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

Starring:

Tom Welling as Clark Lane-Kent

Erica Durance as Lois Lane-Kent

Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen

Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan

Cassidy Freeman as Tess Luthor

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor

Laura Vandervoot as Kara Kent

Chapter 12: Failure and loyalty.

A couple of weeks later, after school hours, Tess and Lex were called to school by the head teacher. Fearing that there was something wrong with one of their sons, they instantly went and walked into the head teacher's office. It was normally Tess who dealt with the school, so Lex was very apprehensive. Upon entering the office, they saw that neither of their sons were there and Lex inquired where Alexander and James were, to which the head teacher replied that they were in a classroom, being supervised, as this meeting was private and so could not take place in front children, even the children whom it concerned. This made Tess and Lex feel even more nervous and they began to be worried about why they had both been summoned there, but they sat down and waited patiently, although neither of them were very well practiced in this art.

"The thing is," the head teacher began with a very grim voice, "Alexander and James haven't been acting like themselves recently. They've been quite badly behaved and I was just wondering if either of you knew a reason for this. This issue could be school-related… or, there could be something going on at home which is affecting the boys. Can you think of anything?"

Tess and Lex glanced at each other, before Tess replied, in a tight voice, "Well, things have been a bit hectic at home recently. We-we-er-attended marriage counselling and-well, we'll let you know if anything else occurs." Tess threw a smile at the head teacher, before standing up and walking over to the door, but upon seeing that Lex was still sitting down, she stayed still, waiting for him to say something to the head teacher. He stared at her intently, before remarking, "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to the papers-or to anyone, in fact. My private life is my private life, no matter how rich and famous I am." The head teacher looked slightly stunned, but she just nodded and dismissed them. Lex stood up and marched out of the door. Rolling her eyes, Tess followed him, wondering what he was angry about now.

When they returned home, they saw that their sons were both asleep in the back of the car. "What's wrong, Lex?" Tess inquired, through gritted teeth, her hands holding onto the wheel for dear life.

"I need to get out," Lex uttered in barley a whisper, "of the house. I'll-I'll go and stay with my father for a while, I just-I have to get out of the house, Tess." He opened the door, hoping that his wife would not follow him, but she did and grabbing his arm, she hissed, "What do you mean leave? You can't just walk out on us!"

Lex ran his hands across his head, as he replied, "I'm not walking out on you or the boys. I just-I need some space, some time, away from… everything."

Their eyes met and Tess murmured, "Away from me, you mean." Her eyes turned fiery and she snapped, "Fine. Get your stuff packed and leave, but you'll have to call the boys later to say goodnight, because they can't go to sleep without hearing your voice." Her tone was icy and, for once, Lex did not blame her; had she announced that she were leaving, he would have reacted in the same way: with anger.

Lex collected most of his belongings, left the house and made his way to the main LuthorCorp building in Metropolis, which was where his father lived. Tess watched him leaving from the upstairs window and fought back the tears which were threatening to fall from her eyes. "Mummy," James walked over to her, "can Daddy read to me tonight?"

Turning around to her youngest son, Tess answered that she was reading him a goodnight story that night. She pulled him into bed and started to read. Later that night, both of the boys crept into the bedroom she had shared with Lex, so she let them in, as she knew that neither of them could sleep without her that night, as she could not sleep without them.

The next morning, Lex was late to work and he decided to go to see Clark, as he wanted somebody to whom he could talk and he did not wish to discuss this with Lois. "Hey, Clark."

His best friend looked up from his laptop and surveyed his friend with a critical eye. "Lex, are you ok? You look very… tired?"

Lex shuffled where he was standing and then answered, "I moved out last night. I'm staying with my father at the moment." There was a silence, then Clark finally spoke. "You moved out? What happened, I thought that the two of you were working out your problems, that you were having help?"

"Yeah, we were. I thought-hoped-that it was working, as did Tess, I'm sure, but we can't seem to get passed our problems. I know that Tess thinks that we can work through anything, but maybe we can't. We've both been trying, but it isn't working, that's why I've moved out. I can't stay in that house anymore, Clark." Before Clark could say anything, his mobile phone began to ring. It was Lois, telling him that Jane had almost said 'Mummy', but she soon realised that there was something wrong, so she said that she would call back later, told him that she loved him and she hung up. Clark placed down his phone on his desk and stood up. "Lex, what are you going to do? I mean, do you have a plan?"

