Chapter Twenty Eight: The Parent Trap

Callie hated the time she had at the farm alone. Time alone meant time to reflect and think. All that did was lead her to worry and be hit with an emotional tidal wave of sadness. The past few days had had its high and low moments. Nothing too low, it was just low enough for Callie to sense an awkward tension in the air that wouldn't dissipate. For example, the day she had woken up from dealing with her inner midnight movie madness everything had been good between her and Clark as they played "Unicorn," her version of "Horse" that Clark playfully mocked, and devoured an everything pizza. Even when Lois had shown back up everything was still going smoothly until Clark made that serious face, with the squinty eyes and the head tilt, he makes when his superhearing acts up and he heard someone in need of help. When he had come back she could notice a change in Lois. It wasn't anything drastic, but just unusual, well unusual for the Lois of 2009. Callie had seen that kind of look before, a look of fear for him, at times on her mother but with her mother it would come and go, with calmness and faith persevering. With this Lois it seemed that she couldn't shake it.

"He'll be fine, you know." Callie told her.

"What do you mean?" Lois asked as she turned from the window in the living room she had been staring out of.

"You're worried about him going out there. He'll be okay." Callie assured her.

"That's what I keep telling myself, but I can't help but worry."

"Does it bother you when he's gone?" Callie asked.

"No, what bothers me is that he might not come back." Lois said, downcast.

Those words stung Callie. Sure, the fear was reasonable enough, no doubt. She was sure that her mother had felt that way, especially after everything that happened with Doomsday in 2020, but this early? Had things progressed this fast? Callie used to think she knew the story but it seemed to be fuzzy. Was it fuzzy because she was nervous and couldn't think or was it something else—a change somewhere else?

With a groan Callie threw herself on the couch. She needed a distraction. She was supposed to meet Chloe later, but she needed something to get her attention pronto.

As if her plea had been answered, there was a knock on the door. Shelby barked as Callie rose from the couch and headed to the front door. Opening it up she saw Oliver Queen standing on the porch.

"Oliver?"

"Well, if it isn't the girl who has nine lives." He smiled.

"I think I'm down to six, but don't tell anyone."

"Not a soul." He answered with his hand raised as if he were taking an oath.

Callie nodded then moved out of the door frame. "Come on in."

"Thanks." He said, accepting her welcome.

"So, what brings you here?"

Oliver reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device, and extended it to Callie.

"I wanted to give you this."

Callie reached for the object and then analyzed it once it was in her hands. It was a light, thin cell phone, but one that was state of the art for 2009. A smartphone to be exact. It seemed to have everything.

"That's one of the newest phones out there. It actually isn't supposed to be released until January, but I pulled a few strings. Though, for a future girl it probably isn't that incredible to you."

Callie looked up at him with awe. She was moved that he was giving her such an expensive present.

"No, it's great, but why are you giving this to me?"

"Well, for one, it's basic knowledge that all girls need a cell phone, I assume it doesn't matter what timeline they come from," he smirked, "and two, it's to keep tabs on you so Clark and the rest of us don't worry."

"Keep tabs?" She asked as one hand went to her hip.

"Maybe not the best choice of words, but with everything that has happened and us still trying to find a solution to your quest home, I figured this was better than our throats becoming hoarse from shouting your name into the air hoping you'd hear us."

"Reasonable." She grinned.

Oliver smiled again and then looked behind him into the living room.

"So, how does one keep themselves occupied out here?"

"It's not easy. Lots of moping, mulling over sad thoughts, and becoming worried about the future."

He grimaced at her words.

She waved her hand at his reaction. "Don't worry, that's just how my mind rolls as of late."

"Well, we should do something about that. What are your plans today?"

"Besides going back to fill that indent I've made on the couch, eat my donut, and watch my programs? I'm supposed to see Chloe later. She has something she wants to tell me."

"Okay, so then that frees up time for us to hang out."

"Hang out? Don't you have a company to run?"

"I admit I should probably be going to a meeting or two since I'm short a partner, but I'd gladly ditch it for you." He smiled.

"No word on Tess still?"

"No, the mansion was combed and there hasn't been any sign of her. Clark told me about the video she sent. I think it's best to say that Zod did something to her. At least she did something good before, you know…" He said wistfully.

For a moment she thought about Tess. A weird feeling came over her as she did so. When she first met her she really hadn't known anything about her, but something was telling her now there was more-

"You alright?"

Callie blinked a few times as she broke from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He nodded, but she could see in his face that he didn't really believe her.

"So, what's the definition of 'hanging out' when it comes to Oliver Queen of 2009?"

"What's the definition for Oliver Queen of where you come from?" He countered.

Callie smirked. "There are a few things I can think of."

"Good, you can let me know what they are on the way."

"I should leave Clark a message…" She said as she went to move past Oliver.

"Or…you can use your new phone. I already programmed all the numbers in. Clark is number one on speed dial."

Callie looked down at her phone and sighed.

"Right. Okay, just give me a second."

Oliver nodded and Callie went into the living room to privately call Clark.

~/~

Clark nipped at the skin under his lips which produced a moan from the beautiful creature he had inflicted it on. She moaned again as he moved a little higher on her neck and his superhearing picked up an almost inaudible "Smallville" roll from her lips.

He couldn't actually pinpoint how this had occurred. An hour prior, the police scanner had picked up a disturbance across the city. After informing Lois that he had to take care of it he saw a flicker of a foreign emotion in her eyes. When he had come back, he found Lois ultra focused on her work. He remembered her once telling him about "burying your heartache in your job" and he assessed that he was seeing it firsthand. She had scribbled a note and left it on his desk for when he had returned. He figured they were going to talk about whatever was bothering her, but when she came into the copy room their gazes met, she kicked a stack of newspapers over to his feet, and hastily made her way to him until her lips were assaulting his.

Currently, Lois was on top of the copier, her legs wrapped around his waist as her heels dug into his back. Her hand slid between them and found his tie. She pulled on it, which made him retreat from her neck.

"You know, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when you said you wanted to meet in the copy room." Clark remarked with a panting breath.

Lois bit her bottom lip and smirked as her hand glided up and down the fabric.

"Yeah, but I figured you'd be open to it."

"Oh, I am. I'm just—worried."

Now it seemed to be Lois' turn as her lips gravitated to the side of his neck. He could feel her tongue slide up to his pulse and faintly heard her ask, "About?"

"When I left…you had this look—," His eyes slightly rolled back as Lois' teeth were suddenly nipping at his ear and he sighed. "I just…want to make sure…you're okay…" he gasped.

Lois removed her mouth from his ear and pulled on his tie again, forcing their lips to crash together.

"Oh, I'm fine now." She said against his lips.

"You're still…" Kiss. "Okay with…" Kiss. "Who I am…" Kiss. "What I do…" Kiss.

"Of course…" Kiss. "But, I admit…" Kiss. "I get concerned…" Kiss. "About you…." Kiss. "Saving the world…" Kiss. "And getting hurt…"

Clark pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

His brows furrowed. "Getting hurt?"

"You told me that you weren't indestructible. Every time you leave, I worry about you." She shrugged.

He kissed her lips lightly and rested his forehead on hers.

"Explains the look."

She nodded.

"Lois, are you going to be okay with this? I mean, me going out to save people, leaving you at a moment's notice…"

Her lips met his once more. There was suction on his top lip then his bottom lip and he tried to stifle a moan. He moved his hand behind her neck and opened his mouth to do the same to her.

"Maybe that's what this is about." She whispered on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

"To make each moment count. And to remind you what's waiting for you here after you leave. That you'll always have to make it through, no matter what, because I'm here waiting..."

"To kiss my boo-boos away?" He laughed as his mouth hovered over hers.

"Mmmhmm. Though, it doesn't sound as sexy when you put it that way." She replied.

