Title: If You and Me
Story by: k3josai
Written by: k3josai
Beta by: superlc529
Pairing: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)
POV: Lois's POV
Rating: T
Summary:The moment when Lois Lane realized she fell for her best friend was the day when her world finally collided.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Authors' Notes:
This is an AU fic of Smallville. So you can notice the difference in the timeline and character references. Chloe Sullivan didn't exist here, but her parents did. There are mentions of Martha and Jonathan Kent, General Sam and Ella Lane, Wes Keenan, Oliver Queen, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne and Richard White. Lois and Clark are both only child of their corresponding parents.
Special thanks to:
Superlc529 – My betareader. Thanks for giving some of your time to do the beta… For accepting without any hesitation despite of your very busy schedule, thanks for the millionth time. *wide grin* A big hug to you.
Ate Angel and Ate Ethel for the PUSH… Kahit nadapa at nasubsob na ako. Hahaha! Thanks for always believing in me and for being my BIG Ates. Literally, to Ate Ethel… Hahaha! Okay lang yan Ate, apihin man kita ngayon, fanfic ko ito. Joke! Peace!
RPK_Jovi - for the banner. You and your creation are awesome as always.
BTW, this is my birthday Clois fanfic dedicated to myself and to all the Clois fans out there. Thank you God for another amazing year! ^_^
If You and Me
Part I
I stood by the window of my Metropolis apartment, watching the pouring rain. It was yet another gloomy day. The sky hasn't been blue since Monday. I shifted my gaze to my iPhone just to check what day it was. It was Saturday; ten in the morning.
I decided to check for any missed calls, text messages or voicemails. Nothing. Nada. How could that be? While listening to the pattering of the falling water, I heard footsteps coming out of my room. Before I knew it, I felt a tug at my left hand. I was met by a pair of gorgeous blue eyes staring up at me.
My heart pounded whenever he did that, most especially when he'd give me a little pout coupled by giving me those puppy-dog eyes. He gently rubbed his eyes with the back of his right hand as he silently went over to the sofa and sat down.
I watched him carefully as he debated whether to turn the television on. He must have had a sixth sense that I wasn't in a great mood today, which I really wasn't. I woke up with a bad headache and threw up too many times to count in the early morning. It was too sweet of him to understand my current predicament.
And since I'm not going to be accepted at the Cordon bleu anytime soon, the little boy who had been watching me, settled for a glass of milk and a bowl of Coco Crunch.
A smile formed on his lips as I grinned at him. It was so easy to fall for the Kent charm. Looking at the little boy before me reminded me of the man I mettwenty years ago.
As I looked into his eyes, his smile brought me back to remember a time when I was young and careless of whatever I did. That past still haunted me, even now. As I looked around, my surroundings seemed to melt around me and I felt like I was back to the time that I first laid eyes on the first Kent in my life.
Metropolis, 1992
I was wandering along the streets of Metropolis. It wasn't the first time I had set foot in this city. I had been here before when my mother passed away four years ago when I was introduced to Uncle Gabe, my Mom's only brother.
It was a little cold, so I decided to wear my favorite jacket, t-shirt, jeans and rubber shoes. Please, don't ask me if they were pink because I'd wear any color but pink. My dark brown, long, and wavy hair was pulled into a ponytail and I finished the look by hiding it with a baseball cap. Looking around with a backpack filled with a few personal things and survival kit, I decided to settle on one of the benches at the Metropolis Centennial Park.
Settling down on the bench, I reached inside my bag and pulled out a picture of my parents. I missed them both so much. As I caressed the image of my mother, I started to get choked up. My eyes shifted to my father… I lost him too in a way. He seemed so distant and cold. The only thing he did for me was to bring me up and discipline me in his military upbringing. He'd always scold me whenever I did something wrong. I never understood why he always did that. Was I really that hard-headed of a kid? I was just a kid and I liked to do things my own way.
It was only a matter of time I would become a big girl.
I'd be a big girl.
Someday, that big girl's father would be proud of her. But for now, how could he? I was only a ten-year old kid. And I just realized that I only had a few dollars I saved from my piggy-bank.
