Chapter 2
The next day Lana greeted Chloe at the door of the mansion when Chloe came to drop off Lauren.
"Hey, Lan. Just to warn you, she had another attack last night. Scared the hell out of Clark and me. She seems to have them when she's tired, but they scare her so she won't sleep. Meaning she'll be tired today," Chloe said, setting Lauren in the toy room Lex had prepared for her when she was born.
Lana nodded. "Got it. I'll call you if anything happens."
Chloe winced slightly. "Actually, call Clark. He's more of the expert on this, and for obvious reasons, can get here faster."
"What if she wants her mommy?" Lana asked, putting her hand on Chloe's arm.
Chloe laughed. "No time for pity parties, Lana. I've gotta run. Call Clark if anything happens; if he needs me he'll call me. She's getting used to the headaches, so they're not quite as debilitating as they were last week at the farm. Also, she hasn't eaten yet so she might get hungry."
"We'll be fine," Lana assured her friend, giving her a quick hug before Chloe bolted out of the mansion. Lana made her way back to the playroom. "Hey, cutie. You hungry?"
Lauren looked up at Lana with beautiful clear green eyes. "Yes, Aunt Lana."
Lana smiled lovingly down at the girl. "How about a big bowl of pasta salad with some apple sauce on the side?" Lana asked, naming Lauren's favorite foods.
Lauren nodded emphatically.
"I'll be right back," Lana said, making her way to the kitchen.
* * *
Lana was reading in the library when she heard a soft scream.
"Aunt Lana!!" she heard Lauren call. "Aunt Lana!"
Lana tossed her book on the couch and jogged into the playroom. Lauren was on the floor, her head in her hands.
"Aunt Lana, it hurts. I want my Daddyyyyy!" Lauren said, beginning to cry.
Lana gathered Lauren into her arms. "Daddy will be right here, baby," Lana crooned, walking into the hall to get the phone.
"Hello?" Clark said into the phone.
"Clark, it's happening again. She wants you," Lana said shortly over Lauren's crying.
"I'll be right there," Clark said. Almost a minute and a half later Clark was walking through the door.
Lana handed Lauren to him. Lauren wrapped her arms around Clark's neck and buried her face in his neck. Clark walked into the sitting room and set Lauren on his lap.
"Lauren, open your eyes," he prodded.
Lauren sniffed and did what she was told.
"Look at my hand. Now think real hard and try to make it stop," Clark urged. "Think really hard."
Lauren squinted her small eyes at Clark's hand. She sniffed once more then smiled. "It stopped, Daddy."
Clark grinned. "That's my girl. I knew you could do it."
Lana tilted her head curiously. Her gaze caught Clark's attention and he started to explain. "We're trying to get her to control it on her own. She seems to be adjusting a whole lot quicker than I did."
"That's good, right?" Lana asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
Clark laughed. "Yes. If she can control it, the headaches and flashes will stop. She'll be able to turn it on and off at will."
"Can I help her?" Lana asked, looking as Lauren happily hugged Clark's neck.
"Sure," Clark exclaimed. "If you want to get her to try to use her x- ray vision it would be great for her to practice as much as possible."
"Great," Lana said, turning to Lauren. "Lauren, I think I heard Mary say she was baking a chocolate cake. She said it was for a little girl with blond hair, and green eyes who loved her parents very much. Do you know anyone like that?"
Lauren's eyes lit up. "That's me! That's me!"
Clark and Lana laughed. "Go see if she'll give you some. Tell her Aunt Lana said you could have the biggest piece."
Lauren squirmed off of Clark's lap and ran to the kitchen.
"You're really great with her," Clark pointed out.
Lana sighed. "Yeah, well."
"Have you and Lex found out anything yet?" Clark asked, walking with Lana toward the kitchen.
"We go for check-ups next week. I think on Monday," Lana said, her voice holding a hint of sadness.
Clark put his arm around Lana's shoulders. "I'm sure everything will be okay."
Lana shook her head once, her ponytail swishing from side to side. "If everything was okay we'd have a child by now, Clark."
"I know, but you can't lose hope," Clark said, opening the door to the kitchen.
Lana smiled. "You sound like a Hallmark card. It's just hard to keep up hope, when we've been trying since our honeymoon, almost six years ago."
Clark's smile was weak, "I wish I knew what to tell you, Lan." Clark laughed when he saw Lauren. She had chocolate cake in a circle around her mouth.
"Look at how messy you are. Did you eat the whole cake or did you save Daddy a piece?" Lana asked, sitting next to the small girl.
"Actually, I have to get back to the farm," Clark said, smiling at Lana and Lauren
"Lauren, tell Daddy bye," Lana said, smiling at Lauren.
Clark leaned down and Lauren kissed his cheek, smearing cake on his face. "Bye bye, Daddy."
Lana handed Clark a napkin. "Thanks," Clark told her. "Bye Lauren. You be good for Aunt Lana and do what she tells you."
"I will Daddy," Lauren agreed, focusing her attention back onto her cake.
