I do not own Smallville. Please, read and review:). Clois all the way!:):)

Chapter 10: Changes.

A couple of weeks passed and Martha moved into her flat, which was only a ten-minute walk away from Lois and Clark's house. She seemed to be perfectly happy there, but she had not been happy when she had discovered that Nell had moved into the house in which she and Johnathan had lived for years and raised their children. Martha refused to talk to Tess, as she did not want to cause her anymore pain, but she did talk to Lois, as she trusted her and she also knew that whatever she told Lois, Clark would soon know. That had been the kind of marriage she and Johnathan had had, before everything had gone wrong. None of their children had spoken to their father since the discovery of his infidelity. Lois had tried to persuade Clark to speak to Johnathan, as Oliver had, but he had not listened to either of them; as far as he and Tess were concerned, their father had not just betrayed their mum, he had betrayed what they had held dear as a family and both were unforgivable. Clark did not blame Nell, but it did not surprise him, considering that Lana had been Lex's mistress in the past. Lois and Clark still could not believe what Lex had told Clark, regarding his relationship with Tess, but they also knew that it was none of their business, so they could do nothing to ease the pain of either party.

It was a Wednesday morning and Clark arrived at work early, as he and Lois had a plan to watch a film together after work, as long as Jane and Ben would sleep long enough for that to happen. Much to his surprise, he found Lex sitting at his desk. Wondering why he was there, he took off his jacket and asked his friend if he was alright, assuming that he and Tess had had another fight.

Lex sighed, then answered, "My father has offered me a managerial post at LuthorCorp, which I'm very tempted to accept. I would no longer be his lapdog or the person who tries to convince Queen that LuthorCorp sometimes has better ideas than them."

Sitting down on the edge of his desk, Clark asked, "So, what's the problem? If it would help you to get out of your father's shadow, why aren't you jumping at the chance?"

"Because of you, Clark," Lex replied in a solemn tone, looking at his best friend, "I've worked with you for five years here and I've known you for far longer and I want to keep working with you. We make a good team. That's why I haven't accepted it yet…" There was a short silence, then Lex smiled, "Why don't you get a job at LuthorCorp? All of your skills are transferable, so you could quit working for Queen and come and work for me, at LuthorCorp and it would be better paid."

Clark shook his head. "I couldn't do that, Lex. I'm sorry."

Lex rolled his eyes and snapped, "Why? Because you're best buddies with Queen all of a sudden? Clark, you've known me for far longer and you trust me more-and don't deny that! I tell you everything and I can grantee that he's hiding things. Has he ever told you about how his parents died? What kind of friend can he be if he hasn't told you his secrets?"

"I trust Oliver and I know that he can't talk about his parents."

"Clark, they died when he was 10! Of course he can talk about them!" Lex stood up, with anger and frustration in his eyes. "You've been so blinded by his supposed-friendship that you can't see what's right in front of you. Oliver Queen doesn't have friends-they're always a means to an end! Think about that!" With that, he stormed out of Clark's office, leaving his friend both annoyed and curious. With that in mind, he typed Oliver's name into the search engine, to see what was on his page: Born in Star City, was home-schooled by his mother until he was 6, then he had attended Star City Primary School, then a secondary school, then at the age of 9, he had been sent to Excelsior and on his tenth birthday, his parents had died in a plane accident.

At lunchtime, Clark recited this information and his conversation with Lex to Lois at the end of which she shook her head and remarked, slightly displeased with him, "Clark, Oliver has been nothing more than a loyal friend to you for the past 13 years. You've known him even longer than you've known me. How can you even be considering Lex's offer?"

Clark sighed, unhappy with her tone. "Lex is my friend too and he's offered me better money and better hours."

"The Clark Lane-Kent I know wouldn't be bothered about that and the Luthors have very murky ethical business practices. Besides, is it any surprise that Oliver hasn't opened up to you, I mean, if you'd been orphaned, would you tell everyone about it? I don't think so." She sighed and took hold of his hand. "Smallville, I know that Lex is your friend and brother-in-law, but it would be unfair to walk away from Oliver now, just because Lex has given you reason to doubt. If you're really considering this-and you are made if you indeed are-then talk to Oliver about it. You owe him at least that much." She looked into her husband's eyes and finally saw recognition. He nodded, in defeat, then kissed her before making his way back to work.

