Happy Ficlet Friday!
Here is another story for my Try Not to Change Anything Series and my response to Kerth Challenge #6.

Kerth Challenge #6: It's Lois and Clark's first __________ as a married couple. What would they do? How would they celebrate? (Pick any holiday here -- Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, 4th of July or Arbor Day)

Another tough one here. Technically, they are married at the start of this series. Except they are kids now. And they live in separate states. I thought about having them celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas over the phone but, while they probably would have done just that, I couldn’t find a way to make it a very interesting ficlet. So, I went a different route.

Shout out to QueenoftheCapes again for her story, “Youth,” which inspired this series. This story could technically be an immediate prequel to “Youth.”

Fireworks
By AmandaK

Red, white, and blue bunting hung from the awnings, porch rails, and window sills of every building in Smallville. Flags waved jauntily from every light post. Streamers, balloons, and pin-wheels bedecked almost every surface they could be attached to. People milled about, setting up various booths or laying picnic blankets. The scent of a charcoal grill, newly lit, filled the air. And in the gazebo, at the center of the park, a full brass band was just getting warmed up.

“It’s… quaint.” Ellen Lane commented as she strolled down Main Street with her family.

‘It’s even quainter in the seventies than it was in the nineties,” eleven-year-old Lois thought to herself. Then she put on her brightest smile and ran ahead a few steps before walking backwards in front of her parents and sister. “What better place to celebrate our nation’s birthday than in the heart of America!” She spread her arms out wide, gesturing to the town. “The quintessential American hometown and we get to be a part of their celebration!”

Six-year-old Lucy just pouted. “I wanted to see where the President lives.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “Lucy, D.C. is going to be so crowded today. We would have had to ride the subway with a hundred sweaty people all smooshed together.”

“Eew!” Lucy made a face and Lois grinned triumphantly.

“See! This is much better. Fresh, unpolluted air and a traditional small-town picnic.”

“It still sounds boring.” Lucy stuck her tongue out at Lois, who responded in kind, before spinning around to scan the groups gathering in the park. He had to be here somewhere. “I’m hungry.” Lucy chimed a moment later.

“It has been a while since breakfast.” Sam Lane mentioned. “There’s a small diner over there. Let’s see what they have to offer.”

Lois paused as the rest of her family started towards Maisie’s. She was a bit hungry but… her gaze drifted back towards the park. She had more pressing concerns at the moment. “Hey, Dad? I’m not that hungry yet. Can I go look at the booths over there?”

Her parents exchanged a look and then her father nodded. “Just be sure to stay in the park so we can find you when we’re done.”

“Okay! I promise!” Lois tossed over her shoulder as she turned and raced toward the gazebo. She figured she could see a lot of the park from there. It was as good a place to start as any. She came to a halt just as the band broke into a peppy rendition of Yankee Doodle. Wincing at the loud horns, Lois covered her ears and took a few steps back. Perhaps the gazebo wasn’t the best choice.

She started looking around, glancing into various booths, and examining the faces at each picnic blanket. There were a number of kids about her age, but she didn’t see him among them. Frowning, she started to wonder if she would even recognize him when she saw him. She had some vague recollections of old pictures on the walls of his childhood home – baby pictures, high school football, college graduation. But she couldn’t recall seeing anything from when he was about twelve. Was he wearing glasses yet? She should have asked him.

“Ugh! Where is he?” she muttered to herself as she spun around for another look. She spied the grill. A middle-aged man was busy poking at the coals. She was just about to turn away when she realized that she knew him. His hair had more color in it and he was thinner than the man she recalled, but there was no doubt in her mind – that was Jonathan Kent.

Of course, Jonathan wouldn’t have any idea who she was. Lois bit her lip, wondering where she could place herself to lurk until his son showed up.

Before she could decide on her next step, however, a slim, dark-haired boy of about twelve came trotting up to the grills. “Dad!” the boy called. “Mom says to tell you they’re bringing the burgers and dogs over now. Is the grill ready?”

“It’s all set, Clark.”

Lois drew in a breath. It was him! He was really here. Holy cow! He looked so young. Of course, so did she and she knew he would be but actually seeing him for the first time… he was adorable! Lois suddenly found her mind caught in that awkward place between being eleven and being twenty-nine simultaneously. The adult part of her brain wanted to coo over him like she might have over his old photo albums. But the child in her was blushing furiously in embarrassment over thinking a boy was cute.

She shook her head. This was Clark, her best friend… her husband. She was allowed to think he was cute if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and made her way over to where he was now just milling about, tossing a baseball casually into the air and then catching it.

“Clark?”

