Life at thirty-something

by ANNAFLORINDA

Follow the lives of: Lois and Clark Lane-Kent are new parents, with their twins; Lex and Tess Luthor have a more challenging relationship; Chloe Sullivan, Lois's cousin, is married to Jimmy, with a baby, but not all is at it seems and Oliver Queen is Clark's old friend and has a complex history. How will they all fair? AU. Established Clois, Olicity, Chimmy...

7. Chapter 6: Heart & head of the past

I do not own Smallville. Please, read and enjoy:). Let me know what you want to happen in terms of the relationships.

Chapter 6: Heart & head of past.

A couple of weeks later, Lois was sitting in the kitchen, feeding Jane and Ben, thinking. When Clark walked into the kitchen, she asked, "Smallville, how are we doing, money-wise?" She had been wanting to ask the question for a while, but had been wondering how to word it so that it did not sound odd. One of her colleges who had had a baby at the same time as Lois had recently returned to work and Lois was beginning to wonder if she should do the same thing, but she did have twins which made it different.

"We're fine, I earn quite and bit and we saved before the twins were born, that's why we had quite a small wedding." Clark paused, then turned to his wife and asked, "Are you thinking of returning to work?" The look in his wife's eyes was the conformation he needed. "Look, Lois, I don't mind what you do. As long as you do what makes you happy, that's what matters."

|Lois looked at her twins who were happily eating, then said, "I'd like to go into work-I haven't seen anyone since I left and… I want to catch up."

Clark smiled and kissed her on the head. "Sure, whatever suits you. You know, I hear there's a job open at the Daily Planet. Wasn't it once your dream to work there?"

"Yeah, before I married you and had the twins," Lois replied in a slightly annoyed voice. She sighed, then reached out for Clark's hand. "I'm sorry, that sounded really harsh. I love my life as it is, you know that and I don't have to go back to work, but it's something which I might explore."

Squeezing her hands, Clark murmured, "Lois, whatever you do, I'll support you. I'm not one of these husbands who forces his wife into what he thinks she wants and not what she really wants. I trust your judgment and I love for loads of those qualities." Smiling, Lois leaned in closer and they kissed. Then, Clark kissed Jane and Ben goodbye, kissed Lois goodbye and left for work.

About an hour later, Lois pushed the pushchair into her old work-place and inhaled a deep breath; she was unsure if anyone exactly wanted to see her or the babies, but she was determined to see anyway. Her thoughts were interrupted when her former co-writer, Cat Grant, walked over to her. "Lois! How nice to see you!" She embraced Lois in a hug. Lois had never especially likes Cat, because their personalities clashed, but she did also know that Cat did like and look up to her. "Who are these little guys?" Cat asked, indicating Jane and Ben. She had a son, so Lois knew that she was genuinely interested in the twins.

"They're named Jane and Benjamin-Ben for short," Lois smiled with pride as she introduced her babies, before asking, "Would you like to hold one of them? How's your son?"

Cat picked Ben out of the pram and held him in her arms, smiling. "My son's fine, thanks." She hesitated. "Lois, not that it isn't great to see you here, because it isn't, but why are you here?"

Lois looked down at her daughter who was asleep in the pram, then asked, "Erm-is that anyone working at my desk?"

"There is now, but I hear that there's an opening at the Daily Planet. You're a good writer, Lois. If you really want this, you shouldn't give up." Cat placed Ben back into the pram, then walked away, leaving Lois wondering what she should do next. Sighing, she strapped Ben back into the pram, then called Chloe, who was not at work, asking her if she could watch the twins for a while, but she did not tell her why.

After dropping Jane and Ben at Chloe's, Lois made her way to the Daily Planet. Inhaling a deep breath, she smiled to herself, reminding herself that she was Clark's life and Ben and Jane's mum before she walked inside. Those thoughts always helped to calm her.

Meanwhile, Oliver arrived in his office after meeting up with a client. He sat down at his desk, as he realised that he was not alone in the office. Internally rolling his eyes, he asked, "Who's there? If you don't reveal yourself, I'll call security." There was the sound of movement, then Kara Kent emerged from behind the door. She looked very pale and embarrassed.

"Are you ok?" asked Oliver, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice, as he had hoped it to be Felicity. He had not seen her since she had returned, when she had told him that she no longer loved him and that she just wanted to be friends. He had hoped that it had been Felicity so that the two of them could talk, but she obviously was not interested in discussing their relationship. He forced a smile and focused his attention on Kara.

