Title: Remind Me to Forget You
Story by: k3josai
Written by: Deliverance Territory and k3josai
Pairing: Smallville Clark and Lois
Rating: T
Summary: A kiss… A smile… A letter… A pendant… A baby photo… These things are their connections. But how can they hold on together if someone is letting go?
Disclaimer: We own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Thank You Messages:
K3josai – We're behind by our original schedule due to tight work schedule (in our real world). Though Smallville TV series ended, I and Enid are hoping that Clois fans will still be with us for this fanfiction. I'm also wishing that this won't be my last Clois fic. I am a huge fan of this couple – they're one-of-a-kind.
Now, I'm thanking everyone I met since the first time I wrote Clois fics. To those who shared their talents to me: carito2p, llk6165, drvr8, musicroom08, lexalaneLK, lilah, superlc529, and RPK_Jovi… To those I forgot their pseudonyms; I will mention their real names here: Ivy Joy Batac, Barbra Deiber, Kerly Cedeño-Gomez, Laura Carter and Chinalee Silvano. My Blurrifics Superman family - Josiane, Naomi, Fatma, Karen, and everyone there – Super hugs to all of you and thank you very much. I'm so sorry if I forgot someone, I'll write another thank you letter for you after this chapter.
To my writing partner Enid G. Claudio aka Deliverance Territory – sorry I mention your real name here. You deserve half of the credits for this project. Thanks for your patience and all-out support. Words are not enough to thank you for accepting this challenge and putting your effort here, working until 2am – that means how you love to do this fic. Gracias, for believing in me and the fic's capacity to touch Cloisers hearts. We both know that we're going to miss Tom Welling's Clark Kent and Erica Durance's Lois Lane, so this fic may lessen the sting of missing the show. This is our a little contribution to the Smallville Clois fanfic world. ^_^
Enjoy reading!
Remind Me to Forget You
THE PROLOGUE: Queen
Metropolis, Kansas - Year 1985
It was a cold night. The moon beamed high above, a perfect circle in the dark and clear sky. He drove purposely to his destination, the Queen's mansion in Metropolis, one of the many real estate properties they owned throughout the country. On the back seat a baby cried inconsolably as if understanding perfectly what was going to happen.
The thirty-year-old man, wearing a dark jacket, faded jeans, and old worn boots, chose to hide behind the trunk of a century-old tree. He didn't seem to care how gloomy it was where he stood; all he cared about was the little one a few feet away from him. Sam was a tough man on the outside, but he knew that at the moment, he was breaking apart inside. He needed to do this tonight and maybe someday his daughter would understand the reasons behind it all.
He held on to the last memorabilia from his wife, a family picture taken about five months ago and a white gold locket. His wife, Ella, was nine months pregnant at the time. Observing the photo, he noticed how excited they both looked, expecting to see and hold their child for the first time. Their smiles were living proof of how happy they were, but it all seemed like 'once upon a time'.
He wiped a lone tear that fell from his right eye; he wasn't supposed to cry – he was a soldier after all. Sam also held the latest picture of his daughter, taken about three days ago. Even though she was too young to discern where she got her looks, he silently prayed that she would have the beauty and courage of her mom one day.
Second Lieutenant Samuel Lane was a very resourceful man in many ways, but money was not one of them. The Queens, well, they had all the money in the world at their disposal. And as far as he knew, they were a loving family as well. The striking cries of his daughter penetrated his ears and pierced directly into his heart. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make in his life. Once again, he prayed for his daughter, Lois, to understand it in time.
"What about Lois?" Ella asked as she ruffled the pages of a baby magazine.
"Lois." He replied, "I like it, sounds simple yet strong."
They explored girl names for weeks. They wanted it to be perfect, a perfect name for their soon to be born perfect daughter.
"It's of Greek origin, you know. She will be a fighter." She laughed, looking lovingly into his husband's eyes.
"I love you, Ella."
"I love you too, Sam"
Ella died only a few minutes after giving birth to their daughter. He never expected things to happen that way. Sam's world crumbled in front of his eyes. He found ironic that the love of his life died bringing into to life the most precious gift of all: a baby full of life and dreams. It was devastating, yet there was not time to mourn. He wiped away his now abundant tears and again the rough façade took place. 'Soldiers don't cry' He whispered to himself, accepting the cruel hand of fate.