Maybe this running away thing wasn't such a good idea after all. I didn't even know where my Uncle Gabe and Aunt Moira lived.
Maybe I just needed to be just a kid and eat some ice cream while playing in the park. I counted my change and decided to cross the street when a kid almost the same age as mine caught my attention.
The plaid boy. Yeah, that's what I'd call him. He was wearing a short-sleeved blue flannel shirt and baggy jeans. The boy almost stumbled into an old, short, fat man holding what was most likely a steaming cup of coffee.
"I heard the old man say, "Watch it, kiddo."
From where I stood, I saw the hot liquid spill on to the boy's arm. It had to have burned his skin for sure. The man just left with a shake of his head and never bothered to ask if he was hurt.
"Hey!" I ran over to him and waved my hand in front of the boy's face as he blinked a couple of times.
I shook my head while removing my baseball cap and put it inside my backpack. He never said a thing. Maybe he was deaf and mute. But those disabilities wouldn't hurt his cute face. Sorry, even if I was just a kid, I could still appreciate a pretty face. He was a few inches taller than my four feet eleven inches.
"Hey!" I yelled again. "Are you from another planet or something? You keep staring at me like an idiot. Didn't your mom and dad teach you that staring is rude?"
I kept rambling as I saw him smile. He was indeed a cutie. I sighed. I think I was having my first crush… maybe that's not such a bad thing. I opened my bag and searched for my first-aid ointment. When I finally found it, I took his hand and placed it in his palm. His brows furrowed in deep confusion. I could tell his eyes were blue and those blue eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Your arm." I started, but he didn't understand. "Hot coffee. Arm. Ointment. Hello!" I didn't know if I would laugh or scream in frustration. He still wasn't getting it. Then I grabbed his arm, but there wasn't any red mark. "How? I saw that hot coffee spill on your arm."
"It's nothing." I heard him say. So he could talk. "It won't hurt me."
I snorted.
"What are you? Made of steel?" I shook my head as his face paled.
As much I enjoyed seeing him flabbergasted, I rolled my eyes and took my ointment back. He kept watching me as I zipped my bag and flipped my hair over my left shoulder. Suddenly I remembered why I even came over here in the first place. I saw the ice cream parlor on the other side of the street. My mouth watered as I pictured some rocky road ice cream with hot fudge. I decided to cross the street and waited for the light that signaled the pedestrian could cross. I could sense that boy was following me, so I stopped abruptly in front of the ice cream store and turned on my heel to face him, raising my left eyebrow.
"I'm sorry." He looked like a little puppy behind the eyeglasses he wore. Somehow, it reminded me of how I couldn't have a dog because of my allergies. I'd sneeze until my eyes and nose watered. Shaking away those random and unhappy thoughts, I smiled widely at him and gave him instructions.
"I'll go inside. Wait here, okay?" Why so bossy, Lane? That was me. Lois Joanne Lane.
"Okay." He answered shyly.
"What a nerd." I murmured.
Five minutes later, I came back outside, now holding two rocky-road ice cream cones just the way I liked it. I was really hoping that the boy would wait for me and he did. He did. He was standing beside the lamppost with slouched shoulders.
Without any warning, I gave him his share of ice cream. He looked at me with surprise on his features. It was so adorable.
"I thought you might like some ice cream." I said and then licked some of mine. It was really nice to meet other kids about my age. Maybe I could kill some time and talk to him for awhile until I could figure out where I would stay.
"Thank you." He accepted my offer and followed me again when I went back to one of the park benches.
We ate in silence. I was casually watching the boy beside me while he was watching other people walking around. Then he spoke.
"Can I borrow some change?" After just buying two ice cream cones, I didn't have much left.
"I need to call my parents. I didn't bring any money with me. I forgot." I rolled my eyes for the second time since I met him. "I promise to pay you back when they pick me up here."
"Do you think I'd do something like that for a stranger like you?"
"Yes." He said calmly like he knew me that much.
"How do you know?" I asked very curiously. This boy was weird.
"I just know." He said without any hesitation as we both ate the last bit of the ice cream cone.
I sighed and replied in a statement rather than a question, "You ran away."
"Sorry?"
