Life at thirty-something

by ANNAFLORINDA

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

16. Chapter 15: Endings

I haven't updated this story for ages- I started university and things are crazy... :). Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please, read and review-let me know what you think and/or what you would like to happen. Warning: minor character death.

Chapter 15: Endings.

Inhaling a deep breath, Felicity knocked on the door of Barry's house and waited. They had remained in contact by text, but Felicity wanted him to know that she was not going to give up on their relationship, that she was prepared to work on it and that she was not meant to be with Oliver, but with him. The door opened and Callie opened it. A smile spread across her face and she cried: "Felicity, have you come to play with me before we go away? I hope you have!"

"Go away?" Felicity repeating, forcing her voice to be stable. "Where are you going, sweetie?"

Smiling, Callie answered, "Central City. My grandpa's there and I want to be closer to him and so does Daddy. Are you going to come in?" She asked, hopefully, as she wanted to spend time with her. Felicity nodded and stepped in. Her eyes fell on Barry and, from the look in his eyes, he guessed that seeing her was just as painful for him as it was for her. He forced a smile and asked his daughter to go and play in her bedroom. Callie kissed her dad, then went to her bedroom. As soon as she was in her bedroom, Barry turned his attention back to Felicity. "How are you?" He asked in a stiff tone.

Felicity shrugged, then asked, "Callie told me you're moving back to Central City. When are you leaving?"

Without looking at her, her ex-boyfriend replied, "As soon as possible. We'll still be friends." There was a long silence, then he finally looked at her for the first time. "Why are you here?"

"I want to know why you broke up with me and don't give me the crap about how you don't want to ruin our friendship-I've heard that before!" She did not mean to sound so angry, but these feelings had been building up since he had broken up with her.

Barry sighed, then replied, "Because I don't want to be your second choice, Felicity. You said it yourself, you'll go back to Oliver and maybe that's where you're meant to be. With him."

Shaking her head, Felicity shook her head. "This is pathetic. Yes, I did love Oliver, but I don't anymore and you won't let me declare my love for you! I want to be with you, Barry! Why are you not hearing me? You're the one I want to be with, not Oliver!"

Walking over to her, Barry took hold of her hands and squeezed them. "You can never love me as much as you love him. You and I aren't meant to be together, maybe you and Oliver are and, if so, why should I stand in the way? There's a part of you which still loves him, I know there is. Face your destiny and accept that I'm not a part of it, apart from your best friend." He slowly kissed her on the temple, before walking away, leaving Felicity in a state of shock and upset, unsure of what to do or say next. She knew that, whatever she said, Barry would not listen to her, so she turned her back and walked away.

A day later, on the Monday morning, when Clark was working with Oliver in his office, his mobile phone began to ring and he saw that it was Nell. Sitting down on a chair, he answered the call and she told him what he had feared: his dad had just died. Inhaling a deep breath, Clark told her to go home and that he would see her soon. He ended the call and sat in silence, in a state of shock. Oliver saw the expression on his face and sat down next to him. "Clark, I'm so sorry." He murmured; Clark just shook his head, as he could not talk. All he said was: "Home. Lois. Twins." His friend understood and, picking up his jacket, he led him to his car. In the car, Clark called Lois and Tess, as he could not bring himself to call his mother or brother yet, not until he had gathered himself.

The drive home seemed to take hours, but when they arrived, Clark thanked his friend and Oliver drove off, not wanting to invade his friend's privacy. As soon as he was far away enough, he fished out his mobile phone and called Chloe and Jimmy's house. It was Jimmy who answered and Oliver told him about Johnathan and that he should tell Chloe, so that she knew in preparation for when she saw or called Lois. Understanding the situation, Jimmy agreed and said, if there was anything he could do to help Clark, to let him know. Oliver nodded, before hanging up. He rested his head against the window, trying to break away from memories of his own parents' death and their funeral, as this was a time when his friend needed his support and he could not afford to be engulfed in his memories of losing his own parents.

Clark opened the front door and placed his case on the floor, as he did not have the energy to put it in its proper place. He looked up and saw Lois standing at the doorframe of the kitchen, watching him. Their eyes met and they silently communicated, before Clark stepped forward and Lois ran over to him, enveloping him in a tight hug. He pulled her close to him, needed the comfort at the moment and wanting to be close to her. He pressed his face into her neck, then they leant their faces together, with their lips inches away, comforting each other. Closing his eyes and resting his head against hers, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, Smallville." Lois whispered back, pressing her face against his and squeezing her arms around him; she knew that he needed her more than he ever had before and she wanted him to know that she was going to be there for her, as she knew that he would be there for her. Clark squeezed her once more, before releasing her. Their lips lingered close to each other's for a couple of seconds, but they also knew that now was not a good time to kiss, so Lois pulled away and indicated to her husband to go into the living room. Nodding, Clark walked past her and went into the living room.

