Lois finally breezed back into the office some time after nine. "Hi, Clark," she sang out as she briskly strode from the elevator to her desk.

Chin propped on one hand, Clark returned her greeting with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Lois smirked as she sat down at her desk, dropping a manila folder beside her keyboard where her hands were already busy typing. "Come on, you could be a little bit more cheerful," she chided.

Clark stretched ostentatiously. "I would be if you'd been here, oh-" he consulted his watch "-about four hours ago, Lois."

Lois smiled as she refocused on her typing. "Can't drop a story just because we've got plans, Smallville, which I don't think we did, in any case. Anyway, I finally have enough here to nail that jerk at the Metropolis Children's Charity for embezzlement and child abuse."

Clark rose from his desk chair and rounded their desks. The sound of her fingers clicking on the keyboard and his footsteps were the only thing disturbing the quiet of the bullpen at this hour, although his enhanced hearing could detect three minor car accidents and an attempted mugging foiled by a passing patrol car in the time it took him to line up behind his girlfriend and read some of the story she was finishing.

"Hey, she said laughingly as she shot him a glance, "wait your turn! Why're you so fired up anyway?"

"In fact," she continued as she refocused on the computer screen, "why are you even here at this hour. I thought you'd be off, you know-" One hand lifted from the keyboard to airily gesture about, but Clark caught it before she could start typing again.

"You forgot," he sighed, not entirely surprised.

"Forgot what?" Lois asked, not even trying to pull her hand out of his. She rotated her office chair around so she faced him directly, allowing her feelings of annoyance to show on her face.

Clark sat himself on the edge of the cabinet beside her desk, smiling ruefully as he realized he'd have to fill Lois in. "Forgot that this was the weekend we were planning our big getaway."

"Nuh-uh," Lois said, shaking her head emphatically. "That's next week."

Clark shook his head in exasperation. "No, this week," he corrected.

Lois glared at him doubtfully. "I'm positive. I set it into my phone calendar and everything."

Clark let go of her hand, leaning back to cross his arms. "Check it."

Lois pulled her phone out of her purse. "I will. You'll see," she vowed as she pulled up the calendar function and then stared at it in disbelief.

She looked from the phone to Clark and back again. His smile obviously irritated her as she shook the phone roughly and dumped it back into her purse, grumbling, "Stupid thing! It's not like it rang or beeped or anything so how was I supposed to know?"

More wistfully, she turned back to Clark. "So, I guess I've ruined yet another special moment."

Clark shook his head at that. "I would've thought you'd have more faith in us than to think that."

Lois glanced out the window and Clark's gaze followed hers, seeing only streetlights piercing the darkness. "Well, we'll be getting in very late wherever it was that you set up for us."

The sparkle in Clark's eye made Lois roll her eyes. "Of course, I wasn't thinking about that," she admitted. "Still kinda new to all this, remember."

Clark crossed his arms over his chest and nodded with forced sobriety. An angry Lois was an uncooperative Lois, so he resisted pushing the teasing further. "I know better than to suggest you leave your story unfinished-"

"You're learning, Smallville," Lois smiled, "so, I guess our big getaway is going to be at the Motel-Notel out on the edge of town if we're getting started this late. . . ."

Clark shook his head again and Lois coloured at the realization that she was, once again forgetting his super-powers but, then, she'd only known about their true nature and full extent for a very short time. "Okay, okay," she said, before Clark could rib her any more, "let me get my story done. Why don't you go make yourself useful in the meanwhile. You can go to the Talon and get my suitcase for me."

Clark cocked his head to one side. "You have a suitcase ready even though you thought we were going next week?"

"Always be prepared wasn't just the Boy Scout's motto," Lois explained. "It's the Lane's way of life! I keep a couple of suitcases packed and ready. You saw them last year when we went off to that wacky inn, remember?"

Clark winced at the memory of the vengeful spirit who'd possessed Chloe and Lois. "Yeah, let's not jinx this trip thinking about that disaster. So, you have a suitcase at the apartment? I'll get that while you finish up your story."

Just like that, he was gone, super-speeding off and away. Lois huffed a sigh. "He didn't even ask me which suitcase was which," she grumbled as she refocused on her story, typing in the last of the incriminating details that would ensure that the high-flying and high profile president of the charity would be taken down by the DA for his many misdeeds. The story she'd been pursuing for weeks was wrapped up. As well as zipping the files off to the press, Lois printed a hard copy to accompany the financial records and photos she snagged from her undercover work that evening. Rising from her chair, she grabbed the papers and walked them over to the editorial in-box, knowing that legal would want the original documentation of her discoveries.

A whisk of air was all the alert she got for Clark's return. With a self-satisfied smile, she spun on her heel. "All done," she announced before noticing that Clark wasn't simply back from the Talon to ask her which suitcase was suitable. He'd taken the time, what little he needed of course, to change from his dress shirt and pants to jeans and a tee. Taking a hint from his change of attire, Lois regarded her own tailored suit doubtfully. "So, no big city getaway for us?"

