Author's Note: First off, thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad that you are enjoying this story. I'm enjoying writing it. Enough of my babbling, back to the action…

There was a knock at the door as Martha Kent hung up the phone with her son. She hoped that he liked what she had made for him, but she'd have to wait until tonight to find out. Finally, she made her way to the door and was surprised by what greeted her. "Lana."

"Hi, Mom." Lana smiled and gave Martha a hug after she opened the door.

"How long have you been back? Clark and Lex said that you were in Europe." She walked the young woman into the Kitchen and seated her at the kitchen table. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Some of your lemonade would be great, if you have some." Lana smiled again. She really had missed Martha while she was away. She missed everything about Clark and the world she'd left behind when she left. "I just got back yesterday. You're the second person I've been to see. Lex was the first, of course, since we share that apartment."

Martha sat down a glass of her famous lemonade in front her son's former girlfriend and joined her at the table. "How is Lex, he hasn't been by the house in months?"

"He's been really busy since his father had the relapse." Lana savored the taste of the lemonade as she replied to Martha's question. "But, overall I think he's doing fine."

"Have you let Clark know that you're back yet?"

Lana could see the hidden questions in Martha's voice. She'd told her all those years ago that she still had feelings for Clark, but that she loved him too much to come between he and Chloe when they were so happy. "Not yet. I was going to surprise him tomorrow night at the benefit in Metropolis. Could you please not tell him? I really do want it to be a surprise."

Martha reached out and took Lana's hand in hers. "Your secret is safe with me dear."

Lana smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I know that's the truth."

Martha had leaned not long after Clark and Lana first got together when they were still in high school, that Clark had told Lana about his secret. She had been rather upset at first, but then she realized that Clark was only doing what he had to. He couldn't tell a woman that he loved her, and then turn around and lie to her face. That just wasn't Clark. Besides, Lana had proved herself more than trustworthy on the numerous occasions that it appeared someone was about to figure out Clark's secret. She had done everything she could to turn them off the trail, even going so far as to risk her life on more than one occasion. Part of Martha wished that Clark were still with Lana, but an even larger part knew that he was happiest with Chloe.

"Lana!" Jonathan Kent came through the kitchen door and sat took off his work gloves. "It's good to see you. It's been too long."

Lana got up and gave the man a hug before rejoining Martha at the table. Jonathan went over to the refrigerator for something to drink. "It definitely has. I've missed both of you like crazy. Nearly as much as I miss Smallville."

"Life in Metropolis not going how you thought it would, or just not life with the Luthors?" Jonathan's remark made Martha cringe but Lana just shrugged it off. She knew how much he disliked Lionell, and even his distrust of Lex. She decided to let him have his opinion and leave it at that.

"Oh, life in the Luthor family is fine, especially since Lionell has been sick. Lex is ten times the man his father is, and I really enjoy having him as a brother." She knew that the last little bit would rile Jonathan a bit, but before he could get a chance to reply, Martha interjected.

"So, Dear, are there any new men in your life?" Martha didn't want to give her husband a chance to go on another tirade about he big-bad-Luthors.

Lana was caught a bit off-guard by Martha's question. She'd come expecting to talk about Clark, but now Martha wanted to know if she had been seeing anyone. "Not really. I've devoted most of my time, lately, to studying and writing. I'm going to start back to school at Metropolis University this fall to finish my undergraduate."

"So you're not going to be going back to Duke?" Jonathan had finally found his footing again after being undercut by Martha.

"I didn't see much of a point. I've seen the world, now all I want to do is be close to the people I care about—Nell, Lex, Clark, Pete, Chloe and you all." Lana smiled at probably the two greatest people she knew and reached over to give Martha another hug.

"I can definitely understand that, Sweetie." Martha returned the hug.

"Now, after that I have to say what I'm about to." Lana quickly wiped a small tear from her eye. "I'm going to have to leave now. I want to try and surprise Lex for dinner, distract him from work for a little while."