Walking to Oliver's office, he knocked and waited to be invited in, which he was to find Oliver typing furiously on his laptop. "Computer troubles?" Clark asked, trying to ease the tension and guilt which was building up inside of him. "Yeah, I'll call Chloe tomorrow, get it fixed," Oliver sighed and closed his laptop with a thud, "what's up, Clark? Why are you here?"

Clark remained at the door for a couple of seconds, before walking further into the office. "Lex's father has offered him a job at LuthorCorp, a good, top post and he's thinking of taking it."

Oliver smiled. "Good. I have no idea why my shareholders feel there has to be peace between my company and the Luthors." He paused for a second, then asked, "With all due respect, Clark, you know that I don't care about Lex, so why are you telling me this?"

Ignoring the guilt, Clark answered, "Lex asked me if I'd like to go and work for LuthorCorp, work for him-with him, I mean. It's very good money and better hours."

Staring at him in shock, Oliver finally regained feeling and stood up. "You can't actually be considering his proposal? You can't actually be considering leaving Queen Industries to go to LuthorCorp?"

"I wasn't considering it until Lex reminded me of a few things," Clark retorted in an icy cold voice, as the guilt began to build up inside of him even more, "he reminded me that you've never been completely honest with me about your past. Why didn't you tell me that you were home-schooled until you were 6?"

Oliver's face changed and Clark could almost see the barriers building up aroid him. "I don't know-maybe because it's none of your business! Do you tell me everything that happened in your childhood, every little detail? Do I expect you to? No, because you're my friend and I trust and care for you and you should feel the same way!"

There was a long silence, then Clark asked in a quiet voice, "What really happened to your parents, Oliver? How did they die? All of the information I've ever read just says that it was a plane accident. Is that the truth?" Seeing the pain in his friend's eyes, the overwhelming feeling of guilt returned and he realised that he had no right to ask Oliver that question.

Oliver turned away from Clark and leaned against the window, resting his head against the pane. Clark stayed still and silent, unsure if Oliver was going to shout at him and tell him to leave his office. Inhaling a deep breathe, Oliver began in a shaky voice, "It was my tenth birthday. They sent me to Excelsior when I was 9, to keep me safe. They-they'd received threats and they didn't want to risk loosing me, so that's why they sent me away. I didn't understand it at the time… They collected me from the front gates and led to me to the runaway nearby, where their jet was. My mum and dad went in and told me to stay outside because they were sorting something out. The next second, the"- Oliver broke off and Clark could tell that he was fighting back tears, so he walked closer to his friend-"the next second, the jet exploded and it caught fire. The blast pushed me away and deafened me in my right ear. My mum and dad were in the jet. I tried to get to them, but my head teacher stopped me and I fainted in his arms. The next thing I remember is waking up in my room at Excelsior and Mr. Reynolds telling me that my parents were dead. I already knew that, I guessed, I'd seen them… die, but he was the one who told me and… I can still remember it to this very day."

Clark sighed to himself. "So, that's how you knew which counsellor Tess and Lex should see, because you've had counselling yourself?"

Turning to face him, Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I have. I have PTSD, Clark. You're the second person whom I've told."

"Who else knows?" Clark asked, wondering whom else Oliver would have confided this information in.

With a sad smile, his friend replied in a whisper, "Chloe. With everything she went through with her mother's mental health, in a weird way, I knew that she would understand." He paused, before adding, "Felicity knows, too. She was my friend at the time of my parents' death and she was the one who finally persuaded me to speak to a shrink. Clark, if you really want to work with Lex for LuthorCorp, that's fine. Just think about it and talk it over with Lois." He walked back to his desk, sat down and bowed his head between his hands, which Clark took as his cue to leave the office, so he did and made his way back to his own office, wondering why Oliver had decided to tell him then. He also wondered why Oliver had told Chloe before he had told him, considering that they were very good friends.

That evening, when Clark arrived home, he and Lois sat together, held each other in their arms and Clark told her everything that Oliver had told him. As he told her the story, she rested her head on his shoulder. After he was finished, they decided to watch a film. As they the film was still running, Lois rested her head against Clark's and she closed her eyes. At the end of the film, Clark saw that she was asleep, looking very peaceful besides him. Very carefully, he picked her up, carried her upstairs and laid her down in their bed, throwing the covers over her so that she was warm; he then went to check that the twins were okay. Upon returning into his and Lois's bedroom, he changed into his PJs, climbed into bed, kissing Lois on the check, then turned out the light and held her as he fell asleep.