Tess and Kara were sitting there, both looking devastated by the death of their father and uncle. He walked over to them and pulled them both into a hug. Kara began to cry, but Tess just rested her head on her brother's shoulder and refused to cry; if she cried, she may not be able to stop. The three of them broke apart and Lois walked into the room. There were traces of tears in her eyes, so Clark walked over to her and put his arm around her, before addressing his sister, "Ok, who do we need to tell? Have you called Mum or Conner?"

Tess looked up at him and answered, "I've called Conner, told him and he and I are in agreement that you should tell Mum. I hope that's ok." She added quickly. Clark nodded and rubbed Lois's arm, as he asked, "So, Lois, who do we need to tell?"

Watching him closely, his wife answered, "Oliver told Chloe and Jimmy, I told Lex and Oliver's told Felicity. Clark, have you spoken to Nell?"

"Yeah, she seemed pretty crushed."

The cries of Ben and Jane brought the four adults out of their thoughts. All of Lois's instincts were telling her to go to give them a hug or feed them, but she also knew that Clark needed her at the moment and she did not want to leave his side until she knew that he could handle what was happening. She threw Kara a desperate look and, understanding, her cousin-in-law left the room to see to the twins. The room once again fell into silence and Lois could tell that Tess wanted to be with Alexander and James. "Honey, do you want to lie down, get some rest?" She suggested to her husband, but he shook his head. "No. I've gotta call Mum. I'll go and do that now." He walked over to Tess and gave her one-armed hug, which he knew his sister needed. He then briefly wrapped his arm around Lois's waist and their eyes met, before he walked away and went upstairs to call Martha.

After Clark called his mum and told her about his father, she spoke to Tess for a while, before asking to talk to Lois. Tess placed the phone to her sister-in-law and Lois sat in the living room with the phone, with Clark and the twins by her side, as she listened to Martha talking and crying about her relationship with Johnathan; he had been the love of her life, even though she had not been his. At the end of the call, Lois clutched the phone in her hands, looking at her husband and there were tears in both of their eyes. They each had one of the twins on their knee and they were holding them very close. Lois offered to make lunch for them, but Clark said that he would do it and he carried both of the twins into the kitchen with him. He wanted to be close to them at the moment, as he was their dad and it was his job to look after them, as his father had done for many years.

Lois decided to lay the table and she was about to begin doing thus, when there was a knock on the door and she saw that it was her cousin. She opened the door and pulled her into a hug, now that she was sure that Clark would not see her pain, as she did not want him to worry about her as well as everything else that was happening. They broke apart and Chloe led her cousin to the kitchen, where they sat down. "Lo, what brought this on?" She knew that she should be asking how Clark was, but she also saw how upset her cousin was by this and she did not want to ignore it.

"It's just-I have to be strong to support Clark and I haven't wrapped my head around this," Lois replied in a hushed voice so that her husband could not hear her, "I was so fond of Johnathan, despite what he did. He was a great grandfather, he loved the twins more than I can express and I just-they'll grow up with no memories of what a great man he was and that breaks my heart, you know? I know they have my dad, but it won't be the same."

Chloe rubbed her cousin's arms in order to comfort her and sighed. "Lo, I was very fond of Mr. Kent and from what I remember as a kid, he was a good, kind man. I'll miss him." She paused, then asked, "How's Clark doing?"

Sighing, Lois answered, "He's dealing with it in his own way. He'll bottle it up for ages until it explodes-I know him too well and I know he'll do that and that won't be helpful to any of us, but… I guess that's the way he copes, so I can't really fault him for that, can I?" She stood up and started to set the table, as she knew that that would not have occurred to Clark on a normal day, let alone after loosing his father.

