Fic - Happily Ever After
Title: Happily Ever After
Author: moviefreak4634
Rating: PG
Characters: Lois/Oliver, Laura
Summary: Lois wants to get Laura to bed, but Oliver seems to have other plans.
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or its characters.
Previous stories in this verse can be found here.
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Lois had a headache. She loved her family, but sometimes they could be… a little irritating. Take now for instance. It had been a long day, and she wanted to get Laura to bed. Oliver seemed to have other plans.
Laura sat on top of a tower of couch cushions, princess outfit on. Oliver was across the room, “charging” toward the tower in slow motion.
“I’ll save you, fair lady,” he called.
Laura giggled.
Lois sighed. The game had been cute at first, but it hadn’t turned out to be a pre-bedtime activity. Laura and Oliver had been playing for going on an hour now, and they showed no signs of stopping. She loved her husband, but sometimes he had trouble telling when enough was enough.
Finally, she stood up from the cushion-less couch and announced, “Bedtime.”
Oliver faltered in his slow motion run. “Oh no,” he cried dramatically. “The evil dragon has appeared.”
As Laura gasped, Oliver pulled his make-believe sword out of its make-believe scabbard and pointed it at Lois.
“Come, dragon, and meet your doom.”
Lois shot him an exasperated look. “Oliver, she needs to go to bed.”
“Five more minutes?”
Lois glanced at the clock. It was already almost nine. She hesitated a moment.
“Please?” Laura added from atop her cushions.
“Five more minutes.”
Lois sat back down on the couch, and Oliver stabbed her with the imaginary sword.
“The dragon has been vanquished,” he announced.
Laura cheered, and Lois smiled in spite of her headache. Her family was too adorable sometimes.
Five minutes later, Oliver swept Laura down from the tower, rescuing her. They laughed together, and Lois sat there, watching them.
“Okay,” Oliver finally said. “Your mom says it’s time for bed.”
Lois could see Laura’s face fall. The little girl looked up at Oliver imploringly. Oliver looked down at Lois, who shook her head slowly.
“Nope,” Oliver said. “Time for bed. Sorry.”
Laura leaned against Oliver’s shoulder, and Lois stood.
“I’ll take her,” she said. “You have this mess to clean up in here.”
Oliver started to hand Laura over, but she screamed and clung to him. “Daddy.”
“Your mommy’s going to put you to bed tonight. Okay, Laura?”
Laura shook her head against his shoulder, clinging to fistfuls of his shirt. “Daddy,” she said again.
Oliver looked over at Lois and shrugged. “I guess I’ll take her.”
Lois frowned but nodded. She watched as Laura and Oliver left the room. Then she went over to the fallen couch-cushion tower and picked up the top cushion. She put it back on the couch. She could hear Laura in the other room giggling again.
“Daddy,” she called.
Lois snatched up the next cushion and placed it on the couch. It looked out of place, and she realized it was in the wrong spot. She snatched it back up, harder than she’d meant to, and the cushion fell to the floor. Lois stared down at it.
Laura giggled again, and suddenly, Lois was moving. She had to get away. She made it as far as the bedroom she shared with Oliver. She paused in the doorway, holding the door frame in one hand.
Laura giggled again. Lois slammed the door shut.
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Oliver heard the door slam from Laura’s bedroom, and he frowned. Lois was obviously upset about something, but he had no idea what it was.
He put Laura on the bed and pulled her pajamas out of a drawer. “Pjs,” he said.
Laura shook her head. “I’m a princess.”
Oliver smiled. “That you are.” He let her stay in her princess outfit. There couldn’t be any harm in that. The pajamas went back in the drawer.
He picked Laura up then, rolling back the covers. He set her back down and drew the covers up to her chin.
Laura looked up at him expectantly.
“Bedtime,” Oliver said and kissed her forehead.
Laura’s face scrunched up. “Where’s Mr. Cotton?”
Oliver turned to look around the room, making a show of spinning this way and that. Laura laughed delightedly when she caught sight of the rabbit clutched behind his back.
“Daddy,” she said, holding her arms out.
“What?”
“Mr. Cotton.”
