Chapter 3
For the rest of this story I will be referring to future Clark and Lois as Kent and Lane respectively.
"So your saying this is my future son" asked Clark eyes wide disbelievingly.
"Yeah pretty much" Kent smiled awkwardly he then put his son down and let them.
"Who would have thought Clark, you found someone, bet it's Lana" Lois giggled "Is it" She directed at Kent.
"Lets keep some surprises in store for the future" Kent smiled wistfully. Somehow Lois had overlooked the slip up by John, he wasn't really in the right frame of mind to deal with the fallout from that particular revelation.
"Why's there another Daddy? Daddy" asked John
"Erm..we are in the past John before you were even born" said Kent.
"Why are you here?" asked Lois
"Don't know we were sent here by accident but I know for sure that my wife and daughter came back with us but I can't find them" said Kent
Lois couldn't help but be a little bit taken by Kent, he seemed more confident, sure of himself and also the fact he was taller and even more muscular.
Kent sat down heavily in an armchair in the living room. Clark and Lois sat on the sofa in front of him. Clark cursed to himself he didn't want to see her not while Lane was missing, just one smile or bitten lip from Lois and he was liable to grin or to laugh and he would not allow himself to be happy whilst his family was in danger.
"Can I ask something" Clark asked sensing Kent's stress.
"Fire away" Kent nodded.
"I was just wondering if in the future I lived here" Clark asked causing Lois to roll her eyes.
"Clark he is married and got two kids of course he does not live with his parents" Lois chided
Clark opened his mouth to continue the argument.
Kent was surprised how much the argument affected him. He throat began to dry up and eyes bagan to water faster than he could imagine. The arguing was one of the things he loved most about Lane, they argued like most couples but never hurtful, most of the time they only argued to make up. But the times he needed her the times he doubted himself she was always there to help set him straight. He wouldn't be half the hero without her. He thought that her voice changed slightly when she believed in something, it always proved to him just how much of a hold on him she had and reinforced to him just how much her loved her.
"Where do you live" Lois' voice seemed distant
"Um...sorry what?" Kent's voice broke
Lois eyed him concerned "I was just asking where you lived"
"Oh sorry, well your right I don't live in Smallville, I moved to metropolis we lived in an apartment for a few years them moved to the suburbs when we had the kids" Kent smiled
Lois' victorious smile was infectious "See knew I was right" Lois whispered in Clark's ear.
Kent knew he couldn't be near Lois, it hurt too much to see her smile like that was too much.
"Speaking of kids where's John" Kent asked.
"Here Daddy" Shouted John appearing round the corner followed by Jonathan his namesake.
John ran up to Clark "Where's Krypto Daddy?"
Clark looked very nervous which made Lois laugh "Erm..I'm not your Daddy"
"Don't be silly Daddy course you are" said John jumping on Clark's lap
"No he's right he's not your Daddy yet" said Kent picking him up and taking him into the kitchen.
Martha was cooking dinner and looked up as Kent brought in John and set him down on the table.
"John I need you to do something for me" Kent asked
"What is it Daddy" John smiled sweetly
"I need you to call your mommy by her real name, just for today, can you do that for me,say Lois for me"
"Lois" John giggled as if he had said a rude word.
"OK perfect now go play with your grandfather" Kent ruffled his hair and sent him on his way.
"Your a good father" Martha told him
"Thank you" Kent tried to smile
"You said you had a daughter, what was her name?"
"Ella, after Lois' Mom" Kent stilled "I need to find them"
He made to leave but Martha grabbed his arm before he sped off.
"Son you said yourself you searched and couldn't find them, you can't do any more"
"I have to do something" Kent reasoned.
Martha held both sides of his face between her hands forcing him to look at her.
"You have to have faith that they will be OK, that they will come back to you, I've been through this before and I stayed strong and you and Jonathan were both OK"
"I...I just, she always gets herself in trouble that's who she is, that's what makes her such a good reporter but our kids they have never been involved in this before, all of my enemies have never gotten to my family before" Kent's voice was cracking now. "I just have to hope that Ella is with her mother".
Kent wrapped his arms around his mother as he felt tears finally trail down his face.
Jonathan was watching Clark and Lois play with their future son. He was prouder of his son now than he had ever been. They needed to get his daughter in law back and safe because he could not bare to see his son this unhappy, whenever he smiled it did not reach his eyes. Jonathan wanted more than anything to see them reunited and see his granddaughter. Ella her name was, no idea where that name had come from but he thought she would be tall and beautiful like her mother.
"Lois where's Krypto" asked John giggling
"If Krypto is your future dog which it expect that he is.." John nodded at Lois "Then he probably doesn't exist yet but we have our dog so SHELBY" Lois called.
Shelby bounded in through the front door after roaming the fields outside. John stretched out his arms and went to him laughing. Shelby met the giggling boy halfway and licked his face.