"You know, if it would help, Jimmy and I could take care of the twins for a few days? Give you some time to get through to Clark?" Chloe suggested, trying to think of ways in which she could help in this situation. "It wouldn't be a problem, honestly, they're lovely babies." She added with a kind smile. Lois smiled back, showing that she did appreciate the offer. "Thanks, Chlo, but I think that Clark needs to be around them at the moment. I can understand why." Before she could say anything else, Tess walked into the room and, much to Chloe's surprise, she walked over to her and pulled her into a hug; the two women had never really spoken to each other, even though they had a great deal in common, but Chloe understood that Tess, like her brother, bottled up her emotions and that physical contact such as this was a release; she had already lost her biological father and now her dad. Clark was not the only one who was in pain and both Lois and Chloe realised that. Just as Tess finally released Chloe from her arms, Alexander and James rushed into the kitchen and ran over to their mum, followed by their father. Tess pulled her sons close to her as they cried for the loss of their grandfather and she held them, as she felt their pain. James was too young to really understand, but Alexander did and he was not handling it well. As Alexander released his mother from his grip, Tess's eyes fell on Lex, who was standing in the doorframe, watching her with an almost vacant expression.

Lois picked up James and Chloe led Alexander out of the room, so that Tess and Lex could talk. Tess threw them both a look, as they left, but she also knew that she did have to speak to the father of her children. Lex sighed and murmured, "I'm so sorry for you loss, Tess. Your father was a great man." His voice was both kind and sincere and he was the person with whom Tess had fallen in love. She smiled awkwardly and replied, "Thank-you, Lex. Are you going to go to the funeral? It's in Smallville."

Lex walked over to her and placed his hands on her arms in a comforting way and, much to his and Tess's surprise, she did not pull away. "Of course I'll be there-the boys will need me and so will you."

Flinching and pulling away from him, Tess looked him in the eye and responded in an icy voice, "I can take care of myself, Lex." She knew why she was so defensive, but that was how she coped and she knew no different. Both she and Clark had a similar way of coping with the death of a loved one, especially their father. Feeling awkward, she pushed her fringe behind her eyes and asked in a softer voice, "How are the boys doing?"

"They're fine, but I think they're too young to go to a funeral-James definitely. He's only 4."

"Since when did you care about your sons?" Tess snapped, before she could stop herself and she saw the hurt on Lex's face. She looked down at the floor, feeling guilty. "I mean, I think you're right. James is defiantly too young and we should ask Alexander what he wants to do. He's old enough to make that kind of decision, I think." She added in an uncertain tone; she was finding it hard to wrap her head around her father's death, let alone his funeral. Lex just nodded, then walked to the door. Once he was at the door, Tess suddenly said, "Lex." He turned around to look at her and their eyes met. Smiling a genuine smile, she whispered, "Thank-you for being here for me and the boys." Their eyes remained connected for a couple of seconds, before she looked down at the floor and walked away, leaving Lex feeling even more confused that he had been before talking to his estranged-wife.

Chloe was finally able to leave Lois without feeling guilty about doing so, as she wanted some time alone. She sat down at her desk and began to work, but her thoughts were interrupted when Oliver walked into her office. Smiling slightly, she said, "Thank-you for telling Jimmy about… Mr. Kent. I appreciate the thought, Ollie." She was trying to keep her voice steady, but she also knew that Oliver would see through this façade, as Jimmy had done earlier that morning. Oliver smiled back and pulled a chair up to sit next to her. "How are you, Chloe? Really?" He asked in an almost stern voice, so she knew that she had no choice but to be honest with him.

Sighing, she turned her eyes away from her laptop and looked at him instead. "Mr. Kent was a good man, besides having an affair. When I was a kid, after my mother.. got sick, he would sometimes look after me and my mother so that my dad could have a break and sometimes he and Martha took care of my mother so that Dad and I could have some time on your own." She smiled sadly at the memory. "No matter what his faults-of which there were many-that kind of kindness if hard to forget." She paused, then asked, "Are you going to go to the funeral?"

Oliver nodded and replied, "Yeah, I am. How are you-pregnancy-wise, I mean?" Chloe smiled at how much he cared for her and this unborn child, before replying, "We're both fine, thanks. I'm about 2 months along now and… it's starting to become more real. I'm glad that Jimmy is just as excited about this as I am. We both have name idea as well."

"Oh, yeah? Do tell!" Oliver was glad to be discussing something besides death and funerals and he could tell that Chloe was enjoying the diversion as much as he was.

"Well, if it's a girl it's either Emily or Grace and if it's a boy it's either Adam or Ben- but probably, Adam because having another Ben around would be really confusing! I think that Jimmy would really like a girl, a daughter, but I honestly don't mind… In a way, having another son would be easier, because then I won't be worried about screwing up my daughter like my mother did to me."

Biting his lip, Oliver moved his face so that Chloe was forced to look at him. "Chloe, you're an amazing person. Your dad did a brilliant job raising you and so did Lois's mum. Your mother did love you and-what she did- wasn't her fault, you know? And if you do have a daughter, you don't have that problem anyway."

