Clark decided he needed to hang out at the café all afternoon to make sure Lois was not going to screw time up, but she convinced him to go and grab some food from the shop as they had nothing in.

After Clark left and the lunch rush was over, Martha grabbed them a coffee. "Have a seat, Lois. You are a hard worker. Would you be interested in working some hours next week? It would really help me out."

"Yeah, that would be great Martha." Lois replied, finally learning that she had to address her by Martha by her first name.

"Great. I have a feeling you and me will get on very well. I do work here most of the time but I have to keep popping out on business."

"No problem. Why don't you head back to see Tom. He seems like a great guy. Where are you staying?"

"At Betty's B&B." Lois replied, waiting for a reaction.

"Has she been snooping into your business yet?"

"Oh yeah. I think she is convinced I must be pregnant to be engaged so young." Lois replied. "I am not…by the way"

"Well, all I can say is going by the look of that ring, Tom must be serious about you."

Lois looked at the ring properly for the first time, and then it hit her. It was a very expensive looking diamond. "I guess he must have saved up for a long time."

"I would say so. That must have cost $10,000 plus." Martha replied.

Lois needed to talk to Clark about this.

She told Martha she would be in at 9am the following morning and headed back to the bed and breakfast where she found Clark watching some TV.

"Hard day, honey!" he joked as she came in.

"Don't honey me. You tell me to be careful and discreet in the way we act. But you still go and give me a ring worth over ten grand. We are supposed to working our way around Kansas, but why do we need to when it looks like you have spent so much money on a ring. Where did you get the prop from anyway?"

Clark looked at her. "It is not a prop…"

"You mean this is your ring…." She suddenly came to a realisation. "Oh my god, you are going to propose to Lana. Is she pregnant?" she said without thinking.

"You sound like Betty." He joked but there was an undertone of annoyance in his voice.

Lois stopped. "I do, don't I. I just thought with your track history with her that something must have prompted you to come up with the idea. So is she?"

"Lois, we are not at that stage yet. We are not ready." Clark said without thinking.

Lois paused. "You are not ready to take that step, but you are ready to ask her to marry you. What is with that?"

Clark got mad. "It is none of your business. Maybe we just want to do things the old fashioned way."

"So it seems." She commented.

"Anyway, I do not wish to discuss the matter with you anymore. What goes on between Lana and me is no one else's concern but our own."

"You're kidding right? We have all had to put up with the Lana and Clark HBO melodrama on a daily basis." Lois laughed, and then stopped when she saw the hurt on his face.

She went to sit on the sofa next to him. "Clark, I am so sorry. My sarcasm gets the better of me sometimes. I don't mean anything by it. It is just me. Lana is very lucky to have someone as honourable as you as her future fiancé."

Clark smiled. "It is ok! I guess you are just getting me back for the hard time I gave you when you and AC hooked up a few months ago. Lana probably will turn me down anyway and to be honest I would not blame her. After the way I have treated her over the years, she would have a right to. I don't deserve her but I need her so much.

Lois listened to his words, and one word would describe his reason for proposing – desperation! It was as though Clark felt he needed to woo Lana with some romantic proposal and expensive ring to keep her. She knew she shouldn't get involved but Clark was her friend. However she put it on the backburner for a few days until he was ready to talk about it again, which no doubt he would be. After all he could never go a few days without mentioning her.

Lois woke up at 7am the following morning to the sound of a running shower. She switched on the news to see what was happening around the world. It seemed surreal to watch the events of 16 years ago unfold as if they were happening right now. Lois realised she must have had a restless night even though it was one of the most comfortable beds she had ever slept in. Luckily Clark agreed to sleep on the sofa, and joked they could alternate turns for the bed, well at least she hoped he was joking. He came out of the shower with a towel around waist.

However much she had tried to deny it when she lived with him at the farm, she had to admit that he had one hell of a body. She often had to tell herself off for finding an excuse to talk to him when he was shirtless when working on the tractor or stacking hay.

He went over to the closet to pull out one of the shirts he had bought.

She looked at him over from the bed. "Why did you not buy me any clothes when you were at the shop."

He looked back at her and smiled. "Because Lois, I value my life…"

"I will come with you for some breakfast. Do I get service with a smile?" Clark asked.

"You will have to pay extra for the smile." She said with a serious look on her face.

Clark noticed a familiar face heading into the café. "There's my dad."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him across the road "Let's see if we can find out what is happening between them."

