A/N: Double treat for you. I have it all mostly written, lacking only the epilogue, so I'll post something new everyday. Review!

PART I - Chapter 2

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Lois! Stop pacing and fidgeting like a, a…" Lois willed herself to still and turned to look at her cousin sitting in front of her computer at the Torch. The blonde looked exasperated and continued to search for an expression that could properly convey that.

Lois raised an eyebrow. "A, huh? A tiger in a tiny cage? A fish in a tank full of sharks? A college bound girl forced to relive the not so glorious days of high school in Podunk, Kansas?" Though standing relatively still, there was an air of edginess to her and the frustrated tirade didn't help to dispel.

Chloe sighed.

"Look, Lois, I know this isn't what you had planned, but I don't understand why you're so restless. C'mon, it's just a semester and then you are out of here!" The amused way she usually dealt with her cousin's sarcasm regarding Smallville was gone. Lois' behavior the past couple of days had been grating on her nerves. "What happened anyway? You've been less than your usual charming self lately."

Chloe's natural sense of curiosity was immediately peeked, when Lois went rigid at the question. The cub reporter narrowed her eyes and watched attentively as her cousin swallowed hard and averted her gaze.

Something had definitely happened.

"Uh, nothing happened…" Chloe found it odd that Lois put such emphasis on the verb. "I'm just… edgy."

"Uh huh… And I'm going to pretend I believe you." Though dying to pry further, Chloe knew when to approach with utmost caution; Lois might have been naturally straightforward and brutally direct, but no one had quite the fortress her cousin had constructed around herself. "Now, since I'm such an amazing cousin, I'll aid in your credit count." She produced a sheet. "Rumors surrounding drugs in the football team's locker room… bring me an exposé."

She grinned. Her taller cousin groaned.

"Oh, Chloe. I'm not cut out for this journalism thing. Don't you have another reporter lying around?" Lois snatched the sheet Chloe had offered and scanned its content. "First the cheerleaders spiking the jocks juice and now the jocks themselves attempting to chemically enhance their body mass. Don't these people learn from their mistakes?"

"Exactly! You are already feeling the story pulling you in…"

"Hardily", she mumbled.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Besides, with your mind occupied, maybe that other thing that is not bothering you will stop making you so edgy." Lois huffed and brushed her bangs aside, but made no other comment.

"Perfect!" A smile brightened her face. "Just don't forget to use the spell check, okay?" Chloe watched her cousin leave. "How you can write so well and yet have such atrocious spelling is beyond me, anyway." The blonde muttered under her breath, a twinge of jealousy coloring her words.

It's not that she felt threatened by Lois, journalism was totally her thing. There were times, though, that Chloe couldn't help feeling a bit resentful by the way it all came so naturally to her cousin. Boys, classes, investigative journalism… If she wasn't so lazy and had an attendance record that wasn't as appalling as her spelling, Lois would be a force to be reckoned with.

Sigh.

Chloe hated being jealous and of her cousin of all people.

"Stop it, Chlo. Plenty of room for both of you in the world." She clicked on the icon for InDesign and went to work on The Torch's next edition.

She's not even interested in the same career as you. Or the same boys.

Nothing to worry about.

xxxxxxxxx

Lois kept her eyes firmly focused on her plate, not even Martha Kent's wonderful cuisine able to make her enjoy dinner. The reason? Sitting right in front of her, looking at her with blue green eyes that held too many memories not to make her nervous. It had been like this for the past three days. Breakfast, school and dinner. It was impossible to avoid Clark completely and all Lois could say was…

Crap.

Really, there was no better way to explain this situation she had inadvertently put herself into. Did she have to tease him? Did she have to put herself in that position? She had jumped head first without checking the water level and now Lois couldn't even look at him without remembering that earth shattering kiss they had shared.

She didn't even like him!

Sure, Clark Kent had a body that had temptation written all over it. His eyes were profound in a way you couldn't quite put into words. His smile could melt the strictest of women. And he was tall! A rare commodity when one had towered over other boys since the age of thirteen. He had charm, when he felt like it and no one could deny he was a regular boy scout. Except that he was infuriating and broodish and perpetually hung up on self centered Lana Lang. All qualities Lois hated. There might have been physical attraction, but he wasn't her type.

And Chloe was in love with him.

That made Smallville one hundred percent off limits.

