CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lee awoke to the sounds of her mother and Clark screaming at each other. She couldn't understand what they were saying so she tried to sound them out be covering her ears with her hands.
She saw door open and her mother come in. The moonlight reflected across her mother's face and Lee saw tears that had made their marks on her mother's face. Lee scooted over to where she was touching the wall to make room for her. As her mother laid there, her shoulders shaking with gentle crying, Lee sat up and rubbed her mother's hair soothingly. Then, Lee lie back down and wrapped her arms around her mother.
~~~~~~~~~~
Clark heard her. He sat against the wall near the door and listened to her sobs. He knew that he had caused them unintentionally. But whether it was intentional or not, it was still his fault.
About two-thirty in the morning, the sobbing stopped and a shuffling towards the door could be heard. Clark was about to get up, thinking it was Chloe, but relaxed when he saw Lee instead.
"Hey Lee."
"Clark."
"How is she?"
"Sad. She's asleep but she cried. You made her cry," Lee said accusingly.
"I know," Clark said, sadly, "I know."
"I heard the yelling," Lee said, sitting beside him.
"You did? We didn't mean for you to--"
"I know, Clark. Clark, why were you and mommy yelling?"
"I kept a secret from your mother for too long and she found out about it from someone else," Clark said.
"What was it?"
"I don't know if I should tell you. It's up to your mother."
"Mommy won't mind. She'll tell me if you don't," Lee said.
"You know about Superman, right?"
"Of course, Uncle Pete talks about him all the time," Lee said, nodding eagerly.
"Well, I'm him."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Cool!" Lee exclaimed, and then she frowned. "Wait, why didn't you tell mommy?"
"I was scared."
"Why?"
"I...I don't know."
"That's the first truthful thing that I've heard you say in a long time," Chloe commented, leaning against the doorframe.
"Mommy!" Lee cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around her mother. "You okay, mommy?"
"Yeah, honey, I'm okay," replied Chloe, reciprocating the hug and looking at Clark over her daughter's head. "What have you been discussing with my little girl?" Chloe demanded.
"My secret."
"Good, she had a right to know. Lee, honey, go get some sleep now. Clark and I need to have some adult time," Chloe ordered.
"But mommy, I want to listen," Lee pouted.
Chloe smiled. "But Lee, you know you're too young," Chloe answered in the same whiny tone.
"Oh, come on, Chloe. Let the girl listen," said Clark from the floor.
Lee beamed at him and Chloe looked between the two of them. It amazed her how soon her daughter had begun to trust Clark. Only a month of knowing who he was and she already thought of him as a god. She wasn't even this outgoing with Pete when she first met him and he was her godfather.
"Okay, okay, I get it. Two against one, unfair odds, majority rules. But one day, little Miss Sullivan, Clark won't be here to defend your honor and you'll have to listen to your poor old mother," Chloe mock threatened.
"Mommy, you're not old."
"Sure I am."
"Believe me, Lee, she really is."
"Hey! You know what? That kind of back talking is reason enough to have a kitchen raid," Chloe said, "Lee, let's go act like we're at Pete's house."
Clark laughed as he watched the two of them run to the kitchen, giggling like idiots. Oh how the times had changed. In high school, Chloe had never once acted like she did now. But then again, in high school Chloe never had a reason to.
"Clark Kent, how can the only thing you own for food be frozen pizza, coffee and.ew, a month old casserole that's moldy?" Chloe called from the kitchen.
Clark smiled and stood. He walked to the kitchen and observed the sight. Lee was sitting on one of the counters, her legs dangling off the edge, and Chloe still had her head stuck in the refrigerator.
"What can I say, Chlo? I'm a single man who can't cook, what does that tell you?" Clark replied.
"Not a lot. Clark, all you have to do is read the instructions on the package. How hard is that?" Chloe commented.
"Don't blame me. I never cooked when I was younger. Maybe if I had--"
"Clark, don't even try that excuse."
Clark sighed and asked, "Would it help if I went to the corner grocery store in the morning?"
"Actually, Lee and I are leaving in a couple hours. I have to get back to grading the rest of the finals so I can get the journalism grades done for report cards," Chloe said.
"Well, can't you do them here?"
"No, sorry. I didn't bring my laptop that has the grading program on it."
"Oh, well maybe Lee could stay here while your doing grades in Smallville and I'll bring her back with me when I come to Smallville for the wedding," Clark suggested.
"Please, mommy, can I?" Lee asked eagerly.
Chloe was hesitant. A whole month without Lee for the first time ever? Could she let that happen? But the face on her little girl, that eager bright-eyed gaze, told her that she could.
She sighed and said, "Clark, you better take good care of my little girl. That means, in bed by nine, no junk food after eight, and no leaving her by herself or with some old girlfriend that you just happen to run into."
"Really mommy?" Lee asked, her hazel eyes shining.
"Yes, Lee, you can stay. As long as you agree to listen to everything Clark says," Chloe said.
"Yes! Clark, we're going to have so much fun!" Lee said, taking Clark by the hand and pulling him over to the living room couch. Clark gave Chloe a look and Chloe just shrugged her shoulders. She knew that her daughter was going to torture him the month she stayed and she was going to enjoy every phone call that would begin with the words, 'Chloe, your daughter is driving me crazy.'
When she left later that morning, she could already hear Clark sighing.