He grinned and ran his fingers through her hair, saying, "Lois, I will always come back to you. I would fight through heaven and hell to come back to you. You're an incredible woman who makes me feel stronger when I'm around you. You make me laugh and for a second every day the world and its problems fall away when you smile at me. You're the one that I need. So, I will always come back to you, trust me," He could see her visibly relax and he continued, "Being able to kiss you…well, that's…" he craned his neck and shifted his lips towards her ear and whispered, "just an extreme bonus."

"I would fight for you, too. You also make me stronger and I need you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. That's why I get so worried." She said softly, as if admitting a secret from within.

His head moved once more and he was facing her again. "I worry about you too, you know. You're not indestructible either."

"Speak for yourself." She smirked and he smiled back. "Get over here." She said as her hands planted themselves on each side of his face.

As he was about to pounce on her again, Clark heard his cell phone ring. He let out a groan of displeasure as he reached into his pants and retrieved his phone. When he pulled it up to eye level he saw a number he didn't recognize. Sliding his phone up, he brought it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Clark, it's Callie."

Backing away from Lois, Clark removed the phone from his ear, looked at the number again, and then replaced it back.

"Is everything okay? What number are you calling from?" He asked.

"Oliver stopped by and gave me a belated birthday present."

He then heard a light slap and a muffled noise.

"Callie?"

He watched as Lois' eyes grew in alarm.

"I'm here…just, uh, saw a bug and slapped it away…so, anyway, since I was alone on the farm Oliver suggested that we hang out, if that's okay."

Clark felt a pang of something in his heart. He couldn't actually detect what it was but he could still feel it rippling through him.

"Of course it's okay. You shouldn't be secluded to the farm. It must get boring."

"Not boring, just lonely. I can only play hide and seek with Shelby so many times."

"Right."

He heard her sigh as did he.

"So, I'll see you later?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Bye."

Then he heard his phone beep as the call was disconnected.

"You look down, Smallville. What did she say?" Lois asked.

He stared down at his phone and replied, "She called from her new cell phone to say that she was hanging out with Oliver."

"Well, it's good that she's getting out of the house."

He nodded off into the distance.

"Clark…"

He turned back to her.

"What?"

Her face looked very thoughtful as she said, "Don't worry."

"Don't worry about what?" he questioned.

As Lois was about to reply distant sounds tugged at his ear. He knew his face tensed up as he heard a cry for help. When he looked up, Lois had the same concern in her eyes as before.

"Lois, I'm sorry I have to…"

"No apologies, Smallville. Go do some good."

He gave her a nod and as he was about to leave he once again felt a tug of his tie and his lips forcefully met Lois' once again.

When she pulled back her mouth curved into a sultry smile and said breathily, "One for the road."

He let out a low growl as he fought his daze, which he could certainly get used to for the future, and pushed aside all of the bubbling feelings from Lois and the phone call he received from Callie and went out to do some good.

~/~

Callie followed Oliver into the dojo and placed the duffle bag she had been carrying on the floor. The whole drive over Oliver had made jokes and tried to lighten the mood, but her call to Clark had left her a bit glum. He had sounded okay that she was going out with Oliver but something still was eating at her. Plus, she was still pissed at herself that she called the cell phone her belated birthday gift, since her birthday had been over a month ago, slapping her hand over her mouth when she had said the blunder, but she had covered it up, or so she thought, and he hadn't said anything about it. She shouldn't be so over analytical about everything, but she couldn't help it. She had a lot festering inside her.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Oliver asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Absolutely." She confirmed, need a break from her exhaustive mind.

She looked around the space and saw blue mats on the floor, punching bags hanging down, a few benches against the walls, weapons, and weights side by side on racks. It was just what she needed. She could feel her muscles yearning to punch and kick at one of the bags. All her pent up frustration needed an outlet. In her time, she would convince Ollie to let her use a simulation room where holographic images set on a difficulty level would be her training and her therapy, along with guidance from Bruce, Dinah, Diana, and her parents.

She could recall being ten years old and dreaming about a gigantic solar eclipse occurring on Earth. She could feel the fear of being powerless, the fear that the Woman in Black had tried to use against her. She had woken up from that dream determined to be able to fight any darkness that would try and attack if she were powerless. She wouldn't be a damsel in distress. She would be able to fight and protect.

She had convinced her parents to let her take some classes in karate and gymnastics, but she had wanted more. That was when she saw Bruce and Ollie sparring one day when she had been with her father. She wanted to learn those techniques and she did. Using her Kent charm and Lane defiance, she convinced Bruce, Dinah, Diana, and Oliver to help her learn how to defend herself and her family in a time of crisis. There were secret sessions for over a year and when her parents found out what she had been doing they hadn't been pleased, but like always, they understood. Her father had even taken her up to Fortress and taught her moves of Kryptonian Martial Arts.

She sighed to herself. She needed to hone those skills again. She had been powerless in her dream state and she knew that there could be other chances when the same could happen, whether it be the Woman in Black, Zod, or some other villain to come out of the woodwork and put a wrench in her plans of getting home to a stable future.

The sound of a phone rigging distracted her. She reached into her duffle bag for the phone she had received from Ollie, not sure of what ringtone it had been programmed with, but as she crouched down for it she looked over shoulder and saw Oliver pull out his phone and answer it. He walked quickly to the corner then back again after a minute or two, wearing a guilty face.

"Bad news. It seems that I can't play Oliver Queen's Day Off completely, after all."

"That's okay." She shrugged.

"You can stay here, though. I just have some Luthor Corp issues to deal with and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Do what you got to do."

He smiled at her regretfully. "This isn't exactly how I wanted this to pan out."

"I know, but like you said, you'll be back."

"Exactly."

With a nod of his head he smiled again and retreated back through the door they had entered. Callie watched him go with a sad expression. She had been looking forward to hanging out with Oliver but this wasn't unexpected. They always got called away for work, whether super or not, at the most inopportune times. She was used to it. She understood it. It was still sad, though.

Turning back toward the room she decided she would continue with what she had planned with Oliver. She wouldn't dwell on his absence. She would take the opportunity bestowed upon her. She walked over to the red punching bag to her left and inspected it. It seemed sturdy enough but she would have to be careful with her strength. She tapped the bag lightly with her finger and watched it sway. Then she used more fingers and pushed it back. She then formed a fist with her right hand and hit it harder.

She smiled, but it soon fell when she realized how silent the room was.

"Well, this is not going to do."

*/*

"Here she comes now sayin' Mony Mony," Callie sang to the music as she threw her punches to the beat. "Shoot 'em down turn around come on Mony."

The beat played and her moves still mimicked it. Punch…Kick. Punch.

She belted out more of the song as she moved her feet and held her fists up in boxing position.

Punch…Kick. Punch.

She punched with her left fist.

Yeah.

She kicked with her left leg.

Yeah.

Right punch.

Yeah.

Right kick.

Yeah.

Left kick.

'Cause you make me feel

"Like a pony!" She screamed.

Punch.

So good

"Like a pony!"

Kick.

"Mony, mony!"

She momentarily got lost in the music and began to be more active with the punching bag. The beat influenced her hands and feet as they came into contact with the bag. Memories were flying through her mind again, the good and the bad. The bad encompassing all the villains of late, like Lex, The Woman in Black, and Zod. The good including her family, nuclear and extend. One memory jumped to the forefront because of the song she had picked off the iPod Lois had let her borrow. It was the time Connor, Helena, and she were listening to her mother's highly regarded 80's playlist in the loft of the barn. Before she knew it, they were having an impromptu dance party. The three of them were a wild bunch, doing all sorts of quirky things it seemed, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. She looked forward to more instances. She wouldn't let The Woman in Black take that away from her.

She continued to move around the bag, punching at it as the song continued to play. She could tell that she was loosening up even more as her punches and kicks seemed to be becoming fiercer, causing the chain attaching the bag to the ceiling to rattle each time she did so.

She punched with her left fist harder and the chain rattled.

Yeah.

She kicked with her left leg and the chain rattled doubly.

