Chp 22 – Hermia



-- Smallville, September 2010 --

Clark smiled as Cole was whisked out of his arms by one of his mother's waitresses. The little boy certainly had a reputation at the Talon.

He had come to pick up his mother from work, but she hadn't returned from a meeting with a supplier yet. Clark shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against a pillar.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the phone call he'd received from Lois the night before. She had thanked him for having her cousin come to visit, but promised that she would get him back- when he least expected it. After that, she had sung Cole to sleep.

When Clark noticed someone coming down the stairs, his mouth fell open in astonishment. He immediately was struck with a strong feeling of déjà vu. It was Lana Lang.

Lana's eyes roamed the room as she descended, and when they met Clark's, her face broke out in a wide smile. "Clark!" she called, hurriedly walking down the rest of the steps and going over to him.

As she came closer, Clark thought about how infatuated he used to be over her during high school. Now, he couldn't imagine anyone other than Lois by his side. Back then, he would have sworn that Lana Lang was his true love- now he knew that the feelings he'd had for her then did not even scratch the surface of what he now knew real love to be.

"Lana, Hi! I had no idea that you were back in town."

Lana was a little surprised that he didn't move to hug her, and her movement into his space faltered when he didn't move from his semi-reclined position.

"Yeah, I, um, haven't been back in years… but I thought you were gone, too."

Clark nodded. "I've only been back a couple of months. So, I heard that you and Jason eloped."

Lana seemed to get uncomfortable at the name. "Not quite. We left together, but never got as far as… there was a side to him that… I found out that he was more involved with the whole Madam Theroux thing than I thought."

Clark's expression became concerned. "But you're okay right?"

Lana brightened. "Oh yes! I'm great! In Paris, I started modeling … did you see any of my covers?" When Clark sheepishly shook his head 'no,' she continued. "Well, I did that and now I'm working for one of the top magazines in the world. My agent has been trying to get me to consider doing some camera work. He thinks I'll soon be able to write my own ticket."

"That's… great, Lana. I'm happy for you."

She reached to smooth her hair. "I, uh, figured that it was time to come back to Smallville for a while. I kind of left without tying some things up… and I was hoping to get the chance to correct a few mistakes."

"Mistakes when you left? You mean like the Talon?"

Lana's eyes narrowed briefly. "Yes, the Talon is one of them." She paused, seemingly unsure of how to continue. "I came here looking for your mom. I wanted to apologize for the way I left… I saw how she's converted the upstairs into office space. I like it."

"Dad doesn't," Clark said, smiling. "He feels that it gives her more excuses to work late. But at least now kitchen table isn't covered with paperwork from the business. If you want to wait a little while, she should be back from her meeting at any time."

"Thanks. I think I will wait."

They were silent for a moment. Lana adjusted the strap of her purse more comfortably on her shoulder. "I was hoping that we would get a chance to talk… do you think we could have dinner?"

"Sorry, I can't. I'm heading to Metropolis tonight."

Lana frowned. "You're living there now?" When she saw his expression as he nodded, her heart fell. "You're living with someone. Is it serious?" She tried not to let her disappointment show.

"We're working on it," Clark answered. Internally, he wondered why it felt so odd telling Lana about Lois. He could sense that her demeanor had changed slightly with the last question. Even though he really wasn't interested in rekindling any flames, he thought that she might be- And though their lives had taken different paths, it was never his intention to cause her pain.

As he stood awkwardly trying to formulate the best way to tell her, they heard a voice calling out, "Daddee! Daddee!"

They both turned to see Cole running from the back of the shop, expertly dodging tables and customers. It was apparent that the tyke spent a lot of time here.

Lana smiled. "Oh, how cute. I wonder whose kid he is."

"Uh, actually…" Clark started, but was interrupted as Cole turned in his direction.

"Dadee! Mi-mi's here!"

Lana turned to Clark with wide eyes. "Daddy?"

Clark bent down to pick up the excited little boy. "Cole, this my friend Lana. Can you say hi?"

Cole turned to see the woman his father was talking to and frowned. "Hi," he mumbled, then kicked his legs to indicate that he wanted to be put down. "I wanna go see Mi-mi," he announced as he hit the floor.

Clark and Lana watched as he skirted around a waitress and headed back in the direction he'd come from.

Lana's mouth was slightly agape. She had noticed the ring on Clark's finger when he'd pulled his hands from his pocket to pick Cole up. She now understood that she had miscalculated. "Too little, too late," she sighed under her breath.

Clark heard the words, but wasn't sure that he was meant too. "What?"

"Oh, nothing… Congratulations! He's adorable… Cole, you said, right? Um… your wife is very lucky." Lana remembered that Chloe had relayed to her that Clark had gone continent hopping after graduation. "Probably no one that I would know, right?" she asked, lightly, hoping to cover her shock.

