Chloe checked the address on the sign with the address she had plugged into her GPS. This was definitely Lois and Richard's new place. It was a pretty and scenic spot being next to the water and the house looked pretty nice too. She knocked on the door.

"Whoa," Chloe said when she saw Lois, "you look skinnier."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Sorry, I couldn't meet you at the airport," Lois told her as she shut the door. "I know you want to see the baby right away, but he's asleep. The poor thing is only 2 weeks old and he has asthma. He hasn't been sleeping too well."

"I remember you telling me he had asthma on the phone. You wouldn't think so, would you?"

"No, but I'm glad he didn't inherit any powers."

"What makes you think he won't later on?"

Lois looked at her curiously. "Wouldn't he have them from birth?"

"I don't know, but we don't know that Superman had all his powers as a baby, do we? I'm just saying be prepared. He might be a teen before he gets them."

"I hadn't really thought of it that way. Well, what do you think of the place?"

Chloe took a good look around her. "It looks very nice. How can you afford it?"

"I got 10,000 from winning the Pulitzer Prize. I should win them more often, but the main reason is Richard's family is wealthy and insisted on buying us a place to live."

"Where is Richard?"

"His parents stopped in for a short visit on their way to Paris. They're out having dinner."

"How are your potential in-laws?"

"Snobby and boring. I don't blame Richard for some of his faults now. Apparently, the restaurant they went to doesn't allow babies. They're a couple of baby haters. I bet Richard was raised completely by a nanny."

Chloe smiled. "How is he liking the baby?"

"He makes a good father."

"So what was it like?"

"What?"

"Labor."

"It was worse than you could possibly imagine. I'm still having nightmares about the pain."

"Didn't you get drugs?"

"No. I was too far along. My fault I guess, but I had to finish that article."

Chloe laughed. "You were working on an article while you were in labor? Are you nuts?"

"I must be. I don't recommend it because it was a bad idea. Always go to the hospital at the first sign or you might not get an epidural."

"I'll keep that in mind. Was Richard in the delivery room?"

"No, I didn't want any friends or family in there with me in case the birth turned out to be unusual."

"I'm guessing your dad and sister know you're engaged and have a baby though."

"Yeah. Lucy thinks it's cool. The General wasn't pleased, but he accepted it."

The baby began to cry.

"He's definitely a Lane with that loud cry," Chloe remarked.

"You want to go see him?"

They went into the nursery, and he stopped crying as soon as the nursery door opened.

"He's a quiet baby for the most part. He really only cries when he's by himself," Lois said, stroking the light brown fuzz on his head.

"He's got the prettiest blue eyes. He has to be the most beautiful baby in the world," Chloe said.

"Of course he is," Lois said with motherly pride. "You two want to bond while I get some fresh air?"

"Sure," Chloe answered, taking him out of the crib. After she had examined his tiny hand and feet and spent some time cooing over him, she said, "I don't know about you, Jason, but I want to see what your mommy's up to."

Chloe stepped outside, Jason still in her arms, and saw the tiny light from Lois' cigarette. Lois saw them and threw it to the ground and stamped it out her with her foot.

"Fresh air, my foot," Chloe said. "I can't believe you took up smoking again."

Lois took Jason. "It's not like I was smoking when I was pregnant, and I don't smoke around the baby."

"Your mother died of lung cancer. Do you want Jason to lose his mother to cigarettes too?"

"Don't you dare bring my mother into this. It's not like I'm trying to commit suicide. There are easier ways to do it. I had to take up some kind of addiction. My life is stressful right now and I figured smoking was better than drinking. I'll try to taper off."

"Does Richard know you've picked up smoking again?"

"Why are you always asking what he did or thinks? He's not happy with it, but I'm a big girl and it's my decision." The expression on her face said the conversation was over.

sss

Chloe stayed for a week and helped take care of the baby, which wasn't an easy job.

Chloe observed Lois and saw there was something different about her. It was like a little of Lois slipped away every day. She went through all the motions of being Lois, but it wasn't the same. She had lost her vitality. The spark in her eyes was gone. It wasn't motherhood or postpartum depression, at least she didn't think so. It was Clark Kent. Clark's absence was making her this way. Chloe felt bad about it, but it was starting to make her not like Clark a little bit, whether the situation was intentional or not.

Chloe was reluctant to leave at the end of the week, but she had to let Lois live her own life. The only person that could've really helped Lois was light years away.