The next morning, Lois was the first to awake and she was not surprised that she was still wearing her PJs. Before she had time to kiss Clark away, Jane began to cry, so she left their bedroom to feed Jane; she carried the twins downstairs and fed them there, so that they would not disturb Clark. As she began to make her own breakfast, the front door opened and Oliver walked into the house. "Hey, Lois. Need a hand?" He indicated to Ben, who still wanted to have some more food. Lois nodded, smiling, and Oliver sat down at the table with Ben on his knee. "So, how's Clark?" he asked. He knew that his friend would have told Lois everything, including Lex's job offer and his personal revelations of the previous day.

"He's fine, thanks. Just tired," Lois answered, as she began to pour her own breakfast into a bowl, "I don't think he'll take up Lex's offer. He has too much loyalty to you to do that."

Kissing Ben on the head, Oliver sighed, "He's considering it though, isn't he? Or at least, he was when I last saw him?" Lois was silent, trying to work out how much to say what she wanted to say. "I think… he's confused about the fact that you didn't tell him everything when Chloe already knew. I think that upsets him." She paused, then asked, "You're my cousin's best friend, so do you know who Chloe had a one-night stand with?"

Oliver looked up at his friend in shock. "Chloe had a one-night stand? When and with whom?"

"A couple of days before she was with Jimmy and I don't know who. She only told me recently. I thought that, if she'd told anyone, it would be you. You tell each other everything-well, almost everything. You don't know who the guy was?"

Shaking his head, Oliver answered, "Sorry, Lois. I'm as much in the dark as you are. The one thing Chloe and I do not discuss is our relationships."

Lois raised her eyebrows and murmured, "Well, that's a relief, considering you were in love with her." Either Oliver did not hear her comment, or he ignored it, but Lois's thoughts were interrupted when Clark walked into the room. He kissed Jane and Ben on the head, then leaned down next to her and whispered, "Morning, sleeping beauty."

Blushing, Lois replied in the same tone, "Morning, Prince Charming." They smiled at each other and began to kiss.

"Ew-guys, please! Some people are trying to eat here. And when I say 'people', I mean your kids." Oliver remarked. He knew that Lois and Clark loved each other, but seeing them kissing in such a way was a sight which he did not want to have, ever.

Blushing, Lois and Clark ended their kiss and the latter murmured something under his breath, which only the former could hear; whatever he said, it made her laugh. Oliver rolled his eyes and continued to feed Ben. As soon as he was done, he texted Chloe, asking her if she could fix his laptop for him.

Meanwhile, Chloe slowly walked out of the bathroom in her and Jimmy's house with a fixed feeling in her heart. She was not sure if she should tell Jimmy now or if she should wait until her doctor confirmed it. "Chloe, what's wrong?" She was pulled out of her thoughts by Jimmy, as he lovingly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. Forcing a smile, Chloe answered, "Jimmy, I'm fine really. I should get ready for work. Can you drop Nicky off at nursery?" She pulled herself out of her husband's arms and almost ran to her bedroom, not waiting for a reply. Jimmy stood there, confused. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he had been with Chloe long enough to know that she would tell him when the time was right.

As he walked into the bathroom, he found his answer in the bin. His heart racing, he began to panic, but he knew that he would say the wrong thing if he spoke to his wife, so he decided to call Oliver, who picked up instantly. "Jimmy, what's wrong?"

"Chloe's pregnant. She hasn't told me, but she's acting really weird. I found the test in the bin. She seems to want to get away from me. What do I do?"

"Jimmy, just calm down-I've known Chloe long enough to know that Chloe will tell you when she's ready to tell you. If I were you, I would pretend that I knew nothing and just wait. You ok?"

Nodding, Jimmy inhaled a deep breath, assured Oliver that he was fine, then he ended the call, wondering what to do. Chloe was pregnant with his baby, so why had she not told him? Jimmy was not sure if he even wanted another baby yet, with Nicolas being so young, and maybe she sensed that. Whatever her reason, Jimmy remembered that Oliver's words about knowing Chloe were the same words which he had told himself, so he wondered: did Oliver know Chloe as well as him and, if so, how was that fair?

