LooneyTLuna: Lol. Thank you! I figured you guys were missing some Oliver and Jo'an interaction.
Readingred: Lol. I'm sure you are!
BeccaBright: Aww, thanks! Your favorite so far, yay!
Wtchcool: Lol. I think it has something to do with legal copyright stuff. That's the only reasn I can think up…
Gladius Grim: Lol. Of course Jo'an likes pepsi!
Quathis: Yay! I made you laugh. That makes me happy!
Batgirl2992: Lol. Who doesn't love a jealous Ollie?
Madlenita: Lol. You're very welcome! I knew you would enjoy the Chlollie moment
Nightwing 509, C im am a dragon, Jeremy Shane, eternal density: Thanks!
Darthphoenixfire: I'm so happy you were satisfied by the way I handled your request; and everyone seemed to like it as well!
Nequam-tenshi: I'm happy you're alright now. Lol.
Briellehalliwell1018: Thank you! I tried to lighten the mood a little; and Jo'an pretty relaxed around her uncle so…
Geno beast: Lol. I know right.
IHeart You13: Thank you! I had so much fun writing that scene!
Katlynne: Lol. It really makes me laugh to hear that you guys laughed so hard. Thank you!
T: Lol. Not my fault, it was a request. I had to.
LoisLaneRocks: Lol, sorry. I do like getting praise but when I get a lot I just…blush; I'm really weird like that. Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so much.
Shopgirl909 and Fan: Sorry, huge typo. Must've happened when I was doing some cutting and pasting and backspacing and adding. Don't worry, once I'm done, I'm going through the whole story and fixing it.
Crazy4fanfic2008: Lol. I know what you mean, I nearly strangled my goddaughter half a dozen times behind that kind of behavior. But it was funny when I thought back on it. Thank you!
Mayicita: Lol. Oh the possibilities indeed!
IceQueen825: Lol. Your mind is sooo in the gutter right now!
Solipoli: Aww, I'm sorry I missed your birthday hun; but I barely have time to post when I say I will. I hope you understand….I really do feel bad; but I hope your birthday was a fantastic day for you!
Stupid me: Lol. French fries do rule!
Hot chocolate: Lol. Please don't be mad at me.
Pompeypearly: Lol. You're right. She has.
Lois Joanne Lane: Lol. Don't worry "Uncle Bruce" and Lois never dated. She just calls him uncle because he's a member of the JL.
Tessfan: Lol. I loved that you seemed to love the whole chapter; well except for the fact that the chapter ended;)
gigga: Lol, it wasn't that short…sorta;)
iheartBL: Hi! Glad you're all caught up! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Ladyevenstar22: Lol, not you too! It wasn't that short of a chapter; maybe you just enjoyed yourself too much. You know what they say about how fast time flies when you're having fun;)
Julia: I'm going to say thank you, and hope you're giving me a compliment;)
~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~
Clark is tired. Not so much physically in a sense. He could run around all day without breaking a sweat; but right now he's exhausted, and stressed out, and anxious.
First, the constant worrying over these children's lives is putting a strain on him. Having to save this child, and get to that child on time, and thinking about the next child with a special "toy" in his or her bedroom is mentally wearing him down.
The first one had been the easiest; and had gone off without a hitch despite the fact that they arrived with only ten seconds to spare. The next one was a little harder, riddle wise; but still easy enough to figure out. They'd been given an extra five seconds; and honestly, they really didn't even need them.
For the next few hours, they went on like that, the riddles steadily and subtly becoming just a little harder to solve with every new child; and a few more seconds had been added to their time limit in order to give them the chance to save that little boy or girl. For that, he is thankful.
The second thing that's bothering him is not the fact that each "toy" that needs to be removed requires two of him to do it; but the fact that he and Lana are working so well together despite the facts that she's barely said a word to him; and her face has been an unreadable mask since their first save.
It's confusing; she doesn't seem angry; which she has every right to be he figures; and she doesn't seem sad; which she has every right to be he also figures. She doesn't seem to be feeling anything; like maybe she's in shock or something; but…she seems too clearheaded to be shocked. She's functioning rationally; more than rationally in fact as she's solved a little more than half of the riddles before him.
It's almost like she didn't see what happened at all; like she didn't see him tell his daughter that he loved her; and to be good for her mommy, who's name isn't Lana Lang. It's almost like she didn't see him kiss Lois, or hear him tell her they're compatible; but he knows that she did. Lana saw and heard everything; but she's acting like she didn't; like maybe she's in denial. That has to be it. She's in denial; but…if she's in denial about what she saw and heard, why isn't she acting like he and she, Lana and Clark, are still dating?
She hasn't tried to hug him, or hold his hand, or even touch him at all. So she knows they're over in a sense; although it hasn't been confirmed verbally; so, she's not in denial…So, what is she thinking?
And just as he wonders what she's thinking, he's reminded of another woman he keeps wishing he knew what she was/is thinking; and the other reason he's so anxious. Lois Lane.
She's probably at home right now, waiting for him to get there so that they can "talk" and be alone…together; and that's what's making him the most anxious.
