Happy New Year!

This was inspired by the song "Here comes the sun"

Thank you for the beta, Lilly!

I hope you all enjoy!

Please leave a review! It's my first attempt at Smallville fluff!

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right

Little darling, the smile's returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
It's all right
It's all right

"Whether you're aiming to drop four inches off your waistline, double your cash flow, or set the record for the pie eating contest at the county fair, you and everyone else in the world with an over-ambitious expectation for the new year, all have one thing in common...absolute failure."

Clark lifted his eyes from the ripped, crinkled and coffee stained sheet of paper that Lois arrogantly shoved under his nose.

"Read this out loud for me, Smallville." She had instructed him forcefully. "Then look me straight in the eye and tell me that it's not at least...second page material."

He blinked hard when she gestured for him to read on.

"The end of the year is upon us and yet most of us are still in the exact same dead end road we were on last year. We're still shopping in the plus size section, closed our savings accounts, and Bobby Benson still owns the title of the pie eating champion for the last six years. The Daily Planet's New Year's resolution success survey shows that approximately 70 percent of the population of Metropolis completely forget about their New Year's Resolution's before the end of the week."

Clark lowered the paper and gave her an expectant stare, "I think I get the point."

Lois let her arms fall to her sides. "You don't like it either?" She said with disbelief. "You and Grant Gabriel...wouldn't know a piece of great writing if a book hit you in the face."

"It's kind of morbid, Lois." Clark picked up a rag off the wooden workbench behind him. "It's not really the type of article people want to start the New Year with." He casually wiped his black, oily smeared hands on the cloth. "Gabriel didn't publish it did he?" He inclined with only a touch of sympathy in his voice.

"I wouldn't be here if he did." Lois crossed her arms sullenly and pressed her back firmly against the secure wooden door. There was revolting musty scent among the rickety termite infested, wooden walls of the barn. Lois never could understand why Clark spent so much time hiding out in loft, pretending as if he was doing something productive, messing about with his farm toys.

"What do you know anyway," She muttered, "You choose to spend your New Year's Eve alone in a barn." Lois quickly snatched back her article and placed it against her chest, flattening the wrinkles with pride. "Without alcohol."

"Well we can't all be like you, Lois." Lois cringed her neck to the side, past three prickly, square bails of stacked hay to see Clark's lower half sticking out from underneath the bottom of a red, rusty metal outline of a tractor. "Some of us have responsibilities."

"Right," She rolled her eyes dismissively. "So come out and say it." Lois hinted playfully, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"Lana is at her Aunt's house for the New Year." Clark mumbled. "We needed a little time apart."

"Uh-oh, trouble in paradise?" She pressed on.

"No...well... sort of. But let's ask a more interesting question." Clark squirmed out from underneath the tractor and stared back at her. "Why are you here?"

She snorted, "Not in the mood for company tonight, Smallville? Chloe was supposed to pick me up, but Jimmy thought it would be nice to surprise her with a candle-lit dinner...in other words she ditched me." She grinned, "So, I will be taking over your couch tonight."

Clark sighed, "Have you ever considered making your New Year's resolution to become less reliant on me?"

"Smallville, if I didn't come to you for favour's, what would we be friends for?" She quickly popped a green stick of gum from her purse into her mouth." F.Y.I, my resolution has been the same since I was fifteen."

"And?"

"To quit smoking. But that is most likely never going to happen." She tipped her head curiously, "What about you? If you're so optimistic about the whole New Year thing, you must have a pretty interesting resolution."

Clark's eyes slowly drifted from her subtle expression towards the giant, corroded metal monster looming in the dark shadowy corner. "You see this tractor?"

Lois crossed her arms, "You mean that broken down bucket of bolts that you've been devoting your attention to for the past ten minutes? Yeah, I see it alright."

Clark placed his hand on the seat of tractor, "That broken down bucket of bolts is my New Year's Resolution."

Lois narrowed her sceptic eyes carefully as she watched Clark's face turn soft.

"I should have known." Lois said with an expectant smile. "You're new best friend is a tractor. I knew you'd eventually go completely loopy once Lana had her way with you."