There were now tears in her eyes and she shook her head sadly. "I know she didn't mean it and I know-wherever she is-she'll still love me, but what she did has scared me. I still feel bad for leaving them, but Dad didn't give me any choice."

"He was trying to protect you. He was trying to make sure that you had a childhood, instead of being scared of your own mother… and worrying about her. You have a good relationship with your dad now and, if you hadn't moved to Metropolis, you wouldn't have met Jimmy and you wouldn't have Nicky or this baby."

Chloe wiped away her tears, a smile forming on her face again. "Ollie, how is it that you always know what to say to make me feel better? You and Jimmy… are so alike in that way, you both always know what to say to make me feel better." She saw a look flash across Oliver's face at the comparison between himself and Jimmy, but he said nothing, so she decided not to probe.

Meanwhile, both Clark and Tess were trying to get hold of Conner. They knew that he was flying on from Smallville, but he had not told them at what time and it was really annoying Clark. Lois could see that he was becoming really stressed, so she suggested that he and Tess sit in the living room and talk, whilst she tried to find out where her brother-in-law was. As Clark had said, this was typical of Conner, but she also knew that he, like his brother and sister, was in pain over the death of his father and the fact that he was with their mum in Smallville maybe made it even harder, because he was comforting her as well.

An hour later, just after Lois put Jane and Ben to bed, there was a knock on the door and Lois saw that it was Conner. She opened the door and he kissed her on the check as sign of affection. He did look a great deal like Clark, with the same hair and build. His face shape was a little different, but one could tell that they were brothers. Clark and Tess heard the voice of their brother, so they left the sitting room to greet him. He and Tess hugged and he kissed her on a check, before turning his attention to his brother. "Clark. Thanks for having me here." He held out his hand and Clark shook it. Their eyes connected for a moment, then Conner looked away and he led him into the living room. A couple of minutes later, he walked into the kitchen, asking Lois to bring him, Tess and Conner some drinks and she nodded, understanding that he needed something to do whilst he was with Conner.

The three siblings sat together, with drinks in their hands and Lois went upstairs to read, as she did not want to be involved in the sibling-relations. They did not speak to anything of consequence until Lois offered Tess a lift home, as she was tired and she also wanted Clark and Conner to spend some time alone, to give them a chance to speak. They indeed did, but Conner remarked that Clark had been their father's favourite child. "That isn't true." Clark almost snapped back. "He loved all three of us, equally."

Conner shook his head and replied, "That isn't true, big bro, and you know it. He always loved you more than me and Tess and I've accepted that now." With that, he stood up and made his way to the guest bedroom, leaving Clark feeling very confused. Why could he and Conner not have a proper conversation without arguing or disagreeing over something? It was pathetic and he knew it. When he went up to bed, he wanted to speak to Lois, to ask for her advice about how he should 'handle' his brother, but he found her asleep in their bed, with a book in her hands and with her glasses still on. Smiling down at his wife, he carefully removed the book, placed it on the floor and then started to remove her glasses from her face. As he did so, he eyes opened and she asked, "Smallville.. is that you?"

With a smile on his face, Clark slipped the glasses over her face and placed them on the side, before whispering back, "Yes, it's me, honey. Go back to sleep, love you." He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on her lips, which she returned, with a smile on her face. After changing, he lay in bed reading as he was unable to go to sleep, unable to comprehend the fact that his father-the man whom he had admired and loved so much-was dead, but he was glad that he had Tess and Conner, as he would have hated to have been an only child dealing with all of this.

The next morning, Lois was the first to wake up. She woke up the twins and took them down for their breakfast, so that they did not wake up either Clark or Conner. She began to feed their twins in their highchairs and turned on her phone, to check to see if her cousin had texted her. Instead, she saw a text from Conner, saying that he had gone out for a while and that he would be back that evening. Lois sighed and swore under her breath; he and Clark were supposed to go to collect Johnathan's body from the hospital today, is that why he'd gone now, to avoid responsibility? It would not have been the first time. Just as she was thinking about how to tell Clark, he entered the kitchen, looking confused. "Is Conner down here? He isn't in his bedroom?"

Lois clutched her mobile phone, then turned to face him. "He's gone." She held out the text. Her husband read it and his face became full of anger. "How can he leave now? He and I have to go and get the body! How can he do this to me-to Dad? It's a respect thing and he decides to just bog off!" He walked over to the door, then asked, "He didn't say where he was going?"

Lois sighed and said nothing, as she knew that nothing she said would help Clark to deal with his father's death or the fact that his relationship with his brother was strained. As he sat down and kissed the twins, she prepared their breakfast and sat down. "Did you speak to him last night? I mean, did he say anything, Smallville?"

