Author's Note: I need to say thank you to all the people who have added this story to their alerts and also to everyone who has left a review thus far. Your comments are very encouraging and they make it easier to come home from school after a long day and want to write.
Chapter 7 is with my beta right now, and then this will be caught up with what I have written. That means there will be a little more time between updates, but I hope it won't be too long.
Chapter 6: History Lesson, Part II
The next morning, Lois was woken by the sound of Hannah's crying. She initially rolled over, remembering how on the ball Clark was the day before, but she jumped out of bed when the crying continued.
She ran her fingers through her hair and threw open the door wondering what could have kept Clark from stopping his daughter's cries. Her answer almost ran into her as she walked purposely down the hallway in the form of a soaking wet Clark wearing nothing but a towel.
Thankfully Clark was rushing to Hannah's aid, because Lois could do nothing but stare.
"I'm sorry, Lois," Clark said frantically as he picked up Hannah and started rubbing his hand up and down her back. "She was still asleep so I thought I'd get a shower. You know, rule number four."
"No problems, Smallville," Lois choked out as she gathered herself and joined him in the living room. She wasn't ready for this, she kept telling herself. But as she watched him move around smoothly and manage to calm down Hannah, she started to wonder: why not? "What time is it anyway?"
"About 6:30."
Lois groaned and ran her hands over her face. She never imagined that she would be up before seven in the morning on a Sunday while DJ was gone. A cursory glance to the coffee pot told her it was still in hibernation, and she groaned again.
She opened her eyes to find Clark walking toward her and smiling as Hannah rested her head on his shoulder. "You can go back to bed if you'd like. Or, I could start the coffee and make us all some breakfast," he said nonchalantly.
"Eh," she muttered, "I'm awake now. Might as well start the coffee."
Clark punched a couple buttons on the pot and turned around to face her. He was still wearing nothing but a towel and she quickly moved forward, holding out her hands and reaching for Hannah. "What?" he asked.
"Please don't make me remind you of your clothing choice right now," she laughed, glancing down only slightly in hopes that he could catch on to what she was suggesting.
He laughed in embarrassment and held out Hannah to Lois. "Give me five minutes," he told her, walking down the hall.
Sitting down with Hannah, Lois held the baby so she could take a good look at her without Clark noticing. She had to admit that a part of her questioned why he was so accepting of this baby before even getting a DNA test and knowing without a doubt that she was his. But as she studied Hannah's face, she started to realize that the resemblance was unmistakable. Hannah had Clark's nose and chin, but the feature that she couldn't deny was that she had his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that made his whole face glow when he smiled.
When did I notice that? she asked herself. Hannah's hands reached out, and Lois watched as Hannah took her finger and wrapped it up tightly in her little hand. "I hate to say it, little one, but you just made life way more complicated." She contemplated her next words, knowing that what she was about to admit, even if it was to a baby, was going to be hard to voice out loud. "But I have this strange feeling that if anyone can make it work, it would be your daddy. He's a pretty amazing guy. You'll learn that soon enough."
Clark came out of his bedroom intent on getting right to work on making breakfast, but as he came around the corner he had to stop at the sight. Lois was holding Hannah and had her back to the hallway. He saw Hannah grasp Lois's finger and make a fist, and decided to just lean against the wall and watch them for a minute.
He knew, of course, that DJ was once a baby and she had found herself in much the same situation of having to hold a baby. But even as he knew this, the idea always been just that—an idea. It was an abstract concept, something that he knew but never had the opportunity to experience himself. She sat there holding Hannah, completely at ease, and he finally felt like he completely knew the side of Lois Lane that was a mother.
His introspection was interrupted when he heard her speak. "I hate to say it, little one, but you just made life way more complicated." Clark's ears perked up at her admission, though slightly backhanded. He wished he could see her face, her expression, but he quickly decided that any admission she made verbally in regards to their relationship was better than none at all, no matter if he could see her face or not.
"But I have this strange feeling that if anyone can make it work, it would be your daddy. He's a pretty amazing guy. You'll learn that soon enough."
He stopped himself from responding in some way. Mostly, he was afraid of scaring her and making her back-track. But his heart still swelled, knowing she thought that much of him. Between last night and this morning, he had decided not to pressure her after their kiss. She had legitimate concerns, and he felt it was only fair to take them seriously. But at the same time, he wasn't about to let her off the hook.
Standing himself up straight after leaning against the wall, Clark walked the rest of the way into the kitchen? "So, any breakfast requests, ?"
Lois jumped in surprise but appeared to recover quickly upon his entrance into the kitchen. "You don't have to cook, Clark. Give me a piece of toast to go with that coffee and I'll be just fine."
"Are you sure? I could whip up some chocolate chip pancakes in a matter of minutes."
