Chapter 5

June 17, 2021

Metropolis

Clark returned to find Lois in bed and Lara asleep on the couch. He changed and as he crawled into bed, Lois awoke. "How did it go?" she asked sleepily.

"Good…very good, in fact." He rolled to his side. "I see Lara's stayed. I'm glad that she did."

"Yes; she was exhausted. I think she said that she had gone without sleep for about a day." She yawned. "We were talking and before I knew it, she was sound asleep." Gradually emerging from her sleep, she rolled onto her side to face him and pressed him for details about his meeting with Pete.

"At first, Pete was reluctant to believe that Lex would be involved in something as dangerous as ordering the murder of a Supreme Court Justice or launching a nuclear attack on China. But once he listened and thought about it for a while, the three of us went to the private library where the video file was kept. We all watched it. I think that's what convinced him that everything I told him would happen if he didn't intervene."

Lois suppressed a yawn. "So you saw it? Was it pretty convincing?"

"Uh huh. There was no question about it. The only thing that you couldn't tell was who the other man in the room was."

"Oh my God, I wish I could have seen it. That's real history you witnessed, Clark." She lay quietly for a moment, imagining what the video revealed and how Pete felt seeing it. "It's good that you knew where the file was. I'm sure that helped dispel any doubts he had. Did you mention his assassination?"

"Yes, and I told him I would not let that happen. So we'll see how things transpire from this point on."

"I hope he's going to have the Justice Department take control of the video file?"

He nodded. "Yes. He's going to have them come and make recordings from the private server it's on. He said he didn't trust the Attorney General so he was going to replace him and his deputy before they make recordings though. He also said that he would prohibit anyone other than Lana from accessing that room until the copies were made and at least one of the copies was in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman and Vice Chairman. According to what Pete says, neither of them is particularly fond of Lex Luthor."

"Wow. It sounds like Pete knows what he's doing."

"Pete mentioned one more person that he wanted to provide a copy of the file to: your father."

"The General?" she gasped.

"Yes. Pete felt that your father was an unimpeachable patriot who would ensure that no matter what, the file would never be lost. But I told him giving it to your father would put you too close to the danger and I asked him not to do that. He understood and found another former general that he trusted just as much."

She sighed, reached out and touched his cheek. "You did good, Smallville. This is another one of those times that the world will never know what you prevented."

"You know, once Pete alerts the Justice Department, I'm going to have to find a way to stay out of work for a while," he said. "Can you think of something? I want to nearby to keep an eye out."

Over the years since he shared his secret, Lois was in charge of making excuses for him. His inability to find convincing reasons to disappear or be absent for extended periods when something major demanded his full attention had pressed Lois into duty as his cover. She had a natural proclivity for developing logical and believable excuses. Scooting closer, she put her arm across his shoulder, pulled herself close and kissed him. She smiled. "Oh, I'll come up with something. I know; I'll say that you hurt your back."

"Hurt my back? How?"

Lois snickered, wriggled out of her nightgown, pressed her body against his and re-engaged his lips without another word. Clark rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him in the process. He ran his hands through her thick dark locks, pulling her deeper into a passionate kiss. His hands began to wander down her sides and Lois moaned as she began writhing and grinding herself into him. Within moments they began silently making love, careful not to awaken either of their two sleeping daughters that shared the same name.

June 18, 2021

Washington, D.C.

The White House Press Corps had been alerted the day before that the press conference scheduled to announce the President's nominee for the vacant Supreme Court Justice position would be postponed until 3 PM on Friday. The significance of a Friday afternoon press conference was not lost on the media veterans in the room. The spoke quietly among themselves prior to the President's arrival, postulating that some fatal flaw had been found in the President's choice and that no nominee would be named. Friday afternoons had long been the moment of choice for announcing politically embarrassing, disappointing or just plain bad news.

Pete arrived at the podium after the Press Secretary made some preliminary remarks. To his right stood two men that were unknown in the high-visibility world of the Washington Beltway. He introduced his nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy; a federal circuit court judge from Arizona named Raymond Diaz. He then announced that Attorney General Justin Peaks and Deputy Attorney General David Slater had submitted their resignations the day before and that he was tapping Kansas State Attorney General Stephen Nielsen to serve as the nation's 'Top Cop'. The President followed up by saying that Attorney General Nielsen would select his own Deputy Attorney General.

The announcements left the mainstream media outlets floundering, fumbling for information about Pete's Supreme Court nominee and his Attorney General appointment that were so far below the radar that no news outlet had any relevant information about the men. As the picture became clearer over the weekend, both choices appeared to be exceptional men of high character and ethics.

