I do not own Smallville. Please read and review:)

Chapter 11: Advice and siblings.

One year earlier…

Chloe walked into her Talon apartment and closed the door behind her. Despite working for Queen Industries in Metropolis, she still lived in Smallville, as it was near Lois and Clark, but not too near. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, lived in Metropolis as well as her best friend, Oliver. She really wanted to talk to Jimmy, but she was also afraid of his reaction to what she was going to tell him. What if he left her, what would she do then? She knew that she would have the support of Lois, Clark and Oliver, but not having Jimmy's support would be awful and it would break her heart. They had only been together for a couple of weeks, but they had already declared their love for each other and Chloe was sure that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but she did not know if he felt the same way. The person with whom she really wanted to discuss this was Oliver, but they two of them were in a rather awkward place at the moment and Chloe blamed herself for that. Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and Jimmy walked in. "Jimmy!" she exclaimed, smiling, as she sat down at the table due to her nerves, "You didn't tell me that you were coming."

Smiling, Jimmy walked over to her and passed her a rose. "I can drop in on my beautiful girlfriend, can't I?" He kissed her on the check, but stopped when he felt her tensing at the kiss. "What's wrong? You've been acting funny for a couple of days. Is it because we made love, did I pressure you?"

Chloe took hold of his hands and assured him, "No, Jimmy, it was perfect. I love you."

"I love you too, Chloe." Jimmy whispered, before sitting down next to her. "So, now we've established that, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Chloe squeezed his hands and inhaled a deep breath. "Ok, when I tell you this, I want you to remain calm. Jimmy, I'm pregnant." A look of shock waved across Jimmy's face, then a smile of pure happiness appeared. He kissed Chloe, then replied, "Chloe, that's amazing."

Frowning, Chloe asked, "It is? You're not freaking out?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No, I love you and"- he stopped talking and slipped down from the chair on the floor. There, he fumbled around in his pockets before producing a ring "-and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our baby. So, Chloe Anne Sullivan, will you marry me?"

Tears appeared in her eyes, as the shock and the emotion of the moment caught up with her. She could not believe that this was happening, this was all she had ever wanted. She slipped down onto the floor next to Jimmy and nodded. "Yes, Jimmy. I'll marry you."

"Great. When should we do it? Before or after the baby's born?"

Chloe blushed and replied, "I would prefer to do it before the baby's born and before I get really big. How about in two weeks?"

Jimmy kissed her again and murmured, "I want that more than anything!" They kissed again. "Who are we going to invite? My grandfather, your dad, Lois, Clark? It sounds wonderful, Chloe." He wiped away the tears on her face, then Chloe pulled him into a tight hug.

A couple of hours later, Chloe almost ran into Lois and Clark's house, beaming with joy. When Lois asked her why she was so happy, she replied, "I'm engaged! I'm getting married to Jimmy!" Her smile and happiness faltered as she saw Oliver standing in the corner of the room. The look of his face was the worst thing she had ever seen and she knew that she was the cause of it. Regaining her composer, she said, "I want all of you to be there."

For the first time since she had made the announcement, Oliver spoke and his voice was very strange. "Er-Chloe, I think I'm busy on that day. I'm sorry, I wish I could be there."

"I haven't told you the date yet." Chloe fixed him with a look, wondering why he was acting like this. He was her best friend-or he had been until a couple of weeks ago. "Can I see you outside, Ollie?" Lois and Clark glanced at each other, confused, as Oliver followed Chloe outside.

As soon as they were alone, Chloe turned to Oliver and hissed, "What is wrong with you? For the past couple of weeks, you've been avoiding me. I know that what I did was wrong, but that's in the past and I'm with Jimmy now!" She sighed and continued, in an almost begging tone, "You're my best friend, Ollie. I want you to come to my wedding."

Their eyes met and Chloe saw nothing but pain in his. There was a long silence, then Oliver broke contact and whispered, "I can't be there, Chloe, and if you search you feelings, you'll know why." With that, he walked away and ignored Chloe as she shouted his name, begging him to change his mind, but he could not. He loved her and he could not watch her marry somebody else. It would be too hard, no matter how much he cared about her.

Present day…

"Do you remember when Chloe told us she was engaged," Clark asked Lois as they were having their lunch, "and there was something going on between her and Oliver?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah, I do. At least now we know why that was: he was in love with her. I still don't understand why he didn't just tell her how he felt, then maybe she wouldn't have married Jimmy. Don't get me wrong, Smallville, I think that she and Jimmy are good together, I just-there's something about them together that doesn't fit. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure."