Shaking his head, Lex replied, "No. My plan was to not become my father and that's exactly what I've done." He froze with shock and horror in his eyes. "Oh my gosh-my boys! Alexander and James, what are they going to think of me for walking out on them? What will they think of me, Clark?" He sat down on Clark's desk and inhaled deep breaths, as deep panic began to take hold of him. What were his sons going to think of him? Would they think that he did not love them anymore? He hoped not, but he knew that that had been what he had thought after his own father had walked out on him and his mother.

Lois was in the middle of writing an article on her laptop in the kitchen when the front door opened and Tess walked in, with James in her arms. She put her son down and he ran into the living room. "Can I talk to you?" she asked in an almost broken voice, to which her sister-in-law nodded and invited her into the kitchen. She rested her hands on the kitchen sink, as if she were using it for strength. After a silence, Lois asked, "Why is James not in school? Is he sick?" She knew the answer, but she also wanted to find out what was going on and she knew that asking Tess about the little boy was the way to get her to open up.

"He-he didn't sleep very well last night." Tess sighed, as she knew that she needed to tell someone and she knew that telling Oliver was not an option, so there was only Lois to whom she could speak about this. Without looking at Lois, she said, "Lex moved out last night. He said that he couldn't stay in our house anymore. I-I don't know how we're going to pay everything and the boys- I can only think about the practical things, because if I think about the rest… I think I'll break. I have to pick up Alexander after school and…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Understanding and seeing the sadness and conflict in Tess's eyes, Lois pulled her into a hug. "You know you can talk to me and Clark, right? We're always here for you."

Tess pulled away from Lois's embrace and forced a smile. "Thanks, Lois. I-Lex isn't sure what he wants anymore, but whatever he wants, I can't give it to him. Can-would you be able to pick up Alexander for me? I-I still can't believe that this is happening. I thought that we were getting better, but I was wrong. I was trying even harder than before with him, but it was futile. Well, if this is really what he wants, then that's what's going to happen." There was a very hard tone to her voice, which Lois had only heard a couple of times and the hardness was also in her eyes, which made Lois fear for the future. This hardness vanished from Tess's eyes when James walked into the room and she embraced him in a tight hug. Lois could see tears in her eyes and she smiled sadly. Why was this happening and why now?

As the end of the day began to draw near, Clark asked Lex if he wanted to stay with him and Lois for a couple of days, whilst he worked out what he wanted to do. He felt terribly conflicted, because Tess was his sister, but Lex was also one of best friends and he was trying to do what was best for him. He knew that legal separation had made Chloe and Jimmy realise how much they loved each other, so maybe it was possible that it could do the same for Tess and Lex, but he also aware that Jimmy had never cheated on Chloe, whereas he knew that Lex had cheated on Tess, more than once. He knew that they loved each other, but what if that was not enough?

Lois left Jane and Ben with her next-door neighbours and went to collect Alexander from school. The little boy looked very troubled and it worried Lois. She began to wonder how much he understood about what was happening and also how much he had heard in the past months. As they walked along, he suddenly said, "Some of my friends have lost their dad-as in their dads don't live with them anymore. I don't want Dad to become one of those dads." That was all he said, but it was enough to make Lois worry. She mentioned it to Tess on their way back to Tess's house, but she dismissed it. As Tess began to prepare dinner, Lois told her that, if she needed anything, to give her and Clark a call, but Tess assured her that she was fine and that she did not need support of any kind. The truth was that she wanted to be left alone with her children, which Lois finally understood and left the house. The anger with Lex was boiling up inside of her; how this was affecting both Tess and Alexander and James made her angry and Lex had probably not considered the consequences of this actions or how all of this would make his beloved family feel.

