wayward sister Lucy, and it was a sore point for Lois because she always blamed herself for the problems Lucy caused wherever she went.
And yet, Clark was prepared to hear her out, never judging her, never belittling her, always accentuating the positives and crucially, making her feel better. Above all else, that is what Clark had just gone and done - made her feel better about herself. That is what good friends did for each other, and Clark had now labelled them as friends. Over the years, Lois had gotten used to being berated by her father for her perceived failings and rebellious ways, whether it was her fault or not, but Clark refused to see them as negatives. He was prepared to be a friendly ear if ever she needed it, and that had thrown her completely. Moving around so often, she'd never really had a chance to forge proper friendships, always being the new girl and always knowing she'd soon be moving on again. She didn't know how long she'd be staying this time, or whether or not she would be allowed to, but the Kent farm was the closest thing to a real home that she'd ever known.
So it was with these thoughts running through her mind that Lois entered the Kent farmhouse. Jonathan was busy wiping and putting dishes away while Martha was removing some vanilla ice cream from the freezer. Though some of the weight had been lifted after talking to Clark, Lois was still slightly nervous about facing his parents. It had yet to be established as to how they felt about her staying on in light of all the trouble Lucy had caused.
"Lois," Jonathan called out cheerily as he saw her enter the kitchen. There was nothing unusual in how he greeted her. No sense of disappointment, no hint of fury, and no inkling that he'd rather she packed her bags. It was his usual greeting. So far, so normal.
"Hey Mr Kent, Mrs Kent," Lois replied, putting her hands in her pockets.
"Hi Lois," said Martha, closing the freezer. "Clark told us you were out in the barn. I sent him over to find out if you're hungry."
"Yeah, he did mention it," Lois almost whispered.
"I didn't see you at breakfast and I wasn't sure if you'd eaten anything all day. I made a pot roast - beef brisket. It's in the oven if you're interested. Apple pie with ice cream for afters."
Lois stepped further into the kitchen. The scent of apple pie caught in her nostrils at the very mention of it, and it was a familiar scent that felt right at home in this house. It was simple yet comforting - a nice warm hug disguised as cinnamon scented, fruit-filled buttery short crust pastry. No matter her mood, she would never be able to decline a slice of Martha Kent's finest. She nodded.
"Take a seat Lois. I'll bring it over," Martha smiled.
"Mrs Kent, you don't have to do that," Lois replied, but she removed her jacket and went over to wash her hands before taking her seat at the table anyway. A voice inside told her not to argue.
Moments later, Martha brought over the plate from the oven on a tray, together with cutlery, a glass and some water. The moment the plate was put in front of her and the rich savoury smell rose up, she realised just how immensely hungry she'd been.
"It gives us a chance to talk," Martha added as she sat down, joined by Jonathan.
Lois smiled softly and took a tentative bite. The Kents were always polite and soft-spoken with her, and it was the perfect way to break it to her that she should look for some place else to stay. Lois braced herself for the worst.
"Lois, Clark explained about what happened with Lucy. I know you told him a few things that you didn't want him to share but we were worried about you, so he told us everything."
"Uh…like what?" Lois was very aware of her heart thumping inside her chest.
"Lois, we know that your father wanted you to take care of Lucy when you were kids, and we know you feel a burden of responsibility that you were far too young to have to take on."
Normally, Lois would have wanted to chew Clark's ear off for blabbing about something that was none of his business, and that she hadn't intended to reveal in the first place. Yet something about Martha's tone suggested that it was perfectly alright for her to be in the know. She wouldn't use that knowledge to take advantage of Lois or demean her in any way. Lois nodded softly before answering.
"Ever since we were little, I've been higher up in the chain of command. Being the eldest, I was tasked with making sure that Lucy ate all her meals, got ready for school, did her homework and didn't get into trouble. It was my responsibility."
Jonathan had been listening intently. It was he who'd first overheard Lois and her father having a heated conversation over the phone in the barn. He had chosen to stay back so as not to eavesdrop, but he'd got the feeling that her father was being very harsh with her and not letting her put across her side of the story. Discussing it with Martha, she'd advised him to tread carefully. He couldn't show any sternness or come across as too serious or else Lois would simply clam up, but he couldn't go too far the other way so that Lois saw her own father as the bad guy. After all, Lois was not his daughter - she already had a father. It was a delicate balancing act.