Clark's sentimental expression went sour at the stinging mention of Lana, "This is not just any old tractor." He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the metal beast. "When I was young, my Dad wanted to keep me away from the farm equipment. He made up a story about this tractor and he told me that it was cursed. If I touched it, I would never able to eat candy again." Clark's lips formed into a small and somewhat sad little grin, "My Dad was the only person in the entire Kent family that could start the engine without getting cursed. He said he had a secret way of getting it to start. And when it broke down last year, I'm beginning to believe that he did. I haven't been able to fix it since he died."

Lois was slightly surprised at Clark's ever so touchy feely emotional attachment to a piece of machinery.

He hadn't opened up to her so willingly since she left the warm comforts of Smallville the Kent family had offered, for the big intimidating bright city life ahead of her. She found it easing that he could still confide in her and was eager to press him for more.

"So, what does that heart warming little memory have anything to do with the New Year?"

Clark turned his back to her and began to rummage through a faded blue tarnished tool box. There was a fair amount of clanging of metal bashing together as he dug through the various nuts, bolts and odd looking thing-a-majiggs that Lois didn't recognize. "Last year, my New Year's resolution was fixing this tractor. It hasn't been used since my Dad died. I've been working on it all year. But I haven't been able to figure out how he managed to start it." Clark tipped his head down and examined the silver band around his wrist and frowned when he reported the time, "And I have exactly three and a half minutes until it's officially the New Year."

Lois felt an unusual tinkle of sympathetic for him. She couldn't help but feel impressed. It was exactly three minutes before the clock struck twelve and another year would be over. She knew that most people would be spending tonight half conscious, too busy getting wasted or getting laid in the backseat of their parent's new van. But Clark was here. Trying to continue his father's legacy, to hold onto a pat of his childhood and relive the memories. Out of the past four year's that she'd known him, she never respected him so much until now.

"Well, I suppose this proves your article to be true." Clark slammed the lid of the tool box down and a swirl of dust flew into the air. "Most resolutions are never seen through."

"You're giving up?" Lois cocked her head to the side with disappointment.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged. "I haven't been able to even find the problem. I've searched every inch of this thing. And the year is over."

"Oh, don't be such a drama king." Lois dismissed his depressing antics with a quick flick of her hair. She strode towards him and reopened the lid of the tool box. "In some cultures, it's not officially the New Year until they watch the first sunrise." She whirled around and stared at his puzzled expression with an amused grin. She let out a sigh of determination, "So, that gives you about...five and a half more hours to find out what's wrong with this thing."

Clark raised his eyebrows, "Lois, I don't think five more hours are going to make much of a difference. I've been all over every inch of this thing a hundred times-"

"That may be true, but this time you have an advantage that you didn't before...me." Lois reached into the toolbox behind her, and helped herself to a heavy, metal instrument that resembled a wrench, "Now...what do you call this thing again?"

"What's that curly, twisted spiral in the middle?"

"That's the crankshaft."

"Oh...well what about the giant, thin wheel?"

"It's a flywheel."

"That's pretty unoriginal...what are you using to tighten it?"

"...It's a screwdriver, Lois."

Lois rolled her eyes and stared up into the pitch black abyss above her. She could only make out the faint outline of shapes from the various, sprockets and gizmos which names were completely foreign to her. She knew she wasn't being much help. She could only lay flat on her back on the cold, hard ground and occasionally move the flashlight throughout the underbelly of the massive metal vehicle as Clark instructed.

At least he seemed to know what he was doing. In fact it was almost as if he could stare right thought every little sprocket and spring and analyze weather or not it was broken in about six seconds.

"So..."Lois shifted uncomfortably in the opposite direction, the still and awkward silence between them beginning to switch her into rambling mode. "How many nights have you dedicated to this?"

"More than I would like to tell you." Lois squirmed when Clark's shoulder brushed up against her own. The unnatural amount of heat that generated from his body was enough to make her realize that she couldn't actually recall being so uneasily close to him before. Funny, she thought silently. I don't think I've even seen him shiver before.

"When you were a kid," Clark shattered her suspicious thoughts, "What was New Year's like for you?"