Kara smiled back and began, "I just wanted to thank you, Oliver, for being so nice to me. You and Clark have been the only people who have… treated me nicely, for want of a better word. I guess I deserve it for what I to Jimmy, but it still hurts, you know." She paused, then continued, "Anyway, I was wondering if, maybe, I could take you out to dinner this evening, to say thankyou?"

Oliver stared at her in shock, before finally asking, "Do you mean as friends...or as something else?"

Blushing, Kara replied, "I really like you. I know I'm probably not you're type, but I do like you, so, if that's what you want, then yes. Is that what you want, to be more than friends?"

There was a silence as Oliver thought about what to do. He knew that he still loved Felicity, but she had made it very clear that she no longer had those feelings for him, so why wait around for something which was never going to happen? "Yeah, I do. I'll pick you up at 6." A smile spread across Kara's face. She nodded and walked away, looking back. As soon as she was gone, Oliver sat down and wondered if he was doing this for the right reason or not.

That evening, when Clark returned from work, Lois walked over to him very excited. "You will never guess what, Smallville. I got a part-time job at the Daily Planet. On the days I'm working, we'll put the twins in nursery. How does that sound?"

"It sounds amazing, Lois. I'm so proud of you." Clark smiled and confessed, "I must say I was worried about you being here all day, with Jane and Ben. I thought you'd go insane." He saw Lois's smile slip slightly and quickly added, "Not that I think there's anything wrong with being a stay-at-home mother, because I don't and I know that if you decide to do that again, I'd support you. As long as we do that's right for you and kids, that's great." Lois's smile fully returned and they hugged each other, before Lois returned to feeding Jane and Ben.

The door opened and Chloe walked in, looking very angry. "Clark, can I have a word please?" She indicated her head towards the sitting room. Clark frowned, confused, but followed her in, wondering what she wanted and also if her anger was directed at him or something he had done.

Once inside, Chloe slammed the door shut and hissed, "I hear Lois has gone back to work. Please tell me that you didn't pressure her into that, Clark, because if you have"-

"You know Lois-she would never be persuaded into doing anything, especially not by me!"

Chloe shook her head. "How naïve are you, Clark? She would do anything for you and the twins! She's happy staying at home with them, or at least she was until you filled her head with all of this junk!"

Very confused, Clark confessed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Clark, you already felt pushed out by the twins, for goodness sake. How are you going to feel now Lois's back at work, because believe me, she'll have even less time for you then! She struggles to cope with everything without working! I know that you probably prefer to see her in a 'proper job', but looking after the twins is a real job for her and you shouldn't be suggesting that she do anything else until they're older!"

"Chloe, you went back to work soon after Nicolas was born!" Clark snapped, now becoming very frustrated. "Look, going back to work was Lois's idea. She was the one who brought it up this morning, not me! If she wants to go back to work, that's her decision. She's her own, independent woman. Besides, this really isn't any of your business!"

Shaking her head, Chloe replied, in a harsh voice, "She's my cousin, Clark! I love her like a sister. It's my job to protect and look out for her!"

"No, it isn't your job. It's mine, I'm her husband and best friend!" Clark paused, then continued, "That's what this is really about, isn't it? When you and Lois were kids, you were equals, but you don't think that you are anymore and that's why you're so angry. That's why you've never liked me, isn't it? You want what she has-you always have- a stable family, a loving husband. You want what she has, Chloe. I know you do and that's why you're acting like this."

"You honestly think that I would rather be married you than Jimmy?" Chloe asked with distain in both her eyes than voice.

"No, but I think you crave the happy marriage which Lois and I have. And you settled for Jimmy, Chloe, we all know it. We all know that he isn't the one you're destined to be with and that scares you. I think you know who you're destined to be with, deep down. You just won't admit it." There was a long silence and Clark knew that he had crossed the line with his wife's cousin. Without saying a word, Chloe glared at him and walked out of the door. Lois heard her come out of the room, carrying Jane. "Chloe, are you ok? What was that about?" Her cousin gave her a look, telling her that she would call her later and ran out of the house, fighting back her tears.

Lois walked into the sitting room where Clark was still standing, looking very guilty. She passed Jane to him and asked, in a gentle voice, "What happened, Smallville?"