Once home, Lois saw that there was a Freire in their driveway and she knew that it was Lex's, as none of their other friends had a car like that, not even Oliver. She walked into the kitchen, with her shopping bags in her arms. She found Clark and Lex in there, with the twins in her husband's arms. She walked straight past Lex and started to put the food away. "How are my kids?"

Lois froze for a second, before replying, "I think they're fine-well, as fine as they can be." There was a tone to her voice which Clark knew meant that she was really annoyed or angry about something, so he asked, "So-er-Lex needs somewhere to stay for a couple of days, honey. Can he stay here?"

Turning around to face them, Lois nodded, "Of course he can. He's always welcome here."

Lex uttered a word of thanks, before asking again how Alexander and James were. He wanted to know how their day at school had been. Eventually, Lois snapped, "You know what, why don't you call Tess to ask? Oh no wait-that would be an awkward thing to do, considering you walked out on her!" She caught Clark's eyes, then mumbled, "Excuse me, I need to go and change her nappy." She took Jane from Clark's arms and walked out of the room, going upstairs to her bedroom, placing Jane in the cot by the bed.

Soon after this, Clark walked in and sat on the bed. "Honey, this is as weird for me as it is for you. I mean, I know how much it hurt me when my dad cheated on my mum, but I-I can't turn my back on Lex, he's my friend, but Tess is my sister. I'm going to try to do everything I can to make this work, but I need you on board. Can you please not judge him so quickly?"

Lois sat down on the bed and took hold of his hands. "I'm not judging him, but I have been with Tess and the boys and I can see how much they are suffering."

"Lex is suffering too, Lois," Clark reminded her, "he needs to work this out and he can't do that at home. I know you think what he's doing is wrong-and I kind of agree with you-but he needs some space. Besides, Jimmy moved out and now he and Chloe couldn't be happier. Separation did them good."

Sighing, Lois shook her head. "It's different and you know it is." She paused, then asked, "Does Lex have a plan? I mean, are they going to get divorced or what?"

Clark lay down on the bed, closing his eyes. Lois slid down onto the bed next to him. He shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, he doesn't know what he wants. The best thing we can do is try to support both of them and I hope that they work through it. If Tess won't talk to me or you, who will she talk to?"

Lois kissed Clark on the check, as she whispered, "She may speak Oliver. They know each other very well, maybe we could give that a try." She sighed and squeezed Clark's hands. "The important thing is that we don't fight about this, Smallville, because that won't do us or the situation any good."

"Agreed, Miss. Lane." Clark replied in a playful voice, smirking at his wife. Glaring at him with love and annoyance in her eyes, Lois playfully punched him and the two of them laughed and leaned Clark raised his head and they kissed. Their kiss was interrupted by a knock on the door and they flew apart really quickly, as neither of them wanted Lex to see them kissing like that.

"Hey, guys. Erm-considering I'm here and trying not to be a burden, how about I order a takeaway for us? We can sit and watch it in front of the sport?" Lois and Clark glanced at each other, having a silent conversation, before the latter nodded and said that that would be great. Lex smiled and left the room, leaving Lois and Clark. Clark stood up, kissed Lois on the head, picked up Jane and carried her downstairs. Lois reached out to her mobile phone and texted Chloe, telling her what was going on with Tess and Lex and asking her if she could persuade Oliver to talk to Tess.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Jimmy were eating their dinner together and Chloe's phone buzzed, indicating that she had received a text. She sighed, then told Jimmy what Lois had told her. Jimmy sighed too and asked, "How's Tess?"

"Lois said she thinks that she's struggling." Chloe replied, then she noticed the expression on her husband's face. "Jimmy, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything." Jimmy moved uncomfortably in his chair, before murmuring, "I walked out on you and Nicky, Chloe-just like Lex has done to Tess and the boys. What Tess is struggling with-you went through that too and I'm so sorry. I guess… I still think that I'm not good enough for you."

Chloe stood up and kneeled down carefully so that their faces were level. "Jimmy, first of all, you didn't walk out of me and Nicky. You and I made an agreement that we needed some time apart. And second of all, our marriage is nothing like Tess and Lex's. Ok, we have our occasional bump, but we're nothing like them, ok? I am sure that we are meant to be together. I promise." She stood up carefully and kissed him and he kissed her back. "And, we have this baby on the way." She smiled, indicating her stomach.