“Oh, here he is!” Oliver exclaimed as he brought the rabbit from behind his back.
Laura giggled again, and Oliver tapped the rabbit against her forehead before laying him down next to her.
“Good night, princess.”
Laura shook her head again. “Story.”
“No,” Oliver said. “Bedtime.”
Laura’s eyes widened, and she bit her bottom lip. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I want a story.”
Oliver sighed. He wanted to go see why Lois was upset, but he could never deny Laura anything, especially when she pulled that face on him.
“Okay,” he said, sitting beside Laura on the bed. “A quick story.”
Laura immediately broke into a wide smile. “Yay!”
Oliver smiled too and started the story, “Once upon a time, there was a princess named Laura.”
“That’s my name!” Laura exclaimed.
“Is it?” Oliver said. “I didn’t know.”
Laura giggled. “Daddy.”
Oliver smiled down at her again and continued the story, “Princess Laura lived in a magical land with her pet bunny. One day, she was wandering out in the forest when she came across a pretty pink flower. When she smelled the flower, she was suddenly wide awake. She decided she was never going to bed again.”
“Never ever?” Laura asked.
“Never ever.”
“Cool.”
“You might think so,” Oliver said, “but after a few days without sleep, Princess Laura was very, very tired. But thanks to the flower’s spell, she couldn’t sleep at all. She tried counting sheep, she tried drinking warm milk before bed, but nothing worked. Finally, she went to talk to her father, the King. He listened to Laura’s story and put her to bed himself. He tucked her in, pulling the covers up under her chin, and he put her rabbit beside her. And you know what happened then?”
Laura shook her head, yawning.
“Princess Laura went right to sleep, just like you should do.”
Laura yawned again as Oliver leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Good night, Laura.”
He made it as far as the door before he heard Laura’s voice again.
“Daddy?”
“What?” It came out a little sharper than he intended, and Oliver winced.
“Good night,” Laura said.
“Night, princess.” Oliver flipped off the light and pulled the door shut before heading for the living room. He took in the state of the cushions - one on the couch, one in front of the couch, the tower toppled. He put the cushions back on the couch and then walked to his and Lois’s room.
The door was still closed, so Oliver knocked lightly. “Lois?”
There was no reply from within.
“Lois?” he called again. When there was still no reply, Oliver turned the knob, opening the door anyway.
“Lois?”
The room was dark, and Oliver frowned, moving to turn on a lamp. Lois sat on the bed facing away from him. Something was definitely wrong. Oliver just wondered whether Lois would actually tell him what it was.
“Lois?”
Still no reply.
Oliver sighed and climbed onto the bed behind Lois. “Lois, what’s wrong?”
There was silence again, and Oliver almost gave up right then. Lois obviously wasn’t going to tell him anything. But then, she spoke.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Lois,” Oliver sighed. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“I hate when you do that.”
“Do what?”
Lois finally turned to look at him. “When you turn Laura against me like that.”
Oliver felt the confusion fill his face before he could stop it. Lois saw and turned away again.
“I told you you wouldn’t understand.”
“Lois.” Oliver reached up, resting the back of his hand against her cheek. Lois turned into the touch, but she still wouldn’t look at him. Oliver sighed. “Talk to me.”
“She wouldn’t even let me put her to bed tonight, Oliver. She wanted you. She always wants you.”
Lois batted his hand away impatiently and stood. Oliver stayed where he was. At least Lois was looking at him now.
“And you encourage her,” Lois continued. “Every chance you get, it’s always, ‘Mommy says you have to do this’ or ‘Mommy says you have to do that.’”
She dropped back down on the bed. “No wonder she hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.”
“No,” Lois said. “She just loves you more.”
Silence fell between them. Oliver drew back. This wasn’t what he’d expected at all. He wanted to deny it. Laura loved Lois too.
“That’s not-” he began.
Lois interrupted. “Don’t you dare tell me it’s not true. She loves you more, and you know it. I just wish you didn’t encourage her so often.”
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“Don’t do it again.”
Lois stood, moving to the bathroom. Oliver stayed where he was.
He whispered after her, “I’ll try.”