Previously on Seed of Doubt...
Lois smacked his chest with the thick book, only making him laugh. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," she said in mock annoyance. Then, in slight wonderment, "I can't believe you actually read this."
"Why not?" Clark asked, turning sideways on the couch and putting a hand between his head and the back of the couch. "I want to know everything. What the baby is doing each week. What you may or may not be experiencing at any given time. Did you know that at seventeen weeks, our child is about five inches long? The book compares it to the size of a turnip." He spread his fingers about five inches apart as Lois made a face. "What?"
"I hate turnips," she said.
Clark laughed. "Okay, so we won't compare Baby Lane to a turnip."
"Baby Lane?" she asked, sounding surprised.
"What?" he asked again, confused.
"It's just...well, I guess I didn't even think of this child like that. With my last name, that is. Don't you want it to have Kent?"
Clark shrugged. "I guess I haven't thought that much about it either. I just assumed that you'd want the baby to carry your name, since we're not..."
"Not married," Lois finished for him.
Clark sighed. "Yeah."
Lois was silent for a moment, then she too, sighed. "Everything is so much harder than we thought, huh?"
"Not really harder," he hedged. "Just more interesting," he said, hoping to put a positive spin on it. "The truth is, I'm happy to see either one of our last names on this baby. So long as he or she is happy and healthy, that's all that matters."
"So, you wouldn't care if I named it Ishkabibble?" Lois teased and Clark had to wonder where that name had come from.
"You are so weird," he mused.
"I'm the weird one, huh? You're the one who flies."
Clark chuckled. "Okay, you win that point. So, did you want me to bring you home tonight? Or would you like to stay? Not that I'm forcing you to choose now. It's just, well, you look tired."
"I guess I am a little tired. But I've still got enough energy to stay for a while."
"Good. Oh, no."
"Someone in trouble?"
Clark nodded and inclined his head, listening as the call for help was picked up by his sensitive hearing. "Yeah. There's a massive fire down at the docks. I might be while. Just leave me a note if you decide to go back to your place, okay?"
"Okay," she promised.
Clark spun into the familiar blue, red, and yellow, kissed Lois, and took off.
The fire was worse than he'd feared. Five cheek-by-jowl warehouses were ablaze, the fire so intense that the fire crews were having difficulty in reaching the people trapped inside - mostly immigrant workers who'd been assigned the overnight shifts in producing the various products the warehouses made or in packaging the inventory in readiness for the morning pickups by trucks or ships. He did his best to reach everyone, flying in and out of the collapsing buildings, rescuing people two at a time when it was possible, often needing to hoist one or two unconscious bodies over a shoulder in order to get them out into the fresh air and to the attention of the EMTs standing by, ready to help.
It took Clark far longer than he would have liked, the overnight crews numbering much more than he would have thought. In the end, most sustained some degree of burns and suffered from smoke inhalation. A lucky few who had been able to get out first were unscathed. A dozen people had lost their lives, a blow to Clark's heart, though he knew he'd done everything in his power to help, including dousing patches of fire each time he went into a building to pull out what survivors he could, so the fire crews could finally reach some of those trapped within.
Clark emerged from the scorched shell of the final building some three or three and a half hours later. He couldn't quite tell. All he knew was that he was tired and more than ready to shower the stench of the fire off and climb into bed. He wondered if Lois was still there, or if she'd gone home. He hoped she was there. Better than any sunlight, she recharged his soul. With the deaths of a dozen people on his mind, he needed the boost that Lois gave him.
After speaking with the emergency responders and ensuring that they no longer needed his assistance, Clark took off through the night. He stopped only once to prevent a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle. Then he was home.
As he stepped through the terrace door into his bedroom, he could see Lois fast asleep in his bed, the book he'd given her open and laying across the bump of her belly. He smiled, feeling Lois' warmth and love envelope him even though she was not actually awake to talk to him and put his mind at ease. He spent several long minutes just watching her sleep, transfixed by her beauty and the knowledge that, somehow, incredibly, she loved him. Not Superman and all he could do, but Clark, the man with simple farmland roots. He shook his head in the dark, wondering, again, how he'd gotten so lucky.