The next day Lana greeted Chloe at the door of the mansion when Chloe came to drop off Lauren.
"Hey, Lan. Just to warn you, she had another attack last night. Scared the hell out of Clark and me. She seems to have them when she's tired, but they scare her so she won't sleep. Meaning she'll be tired today," Chloe said, setting Lauren in the toy room Lex had prepared for her when she was born.
Lana nodded. "Got it. I'll call you if anything happens."
Chloe winced slightly. "Actually, call Clark. He's more of the expert on this, and for obvious reasons, can get here faster."
"What if she wants her mommy?" Lana asked, putting her hand on Chloe's arm.
Chloe laughed. "No time for pity parties, Lana. I've gotta run. Call Clark if anything happens; if he needs me he'll call me. She's getting used to the headaches, so they're not quite as debilitating as they were last week at the farm. Also, she hasn't eaten yet so she might get hungry."
"We'll be fine," Lana assured her friend, giving her a quick hug before Chloe bolted out of the mansion. Lana made her way back to the playroom. "Hey, cutie. You hungry?"
Lauren looked up at Lana with beautiful clear green eyes. "Yes, Aunt Lana."
Lana smiled lovingly down at the girl. "How about a big bowl of pasta salad with some apple sauce on the side?" Lana asked, naming Lauren's favorite foods.
Lauren nodded emphatically.
"I'll be right back," Lana said, making her way to the kitchen.
* * *
Lana was reading in the library when she heard a soft scream.
"Aunt Lana!!" she heard Lauren call. "Aunt Lana!"
Lana tossed her book on the couch and jogged into the playroom. Lauren was on the floor, her head in her hands.
"Aunt Lana, it hurts. I want my Daddyyyyy!" Lauren said, beginning to cry.
Lana gathered Lauren into her arms. "Daddy will be right here, baby," Lana crooned, walking into the hall to get the phone.
"Hello?" Clark said into the phone.
"Clark, it's happening again. She wants you," Lana said shortly over Lauren's crying.
"I'll be right there," Clark said. Almost a minute and a half later Clark was walking through the door.
Lana handed Lauren to him. Lauren wrapped her arms around Clark's neck and buried her face in his neck. Clark walked into the sitting room and set Lauren on his lap.
"Lauren, open your eyes," he prodded.
Lauren sniffed and did what she was told.
"Look at my hand. Now think real hard and try to make it stop," Clark urged. "Think really hard."
Lauren squinted her small eyes at Clark's hand. She sniffed once more then smiled. "It stopped, Daddy."
Clark grinned. "That's my girl. I knew you could do it."
Lana tilted her head curiously. Her gaze caught Clark's attention and he started to explain. "We're trying to get her to control it on her own. She seems to be adjusting a whole lot quicker than I did."
"That's good, right?" Lana asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
Clark laughed. "Yes. If she can control it, the headaches and flashes will stop. She'll be able to turn it on and off at will."
"Can I help her?" Lana asked, looking as Lauren happily hugged Clark's neck.
"Sure," Clark exclaimed. "If you want to get her to try to use her x- ray vision it would be great for her to practice as much as possible."
"Great," Lana said, turning to Lauren. "Lauren, I think I heard Mary say she was baking a chocolate cake. She said it was for a little girl with blond hair, and green eyes who loved her parents very much. Do you know anyone like that?"
Lauren's eyes lit up. "That's me! That's me!"
Clark and Lana laughed. "Go see if she'll give you some. Tell her Aunt Lana said you could have the biggest piece."
Lauren squirmed off of Clark's lap and ran to the kitchen.
"You're really great with her," Clark pointed out.
Lana sighed. "Yeah, well."
"Have you and Lex found out anything yet?" Clark asked, walking with Lana toward the kitchen.
"We go for check-ups next week. I think on Monday," Lana said, her voice holding a hint of sadness.
Clark put his arm around Lana's shoulders. "I'm sure everything will be okay."
Lana shook her head once, her ponytail swishing from side to side. "If everything was okay we'd have a child by now, Clark."
"I know, but you can't lose hope," Clark said, opening the door to the kitchen.
Lana smiled. "You sound like a Hallmark card. It's just hard to keep up hope, when we've been trying since our honeymoon, almost six years ago."
Clark's smile was weak, "I wish I knew what to tell you, Lan." Clark laughed when he saw Lauren. She had chocolate cake in a circle around her mouth.
"Look at how messy you are. Did you eat the whole cake or did you save Daddy a piece?" Lana asked, sitting next to the small girl.
"Actually, I have to get back to the farm," Clark said, smiling at Lana and Lauren
"Lauren, tell Daddy bye," Lana said, smiling at Lauren.
Clark leaned down and Lauren kissed his cheek, smearing cake on his face. "Bye bye, Daddy."
Lana handed Clark a napkin. "Thanks," Clark told her. "Bye Lauren. You be good for Aunt Lana and do what she tells you."
"I will Daddy," Lauren agreed, focusing her attention back onto her cake.