Clark spotted a familiar face on his return to the farm. Luckily he had had a few near misses over the years when superspeeding back to the Farm that he always checked the coast was clear.

Perry White is the last person he expected to see and to be honest with this Mindy business getting out of control Perry was the last thing he needed at the moment. He had some major explaining to do tonight to Lois.

He just hoped Lois would not freak at his lies about his relationship with Mindy. On top of this he would have to explain he was from another Planet. He had not spoken to Chloe so was unaware of what she had told Lois.

"Mr White." Perry jumped as Clark approached from behind.

"Clark! You gave me a shock, watch out my heart is not what it used to be." Perry joked, then hugged him.

Clark knew they had a met a few years ago, but Perry was being very friendly.

"Mr White, what brought you out to Smallville?" Clark asked.

Perry gulped and suddenly looked nervous. "have you talked to your mom?"

"No, I will try and ring her in the next few days. Why do you ask?"

"There's no need to ring her Clark." Perry gestured towards the door.

Clark saw his mom. She ran up to hug him. "Clark, how are you?"

Clark held her tight, he had missed her.

"Mom, when did you get back?" Clark pulled away and smiled.

"We flew in this morning."

"We...?"

Martha gestured towards Perry. "Clark, can we go for a little walk. Perry... would you mind?"

"No, I'll go and introduce myself to Lois."

Clark and Martha strolled off towards the barn. "It's great to see you mom, but what's with your extra baggage."

"Perry and I are...dating."

Clark was shocked. "But Perry is..."

"Before you say anything. Perry has not touched alcohol since his time in Smallville. I met him at a Congress Hearing a few months ago and he asked me to show him round Washington."

"Is it serious?" Clark asked.

"We are just seeing where things take us but to be honest for the first time in years I feel normal again. He is such a sweet and endearing man and I hope you get the chance to see that side of him."

"Mom, I can see by your face that he makes you happy, and that makes me happy." Clark grinned.

"God Clark, you have grown up so much. I'm glad you finally got it together with Lois. She is wonderful for you."

"Thanks, mom. I love her so much." Clark said with emotion.

"I'm pleased you told her your secret." Martha replied.

"Well, I haven't told her much yet."

"I may have said a bit too much. She knows about Krypton." Martha hoped he would not be mad.

"I don't mind. You telling her saves me getting a slap in the face. How did she take it?"

"Unbelievably well, unless of course she is a good actress and is saving the slap until you got home." Martha and Clark laughed.

They headed back to the house. Hopefully Lois and Perry had found something to chat about. They needn't had worried. Perry and Lois were deep in discussion about a potential story they could work on together.

Lois saw Clark and ran up and kissed him. She didn't care if he was embarrassed by the presence of Martha and Perry. He kissed her back.

"Come out you two love birds, I've made some meatloaf."

Clark and Lois pulled apart and smiled. "It smells great, mom."

"Those two remind me of us, honey." Perry smiled at Martha.

Clark smiled, realising it would take him a while to adjust to his mom's new boyfriend.
The four of them sat down to dinner. Clark felt a little awkward because he wanted to discuss the Mindy situation with Lois, but couldn't when Perry was there. However much to Clark's chagrin, the topic of Mindy was soon brought up. He was not exactly subtle.

"So Clark, your mom tells me you're going to be a dad. When's it due?"

Lois almost choked on her potato and glared at Clark.

"I wouldn't know because it's not mine." Clark started shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"I told you that, Perry." Martha said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, honey. Just there's not normally smoke without fire. I assume the dates don't match up then." Perry smiled, trying to make up for his previous comment but failing miserably.

Clark was glaring at Perry and then looking at Lois. "There are no dates to match up, nothing happened between us."

Lois looked upset and got up. "Can you excuse me."

Clark looked at his mom and followed Lois out to the barn.

"Lois, are you ok?" He went to place her hand on her shoulder, but suddenly she turned around and had the biggest grin on her face

"I'm fine Clark. I just used it as excuse to get sometime alone. It's killing me not being able to discuss the events of the last 24 hrs with you."

Clark smiled and then his expression turned serious. "I think you should sit down. I have not been truthful about my relationship with Mindy and I just hope you will understand when I tell you what's happened..."

"Why would I need to take a seat?" Lois asked, panicking.

Clark walked up to her. "I have not been entirely truthful with you about Mindy."

"You're worrying me. It can't be that bad."

Clark gulped. It pained him to do this but he had no choice. "Lo, something happened between me and Mindy that night."

"Don't Lo me...you kissed her, didn't you."

"Worse than that. I did sleep with her" Clark said with disgust.

"You bastard...how could you?" Lois was talking through her sobs.

"It just happened. I think I am the father of her child. Lois, I am so sorry. I didn't mean for all this. I don't want to hurt you."

Lois was angry now, her expression gave away the extent of her anger. "You slept with me knowing all this, how could you?"

He wanted to go and hug her, to tell her everything was alright but he knew he couldn't.

Lois walked around him, glaring at him. He was feeling very uncomfortable. Lois was not going to make this easy for him, she was baying for his blood.

She sounded calm and deliberate. "So Clark, why did you do it? Please don't insult me by lying."

"Ok, then." Clark replied. "Because I am attracted to her and she makes me feel good about myself, and normal. She is funny and gorgeous."

"and I'm not..." Lois snapped.

"You don't understand Lois. Mindy paid attention to me. At the time you were ignoring me and our relationship did not seem to be getting anywhere." Clark explained, hoping he would not have to string this conversation out too much longer. He did not want hurt Lois anymore than was necessary. He just hoped she would understand.

"Clark, I have been in love with you for a long time. You mean more to me than anyone ever has." Lois said letting her guard down.