Yeah.

Right punch. Rattle.

Yeah.

Right kick. Rattle.

Yeah.

Left kick side kick.

SNAP!

The contact of her kick snapped the metal chain in half. The bag went flying across the room, hitting the window, breaking it, and landing outside. Her eyes widened at what she had done.

"Ooopppssss…." She hissed before she cupped her hands over her mouth.

Come on, come on
Come on, co—

The music suddenly shut off and Callie turned around to see an amused Oliver standing by the stereo, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I'm not sure if I want you around my stuff anymore." He with his eyebrow raised.

"I'm really sorry. I just got caught up in the music and before I knew it…'voooooom'!" She said reenacting the punching bag flying across the room with her hands.

"How about you take that aggression out on something else a bit sturdier." He suggested.

"Like what?"

"Like me." He offered.

"Ollie, I can't…" She shook her head.

"Hey, come on. I've gone up against a lot of powerful things and I'm still standing. I can take it."

She walked over to him and lightly pushed two fingers into his shoulder, causing him to move back a step.

"There."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious. Don't hold back."

Suddenly a punch came her way but she swiftly moved out of the way.

"Hey!" She shouted.

"Show me what you got."

She narrowed her eyes at him and moved out of the way of another punch. Much to her discontent, her body subconsciously positioned itself in a fight stance, waiting for him to make another move. He threw another punch, which she caught. Then a kick, which she also blocked. Then another punch and then other.

"Come on, Callie. Hit back." He said as yet another punch came her way.

She blocked it and pushed his arm to the side.

"What if I were John Corben? Or Zod? Or The Woman in Black?"

Three images flashed in her head. She could see each of them and it made her blood boil. Her lips pursed and she clenched her fist hard. She stifled a growl and threw her fist in Oliver's direction, trying to hold back most of her strength. Then it made contact with Oliver's face.

Oliver fell to the ground.

"Oh crap!" Callie said as she knelt down beside him.

She gently placed her hand on his shoulders.

"Oliver?! Oliver?!" She called out. "Oh my god, what did I do? First I break his shower, then his punching bag and window, and now him!" She chastised herself.

As she was about to lift him and superspeed off to the hospital she saw his eye flutter open and a groan escape his lips. She quickly supersped to the refrigerator on the far corner, opened the freezer, got out an ice pack, and then sped back to his side all in a flash.

"How do you feel?" Callie asked, handing the ice pack to Oliver.

"Like I hope you got the license plate number of the Mack truck that hit me. Oh wait, it was just pint sized you." Oliver said, taking the ice and applying it to the right side of his face.

"Call me pint sized again, you'll be applying that ice to the left side, too." She smirked.

Oliver started to laugh then stopped as he groaned and cupped his right side.

"I really am sorry." She said.

"No, don't be. I told you not to hold back."

"But I still should have. You're not a hologram that I can throw around. Even though I held back my strength, I still hurt you."

"But it still felt good didn't it?"

Callie couldn't hide the smile creeping on her face. "Maybe. I sort needed a release after everything."

"I know."

Callie sighed. "I feel like I have to hold so much in. That if I open up and talk about how I'm feeling I'm going to let something slip out and the world will end."

"Hasn't ended yet." Oliver commented. "And if you want, you can talk to me. I already know who you are, so you don't have to hold back."

"But I still do. You can't know certain things, no matter how much I want to tell you or warn you."

"Warn?" He asked curiously.

Callie groaned and rolled her head back, "See, I already said something. Things will happen in the future, Ollie. Events will happen that I wish I could warn you and everybody about."

"Well, I think if you tell me how you're feeling you'll feel better and I guarantee the world won't end."

He grinned and she relented.

"Scared." She revealed.

"You feel scared?"

She nodded. "That I won't make it home. That the Woman in Black is going to come back even stronger. That I'm not going to be prepared enough. That she, or Zod, or both, in this timeline or mine, will hurt my family. That I'm losing my parents…."

"Losing your parents?"

She started to pace on the mats.

"They're hiding something, Oliver. I know it. They have tells and I can look into their eyes and know that they're keeping something from me. Whenever I'm around it's like, I don't know, something is different and they're dancing around the truth of something and it's driving me crazy! What if it's bad? What if what happened to me freaked them out and now it's awkward for them but they don't want to tell me because they don't want me to worry but I am worrying because they don't know that they're my parents and if they're not together then the world is…"

"Stop! Breathe."

Callie obeyed and breathed.

"You worry like Clark and you talk at the speed of Lois, my head is already hurting so just calm down a bit."

She glared at him

"How about some fresh air?"

"Okay. Can't hurt."

Callie followed Oliver outside and she sat down on the large stones encasing the shrubs in front of the warehouse. The air had a breeze and was actually calming.

"Better?" He asked.

"A little." She breathed.

"I don't think you need to worry about Lois and Clark."

Callie sighed. "Maybe, but when I'm around them the whole atmosphere is different than it used to be. Something has changed between them."

Oliver shrugged and sat down next to her. "Maybe it has, but who's to say it's changed for the worse?" He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

"I've always been told that time travel is nothing to mess with. That it can have dire consequences. I just can't shake the feeling that me being here is affecting the future somehow. And then when I see them and the way they're acting around each other," she exhaled and looked at the ground, "I don't want to be responsible for ruining the future."

"I'm going to tell you this right now; we'll never let that happen."

She turned to him. "You seem really sure about that."

"Maybe it's because I am."

Callie slightly grinned and enveloped him into a hug. Oliver wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"Thank you. I'm happy that I can share this with you. It's so hard sometimes when I'm at the farm. So, thank you."

"No problem, happy to be your sounding board."

She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It was almost as if she were being watched. Backing away from Oliver she looked over her shoulder but didn't see anyone there.

"I'm pretty sure I said this before, but, you're a lot like him." She turned back to him and her brows wrinkled in confusion. "Clark," he explained, "and with Lois mixed in there— that's also how I know your future will be safe."

"Let's hope so. I know my parents are special and more than anything I believe that they're—" She said.

"Meant to be." He finished.

She nodded and added, "Growing up and watching them and their love for each other, it was like one of those true love fairy tales. Someone could wipe out their whole history and I know they would still find their way to each other, somehow, someway, because that's Lois and Clark, but there are so many risks, so many lives that hang in the balance which could be changed for the worse—I've seen it. Mine, my br—" she stopped herself before she let the word "brother" slip. "I just don't want the future to suffer for my blunder and keeping them from their destiny at the time they're supposed to follow it." She revealed. "I don't want what happened to a few nights ago to put a strain on them getting together."

"First, like you just said, Clark and Lois will always find each other, no matter what obstacles are in the way. Second, you just have to have faith, kid."

'Faith.' She repeated in her thoughts.

She smirked and said, "Who you calling 'kid'?"

She bumped her shoulder into his and they both laughed.

"So, how am I doing with Oliver Queen hanging out time?" Oliver asked with wonder.

Callie smiled. "Perfect. Especially since I didn't put you in a coma."

"Hey, what's with you playing that song? Isn't that music ancient by your standards?"

She shrugged. "It's my mom's doing. She said she taught me good music from the womb. I believe her. Besides, it had a good beat to workout to."

"Still, Mony, Mony? You do realize what that song is about right?" He playfully questioned.

Callie thought for a moment and her eyes widened. "Ew!" she exclaimed and hit Oliver's shoulder with her own. "Thanks for ruining it for me!"

Oliver laughed and shrugged, "Sorry. Smart girl like yourself I figured you would have known."

"Yeah, well I try to stay as ignorant as I can to that stuff. I'm already going to therapy for the things I've walked in on…."

"Walked in on? You mean… you walking in on your par—" She nodded before he could finish and now it was time for his eyes to widen. "Thanks for putting that into my head."

"Hey, I have more than one version up here, okay." She said pointing to her head. "Had to share the wealth."

"More than one?"