Jimmy's face lit up with a smile. "Yeah, we do. We should start to discuss names." He kissed her again, with all of his love for her going into that kissing, hoping that she would understand that he would never leave her. He secretly wondered if she would ever leave him, after their children were grown up, but he pushed that thought aside and continued kissing her.

Their kiss was interrupted when Oliver walked in. Smirking, he said, "Hey, guys. So, where's my favourite godson?"

Clearing her throat and blushing, Chloe replied, "He's having a nap. Oliver, do you know how to knock, because if you do, then don't walk in on a couple without knocking, please." She threw him a death-glare and he felt slightly bad, knowing that he had interrupted a delicate moment between husband and wife. "Anyway, seen as you're here," Chloe sat back down, "I need to talk to you. Lois texted me and told me that Lex has moved out and he's staying with her and Clark."

Oliver stared at her and repeated, "He's moved out? He's moved out?" He could not believe how much he wanted to find Lex now and punch him for treating Tess and his sons in this manner. He did not love Tess anymore and they were no longer together, but he did still care about her and he hated the way Lex treated her, especially when it came to his multiple affairs. He pursed his lips together, before asking, "Well, has Lois spoken to or seen Tess, how is she?"

"Well, that's the thing. She won't open up to Lois, but she might to you, because the two of you-well-you know each other very well. Lo recommends that you go round tomorrow, give her some space tonight."

Sighing, Oliver remarked bitterly, "They were getting help. I thought things were getting better between the two of them." He shook his head, before heading for the door to leave the couple alone.

Meanwhile, Tess was reading alone in her bedroom, but she was finding that she could not concentrate. This was her second night without Lex and she was finding it hard to adjust, even though the two of them had not always slept in the same bed all the time due to the nature of their marriage. Her thoughts were interrupted when Alexander and James walked and in the latter said, "Mummy, we can't sleep. Can you come and read to us in my room?" Tess nodded. An hour later, she and the two boys were all asleep in James's bed.

Meanwhile, Lois, Clark and Lex were eating dinner together, but the atmosphere was awkward as Lois sensed that Lex did not want her to be there, so she said that she was going to bed, kissing her husband before she left. Once upstairs, she went to the twins' bedroom. When they were alone, Lex asked Clark if he wanted to go out to have a beer and throw some darts. Under normal circumstances, Clark would have declined this offer, as bars were not where he liked to spend his time, but he agreed, as Lex was so low and he called up the stairs to Lois, asking how Jane and Ben were.

"They're fine, just restless. I'm going to sit with them for a while." Lois suddenly noticed that Clark was wearing his jacket, so she asked, "Where are you going?" Looking slightly guilty, her husband replied, "We're just going out for a bear and a chat. I'll see you later, ok?" Lois smiled and nodded, but sighed as she heard the door close. She walked back into Jane and Ben's bedroom and, picking up a teddy bear, she sat in the rocking chair.

Clark and Lex made their way to a bar in Metropolis and both bought bear, but Clark knew that he would not drink all of his. As they walked over to the darts, he asked, "So, Lex. Why are you really moving out?"

Lex looked at him, shocked. "What do you mean, Clark?"

Clearing his throat, Clark sighed. "I just mean-is there somebody else and that's the real reason why you've walked out on Tess?"

Glaring at him, Lex threw another dart and remarked, "Clark, I would have thought that after years of friendship, you would know me a bit better than that assumption."

"True-but I do know what kind of man you are and I also know that you wouldn't walk out on Tess if you didn't have a good reason." He threw a dart, then sat down on the poker table. "So, is there somebody else-I mean, at the moment?"

There was a silence as Lex threw another dart and missed by a very large margin. He took another sip of bear, before answering, "No, there isn't. But I do know that Tess isn't the one. I don't know, I mean-how do you ever know who is the one? I could spend my entire life searching for my soul mate and not find her, but there can't be anything wrong with searching."

