The decision had been made. She wasn't going to make a run for the Senate seat she now held, so when her term expired in January, she was coming home, for good.
But for the current spring recess, Senator Martha Kent was returning to the place she'd always thought of as home since the day Jonathan carried her over the threshold.
It had been an honor when the governor asked her to fill Conrad Burke's Senate seat in Washington after he died, but it had kept her away from her son and from Kansas much more than she would have liked. And the truth of it was, she was more than ready to be just plain Mrs. Martha Kent again.
Since she'd heard about Lionel's sudden and shocking death, Martha began to realize how much influence he'd wielded on her behalf. And while she'd made a name for herself as a tireless advocate for the people of Kansas, Lionel Luthor had definitely made things much easier for her; something she didn't fully understand until after he died.
The catalyst to her decision not to run, however, was being home for Christmas and being made keenly aware that things had changed in her absence, namely her only son and a girl he'd once thought of as the bane of his existence. Of course, Lois had gladly helped him with that notion.
But things had changed between them since then, which she sensed when Clark would talk about her.
In spite of what they'd always tried to lead people to believe about them, he and Lois had become good friends. And in spite of her protestations to the contrary, she did care about him.
If she didn't, she wouldn't have scoured Smallville, Granville and Metropolis, on top of running down her cell phone battery several times making seemingly endless calls trying to find him when he disappeared.
Since Lois found him, Clark hadn't heard from Jor-El. He still had no idea how he escaped the collapse of the fortress or how he ended up in the caves. He could only conclude that it was his biological father who had somehow spared his life.
She didn't care how he ended up there, but that he did.
It wasn't so many years ago that she thought she'd lost Clark and Jonathan because of Jor-El, but ironically it was during that very crisis that Lois came to Smallville. And whether she realized it or not, she shook up their quite lives and challenged Clark in a way that no one else ever had.
It seemed as though they were now unwittingly challenging the other to risk their hearts again, on each other.
Lois' car was parked behind Clark's truck the afternoon the cab dropped her off, so Martha knew that they were somewhere on the farm. She was carrying her suitcase to the house when she heard laughter coming from the barn.
She set it, her briefcase and purse on the porch before she stopped to listen and realized that the unfamiliar feminine laughter was Lois. It struck her as odd, because she couldn't remember ever hearing Lois laugh. The masculine laughter was unmistakably her son and she smiled at the sound of it because she couldn't recall the last time he laughed at anything.
"Smallville, a little warning next time would be nice." Martha heard as she approached the barn, not sure what to expect.
"Lois, I said 'Heads up' and that means you're supposed to move." He laughed and as she stepped into the breezeway could see Clark up in the hayloft and Lois just below. She was covered in hay and was trying to brush it off.
"It would have made more sense to say 'Get out of the way Lois or I'm going to pitch some hay on you'. Then I would have moved instead of getting a mouthful of it."
"I think you're exaggerating." Her son was having too much fun teasing her and it was nice to see. "You got some in your hair and on your shirt."
"Well then come down here and see how much you like it." Lois dared him with her hands on her hips. Not a moment later, Martha watched him set the pitchfork down, descend the ladder as fast as she'd ever seen him without super speed to get an arm around her. It startled her to see Clark pull Lois so close to him and that Lois let him do it.
"I'd like this better." There was a husky tone in his voice she'd never heard before, just before his other hand cupped the back of her head and he leaned over to pull her into his kiss. What she heard from Lois wasn't a whimper, exactly, but she almost seemed to be asking him what took so long as her arms wound around his neck as she sighed and kissed him back.
She turned away to give them their privacy and walked back toward the house, smiling the whole way. They were such a reminder of when she and Jonathan were first married and they would find themselves in situations like that.
He would catch her off guard with a kiss that would send shock waves down to her toes and her knees would turn to butter. It should have made her miss him more, but seeing that his own son was finding happiness with a girl the way he had with her, made her less lonely for him.
Her grief had ebbed, but Martha still missed Jonathan terribly and in nearly three years after he passed away, no other man had come close to filling the void her husband left behind. But if what she'd just witnessed was something that was becoming a regular occurrence, it looked as though Lois was filling the void that Lana had left behind with Clark quite nicely.
She picked up her things from the porch and took them inside. She walked to the stairs and headed up to her room and when she opened the door it was neat as a pin. But Martha had the sense that someone had been living there, or at the very least staying in the room on a fairly regular basis.
Was that why Clark was so happy, because Lois was living at the farm again?
She pondered that as she put everything on the bed and opened the suitcase. She began to unpack and put her things away and as she did, she noticed that there were a few of Lois's things hanging in the closet. When she opened her dresser drawers, Lois had taken half of a drawer.
It was as though Lois was trying to tell her that she wasn't taking over her room, just taking up some space. And she hoped that it was all right.
