Not the Time (Part 6/10)
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten A |
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
Not the Time (Part Six)
Clark watched as Chloe paced the floor of his barn loft, chewing absently on her thumbnail. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“And you know that how?” she snapped, not halting her actions, her face a little paler than it had been only minutes ago. “Are you developing powers of precognition now too?”
“You’re gonna make yourself sick, Chloe,” he said worriedly, slowly rising to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the couch.
“They should be here by now.”
Clark started to reply when he heard footsteps down below. “Chloe?” Lois called.
Chloe’s eyes widened and she froze in place.
He quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, offering her a reassuring look. “We’re up here,” he called back.
Lois trotted up the steps to the loft. “Hey, Smallville,“ she greeted Clark. “Chloe.” She hugged her cousin, immediately noticing her tension. “Uh oh. What’s going on? On the phone you sounded upset.”
“Uh, well…I’m actually…waiting on Lana to get here, too,” she said nervously, glancing at Clark.
“This can’t be good,” Lois said, her eyebrows furrowing. “Hey, you look pale. Are you sick?”
“Sort of,” Chloe murmured, resuming her pacing of the loft floor.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Lois folded her arms across her chest. “At all.” She looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow.
He held up his hands and shook his head, silently telling her she was barking up the wrong tree if she was looking to him for answers.
Lois watched her younger cousin pace for a few moments, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought over the last few conversations she’d had with Chloe lately, and how strangely she’d been acting. How she’d been sick a lot in the recent past. “Oh God.”
Chloe quickly turned to look at her.
“You have cancer. That’s why you’ve called us here. Oh, my God, Chloe, why didn’t you say anything before now?”
If the situation hadn’t been so serious and Chloe hadn’t looked so freaked out, Clark would have laughed at Lois’s conclusion. She had the tendency to jump to the worst possible outcome and panic over it.
“Lois, I don’t have cancer,” Chloe said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s nothing like that.”
The brunette frowned a little, studying her for a moment. “Then what? What’s going on? What, are you pregnant or something?” she asked with a short chuckle.
Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise and she stared at Lois.
Lois’s laughter died almost as soon as it had started. “Oh God. You are.” She stared back at Chloe.
Clark suddenly felt very out of place, and he scratched the back of his neck, remaining silent.
“Uh, wow. That’s…” Lois tried to finish the sentence but couldn’t come up with a word to cover her emotions. “Hey, I’m gonna be a second cousin!” She cringed almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, knowing how ditzy they’d made her sound. But to her surprise, Chloe giggled.
“This is so not how I expected this conversation to go,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed nervously.
Lois laughed again, as well, even though she had a feeling she was almost as freaked out as her younger cousin. “I guess I should start planning a baby shower.”
“I think it’s a little soon for that.”
“How far along are you?” she asked, glancing sideways at Clark, whose eyebrows were raised.
“About six weeks,” Chloe said quietly.
“I didn’t even realize you were seeing someone,” Lois said, sounding a little hurt that Chloe hadn’t confided in her.
“I’m not…I mean…I wasn’t…not really. It just…sort of happened,” she said, grimacing.
“And you knew about this?” Lois turned her attention to Clark, glaring at him with her arms still folded across her chest. “All this time?”
“Hey,” Clark started.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Chloe said quickly, not wanting Lois to start yelling at her best friend.
Lois’s attention refocused on her cousin. She sighed softly and let her arms drop before moving to hug her once more. “I’m not sure whether to say congratulations or give you a lecture, though I don’t think you probably need the latter if I know you as well as I think I do.”
“You’re right about that.” Chloe closed her eyes, hugging her back.
After a moment, Lois pulled away. “So…are you hoping for a girl or a boy?”
“You’re pregnant?”
The barn fell silent and the three of them looked down the stairs to see Lana standing at the bottom of the steps, looking shocked and standing beside an equally surprised looking Lex Luthor.
Without thinking about it or realizing how it looked, Clark slid his arm around Chloe’s waist and pulled her closer to him protectively, glaring at Lex without saying a word.
Lana stared at him, then at Chloe, Clark‘s gesture not going unnoticed. “Oh my God.”
“Lana, it’s not what you think,” Chloe began, shaking her head and pulling away from Clark.
Lex raised his eyebrows. “Well from this angle it looks pretty bad to me.”
Clark narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have to explain ourselves to them, Chloe.”
Her mouth dropping open, she turned to look at him in shock, and if he’d seen the look Lois shot his direction he probably would have used his superpowers to speed far away from the barn right then and there.
“You got my cousin pregnant!?” she said in disbelief.
“I don’t believe this,” Lana whispered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I trusted you.”
“Lana--” Chloe shook her head quickly, holding up a hand.
“Take me home, Lex,” she said, her voice filled with cold contempt as she glared at Chloe.
“Of course.” Lex smirked at Clark, wrapped his arm around Lana’s shoulders and guided her out of the barn.
Chloe stood frozen in shock for several seconds, staring after the young woman whom she’d considered a sister for the past few years.
Lois, on the other hand, was anything but frozen in shock. Her blue eyes were like cold steel as she glared, all of her attention focused on Clark. “You have some serious explaining to do!”