Chuckling, Clark observed, "I'm sure we've had this conversation before." Lois threw him a mock-glare, but smiled and, in her eyes, Clark could see nothing but love. Musing with his thoughts, he asked, "How did I get so lucky, Lois? How did I end up being with you?"

Lois leaned closer to him and squeezed his hands. "We took our time, Smallville, and we did it right. We're a perfect fit."

"We are indeed." Clark whispered, before leaning in closer and they kissed, before being interrupted by Jane and Ben crying. Smiling, Clark stood up and made his way upstairs, leaving Lois to clear away their lunch dishes and prepare some lunch for their babies. These tasks were interrupted, however, by a knock on the door. Rolling her eyes, Lois dropped the plates in the sink and walked to the door. She opened it and saw that it was her sister. "Lucy? What are you doing here?" The sisters had not seen each other for about 6 years. Lucy had not even bothered to go to Lois and Clark's wedding, which had really annoyed the latter.

Lucy smiled back and dropped her bags in the hall. "I'm here to see you, sis. I haven't even met your husband or kids yet."

"Well, you would've done if you'd bothered to attend my wedding or their births." Lois muttered under her breath, before forcing a smile and leading her sister into the house. She was very aware that Clark had never met Lucy and she wanted to avoid their introduction being awkward, but considering that it was Lucy, she knew that that was not going to be the case. There was a silence for a second, then Lucy asked, flashing a 'charming smile', "Would it be too much to ask for a cup of tea, big sis?" Lois just nodded, unable to say anything else. When she saw that Lucy was looking around the kitchen-her kitchen-with a critical eye-she asked, "So, how long have you been back in the States?"

Shrugging, Lucy answered, "A couple of months. I went to stay with Mum and Dad for a while and it was nice, because they were glad to see me. Anyway, I have a new Swiss boyfriend back home. Isn't that great? He's fluent in 4 different languages." Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Lois just nodded; Lucy was very flirtatious, so getting a boyfriend was easy, but keeping one was not so easy. There were six years between the two sisters, but that did not prevent Lois from being slightly jealous of Lucy. She had never discussed this was Clark, because she knew that he would not understand. There had also been no need to explain her complicated relationship with her sister, because her husband and she had never met, but Lois knew that would soon change and that Clark would want answers.

Just as that thought finished in her head, the kitchen door opened and Clark walked in, holding Jane in his arms. He stared at Lucy for a second, before holding out a hand. "I'm Clark. You must be Lucy." He recognised her from old photographs of Lois's which he had found hidden away in a drawer in their bedroom. The truth was that Lois had not told him anything about her sister, but he was going to ask her about that later.

Lucy's eyes surveyed Clark as if he were a piece of meat and her gaze began to make Clark feel uncomfortable. "So, you're Clark Kent? Wow! I never imagined that Lois could get a guy like you," she threw her sister a look, before asking, "how did you two meet?"

Clark glanced at his wife, who had her back to them and was making cups of tea. He cleared his throat and replied, "Well, we were at the same university: Yale, but we were friends, for two years, before we became a couple." His sister-in-law nodded, not looking remotely interested, as she asked, "So, is this one of the babies?"

At the moment, Lois stepped forward and took Jane into her arms. "Yes. This is Jane and Ben's upstairs."

"I wonder if her relationship with you will be like yours with Mum's." Lucy remarked, with a flash of something in her eyes. "Do you mind if I go to the bathroom?" She turned to the door, but Lois walked over to her. "Lucy, to be frank, why are you here?"

Lucy scoffed. "I wanted to see you, Lois. You're my big sister."

Fixing her with a hard stare, Lois snapped, "Try again, Luce. I wasn't born yesterday." There was a silence and Lucy began to fiddle with the handle of her handbag, before replying, in a soft voice, "Ok, to be honest, I'm having some personal problems and I wanted to see you because I knew that I'd be safe with you. I may not have seen you for 6 years, but you're still my sister." With that, she walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to the bathroom.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, Clark asked, "So, what's the story behind that? The two of you, I mean?" He kissed Lois on the head and took Jane back into his arms. Jane reached out and touched her mum's face, smiling brightly, before settling happily in her dad's arms.