He was shocked. Lois had actually said the 'L' word. This was tearing at his heart, but had to continue the onslaught.

Tears were starting to pour down his cheek..."even more than Oliver?"

"Oliver was nothing compared to you. Why have you broke my heart, why lead me on in the first place..."

These words penetrated Clark's heart, every word digging a little deeper.

"I don't know..." Clark's eyes were red.

Lois could not take anymore and ran out the door. Before Clark had a chance to act he received a text message on his cell.

Lois needed to run as far as she could. Her world had been shattered, her heart broken beyond repair. Just as she was running across to her car, she felt herself being scooped off her feet.

Clark did not take Lois very far, just a little way off the farm. He put Lois down, looked at her and kissed her passionately. "I'm so sorry, Lo. I love you..."

Lois was getting more confused by the second. Before she had a chance to think about it, she looked up and saw a familiar figure trying to get back into a Porsche. Clark was angry. He burnt all the tyres out with his heat vision.

"What are you doing, Clark? You've made a big mistake."

"Enjoy the show!" Clark asked.

Clark was seething. He gathered all the power he could muster with his heat vision and directed it at Mindy. She exploded into thousands of pieces.

Lois had seen enough pictures of dead bodies during her time as a reporter to know that what Clark had blown up right in front of her was not human.

"Clark, what the hell is going on?"

"Can you give me a minute and then I'll explain everything." Clark tried a smile.

Lois was in too much shock to argue and just nodded.

Clark supersped around the area and within seconds there were no signs of debris or a car for that matter.

"Figured that the sheriff may get a little suspicious if he finds these."

"Right Lois, ask away" Clark remarked.

"Who or what was that?" Lois asked.

"It was a clone of Mindy Adams. She was cloned by Lex to try and lure me into a trap."
"Why did you tell me all those lies in the barn ten minutes ago?"

"I had no choice. The clone Mindy was holding Oliver captive and said she was going to kill him if I didn't lie to you. She was listening into our conversation. Chloe texted after you left to say she had rescued Oliver. Are you mad with me?"

"I think you could have come to me with this. You can trust me."

Clark smiled and put his hands around her neck. "Lo, I do trust you but I needed it to sound genuine. I wanted to tell you but Ollie's life was at risk. Do you know how hard it was to say all those things to hurt you. I could see how devastated you were."

"so you didn't mean any of it?" Lois asked, needing reassurance.

"Lois, I can promise you that I will never cheat on you. I do not need to. I have everything I ever wanted right here and that's never gonna change. I love you so much and I would die if I lost you." Clark was emotional.

Lois hugged him and then kissed him, relieved that the nightmare of Mindy was over.
"So how about the real Mindy?" Lois asked

"She was kidnapped by Lex. Oliver found out and went to rescue her , when he got captured." Clark explained.

"So when did you find out about Mindy?"

"That time I met the clone, Mindy told me she got pregnant after she had a relationship with Matt from IT."

Lois smiled. "I can see why you might have been suspicious."

"Yeah everyone at the Planet knows Matt only has eyes for Mike from the Advertising Dept and he has zero interest in women."

Clark continued. "I asked Chloe to look into it and we found the connection between clone Mindy and Lex. Apparently he was trying to break you and me up, to get revenge for me stealing the love of his life - Lana."

"So Lex is still alive."

"Apparently though he has amnesia and cannot remember the events from the Arctic last year. He does not know who I am. Mindy would have told him but she never got round to it."

"What events in the Arctic?" Lois asked.

Clark realised there was so much he had not had a chance to tell Lois. "I keep forgetting that I still need to fill you in on loads of things."

"How did you guess that Mindy was a clone?"

"Funnily enough it was her boyfriend that approached me and told me that Mindy was acting strange towards him and wanted to know why she was suddenly flirting with me. He was a bit jealous to say the least."
"Boyfriend, do I know him?"

"Actually no-one knows they are a couple because she is terrified to tell her overprotective father. They got engaged prior to her kidnapping." Clark whispered the identity of Mindy's fiancé to Lois. Lois could not believe it. – talk about opposites attracting.

"Any other questions, Lois?" Clark asked.

"If there is any isn't, do you mind if we head back to the farm. Mom and Perry may be wondering where we are."

"How about Ollie ?"

"He is fine. I told Chloe we would head there tomorrow to talk."

Lois and Clark headed home. It was obvious from the clinch going on between Perry and his mom that they hadn't even noticed they had been gone.

"Ahem..." Clark cleared his throat to distract them.

Both of them went a shade of red when they saw Lois and Clark standing there.

Perry stuttered. "Sorry...Clark. We didn't mean to let you see that."

Clark grabbed Lois's hand and led her to the table. "Mom, I am sure I could smell some of that lovely cherry pie you bake."

Martha smiled and readjusted her apron. Lois went over to her leaving Clark and Perry sitting opposite each other.

"Look Perry." Clark whispered. "I can see that mom is the happiest she has been in ages, so it must be you that makes her happy. I was a bit shocked to see you together but I am fine about it, as long as you don't hurt her."

"Clark, I have deep feelings for your mom and would not jeopardise that."

Clark smiled. Lois and Martha walked across to the sight of the boys talking and having a joke.

After dessert, Lois sat yawning. "Listen I'm beat. I need to hit the sack. So goodnight everyone." Lois kissed Martha on the cheek and smiled at Perry.
"I will see you upstairs, Clark." She kissed him.

"Wait, I'll join you,"

"Sleep well both of you. Try not to make too much noise – with snoring I mean." Clark grinned at his mom and Perry. Martha could not believe how much being with Lois had changed her son for the better. He was so settled.