"I appreciate it, but you don't have to," she replied, her uneasiness about holding his daughter while having slightly impure thoughts about the father causing what appetite she had to flee at record speed. He might be dressed, but Lois was still having a hard time being around him, she realized. And that was a problem, since she hadn't quite figured out how she could possibly make anything more than a professional relationship work with him. She needed more time.
Having decided that Lois wasn't going to budge on the issue of breakfast, Clark walked away from the stove and poured two cups of coffee and put some bread in the toaster. Lois stood there and watched him the whole time, still holding a calm Hannah in her arms. "I think she likes you," he said over his shoulder.
Lois felt a sappy answer on her tongue but held it in, instead favoring the kind of comment that usually functioned as her defense mechanism. "Who wouldn't like me, Smallville?"
"Let's ask Perry," Clark said, turning to face her and crossing his arms across his chest. "Rumor has it he's compiled a list of people you've pissed off so much that they might one day want to silence you." He immediately cringed internally, his comment coming off harsher than he had intended. The look of shock on her face made him almost happy that he said it, though.
"He does?" Lois's voice cracked slightly, being once again reminded just how much strain her profession endangered others' lives. As she thought though, she could come up with at least a half-dozen names that were probably on Perry's rumored "list." Clark nodded in return, and she could feel every ounce of her bravado leaving her as he did so. He looked concerned, and she wondered what happened to the banter they were engaging in not a couple minutes ago.
The wordless exchange they were having was a perfect example of what was making Lois so hesitant in regards to her constantly evolving feelings for Clark. Everything about him seemed too good to be true. He was obviously very worried about her, but unlike David's usual reaction, Clark chose to remain calm and speak with her, instead of to her, while issuing ultimatums. When he finally did voice his concerns, he sounded as if he was afraid she was mad at him.
"Listen…I get it, Lois. I really do. I know you feel a sense of purpose and that you don't always necessarily intend on getting in half the trouble you do—"
"I never intend on getting in trouble," she interjected, trying to keep her voice even because she knew he wasn't trying to pick a fight.
"I know. I didn't mean it that way. I—" He stopped mid-thought, crossing the room to where Lois was sitting with Hannah and pulling up a chair next to them. "I just think we need to be cautious, Lois. We'd like to think that the Senator wouldn't try to silence you if he thought we were getting too close, but Mannheim is a different story."
"Don't underestimate my father-in-law, Clark."
"Ex-father-in-law."
"That's exactly my point. Michael's never been that fond of me, mostly because I wasn't president of the Senator Vega fan club. He would love to have an excuse to be rid of me."
"What did you do to piss him off?"
Lois could tell from the look in Clark's eyes that he believed her to at least be partly to blame for her not being friendly with Michael. Needing to gather herself before she launched into the story, she expertly carried a now sound asleep Hannah in one harm and her coffee cup in the other as she went into the living room. She set down her cup, laid the baby down without waking her, then sat on the couch and took a long drink of her coffee. She said nothing, hoping that Clark would take the hint and give her a minute before joining her.
When he joined her on the couch, the way she was biting her lip worried him. "Lois?"
"DJ was an accident," she stated matter-of-factly.
Clark opened his mouth to respond, but immediately realized he couldn't form any words. He was expecting her to talk about Senator Vega, not tell him that DJ was an accident. Was she trying to change the subject or just stalling? He had no idea.
Thankfully, she explained her statement.
"Not an accident, actually. More like a surprise. We hadn't planned on having kids so early, especially since I was just starting my senior year of college when I found out I was pregnant. David and I had only been married a couple months."
Clark studied her, her hands holding the coffee mug close to her mouth and periodically breathing in the smell of her drink. He felt odd listening to her talk about David in such a calm way. If and when she ever mentioned him, she was usually angry and ranting about him in some way. But seeing her so contemplative? It gave him the feeling that she was still grieving over what she lost.
"David wanted me to stay home with DJ longer than I did, but I was determined that I wasn't going to let being a mother define me. DJ was born at the end of July, and I was out job hunting by the first part of October. Of course, my first choice was the Daily Planet."
"Of course," Clark agreed, urging her to continue.
"I wasn't expecting to be hired, but I figured I must have impressed someone. I started in the basement, naturally. One of my first assignments was to cover a press conference Michael attended for the Metropolis Public Schools Foundation. I wasn't thrilled to do it because I felt like it was a conflict of interest, but Mr. Hoeniges—the editor who hired me—said he had confidence that I would be completely objective. And I was, so much so that I was given another event that involved Michael. Then another, and another…"
"Okay, I'm sensing a trend here."
"Yeah, I was too. It was around Christmas time when the situation started getting sticky. Everything that I'd written about the 'Saintly Senator,'" she drawled, "was pretty innocuous up to the point when I was asked to write about a bill that was up for a vote right before the winter recess. Long story short, it was a popular bill that Michael was opposed to. I stuck with my instructions and remained objective, which meant pointing out the fact that he was the main opponent to a bill that later passed in the Senate by a landslide. It made him look like a fool."