Then, aware of how the smell of the fire still clung to him like a morbid second skin, he quietly extracted some clothing from his drawers and headed off to shower. Inside, he turned the water on as hot as it would go, then proceeded to scrub his body down with a moisturizing soap that he'd picked out for the slight coconut scent it had. Once he was sure that the smell was gone from both his skin and his hair, he dried and dressed. He slipped into the bed beside Lois, flipped onto his side so he could watch the even way her chest rose and fell with breath, then, feeling more content than he had in what felt like ages, he dropped off to sleep.
***
"Clark!"
Clark's eyes shot open and his heart raced.
Lois.
Lois' voice had cried out to him, sheering through his deep, dreamless sleep like a hot knife. He bolted upright in bed, his every muscle on alert for danger.
"Lois?" he called out, as his sleep-bleary vision slowly focused, though he had to squint against the obtrusive light coming from the lamp on what he'd become accustomed to thinking of as Lois' nightstand. "Lois? Is everything okay?"
His vision finally focused enough to see her huddled with her knees to her chest. She was trembling and his panic skyrocketed.
"Honey? What's wrong?" he asked again.
"I...I..."
"Is it the baby?" he asked with dread.
"No. Yes. Sort of," she replied.
"Honey, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong," he said, sliding a little closer to her and pulling her to him.
"I had this dream. This nightmare, really. I went into labor but I couldn't get to the hospital. I tried so hard to stop the baby from coming. But it wouldn't wait and I knew that it was going to kill me and the baby both unless I got help, but I was alone. Everything was happening so fast and I called to you but you weren't there. I was terrified." She sniffled a little.
"Oh, Lois, is that all? You're worried about the delivery?" Clark asked, relief flooding through his body.
Lois nodded. "That book is frightening," she said, pointing to where the offending book had clattered to the floor.
"Honey, nothing bad is going to happen. I won't let it," he promised her. "You still have a long way to go before we meet our child. And I will always, always come to you if you call for me."
"I know you will. But in my dream..." Her voice trailed off.
Clark nodded. "Forget the dream. Dreams aren't real. What is real is that I love you and I will always be there for you, no matter what the circumstances. And, if this baby does happen to make a swift appearance when the time comes, if I can't get you to a doctor fast enough, I'll just deliver the baby on my own." He gave her a grin to match the playful tone in his voice, even if he was deadly serious about the subject matter.
"I guess you probably have some experience with that, huh?" she mused, seemingly much calmer.
"Superman's delivered thirty-two babies, including three sets of twins, one set of triplets, and one baby born during that hurricane last summer," Clark said, allowing some pride to seep into his words. Truth be told, the births he'd assisted at had been some of the most beautiful but scary moments he'd lived through while clad in the Spandex. Still, each new life he'd seen emerge into the world had reaffirmed for him why it was that he pulled on the suit every day. "I think I could handle delivering our baby, if the need arose."
"You've really delivered that many?" Lois asked in awe.
"Mmm-hmm," Clark confirmed, nodding. "And about a dozen of those deliveries included at least one joke about naming the baby Superman, even if it was a girl."
Lois laughed, which was exactly Clark's intent, even if he was telling the truth about the matter. "Can you imagine? Superman Smith, come up to the blackboard and solve this equation please!"
Clark laughed along with her. "I already pity that poor child."
"Which, of course, brings up the topic of names. Are there any that you like?"
"I honestly haven't thought much about it. I just know that, should the baby be a boy, I don't want a Clark Junior."
"Why not?" Lois asked.
He shrugged. "I've never been a big fan of juniors in general. Plus, even if this kid had a decent chance of being mine, I don't want him to feel like he's living in Dad's shadow. Because, eventually, he'll find out about what his father does in his spare time. That's going to be tough enough. I can't imagine what having the same name as Dad might do to that kid's ego when he winds up not inheriting any powers. And even if he was mine and did have the powers, I think there might be this pressure to measure up to Superman."
