Title:
Being here
Author: Emy2005
Summary: Clark returns after 2
months on the Artic and what he finds… well, you'll have to read
to find out
CLOIS!
Spoilers: Season 4
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or
the characters. I'm just a poor college student having fun with
them.
It's my first fanfic, guys, so please be kind. And don't forget to review!
Chapter
1
Clark walked around the Fortress again. It had been two
months ago that he had discovered this place, and there were still so
many things left to explore and understand. Everything there was to
know about Krypton was there: the way they lived, their technology...
how the planet was ultimately destroyed and how his parents had sent
him here hoping that their son would survive and make a difference to
the people of Earth. Not how Clark had always thought: his father
hadn't meant for him to conquer, he had meant for him to serve. And
now, looking at the statues of Jor-el and Lara, two people he had
finally begun to consider as parents, he reached a conclusion: it was
time to go home.
Clark stopped on the front door of his house. He had been shocked to see the house look so different. There was a new bright red roof and the house seemed to have just been painted. He was starting to feel guilty again about leaving his parents all summer without checking to see if they were okay after the meteor shower, when he heard a familiar voice coming from kitchen. He peered through the window and saw the last person he was expecting to be there.
But there was something about Lois that seemed different, apart from her hair being shorter and a little darker. She was talking to his mother and she didn't look agitated, or sarcastic, or had on her face any of the looks he had grown accustomed to seeing her throw him. She looked serene, almost sad, beautiful. Startled by the fact that he had just thought of Lois Lane as beautiful, he remembered that he had been staring at her for several minutes. He decided it was time to go inside.
As he opened the door and entered the kitchen he saw two shocked faces looking back at him. His mother got up and ran to hug him. Lois stood still.
"Clark, honey, oh my God, I was so worried! Are you okay?", were the first words out of Martha's mouth.
"Yeah, I'm okay, mom. Sorry for not coming back sooner", he said, not looking her in the eyes and glancing at Lois, so his mother would understand that what exactly happened to keep him from coming back sooner was not something to be discussed in front of Lois.
Turning to look at Lois, Clark said, smiling: "Lois. I wasn't expecting to find you here." And when she didn't say anything he continued: "So, how was Europe? Ran out of people for you to annoy there?"
"Clark.", his mother said in a serious tone.
"It's okay, Mrs. Kent." Then, turning to Clark, "I didn't go to Europe, Clark. I felt like I was needed here more." And when Clark opened his mouth to try to fix what he had just said, she added in a tone that lacked sarcasm, that wasn't flirting like it used to be, "It's a good thing you came back. People were worried about you, Clark.", and she headed upstairs.
Clark felt upset about what he had said, especially because he thought if he had been there, Lois wouldn't have thought she was so needed and she wouldn't have missed her trip. But strangely enough, what kept coming back to his mind was how she had said "People were worried about you, Clark.", like she wasn't one of those people. And he didn't know why he cared.
"Sit down, Clark. I'll get you something to eat.", his mother said, trying to bring him back from his thoughts.
"What happened, mom? I mean, the house looks like it was recently repaired, the way Lois said she was needed here more... And where's dad?"
At the mention of Jonathan, he saw his mother stiffen.
"Mom?"
"When we were leaving the farm, before the meteor shower, we ran into Jason. He wanted to know about the stones, wanted us to tell him where they were... but of course we couldn't tell him anything. But before he could really hurt us, a meteor crashed into the house. It hit Jason. He was killed instantly."
Clark listened in shock. Nobody deserved an end like that, not even Jason. "What about you and dad?"
Tears were forming in Martha's eyes, "Your father jumped over me, to protect me. He was severely burnt. I don't know what would have happened if Lois hadn't gotten here when she did!"
She was sobbing and Clark stood up and hugged for a long time, blaming himself for everything.
When Martha's sobbing subsided, Clark finally asked her: "Where's dad?"
Martha, rubbing away the rest of her tears, answered that he was still in the hospital, but that he was doing much better, and wasn't on the Intensive Care Unit anymore.
"I don't know what I'd have done without Lois. I was so worried about your father and about you. I felt like it was last summer all over again, and I didn't know if I had the strength to go through it all another time. But Lois stood by me during everything: she would come to the hospital and bring me something to eat, because she knew I wouldn't think about eating, and she would stay with me and try to take my mind off of everything that was going on, while still comforting me, and giving me hope that I would have my boys back. She was running The Talon by herself, because I couldn't concentrate on anything else. When you arrived, I was telling Lois that she should get her life back, that it wasn't fair that she was putting her life on hold just because of us. Her father was really mad at her for not going to look for Lucy with him. He came here to talk to her and bring her with him, but she said she couldn't leave. He asked her how she could just turn her back on family, and she answered that that was exactly what she didn't plan on doing. They haven't talked to each other ever since, and it's all my fault."
"No, mom. It's all my fault. I should never have just left you here. I should have known better by now."
"Where were you, Clark?", Martha asked, not mad, just tired.
And Clark told her everything. How he got the stones together, how they became a crystal when united, how he found himself in the middle of the Artic, and the fortress that appeared when he threw the crystal.
When he finished explaining what was inside the fortress, Martha was overwhelmed. All she could say was: "How did you get back?", to which Clark answered "I ran." Martha couldn't believe it: "You ran all the way here from the Artic?" Clark shrugged sheepishly. "What else could I do? Fly?".
Just then, they heard a noise upstairs, like something really heavy had fallen on the floor. Martha started moving towards the stairs when Clark stopped her. "I think I should go, mom. I owe her an apology… and a thank you."
To be continued
