A.N: Happy 4th of July! Here's a gift from me to you! :-)
Chapter 6
The next few days flew by in a blur. Clark was sitting with his arms wrapped around Lois on the dock of Crater Lake. She was leaning back against him with her eyes closed. She sighed deeply and wrapped his arms tighter around her.
"Hey," he whispered close to her ear. "What's wrong?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow." she turned slightly to look at him.
"I told you," he said rubbing her nose with his. "It's no big deal. I'll go see you every day."
"Clark, you're shipping out back to Germany in a week," she shook her head. "You should spend that time with your family."
"But I want to spend it with you." he said softly.
"I know." she turned and touched his lips as the tears welled in her eyes.
She smiled tightly and leaned in to kiss him softly.
He looked up at her. "Lois…I love you."
He closed the gap between them and fused their mouths together. He pulled her against his body savoring her kiss. When he pulled back her face was flushed, her lips parted and her eyes closed. He touched her forehead with his.
"I'm coming back," he whispered. "And we'll be together. I promise."
She smiled. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Clark."
He nodded confidently. "I'll keep this one."
She smiled and kissed him again. "I trust you."
He smiled into the kiss and pushed her backwards on the ground kissing her passionately. He sucked in her bottom lip and rubbed his tongue against it. He breathed in and deepened the kiss. She smiled rubbing his back and shoulders. He lowered his lips down her cheek to her neck toward her neck line. She pushed him back softly.
"I'm sorry." Clark muttered breathing deeply.
She nodded. "It's just…"
He shook his head. "I can wait."
She smiled. "Thank you."
He leaned in to kiss her quickly and stood up abruptly. He helped her up before picking her up in his arms and running with her toward the water. He plunged her unceremoniously into the lake and laughed as she came up for air.
"Clark Kent, I'm going to get you!"
"I'm counting on it." he grinned swimming deeper into the lake as she followed him.
"Call me as soon as you get to the dorms." Clark was saying as he held the door open for her.
"I will," she nodded. "But it might be late."
"That's okay," he shrugged. "I'll wait for the call."
She wrapped her arms around him and leaned up to kiss him softly. She pulled back and got into her car. She'd come out to the farm to say goodbye to him after dinner with her dad and sister. Now it was nearly ten o'clock and she was finally getting on the road to drive to Metropolis.
Clark bent down looking at her through the open window. "Drive safe."
"I will." she smiled.
He kissed her again before pulling away to take a step back as she started driving out of the farm toward the main road. He stood there watching the car until he could no longer see the tail lights. Kara stepped onto the porch and leaned against the railing watching her cousin.
"You miss her." she called out to him smiling sadly.
"Already more than anything." he called back before turning back to the house and walking inside.
It was almost two in the morning when Lois parked her car in the student parking garage. She walked into her dorm dragging her suitcase and bumped into a desk in the dark. A lamp turned on and she shrugged at her glaring roommate, Karen.
"Did I wake you?" she whispered.
"Are you just getting in?" Karen asked sitting up.
"Yeah," Lois nodded tossing her luggage on the twin bed. "Sorry…"
"Its fine," Karen rolled her eyes lying back again. "Why'd you take so long?"
"Had to say goodbye to people." Lois answered staring at her wall.
"I thought it was just your dad and sister?" Karen watched her as she started unpacking.
"It was." Lois turned around smiling.
"Uh oh!" Karen grinned. "You're smiling."
Lois felt her smile brighten. "I am."
"Why?" Karen asked.
"I met someone." Lois said quickly.
"Details!" Karen said sitting up abruptly.
"In the morning Karen," Lois said grabbing her cell phone. "Go back to sleep."
"Evil." Karen mumbled laying back and settling in as Lois closed the door behind her before dialing Clark's number.
Clark turned to his dresser when the soft ringing of his cell phone sounded. He smiled walking toward the dresser and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, I made it…safe and sound."
"Was the drive okay?" he asked folding an arm over his chest while holding the phone closer to his ear.
"It was alright." she drawled.
"Careful now, you're startin' to sound like us." he mocked her.
She laughed softly into the phone and he found himself wishing he could be there to see the lines on her face as her eyes lit up.
"Darn tootin'," she said smiling. "I better get back inside. I'm standing in the hall and if my RA catches me I will be written up."
"Something tells me this isn't your first offense." Clark grinned.
"Something is right then, Mr. Kent," she smirked. "Goodnight, Clark."
"Goodnight, Lois."
He held the phone in front of him smiling and hung up. He tossed it back on his dresser before getting into bed and folding his hands behind his head, grinning at the ceiling.
Lois opened her eyes slowly the next morning as the sun crept into her room. She lifted her head off the pillow and glared at the open window. "Karen!"
"Good morning, Lois," Karen grinned coming back into the room. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not enough." she grumbled sitting up.
"Well, you better hurry up," Karen said offering her a cup of coffee from the coffee cart on campus. "You've got class in about…fifteen minutes…"
"What!" Lois bolted out of bed and drank a huge gulp of the scorching coffee. "You let me sleep in?"
Karen smirked and watched as her roommate threw open the door and ran down the hall toward the bathroom. She looked at her watch on her wrist and then at the clock in the room. "Good thing I changed the clock last night…"
She smiled taking a sip of the coffee Lois left behind.
