"Why don't you go talk to your mom and find out what all she knows?" Lois asked him.
"Why don't you?"
"She's your mother."
"Why don't we find out together?" Clark reasoned.
They made their way into the kitchen. Martha was making a snack of crackers, cheese, and pepperoni. She looked up at them with a smile. "Did you all change your mind about the snack?"
"No," Clark answered her. It was a difficult subject to talk about with your parent, but he might as well come out with it. "So you don't mind Lois moving in with me?"
Still smiling, she got the milk out of the fridge. "Why should I mind? It's not like you two haven't lived together before. Granted you had chaperones the last time, but you're both responsible adults now, able to make your own decisions."
Lois looked visibly relieved, but Clark was just starting to get panicked.
"I'm so glad you feel that way, Mrs. Kent," Lois said, taking a seat across from Martha, "because Clark and I have something we want to tell you."
Clark had made his way behind his mother and he vigorously shook his head and mouthed no to Lois. He was even waving his arms. Lois stopped talking, but gave him a strange look. Martha turned around to see what he was doing. Clark ran his fingers through his hair to explain his raised arms. Martha looked at him strangely too.
"I think I'll have some crackers after all, Mom," he said, sitting down at the table with them.
She split her snack with him. "So what's on your minds?"
"Lois just wanted you to take Shelby with you when you go back to Washington," Clark told her.
Lois still didn't understand yet, but she covered for him. "Yeah, my allergies will thank you for it."
"I'm sorry, sweetie. My apartment doesn't allow pets."
"I'll just have to get my prescription filled I guess," Lois said.
Clark nervously bit into one of his crackers and a small silence descended. Then Clark tried to smoothly approach the subject. "So, uh, Kara and Lana lived here for awhile too."
Martha chuckled. "I know, Clark. I was here last Christmas, remember?"
"Right. I just--I guess I should have known you wouldn't mind Lois if you didn't mind them."
"Well, of course. I wouldn't mind Kara. She's your cousin," Martha told him. She reached over and felt his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, son?"
"I'm fine."
Lois had got to thinking at the mention of Kara. She looked at Clark and Clark sensing her question nodded to affirm that Kara was indeed his cousin.
"What about Lana?" Clark asked.
Martha's face seemed to get neutral, which wasn't really a neutral for her. "Again it was your choice, but you know I didn't exactly approve."
Clark swallowed hard. He knew it wasn't because his mom didn't like Lana. It was because his mom was somewhat old-fashioned in the sense that she didn't believe a man and woman should live together romantically unless they were married. Like he had told Lois once, his parents had missed the Woodstock phase. Living in Washington D.C. hadn't made her more liberally minded.
Lois now knew where Clark was coming from. It would have been different if Martha hadn't caught onto the fact that she was moving in, but she had.
"So how's work going?" Martha asked them. "Are you having fun working together?"
"Yeah," Clark answered, somewhat distracted. "If you'll excuse us, Mom, we're going to bed. Separately. We're going to separate beds. Obviously. Well, I'll be going to the couch actually."
"I am tired," Lois said, standing up.
"Goodnight, Clark. Goodnight, Lois."
"Goodnight," they echoed together.
Once they were in the other room, Lois asked, "How long are we going to keep our relationship a secret from her? How long can we keep a secret from her? You saw how quickly she figured out I was moving in."
Clark shrugged. "As long as we can."
"What when we send out wedding invitations?"
"That seems reasonable to me."
"Clark!"
"I'm kidding," he told her, glancing toward the kitchen and hoping his mother hadn't heard.
"I guess you're right though about holding off telling her until we're more committed. I don't want to incur the wrath of your mother either."
"Mom would lean more toward disappointment than anger."
"I know and that's worse," she said with a shudder. "It'll be just like old times, huh?" she said, taking her mind off the subject and looking pointedly at the couch.
He smiled, "Don't get too used to it. It's only for a week."
She smiled back at him, as she made her way upstairs, "Don't be so sure, Smallville."
TBC