Clark grinned. "Ironically- you do. You were the first one to see it."

Lana's head tilted as she frowned. She tried to think about what he could possibly be referring to. After a moment, her eyes grew even wider. "Lois?"

He nodded and laughed. "Yep. Amazing, huh? We were complete opposites, but you were right. The best ones start that way."

"I bet… Listen, I, um, better get going…" she stumbled.

"No, wait," Clark interrupted. "Let me go get my mom. She'll want to see you."

Lana sighed and nodded. She was just going to need some time to come up with a different plan. When he was out of earshot, she attempted to calm the green-eyed monster that was beginning to waken. "I've come too far to not at least try. I know what should be mine, and I plan on getting it."

As he walked away, Clark heard her mutter something, but ignored it. The words didn't seem to have anything to do with him.


"That wasn't awkward for you at all? Seeing Lana?" Jonathan asked.

"No. I'm sure that seeing Cole was a surprise for her, but that's understandable," Clark replied, pressing the top down on a plastic food container. He was bringing Lois leftovers from the dinner Martha had prepared.

"I think you should be careful, honey. Lana has become a pretty determined woman in her own right," Martha cautioned.

Clark frowned. He didn't understand what that had to do with him. "I know she has. It's what has helped her get to where she is." He noticed his parents exchange a glance. "She knows that whatever we had was in the past. There's nothing to worry about."

Martha shrugged and changed the subject. "So, you were saying that things are getting better for you and Lois…"

Clark brightened. "Yeah. I decided to lay off her a bit. I didn't realize it, but my freely expressed feelings were actually driving her away. Lois does things in her own time. She doesn't open easily- I should have remembered that from when she was living here, but I guess I was just excited."

He placed the containers into a bag for the trip to Metropolis. "I think I'm going to wait to start up the 'I love yous' again until she's ready to believe me." He was confident that his patience was starting to pay off, as Lois had been more and more forthcoming about what she had gone through over the past two years the more they worked together on the case.

"Talk about determined," Clark beamed. "Did you know that she took extra classes and worked so that she would be done with school by the time Cole was born? Her drive is incredible." Having a baby had spurred Lois to become more focused. She was a thousand times sharper than she had been before- and that was saying a lot.

"Mother's tend to be that way," Jonathan said, smiling at his wife.

Martha returned the smile and moved to kiss him.

Clark watched longingly. He wanted to be able to share such loving interactions with Lois.

Martha noticed her son's expression and smiled sympathetically. "Just give it time, sweetie."

Clark sighed. "I'm trying. It's just sometimes I don't think I can get what you guys have. Nothing seems to go the way I want it to. I have all these abilities, and yet I feel so helpless all the time."

Jonathan walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, Son."

"That's just it! I don't have to. It's already there." Clark's eyes pleaded for understanding. "I can't shake the feeling that I need to be doing something with these powers- but if I did, what chance would I ever have to live a normal life… with a family?"

Clark remembered Lois's comment on sharing people, and he didn't want to rekindle those types of fears in her. If he did, she might close off to him, completely.

"I never wanted to admit it, but the whole Sacred Stones thing was thrilling in a way. I was scared of what they might have meant for my future, but at the same time, it created this expectation inside me. I knew I was chasing potential… and even though it seemed to be more than I could handle- it was going to help me finally understand what all of the craziness of high school actually meant. Instead, the whole thing turned out to be a major let down."

Clark looked from one parent to the other. "In high school, I was able to help people. It was the one thing that made being an alien acceptable. But now, with Cole and Lois… the stakes are even higher. Remember all the times the secret almost came out? I can't risk that now."

Martha and Jonathan could see how torn he was. He wanted a purpose, but wanted to live as Clark Kent as well.

"Maybe the whole thing with the stones isn't over," Jonathan offered.

Clark shook his head doubtfully. In his mind, the stones were history.

Martha shrugged. "Honey, maybe you can still use your powers to help people and not have that be a threat to who you are." Both men looked at her unconvinced, but she pressed on. "Maybe you could wear a disguise or something. That way no one would tie it to you."

Clark frowned and straightened. He'd done the disguise thing before, when he'd run away to Metropolis one rebellious summer, high on red kryptonite. That time, he hadn't been the good guy. Those weren't memories he wanted to discuss. "I'd better go. I'll call you when I get to the apartment, okay?"


A/N: In case you were wondering about the title:

"Now I perceive that she hath made compare
Between our statures; she hath urged her height,
And with her personage, her tall personage,
Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him."

Spoken by Hermia, jealous of the taller Helena to whom her former lover, Lysander, has switched his affections.
--
From Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, act 3, sc. 2, l. 290-3



tbc