Author: phoenixnz
Title: One Little Mistake
Rating: PG (for now)
Pairing: Clois
Characters: Clark, Lois, Chloe, Lex, Martha, Jonathan, Lana, OFC
Summary: One little mistake can change an entire life.
a/n: I know I should be updating the other story, but thanks to my binge-watching another show, I got inspired. Let's just say that this first chapter is based on the background of this show I've been binge-watching, but I have no intention of copying the main premise of the show.
Annie Harrigan had a secret which she had never told anyone, but the moment she saw the young girl on the doorstep of the Smallville Inn, she knew she had found a kindred spirit, of sorts.
The Inn was normally closed for two weeks in the height of the summer. It was a rather old building, having been built well before the Civil War, in the early days of Kansas. It had once been a stately home but had been refurbished in the late eighties when Bed and Breakfast places in out-of-the-way towns became the rage.
Miss Harrigan - Bubsy to her friends - was a spinster in her early fifties. Almost everyone in Smallville had once asked her why she had never married and she had spoken of a love affair when she was young, but she had never given any more detail. Some speculated that the absent lover had been sent off to Vietnam and had never returned, but still, she never confirmed it.
None of that mattered that August day when she found the teenager almost passed out from the heat on her doorstep with her baby daughter in her arms.
There was nothing remarkable about mother and daughter, other than the fact that the infant had a shock of thick, dark hair and the most intense blue eyes that almost seemed to bore through whoever she was looking at. She was a rather cute little girl, even at four months. No doubt she would be a heartbreaker when she grew up, Bubsy declared to herself.
“I’m sorry,” the teen mumbled as she sat on the step. “I …”
“Goodness. How did you get here?” the older woman asked.
“Bus,” was all the girl would say. She was clearly suffering from heat exhaustion, her face flushed and sweaty.
“You must come in out of this heat before you faint from dehydration, dear.”
“I don’t want to … I mean, I …”
The spinster shook her head and waved her hand in slight impatience. “Oh, pssh … I know you think you’re imposing but come in before you both get heatstroke. I insist,” she added firmly.
She helped the girl to her feet, careful of the baby in her arms, and led her inside. She sat her down in the parlour, making sure she was in the coolest part of the room, before going out to the kitchen to find a pitcher of lemonade. She returned to find the girl trying to comfort the baby, which had started to cry. The infant’s cheeks were very red and she appeared to be also suffering from the heat.
“You can’t be hungry,” the girl was saying. “I just fed you. And your diaper’s not wet.”
“Perhaps she’s feeling the heat, love,” Bubsy told her. She set the pitcher and a glass on the table next to the armchair and reached out. The girl flinched. “It’s all right,” the older woman assured her. “I just want to check her temperature.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” The girl visibly relaxed and sat back. “Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I was a nurse before I took over the Inn.” She felt the baby’s forehead. “She’s hot but I think it is just the heat. Babies her age are prone to heat rash. How long have you been gone?”
“Gone?” the girl asked, frowning. “Um …”
“When did you run away?” she prompted gently.
“A month ago,” the teen said quietly. She was pretty, with long honey-blonde hair. It didn’t appear to be her natural colour as the older woman could see darker roots. She was thin, her face pale and drawn as if she’d lost a lot of weight in a very short time. She had no doubt the young mother had reserved all her energy into taking care of her baby, who, in spite of her current malaise, looked very well taken care of.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Bubsy said sympathetically. She didn’t press her for more information. “Are you hungry, dear? You look like you haven’t eaten a thing in days.”
“I don’t want to …”
She knew the girl was going to argue and waved her hand to dismiss any attempt at refusal before the girl could do so. She bustled about, making them both a good meal.
She learned the girl’s name was Lois Lane and her daughter’s was Kally. She again asked no questions, knowing that the eighteen-year-old would volunteer that information when she was ready.
With the aid of a cool washcloth and leaving her without clothes for a couple of hours, little Kally’s heat rash was soothed and she settled down to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Lois appeared less stressed now that someone else was there to help her take care of her daughter.
She sat in the armchair, drinking the lemonade.
“I can’t pay you …” she began.
“You don’t have to,” Bubsy replied. “I was once in the same situation as yourself.”