"Oh, that's fine." Martha smiled at Lana as she got up to walk her out. "You tell Lex that we said hello, and that we hope he gets a chance to come by soon. Oh, and don't worry, we won't tell Clark that you're back."

Lana smiled back and Martha as she stepped onto the path leading to the driveway. She got in her car and backed out onto the dirt road that ran in front of the Kent House. Just as she was driving away, she looked at the barn and focused on Clark's Fortress of Solitude. She felt the tears come back to her eyes as she remembered the last time they'd been there together, the night before she left for North Carolina, the night she made the biggest mistake of her life.

********************************

"Oh, I'm so glad they finally finished with their damn questions!" Chloe was exasperated as she climbed in the passenger seat of Clark's car outside the police precinct. "You'd think they were reporters or something."

"And you wonder why people don't like you sometimes." Clark smiled at Chloe as she took her hand in his.

"Yeah, but at least I'm halfway attractive. Did you see that guy they had interviewing me? Not only was he ugly, but he smelled funny too." Chloe settled into the seat as Clark pulled the car onto the freeway to head out of the city.

"Maybe you should write an exposé on how the M.P.D. should make look and hygiene part of the job requirements."

Chloe playfully slapped Clark on the arm and then wrapped both of hers around his right one. "Well, I think I'll let it slide this time. I just hope that they are able to find out where those guys got those guns."

"Oh, shit!" Clark reached into his pocket to get his cell-phone. "I forgot to call Lois and let her know about this. She was supposed to be researching those guns."

"Don't worry, I doubt that anyone else knows about it yet. Just call her and let her know." Chloe let go of Clarks arm so that he could make the call.

The conversation didn't take long. Lois thanked Clark for letting her know and then told him goodbye. After Clark put his phone away, Chloe once again wrapped her arms around his and settled in for the ride to Smallville. "Any luck figuring out what your mom's big surprise is?"

"Not really. I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with my powers, but what it is I don't know." He leaned over to kiss Chloe on the top of the head and she snuggled in even closer to him.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there."

They remained in silence for most of the trip, simply enjoying the presence and security they felt being together. It wasn't too long a trip, only thirty minutes once they got outside of the city. They pulled into the farmhouse driveway at 7:15 p.m. just in time to see Clark's dad coming back to the house from the barn. He smiled at them as they got out of the car and made their way to the house.

"Hey, Son, Chloe." Jonathan put his arm around Clark's shoulder, then did the same to Chloe. "How's the day treated you?"

Chloe and Clark smiled at each other, each laughing just a little. Clark was the one who spoke. "It was an interesting day, Dad, but why don't we wait to tell you until we get inside and see Mom."

"Yeah, besides, we want to know what this big surprise is," Chloe added as Jonathan opened the door.

"Surprise, did someone say something about a surprise?" Martha was just inside the kitchen, setting the table and putting the finishing touches on supper.

"Yeah, what is it?" Clark noticed that Chloe was a lot like a child and Christmas.

"Well, why don't we eat first?" Martha's response took the wind out of Chloe's sails and she became visibly dejected.

"I guess."

"Jeez, Honey. It's not even your surprise." Clark put his arm around Chloe and lifted her lips to his. "Maybe that will tide you over."

"I'll make due, I guess." She smiled really big and shuffled away to help Martha finish setting the table.

Soon they were all sitting, enjoying the best meal that Clark and Chloe had experienced in weeks. "Martha, I don't think there's anyone else out there who can cook like you."

"Why thank you, Chloe. I can show you a few things, if you like?" She remembered a story Clark had told her about the last time Chloe tried to cook.

"Actually, I think I'll leave the cooking to Clark. The last time I tried to cook something, I nearly burnt down my apartment building." Chloe could hear Clark laughing at her and she shot him a look.

"Well, why don't we get to that surprise now, before someone gets hurt." Martha stood up before Clark could get himself into any more trouble.

