A/N: I don't own Smallville, I just love writing it. And as you can tell from reading my other stories… I really love CLOIS and love writing things about the future meeting the past. I hope you enjoy my stories and if you like this one you'll probably like my other stories too. By the way the only reason I have one-chapter/one-shots is because I don't know how to make it multi-chaptered… So enough with my boring rambling and on with the story:)
Future Life
"Don't worry, Clark. Everything is going to be fine," Chloe said making her best friend who happened to be an intergalactic traveler to sit down.
"Really?," Clark asked like a little kid wondering if someone just confirmed if Santa Claus was real.
"Clark… all she's doing is going to pick up John and Lara from school," Chloe replied. "She's not on some dangerous adventure."
"Well after what happened a week ago, I am entitled to worry," Clark answered. "It's not my fault that my wife loves to get herself in trouble all the time." Lois had gone on some hair-brained scheme to try to get Lex Luthor to confess to a crime and almost got killed in the process. After that Clark started to get more protective over his wife.
"Clark… its okay she has Superman for a husband," Chloe said with a wink which caused him to smile in response. He turned to look behind his best friend and noticed his wife, Lois Lane and his two children Jonathan and Lara, they are twins and are only five years old.
"Hey guys," Lois said as she approached her partner at The Daily Planet and her wonderful cousin.
"Hey, Lo," Clark and Chloe greeted in unison.
"Hi Daddy!!!!," John and Lara yelled in unison running into Clark's chest. He faltered a bit almost falling out of his chair because their super-strength was just starting to become more dominant.
"Hey guys," Clark said ruffling his son's jet black hair at the same time stroking his daughter's auburn hair.
"You weren't worrying or anything were you, Smallville?," Lois asked knowing that her husband was without a doubt pacing the floor in his mind with worry.
"No more than usual, Lo," Clark replied with his trademark Kent mega-watt smile.
"Hey Chlo, would you mind getting me some coffee. I've been seriously caffeine deprived today," Lois said. Chloe just replied with a smile and a nod and headed off to get the desired drink for her cousin.
"So do you have all the decorations ready?," Clark asked.
"You know it, Smallville," Lois replied. "This time I want Chloe to remember a birthday party in your old barn. Not that the last time for her eighteenth birthday wasn't memorable."
"I know what you mean, Lois. Just take your time driving," Clark said as the ever cautious husband.
"Clark… I'm not made of glass. I know I'm only human but as you know I can take care of myself. If anything goes wrong, which it won't, I'll just yell for your alter-ego," Lois replied with a grin.
"Thanks Lois, you're making me feel so much better," Clark replied sarcastically. He knew that his wife could take care of herself he just didn't want her to get into any crazy-life-threatening situations that weekend because they were planning a surprise birthday party for Chloe in Clark's old barn. Unlike last time Chloe actually has no idea that there is a plan for a party.
"After Chloe gives me the coffee I'll head to Smallville with the munchkins," Lois said and Clark nodded agreeing with the two said children still clinging to him in a huge bear-hug. If he wasn't Superman he would have had the life squeezed out of him.
"Okay Lois… I'll give you about the amount of time to drive over to Smallville from Metropolis and then fly over there to help you set up, okay?," Clark suggested and Lois nodded. "John? Lara? Could you two please release the bear hug please?," Clark asked directing his question to his two children. Reluctantly they let go and migrated over to their mother.
"Thanks, Clark… we'll be able to set up everything faster with you there. I think Kara said that she'd help too," Lois answered. After Lois was done talking Chloe came back with Lois' cup of coffee. She took it with a smile.
Meanwhile on the other side of the city in Suicide Slums a certain bald billionaire was going to strike a deal with a low-life of the city. His expensive shoes sloshed in the puddles of the alley. He could spot a cowering figure in the corner of the man he was about to strike a deal with, so he headed over to the man.
"Why don't you come out of there so I can talk to you?," Lex asked and the man crept out of the corner.
"You got the money?," the man asked while fidgeting. He looked like a junkie waiting for his drugs. Lex slipped out a white envelope that bulked out with cash.
"You better do the job right or else you'll regret being born," Lex said as he handed him some type of remote control box. "It took a lot of talent to get this. You are clear on what you're supposed to do, right?".
"Yeah, wait until I see Kent's wife's car and press the button directed at the car," he answered with an evil smirk and glint in his eyes.
"Good boy, but make sure that there aren't any blue birds around if you catch my drift," Lex said. After seeing the confused face of his associate he clarified, "Superman you idiot."
"Oh… don't worry, Mr. Luthor. I know what to do," the man assured him as he headed to the outskirts of town where he would wait to find Lois' car to pass by.
"Hey Clark, do you mind if I go home early?," Lois asked starting to hint about her leaving for Smallville.
"No not at all. You've been working hard. I'll come home in a little bit. I just need to finish up here and do a quick flight around Metropolis for patrol," Clark answered.
"Okay. Come on guys," Lois said, kissed Clark a quick good-bye, and took Lara and Jonathan's hands in hers and headed for the elevators.
"Clark, is it just me or is Lois acting weird?," Chloe asked pointing in the direction her cousin had just left.
"No, Chlo. She's just being Lois," Clark answered with a smile. Chloe replied with a smile too and just shook the ludicrous idea out of her mind that her favorite cousin was planning something.
"Are we going to Grandma's house?," Lara asked from the backseat of the car. They were already out of the outskirts of Metropolis and on their way to Smallville.
"Yup, we're going to have a surprise party for Aunt Chloe. We're going to stay there a little bit too. Don't worry I packed your suitcases while you were at school," Lois replied.
"Is Aunt Kara gonna help with the decorations with Daddy?," John asked just as eager to get to the Kent Farm.
"Of course she is… that way we'll have more time to spend with Grandma," Lois replied keeping her eyes on the road and gave a quick glance in her rearview mirror to see the smiling faces of her twins.
"Hey Mommy, who's that?," Lara asked pointing out the window at a man on the side of the road. It was the man who had made a deal with Lex. He pointed the remote control panel at the car and pressed the button and Lois drove through some kind of portal that moved like water as they passed through it. By the time Lois looked away from the road to see who Lara was pointing at they had already driven through the portal.
