The 45-minute drive to Smallville was extended by at least 20 minutes due to having to stop at a crossing for a freight train to pass. Clark's comment that the train would "Take as long as it takes," Irritated an already frustrated Lois to no end. Finally, the last car of the train had passed, the crossbars rose, and they were on their way again. Since it was on the way, Clark pulled off at the Irig Farm to get a jump on their investigation. Unfortunately, the woman who they were confronted with was supremely unhelpful and sent them on their way.

"Well that was a waste of time," Lois huffed, sliding into the passenger side of the car.

"Just a minor setback, Lois," Clark reminded her as he started up the car, "My folks probably know where Wayne went. They're probably already in town for the carnival, we can stop by the house if you want to change into something more comfortable before we head into town." He noticed the odd look Lois gave him, "Let me guess, you just packed business suits?"

"Well, we are here on business, Clark," She pointed out, "And I didn't only pack business suites, I brought pajamas, too."

"Lois, unless it's escaped your notice, we are in the country," Clark pointed out, "People around here only pull out their suits for church and weddings."

"Well it's all I've got," Lois pointed out, "Besides, you're still wearing your suit, well aside from your jacket, that is."

"True, but I was going to change at the house," Clark gave her a half smile, "Never mind, let's just get into town see what we can find out."

It was another half hour drive through farmland and along back roads to get into the town proper. To Lois' amazement the town square was filled with people roaming from vendor booth to vendor booth, playing carnival games, and stopping by the gazebo where a rotund older man looked to be flipping burgers. As they walked along, she heard calls of husk-offs starting, and a cornbread walk that would be later in the day. What she didn't expect was for her partner to suddenly stop and get a wide grin at his face.

"Rachel?" He trotted over toward a woman in a sheriff's department uniform.

"Clark!" The woman practically leapt into Clark's arms as the two embraced, "How've you been?"

"Busy," Clark sighed, "Followed in your dad's footsteps, huh?"

"Hey, don't let the uniform fool ya," Rachel lightly protested, "I can still dance circles around anyone. I'll prove it to ya if you come to the barn dance tomorrow night. If for nothing else but old time's sake."

"Sounds good," Clark smiled.

"Barn dance?" Lois inquired, walking up behind Clark.

"Sorry, Rachel Harris, meet Lois Lane," Clark introduced the women before turning toward Lois, "Lois, this is Rachel Harris, or I guess Sherriff Harris now."

"Yeah," Rachel shrugged, "When dad retired, no one wanted to run against me, so I won by default."

"Did you and Clark grow up together?" Lois asked looking between the two locals.

"More or less, Rach was a couple years behind me in school," Clark shrugged, "Her older brother, Pete, was one of my best friends."

"He also saved my bacon by taking me to the senior prom," Rachel added, "I was just lucky he'd come back to town from college to visit his folks and heard that Joey Ferguson had dumped me for Lisa Lang three days before the prom."

"I was in town for a cousin's wedding and still had the tux," Clark shrugged, "No big deal."

"Well, he was my hero, and don't let him tell ya different," Rachel stated with a definitive nod, "So, how long have you been a thing?"

"Oh, we're not together," Lois shook her head.

"Lois is my work partner at the Daily Planet," Clark explained.

"We're here on assignment," Lois added.

"Business trip, strictly professional?" Rachel gave them a knowing look.

"Speaking of," Clark spoke up, trying to cut off whatever Rachel was thinking, "Have you seen or heard from Wayne Irig lately?"

"No, can't say that I have," Rachel shrugged and shook her head, "But you know how much he's kept to himself since Lucile passed away."

"Yeah," Clark nodded sadly, "Well if you hear anything, could you let us know? We're trying to get to the bottom of what they're doing out at his farm."

"Will do," Rachel agreed before noticing another of the small town's denizens, "Oop, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. Lois, it was nice to meet you, we'll have to meet up and swap stories later. Clark I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it," He agreed the large grin back on his face.

Lois watched the interaction trying desperately to ignore the feeling of jealousy coiling deep in her stomach. "Took her to the prom, huh? Just swooped in the save the day?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal," Clark tried to shrug it off, "Hey why don't we go get something to eat, let you experience the local hospitality?"

"I'm not really hungry," Lois brushed off his offer, "I think I'll just keep looking around."

"You know what your problem is?" He challenged, "You can't stand how normal it is here."

"'Normal?'" Lois rolled her eyes, "Yeah right, small towns are known to be full of creeps and weirdos. See that guy at the grill over there? I bet he is secretly a crossdresser on the weekends."

Clark followed her line of sight to the man serving people from the grill and tried to suppress a laugh only to be distracted by another person calling his name.

Lois heard the woman's call, too, and turned in time to see the excited smile that spread over her partners face as he saw who was calling to him.

"Mom!" He loped over and swept the older woman up in his arms until her feet barely touched the ground.