This was in stark contrast to her taking over Clark's room when she'd stayed with them before and had put her personal stamp on it that said, 'This is mine'.
Was Lois now doing the same thing with her son?
With everything put away, Martha stowed her suitcase in the closet and changed. She'd never gotten used to wearing suits and always welcomed the opportunity to wear what was comfortable and made her feel at home.
More than anything she just wanted to lie down and take a nap. It had been a long flight and in between going over the analysis of legislation currently in debate, conference calling during a layover and finally reading a letter that Lana had sent to her, explaining why she'd done what she did, she was exhausted.
Lana's letter had irritated her.
She may have felt she was doing what was best for Clark, and in a roundabout way she had, but she'd done it in a way that had hurt him deeply; she'd done it in a way so that she could avoid talking to him. As much as Martha had always liked Lana, her son had deserved much more than a recorded message from the girl he loved; and who was supposed to have loved him.
It was so different from what Lois had done.
She'd talked to Lois after she'd made a final break with Oliver Queen and she'd said it was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to face. But Lois knew it was the right thing to do, because as much as she cared about Oliver, she wasn't willing to be relegated to second place in his life.
Martha knew that with his hands on involvement with Queen Industries and the small matter of being Green Arrow, that second would have been distant.
With Clark, Lois seemed to be coming very much first in his life and for the first time, in a long time, her son seemed content and very happy.
It didn't appear as though Lois knew about his abilities, but something told her that he was in no hurry to reveal that part of him; Clark seemed completely at ease with who he was because all Lois saw was him.
And she suspected that when Clark finally did tell her, and Martha had no doubt that he would, she would still see Clark Kent, dorky farm boy.
It was that quality in Lois that Martha loved so dearly.
The urge for a nap had passed, so she decided to go downstairs and start dinner. She wasn't sure what the kids had planned, but she really wanted to cook a meal in her own kitchen, even if it meant she would eat it by herself.
That wasn't such a bad notion in her mind, after having so little time to herself. In between fund raising dinners, caucus lunches and obligatory cocktail parties; a home cooked meal was something she'd missed.
She took a quick tour of the kitchen to reacquaint herself with where everything was and a look in the refrigerator to see what was available. She came up with something that would be easy to throw together and got to work.
She was standing at the kitchen window; washing some lettuce for a salad and saw Clark and Lois walking back from the barn. If she hadn't seen what happened between them earlier, they would have seemed to her to be very good friends who were in an animated conversation as they walked close together, but didn't touch. And then Martha smiled as Lois suddenly reached over and punched Clark in the arm and all he did was laugh.
She never noticed before how sweet they were together.
And more amazingly to her, how right they were together.
The sound of their laughter got louder, the closer they got to the house and Martha kept smiling. It was nice to hear it again because there hadn't been much since Jonathan died. But when it grew quiet, she laughed to herself as she shook the excess water off of the leaves and put them in a bowl.
"You do realize that there's hay all over the front porch." She heard Lois' sudden observation as the front door opened. "And you also realize who's going to clean it up."
"Who else?" He laughed softly as they walked into the house, oblivious to the fact that she was there. "But only if I get a reward for it."
"That's blackmail!" She answered and her voice softened. "But I can live with that."
"I thought you could." Martha heard that huskiness again and they were quiet until Clark seemed to realize that someone was in the house and he looked toward the kitchen. "Mom?"
She picked up a dishtowel, turned toward them and dried her hands as she walked through the living room, acting as though she hadn't heard a thing. "Congress is closed down for the spring recess, so I got the first plane available and came home."
It was interesting as she walked toward them to see Lois, tucked in back of Clark with a face as red as she'd ever seen. She was embarrassed, and shouldn't have been.
"I'm glad you're home." He hugged her and his tight hold told her how much he'd missed her.
"So am I. I've really missed you and this place." She held onto him and when she stepped back and got a look at him, he wasn't the least embarrassed. And his happy smile lit up her mother's heart.
"I've got hay all over me thanks to Lois, so I'm going upstairs and change." He said as kissed his mother's cheek and then Lois's before he bounded up to his room.
They were the lighthearted steps of a man who knew that everything was right with the world and it was telling to watch Lois, watch him go up the stairs.
"It's not what you think." She said quietly.
"What do I think honey?" Martha fought the urge to smile because Lois was being so serious.
"We're just friends; that's all we've ever been." She was a little too insistent.
Martha reached out for Lois's hand to get her attention and it was trembling, badly. "There's nothing wrong with feeling something for him Lois. You've known Clark for a long time and you've helped each other through some rough times. And sometimes, feelings of friendship can blossom into something even better."
"I'm not ready for another relationship." Lois frowned and Martha put her arms around the younger girl when a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Do you want another relationship?" She asked gently and felt Lois nod.
"Someday."
