CHAPTER 3
A/N: Not to seem pathetic but if there is someone out there actually reading this fan fic, reviews would be greatly appreciated. It's not that I will remove the story unless it doesn't get reviews but it would help me to figure out if the story is good or bad. I wrote this during Season 5 so hence the old storyline but due to the series finale in May I wanna get this uploaded before then. I'm planning on updating with a chapter every third or fourth day while writing on my latest Clois fan fiction. So, if there's anything you like or dislike, please feel free to say so without being cruel. ;)
Lois set out the plates on the table while Martha and Jonathan were in the living room, talking together in low voices. It was almost time for dinner and Lois was tempted to call Clark's cell phone, but got interrupted at the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway.
She peered out the kitchen window and saw Clark getting out of his pickup. Within seconds Lois was outside on the porch and did a dramatic wave at him with a fake smile on her face.
"Ah! I see you found your way back! Did you have a nice time with your dad?" Lois shouted and Clark nodded as he came walking towards her.
"Yeah. Why?" he asked nervously.
"So did the doctor say when he would get to come home again?" Lois asked in a high-pitch voice, still with a fake smile.
"Lois, what's going on?" Clark asked and started to get suspicious.
"I don't know what you are talking about!" Lois said and shrugged.
"You're very weird, has anybody ever told you that?" Clark said and walked past Lois, into the kitchen.
He froze immediately when he saw Martha and Jonathan staring back at him. Lois closed the kitchen door behind her and slowly leaned in over his shoulder with a devious smirk.
"Oh and by the way; your dad is back. Well, you guys must have some catching up to do so I'll just be upstairs if you need me!" Lois said and headed for the stairs.
"Thank you, Lois," Martha said and Lois waved at Clark before disappearing upstairs.
Martha and Jonathan turned to Clark again, waiting for some kind of explanation.
"Is it true that you told your mother that you were coming to see me in Metropolis?" Jonathan asked and Clark nodded, trying to find the right words.
"Look, I'm sorry that I lied. But I didn't want Lois to know the real reason why I went to Metropolis," Clark quickly explained, hoping Lois didn't hear him.
"And why did you go there?" Jonathan said.
"Because I think Brad has got some kind of power. Chloe and I visited his doctor, and apparently Brad's family was killed in the first meteor shower," Clark said.
"Clark, you can't investigate people just because you don't like them," Martha said.
"But that's not why. Five banks has been robbed in Metropolis in the past five weeks, which is about the time when Brad escaped from Summerholt and it seems that Mr. Luthor is involved," Clark said, lowering his voice.
"Lionel?" Martha asked and Clark shrugged.
"That's just it; I don't know. But I clearly heard Dr. Palmer, Brad's doctor, talking to a Mr. Luthor on the phone as we were leaving," he said.
"Well, that does not sound good, but you still shouldn't have lied. Clark, you don't know what's going on here. If a Luthor is involved, it's never a good thing. So I suggest that you stay out of it for now. Doesn't seem like this Brad is doing anybody any harm," Jonathan said and Clark sighed.
He knew there was no point in arguing with them right now, because he still didn't have any real evidence yet.
After dinner, Clark quickly snuck away to the barn to clear his head. He wouldn't stop investigating Brad until he had enough evidence that proved whether he was guilty or not.
"Thought I might find you here!"
Clark turned around and was surprised to see Lex walking up the stairs. They hadn't spoken for weeks and Clark wasn't very comfortable around Lex anymore, which made him even more suspicious about this visit.
"What are you doing here?" Clark asked. He suspected that Lex probably knew about him and Chloe visiting Dr. Palmer, but refused to bring it up unless Lex did.
"I haven't seen you in weeks. Started to think you might be avoiding me," Lex said.
"Well I've been kind of busy with school. College, you know. They give you tons of homework," Clark said.
"Right. So it has nothing to do with what happened four months ago?" Lex asked.