"Let's just say I never went home during my lunch break unexpectedly or walked into my parent's bedroom or office without knocking ever again…"

"Ahhh! Callie!" He screamed, putting his hands over his ears. "Things I do not want to know about the future!"

She burst out laughing and exclaimed, "Sorry! Take it as one of those warnings I mentioned before." She then snorted at Oliver's face.

She pushed him playfully again and he pushed her back.

"Now I have to bleach my brain and make a note to make sure I always call before I visit!"

"Hey, me first on the bleaching! They're my parents!"

"How about we grab some food, if we can handle it now after our conversation, then the bleaching?" Oliver suggested with a smile.

"You're on." She smiled but then she stopped, that feeling from before still lingering and the talk they had just had floating around in her head. "Actually, I think I'll have to take a rain check on the food and bleaching. I need to check on something first."

Before he could even speak she was off in a flash.

~/~

Fiddling at his desk, Clark couldn't shake the feelings that were coming over him. Lois had gone out on a separate story and he couldn't even voice what was bothering him to her. Pushing away from his desk, he decided he needed some air. Walking up the steps he came out to the street and looked upon the people as they walked. He watched as a father picked up his daughter and set her on his shoulders as they walked down the street. The father smiled as his child giggled and placed her small hands under his chin to steady herself. His heart tugged again. Sighing, he walked to the nearby alley and shifted into superspeed. As he was just about across the city his superhearing picked up on a familiar voice.

"You seem really sure about that." He heard Callie's voice say.

"Maybe it's because I am." Oliver's voice replied.

He stopped outside one of Oliver's warehouses where he caught Callie slightly grinning and enveloping Oliver into a hug. Oliver wrapped his arms around her and held her. Clark could feel his eyes heat up. This was different than anything he had ever really felt.

He held his breath as he heard Callie say, "Thank you. I'm happy that I can share this with you. It's so hard sometimes when I'm at the farm. So, thank you."

"No problem, happy to be your sounding board." Oliver smiled.

Clark's lips pursed together. His breathing heightened. He left and sped all through Metropolis, all the way up to the roof of the Daily Planet. He wanted to let out the feelings that were building up in him. He gripped the edge of the concrete and brick and felt bits of it start to disintegrate beneath his fingers. He let out a deep breath and tried to control himself. Pushing away from the edge, he let go of his grip and wiped his hands of the dust from the brick.

Walking back down the stairs he had calmed himself down enough. As he walked into the bullpen he saw Lois back at her desk. He felt himself ease even further, but the arch of her eyebrow indicated she knew something was wrong with him. She could always tell. He secretly had always loved that she could always tell.

"Hey, Smallville."

"Hey."

She eyed him and tilted her head to side, as if she were analyzing him.

"Something's bothering you."

Clark sat down at his desk. "Something was, but I'm okay now."

She shook her head, "No, I can see it in your eyes. Is this about this morning? The call from Callie?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"No, I just know you that well and the fact I detected a note of jealousy from the notoriously nice Clark Kent during the phone call."

Clark licked his lips and leaned forward.

"It's not just about the phone call." Clark explained.

"What's really going on?" Lois asked.

"I went for a walk and my hearing just…it just automatically tuned into her voice while I was superspeeding and I ended up where she was and—she was hugging Oliver and thanking him for letting her say things that she can't say at the farm and…my head is thinking all sorts of things. Like, what has she been talking to him about? How much has she shared with him? I don't know why I'm feeling like this." He confessed.

"I know why. You're reacting because she didn't confide in you instead. Watching that has to be hard." She walked over and leaned on the side of his desk. "This has been festering under there and you didn't say anything."

"What am I supposed to say?" He huffed. "I thought everything was okay and that I completely understood how hard it was for her." He sighed and repeated, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"That it stings? That it's the hardest thing ever to trust someone enough to let them have their secrets because you know they're doing it for a good reason; they're trying to protect you. You know where I'm going with this…"

"Yes, that I expected you to trust me all those years before you knew my secret."

"Yeah, now it's our turn to trust Callie. I know how hard it is because I feel it, too. Look, I know you think that you saw something to be jealous of between her and Oliver, but I can tell your heart is saying the opposite and if I know one thing it's that Clark Kent's heart is usually right."

"So, Callie was with Oliver…"

"To just let off some steam after everything. You're here and at work and he offered her a ticket off the farm for a few hours. So, hey, they talked. We should be happy that she has an escape for a little while when we can't be there to help her do it. I don't think you have to worry about her playing favorites." She said, teasing the last part.

"You're right, I'm being childish."

"No, well, yeah," she nodded and a grin formed on his lips, "a little, but you're also being a father who wants his child to confide in him and there is nothing wrong with that. It's just…"

"She can't with us. Not like this, here. I know that. I do. I guess I was just suppressing all those feelings and when I saw her…I got jealous." He admitted.

"Yes, but I think she does confide in us in other ways—in her own way that won't affect anything. She tries, Clark."

Clark smiled recalling all the talks that he had with Callie and all the activities they had done. Then there were the looks that she had given him. The eyes that wanted let him in and give all her secrets away. It was stupid what he had felt. He should have known better, though, he was also new at this. That had to count for something. Besides, he had an amazing partner to point him in the right direction, to bring him back when he was lost. He knew it wouldn't be the last time either.

"Thank you for pulling me back from the ledge."

"That's what I'm here for, Smallville. We make a great team."

"Yeah, we do." He said in a low voice.

She smiled brightly at him but suddenly Lois' phone began to ring. She hopped off the edge of his desk and turned back to hers, picking up the receiver.

"Lois Lane." She answered.

Feeling better, Clark was about to get back to work when he heard the tone of a text message coming in. Reaching for his phone he pulled it out to see who it was from. He saw that it was the number Callie had called from earlier and he quickly opened it.

-You working hard or hardly working? :) -

Clark texted back, -A little bit of both. Everything okay?-

The tone went off again.

-I was wondering if you were free…-

-Of course, I'm always free for you. :) -

-Great, because I'm already on the stairs.-

Clark looked up and saw Callie put down her phone and wave at him. There she was, waiting and wanting to see him. Yes, he had been a fool. Callie had her secrets and she had her reasons to keep them and he would have to support her. For years people had supported him and he knew that he should give her the same treatment. After all, she was just like him.

~/~

After her talk to Oliver, Callie felt a little better about things. Plus, all the talk about her mom and dad made her want to see them. Walking down the stairs she spotted them through the open doors of the bullpen. Clark looked a bit distressed and he wasn't looking at Lois. Lois was leaning against the desk so Callie wasn't able to make out her face.

Callie could use her superhearing to figure out what they were talking about, but again, that was against what she was taught. His face though, was getting to her. It looked so conflicted. All those feelings that she thought she had eased were starting to filter through again.

She could hear Oliver's voice in her ears, their conversation steaming through her brain, the word faith being stressed. She latched onto that word and instead of hearing it through Oliver's voice she imagined it through another.

'Faith. I have faith. But sometimes you need some action to give faith that little boost, for insurance purposes.' She thought.

When she had been at the farm that morning she was desperate to come up with that insurance. It was a bit of a daft plan, but under the circumstances she thought that it might just do the trick.

'Time to get the ball rolling.'

She fetched her phone from her pocket and touched the screen. Lois was on the phone so she would get started with Clark. She was about to unlock her phone with her face when she reminded herself that she couldn't. Shaking her head, she got back to business. Sliding her fingers across the screen she found Clark's name and the little icon to send him a text. The keyboard came on display and she quickly sent him a message. She looked up and watched him pull out his phone and send her one back and the tone went off.

-A little bit of both. Everything okay?-

She grinned at his words. Just like her mother, somehow he always knew, even if it was just through words of a text message. She quickly typed again and thought back to her plan. -I was wondering if you were free…-

The tone went off again.

