SUMMARY: What if, in "Crimson," Clark/Kal never found the invitation to Lex and Lana's engagement party, and therefore, never decided to crash the party and ditch Lois? Set in the sixth season, as an AU to the events of "Crimson," featuring Clois. Reviews and constructive criticisms greatly appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show, or with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This story is purely for entertainment purposes.

A/N: As always, thanks to all who patiently awaited the next chapter, and a special thanks to all who took the time to review. :D Also, chapter ten should be posted soon.

A/N #2: In this alternate reality, the events of "Lara" still take place (except, of course, Lana's not around, so Clark instead shows Kara's crystal to Lois), and the events of "Wrath" never take place. That said, enjoy, everyone! :)


Previously...

(from Chapter One)

"I'm pregnant."

"Wh- Uh- Wow." He exhaled sharply. Beaming, he added, "Congratulations."

"Thank you. It's yours."

...

(from Chapter Seven)

Clark, to Lana: "I'd offer you a place to stay, but I'm afraid the farm's gotten a little crowded lately. Lois and I moved into my parents' room, and Kara's taken over my old room."

...

(from Chapter Eight)

"It's in his eyes. You're the center of Clark's universe."

"Clark and I are just friends," Lois insisted.

...

THREE WEEKS LATER...

"Hey, Smallville, you coming to bed?" Lois, ready for bed in her favorite PJ's, stood on the stairs, looking down into the living room, where Clark sat staring morosely into the fireplace.

"Yeah, in a minute."

"You okay?" She descended the steps, and went to sit beside him on the couch. "Is it Lana? Because she hasn't been around lately?"

He let out a bitter laugh, before replying, "Contrary to popular belief, my life does not revolve around Lana."

He then grabbed a picture from the side table, and showed it to her. It was a picture of his biological mother, the one he had found after learning of its existence from Kara's memory.

She noticed tears start to well up, and understanding immediately, gave him a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on his back.

However, the moment was cut short by Kara appearing in the doorway, a surfboard under one arm.

"Clark, Lois, Coast City could not have been more awesome," she declared, setting aside the surfboard. "I mean, who would have thought that Jimmy Olsen could shred those waves with the best of them?"

"We're glad you had a good time," Lois told her, her hand moving from Clark's back to the back of the couch.

"Is something wrong?" Kara asked.

Unsure of what to tell her, Lois looked to Clark. When he didn't say anything, she finally said, "We're fine."

Kara was still concerned, but nonethelesss made to head upstairs. That is, until Clark abruptly stood and called to her, "Wait. Kara."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think about your parents and it feels like they're...practically calling out to you?"

"Yeah, I'm always thinking about my family. My mom and dad will always be with me, and so will Lara."

"I feel like I know some things about Jor-El, but my mother's always been a mystery to me."

"I have an idea," she said, trying to cheer him up. "I will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the incredible Lara-El. In the morning. Until then, get some sleep, both of you."

With that, she headed off to bed.

Lois and Clark were just about to follow suit, when Clark turned his head, apparently having heard something.

"What?" Lois asked as Clark looked out the kitchen window to the barn. "What is it?"

"I thought I heard something. I'm gonna go check it out."

While he went to put on his jacket, Lois peeked out the window as well. When she saw a blue light emanating from the barn, she quickly grabbed her own jacket and followed him out.

"Hey, wait for me."

Upon investigating, they found that the blue light had come from the crystal he had hidden under one of the floorboards. Clark pulled it out, and heard his mother's voice beckoning him to the Fortress of Solitude. Then, with a flash of blue light, he and the crystal vanished.

"Clark? Clark?" Lois looked around, before running back inside to retrieve Kara.

...

The next day, Lois was on the phone, trying to track down Clark's whereabouts, while Kara was out flying around, trying to see if she could spot him.

"Okay, thanks, Chloe. Keep me posted, will ya?" She hung up, and was just about to call Lana, when she heard the door open. "Clark?"

When she went to see who it was, she did indeed find Clark standing there, and ran to give him a hug in relief.

"Clark! We were so worried!" Suddenly noticing the woman that had accompanied him back to the farm, Lois started to ask, "Clark, is this - ?"

"Lois, I'd like you to meet my mother, Lara. Mom, this is Lois...the mother of your grandson."

"Grandson?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Well, unborn grandson," Lois corrected, placing a hand on her abdomen. "It's so nice to meet you, Mrs...El."

"Please, call me Lara."

Suddenly, Kara's voice drifted into the room as she approached from the kitchen.

"Lois, I've looked everywhere, but I can't find - " Seeing Clark and his mother, she stopped in her tracks. "Aunt Lara? Aunt Lara!"

As Kara moved to give the elder woman a hug, Lara expressed how happy she was that Kara had escaped the destruction of Krypton.

"My father put me in a ship and sent me away in the nick of time," she explained. As understanding dawned on her, she informed her aunt, "You must have come from my crystal."

Turning to Clark, she asked accusingly, "You've had it all this time?"

"What crystal?" Lara asked.

"Kara's crystal. It's what brought you here."

"Zor-El's technology. It worked," she realized, horrified.

"Does that mean my father's here too?" Kara asked, worried.

"If I emerged from this crystal, I am certain his replicant is right behind me. And he's dangerous."

"Doesn't matter," Clark insisted. "There's four of us and one of him. We'll find him and stop him."

Confused, Lara pointed out, "Four of us? Clark, you can't possibly ask Lois to go up against Zor-El."

"Mom, Lois isn't as helpless as you might think. She might be human, but she's tough. Besides, she currently has Kryptonian abilities of her own."

"But...how is that possible?"

"Well, you can thank junior for that," Lois replied, placing both hands over her womb. "Apparently, that's what happens when a human and a Kryptonian reproduce."

