Fic - Troubles at Home
Title: Troubles at Home
Author: moviefreak4634
Rating: PG
Characters: Chloe/Clark, Connor, Lois/Oliver, Laura
Summary: Oliver tries to change his ways while Connor gets ever closer to learning the truth.
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or its characters.
Previous stories in this verse can be found here.
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“Well, what do you think?”
Chloe glanced at the dress Lois held up and shrugged.
Lois sighed and put the dress back on the rack. “You could at least try and be helpful.”
“Sorry. I just don’t see why you needed me here. You go to Oliver’s parties all the time. Shouldn’t you know what to wear?”
Lois draped an arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “Come on, cuz. It’s us time - without the kids, without the men. Now, let’s go get one of those giant pretzels.”
“So what am I doing here?” Chloe asked as she and Lois settled at a table, pretzels in hand.
“What are you talking about?” Lois asked around her first bite. “It’s Cousin Day, I told you.”
“And I don’t believe you. What’s really going on, Lois?”
Lois took another bite of her pretzel and chewed slowly. Chloe waited.
“It’s Oliver,” Lois finally said. She took another bite.
“What about Oliver?” Chloe prompted.
Lois sighed. “You know how he is. Laura has him wrapped around her little finger, and he clearly loves it. He loves her, and I know I shouldn’t complain about it. It’s just - it’s just sometimes they are so frustrating.”
Chloe smiled. She couldn’t help it, but she did manage to reign in the laughter since Lois was so clearly upset. “You know, it’s great that you told me about this and all, but maybe you should - I don’t know - try talking to Oliver?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“I don’t know,” Lois said. “It’s Oliver.”
“Good point,” Chloe agreed. Then she added, “So, what am I supposed to do about it?”
Lois grinned. “Glad you asked. I was hoping you could talk to him.”
“To Oliver?”
“Yeah. You and Clark.”
“Clark?” Chloe asked. She let out a snort of disbelief. “Let me get this straight. You want me and Clark to talk to your husband about not overindulging your daughter?”
“I’ll owe you one.”
“Lois,” Chloe cried. “That is not the point!”
“Please, Chlo?” Lois said. “I tried talking to him already, but you’re so much better with words than I am. And besides, you guys are so good with Connor. You could give Ollie pointers.”
“Lois,” Chloe said. “Clark and I are not going to talk to your husband for you. And I don’t know where you got the crazy idea that we’re good with Connor. That’s a whole lot of luck, believe me.”
“Cuz, you don’t give yourself enough credit.”
“Thanks.” Lois looked hopeful until Chloe continued, “We’re still not talking to Oliver for you.”
“Come on, Chlo,” Lois said.
Chloe just shook her head.
“Fine. I’ll just figure it out myself.”
“Good.”
They finished eating their pretzels in silence.
“So, I guess Cousin Day is officially a bust,” Chloe ventured.
Lois nodded.
“Come on, Lo. Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
Chloe sighed. There was no point in disagreeing. Lois was too stubborn to admit the truth.
“Let’s just go,” Chloe said instead.
Lois didn’t argue with her.
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Children ran all around them screaming and laughing. Clark and Oliver sat on a bench while Connor and Laura played. Connor was on the swings while Laura couldn’t seem to decide what she wanted to do. She kept moving from one thing to the next.
Clark watched them both. Oliver seemed a little out of sorts, so occasionally Clark found himself sneaking a glance at Oliver as well. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he was afraid that would be too personal. Where was Chloe when he needed her?
“Daddy! Watch me!” Laura called from across the playground. She slid down the fireman’s pole. Oliver rewarded her with a half-hearted smile, and Laura frowned but quickly moved on to the next thing.
Clark was more worried now. That wasn’t like Oliver at all. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Oliver said.
Clark nodded. They returned to silence.
“Lois is mad at me.”
“Why?” Clark asked.
“She thinks I spoil Laura too much, says I need to show more discipline.” Oliver shook his head.
“Oh.” Privately, Clark agreed with Lois, but he couldn’t tell Oliver that.
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Discipline Connor.”
Clark’s gaze returned to the swings. Connor was a good kid, but that didn’t mean he didn’t make mistakes sometimes. “Um, I guess we - me and Chloe - we try to tell Connor what’s right and wrong, and we try to be fair in assigning his punishments. It’s a lot of guesswork really.”
“I must have guessed wrong then.”
From across the playground, Laura called again, “Daddy, look at me!”
Oliver barely glanced her way. “One minute, Laura.”
Clark just kind of stared at him. This was obviously hitting Oliver hard. It wasn’t like him to ignore Laura like that.
“Oliver -” Clark started, but Chloe and Lois walked up then, interrupting him. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Oliver muttered.
“Daddy!” Laura called again. They all turned to look. Laura was on the monkey bars hanging upside down by her knees.
“Look!” she yelled. She took her hands off the bar, waving them below her head. She grinned. “Look!”