"And you didn't think about what before you married my sister?" Clark inquired, in an icy voice, throwing a look at Lex. This was the first time he had referred to Tess as his sister, because he wanted to remind Lex and he wanted to let his friend know that he was rather angry with him for walking out on Tess and Alexander and James. He was beginning to think that Lois's judgement of his old friend had been correct all along.

Lex turned to face his friend, with a bear in his hand and snapped, "This is just great-you dare to sit there, judging me and my marriage, when you have no idea what is behind closed doors! The only relationship you've ever had has been with your wife, so how do you have a clue what I'm going through right now?" He smiled a very twisted smile and suggested, "Tell you what, Clark? How about you move out, too? I'd be great-we could not work and search the world for our soul mates!"

Clark looked Lex in the eye and replied, without thinking in a stern voice, "Because I don't want to move out. Lois is the one for me." He kept eye contact with Lex, trying to tell him what he was thinking without thinking. He could see the anger and disappointment in his friend's eyes, but this disappeared when a group of young women walked past and Lex watched them for a while. When he saw Clark looked at him, he threw him a questioning look. Raising his eyebrows, Clark answered his question: "That right there is the difference between you and I, my friend. You looked at those woman and I didn't, because I don't have reason or motivation to do so." He altered his position on the table, threw a dart and it hit the target. Lex looked at it, in astonishment, then back at Clark, who smiled sadly, stood up and walked outside for some fresh air… and some peace.

He was not alone for long, though, because he saw Oliver's car pull up and his friend walked over to him, in a suit, so he guessed that he had just left work. "I went round to yours and Lois told me you were here. D'you want to tell me why you're here, this isn't your usual haunt?" Oliver laughed, trying to make a joke out of what he knew was going to be an awkward situation, especially if Lex turned up.

Clark sighed, then answered, "I'm here with Lex, obviously. He has opened up to me. He told me that Tess isn't the one for him and that he wants to find his soul mate. I mean, did he not think about that before he married my sister? Is he not thinking about how this is affecting her or the boys? Does he think about anyone but himself?" He inhaled a deep breath, shaking his head. "I know he's going through a lot right now. I told Lois she shouldn't judge him for moving out, and that's what I'm doing now. How can you ever know what's going on inside somebody else's marriage-relationship, even?"

Smiling, Oliver remarked, "Well, you and Lois are transparent, I'll be honest. I can always tell what's going on between the two of you and I think that's because you work so well together."

"But what about Chloe and Jimmy? We all thought that they were fine-happily married with a baby and then they separated and… there was something in Chloe's eyes when she told us that she was pregnant recently. I can't describe it, but there was something there. I know that Lois saw it too."

Oliver sighed. "Yeah, I know, but Chloe and Jimmy seem to have worked out everything. At least that's something. Clark, I-er-I tried to speak to Tess, but she didn't want to see me. As long as she's talking to someone, that's what matters. I'll see you." He nodded in acknowledgement, as he always did, then walked back to his car.

The next morning, the kitchen was very packed and it was beginning to annoy Lois. Clark was sitting down, eating and reading the paper and Jane and Ben were in their highchairs, but Lex was walking around, as if he were searching for something. Lois was watching him and found it hard to keep her mouth shut when she saw Lex pour cream into his coffee, so she walked over to the table, but was not very impressed when there was no cereal left. She exchanged a look with Clark and she could tell that he could see and understood her frustration, even if their guest did not and was walking around the kitchen as if he owned the place. "Do you have any donuts?"

Lois threw Clark a look, then replied, "No, we don't, but we have normal bread. Would you like some?" She passed him a slice of bread, which he bit and then put back into its container. To prevent his wife from snapping at Lex, Clark quickly stood up, grabbing his jacket, saying that he and Lex needed to leave for work. He kissed the twins goodbye, then Lois, who also gave him a thankful smile.

As soon as Clark and Lex were in Clark's office, Lex asked, "Does your wife never shop? There's no decent food in the house!" Clark bit his lip and thought about how to respond to that, when Lex asked, "Is Lois really stressed, because she seemed really stressed this morning?"

