chapter 8. another martha-lo convo. it's once again full of plants, easter eggs, etc. some are blantantly obvious.. some aren't. but fun nonetheless ;)
so, here we go...
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Author: Alison
Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB/CW, AlMiles, etc., etc., etc. I only own the plot and a framed pic of myself and British actor James D'Arcy hanging out last month at the Nashville Film Festival together. That's right, my friend. Framed.
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Chapter 8
She squinted in the morning sunlight as she lay in her bed, the covers pulled close to her chin. Her sleep had been screwed up lately. She couldn't sleep in nearly as long as she wanted anymore. The thoughts swirling in her head wouldn't let her. They interrupted her sleep and kept her awake.
But last night was…
She buried her face in the pillow and sighed.
She saw another side to him last night. And she was grateful once again that he'd shown up unannounced at her tiny apartment late at night.
Rolling over on her back, she took a deep breath.
That's when she noticed it.
Her eyes popped open even wider as she furrowed her brow. She knew that smell. She knew it very well.
Coffee.
Did she make some in her sleep again?
It'd happened before.
She threw the covers to the side and swung her legs over. Should she grab her bat?
But what kind of burglar breaks in and makes coffee?
Placing both feet on the floor, she pushed herself up off the bed and slowly made her way into the kitchen, stopping just in the wide doorway.
She couldn't believe it. But there she was, her long auburn hair down her back, holding a mug of coffee in her right hand while she studied the picture frame in her left.
But what was she doing there?
She never did get that lock fixed on the door.
She cleared her throat and slowly walked further into the room.
"Mrs. Kent?" His mother turned and smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Lois. Good morning. I hope you don't mind," she gestured to the coffee pot on the kitchen counter, "but Chloe said it's the thing to get you up in the morning."
Chloe said? Okay…what was going on?
"No, Mrs. Kent, it's fine. But," she shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to make sense of the older woman standing in her kitchen so early in the morning, "why are you here? Is everything okay?"
There was a long pause as Mrs. Kent stared, smiling at Lois.
She suddenly felt like adjusting her pajamas and smoothing down her hair. Her eyes shifted warily as Mrs. Kent sighed and looked to the floor, then slowly raised her head, looking her straight in the eyes.
"We need to talk, Lois."
Okay. Now it was really weird.
Everything couldn't have been alright. Was someone hurt? Was someone dying? Missing? Was it Smallville?
Lois hesitated before opening her mouth, something rarely done, but necessary as his mother stood unannounced in her tiny apartment that morning.
"Okay... Do you want to sit?" She motioned to the barstool at the island as Mrs. Kent nodded, setting the picture back on the table. Lois turned and reached in the cabinet for a coffee mug, pouring herself a cup as Mrs. Kent sat at the island. She sighed as she turned to face his mom. "So…"
"Lois, I'm here for two reasons this morning. And…I do want to apologize for just barging in, but…I just had to talk to you."
Why was there a sinking feeling in her gut?
Was this about last night? They didn't do anything. Nothing happened. Well…not that it would. But…
"It's okay, Mrs. Kent. Don't worry about it."
Mrs. Kent smiled, looking up from her still steaming mug of coffee.
"I want to thank you, Lois."
"Thank me? For what?"
What had she done to deserve thanks?
It was too early to be confused.
"For Clark. He's…happy. He's not…he's not uh…back to his usual self, but…he's happier than he's been since before…"
Mrs. Kent swallowed hard, looking back down at the coffee cup, the words still difficult to say.
Lois' heart broke. Who did Mrs. Kent have to turn to?
Sure, Clark had Lois, but…err..
No, no. He didn't have her. He just…he could… Well…
They had talked.
But Mrs. Kent, she hadn't talked to anyone since his death. Lois mentally kicked herself for not being there for his mother, too.
Lois set her mug on the counter and walked around to the woman. It was almost instinctive now between them. She reached for Mrs. Kent and pulled her into a hug. She closed her eyes as Mrs. Kent sniffed into her shoulder. Lois had to bite her lip to keep her own tears from forming.
"Lois, I--"
"I know, Mrs. Kent. I know."
How had they done it? How had this family sneaked into her heart and stolen it?
She wasn't sure. But somehow…they had. And she was grateful.
Lois pulled away, gently rubbing Mrs. Kent's shoulder as she wiped away the tears and smiled.
"I don't know why I do this. Some days are better than others. And some days…I just break down. The slightest thing will set off the tears."
Lois smiled. It was as if Mrs. Kent could read her mind.
"There's no need to explain, Mrs. Kent. Trust me, I know exactly what you mean."
She glanced over at the table to the picture. Some days were better than others. She was thankful today was one of those good days.
Mrs. Kent sighed softly as she rose off the barstool, turning around and walking back to the coffee table to pick up the picture.
"Lois…there's another reason I'm here."
Was this the bad news? Did she give her the good news first?
She crossed her arms and took a deep breath, waiting for whatever his mother had to say.
"Okay. Are you sure everything's alright, Mrs. Kent?"
Mrs. Kent turned around and smiled at her. She didn't have the beaming Kent smile. No, what she had was that knowing mother's smile. Lois was almost getting used to it. Almost.
"Don't be afraid, Lois."
"Afraid? Afraid of what?"
Her mind raced with possible things she shouldn't be scared of.
"Of him."
Oh.
Not what she was expecting…
"Mrs. Kent, I--"
"Lois. I know my son pretty well. And I've grown to know you. And…all I'm saying is…I think you both need each other right now more than either of you will admit."
Um.
She took a deep breath and stared at his mother.
This was the one family in the world that could render Lois Lane speechless.
Mrs. Kent set the picture down on the coffee table and grabbed her coat off the sofa. She walked to the door, grasping the knob and pulling it open. She paused and turned to look at Lois.
"And Lois?" Lois looked up, dumbfounded that someone actually said out loud the words that'd been ringing silently in her head for the last few days. "Take today off. I'm sure you'll find… something to do." His mother gave one last knowing smile before closing the door behind her.
What just happened?
She stood there, motionless, the words still echoing loudly in her mind. It was too early to be thinking this much. She glanced up at the picture on the coffee table.
She studied it for a moment. Then, she smiled as it all finally began to click.
Even after all those years, her mother never failed to guide her.