The problem was that the physical pull proved to be stronger than she had anticipated. Lois had avoided Clark like the plague for the past three days not because she was embarrassed or – God forbid – fighting growing feeling for the farm boy. No. Lois Lane was terrified that the spark between might ignite and burn and ruin everything.

Lois had so quickly lost her head that afternoon and that was even before he kissed her. Which was not good.

She couldn't seduce the son of the couple who had so graciously taken her in when the General had enforced his tough love strategy. She couldn't do that to Martha and Jonathan Kent. She couldn't do that to Chloe. And she wouldn't do that to herself.

Not again.

Besides, she didn't like him. At all.

"Lois, are you okay?" Martha's welcoming voice reached her inner discourse. "I don't think I've ever seen you so quiet."

The girl forced herself to meet the red headed woman's gaze and managed even to produce a smile. "I'm okay, Mrs. K. I'm just tired, what with school and the Torch. Journalism is harder work than I had anticipated and Chloe is a tough boss. And it's getting colder. I was never a big fan of winter. Allergies. And spring, too. But that's because of the excessive pollen in the air. Did you know that…"

Her diatribe was cut short when she realized her words were practically incomprehensible babbling. She did that when she was nervous. That and quick exits. Would it be too impolite to excuse herself now?

Mrs. Kent was staring at her with that all knowing 'I-can-see-right-through-you' look mothers all over the world seemed to have mastered and Lois felt like a small child being scolded. And Clark was still boring holes into her skull! She shot him a reproachful look and then smiled at his mother.

"I'm okay, Mrs. K. Really." Liar.

Martha chose to accept her reassurance, either because she bought it or because she preferred not to grill her in front of witnesses. Lois was sure it was the second and was not looking forward to that talk. Or any talk, for that matter.

Sigh.

She had to deal with this, though. With Clark Kent and that kiss. They couldn't go on like this for the next three months, before she could make her escape to Met U. One way or another, they had to put this incident behind them. And Lois was a firm believer in the present.

Most times.

"So, Mr. Kent. Mrs. K told me you would have to go to Metropolis for a checkup. Is everything okay?" Not the most subtle or politically correct approach, but Lois wasn't known for those, anyway.

"Yes, Lois, everything's okay. Doctor's are just excessively prone to exaggeration." Clark's look and Martha's reaction spoke to the contrary, although Lois chose not to pry. To each his own, right?

"Either way, we'll be going to Met Gen tomorrow for those exams." Mrs. K's gaze didn't waver from her husband's stubborn face and all in the room understood the firm tone of her voice. He would be going, no excuses allowed.

As her mouth closed around the piece of peach cobbler Martha had prepared for desert, Lois finally met Clark's gaze head on. It was obvious he understood what she had meant with her question. She and Clark would have the house to themselves for that talk they so desperately needed to have. Lois could already predict the inevitable awkwardness and wasn't looking forward to it. It had to be done, though. Sooner rather than later.

She swallowed and looked away.

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Clark waved his parents goodbye, feeling a mix of relief and dread. He understood the need to talk about the 'incident', as he had taken to calling his make out session with Lois. In fact, he wanted to have that talk. The tension hanging in the air between them was becoming unbearable and they couldn't go on avoiding each other forever. Even if she had thrown herself into avoiding him much more passionately than he had her. Clark couldn't quite explain it, his yearning to see her all the time, and hadn't really fought against it.

But the idea of being alone in the house with her, no one to interrupt them if things got out of hand again, was quite frightening. Staring at the hungry lion on his den was one thing, going in to offer himself as snack was simple suicide.

He shook his head, hiding his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. It was an absurd thought, really. Nothing was going to happen.

With slow steps, he made his way to the porch, entered the house and closed the door behind him.

"So…" He gulped. Suddenly, the talk didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Smallville, I'm going to make this brief and to the point, cause there is no need to drag this any further than it has already gone." The only tell of her nervousness was the way her arms were tightly crossed. "One, what we did was the result of some innocent flirting and means nothing. I am a girl and you are a relatively attractive guy… it was almost expected. Two, we can't keep this tension around. We can't even look at each other and other people are starting to notice." She paused and bit her lower lip. "And… that's pretty much it."

"I'm not the only one who's having a hard time acting normal, Lois." Clark felt angry at her apparent nonchalance, dismissing it all. "You won't even look in my direction most of the time." He withdrew his hands from his pockets, straightened his back and took two steps forward.

"That's the point of this conversation, Clark." She whispered, still avoiding his gaze.

"Okay." Another step forward. "Then look at me."