"We don't always get to pick when our 'someday' comes." Martha rubbed her back, trying to give her some comfort. "And while you may not be ready for a relationship, it seems as though there is one that's ready for you."
Lois stood back and looked confused. "I don't understand."
"I'm saying that while your head may not be ready, I think your heart is." She explained as she took Lois by the hand, walked her into the living room and sat down with her on the couch. "I think Clark's heart is ready, but his head isn't either. You've both been hurt and you're afraid to trust that what you have with each other could be something lasting."
"He's been talking about leaving Smallville again."
That was probably the thing that was making her hesitate.
Martha nodded. "It's something he's been putting off, but circumstances have changed so that he might not have to."
"Don't you think he should, though?" Lois wondered. "I lived in a lot of different places when I was growing up with the General and you've had the chance to live in Washington. You've gone past the city limits of Smallville and maybe Clark should too, to see what's out there."
"Or maybe to see if there's someone else out there?" She prompted.
Lois agreed with a nod. "He's only known four girls in his whole life."
"And you're the only one of those girls whose happiness has never depended on him." Martha felt the need to point out the obvious. "I think it's why you're both a little scared, because you don't want that to change."
"He needs to depend on himself." She sighed. "I don't think he's ever really been on his own and some time away from Smallville could do him a lot of good."
"I think one of the reasons he's hesitated to leave is that he didn't want to leave the house empty. But since I'll be coming home for good in January, he won't have to worry about that."
"You're not going to run for your seat?" Martha heard Clark's voice from the stairs as he came down. "Mom Kansas needs you there."
"But I need this farm more." She answered him as he walked into the living room and sat down on the arm of the couch next to Lois. "I've missed this place more than I thought I would and I feel too far away from your father."
"So what will you do?" Lois asked her.
"Come back and live here." She said. "I have a pension from the state legislature and I'll have another one from the Congress. The mortgage on the house was paid off years ago and the land is ours free and clear. I can't work the fields, of course, but there is plenty around here to keep me busy."
"And I'll be here to help." Clark assured her and that got Martha to look at Lois.
There would be time to talk to him about that later.
"Then how about helping me with dinner?" She smiled at him. "Lois, I've planned enough for three if you'd like to stay."
"That's okay, Mrs. Kent. I think you need to spend some time with Clark while you're home." Lois shook her head and that got Clark to lean over near her ear.
"Please stay?"
And Martha found herself suddenly studying her hands when Lois flushed. "Okay."
oooooo
They'd insisted on doing the dishes after dinner, but Martha insisted that they go out to the living room. It was still cool enough at night for a fire and while Clark had started a nice one, Lois had been adamant about helping her clear the table.
After the dishes were done and put away, she joined them in the living room with some knitting she'd been working on. It was so reminiscent of when Clark was young and they would spend the evening together. Jonathan would have the Smallville Ledger or the Daily Planet in his hands, reading the news of the day and Clark would be sprawled in front of the fireplace doing his homework.
This particular evening had Clark wedged into the corner of the couch watching a movie. Lois was lying on the cushions with her head in his lap and a hand on his knee. His eyes might have been on the television screen, but she knew that his mind was on Lois as he had a hand on her waist while the other brushed the hair back from her face.
It was all so unconscious and natural, much the way it had been through dinner.
They'd sat next to each other at the table and without asking, would pass the salt or pepper. Or if some item of food were low on their plate, the other would pass the carrots or baked potatoes without comment. She'd smiled to herself because what was happening between them came from spending more than a few meal times together.
It was a comfortable silence as they watched a couple of movies, Lois moving only long enough for Clark to get up and change the discs, before he would return to the couch and her head would again rest in his lap.
She was asleep before the second movie ended and Clark tried to wake her, but all she did was sigh. That got him to smile and glance up at Martha. "I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Put her in my room, I don't mind sleeping down here."
He shook his head before he slipped off the couch and stood up. "It's your first night home and you need to sleep in your own bed." He told her as he got an arm under Lois's knees and the other behind her back and lifted her off the couch. "I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Just get her settled honey, don't worry about me." She smiled at him as he held a sleeping Lois in his arms, looking as though it were the most normal thing in the world for him to do. And given the fact that she'd been sleeping at the farm, it probably was.
She watched as he carried Lois out of the living room and up the stairs.
"Clark?" Martha heard her sleepy voice as she sighed. "I'm glad your mom is home."
"So am I." He kissed her forehead. "Now go back to sleep; you'll see her in the morning."
"Okay." And the last thing Martha saw before they disappeared upstairs was Lois putting her arms around his neck.
The night of the Christmas Ball, Oliver had observed that there was a spark between them and she had seen it. But it seemed as though that spark had caught during the time she'd been back in Washington and while Lois seemed to be wrestling with it, Clark had taken to it and thrived because of it.