"Who are you talking about, Lara?," Lois asked because she didn't see anybody so she kept driving.
"Uh… nobody," she replied confused to where that man could have gone. She looked to her brother to see if he had seen the mysterious man but he had his eyes closed and head against the window waiting to get to their Grandma's house.
Time passed and Lois started to near the Kent Farm. The sun was only starting to set and the sky looked like a beautiful painting with only colors and hues that can be seen in the sky. Almost as if they could sense nearing their favorite farm John and Lara woke up from their small nap.
"Mommy can we speed ahead to the house first?," John asked wondering if they could run to the house using their super-speed. The only powers that they were showing so far was their strength and speed.
"No… wait until I can see her mailbox," Lois started and noticed their puppy-dog eyes and pouts and gave in. "Curse those eyes. Why'd they have to inherit that from their father?," Lois thought before she finished her answer. Not soon after she said that they all saw the very familiar mailbox so Lois pulled over as they got out and super-sped to the house.
Inside the Kent household Martha Kent started to take some cookies out of the oven. She put them on the counter and walked out of the room. After she was clear out of the room John and Lara snuck up to the counter and grabbed some of the cookies and started to eat them.
"What are you doing?," a voice said causing the two guilty five year olds to turn around and face the voice.
"Nuffing," John and Lara said mouths full of cookies.
"Looks to me like you're eating cookies. Where are your parents?," the man asked.
"They're coming," John answered after audibly swallowing his cookie.
The man turned to his right and noticed two more presences in the room, one being his wife and the other his son. It was Martha and Clark. "It looks like we have some hungry visitors," Jonathan Kent said.
The two said hungry visitors jumped down off of the little island in the kitchen and attached themselves to Clark's legs in another hug, "You're here!!". They sure love their dad.
"Uh, what are you two doing?," Clark asked wondering why there were two little kids under a vice grip on his legs without any warning and confused as to why he could actually feel their squeeze.
"Just giving you another hug," Lara answered and let go as did her big brother by five minutes.
The three older Kents in the room were now really confused and since they weren't dangerous Clark decided to play along with the kids until he could find out what he needed to know. He looked to each of his parents and they looked just as confused as he did. Clark kneeled down to their level and asked, "Where is your mommy?".
"She's coming. She let us super-speed to the house," John answered and Lara finished by saying, "Just like you, Daddy." That last sentence caught Clark completely off guard as he fell on his butt leaving his legs out in front of him. Martha and Jonathan were staring at each other in disbelief and looked to the two small children who had just called their son "daddy".
"Yeah, we're getting faster! But I'm faster because I'm older," John gloated.
"Are not! I'm just as fast as you! You're only five minutes older than me!," Lara argued and they stuck their tongues out at each other.
While Clark and his parents were still in shock staring at the two kids, they heard the front door open and a voice call out, "Lara? John? Come here you two!". The two desired kids stopped their arguing, left Clark sitting on the floor, and ran out to see their mom. Clark got up and looked to his parents still in disbelief. Then they all looked determined to find out what was going on so they headed to the front of the house to see their newest visitor.
"Hi, Mommy," Lara and John greeted.
"Did you two do anything?," Lois asked growing suspicious because she smelled Martha Kent's cookies and nobody was immune to that scent, Kryptonian or Human.
"Noooooo," they dragged on in response. They knew they were busted.
"Hello?," Clark called out coming into Lois' view. Jonathan and Martha were behind him in the room but out of Lois' vantage point.
"Oh hey, Smallville. Now that you're here we can set up for the party. I see that you wasted no time getting into "Farm Mode"," Lois teased acknowledging the fact that he was wearing his trademark plaid.
"What?," Clark asked completely confused for a couple of reasons: one who these people were, two what party this woman was talking about, and three why she had called him 'Smallville'.
"Chloe's birthday party in your barn, remember? If you use your super-speed we can get it done faster," Lois replied motioning for him to follow her out the door but they both stood their ground.
"Super-speed? How could she know about that? This is beyond weird, even by Smallville's standards," Clark thought.
"What do you want?," Jonathan asked getting into defensive mode when it came to his son's secret, stepping in front of his son. Martha came into view as well. Seeing him caused Lois to get scared and confused real fast.
"M-Mr. Kent? What? What's going on here? How?," Lois said asking random questions from shock walking further into the living room. Then out of the blue she fainted, luckily she fainted on the couch.
"Mommy?," John asked concerned because he's never seen his mother faint before.
"What's wrong with Mommy, Daddy?," Lara asked looking to Clark. "Did he scare her?". She pointed to Jonathan unsure of where she's seen him before. Since they were born long after Mr. Kent had died, Lois and Clark showed them as many pictures of his father as they possibly could.
"Why do you keep calling me "Daddy"?," Clark asked ready to find out the truth about these people.
"Because you are our daddy," John replied. Then a calendar by the staircase caught his eye. He walked over to it and saw that it said "2001" and they came from the year 2016. "Lara come look at the calendar." His sister joined him and saw the date on the calendar and grew scared just as her brother did. At that moment she realized who the man was who 'scared' Lois. It was their grandpa that died before they were born.
"We're in the past? That's fifteen years," Lara said in disbelief after counting on her fingers to figure out how far in the past they were. Because of Clark's Kryptonian background they were a little smarter than a human child would be at their age.
"You're from the future?," Martha asked finding her voice.
"Wait a minute this isn't some elaborate scheme or anything is it?," Jonathan asked trying to keep Clark and his secret safe.
"No, Grandpa. Why would we lie to you?," Lara replied. She didn't think it would be a good idea to tell him that she never met him before because he was dead. It was just better for him to believe that he was still alive. After Lara called him "Grandpa" John realized that it was the man from the pictures that they had seen and knew what his sister was doing.
"You mean you're my future kids and that's my future wife?," Clark asked. He had to admit he was a little shocked that it wasn't Lana but knew that it probably wouldn't have happened anyway.
"Uh-huh," they replied in unison.
"How did you get here?," Martha asked admiring her future grandchildren's beauty.