Clark was looking all right, but what he could see didn’t look good. Laura was slipping.
Her grin faded, and she threw her hands back up, groping for the bar. It was too far.
Clark didn’t think. He just reacted. He reached the monkey bars just as Laura slid the rest of the way off the bar. She fell right into his arms.
Laura was sobbing as Oliver and Lois came running up. Clark handed the girl off to her parents.
There were people staring at them, and Clark swallowed hard. He couldn’t be sure how much they saw, but he was sure his materializing under the monkey bars wouldn’t go unnoticed. He looked around for Chloe and was relieved to find her walking up with Connor.
She stopped by Lois, Oliver, and Laura and asked, “Is she all right?”
“She’s fine,” Oliver answered. He turned to Clark. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“About that,” Chloe said, moving to Clark’s side, Connor in tow. “We should really be going.” She indicated the people staring at them.
“Yeah. Go,” Lois said. “I’ll call you later.”
Chloe nodded.
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“You know,” Chloe said as she set the table. “Lois wanted us to talk to Oliver.”
“She did? Why?” Clark asked. He was making dinner.
“She wanted us to try and get him to stop spoiling Laura, if that could ever happen.”
“Oh,” Clark said. “Oliver mentioned something about that at the park. He said Lois was mad at him, and he seemed pretty upset about it too.”
Chloe made a noncommittal noise as she digested the information.
“Talking about people being mad at each other,” Clark continued, “I’m sorry for today, by the way.”
“For what? Saving Laura? I’m not mad. There was no way you couldn’t save her. That’s not you, and we both know it.”
“Still, there were so many witnesses.”
“Do I wish there had been less people there?” Chloe asked. “Yeah, but no one saw anything, and you were just doing what you do. You were being you, and I love you. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Clark grinned at her as he carried the food to the table. “I love you.”
Chloe grinned back. “Of course you do.”
“Connor!” Clark called as he and Chloe settled at the table. “Dinner!”
Connor came bounding down the stairs. He seemed excited about something, and Clark wondered what it was. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“That was so cool today,” Connor exclaimed as he ate.
“What was?” Clark asked.
“You know,” Connor said. “The thing with Laura.”
Clark stole a glance at Chloe, wanting to know if she was as alarmed as he felt. She looked less surprised and more worried.
Connor continued, “It was awesome how you caught her right when she fell. How’d you get over there so fast anyway?”
Clark didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. Luckily, Chloe jumped in for him.
“Connor, sweetheart, what are you talking about?”
Connor took another bite of his dinner. “One minute, Dad was sitting on the bench next to Uncle Ollie, and the next, he was catching Laura. I was watching from the swing. It was super cool.” He grinned at Clark.
“Connor, your dad just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He was near Laura when she fell, so he was able to catch her.”
Connor’s grin faded to be replaced by a frown. “No, he wasn’t.”
“Yes, he was, Connor. That’s all that happened.”
Connor dropped his fork on his plate, pushing his chair back from the table a little. “You’re a liar!”
“Connor,” Clark finally broke in. “You can’t talk to your mother like that.”
“I saw you. You weren’t anywhere near Laura, but you caught her anyway. I saw it.”
“Connor -” Chloe started.
“I know what I saw!” Connor pushed his chair back the rest of the way, jumped up, and dashed up the stairs where he slammed the door to his bedroom.
Chloe sighed. “Well, that went well.”
Clark covered her hand with his, squeezing gently. “I hate lying to him like that.”
“You think I don’t?”
“I didn’t say that.” He squeezed her hand again.
“You know, Clark, maybe we should just tell him. He’s old enough to handle the truth.”
“The truth about what exactly?”
“Everything. You being Superman, him being part alien. Just everything.”
“Chloe, he’s eight.”
“Exactly!” Chloe exclaimed. “We have to tell him sometime. Preferably before he develops more of his powers.”
“We still don’t know if -”
“Clark,” Chloe interrupted. “Will you give it a rest with that? He already has powers. There are bound to be more coming. The least we could do is prepare him.”
“I don’t know.”
Chloe reached out, pulling his chin around so his gaze met hers. She put a hand on his arm. “I know you want Connor to have the normal life you never got, but Connor isn’t you. He’s different, and he knows it. He deserves the truth.”
Clark sighed. “You’re right.”
Chloe smiled. “Have you met me?”
Clark smiled back. “Shut up.” He gave her a kiss.
“Okay,” he finally said, nodding. “We’ll tell him. Soon. I promise.”
Chloe kissed him. “Thanks.”
“You know, I’ll agree again if that’s the thanks I get.”
“Oh, you will, will you?” Chloe said. “How about we skip the agreeing and go right to the thanking instead?”
“I might just be okay with that,” Clark murmured.
“Might?”
Chloe’s teeth nipped gently at his jaw line.
“I take it back. I’m totally in favor of that.”
Chloe grinned at him. “I thought you might be.”
She kissed him again.