"I guess that's true," Lois said, snuggling closer into his side.
"What about you?" Clark asked, since it was clear that Lois wasn't yet ready to settled back down to sleep. "Any names that you love?"
"A few," she admitted, "but now that I'm thinking about them on my own baby, I'm finding that I don't love most of them the way I thought I did. It's not that I never saw myself as a mother, it's just...I thought I would be a little older, with a Pulitzer under my belt, a husband, maybe a dog too. And even then, kids never felt like a 'must' for me, you know?"
"I guess," Clark said. "For me, I've always wanted a wife and children, a home of my own. I love my parents, but I always yearned for some flesh and blood connection to this world, in addition to the bonds of love from my adoptive family."
"I'm sorry, Clark," Lois said in a hushed tone. "I wish I could do something, anything, to ensure that you have a biological child of your own one day, if it turns out that this baby..."
"Isn't mine?" he finished for her. "You can say it."
"Dr. Klein really thinks the odds are that low, huh?" she asked instead, her eyes falling to stare at the bed sheets.
"Yeah." He tried not to let his inner despair show, but knew he was failing.
"Maybe we should get a second opinion," Lois said slowly, after a thoughtful silence.
"Lois, who are we going to ask? Dr. Klein is the foremost, no, the only authority on how my body works and how different it is from normal people," Clark said, amused now at Lois' innate doggedness. "And right now, that's exactly the way I want it to stay. I have to be very careful with who I trust, even if Superman's true identity remains under wraps, like it is with Dr. Klein. There's just too much sensitive information that would need to be revealed, including the extent of the devastation that Kryptonite can cause."
Lois sighed. "I guess that's true. I just...I don't want to believe that the odds are so low, that you and I will ever be able to have a child together that is half you and half me. I won't believe it," she said, her voice ending up sounding like a sacred vow. Then, to change the subject, "How was the fire?"
He shook his head, allowing her to change the subject, since he was unwilling to rehash the subject of his infertility when paired with a human woman. "Bad. Five warehouses went up. The firefighters still aren't sure if it was an accident or arson. We got almost everyone out. Overall, though, I'm pleased with the result. I just wish those twelve or so people...I wish I'd gotten to them faster."
"Oh, Clark," Lois said, her voice a sigh as she rubbed his arm affectionately. "I'm sure you did your best to get everyone out. What you do, every day...no one has the right to expect anything more out of you. And most people don't. They know that you do your best."
"It's not what other people think of me," Clark clarified for her.
"It's the standards you impose on yourself," Lois said, understanding.
"Well...yeah."
"Oh, Clark. You are the most amazing, most extraordinary man I've ever known, even without your powers. And even with them, you can't be everywhere at once."
"I know," he said, sighing a little. "I just...it's hard, Lois, to have to pick and choose who to help, knowing that someone might die, or worse, will die."
"Because of you, Clark, all the rest of those people are alive tonight. Fathers will go home to their children. Wives will go home to their husbands. That has to count for something, right?"
He smiled warmly at her attempt to lighten his mood. "Of course it does." He kissed her head. "Can I confess something?"
"Sure."
"I'm really glad you stayed tonight. Just seeing you here when I got back, even though you were asleep...you have no idea how much that means to me, or how much that lifted my spirits. I love you, Lois."
"I love you, Clark. And I'm glad that I can help, even if I'm not really aware of it," she said with a wry grin.
Clark laughed. "It's funny that you put it that way, because, for me, it's always been that way. You have no idea how much your friendship, your smile, your gentle touch has always recharged me, especially in those moments when you've had no idea how badly I needed something to keep me going, to help me keep fighting, to get up and pull on the Superman suit in the mornings. So, thank you."
"You're welcome," Lois said, appearing to be at a loss. Clark didn't blame her. He thought he might be speechless as well, in the face of such a confession.
