A/N: Another spoiler one-shot of my take of what the airport scene and the whole talk of Clark revealing his secrets to Lois would be like, my way on the episode "Infamous".
SPOILER WARNING: "Infamous" Yea, this fic contains some spoilers, though, I really don't know how, but I'm just putting it up to cover my but in either case.
Rating: K+ to T for Language and Adult themes.
Summary: Lois and Clark airport scene, and Clark revealing his secret to Lois, done my way.
WELCOME BACK, LOIS LANE!
1 of 2/3?: I haven't decided yet. Anyway Enjoy!
Drip....Drip....Splat!
Lois watched as the rain struck at the large floor to ceiling windows that gave view to the bustle of cars and people trying to get through the down pour as dry as possible. Metropolis, the sights; throngs of people and cars, the sounds; honking horns and animated voices, welcoming her back home. What could be better? How about a partner who was actually on time and came to pick you up at the time he actually said?
Lois blew at her bangs for the umpteenth time as she waited impatiently, eyes locked past the huge glass windows of the airport to the drenched world of outside Metropolis. Her feet listlessly tapping out the thinning patience she was feeling with waiting over an hour for a certain farm boy turned reporter....soon to be maggot food...to show up.
I guess being wrapped around Lana's little finger is a full time job...The garbled words running amok in her head as she leered at her watch. Not like he's missing anything important...but what's to miss I've only been gone for, what, four whole months? No, big deal!
Lois dragged out a dry breath and shook her head as if it would so easily dismiss the sting she was feeling. It wasn't like they were friends, no, knowing him almost as long as her cousin didn't qualify her for that position. Not even the risque adventures of he save, she save the others life on an occasional bases contended her as an applicant to that field.
Friends so wasn't what they were, even when it meant spending two years living with said person and his parents in the past. And it certainly wasn't more, when friends certainly wasn't what they were in the first place, when it came down to an almost, nearly, sorta, maybe kiss at the crash-bash wedding of the century.
Get over it, Lois...he certainly has! She chided herself, tearing open a stick of gum and pushing the thin strip into her mouth. Jaw tight as she chewed, annoyed with the certain bubble of emotions whenever her mind slipped back to a moment she thought could actually mean something between them.
She smirked to herself and let out a tight chuckle. I wouldn't be surprised if he told me they were going to get hitched, hoe-down with backyard wedding and all.
Lois tried to laugh amused by the notion but even in thought, the idea of Clark Kent and Lana Lang married turned her insides to acid and had her questioning the brick wall she thought she so firmly had back in place before coming back here...back once again to...him.
Her mind didn't get any more time to dwell on such matters as the pinnacle of her relentless thoughts made an appearance like only he could. Almost knocking down an elderly man who look like he would retaliate with bashing Clark with his wooden cane. Lois' lips would have curled to an amused smile if she wasn't so pissed that he couldn't even think much of their 'frienship' to actually do one simple thing for her...and that was to pick her up from the airport without her feeling like it was such an obligation to him.
Clark made a profuse string of appologies as he slipped pass the grumbeling old man and then quickly turned around handing the man his hat that fell uncermoniously to the floor after he almost tackled the older man to the ground in his rush to pick up Lois like he said he would...on time. That...he couldn't help. He knew he was late...he knew she would be pissed...but that...just couldn't be helped.
Especially, since the lives of children almost blowing up in a crashed School bus was at stake and were playing heavily on his conscious at the thought of just ignoring the pleas for help; like he actually would.
Lois couldn't stop the skip that came to her heart at the sight of boy wonder and she cursed her body for reacting like that toward him of all people. His back was toward her a yard or so away as the old man look like he was still chewing him a new one by the look on the wrinkled, aged face of one that seemed to be around since fire was a big hit.
Embarrassed, she rolled her eyes and was starting to have seconds thoughts about the whole favor of him coming to get her from the airport. Good, he hasn't seen me. Maybe there's still a chance I can lea-
"Lois!" The familiar voice boomed across the terminal to her.
Greaaaat! Lois gritted her teeth and turned around letting out a harsh breath as one dripping wet formerly known, Prince of Plaid, came to a rushed halt in front of her.
His apologetic, was that really an overjoyed to see her, smile, on his lips, and wet soggy boyish appearance was doing strange tingles to her stomach. She realized her mistake of taking a deep breath to clear her mind when his scent mixed with city rain overwhelmed her nose and seemed to bury deep within her.
Quickly tapping down on hellbent emotions and squaring her eyes she found the ground for her anger once more. "Nice to know there are other things on your agenda worth your time, Clark."