Clark kissed Jane and Ben, then answered, "Yeah, he did speak to me. And he told me that Dad loved me more than he loved him and Tess."

"You told him it was rubbish, right?" Lois asked, in a careful voice, as she knew that it was hard for Clark to talk about his father so soon after his death.

"Yeah, I didn't believe me and a part of me wonders if he's right." When his wife threw him a confused look, he continued, "Dad always wanted to spend time with me over Conner, because I was the sporty one and I think he remembers and resents that-but today isn't about our less-than-brother-like relationship- it's about paying respect to Dad and I can't believe that he isn't here." He stood up. "I'll get changed and go to the hospital myself. I'll be fine, don't worry about me, Lois." He leaned across the table and kissed her on the temple, which she received with a smile, before walking out of the kitchen. Sighing, she finished her own breakfast and ensured that the twins had had enough before doing the dishes.

Later that day, Clark returned home and immediacy ran over to Lois, who opened her arms to him and held him for as long as he needed; he still had not cried over his father's death, but collecting his body had made it real and he wished that he had had the support of his brother. He went to spend time with the twins and Lois finished dinner. She had wanted Oliver or Lex to accompany her husband, but he had insisted that, if he were not doing it with his brother, he wanted to do it alone. She was glad that he had embraced her with a hug, as she had been worried that he would close himself off from everyone-her and the twins-but he was not being as bad as when he had first learnt of his father's illness, which was a great relief to her.

Just as they began to eat their dinner, there was knock on the front door and Lois saw that it was Conner; she saw the anger in Clark's face, but he quickly replaced it with a blank expression as she opened the door. "Conner, are you ok? You disappeared on us earlier?" he asked in a careful tone, avoiding looking at his brother.

Conner sat down at the table on the other side of his sister-in-law and she suddenly became aware that she was a physical buffer between the two brothers and their disagreements which had been bubbling under since childhood. After a long silence, the younger brother replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed some air." Clark was about to make a remark, but Lois kicked him under the table and looked at him, willing him to not do this now, as they were both hurting and they needed each other now, more than they ever had before.

There was a long silence, which was broken when Clark asked his brother how the Farm was. Lois internally sighed, knowing that this was a topic which could cause some tension between the brothers, as it always had done before. Conner swallowed his mouthful of food, before answering, in a tense voice, "It's fine, thanks. Mum and I are thinking of hiring some people to help out, you know, considering Dad…can't do it anymore." He looked down at the plate and did not attempt to look at his elder brother.

"Well, maybe I can have a look at it when we go there tomorrow." Clark remarked, smiling.

Conner looked up at him and snapped, "Don't do that, Clark. It's a bad idea."

Clark glanced at Lois slightly, then asked, "What do you mean? It's my family's farm too, just as much as it is yours."

Glaring at him, Conner retorted, "How is that? You left when you were 18 and never came back there! I was the one who helped Dad with it, who ran it when he was sick. Not you-you left to go to Yale and you didn't even come home after that-you moved to Metropolis. So, it isn't really your home, is it? Your home is here, so you have no right. It may be yours because of the Kent name, but you don't even have that anymore; you hyphenated your name, for goodness' sake! Are you that ashamed to be a Kent, because I'm not and I never will be!" Conner stood up and walked out of the kitchen, excusing himself to Lois. Clark stood up to follow him, but Lois grabbed hold of his hand and looked into his eyes. "Smallville, you have to see this from his point of view. This is hard for him too and he is your brother."

"The Kent Farm is just as much mine as it is his, no matter that I haven't lived there since I was 18!" Clark stared at Lois and asked, "Do you agree with him? Is that why you didn't say anything?"

Shaking her head, Lois stood up and cupped his face with her hands. "No, I don't agree. But I do think that you have a home here, with me and the twins, and Conner doesn't have that. It is his home, Smallville." She kissed him lightly on the lips, then sat back down. "Just think about it." Clark just nodded, but said nothing more on the matter. Conner was wrong about him being ashamed of being a Kent; upon their marriage, Lois had hyphenated, so he had done the same, it had never occurred to him that his family could have taken it as a personal affront against their family name. The farm had been in their family for generations, so he had no idea why Conner was being such an arce about it.

The next morning, Clark was the first to awake and he fed the twins so they were well-fed for their journey to Smallville; he and Lois were driving there, as were Chloe, Jimmy and Oliver, whereas Conner and Tess's family were going there by plane. Breakfast in the Lane-Kent household was a tedious affair, as neither Clark nor Conner said a word to the other and Lois was feeling incredibly awkward, sitting between the two of them.

