Lois was certain her heart was beating at an unhealthily fast rate but she had to haul it from her apartment when she got the phone call, the phone call she never expected to receive. She shook her head frantically she couldn't be thinking about that call, she needed to get to her destination safely and unharmed, if there was ever a moment in her life where she needed to be completely careful it was now. She hadn't been back in Smallville in years but she could never forget the way back to the small town three hours from the big city. The vast amounts of corn, the red barns every few miles or so, the misleading warm glow that always seemed to be present, welcoming strangers with open arms, Smallville never changed.

Lois' car tires screeched as she turned the corner into Smallville Medical Center. Once she was parked all the memories of the past few hours suddenly flooded back to her.

"Ms. Lane?" A woman asked on the other end of the phone.

"Speaking. This better be important I'm on a deadline." Lois rolled her eyes as she took a drink of soda and continued typing on her computer. She had taken the day off work to work at home. The Planet had been driving her crazy lately even in the isolation of her office she felt like the walls had been closing in on her. She was okay with the situation for two years but suddenly she was having problems? She didn't know what was wrong with her and hoped that working at home would be able to clear her head a bit.

"Ms. Lane we have a Mr. Clark Kent here. You're the first person on his emergency contact list." Lois' heart and stomach simultaneously dropped to the floor. Clark was in the hospital? How was that possible? Clark never was in the hospital, he was invincible after all, well for the most part. There was that one time as Superman but that didn't last long.

"Clark? Oh my god is he okay?" Lois panicked. Sure she and Clark may have broken up but she would never stop loving Clark and she would protect him however she could until the day she died.

"He's been shot Ms. Lane he's in intensive care. If it's possible I would say get here as soon as you can." Lois hung up immediately and dialed Perry's number telling him whether he approved it or not she was going to need an extension because she needed to be there for Clark.

Lois looked up at the hospital and felt as if the weight of the world had been dropped on her shoulders. She locked her car and ran through the automatic doors through the halls that were so familiar to her. She reached the nurses station out of breath, not that she was out of shape but she was freaking out. "Hi, I'm Lois Lane, I was called about Clark Kent. Can I see him?"

"Ms. Lane, I'm so happy you came." A doctor rounded the corner. She was young, around Lois' age, thirty, and didn't look too grim, that was a good sign.

"Is he okay? Can I see him?" Lois rattled off questions like it was her job.

The doctor smiled at Lois reassuringly, "We've stabilized him but he's expected to be unconscious for a few days, he lost a lot of blood."

"So, so he's in a coma?" Lois asked her voice above a whisper.

"Something like that, but we're ninety eight percent sure he's going to pull out of it in a few days. Mr. Kent is in extremely good health." The doctor replied.

"And what about the other two percent?" Lois asked tears shining through her eyes. "What if he doesn't wake up?"

"Ms. Lane." The doctor said placing a hand on Lois' shoulder for comfort. "I see no reason why Mr. Kent shouldn't make a full recovery."

Lois' brain was definitely working in overdrive mode because the vague explanation was enough for her, she simply nodded her head and repeated a question that had yet to be answered, "Can I see him?"

"Room 214." The Doctor nodded her head. "Please talk to him, he may be able to hear you, and maybe a familiar voice will pull him out of it sooner."

Lois nodded her head before turning to the direction of Clark's room. When she reached it her heart broke. She looked in through the glass windows and open blinds at Clark Kent lying motionless in the hospital bed. Lois closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, she reached for the door handle and opened the door. She couldn't bear the look at the bed just yet, she closed the door behind her and shut the blinds leaving the two of them closed off from the outside world. Gaining her courage Lois turned to the unconscious man, and all her walls came crashing down. In two steps Lois was at his side grabbing his hand, kissing his fingers. It was the first time she had really touched Clark in far too long, she had spent so much time avoiding Clark and trying not to cross paths with him that she never really thought there would be a day where she could possibly loose him, mainly because she never thought it could happen.

When she moved her eyes up to his face her breath hitched, as it always did when she laid eyes on Clark Kent. His beautiful blue green eyes were closed and shielded by his long dark lashes, his nose was perfectly shaped yet tubes were stuck inside it to assist his breathing, his lips were slightly parted and his normally sun kissed skin was startlingly pale. Lois took a breath and remembered what the doctor had told her. "You know Clark, you normally render me speechless for a completely different reason." The tears began to well up in Lois' eyes and steadily fall down her cheeks. "How can someone so strong end up here? Looking so fragile." She traced the angles of his masculine face before cupping his cheek tenderly. Lois decided she did not care if she was supposed to stay out of the bed with him, she couldn't do it. She lifted his arm and gently sat next to his side placing his hand in her lap.

"You know I hate feeling weak Clark." Lois cried openly seeing her tears stain his blue hospital gown. "And I hate you for making me feel weak right now."