At the mere mention of the surprise, Chloe turned her attention back to Martha and bounded up from the table and followed Martha into the living room. Jonathan and Clark followed close behind and found Martha and Chloe huddled over a fairly large wrapped box

"Mom, what's this?" Clark went up to the box and started to look at it.

"Don't even think about it, Mr." Chloe knew he was about to use his x-ray vision.

"Won't do him any good, I put a piece of lead in the top." Martha smiled, along with Chloe.

"Well, Son, why don't you open it?" Jonathan gave Clark a push towards the box, and Chloe quickly helped him begin unwrapping it.

Once they had it unwrapped, Clark slowly lifted the lid of the box off and removed the metal sheet that protected it from his prying eyes. Chloe pulled the tissue paper that covered that covered the surprise away.

"Mom…" Clark reached down into the box and pulled out a suit of what looked to Chloe to be spandex. Emblazoned on the front of the suit was a pentagonal shield with what appeared to be an "S" in the middle of it.

"What is it?" Chloe reached up to feel the leg of the suit.

"I made it from the material that was inside the ship that brought Clark here. It seems be fireproof and very strong. I remember that when he was growing up Clark tried to tear a small blanket that was made out of it, but he couldn't." Martha stood to point out different aspects of the suit.

"But, Mom, why did you make it?" Clark was turning it over in his hands, clearly overcome by the gift his mother had given him.

"I'd been working on it for a while, but I'd put it away when you told us that you didn't want to just be some kind of superhero. I got it out again last night after we found out about what happened yesterday." She went over and stood by her husbands side. "Clark, you need to help people. That's part of who you are, the boy we raised. You've been wearing those glasses forever, and if you part your hair on the opposite side you look completely different without them on. Not to mention how you can change your eye color from blue to grey. If you wear this suit…"

"No one will recognize you, and you can be both Clark Kent and a hero." Chloe finished Martha's thought as she stood to join Clark.

Clark took the suit and sat down on the couch. "I don't know. Wouldn't it be too much of a risk? I don't want anyone recognizing me and then coming after one of you to get me to do something."

"Son," Jonathan came over and put his hand on Clark's shoulder, "we want you to fulfill your potential. You have these gifts, and you also have this innate need to help people. That tells me that you were put here for great things. Sure, there's always that risk, but I think your mom and Chloe are right. Without your glasses and your hair parted differently, you look like a completely different person."

"Why don't you at least try the suit on." Chloe grabbed Clark's hand in hers and pulled him towards the stairs. "Your mom went through the trouble to make it for you; the least you can do is try it on."

With Chloe's encouragement, Clark went up the stairs and returned moments later clad in the suit, glasses removed and hair done completely differently. His eyes were also a different color, instead of the dark blue they usually were, Chloe noticed they were a very light grey.

"It fits you perfectly." Chloe walked around him, lifting the red cape and examining the complete look.

"I tried to base it off the design you told me for the suits that your biological parents wore in the images you saw of them the first time you learned about Krypton." Martha moved over to him, amazed by how grand and imposing her son looked in the suit.

"It's perfect, Mom." He adjusted the sleeve around his wrist and reached into the box to grab the red boots that he noticed in the bottom. "I just don't know if I'm ready to do this."

"I understand." Martha stood in front of him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you just take the suit home with you, and if you decide that you want to, you'll have it."

"Clark, I think you should listen to your mother." Chloe finished inspecting him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Besides, I think you look kinda sexy!"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter at Chloe's comment. Soon, Clark had the suit back in its box and he and Chloe were ready to return to Metropolis. He told his parents and thanked them for the gift. Chloe gave them both hugs and then she and Clark climbed back into their car for the drive home.

"Clark." Chloe put her hand on his as they pulled back onto the highway. "I just want you to know that no matter what you choose, I'm going to be here for you. I'll always love you."

"I know." Clark brought her hand to his lips. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready, or if I'll ever be."