As they entered the café, Martha saw them. "Tom…Lucy, have a seat and I will bring you a coffee over." She seemed distracted, and kept looking across at Jonathan who had taken a seat over by the window just a few along from them.

"That's odd." Lois whispered. "Something major must have happened; they are acting like they don't know each other."

"I know." Clark replied concerned.

Martha came over with a smile on her face, trying to act as though nothing was wrong. "There you go."

"Thanks!" Lois replied. "Shall I start work now?"

"No honey, have breakfast with Tom first. We don't usually get busy until 10am anyway."

Clark and Lois pretended not to overhear but listened in.

Martha went over to Jonathan. "Can I get you anything?" she asked as though he was a run of the mill customer.

"Martha, we need to talk." He asked her hopefully.

"Jonathan, I can't cope if you continue to lie about what happened. You hurt me deeply, and you expect me to get back with you."

"It was not me." He protested to his wife.

"Jonathan, you keep saying that, but I think after being married to you for ten years I would know my own husband. You broke my heart into a million pieces that night with your words. I don't think I can ever forgive you for that."

Clark could feel his mom's heart breaking. He wanted to go and find out what had happened, but felt powerless.

Lois could see his upset at the exchange, and grabbed his hand to show her support. Without thinking, Clark started to massage her knuckles with his thumb whilst listening for more information.

"I will be coming by for the rest of my stuff later." Martha continued.

Jonathan said no more, and got up and left. Martha was reduced to tears, she collapsed into the seat where he had been sitting.

Lois went over to her. "Are you ok? I'll get you some water."

Martha sniffed. "It's ok. I will be fine. I am just going through a rough time with my marriage."

Lois sat down next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Martha said as she straightened herself in her seat, and started to recompose herself. "I just never expected my marriage to end this way."

"Is it definitely over?" she asked.

"I can't see any way back for us. Don't let this put you off marriage. Maybe Jonathan and I were not meant to be. I have not known you long but I see a strong bond between you and Tom." Martha said with conviction.

Lois sat back, not knowing which was the most overwhelming admission from Martha – the end of her marriage to Jonathan or the fact she saw a connection between Clark and her.

"I could not help but overhear the last comment you made to your husband about picking your stuff up at the farm. Do you want Tom to go and pick it up for you?"

Lois waved at Clark to come over. "Would you mind going to the Kent Farm and picking up Martha's stuff?"

"How do you know it is a farm?"

Lois cleared her throat whilst trying to dig herself out of the hole. "I guess your husband looked like a farmer."

Martha smiled. "I guess the plaid shirt was a giveaway. The fact Jonathan is a farmer caused all of this trouble in the first place. My father has never accepted the fact I give up a potential career as a lawyer to live on a farm.

"Nevermind…" Martha said as she offered the keys to her car to Clark. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not." Clark replied. "Just tell me which direction to head."

"It is just a few miles south of town. If you go past Miller's farm, you will see it on your right. Thank you so much."

Clark took the keys and headed down the very familiar route to the farm. His father had only just pulled up.

He jumped out the car. "Mr Kent!" he said realising he would never get used to saying it.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I am Tom Bradley. My fiancée Lucy has just taken a job at your wife's café. We could not help but overhear what happened this morning, and Martha asked me if I would come by the farm and pick up the rest of her stuff."

Jonathan shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I am sorry you have been dragged into this mess."

Clark looked at him. "I am not here to take sides or get involved. I am just trying to help out."

"Why don't you come into the house whilst I sort it out?" Jonathan replied.

Clark sat at the table whilst his dad made some coffee. "So what brings you to Smallville?"

"I am just travelling around with Lucy before we start University in September."

"Getting away from your parents, I bet.." he smiled.

"No. I have the nicest parents I could ever ask for. Mind you, Lucy's father is hard work sometimes." Clark replied honestly, thinking of his run-ins with Sam over the past year.

"Your parents sound nice!"

"Have you got any children?" Clark asked trying to probe for more information.

"No, we might still be together if we had. We have tried for the past eight years but it is not meant to be, I guess." Jonathan sounded sad.

Clark would have loved to tell him to hang in for a few months until after the meteor shower but knew he couldn't.

"I'm sorry."

"Maybe it is for the better anyway. Children should not be involved in a break-up." His dad commented.

"So it is definitely over! It's just…well I know I said I would not get involved…but Martha seems devastated about the break up.

Jonathan shook his head. "I can't see any way back... She is convinced I told her the most horrific and hateful things one night a few weeks ago. I know this sounds insane, but it was not me. I know it wasn't because I was passed out in a ditch the whole night …drunk."