"Anyway," he said, unwilling to dwell on the subject any longer, "I'm beat." He yawned, though he attempted to conceal it behind his hand.
That got Lois yawning. "Yeah, me too. Let's get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."
"Oh?" Clark asked, as he snuggled down into his pillows and blankets. "What'd you have in mind?" They were off and had nothing planned for the day.
"Well, I was thinking. It's about time we flew out to your parents' house. After everything that's happened lately - finding out about Superman, your kidnapping, and our investigations - we're long overdue for a quiet evening away from the city. I'm sure Jonathan and Martha will want to see their grandchild...in a manner of speaking, that is," she said, rubbing the tiny rounded bump of her stomach.
"They would love that," Clark said in between another yawn. "I'll call them first thing in the morning. We'll spend the day out there. I have so much to show you. Where I learned to fly. The first tractor I ever lifted. My Fortress of Solitude, where I keep the globe that showed me my origins."
"Your...Fortress of Solitude?" Lois asked, looking askance at him.
Clark nodded. "My old tree house. I used to retreat there when I was feeling particularly lonely or freakish. Before I could fly, it felt like the one place I could go to shut out the world, which, of course, was ridiculous since it's all of two hundred feet away from the house. But, back then, as a kid, that two hundred feet felt like a million miles."
"I'm sorry that you felt so alone, Clark," Lois said in a low, sympathetic voice.
He shrugged. "Now that I have you in my life, it seems sort of unreal that I ever felt as alone or as isolated as I once did. My past is the past. You are my future. You and our baby."
"Our baby," Lois agreed, putting a protective hand over her stomach.
***
"Clark, this is incredible," Lois said gleefully as they soared above the farmsteads that dotted the land outside of the main town of Smallville.
Clark had already shown her many of the places where he'd spent his youth. The old quarry where he'd spent his summers, swimming in the cool, deep water. The schools where he'd received his education. The football field where he'd played and secured the scholarship that had paid for his college education. The river where he and his father had spent many a weekend fishing. The empty parking lot where Jonathan had first taught him how to drive his beat up old pickup truck.
He thought that, perhaps, she now had a more comprehensive view of what his life had been like growing up, at least, before his powers had truly set him apart from other people. Still, that hadn't been his purpose in showing her such snapshots of his life. He merely wanted her to know everything about him, now that his most terrifying secret was safe with her. It felt good, knowing that he could show her everything, knowing that she could ask him any questions and knowing that he wouldn't have to dance around the truth or tell partial lies.
"So, you're having a good time?" he teased, as he slowed down, now that they were nearing the Kent farmhouse.
"A wonderful time," she said. "I've always enjoyed our flights together, but now, knowing it's you that I'm flying with...and getting to see so much of the world you grew up in, it just makes it all the more special."
"I'm glad you agreed to come. The truth of the matter is, I've never had so much fun while flying around. Getting to show you around Smallville, even if mostly in a bird's eye view, has been incredible. Look!" He pointed as best he could while still carefully cradling her body to him. "There's my house." He angled his flight path into a gentle descent.
He landed on the roof of the barn, then let Lois down easily so she could stand, though he kept a strong, sturdy hand around her, lest she fall. "See the field back there?"
"Yeah?"
"That's where I first learned how to control my flying ability."
"Was that difficult?" she asked, gazing into the distance, shielding her eyes against the golden shafts of light from the setting sun.
"At first," Clark said with a shrug. "It was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying to laugh in gravity's face. I loved, and still do love, the absolute freedom it gives me. But, at the same time, I didn't know how to control it yet, and I was afraid a gust of wind might blow me away or that I'd float too high and never be able to get back to the ground."
"How'd you break the fear?"
"My dad. He bought a ton of rope, looped one end around my waist and secured the other to his truck. He said that the rope would save me, if I lost control."
"Couldn't you lift his truck by then?" Lois asked. "At least, I think you said flying was last."