"You've got a great kid there Smallville" said Lois
"I know" Clark ginned happily "Careful Lois that was dangerously close to a complement"
Lois snorted "You wish"
"I wonder who his mother is" Lois mused aloud "He looks nearly identical to you apart from the eyes. You have blue eyes, he has hazel eyes" Lois realised she was thinking aloud and turned to Clark "Lana has green eyes" Lois laughed "Who would have thought it Lana Lang isn't the mother of your children Clark, who could it be, I don't know any girls round here who have hazel eyes do you" Lois looked over to Clark and their eyes met.
Clark stared straight into Lois' hazel eyes, no don't be stupid him and Lois hated each other. Hate was a strong word. Disliked, they got under each other's skin. Clark panicked a little and moved away from Lois and walked into the kitchen.
Clark hadn't really given it much thought. His wife or future wife. He had always hoped that he would marry Lana but as was evident that was not the case. He was surprised how little this revelation affected him he guessed he should have known that him and Lana wouldn't be together their on again off again angst filled relationship had its ups and downs. Obviously he had found love elsewhere. Clark stopped in the doorway to the kitchen Kent was crying in his mother's arms.
Clark tried to imagine how he would feel if his wife and child were missing. Clark turned round to look at his son. Shelby was now lying on his back and John was scratching his belly.
"Mommy, Daddy look at this"
Clark and Lois locked eyes with one another realisations dawning on them both.
"NO" They both yelled.
Kent had recomposed himself and felt better now. he wiped the tears from his eyes and leant on the counter top. Martha was back to busily cooking.
Kent heard argueing but paid no notice.
"So when were you planning on telling us" said Lois from the doorway, Clark right beside her.
"Well I didn't think you would handle it well" sighed Kent.
"Your damn right" shouted Lois "This can't be true, it can't be we don't even like each other"
"I know, why on earth? would I marry an annoying army girl, have you lost your mind?" shouted Clark
"Oh so I'm an annoying army girl now am I" Lois seethed turning now on Clark
"Tell me why I would ever have children with a man who thinks plaid is fashionable" yelled Lois
"So is this why you've come back to stop us from getting together"
While before Kent had been amused and wistful about Clark and Lois' arguments he was not now. They had touched a nerve and this wasn't the day to question his marriage.
Kent slammed his hands down on the table.
"SHUT UP" Kent looked at them with unrestrained fury "both of you"
Lois and Clark stopped talking instantly.
"I don't give a damn what you think, you don't believe me then look, the proof is in the next room, my son, our son"
"I am not here to play cupid, to bring you two together, that will happen naturally over years"
"I'm here to get my family back"
"You are teenager's, no sense of the world, you are not my wife yet and neither is he your husband"
"My daughter is out there, Ella her name is after your Mom Lois"
"My daughter is missing, hell don't think of her as my daughter, a girl a scared frightened little girl is missing. Now I know the both of you well enough to know that you will do anything to save a child in danger. I can't do this by myself, I need your help"
Kent finished his rant and walked outside, he gripped the porch bannister tightly. He was breathing heavily. He hadn't lost his temper like this for many years, last person to be on the recieving end of his fury was Sam Lane, It seemed that his ability to stand up to a General made Sam approve of him.
Clark and Lois looked at each other, they had no words to say to each other Kent had put them in their place. They then turned towards Martha and Jonathan who were holding the hands of John.
"I think one of you should go talk to him once he's calmed down" said Jonathan obviously concerned for his son.
In the end it was Lois who decided to go check up on Kent, she had seen the dispair in his eyes and knew somehow that he loved her and that he was telling the truth.
Kent was hunched over, kneeling with his head on the banister and his eyes closed.
"I'm sorry if we said some hurtful things" ventured Lois. Kent turned his head, sighed and stood up.
"Don't be sorry, it can't be much fun to have your future mapped out in front of you" Kent conceded
"No it isn't, but we still shouldn't have reacted like that"
"I'm sorry too, I haven't been handling it well and I snapped, I shouldn't have"
"How long have you been together?" asked a curious Lois
"Together for ten years, married for eight and parents for five"Kent laughed "Let me just say you pregnant with twins was a nightmare, hormones all over the show"
"Shut up" said Lois smacking him on the arm which made Kent laugh harder.
"You told me, when you were pregnant you said you would be a terrible mother after what happened to Lucy"
Lois stared straight into his eyes
"Well as you can see you couldn't have been more wrong, your a great mother"
"Thanks" replied Lois blushing "If you don't mind me asking when, how did we get together?"
"In a few years we started working together at the Daily Planet, eventually we start going out and that's it, everything was perfect, then marriage and children, I wish more than anything that we could have got together sooner, saved myself some years of heartbreak but it wasn't the right time for us then, your not the woman I'm in love with and he is not the man your in love with, but he will be" Kent turned back to the view over the farm.
"I need them to be OK" Kent whispered.
"They will be, I've got a little girl to meet" Lois forced on a smile which seemed to slightly reassure Kent.
Lois went back inside and Kent feeling slightly better followed her back in.