"I don't know," Lara answered. "We're only five years old."
"You're twins?," Clark asked. He knew that was a stupid question but he was still grasping the fact that he had his future life laid out in front of him for him to see. "Don't answer that. That was a stupid question. Could you guys answer a question for me?".
"Sure," they answered.
"What's her name?," Clark asked looking to his future wife who was still unconscious on the couch. The Kent family migrated over to where Lois was laying and Clark kneeled down to be eye level with Lois.
"Lois," John answered. "But she goes by Lois Lane-Kent."
"Lois," Clark whispered under his breath admiring the beautiful woman who lay before him as he reached out to brush her hair with his hand. Lois started to regain consciousness to Clark's acknowledgement of her name and his touch.
"Hey, Clark," Lois breathed out sitting up. "What just happened?".
"You fainted… but there is something I think you should know… the kids figured out that you aren't exactly near home," Clark started to explain. He was about to call the kids by their names but realized he hadn't even bothered to ask.
"What do you mean, Smallville?," Lois asked and Clark's face contorted to one of confusion at the nickname.
"Smallville?," Clark asked confused.
"Now I know something's wrong," Lois said and looked behind her husband-to-be to see a very alive Jonathan Kent. "What's going on?".
"We're in 2001, Mommy," Lara explained.
"What?," Lois asked clearly confused. She didn't want to rule out the possibility of time-travel for the reason her late father-in-law was standing before her but knew that it was a possibility after all the weirdness that she's seen throughout the years. After all she was married to a being from another planet.
"You're in the past, Lois," Clark said trying to give some input into the explanation.
"Then how'd you know my name was Lois?," Lois asked growing a little suspicious like any good investigative reporter.
"Uh, he told me," Clark said pointing to his future son. Figuring that this was a good time to ask names Clark turned to him and asked, "What's your name?".
"Jonathan Samuel Kent and she's Lara Martha Kent," John answered with their full names and pointed to his sister at his side.
"Jonathan?," Jonathan asked touched that his son named his son after him. The little boy looked up and nodded. It was starting to get dark in the house so Martha turned on the light next to the couch.
"How did you end up in the past?," Martha asked. They knew weird things happened in Smallville but time travel was pushing it.
"I have no idea. We were just driving to the farm because we were planning a surprise birthday party for Chloe and all of a sudden we're in the past," Lois explained.
"Chloe? Chloe Sullivan?," Clark asked making sure it was the same Chloe he knew and not a different one from the future. Lois just nodded her head in confirmation. "Was there anything unusual about your ride over here? Other than the fact that you've ended up fifteen years in the past?".
"Not really… wait a minute. Lara didn't you say you saw someone on the road?," Lois asked starting to put clues together.
"Yeah but he disappeared once we passed him. He was holding a weird handheld box thing that looked like a TV remote," Lara answered.
"Maybe that man sent you back in time," Jonathan reasoned. "I can't believe I just said that."
"Believe me you'll get used to weirdness," Lois answered and smiled. She too figured that she shouldn't tell him about his future fate. She was just happy to see him walking around again.
"Since it's clear that you won't be heading home right away, you need to stay the night," Martha ordered. "You can take Clark's bed and Clark can take the couch."
"No no that's okay, Martha. I wouldn't want to do that to Clark again," Lois replied and added 'again' in her head.
"It's okay. I don't mind," Clark said being his usual gentlemanly self.
"Thanks, Smallville," Lois answered with a smile.
"Why do you keep calling me "Smallville"? That's the name of the town," Clark asked getting annoyed.
"That's just one of my nicknames for you. It takes time for it to grow on you," Lois replied with another smile. "Thanks though for giving up your bed."
"No problem. We'll figure out how to get you back to the future where you belong in the morning. I have school though so we may have to wait a little bit," Clark answered.
"Maybe I could help you research at The Torch. I could come to Smallville High when class gets out and try to figure out a way to get us back home," Lois offered.
"Okay," Clark agreed.
"Well that is if you guys don't mind baby-sitting," Lois said looking to her future in-laws.
"Are you kidding me? We'd love to!," Martha answered a little too enthusiastically.
"They only have Clark's strength and speed so you don't have to worry about them burning the house down," Lois joked.
"Burning the house down?," Jonathan asked confused.
"Yeah you know… heat vision," Lois replied using her two fingers pointing to her eyes back and forth to indicate heat vision.
"I don't have heat vision. All I have is super-strength, super-speed, and I just got x-ray vision this year," Clark explained.
"Oh sorry. I guess I let that cat out of the bag. You have to tell me these things," Lois apologized. She didn't want to give away any future information if she didn't have to.
"Well that will be interesting when that comes," Martha said sarcastically.
"So you know about my origins?," Clark asked and right after he asked it he knew it was just as stupid of a question as 'you're twins?'.
"Did you really think I'd walk down the aisle without that information?," Lois asked teasingly and ended her sentence with a smile.
"Forget I said that. I seem to be asking stupid questions lately," Clark said embarrassed.
"It's okay. It's getting late so I think we're gonna head to bed," Lois said and Lara and John headed up the stairs because they knew the way. "Could you get our small luggage by the door, Farm Boy?". Clark looked confused at first by the nickname but remembered that she said she had more than one nickname for him in the future he noticed the luggage by the door and trailed behind his future family up the stairs. After his future family was situated upstairs he came back downstairs to join his parents.
"This night has been beyond weird," Clark said as Martha handed her son a blanket and pillow for the couch.
"I guess we're going to have to get used to weird things. Time travel apparently isn't out of the realm of possibilities in Smallville," Martha answered.
"Just try to get a good night sleep. We'll see you in the morning and be ready for school," Jonathan ordered and gave a smile. Martha and Jonathan headed to bed as Clark got situated on the couch and started to drift off to sleep.
The next morning the extended Kent family was eating breakfast in the kitchen in total silence much to Lois' discontent. Lara and John were taking subtle glances at their late grandfather still in disbelief that he was right in front of them.
"I'm gonna head to school so I'll see you guys later," Clark said directing his speech to his parents and then looked to Lois, "When are you going to come to The Torch to try to figure out how to get you back?".
