"Ah come on dad, I just want to watch this for a few more seconds." Laura pleaded as her father had now take a hold of her arm with a hand and was attempting to drag her off from the attention grabbing large screen plasma screen that was being displayed within the front window of a store upon the sidewalk they were walking down. It wasn't the TV itself that had her attention but what was being shown upon it, a news report on the failed bank robbery that Superman foiled.
Clark shook his head. "Laura, you already know what they're going to say." He stated while looking back over his shoulder at her after having finally succeeded in dragging her away and resumed walking towards the Metropolis Plaza.
"I know." Laura sighed while falling into step beside her dad and then looked up at him. "But I like hearing the stories anyways." She stated while giving him a small smile. "But I like the ones that you and mom write for The Daily Planet. They always seem more personal in how they're presented." Laura explained while looking ahead of herself.
A grin tugged upon Clark's lips after hearing this little piece of praise his daughter had offered his and her mother's journalism. But it wasn't just because of that all-together. No, he was also smiling because of the admiration his daughter had for his secret identity as Superman, something she was still within the dark about. Maybe this would be the right day to final tell her the biggest family secret of us Kents. But the burden, would she be able to handle knowing that her father and all the people that surround her are superheroes and members of the Justice League? Clark exhaled quietly to himself, but that didn't mean it wasn't unnoticed by Laura. She may not have the super-hearing that her father had, but she knew when her dad was in a personal debate with himself and was loosing on either end. Clark noticed from the corner of his eye, the look of sympathy his daughter was half glancing at him with.
Looking down at Laura, Clark offered a smile to her. "Something wrong sweetheart?" he asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Laura returned while tilting her head to the side a bit.
Clark reached out a hand and tussled her dark hair where the bangs started seeing as how the rest of it was tied back into a ponytail. "You've always been able to see right through me, and you don't even need x-ray vision." He stated while grinning as she batted his hand away from her hair before trying to then fix the mess he had created.
"Yeah well, you're just transparent dad." Laura commented after fixing her bangs so that way they were resting flat instead of all askew and fly away. "And after having lived with you and mom for nineteen years now, I've come to pick up on the sudden changes in your mood and what they mean." She added in as an after thought to just prove her point.
Shaking his head while a laugh escaped his mouth, Clark couldn't help but grin at this. "You know I think your godfather's personality is just rubbing off on you." He stated, but then after seeing the look on his daughter's face to this comment, he almost regretted saying it. "I meant as far as his way of picking up on things faster than most people can." He quickly tried to explain.
It wasn't that Laura was upset over hearing this; it just surprised her that in some way she seemed to have resembled her godfather. Quirking a brow at her dad, Laura only smirked a bit at his near flustered state. "You okay there dad?" she teased while patting him on the arm.
Clark only gave his daughter a mock glare before grabbing her with his arm and pulled her into sideways hug while they walked. "Yes I'm fine, thanks for asking." He replied in mockery of her teasing question. "So, you never really did tell me or your mother what you want for your birthday." Clark pointed out while changing the subject as they continued to walk down the streets of downtown Metropolis.
"I don't know what I want." Laura explained while leaning on her dad as they walked. "I mean, well, besides a car, but I can get around Metropolis by just taking the buses and stuff. So, I don't know." She mused while actually trying to think of something her parents could get her. Frustration was starting to set in as Laura couldn't think of anything and finally she gave a whining whimper while burying her face into her dad's side. "I don't know!"
He chuckled at his daughter's frustration over the whole thing about a present and what she wanted for her birthday. Giving her a squeeze, as she was still in his sideways hug, Clark looked down at her now up turned face with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry too much about it Laura. I'm sure your mother and aunt probably already found something for you, and of course there's also tomorrow when everyone else will bringing you gifts for birthday and graduation days." He pointed out. "I just wanted to know what you wanted, so that way I wouldn't be in the dark." He smiled.
Laura smiled back and then looked forward again as they were coming up on the Metropolis Plaza finally and immediately spotted her aunt Lucy standing out front near the large water fountain that stood at the middle of the large cement court yard that led the way towards the plaza itself as it sat further back from the street. "Dad look! There's aunt Lucy!" Laura stated while pointing the tall brunette out before taking off at a run towards her aunt and called out her name.
As Clark watched his daughter run off towards her aunt, who after hearing her name called out turned and waved at her niece with a huge smile on her face, he continued to think of what it was he could get for her birthday. There had to be something she didn't have or really wanted and didn't know it herself, Well Laura was never really one who wanted material possessions like most kids. But there has to be something she's not thinking about outright that she really wants…Clark found his thoughts coming to a stand still as he stopped in mid step about halfway towards where his sister-in-law and daughter stood talking with one another before Laura turned towards him and waved for him to hurry up. That was when it struck him like a bolt of lightning; the front of her shirt had given him the genius idea of what to finally give her. My S-shield, why didn't I think of it before? It's perfect.
"Dad, come on!" Laura called out to him while crossing her arms over her chest and started tapping her right foot, a habit she had clearly picked up from her mother over the years.
"Yeah, come on now Smallville, you walk any slower and the rest of the world will pass you by." Lucy added in while grinning as she spoke.
Clark smiled back at them both as he started walking towards them. I only hope it's what she wants.