Clark was puzzled. He knew his dad was telling the truth, as large amounts of alcohol had never agreed with him. It never made him angry, just unconscious.

"There must be a way of convincing her." Clark suggested, knowing Brainiac had obviously shape shifted to look like his father.

All along he had assumed that Brainiac would have involved the Luthor's somehow in his quest to change history, but it was not looking like that. It seemed the Brainiac from the future had created a small crack in the relationship between his parents which had now turned into a gaping chasm.

"I don't see how. It is nice of you to be concerned but there is not much you can do to help. " Jonathan paused. "Since your fiancée is working at the café, I don't suppose you would be interested in some work on a farm. I don't know how much you know about farming but I could use a hand for a few weeks as we are busy this time of the year."

Clark smiled. "I grew up on a farm so I would love to help out. I am sure Lucy could do with me out of her hair. When do you want me to start?"

"How about tomorrow at 6am sharp?"

"No problem!" Clark replied.

He grabbed his mom's stuff and headed back to the café to drop it off. Lois was sitting down having a coffee.

"Don't tell me you have been drinking coffee all morning?" Clark grinned. "Where is Martha?"

"Sit down and shut up. Martha has popped out and for your information I have been rushed off my feet for the past hour. Anyway I have more important things to discuss. Your mom was so upset after Jonathan left that she told me everything."

"It seems that all the trouble with your parents started a few weeks ago when your granddad Bill turned up to stir things."

Clark knew that there was no love lost between Bill and his dad. "What happened?"

"He came to tell Martha that he wanted her to move to Coast City to train as a lawyer."

"But he knew she wasn't interested. She has never shown any interest in becoming a lawyer after she met my father."

Lois looked at him. "Apparently it wasn't your mom that he had a go at. It was your father. He told him how inadequate he was as a husband and the fact he had been unable to father any children just made matters worse. He more or less called him a failure."

"I wonder if that is why my father was drunk that night."

"He did storm off after an argument with your mom. I don't know what he has told you but it seems he went back to the farm and told Martha some horrible things. I can see why your mom is having trouble forgiving him." Lois explained.

"That was not my father! It was Brainiac." Clark paused, looking at a puzzled Lois. "Ok Lois, we need to have a serious talk later when you get home. There are some things you need to know."

Her expression changed to one of worry. "Are you ok? What is this about?"

"When are you finished here we will go back to our room." He promised. "I will go and make something for us to eat."

Clark headed off just as Martha arrived back. He decided against his better judgement that a bottle of wine may help Lois deal with his bombshell a little better, as long as she did not have too much.

Martha smiled at Lois. "Why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off? You need to take it easy."

Lois realised what had happened. "I guess you have heard Betty's gossip. I am not pregnant, if that is what you have heard."

Martha looked embarrassed. "Sorry Lucy. I told myself that I should never believe her but she seemed so convincing when she told me that you had told her your news."

"It's ok, Martha. I am sure she can seem convincing. She is probably making the assumption that we are getting married so young for a reason." Lois suggested.

"So have you got a date set?"

"No way, we just got engaged a few weeks ago." She explained. "Do you think that you and Jonathan will get back together?"
"I don't know I can. I love him more than anything but those words killed me. I have finally accepted that I am not meant to be a mom, so I have decided to concentrate on my career."

"You're leaving!" Lois asked shocked.

"No…I could not leave Smallville, it is my home and always will be. The meeting I have just had was with a man called Lionel Luthor. He is a very important person around here, and he has agreed to take me on as a personal assistant."

Lois bit her tongue. She wanted to tell Martha about Lionel, but knew she couldn't. She needed to talk to Clark as soon as possible. "Oh I see…"

Martha looked at her watch. "Lucy, it's almost three. Why don't you head off? Are you still ok for 9am tomorrow morning? I will get some proper help organised if I take this job."

"You mean you have not decided yet?" Lois asked, not trying to sound too hopeful.

"I am taking a few days to think about it. I told him I would have an answer by the end of the weekend."

"That seems sensible."

Martha smiled. "While I was out, I took the liberty of getting you some tickets to Saturday night's Smallville Shindig. It is a monthly event where you get to have drinks, do some dancing and just generally mix with other people. It is great fun. Jonathan and I used to go every month."

Lois smiled "It sounds like fun! Will you be there?"

"Yeah probably. I don't like to miss it. It is a part of life in Smallville."

Lois smirked when she thought about how thrilled Clark would be. It may a chance for him to let loose, something she did not see very often.