"I'll get there when your school gets out. I may not be able to super-speed but I'll manage," Lois replied with sarcasm and a wink.
"I think I'm going to have to get used to your sarcasm," Clark observed.
"You have no idea, Smallville," Lois replied.
"So are there other powers that we really need to know about that Clark will get?," Jonathan asked trying to strike up some conversation.
"I really don't want to give away any future information if I can avoid it," Lois replied.
"Where's Shelby?," Lara asked looking around the floor in the kitchen looking for the aged dog.
"Who?," Martha asked clearly confused.
"So much for not giving away future information," Lois thought and then answered her daughter by saying, "He doesn't exist yet, sweetie."
"Who's Shelby?," Jonathan asked.
"Your future dog," Lois simply said. "I guess I will be giving future info away." Jonathan and Martha gave her sympathetic glances and started to clean up the breakfast table.
Time passed once again and it was the end of the school day for Clark Kent and after exiting his last class he hurried to The Torch. No offense to his future life but he wanted his future wife and kids back in the future where they belonged. He could only imagine what his future self was feeling right now.
Back in the future, Clark had just landed next to his old barn at the same time his cousin, Kara landed. They gave each other a quick acknowledgment and started to walk in the barn.
"Lois?!," Clark yelled wondering why he hadn't seen his wife's car or her stubbornly try to do all the hard work by herself.
"John?! Lara?!," Kara called out wondering where they could be. "Maybe they aren't here yet."
"No I don't think so. I gave her plenty of time to get here. The way she drives she should have been here at least a half hour ago," Clark replied floating up to see if they were up in his old "fortress". "They aren't here."
"Well don't worry, Clark I'm sure they're fine," Kara said trying to make her cousin calm down because he was starting to get really worried by combing his hair with his hand in a nervous manner and tugging at his cape from his collar.
"I hope so," Clark said and motioned Kara to follow him. They took off to the skies to see if they could spot her from a bird's eye view.
"Whoa, Clark what's the hurry?," Chloe asked trying to catch up with her best friend after his hasty exit from class. Pete tagged along at their side wondering the same thing hurrying his pace so he wouldn't get left behind.
"I just want to get to The Torch," Clark answered cryptically.
"Did I get you that interested in journalism?," Chloe asked jokingly.
"It's just that I need to research something," Clark answered yet again cryptically. He wasn't sure if he should tell Chloe and Pete that his future life had literally come to his doorstep.
"What do you need to research?," Pete asked as they entered their destination.
"Uh…," Clark started still contemplating whether or not he should tell them. "Oh why not we live in Smallville we're used to weird stuff," Clark thought and then continued, "I need to find information on time travel."
"Time travel?," Chloe asked making sure she heard right. Clark just nodded his head in affirmation.
"Why, you have a time traveler on your hands?," Pete asked sarcastically. When Clark looked back at his friend with a serious expression, Pete realized that he did. "Whoa, you do?".
"Yeah," Clark said without elaborating.
"You're gonna have to tell us, Clark if you want help," Chloe said waiting to hear who from the future was in their time.
"Okay. My future wife and kids are in this time. They came to our house last night. The weird part was that they didn't know that they were in the past until one of my future kids saw the calendar. He noticed it said '2001' and he said that they were from '2016'," Clark explained.
"Wow fifteen years," Pete said realizing how far they had traveled.
"She's coming here in a few minutes to help me research. That's why I was hurrying to The Torch," Clark explained his stampede to their high school paper.
"Your future wife is coming here?," Chloe asked a little perplexed.
"You guys don't seem too shocked that time travelers have arrived in Smallville," Clark said.
"Yeah well, Clark we live in Smallville, land of the weird and home of the strange. So far we have had a meteor shower, Jeremy Creek who didn't age for like twelve years, a bug boy, spontaneous fires, bone-morphing girl Tina Greer, Sean the heat-sucking jock, and much more. Time-travel isn't much of a jump," Chloe replied.
"So Clark, when she comes through the door. How are we gonna tell the difference?," Pete asked starting a really lame joke, of which Chloe caught on real quick.
"The difference?," Clark asked confused to what Pete was talking about.
"Yeah. How are we going to be able to tell the difference between the Lana of this time and Future Lana," Pete explained with a straight face and then cracked at the end. Clark gave him a death glare wishing he had his heat vision already that Lois mentioned.
"For your information, it isn't Lana," Clark said starting up the computer so they could be ready for the research.
"What?! Clark Kent doesn't marry Lana Lang?," Chloe asked feigning shock.
"Would you guys cut it out. If you wanna help be serious about it okay?," Clark asked getting fed up with their teasing.
"Okay okay. Come on Pete let's go get some books from the library on the theory of time travel," Chloe said starting to push Pete out the door.
"Chloe Sullivan using a book and not internet? Is this a sign of the apocalypse?," Clark joked.
"Now who's the one teasing?," Chloe asked with a laugh as she exited the room with Pete. Clark looked back down to the computer and a few seconds later he heard someone enter.
"That was quick," Clark said without looking up.
"Well I told you I didn't have super-speed but I'd manage," Lois replied which caused him to look up and give her a smile in response. He seemed to be smiling a lot more since Lois arrived. "Where'd Chlo go?".
"She went to the library with Pete to get some books about time travel," Clark answered pointing his thumb out the door in the direction of the library without giving a second thought to how Lois even knew that Chloe was there to begin with or how she even knew the aspiring investigative reporter.
"Wow Chloe Sullivan using a book instead of a computer. Never thought I'd see the day," Lois said and walked over to the Wall-of-Weird.
"That's Chloe's Wall-of-Weird," Clark explained.
"Yeah I know about it," Lois answered and Clark nodded his head in an 'oh' manner. "It just looks really small. There's a lot of stuff that hasn't happened yet."
"Here's all we could find," Chloe said entering with Pete a couple minutes later with a couple of books piled in their arms. When Chloe put all the books down on the table and looked up she saw another occupant in the room and she couldn't believe her eyes. "LOIS?!?! What are you doing here?". Obviously Chloe didn't connect the dots that this was Clark's future wife.