Clark shook his head. "No Motel-Notel either."

With a relieved laugh, Lois agreed that was good news. "But it looks like I'm overdressed and I don't see my suitcases anywhere."

Clark smiled. "That's because I already checked us in."

Lois nodded. "Okay, well, we're not local and we're not urban. This had better not be "camping out at home" because my fridge is positively empty and you never know who's going to drop by the apartment."

Clark reached out one hand for Lois's. "Trust me."

She allowed herself to be swept up into his arms. "Okay, but this'd better be good."

Clark's laugh was lost in the rush of wind that indicated he was moving at superspeed. Lois smiled as she closed her eyes and ducked her head against his neck.

"We're here," he said, his voice resonating deeply with their close contact.

Lois turned her head and opened her eyes, seeing the setting sun, smelling the ocean breeze and feeling the warmth of the tropics all descend upon her. Clark stood on the balcony of a quiet cabana and he carefully set her down on her own feet to let her take in the view.

"Perfect," Lois pronounced, "but I am most definitely overdressed. You better have brought the right suitcase because I don't want snow boots and a ski-suit for this weather."

Clark chuckled as he tapped his head. "X-ray vision, Lois, remember? It was pretty easy to tell which was the right suitcase to grab."

She snorted as he opened the door for her to step inside. "You're having entirely too much fun with reminding me of your powers, Smallville."

Her quick kiss as she stepped past him let Clark know that Lois really wasn't annoyed with him. She spotted her small suitcase dropped on the king-sized bed and kicked off her heels. "Give me five minutes. I so want to check out the water before it's dark."

Clark couldn't say anything before the door was slammed shut. He chuckled as he sat in a chair on the private balcony, overlooking the secluded cove.

Lois was out the door in a few, wearing a show-stopping bikini that had his superhuman heart racing. She lifted her hands up to pull her hair into a ponytail, all the while giving Clark a disappointed look. "Why aren't you ready?"

Clark rolled his eyes and zipped past her into the room. In a blink of an eye, he rejoined her on the porch, clad in his swim shorts.

"That's better," Lois said with approval as she tugged on his hand, leading him down the steps toward the quiet beach. "Come on."

The sand was warm under their toes as they walked to the water's edge. Lois curled her hand more firmly around his as her toes touched the warm water. "Pacific?" she asked.

Clark nodded as the warm water lapped around them. "Mexico," he elaborated. "Not right on the tourist track so it's nice and quiet."

As they walked alongside the jetty into the warm waters, sheltered from the surf by a small island just out from the sleepy beachside, Lois sighed. "This is heavenly," she pronounced. "Thanks."

The water was up to her waist now and she made as if to stroke forward into it but Clark kept a hold of her hand and swung her back to face him.

The currents drove her close against his body and she leaned back to regard Clark with a smile. "I guess maybe I owe you something more as a 'thank you' for arranging all this."

"I wouldn't say no," Clark murmured as he leaned in closer for a kiss.

They let the ocean swirl around them as they focused on each other. Lois wrapped her arms around Clark's neck as she nestled closer to his chiseled form. Even though the cove was calm, the waves rushed in with increasing strength, nearly drenching them at rare intervals, although Clark was unmoved by the water's force. Lois anchored herself to him with legs wrapped tightly about him. One of his hands held her close while the other swept along the edges of her swimsuit.

Coming up for air after a particularly long kiss, Lois looked up at Clark's half-shadowed expression, seeing him similarly dazed but not so much that his hand was distracted from the ties of her bikini top. "How secluded is this place?" she asked.

He focused his expression with some difficulty and swept the coastline intently. "No one around - even the resort staff are all up at the main building."

"Good," Lois declared as she pulled herself closer to Clark. "Let's take advantage of this peace and quiet to make a little noise of our own."

"Lois!," came Clark's muffled exclamation before it was stifled against her lips.

"Come on," she insisted as he pulled away slightly and the combination of her words and touch were too much for Clark to resist and they were both lost in the moment.

The largest wave crashed over them, almost causing Lois to lose her balance. Only Clark's steadying arms held her against the water's rush as the wave pushed toward shore and then receded.

Drops of water marked both their faces as Lois looked up into Clark's indulgent eyes. "Guess we should call it quits out here before I drown?" she suggested.

At his nod, they broke apart. In the dim light of sunset, Lois made her way out onto the beach.

"Last one in's a rotten egg," she called back as she raced toward their cabin. Clark flew past her to the entrance but Lois still crowed with victory as he politely stood to one side with the door held open.

She dashed to the bathroom and came back, wrapping herself in a towel while she threw the other toward Clark. "I don't know about you," Lois said with a grin, "but I could probably use a shower. Care to join me?"

Clark's glowing smile was all the answer she needed.