Lois frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s all right, dear. You see, when I was your age, I fell in love. With a wonderful man. But we were both very young and there was a war …”
“Vietnam,” Lois said quietly.
“Yes. Now, there are those in town who believe they know the truth, but they don’t. You see, he was engaged, to a girl his parents approved of. I was just a simple girl from a small town and I would never be suitable. The night before he shipped out to Vietnam we had … well, I think you know. I was seventeen.”
“So, what happened?” Lois asked, staring at the older woman. She suspected she knew what had happened, but didn’t want to seem like she was prying.
“Two months after he left I realised I was going to have a baby. Well, my parents were furious. Of course they were. They couldn’t have the town finding out such a scandal. As soon as they could arrange it they had me shipped off to a home for unwed mothers, telling friends I was helping out on a family farm.”
“What happened to the baby?”
“It was adopted out,” the woman said sadly. Lois could see the grief etched on her face. She knew enough about such situations that she could understand why the other woman was so grieved. “As soon as it was born, they took it away. I never even knew if it was a boy or a girl.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lois said sympathetically. While her father hadn’t been pleased at her pregnancy, and had suggested she have the baby adopted out, she had known she couldn’t do that. Yet, she couldn’t live with the way he looked at her either. Like she’d brought shame on him.
“Anyway, my love returned from Vietnam and married the girl he was engaged to. I never saw him again.”
Lois’ heart broke for the older woman. Imagine falling in love with someone only to learn that she could never be with them.
She was glad Bubsy, as the other woman told her to call her, didn’t press her for more information. For the next week or so, Lois was left to her own devices.
She went into town with Bubsy a couple of times to help her with shopping, taking Kally with them. The town was quiet but they did run into a few people. It wasn’t long before she noticed townspeople whispering. She hated the stares from the older women, who even shot glares at Bubsy as if it was somehow her fault.
“Stupid old biddies,” Bubsy muttered. “They’ve got nothing better to do than gossip. I thought things would have got better once Nell left.”
“Who’s Nell?” Lois asked her once they were back at the Inn unloading the groceries.
“Oh, she used to own the Talon.”
“That place I saw boarded up?”
Bubsy nodded, pouring them both some lemonade. “It used to be the town’s only movie theatre, but then Lex Luthor decided to buy the property. He was planning on turning it into a parking garage but Nell’s niece convinced him to refurbish it and turn it into a coffee shop.”
“Lex Luthor?” She frowned. She remembered some article she’d read about Lionel Luthor being arrested on murder charges but only due to the fact it had something to do with her cousin. When she’d heard Chloe had been killed in an explosion, she had tried to find out what had happened, but with the baby and everything she just hadn’t been able to. “I think he might know something about what happened to Chloe.”
Bubsy nodded in sympathy. “Yes, that was a terrible business. Is that why you decided to come to Smallville?”
Lois shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it, to be honest. I just … needed to get away.”
“Of course, sweetie.” She handed her a glass of lemonade. “So, what are your plans now?”
“I don’t know. Find a job, I guess. I have to do something to support Kally. I … I didn’t finish high school.”
“Well, there aren’t that many jobs around, except for the plant.” She looked thoughtful. “There is something around here … it doesn’t pay much, and you probably wouldn’t …”
“What is it?” Lois asked eagerly. “I’ll do anything. I will. I mean, it can’t be worse than scrubbing a bathroom floor with a toothbrush.”
She noted the older woman storing that bit of information away.
“One of my maids quit at the beginning of the summer and I hadn’t got around to advertising for another. I have a small cabin out behind the inn. You could set it up. For you and Kally. If you come to work for me as a maid, you would get free room and board and any tips you make would be yours.”
She was right. It wasn’t much, but then again, Lois wouldn’t have to pay rent, and they’d eat free. Bubsy had already told her about the food and nutrition program so she could get assistance there for various things Kally would need.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
Bubsy looked surprised at her quick decision.
“Are you sure you don’t want to think on it, sweetie? It’s hard work.”
“I know. I’ve never been afraid of hard work. And this is for my daughter.”
Everything was for her daughter. Whatever it took. She’d felt that way from the moment she’d discovered she was pregnant.