"Uh… that's what I want to know," Lois replied.
"Wait, you know Lois?," Clark asked confused.
"She's my cousin," Chloe answered but still not connecting the dots.
"You failed to mention that Chloe was your cousin," Clark said facing Lois.
"Yeah well I failed to remember that you didn't know yet," Lois answered with her arms folded.
"I take it your Clark's future wife," Pete said noticing the transgression between the two. After Pete said that and at Clark's nod Chloe froze with shock.
"Wait… hold on a second. My cousin marries my best friend?," Chloe asked coming out of her shocked stupor.
"I guess technically that makes us cousins in the future," Clark said trying to relieve the tension a bit but failing miserably.
"How did you get in the past?," Pete asked getting to the topic at hand ignoring Chloe's dropped jaw.
"I really have no idea," Lois replied not being any help.
"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around being related to Clark in the future," Chloe said still in disbelief.
"What did you find in the library?," Clark asked trying to get Chloe to stop thinking about their future related status and get to the topic at hand.
"Uh, not much, nothing that will help us. If she doesn't know how she got to be in the past then we really don't have much to go on," Chloe said shaking her head trying to come out of her reservoir.
"I think we better talk to Lara. She saw more than I did," Lois suggested. At Pete and Chloe's confused expression Lois explained, "Lara is my daughter, she and her twin brother Jonathan came with me. We call him John though." She still seemed a bit uncomfortable because she knew full well about Chloe's little crush on Clark at this point in time.
"Good idea. Come on guys, let's head out to the farm," Clark said grabbing his blue jacket to cover his red t-shirt. Chloe and Pete trailed the future couple exiting The Torch.
"Let's take my car," Lois said as the quartet headed to the parking lot. Lois got in the driver's seat, Clark got on the passenger's side, and Pete and Chloe went in the back seat. Pete sat behind Clark and Chloe therefore sat behind Lois.
"So… any chance at revealing any future info?," Pete asked hopeful for possible stock exchange secrets or even lottery numbers.
"No," Lois simply replied. Pete leaned back a little disappointed but took it with stride.
"What do you think may have caused you to end up in the past?," Chloe asked finally getting the fact that there were future travelers in the present, but she was still wrapping her mind around the fact that her cousin marries Clark Kent.
"Well, Lara said she saw a man on the side of the road holding some sort of remote or something. If I'm right then maybe he sent us back somehow using that device," Lois theorized.
"Do you have any enemies?," Pete asked trying to be helpful in the conversation.
"Pick a number," Lois replied lifting her hand off the steering wheel for dramatic effect. "There are a lot of people that aren't too fond of me or Clark for that matter."
"Why?," Chloe asked interested.
"I promised myself that I wouldn't give away future information but I guess it is pointless to even try," Lois said and then thought, "I'll just keep the really important stuff to myself and give away whatever I need to that might help us get back."
"So why do you have so many enemies?," Pete asked getting Lois back on track.
"Well basically they aren't too fond of the team Lane and Kent for The Daily Planet. We expose a lot of people and they don't like that very much so they try to get rid of us one way or another. Maybe whoever did this thought they could get rid of us by sending us to the past instead of just killing us," Lois explained.
"The Daily Planet?," Chloe asked. "I thought you hated writing."
"I did… but then some stuff happened that I will not tell you about and those situations led me to like journalism," Lois answered. Chloe nodded at the information trying to take in all the information that was coming to her at once. Before they knew it they arrived at the Kent Farm. Lois pulled up the driveway and got out followed by her future husband, cousin, and her husband's future best man.
"Did Clark really do that?," Jonathan asked his future grandchildren. At their smiles and nods, Jonathan let out a little chuckle.
"What'd I do?," Clark asked walking in the kitchen. Chloe, Pete, and Lois followed him in the kitchen to see the other two time travelers sitting in Jonathan's lap at the dining table. Martha was sitting across from them on the other side of the table. Chloe and Pete were in a little state of awe seeing the uncanny resemblance of the little boy to their best friend and the little girl's resemblance to Lois.
"Uh you haven't done it yet, Clark," Martha answered for her husband and Jonathan continued, "They were just telling us some funny stories of things that you did a couple years ago from their time."
"Oh," was all Clark managed to get out.
"Hi, Aunt Chloe," Lara and John said and waved at Chloe. Chloe gave a small wave still in shock at the sight before her and looked at her hand as she put it down from the wave.
"Can we tell you how Mommy and Daddy met?," Lara asked looking at everyone for a nod of approval. Quickly Lois hurried over to her daughter and covered her mouth, "No sweetie… I don't think we should give that away." Lara reluctantly nodded and everyone else in the room sighed in disappointment. Having someone from the future around was really tempting to find out how things were going to happen. Lois wasn't just worried about them finding out how they met, she was worried how embarrassed she would become and how red Clark would turn if she said anything. Meeting at a café or even in the bullpen at the newspaper wouldn't be bad if that happened, but since their first meeting happened to include Lois getting veered off the road by lightning and finding Clark stark naked in the corn field with no memory would be better left unmentioned.
"I think we should concentrate on how we can get back to our time," Lois said desperately trying to change the subject.
"Okay," everyone but the time-travelers said in unison which caused them to look at each other amazed that they could time that so well.
"I think it was that man I saw on the side of the road," Lara said starting the subject at hand.
"Me too," John said a little jealous that his sister got to see everything
"Who would have that type of technology anyway? Unless that's the norm in the future," Pete said unsure of what the future held.
"No… time travel isn't an every day occurrence," Lois answered.
"Maybe Lex might be able to help," Clark offered. At that name Lara and John visibly cringed and Lois immediately went into "mom mode". "What's wrong?".
"Uh… I don't think that we should involve him," Lois supplied. "He isn't exactly on the best of terms with us."
"Why not?," Clark asked wondering why one of his best friends of this time wasn't on good terms with his future family.
"Just trust me on this one, Smallville," Lois answered cryptically but Clark decided to accept it.
"Smallville?," Chloe and Pete asked confused at the nickname. Clark just gave a modest shrug and explained it was just a nickname and they gave an 'oh' in return.
