Clark could see from his wife's expression that she was not impressed by Lana's comments and to be honest he did not blame her. He often wondered what he saw in Lana, as it was becoming more apparent everyday that she was turning into a spoilt child. Poor Jason looked so under the thumb these days, doing whatever she asked in the hope of an easy life.
They all sat down in the restaurant. "Hi, I am Donna and I will be looking after you tonight." The waitress announced. "Can I get you a drink?"
"A bottle of sparkling mineral water please." She looked at Clark who nodded in agreement.
"On the hard stuff tonight, Lois." Lana chucked. " I'll have a bottle of your finest red wine."
"Yeah I am, Lana. I didn't think they would serve us alcohol considering we are all under 21 years old." Lois announced, shattering any hopes of Lana getting her wine.
As soon as Donna left, Lana glared at Lois. "Why did you do that?"
"You are only 17 yrs old Lana, so I did not want you struggling to hold your drink at such a young age." Lois replied sarcastically.
"You can talk. I have heard about some of your drinking parties you hold at school. Maybe the principal would be interested in hearing about that." Lana fired back.
Chloe intervened. "Look children, shall we just go home or can you two agree to disagree. Next thing you know you will be having a food fight across the table." Jimmy sniggered at this suggestion, as did Lois.
Lana looked annoyed and had to get the last word in. "Okay, but she started it."
Eventually their meals arrived allowing the tension to decrease a little. "So Jimmy, what is it like working at one of the best papers in the world." Clark asked.
"It's great but it could take me years to work my way out of the basement." He replied.
Chloe grabbed his hand. "But you are one of their best photographers with an eye for a good picture."
Lois smiled, loving the relationship between her cousin and Jimmy. They went together so well.
Lana hated that the focus was on Chloe and changed the subject. "Jason has been contacted by three different universities about coaching jobs."
Jason looked at her. "Lana, I told you that they were just letters acknowledging receipt of my job applications. It will be a while before I find out if I am being offered an interview."
Lana glared at him. "You'll get the best job going. Maybe we should discuss moving if we need to."
"Maybe later." Jason replied uncomfortable at Lana building up his prospects.
"So what is your pasta like?" Chloe asked Lois.
"It's nice. I will have to come back to this restaurant sometime. Maybe we could go a girlie night sometime." Lois turned to Lana. "Lana, you could come too."
Lana smirked. "Lois, I very much doubt Clark will let you come out without him. I can tell you from experience that he is possessive." She said ignoring the fact he was sitting right next to Lois.
"Whatever you say, Lana." Lois fired back.
"Anyway let's face it, you will be tied to the kitchen sink once babies start to come along. Five years down the line you will be asking where your life as gone and be jealous of people who have done something with their lives."
Lois had had enough. "I did not come out to be insulted Lana. You are a pathetic jealous cow who cannot deal with the fact I am with Clark."
Lana was horrified. "Jason, are you going to let he talk to me like that?"
Jason stood up. "Yes, I am. In fact if we were somewhere more private, I would join her."
"Jason, what's wrong with you."
"You...you're what's wrong with me." Jason replied. "I am going now." He paid his part of the bill and walked towards the door.
Lana flew up out of her chair but in the processs caught her face on Lois's elbow, leaving her with a broken cheekbone.
"You moved you arm deliberately." Lana shrieked.
Lana went on about that for weeks after the incident. Even though Lois had twenty witnesses to back her story of it being an accident, Lana still tried to press charges but with no success. Jason left town soon after to take up a job at Seattle University and it did not take Lana long to move to her next victim.
Present Day Lois sat on the beach, in fact she had been there for hours. The sun was just setting. She heard someone approaching her. "What are you thinking about?" the familiar voice said. Lois looked at her cousin. "Hi Chlo, I was just thinking about that disastrous dinner date in Metropolis last year." "Well Lana has tried to make you pay ever since." Chloe laughed. The tears started to fall down Lois's face. "I need him back... I miss him so much." Chloe hugged her cousin, joining her in the devastation that had affected them both of them since he left...
Clark was starting to take bets on whether they would miss the flight to Washington DC. It was not going well. Lois had packed and unpacked the case six times and that didn't include the dozen times the day before.
"Honey, if you are not ready in next half an hour, I will call the airport and tell them we want to transfer to the next flight." Clark shouted through the bedroom door.
"God, Smallville. You are so impatient. Why are you all rushing me all the time?" Lois said as she opened the door.