Lois went over to the sink and began to wash the lunch disses. "The thing is, I was 6 when Lucy was born, so I was old enough to remember it. My dad was always away and my mum-well, you know what my relationship with her is like. I guess… Lucy was the perfect daughter to both of my parents; she was into languages, she could play instruments, she was feminine… she was prefect compared to me who would have rather been in jeans and running around in the fields than siting playing a piano in a dress." Lois stopped, aware that she was rambling, but she was also trying to make sure that Clark understood why their relationship was so complex. "Lucy didn't go to the same school as me, ever. Then, when I was 13 and she was 7, Chloe came to live with us. She overheard our parents talking about what happened with Chloe's mother and she-she kept repeating it to Chloe. I didn't understand at the time and I still don't really know that happened with Chloe's mother, but Lucy drove Chloe to the edge until she snapped and they had a big fight. They resolved it, but my sister was never really sorry. Anyway, when she was 11 and I was 17, she was sent off to a Swiss boarding school… I guess, a part of me was jealous because she got out and… I didn't. She had opportunities which I didn't and I resented that."

"But not anymore-due to your use of the past tense?"

Shaking her head, Lois nodded. "I guess, as I got older, I grew to terms that our parents loved her more than me and that was the way it was. I've learned to accept it, but sometimes it still hurts, you know?"

Clark walked over to her and put his free hand around her waist. Smiling, she turned around to face him. "If you had been sent away to Swiss boarding school, you and I would never have met, Lois. So, I'm grateful that you weren't the one who was send away and you and Chloe are very close."

Lois moved her face closer to Clark's and their eyes met and Clark saw tears in her eyes. "The first time I stopped resenting the choices my parents made for Lucy was when I met you, Smallville. Had I been given the opportunities she had, I wouldn't be the person am I today and I would never have met you. I would sacrifice a Swiss education for you and the kids any day." Clark leaned his face closer to hers and they kissed. When their kiss ended, he remarked, in a low voice, "You went to a better university than her anyway. And who do you think is happier now?"

"I do hope she's ok. She is my sister, after all." Their eyes met again and they both chuckled, before Lois squeezed out of that position and went upstairs to check on Ben, who was still asleep. Clark kissed Jane and whispered, "Mummy has a very complicated life, but she loves you and Ben more than anything, sweetie." The baby girl grabbed her dad's nose and smiled, giggling at the sight and texture of his nose. Had anyone else touched his nose like that, Clark would not have been impressed, but this was his daughter, so his children could get away with far more than anyone else.

"That's a sight everyone loves to see- a girl sticking her fingers up her dad's nose and laughing about it." Clark looked up to see Oliver and he smiled at his friend. "Does everybody have a key to this place?"

Chuckling, Oliver nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." He held out his arms and Clark passed Jane to him. "Who does the car outside belong to?"

Clark's smile faded and he replied, "It's Lois's sister, Lucy. She's over from Europe." He looked up at his friend and was surprised to see recognition when he said Lucy's name. "I'm assuming that you know something, judging by that look in your eyes?"

Oliver cleared his throat. "I only know what Chloe's told me." He looked slightly sheepish, as if he were not supposed to know anything and Clark began to wonder what Chloe had told him about her relationship with her younger cousin. To make his friend feel at ease, he remarked, "Well, I've only just heard the story from Lois-there was no need for me to know before. When did Chloe tell you? She tells you everything, doesn't she?" He knew that Chloe and Oliver were close, but he had not expected her to have told him about her relationship with Lucy.

Before Oliver could answer his question, Lucy walked back into the room and her attention was instantly drawn to Oliver, whom she recognised from the news and magazines. "You're Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Industries. I've always wanted to meet you!" Clark could see the look in Oliver's eyes and he could tell that what Chloe had told him had not been positive, but Oliver smiled and held out his hand to Lucy. "It's nice to meet you, Lucy. I've heard a lot about you."

Lucy was about to ask Oliver what he had heard, but at the moment, Chloe walked into the kitchen with Nicolas in her arms and she froze in her tracks, pulling Nicolas closer to her chest. Her eyes flitted to Oliver, then Clark, before they focused on her cousin again. "Lucy, how-how are you?"

Forcing a smile, Lucy nodded. "I'm good thanks. I heard you got married last year?"