Clark and Lois watched the press conference on their computers at work, periodically stealing glances at one another with satisfied grins. As the conference ended, Lois sat back, laced her fingers behind her head and smiled. "I hope this means that Pete's put a definitive end to Lex's grand scheme."

He nodded. "I think he's definitely derailed it for a while. If I know Pete, both of these choices are good men and I'm sure over the coming weeks, it will prove what a good judge of character Pete is and define the standards his administration will maintain."

"So does that make him a bigger target?"

"Is there a bigger target than the President of the United States?" He shrugged. "I think once Pete gets the AG on that server in his library, Lex is going to be busier trying to save himself than trying to eliminate Pete."

"I hope you're right."

He paused. "I'm still going to be flying cover for Pete and Lana though."

Lois nodded. "As I told you the night before last, you did good, Smallville." She smiled adoringly at her special husband. "Now, let's get finished up here and go to home early; we should celebrate. You take Lara and Mom to the farm and you, Elle and I should go out to dinner. We shouldn't send Elle back to the future on an empty stomach."

"Hmm," Clark said, cocking his head and nodding. "That sounds like a good idea to me. What do you have in mind?"

"Are you kidding; steak, Farmer John…a good one too. Something nice and thick with a loaded baked potato!"

"It's nice not having to wonder if anyone recognizes you," Elle commented, cutting off a bite-sized piece of almond-crusted flounder.

"If you find anyone staring at you," Lois replied, "it's only because you're so attractive." Elle smiled, embarrassed by the compliment. "You are! If things were different, you'd have a career in TV or movies."

"She looks just you, Lois," Clark offered.

"Maybe a little; but she's far prettier. Those eyes of hers are just incredible." Lois cut a slice from her thick USDA Choice New York Strip. "Any woman would kill for those eyes." She popped the slice of medium rare steak in her mouth and chewed.

The dined in the small but upscale bistro that they last visited the day the JL surprised Lois with a baby shower. It was private, dark and too expensive for the Kents to dine at regularly. Tonight was a celebration for them; the three of them. Getting the future back on track and preventing the death of his childhood best friend was worth the cost to Clark. They all felt confident that the actions taken over the last two days would definitely preserve the future that Lois had learned about over two years ago.

Clark quietly watched the two women. To him it was like watching Lois and her doppelganger. Their subtle mannerisms, appearance and ease with which they interacted made them seem like sisters rather than mother and child. Although he had not spent nearly as much time with Lara as Lois had, it was clear that she brought out something in their daughter that had been dormant for some time. Lara laughed at stories Lois shared and grew more animated in conversations about life, work and love.

It was equally interesting to note the dissimilarities between the two. Lois was brasher, had an amazing sense of humor and was nowhere close to being as reserved as Lara. Lois was passionate in life and Lara was not. He realized that the difference was a result of Lois not being in Lara's life long enough to pass on those traits. It caused him a moment of self-evaluation. Lara was the product of his influence on her life. He couldn't help but wonder what Lara would be like with Lois there to raise her alongside of him. How much different would she be and how much more similar to her mother would she be?

Regardless of the outcomes in the future, Clark made a pact with himself that he would never let his own grief or his purpose on Earth result in Lara being ignored or relegated to merely a responsibility.

"Are we boring you, Farmer John? You're sitting there like one of those Easter Island statutes." Lois declared and Lara snorted. "Look alive, Smallville," she said and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "This is supposed to be a celebration."

Clark grinned. "No; I'm just enjoying listening to you two."

"Well get in the game, Clark!" she chided. "I'm sure there's something you can contribute; maybe about fixing a tractor or something." Lara burst into laughter. When she did a strange expression crossed his face and Lois noticed it immediately. She couldn't put a finger on what it meant but something had affected him and she shifted gears. "Tell her about the time when we first met!" She grinned mischievously and bit down on her lower lip.

"Oh yes; please! I've heard that story," Elle said excitedly, "but not for a long time. It was something about Mom having an accident in the corn field and you rescuing her?"

"Who told you that tall tale?" Lois blurted out.

"Father did."

Lois cocked her head. "It sounds like revisionist history to me. Huh!" She wagged her head. "It appears that there were some details omitted in the version you got." Clark smiled sheepishly. "Go ahead, Honey, you start and I'll fill in the details that you may have forgotten."

"I can't remember ever laughing so much," Elle announced when they returned to the apartment. "I'm going to hate returning to the future."