She got up to turn off the television and poke at the logs to keep them burning before she picked up her knitting needles and sat back down. She resumed her knitting and was so focused on her stitches that she didn't hear her son walk back into the living room.
"I put her in my room." He commented as he sat down and when Martha looked over at him a pillow and blanket rest on the cushions next to him, a pair of sweats and a tee shirt stacked on top. "Like old times." He grinned.
"You were very sweet to her." She wanted him to know that.
He shrugged. "She makes it easy."
Tread lightly, Martha. "You really care about her, don't you?"
"She's my friend, of course I do." And for the first time that day, he was defensive.
"That's not what I meant and you know that."
"She's not my girlfriend, if that's what you're asking." He seemed to feel the need to tell her. "We're just friends."
"She may not be your girlfriend, but I've watched the two of you today and I think what you have with her goes beyond just friendship now."
"Well it's all we can have because she's not ready for a relationship." He sighed and she couldn't tell if he was frustrated or resigned. "And I'm not either."
Denial wasn't just a river in Egypt.
"Have you kissed her?" He didn't need to know she was aware that he had.
"Mom!" And his face flushed.
"And has she kissed you back?"
His face grew even more red and he refused to answer.
"Clark, there's nothing wrong with having feelings for her." She ventured gently and then sighed herself as she tried to find the right words. "Having feelings for her doesn't mean that you have to make a permanent commitment to her; it just means that you're seeing her differently than you have before."
"She's Lois." He shrugged again.
"And it seems to me that's the attraction." Martha smiled. "She's different from the other girls you've known and I think that's what you've always liked about her, because she knows her own mind."
"She's stubborn."
"But you've always known that." She laughed softly and he glanced over at her.
"I really like her." He looked down at his hands and hesitated. "If I leave Smallville I have to leave her, and I can't do that because then I wouldn't be any better than Oliver."
It was on his mind too.
"You already are different because you've been talking to Lois about it." She looked at him, to try and catch his eye. "You're telling her what you're thinking about doing and not keeping her in the dark."
"I haven't heard from Jor-El since the fortress collapsed, so I may not have to go."
"Lois thinks maybe you should." Martha told him and he looked up at her, surprised. "She's had a chance to see something of the world and she thinks perhaps it's time you did too. And if you did decide to leave Smallville for awhile, she'd support you."
"What about the farm?"
"The farm will be fine because I'll be here and Ben will be glad to help out." She assured him. "So if that's what's holding you back, please don't let it."
"I haven't made a decision yet."
"And no one is expecting you to make a decision right this minute." Martha said to him. "But you're a young man who has his whole life ahead of him so you should see something of the world while you can. And if after those travels are done and they bring you back to Smallville as a farmer, you won't look back and regret not having taken the time to see what was out there."
"She thinks I'm destined for greater things than living on a farm." He sighed.
"Maybe you are, and that's why you should consider the idea." She pressed. "Don't let your concerns about the farm keep you from doing something you want to do. And don't let your feelings for Lois keep you here if you feel you need to leave for awhile."
"Mom, can we not talk about this anymore?" He was getting agitated and Martha could see that it wasn't something he was ready to seriously consider just yet.
"We can always talk about Lois." She laughed again and he rolled his eyes. "Honey, if you want to pursue something with her, I think you should. Because I don't want you to look back at this moment and regret not having taken a chance with her.
"And don't let her objections stop you because I have the feeling that she would regret it too."
"What if it doesn't work?"
She thought about it for a moment. "I think what's concerning you more is that it will."
"Do you think it could?" His face flushed.
"The only way you're going to find that out is to ask her out." Martha told him. "It doesn't have to be anything formal, just ask her to go to see a movie or invite her out to lunch. Put yourselves in a situation where it doesn't feel like a date."
And she saw him smile. "Valentine's Day."
"That went well for you." She nodded. "Everything between you has always gone at its own pace and there's no reason to change that now, so take your time."
All he did was nod and then stood up. "I'm going to make one last check of the barn before I turn in."
"All right." Martha stood up next to him. "While you're doing that, I'm going to head up to bed. It's been a long day and I'm beat."
"I'm glad you're home Mom." He smiled at her before he hugged her. "And I'm really glad you'll be coming home for good."
"So am I Clark." She patted his cheek. "Now get going before it gets too much later."
He grinned at her as he headed to the kitchen to grab his jacket and walk out the side door while she picked up her knitting needles and walked to the stairs.
When she got upstairs, she decided to check on Lois before going to her room. The door was slightly ajar and the lights were out. She saw Lois on her side facing the window and as she pushed on the door, realized that Lois was awake.
Martha would wager that she was watching her son and smiled.
Their feelings for each other were deeper than either would admit to, especially to themselves. And any relationship they might find themselves in was going to be interesting to watch.
She just hoped they would give each other that chance.