That evening, Lois and Clark arrived in Smallville and they made their way to the Kent family farm. Chloe and Jimmy's car followed them; they and Oliver were there for dinner and then they were going to a hotel, as this was a time for family to be together. Tess and Lex had decided that both Alexander and James were too young to attend a funeral, so they had left the boys with Tess's mother whilst they were in Smallville. Clark stepped out of the car and Martha ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug; she was not crying, but he could tell that she was close to it. "He loved you so much." She whispered in his ear, before letting go and turning her attention to Lois and the twins.

Clark carried his and Lois's cases up to his old bedroom. It seemed so much smaller now, but it was exactly as it had bene when he had he left for Yale. Overwhelmed by emotions, he sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. There were so many memories of his father in this house and he was not sure if he could handle there. Conner had been right about one thing: this place, the farm, Smallville, it was not his home anymore. As tears began to come into his eyes, he felt somebody sit down next to him and he knew that it was Lois. She wrapped her arms around him and held him as he shook with the raw emotion of being back here after the death of his beloved father. Inhaling a deep breath, he opened his eyes and turned to face his wife. "Conner was right about one thing."

With a sad smile, she asked, "And what was that, Smallville?" She employed her nickname for him in order to comfort him and nobody else called him that, so it would not remind him of his father. Clark wiped away a tear which had fallen down her check, before replying, in a soft voice, "This place-Smallville, the farm-it isn't my home anymore. I left and never came back. You're my home, Lois. You, Jane and Ben-the three of you are my home." He gave her a sad smile, before she pulled him into a hug and they rested their heads together, listening to the sound of the other breathing.

Their intimate moment was interrupted by Chloe and Jimmy, who were standing at the door together, with Nicolas in their arms. Clark did not notice, but Lois did and she sent her cousin a small smile, before returning her attention back to her grieving husband. He had been fine until they had returned to his childhood home and that had obviously triggered memories and had made their grief more potent.

Chloe kissed Jimmy on the check, passed Nicolas to her husband and went downstairs to see if Martha wanted any help, or someone to whom she could speak, but Martha insisted that she was fine and Chloe guessed she was afraid that if she opened up and talked about Johnathan's death, she may not be able to stop. So, instead Chloe made her way outside and she saw Oliver leaning against a fence, staring out at the fields of corn and cows. As she joined him, he remarked in a cheerful voice, "This is a well-kept farm. Lots of work has gone into it over the years, you can tell." He looked down at his shoes, then asked, in a gentler tone, "How's Clark holding up?"

Sighing, Chloe replied, "I think coming back here, to his childhood home, has made it harder. He was in his old room and crying, with Lois holding him. I can't even imagine how hard this is for him."

Oliver gave a small smile. "Well, he's lucky he has Lois and the twins. But this is hard for Lois, too, and you." He added, turning his head to face her. "You were very fond of Mr. Kent, weren't you?" It was not a question, as he already knew the answer, but she nodded and fell into a hug in his arms. From the window, Martha was watching them and she smiled sadly to herself. She believed that Chloe and Oliver belonged together, just as her late ex-husband had.

As evening began to fall, Tess, Lex and Conner arrived, with all of their luggage and bags. Tess and Conner took their bags into their old bedrooms, but Lex kept hold of his, as he was not going to stay there, as he did not feel part of the family anymore. Martha insisted that he must stay, as he was one of Clark's best friend as well as the father of her grandsons, so she offered him the guest room. Glancing at his estranged wife, he received silent confirmation and accepted the invitation before Martha began to prepare for dinner.

Dinner was finally ready and Martha called in her guests. Jane and Ben were in highchairs between their parents and beside Clark was Martha. On the other side of her was Tess, then Chloe and Jimmy were next to her, with Nicky on Chloe's knee. On the other side of Chloe was Oliver and Conner was in-between him and Lex. "This is one of my favourite dishes," Martha announced proudly as they began to eat, "I've been making it for years and never before have I made it for 8 people!" She was trying to keep the mood light, as she could almost see the tension between her two sons and she wanted to avoid them arguing the eve before their father's funeral. Dinner went smoothly, but at the arrival of the pudding, Conner stood up and walked over to the fridge, as he said, "I want to speak at the funeral. I want to speak at Dad's funeral."

Clark glanced at Lois, as he turned to face his brother and asked, "Have you spoken to Nell about this?"

"No, why should I ask her?"