The woman then turned, noticing Lois behind her son, "Oh, you must be Lois!"

"That's me," She shrugged, "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Kent."

"None of that Mrs. Kent stuff, it's Martha," The older woman scoffed, "Clark talks about you so often it feels like your already family. You are just as pretty as he described you." Martha turned to her son, "It's okay that I said that, right?"

"That's up to Lois," Clark shrugged.

"It's fine, and thank you, Martha," Lois smiled.

"Well you two must be famished," Martha looked between the two young adults, "I bet you haven't eaten since before you left the city, why don't we go get you something to eat?"

"I'm not sure that's such a great idea," Clark teasing hedged, "Lois is concerned that the cook is a crossdresser."

Martha turned toward the grill and laughed, "Oh my goodness," She laughed, "That's Clark's Dad, Jonathan. I can barely get him to buy that kind of stuff for me, let alone himself!"

"I was just using a random person as an example," Lois looked as uncomfortable as she felt, "Really."

"Oh, Jonathan is going to love that!" Martha laughed as she guided Lois and Clark over to the grilling station to get something to eat.

Sure enough, Jonathan found the story amusing and then followed up by saying he didn't know anyone like that, but whatever a body did in their own home was their own business, long as they weren't hurting anyone by doing it. After their meal Jonathan and Martha went back to what they had been doing before their meal break, Jonathan to the grill and Martha to the face painting booth. Clark and Lois began their trek through the townsfolk, stopping here and there as people recognized Clark and wanted to chat, and asking anyone who might know where Mr. Irig had gotten off to while his property was been excavated.

As the sun started to set, the festivities began to wind down for the night as people started heading home so that the children could get sleep seeing as it was a school night. Clark informed Lois that the events on Friday and Saturday nights usually ran later into the night. The writing duo walked over their rented convertible and Clark brought the top up, explaining that the road to his parent's home was pretty dusty. Climbing in, Clark started up the ignition and pulled out onto Main Street, heading out of town the way they had come. About 15 minutes later, Clark turned and traveled down a long dirt road with fields on either side which eventually gave way to a cozy two story farmhouse. As Clark turned off the car and began to pull their bags out of the trunk, Lois saw an old brown pickup pull up to the house.

She smiled softly at the chivalry displayed by Jonathan, who made his way around the front of the truck as soon as he'd killed the ignition to open the door for his wife, something you didn't see much of in Metropolis, unless you knew Perry White who was raised on southern hospitality, something he was trying to instill in Jimmy. The older couple both grabbed grocery bags of corn and other items from the bed of the truck and nodded for the younger two to follow them into the house. Since Clark insisted that he had their luggage, Lois grabbed her purse and briefcase from the car and joined the older Kents on the porch where Martha was unlocking the door to let them all in.

As they entered the living room, Lois caught sight of a painting which looked to be a piece of modern art with the squiggles, shapes, and splotches of color. Martha, who had gone through to the kitchen to put down her grocery bag returned and noticed Lois looking at the art piece.

"What do you think?" Martha asked hopefully.

"I like it," Lois gave her an unsure smile, "What is it?"

"It's a bowl of fruit," Martha's tone made it clear that it was meant to be obvious but was hurt that Lois didn't recognize what the painting was. Regardless, she put the unintended slight behind her and pressed on, "Lois you'll be in Clark's old room. Clark, you're on the couch, that is unless you two are…"

"The couch is fine, Mom," Clark assured her.

"I'll go get the bedding for you," Martha smiled, now in full-on hostess mode. She noticed Jonathan going to take a seat on the couch near where Clark and Lois were now sitting, looking like he was about to ask something. She wasn't quite sure if he was intending to bring up what Wayne had dropped off with them the other day, but figured it probably should wait until after Lois had gone to 'her' room before mentioning it to Clark, "Jonathan, why don't you help me?"

"It's just some sheets and a pillow, Martha, I'm sure you can manage," Jonathan protested.

"Now, Jonathan," She insisted, grabbing his arm, and pulling him toward the linen closet.

"So…" Lois started, "This is where you grew up?"

"Not quite what you expected from this trip, huh?" Clark smirked.

"Let's see, over the course of the last six hours, I've managed to insult both your parents and be mistaken for your girlfriend on multiple occasions," Lois recapped blithely, "Nope, not at all what I'd thought this trip would be."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Clark protested, "My dad thought it was pretty funny, and to be honest, Mom's art is a bit of an acquired taste. It's one of her newest side projects, she starts a new hobby every couple years, has since I left for college. As for the other thing, would it really be so bad to be thought of as my girlfriend? I mean, yes I know you're dating Luthor but…"

"Oh, no, I um… I broke that off a few weeks ago," She admitted, "Not too long after we did our story on the Metros. It just wasn't a good fit, to be honest it was a pretty weird relationship from the word, 'go.'"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Clark nodded, the tone of his voice making it clear he wasn't sure if the breakup was a good thing or a bad thing.