"Let me guess. He wasn't happy."
"That's the understatement of the century, Smallville. By that time, Hoeniges had made the spur of the moment decision to retire and Wayne Enterprises brought in Perry to be the new editor. A week after he took over, he called me into his office.
"Have a seat, Miss Lane."
Lois sat in the chair opposite her new boss, not knowing what to expect. Sure, she knew all about the legendary Perry White, but what kind of boss was he? She really had no idea, and for that reason alone she was shaking in her four-inch heels.
"Or, should I say," he hesitated, sitting down in his much bigger chair and looking her straight in the eye, "Mrs. Vega."
Lois felt her mouth drop open, try as she might to not betray what poker face she might possibly have.
"Okay, that answers that question," he said in a lighter tone, leaning back in his chair and taking a cigar out of his top drawer. He didn't light it, just put it in his mouth and periodically played with it. "I just want some answers, Lois. A simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice. I'd rather not get into the politics right now."
She nodded, knowing that this moment could make or break her career as a journalist. If she got fired from the Daily Planet, she was essentially toast. No one else would hire her.
"Are you married to Senator Vega's son, David?"
"Yes."
"Have you written no less than five articles about Senator Vega since you were hired two months ago?"
"Yes."
"Were you told to write these articles?"
"Yes."
"Did you know that Hoeniges was in the Senator's back pocket?"
"No." As the enormity of what Perry had just told her began to sink in, her questions started to pile up in her brain. More importantly, she started to dissect every waking moment of the last two months working at the Planet. She was a lap dog, plain and simple. And it was everything she swore she would never be.
"I'm guessing then that you had no idea that your father-in-law has been in here five times since I was hired three weeks ago to try and 'get you in line,' I believe were his words. Lucky me, I even got a couple threats."
"Mr. White, I—"
"It's Perry, Lois. Mr. White was my father."
"Okay, Perry. I don't know what to say. I know I should have questioned my assignments more, but I guess I let my ambition get in the way."
"I wish half my reporters had your ambition. Long story short, I told the Senator that it was my job to assign reporters, not his. He may have had my predecessor wrapped around his finger, but I have no such arrangement with him. No more free publicity, Lois. Furthermore, none from you. If you ever write a piece on Senator Vega again, it better be for a damn good reason."
Lois struggled to find the appropriate words, but came up short. It wasn't often that she found herself speechless, but this was definitely one of those times. Sensing that their conversation was over, she slowly stood and turned away from her editor and walked toward the door.
"Lois?" she heard Perry say as she reached for the door handle.
"You should know…Vega got you the job. He wanted someone on the inside."
The relative calm she felt quickly dissipated and she slammed the door shut instead of exiting the office. "What?" she fumed.
"You heard me."
"So I…"
"Initially, no. But you're damn good, Lois. In fact, I'm moving you out of the basement, effective Monday. You'll have a new office on the third floor."
"Wait. That's the city desk."
"It is. I'm giving you the city council beat."
Lois stood stunned, wondering how she could go from being in an interrogation to getting a promotion, all in the span of one afternoon.
"Let me get this straight. Senator Vega got you the job at the Planet because he wanted some free publicity?"
"He knew that by placing me—a new reporter anxious to make a name for herself—at the Planet, he could arrange for someone to make sure he was always seen in a positive light. He paid off Hoeniges to make sure that happened."
"I get it now," he said, eliciting a questioning look from Lois. "I get why you assumed I was trying to help out my mom when I was first hired."
"Oh, yeah. That." Lois moved away from him slightly because of the guilt that she felt. "I was making generalizations. You didn't deserve any of that. I guess I'm still just a little bitter."
Clark shifted his position on the couch so he was facing her, unintentionally getting closer to her and resting his shoulder and arm on the back of the couch. His hand was within reach of Lois's shoulder, and he resisted the strong temptation to comfort her as she relayed her story.
"You said Senator Vega got mad because of an article you wrote. Was that before Perry was made editor?"
"It was odd timing. The story was actually assigned while Hoeniges was there, but it didn't run until after Perry took over. Michael coming in and complaining about me was what tipped Perry off that something else was going on. Perry told Michael that he might have been able to strong-arm Hoeniges, but Perry wasn't going to get anyone play 'armchair editor' with his newspaper."
Clark contemplated his next question for a moment. Just how much did he want to know about Lois's relationship with her ex-husband? He knew, to a certain extent, that the subject couldn't be completely avoided. But at this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to be the one to bring up the subject. He took a deep breath, and blurted out the question before he could second-guess himself any further. "What did David think about all this?"