"Lex, I know you didn't come all the way over here to talk about something that happened in the past. We've been through this before," Clark said. Lex sighed and leaned against the railing.
"You're right, Clark, I didn't come all the way over here to talk about that. I wanted to ask you about a certain Bradin Smith, who just happens to be a patient over at Summerholt in Metropolis. Apparently Dr. Palmer got a visit from a Ms. Sullivan and her friend Clark," he said.
Clark froze, even though he wasn't actually surprised since Lex was getting more and more predictable these days.
"Well, Chloe was doing an article about the special treatment over at Summerholt," Clark said nervously.
"Really? Because according to Dr. Palmer, there isn't any article. It was just something Chloe and you came up with as a reason to see Dr. Palmer," Lex said and crossed his arms, looking very smug.
This was truly not a side that Clark liked at all.
"Depends on whose truth you decide to believe, Lex. And besides, why are you so interested in Summerholt and Bradin Smith?" Clark asked.
"I'm not. But it seems that my father is on the other hand. Apparently he's been working quite closely with Dr. Palmer for years, following the doctor's work on patients such as Bradin Smith," Lex explained.
"And what kind of patients is that?" Clark asked.
He knew all too well how obsessed Lionel Luthor was when it came to the abilities caused by the meteor rocks, but he also knew that Lex's obsession wasn't any less of a problem for him.
"I thought you already knew that, Clark," Lex said and Clark played dumb.
"No, I really don't," he said and shrugged. Lex stared at him for a while in silence.
"Very well. For your sake I'm hoping you're telling the truth, Clark," he finally said and started walking down the stairs.
"Is that a threat, Lex?" Clark asked and Lex stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning around and looking up at Clark.
"Of course not. In spite of everything that has happened you're still my friend, Clark. I'm just warning you; my father can be quite ruthless. Especially if you're standing in his way," Lex said and continued down the stairs.
Clark watched as he slowly walked out of the barn. Moments later the silver Mercedes quickly drove off and Clark was left wondering if Lex had actually been concerned for his or Clark's sake.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of somebody else walking up the stairs. Clark turned around and suppressed a sigh when he saw Lois.
Unlike before when he had arrived home, she looked anything but smug. Dinner had been surprising quiet, even with the occasionally joke from her since she couldn't stand uncomfortable silences. And Clark just knew that she knew something was up.
"Care to tell me what that was about?" Lois asked as she walked over to the couch.
"What do you mean?" Clark asked and walked over to his telescope.
"You know, you really should work on getting your lies straight," Lois said and leaned back in the couch, impatiently waiting for an answer.
"Maybe you could help me with that?" Clark said sarcastically.
"Cute! Didn't think you had it in you," Lois said and stared at him for a while. She didn't do waiting very good either.
"So how come you're not out with Brad?" Clark asked suddenly and turned around.
"Not that it's any of your business, but he's busy tonight which is fine by me since I got an early shift tomorrow," Lois said with a shrug.
Clark got the feeling she wasn't telling him the truth, but ignored it at the moment. Even though they might be considered friends at this point, he was probably the last person that Lois would open up to about actual meaningful things.
"Lois, are you okay?" Clark asked, even though he had tried not to.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Lois asked with a confused smile and stood up.
She walked over to the telescope and glanced up at the dark evening sky.
"Well it's just that you seem very quiet," Clark said and Lois smiled.
"Your concern is touching, but I'm fine. Although I must say, that was probably the quietest dinner I've ever been to. And I grew up with a General for a father!" Lois said with a sarcastic laugh and looked over at Clark.
"Yeah, well, we don't do much talking during dinner. I realize how that must be a real challenge for you though," Clark said and Lois gave him a warning look.
"Let's not go overboard with the whole sarcastic-farm-boy-thing, okay? Because it doesn't always suit you," she said and Clark couldn't help but feel guilty.
Lois did have her fine moments where she for once didn't get on his nerves, but the sarcastic comments just slipped out of both of them sometimes.
