Older Clark heard older Lois drive up to the house and went to greet her. Little Lois was right behind him.
She jumped out and practically shouted, "Have you seen, Clark?"
"You lost him? You're in big trouble," little Lois singsonged.
"Where did you see him last?" Clark asked.
"You're not going to believe this. I'm not sure I even believe this, but little Clark can run fast."
"How fast?" Clark wanted to know.
"Darn fast. So fast I didn't even see him running."
Clark didn't know what he was going to do. Lois had seen his younger self develop super speed. How was he going to explain that away?
"It's a side effect," little Lois spoke up.
"Excuse me?" she said.
Clark caught on. "It's a side effect to the time travel. The speed comes and goes. Lois here was zipping around the farm earlier."
"It was cool," little Lois said.
Older Lois studied them for a few seconds. She knew herself well enough to know when she was lying. Clark was hiding something and little Lois was helping him cover it up. Whatever it was, it must've been serious for someone as honest as Clark to lie. She wouldn't press the issue. She would wait until Clark trusted her enough to tell her.
"We have to find him. If I was Clark, where would I go?"
Both Lois and Clark directed their gaze to the barn.
"I'd better go talk to him," she said.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," he said.
"Relax. I know what I'm doing," and she headed for the loft.
He was curled up on the couch and staring blankly at the wall. She sat down, too.
"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
No answer.
"I do like you. If you were older and still liked me, who knows?"
"Do you think I'm a freak?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You saw me run real fast. It's not normal. It's the first time I've ever done that. What's wrong with me?"
"I don't know, but I know it doesn't matter. You are a sweet and wonderful kid. There is not a freaky bone in your body. You're going to grow up and do great things."
"You think so?"
"I know so. Hey, your mom made some homemade apple pie and ice cream the other day, your favorite. You want to get some?"
He nodded, and they went inside the house. Lois was starting to see that maybe he didn't have the completely carefree childhood that she thought he had. She was beginning to understand him more.
The 4 of them (or two of them, depending on how you chose to look at it) sat down to pie and ice cream.
After they finished, young Clark wanted to know if he could talk to young Lois for a little bit. The kids went off into the other room.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you still like Mr. Kent?"
"I might. Do you still like Miss Lane?"
"Yes. Do you think after we grow up, we'll still like them?"
"Maybe, Mr. Kent."
"I hope so, Miss Lane. I would kiss you on the cheek, but I don't want us to have a baby."
"Me neither. I think it's safe for us to hug though."
They hugged each other.
"Awww!" Lois said, peeking into the other room. "If that wasn't us in there, it'd almost be sweet."
"Should you be spying on them?"
"How can you spy on yourself? They think kissing makes babies. Should we explain the birds and the bees to them?"
"No. Kids lose their innocence fast enough these days."
"Isn't that the truth? Even preschoolers don't believe that the stork brings babies. I blame television."
"It's 9:53. Are you ready to go find the time machine?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
sss
They parked the car about a mile from the mansion and walked over. Breaking in wasn't hard with all of older Clark's special abilities. He used his x-ray vision to find the room with the machine in it, he used his strength to break in, and his heat vision to destroy the camera. Older Lois never questioned all the 'luck'.
The machine was very simple. There was a keyboard to type in the name of the person, date, and location. There was one button that sent them back and forth. The information hadn't been taken off since Lex used it, so all it took was pushing a button.
"Lois, before I go, I just want to say you're not such a bad person to grow into," young Lois told her older self.
"Thanks, I think. Are you guys ready?" she asked.
They nodded and with a push of the button and colorful lights, they were gone. Clark destroyed the machine and since the parts in it were so rare, it couldn't get made again. Lex's plans were foiled.
Clark and Lois left the mansion without a problem and started heading for the car.
"I'm going to miss Lois," Clark said.
Lois offered him her hand to shake, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lois, granted a little older but still Lois."
Clark smiled and shook her hand, "Nice to see you again after all these years."
"Weird, isn't it?" Lois asked.
"What?"
"That we never got the new childhood memories."
"Maybe we dismissed it as a dream and didn't bother to remember it or maybe it was just the way the machine worked."
"This is going to sound like an odd request, especially this late at night, but do you want to go to the park with me?"
"I'd love to."
A little later, they were swinging on the swings.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could just swing right into the sky and touch the stars, Clark?"
"Maybe we can one day."
They laughed and began a competition to see who could swing higher just like a couple of little kids.
The End