Lee awoke to the sounds of her mother and Clark screaming at each other. She couldn't understand what they were saying so she tried to sound them out be covering her ears with her hands.
She saw door open and her mother come in. The moonlight reflected across her mother's face and Lee saw tears that had made their marks on her mother's face. Lee scooted over to where she was touching the wall to make room for her. As her mother laid there, her shoulders shaking with gentle crying, Lee sat up and rubbed her mother's hair soothingly. Then, Lee lie back down and wrapped her arms around her mother.
~~~~~~~~~~
Clark heard her. He sat against the wall near the door and listened to her sobs. He knew that he had caused them unintentionally. But whether it was intentional or not, it was still his fault.
About two-thirty in the morning, the sobbing stopped and a shuffling towards the door could be heard. Clark was about to get up, thinking it was Chloe, but relaxed when he saw Lee instead.
"Hey Lee."
"Clark."
"How is she?"
"Sad. She's asleep but she cried. You made her cry," Lee said accusingly.
"I know," Clark said, sadly, "I know."
"I heard the yelling," Lee said, sitting beside him.
"You did? We didn't mean for you to--"
"I know, Clark. Clark, why were you and mommy yelling?"
"I kept a secret from your mother for too long and she found out about it from someone else," Clark said.
"What was it?"
"I don't know if I should tell you. It's up to your mother."
"Mommy won't mind. She'll tell me if you don't," Lee said.
"You know about Superman, right?"
"Of course, Uncle Pete talks about him all the time," Lee said, nodding eagerly.
"Well, I'm him."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Cool!" Lee exclaimed, and then she frowned. "Wait, why didn't you tell mommy?"
"I was scared."
"Why?"
"I...I don't know."
"That's the first truthful thing that I've heard you say in a long time," Chloe commented, leaning against the doorframe.
"Mommy!" Lee cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around her mother. "You okay, mommy?"
"Yeah, honey, I'm okay," replied Chloe, reciprocating the hug and looking at Clark over her daughter's head. "What have you been discussing with my little girl?" Chloe demanded.
"My secret."
"Good, she had a right to know. Lee, honey, go get some sleep now. Clark and I need to have some adult time," Chloe ordered.
"But mommy, I want to listen," Lee pouted.
Chloe smiled. "But Lee, you know you're too young," Chloe answered in the same whiny tone.
"Oh, come on, Chloe. Let the girl listen," said Clark from the floor.
Lee beamed at him and Chloe looked between the two of them. It amazed her how soon her daughter had begun to trust Clark. Only a month of knowing who he was and she already thought of him as a god. She wasn't even this outgoing with Pete when she first met him and he was her godfather.
"Okay, okay, I get it. Two against one, unfair odds, majority rules. But one day, little Miss Sullivan, Clark won't be here to defend your honor and you'll have to listen to your poor old mother," Chloe mock threatened.
"Mommy, you're not old."
"Sure I am."
"Believe me, Lee, she really is."
"Hey! You know what? That kind of back talking is reason enough to have a kitchen raid," Chloe said, "Lee, let's go act like we're at Pete's house."
Clark laughed as he watched the two of them run to the kitchen, giggling like idiots. Oh how the times had changed. In high school, Chloe had never once acted like she did now. But then again, in high school Chloe never had a reason to.
"Clark Kent, how can the only thing you own for food be frozen pizza, coffee and.ew, a month old casserole that's moldy?" Chloe called from the kitchen.
Clark smiled and stood. He walked to the kitchen and observed the sight. Lee was sitting on one of the counters, her legs dangling off the edge, and Chloe still had her head stuck in the refrigerator.
"What can I say, Chlo? I'm a single man who can't cook, what does that tell you?" Clark replied.
"Not a lot. Clark, all you have to do is read the instructions on the package. How hard is that?" Chloe commented.
"Don't blame me. I never cooked when I was younger. Maybe if I had--"
"Clark, don't even try that excuse."
Clark sighed and asked, "Would it help if I went to the corner grocery store in the morning?"
"Actually, Lee and I are leaving in a couple hours. I have to get back to grading the rest of the finals so I can get the journalism grades done for report cards," Chloe said.
"Well, can't you do them here?"
"No, sorry. I didn't bring my laptop that has the grading program on it."
"Oh, well maybe Lee could stay here while your doing grades in Smallville and I'll bring her back with me when I come to Smallville for the wedding," Clark suggested.
"Please, mommy, can I?" Lee asked eagerly.
Chloe was hesitant. A whole month without Lee for the first time ever? Could she let that happen? But the face on her little girl, that eager bright-eyed gaze, told her that she could.
She sighed and said, "Clark, you better take good care of my little girl. That means, in bed by nine, no junk food after eight, and no leaving her by herself or with some old girlfriend that you just happen to run into."
"Really mommy?" Lee asked, her hazel eyes shining.
"Yes, Lee, you can stay. As long as you agree to listen to everything Clark says," Chloe said.
"Yes! Clark, we're going to have so much fun!" Lee said, taking Clark by the hand and pulling him over to the living room couch. Clark gave Chloe a look and Chloe just shrugged her shoulders. She knew that her daughter was going to torture him the month she stayed and she was going to enjoy every phone call that would begin with the words, 'Chloe, your daughter is driving me crazy.'
When she left later that morning, she could already hear Clark sighing.