Title: One Little Mistake
Rating: PG (for now)
Pairing: Clois
Characters: Clark, Lois, Chloe, Lex, Martha, Jonathan, Lana, OFC
Summary: One little mistake can change an entire life.
a/n: I know I should be updating the other story, but thanks to my binge-watching another show, I got inspired. Let's just say that this first chapter is based on the background of this show I've been binge-watching, but I have no intention of copying the main premise of the show.
Annie Harrigan had a secret which she had never told anyone, but the moment she saw the young girl on the doorstep of the Smallville Inn, she knew she had found a kindred spirit, of sorts.
The Inn was normally closed for two weeks in the height of the summer. It was a rather old building, having been built well before the Civil War, in the early days of Kansas. It had once been a stately home but had been refurbished in the late eighties when Bed and Breakfast places in out-of-the-way towns became the rage.
Miss Harrigan - Bubsy to her friends - was a spinster in her early fifties. Almost everyone in Smallville had once asked her why she had never married and she had spoken of a love affair when she was young, but she had never given any more detail. Some speculated that the absent lover had been sent off to Vietnam and had never returned, but still, she never confirmed it.
None of that mattered that August day when she found the teenager almost passed out from the heat on her doorstep with her baby daughter in her arms.
There was nothing remarkable about mother and daughter, other than the fact that the infant had a shock of thick, dark hair and the most intense blue eyes that almost seemed to bore through whoever she was looking at. She was a rather cute little girl, even at four months. No doubt she would be a heartbreaker when she grew up, Bubsy declared to herself.
“I’m sorry,” the teen mumbled as she sat on the step. “I …”
“Goodness. How did you get here?” the older woman asked.
“Bus,” was all the girl would say. She was clearly suffering from heat exhaustion, her face flushed and sweaty.
“You must come in out of this heat before you faint from dehydration, dear.”
“I don’t want to … I mean, I …”
The spinster shook her head and waved her hand in slight impatience. “Oh, pssh … I know you think you’re imposing but come in before you both get heatstroke. I insist,” she added firmly.
She helped the girl to her feet, careful of the baby in her arms, and led her inside. She sat her down in the parlour, making sure she was in the coolest part of the room, before going out to the kitchen to find a pitcher of lemonade. She returned to find the girl trying to comfort the baby, which had started to cry. The infant’s cheeks were very red and she appeared to be also suffering from the heat.
“You can’t be hungry,” the girl was saying. “I just fed you. And your diaper’s not wet.”
“Perhaps she’s feeling the heat, love,” Bubsy told her. She set the pitcher and a glass on the table next to the armchair and reached out. The girl flinched. “It’s all right,” the older woman assured her. “I just want to check her temperature.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” The girl visibly relaxed and sat back. “Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I was a nurse before I took over the Inn.” She felt the baby’s forehead. “She’s hot but I think it is just the heat. Babies her age are prone to heat rash. How long have you been gone?”
“Gone?” the girl asked, frowning. “Um …”
“When did you run away?” she prompted gently.
“A month ago,” the teen said quietly. She was pretty, with long honey-blonde hair. It didn’t appear to be her natural colour as the older woman could see darker roots. She was thin, her face pale and drawn as if she’d lost a lot of weight in a very short time. She had no doubt the young mother had reserved all her energy into taking care of her baby, who, in spite of her current malaise, looked very well taken care of.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Bubsy said sympathetically. She didn’t press her for more information. “Are you hungry, dear? You look like you haven’t eaten a thing in days.”
“I don’t want to …”
She knew the girl was going to argue and waved her hand to dismiss any attempt at refusal before the girl could do so. She bustled about, making them both a good meal.
She learned the girl’s name was Lois Lane and her daughter’s was Kally. She again asked no questions, knowing that the eighteen-year-old would volunteer that information when she was ready.
With the aid of a cool washcloth and leaving her without clothes for a couple of hours, little Kally’s heat rash was soothed and she settled down to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Lois appeared less stressed now that someone else was there to help her take care of her daughter.
She sat in the armchair, drinking the lemonade.
“I can’t pay you …” she began.
“You don’t have to,” Bubsy replied. “I was once in the same situation as yourself.”
