A Better Place

Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville/ any of the characters

Summary: The legion ring didn't take Lois to the future but instead to the past. She finds herself in a cornfield and discovers a lost three-year-old boy with bright green-blue eyes.

Chapter 1

Mid-fight with Tess, Lois slipped on the ring—not really sure what it was—and found the room around her spin. The room started to disappear. Next thing she knew? She was standing in a cornfield and meteors were crashing down. What? Was this now the third meteor shower in Smallville? Now that couldn't be a coincidence, and Lois knew she should put her reporting hat on to figure out this mystery. And what was she doing in a cornfield? The area looked familiar. The cornfield looked near-identical to the cornfield where Clark lives. Then again, all cornfields really look the same to her.

Lois, feeling her heart start to pound, began walking through the cornfield. She just wanted to find her way out. Did the ring just magically teleport her here? But even that sounded crazy. Sure, she may have witnessed so many meteor-infected people in her time in Smallville, but teleportation was a whole new territory. Lois could already see the headline: Teleporting ring: a gift or a curse? But before Lois could worry about her article, first she had to worry about getting the heck out of this place. The cornfield really was a never-ending maze. She was about to head right when she saw something in the corner of her eye. She turned to see… a little boy. And god was he adorable. Ginormous green-blue eyes and the cutest features. He looked about three, and he was stark naked. Lois was instantly reminded of Clark. They first met in a cornfield, and Clark had been naked.

"Hey, kid," Lois said. She kneeled to his level and gave him her jacket. "Where are your parents? Are you lost?"

The boy just stared at him with those irresistible eyes. Lois couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes looked familiar, but eventually just shrugged it off.

"Kid," Lois said. "Where are your parents? Are they around here? I doubt they let you come out here on your own… especially with the shower."

A bad feeling stirred in Lois' stomach. What if… what if the boy's parents were killed in the meteor shower? But in that case, wouldn't the kid be crying? Yet, he was completely silent, as if he didn't understand a word of what she was saying. Maybe he didn't even know English.

"If you're not going to tell me when your parents are, how about you at least tell me your name?" Lois said. She extended a hand. "I'm Lois Lane."

The boy just smiled at her.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me who you are, I'm just going to call you mini-Clark," Lois said. Of course, she had no reason to believe that the little boy was the Kryptonian who would later become Clark Kent. To her, she just saw him as a little boy. She didn't make the connection of his familiar eyes. She just saw him as a "mini-Clark" because here the kid was, naked in a cornfield—just like with her Clark. Lois loved the irony.

Lois picked "mini-Clark" up and continued to walk through the cornfield. She somehow didn't pass through the area where a spaceship sat, once holding a three-year-old boy. She finally reached the road, which was mostly void of cars—except the one that was broken-down with a giant hole in the windshield. The man sitting behind the wheel looked unconscious.

Lois got the man out of vehicle. Realizing he was dead, she got in the car, holding Clark. She drove into town and instantly realized she was in Smallville. But everything looked hectic.

With Clark in her arms, Lois got out of the car. She walked to where the Talon used to be, but it was missing. Lois pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried to call Clark. "Come on, Smallville. Pick up…"

The call did not pick up any signal.

"Great," Lois muttered. The one person she wanted to talk to, she couldn't. Lois tried calling Chloe next, but again, the call did not pick up any signal.

Lois didn't know what to do with mini-Clark, but she didn't want to just leave him behind. Guess I'm babysitting, she thought. She then remembered she was going to have a phone call with the Blur tonight, and she knew she needed to get to the phone booth. Maybe checking out the Daily Planet would be a good idea, too. If she couldn't get in touch with Clark via phone, maybe he'll be at the planet. Surely the planet will be buzzing with people with the surprise meteor shower—and especially the third one in the same time. A story like that would not go ignored.

Lois got in the car and drove to Metropolis. When she arrived, she first headed to the phone booth. She looked down at the mini-Clark in her arms. "How do you feel about talking to a real-life superhero?"

Mini-Clark just smiled at her. He really was adorable. But Lois knew she couldn't keep him forever. She was horrible with kids! Yet, there was something about him that made her not want to let go of him. Especially if his parents had died in the shower and as a result had gone mute... Unless her theory was right and mini-Clark really didn't know English.

When they arrived at Metropolis, Lois headed to the phone booth. "Come on, Blur. I'm a little late, but please, I'm here now."

But the more minutes she waited, the Blur did not call him. Dumbass, he's probably out there saving lives right now. Especially now in a time of such tragedy. Then again, there were tragedies all of the time, so what would make a meteor shower in a town like Smallville a priority? He could be saving people from fires, from muggings, from anything, really. He could be anywhere right now. Why did the Blur even bother calling Lois anyway? She was just some random reporter at the Daily Planet, not some kind of superhero like himself.

Lois gave up and left the phone booth. She made her way to the Daily Planet. Weirdly, she didn't recognize a single person inside. When she got to her desk, some other lady was sitting there.

"Hey!" Lois said. "That's my desk."

The lady looked up. "What are you talking about? It's my desk for three years now. Do I know you?"

"Lois," Lois said. "Lois Lane."

"And what's your kid's name?"

"My kid?" Lois then looked down at mini-Clark. "Oh! He's not my kid. I just found him wandering off by himself. I think something happened to his parents. I just hoped the Blur saved them."

The lady frowned. "The Blur?"

"Yeah, have you completely been living in a bubble? You know, the Blur? Formerly the red-and-blue blur? The guy who saves lives and can run in the speed of light! Come on, he's been in so many headlines! Now, get up from my desk. I have a story to write."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the lady said. "I've never heard of the Blur and I've never seen you here in my life. I know everyone who works at the Planet. Look," the lady said, pointing to her desk name plate. Catherine Greene.

Lois' eyes widened. Then she looked at the desk across. Where Clark Kent's name plate was another name. This couldn't be happening! What even was going on?

"You seem in shock," the lady—Catherine—said. "Look, if you want, I can help you. You seem disoriented. I can't blame you, with the meteor shower happening and all."

"It is crazy that a meteor shower hit the same town three times, huh?" Lois said.

Now Catherine's eyes widened. "Three times? Uh, what year do you think it is, Lois?"

"What kind of question is that? It's 2009."

Catherine handed over one of the Daily Planet papers. "Look at the date."

All color drained from Lois' face when she looked the paper. 1989.