"Lo, you have been packing for three days." He replied trying not to show his annoyance.
"You are so gullible." She laughed.
He grinned realising he had fell for her joke.
"I'm ready." She said with finality. "Unless of course you think I should take more than 3 sets of lingerie."
"Lois we are staying with your father so I don't think we will get much chance for that." He gave her that look.
"We manage to do ok living with your parents."
"The difference is that your dad lives in a small apartment and Lucy will be staying as well." Clark replied.
"How about we make up for it in advance...like now." Lois smiled.
"Lo,we need to catch this flight."
"Let's just run."
"You know we can't. Your dad would find out if we didn't use the tickets. He has surveillance everywhere." He smiled. "I wish we could. Look we can always run back to the farm if we get really frustrated."
"Good idea."
Amazingly they made the airport in time. "Let's hit the bar." Lois said as they boarded the flight. "We should take advantage of the first class tickets."
"Lois, you are 19 years old and I have just only 18. Don't you have to be 21 years old to drink on the plane and you cannot exactly use forged ID, seeing as our date of birth is on the tickets."
She stomped off back to her seat and threw herself down not realising the man behind had a glass of red wine on his table, or at least not until it flew through the air and landed on his shirt.
She realised what she had done and sunk into her seat, leaving Clark to do all the profuse apologising.
"Lois, can you be more careful?" Clark asked gently.
"Ok, I am sorry. Let's check what is on the in-flight entertainment."
Hours later they landed in DC. "We're here." Clark nudged Lois who had fallen asleep shortly after the plane had taken off.
"That was quick. I haven't been asleep long, have I."
"Since we took off Lois." He grinned. "That how boring you find me, is it?."
"Of course not, but you know how I am when I fly."
"I hope you are not going to be like that when you fly with me for the first time, whenever that may be." He smiled.
"Of course not." She replied.
Her father had sent a limo to pick them up. "Your dad doesn't spare any expense, does he?"
"Not when he wants to treat his daughters. He would often use money as a way to make up for lack of attention he gave us when we were younger." She explained.
"You are nervous aren't you? Lo, your dad will be fine. He accepted us being married." Clark rubbed her back to try and calm her down.
"I have always had this worry that I would disappoint my father and I know I need to overcome that because he is no longer the most important man in my life...well not since Shelby came into my life." She joked, making Clark crease up.
It did not take long for the limo to pull up outside the apartment. "Your father is doing alright for himself. This place has got to be expensive."
Lois nodded. "The higher you go in the Army, the bigger the perks."
They were sent straight up to the apartment. Her dad opened the door with the biggest smile on his face. "My little Lo." He hugged her and then extended his hand to Clark, pulling him into an embrace.
"Hi Sir."
"Stop calling me sir. General Lane will be fine." He said, seeing what his son in law's reaction would be, and then laughing. "No, Sam is fine."
Clark relaxed, but he did not want to be lulled into a false sense of security. He had to have his guard up at all times with the General. He was one of the most observant people he had ever met.
"Do you want some coffee?" he asked as he headed into the kitchen. "your bedroom is the last room on the right." He said to Clark.
"Where am I sleeping, daddy...with Lucy." Lois asked.
"I was assuming next to your husband but if that is not what you want, I am sure Lucy will bunk up." Sam smiled.
"Sorry, I just thought you would not let us share a room."
"Lois, you are married now. It was a shock but I can see how happy and settled you are, so that is fine with me."
Lois was shocked and wondered when her father had been for his personality transplant. This was not like her father at all.
"When is Lucy getting here?"
"Tomorrow morning. She got caught up in Switzerland. Apparently she is bringing her new boyfriend, which I am not happy about."
"Why not?"
"She seems to pick boyfriends with shady and mysterious pasts. She wouldn't go into any details about this one so it made me suspicious. I have told her, he will have to stay at a hotel."
Clark thought about the irony of that comment and wondered what would happen if Sam found out his secret, but then again that would never happen...
PRESENT DAY
Chloe took Lois back to the farm, where Jonathan and Martha were waiting for her as they usually did. She often wanted to be alone and they respected that. She went to bed thinking about her and Clark's trip to see her father. That had been the turning point and she often wondered if things would have been different if they hadn't gone...
Clark and Lois got unpacked and headed out to the local 24 hour store to pick up some cigars for her dad.
"Your dad seems to have mellowed." Clark smiled.
"It does seem that way but I am convinced the 5 star General is hiding there somewhere ready to pounce." Lois explained.