"But isn't there someone special waiting for you back there?" Lois asked.

Elle nodded. "Yes, but I can get back to him any time. There's something special here too."

Clark put an arm around Elle's shoulders. "I know this is what you've missed most of your life, Lara. Hopefully things will have worked out the way they should have and when you return, you can take off that ring and all the memories of the life you've had will be pushed away by memories of a better past." He kissed the top of her head. "The future is your time though, not here. There's too much potential for you to do something that will alter the future in a negative way if you stay."

"Can't she stay the weekend, Clark? We can go to the farm where she won't have to interact with anyone outside of the family." Clark took a deep breath.

"I was hoping to go to the Daily Planet for just a little while," Elle added. "I wanted to meet the people that I've heard of for years but never really got the chance to see."

"You've never been to the Planet?" Lois asked.

"Not when all the characters were there. I've been there recently but all the people you talked about tonight; Perry White, Cat Grant and Jimmy Olsen…none of them were there." She looked at her father. "I'd love to meet them. I've heard about them my whole life but…" she trailed off.

Clark frowned but Lois intervened. "Clark! If we've learned anything in all this it's that she can control herself. She watched me get killed and didn't intervene. I don't see how meeting a few people would change the course of history."

"That's just the problem; you don't know how it could change things. I don't think it's a good idea, Lois." He looked at Elle. "We can spend the weekend at the farm," he said. "But I'm sorry, Lara; going to the Planet could be a serious mistake." Elle nodded. "After the weekend, you should go back to the future and determine if everything is on track. If you're right and your mother getting that file from Lana was the divergence point, you can return and let us know. Then in the altered future, you probably will have met all those people."

Lois nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, your father's right. Besides, even though I'd love to see Cat's face when you showed up, I'm not sure that meeting Jimmy would be such a good idea. He has a hard enough time focusing on his work. If he met you, he'd be bugging me and your father every day about when you're coming back to visit."

They stayed up for a while longer until Lois began yawning. "I guess it's about time for me to turn in," she announced. "You two girls can stay up talk if you want but I need my sleep."

"I'll turn in too," Clark said.

Elle agreed. "We have all weekend to talk." She stood and hugged her mother and father, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for dinner, Father. It was great."

"It was nice we could spend it together," he replied, giving her an extra long hug. He released her. "Is that couch comfortable enough?"

She smiled. "I can hover if it's not."

They turned in to bed and after a few moments of laying in silence, Lois turned to Clark. "Tonight there was a moment that I saw something cross your face. It was when I was ribbing you about getting involved in the conversation. Was something wrong, Honey?"

"It was a moment of realization, Lois. I sat there watching you two and seeing how happy she was and how alive she seemed to be. I thought about her personality when I first met her; how reserved and withdrawn she seemed to be." He paused. "I realized that she was my finished product and it wasn't a very good one."

"Clark, how can you say that? She's amazing."

"She's amazing because she's spent time with you, Lo. The difference in her between the first time I met her and tonight was incredible. She seemed so engaged; so alive and I know the reason that she wasn't before."

Lois reached out and touched his face. "But she's so good inside and out. She has all the Kent values and ethics; it's what makes her so special, Clark."

"But she lacks your passion for life; for living, Lois. That's what I sat there watching. In just a few days, you've brought her out of her shell and while she has great ethics and values, she lacks the zest for life that you have. I saw it tonight in her like some latent ability and it was painfully obvious to me what I lacked as a parent to her."

"Oh Sweetheart," she replied, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I think you did a wonderful job with her. A parent couldn't want more from a child." She pushed a curl back from his forehead. "The fact that she has a latent zest for life, as you put it, is because you kept it there for her."

He lay silent for a moment and then turned to her. "The night I asked your father for your hand in marriage he told me something that I apparently forgot. He told me that being involved in the rush of battle and saving lives made coming home and doing the simple things difficult. He said he was proud to have served his country and even got to be a hero a few times but that it was the simple things that made us all human; taking a walk with your Mom, dancing with her, talking to you and Lucy. He said that if he had to do it all over again, would have spent more time with his family."

"The General said that?"

He nodded. "And watching Lara tonight, I can see that it's something that I didn't do, Lois. I got the chance to see the result of how I spent those years of her life and it's exactly what your father told me but I didn't learn. The thing is, in a way I will get to do it all over again but I won't make the same mistakes." He pulled her close and kissed her. "No matter what the future holds, I won't forget to do those simple things for you or for Lara."