"Yeah, to Jimmy Olsen. This is Nicky, our son." There was a long silence, then she said, "I have to go. I'll see you later." She practically ran out of the door and back to her car. Oliver passed Jane back to her dad, excused himself and followed Chloe, as he wanted to make sure that she was alright. He found her sitting on a hall on the next street, with Nicolas in her arms. Walking over to her, he asked, "Is Jimmy at home?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, he isn't. He's out with his grandfather." She paused, then asked, "How can seeing her after all this time still have this effect on me? I haven't seen her since I was 11. I hated her for what she did to me, she was a constant reminder of what happened to my mother. She had no right to say the things she did. Do you know that I still have the scars from what happened to my mother and I still have nightmares about it? Sometimes, I wake up and I think that I'm there. Jimmy helps as much as he can, but he doesn't know the whole story."

Sighing, Oliver sat down next to her and passed her a tissue. She accepted it and wiped her eyes. "That's the strange thing about that kind of thing. Sometimes, it feels like another life time and other times, it feels as if you're in that exact moment again. One would assume that the pain would be numbed with time, but it isn't always, is it?"

Shaking her head and biting her lip, Chloe whispered, "I know that what happened wasn't really my mother's fault, but at the time, I didn't understand that. I get trapped in the nightmares of what happened sometimes. I feel as if I'm 11 all again and then I wake up and the-the pain is almost too much to bear." Tears started to fall freely down her face and Oliver pulled her into a hug, in an attempt to comfort his best friend. After Chloe stopped crying, he put his arm around her and sighed. "I know how you feel, Chloe- I mean, with sometimes thinking that you're there. That happens to me, too and I think that I'm-I'm seeing my parents' jet exploding right in front of me. It's a different situation, I know."

"Yeah, it is different," Chloe replied, looking him in the eye, "after the accident, I had family around me, to help me deal with what happened. You had no-one, Ollie. I mean, I know you had teachers and other people, but that's not the same, is it?"

Oliver shook his head. "No. The only person I had was Felicity... and now I may have lost her too." He smiled at her, before adding, "You were the first person, Chloe, whom I really let in after my parents died." Their eyes met and Oliver could see Chloe's eyes searching hers, as if she were looking for something. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, he stood up and cleared his throat. "How about we go for a coffee and get this little man some milk?" He took Nicolas in his arms and the baby smiled at him. Chloe nodded in agreement and the two of them walked to Metro Café, which was one of Chloe's favourite places to go. Her first date with Jimmy had been there, but something told her not to tell Oliver that, so she did not, although she was not sure what was telling her not to do so.

Meanwhile, Clark made his way to the twins' bedroom, but Lois was in their bedroom with Ben in her arms. Lying Jane and himself down on the bed, Clark asked, "Are you using Ben as an excuse not to come downstairs?" He knew what the answer was, because he knew his wife and he knew how her mind worked, just as she did his.

Lois chuckled to herself and kissed Ben on the temple. "How did you guess? Did I hear Chloe's voice a couple of minutes ago?"

Sighing, Clark answered, "Yeah, she came in with Nicolas. It was a bit awkward to say the least. She almost ran out of the house and Oliver followed her."

"She and Lucy haven't seen each other since Chloe was 11. Do you think she's told Oliver about what happened?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah, I could tell that he knew something when I told him that it was Lucy. He has PTSD, from seeing his parents' jet blow up. He said that Chloe was the only one who would understand, because of what happened with her mother."

Much to his surprise, Lois started laughing to herself. When he threw her a confused look, she explained, "It's just- I know that Oliver wants to get back together with Felicity, but he and Chloe would be perfect together. I mean, they tell each other things which they don't tell others-even I don't know the whole story of what happened with Chloe's mother." She paused, then adding, "Thankyou for understanding earlier, by the way-and even if you didn't understand, you pretended."

"Well, that's my job," Clark observed, smiling as he moved closer to Lois on the bed, "as your husband, I have to listen to you." A smile spread across Lois's face and she punched him in the playful way she always had. Their eyes fell on the two babies lying in between them and it reminded them of how far they had come in the past twelve years of knowing each other. After a long, thoughtful silence, Lois remarked, "I guess I'd better go and see what my sister's up to. Come down soon, Smallville." She kissed him on the check, which he received with a pure smile, before leaving the bedroom and going downstairs.

In the kitchen, she found her sister sitting at the table, clutching a cup of tea, staring blankly at the cream wall ahead of her. Walking into the kitchen slowly, Lois asked, "Lucy, are you ok?" She was silent, then added, "I know that you and I aren't close and I'm to blame for that, but you can talk to me."

"It isn't your fault, Lois," Lucy replied in a barely audible voice, "our relationship, I mean. I made your life and Chloe's life very hard. I guess I always knew that Mum and Dad… liked me better, but that didn't make me happy. The only person I really cared about was you and you resented me for what I had." Lois sat down opposite her sister. "But I don't feel that way now. We're adults, we have to put the past behind us."

