Chapter 32

"She's my niece Lo, she deserves the best."

Lois stood between her father and the door, her palms pushing on his chest to keep him from the it.

Clark didn't knock, not quite sure what to do. "Lois?" he asked warily.

"Wait a second, Smallville." She dropped her hands from her father and pointed a finger at him. "You and Clark may get along well, but Jimmy isn't the type to react well to authoritative personnel. He's from the city and doesn't understand these types of things. Be gentle."

"Gentle?" Clark asked with raised brows, exchanging an awkward glance with the General. "Lois, your father almost ripped my head off because I woke him up in the middle of the night. And let's remember, Jimmy likely isn't very lucid."

Her eyes drifted to Clark, who had finally turned towards them. He was right of course. "Okay, I'll go in and talk to Chloe. You two wait out here." Her father was about to pipe up, but she glared at him and opened the door. With her weight balanced on the balls of her feet, she walked into the room and closed the door.

Clark took a few steps back and waited beside the general.

"Today is certainly a day for surprises," Sam said suddenly.

"What?"

"When in the world do I let my own daughter boss me around?" He faced Clark and grinned. "I guess there's too much of her mother in her. I can't stay angry at her."

Clark smiled back smugly, trying not to feel intimated. It was hard, especially being in the vicinity of one of the most powerful men in the military. He thought about listening to Lois in the room, but he was too nervous.

"I know Lois tends to make me out as a monster, Clark, but the truth is I am anything but."

Again he swallowed hard, not able to think of a proper response. "I never got any distinction you were, sir."

"Don't lie to me Kent. I know my daughter and she isn't one to sugar coat her words."

"You're right, but that doesn't mean she hates you."

Sam nodded. "So you said earlier. That doesn't mean there isn't a part of her that resents me."

Clark managed to shrug, his nervousness dwindling away. Talking about Lois was a subject both he and the General were keenly interested in. "She may hold some resentment, but that doesn't mean she hates you. She's just upset that she didn't get a normal childhood."

"And I'm assuming that's one of reasons why you two are suited for each other? Growing up with amazing abilities must have been tough."

"In truth I didn't develop most of my powers until I was in high school, but the strength and the speed were a problem. I was withheld from sports, special activities and anything else social. It wasn't until I played football in my senior year that I felt like a part of humanity."

"There were no suspicions about your abilities on the field?" Sam put both his hands behind his back.

"At one point they thought I was on steroids, but other than that it wasn't as bad as my dad thought it would be."

"I'm glad Lo found a real family."

"Sir?" Clark asked as he looked to the man beside him.

"I'm sure Lois has told you enough times, but she really lacked a family most her life. When I first visited your farm I was surprised that she had taken up a spot in your house, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that she was better off there. Being the overprotective father I am, I tried to take her away, but she fought me every inch. Sure, it had much to do with her cousin's death, but there was something else, a sense of belonging and a place of importance. I think she finally found that home she had been looking for since her mother died."

"I wasn't exactly the best host," Clark said evenly.

"That's likely for the best. She's always been a headstrong woman and she needs a challenge in her life to keep things from getting redundant. From what I've seen you keep her busier than I could ever imagine."

"I do my best."

"Just keep it that way and we won't have any problems." Sam looked at Clark and grinned evilly. When the young man gulped, he let out a loud laugh and slapped his back. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me. As much of a military man I am, family does come first. It may have seemed otherwise when my daughters were younger, and I'm sure Lo has stated that directly, but I dragged them around with me because they were my last piece of humanity. Without them I would have gone insane."

Clark nodded slowly. "I can understand, sir."

"Of course you do. Now, what is this problem between you and my daughter that J'onn had spoken of?"

"Problem?" Clark asked warily.

"Yes. He said something about your ability to feel."

"Oh that, well it's not so bad."

"Really? J'onn spoke as if it was more significant than you might think it is."

Clark frowned and turned directly to the General. "Where are you getting all of this? J'onn's in your head, isn't he?" When Sam grinned again, he shook his head and faced the door once again. When the silence began to envelope them and the door still hadn't opened, he walked away to the fridge. He was in the mood for some alcohol, even if was still morning. Opening up the door he found nothing but orange juice and milk. With a sigh, he grabbed the bottle of orange juice and twisted off the cap. He sat down on one of the stools and took a long drink. If it wasn't for the impending danger that they were about to face, he would have likely used a glass.

