They are all together, an unhappy family, and the tension rolls in like thunder, their words crackling through the house like lightning. Clark, Lois, Lucy, Sam – each of them part of the storm breaking over their heads.
The General's final words wound Clark but what hurts more than anything is Lois turning away from him and leaving, leaving him behind. Is his heart breaking? It feels like it. He doesn't have long to dwell on it because Tess and duty calls him so he runs, runs as fast as he can to try and rid his mind of the look on her face when she said sorry.
His heart almost stops when he realises that the target to be eliminated isn't him, but Sam. He's been a target so many times he's lost count, but if Lois lost her father…. He runs again, pushing himself the whole way to Smallville and then his heart really does stop, because the figure caught in the fire blasting its way through the tiny apartment above the Talon isn't Sam, but Lois.
His quick hands pull her out of the way; she whispers "Clark" knowing he is protecting her, and he sets her safely on the ground outside. Out of habit (and to make a point to the General) he burns the symbol of his family into the wall opposite the destroyed building and speeds away to the farm to take a deep breath of relief that she is alright. He needs to do something, anything, before he goes crazy and heads out to the barn to do some work on the tractor that he's been neglecting, waiting all the while on the moment that she comes back to him.
He's so focused on fixing the tractor, keeping the outside world and his inner turmoil at bay, that he doesn't hear the car pulling into the yard. Only the slam of a door and a call of "Clark!" pull him from the world of nuts and bolts that he has shrunk into. Long strides take him to the door and he sees her running towards him, a blur of hair and jeans and fear and love. He has two seconds to do something before she slams into him at full speed and hurts herself, so he bends his knees and picks her up with his quick hands.
They hold onto each other for a long moment, both wishing they could stay this way always.
His arm is curled round her waist pulling her close to him, his other hand holding her head and he doesn't want her to leave, ever. Her arms are flung round his shoulders as tight as she can because she didn't want to leave him and doesn't want to, ever. His face is buried in her shoulder and she smells of the smoke of the fire that almost took her away from him for good.
Lois is the first one to pull back slightly, but Clark is the first one to speak. "Are you alright?" he asks softly, and she nods before leaning in to kiss him. "Thank you," she whispers, the spell of the moment making both of them quiet. For another long moment they look at each other; Lois eases herself out of Clark's grip to go back to the house and check on her family, but Clark catches her hand and pulls her to him to kiss her again before releasing her. He watches her go the whole way.
Dinner is declared to be a success by everyone, which makes Lois blush; she blushes even more when Clark gives her a long lingering kiss on his way to washing the dishes, in front of her dad and everybody. Lucy takes over Mrs Kent's old room and the General opts to bunk on the couch, waving away the protests of Lois and Clark.
Clark goes outside to check all is well on the farm before going to bed, but a cry for help interrupts his domestic routine. He runs and runs, pulling people from the wreck of a car and taking them to a hospital before they even realise where they are. When he screeches to a halt at the back door of the farm, he smiles to himself because, old-fashioned that he is, he has remembered he is coming home to Lois and marvels (not for the first time) at how his life has turned out.
She is already in bed but not asleep when he sticks his head round the door. He takes a quick shower and brushes his teeth before crawling into bed beside her, lying on his side so he can look at her all he wants.
"Everything ok?" she asks, running her hand down the arm that is draped over her waist. The other slides under her so he can hold her closer and he breathes her in. "There was an accident on the interstate out of Metropolis, but everything's ok," he tells her with a smile, happy to stay this way beside her forever.
Her eyes sparkle so brightly they light up the room as she says, biting her lip, "I'm in the mood to finish what we started earlier." His silence comes as a surprise and she tilts her head, confused. "…and you're… not? Smallville?" she adds, running her hand down his chest.
He tries to put what he feels into words. "Just for now, I want to hold you. I… I didn't like you having to leave. And I'm sorry that you felt you had to choose between me and your dad."
She shakes her head and says, urgency edging her voice, "No, Clark, it's ok. You were right, I should've stood up to him. And I did, right before my apartment got blown to hell," she finishes mournfully.
He smiles. "I know. Your dad told me… about you standing up to him, I mean."
"So we're good?" she asks lightly. Their argument is over and differences are resolved; no point in dwelling on it.
He nods and kisses her, putting everything that he's ever told her and some things he hasn't into the pressure of his lips against hers.
"I love you," he whispers, pulling her closer. "I love you," she whispers back, and he doesn't think he will ever quite believe that of all the people Lois could have loved, it's him.
They lie wrapped up in each other for a long time until Lois falls asleep. Clark needs less sleep and contents himself with studying her face, mentally tracing the line of her jaw and the curve of her eyebrow. He shifts both of them so they are sharing the same pillow and covers her with most of the quilt.
He'll make love to her in the morning; for now, he is content to hold her, his calm in the storm.