"I hate you."
"You love me."
"I really, really hate you."
"Lois," Karen smirked. "I always do that. I just can't believe you keep falling for it every single time."
Lois glared at her. "Can you leave my clocks alone from now on, please?"
"Our clocks and no," Karen rolled her eyes. "If I did you'd be late all the time…"
Lois felt her pocket vibrate and smiled taking her phone out.
"I better get used to this grinning Lois," Karen shook her head smiling. "See you later for lunch."
"Okay," Lois nodded answering the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hey," she smiled wider. "How are you?"
"Just sitting here staring at the open field on the farm," Clark smiled into the phone. "Thinking of you…did you just get out of class?"
"I did," Lois said nodding and sat on a bench. "Did you just finish the chores?"
"I did." he mimicked.
"So what's on the agenda for you today?" Lois asked as she was picking at her jeans.
"I wanted to go visit my girlfriend but-"
"Clark…."
"But she was right," he finished. "I should spend time with my family. So I'll be doing that."
"That's good," Lois said softly. "Spend time with your dad."
"My dad's not a spending time together kind of guy, Lois."
"You never know," she shrugged. "Maybe he's been waiting for you to bring it up."
"Alright," he nodded. "I'll spend time with my dad today."
"Good," she nodded smiling. "I better go. I have another class now."
"Okay." he smiled.
"I'll call you later tonight." she grinned.
"Sounds like plan," Clark said. "Bye Lois."
"Bye Clark."
Clark was putting his phone in his back pocket as his father was walking by him carrying a bale of hay toward the barn. He started jogging toward him. "Hey dad! Let me help you!"
Jonathan continued toward the barn. "Don't need the help but thanks."
"Dad." Clark started but stopped when he noticed his father's stern look.
Jonathan walked into the barn and tossed the bale of hay toward a corner and began rubbing his shoulder.
"You could stop being stubborn." Clark shrugged putting his hands in his pockets.
Jonathan sighed. "I appreciate you wanting to help me, Clark…"
"But?" Clark asked.
"But I'd rather you didn't alter your entire life for me."
"I'm not altering my life dad," Clark shook his head. "You don't get it, do you?"
"Apparently not." Jonathan shook his head.
"I want to be closer to home, dad," Clark said walking toward him. "I miss home…and I…I miss you."
"Clark…"
"I miss the times when you didn't resent me," Clark continued ignoring him. "I know you didn't like that I joined the military but dad I'm okay. Everything's okay. And everything will continue to be okay."
Jonathan turned toward him with watery eyes. "The biggest fear a parent has is the possibility of losing their child."
"Dad I'm bulletproof," Clark smiled softly. "I think I'll be okay."
"I didn't mean it that way." Jonathan said softly.
"Dad what aren't you telling me?" Clark asked.
"Nothing." Jonathan lied softly shaking his head as Clark's phone beeped.
Clark removed it from his back pocket and looked at the screen before smiling.
"Is it Lois?" Jonathan asked.
"Uh…yeah," Clark nodded. "She's in class and hating it."
"What class?" Jonathan asked.
"History," Clark nodded. "With a Professor Fine…she really doesn't like him and thinks he's too opinionated. I think that's probably because she's a bit opinionated herself. They must butt heads a lot."
"Lois is a strong woman." Jonathan admired.
"Yeah," Clark nodded sending a quick text on his phone and putting it away again. "She is."
"You really like her, don't you son?"
"I love her."
"You just met her," Jonathan said leaning against the tractor. "How could you know so soon?"
"Dad?" Clark asked as he walked up to him and picked up a wrench on the tractor. "When did you know mom was…the one?"
Jonathan sighed. "About twenty seconds after I met her."
"When it's real…you just know…right?"
Jonathan nodded softly.
"Well, I know that Lois is the one," Clark said placing the wrench back on the tractor. "Because I feel it…in my heart. I can't picture my future if she's not in it."
Jonathan smiled. "Then…hold on to that. No matter what."
Clark smiled and nodded knowing this was as much as an approval he'd get from his father. "Thank you."
Jonathan nodded again and smiled.
"And just like that?" Martha asked. "We're stepping back?"
"He loves her, Martha." Jonathan said as he got ready for bed.
"He just met her, Jonathan."
"And?" Jonathan asked. "I knew I loved you as soon as I met you…"
"That's different."
"How so?"
"You weren't…"
"An alien." Jonathan nodded finishing her thought.
"Special," she corrected. "And her father knows. He's government. Who's to say he won't place Clark in a lab somewhere to probe and test him. He's my son. I have a right to want to protect him."
"And I want nothing more than for Clark to be safe, but Martha, if we continue down this road we'll only push him away."
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Our faith in Clark has never faltered. Not once. We can't let it begin to waiver now, sweetheart. We have to believe in our son and trust that he knows what he's doing."
She turned in his arms wrapping her arms around his torso. "Do you think it'll be alright, Jonathan?"
He rubbed her back before kissing her forehead lightly. "Yes, I really do. I trust him and you know that you do too..."
She pulled him closer to her and nodded softly into his chest.