"Smallville?"

Clark looked over to the bedroom to see Lois sticking her head out.

"Can you give us a hand?"

"I can help," Sam said quickly.

"No, I don't want you to see Jimmy like this." Her eyes drifted back to Clark, who was lazily putting something back into the fridge. "Hurry it up Smallville," she ordered and closed the door.

He quickly closed the door and stalked over to the bedroom, not bothering to look at the General as he opened the door and entered. As he closed the door behind him he could see the lamp light by the bed on, but the main light was off. He quickly hit the switch and the room lit up, a groan emanating from under the covers.

"Clark!" Chloe admonished as she turned from her kneeling position beside Jimmy. When her eyes finally hit him, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

"Yeah?" he asked as he walked closer to the bed and looked closer at the form under the covers.

"You look, well, I don't really know what to say."

Shrugging, Clark walked into the bathroom to find Lois dampening a washcloth in the sink. "You needed me?"

"Yes. We need your help getting Jimmy out of bed."

"What? I thought hangovers were your expertise?" He grinned as she rolled her eyes.

"He's a little heavy for the two of us and he needs to get up. The General is waiting outside and we have to get both Chloe and Jimmy evacuated."

Clark was about to speak up, but her glare kept him quiet. "Don't you dare include me in that sentence," she said rather loudly. "I'm staying by your side."

"It'll be too dangerous Lois, I couldn't let you be put in harms way."

"Then when this confrontation takes place I will stay by my father's side." When he didn't say anything in return, she twisted the cloth to remove the excess water and tossed it at him. It hit him square in the chest. "Agreed?"

As much as he wanted to say no, he knew better. The fact that she had agreed to stay with her father was a large concession in her mind and he really wasn't in the mood for an argument. "Okay," he replied reluctantly.

"Good," she said with a smile, walking past him and back into the room. Chloe was still kneeling bedside, her hand gently stroking Jimmy's forehead. "Clark's going to haul Jimmy up and then you can help him get dressed."

"I'm not hauling anyone," Clark argued as he reentered the bedroom.

"No time for arguing Smallville. The General is waiting outside."

His vision drifted from Lois to Jimmy, then back to her again. "Fine," he relented, "but you have to go and get some coffee."

"Deal." Los smiled and quickly exited the bedroom, leaving Clark and Chloe alone with Jimmy.

"What's gotten into her?" Chloe asked suddenly as the door closed, her eyes pointed squarely at Clark.

"It's beyond me," he replied. With a sturdy hand he whipped the covers off Jimmy and wrinkled his nose. "Did he puke in the bed?"

"No."

He frowned at Chloe. "Then what is that?" When she shrugged and turned her face away, his eyes went wide. He knew what it was. "Forget I asked."

"Thank you," Chloe replied with a slight chuckle. "Now, can you help me get him out of the bed and into the bathroom?"

"Do you want me to lift him and carry him in, or do you just want me to help him walk?"

Chloe looked at Jimmy closely. Her boyfriend looked horrible, his face white and his eyelids unresponsive. He was breathing normally, but every couple of seconds he'd snort and sniff loudly. "Just lift him up and toss him into the tub."

"With his clothes on?"

"Might as well. Unless you want to take them off?" she asked slyly.

"I don't think so," Clark replied with embarrassment. He quickly picked up the limp form and carried it to the bathroom, his nose still lifted up at the putrid stench of alcohol and flatulence. It took only a few seconds, but he put Jimmy in the tub and left the bathroom. Chloe was in the middle of ripping the sheets off the bed when he exited. "Is that all?"

"That's all for now, but if I need help getting him dressed I'll give you a holler." She smiled again as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I'll get Lois to bring in the coffee when it's ready," he said as he turned the handle on the door and exited the bedroom. He took a deep breath and closed the door, resting his back on it. Sam was at the table, an empty coffee cup in his hands as he and Lois were talking.

Clark quickly went back to the fridge and withdrew the orange juice again, taking a large swig and sighing heavily. The smell of alcohol was thoroughly burned into his nostril lining.

"Stinks in there, doesn't it?" Lois asked as Clark finally took out a glass and made his way to the table with the jug of juice still in the other hand.

