Chapter 10

"A Visit To Smallville"

The rest of the week passed by fairly quickly. Chloe had tried to help Clark fly every day, Superman had been spotted several more times, which came in handy for Lois' story, but Superman was still refusing to do any press interviews. Chloe and Jimmy continued to grow closer, Chloe passed in her article on the fire and Jimmy had managed to get a few more pictures of Superman. Lois worked on her second Superman story continuously. Clark submitted an article on a burglary, which impressed Perry, but of course Clark did have an advantage, he had stopped the burglar and witnessed everything firsthand. Lois and Clark had also finished and submitted their article on 'The Battered Women's Shelter'.

It was now Friday, and Clark, Lois, and Chloe were almost back to Smallville. Clark sat in the backseat of the car, while Lois and Chloe sat in the front. The three were laughing and enjoying themselves.

"So, Chloe, Clark and I were wondering why you didn't invite Jimmy to come to Smallville this weekend?"

"Yeah, Chloe. Why didn't you invite Jimmy? I'm sure he would've loved to come meet your dad and I'm sure he would've loved to see Smallville, the place you grew up," Clark input.

"Not that there's much to do in Smallville," Lois said.

"But it would have given him something to do this weekend, instead of being in Metropolis alone," Clark continued.

"Maybe next time. I'm not sure I'm ready to introduce him to anyone in Smallville yet. I mean, I've only really hung out with him this past week," Chloe said.

"The way you're talking, Chlo, it's beginning to sound like you and Jimmy are becoming serious," Lois teased.

Chloe's cheeks turned red. Lois noticed Chloe's embarrassment.

"You and Jimmy are becoming serious, aren't you Chloe," Lois said.

"Hey, I'm not the only one in this car getting close to someone. As I recall, you and Clark are getting close."

"Ha! Lois and me?" Clark asked.

"Smallville, what's that supposed to mean? You think you're too good for me? Is that it?" Lois spun around facing Clark.

"No, I just meant, we can't stand each other. We don't agree on anything, you're bossy-"

"So now I'm bossy?!"

"Isn't this cute. A lover's quarrel," Chloe mocked.

"Shut-up Chloe," Clark and Lois said in unison.

"Apparently, Lois' bossiness is rubbing off on you, Clark," Chloe said.

"Shut-up, Chloe," Clark defended.

"I rest my case!" Chloe commented.

"Don't tell my cousin to shut-up, Smallville!" Lois argued.

"Don't you try to tell me what to do!" Clark defended.

"Okay, Stop! We're here," Chloe interrupted.

Lois and Clark turned to see that they were at the 'Kent Farm'.

"Now, I don't want you two fighting in front of Mrs. Kent," Chloe warned.

"Yes, Chloe," Both replied.

"Now we can get out, but you have to be good," Chloe sounded motherly.

The three got out of the car. Clark and Lois grabbed their bags from the trunk of the car. Then the three of them headed into the house.

"Mom! We're here!" Clark called.

"Clark!" Martha said as she came from the kitchen and engulfed the three in a hug.

"Whoa, Mrs. Kent, we're glad to see you too," Lois said.

"Hi, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said.

"Mom, are you alright?" Clark asked looking at his mother.

"Yes, Clark. Now that you three are here. I've been worried about you since I found out Lex went to Metropolis," Martha explained.

"Mom, it's okay. You know I won't let anything happen to Lois or Chloe."

"I know that, Clark. But I still worry about you. It's a mom thing," Martha said.

"What do you think you are, Clark, Superman?" Lois asked.

"No. All I meant was-"

"All Clark meant was he can take care of himself, and if Lex came after you or me, he'd go after Lex. Isn't that right, Clark?" Chloe tried to help.

"Exactly. I wouldn't let anything happen to you... Or me," Clark said when Lois looked at him.

"I still worry," Martha said.

"You don't have to worry about us, Mrs. Kent," Lois tried to reassure the woman.

"I can't help it, Lois. I worry about you and Chloe, you're both like daughters to me," Martha commented.

"Ah. Thanks, Mrs. Kent. You're like the mother I never had," Lois said giving Mrs. Kent a hug.

"Well guys, I'm going to go home and see my dad. I'll be by later tonight to watch the movie," Chloe said as she was leaving.

"Chloe, we have to rent a movie first," Clark said.

"Well, I'll be by to pick you up to go rent a movie, then we can come back here to watch it," Chloe said.

"Okay. See you, Chloe," Clark said.

"Bye, Chlo," Lois hugged Chloe.

"Bye," Chloe said to Lois and Clark "Bye, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said to Martha.