Clark? He knew she would be mad, pissed even, but this seemed even more then Lois' usual annoyed, pissed-off self. His smile only falter a bit, he wasn't going to even let the girl herself take it away. God, he didn't realize how much he actually missed her until his eyes fell onto her across the terminal and every memory of quick-tongue banter, scary adventures...though fun...and sassy snarks panged in the whole that was widening with a missing something.
He didn't realize exactly what the widening void was due to and thought foolishly Lana could fill it up...but that job belonged to its rightful owner.
"I know I'm late, but..." Clark tried to explain but was cut off as Lois knocked his shoulder with her own as she roughly walked passed him.
He was no where close to being right, this was something more, beyond being pissed. He scrambled after her, she holding her oversize luggage in hand as she treadled away from him. Clark made to grab the baggage from her hands but she just slightly turned from him, blocking his effort and continued on.
"Lois, wiat!" Clark protested hot on her heels and knowing he was in the dog house if her mood was any indication.
"That's all I've been doing was waiting!" Lois snipped back not stopping and not looking at him. "I'm tired of waiting, but what should I have possibly expected?"
Clark stepped in her path bringing her to a stop that almost caused her to spill into him, a glare cutting her eyes that he only ignored. "What is that suppose to mean?"
Lois gave a defeated shake of her head and rolled her eyes as she sidetracked around him. "Whatever you want it to mean."
"Lois, I know I was late, I'm sorry...but you..." His attempt to speak was still in vain as she didn't bother to listen to what he had to say.
"...Should have realized that you are a busy guy..." She huffed kneeing up the luggage to a better grip in her arms as she trudged on. "...that you have other priorities in your life...like the DP...the farm....Lana...and I'm not one of them. So why should I expect something as easy as picking up a 'friend' coming back home to be a concern for you?"
"It's not like that." Clark wanted to yell but huffed it out instead.
"Really?" Lois threw over her shoulder, eyes glancing at him. "Then tell me, what was so important that you had me waiting over an hour for you?"
She had him pegged, he knew she did and there was no amount of conjuring something up that could be important enough, besides the truth, to be done when he was suppose to be here hours ago welcoming her back home instead of now arguing because he was late. That, there was matters more important then seeing a friend after the long hiatus of taking care of a best friend's husband who was badly injured; her cousin's husband.
He ran a defeated hand through sloppy wet curls as his crystal blues picked up the pain reflected in her eyes silently begging for anything plausible enough for her to accept, but he could draw up nothing but a blank. He was running out of excuses and truth be told he was definitely tired of the lies he had to make up to keep suspicions at bay especially with the people he cared about. If he learned anything from his keeping secrets from Lana, some things were just meant to stay hidden and sometimes it was just time for it to come out.
Lois took his silence the wrong way and placed on a brave front once more. "I thought so."
He tried to change the subject, a feeble attempt to fix things. "Look, you're just getting back..."
"Surprised you even noticed...That's right, you didn't!" She droned sarcastically marching through the crowd making for the exit as Clark fought the flow of people to stay at her side.
"Lois, please." His begging doing nothing to tither her from her present state, if anything it fueled her on.
"Life must be good with Lana, since it seems to wipe all other thoughts away. No shocker there..." Her words cutting its mark without her knowing it.
"I'm not with Lana...She left." He answered but couldn't really even feel bad about it being the truth, not like he thought it would had, like other times.
She came glued to the floor at the revelation, Clark could pick up the accelerations of her heart at hearing his words, but gave no further indication of being pleased by it as she stepped out into the merciless rain.
Her silence was killing him and he made once again to take her luggage away as the patter of rain hailed upon them. He gave a gruff of frustration as she pulled away not even aknowledgeing his existence.
"Lois, say something." He said to her, his eyes blinking the drops that found their way sliding down his body, drenching all it touched.
"What do you want me to say, Clark?" She blew out.
There it was again, Clark, as annoyed as he was with the nickname she so dubbed him with. He was really missing being called, Smallville, and hearing it out of her lips. The only mouth he ever wanted to hear it from or really anything from...Shocked;he guessed he missed her more then he realized. He shook his head realizing she was still ranting and not in a good way.
"Better luck next time?" She continued with a smirk she wasn't feeling. "Because I'm sure there will be a next time."
"I don't care about there being a next time..." I don't want a next time. Were laid somewhere in a mumble of words barely heard but could be seen somewhere in his eyes. She must of saw because she silently gulped and looked from the hand that held her arm in place to the stare he was giving her, secretly making her knees weak.
"Good, because I so don't care for this line of conversation." She pulled from his grip, feeling weighted down by what his eyes were telling her and the extra girth of sodden rain upon her body.
"You're mad." It was a statement, he knew her too well to make a mistake there.