Lois threw her head back and started chuckling to herself. "Well, that was the beginning of the end, right there. He thought I should be thankful for everything Michael did for me. The ethics conversation was completely lost on him. My credibility as a journalist was never important to him because he believed that I should have been at home taking care of DJ, not 'smoking out political corruption in Suicide Slum.'"
Clark immediately thought of five different responses to her comment, but found himself unable to vocalize any of them. He remained quiet, worried that he would sound harsh and unfeeling. Regardless of how he felt about David, the last thing he needed to do was share this information with Lois.
"Clark."
"What?"
"You can say it, you know. My feelings won't be hurt."
"How do you know what I'm going to say?"
"Oh please, Smallville." She leaned back slightly, getting a good look at this face and sighed, knowing that she was right about her initial feeling. He was holding back…big time. "You've formed some opinions about David but you won't say anything because you're a polite Midwestern farm boy. And you're worried that I'm still sensitive when it comes to my divorce. Don't worry. The divorce might have only been finalized 15 months ago, but my marriage was over a long time ago."
"Still, it's not my place to say anything."
"You're the one who wanted to know what I did to piss Michael off so much."
"I know, but…" he struggled, trying to come up with a good enough excuse. "Can't we just talk about something else?"
"O-kay," Lois replied, drawing out the response with what she hoped was just a hint of skepticism. "We'll talk about something else. What did you have in mind?"
"Us."
"What about us, Clark?" Though she acted ignorant, Lois knew exactly what he was referring to. She supposed, however, that she couldn't run away from it forever.
"If nothing else, I think we should at least come to an understanding." He reached out and took her hand, feeling more confident when she didn't pull away from him but instead gently squeezed his hand in response.
"An understanding."
"Talk to me, Lois. Please."
Lois hesitated, not sure how he would take what she had to say. Her eyes found where their hands were joined, and she struggled to hide the small smile that crossed her lips. "I'm not going to deny that there are feelings there, Clark. But we both have so much going on in our lives right now. We have to think about how this is going to affect everyone else in our lives."
"Let's start at the beginning, then. How do you think DJ would take it?"
"He likes you, that's for sure. But for all he knows, you're nothing more than my partner from work. If our status changed, his opinion might do the same."
"When the time comes, maybe we can try to ease him into the idea."
"Maybe, but I think there's someone else we should be more concerned with, Clark."
"Who?"
Lois took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was sure to be a difficult topic. "David. He doesn't like you."
"He's not the one I want to date."
Lois smiled, thankful for his attempt to lighten the mood, though he failed miserably. "That's good to know. But seriously, he could make our lives hell if we're not careful. His belief that I'm already miserable is part of the reason he hasn't sued for custody yet. If he thought I was happy? He might step up his efforts to take away DJ."
Clark took in her response, feeling a little guilty for forcing her to confront their situation sooner than she might have been comfortable with at this time. But as he rubbed his thumb gently across the back of her hand, he couldn't look away and deny how he felt.
"Then for now, we keep this to ourselves."
"And what is this, exactly?" Her eyes flickered to the space between them, making it clear that he had to say what he meant, not just assume that she understood.
Clark shifted in his seat, moving closer to her so that their knees were now touching. "Let's not label it, at least not yet. We'll just play it by ear and do everything we can to balance each other."
Lois nodded slowly, taking in everything he suggested. Truthfully, it sounded like a good plan and try as she might, she couldn't think of a good argument. "You've thought all this out, haven't you?"
"I won't lie to you, Lois. I've thought about it—about you—quite a bit. And I've thought about how this affects everyone, too. I just don't think we should sacrifice our own happiness."
"Hmm," Lois said, in what sounded like a non-committal response. But when her eyes finally met his, they held a sparkle that had been absent during their whole conversation. "I guess there's only one thing to do then."
"What's tha—"
His question was cut off by the feel of her lips on his, an action that was completely unexpected by him and therefore effective, in her opinion. She leaned forward, stopping short of getting in his lap, and let him know in no uncertain terms that they were together in this.
When they pulled apart, Lois leaned her forehead against his and smiled. A bright smile that went ear to ear and tugged at his heart and made him smile in return as he ran his hand through her hair. "You should smile more," he told her softly.
"So should you."
They were silent for a few moments, taking in each other and committing it to memory. Clark was the one who finally sat up and leaned away from her, standing up and pulling her with him. "The delivery guys should be here soon. I suppose I should clear a place for the crib in my office."
Lois remembered the elation they felt when they found a company that delivered on Sunday and snapped out of the sappy romantic haze she was in just a minute ago. "I still don't know how you got so lucky."
"Me neither."
"It's too bad you have to give up your office, though. Didn't you just get everything situated?"
"Yeah, but considering everything, I imagine that I'll have to find a bigger place in the near future anyway."
"Something tells me you don't mind all that much."
"You got me," he said, drawing her close and kissing her again before starting the rest of their day and realizing the double meaning in his admission.