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
Not the Time (Part Six)
Clark watched as Chloe paced the floor of his barn loft, chewing absently on her thumbnail. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“And you know that how?” she snapped, not halting her actions, her face a little paler than it had been only minutes ago. “Are you developing powers of precognition now too?”
“You’re gonna make yourself sick, Chloe,” he said worriedly, slowly rising to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the couch.
“They should be here by now.”
Clark started to reply when he heard footsteps down below. “Chloe?” Lois called.
Chloe’s eyes widened and she froze in place.
He quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, offering her a reassuring look. “We’re up here,” he called back.
Lois trotted up the steps to the loft. “Hey, Smallville,“ she greeted Clark. “Chloe.” She hugged her cousin, immediately noticing her tension. “Uh oh. What’s going on? On the phone you sounded upset.”
“Uh, well…I’m actually…waiting on Lana to get here, too,” she said nervously, glancing at Clark.
“This can’t be good,” Lois said, her eyebrows furrowing. “Hey, you look pale. Are you sick?”
“Sort of,” Chloe murmured, resuming her pacing of the loft floor.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Lois folded her arms across her chest. “At all.” She looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow.
He held up his hands and shook his head, silently telling her she was barking up the wrong tree if she was looking to him for answers.
Lois watched her younger cousin pace for a few moments, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought over the last few conversations she’d had with Chloe lately, and how strangely she’d been acting. How she’d been sick a lot in the recent past. “Oh God.”
Chloe quickly turned to look at her.
“You have cancer. That’s why you’ve called us here. Oh, my God, Chloe, why didn’t you say anything before now?”
If the situation hadn’t been so serious and Chloe hadn’t looked so freaked out, Clark would have laughed at Lois’s conclusion. She had the tendency to jump to the worst possible outcome and panic over it.
“Lois, I don’t have cancer,” Chloe said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s nothing like that.”
The brunette frowned a little, studying her for a moment. “Then what? What’s going on? What, are you pregnant or something?” she asked with a short chuckle.
Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise and she stared at Lois.
Lois’s laughter died almost as soon as it had started. “Oh God. You are.” She stared back at Chloe.
Clark suddenly felt very out of place, and he scratched the back of his neck, remaining silent.
“Uh, wow. That’s…” Lois tried to finish the sentence but couldn’t come up with a word to cover her emotions. “Hey, I’m gonna be a second cousin!” She cringed almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, knowing how ditzy they’d made her sound. But to her surprise, Chloe giggled.
“This is so not how I expected this conversation to go,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed nervously.
Lois laughed again, as well, even though she had a feeling she was almost as freaked out as her younger cousin. “I guess I should start planning a baby shower.”
“I think it’s a little soon for that.”
“How far along are you?” she asked, glancing sideways at Clark, whose eyebrows were raised.
“About six weeks,” Chloe said quietly.
“I didn’t even realize you were seeing someone,” Lois said, sounding a little hurt that Chloe hadn’t confided in her.
“I’m not…I mean…I wasn’t…not really. It just…sort of happened,” she said, grimacing.
“And you knew about this?” Lois turned her attention to Clark, glaring at him with her arms still folded across her chest. “All this time?”
“Hey,” Clark started.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Chloe said quickly, not wanting Lois to start yelling at her best friend.
Lois’s attention refocused on her cousin. She sighed softly and let her arms drop before moving to hug her once more. “I’m not sure whether to say congratulations or give you a lecture, though I don’t think you probably need the latter if I know you as well as I think I do.”
“You’re right about that.” Chloe closed her eyes, hugging her back.
After a moment, Lois pulled away. “So…are you hoping for a girl or a boy?”
“You’re pregnant?”
The barn fell silent and the three of them looked down the stairs to see Lana standing at the bottom of the steps, looking shocked and standing beside an equally surprised looking Lex Luthor.
Without thinking about it or realizing how it looked, Clark slid his arm around Chloe’s waist and pulled her closer to him protectively, glaring at Lex without saying a word.
Lana stared at him, then at Chloe, Clark‘s gesture not going unnoticed. “Oh my God.”
“Lana, it’s not what you think,” Chloe began, shaking her head and pulling away from Clark.
Lex raised his eyebrows. “Well from this angle it looks pretty bad to me.”
Clark narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have to explain ourselves to them, Chloe.”
Her mouth dropping open, she turned to look at him in shock, and if he’d seen the look Lois shot his direction he probably would have used his superpowers to speed far away from the barn right then and there.
“You got my cousin pregnant!?” she said in disbelief.
“I don’t believe this,” Lana whispered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I trusted you.”
“Lana--” Chloe shook her head quickly, holding up a hand.
“Take me home, Lex,” she said, her voice filled with cold contempt as she glared at Chloe.
“Of course.” Lex smirked at Clark, wrapped his arm around Lana’s shoulders and guided her out of the barn.
Chloe stood frozen in shock for several seconds, staring after the young woman whom she’d considered a sister for the past few years.
Lois, on the other hand, was anything but frozen in shock. Her blue eyes were like cold steel as she glared, all of her attention focused on Clark. “You have some serious explaining to do!”