"Putrid would be putting it mildly," he replied as he sat down and poured himself a glass. "Once we removed the covers I almost passed out." He took another drink, allowing the sweet aroma fill his nostrils.

"It couldn't be that bad," Lois mocked with a soft chuckle.

"It was bad."

Sam laughed and said. "My niece has had enough practice with this sort of thing. She has held my daughter's hair back enough times to be considered an expert at this." When his daughter glared at him, he grinned back. "It's the truth, isn't it Lo?"

Lois looked over to Clark, who had his eyebrows up in an almost mocking manner, the humor quite evident in his smile. "Don't believe what you hear Smallville, my father has a way of stretching the truth."

"That's not lying though," Sam interjected.

"No, it's not," Lois growled, her eyes still on Clark. His ever growing smile was starting to bug her. She would have spat something horrible, but her eyes caught the coffee pot. The light was off and she sighed heavily, relieved that she had a reason to leave the table.

She quickly filled up a cup and went in the Chloe's bedroom, leaving both her father and Clark by themselves at the table.

Sam watched as his daughter disappeared into the other room, but his vision eventually drifted to Clark, who was still staring at the door. "Something wrong?"

Clark nodded his head as he finally tuned back to the table and fingered his glass. "She's acting a little strange this morning."

"What do you mean by strange?" Sam asked with a worried tone, his hands going around his empty coffee mug.

"I'm not sure," Clark replied weakly. "You'd have to ask her yourself."

"I will." Clark turned his head to say something, but he kept quiet and went back to his glass. In a few seconds, he watched the young man drain the glass and get up.

"I'm going back onto the roof with J'onn."

Sam frowned as he watched Clark leave the room. There was something incredibly complex about the young man, something deeper and more confusing than simply being an alien. There was something in his eyes that hinted at doubt, maybe even fright. He couldn't blame him, but he knew that fear and petrifaction would cloud the mind in the heat of battle. And from what J'onn had said to him, battle was sure to come. The Martian had made it very clear that there was no other alternative.

Lois suddenly exited the bedroom and stopped as she saw only her father at the table, the orange juice still there and a sticky glass also present. "Where'd Clark go?"

"He went back up to the roof."

She nodded slowly and sat down, pouring her father's mug full.

Sam knew his daughter, and although he hadn't seen her in a long time, he knew something was bothering her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lois sighed and put the coffee carafe aside, folding her hands together on the table. "Nothing."

As much as she tired to deny it, he could clearly see by her posture that it was something and something heavy. "I'm and officer in the military Lo. I know when people are lying to me."

She managed to look at him, and instead of his steely demeanor, his face was soft and warm. His eyes hinted at nothing but affection and love, something she swore she would have never seen in this lifetime. "Why are you here?"

Sam frowned at his daughter. "What do mean why am I here? I'm here to make sure this country is safe."

"Don't lie to me! Tell me why you're here." Her voice had risen and her face had turned red.

With a deep breath Sam answered truthfully. "I'm here to make sure no one gets hurt, but especially you."

Lois nodded. "I don't need you to look out for me anymore." She glared at him as her knuckles went white. "I'm a grown woman."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I don't care for your wellbeing. You're still my daughter."

"Then where the hell were you when we were growing up!" she shouted suddenly, causing her father to stiffen. "Where the hell were you when mom died? I haven't seen you in almost two years and then suddenly you waltz in here and start acting like you're my dad!"

"Lo, I-,"

"Don't call me that!" she demanded. "You have no right to call me that. You're lucky I've let you do so for so long. The only person who is allowed to call me that is my father, and he's been dead for years." She got up and stormed to the fridge with the jug of orange juice in hand. She opened the door roughly and slammed it back in.

Sam sighed heavily and stood up, following her to the kitchen and keeping his distance. He stood on the other side of the counter and looked defeated. "I don't know what I can say to make things better."

"You can't," she replied as she calmed down quickly, closing the door as softly as she could. "You've been out of my life for so long that I almost forgot you existed. Then all of a sudden you pop up here after Clark asks for your help."

"Don't blame Clark, he only did what he thought was best."

Lois managed to laugh, but it was a bitter and unremorseful one. "I don't blame Clark for anything. I blame you. You lost your chance to be my father long ago, now you're just simply my dad. Father is something you earn, but after mom died you let it slip away. I can never forgive you for that."

