"Where's Mamaw?" Lilly asked.
"At work but she's going to take you out to the movies this evening."
"Oh boy! I want popcorn," she responded.
"Jason, finish this last bite of baby food."
The baby opened his mouth and ate it. He fell asleep in the car seat Clark had brought almost immediately. He couldn't believe Chloe had guessed the baby's name. She said she had a little help from someone's intuition but she hadn't said who's. He had gotten hopeful that the intuition had come from one of Chloe's college friends, who would turn out to be the kids' mother but Chloe assured him that it didn't and couldn't be in a million years. He had to find the mother of-
"Daddy?"
"Don't forget our game."
"Clark? Can I have a drink of your coffee?"
"It'll stunt your growth. Your chocolate milk is just fine."
"Mommy would let me try coffee," she mumbled under her breath.
Then she saw someone behind him and yelled, "Mom-"
Clark covered her mouth with his hand. His wife and the mother of his children was in here? He sneaked a quick look behind him. Sitting at the table directly behind him was a cute redhead. She had pretty green eyes and freckles on her nose. She was studiously reading a book. He was one lucky man or he would be.
"Lilly, Mommy wants to play the first name game too," he said removing his hand.
She gave him a funny look but yelled, "Lois!"
That was odd that he would marry someone with that name after knowing Lois Lane. He turned to see if the redhead heard Lilly and that's when he spotted Lois selecting her morning muffins. He followed Lilly's gaze and saw that she was indeed looking at Lois Lane.
"Lois!" she said again trying to get up but Clark held her down.
Lois looked their way with a puzzled expression. When she saw Clark with the kids, she got an evil smile on he face and you could tell that she was going to stop by the table when she was finished to laugh at Clark's problems or two problems to be exact.
This had to be a dream. No. It had to be a nightmare. He pinched himself. He was awake. He felt nauseous.
"Hey, Smallville. I'm glad to see you're hanging out with people on your own level," she said, as she sat down on one of the chairs.
Lilly reached out to hug Lois.
"Put those sticky hands in your lap, little girl!"
Lilly obeyed and started to say, "but-"
"Didn't your mother ever teach you manners? Children should be seen but not heard."
Clark looked at Lilly. She was acting like a trained puppy dog around Lois. He felt sorry for her. Her eyes were shining with admiration for her mom and craving for her attention, as she watched Lois' every move.
Lois pulled a muffin out of her bag and began to eat.
"Don't you have to get to work?" Clark asked.
"Your mother's always insisting I take breaks to eat and not come in so early, so that's what I'm doing. I was going to eat at the office but it's not every day I get to eat with a farm boy and his two evil munchkin relatives."
He could never get her to leave. That must be why he ended up marrying her. If you can't beat them, join them.
As much as Lilly respected her mom, she couldn't stay still and quiet for too long, "tell me one of your poems."
Lois almost choked on the coffee that she had stolen from Clark.
He thought for a second that he saw a look of shock and embarrassment on her face but it must've been his imagination.
"Look, young lady, I don't know where you got that idea but I don't write poetry or anything else for that matter, so you better shut your mouth."
"She's right, Lilly. I know Lois very well and she hates writing papers, articles, or any of that stuff. You have to be talented and sensitive to write poetry."
Lois gave him an angry look.
"But you do! Sometimes you hide it in a box but sometimes you write poetry for me and brother and you write it for Da-I mean Clark."
Lois began to turn red and not from anger but actual embarrassment.
"You know what? On second thought, I have a long drive."
"Don't go, Mommy!"
Lois got even more uncomfortable at being called that.
"I ha-have to go. I-I," she stuttered, "bye!"
She grabbed her muffins and stumbled out the door.
Clark was in a state of shock himself. Lois Lane wrote poetry. Poetry about him? He would marry her 10 times to know what it said. This also meant that he had been wrong about her. Somewhere behind that gruff exterior and the sarcastic remarks was a woman with feelings. A woman he would come to love and have kids with and she had just run out the door to escape them. So he knew there was a woman out there for him, but how was he going to get her to bond with him and the kids now. He had only completed one of the three tasks. Maybe he should start checking into colleges for the kids because it didn't look like they would ever go back.
Lilly had gotten up and was hugging him.
"I'm sorry, Daddy. You didn't lose Mommy. I love you," she sounded as though she was close to tears, "and I'm sorry I was so mean to that lady and specially you. I just missed Mommy."
"I know. I love you too."
He looked down at her. For the first time, he saw she had Lois' green eyes but she hadn't completely inherited Lois' personality. Sure they both talked a lot, had too much energy, they were impulsive, but Lilly was much more open to what she and others were feeling, whereas Lois stuck to facts and truth. Neither way was bad, as long as it wasn't taken to extremes. He wanted to get to know more about his children now and surprisingly, Lois too. There was more to Lois than what there appeared.
TBC