After Clark and Lois were settled, Clark on the couch and Lois in Clark's room, Clark came down the stairs and entered the living room where his mother was busy at work.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Clark," Martha smiled. "I'm glad we have a minute alone. I hear you've been quite busy."

"What do you mean?"

"Superman."

"Oh, yeah. That."

"That? Clark that's a big deal. You're a hero to thousands of people. You're Superman, Clark. It's an accomplishment to be proud of."

"Mom, it's hard."

"Nobody said being a hero would be easy."

"I'm just worried that, at some point, I'll make the wrong decision, and someone will die because of my lack of judgement."

"Clark, you make the right decisions everyday. It's the man you've become. It's part of the reason I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom. How did you know about Superman anyway?" Clark asked.

"Mrs. Kent!"" Lois called.

"Lois told me about him, and I put two and two together." Martha told Clark.

"Mrs. Kent?!" Lois called again.

"I'm in the living room Lois."

"Oh," Lois said when she came into the living room.

"Do you have any popcorn here?" Lois asked.

"Popcorn?" Clark questioned, remembering the code Chloe had come up with earlier.

"Clark, here's the code, I'll call and if Lois answers the phone I'll ask do you have any popcorn, when she asks, you'll know it was me and that's the code word for...?"

"Let's go practice flying."

"Exactly. Meet me in 'Evan's Field' and we'll go learn to fly."

"'Evan's Field'. That's where Lana and I found Evan."

"Oh, sorry, Clark, I forgot."

"Yeah, Chloe called. She wanted to know if there was any popcorn here." Lois said, snapping Clark back to the present moment.

"Um... No Lois, I don't think so," Martha answered.

"Well, we'll have to pick some up," Lois smiled.

"I can go get some," Clark volunteered.

"That's okay, Clark. We can get it when we go to get the movie," Lois suggested.

"Actually, I have to go into town right now, so I'll pick it up," Clark said.

"Okay," Lois said confused by Clark's desire to leave the farm. Clark left to go into town. Martha turned to Lois, "Have a seat."

"Sure, Mrs. Kent. What's up?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me. We haven't had a chance to talk lately."

"Okay, well... How are things going at the 'Senate's Office'?" Lois asked trying to make some conversation.

"Good, but I miss my old chief of staff. She was really good, but I am glad she decided to go to school and study journalism." Martha played with Lois.

"Yeah. I know, I'm irreplaceable." Lois said.

Martha laughed at Lois' joke. "So, let's talk about you Lois. I want to hear what's new with you."

"Well... I wrote a story for 'The Daily Planet', about Superman. Actually, I named him. And the story I wrote made it to the front page."

"Lois, that's great!"

"Clark and I wrote a story about 'The Battered Women's Shelter'."

"Really? Clark didn't tell me that."

"Yeah. Writing the article made me realize that I would love to help the shelter."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. My aunt was an abuse victim, and I really think that what 'The Battered Women's Shelter' does is amazing. I would love to give the shelter money, if I had any. It's such a worthy cause, you know."

"Lois, if you'd like to help, there are all sorts of fund-raisers or charity events you could host to raise money for it."

"I would love to do something. But how? To host a fund-raiser or charity event, you need sponsors."

"Well knowing the Senator might help. I can put a good word in for you at the 'Senator's Office'. Maybe they'll want to help if I tell them what you want to do."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, Lois."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Kent. I really appreciate that."

"So, Lois. It seems like you and Clark are getting closer."

"We're just friends, Mrs. Kent."

"That's how Jonathan and I started."

"Mrs. Kent, I doubt Clark is my Jonathan."

"You never know Lois. Don't limit yourself."

Lois was surprised by Mrs. Kent's persistence. Mrs. Kent must've been talking to Chloe. Lois didn't get it. What was the big deal with everyone? It seemed like the whole world was out to get Lois and Clark together. Even Lois' dreams were turning on her, 'Help Clark fulfill his destiny'? Lois still had no idea what that meant.

"Glad to see you made it, Clark. That took every bit of a minute," Chloe said when Clark arrived at 'Evan's Field'.

"Yeah, well I've got about a half an hour. Then I have to go back to the farm."

"Great. That'll be enough time to try and get you to fly. First we need to figure out what caused you to fly."

"Chloe, it was the dreams. I've had other dreams where I flew. When I first found the Caves, I had dreams about flying and kept waking up all over town. I think I flew in my sleep. When the hurricane hit Smallville a few years ago and I saved Lana, I think I flew that day. It was like I was willing myself to fly to her."

"Great. So you can 'will' yourself to fly, so 'will' away."