When he'd first gotten the text that his daughter would be with Chloe and Oliver, he'd been okay with it. He sent a text to Chloe; asking her if she was okay, and if Jo'an was behaving. She sent a very long text back immediately, with an "lol" and a, "Jo'an is doing fine; but driving her uncle crazy;" and that they were "on their way to the ladies room." The next line, which was, "enjoy your night; but remember Jo'an isn't conceived for nearly another year;)," is what made him fully realize what a Jo'an with Uncle Ollie and Aunt Chloe all night meant. He was going to be with Lois alone.
He sent Lois a quick message, telling her he'd be home as soon as he could; or something like that. He couldn't really focus. He was simultaneously dismantling a bomb while wondering whether or not he and Lois would still share the same bed without their daughter there to act as the "your side, my side line." He could try to go in there anyway; pretend like he forgot Jo'an wasn't there; like it was habit to sleep with Lois; although they'd only been sleeping together for a few days.
But it was kinda true. He had gotten used to sharing his bed with Lois; and the fact that whenever he woke up they were uh…touching.
"Clark!"
Clark turns and faces Lana, subconsciously realizing she'd been trying to get his attention for a good seven or so seconds now. He feels guilty immediately, not just for ignoring her just now; but for neglecting her completely for the past few days. He hadn't called her, or stopped by Nell's to see her; he hadn't even given her any of his leftover thoughts. He should apologize to her; explain what happened. He owes her that much; but just as he opens his mouth to begin, Lana snatches his phone away from him.
Lana opens up Clark's phone quickly, he'd gotten a text nearly ten seconds ago; but he didn't answer it. She realizes it's not her place to do so; that it could be a private message from…someone who isn't trying to murder an innocent child; but at the same time, The Toyman had been giving them instructions via text message; and he'd been alternating between Clark's and Lana's phone. And since Lana got the last text; that could only mean it's Clark's turn. But he'd been too busy staring and frowning at no one to notice his phone going off.
When she reads it, she gives it back to him immediately and runs off, hoping that it didn't mean what she thought it meant.
Clark blinks after her before looking down at his phone; then he can feel his blood run cold. The other messages were riddles and he'd, they'd been given anywhere from one to five minutes to solve it and save the child. This message is so straightforward that he hopes it is a riddle; but he knows that it's not. "Kent Barn, 15 seconds," can only mean one thing. There is only one child who would be in the Kent farm.
Jo'an.
At the thought of his daughter, Clark takes off. He's still hoping he read the text wrong. He had to. Jo'an's with Chloe and Oliver; but then he realizes the last time he'd heard about his daughter was nearly three hours ago, that's plenty of time for…no, he wouldn't think about it; because then he'd have to wonder what happened to his friends…to Chloe and Oliver.
Despite the fact that Lana had a full second's head start; he arrived just milliseconds behind her. His sole focus had been on getting to his daughter as soon as possible; even the sight of Lois pulling up to the farm hadn't put a dent in his concentration. He needed to get to his daughter.
Once he's in the barn, he doesn't particularly stop to take in the sight before himself; but he sees it just the same. Right there, in the center of his barn, is a cage; and it's not just any cage. He's been in that cage before, he watched Davis nearly die in that cage; he knows what it can do, how much kryptonite it can emit; and now his daughter, his little girl is in that cage.
"Daddy, help me, please," Jo'an whimpers.
She's standing up, her palms pressed against the glass. She's wearing a green dress, and it looks beautiful on her; but he doesn't pay attention to it. His eyes are focused on her face; she's trembling so hard; and she's crying even harder. She didn't have to ask him for help. He was already coming for her.
But just before he reaches her, she screams and falls to the ground. Clark fights it as hard as he can; but he falls as well. There's just too much kryptonite.
He tries to get up; to keep his eyes open; but he can't; and even though he's in so much pain, his thoughts are on his daughter. He's several feet away from the cage and he can barely keep from passing out; but Jo'an, his baby, she's in the cage.
Then the pain stops abruptly; and Clark looks up to see Lana suspended in the air. Immediately, he realizes she's absorbing the kryptonite.
Impatiently he waits for her to finish, and the second she drops back down onto the ground and the green glow has disappeared from the cage, he gets up and staggers toward his daughter. It's harder than it should be. He should be feeling ninety percent better now; but he's not. He can still feel the effects of kryptonite. He looks around himself, and his eyes focus on Lana. Instinctively he knows that she is now radiating the effects of kryptonite. That she's making him "sick;" just as his daughter said she would one day.
"Get away from us!" he yells a little more harshly than he actually means to; but he needs to get to Jo'an and he can't really function around Lana.
Lana blinks a few times before moving away. She knows what he meant. She knows that she can't be around him without hurting him anymore, without making him "sick" as the little girl said when she first met her; but at the same time, it still hurt.
She looks down at her phone just as it goes off. She can hear Clark's go off as well; and as soon as she reads the message she knows that they were both sent the same one.
"You took something special from me," it starts off. "I'm returning the favor. Your child will never be. LL."
Lana looks over at Clark and watches him rock the lifeless child in his arms. It's a heartbreaking sight; but she can't bring herself to feel the sadness she should because that's not her child. Lex is wrong. Jo'an can still very well "be."
She leaves then. There's no point in her staying. She can't comfort Clark. She'll just make him "sick".
~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~
A/N: next post will be Monday December 6th .