Looking at his brother with stern eyes, Clark replied, "Because she was his wife, his widow. Besides, she asked me to speak at the funeral and I accepted. She asked Tess, but she declined." Clark fell silent and Martha began to speak to Lois and Chloe, but she interrupted when Conner snapped, "What the heck are you gonna say, Clark-at the funeral?"

Clark sighed and replied, "I'll say that he was a great man and a great father and that he will be sorely missed by both his family and the Smallville community."

Conner glared at his brother and glared. "How would you know? Hmm-you left Smallville! How do you know how much he meant to the people here, when you left us!"

Before Clark could reply, Tess stood up and stood between the two of them and looking at them both imploringly, "Please, don't do this! We need one another right now, so don't implode now! Dad wouldn't have wanted it!" Conner nodded his head, before grabbing his coat and walking out of the house, slamming the door behind them. Uncomfortable of the tension, Jimmy remarked, "Well, we'd better get going. Er-Clark, could you give us a lift to the hotel, because we don't know where it is?" Happy to leave the house, Clark nodded in agreement and kissed his mum, sister and wife before leaving the kitchen to get his jacket. Chloe hugged her cousin and thanked Martha for the dinner, before following her husband and best friend out of the door to their car.

As soon as the door was closed and the car pulled away, Martha let out a sigh. "Conner misses his father. Clark and Tess do too, but they weren't still at home when- I found about Johnathan and Nell and I think that makes a big difference. You see, Conner isn't married, he doesn't have kids, still living in his childhood home and he-he's never really grown up and now Johnathan's gone… it's even harder for him than it is for Tess and Clark. They don't understand that and I wouldn't expect them to, to be honest, but that makes it harder in a way. All three of them are hurting and Clark and Conner still can't see eye to eye, on anything, even their father."

Before returning to the Kent family farm, Clark made his way to Savings and Loans and made a shocking discovery: the farm, under the management of Conner, had fallen into serious debt and there was nothing which the bank could do to help, as much as they wished they could. Clark began to wonder why his mother did not get a job to help, but he knew that Conner would not have told her or his father that their farm was in financial trouble, as he would not have wanted to worry them, especially after their father had been hospitalised.

When he finally returned at the Kent farm, he went up to his room, where Lois was sitting on her laptop, waiting for him to return. He kissed her on the head, then sat down and produced the evidence of the debt from his back pocket and handed it to Lois. She read it, then asked if he had spoken to his brother about this. In response, Clark asked, "Why didn't he just tell me-I could've tried to help. Did Dad know? I'm guessing he didn't." He sighed and threw his head back against the wall. "The farm's over. All of the generations who have worked on this farm-it's all over. It's over, it's too late."

Lois rested her head against his and whispered, "He's your brother, Smallville. It can never be too late, trust me. I made amends with Lucy, so you try to do the same thing with Conner. You only get one brother." There was a silence, then Clark stood up and went downstairs with the paper in his hands. He sat in the kitchen and waited for his brother to return. Finally, he did so and he looked very tired. "Conner, we need to talk."

Shaking his head, Conner shook his head, but he saw the look in his brother's eyes and agreed. His eyes fell on the paper in his brother's hands and he asked, "Where did you get that from?"

"The bank gave them to me. Why didn't you tell me about this? I could have helped." He paused, then asked, "Did Dad know?"

Conner glared at him, looking very angry. "I was doing the best I could in the circumstances. I was trying to keep the farm going, for Dad-but what would you understand about that?"

Clark sighed and snapped, "He was my father, too, Conner."

"Really? How often did you speak to him? I was here all the time-I lived here and yet, whenever there was a problem, he wanted to call you rather than listen to what I had to say! I loved him and yet you were still the first person he called. And why-I have no idea!"

Standing up, Clark walked over to his younger brother and sighed. "He wasn't a perfect father, Conner. You know that as well as I do! He cheated on Mum, he walked out on us-on what we had as a family and you can't deny that! You have to face that!" Conner made a move to hit him, but Tess ran between them, telling them to stop. Both men began to cry and Clark whispered, "He was my dad, too, Conner." There were tears running down his brother's face and the room was deadly silent. Conner was the first to move and he went up to his bedroom. Clark looked down at the floor to hide his tears, but Lois had seen them; she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He looked up and gave her a small smile, before following her out of the kitchen. Tess put her arms around Martha and held her as she cried about her sons not having the relationship which she and Johnathan had always wanted them to have.

The next morning, Clark was the second person in the house to wake up and he dressed himself in formal attire for his father's funeral. He made his way to the kitchen, where he found his mum sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee. As he walked in, she asked, "How did you and Lois sleep?"