She shrugged lamely, "Oh, pretty boring I guess. My sister and I were usually dragged to some ritzy, upper class mansion across the country just so my father could socialize with the governor, the vice president; heck...I think he even met the president on more than one occasion. Being an army brat meant that all special occasions were officially declared black tie events where everyone was to be on their best behaviour and resist the temptation to beat the crap out of the boy who thought it was funny to throw cake in my hair."

Lois turned her head towards Clark. His stare was still fixed intently up inside the tractor but there was an impish, crooked smile across his face.

"What?" Lois aimed the flashlight at his wicked little grin, "You think that was funny?"

"No. It's that I just can't picture little Lois in one of those cute pink little dresses shaking the president's hand and-"

"It wasn't pink, it was white." She retorted firmly. "Why do you care, anyway? What kind of sick torture did your country bumpkin family put you through?"

"For you're information, New Year's eve was probably one of the most exciting events at the Kent's. My Mom always used to host this huge party, not like you're classy, ballroom gatherings though. Half the town would show up and she would set up all kinds of contests and games for the kids. And at exactly the stroke of midnight my Dad would use to..." She watched his pleasant little smile fade away at the thought of his Father. The enthusiasm left his voice when he cleared his throat, "He would light fireworks out in the fields for us. New Year's used to be so magical and inspiring, you know? It was a fresh slate to work with and so much to look forward to. It was a pretty amazing celebration here..."

There was a searing wave of sadness that flooded over his expression. It didn't take much to guess that his Mother didn't really feel much like celebrating after his Father died. She could tell that Clark missed them both dearly. His simple, little country heaven disappeared all together when his Mother moved to Washington. She supposed that it didn't help that his best friends, Chloe and Jimmy were miles away in Metropolis, and that his story book fantasy with Lana didn't seem to have a happy ending. It had never occurred to her before that maybe Clark was a little lonely.

"It doesn't have to be over you know." She whispered slowly.

Clark lowered the screwdriver he'd been fiddling anxiously with during their heart-to-heart memory talk. "What?"

"Well, I mean..." Lois bit her lower lip deciding on the right words, "If I were your Dad, I wouldn't want you to be spending New Year's all alone in a barn. I'd want you to be out...hosting that party."

Clark raised an eyebrow curiously, "Me? Are you kidding?"

"If you enjoyed it so much when you were young, think of all the kids in Smallville who would like to experience a great New Year's celebration too. Instead of hiding under a broken and seemingly unfixable tractor you could be lighting those fireworks right now."

Clark said nothing for a moment, but his eyes didn't leave her face. "I don't think," He began hesitantly; "I've ever heard you say something so sentimental like that before, Lois."

Lois was startled when she felt a warm tingling sensation stream up through her veins as her hand was suddenly taken into his own. She became so fascinated by the sense of delight pumping through her body that she decided not to pull away. It was a familiar sensation, like with Oliver. Yet it was somehow different, slightly stronger, and even safer. She didn't move, too stunned at the sudden rush of emotion that clouded her thoughts. It was as if the captivating pair of bright, blue eyes shinning back at her didn't belong to the small time farm boy she'd always known. Something about the way that he was staring at her said so much more.

She felt the flowing, rush of heat beginning to swell up into her cheeks, casting a bright rosy red blush in her face. Clark's hand had now completely wrapped around her own and she felt the warm rush of his breath on her face. Her heart suddenly began to pump widely. This wasn't normal. It was right to feel this towards your friend.

A friend that already has a girlfriend. She reminded herself, even though she knew Lana wouldn't be one to step in the way.

Lois felt her heart skip a beat when the tender moment between them shattered. The pricing beeping alarm from Clark's wrist watch had gone off and forced the both of them to come down from cloud nine and take the wings off their heels.

"Uh, i-it's um..." Clark stammered, looking down at his watch. "Six o'clock. The sun will come up any minute now..."

"Right," Lois nodded breathlessly as she began to move out from underneath the tractor and out into the chilly, draft already missing Clark's warm radiance. Get a grip, Lane! Before you do something really stupid! It's Clark, for crying out loud! Lois mentally kicked herself.

"Well...I guess the tractor isn't going to get fixed this year." Clark's eyes darted shyly away from her own.