"She's worried about you, Lex, we both are." Clark replied, glad that he had not been forced to comment on his wife's shopping habits. He heard Lex sigh and he sat on the desk as he asked, "Are you and Lois really ok with me staying at your house, because I-I get the feeling that Lois isn't?"

Looking down at the desk, Clark answered, "Look, you're my friend and you need a place to stay and figure out what you're going to do next, so you're more than welcome to stay at our house."

Lex his hands across his head and remarked, "You and Lois are so lucky. The first time I saw you guys together, I knew that you'd be perfect for each other-the hard part was making you believe it. You were so scared of messing it up and now look at you. You're in a happy marriage with twins. What could be better?" They began to discuss work, but the phone on Clark's desk started to ring. Lex sprang up and told Clark that, if it were his wife, he was not there, as he did not want to speak to her. Rolling his eyes, Clark picked up the phone and discovered that it was indeed his adoptive sister and she was very stressed, talking frantically about the man who was going to their house to fix the boiler. When she asked where her husband was, Clark lied and told her that he was in the bathroom, but eventually, he became so stressed at listening to Tess that he passed the phone to Lex, despite his friend begging him not to do so.

Lex begrudgingly took the phone and was immediately offended by Tess's aggressive way of speaking to him and by her assumption that he would not do as she was telling him. Clark sat at his desk, listening and watching. He knew that this was his sister's way of defending herself, but both she and Lex were building up barriers to protect themselves, which he feared would drive them further apart, even though that was far from their intention.

After work, Clark suggested to Lex that the two of them grabbed some dinner before going home, as he wanted to give Lois some space, as he had seen how hard it had been for her when Lex had been doing some rather strange food combinations in the kitchen and making a mess in the process. He texted her, telling her what she plan was and she replied that that was fine, but he received the feeling that she was lying.

When they arrived back home, Lex pulled a bear out of the fridge and drank it, reading the paper, whilst Clark walked over to Lois, who was cleaning dishes at the sink. "I went out because I thought you needed space," he told her in a hushed voice, "I thought you were going to bite off Lex's head this morning."

"I know, Smallville. I know." Clark knew that she was just saying that to keep him happy. He sighed. "Lois, please give him a chance. I know that you haven't always liked the way he is with Tess, but he's trying to make it work. He really is."

Turning to face him, Lois asked, "So, walking out on your wife-is that trying to make the marriage work or is it giving up?" She shook her head, then asked if Lex had spoken to Tess. Clark replied that he had, before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the neck. That made Lois smile, then she asked Clark if he could move their wardrobe, so he kissed her again and left the room.

Lex walked into Lois and dropped all of what was in his hands. "I'm sorry, Lois. I was trying to get it out of your way and… I'm sorry." Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Lois picked up the brush and assured Lex that it was fine and that she would clean it up. As she did so, she watched Lex pick up the twins one by one and make them laugh and that made her smile. She did not forgive him for walking out on his wife or children, but she was grateful that he was so fond of Jane and Ben, as they meant more to her than she could express. She was also well aware that Lex was doing it deliberately, to get on her good side, but she was not going to complain about that.

Later that evening, when Clark and Lex were watching the football and the twins, Lois made her way to Metro Café, where she was meeting Chloe and Oliver for a coffee, before going round to Tess's. She had not seen her cousin for a while and she wanted to find out how she was, considering that she was pregnant. The three adults sat down at a table with their drinks and Chloe inquired, "So, how are Tess and Lex? Anything new to report?"

Shaking her head, her cousin replied, "Not really. I mean, Tess won't really talk to me. I guess, talking about it can make it more painful, worse than it is for her at the moment."

"I can't believe that Lex just walked out." Chloe remarked, sounded very angry. "One would have thought that he would want to face his problems, not run away from them and that's what he's doing. And he's left his sons. What kind of a father would do that, not matter what is happening in a marriage?"

Oliver shrugged, "I don't know, but Tess may struggle to stand on her own, after being with Lex for so long. She never really had an adult life of her own, did she? I don't know how she'll cope when- if, sorry-they divorce." The three friends continued to talk for a while, before Oliver left to go back to his office and Lois and Chloe made their way to Tess's.