Hurt! She wanted to scream but anger was there too. She didn't say anything but walked on, not caring about the threat of pneumonia and feeling as he was only a step behind her. Personal space seemed to vanish away in the short...long...time she'd been away and found herself wanting to be closer. What? She was cold and his body always was unnaturally warm, somehow.
"Understatment of the year, if I ever heard one!" There was his truck, it look like heaven at that moment, if only she could reach it; the nightmare would end.
"Lois wait.....you don't understand..." His voice anxious, trying to make her see rationally.
"No, I don't." Lois stated spinning on her heels to face him, her lashes blinking rapidly at the drops that teased the reflex. "What I do understand is that I have jet leg from a two hour flight. I'm hungry. I'm tired....I've been gone for four months and..." I miss you like crazy, how can't you see that? Lois, stop it!
She swallowed away the tightness in her throat, thankful for the drops so he couldn't tell the difference of the ones that came from her eyes. "...and instead of being in a nice comfy bed where I want to be...I'm standing here....in the rain....arguing with you..."
Clark's face dropped at her words, his chest feeling like someone was twisting it into a knot from the pain on her face she thought she so cleverly had hidden away...but despite what she thought, they were friends, and he did know her.
She raised her shoulders and shook her head as if weakly denying it all away and said hoarsely. "Thanks for the welcome home....Clark."
It was like a knife had plunged into the depth of his stomach at that moment, but didn't stay long only to be repeatedly plugged over and over until he thought he would find himself litterally doubled over. His eyes watched as she turned from him throwing her luggage in the back seat of the truck before following after.
*~*
For she's a jolly good fella....For she's a jolly good fella....For she's a jolly good fellaaaaaa....Which nobody can deny....
Chloe clapped her hands in tune as she joined her husband and a few others while he carried and placed a cake in front of Lois at her desk. Her eyes rolled but her lips in a wide grin gave her true feelings away. She didn't like to be surprised but she was like any girl when it came to making a fuss about her-it just felt good to be missed.
"Which nobody can dennnnyyyyy!" Jimmy dragged out as Lois playfully scrunched up away from him and laughed along with Chloe who clung to his arm shaking her head in amusement.
The singing stopped and everyone clapped as Lois took a deep breath and with one blow, blew out the burning candles that adorned her 'Welcome Back' clad whipped, icing cake. Clark looked on leaning against the door post as the cheers echoed the news room and died away into lively chatter as everyone went about to work or sought out a plate for a piece of the mouth water dessert.
Her blank eyes coming in contact with his only for a moment before falling away to that of her cousin and newly healed husband, a mocking smirk set on her lips. "You know, you guys really didn't have to do this?"
"Are you kidding, it's the least we could do, after what you did for us?" Jimmy quickly jumped in to blow off her words, his arms wrapped lovely around Chloe's waist as she smiled widely at him.
"Jimmy's right, Lois. You helped my man get back on his feet and returned him safely to me." Chloe put forth her vouched before smooching the icing from his lips.
Lois made a playful gag to tease the two, before shaking their gratitude away. "I didn't do anything besides bug the hell of the nurses and doctors. I'm just amazed they put up with me as long as they did without kicking me out of the hospital."
"Well, whatever you did, you're still the best."
Lois smiled as Chloe bent over placing a kiss on her cheek and then wrapping her in a never-ending hug. "Thank you, Lo."
"No, problem, Babes." Lois whispered in her ear and returned the beam shown on her cousin's face as she went back to Jimmy's side. "Seeing you two like this is thanks enough for me."
"Yea, Lois, we really appreciate it." Jimmy went in for a hug too but came to a halt by her raised hand and teasing furrowed brows.
"Just a hug, Olsen." Lois teased, and Chloe chuckled as the red-faced Jimmy didn't know if he should move or not but had no choice as Lois pulled him into her embrace before letting him return back to his wife.
Jimmy jumped, his face bright as one of his many great ideas hit him like a bolt of lightening. "You know what? This needs to be written into a story..."
Lois and Chloe glanced at each other in amusement not exactly knowing what he was getting at.
"I'm going to go to Tess right now and demand she lets me print this when I'm done."
"Jimmy, wait. I don't think..." Lois stopped as Chloe placed her hand on her arm and Jimmy just proceeded to walk off toward Tess' office.
"Don't be the one to crush his dream." Chloe finally spoke as soon as her husband was gone. "It's all he talked about on the flight here."
Lois smile and Chloe fell in step with her as they grabbed a plate and headed for Lois' cake that showed evidence of some healthy appetites with the huge missing pieces it adorned. The petite blond, glancing over to her older cousin as their mouth filled with the heavenly treat.