"So who would have time-travel technology?," Chloe asked asking Pete's still unanswered question.
"Pretty much anyone who has a lot of money and a lot of brains… and a certain club," Lois replied and added mention of "The Justice League" and instantly regretted it knowing that it would lead to more future information unveiled.
"What group?," Clark asked like she knew he would.
"A group that… well it's called "The Justice League"," Lois started unsure of how to phrase it. "They're a group of people who bring justice to those that need it brought to them. They're good guys."
"Sounds like a great group," Clark observed. Naturally he would think that since he is a part of it in the future.
"Since they're good guys… I'm guessing that we can scratch their name off the list of the possible suspects," Chloe suggested which got a nod from everyone in the room.
"You might be stuck here if we can't figure something out," Clark said folding his arms in frustration.
"I think that was their intent," Lois replied sarcastically. The room went quiet for a moment while its occupants tried to brainstorm. Lois took a seat at the table. Chloe and Pete walked closer to the island and leaned against it and John and Lara leaned their heads against their grandfather's chest which got a small smile from the man.
Meanwhile back in the future Clark and Kara paused in the air to talk. They couldn't see Lois' car anywhere and that was causing her husband to become very worried and it took the all the strength the woman of steel had to try to calm him down.
"Clark! Stop panicking!," Kara yelled putting both of her hands on his shoulders.
"How can you tell me that, Kara! I have no idea where my family is and Lex or someone just as evil might have done something to them!," Clark yelled in defense.
"You know, Clark, you used to look at the positive sides of things," Kara counterattacked.
"Don't use that against me. That was before Lex became even more evil than he was before. He's trying to get back at me by hurting Superman's friends which happens to be my own family," Clark replied with anguish in his voice. As they were talking they landed in Evan's field.
"All I'm saying is that you need to be positive. They have you as their father and husband. They don't have anything to worry about. You always manage to save the day. That's the advantage of being a good guy," Kara said giving a reassuring smile to her cousin.
Clark gave a weak smile in response and said, "Let's go see if the JLA can help us. I don't think they're working on anything major right now." Kara agreed as they both took to the skies and headed to the Justice League Association's Headquarters.
"Do you think your Clark is trying to find out what happened to you guys?," Chloe asked trying to fill in the deafening silence that took over the room.
"Without a doubt," Lois replied.
"Well it looks like we're gonna be working on this for awhile so I am in desperate need of caffeine," Chloe said. "I'm going to go over to The Talon and meet you guys back here. Since we came here in your car, could I have the keys?".
"What? Oh yeah… no wait," Lois started and started to take her keys out of her pocket. "I don't think that is real good idea. The car is from the future and I already risked someone seeing it by bringing it to the school."
"Here Chloe, why don't you take our truck," Jonathan said and tossed her his keys. She quickly caught it and gave him a 'thank you' smile. "I know you won't do anything reckless with it," Jonathan joked.
"Thanks Mr. Kent," Chloe said gesturing the keys in her hand.
"Hey Chloe do you think you could drop me off at home first?," Pete asked. "I don't want my parents to get worried about me." Chloe just nodded as the two friends headed out the side door and to Mr. Kent's truck.
"Anybody hungry?," Martha asked trying to lighten the mood. She got an immediate 'yes' response from her future grandchildren but none from her husband, her son, or her future daughter-in-law. "I'll fix you guys something then." The two kids got off their Grandpa's lap and joined Martha by the stove. Lois proceeded to take a seat next to Jonathan and Clark took a seat on the stool by the island.
"I'm not used to feeling like this," Clark said out of the blue.
"Like what, son?," Jonathan asked.
"Helpless. There isn't anything I can do to help you guys get back to your time and it makes me feel uneasy. I wonder how my future self is feeling right now," Clark replied uneasily playing with his hands.
"Believe me, Clark. He's probably feeling the same way you are right now, most likely even worse. He hates when someone is in trouble and he can't do anything to help him and it kills him even more when it's his family that needs rescuing," Lois replied.
"I'm sure he's doing what he can to try to find you. We all know what Clark is capable of," Jonathan said putting reassuring hand on Lois' shoulder.
"He's capable of even more in the future, Mr. Kent," Lois said as she leaned into Jonathan as he gave her a hug that would instill her with some hope. "Thank you." Lois' tough façade finally broke down and she started to cry. She surprised herself when she didn't break down in cry the first time she saw Jonathan Kent alive and well again. Lois started to cry for everything that had grieved her; the loss of her mother when she was little, Jonathan's death, and finally being trapped in the past. Clark walked over to his dad and Lois and kneeled down to her and gave her a hug on her other side. She was in between the two strongest people she knew, not just physical strength but strength of the heart where it counted the most.
Kara and Clark finally landed at JLA Headquarters and he burst in like a man on a mission. J'onn was furiously typing away on the big screen computer with Victor, Bart, Oliver, and Chloe standing behind him. Chloe became an 'honorary' Justice League Member keeping her code name as "Watchtower" for old time's sake.
"Chloe? What are you doing here?," Clark asked shocked to see her.
"Bart just picked me up and said there was an emergency. I didn't object," Chloe answered with a worried expression etched in her face. "I'm guessing that's what you two are doing here."
"Something's wrong. We can't find Lois or the kids," Clark answered confirming Chloe's suspicions that there was something wrong.
"It's about time you two got here," Oliver said ushering the two Kryptonians to the computer. Chloe promptly followed. "We figured you wouldn't be too far behind in tow as soon as we found out that there was something wrong with Lois."
"What's wrong with Lois?," Clark asked fear evident in his voice.
"We don't know where she is," Oliver answered. "You see after your encounter with Lex when you and Lois wrote that article, we tagged her with a tracking device. Before you start yelling we tagged all of the Justice League members as well even you, it's in your cape by the way. That way we can keep track of where everyone is at all times."
"I wasn't gonna yell, Ollie. In fact, I'm grateful. What have you found out," Clark answered as J'onn continued to type furiously fast.