Sam hung his head in shame. He knew full well she felt that way about him, but hearing it come from her mouth was more painful than any gunshot he had taken in the heat of battle. "I'm sorry."

"It's not enough."

"I know, but I just wanted you to know. I'm sorry about the way I treated your sister and you, sorry for the way I raised you. Everything painful that has happened to you is my fault, no matter how much you may not want to believe it. I raised you like a soldier, but somewhere in there I stopped being your father and for that I will forever be sorry for. I know I can't make things right, but I can try can't I?"

Lois turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "You had your chance then."

He was about to say something else, but as he stared at her stiff back he could tell that her frustration wasn't merely about him. There was something else to it. "What's wrong?" he asked suddenly, walking around the counter and laying a hand on her shoulder.

She quickly jumped forward and way from his touch, turning around and glaring wildly at him. "Don't touch me!"

"What is it?" he asked softly, not avoiding her eyes for a second. When her gaze dropped to he floor, he knew for certain it wasn't just about him.

"Nothing," she replied meekly, her eyes still on the floor.

"This isn't just about me Lo, it's something else."

"No it's not."

Sam straightened and put on his mask of authority. "Quit being stubborn!"

"That's your fault!" she shot back as her eyes narrowed. When her father's face softened and his lips curled into a smile, she did the same. "Sorry."

"No, you don't have anything to apologize for. You're stubborn because of me. It's not your fault. Plus, it's not a bad thing."

"So Clark has told me."

"Ah, Clark," Sam echoed with a soft voice.

"This outburst is really all about him isn't it?" When his daughter looked back to the floor like a scolded child, he smiled and walked back behind the counter and sat down.

Lois nodded slowly and replied. "It's not all about him. I have wanted to get what I just said off my chest for so long. This morning you were acting all out of character and I couldn't believe it, but I accepted it. It started to eat away at me and I just had to let it go. It's been a long time coming."

"I know, Lo. It had to be said eventually. Your sister has done it already, but then again she was never quite as stubborn as you are." When she smiled slightly, he couldn't help but grin.

Lois leaned on the counter in front of her father. "So you found Lucy?"

"I did."

"How is she?"

"She's fine. I managed to settle the legal matters and got her into a prestigious school in Europe."

"How?" Lois asked with a surprised tone. "I thought you couldn't afford it?"

"I have significant resources, but I spend them wisely. I made your sister promise me she would stay out trouble. The first go around was a test, same as your first attempt at university was a test."

"Test?"

"Yes, it was all a test."

"So I can go back to school if I want to?"

"Only if you want to."

Lois pondered it for a second, but came to her decision rather quickly. "As much as I'd like to go back to school, I don't think it would do me any good."

"I agree."

"You what?"

"I agree with you. You have always been one who learned best through experience and hands on training. School would just be a waist of money for you. Your sister on the other hand does very well in school. That's where she will learn everything she needs to know, but I know you Lo. Everything you need to learn is out here in the real world. You run into things headfirst and learn a lesson or two when you come out of it."

"Do I get that from mom or you?" she asked.

"Me. I joined the army when I was eighteen and even though they offered to send me to college, I refused. I knew myself well enough that it would do me no good. I like to get my hands dirty rather than exercise my eyes reading twenty-four hours a day." When his daughter smiled and nodded her head, he went back to his original question. "What is it about Clark that has you so upset?"

Lois looked to the counter, purposely avoiding her father's eyes. She hated showing weakness in front of Clark, but in front of her father it was more than doubled. It took her a few minutes, but she finally gave in to the sinking feeling in her stomach and looked up to meet his eyes.

"I'm scared."

When her eyes fell back to the counter, he sighed and said. "It's normal to be afraid. This situation is frightening even me."

"That's not what I meant."

Sam frowned until she looked up at him again, tears evident in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked softly, much like any father would. It was hard to show such emotion himself, but it was his daughter and he had told himself he would make an effort to be a part of her life.

Lois took a deep breath. "I'm afraid that everything Clark and I have built will be ripped out from under me in a second. I'm afraid that the man I love is going to die and I'm going to all alone." The tears began to flow steadily as she buried her head into her arms on the counter. "I can't lose him. I can't."