Clark nodded. "Good memory. And yes, I could lift much more than the truck by then. But I believed my father when he said it would keep me safely anchored to the ground. I never doubted the truth of those words. So, I let myself rise off the ground, as slowly as I could manage, and began to experiment with moving around. Pretty soon, and by that, I mean about a week or so later, I finally felt ready to try it without the rope. I've never looked back since."
"That's such a great story. I see why you turned out the way you did. Your parents are really great people. Of course, I could tell that before now, even though I've only met them a few times, but that story...I guess I never could have appreciated before now just how amazing they really are. They must be so proud of the man they've raised." She hugged his body and rested her head against his chest.
Clark's arms instantly encircled Lois in return. "They're great people, my parents. I give thanks, everyday, that they are the ones who found me."
"Are you ready to go say hi to them?"
"Always. Are you?"
"We're both ready," Lois said with a smile.
Clark smiled in turn. "Good. Because they've been asking me every day when they are going to be able to see you."
He took Lois in his arms and gently lifted them from the roof. Slowly, gently, he floated them down to stand on the ground alongside the barn. Once they were safely back on the ground, Clark released his protective hold of Lois and spun out of his Superman uniform. As soon as he was back in his jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, he gave Lois a wry smile.
"You know, I really love that I can do that in front of you now," he told her.
Lois shook her head in wonderment. "And I keep finding myself constantly fascinated by it."
"It took me weeks to figure out the easiest way to change," he admitted as he took her hand and led her toward the house. At the door, he knocked. "Mom? Dad?"
"Clark!" Martha said, coming to the door, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Hi, Lois."
"Hi, Martha," Lois managed to get out as Martha hugged first Clark, then Lois. "Hi, Jonathan," she added as Jonathan emerged, coming down the stairs and into the living room.
"Lois, so glad you could come out with Clark. How was your flight?" he asked with a wink, his eyes twinkling in merriment.
Lois laughed. "Best I've ever had. Plenty of leg room and I didn't have to worry about any luggage getting lost."
Jonathan laughed, a deep, hearty belly laugh and patted her on the back. "Atta girl," he said in a tone of approval. "Glad to see you can make light of our unique situation."
"Make light? Dad, Lois has done more than that," Clark said, sitting on the couch. "You would not believe how well Lois has accepted the undefined depths of my strangeness." He grinned widely.
"That's good," Martha approved. "I have to admit, Lois, I'm looking forward to getting to talk to you about Clark. In almost thirty years, there's never been another woman I could talk freely to about my boy."
Lois smiled warmly. "I'd like that. Clark's told me a lot, but I think it's important to talk to you too. Actually, that's why we're a little late. Clark was giving me the grand tour of the area. I now know where you used to buy his shoes for school."
Clark blushed. "Okay, so maybe I got a little over excited to show you around," he admitted.
Lois laughed. "It's fine, Clark. I was only teasing. I loved seeing it all." Then, taking a moment to savor the wonderful smells in the air, "Wow, something smells amazing."
"Roast beef, sweet peas in melted butter, steamed carrots, corn bread, garlic mashed potatoes and..." Clark took another large whiff of the various scents wafting through the house. He smiled. "Apple pie for dessert."
"With ice cream," Martha pointed out playfully, as if she'd scored a point against her son's super sense of smell. Which she had, Clark supposed. They sometimes played this game, ever since Clark had discovered that his nose's abilities were closer to a bloodhound's than a human's.
He chuckled. "With ice cream," he conceded.
"Sounds delicious," Lois said as her stomach rumbled in agreement.
"Hungry?" Jonathan asked.
"Constantly," Lois grinned.
"The meat should be done in another five minutes or so," Martha assured her. "Can I get you anything in the meantime?"
"No, thanks. I'm fine, really."
"Are you sure? It's no trouble."
"I'm sure," Lois said, nodding. "So, Clark says that you two are excited about the baby."