Sitting down, Clark sighed. "I said things I shouldn't have said. We were arguing about you going back to work and I said some things- a lot of things- I shouldn't have said and I feel terrible."

Biting her lip, Lois folded her arms. "What did you say to her?" When Clark shook his head, she sat down next to him and repeated the question, looking into his eyes.

"I said that she was jealous of you, of what you had. I said that..she wanted the relationship you and I have and that-that she settled for Jimmy and that he isn't the one for her. I know I shouldn't have said those things and I feel terrible. They've been bubbling under for a while, I guess." He looked into his wife's eyes and he could tell that she was angry with him, but instead she said, "Find Chloe and apologise tomorrow. I'm not getting in the middle of this. You're two of them most important people in my life, you have to make this work, Smallville." She kissed him on the check, then walked back into the kitchen to check on Ben who was asleep in his cot.

Clark's guilty thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. It was Oliver and Kara and they were holding hands. Clark invited them in, very confused and led them into the sitting room. Lois joined them with Ben in her arms. She saw their linked hands and asked, "When did that happen?"

Kara chuckled. "It just happened. We went for a meal together. One thing led to another and we kissed. We've agreed to go on another date as well. Do you mind if I use the bathroom?" She kissed Oliver on the check, which he received with a smile, before standing up and going up stairs.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, Clark turned to his friend, "Oliver, what are you doing?"

Oliver ran his hands through his hair, as he answered, "Clark, I really like her, ok? And she really likes me. What's the big deal?"

Clark glanced at Lois, whom he knew was thinking the same as him. In a careful voice, he asked, "Does this have anything to do with Felicity telling you she doesn't love you anymore?"

"Clark, Felicity and I are finished! It is never going to happen again, ever and I have to move on without her by my side! Just like nothing is ever going to happen between Chloe and I! I have to move on with my life, Clark! I know you won't understand that, because you're with the only woman you've ever loved, but we can't all be so lucky!" Oliver bowed his head and sighed. "Clark, you're right, I am still in love with Felicity, but she doesn't feel the same way about me anymore, so I can't wait around for her, can I? There would be no point in that!"

There was a silence and Jane reached out for Oliver's hand. Smiling slightly, he held her hand and smiled down at the baby, but from where Lois was sitting, Lois could see how unhappy he looked. The doorbell rang again and Lois left the living room to answer it. It was Felicity and she asked if she asked Lois if she knew where Oliver was, because she wanted to speak to him. Lois hesitated, before replying, "He's here…with Kara." Felicity started at her in confusion, then realisation dawned over her face and her eyes began to well up with tears. "I'll go, then. Lois, don't tell him I was here." She walked away. Lois called after her, but she refused to go back.

As Felicity made her way home, she was cursing herself for letting Oliver go, because knowing that he was with someone else was the most painful feeling she had ever felt and it was all because of what she had said to him.

The next morning, at 6:00, whilst Lois and Clark were feeding Jane and Ben and having their own breakfast, Oliver walked in and offered to feed Jane and Ben for them, so that they could eat enough breakfast themselves. The hungry parents agreed happily, so Oliver sat down and began to feed the twins, grinning at them. As they began to eat themselves, Clark whispered so that Oliver would not hear, "I'll go and find Chloe today and apologise." Lois just nodded and he knew that she was not happy about what he had said to Chloe.

Before Oliver could ask Clark what he was whispering about, there was a knock on the door. Lois rolled her eyes and muttered, "Why does everyone turn up at ridiculous hours of the day?" She was very nervous about her first proper day at the Daily Planet, so Clark was being very careful not to say anything which would upset or annoy her. On the other side of the door was a young man whom Lois had never seen before in her entire life. "Yes, who can I help you?"

In the kitchen, Clark rolled his eyes and Oliver sniggered, before going to the door to save this young man from his wife's wrath. At the door, however, he saw that he recognised the man and asked, "What's your name and how is it that I know you?"

"I'm Barry Allen. We went to Yale together, about nine years ago. I remember you, if that's any consolation." Barry looked far younger than he was, but he always had, as far as Lois and Clark were concerned. He had been good friends with Clark and Oliver during their Yale years, but they had lost touch after gradation. Clark invited his old friend into their house and asked, "So, how are you, Barry? What have you been up to these past years?" He and Lois led Barry into the kitchen.

Barry sat down and replied, "Not much, Clark. Not as much as you two. I always knew that you too would end up together. What are the babies' names? Hi Oliver, by the way." He added, smiling at Oliver, with whom he had been close at university.

