I walked across an empty land I came across a fallen tree Oh simple thing where have you gone And if you have a minute why don't we go Keane / Hopes and Fears
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete
Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
"Can you remind me again where we're going?"
Lois followed Clark who was half-a-mile ahead of her. Both running for their lives, to where, she was unsure. Tall grass scaring her skin as she chopped through it, attempting to keep up with him. How he was getting through this so quickly, she'll never know. As the stacks grew thicker, the grains taller, she was starting to lose him and her patience. She used her hand to block the piercing light of the sunset, but looked down on occasion, making sure not to stumble.
He said he had to show her. He said he knew a place that would make her heart melt in the sweetest manner. A place that was made for them. He told her it reminded him of them. How their relationship, just like this place, was something peculiar. Noticeably special.
"Just try and keep up." he could barely be heard over singing birds, soft chirps, and the crumpling of grass under her feet.
She obeyed, and tried to run a little faster. Sprinting, even. Grains smacking against her face as she did so.
"Clark, can we please stop for a minute?"
"Almost there." His voice growing remote.
She moved her hands from her face, as the sunset now hid beyond the hills. Running, sprinting, trying best not to lose herself in the maze of farmland. She looked down for a millisecond and tripped over a rock, skiing across the land, flat onto her face. "Crap." Slowly, she rose onto her feet, her dress now covered in smog. She swept the particles away, and looked around for a now undetectable Clark Kent. Just in front of her, she noticed that the thickness of the grass had frailed.
Curious, she continued walking and discovered a cliff. Puddles of mud filled the edge of the cliff, worms and slugs nested in them. Beyond that cliff, was a canyon, filled with crates, ditches and waterfalls. Lois shuddered when she saw a snake crawl far into the grass. Cautiously, she walked to the edge of the cliff and peered into the canyon. "Now, where did he go?" She searched around and saw nothing but, mists and muddy water.
"Clark?"
"Yes?" He crept behind her ear, causing her to twitch, almost falling into the canyon. He grabbed her arm the second she jerked and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
She sighed, relieved then turned around to him, and gazed into his eyes. He staring out into the distance, the last of the sunset visible in his eyes. "So, Smallville, is this the place that's supposed to send my heart afloatin' and my heels a breakin'?"
He sighed a laugh. "What do you think?" His eyes never breaking from the last of the sunset.
She glances around at the horizon one last time. Tall grass. Mud puddles. Worms and slugs. Nothing has changed. "Well, it could use a little work." she confessed. "But before I tell you what I really think, I want you to tell me why you brought me here."
That's what did it. He finally looked down to her, eyes lit, an adoring smile on his face. He gently pushed her away from him, and took both her hands in his, and motioned with his head for her to look beside her. When she did, there was a straw basket positioned neatly on a yellow and white striped blanket, surrounded by three candles. She looked back at him, stunned, and shook her head softly. "Clark, what is this?"
He smiled and pulled her over toward the blanket, clearing a place for her to sit. She folded her dress in front of her, and sat down, Indian style. He situated himself across from her. Individually, he took the candles, and pushed them into the ground beside them. She smiled, admiring how strong he was.
"Is this what you brought me here for?' she smiled, obviously amused.
"Um, actually what I brought you here for is going to have to wait until we've finished eating." He was growing nervous. His hands were a bit shaky, he was starting to sweat.
Lois furrowed her brows, concerned. She retrieved a napkin from beside her, and wiped his forehead. "Is everything ok, Clark?"
He nodded his acknowledgement, and removed her hand from his head. "I'm fine, Lois."
A smile cast a shadow over her concern when a look of assurance scanned his face. He looked over to the basket, and soon did she. She meekly reached for it, and his eyes winced for her to open it, and she did. A silver tray lie in the basket, as well as forks, champagne, and their appropriate glasses.
Amazed eyes shot over to him. "Clark, your parents will kill you if they catch you with this."
"Well, it's a special event. I'm sure they won't mind." He shrugged. "Besides, since when does Lois Lane say no to an occasional drink, huh?"
"Oh, I'm not talking about the drinks, Smallville." Lois looked back into the basket. "I'm talking about this expensive cutlery, and silver platter that they told you not to touch."
Clark laughed and shook his head. "Like I said - special occasion, they'll understand."
"For your sake I hope they do." she said. "Or it's going to be your tail."
They both shared a laugh as she began to remove the items from the basket, placing each one neatly onto the blanket. The last thing she pulled out was the silver platter, which she placed in the middle of them. She removed the top and gasped.
"Oreos, Frito's, and sour cream dip!" she joked. "My favorite!"
His nod was confident. "And, I heard that they go great with the champagne." he mocked.
"So, I'm assuming that cooking isn't a skill you picked up from Martha?"
"Sadly, no." he sighed. "I tried. I failed. I gave up and did the next best thing."
Her brows raised, she smirked. "This was the next best thing?"
"Well, no." he started. "Asking my mom would have been. Bu t I did do the second to next best thing."
She grinned and took a cookie to her mouth. "So, what did you want to tell me?" her mouth filled with cookie.
"Didn't I say after dinner?" He suddenly started to grow shaky again, his palms moistened.
She noted this and lied the cookies onto the try. "Well, whatever it is, it must be big." She grabbed a cork screw from the basket. "Your a nervous wreck."
Clark began to look back into the distance, where the sunset, now a rising moon, was located. He stood to his feet and walked over to the edge. "Lois, what do you think of this place?" His back turned from her, his hands in his pocket.
She sighed and began to think, seriously, about what he was asking her. "Honestly?" she shrugged. "I don't know."
"Look at what's around you."
She stood up to meet him, his back still turned. Again, she glanced around. A scanty swampy setting. Blanket. Candles. Mrs. Kent's expensive cutlery. Junk food. Same as before.