"Couldn't be happier," Jonathan said, smiling from his armchair. "We're just thrilled for you both."
"I'm glad to hear it. My parents, well, I think, eventually, they'll warm up to the idea," Lois said with a sigh.
"Oh, honey, I'm sure that, underneath it all, they're happy for you. They probably just need some time to process it all," Martha said, taking Lois' hands.
"I guess," Lois said in a non-committal way. "It just would have been nice to see some enthusiasm from them. Still, like I told Clark, nobody went at anyone else's throat, so I consider last night a success of sorts." She shook her head. "Anyway, I don't want to talk much about my parents. I think it might be more fun to talk about Clark here."
Clark chuckled. "Oh boy. Now I'm in trouble," he joked.
Martha laughed. "Come on into the dining room. We'll talk over dinner."
"Anything you want to know, they'll tell you too," Clark said, feeling a little self-conscious and hoping his parents wouldn't tell too many embarrassing stories about him. He helped Lois up off the couch. "You can some sit by me." It sounded childish to his ears, but it felt better than saying nothing.
***
"Come on, son. Let's let these two ladies talk," Jonathan said, giving Clark a fleeting look after the dinner had been eaten, the dishes cleared away, and everyone had moved back to the living room.
Clark knew the look well. His father wanted to talk to him in private. Letting Lois and Martha talk was just an excuse to sneak away to speak one on one. They'd been happily chatting for most of the night. Still, he obediently nodded.
"Sure thing, Dad. Why don't we go move that filing cabinet in the shed, like you've been wanting to?" He jerked his thumb vaguely in the direction of the shed.
"Great idea." Jonathan smiled gratefully at him, then led the way from the living room.
Clark kissed Lois' brow and caressed her growing belly before standing and following his father. Out into the night he went, strolling at a leisurely pace across the yard alongside his father. He inhaled deeply, savoring the scents of the home he'd grown up in. The rich, damp, earthy scent of the soil in the fields, some busily growing crops, others lying overturned and fallow as the soil was given a rest before it would once more nurture growing plants. The fresh paint his father had used on the shed, the once weather-beaten gray replaced now with a vibrant shade of red. The bales of hay stacked outside the shed, clean and dry.
He listened to the sounds too. In Metropolis, there was always some noise - cars horns honking, dogs barking, police cars with sirens wailing, people chatting on the streets. Out in the fields of Clark's youth, silence was elusive as well, but it was a different kind of noise that he heard. Crickets chirping away, singing their mating songs. Frogs croaking near the small pond. A soft splash as one of the small fish in the pond jumped, possibly to try and catch a bug as it flew too close to the water's surface. The way the grass cushioned and muffled his and his father's footfalls.
It was comforting, being home.
And yet, Metropolis was also home, and the sounds, smells, and sights were just as comforting.
Jonathan stopped just outside of the shed. He leaned his back against the side of the building. Clark mirrored him. Jonathan looked up, studying the stars. Clark followed suit. Even before he'd learned that he'd been born on a different planet and traveled among the stars to find his family, the night sky had always fascinated him. Now, he easily picked out some of his favorite constellations, old friends he sometimes missed as the lights of Metropolis blotted out the stars, unless, of course, he flew up and beyond the reach of the lights to visit with those same stars.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Jonathan asked absently.
"I've always thought so."
"There are times, Clark, even now, when I look up there and wonder. Why us? How? Of all the people in the world that could have found you, how did it happen that Martha and I were the ones to do so? What did we do to be so lucky?"
Clark shook his head. "I've asked myself the same questions. How did I get so lucky to find my way into this family? Did my Kryptonian parents plan it that way? Was it random chance? Did a divine hand guide my ship?" He shook his head again and sighed.
"You were, and are, our miracle," Jonathan continued.
"And you and Mom are mine," Clark said. "And now, incredibly, so is Lois."
"I remember when you first went to Metropolis," Jonathan said, smiling. "I remember how excited you were for the opportunity to follow your dreams. But more than that, you said you wanted a normal life."