As quickly as he could, Sam walked around the counter and lifted his daughter up off of it and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. He knew how hard it was for her to open up, to show emotions that she would rather have hidden, but he knew everyone had a breaking point. His daughter's was the same one he had suffered so many years ago. She loved Clark more than life itself, the same love he had lost when his daughters were only children.

She clung to him for dear life, crying on his shoulder as he smoothly stroked her hair like a loving father. "It will be okay. Clark will come out of this alive and without injury. I promise you."

Lois pulled back slightly and lifted her head to meet his eyes. She could have sworn she saw moisture within them, but her own vision was rather blurry. "How can you promise me such a thing?"

He quickly pulled her head back down into his shoulder as her racking sobs began to lessen. "I lost your mother and I know how much it hurts. I loved her more than life itself, but ever since that day there's been a hole in my heart that just won't go away. I will not let my daughter, whether it is you or Lucy, live with something like that. I will do anything I can to make sure you never have to feel that pain, that emptiness that will haunt you for the rest of your life."

"I'm so sorry," Lois whispered as a few more years fell down her cheeks and fell onto her father's shoulder.

"Shh," Sam whispered as he held onto her, letting her cry out all her frustration and pain. "I know I taught you to be tough, to hold things in and stick up for others, but that doesn't mean you can't allow yourself to be afraid. Trust me, holding in pain is the worst thing you can do. I've been doing it since the day your mother died and look what's happened."

"I've distanced myself from you and Lucy, making you her surrogate mother while I swamped myself in work. There's not a day that goes by that I don't hate myself for what I did."

"It's not completely your fault," Lois replied as she continued to cry on his shoulder. She hated to show such weakness around him, but it was a moment where they both let themselves feel open and free. If it was the only moment they would ever share for the rest of her life, she was going to milk it for all she had.

"There you go again, Lo. You're trying to make me feel better, even though you know it won't work."

"Sorry," she said as she finally disengaged herself from his arms and wiped away her remaining tears. She blinked a few times to make sure the fountain works had stopped. Her father's eyes were bristling with moisture, but not a single tear fell down his cheek. Even without tears, just the expression on his face was enough to shock her to the core of her being.

"There's no need to be sorry Lois." Sam blinked a couple times to remove the moisture in his eyes. "Whether you not you like it I'm your father and I just want what is best for you. If that means me hugging you and letting you cry on my shoulder, that's what I'll do. We've both been hiding our emotions for so long that we were about to lose each other completely. Clark brought it to my attention that it didn't matter what had happened in the past, but told me that what was important was the future."

Lois shook her head a smiled ruefully. "Smallville knows what it is like to lose a father. It doesn't surprise me at all that he spoke to about this. That man cares more than anyone I know."

Sam nodded but said. "I think you may be the only one who rivals him. He may show it more openly, but deep down you feel just as much as he does." When his daughter wiped her eyes again, he grinned. "You really love him, don't you?"

"More than life itself," she replied.

"Then don't be afraid to show it. Bottling up that fright does you no good. Why do you think I let you stay with the Kent's? They were the structure of family that you needed, and although it made me incredibly jealous that you had found a family that you could feel comfortable with, I let it happen because I knew it was what you needed. You wouldn't believe how many times I wanted to ride in there in a helicopter and drag you around with me from base to base, but I loved you too much to do that to you again. For the first time in my life I wasn't afraid that something might happen to you."

She shook her ahead and laughed suddenly, causing her father to frown.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just that anyone who seems to spend any time around Clark ends up becoming a sappy wuss." She smiled as her father grinned widely.

"I think that's because in the presence of such greatness, it makes you take a step back and reexamine the life you've led. Clark is set on a path that he cannot stray away from, a path that a lesser man may have run from, but he's accepted his role in the world. He may have had a choice to ignore his destiny, but he accepted it because it was for the greater cause. I have infinite respect and admiration for a man that puts himself ahead of others."

"That's part of the reason why I love him," Lois interjected.

"That's probably one of the many reasons he loves you too. As much as you might be ignorant of it, you two parallel each other."

Their little moment ended as creak could be heard and Chloe stuck her head out of the bedroom door. "I'm bringing Jimmy out, and uncle, please be easy on him."

"I will," Sam replied with a laugh as he watched his niece duck back into the bedroom.

"He's a really nice guy," Lois said.

"I bet he is."