Lucy looked down at the table, before confessed, "I feel bad about how Mum treated you, about how I treated Chloe when we were kids. I always felt as if Dad preferred you, because you were the classic Army brat and I was far from it. I was the daughter Mum wanted and she made me that way, that wasn't entirely my choice, you know that? And as for how I treated Chloe-I guess, she was so clever, it felt nice to know something about her, something which you didn't know. The damage I did, I can never repair."

Biting her lip, Lois remarked, "I know this may be a wild suggestion, considering you're a Lane born and breed, but why don't you just talk to Chloe? Try to make her understand why you did what you did?"

Shaking her head, her sister mumbled, "No, because I can't even fix my relationship with you or my boyfriend, so what hope do I have with my cousin?" In a second, Lois was by her side and she pulled her into a hug. "I'm your sister, you don't have to fix anything with me. Now, the personal problems you said earlier, are they to do with this boyfriend of yours?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted her sister to talk to her.

"Well, I think I love him and I think that he feels the same way about me, but… I think that he may be seeing another woman behind my back and even the idea of it breaks my heart. I know that the love of your life would never do that, so you may not understand, sis."

Lois decided to ignore that remark, before asking, "Are you in love with him? And, if you are, does that change how you would react if he were cheating on you?"

Lucy shook her head, looking very confused, "I don't know. I don't know." She was silent for a while, then asked, "When can I speak to Chloe?"

Aware that her sister was trying to be pro-active and not worry about what she did not know, Lois replied, "She'll be round tomorrow for lunch. You can speak to her then." Lucy nodded her thanks, before walking out of the kitchen and up to her room. Lois sighed to herself, wondering if her relationship with her sister would ever be normal. She wanted it to be so, but she doubted that it would ever be so.

That evening, Felicity opened her front door to find Barry standing there with a bunch of flowers. She was surprised to see how nervous he looked, as he asked if she liked those flowers; when she replied that she indeed did, he seemed to be more at ease, before informing her that Callie was with a friend of his for the evening. He walked into Felicity's house and immediately smelt the dinner which she had prepared. "I hope it's ok, I haven't cooked for ages." Felicity told him as they sat down to begin eating their dinner.

As they sat down, the conversation between them began to flow naturally, but Felicity had a feeling in her stomach, a feeling which she felt when she heard Barry's voice or looked into his eyes. She really, really liked him and she could not remember the last time she had felt that way about someone, besides Oliver. Biting her lip, she asked, "Barry, you do like me, don't you?"

Barry looked at her startled, before answering, "Of course I like you. You're my girlfriend and I'm so glad that you're in my life… do-do you feel the same way? About me, I mean?"

There was a long silence and Felicity looked up into Barry's eyes and smiled, with affection and honesty in her eyes. She was about to reply, but Barry's phone began to ring. He answered it and it was his friend, telling him that Callie was sick. "I'm so sorry, Felicity. I have to go. I'll call you, ok?" He kissed her briefly and she kissed him back, before he stood up and left the house. Felicity sighed to herself. A part of her was grateful that they had been interrupted, because she thought that maybe telling Barry how strongly she felt about him was a bad idea, especially considering this was his first relationship since Iris's death. The other part of her, however, wished that she had had the chance to tell him, as she really wanted to stay with him.

When Clark finally entered his and Lois's bedroom after putting the twins to bed, he lay down on their bed and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Did you find out what was bothering Lucy?" He and Lois had not had the chance to speak to each other since earlier that morning.

Rolling over to face her husband, Lois smiled to him, then answered, "She's worried about our relationship. It turns out that she was kind of jealous of me when we were kids, because I was the 'perfect daughter' for Dad and our mother made her into her idea of perfection. I'd never thought about it that way, I'd always assumed that it had been what she'd wanted. Isn't that funny? She's also worried about what happened between her and Chloe years ago, but if I can forgive her for that, then I'm sure that Chloe will." She was not sure of that, considering how hurt her cousin had been by her sister's actions, but she also knew that Chloe had always been closer to her than to Lucy, even before they had fallen out. "Do you think you'll ever sort out your problems with your brother, Smallville?"

Clark moved uncomfortable and sighed. "Conner and I don't have problems-we just don't really talk to each other."

"Yeah, cause that's normal!" Lois joked, before turning serious. "I think it's strange how you're closer to Tess than Conner, especially considering Tess was adopted when you were eleven."