Once the door opened, Alexander and James ran over to them. Chloe picked up James and held him on her hip and took hold of Alexander's hand. "Mummy, can Auntie Chloe put us to bed?" Giving Chloe a grateful smile, Tess kissed her sons goodnight, before Alexander led Chloe upstairs. Tess smiled to herself, before walking into the kitchen. Lois followed her and took off her coat. "How are you, Tess? Really?"

Tess forced a smile and poured cups of coffee for herself and Lois, as she replied, "I'm fine, really. The boys aren't sleeping very well at the moment."

"What have you told them?"

"I've told them that their daddy had to go away for a couple of days." She sat down and asked, "So, has he said anything, or is he just trashing your kitchen?" Despite the situation, Lois laughed. "Yes, he's trashing my kitchen, but no, he doesn't say anything about you. He just seems to be really confused about… everything." She paused, then added, "I really can't understand why he'd leave you."

Tess chuckled darkly and passed Lois her cup of coffee. "I can. I can completely understand why he left-that doesn't mean I like it, though. He left because I have nothing to offer him anymore. He isn't the same person I fell in love with and he doesn't look at me in the same way and he never will again. When we first met, I was creative and that gave him an image in his mind of the kind of person I was, the kind of person I was going to be. But we had Alexander and… everything changed and not for the better. The only thing that kept him here for so long were the boys and even they couldn't keep him there. A part of me doesn't want him back. I feel like such a failure, Lois. I've failed my marriage and my kids."

Shaking her head, Lois responded, "No, you haven't, Tess. You're a wonderful mother"-she was cut off as Tess stood up, glaring at her. "Don't you dare say that-don't you dare, Lois! I have failed my marriage and I can't hide from that fact anymore. We both tried with the counselling and that failed-so what's next? Tell me-what does one do after that has failed to work-what else is left? There is nothing left of our relationship apart from regrets and a whole lot of anger. Anger with each other and ourselves! Lex thinks that I was the first one to pull away first, but I swear that it was him!" Tess paused for a couple of seconds, running her hands through her hair. When she spoke again, her voice was softer and near breaking point. "Maybe this would have happened anyway-we've just grown apart. I mean, that I can happen in any marriage, right? This isn't the first time I've been abandoned, you know. My father walked out on my mother before I was born, so I never knew him, my mother gave me up for adoption because she could no longer cope and… now Lex has done the same thing they did. I suppose the good thing is, now, Lex and I have to face this. Neither of us can hide from the truth any longer, because… there's nowhere left to hide." There was a long silence, then she asked, "Would you mind leaving now? I'd like to be with the boys alone?"

Lois nodded, stood up and put her coat back on. She paused at the kitchen door, as she wished that she could help Tess, but she knew that there was nothing she could do.

The next morning, when Clark went to the gym to play basketball with Oliver and Jimmy, Lex went to the park with Alexander and James. He saw his elder son sitting on the swing in silence, so he walked over to him and asked if he was alright. Alexander shook his head. "Willie's daddy never comes home. Are you going to come home soon, Daddy?"

Lex could feel his heart break as he saw the hurt in his son's eyes. "I-er-soon- Mummy and I are just trying to work out what's best for everyone. How about you, me and James go swimming next weekend? How does that sound?"

"Well, the swimming sounds fun, but are you not going to be home before then?" The innocence in Alexander's voice was causing Lex's heart to ache; of course his son did not understand what was happening, as far as he was concerned, his daddy was not at home and that was not normal. "No, buddy, I don't think so." The disappointment in his son's eyes was clear, but he ran off to play, leaving Lex feeling very guilty for putting his children through this. Clark had been right: he should have sorted himself out before marrying Tess, but their relationship had been an impulse thing and he had not considered the long-term consequences, he had just gone along with it. Now he wished he had.

An hour later, Lois took Jane and Ben outside to play on the grass, whilst she read her book on grass too, so that she could watch the twins as well as having some time to herself. Her solitude was ended when Clark walked over to him, with a basketball under his arms. He kissed Lois on the head and kissed then twins. "Is Lex not with you?" Lois asked, closing her book.