A couple of hours later, Chloe walked into Oliver's office, almost instinctively holding her stomach, even though she knew that that would not protect the human being who was growing inside of her. Oliver was standing by the table, with a book in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "Chloe, how are you? My laptop's over there." Chloe nodded and, without answering his question, she sat down at his desk and began work.

Frowning, Oliver asked, "Er-Chloe, are you ok?"

Glaring at screen, Chloe ignored him, before finally admitting. "No, I'm not ok. I've just found out that I'm pregnant and, no, I haven't told Jimmy." Oliver pursed his lips together and pulled a chair next to his desk where Chloe was working. In a gentle voice, he said, "May I ask why you haven't told Jimmy?"

Chloe kept her eyes flued on the screen, as she did not want to look at Oliver at the moment. "I don't want to tell him because-because I know that he doesn't want to have another baby, yet. And why would he? Nicky's only one."

"I know you're going to hate me, but he has a right to know. He is the baby's father, isn't he?" The latter part earned him a glare and he sighed. "By the way, Lois asked me if I knew who you spent the night with. I covered for you, but you should know that she won't give up. Why don't you just tell her the truth? Stop lying to everyone."

For the first time since entering the room, Chloe looked up at Oliver and there were tears in her eyes. "I can't tell anyone, not even Lois. I would hurt Jimmy too much. You and I know the truth and we're the only ones who need to know, so let's leave it at that."

Pursing his lips again, Oliver admitted defeat. "Fair enough, I guess. You'll have to tell Jimmy soon, Chloe. If you don't, it will be just as bad as telling him that you had a one-night stand." With that, he stood up and walked out of his office, leaving Chloe wondering how to tell Jimmy; she knew that he did not want to have another baby yet, but she also knew that she did want Nicolas to have a brother or sister.

At lunchtime, Jimmy made his way to Chloe's office at Queen Industries. It was on the first floor, so it did not take long to get there. He knocked not eh door and called her name. The door opened and Jimmy walked into the office, His wife walked over to him and took hold of his hands. "Jimmy, I have something to tell you. I'm pregnant."

A smile spread across Jimmy's face as he replied, "I know-I mean, I saw your test in the bin and I called Oliver to talk to someone."

"You talked to Oliver? He didn't tell me that." Chloe shook her head and pushed that thought aside. "Why are you smiling? I mean, I didn't tell you because I thought you'd be mad. That's why I didn't tell you."

Jimmy squeezed her hands and nodded. "OK, I'll admit, I was freaking out, because Nicky's so young, but this is a miracle and, let's face it, our relationship has never been normal in terms of speed, so this is no different. I'm very happy about this. Are you?"

Forcing a smile, Chloe nodded, before Jimmy pulled her into a hug. She rested her face on his neck and closed her eyes, a part of her wishing that she were not in this situation and the other part of her was excited about the idea of having another child, with Jimmy.

That evening, after leaving work, Chloe made her way to Oliver's office, as she knew that he would still be working at this late hour. As she walked into the office, she saw that he was not wearing his usual formal attire, but jeans and a jumper. "Chloe, twice in one day! To what to I owe the pleasure?" He looked up from his book which was lying on his desk. "Did you tell Jimmy-about the baby, I mean? Not about… the other thing."

"Yeah, I did and he told me that he talked to you before I came here to fix your laptop. Why didn't you tell me that you'd spoken to him?" Chloe's tone was quite angry, so Oliver kept his voice calm as he answered, "I didn't want to feel as I were inferring in the affairs between a husband and wife. So, how do you feel about having the baby now?"

Chloe sat down in one of the seats and sighed. "I feel better now that I know that Jimmy's ok with it. As he said, our relationship has never been normal and I do want Nicky to have a brother or sister. I'm an only child and I know how hard it was when I was going through tough times."

Oliver smiled to himself. "You and Jimmy are so lucky, you know that? You love each other, so do Lois and Clark. Trust me, a life without love is-is lonely. So, whilst you and Jimmy have your bumps, you'll always be there for each other. Treasure that."

Smiling, Chloe nodded as she replied, "I do and that's why I think it would be foolish to tell Jimmy about-you know." She was silent for a couple of seconds, then said, "Ollie, I'm glad that you and I have rectified our friendship. When I married Jimmy, I was worried that I would lose you, but I haven't and I wanted to thank you for that."

