She loved him.
She didn't know when it happened.
Terrifying. Unexpected.
But it was the truth.
So, what now?
The ghost of Lana Lang was still there, hanging around like a dried flower from a prom date's bouquet. And Ollie, he was still hanging around too.
But maybe…just maybe, it meant something that neither held on to those ghosts. That, yeah, they were there, but both went on with their lives as if they weren't. And when the occasional feelings flared up, it was okay.
Because they had each other to lean on. And to tell each other it was normal.
And it was.
When Ollie had stopped by to see her the other day, she could swear she saw a flash of possessiveness, of protectiveness, in his blue-green eyes.
But she hadn't felt anything towards Ollie. All she had felt was the little thrill that Clark seemed to be bothered by the fact that the billionaire was visiting her at all.
Was that love?
Or was it when he'd let her fall asleep on his shoulder, after their seemingly one hundredth viewing of "Some Kind of Wonderful"?
One of her favorites. And it wasn't just because the blustering tomboy, and not the perfect princess, got the guy.
Right?
She could swear that he was looking at her differently lately. A softness in his eyes that she'd certainly seen before, but she sees more often now.
A …dare she say it, a ..yearning.
But…was she reading him wrong?
That was the thought that terrified her.
Because if she was wrong, she would lose him.
Forever.
Her best friend. The one who knew her strengths and her weaknesses. The one who knew her every nuance, knew exactly how she liked her coffee (and let's face it, there was little more important that that).
It was a thought she couldn't bear.
Lois Lane hadn't allowed herself to get close to many people in her twenty some odd years of life.
Chloe was probably first, and even that had felt strained lately.
But she had let the Kents in. Including their son.
Their tall, dark, gorgeous, caring son.
Sometimes she wondered if it was fate that led her to that cornfield the night she'd found him. And in turn, that night had led her to his family.
A family she had always wanted. And though Jonathan Kent was gone, Martha was still a mother to her. A few times a week they would talk.
They had become her family.
Was it her imagination that the wise Mrs. Kent seemed to be dropping hints about her son?
It had to be.
Martha had seen them at their bickering worst. But also at their best.
Clark has many sides…
And it confused Lois that she suddenly wanted to make sure she knew all of them.
It confused her that she'd wanted to punch out the chick from gossip that had blatantly hit on Clark in front of her.
It confused her more when, the other day, Chloe had mentioned the "L" word (not to be confused with "Lois") and she'd had a violently nauseaus reaction.
Chloe wanted to invite her to the wedding.
And her first thought was how could she make sure she knocked her unconscious before Clark saw her.
She was loud, obnoxious, and no-holds barred.
Men generally ran screaming in the opposite direction once they'd had enough of her. And that was usually fairly quickly.
And Lana? She was the beautiful, delicate, perfect, vulnerable, damsel in distress.
What guy wouldn't love that?
And Chloe wanted to invite her to the wedding.
It was a thought she dreaded, because of the implications. And lest she be thought of as selfish, not just for her, but for him.
He'd come so far in the past few months. Taking control of his life. Getting a job, being proactive.
He had the tendency to do that when Lana wasn't around, or when they weren't together.
But Lana was his Amanda Jones. She'd been around long enough to know that if he saw but a hair on her pretty brunette head, that progress would fall by the wayside.
Or…would it?
For someone who seemed so simple, Clark Kent seemed to be anything but.
He'd shown her, over the years, sure, but especially in the last few months, that he'd grown up. He'd moved past the angst that came with Lana Lang.
But that was with Lana out of the picture.
It was always easier with Lana out of the picture.
They'd grown closer the past few months. Dare she think it, they'd even shared intimate moments.
It frightened her to think that she was dwelling on 'intimate moments' with her Smallville.
Her Smallville.
That's how she felt.
Possessive of him. Protective of him.
Like he seemed to feel toward her. If it wasn't just wishful thinking.
She'd told Chloe, sure, invite Lana. She couldn't very well tell her cousin not to invite one of her closest friends.
And she'd noticed Chloe's inquisitive look at her lack of eye contact at that simple statement, which she chose to ignore completely.
She didn't have him. Their relationship was definitely deeper, it was …better. Better than it had ever been.
And no one was more shocked than her to feel that pulse of electricity when he walked into the room.
She didn't want to lose him.
She'd seen his face when Lana walked into the ballroom. There was definitely a flicker.
Which…was natural. Remembering the night Ollie had almost died, remembering the flicker she had felt.
Trust your gut.
That's what she'd told herself, and him, the next day when he'd dredged up Lana's name.
She'd used the excuse that her maid of honor duties were calling, seeing the flicker of emotion on his face when he'd seen Lana.
Like Watts had told Keith he didn't need her anymore, he could handle the rest of the night himself.
She'd walked away. Tears brimming in her eyes, with her stubborn refusal to let them fall.
And then she'd felt a hand on her arm. Gentle and strong, if that was possible.
"Lois?"
She'd stopped. Her heart in her throat. Something she hated. She hated being vulnerable. Blinking back the wetness, she slowly turned to him. When she did, she was greeted with the softest, most exquisite look she could ever recall seeing on anyone's face.
"Dance with me."
His voice was soft, yet demanding, in the gentlest of ways.
And that's when she saw the flicker was gone. That moment when he'd seen Lana was in the past, and he was beyond it. Ready to move forward.
To his future.
And she was it. Just like the rough tomboy Watts was to Keith.
Just like in her favorite movie. When the loud, sarcastic girl won the good guy after all.