"Right. Sorry about that," Clark said and Lois shrugged
"So, I guess I'll just leave you to it then. Night!" she suddenly blurted out and forced on a smile before heading for the stairs.
"Lois, it's only 8:30," Clark said with a confused look and Lois sighed, slowly turning around at the top of the stairs.
"Yeah, well it's not like there's much to do around here. Especially not in the evening so I might as well crawl into bed," she said, and Clark could tell that she seemed disappointed.
It could be because of Brad, but truth was that Lois hadn't really adjusted to the life on the farm yet. She was the big city girl who had traveled the world, and now suddenly she was living on a farm in Kansas.
"Oh, I don't know. Smallville isn't all that bad; you just wait and see," Clark said and couldn't help but smile at her, which only confused Lois.
"Right. Well I'll just go and do that in my sleep," she said and quickly disappeared down the stairs before Clark managed to say anything else.
The sound of an alarm clock made Lois roll out of bed with a loud thud. She unwillingly opened her eyes and noticed that it was her own alarm clock that made all the noise. With a loud groan, Lois got up from the floor and quickly turned off the alarm clock. It was only 7:00 AM and she could already hear noises from downstairs.
"There better be pancakes!" Lois muttered as she stepped outside of the room in a multicolored checkered pajamas and white bunny slippers.
The hair was a complete mess and she was sure that she had bags under her eyes considering the irregular night of sleep she'd had.
"Good morning, Lois!" Martha said with a cheerful smile as she saw Lois coming down the stairs.
Jonathan was reading the newspaper by the kitchen table and Clark was too busy consuming his breakfast to even notice Lois.
"Well I don't know about that but it sure does smell wonderful!" Lois said and a smile spread across her face when she saw the plate with pancakes on the kitchen table.
"Was that you I heard from upstairs?" Clark asked without looking up. Lois took a seat at the table with a plate in her hand, glaring at him.
"No talking at the table," she muttered and helped herself to some of the pancakes.
Clark looked up at her with a smirk on his face. Lois ignored him, although he could tell she was getting more annoyed by the minute.
"I take it you didn't sleep well after all?" Clark asked while Lois poured herself a glass of juice, still ignoring him.
Martha sat down by the table and cleared her throat. Clark continued eating his breakfast and Lois smiled at Martha from across the table.
"Well I guess I better get to work," Jonathan said suddenly and finished his coffee.
"You promise me you will be careful?" Martha asked and Jonathan sighed.
Clark looked up and Lois stopped eating her pancakes. They had all been very concerned about Jonathan after the second meteor shower four months earlier.
"Of course," he finally said and forced on a smile before walking out the kitchen door. Lois and Clark looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"Clark, you better finish that breakfast," Martha said and walked out of the kitchen.
"You heard the woman; better start eating!" Lois said and inhaled the wonderful smell of the fresh pancakes with a big grin on her face.
"I heard the first time, Lois," Clark muttered and stood up. He removed his plate and glass from the table in silence, and Lois could tell that he was bothered.
"He's gonna be all right, you know," she blurted out and Clark turned around.
"Yeah I do," he said and Lois smiled at him, although it wasn't a very happy smile. But it was enough for Clark to quit worrying about it for the time being at least.
"Your pancakes are getting cold," he said with a teasing smile and walked out of the kitchen.
Lois looked down at the pancakes on her plate and realized that she had lost her appetite. Which didn't happen very often and especially not when it came to pancakes. She sighed heavily and got off her chair with the plate in her hand.
"Great. What else can go wrong today?" she whispered to herself as she left her plate on the kitchen counter, and then headed for the stairs.
When she was upstairs on her way to Clark's room, which she had lived in too long already, she got the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. She stopped dead in her tracks for a moment and glanced around; very well knowing that she was alone.
"Oh, get real!" she muttered and walked into Clark's room, quickly closing the door behind her.