Lois smiled and picked up Ben as Oliver had finished feeding him. "He's Ben Lane-Kent and that's Jane Lane-Kent. Would you like to hold him?" Barry nodded and the baby boy was passed into his arms and he instantly seemed to be very comfortable there. "How's Iris, Barry? What's she up to now?" Lois and Iris had also been friends at Yale and Lois really regretted losing touch with her. Barry and Iris had dated whilst at Yale.

Barry's smile instantly fell and he looked down at Ben to have something on which to concentrate. He cleared his throat, then replied, in a very tight voice, "She-er-she died a couple of years ago. We were married and had a baby… and she died."

"I'm so sorry." Lois, Clark and Oliver said in unison. There was a silence, then Oliver asked, "How old is your baby?"

Still looking down at Ben, Barry replied in a whisper. "She-er-she's four now. She's named Callie, after Iris's mother. She really would love Jane and Ben. I'll bring her round to play with them sometime."

The four of them talked for a while, before Lois announced that she had to go to work, so she said goodbye. Clark followed her head and caught her hand in the hallway. "You have no reason to be nervous, trust me. I believe in you." He smiled at her, with love in his eyes. Lois smiled back as they hugged and she murmured, "I don't what I'd do if anything happened to you, Smallville. I love you so much. I'll see you later." Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a while, before Lois turned away and made her way to work.

The Daily Planet was a ten minute walk away from where Lois and Clark lived and Lois was very glad that she could walk to work, as it gave her a chance to calm herself. On her way, she texted Chloe, saying that she wanted to talk to her, but received no reply.

Lois entered the Daily Planet and walked to Perry White's office. She knocked and he invited her inside. He was a rather old man, with receding hair and he always seemed to have a cigarette in his mouth. He also spoke with a Deep South accent, so understanding him was not always the easier task in the world. "Lane, welcome to the Daily Planet. I'm sure you'll do a fine job. But before you start work, there's someone out in the bullpen, by your desk, who would like to talk to me. I think it's your cousin." He smiled kindly and excused her, so Lois nodded gratefully and left the office.

Chloe was standing by her new desk and she embraced her cousin with a hug. "Congratulations, Lois. You really deserve this. But I haven't come to talk to you about that, sorry. I'm here about the argument Clark and I had."

"Yeah. I know. He didn't tell me much, but he told me what he said to you and, may I just say, I told him to apologise because what he said to you was all wrong." She sat down in her hair and saw the hesitation in Chloe's face and asked, "Some of what he said, did some of that ring true?"

"Yes, but only some of it-not all of it." Chloe was sounding very awkward and Lois could understand. She was in a tricky situation and she also knew that she did not want Lois and Clark to argue over what the latter had said to her.

Lois smiled reassuringly and asked in a gentle voice, "So, are you jealous of me?"

Chloe pulled a chair from another desk and sat down. "I'm not jealous of you-I'm jealous of the relationship which you and Clark have. The way that you know each other and love each other. The two of you are a team and, let's face it, my relationship with Jimmy is less than desirable. But I'm not jealous of you, I'm jealous of the relationship you and Clark have." There was a silence, then she asked, "Do you and Clark both think that I settled for Jimmy, that I'm not destined to be with him?"

Sighing, Lois replied, "I think that you doubt if he's the one you're going to ultimately end up with. Do you?"

"Did you ever doubt that with Clark?"

Lois shook her head. "No, as soon as we declared our love for each other, I knew that he was the one, the one I was destined to be with. I know that you and Jimmy love each other very much, but is there anyone else that maybe you think you're going to end up with?"

Tears began to form in Chloe eyes, but she blinked to prevent them from falling. She inhaled a deep breath and whispered, "No. All I want is Jimmy back. That's all I ask for. Our argument was about why I married him. I married him because I loved him, not because of anyone else. When Clark asked you to marry him, did you already know your answer?"

A smile spread across Lois's face as she remembered Clark's proposal. "I already knew what my answer would be, yes. But equally, he wouldn't have asked if he'd thought that I would say no. Jimmy's must have been the same-he must have known that you'd say yes, because believe me, men would not put their heart on their sleeves in that way if they thought they were going to be rejected."