Almost defeated, he had entered the mansion driveway unannounced and left his baby girl, his Lois, on the porch. Folding a brief handwritten note, he placed it inside a pink envelope and dropped in the delicate white gold necklace with half a pendant. Sam kissed his daughter on the forehead, she had fallen asleep.
"Someone somewhere will make you happy. In time, you will find that person and all of this will make sense to you. Until then, my daughter, I say good bye. Don't ever doubt how much your mother and I love you." He whispered these words with an ached heart and an even more pained soul. While trying to ease this terrible pain, memories of his wife flooded his mind.
Pregnancy suited her. Ella had never looked more gorgeous in Sam's eyes. That was a hard statement to admit, because for Sam, she was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. She was, to put it simple, the love of his life, now carrying a precious treasure within –a little one that was both his and hers.
"Sam"
"Yes, honey, is something wrong?"
"Oh no, don't be so overprotective. I just want you to …
"What?" He interrupted. "I'm just looking out for you two, you know" He chuckled.
"Listen, I'm serious... you are not a superhero and we are not invulnerable, you know." She mocked his same last words.
He sighed. Sam knew something was bothering her and he rather let her speak her mind.
"At some point we will have to die… or to put it in a better way, to leave this life and move on." She smiled softly, but a streak of fear crossed her face.
"Ella, I love you more than my life and so I will give my own life for yours without thinking it twice. The same goes for that little baby girl you are carrying, our baby girl."
"Sam," She grew more serious, "I want you to promise me that if anything happens to me, you will look after our daughter"
"Of course I will, but you will be right beside me to help me –every step of the way."
"I'm not talking about the normal stuff on raising a child, dear, but I want you to make sure that she has THIS." She took his hands in hers and placed them over her heart. "True Love"
A tear pried to escape Sam's eye, while Ella held him tight. "Please, promise me."
"I do." He barely whispered to her neck, and then he returned her hug in full force.
His mind was spinning around, too many thoughts at the same time. Why would Ella be talking about leaving, or even worse, dying? It could be the hormones, he thought. But then the sudden burden of becoming a father – and with no money figured out yet – had taken a toll on his already busy head.
In the silence of the night, he waited patiently for the expensive gates of the huge mansion to open. He waited for one… two… five minutes… At exactly seven in the evening, as he glanced on his wristwatch, he hoped somberly that things happen as he planned.
The first few months had been normal, being a single parent and a patriotic soldier was exhausting, but he had been feeling weaker than ever lately. After a series of routine tests, doctors started to give that conscious look, the one that advice something was seriously wrong. And there was the undeniable truth: he was going to die and soon. How could life be so unfair to him? To his daughter? That, he did not comprehend. Sam needed to do something before it was too late.
He looked upward, towards the starry skies. "Ella, forgive me, but this is the best choice, no, the only choice I have. Sooner or later we'll have each other again, though I'm not so sure if you'll know my name when that time comes."
He was taken aback by the light of a car passing through. It was the limousine of the Queens. The luxurious automobile arrived at the same time it had for the past few days as he had observed. Sam started to walk away, far away from the scene as he held on to his telescope. He opted to stay on a dark alley, distant, but managing to see the people ahead the Queen's mansion. He looked into the telescope and watched a young boy, the five-year-old son of the multi-billionaire Robert and Laura Queen.
The kid opened the left side door of the car where he was sitting. He never bothered to wait for their bodyguards to open the car's door for him and tonight was no exception.
"Oliver, be careful." Laura Queen told her son. Her natural beauty was highlighted by refined manners and classy jewelries. Her blonde hair was held in a tight yet elegant bun. Oliver got her hair color, but his facial features were from his father.
"Mommy, Daddy! Look it's a crib!" The boy ran towards rocking crib he was pinpointing.
The lady was astonished by his son's comment. She could only look back at her husband who was standing behind her.
"Don't open it, Oliver." He shouted, but before he even finished giving instructions to their personal bodyguards, Oliver was kneeling in front of the open crib.
Oliver's light brown eyes popped out as he saw a pair of hazels met him and so a giggling baby girl. She was wrapped in yellow winter clothes. "Daddy, it's a baby girl! She's beautiful! Mommy, look at her!"
