Prologue

Lois Lane sighed, out of pure frustration, as she looked, unobserved, at the man she had begun to feel something for. He was brooding, as usual, but this was because of earlier, with them, and she didn't know what to do.

Not that she hadn't given this morning, a great deal of thought, she had. She had had a lot of time to think today and she was thankful that he knew her enough to give her some time and space. But, his face, searching for her understanding and acceptance had nearly derailed the run she had needed.

She'd wondered when her feelings had changed towards him. Then, mid run, she'd realised that they hadn't so much changed, as matured.

First, she'd been bored, then she'd been intrigued at meeting him face to erm… face, after that she'd gone through a myriad of emotions that ended in their friendship; and now they were here, on the edge of a new frontier.

Who would have ever guessed that hot fudge and halibut would go together?

When she had first heard his name from her cousin, she'd been supportive of her cousins crush, but pretty soon, she'd gotten bored of the constant stories and descriptions of this mysterious Clark Kent.

His eyes are like oceans of blue light that drew you in. Lois had doubted it then; thinking her description to be born out of love and romanticism rather than journalistic fact. But now she saw it. Retrospectively she'd kicked herself because when they met, she should have known him by his eyes. It was weird the way they had followed her so unguardedly. She'd chalked it up to his not knowing who he was. They often glazed at her now and pierced her soul, even though they both knew he had been keeping something back.

He's so tall Lo, and he's built like a Greek god; all tall and all muscle. Like someone chiselled him from stone or steel, it's as if someone dreamed him into being. Now, she smiled to herself.

Chloe really has no idea how well build Smallville was!

At the time, she remembered joking with her cousin that no one could be that good looking. But then, she'd met him in that field, as naked as a Greek nudist god on holiday. Leaving her imagination only the task of figuring out why a Greek nudist god would holiday in a Kansas cornfield.

She had to agree with her cousin; Smallville was built well.

And he's so smart Lo not like some brainless jock, even though he could be a jock because… Chloe, now award winning journalist, had endlessly gushed. Lois had laughed at this, especially when she'd first lived with him. Intellectually, even though to begin with (without Chloe) he had been smart enough, he was just lazy. Sometimes, usually when they fought, he demonstrated a reflex intellect, a spark that matched, sometimes surpassing, her own intelligence. Other than that, he demonstrated a level of intellectual laziness that astounded her.

And as for the jock part; well he had been a jock for a while. He looked good in the uniform, even in the red and yellow letterman jacket, but his heart was never really in it; which was strange because it was clear that he dearly loved the game. She now knew why. In every game he played, he had had to hold so much of it back that if he gave himself into the fun of the game, it could be dangerous for himself and his secret but also those around him.

He always seems to be there when I need him; Chloe has sighed in a voice that wasn't her own. That one she had to give Chloe. Lois herself had developed the habit of getting into jams and he was always there to help (even though it was completely unwarranted most of the time).

Lois had been startled to realise that, within a year of knowing him, she had put him on the same pedestal, if not a little lower, that everyone else had. The same pedestal that she had privately complained about when she'd first met him. Not that she was going to tell him that she held him in such high esteem.

She told herself that she compared every guy physically to him because he had the best body of anyone she'd ever seen. The fact the he had effortlessly lifted her, moving her out of his way, made him seem all the more fascinating to her.

But, why has he gone from being Smallville to being…

"Smallville!" she sighed quietly to herself.

"Hi Lois" he said turning around fixing her with those doe eyes. Instantly, she knew that he'd known she was there as she'd hesitated on the stairs, and waited for her to be ready to talk before acknowledging her presence. Suddenly, she was grateful he knew her so well.

Lois gulped and smiled weakly as she walked towards him.

"That was hardly audible…" she exclaimed. "Is that something else you can… do?" when he nodded, she let out another frustrated sigh and proceed to sit on the couch. "Is the brooding about earlier with… er…" she gulped "us or the Lana thing?"

"What do you think?" he almost laughed looking away from her.

"Well, Smallville" she started getting ready for a dose of Lana bashing. "The problem with Lana was that you fell for the dream rather than the real person." Lois said putting her feet up, playing with her hair that had gone wilder in the wind. Clark turned around and rolled her eyes waiting her to finish.

"And before you say anything and try to defend her remember what we've learned about her. She's murdered someone… He ex boyfriends mother, no less and allowed her now ex husband and current lover, to cover it up. Remember that time she got super strength and threw me across the room? Well that whole incident proves that she's a psychopath, messed up but that's not your fault. We all make choices and those were hers. She always expected someone to be their and save her when you have to take some responsibly for yourself and not act like a victim." Her eyes shifted to look at him.

"Always whining and pouting; complaining that people leave her. You know when we first met, I thought she was alright. A stand up broad but now..." she said small and earnestly. And suddenly Lana bashing had turned into something more; she needed to lighten the mood. "However, she made a much better impression on me then you did..!" she teased.

"Hey, in my defence" he said smiling that endearing smile of his while putting his hand up. "I had no clue who I was! And I still don't know why I was naked! My last memory, before the missing time, I'm certain I had clothes on. For all I know, you could have taken advance of me." he smiled. She smiled back at him. "And another thing, I wasn't thinking about her" he said emotionlessly." I was thinking about you… about us. And what I'm going to do…"

"What do you mean? What are you going to do Smallville?" Lois shouted standing up her hands shooting to her hips. "This should be our decision Clark. After everything we've been through."

"What you mean all the times you've bust my chops? All the times I've saved you, helped you with your stories and after break-ups. Like after AC, Ollie, Julian," Lois shot him a warning glare. "Ok Grant, Ollie again…"

"I don't want to be talking about Grant. And I certainly don't want to talk about Ollie, the future Mr Chloe. I can't believe their engaged…" she said dispassionately looking down shaking her head. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about them, Clark" she finally looking up to meet his gaze. "I want to talk about the fact… this thing…" she sighed, indicating between them, suddenly feeling like an inarticulate school girl with a crush. "This morning… and the facts… that have arisen from it" she finished lamely waiting for him to kick off the conversation by explaining himself.

"What the fact that I told you last night I'm leaving after Ollie and Chloe's wedding." He said stepping closer to her. "The fact that, we woke up together?" he whispered touching her cheek. "The fact that we kissed and you ran off?" he said with a seductive smile as their breath intermingled. "The fact that, I followed you, we kissed again." He said in a huskily as his lips lightly touched hers. She stepped back; she wasn't going to give into her desires without some explanations and he knew it. "Or the fact that; I, Clark Kent flew and it took us a while to get down." He gave her a little hopeful smile. "Then you ran off. Again!"