"I wish that Jimmy would realise that." Chloe murmured, trying to dry her eyes without Lois seeing even though she knew that she had already seen. "I guess…a part of the argument with Clark was me trying to do what I thought was best for you, Lois. I was trying to protect you, but Clark replied that that was his job, not mine."

Lois took hold of her cousin's hand and remarked, "Clark's wrong. I need both of you to protect me. I need both of you in my life for different reasons and.. until now, I thought that you and Clark got on well. I guess I was wrong."

"No, I like Clark. It's just…" Chloe trailed off, wondering how to put her feelings and thoughts in words. "I just feel as if, since you and Clark have been together, you don't need me as much as you used to. When you need advise, you go to your best friend, to your husband. I know it sounds stupid, but"-

Looking into her eyes, her cousin insisted, "Chloe, it is not stupid. Yeah, ok, my life has changed since I met Clark, as I knew it would, and he is my best friend as well as my best friend. But that does not mean that I don't need you. I'll always need you. You're like a sister to me, Chloe, and I know if something ever happened to me, I could rely on you to support Clark and the twins. I trust and need you in a different way from how I trust and need Clark. That's never going to change, ok? Never! I can't imagine my life without you." She pulled Chloe into a hug and the two of them remained in that position, as if absorbing strength from the other. When they finally parted, Chloe sniffed slightly, before she said, "I'll find Clark later today and sort things out between the two of us. I really was just trying to do what I thought was best for you, Lois. Apart from Nicky, you're the only family I really have." She stood up, then sat back down again, "I guess, everything has changed for me this past year as well. I've become a mother, married and I've lost my best friend."

"Wait-what do you mean, lost your best friend?" Lois inquired, frowning.

Chloe sighed, then replied, "Well, do you remember that Ollie didn't go to my wedding."

"I thought that was because he was working."

Shaking her head, Chloe murmured, "No, it wasn't. I asked him to go and he said that he wasn't going to."

"Do you know why?" Lois thought that she knew why. Oliver had been in love with Chloe and watching her marry Jimmy would have been hard, but Chloe was his best friend. Lois also suspected that Chloe did not know that Oliver had been in love with her, so she did not want to tell her.

"No, I don't know why." Chloe lied, not looking into her cousin's eyes. The truth was that she knew very well why Oliver had not attended her wedding and she understood, but his not being there had damaged their friendship and Chloe knew that they had only recently started to mend their friendship. "His not being there was so hard for me. I really wanted him there, but he refused. How could he do that?" A part of her wanted to tell Lois the truth about why Oliver had not attended her wedding, but she knew that telling her cousin would create more problems than solve them, so she bit her lip and decided against it. Nobody knew the truth and she wanted it to remain that way. For her sake… and for Jimmy's. "Anyway, I have to go. Good luck with your first day." Chloe kissed her cousin on the check, then walked away, with the burden of the secret still in her heart.

Half an hour later, Chloe returned home and waited for Jimmy to drop off Nicolas; their baby had sent the night with Jimmy and he was due to spend the rest of the day with his mother. There was a knock on the door and Jimmy walked in, with Nicolas in his arms. He placed him down on the sofa, then turned away to the door, but Chloe called him back and he finally looked at his estranged wife. "Jimmy, I just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for me with Kara. I know that can't have been easy for you, considering… who she is and what she means to you."

Jimmy walked over to her and smiled, "Chloe, my relationship with Kara was a life-time ago. Yes, I did love her, but not the way I love you." He paused, worried that Chloe would send him away, but she did not. She looked into his eyes, smiling at him, so he continued, "We're married and we should work through this like a proper married couple. I don't want to be like Lex and Tess-they just run away from their problems or they don't talk about them. I don't want you and I to be like that. I care about you and our son too much for that."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that.. we should end this legal speration and deal with this problem like a normal married couple." Jimmy sat down next to Nicolas on the sofa and kissed his son on the head. "The truth is, our entire relationship moved at lightening speed, I mean, we'd only been together for a couple of days when we… made love, but I already knew that I loved you. So, is it really any surprise that we got married so quickly, given everything? I should never have questioned you, Chloe."

Sitting down on the other side of their son, Chloe took hold of Jimmy's hand as she whispered, "Jimmy, I accepted your proposal because I loved you and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Do you still feel that way about me? About our lives together? I wouldn't blame you, after everything I've put you through." Jimmy's voice was slightly shaky as if he were afraid of the answer.