-Of course, I'm always free for you. :) –

She bit her lip and typed again pressing send. This was it. This was the moment before the start of her plan. She watched Clark look up from reading her message and she smiled and waved. He pushed back his seat and started to head over to her. He passed through the threshold of the double doors and she stood on the stairs, waiting.

He smiled at her. "Have fun with Oliver?"

"Pretty sure he had an experience he'll never forget." She smirked.

"Ah, one of those…"

"Nothing like what we have." She said. She didn't know why but she felt like he needed the assurance somehow.

"Good to know." He nodded. "So, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you had dinner plans this evening."

"Dinner? No." He shook his head. "You offering?"

"Yeah, I wanted to do something special. There's this really nice place across the street and I thought tonight maybe you could use a nice dinner."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, well be there for 8 o'clock sharp."

"It's a date."

'Oh you have no idea.'

"It's a date." She confirmed. "but, um, could you maybe not mention it to Lois. I don't want her to feel bad."

She could tell that he was going to question why she had made that certain request but before he could a loud voice barreled through the bullpen.

"Kent!"

"Sorry, that's Brady. I got to get back." He said pointing behind him.

"Oh, yes, go, go. Don't want to get you fired or anything. Somebody has to pay for that dinner."

He stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes. "See you later." He said heading back in.

Just then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Lois heading for the elevator from the copy room. Finally, she could see her face and she knew the one she was wearing in particular. She was a woman with a mission. There was a story she was chasing and that meant she had limited time to set this up. Darting off the stairs, with a jump, she used some superspeed and extended her arm just in time before the doors closed.

"Callie!" Lois exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were out and about with Oliver."

"You knew about that?"

"Smallville let it slip."

Callie nodded. 'Information slippage. That's a good sign.'

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Other than juggling deadlines like I'm trying out for Cirque du Soleil?" She quipped as she held onto the folders she was carrying against her chest.

"Well, would a dinner break hurt?"

"Dinner break?"

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight, around 8 o'clock at that restaurant across the street?"

"I think I can manage to escape work a while for that."

"Awesome."

The elevator bell went off and the door opened.

"So, I'll see you tonight?" Lois asked as she exited the elevator.

"It's a date." Callie confirmed with a devious grin. "But could you not mention it to Clark if you see him? I don't want to make him feel bad."

The same expression Clark had had on his face came across Lois'. As she was about to say something the elevator doors closed. Callie was grateful to be able to evade answering why they couldn't say anything to the other. She hit the button for the ground level and waited. The vibration and text tone of her phone caught her attention. She silently prayed it wasn't Clark or Lois cancelling and was semi-relieved when she saw it was Chloe.

-Meet me at Watchtower.-

She knew that Chloe had to talk to her, but she was hoping that it wasn't serious. She was going to need back-up for this plan to work and she needed all the hero help she could get.

~/~

Chloe stepped away from the computer and stared out the stained glass window. She had sent Callie a text to the number Oliver had given her but she didn't know when she would respond. She was still going over information she and Emil had gathered and really needed to notify Callie. This could be the stepping stone that Callie had been hoping for. She knew she should be elated that this could be a breakthrough on getting Callie home, but she couldn't help but feel saddened.

"Hey, Chloe."

Chloe turned around and saw Oliver walk in.

"Oliver, what are you doing here?"

"Callie sent me a text to come to Watchtower."

Suddenly Chloe felt a gust of air filter into the center of the room. She thought Callie had finally arrived but the blonde hair threw her off and she noticed it wasn't Callie but a different Kent.

"Hey, Chloe." Kara said.

"Don't tell me that Callie texted you, too."

Kara frowned. "No. I came here to tell you that after dealing with the earthquake and scouring that part of the world nothing has come up on my front. I think Zod is hiding because he has something big planned."

"That's comforting." She sarcastically said.

"What's with the blinking dots." Oliver asked, pointing to the Watchtower screens.

"That's what I wanted to talk to Callie about. All the dots have to deal with the woman who put Callie here. There." She said pointing to the festival location. "There was a rip in the space time continuum. It was only for a moment but it was there. All the blinking dots are rips."

"So, whoever did this to Callie…" Kara started.

"Is literally disappearing into thin air. That's why you couldn't find that psychic that Callie saw." Oliver finished.

"How are we supposed to find her now?" Kara asked.

"I've been working with Emil. He thinks there's something we can do, but something tells me she might find Callie before we find her."

"Who might find me?" Callie asked walking into Watchtower.

"The Woman in Black." Chloe stated.

Callie turned white. "What about her?"

"That's why I called you here. When you got sick I did some digging around the festival. With the help of Emil, what I found was that there was a rip in time."

"A rip in time? At the festival?"

Chloe nodded. "And that wasn't the only one. There have been quite a few and there was one on June 26th."

"June 26th? The day I came here. That makes sense." She said with realization.

"We're keeping a close eye to detect if there are any other rips. Hopefully, that will lead us to her."

"And I can get some answers."

"Hopefully." Chloe said.

"That's why this plan has to work more than ever and I'm glad you're all here. Hi, Kara." She waved.

"What plan?" Kara asked, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Operation: Clois." Callie stated triumphantly.

"Clois? What's a Clois?" Oliver asked, confused.

"It's not a what. It's a who. Clark and Lois. I put both of their names together and came up with-never mind, there are more important things to discuss. I do have faith that Clark and Lois will find their way to each other," she said looking at Oliver, "However, a push in the right direction wouldn't hurt, especially if they need to work out some stuff before being ready to take that next step. It'll ensure a safe and happy future for us all but I'm going to need the help of each and every one of you to do it."

"To do what exactly?" Chloe asked, weary.

"Well…" Callie started to pace, "I sort of set a trap for them and I need your help to have surveillance from all sides. To make sure the plan is working."

"A trap?" Chloe questioned further.

"Well, it's not like I set a giant mouse trap, I just went to both of them and said that I was going to have dinner with each of them but when they get there I won't be there…."

"And they'll have to have dinner together." Chloe finished.

"Exactly."

"What if they tell each other about the dinner?" Oliver asked.

"I already covered that, but the both of them are working on separate stories anyway so I don't think they'll even have a chance if they wanted to."

"Why are we doing this?" Kara voiced.

Chloe almost forgot that not everyone present in the room knew about Callie.

"Lois and Clark are like my wallet and keys." Callie answered.

Oliver, Kara, and she looked at Callie strangely.

"You know, when you do that pat down of yourself every five minutes to make sure you still have your wallet and your keys? That's Clark and Lois to me. I just need to make sure they're in the right place and I didn't lose them because without my wallet and my keys, I can't get home."

They all nodded. Chloe even held back a chuckle. Callie always had the most unique analogies.

"Besides, I might not have that much time left, especially if the Woman in Black is lingering out there. It would just make me feel better if we did this. So, humor the future girl?" She asked.

Everyone seemed to relent and be intrigued by what Callie was about to explain of her plan.

"Okay, so we're going to need binoculars, two-way earpieces, the traditional black spy apparel, and code names."

"You want to rent a van while we're at it?" Oliver quipped.

"Nah." Callie blew off as if he were serious.

"Wait, did you just say code names?" Chloe inquired and slightly cringed.

"Yup, and no one calls me Girl Scout!" Callie demanded.

*/*

Chloe hunched behind the mailbox across from the restaurant. It was ten of eight and each person was stationed around on the street. Oliver was by the phone booth, Callie behind a parked car directly across from the restaurant, and Kara was by the magazine stand.

"Green Ranger. Come in, Green Ranger. What is your visual?" Callie's voice said over the com.

Chloe could practically hear Oliver wince at his code name as she muffled a laugh.

"Nothing yet."

"Velma. Hannah Montana. State your visuals, as well." Callie said.

"Uh, Hannah Montana here. Don't see them." Kara said.

"Nothing for me either." Chloe said, touching her ear piece.

"Do I really have to be the Green Ranger?" Oliver whined and now she sympathized.

"Do you really want to hear my other options?

"...No."

Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. Even though this could constitute as a horrible idea, it was a fun idea. She was having fun, even if the position she was in was uncomfortable. She hadn't had actual fun in a long time. Playing in cahoots with Callie, Oliver, and Kara made her feel like a kid again. Even though this was for Callie and to make sure to maintain her parents' relationship, which Chloe figured would be just fine, it was still silly and fun. Maybe Callie knew it would be. She had to, but she was doing it anyway.

"I see Legs." Oliver responded.

"I wouldn't say that, you'll make Pancakes flip." Chloe said to herself.

And like clockwork Callie chimed in.

"We are not calling her Legs!" She retorted, "Unless you want me to divulge more of what we discussed earlier today."

"No thanks, Pancakes."

Well, that seemed to be the end of that. Now Chloe was curious as to what they had discussed.

"Okay, so Whitesnake is here. Just leaves the Emu."

Chloe smiled at the codenames. She leaned her back against the mailbox once more and turned her head over her shoulder. Touching her earpiece she voiced, "I have visual. The Emu has arrived."

~/~

Lois rounded the corner of the street and started to walk speedily. She didn't want to be late like she always usually was. As she got closer to the restaurant she stopped to fix her shoe before she made it to the entrance. She looked down to check her watch. She had a few minutes to spare. This was a record for her.

"Lois?" a voice asked.

She knew the voice and when she looked up she matched it to Clark's confused face.

"Clark! What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Callie and I were going to get dinner." Lois explained.

Clark's forehead wrinkled as he looked at her sideways. "Callie invited me out to dinner."

"So she invited both of us out without mentioning the other would be there?"

"Did she tell you not to mention it to me?"

Lois recalled back to the conversation in the elevator. At the tail end of their talk Callie had asked her not to say anything to Clark. Before she could question why the doors had closed. Now she knew that it had been intentional.

"Maybe. Did she say not to mention it to me?"

"Maybe." He answered.

Lois narrowed her eyes.

"I think we've been set up, Smallville."

"I think so, too."

She looked to the entrance then to him. "So, what do we do about it?"

"Well, I'm starving." He said eyeing her.

"Same. I haven't had a thing since I chased down my lead. And it'd be wrong to let a good dinner go to waste." She said inching closer to him.

"Absolutely." He opened the door for her. "Shall we?"

Lois blushed at the way he was looking at her again. "We shall."

~/~

"Wine?" the waiter asked after they had been seated outside on the patio of the restaurant, a reserved table under the name 'Kent'.

Clark looked at Lois and she gave him a slight nod.

"Yes." He said.

The waiter filled up their glasses with red wine and retreated back.

"Wine. Candlelight. Fancy table. She went all out." Lois said.

"I'm just disappointed that I didn't do it first." He commented.

He did find it rather amusing that he would have fashioned this dinner the same way.

"I don't mind. Though, I would have worn something different." She said looking down at her outfit that she had worn to work.

"No, you look beautiful." He said truthfully.

Her face slightly turned a bit of crimson and she replied, "It's cute, though, that she did all of this just to get us together. I wonder why she felt she needed to come up with this."

He thought back to his conversations with Callie. One stood out the day that she had recovered from the Woman in Black's attack on her. She had been watching Lois and him and had asked if they were okay. He wondered how deep her concern ran.

"I don't know. She mentioned something the other day about what happened to her and it affecting us, but I told her everything was okay."

"I think that the only way that affected us was by bringing us closer together."

Her words rang true. Clark stared into her hazel eyes. He felt that he could stare into them forever. A quiet night, a bottle of wine, dinner, and candlelight. Whatever Callie's purpose, it brought him this moment and he was relishing in it.

He extended his hand and grasped Lois', rubbing his thumb over it.

"I couldn't agree more."

She smiled brightly and he smiled back. He was sure that if he were human his face would be hurting by how much he was smiling.

He looked out onto the street and took it all in. Everything seemed quiet and he was able to have dinner with the woman he needed more than anything.

"Everything alright, Smallville?"

"It's perfect."

~/~

Callie watched diligently from her position as Clark and Lois were led out to the table she had reserved. Everything seemed to be going really well and she was more than pleased.

"They're sitting down. It all looks good so far." Callie radioed.

"And how long are we going to watch them?" Kara asked.

"Until I feel everything is secure, Hannah Montana."

"I still don't understand why you're calling me that."

"Because you get the best of both worlds. You'll get it later." She replied.

"I have something. I'm seeing the extension of a hand. Now…yes, that is a hand hold. Confirmation on a hand hold." Oliver said.

"I see it. Hand hold confirmed." Callie said smiling.

Callie knew all they needed was a nice dinner between the both of them and it would click and fall into place. She felt like patting herself on the back.

"Whitesnake has a pretty big grin on her face." Chloe commented.

"So does Emu." Kara said.

Callie looked at the both of them intently. She really looked and analyzed them. They were so at ease. Lois' hand was in Clark's. They were staring at each other and smiling. The world was lost to them. It was just them and no one else. She was going to have to take back that back patting. This wasn't something that came from just sitting down at one dinner alone. This had been going on.

"Oh my god. That's why it felt different. They got together and didn't tell me!" She whispered to herself.

She didn't know whether to be relieved that her feelings of atmospheric change had been due to the two of them getting together or be pissed that her fears of the change had been for naught since no one had informed her of the status adjustment in their relationship.

"No signs of awkwardness, right?" She radioed out.

"Nope."

"None."

"Zilch."

There it was. They were laughing. Her dad was laughing at something her mom said. He had that goofy grin that he always gets. Callie felt like an idiot. She had been so worried about them and questioning what she could do to make sure they were okay but it had been staring at her in the face the whole time. She was obsessed with the future and she didn't look at the present. They were fine.

"Oh Clark, you're so funny." Oliver said as he imitated a woman's voice.

Callie almost burst out laughing at the way he sounded.

"No, Lois. You're the funny one. You're also extremely beautiful." Kara answered in a deeper voice as they could all see Clark talking.

"Oh, Smallville. I don't know whether to say thank you or tell you to stop being so cheesy." Chloe chimed in.

Callie smiled at the interaction they were having. It was just like she was hanging out with Connor and Helena. She was about to enter the fun when just then she heard a door close. The car she was hiding behind then sped out of its space. Callie had been leaning against it and when it moved put her weight on the garbage can next to her. Her weight seemed to be too much and it fell over before she could use her powers to stop it. It made a loud sound and since Lois and Clark were sitting in the outside area she prayed that they were still stuck in their own little world. When she looked up she knew she was wrong as Clark's eyes connected with hers.

~/~

Just as Lois was about to put a fork into her dinner there was something in the distance that caught the corner of her eye. There had been a woman standing at the magazine stand the entire time they had been seated. She looked very familiar, but her face was buried behind a Daily Planet newspaper.

"What?" Clark asked.

"Nothing. I thought I saw your cousin for a second." She said shaking her head and going back to her dinner.

She watched as Clark turned around. "I don't see anyone."

Lois looked again and saw that the woman was gone.

"Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me."

"I guess I must not be doing a good job if your eyes are roaming the street."

"Oh, you're doing just fine." She cleared her throat and continued. "You know, I still have those tickets to the drive-in that I won at the festival."

"You won?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Details…"

Clark chuckled. "Well, if a certain someone is willing to forfeit her ticket…"

"I'm sure I can persuade her."

"Any idea what's playing?" He asked as he took a drink of wine.

"Some old movie called That Touch of Mink." His eyes went up in interest. She toyed with his hand. "But I know there will be only one touch I will be concerned with and it won't be a critter that becomes a coat." She coyly added and bit her lip.

She saw him almost choke on his wine and then swallow it back hard. She wanted to stay focused on teasing him a bit, but out of the corner of her eye again she could have sworn she saw a mop of short blond hair that resembled her cousin.

"Okay, now I know I must be seeing things because I swear I just saw Chloe crouching down behind that mailbox."