Laura and Robert walked to their son's side. "Who do you think would leave this cute baby girl at this hour? Her parents must be heartless." The queen of The Queens commented.
The baby held out her hands signifying she wanted to be picked up. Laura gently carried her as Robert noticed the note on the crib. He read it aloud.
This is my daughter Lois Joanne, the most important person in my life. I can no longer take care of her. Her only chance of being part of a real family rests with you. Please, love her as one of your own.
I will forever be in your debt,
Sam
He looked around, just to check if the responsible person was still nearby, but no one was around. It took a full minute for him to realize the gravity of the situation. This girl had been left on his doorstep intentionally for their family to take care of. Who was this Sam? What could push a parent to do such a thing?
"Daddy, Mommy, can we keep her?" Oliver's eyes were hopeful, staring at his parents. He would have a play mate, a little sister he could protect.
"Robert?" She looked at her husband.
"Laura, we do not know who her parents are. What if one day they would want to take her back?" He answered with heavy doubt on the purpose of whoever the baby's mother and father were.
"Mommy, I found a necklace on her crib." Oliver handed it to his mother.
"Robert, I think this is just half of the pendant."
"Laura, maybe through this we can find her parents." He scrutinized the locket. "This is personalized."
"Robert, you know that after I gave birth to Oliver…" Her voice broke a little, but she continued. "…We can not have another child. Maybe her parents learned about this and they wanted Lois to have a good future with us… Maybe God gave her as gift to us. Maybe he finally answered my prayers."
Her husband stared at her, and then turned his gaze to their son and to the baby carried by his wife. The baby was smiling at him, like she was encouraging him to take her as their daughter.
Longingly, Robert saw sparks of tears from Laura's eyes. A gentle tug on his suit also caught his attention.
"Daddy, I really, really, really, want to have a sister." Oliver pouted his lips and seemed at the verge of crying.
Staring at his wife and son, Robert's heart melted. "Okay, okay." He surrendered. "We will legally adopt Lois and take her with us to Star City."
His answer earned a huge hug from his son and soft kiss on the lips from his wife.
"Thank you Daddy."
"Thank you Robert."
He took Lois from his wife's arms and gently cradled her on his. Her small mouth opened as she yawned.
Laura giggled, "She likes you, honey."
"Yes, yes she does."
'Lois, huh?' He thought entering the house. 'You will be a great Queen. The daughter we always wanted.' Robert looked at the note once again, it was an unspoken agreement between fathers and he felt a strong link he did not fully understand.
\S/
Smallville, Kansas – Year 1985
Tears ran down his cheeks. Sam would never see his daughter again. He drove aimlessly for hours, long enough to see the sun rising in the now orange and bright sky.
In the distance, he distinguished a little boy playing with his dog on the top of a hill. He slowed down to take in the scene. The boy couldn't be more than four years old and he seemed happy. How he longed to witness his Lois run free, so happy.
For a strange reason, he decided to stop and observe the boy more closely. Maybe, it was the nostalgia of not being able to watch his daughter like that. Maybe it was just fate. Sam was lost in thoughts; oblivious for a moment to the world around him he fell numb.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
A gentle tap woke Sam up. He couldn't focus at first, his head was pounding, and his world was spinning. He didn't know what would happen to him on the following days. He had just a few dollar bills in his wallet and no friends or family to turn to. The only two things he had left in this world were whichever abstract or dreadful: his love for Ella and Lois and his enlarging brain tumor.
Looking carefully at the young boy, his bluish green orbs grabbed Sam's attention. Then, he shifted his interest to his surroundings, a large field full of corn stalks.
"Where am I?"
"Smallville, sir."
"Smallville?"
"Uh-huh."
He tried to remember what happened to him the night before, but empty lapses struck him once again.
"Are you okay, sir? Are you hungry?" The boy threw him questions by the second.
"Yes, I'm fine." Sam barely whispered, taken back to reality.
They boy approached him cautiously and sat beside him on the open field. "You look very tired." It was a 'matter of fact' statement. Sam didn't respond. He held tightly his pocket but didn't trust his voice around the boy.
"Do you want half of my sandwich?" The young boy offered kindly, silently understanding the man probably had a rough night. "Mommy makes the best peanut butter jelly sandwiches in the whole world." He extended his arm, swinging the food with his hand and smiling proudly at the man.