...

Stepping into Oliver Queen's apartment, Clark assured his mother that she would be safe there, especially with Lois there with her.

"I don't want to put you two in anymore danger," Lara insisted. "Let Zor-El come and find me. I have nothing to fear."

"Ever since I found out I was adopted," Clark began, "all I could do was imagine what my real mother would be like. And now you're here, I don't want to lose you."

"You've already lost me. Your real mother died with Jor-El."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," Clark asserted, settling the matter.

"The Kents have raised you well," she told him, obviously proud of her only son. Changing the subject, she asked, "So, have you two thought of any names for the baby, Kryptonian or otherwise?"

"Uh," Clark and Lois replied simultaneously, taking a quick glance at each other, "...no. Not really."

"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something," she assured them, smiling. "Finding a suitable name is harder than you might think."

"Boy, is it ever," Lois agreed.

"Well, I have to go meet up with Kara, so if you two will excuse me," Clark told them.

"Wait, Kal-El. Before you leave, I want you to have this." She gave him a blue ring, explaining, "It was your father's. His victory ring, given when he first became a member of the council. It's Kryptonian tradition to pass it on to the firstborn son when he comes of age."

"Aw," was Lois's opinion.

However, when he put it on, he started to feel strange, and then his eyes flashed blue.

"Kal-El? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Are you sure, Clark?" Lois asked, pointing out, "Your eyes just turned blue, as blue as that ring."

"You don't think...?"

"Well, it did come from Krypton."

"Well, I don't feel any different. Whatever it does, I'll just have to deal with it later. Right now, Kara and I need to find Zor-El before he finds my mom."

"What's wrong? What are you two talking about?" Lara asked, turning to Lois as Clark headed towards the exit.

"Radioactive pieces of your homeworld called kryptonite. See, different colors do different things to Kryptonians. Green kills, red strips away inhibitions, silver causes paranoia, black can split you in two, literally, and blue...well, we'll just have to wait and see."

Even as she said it, Lois felt somewhat nervous for Clark, uncertain of the condition he would be returning in. Seeing this, Lara tried to put her mind at ease by changing the subject.

"So, Lois, how long have you and my son been married?"

The effort backfired, however, as Lois went from nervous to uncomfortable.

"We're- We're- We're not actually married, per se. We're just living together. And having a kid together. But that's it. We're just friends."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just that I assumed that because you two are having a child together and because you seem to have his heart that you were married."

"Oh, no. I don't have his heart. His heart's with his ex, Lana."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Lois. Do not underestimate Kal-El's feelings for you."

Before Lois could even stop to ponder that, a man that Lois could only assume was Zor-El appeared. She immediately put herself in between him and Lara.

"Step aside, human," he ordered.

Rather than obey, she threw a right hook his way, but then he caught her fist, so she tried punching him with the other hand, with the same result. Unable to free her hands, she instead kneed him in the groin.

He clutched himself in pain, but recovered in time to catch her foot in a spin kick, then sent her spinning to the floor.

"Leave her alone, Zor-El!"

Zor-El grabbed Lara by the arm, just as Lois got up and charged. However, with one hand, he pushed her down, sending her sliding across the floor to the other side of the room, where her back fetched up against the wall.

"Zor-El, no!"

"You don't have to fear, my love," he told Lara, trying to reassure her. "There's a new life waiting for us up in the frozen north."

"Let her go," Clark demanded, getting out of the elevator.

"Clark."

Clark turned to see Lois still on the floor. He rushed over to help her up, and Zor-El took advantage of the distraction to kidnap Lara.

"Clark, are you okay?" Lois asked, noticing the blood running down from his temple. "What happened?"

"I'm fine. Turns out, blue kryptonite takes away my abilities. What about you? Are you and the baby okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine."

"You sure? I think I'd feel better if you got checked out by Emil."

She was about to protest, when she was struck by the tender look on his face, the one that told her that Lara was right. So, she relented, but rather than waiting around with her to be examined, she insisted that he leave to save his mother.

Before he left, though, she gave him a hug and told him, "Good luck."

...

THAT NIGHT...

"So, what did Emil say?" Clark asked after returning from saving the day. He had found Lois sitting in front of the fireplace, and had joined her on the floor.

"He said I was fine, the baby's fine, we're both fine. Like I couldn't have told you that." After a pause, Lois asked, "So, any idea on what happened to Kara?"

"No, but I don't think she's ever coming back. All because of me."

"Don't go beating yourself up over this." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she pointed out, "Clark, all you wanted was to see your mother. If anyone can understand that...it's me."

"I just hope Kara's still out there somewhere, alive. Jor-El was right; I shouldn't have let my emotions get in the way of my common sense."

"You grew up on a planet of human beings; it's okay to have emotions. They're a part of who you are."

"You know, I always thought that if I ever did meet my mother, she wouldn't live up to the idea that I had of her. But she did."

At that, Clark and Lois exchanged smiles.

...

EPILOGUE

The next day, while Clark went to talk to Jor-El about trying to find Kara, Lois got a visit from Chloe's editor, Grant Gabriel.

Confused, Lois asked, "You do know I work for your rival, The Inquisitor, don't you?"

"Our rival?" Grant scoffed. "We're The Daily Planet, read in virtually every country across the globe. We have no rival."

"Well, so what do you want with me?"

Ya arrogant bastard, she added in her head.

"I've come to offer you a job. I read your article on yesterday's solar eclipse, and let me tell you, I was riveted. Your prose leaps off the page like a bengal tiger."

After he offered to let her work right across from her cousin, hoping the family rivalry would shake things up in the bullpen, she decided to take him up on it.

TO BE CONTINUED...