Chloe sighed and answered, "Jimmy, ever since we broke up, I've wanted nothing more than to be with you again. That's all I want and all I ever will want: you. You and Nicky are my life and I don't want to loose you, ever." A genuine smile spread across Jimmy's face and he squeezed her hand and then his fingers fell on her wedding ring. He tightened his fingers around it, then whispered, "You and I are meant to be together, Chloe, and these rings which we wear are a constant reminder of our love for each other. It's eternal." He slowly leaned forward and they kissed, smiling. Their lips parted and they looked down at their son, who was smiling happily. They chuckled, then Chloe rested her head on Jimmy's shoulder and held her son in her arms. She, Jimmy and Nicolas were a family again and she did not want anymore more.. but Clark's words were still in the back of her mind.

At Queen Industries, Oliver was working in his office when he was informed that Felicity was outside, waiting to see him. Biting his lip, he granted her permission to enter his office and ran his hands over his face, wondering why she was there. What did she want? She did not love him anymore. The door opened and Felicity walked into the office. Oliver stood up and forced a smile. "Felicity, how are you?" When she did not reply, he added, "Come on, I thought we agreed to pretend nothing happened between the two of us and be friends? Can you not do that now?"

Felicity did not look him in the eye, but she walked over to him and inquired, in a very even voice, "Are you and Kara together?"

Confused by her question, Oliver replied, "Well, we went for a meal together last night and kissed, but I'm not sure if that will lead to anything or not. Why do you ask?"

"I was just…wondering." Felicity remarked, in a casual voice, before the façade fell apart and she whispered, "I didn't think that you'd move on so quickly." Oliver stared at her, amazed at what she had said. He sighed and replied, "Felicity, you told me that you didn't love me anymore and you moved to London. What was I supposed to do, huh? Just wait for you to come back and realise that you still loved me? You have no right to be mad with me about this-not after you were the one who ended our relationship!"

Felicity glared at him, before remarked, "I worked out who you were in love with before me, by the way." She sighed. "Oliver, I left you because I thought that I was doing the right thing to me and for you! You can never love me as much as her and I was kidding myself by making myself believe that!"

"Felicity, I was going to propose to you! I actually bought and ring and thought about what I was going to say!" Oliver let slip before he realised what he had said. He looked away from her, then murmured, "I loved you enough to want to spend the rest of my life with you. Doesn't that tell you anything?" She said nothing. She stood there, in silence, staring at him, almost as if she were in a gaze of trance. After the silence continued, Oliver walked up to her and told her that he had to go to a meeting, so he walked past her and left the office. As soon as the door was closed, Felicity closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. She could not believe that Oliver had been going to propose to her. If only she had known that he had loved her that much….

"Excuse me?" She turned around to see Barry Allen standing behind her. "Are you Felicity Lance?"

Nodding, Felicity nodded. "Yeah, I am. Who are you?"

Barry smiled and replied. "I'm Barry Allen. I was told that I'd find you here. I've been sent work for the Science branch of the company you work for." Felicity nodded. "Yes, of course. Erm… follow me then."

When they arrived at the company's building in Metropolis, Barry began working and Felicity sat on the computer, watching him whilst doing her work. "Is there something bothering you? You seem quite distant and upset about something?" Barry inquired, sounding concerned.

Initially, Felicity ignored him, because she had only just met him, but she knew that she needed to talk to someone and all of her other friends knew Oliver so talking to them would be awkward. "It's nothing. It's just…relationship stuff, that's all. I left my ex-boyfriend to go to London, I came back and now I think he's close to being with someone else."

Barry looked up at her, smiling again. "Would you ex-boyfriend be Oliver Queen, by any chance?" The look in her eyes was all he needed, so he asked, "So, what happened between the two of you? I mean, why did you break up with him?"

Felicity looked away and kept her eyes fixed on the computer screen. "Before he was with me, he was in love with somebody else and I thought that he still loved her when we were together...but now he tells me that he was going to ask me to marry him, so now I'm questioning whether breaking up with him was the best thing to do. I've known him since I was a kid and I-I don't want to loose him." She turned her attention back to her work and the two of them continued to work in silence.

That afternoon, Chloe made her way to Clark's office, leaving Nicolas with Jimmy. She wanted to make up with him for Lois's sake. She loved her cousin so much and she did not want to risk anything when it came to their relationship. She knocked on the door of his office and waited until she was invited inside.