Oliver looked down at his hands, then murmured, "You and I will always be there for each other, Chloe. No matter what. Now, I think that you should go home and spend some time with your husband and beautiful baby." Chloe chuckled and nodded, before standing up. Oliver did the same and they embraced each other in a hug, before letting go and Chloe left the office. She knew that she and Oliver had a complicated history, but she knew that now they had a platonic friendship and that made her very happy, because she did not see him in that way in which she saw Jimmy and she also knew that he loved Felicity.

Lois opened the door to her house to find Clark sitting in the kitchen feeding Jane and Ben. The sight made her heart warm and she smiled to herself and wondered how she was so lucky. She had such a great, loving husband and beautiful children. What had she done to deserve them? "Have you thought anymore about Lex's offer?" she inquired, as she helped herself to her own dinner and sat down at the table. She kissed Jane and Ben on the head.

Reaching over the table and kissing Lois, Clark smiled, then answered, "Yeah, I have. I'm not going to take it, I couldn't do that to Oliver and you were right, the Luthors' ethics are questionable."

Lois smiled to herself and asked, in a coy voice, "When am I not right?" She and Clark laughed, then she took over feeding Jane, so that Clark could make some attempt at eating his own dinner. Their dinner was interrupted when Chloe and Jimmy walked into their house, with Nicolas in his dad's arms. "Guys, we have some great news for you all!" Chloe cried, beaming with joy. Lois and Clark picked up their twins, carried them into the sitting room and Chloe and Jimmy followed them.

"What's this big news?" Lois asked her cousin, as they all sat down.

Adjusting Nicolas on his knee, Jimmy smiled with as much joy in his eyes as in his wife's. "Chloe's pregnant! Isn't it great?"

There was a silence for a moment, but Lois recovered herself quickly and smiled, "That's great, Chlo! How far along are you?"

Chloe had noticed the hesitation in her cousin's eyes and in Clark's eyes, but she ignored it and replied, "A couple of weeks, I think. I'm so glad that Nicky will have a brother or sister." There was another silence, then Clark stood up and offered his congratulations, whilst Lois and Chloe started at each other, as if Lois was trying to read her cousin, trying to find some sort of sign in her face. Chloe and Jimmy left soon after that. As soon as the door was closed, Clark tuned to his wife and asked, "Ok, Lois, what's wrong? What was that look in your eyes?"

"What look, Smallville?"

Smiling affectionately, Clark sat back down next to her. "Lois, I know you better than anyone and I saw that look in your eye and the way you were searching Chloe's face. Now, what's going on?"

Accepting defeat, his wife sighed. "Well, there was a tone of doubt in her eyes and I can't work out why. Normally, I can read her like a book. I mean, we grew up together, but there was something in her eyes which I didn't understand. But when she told me she was pregnant with Nicky, she looked scared, but she didn't this time. I know it sounds awful, but I can't help wondering if Chloe got pregnant on purpose so that Jimmy would marry her. Does that sound awful?"

"No, knowing how much Chloe wanted a family, I wouldn't be surprised. What did Oliver say when you asked him about Chloe's one-night stand?"

Lois shrugged and kissed her son's head. "He just said that he didn't know who it was with, but there-there was something in his eyes. I think he knows more than he's saying. It would make sense if he did, I guess. They are best friends, after all. I still can't understand why she hasn't told Jimmy about it. You and I told each other everything about our past."

Nodding, Clark agreed and remarked, "Yes, but neither of us were ashamed of our past-or past relationships. I'm guessing that Chloe's one-night stand with whomever, is something she's ashamed of. There must be a reason why she won't tell you who it was with. And if Oliver doesn't know, then none of us will ever find out." With a heavy sigh, he leaned his face closer to Lois's and kissed her and she kissed him back. With his free hand, he slipped off his glasses and asked, "How about we get these kids to bed and then watch a film?"

Taking Clark's glasses with her free hand and holding Ben in the other, Lois replied, "Now, Smallville, that sounds like a plan." They smiled, then carried Jane and Ben up their bedroom.

Meanwhile, Oliver was still sitting his office, trying to call Felicity; he had not spoken to her for ages and he wanted to hear her voice, but he received no reply and he was beginning to be worried that he had lost her friendship as well as her love.