Author's Note: I do not own the characters. This story omits the crazy villagers plot because the car never suffered flat tyres on the drive up.
THE LONG DRIVE HOME.
Chapter 1.
The weather forecasts had predicted for the rain to hold off until much later that night but come mid-afternoon, the winds had picked up and moved the weather front along, so people were now scrambling for shelter as the downpour became torrential. Lush grassy fields were slowly turning into mud baths and the large tents and marquees were being pummelled by the driving wind and rain.
Clark and Lois had driven way out into the sticks on an assignment to cover a cherry festival which was being held at a farm a 4-hour drive north, having set off from the Talon at 6:00 in the morning. The previous day had been a momentous one for both of them because Clark had finally told Lois his secret. Lois had already had confirmation that he was indeed the Blur which made him an even bigger hero in her eyes, but learning that he was from another planet altogether was something that had left her speechless. For Clark, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He'd wanted Lois to know about him for so long but could never find the right time or the right words. Lois' reaction to his disclosure was one he hadn't expected because it was one of total delight. Just thinking of how her face lit up made his own face light up. Yesterday had left them both basking in the afterglow.
Amongst the many things they'd talked about on the drive up, one of the first was when each of them realised that the other was everything they'd been looking for. Clark repeated the words he'd used when saying goodbye to Lois in the loft prior to battling with Zod. He mentioned how he'd more or less severed his ties to humanity when Lois had gone missing for three weeks following Doomsday's attack. It wasn't until the possibility that Lois was dead reared its head that it dawned on him how much she meant to him. Saving the monorail from crashing into the street below and seeing her again was the moment he felt he might be able to reconnect with humanity after all. Lois' ecstatic reaction in the bullpen when he returned to work rammed home the message loud and clear - he was in love with Lois Lane.
For Lois, she brought up how scared she was for Clark when he was being tortured by the psychotic jeweller, and the thought that he might die brought on the realisation that she loved him. She'd feared for her own life when strapped to the chair and forced to answer the madman's questions but seeing Clark sat opposite her in so much pain cut her deeply. She categorically stated that she was not in love with him at that point. That moment had come just before Chloe's wedding but she'd silently been relying on him for weeks beforehand. He was her go-to guy when Sebastian Kane tried to kill her, and also in her weird dream where the two of them were trapped on some inhospitable alien planet with two suns. The moment when she truly realised how she felt was when Clark had handed Chloe her 'something borrowed' for her wedding day. It was such as amazing thoughtful gesture that it really opened Lois' eyes.
The farm had acres upon acres of cherry orchards and was owned by the state's largest fruit producer. Tess Mercer had offered Clark the chance to cover the festival for the Daily Planet and he'd roped Lois along. It hadn't taken much convincing since she wanted to spend more time in the company of her on-again boyfriend, though he did initially neglect to mention anything about the Vigilante Registration Act rally that was due to take place in Metropolis on the same weekend - the coverage of which had been reassigned to the very much pro-VRA Cat Grant. Talking about it on the drive up had resulted in Lois becoming a little bit peeved at what she deemed to be Clark's over-protectiveness.
During the day, they'd spent time walking around the orchards as part of a guided tour with the farm's owner, whom they'd interviewed for part of their article, learning among other things that the farm grew ten different varieties of cherry. They also noted the vast difference in quality between a freshly picked cherry and the ones that could be purchased as 'fresh' in stores. They were shown around the small factory next door which produced local cherry wine as well as cherry-flavoured beers. It provided a good income for the farm during the winter months as the alcohol was sold around the country and even exported. The article would never amount to anything more than filler but Clark had also wanted to spend time away from Metropolis with Lois.
There were the usual activities associated with country festivals so visitors could sample and buy cherry-based food and drink plus regular food like hot dogs, burgers, cotton candy and so on. They could also visit the small fairground where the usual attractions could be found. Clark and Lois had each tried some homemade cherry pie which they agreed was genuinely amazing, so they bought some to take back with them. It was an excellent alternative to the pumpkin pie usually served at Thanksgiving. At the fairground, Clark had a go at the strongman game at Lois' request, purposely not striking the hammer down hard enough to ring the bell at the top lest he break it. She had wanted him to go for the top prize which was a giant teddy bear dressed in military uniform, complete with a plastic machine gun and bandolier. He'd smirked at her before striking the hammer down only hard enough to win a bulldog soft toy little bigger than her hand. Lois had stood there mock pouting with her arms crossed as Clark attempted to hand over the prize. After that, Lois had had a go at the shooting gallery, winning a rubber duck for Clark. They were teasing each other and having fun - very much the young couple in love.
By the time the rain came, they'd more or less seen everything there was to see but they still had to sprint to their car. Clark had wanted to keep the roof up while it was locked but Lois had suggested they leave the roof down because it was a hot day and wasn't supposed to rain. Clark got to the car first, starting the engine and closing the electric roof. The interior of the car had gotten fairly wet, as did Lois and Clark. Her dark brown jacket hadn't offered much protection from the rain as she pulled it up over her head, and she'd also wanted to protect her toy bulldog because it didn't come in a plastic bag. Clark had foregone a jacket altogether so his shirt was soaked through as he carried the bags filled with food and their notes.
They sat in the car laughing about wet bottoms, and Lois looked at Clark with his wet hair and face, and then at the muscles showing through his blue shirt as it clung to him. He looked like a model from a cologne advert, not that this was a bad thing. Dress shirts worked so well on him, wet or dry, that she felt grateful that he'd given up the farm life for a job in the big city. She remembered his first day on the job when she'd transformed him from the farmboy in plaid into the smart young reporter.
"It's a good job we left the roof down given how dry it's been," said Clark sarcastically.
She gave him a sidelong glance to acknowledge him before teasing back, "Well, at least Clarkie stayed nice and dry. Didn't you boy?" She made the toy bulldog stare and nod at Clark before cuddling it against her cheek.
Clark shook his head and chuckled before looking Lois right in the eyes. Getting curious, she piped up, "What?"
"Admit it Lois, you had fun today," said Clark as he ran his hands through his wet hair and over his face. The rain was still pounding down outside and it had got very dark.
She sighed and smiled. "I'm still a bit annoyed that you thought keeping me away from the VRA rally was in my best interest." Looking at Clark frowning, she added, "But, all in all it was a nice change of pace. We got the job done and we got to have some fun and I don't know about you, but it feels like there hasn't been very much fun to be had lately."
Clark visibly relaxed. "All the VRA stuff has been getting me down, you're right. It's hard to have to remain in the shadows yet still be seen a something positive. While it means I can keep my secret intact, there are too many people pushing the idea of vigilantes as terrorists and claiming that I'm some sort of threat. I'm not."
"Clark, you have had to hide who you really are for a very good reason. I used to bust your chops because I thought you were brooding for no good reason and looking like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, but now I know who you are and what you can do, I understand why you often felt that way." She put her hand over his, which was resting on the gearshift. "It must have been so hard knowing that you're the only one of your kind, and having to lie to people to protect something as huge as your secret."
Clark lifted his thumb over the top of her hand to stroke it gently. "I once told you that sometimes you didn't know me at all, yet at others you knew me better than anyone. Count this as one of those times." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"Yeah, and I said I was here for one save at a time. Count this as one of those times, Smallville!" She kissed him back.
The rain had eased off enough to make driving away from the festival safer, so Clark put on the lights and they slowly headed off to make their way back to Smallville. First stop, the Talon.