"It's okay," Lois shrugged, "Lucy was pretty happy when I told her though, she said he gave her the creeps. Which makes sense, now that I think about it because, while I don't know for sure, I'm fairly certain he is about the same age as my parents. There was no reason to want a relationship with me unless…"

"Unless he was trying to manipulate you so that you didn't notice the man behind the mask?" Clark suggested.

"Maybe," She shrugged, "I still don't completely see why you have such a distain for him, at first I thought it was jealousy but…"

Clark was saved from having to say anything else when his parents returned. Jonathan was carrying the bedding and pillows for Clark to use while Martha invited Lois to follow her up to Clark's room.

"Clark would you mind grabbing Lois' bag?" Martha requested as she guided the younger woman toward the stairs.

"When you're done with that, meet me in the barn," Jonathan spoke low so as to not be heard by his son's writing partner, "They aren't digging for pesticides up the road."

Clark nodded his understanding before doing as his mother had asked. Martha was getting Lois settled in the room when Clark arrived, suitcase in hand.

"The sheets are fresh, towels are on the dresser," Martha pointed to where a stack of towels sat, neatly folded, "And Clark's old alarm is by the bed if you need it. If there is anything else you need, just let one of us know, Dear."

"Thanks Martha," Lois smiled at the older woman who took her leave. As soon as she was out the door, Lois groaned, "Oh I forgot to ask her if there is anywhere in town to send or receive a fax."

"I'll make sure the fax machine is on when I get downstairs," Clark assured her, "Perry has the number if they need to send anything to us."

"Your parents have a fax machine?" Lois eyed him skeptically.

"It's kind of become a necessity nowadays," Clark shrugged, "What with contracts between farmers, producers, factories, and the bank there's a lot to keep up with."

"Good to know," Lois sighed, "Well, if you'll excuse me, it's been a long day, I think I will at least get ready for bed, maybe read a little bit before getting some sleep."

"Alright," Clark nodded, "Well, goodnight, Lois."

"Good night, Clark," She gave him a small smile as he left the room, closing the door behind himself.

True to her word, Lois set her bag on the chair by Clark's childhood desk and opened the bag, pulling a pair of pajamas from her suitcase. She normally didn't wear the full-on pants and button-down shirt pajamas for bed at home but thought that a drafty farmhouse in the middle of autumn might warrant the warmer set of sleep ware. She quickly changed and pulled a pair of warm socks before grabbing her book, and guilty pleasure, which was a trashy romance novel complete with the Fabio-esque male model on the front cover. She was well into the book when she heard a panicked Jonathan cry out for his wife.

Going to the window, she watched as Martha ran to the barn and emerged several minutes later with her husband, both supporting Clark who seemed to be struggling to move under his own power as they made their way toward the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of her, as it usually did, as she pulled on her slippers and quietly made her way down the stairs and toward the kitchen. As she got closer, she heard the sound of a pop and glass breaking as Martha let out a startled gasp. She heard Jonathan ask Clark how he was feeling and Clark's unsure answer. When Jonathan pressed his son for a more definitive answer, Martha pointed out that Clark had never experienced illness before.

When Lois shifted on her feet to be able to see around the door frame, the floor beneath her feet groaned in protest, alerting the Kents to her presence. Deciding it was best to just reveal herself, she stepped out of her hiding place and gave the first excuse that came to mind, "Sorry, I thought I heard the fax machine," She shrugged then noticed Clark who was an odd shade of grey, "Clark, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Clark assured her, "Just allergies.

"They always hit him hard when he comes home," Martha caught on to the cover story.

"Real bad this time of year," Jonathan finished up.

"Well I tried to warn him," Lois shrugged before placing the back of her hand on his forehead, "No fever; you feel normal."

"I am normal, Lois," Clark shrugged, "I'll just take some antihistamine and get some sleep, that should help. You should probably get some sleep too, we're a little behind Metropolis here, but it's been a long day for the both of us. I'll let you know in the morning if something comes over the fax, there's nothing we can do about any information we get until the morning anyhow."

"Well alright," Lois agreed, "Feel better. Good night Jonathan, Martha."

"Good night, Dear," Martha gave her a warm, maternal, smile as she turned and headed back up the stairs to try and get some sleep.

Lois heard the family talk a moment longer before two sets of feet could be heard climbing the stairs, one heavy, and one lighter, then walking down the hall past her room. Finally, she saw the hall light turn off and heard the door at the end of the hall open and close indicating that Clark's parents had likewise gone to bed. Settling back in the bed which, remarkably still smelled like Clark, not that she paid any particular attention to how he smelled, and for the first time in a while was able to drift off to sleep quickly. Her last thoughts dwelling on Clark's sudden illness and hope that he would be able to recover soon.