Clark looked puzzled then turned again in the direction she was starring in. She saw his facial expression become more tense as he concentrated. She assumed he was using one of his powers, most likely x-ray vision since he wasn't doing the squinty held tilt he did when he was using his super-hearing.

She watched as he looked at four points on the street. "We're not alone."

"No!" she gasped in disbelief. "We're being spied on?" she whispered.

"Three blonds and a future lady."

"Those sneaks!" she hissed amidst a chuckle.

Just then as a car pulled out of its spot the loud noise of something falling over drew their attention; and there she was— the ringleader. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Lois Lane knew she should be pissed, but she couldn't deny that she was actually proud.

~/~

Callie's eyes enlarged as Clark looked over in her direction then in the directions of Oliver by the phone booth, Chloe behind the mailbox, and even Kara who had moved a few yards to a bench.

Pressing the talk button on the walkie talkie she announced, "We have been identified. I repeat we have been identified. Abort position! Abort position!"

She moved from her spot and just started running. Soon Chloe was behind her, then Oliver, then Kara. She and Kara were running at a normal human pace, so the whole group was running together.

"Never run in a straight line!" Callie called out.

The group ran then began to sprint in a zigzag formation through pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. Callie turned back and didn't see Clark or Lois following them, but she didn't want to stop. She was actually getting a kick out of it. She blamed the memories of her best friends for that.

"Why are we running at this speed?" Kara asked.

"No man left behind!" Callie exclaimed as her arm looped with Chloe's. Oliver grabbed Kara and they scampered in pairs. They ran past the Daily Planet and then around the corner into an alleyway. Oliver and Chloe were catching their breaths as Callie and Kara peaked around the wall.

"You think he followed us?" Oliver asked.

"If Kal-El followed us he'd already be here." Kara replied.

"That is true." Chloe commented.

"We must have looked like real idiots all running together." Oliver said.

The group all looked at each other then burst out laughing, sending echoes of it in the narrow space.

"What now?" Chloe asked.

"Ice cream?" Callie offered with a shrug and a smile.

~/~

"To orchestrate all that…I'm impressed." Lois gushed as she held tightly onto Clark's hand as he walked her home. "And a little proud."

He nodded, "You would be."

She playfully hit him. "Hey, I take it as a testament of how much our friends care about us. Besides, they got theirs. Did you see the way they scattered?"

Clark started to laugh. "That was funny."

"That had to be one of my most favorite parts of the night, Smallville." Lois chuckled. "I bet they were expecting to see you cut them off."

"And leave you? Never."

"Good answer." She said as she moved closer to him and latched her left hand on his left arm that already held her hand.

As they moved toward her apartment building a familiar face caught her eye at the door. With a wink he tipped his hat then opened the door for them.

"Miss Lane. Mr. Kent. Have a pleasant evening."

"Thanks, Larry." She said and heard Clark repeat the same.

They were still hand in hand as they entered the elevator. She remembered another moment in this elevator that had happened not too long ago. She couldn't believe all that had happened in that short amount of time. It had been a little over a month and yet it seemed like years.

A shiver went down her spine and she looked up to see Clark staring at her, his eyes asking her a question. Before she knew it she was unconsciously giving him a nod and being whisked in a twirl before feeling her back firmly against the wall of the elevator. His mouth was on hers as his hands seemed to roam everywhere on her body. She moaned as his lips sucked at her neck and his hands…well she couldn't pinpoint the exact location of his hands, but it felt damn good.

Her eyes glanced up and caught the rising numbers indicating that they were almost on her floor. For the sake of not being caught by one of her neighbors, some of whom still mentioned the night the 'muscled' man brought her screaming down the hallway. She reluctantly pushed them both back to the center of the elevator. When the bell rang they both broke away from each other and straightened their clothes.

She smiled, "Sometimes I swear you have more than two hands."

They both made sideways glances at each other and she smirked as Clark straightened his tie. They seemed to walk at a normal pace down the hallway at first then hastily made it to her door. She plunged the key into the lock and turned it, opening her door in the process.

Before she fully opened it she turned to him and offered, "You want to come inside?"

"Sure," he answered.

Now, they could have acted like two cool, mature adults, simply walking into her apartment, where she would have gone into the kitchen and made them coffee. Instead, in a mixture of desire and raging hormones, Clark scooped her up in his arms again, kicking the door shut with his foot. Her hands grasped at his expansive back as she clung to him, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground. Lips met lips. Shoes were off. Hands, large and small, grabbed at clothing rashly and fumbled with buttons and fasteners as they moved clumsily toward the wall. Once her body hit it the movement sent the lamp on her side table crashing to the floor. Neither of them cared.

"Bedroom." She managed to gasp.

Again she was lifted up and carried as her exposed skin felt a cool rush of air, sending another shiver down her spine. Once she was sitting on the bed she managed to get her brain in order enough to push Clark's dress shirt off his shoulders, revealing his beautifully sculpted chest.

He leaned into her and she found herself lying down and looking up at his face—his extremely angel-like, handsome face. He kissed her softly, his hand running through her hair. She couldn't think of anything more blissful than being with him in that moment. She could only imagine what being intimate would feel like since she already felt she was ready to shatter from his touch. How the day had gone from her being worried about Clark running off to save the day, to making out with him in the copy room, to talking him off a jealous ledge because of Callie and Oliver spending some time together, to their dinner rendezvous courtesy of Callie, she didn't know. She had never thought that they would have ended up in their current position.

Suddenly, her mind began to divert from thinking about the feeling of Clark's touch and on to the consequences of Clark's touch. There was the thought of Callie and who she was…and more precisely how she got to be who she was and the act that was the catalyst. Lois had not given thought about that, but now it wouldn't leave her mind. Now all that she could think of was: could this be the moment? If they went forward with what they both clearly wanted to do would it result in creating another life, in creating Callie?

"Clark." She called out as his lips were trailing down her chest to the tip of her lace bra.

He was not listening to her or must have thought she called out in pleasure, which there was a mixture in there, because he continued what he was doing.

"Clark, wait, you have to stop." she gasped.

He immediately halted his actions and looked up at her with concern. She felt bad because of what he must be thinking and she didn't want him to think he had done something wrong.

"Clark, I…I want you to know that I really want to do this."

"Me too." He nodded and went to kiss her lips. She stopped him just before he made contact and pushed him back lightly as she began to sit up on her forearms.

"You didn't let me finish." She shook her head and looked down. "This is so stupid."

"Stupid?" he questioned.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, not this. This," she motioned between the both of them, "This isn't stupid and what we were doing surely wasn't stupid, it's my reason for stopping."

His eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"While you were doing very very delightful things," she bit her lip and got lost remembering what he had been doing. She shook her head again and focused. "My mind went off track. One second I'm in the moment and the next my mind is thinking of Callie."

"Callie?"

'How am I going to explain this?' She thought.

"What we were about to do, it….it could have some consequences."

"Because of me, you mean."

"Yes."

He looked so downcast that she realized she must have said something wrong.

"Clark, it's not because you're different. It's what could happen if we allow ourselves to go that far."

By the look on his face he still didn't seem to getting it. She rolled her eyes slightly.

'You're such an innocent farm boy.'

"You know, what happens when a man and woman become intimate and then months later…" She tried to press.

"Oh. Oh!" His eyes widened.

"I mean, I know, at least I think I know, that it won't happen yet, but it's still in my head. I just think maybe we're moving really fast."

"And you want to slow it down."

"Right. Slow it down." She nodded.

'Don't look at his chest. Don't look at his chest.'

He nodded but she quickly added, "but not come to a screeching halt. Just thought I would throw that in there." She smiled.

"Okay. We'll take things slow. Do it right."

Lois latched her hand behind his head and plunged his lips down on hers. Mouths started to open, tongues dueled it out, and she could feel her body heating up. They both jumped back.

"That's…we can't…" She panted.

"Right…slow…" He replied, catching his breath.

