Ch 4 - Nicholas
Smallville, March 2010 (Present Day) --
Clark held his head in his hands and tried to comprehend the story that his parents had just told him.
Nicholas… Cole… Lois's child. Living with his parents because Lois was missing.
He tried to create a timeline in his head. They said that Cole came in June. That was nine months ago. Nine months and no one knew where Lois was.
Jonathan stood and walked to the door. "They've gotten quiet out there. I better go check."
Martha smiled in agreement and turned her attention back to her son.
"What's the latest on the search?" he asked.
"Nothing. Perry White's the editor of The Planet now. He's promised to keep us updated since he knows we have Cole."
"Martha!" Jonathan called from the porch. "You'd better come out here."
Martha frowned and went to the door. Once there, she let out a laugh. Clark rose to see what was going on. When he looked out, he found himself smiling in spite of his worries.
Cole and Shelby were sitting in the middle of the drive, both covered with drying mud. Shelby's fur was clumped and matted, while Cole's hair was spiked and dripping. He was looking up at Jonathan with a wide grin, arms outstretched for a hug.
Martha stepped through the screen door. "Looks like we better divide and conquer. Which one do you want?"
Jonathan looked at the two culprits with disdain. "I guess I'll take the easy one since you got him last time." Smiling, he turned to kiss his wife before jumping down the steps. He swatted Cole lightly on the rump as he leaned down to pick him up. "Stay out of the mud, young man," he growled, rubbing his baby belly.
Cole laughed and pressed a kiss to Jonathan's cheek as he was handed to Martha.
"Look at you," she cried as she held Cole at arms length. "Jonathan Kent, you are on dirty diaper duty for the next week for this one!"
Jonathan laughed and whistled for Shelby to follow him into the barn.
Clark held the door open for his mother and watched her carry Cole up the stairs. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he was unsure of what to do with himself. His father could probably use a hand with the dog, he figured.
"Clark!"
The sound of his mother's voice made the decision for him. He jogged up the stairs.
Clark took in the changes to the bathroom as he entered. The old flowery wallpaper had been replaced with bright colors. Painted fishes swam across the wall to the bathtub, where his mother sat on a small stool and held a hand in the stream of water filling the tub. Cole was sitting in the suds, laughing as his yellow duck popped back to the surface every time he pushed it under water.
He cleared his throat. "How old is he?"
"He'll be three in a few months. Right Cole-man?"
"Three!" Cole agreed enthusiastically.
Martha turned the water off and stood, drying her hands on her jeans. "I need to get more towels. Can you watch him for a minute?"
Clark took a small step backwards. "I can get the towels for you."
Martha smiled as she stepped past him. "That's okay, I'll get them- he won't bite you, Clark." She laughed and pulled the door closed as she left.
Cole looked up as the door closed. "Where's Mi-mi?"
Clark looked at him worriedly, hoping he wouldn't start screaming. "She's coming right back," he offered, praying it was the truth.
They were both giving each other worried looks when Martha stepped through the door again, carrying a few towels. Clark sighed in relief.
"Mi-mi!" Cole exclaimed, splashing water onto the floor.
Martha laughed and moved to sit on the stool again, reaching for a washcloth and soap. Clark watched for a few minutes as his mother worked to erase the traces of mud from the little boy's body. Watching his mother get as wet as Cole during in the ordeal, Clark started to understand why his dad had chosen to bathe the dog.
Cole was a vibrant little guy. His fair hair was curling now that it was wet, and his squeals of laughter followed every splash of soapy water. Even though his features were still young, he could see the resemblance to Lois. Clark stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door. Noticing the drops of mud that marked his mother's path from the kitchen, he decided to clean up as a way of keeping himself from being overwhelmed by his thoughts.
As they sat around the table for dinner, Clark recounted what happened when he went to the cave earlier that day.
"So it was all for nothing," he finished, glancing at the little boy in the high chair next to Martha's seat.
If he hadn't been gone for all that time, maybe Lois wouldn't be missing. He couldn't allow himself to think of the other possibilities.
"You don't know that, Son," Jonathan replied, reaching to hand Cole the spoon he'd just tossed on the table. "Nothing about those caves or those stones has ever worked in a logical manner. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"Wait and see," Clark repeated, disgustedly. "Well, it's never been said that you have to wait standing still."
"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked.
"I mean, I put everything on hold to go and look for that stone, only to have it mean absolutely nothing. Now, I'm putting all of that stuff, the caves, the stones, all of it, on hold while I get my life back together. I'm going to go look for Lois."
Clark noticed as Jonathan's gaze flicked to his mother's. "I know that they have been looking. I know you said they've found nothing, but I can get into places most people can't. I'll go to Metropolis tomorrow and talk to Perry. It might not be much, but it's a start. It's something."
Martha pushed her chair from the table and stood. "There's something else," she said, holding a finger up to indicate that she would be right back.
She left the room and returned with a sheet of paper. "Perry sent this to us a few months ago. Obviously we couldn't question Lois about it, but maybe you can answer…"
Clark accepted the paper from his mother and read the information. His jaw dropped as he realized what he was looking at. It was the birth certificate for Nicholas Lane Kent.
tbc