Lois frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s all right, dear. You see, when I was your age, I fell in love. With a wonderful man. But we were both very young and there was a war …”
“Vietnam,” Lois said quietly.
“Yes. Now, there are those in town who believe they know the truth, but they don’t. You see, he was engaged, to a girl his parents approved of. I was just a simple girl from a small town and I would never be suitable. The night before he shipped out to Vietnam we had … well, I think you know. I was seventeen.”
“So, what happened?” Lois asked, staring at the older woman. She suspected she knew what had happened, but didn’t want to seem like she was prying.
“Two months after he left I realised I was going to have a baby. Well, my parents were furious. Of course they were. They couldn’t have the town finding out such a scandal. As soon as they could arrange it they had me shipped off to a home for unwed mothers, telling friends I was helping out on a family farm.”
“What happened to the baby?”
“It was adopted out,” the woman said sadly. Lois could see the grief etched on her face. She knew enough about such situations that she could understand why the other woman was so grieved. “As soon as it was born, they took it away. I never even knew if it was a boy or a girl.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lois said sympathetically. While her father hadn’t been pleased at her pregnancy, and had suggested she have the baby adopted out, she had known she couldn’t do that. Yet, she couldn’t live with the way he looked at her either. Like she’d brought shame on him.
“Anyway, my love returned from Vietnam and married the girl he was engaged to. I never saw him again.”
Lois’ heart broke for the older woman. Imagine falling in love with someone only to learn that she could never be with them.
She was glad Bubsy, as the other woman told her to call her, didn’t press her for more information. For the next week or so, Lois was left to her own devices.
She went into town with Bubsy a couple of times to help her with shopping, taking Kally with them. The town was quiet but they did run into a few people. It wasn’t long before she noticed townspeople whispering. She hated the stares from the older women, who even shot glares at Bubsy as if it was somehow her fault.
“Stupid old biddies,” Bubsy muttered. “They’ve got nothing better to do than gossip. I thought things would have got better once Nell left.”
“Who’s Nell?” Lois asked her once they were back at the Inn unloading the groceries.
“Oh, she used to own the Talon.”
“That place I saw boarded up?”
Bubsy nodded, pouring them both some lemonade. “It used to be the town’s only movie theatre, but then Lex Luthor decided to buy the property. He was planning on turning it into a parking garage but Nell’s niece convinced him to refurbish it and turn it into a coffee shop.”
“Lex Luthor?” She frowned. She remembered some article she’d read about Lionel Luthor being arrested on murder charges but only due to the fact it had something to do with her cousin. When she’d heard Chloe had been killed in an explosion, she had tried to find out what had happened, but with the baby and everything she just hadn’t been able to. “I think he might know something about what happened to Chloe.”
Bubsy nodded in sympathy. “Yes, that was a terrible business. Is that why you decided to come to Smallville?”
Lois shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it, to be honest. I just … needed to get away.”
“Of course, sweetie.” She handed her a glass of lemonade. “So, what are your plans now?”
“I don’t know. Find a job, I guess. I have to do something to support Kally. I … I didn’t finish high school.”
“Well, there aren’t that many jobs around, except for the plant.” She looked thoughtful. “There is something around here … it doesn’t pay much, and you probably wouldn’t …”
“What is it?” Lois asked eagerly. “I’ll do anything. I will. I mean, it can’t be worse than scrubbing a bathroom floor with a toothbrush.”
She noted the older woman storing that bit of information away.
“One of my maids quit at the beginning of the summer and I hadn’t got around to advertising for another. I have a small cabin out behind the inn. You could set it up. For you and Kally. If you come to work for me as a maid, you would get free room and board and any tips you make would be yours.”
She was right. It wasn’t much, but then again, Lois wouldn’t have to pay rent, and they’d eat free. Bubsy had already told her about the food and nutrition program so she could get assistance there for various things Kally would need.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
Bubsy looked surprised at her quick decision.
“Are you sure you don’t want to think on it, sweetie? It’s hard work.”
“I know. I’ve never been afraid of hard work. And this is for my daughter.”
Everything was for her daughter. Whatever it took. She’d felt that way from the moment she’d discovered she was pregnant.
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