"Welcome to the planet" said Lois and for one brief moment Clarke was filled with panic, until he saw her wry smile.
"It's great to be here Lois" he could hear her heart beat a little faster as he held her gaze. It had been two weeks since he had been forced to take the life of General Zod and repairing the damage caused by the Earth Engine had kept him from her. The brief moments they had been together since had been awkward and stilted, too short for them to talk about anything that really mattered. Now here they were working together at The Daily Planet. Clarke became aware that he had perhaps been gazing at her for too long but thankfully Lois, ever the professional, collected herself and began barking instructions at the nearest intern.
"So Clarke, I guess you're with me, grab a chair and sit down, we've got a lot to do today."
The day sped by as Lois showed him how the paper worked and introduced him to the rest of the staff. They were a great team but Clarke longed for the day to end so that he and Lois could talk. Never had he felt this way about anyone before. Not only did she know who and what he was but she had kept his secret, sheltered and cared for him like no-one other than his parents had ever done. His sleep had been tormented with nightmares of Zod but always the memory of Lois was there to counter the terror and sadness. The devastation at taking the life of another living being was countered by the joy of finally meeting a person with whom he could share everything perhaps even love. He had never had a close friend let alone an intimate relationship, he just hadn't been able to take the risk. The kiss he shared with Lois had been his first and it had changed him. He had resigned himself to a life of solitude until she came along and changed everything. Now, for the first time, he had hope that he wouldn't spend his life alone.
"You ready to quit Clarke?" Lois' voice cut through his reverie, he checked his watch, it was 6pm.
"Do you have any plans this evening Lois?" he put on his jacket and picked his bag and they headed towards the lift.
"Um, no, not really, you?" the doors opened and they stepped inside, alone for the first time all day.
"I was hoping you might like to have dinner, I think there are a few things we need to talk about." He smiled at her and took her hand. Lois squeezed his fingers and smiled back at him.
"I think that sounds like a really great idea." The doors opened and they separated, unspoken the need to keep their budding relationship a secret, and headed out the door.