Don't Take Your Love Away From Me
The lights went down low and the music changed to a much dramatic melody. Lois Lane looked to her left and noticed Clark Kent standing there, watching her with his signature half smile.
She sighed. "Well, I guess I can give these well heeled puppies a rest."
She tried to glide right past him but felt something unexpected. He'd grabbed her hand before she could fully get away.
He smiled softly nodding his head towards the dance floor. It was just like Clark to not actually ask her to dance.
She smiled awkwardly as he pulled her closer to his body.
As the music continued to play, they both swayed together to it when another couple bumped Lois into Clark causing them to stop dancing altogether. And that's when she noticed it. There was something different in his eyes. Something she'd never seen before, not directed toward her anyway. She searched his eyes as if trying to make sure that she wasn't seeing something her subconscious wanted her to see. As she lifted her hand to touch his chest she found herself leaning in closer to him.
For a moment she remembered Jimmy's words from earlier that day.
"Maybe you need to jump his lily pad and plant one on him…"
She realized Clark too was leaning in to her. She thought, this is it, I'm going to kiss Clark Kent!
"Oh my God…", she heard Chloe say just as Clark pulled away from her, "no way!"
And with that the moment was lost.
Lana Lang had made a surprised appearance and that's when Lois saw it. The same look that was in Clark's eyes a moment ago. Only this time, he wasn't looking at her.
*-*-*-*-*
Lois needed some air, and she found herself on the Kent's front porch away from the reception. Seeing a waiter walk towards her with Champaign she took a bottle from his tray.
"Great. Thank you."
She sat on a small couch and took a sip straight from the bottle.
"Want a glass with that?"
Lois turned her head to see Oliver Queen smiling at her.
"Oliver", she smiled, "just the person I wanted to see right now."
Laughing, "So, want to tell me what started this lost weekend?"
"Go and enjoy the party", she said, "trust me. It'll be a real buzz kill to watch me whine like Patsy Kline."
"Yeah you're probably right", he said sitting down, "you know, I may not be at the top of your confidant list but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
She smiled at his sincerity and decided she really did need someone to confide in. Since Chloe was currently enjoying her wedding and Clark was… Well, Oliver was the only one around.
She set the bottle on a small table. "I'm just having all these feelings and I don't know what they mean."
"Oh", he said, "who's the lucky guy?"
"Having this conversation with an ex is bad enough without turning up the awkward dial."
He laughed and smiled at her. "You know, there's moving on in theory and there's the moment that it actually happens. If you like, we could start now, and I'll just be a really good friend."
Lois smiled because he was trying. "Okay."
Oliver smiled encouraging her to talk about it.
"It's like I was just going along and it just snuck up on me. And I tried to ignore it but there are just these moments when you can't."
She remembered the moment he'd grabbed her hand right before pulling her to dance with him.
"Maybe I was reading it wrong. And add insult to injury it all went down at tonight tribute to romantic bliss."
She remembered how it felt when he pulled away from her, and saw Lana for the first time in months. That moment was forever branded in her memory, breaking her heart over and over again.
"I know it sounds sappy, but I thought just for a minute, someone needed me."
"Oh, I'm sure he needs you, Lois", Oliver said confidently.
"That's sweet of you to say, but how do you know", she asked.
"Because, I know Clark", he said smiling.
Lois leaned in and lowered her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Oliver."
*-*-*-*-*
Lois walked into the hospital hallway. She didn't know what to do. She'd just spoken to Jimmy's doctor who'd told her he was being transferred and her cousin was missing. She rounded the corner and noticed the door to a room open, inside she found Clark sitting at Lana's bedside. She didn't hear their conversation, but their actions spoke louder than words anyway. Clark's hand was perched on Lana's shoulder in such an intimate position, Lois felt she'd walked in on a romantic reconciliation for the two of them. She backed away and leaned against the wall, trying to hold her tears.
She was not usually like this. She was not one to have school girl crushes. Especially not for Clark! She closed her eyes as she remembered earlier that night how she felt when she was dancing with him.
Seconds must have passed, because Clark had already walked out of Lana's room, but to her it felt like it'd been hours that he'd been in there.
"Lois?"
She turned to face him.
"How you holding up?"
"Jimmy's in bad shape. "
"The nurse said they had him stabilized", Clark said.
"But he's not out of the woods", she said quickly, "he has severe internal bleeding and they're evacuating him to Star City to one of the country's top surgeons."
Clark's gaze lowered.
"I'm going to go with him", she stated.
He jerked his head back.
"You're leaving?"
"I'll stay there until I hear from Chloe."
"Lois…"
"Why did this have to happen to her? Why do these terrible things keep happening all around us?"
Clark pulled her to him.
"I promise, we're going to get Chloe back."
"What if we can't."
"Lois", he covered her cheeks with his hands, "I promise you right here, right now, I'm going to find her."
"I believe you."
"Just don't give up on us."
She lowered her head, somewhere deep down she'd secretly hoped his words had a double meaning.
"Clark," Lois said tears forming in her eyes as she looked into his, "I know you'll do whatever it takes to get her back. But I can't be here right now. I have to go. I'm sorry."
She turned to walk away, leaving Clark standing there dumbfounded.
Lois stopped walking and turned back around. She walked back towards Clark and leaned in giving him a very soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. She knew she lingered a little longer than usual, but she didn't know when or even if she'd see him again.
She breathed in his scent, as she hugged him again; she memorized him in that moment and turned around to walk away for good.
Clark saw her round the corner and lifted his hand to touch his cheek. It was still burning where her lips had been. He looked into Lana's room and noticed she'd seen the entire exchange between him and Lois.
Lana turned her head back towards her leg that was being stitched.
Clark looked straight ahead at the exit Lois left from. He started walking towards that same exit. For some reason he felt like he was walking slower than anyone normal.
Clark reached the parking lot and realized for the first time that it was raining.
Lois was gone and for a reason he could not place, deep inside, he wondered if he'd ever see her again.