"What? Chloe, it doesn't work like that. My flying happens at random times. I can't just think I want to fly and fly. At least not yet."

"Okay. So the next theory I have is that whatever you were feeling at the times you flew caused you to fly. Clark, did you ever fly, besides the times you told me?"

"Once. When I was Kal-El, and we thought you were dead."

"Okay. Let's not use that right now, because all Kal-El wants is to take over the world. In the dream with Lana you were obviously happy."

"I was happy in the dream with Lois too."

"You were happy around Lois? That's something I never thought I'd hear you say."

"It's something I thought I'd never say, too."

"Clark, happiness makes you fly. So, come on get happy."

"I'll try."

Clark closed his eyes and tried to think of happy thoughts. The first thoughts that came to his head were of times he spent with Lana, and it almost worked.

"Clark, you're doing it... Never mind."

His feet lifted from the ground until all the bad memories of Lana came to mind, like their break-up, the first time he saw her kiss Lex, and he sank to the ground again.

"Okay. New thoughts, Clark."

"Okay," Clark said. Clark cleared his mind of Lana and began to think of his father and mother. He remembered the day his parents found him, fishing and camping trips with his dad, making cookies with his mom, and his father teaching him things around the farm.

"Great Clark! You're doing it."

Clark opened his eyes and noticed he was about twenty feet above the ground. Then through the corner of his eye, he saw the graveyard and remembered his father's death and plummeted to the ground, leaving a small crater when he hit.

"Ouch. Those thoughts aren't working, are they Clark?" Chloe asked.

"No, but I think I have it," Clark began to think about his high school days. He remembered all the good times he had with Pete and Chloe, and once again he began to fly, until his mind flooded with memories of Pete moving to Wichita and him trying to protect his secret from Chloe and he fell.

"Clark, I don't get it. You start to fly and then you fall."

"Because bad memories keep coming in my head."

"Then, what now?"

"I'm just going to close my eyes and think. Something has to make me fly."

So Clark closed his eyes and thought of everything he thought made him happy. He was now out of ideas. He had tried everything. The only thing left to think about was Lois and he doubted she made him happy, but it was worth a try.

The first thoughts he had of Lois were the two of them fighting. After a few minutes he remembered her making him laugh. He remembered his birthday last year when she tried, and 'tried' being the key word, to make him a birthday cake. Then he remembered most recently, their date. Before he knew it he was in the air.

"I thought you couldn't fly, Clark?"

"So did I."

"You seem to have picked it up pretty quick," Chloe said watching Clark fly back and forth overhead. "So, Clark, what are you thinking about that's causing you to fly? And please don't say sex," Chloe made a disgusted face.

"No, Chloe. It's not," Clark's face turned red then he answered. "I'm actually thinking about Lois."

"Really? Lois? Are you sure? The same Lois you just fought with in the car today?"

Clark landed in front of Chloe, "Yeah."

"I never saw that one coming."

"Trust me, neither did I." Clark looked at his watch. "I have to get back. I've been gone forty five minutes."

"Well, instead of speeding off, why don't you fly? You could use the practice."

"Good idea."

"I'll be by to pick you and Lois up at about 7:30."

"Great," Clark said as he crouched and leapt into the air and began to fly home.

"There goes Superman," Chloe said as she turned to walk to her car.

Clark soared high over the fields of Smallville.

He was surprised. How could someone who he always fought with make him so happy? Had he really fallen for Lois that fast? Sure she was gorgeous, independent and smart, but she was also rude and bossy.

Clark saw his house and landed. He walked in through the front door. He was a little shocked to find Lois and his mother still on the couch where he had left them about an hour ago.

"Hi, Clark," Martha said.

"Smallville, your mom is a genius."

"Yeah. Why?"

"She has a great idea of how we can help support 'The Battered Women's Shelter'."

"Actually, Clark, it was Lois. I just suggested raising money somehow."

"Whatever Mrs. Kent. Anyway, the idea is that we have a carnival here in Smallville."

"Good idea, Lois."

"We could get 'The Daily Planet' to help sponsor it along with local businesses from Smallville like 'The Talon'. And the Senator could make a public appearance," Lois said motioning to Martha.

"It sounds great, Lois. I'd love to help."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because I'm going to need some more help planning it, like what rides we can have, who we can get to sponsor us, and so on."

"Sure. I'll help anyway I can."

"Great. Come on let's go get started," Lois took Clark's hand and dragged him upstairs.

Clark looked at her hand in his, then to her just as she looked back at him and smiled. His heart skipped a beat. He really was falling for her, but the question was how did she feel about him. Something he didn't realize was Lois was having the same internal battle with her feelings for Clark.