He turned to look at her, smiling that hundred-watt smile of his which was somehow even more devastating on his twelve-year-old face.

Clark didn’t recognize the girl at first. She was pretty – really pretty. He couldn’t recall ever thinking a girl was pretty when he was twelve before. But the thought was there before he really had time to process it. He didn’t know her though and was just getting ready to introduce himself when he stopped. There was something… familiar about her. He couldn’t quite place it though. Something about her eyes… he knew those eyes…

He felt his mouth drop open and vaguely wondered if his own eyes were as wide as dinner plates. “Lois?!”

She nodded, her smile stretching across her face as she raced towards him. He opened his arms to catch her and had to brace himself to keep them both from toppling over. For several moments after that, they simply held each other. Then he leaned back to look at her. His own grin felt like it was a million miles wide. “What? How? What are you doing in Smallville?”

Lois shrugged. “I convinced my parents that Smallville was the place to spend our summer vacation.”

“How on Earth did you do that?”

“A fake brochure and a lot of playing up the charms of small-town living.”

Clark shook his head and laughed. “You are incredible.”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I wanted to surprise you. And I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case I wasn’t able to convince them.”

“Where are they anyway?” Clark asked, looking around.

“They went to Maisie’s for lunch. I decided to skip so I could come look for you. Besides, I’m sure there will be plenty of food here soon.”

“Definitely. You guys can join us at our blanket. Mom made rhubarb pie for dessert.”

-------------------

The Forth of July picnic progressed just as Lois had imagined it would. Lois and Clark chatted for awhile until the rest of the Lanes found them. Then they caught up with Jonathan and Martha and introductions were made along with invitations to enjoy the festivities together. Lucy found some kids her age to play with and Clark introduced Lois to his friends, Pete and Lana. Games were organized – potato sack and egg races for the little kids and a baseball game for the older kids. The band played patriotic songs throughout the afternoon and everyone had a great time.

Throughout it all, Lois was never far from Clark’s side. She couldn’t recall a happier day in her childhood. Even when her parents started bickering, Clark simply grabbed her hand and dragged her off to find the ice cream cart where he bought her a double scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone. She’d never really considered Independence Day to be a magical holiday before. But with Clark, everything just had that little bit of sparkle and fun, making it feel better than Christmas and her birthday all rolled into one.

As afternoon turned to evening, parents with little ones started for home and everyone else began jostling for prime firework viewing space. The fireworks were scheduled for nine-thirty, full dark ensuring the best showcase of the pyrotechnics. Lucy began yawning at eight o’clock and by eight-thirty was rubbing her eyes. Ellen Lane got Lois’ attention and informed her that it was time to go.

“What? But I want to stay for the fireworks,” Lois argued.

Her mother shook her head. “You’ll be able to see them just fine from the bed ‘n breakfast. Your sister is tired. We need to go.”

Lois glanced at Clark. She wasn’t ready for the night to end. “Can’t I stay with the Kents? Just until after the show. Then I’ll come straight back.”

“I don’t know…” Ellen hesitated, not wanting to impose on a family they’d only just met.

Martha Kent, overhearing their conversation, stepped over to them. “Oh, we’d be happy to make sure Lois gets back to the bed n’ breakfast safely.”

“Well… if you’re sure…”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Ellen. She’ll be fine. And we will see you for lunch at the farm tomorrow, won’t we?”

As their mothers finalized their plans for the next day, Lois turned back to Clark. “Come on. Let’s go find a good spot up front.” She grabbed his hand and started to lead him towards where most of the kids and teens were sitting, but she didn’t get far.

Clark stopped and grinned at her when she looked back to question why. “I have a better idea.” He ran back to where his parents had gathered up their picnic supplies and grabbed a blanket and a flashlight. Then he took her by the hand and led her off in a different direction. “This way.”

“Where are we going?” Lois asked as she followed his lead.

“You’ll see.”

They wound their way through the park and eventually stepped out onto Main Street. Clark pointed to a building across the way. The façade resembled an old barn, with a large loft door above the sign which read, “Smallville Hay and Feed.”

“A feed store?” Lois questioned Clark with a bemused look.

He chuckled in response. “Just wait,” he said. Then he led her across the street and through an alley to the back door. Stooping down, Clark lifted a painted stone in a flower pot by the door and produced a key.

“Seriously?!” Lois asked incredulously. “Just right there where anyone can find it? Doesn’t Smallville ever get thieves?”

“Not really.” Clark opened the door and gestured for her to head into the dark, back room of the store. He flicked on his torch and led the way to a ladder, which led into an actual loft. Lois was surprised. She had assumed the barn look was just for show. “It’s used for storage now.” Clark mentioned as he offered his hand to help her the last few steps up the ladder. “But back in the day, this is where they stored the hay for the old livery. I’m pretty sure it was where the auto and mechanic shop is now.”