"To find a woman to love and have a family of my own," Clark finished for him.
"Mmm-hmm." Jonathan nodded. "I hoped you would manage to make that dream a reality. But I was worried for you too. I knew you could never make a life with someone unless she knew your secret. It was a terrifying thought. But when you found Lois, and once your mother and I met her, we knew. She was the one for you. She alone could be trusted with the enormity of the secret we three have shared for almost thirty years."
"I know," Clark agreed. "Not a day had gone by since I met Lois that I haven't been grateful that our paths wound up crossing. She completes me in a way that I never thought was possible. Having this baby with her, regardless of his or her actual parentage...it's my every dream come true."
"Well, there's one piece missing," Jonathan said.
"A marriage."
"Only if you think the time is right," his father cautioned.
Clark nodded. "I think it is. Now that Lois knows everything, and I mean everything, and I know that she still accepts and loves me, yeah, I think I'll ask her soon. Just...not quite yet. It's so early into our relationship as a couple - as a completely honest couple, that I don't want to get ahead of myself. I want Lois to really have a chance to decide for herself if she wants to marry me, and not feel like it's just the next logical step for a couple who are expecting a baby."
Jonathan reached into the breast pocket of his shirt. "Then you'll want this." He handed a slip of folded paper to Clark.
Clark looked at it curiously for a second before accepting it. He unfolded it to find that it was a check, made out in his mother's neat handwriting. The amount it was written for staggered him.
"Dad, what is this?" he managed after a minute, peering up at his father, who bore a self-satisfied smile.
"That's a little something to get you two started," Jonathan said.
"This is not a little something," Clark argued, shaking his head. "I can't accept this."
"You can and you will," Jonathan said, closing Clark's hand over the check. "It's yours. Use it as you see fit."
"Dad, I can't take this. You and mom need it more than I do. I make a good salary at the Planet. And I've been saving up for a ring for a while now. I have more than enough stashed away for what I've been thinking about getting for her."
"Then use it for the wedding, or for the baby," Jonathan said gently. "This is your money. Your mother and I started saving from the day we found you. We bought a lot of bonds, when we could. Some years, we were able to put away more for you than others, that's true, depending on how the crops turned out. But, no matter what, we always found a way to set some money aside for you. We always intended it to be used for your education. Then you had that football scholarship that covered the entirety of your college tuition. So we kept saving, thinking that you could use the money for graduate school or a house or whatever it was that you wanted to use it for."
"But you and mom..."
"Are fine. Trust me, Clark, your mother and I have more than enough saved up for ourselves. We've never looked at this money as anything but yours. Even those times when the crops failed and money got tight, we never touched this money, never considered using it for anything else other than for you."
"Are you sure about this?" Clark couldn't help but ask.
"Absolutely."
"I don't quite know what to say here," Clark admitted, "except thank you. And even that feels miserably inadequate."
"You don't have to say anything," Jonathan reassured him. "Your mother and I are thrilled that we were able to do this for you. We want you to have the most comfortable life you can have. Even if we can only offer small gestures like this."
"Dad, this is not a small gesture. This is a sizable down payment on a home. In fact, that's exactly what it might become," Clark said, his mind beginning to race as he thought about what he'd just said. "With the baby coming, even if Lois doesn't want to get married - and I really hope that's not the case - it might not be a bad idea for us to buy a place, or find a bigger apartment that we can share, so we don't have to split our time with the baby."
"Good idea," Jonathan said, and Clark could see the familiar twinkle in his father's eyes.
Clark said nothing. He only nodded and embraced his father, hoping that his dad could feel his appreciation and love through that simple gesture. Jonathan returned the hug, slapping Clark's back lightly in a loving manner. After a moment, they both pulled away at some unspoken signal. Clark pocketed the check after carefully placing it in his wallet. Then he cleared his throat before speaking.
"So, where do you want that filing cabinet?" he finally managed to ask, making his father laugh deeply.
To Be Continued...