Lois froze and the arms she had crossed tightened around her lithe form; she was hugging herself. She hated feeling as vulnerable as she felt right then. And there was nothing she loathed more than allowing Clark to get the upper hand. When did he grown so confident, anyway?

Deep breaths, a small inner pep talk later and she looked up.

Clark was less than a foot away. Too close for comfort. Her heart disobeyed a direct order and beat too frantically; it nearly seemed desperate to break through her aching chest. And she still couldn't raise her eyes higher than his broad, white t-shirt covered chest.

Gulp.

"C'mon, Lois. Consider this a test to see if we can co-exist normally for the next couple of months." Feeling bold and angry and too much out of control to stop, Clark took another step, completely bridging the space still left between them.

Her breath caught and, like a train wreck about to happen, she couldn't help raising her eyes to his strong neck, then to his luscious, kissable lips and finally, to his blue green eyes. The trance and fog, that had been responsible for this mess to begin with, returned full force. So, she did the only thing her numb mind could think of doing.

Lois kissed him.

It didn't take long for Clark to reciprocate, his strong arms consuming her. This kiss, however, was much more frenzied then their first, arms and bodies and tongues raging a battle neither was willing to lose.

How they got to the second floor would forever remain a mystery to Lois. Not that she wasted a second caring; she was too busy lying down onto the soft mattress of his bed and pulling him with her.

His body was heavy over hers and Lois relished in the perfect feeling of being completely enveloped by him. Clark's mouth was teasing her neck with bites and licks and open mouthed kisses that sent shivers up and down her spine, while his hands drew circles under her ribs, tantalizingly close to her aching breasts, but not quite there. The hard back muscles under her hands rippled as he moved and Lois held on tightly as he evoked moans and gasps from her.

It was sweet torture.

And so not what she had planned.

Desperate to move things further and release the almost unbearable tension growing with her, Lois bent her right knee and used the extra leverage to increase the friction between their lower regions. She could feel Clark Jr. pressed against her jeans and wished the clothes still separating them would just melt away. Clark returned the friction and bit her earlobe, making her arch against him.

"God, Smallville." Once again, words were responsible for breaking the trance and they both froze up. Not for the first instance, they caught themselves wondering what they were doing and how it was they had gotten so far in the blink of an eye.

Lois' gaze was fixed on the ceiling, Clark's face was hidden in the nook of her neck and their hands remained where they were, too unsure of how to untangle themselves with the least embarrassment for either party. He was the one to finally make the first move, slowly raising his head and meeting her gaze. For a second, they looked at each other, trying to find in the other' eyes, what they couldn't figure out alone.

"I…" Lois licked her dry lips, drawing Clark's attention to them; she swallowed hard. "I thought we were here to… talk."

His intense green orbs observed her intently and Lois couldn't help the accelerated beating of her heart. Treacherous organ! She just hoped he couldn't feel it, though considering their closed proximity and touching chests, it was a futile hope.

"Why did you kiss me?" His breath brushed her lips and his chest reverberated against hers in a most enticing way. How was a girl supposed to think under these circumstances? She gulped.

"You were standing too close." Maybe other people would have had a hard time accepting such a weak argument, but Clark had been there and understood all too greatly what she meant to say; he wasn't the only one who lost control.

"Sorry."

Lois sighed.

"We have got to stop doing this, Clark. What is this anyway?" She made the mistake of shifting, which resulted in Clark's still engorged length to rub against the place between her legs. Involuntarily, she dropped her head back and moaned. He didn't fare any better.

They were in serious danger of losing touch with reality. Again.

"Don't move… please." Clark begged. Lois wanted to comply. She really did. Wasn't this whole thing embarrassing enough as it was? Except that she was already so wet , her skin was humming with so much tension and her nipples actually hurt, so excited she was. She couldn't take four more days of utter sexual frustration. With achingly slow rhythm, she impulsively rocked against him. "God… Lois."

The way he said her name, his breath catching in the first syllable and the drawing of the second, increased the tingling in her skin. With no conscious thought involved, she found herself burying her hand in his silky hair. Lips again close to touching, she locked onto his hazy green orbs.

"Just…" She arched against him. "Just… Please." Their mouths met, more breath being shared than an actual kiss. "I can't take this anymore."

And neither could he.