Lois looked around the dim loft. It wasn’t musty like hay lofts so often were. There were a few large boxes labeled Christmas, in which she could only assume were decorations, along with a number of other odds and ends she didn’t recognize. “Won’t we get in trouble for breaking and entering?”

Clark moved over to the bog loft door and began fiddling with the latch. “Nah. Pete’s dad owns the place. We watch the fireworks from here every year.”

“Where’s Pete now?”

“He said something about Jake’s older brother getting a new truck so a bunch of the guys were going to ride out to the old windmill and watch the fireworks from there. But I thought this would be better for us.” With those words, he pushed the door open, revealing a panoramic view of Smallville. The park was laid out just below them, twinkling with flashlights as people still milled about, waiting for the show. Beyond that, endless fields of corn were darkening to shadow in the fading light. They were facing east and the distant sky was already black, with the first stars winking into existence.

Lois smiled. “It’s beautiful, Clark.”

While she had been admiring the view, Clark had busied himself with spreading the blanket for them. He sat and reached out his hand to invite her to join him. Taking his hand, Lois sat and snuggled close to his side. “This is perfect,” she sighed and the tilted her head back to look up at him. “You know, Clark – this is the first holiday we’ve been able to spend together since we got married.”

Clark’s jaw dropped for a moment in surprise but then he shook his head and laughed quietly.

Lois frowned. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s fine. It’s just… it’s kind of weird to think about being married when I’m twelve.”

Lois dropped her eyes to her lap. “I guess so.” Her eleven-year-old self suddenly felt embarrassed for having brought it up. But the adult in her felt it was important to press the issue. “But… we are still married, right? I mean, I know we didn’t ever… um…” The kid in her balked at even thinking the words. “That is, we never got to go on our honeymoon, so we didn’t… you know…” She could feel her cheeks heating up and was thankful that the dark was hiding her blush. She pushed on. “And I guess technically, without that, our marriage wasn’t ever… um… but it’s still real, isn’t it? I mean, it was to me anyway.”

Clark looked up and took both of her hands in his as her babble finally drifted off into a murmur. He was pretty sure his cheeks had turned red as tomatoes when she started talking about honeymoons and what they were supposed to have done to officialize their marriage. He wasn’t sure why. It was ridiculous to feel embarrassed about something that he’d been more than ready to share with Lois after their wedding. Except that was when he was a grown-up and now, he was twelve and somehow that made a huge difference.

Even so, he knew Lois was feeling far more self-conscious than he was at the moment. She was hurting and he somehow needed to make this better – preferably without making a complete fool of himself.

“Lois. I love you.” Wow – how could those words be so easy to say and so difficult at the same time? If he hadn’t already been blushing… But it was the truth. He gulped, took a deep breath, and tried to push his inner kid into a corner of his brain. “I love you and, as far as I’m concerned, you are – and will always be – my wife.”

Lois looked up and offered him a timid smile.

Clark smiled back and continued. “But considering where… and when we are… and our ages right now… we can’t exactly… be married. I mean, how would that even work? That’s all I meant when I said it was weird. Everything is weird, right now.”

Lois bit her lip and Clark felt his stomach give a funny wobble. Had she always been so cute when she did that?

“I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “It’s not like we can go around telling people or actually acting like a married couple.”

“Can you imagine what our parents would say if they found out we were talking about marriage at our ages?”

“Your mom would probably think it was cute.”

“Yeah, but she’d still make sure my dad sat me down to give me the talk.”

Lois winced but laughed. “Okay, okay. So, officially not, but when it’s just you and me at least, can we say we’re married?”

Clark nodded. “Of course, Lois. You’re my forever girl.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he winced and kicked the kid back to his corner. “Sorry… that was really corny, wasn’t it?”

Lois giggled. “Just a bit. But you are from Smallville. I figure some of that corn got into your brain.”

A soft thud sounded in the distance and they both looked out from the loft to see the first of the fireworks streaking into the sky before exploding into a spray of color.

“Hey, it’s starting,” Clark pointed out unnecessarily.

Lois snuggled back into his side and watched as more fireworks joined the first. The spectacular display filled the sky with light. Red, white, and blue dominated the colors. It wasn’t quite on par with the firework shows they had seen in the nineties, but it was breathtaking nonetheless.

“So…” Clark began, drawing her gaze back to his face. “Our first holiday as a married couple… not too bad, right? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it more romantic.”

“Clark.” Lois beamed at him. “Today was perfect.”