Lois wiped the tears from her cheeks quickly. "You know sometimes I would catch a glimpse of you at the Planet, with your hair slicked back and your glasses, and I would just want to run up to you and kiss you. But I couldn't. You have no idea how much I hated myself for being so stubborn and running away from you after you went to the phantom zone, I just, I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you again, I was so lost, so helpless and I hated feeling that way. And when you came back after three months I hated you so much for how I felt, I was being selfish, I let me walls build up against the one person they should never be up around, you. I never let you off the hook, I was wrong Clark. I was so wrong." Lois took a breath not bothering to try and stop her tears anymore. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I can't ask you for it. Maybe I ruined everything. But I just want you to know I still love you, and will always love you Clark Kent, you will always be my only one. I know you've been spending time with Lana and I'm happy for you if anyone deserves to be happy its you."

Lois leaned in and gently kissed his lips the saltiness of her tears mixing with the natural taste of his own lips. Lois startled when she heard the door knob turn behind her, she quickly pulled back from Clark's lips still keeping his hand tucked in her own.

"Lois." Lois heard a startled feminine voice behind her, the voice of Lana Lang. "I didn't think you'd be here."

Lois discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes before turning to face Lana. "Yes well apparently I'm the first person on Clark's emergency contact list. I came as soon as I heard."

"Yeah when I got to the farm a few minutes ago Clark's neighbor told me he saw an ambulance leaving the Kent Farm today." Lana half smiled knowing this was an awkward conversation. "Do you know what happened?"

"Apparently Clark was shot, they don't really know details, I guess Clark is really the only one who could give answers." The tension in the room was too much for Lois, she smiled and moved around Lana, "Well I guess I'm not needed now. I'll leave you alone."

As she exited the room Lois gave one final look back to Clark, frowned and exited the room.

After a day and a half of pulling double duty, writing her expose for the Planet and calling every connection she had to get anything she could on what happened to Clark, Lois was exhausted. Usually she was the type who could pull forty-eight hours with no sleep but it was getting to her. Lois entered her apartment, threw her keys in the key dish and hung her coat up next to the door. She was starving but was too tired to make anything, even though "making" was really tossing something in the microwave.

Lois sat herself on the table and pulled out a bundle of papers she had gotten from the Smallville police department about Clark and his case. Apparently Clark was shot while minding his own business on the farm, and according to high sources it was because Clark had been investigating and trying to bust one of the biggest drug rings in Metropolis. But things still weren't lining up for Lois, Clark was invulnerable and faster than a speeding bullet, how he could have gotten shot was beyond her. Especially since the drug ring leaders were going after Clark Kent and not Superman, so that swiped away the possibility that someone knew about Clark and Kryptonite.

All the missing pieces were starting to give Lois a headache. Lois ran her fingers through her tousled hair and took a deep breath and stood up to head to her bedroom. Lois contemplated turning her bedroom into an office, she didn't sleep there much, for the past year or so Lois had slept on the couch or even in her office. Clark used to tell her that she was his tie to humanity but that went for Lois also, without Clark Lois was just a workaholic, she didn't know anything else. When she had lost Clark she immediately threw herself back into her work, not allowing room for much else. Lois opened one of her drawers and pulled out the plaid shirt that she had been sleeping in for the past few days, it was one of two things she kept of Clark's. She pulled the oversized plaid shirt over her head before her eyes fell on a small black velvet box that was tucked away in the corner of the same drawer. Lois reached back and pulled it out, flipping the top open to reveal a glistening diamond ring, the engagement ring Clark had given her two years ago. She couldn't bear to let it go, Lois thought if she gave the ring back it would mean it was really over. Lois took the beautiful platinum band and average sized diamond from its protective casing and slipped it onto her ring finger smiling appreciatively at the sight.

Suddenly Lois felt as if she was being watched she swiftly turned around and froze. She must have been dreaming, this couldn't have been a reality. Standing outside on her balcony was the man that had plagued her thoughts for days, and if she was being honest with herself, years. Clark Kent stood there in his casual clothes, not his Superman suit and not the attire he wore at the Planet, he was dressed like the real Clark Kent.

For a moment they simply stared at one another, afraid that whoever made the first move would scare the other away. Tentatively Lois took a step towards the French doors, the only thing that stood between them. When Clark didn't move Lois abruptly pulled the doors open and took two steps back recreating the distance between them. "I heard you were in the hospital, is everything okay?"

"I know you were there Lois." Clark said softly.

Lois pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, Lana must have told Clark that she was there. "Yeah well you know, they called me and practically forced me to come see you. I couldn't let you just rot away in a hospital, remember Smallville, one save at a time."

"I heard everything you said." Clark let a small smile creep onto his face. He knew exactly what Lois was doing, and he wasn't going to let her.

Lois sighed, "Clark honestly I was there for like two seconds and Lana came in, I didn't have much time to say anything."

"You didn't let me off the hook Lois, so I'm going to repay you the same courtesy." Clark said using a bit of dialogue Lois had said to him while he was unconscious. "I still love you, and will always love you Lois Lane, you will always be my only one."