"It's as if she mysteriously just vanished off the face of the Earth. Then J'onn found out that somehow when we were off on a mission someone broke into one of our stations and stole a time-traveler portal remote. Victor and I figured that maybe someone used it on Lois and your kids to send them back in time as some sort of revenge against you," Oliver explained.
"That wouldn't be too far of a stretch," Clark said continuing to listen to Oliver's long-winded explanation.
"J'onn is working as fast as he can to find out where it was used. There's a time limit on the portal. It only stays open for a certain amount of time. Here's another remote for when you find your family so you can bring them back. It's already programmed to come back to this time," Oliver finished.
"You and Kara are the only ones fast enough to reach and go through the portal before it closes, well besides me that is," Bart joked.
"Found it," J'onn said as a location came up on the screen. "The portal is about five miles away from the outskirts of Metropolis." At that Clark and Kara super-sped and took to the skies to reach the portal as everyone else in the room wished them silent luck. Within seconds they reached the portal and flew through it just as it closed once Kara's red boot passed through it. They ceased their super speed and landed turning around visibly seeing the time portal close. Now all they had to do was find his family. They weren't around any buildings they were on the border line between Metropolis and Smallville.
"Maybe we should change into something less conspicuous," Kara suggested as Clark started to speed walk to town and stopped after hearing his cousin speak. She gestured to their costumes and he gave a weak smile in return.
"Yeah," Clark replied. He spun around and was now in a brown 3-piece suit that fit him quite nicely. Instead of putting his glasses on he just put it in his suit pocket figuring he didn't need it in the past as he straightened out his red tie. Kara spun around and ended up being in a navy blue knee-long skirt and white blouse. She handed her glasses to Clark whom of which put her glasses in his pocket as well. Kara then pulled her blonde hair up into a pony tail.
"Run or fly?," Kara asked.
"Maybe we should just run. That way we don't have to worry about where we land. Let's go to The Talon to see if we can figure out how far in the past we are," Clark suggested. At his cousin's nod they both took off at super-speed to the coffee shop.
"Thanks for the coffee, Lana," Chloe said as she took a sip of her favorite drink just as the two new future travelers walked through the door.
"Clark?," Lana asked unsure if it was him when she saw him walk through the door. It looked like he was in idle chat with the girl he was with looking around the café. At that name Chloe turned around and saw none other than Clark Kent with a girl she never saw before. Unsure of himself, Clark walked up to the counter with his cousin at his side to join Lana and Chloe. "What's with the suit?".
"What suit?," Clark asked stupidly and then looked down at himself trying to think of a plausible excuse.
"It was for a job interview, he didn't get it though," Kara said covering for him.
"And you are?," Lana asked ready for the introduction.
"I'm Clark's cousin, Kara," Kara answered and stuck out her hand ready for it to meet with Lana's hand.
"Clark never mentioned he had a cousin," Lana replied as she shook her hand.
"Yeah well she's just visiting for a little bit," Clark replied and coughed at the end out of nervousness. He only wanted to come to The Talon to see if it was still boarded up or if it was the coffee shop yet to give him an idea of how far back in time they went, he wasn't expecting for Lana to call him over.
"Clark, how did you get here?," Chloe asked coming out of her confused stupor of which she was in between Kara and Lana's exchange. Clark just gave her a confused look as she pulled him off to the side giving Lana an apologetic smile. Kara joined them wondering what Chloe had to say.
"What do you mean?," Clark asked unsure of when the last time was that Chloe had seen his younger self. Chloe gave Clark a confused stare and then grabbed his left hand only to see a wedding ring on it. After seeing the silver band, Chloe gave a satisfied smirk.
"I knew something was up when I saw you in a suit," Chloe said as Clark looked like he was the kid that just stole a cookie from the jar. "You guys looking for Lois?".
"Where is she?," Clark asked immediately after his cousin through marriage said his wife's name.
"Wow Clark, eager much?," Chloe replied sarcastically and ushered the two Kryptonians out of the café and into Mr. Kent's truck. Kara sat in the middle as Chloe got in the driver's seat and Clark in the passenger's seat. "How did you guys get here?," Chloe asked as she started to drive with Clark nervously drumming his fingers on the door.
"We used some technology of some friends," Kara answered.
"The Justice thing?," Chloe asked unsure of what Lois had mentioned earlier.
"Exactly how much do you know about us?," Clark asked still unsure of how far back they were in time. He knew he must be at least in high school but he didn't know if Chloe knew his secret yet.
"Only that Lois and your kids are here from the future. That's about it," Chloe answered. Clark nodded and as soon as he noticed Chloe turn into his old driveway to the Farm it took all his willpower not to bust open the door and super-speed to the house.
"Chloe? What year are we in?," Clark asked as she was turning the car engine off.
"Uh, 2001," Chloe answered. Clark quickly opened the door and reluctantly waited for his best friend and cousin to get out of the truck. "Let me go in first and let Clark brace himself before he sees… himself. I'll motion for you to come in when they're prepared." Clark gave a reluctant nod as Chloe headed in the house as Kara had to hold her older cousin back. They stayed by the truck as Clark saw Chloe go in the house.
"Hey Chloe… you got enough caffeine?," Clark asked as he saw his best friend walk in the kitchen. It was a little strange for her to just leave one Clark and then immediately see him in another spot a couple seconds later.
"Yeah… but I have a surprise," Chloe started which got everyone's attention. Lois was still leaning against Jonathan but her tears had dried.
"What?," Clark asked.
"Well I'll give you a hint," Chloe started loving the fact that the future Clark was probably going crazy because she hadn't given him the go ahead to come inside yet. "Better yet…," Chloe continued and thought it would be much funnier to see Clark's expression if he saw himself without warning.
Chloe peeked her head out the side door motioning to someone to come inside. After seeing Chloe's signal Kara let go of Clark and followed him in a light jog to the door. Clark came in the house eagerly ready to see Lois again. Lois immediately got out of Mr. Kent's hug to embrace her husband. John and Lara wrapped around Clark's legs too happy to see their dad. Martha, Jonathan, and especially the other Clark were all in shock to see another Clark Kent in their house.
"Clark! How did you get here?," Lois yelled in excitement as she released her hug but Lara and John remained on his legs.