"I think-" she hesitated. "I think I wanna know what you think."
She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately turned to meet her eyes. She scanned his features to see what he what trying to tell her. She found nothing, only the fact that he was trying to say… something. But what? He brought his hand up to caress her cheek, and let the other slip from his pocket, to grasp at her waist. Her hands somehow found their way to his waist, in harmony with his.
"Clark, I-"
"Lois." he began softly, which immediately shut her up. "I didn't bring you here only because I wanted to show you this place.'
She was all ears. Her eyes told him that she was ready for anything he had to say.
"I brought you here because I have something to tell you.." His tone was kind, subtle.
Again, she didn't respond. Her eyes shiftily wildly into his.
"I just thought that when I brought you here-" He stroked he cheek before continuing. "And told you what I had to say, you would understand why I choose to tell you here."
She let out a deep sigh. "And what is it that you want to tell me?" Her tone softer than his.
Clark began to speak, but hesitated. He stared into her, who was attentively focused on him.
"Lois-" he continued, softly. "You're a very… special person."
She became a little confused. "Okay?"
"No, your not." His head shook disagreeingly. "I mean you are but - not in that way."
This wasn't at all right. He knew what he wanted to say to her. He just didn't know how to say it.
"Clark, maybe if you tell me why you think this place is so special, you can tell me what it is that you have to say?" she suggested.
He agreed. "Maybe." He removed his hands from her and walked back toward the cliff.
She kept her back toward him, and crossed her arms. "I mean you did say that this place reminded you of us." she looked around. "Even though I don't see why."
Now, they both were a little anxious.
Clark folded his hands together and began to rub them violently, sweat beads dripping from them, onto the ground. "Well-" he sighed. "This place very much does remind me of you, Lois."
Once again, his hands found their way into his pockets. Lois turned to face him, but dare not move toward him.
"Just tell me, Lois." he said, once again. "Tell me what you see."
She sighed, slightly annoyed. "Okay, I see a swamp." her hands uncrossing, brandishing into the air.
Silence fell, Lois pondered if she should speak. She decided that it would be best for her not too.
"Sometimes you make me so mad." he was sincere. Anxiety lost, confidence gained.
Her arms folded again. "Mmhm."
"Sometimes when I look at you I question why I'm even with you."
Her frustration peered through. "Why are you with me, Kent?"
Turned to her now, he began to walk slowly toward her. "You tell me."
Lois tried to mask her frustration. She didn't utter a word, but instead sucked her teeth at him.
"Tell me, Lois." he inched closer to her, leaving zero space between them. "Why am I with you?"
The feel of him against her set her senses to a nervous tingle. She tried her best to mask her nervousness as well, hiding behind a wry smile. "Funny I thought you wanted to tell me something. When did this turn into twenty questions?"
Clark smirked and bit his bottom lip. "Did you know that I liked to annoy you?" he said, upon releasing it. "You get this little irritated look on your face that's so cute."
If she wasn't anxious as all hell here to hear what he had to say, she would have stomped back to the Kent's. She knew that he was hiding something. Something he needed badly to tell her. But didn't know how. He'd done this plenty of times, it's his defense mechanism. Primarily used against her. He had a funny way of telling her things. A language all his own. The simplest things could be hardest for him to express.
"Smallville, seriously, stop it with all the questions." she said.
"When I first came here." he started. "I too saw only a meager muddy, insect infested swamp. It was dark, dirty and I hated it. I went back home that same night, and I couldn't help think about this place. It was like it was calling me, but I didn't know why."
He turned away from her, walking back toward the ledge. "I came back here the next day and I sat down and kept laughing to myself." He looked deep into the canyon.
"Why?" she inquired.
"I was laughing because the only thing I kept thinking about." he sighed. "Was you, Lois."
Her cheeks flushed, she smiled.
"I kept thinking about how much I couldn't stand you."
Her eyes winced, smile faded.
"You can be so overbearing sometimes." he started to ram. "You think you know everything, you don't take any advice from anyone, your arrogant." Pause. "But behind all those things, I couldn't find one good reason not to want to be with you."
She shook her head, puzzled. "I don't understand where-"
"Your beautiful, Lois." he said. "Your funny, and smart. Independent, quirky. You bring out a side in me that I never knew existed."
She rested her hand on his shoulder, and turned him toward her.
"Clark, just tell me what your trying to say." She gaped into his eyes, reassuring him that it was okay.
Again he caressed her cheek, then took her in for a gentle kiss.
"Lois, I-" he delayed. She looked at him, anticipating what he had to say. "I-I love you, Lois. I'm in love with you."
Both their hearts skipped a beat, as he anticipated her response. Her eyes fell damp, heart muted. She took him in for a hug.
Clark laughed softly. "Does that mean you like the place?"
She backed away from him. "No, it means I love you too, Clark."
He sighed a relieved one, and they embraced momentarily for a passionate kiss. He ran his fingers, wildly, through her hair, she slowly pulled back to look at him.
"Clark, I still don't understand why you felt the need to tell me here of all places."
Clark shrugged. "I thought that maybe this could be our place."
"Our place?"
"Yeah." he nodded. "Lois, I don't know why I find so special, I just do. I find comfort here, just like I find it in you."
Lois smiled. "Well, if it means something to you, then it means something to me." She hugged him.
She looked around once more, wondering what he saw here that she didn't. The fierceness of the moonlight suddenly caught her eye. She tapped his shoulder and motioned for him to look back at it. For a moment, they both gazed at it, still embraced in a hug.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lois smiled.
Clark looked down to her. "Yeah." he paused, then looked back up at the moon. "Beautiful."