Lois' eyes began to tear up a bit at his precise repetition of her own words. She knew now he wasn't lying he indeed heard every word, every private confession she made and never expected him to actually hear. Lois turned her back to him and took a few steps towards the dresser, her fingers twirling her old ring mindlessly. "Is it true Lois, did you really mean everything you said?"

She could feel Clark had crossed the threshold and was standing close to her, she could feel the pull to him, feel his own body heat. Lois tried to find her voice before speaking, "Even if it was true Clark it doesn't matter. You're with Lana again, and like I said I can't ask for your forgiveness because I do not deserve it."

"Lois you matter to me, more than anything. You deserve the world. And I'm not with Lana, she just broke up with her fiancé, they were together for six years, living in France. She came back to Smallville to get away from all the memories, she lives with her aunt Nell. Lana is my friend but there is nothing between us. Lois you know I don't love Lana." Clark explained taking another step towards her so there were only inches between them. He could reach out and touch her, something he'd wanted to do for so long.

"How could you possibly forgive me for how I treated you?" Lois cried quickly covering her mouth with her hand to silence her sounds.

"Because I know you Lois, and I love you. How I left was wrong, I didn't tell you my plans, and I never do that. It was like I was back in the shadows again, not being able to tell you what I planned on doing for fear of hurting you. I didn't blame you for hating me when I came back. I never stopped loving you Lois." Clark looked over Lois' shoulder seeing her turning the ring he had given her. "And I never gave up hope because you never gave me the ring back. As petty as it sounds I held out hope because you kept the ring."

Lois let out a small sigh, "So are you saying we've been apart all this time because we just wouldn't communicate with one another?"

"Well I tried to communicate, you shot me down." Clark said lightly trying to lighten the mood. He was still so close to her, yet they weren't touching and it was killing him. "Lois look at me."

"I can't." Lois said softly.

"Why not?"

"Because if I turn around and look at you I'll just want to jump into your arms and kiss you until I can't breath." Lois chuckled wiping some stray tears from her cheeks. "What were you doing in the hospital anyway?"

Clark smiled softly at her stubbornness. "Well I'm sure you noticed Superman has been making less and less appearances. Do you know why Lois?" Lois shook her head. "Because you're my tie to humanity Lois, without you I'm just an alien…"

"Intergalactic traveler." Lois corrected, she always hated the term "alien" in regards to Clark, it just felt so tasteless.

"Without you I am just a super powered man who has otherworldly abilities, the human side of me is non-existent. So I decided to take a break, obviously I can't just walk away I still helped but I wasn't Superman all day every day like before. I wore a blue kryptonite watch almost constantly, trying desperately to find my humanity another way. It didn't work. And I guess I angered the wrong people when I was on the brink of busting that drug ring because they found me, I was fixing the tractor in the barn…"

"That tractor still isn't fixed?" Lois chuckled softly, which caused Clark to do the same.

"They shot me, three times. Luckily my cell was in my pocket and I dialed 911. And then the hospital called you." Clark said quietly.

"And they nearly gave me a heart attack, do you know how worried I was when I got that phone call? I never thought I'd have to hear that call! How could you be so reckless to wear that watch when you were investigating such a dangerous story?" Lois began to yell at him. Finally she turned around and faced him, looked him dead in the eyes. "What if I had lost you forever! I would have went to my grave never telling you how I felt!"

Clark's eyes sparkled and he smiled wide. He knew this was it, the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship. Clark grabbed Lois' upper arms and pulled her into him, crashing his lips to hers. It almost mirrored their first kiss in the bullpen of the Daily Planet all those years ago. Clark felt Lois melt into the kiss, she reached up and cupped his cheek relishing in the feeling of his lips on hers. It made her weak in the knees and completely light headed. Before Lois knew what was happening he scooped Lois up in his arms and took off out the balcony window up through the clouds towards the stars. Finally Clark pulled away from Lois, looking down into her eyes. "I've missed you Lois Lane."

"I've missed you more than you know Clark Kent." Lois smiled up at him tucking her head under his chin. "So we're okay? Are we back?"

"We are better than okay." Clark smiled as he grabbed Lois' hand and allowed her to float on the air with minimal help from him.

"Just promise me one thing Clark." Lois turned her head to him.

"Anything."

"Next time you plan on vacationing in the phantom zone, please tell me."

"I promise you I will tell you everything, I don't know what I was thinking." Clark smiled bashfully.

"Yes well, I don't know what I was thinking by not listening to your explanation." Lois shrugged her shoulder.

Clark swiftly pulled Lois to him, her face inches from his own and Clark claimed her lips once more. They kissed as the stars and moon shone down on them providing the perfect backdrop which was reminiscent of their first flight together. But all the beautiful details paled in comparison to the love that was once again sparked between the two of them, and the emotions they finally openly expressed with one another once more.