Once inside, she saw the confused and startled look on her cousin-in-law's face and he asked, "Chloe? What brings you here?" he did not want to make it obvious that Lois had told him to apologise.

Chloe closed the door and walked over to him. "Clark, you and I need to talk. We can't keep going on like this, barley tolerating each other. So, what's your problem with me?"

Clark stared at her. "Chloe, I want to apologise to you not-"

"Just answer the damn question, Clark! Tell me what your problem is with me!" Chloe snapped.

There was a silence, then Clark began, "You want to be honest? Fine, I will be! Personally, I think that you settled for Jimmy. I know that your relationships aren't any of my business, but I don't think that he'll be able to make you happy for much longer. You're also really possessive of Lois and I feel as if you're trying to undermine my position as her husband and protector. But I do care about you, Chloe. I know how much you mean to Lois, so we need to sort this out."

Much to his surprise, Chloe burst out laughing and smiled and, for once, her smile reached her eyes and Clark thought that she looked rather beautiful and rather like Lois in a certain light. "Clark, you do realise that all of this time we've spent not liking each other, is because we both want what's best for Lois? We both love in her in different ways."

"And all this time, I thought that you hated me."

"No, I could never hate you, Clark." Chloe walked over to his desk and sat there in front of him. "Can I tell you a secret? The day of your wedding, I told Lois not to marry you. I did that to test her, because in the past, she had always listened to my advise. But on that day, she didn't and that was how I know that you were the one for her. You make her happier than I ever saw her as a child, Clark, and you're a fantastic father as well to Jane and Ben. Lois couldn't have picked a better person with whom to share her life." With that, the two of them hugged, before Chloe walked out of the office and Clark returned to work, happy that he and Chloe both had Lois's best interests at heart.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet, Lois was typing up her notes for a story. She had stayed up late the night before finishing them and she had forced Clark to help her. Finishing all of the notes had filled her with achievement, but now she was determined to write the story before somebody else did. As she was staring at her computer writer, one of her colleges walked over to her. "Welcome back, Lane? How are the twins? What did you have in the end?"

Lois really wanted to concentrate on her work, but she also loved nothing more than to speak about her children, so she turned around and replied, "Clark and I had a boy and a girl. They're named Jane and Ben Lane-Kent. What's your son named?" Before having the twins, she had taken very little interest in other people's children, but now she was interested.

"He's Jackson and he's 5." Lois's friend sighed and looked very troubled.

"What's wrong?" Lois inquired, titling her head to make eye contact with the other woman.

There was silence, then her friend answered, "It's just-I had no choice about returning to work, I had to because I'm a single parent and I was fine with it, until his childminder called me and told me that he was walking and… I missed it and I missed the first time he spoke and… so many others. If I had my way, I would've returned to work after he had started school. I love him, but I wasn't there for the important things and I still feel bad. Anyway, I'd better get back to work." With that, she walked away, leaving Lois sitting still in her chair. It had not occurred to her that she could miss milestones in Jane and Ben's life if she were at work, but the idea made her heart ache.

That evening, Lois arrived home quite late. Clark was sitting with the twins on either side on the sofa. "Look, kids, Mummy's home." He smiled as Lois leaned over to kiss him and kiss their babies. She picked up Ben and sat down with him on her knee. "Thanks for helping me out last night, Smallville. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. How was your first day?" Clark asked, taking Jane onto his knee and kissed her on the head.

Lois was silent for a while, before replying, "It was fine-it was great in fact, but… I feel a bit uneasy about leaving Jane and Ben with a stranger. I don't like the idea of missing key stages in their lives because I'm trying to prove to anyone-and to myself- that I can be a mother as well as work."

Biting his lip, her husband took hold of her hand and whispered, "Lois, I feel that way every day, worried that I'm going to miss something in their lives. And as for you, trying to prove myself"-

"The only people I really want to impress are you and the kids! You guys are the only people I really care about."

"In that case, you know that you don't have to prove anything to me. When I look at you, I see a strong woman and I love you for that-you follow your heart and that can take guts. And as for what Jane and Ben think-to them you are their mum, so you're going to be wonderful and adored no matter what you do. They, I and Chloe are the four people who will love you unconditionally, no matter what, Lois." He wiped the tears away from Lois's check, then they leaned in closer and kissed, as they could not hug because their twins were in the middle of them. After their kiss, they rested their heads together, with their babies in between them, united as a family.