"Slow…right…"

Lois reached for her now button-less blouse as Clark reached for his dress shirt. Both tried to get their clothes situated as best as they could and tried to calm down their breathing. Clark helped her up and they slowly made it down her hallway and back to the front door. As they stood in front of it they silently stared at each other. Clark bent down and gave her a slow and sweet kiss.

He broke away and breathed, "I really need to go because if I don't…"

"Yeah…" Lois replied, feeling her previous daze reoccurring and she clutched her shirt closed harder, trying to gain some semblance.

"I had a really good night."

"Me, too."

"We should do it again, this time on our terms."

"Absolutely." She agreed.

They both couldn't seem to help themselves and leaned in to kiss each other again. There was gravitational pull. They were two magnets whose force to cling to each other was too great.

"I'll call you later." He said and then his lips met hers once more.

"Mmmhmm." She could feel the kiss deepening and knew that she had to end it. Placing her free hand flat on his chest, she used it as a springboard to push herself away from him. "Seriously, you have to go."

Clark smiled and opened the door. "Good night."

She bit her bottom lip then smiled. "Good night."

The door finally closed and Lois was alone. She placed her back against the hard surface and let out a long deep breath. It certainly had been a good night.

~/~

After leaving Lois' apartment Clark had to walk for a while to relieve the pressure in certain areas of his anatomy. It had taken everything he had to leave but he knew in a way she was right. They were going fast and her concerns were legitimate. So, they would slow things down. There was no rush. They both had the same destination and taking the scenic route was fine with him.

When he finally made it back to the farm he saw that the light was on. When he entered he saw Callie sitting on the couch with the television on.

"Somehow I thought you and the rest of the A-Team would be at Watchtower planning your next mission."

Callie turned the TV off and looked up at him as he entered the room.

"Our plan came together, somewhat, so we decided on ice cream then home."

"Thank you for dinner."

"Thank Oliver. I roped him into paying for it."

He winced a little at the mention of his name, but let it go.

"You know, about dinner…" He began.

He watched her take a deep breath and look down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"I knew this was going to come up sooner or later."

"Why?" He asked as he sat next to her.

"I confess that I had all these feelings inside worrying about the two of you and not wanting you guys to lose what you were starting to have and I thought I was okay, but the feelings just festered beneath and…"

"I understand. I sort of had the same experience today." He said sinking more into the couch.

"You did?" She asked leaning back.

"I was jealous that you went out with Oliver. A little while after the phone call I went out and somehow, maybe it was subconscious, I could hear your voice so that's what I ran to. I saw you and Oliver in a hug and caught a tail end of the conversation. It stung seeing you confiding in someone else."

"I knew I felt something…" he heard her whisper, "but Clark, I didn't mean for you to feel—"

"I know." He cut her off. "I know you can't tell me things because it's not safe. I accept that you have your secrets. I was reminded that for years I did the same thing. So, I trust you and I believe in you. Whatever you have to do, I know you're doing it for a good reason."

"You want to know what we were talking about?"

"Callie, you don't have to…"

"Well, it's pretty obvious now—it was about you and Lois. I was still worried that because of seeing me the way you did I put a strain on your relationship with her. That's what I was confiding to him."

"But when you asked me the other day I told you that we were fine."

"My ears heard that but my eyes didn't see it. The two of you seemed awkward around each other and my mind assumed all kinds of things and now that I clearly see that I was wrong…well, you know what happens when you assume."

He nodded and internally reprimanded himself for not telling her about the budding romantic relationship that had been starting between him and Lois.

"We should have said something to you, but it's all still new to us, that we…"

"I get it. I think we all overlooked some things. Hence all the misunderstanding."

He nodded again.

She looked straight ahead and said, "But that was basically what my conversation with Oliver was about. I care so much about you and Lois and I couldn't find a way to say anything to you guys about it, because talk about awkward, so I created that whole dinner ruse."

She turned to him and added, "Truth is…I wish I could tell you everything. To you, to Lois, but you already know that, right? I'm so close to you guys and I want to say everything that's on my mind and tell you all about my life and experiences I've had, but it's so frustrating that I can't."

"Because time travel isn't something to mess with."

"Exactly. My ultimate fear is ruining the future and changing it. Coming out of that dream, I do feel stronger and instead of just sitting around and praying that it doesn't happen, I decided to do something about it."

He leaned his shoulder into her and said, "Maybe, we just need to have faith that everything will fall into place."

"You're the second person who has said that to me today. Faith. Want to know what's different about it?"

"What?"

"I feel more at ease hearing it from you." She grinned.

Looking at her, at her face and her eyes, again he questioned himself how he could be so jealous. Maybe it had been like she had said; the ears heard one thing but the eyes saw another. Well now his eyes and ears were working together and everything was clearer. He smiled at her.

She continued, "I know that I said that I can't say much about me or the future, but I'll give some leeway. One question. You can ask me one question about anything and I will answer it as completely as I can. So, shoot."

One question? She was giving him one question? What could he ask? Should he ask anything at all? She didn't have to do this but he she was doing it so let him know how much he meant to her. That if he couldn't know everything she was giving him a chance to know a little something about her. He was moved.

There was one thing that he wanted to know and if he knew it then he wouldn't have to ask anything else. He looked her straight in the eyes that reflected his own.

"In the future…are you happy?"

Her face morphed into one of surprise. "Am I happy?"

He nodded. "Your life, has it been happy?"

She broke eye contact with him and he could see she was in deep thought.

"There have been some bumps, like in any life, but mine is unique and is just…the best." She gushed the last part. She smiled as she looked into space. "I grew up in so much love and have so much appreciation for what my parents have done for me and for others. I've learned so much and have been able to experience things people could only imagine. I wouldn't trade the way my life has been for anything. I'm very lucky." She turned to him, "And I'm very happy."

He could tell that she was telling the truth and this was the pertinent reason for her not wanting her future to change. He already knew that a future with Lois would be happy and after knowing Callie and the possibility of having a future with her added to that even more so. He didn't want that future to change either and what he said about faith he meant. He had faith that everything would come into its own, that he was meant to have that future. Hearing from Callie how much she loved her life and seeing it on her face gave him even more strength to keep that future vision alive for him now and to keep it a reality for her.

"Good. That's all I wanted to know."

~/~

Callie grumbled when she heard her cell phone off. She had been in the middle of a nice dream. She had been in her future and it was Thanksgiving, at least she thought it had been Thanksgiving. Everyone, and she meant everyone from relatives to JLA members, was at the farm and she was laughing and having such a nice time with them. Of course, one of the few nights that she was able to sleep like that had to be interrupted by a stupid little communications device.

She picked up the phone from the coffee table and read the missed call: Chloe.

She groaned as the text message tone sounded.

-Meet me at Watchtower. It's important.-

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked down at her apparel and she was in pair of gym shorts and a tank top. Walking over to the closet she pulled down one of Clark's zipped up sweatshirts. She put it on and saw that it was gigantic on her.

"Oh well."

She looked up the stairs and wondered if she should wake him up. She shook her head. Someone should be able to sleep in the house. Besides, whatever it was it must have been just for her since she didn't hear Clark or Kara- who had come home to the farm after patrolling late and went straight to bed in the guest room- getting dressed or coming down the stairs.

With a sigh she opened the front door and hoped that whatever it was she could come back home and go back to sleep.

She sped as fast as she could and walked through the double doors of Watchtower.

"You rang….and texted…"

Chloe rolled in her chair and stood up, looking tentatively at Callie. This was a long cry from the Chloe who had been all smiles and giggles when they were getting ice cream after their mini-spy adventure.

"I talked to Dr. Hamilton."

Callie was full awake now.

"So you found her?"

Chloe took a breath and said, "Actually, the news is a little better than that."

Callie shook her head in disbelief, "Better? What's better than finding the woman that put me here?"

She watched Chloe tighten her lips then heard her say, "We found a way to send you home."