"Dad."
Clark felt little hands nudging him awake.
"Dad." Alex pushed Clark harder, trying to wake up him.
Clark sat up in his bed, and focused his attention on his son"Hey, you're up early." 'Like always' Clark thought. Clark had quickly discovered that his son was a morning person, up before seven most days.
"Dad, you're on T.V." His son laughed, still urging Clark to get out of bed.
"Really" Clark laughed, not really taking his 2 year old son seriously.
"Come see" Alex ran out of the room and Clark followed him into the next room. Clark saw the TV was on already. That was like Alex, he was so mechanical, and he had to figure everything out and do it for himself. He had learned about 2 months ago how to turn on the TV and radio, and what buttons did what.
"Look" Alex jumped around, laughing.
Clark finally focused on the TV and saw it was the news. His son hadn't just been saying random two year old babble, Clark really was on TV. But he looked like he was 17 in the piece they were running.
"...Lionel Luthor is going to be approaching the parole board at the end of this month. As many of you can remember he was convicted for shooting his youngest son, Clark Luthor..." Clark listened to the anchorman. He saw them show footage of his trail, him testifying and another clip of him coming out of the hospital after his gun shots wounds. He certainly didn't want his son watching this; Alex might not understand what they were saying, but he could see Clark on the TV as they read off his medical injuries and showed graphic pictures of them.
Clark turned off the TV, as his son looked up at him with big eyes"Dad... you have an ouwy." He referred to the injuries he had seen on his dad.
"No, I'm fine." This was exactly why he didn't want Alex watching this.
"Nu uh" Alex protested as he ran up to Clark and lifted his shirt, searching for the gun shot wounds he had seen on TV.
"But..." Alex looked very upset.
"Are you hungry" Clark distracted him, and picked Alex up, giving him a piggy back ride to the kitchen.

2 weeks later

"He is acting like a brat, and you know it." Clark said, referring to their son.
"I know, but what are we supposed to do" Lana had tried everything, but Alex wouldn't start behaving better.
"Move in with me." Clark said immediately.
"Clark..." Lana said, turning away, they had discussed this at least a hundred times.
"Lana, come on, he is throwing these temper tantrums for a reason." Clark said.
"Yeah, I know it's hard for him going from house to house but... I can't move in with you." Lana said, thinking of her parents.
"Why not" Clark said frustrated"Okay, I understood at first, but you were 17 then, not 19, almost 20, like you are now. You are going to have to move out sometime."
Clark was right, but the tone he was using made her want to object"Well that's not the only reason he is acting out, and you know it."
"It's a big one." Clark felt very irritable, he wanted his son and girlfriend to live with him, it would make everything easier and it was only natural. But no, Lana would object and continue living with her parents.
Lana felt like she was being blamed and was quick to throw it back"Well if you wouldn't spoil him so much, he wouldn't think he could do whatever he wants."
"I'm only giving my son things to make him happier." Clark said defensively. So what if he bought him a few toys every now and then?
"It's not just that, Clark." Lana found herself equaling up to Clark's bad mood"You don't enforce my rules when he is at your house! You let him do whatever he wants, and then you wonder why he won't behave when he comes home"
Clark felt Lana touching on one of his nerves. She was calling him a bad father, and in so many words, blaming him for their son's tantrums... it hurt him a lot, he always feared he would mess up his child. He really didn't feel like he was hurting Alex, and it made him so angry that Lana would say something like, especially when she knew how worried he had always been about that subject.
Lana felt a tinge of guilt at her words, but it was true and it was going to come up some time or another, but maybe she shouldn't have said it as an accusation, but Alex was her son too and she was also responsible in raising him right.
"Don't blame me for this." Clark said angrily"He behaves fine with me"
"Of course he does" Lana lost any guilt she felt before. She wasn't letting Clark pin this on her"How can he misbehave if you don't have any rules"
"If you don't want to move in, Fine" He yelled"But don't use your parents as an excuse, you aren't 17 anymore, you aren't in high school any longer. And fine, maybe you're right. If you don't want to move in with me because you think I'm a horrible father, then just say it." Clark felt really hurt.
Lana never ever meant it like that, that wasn't the reason at all; she didn't think Clark was a horrible dad"Clark, no... that isn't why."
"Whatever." Clark barged out the door.
Lana felt hot tears streak down her face.

Lana woke up the next morning. She felt a little better. Maybe Clark regretted their fight as much as she did. She didn't want to fight with him, and she knew they had to talk. There were a lot of issues they had never discussed, and bringing them up in a fight wasn't smart.
Lana knew Clark was right, she shouldn't be making judgments on what her parents thought anymore, and if she wanted to move in with him, then she should. Even though she did think it would be better if they lived together, not only for their son, but for their relationship, she knew she had to discuss some rules with Clark, because they had to agree on a way to raise their son. The way they had been doing it before wasn't right, and Alex's behavior was proof. Sure, it had worked out so far, but now Alex was getting older, enough to think and see how he could manipulate situations. Clark had to stop spoiling Alex so much. If he wanted to buy him things, fine. But there had to be a limit, and Clark had to enforce the same rules on Alex as she did.
"Mom, is Alex with Dad" Lana asked Martha, seeing Alex wasn't with her, or in his room.
"No, Clark picked him up half an hour ago, didn't you know" Martha asked concerned, well aware of their fight the previous night.
Lana felt such anger towards Clark. It wasn't the action, she never minded him taking Alex, it was the meaning behind it, the fact that he didn't even bother to tell her. He was bringing their son into this fight, and that wasn't right. He had no right just to take Alex without saying anything to her"No, he never said anything to me."
Lana was quick to dial Clark's cell phone number, one she knew by heart.
"Hello" Clark answered.
"Clark, where are you" Lana asked, her tone showing she was angry.
"I'm at the zoo." Clark said in a normal tone.
"Clark, how could you take Alex" She got to the point.
"What? Now I'm not allowed to take me own son out" Clark asked defensively.
"You know that's not what I meant. You just took him without saying one word to me." She challenged.
"I told your mom, you were sleeping." Clark replied.
"Clark, after last night... you know... you shouldn't be bringing Alex into this. Getting him to choose sides." Lana could hear her little boy laughing in the background.
"I'm not." Clark's voice now showed a bit of anger"I wouldn't do that." Clark was angry that Lana would accuse him of that. It felt like another jab at what a bad dad he was.
"Clark, we need to talk." Lana said.
"Fine." Clark said coldly.
"When you come by to drop Alex off, we'll talk." Lana said matching his cold tone. She soon heard a click and dial tone. He hadn't even said goodbye, but then again, she wasn't expecting him too.

TBC...