"Justice League," Clark simply said. "Ollie gave me another remote to get back to our time whenever we're ready."
"I'm glad you're all okay, Lois," Kara said and at her voice Lois finally noticed the other superhero and gave her a quick hug and a 'thank-you'.
"I'm happy that you're all able to get back to your time," Jonathan said standing up and at the new voice in the conversation Lois' husband turned to see his dad.
"Dad?," Clark asked in shock. Forgetting himself for a minute with Lara and John still attached to his legs he attacked his father in a bear hug. Not knowing what else to do, Jonathan patted his future son on the back unsure of the reason for the spontaneous hug.
"Clark? Can you let go of me now, son?," Jonathan asked with a little laugh at the end of his sentence. Clark nodded but continued to hold onto his dad.
Thinking of a reason for Clark's impromptu bear hug without giving away the fact that he wasn't among the living anymore in the future Lois said, "He just hasn't seen you in awhile. We've been really busy at work so we haven't been to the farm in awhile." Jonathan gave Lois a nod acknowledging he heard her and released the hug his son was giving him.
"That's okay. It's good to see you too, son," Jonathan said a little confused when he saw his son's tear soaked cheeks.
"Since everything's good in Smallville again. I think I'm going to head home," Chloe said backing up out the door.
"Are you okay, Clark?," Martha asked as she saw him wipe his eyes.
"Uh, yeah, Mom. I guess I'm just glad to see him," Clark replied.
"What's with the suit?," Clark asked his older self.
"It's for The Planet. Everyone would have probably stared at me if I stayed in the other suit I was wearing before," Clark joked and only his fellow time-travelers knew what he was talking about.
"What other suit?," Clark asked.
"You'll find out," he answered figuring it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell his 15 year old self that when he was older he'd be flying around in blue tights.
"Uh, if you don't mind me asking," Young Clark started looking to Kara, "Who are you?".
"I'm your cousin… biological cousin, Kara," Kara replied.
"You mean I'm not the only one?," Clark asked referring to his extra-terrestrial status.
"No… but you'll find out everything in the future. We can't give everything away," Kara teased.
"Hey Smallville, if you don't mind I think we should head back now," Lois said heading out the door to her car. John and Lara finally let go of their dad and followed their mom out the door. The remaining two time-travelers followed the head-strong investigative reporter followed by the present Clark, Martha, and Jonathan.
"Before we go, I need to explain something first. The portal that I'm about to open will remain open for a couple hours so make sure nobody else goes through it. I don't want to go through anymore time-traveling for awhile," Clark explained. His younger self gave him a nod indicating that he would make sure that the portal would remain safe until it closed. By the time Clark turned back around Lois was already in the car with Kara in the passenger's seat and the kids in the back. "Looks like I'm the one pushing the car."
"HEY SMALLVILLE!! Come over here already so we can get back on time for Chloe's birthday party!!," Lois yelled through Kara's rolled down window.
"I'll see you guys later. Bye Dad," Clark said pushed the remote control button to open the portal in front of the car. He finally was able to say goodbye to his father while he was still alive which gave him a sense of satisfaction and relief after all those years. Clark got behind the car, put his hands on the trunk, floated himself up, and started to push the car with a nod of a goodbye to the awe-struck Kent family in his wake. As they passed through the portal they arrived in their own time to see a much older Martha Kent come out of the barn to see her family literally come out of nowhere.
"Clark! Where have you guys been? I saw you and Kara fly over before and then you just took off," Martha scolded.
"Sorry, Mom but we ran into some trouble," Clark replied giving a half-baked explanation feeling like a kid again under his mother's scrutinizing gaze. She gave a smile in return as the rest of the Kent family got out of the car.
"We went on a longer trip than anticipated," Lois explained.
"If you don't mind, Mom, we'll be back in a little bit to set up for Chloe's birthday party but there's something we need to do first…," Clark said as he spun around into his Superman suit. Kara spun around into her Supergirl suit as well. "Could you watch John and Lara for a little bit? We'll be right back. They'll explain more of what happened." Martha gave a small nod in agreement as her grandchildren ran over to her. Clark picked up his wife as he took to the skies with his cousin in tow. They landed at the Justice League Headquarters to give back the time-travel remote.
"Glad to see you back, Lois," Oliver said as he saw her walk in with Clark and Kara.
"Thanks… you find out who the low-life scum was that sent us back there?," Lois asked getting straight to the point.
"No," Oliver replied.
"Wow, get to it. You know for a group that has more than one person that can run faster than a speeding bullet, you sure are slow at finding information. I'm ready to write an exposé already on whoever did it to me so they can feel the wrath of the writing team of Lane and Kent if they haven't already," Lois answered.
"Calm down, Lois. You just got back," Clark said putting his hands on his wife's shoulders.
"Fine… but only because you said so," Lois said and leaned back into her husband. "Were you okay seeing your dad?".
"Yeah… thanks for covering for me by the way," Clark replied as they swayed side to side with her continuing to lie against him.
"Don't mention it," Lois answered.
"Looks like we got the crook," J'onn said stepping away from the computer. At that Lois and Clark walked over to the Martian ready to hear the culprit. "Lex Luthor."
"Figures," Lois and Clark replied in unison. "How about we give Lex a day reprieve before we get him?," Clark suggested and when Lois looked at him like he lost his mind he furthered his explanation. "That way we can enjoy Chloe's surprise birthday party in peace."
"What birthday party?," Chloe asked silently laughing at Lois' expression because after all that they went through he had ruined the surprise.
"Way to go, Smallville," Lois said annoyed as Chloe had her arms folded and her mouth curved into a satisfied smirk.
Clark just gave an apologetic shrug in response and said, "Its okay Lo, you'll forgive me in time. After all time is all we have together." She gave him a small laugh and sigh in return as he returned his mega-watt Kent smile in return.
THE END
I hope you all enjoyed this story. It took me awhile to write it, again sorry it's only one chapter. If I knew how to make multi-chaptered stories on this site than I would, anyway thanks for reading and if you have the time, please review!! Feed back is greatly appreciated it makes me feel super that people are reading and enjoying my story!!