"Speaking of flights." Chloe pipped up after a moment, licking away the cream from her lips. "How was the escort from the airport?"
"Which one, Clark or security?" Lois grumbled between bites of her cake.
Chloe's eyes bugged from her face not sure what to believe the words or her ears as her head titled to push Lois on for an explanation. "Mind running that by me again?"
Lois huffed and took the few steps it took to reach her desk before sitting on the corner of it. "Not really...I'm just surprised it didn't happen with all the yelling we were doing."
A knowing look came over Chloe's face as her eyes went over to the spot Clark had been standing silently at for an hour. Only now he was engaged into a conversation with Rob the travel editor, but the look on his face and the way his eyes were sneaking long glances at a certain chocolate-haired brunette revealed he wasn't really into the talk.
"Is that why I haven't seen Clark at your heels all day?" Chloe questioned with a hint of tease as her tongue slid over her fork.
Lois glared, her teeth biting tightly down on her own fork. "Clark, is never at my heels."
"Clark?" Chloe wrinkled her nose at the alien name coming from Lois' lips.
"It's his name, isn't it?" Lois countered as her fork plunged into her slice of cake.
"Yea, which you don't use."
Lois rolled her eyes up in annoyance, sucking the cream from her fork as Chloe turned full attention toward her. "Lois, what happen? As far as I know things should be good between you and Clark...really good according to..."
Chloe stopped quickly at the cutting squares of Lois' eyes directed at her and gave an uneasy smile at the accusation in the taller girl's hazel orbs.
"I wouldn't call waiting my ass off for over an hour, after a two hour, cramped, claustrophobic ride of hell, being a good thing between anyone!" her voice gaining an octave higher without yelling as she suppressed the volume of her voice.
I was talking about an almost kiss...and Clark's revelationary found feelings for you...Chloe wanted to say but knew when to grab the pull by the horns and when to just let sleeping dogs lie. So she plastered on a front of shock and scrunched up at how Lois must have taken it and was surprised Clark was still seeing another day.
Lois breathed heavily between her nose as she faced forward. "I just don't get it, Chlo. I specifically went out of the way to arrive at a time when he would be able to pick me up and he still was late and not even one of his sad excuses to cover his ass..."
Her shoulders slumped as she opted to play with the remainder of icing and cake crumbs scattered on her plate. "...It's just that...you would think after what almost hap-"
Chloe stood there with raised brows waiting for her to continue but noticed as Lois clamped her mouth shut, quickly realizing she unintentionally spilled too much.
"Just say it, Lois!" Chloe exasperated in a gush. The teetering and walking on egg shells were actually bringing sores on her feet when it came to the subject of their feelings for each other. "You and Clark almost kissed!"
Lois looked like she wanted to squish her piece of cake in Chloe's face just so she wouldn't speak any louder and was quite in a state of shock that she even knew that piece of detail. Unless...One big mouth, ex-so-dead-of-a-friend, told her.
Chloe read the thought from her face and cocked her brow. "No, Clark didn't tell me. It was my wedding after all and just because I was preoccupied with marital bliss doesn't mean my reporter instincts went off for a holiday."
"Unlike one guys feelings when it comes to a raven-haired beauty." Lois mumbled around her mouth filled with the fork and shook her head in confusion as thoughts of that night and how seconds before their lips were to meet, Lana made her grand debut snatching away any attention Clark held at that moment.
Chloe gave a sympathetic expression as she placed her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "And how do you feel?"
"That's the thing I don't know!" Lois exploded in controlled frustration, laying her attack on another slice of cake. "And what does it matter if said 'feelings' aren't returned anyway?"
Chloe grabbed Lois' wrist bringing her fork in a mid-air halt before it came slamming down into the moist goodness. Lois looked up from the cake to Chloe as she snatched the fork away and placed it down on the table. Her brow cocked in confusion at the smaller ones reactions and not liking the thinning lips that were slowly turning upward into a sly smile on Chloe's face.
"Lois, go take Clark some cake and talk." Chloe ushered, forcing Lois to place both hands on the plate and giving her a little bump in the King of Brooding direction.
She gave out a dry laugh not taking the younger girl seriously but was met with steel eyes as the blond one stared her down, not letting her back out of it.
"Fine." Lois gritted between her teeth setting back her own steel gaze. "I'll go, but I'm not going to like it."
Chloe smiled at her retreating back, a humorous brow raised up in reply to something she already knew; pertaining to a talk with a certain blue-eye someone. "We'll see."
To Be Continued...
A/N: Plz, Plz, Plz....and one moe time Plz! Give me feed back! I sooo like to know what you think about it, good or bad I so don't care. Thanks for Reading now REVIEW!!! Thanks!