"You ran away from a far away town. You don't even know how to live a life in the city." I told him like I was a grown-up. Who would have thought that two kids would be having such a serious discussion?
He quoted what I had just asked him, "How do you know?"
"I just know." I winked. I put my hand inside my jeans pocket. "Where are you from?"
"Smallville." He replied.
Smallville? Did that place even exist? "Never heard of it. Is that in Kansas too?"
"Yeah, three-hour drive."
I nodded. "What brought you here?"
"I ran away. My parents told me that I'm adopted. I was hurt because they didn't tell me sooner, so I decided to come here."
I nodded again. Even though, we both came here for different reasons, I kind of understood what he was feeling. "And you didn't bring any survival stuff?" I snorted, "Figures."
"Yeah, I don't know. I didn't think about it."
"But you know now. That's why you need to get a hold of your parents." I handed him some change, gently dropping it in his palm.
"How about you?" He asked while holding the coins like his life depended on them.
I shrugged. "My Dad and I transferred here from Washington two months ago. Like you, I just need some fresh air. I missed my Mom."
"Where is she?"
I blinked a few times, before I answered. "She died when I was six."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." I paused for a while. "I think you need to call your parents."
"Uh… Yeah… Thanks for these."
"Don't mention it. You're welcome." I could tell this boy was nice.
Then he posed another question, "Are you going home?"
"Maybe… I'll wait until your Dad gets here. Then you can pay me back, right?" I smiled; it was a good thing that I found a friend like him.
He nodded, "Right."
We roamed around the park until we found a phone booth. He went inside to make his call while I stayed few feet away to give him privacy. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans. It was a little chilly. The sun would probably set soon.
I saw him smile as he emerged from the phone booth. He must've gotten a hold of his parents. Somehow I was sure they'd be by to get him before sundown. My smile faltered when I heard a familiar voice come up behind me.
"Lois!" I hated it whenever he was around. This young soldier was the son of one of my Dad's friends in the military. I remembered he enrolled after his high school graduation and since then my father assigned him to me.
"Lois, what do you think you're doing? The General will kill me if he finds out what you've been doing."
"Relax, Wes, you won't tell him, will you?" I glared at him. He set his jaw tightly, trying to control his emotions.
"Metropolis isn't what you think it is!" He punctuated.
"Yeah, I know. Look, Wes, I'm getting really tired of your big bro routine. I'm bored in the base and I want to meet friends the same age as me. Besides, I wanted some ice cream."
I knew Wes had calmed down when he toned his voice down. "You just need to tell me these things. I could've bought it for you. You don't need to be here alone. Lo, you're so young."
"I'll turn eleven soon." I snorted.
He wasn't surprised by my irritation, "That doesn't change the fact that you always manage to get yourself into trouble."
"Not today. I met someone who's not arrogant and bossy like you or the General."
Crap, I forgot to ask him his name. I turned to my new friend who looked a little uncomfortable during my conversation with Wes, "Hey, Smallville, meet my bodyguard Wes."
Smallville offered his hand to Wes for a handshake, but Wes didn't accept it. He looked him up and down. I could tell he was in protective mode. He was always in protective mode. Then Wes shifted his attention to me.
"As I've said before, I'm not your bodyguard. Your father only asks me for a favor… to tone down his hard-headed daughter… Come on. Let's get back to the base."
"Sir!" Smallville spoke up. "She's not like that." I turned around in surprise that somebody was actually standing up for me. "She's nice and…"
Wes returned his attention to him, "Boy, step back! This is not about you. Mind your own business."
My eyes widened as I saw Smallville ball his hands into a fist. With Wes's height advantage, I wondered if he could hurt him – if he was going to hurt him. After all, Smallville and I were just kids, so I decided to intervene.
"Were you able to reach your parents?"
"Yes, Lois." He said my name out loud for the first time. It felt good. "They'll pick me up here. Don't worry about me, I can manage. Thank you."
I nodded as Wes put a helmet on my head. I climbed on the back of Wes' motorcycle. I waved to Smallville as Wes started the engine.
He waved back and as if it was his last chance, he shouted. "Lois! My name is Clark Kent!"
I smiled and repeated his name. "Clark Kent."
Reviews are welcome!
TBC
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