"Lana Lang, how nice to see you," Lois said, lying through her teeth. "Are you visiting as well?"
Any hope she held that the baby was not Clark's were quickly dashed as Lana smiled. "I live here. I go by Lana Kent these days. Honey, would you pull out a chair for me?"
He went to her side like a trained puppy and moved it out. She sat down as if it were a great accomplishment. She didn't doubt the last trimester was hard, and it might have been jealousy talking, but she felt Lana was milking the dramas of being pregnant for all it was worth, petite though she was.
It did cinch one thing in her mind. He couldn't be her Clark. She'd seen him just last night. Lana was nearly nine months along, and there was the whole how had he gotten a Smallville police car. It didn't do much for the invisible knife sticking out her chest, but it helped a little.
It was hard to accept that he would have gotten with Lana in any world, but what made it even worse was that she and her Clark had been trying to have a baby after being reassured by Dr. Emil that it would be safe. The baby wouldn't gain strength until he was exposed directly to yellow sunlight.
Theoretically, they had known they should be able to conceive. The fact that he was biologically compatible and genetically similar had been why Jor-El had sent him here, but no one from Krypton had ever conceived a child with someone from Earth. Until now that is. She didn't know whether to be ecstatic that it was possible or heartbroken that it should have been her that was pregnant.
Martha said grace, and they sat down to eat as if this wasn't an awkward, tense breakfast.
Trying to make niceties, though she should be trying to figure out how to get back to her world, Lois asked, "How long have you two been married?
"Six years. We were married right here in Smallville in Clark's home church." Though Lana looked at him with a lovey-dovey look, she was happy to notice Clark didn't even return Lana's gaze.
"How sweet," Lois said, trying not to throw-up her eggs. They'd had their wedding in a cathedral because they'd had so many friends from Clark being a part of the Justice League that a small church wouldn't have held them all. It had been a beautiful church though and an even more beautiful ceremony.
There was more uncomfortable silence. Lois hated herself for asking, but she just couldn't stand uncomfortable silences. "What are you thinking of naming the baby?"
"Clark Jr.," Lana said without hesitation.
For the second time that morning, she choked on and spewed her orange juice.
Clark was up out of his seat again, patting her back while Lana giving her the evil eye for stealing his attention.
"I hope I didn't leave any seeds in there," Mrs. Kent said with a frown.
"No, no," Lois said, catching her breath. "The orange juice is fine. I guess I'm just struggling with swallowing." It was finally starting to make sense to her when Lana had said Clark Jr. It was her prediction come to life . Did saying something like she had create another world? Somehow, she strongly doubted it though she couldn't be sure.
"In fact," Lois said, standing up, "I think I'm going to go. I have other things to see to."
"Don't go," Martha said at the same time Lana said, "It was nice seeing you again."
Mrs. Kent meant it. Lana didn't. Clark simply stared at her as if he were trying to remember something.
"I really must," Lois said.
"I'll walk you to your car," he said. He beat her to the front door so fast, she'd swear he'd used his super speed to keep her from protesting though she wouldn't have.
With typical small-town manners, he walked her all the way to her car door.
"This is going to sound strange," she said, "But look at me. Really look at me."
He did, and she knew he was her Clark. She couldn't say how other than souls were better indicators of the personhood than the body, and somehow she could see his soul in his eyes, in his looks. because she knew and loved him so well. It's how she'd known he wasn't Clark Luthor when he'd come back from that world.
And she was back to square one, but at least she knew the answers were somewhere in this world.