"Yeah," She began to show herself out towards the door, "Maybe next year. You could always take it into the shop." Her mouth felt dry and her heart was still pumping an unexplainable adrenaline through her veins. "It would probably coast a lot of money, and the handymen in Smallville are probably really unprofessional and overpriced." She began to ramble nervously. "You could take it somewhere in Metropolis or heck you could maybe even-"

Lois suddenly bit down hard on her tongue when she felt herself come plummeting down to the ground. Her feet had caught on something and the floor seemed to slide up from underneath her. She let out an annoyed groan when her head hit the back of the wall.

"Lois!" Clark called out with a bit of a laugh. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just swell, Smallville." She moaned. The sarcasm not willing to leave her voice.

Clark bent over and held his hand out for her. Without hesitance she grabbed it and a small smile formed across her lips when she felt the lightning bolt of heat strike her heart again when he pulled her up. "H-honestly..." She stammered wearily, "If I slipped on an ice patch I'm going to sue your butt-"

"It's not ice," Clark's intense gaze traveled down to the ground. A few paces from where she fell was a single wooden floorboard slightly raised above the others at an angle.

"That is completely unsafe. Naturally clumsy people like me could seriously get hurt if you don't..." Lois trailed off when she watched Clark remove the loose floorboard with ease.

"Lois," He exhaled eagerly as he removed his hand from underneath the floor and clutched what appeared to be a thin, glimmering, metallic object. "Look." He opened his palm and revealed a faded silver, tarnished key.

"That bloody bastard," Lois let her jaw drop. "You're Dad's secret way of starting the tractor was hiding the key! Are you kidding me!?" She slapped Clark playfully in the back of the head. "You idiot! The freakin' tractor was never broken at all! You had the wrong damn key!"

"Are you cold, Lois?" Clark turned to her and whispered gently.

"Don't be stupid, Smallville. I'm freezing."

When Clark had finally put the new key into the ignition, a proud and almost magical smile erupted over his face when the engine started up. He clutched the steering wheel enthusiastically and suggested, "Want to go for a ride?"

She had watched him effortlessly attach a small metal hay trailer to the back. He spread out a few layers of blankets and pillows and motioned for her to sit. "My dad used to trail me around in this thing for hours. Come on, it'll be fun." He persuaded her.

Now she sat comfortably against him in the trailer. He picked the perfect, little hilltop out in the field.

"You said it wasn't officially New Year's until we watched the sunrise. So let's watch it."

Lois let out a weary yawn as Clark placed his arm around her. "If you get sick, I know I'll never hear the end of it." He humoured her with a grin. But she didn't mind in the least.

"My article was wrong." She whispered under her breath as she let her eyes rest on the thin stretch of golden light beginning to rise up over the field. "You did it, Smallville. You actually saw through you're New Year's resolution. No matter how corny it was."

"We did it," He corrected her. "If it weren't for your lack of grace I probably never would have found that key."

"Yes. You are hopeless without me, Smallville. Remember that." She sniggered half heartedly before turning to look at his face which was now bathed in a ray of yellow sunlight. He was practically glowing right before her eyes, and she couldn't tare herself away. He was her best friend at most times, but she couldn't help but feel an abnormal sense of appreciation for him now. No matter how much of pathetic, little farm boy he was, at least he was always there. Oliver left, and Gabriel left her, at least she could count of the fact that Clark would always be waiting here for her in Smallville.

"Clark," She suddenly felt her cheeks turn hot again, "I think I've finally thought of a better New Year's resolution."

"What's that?"

She shook her head, "You'll know when and if I see it through," Her eyes rested on his tempting, soft lips carefully, "Believe me."

"Well, you have exactly until next year's sunrise. After the Kent family fireworks show."

A wide grin spread across her face, "You'll have the party next year?"

"Yes. But I expect you to be on your best behaviour and not to throw cake at anyone." He teased lightly, "And I expect a lot of pink."

"The dress was white, Smallville." She rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I like pink."

She shook her head and beamed back at the giant, rising golden sun finally peeking out from behind the hills, "Look, here it comes."

She felt Clark's arm tighten around her shoulders affectionately, "Happy New Year, Lois."

"Happy New Year, Clark."

Well? Too cheesy? Too short? Anything you liked about it? Anything you thought could have been improved? Please leave a review and let me know :)

Have a Happy New Year! And see your New Year's Resolutions through!