"My relationship with Conner is… complicated. It always has been-we clash really easily and, because I was athletic, Dad spent more time with me and I think he found that hard." Clark had never spoken those words out load, but he had always known it deep down and it hurt him to think that it was because of him that his brother did not have a good relationship with their dad. He sighed, then remarked, "We just have to ensure that Jane and Ben are close when they're our age and they will be, I'm sure." He kissed Lois on the lips and she kissed him back. "We're good parents, aren't we?"

Smiling and keeping her face closer to his, Lois nodded. "Yes, Smallville. We are." With that, they kissed, then went to bed. Once in bed, Clark wrapped his arms around Lois and they both fell asleep, feeling safe in each other's arms.

The next morning, Felicity made her way to Queen Tower; she had nobody else to speak to about her relationship with Barry, so she had to go to see Oliver, despite how awkward the conversation may be for him. He had to move on with his life, as she had. She inhaled a deep breath, before walking in Oliver's office and waited, surprised that Oliver was not there. He eventually walked in, wearing jeans and a jumper, so she guessed that he was not working.

"Felicity, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking over to his desk and picking up a bottle of water. He held one out to her, but she did not accept it, instead replying, "I-er-I need some advice from you… about my relationship with Barry."

Oliver chuckled. "You should've gone to Chloe and Lois-I'm not the best person to discuss relationships with." Felicity accepted the bottle which he had held out to her. Their fingers brushed each other slightly and she saw him blushing, before confessing, "I came to you because I trust you. I really like Barry, but I'm not sure if I should tell him that- I mean, how much he means to me. What do you think?"

Opening the bottle of water, Oliver replied, "Well, if I were you, I would tell Barry, because if you don't, you could loose him, so it's probably best to take that risk than the risk of loosing him. It's the best kind of risk to take, trust me." He had not meant to say the latter part out load, but he was glad that Felicity did not seem phased by it. Instead, she smiled and said, "Thanks. Are you going somewhere which isn't work-related today? A date maybe?" She asked hopefully, as she wanted him to move on with his life, so that she could do so properly, without worrying about him.

"No. I'm going to lunch at Lois and Clark's. Do you want to come?"

Felicity quickly shook her head. "No, I have work to do." She paused, then added, "Thanks for your help, Oliver. I'll see you soon, ok?" Oliver smiled and nodded in response before she walked out of the office. As soon as the door was closed, Oliver placed the bottle down on his desk and sighed; he had expected seeing Felicity to get easier, but so far, it was as painful as it had been the day she had ended their relationship.

An hour later, Chloe had woke up Nicolas and had called Jimmy to say hello. He was still with his grandfather and he was going to be back that evening, but she wanted his support, especially after seeing Lucy and the affect that had had on her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Picking up Nicolas, she looked through the kitchen window and was surprised to see that it was Oliver. She smiled and opened the door. "Ollie, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come and give you some support, to help you face Lucy again. You are going to Lois and Clark's, aren't you?"

Sighing, Chloe nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to, but Lois says that Lucy wants to make amends, so I guess, I should be grateful that she's trying to make things right." She hesitated, then confessed, "I still can't explain what she said-how it affected me."

Putting a comforting hand of her shoulder, Oliver murmured, "You don't have to explain, Chloe. I understand how hurtful words can be, believe me." Chloe flashed a thankful smile, before passing Nicolas to him whilst she went to her bedroom to get ready. She did not have Jimmy's support, but she did have Oliver's so that would have to be enough.

Lucy explained her reasons for saying what she had said to her cousin and, whilst Chloe could not forget, she did forgive her, more for the sake of Lois than for anyone else. After she and Lois returned into the kitchen, Lois smiled a smile of thanks to her cousin and she also saw Oliver smiling at her, looking proud.

That evening, Lois finally made her way to bed and she fell into her husband's arms. "Another day done, Smallville," she kissed him on the head, "can you and I ever have a normal day?"

Smiling with love in his eyes, Clark shook his head, "Obviously not. You know, all of our friends and family have such complicated love lives and, here we are, settled down with a family. I never thought I'd be this person, Lois, and I don't think that I would be, if I hadn't met you."

"Well, that's why I'm glad I went to Yale, because I met you, Clark." Clark wiped away the tears which had formed in her eyes, then they rested their heads together and closed their eyes. Neither of them could imagine their life without the other and they knew that that was how it was supposed to be.