After catching her breath and telling herself that she was starting to hallucinate, Lois started searching through her suitcase to try and find some clean clothes to wear for work. Finally she decided to wear jeans and a simple tank top, mostly because the rest of her clothes were in the every growing laundry pile in the corner of the room. She groaned as she took one quick look at the pile of clothes.
"I really gotta remember to do the laundry one of these days," she mumbled to herself.
Suddenly there was a muffled thud from inside the closet and Lois quickly turned around. Nobody else had gone upstairs and she had definitely not seen anybody else enter Clark's room, let alone the closet. She listened for any other sounds but now it was dead quiet again.
A part of her wanted to ignore it, but it was the curious part of her that made her walk over to the closet and rip the door open. The only thing that was out of order was some clothes that had apparently fallen down on the floor. Lois sighed and cursed herself for suddenly being so easily spooked before closing the door.
"Hello?"
"Hey cuz!" Lois said and stopped to look in the window at the antique store.
"Lois! Hi! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Chloe said and Lois laughed.
"Just wanted to check in and see if my little cousin is behaving, that's all!" she said and continued walking down the street.
"Right. Why am I having such a hard time believe that's all? It doesn't happen have something to do with a certain Clark Kent? Lois, like I told you the last time you called…"
"This is not about Clark Kent! Why do you always assume that? Can't a girl enjoy talking to her cousin? Especially if the cousin has moved to Metropolis while she's still stuck here amongst all the cows!" Lois said with a dramatic hand gesture.
"Lois, you might fool other people but you sure don't fool me. Investigating reporter, remember? So what's really up?"
"Okay! You got me; I didn't actually call to see how you were doing. It's just that Clark has been acting strange lately," Lois said hesitantly and crossed the street, hearing Chloe sighing.
"And you only started to notice this now after living with him for almost a whole year? Lois, trust me when I say that it's no use trying to figure him out. Clark Kent will forever be an enigma wrapped up in a mystery for everybody, so just leave it."
"What's with the attitude? Is everything alright?" Lois asked and stopped when she realized she was already outside of the Talon.
"Yeah, I'm fine! Just got a lot of stuff to do this week. College, you know."
"Right. That's one of the few things I learned over at Met U," Lois said.
"Well at least you know how I feel then! But how are things going over there? With work and everything?"
"Let's just say that work is not all what it's cracked up to be. Consider yourself lucky still being in school!" Lois said and suddenly spotted Brad across the street, staring back at her.
She was just about to wave at him when he disappeared amongst the crowd of people.
"Earth to Lois!"
Lois quickly snapped out of her daze at the sound of Chloe calling out.
"Sorry. It's just… sometimes I wonder if I'm not going crazy," she said and looked across the street again, trying to spot Brad somewhere in the crowd but he was gone.
If it has been Brad she had seen in the first place. But it must have been; he had stared straight at her so it couldn't just been her imagination.
"What? Lois, are you okay?"
"Why do people keep asking me that? I'm fine! Look, I better get going now; my break ended ten minutes ago. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye!" Lois said and hung up before walking into the Talon.
She suddenly froze when she noticed who was sitting by the counter. The same person she had seen just a moment earlier; Brad.
"Brad! But how…?"
Lois just stared at Brad, not being able to even finish the sentence. This was evidence enough that she was officially going mad.
"Wow. I didn't think you would be this excited to see me," Brad said and laughed.
"Neither did I," Lois said with a forced smile and walked behind the counter.
As she was putting on the apron she noticed that Brad was staring at her. It was as if he could see right through her and it wasn't a very comfortable feeling.
"So what's up?" Lois asked, doing her best to keep a straight face.
But before Brad managed to say anything, a line was already forming at the register. Lois gave him an apologetic smile and started taking orders. From time to time she could still feel his eyes on her, but she didn't bother to say anything. It was probably just her, getting paranoid too.
Although it still felt creepy, knowing it was almost as if Brad was obsessively watching her every move.
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~