"Lois, I don't want to get in the middle of whatever is going on between you and your father, but we want you to know that we don't see you as being responsible for what Lucy did. She's your little sister so we know you always want to look out for her but at the end of the day, your responsibility towards Lucy is as her sister, not as a mother."
Lois was left stunned by that. She'd had it drummed into her from an early age that she should be self-sufficient and never be seen as weak, and that was one of the reasons she built up emotional walls and disclosed very little about her personal life. Being open and emotional was tantamount to being weak. She realised that Clark and his parents knew more about her and the issues she'd had to face growing up than practically anybody else - even her own Uncle Gabe - so she'd never heard anybody tell her what Jonathan just did. And yet they weren't projecting it as weakness. No, it was a definite strength. What if she'd been told something like this much sooner, how would things have panned out?
"I…uh…I'm," she stammered. The moment called for her to say something but she couldn't find the words. She shovelled a piece of roast potato in her mouth to give herself something else to focus on.
Jonathan and Martha exchanged a knowing glance before Jonathan spoke up once more. "When I went in your room earlier to find out how you were, you'd gone out to the barn but I found all your stuff packed up. Were you going somewhere?"
"I kinda figured you guys wouldn't want me around any more," Lois explained, taking a bigger forkful of food to avoid having to say anything further. It was now very clear she'd misjudged the Kents.
Martha chuckled. "Why on earth would you think that Lois?"
Lois sighed. "I…uh…I figured you'd be mad after what happened. I'd brought trouble to your door and I didn't want you to think I was overstaying my welcome."
Jonathan practically bellowed his laughter, incredulous. "Hah, overstaying your-! Lois, you have never brought trouble to our door. On the contrary. Martha and I have enjoyed having you around."
"But after Lucy-"
Martha interrupted before Lois could reiterate how Lucy was her responsibility.
"-No Lois. What Lucy did had nothing to do with you. She used the fact you are staying in Smallville to lead that loan shark to Lex and his money. There is no way you or anyone else could have known she was going to do that. Clark spoke to Lex and he isn't after anything from Lucy or yourself, and I don't want you to beat yourself up over what happened."
Martha then put her hand over Lois' which was resting on her glass. "We don't want you to leave, and we don't want you thinking that you have to go anywhere either."
Lois merely nodded, willing herself not to get teary.
"If you ever feel you need to get something off your chest, you can always come to us. We're not going to judge you and if it's anything we can help with, we will do whatever we can. If it's something personal Lois, you can come to me privately and I promise you that whatever it is will stay between us. OK?"
Lois nodded once more, putting some more food in her mouth to help stem the tidal wave threatening to spill forth from her eyes. At least chewing on some delicious brisket would give her something else to concentrate on.
Jonathan spoke up next in a tone that was warm and friendly yet enabled Lois to understand in no uncertain terms.
"Lois, you just have to promise us one thing alright? No more running."
Lois took in their words and it now occurred to her that she wished she'd grown up with the Kents. She still loved her father and Lucy but she didn't like them an awful lot. What she felt for the Kents maybe couldn't yet be classed as love but she knew she absolutely adored them. Just as with Clark in the barn earlier, empathy radiated off them in waves and while it was initially disconcerting given what she was used to, it was certainly welcome and as she sat with her almost finished plate, she now felt so much lighter, much more clear-headed and guilt free. She would have learned to live with the simple rural life because it brought with it the stability her life had thus far lacked. The last however many minutes were simply amazing for her.
"No more running," she whispered back, eyes now shimmering.
Jonathan and Martha glanced at one another smiling before Martha turned back to Lois.
"I think we're all ready for some apple pie with ice cream now. Whaddaya say?"
Lois smiled and laughed for the first time in what felt like days as the tension simply washed away. At that moment, Clark entered the house so Martha took it as her cue to get up and prepare to serve dessert. They'd all be sitting down on the couch and watching a movie before the Kents headed upstairs for bed partway through as usual. Clark and Lois would continue to watch, and Lois wouldn't have it any other way. While Lois and Lucy continued to drift further apart, Lois and the Kents had grown closer together. From now on, there was to be no more running.
FIN.