"Who knows! But let's enjoy it while it lasts. What sort of cigars does your dad like?" he asked.
"The most expensive usually but anything Cuban will do. I never understood why he continued to smoke when he saw his wife die of lung cancer."
Clark rubbed his wife's back. "He doesn't exactly smoke much. You used to smoke." He started. "In fact I know you had one last week when you were stressed out about that term paper."
"How did you know?" Lois asked soon realising how stupid that question sounded. "Yeah right, don't tell me – super sense of smell."
They got back to the apartment to the smell of Chinese. Lois had definitely inherited her cooking ability or lack of it from her father. She was impressed when she found out he had the local takeaways on speed dial.
"Looks like you have something in common." Clark laughed as he started to serve dinner.
"So how is school going for both of you?" Her dad asked.
"Fine, I am actually starting to enjoy it. I really want to get to Met U in the Fall." Lois sounded determined.
"Being married must be agreeing with you, Lo. I have never seen you this bothered about achieving good grades." Sam smiled.
"How about you, Clark?"
"It depends on my grades but I am hoping to get in at Met U as well." He explained.
"Let's start." Sam tucked in to his meal.
"So do we know anything about Lucy's new boyfriend?"
"He is called Brett and is American. She would not give me a surname because she said I would have him checked."
"You probably would..." Lois laughed, only to met with a stony glare from Sam.
"I only do it to protect my girls. You are lucky you married someone as innocent as Clark. He seems to have an exemplary past with nothing to hide." Sam grinned.
Clark and Lois looked at one another. "I knew you would check me out." Clark replied.
The rest of the evening went really well. Lois was thrilled to see her dad and her husband getting on like a house on fire. When they retired to bed, they did not really talk because Lois was not convinced that her dad didn't have the room tapped. Deep down she knew he wouldn't but she could not get rid of that nagging doubt. She knew what her dad was capable of.
Next morning, Lois was woken early but the sound of her dad leaving for work. He said he would only be a few hours and he would be back by lunchtime so they could all go and pick Lucy up at the airport.
Clark was still asleep so Lois decided to set to and make some breakfast. Big mistake... soon there was the smell of burnt the eggs and bacon wafting through the apartment. She rushed to open the window in the kitchen but it was locked. She opened all the drawers in her dad's desk looking for a key but then wished she hadn't.
As she was rifling through the last drawer, she noticed a file with a familiar name on. It was the name of the adoption company which the Kent's had adopted Clark through. She pulled it out, sat down and read it.
It had a copy of Clark's adoption certificate and next to it in red pen was her dad's writing saying 'forgery?'. Lois could feel her blood pressure soar. Why did her dad have to investigate everyone? He had obviously lied about giving his blessing to their marriage.
Clark appeared. "Lois, what the hell is burning?" He ran in the kitchen and took the pan off the heat. "What's up? Were you just going to burn the place down?" he asked.
Lois looked at him. Her eyes showed her upset. "Lo, what's up?"
She showed him the file. "Your dad is still investigating me." He replied, shocked by her discovery.
"I am so sorry Clark."
He pulled her to him and held her. "Lois, you are not responsible for what your father does. He is just protecting you. I think he means well."
"But what happens if he finds out about your adoption."
"We will just come up with a cover story like my parents always have. Let's come out and ask him why he is doing it." Clark was calm.
"He will not stop until he has found something out." Lois was concerned.
"What else can we do?" he asked, as he saw Lois pull out her cell phone.
She dialled her father's number. "Could you come home? We have a problem." She asked him in her emotionless voice.
"Clark, would you leave me alone when my father comes back. I need to talk to him."
"I am not going to leave you when you are like this."
Eventually she convinced him to go for a walk around the block. Sam soon burst in the door in a panic. "Lo, are you ok?"
"No, I'm not." She said as she threw the file on the table. "Why are you investigating my husband?"
"Hear me out..."
Lois snapped. "Look, don't bother. Save your breath. I don't want to hear it. Clark and I are flying back to Kansas this afternoon. Give my regards to my sister." She said coldly. "Don't contact me ever again. If you cannot trust Clark, you can't trust me."
Sam was left in a state of shock as Lois stormed off to the bedroom to pack...
PRESENT DAY Her anger towards her father was almost gone. There had been lots of water under the bridge since then. Her father had been the catalyst for Clark's departure but she knew he had regretted his actions that day almost six months ago...