"Not very well. How about you? Can I have some coffee?" he kissed his mum on the head, before turning to the kettle and pouring himself a cup of coffee, bracing himself for the talk which he knew was about to come, from his mum. He sat down and waited. Martha sighed and remarked, "Clark, you do understand how hard all of this is for Conner, don't you?"

Resisting the urge his eyes, Clark sighed, "It's hard for me, too, Mum. He was my dad as much as he was Conner's."

Martha nodded her head. "I know, darling. I know and that will always be the case. But you have Lois and the twins and you-you haven't lived here since you were 18, you moved out and never came home again. Conner's never left, he went to KSU, stayed at home, then he dropped out and because of that… he hasn't grown into the kind of man you have and you don't give him enough support and you never have. I'm saying this because I love you, Clark."

Staring at his mum, he mumbled, "Mum, I've always be there for Conner, helped him. When he dropped out of school, I gave him a place to stay when he didn't want to be with you and Dad. I lent him some money. When he wanted to go to an agricultural school, I helped him with all of that."

"Yes, in that way you have been there for him-but not in an emotional way. Sweetheart, you closed a door on your brother in that way when you were 11 and you've never opened it for him again. You grew apart and, as far as he's concerned, when you left to go to Yale, you left him and the two of you must have known that there was something wrong with your father and I. You have the life he wants, Clark: a wife, kids-a family- and he wants his big brother to help him. He respects and loves you, Clark. No matter what your differences are, you're always going to be his big brother and he will always want to emulate you in some way-that won't change with age, as most things do. I know Lois has probably told you this, but you only have one brother. One brother and one sister. Value them both and… open the door for your brother again." With that, she stood up and walked over to the cooker, leaving Clark thinking about all she had said. His thoughts were interrupted when Lois entered, with the twins in her arms. Clark stood up and took Ben from her arms, holding his son close to him. With a smile on his face, he kissed his daughter and then he and Lois shared a brief kiss, smiling at each other. "You look beautiful." He whispered in her ear and she smiled, before passing Jane to him and helping Martha in the kitchen.

The funeral itself was a short one and a celebration of Johnathan's life rather than of his death, as he would have wished it to be. That made it easier for his family and friends who were in attendance. Clark was standing with Lois with Jane and Ben in their arms. Next to them were Martha, Tess, Conner and Lex. Nell was standing apart with Lana, with tears in her eyes, with her hand clutched around her wedding ring. Clark pulled Lois close and she rested her head on his shoulder, with Jane in her arms and Clark held Ben close to his chest. Chloe and Jimmy were on the other side of Lois, with Nicolas in Jimmy's arms and Oliver was on the other side of them, standing with his hands behind his back in a respectful manner.

After the funeral, a wake was held at the Kent family farm. Conner immediately disappeared to his bedroom and Clark followed him, wanting to speak to him before he and Lois went back to Metropolis. He found him sitting on the floor of his bedroom, which the two of them had shared when they had been very young. Clark picked up his old cricket bat and observed, "I may take this home for Ben-make a man out of him." When he received no response, he sat down on his old bed and began, "Conner, did I ever tell you about when Mum told me about Dad and Nell? She came to our house and told me and I sitting there, thinking that I had lost my family and I would never be able to piece it together again."

Conner looked up. "You never told me that. Did you speak to the bank today?"

"Yeah, and he said that the farm's finished. You and Mum can still live here, but without the farm." He paused, then added, "He also told me that you tried you very hardest with the farm and to keep Dad's spirits up…so you probably kept Dad alive, even after we found out he was having an affair, so thankyou, Conner."

There was a long silence, then Conner asked, "When are you going home, back to Metropolis?"

Smiling slightly, Clark replied, "Lois and the twins are going back tomorrow, but I thought I might stay a couple days longer-keep you in line." He quipped, but his smile fell as he saw the sadness in his brother's eyes as he shook his head and said, "No, you should go home. I've coped without you for years now."

Clark slipped off the bed and sat next to his brother, looking into his eyes. "Buddy, I want to be here for you. I do." There was silence, then he said, "Now, Tess and I have had a discussion and we've agreed to loan you money so that you can go back to college, do a degree in Agriculture, or something-something you love."

Staring at him in shock, Conner asked, "Why would you do that for me?"

"Because you're my brother, the only brother I have and it's my job to look after you. We're family." At the moment, Conner pulled his brother into a tight hug and whispered that he already missed their father. Clark held him close and nodded, as tears ran down both of their faces. The two brothers had finally put aside their differences and were a united front, more so than they had been in years.