Sam smiled back at the kid's generosity. His parents had taught him so well. He hoped that his little Lo would grow up to be just like him.
"Thanks, but no thanks. That will be too much."
"It's okay Sir, I can hear your tummy."
Sam chuckled at him. "Thank you, kid." He took a bite of the sandwich as they settled comfortably on the top of the hill, hiding underneath the shade of an old oak tree. Sam couldn't understand the easiness the boy showed around him, a stranger.
The kid grabbed his backpack in front of him and brought out his toys, a few soldiers and a ball.
"Do you go to school?"
He gulped the mineral water on his tumbler. Sam smiled looking at the Sesame Street cast picture on his kiddy tumbler.
"Not yet" He replied simply. "Mommy and Daddy say I'll go to school next year." He smiled warmly at Sam while playing with his little soldier action figures.
"Why are you here? You are not supposed to talk to strangers like me, you know?" He finally voiced his concern, drawn by the charm of the boy.
"This is my playground." The kid nodded forcefully. "Yeah, my Mommy says so, but you looked like you needed some help lying there." It amazed him how sweet and worried the boy's voice sounded. 'He is so young', Sam thought.
"I'm Clark Kent. What is your name?"
Sam shook his hand. "Sam Lane, nice to meet you."
Clark smiled widely, "See? We're not strangers anymore."
The kid spoke almost like an adult. He was really impressed. Sam laughed, "You're such an intelligent boy. I like you."
"I like you too. You look like a nice sir, just like Daddy."
"Who are your parents by the way?"
"Martha and Jonathan Kent, we live over there!" Clark said pinpointed their house.
Though he narrowed his eyes, Sam couldn't see the house or anything beyond the corn stalks. "Ah, in that direction?"
"Yes, do you want to go with me?"
"Oh no, thanks, the food and drink are more than enough, kiddo." He beamed at the boy.
"Sam, I got to go, my mother is calling."
Sam shrugged his shoulders; he didn't hear anyone aside from the soft blew of the wind and chirping birds. Clark started to run.
"Hey, Clark!" The boy stepped back to his new friend.
"Because you have been so kind, I want to give you something. This way you can remember me." Sam took a few things out of his pocket. He opened his hand revealing a white gold pendant, which matched the one he gave his daughter just hours ago. "You are a very nice kid, son. Let me repay you with this."
The boy's eyes widened as he gazed upon the necklace. "Can I really have this?"
"Yes." Sam placed the pendant into Clark's hand and continued speaking. "Please, hold on to it. It will bring you happiness." The boy was somewhat confused by the man's words, but regardless he took the gift and tucked into his pocket.
"And this" He placed a picture into the boy's open palm "is my baby's photo."
"She's very pretty." Clark stared at her little Lo's photo with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah, promise me you will take care of them." He ruffled the kid's dark wavy hair. How he wished he could talk to his little Lois like this. He was wishing so hard – but he wouldn't witness any of Lois's first – her first walk, first talk, first graduation march, or first heart break. He wouldn't be there when she needed to clean a wounded knee, to give her a hug when she experienced life's ups and downs, or to give her hand to someone who deserved her heart.
"Thank you Sam. I promise I'll take care of them until we meet again."
Sam nodded and out of nowhere he felt a strong hold around him. The boy had engulfed him into a hug and he returned it instinctively.
They both waved their goodbyes. Sam watched him run away until he couldn't see him anymore through the naked eye. His head was pounding again. The same pain he had suffered every day for months. He decided to go back to his car to find his medicines. His hands were shaking as he located them under the passenger seat. He couldn't remember how they ended there. Sam put one pill in his mouth and swallowed it hard, without any liquid to push it down. He had only a few tablets left and soon he would have none. Still, he was thankful that he had another day to live. The sun was shining and cumulus clouds were spreading on the blue skies. God was still there for him.
As he thought about Clark, Sam felt his heart warm and alive again. There was enough love and good people around to make his daughter save. Maybe he won't see his daughter grow, but he knew destiny will play for her to be happy. He was sure of it. And that was enough for now. His promise to Ella will be fulfilled.
\S/
Reviews are all welcome! ^_^