Clark stood up and sat on the bench. "He took the boys to the park. So, Lois, do you hate Lex or what?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "I don't hate Lex."

"You don't approve because his marriage failed."

Shaking her head, Lois replied, "No, I don't think his marriage failed, I think he failed. He had a perfectly normal, flawed marriage and he walked out. He obviously doesn't care about Tess or his kids that much if he did that. Although, he wouldn't be the first person to do it." She sighed, then asked, "Is it just me or do men stay teenage boys in their heads?"

Chucking, Clark moved closer to her. "Lois, you're the only real girlfriend I've ever had and the only woman I've ever loved. Lex had loads of girlfriends in high school, I had one. Lex is Lex and my father is my father and I'm not either of them. I have no intention of ever leaving you, so you'll have to find something else to worry about. You're stuck with me till death to us part." He moved his face closer to Lois's and they shared a passionate kiss. As their kiss ended, Lois nodded. "I know, Smallville. I know you and I will always be there for each other. The old ball and chain." They rested their foreheads together for a couple of seconds, before turning their attention back to Jane and Ben, who were happily playing on the grass.

Their perfect family time was interrupted when Lex came home with Alexander and James. Clark picked up Jane and Ben and led Alexander and James into the house. Lois was aware that Lex wanted to talk to her, which was why Clark had taken the twins and the boys. She walked into the hallway and waited for Lex. He did indeed walk over to her. "Has it occurred to you that there's another side to this story? I mean, are you interested in the other side or should I just walk out of the house now?"

Lois sat down and told Lex that she was listening and he began: "Everybody likes Tess, because she's such a nice, kind person, isn't she? But that's a façade- as in, that isn't the part I get to see anymore. It's the part I used to see, but now it's just for her friends and the boys. When we first met, that's who she was, the person I fell in love with and I thought that was the woman I was going to be married to, but it all changed after Alexander was born. She became a different person around me, more closed off. She's the one who broke the bargain first, Lois- not me."

Looking now at her hands, Lois remarked, "That was what Tess said about you, that you changed, Lex."

"Lois, I moved out because I thought it was the best thing to do for our marriage-although, I wasn't thinking about her, I was thinking about myself. If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I love her anymore. I know that sounds really bad, but it isn't my fault and the idea of not loving the mother of my children makes me so scared-more scared than I can express in words. I worry about how it's going to affect the boys, but, if I no longer love her, what am I supposed to do? Stay married to her, pretending that everything is as it once was? That would be living a lie, Lois. How can I do that? This would never happen with you and Clark-you would never doubt your love for each other, but I am and that's terrifying for me." There was a silence and Lois sighed to herself-all of this made her marriage and Chloe's seem so simple.

Just then, the front door opened and Tess walked inside. She and Lex immediately looked at each other, then, in a steely voice, Tess asked if she could talk to Lex outside. He nodded and followed her outside. In the kitchen, Clark saw that Alexander was watching his parents talking, so he distracted him with playing with Lego and it distracted James as well.

Outside, Tess was giving Lex a list of days and times when he could see Alexander and James. "I've made an appointment with a divorce lawyer and we have an appointment with her next week." Lex looked up at her in shock. "Wait, Tess, shouldn't we talk about this? Divorce?"

Tess shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about, Lex. You walked out so this is the natural step to take after that happens."

"But that didn't mean I wanted to get divorced! I didn't think that far ahead."

Glaring at him, Tess snapped, "That's my point! You didn't think about any of this-well, I am thinking about and this is the best thing to do. And don't you dare say that you want this to work because of the boys. You walked out on them, you abandoned them and you'd do well to remember that!" With that, she stormed back in Lois and Clark's house, leaving Lex alone with his thoughts.

A couple of minutes later, Tess put Alexander and James into the car to go home. Lex walked over to the car to say goodbye to them. His eyes met briefly with Tess, but he met angry eyes and it made his heart ache. As the car drove away, he felt tears forming in his eyes. Lois, who was standing at the door, walking inside to find Clark, who was standing in the kitchen holding Jane and Ben in his arms. She told him that Lex needed him, so he passed the twins to her and went outside to offer some kind of comfort to his friend.