Feeling bold and more aroused than he had ever felt in his whole life, Clark captured her temptingly lush lips in a wet, deep kiss. The time to hold back, though, was over and soon, his kisses trailed down her cheeks, swept pass the sensitive skin behind her ear and came to land in the valley of her neck. Lower still he went, until his path met the resistance of her tank top.

Hands caressed her arms and squeezed her slender shoulders, before grabbing the straps of her top and bra and unashamedly pulling them down. Lois found herself exposed. His lips didn't waste any time and latched onto a rose colored nipple, pertly calling to him. He licked it and ran his teeth over the top and sucked it; Lois' body was quivering beneath him, as her hand held on tightly to his hair, for both guidance and support.

"Oh… Right there." While deft fingers played with the swollen nipple, he continued on to its twin. "Cl… Clark!"

She was so close and yet so far and she needed more. So much more.

Clark's nose nuzzled the small depression in the middle of her ribcage, going down towards her belly button and taking with him the top and bra he had clasped in fists. The muscles of her abdomen contracted and he heard the air catch in her throat. With a smile of satisfaction, he dove in and used his tongue to circle the perfect button until Lois was panting.

The cloth of her top came over the low rise jeans and Clark wasted no time in working the two buttons that held the fabric closed. If he paused, if he hesitated, reality might intrude into their moment and he wasn't ready for that. Not yet. Lois, arms trapped by the lowered material, pulled them free and again buried her fingers in his hair.

In his eagerness to remove the several layers of clothes bundled around her hips, Clark pulled hard. There was a tearing sound they both were too engrossed to consciously acknowledge. All they knew was that the material became loose and easier to take off. He sat back on his haunches and liberated her long lower limbs. The skin of her ankles was so smooth and the muscles of her legs taunt and he was having a difficult time deciding whether he should run his hands over them or his lips. In the end, he did both, one after the other. Shortly, he found himself between her thighs and that much closer to where he wanted to go.

Lois' completely naked body contorted in pleasure, while her hands fisted the comforter she was lying on. Heat was coming off in waves of her sweat covered skin and the only coherent thought she could muster was 'more'. There were only moans and groans and whimpers coming from her, though. Especially when Clark's breath hit the extremely sensitive skin of her aching lower lips.

She had never done that before.

And then he was tracing her with the tip of his tongue and scraping his teeth on her clit and plunging his tongue deep within her tight walls. What was already mind numbing pleasure escalated to unbelievable heights. Lois trashed and squirmed and arched herself against his provoking mouth, her hand once again massaging his scalp and fisting his hair.

In and out, his tongue tortured her, his finger never wavering from her susceptible clit. His other hand came under her to lift her body, giving him better access. Still, she moaned, an inch from the most glorious edge. His teeth came into play, showing no mercy and it all finally proved to be too much. Her thighs squeezed his head cradled between them, her inner walls contracted wildly and her body almost left the mattress completely, as Lois achieved a powerful orgasm.

Clark didn't stop; couldn't stop. His tongue and fingers continued to work her over, not wanting it all to be over quite so soon. So, before Lois could come down from her high, another wave of unbelievable pleasure crashed onto her and then another.

She couldn't breathe properly, her chest moving up and down in short pants. Her skin glistened with sweat and her eyes, closed since before Clark had managed to remove all of her clothing, remained shut. It all seemed to last forever.

After it was over, Clark's head on her belly and arms loose at her sides, Lois fought against the feeling of satisfying unconsciousness that threatened to conquer her after her mind blowing triple orgasm. The best part was still to come. When her breathing managed to return to semi normality and darkness was pushed aside – at least temporarily -, Lois pulled at Clark, wanting for him to come up to her level. He complied, though somewhat reluctantly.

Their eyes met and Lois immediately saw the strain in his gaze. "Clark?"

He shifted uncomfortably and his answer became unnecessary. He looked rather embarrassed and Lois couldn't help smirking. Trust Smallville to be self-conscious by this after what they had been doing for the past hour. Lois might have felt completely exhausted, but she wasn't about to leave the poor guy hanging like that. Capturing his mouth in a slow kiss, her hand slid between them and brushed his straining erection through the stiff fabric of his jeans.

That couldn't be comfortable.

Clark moaned into her mouth and bit her lower lip in appreciation. However, when Lois went to snap the button of his pants, he froze and caught her hands in his. Lois frowned and pulled slightly back.

"What is it, Smallville?"

"I… we can't do this." Lois mockingly laughed.

"Really? I think it's a little late for your prudish ways." She attempted to free her wrists and resume her earlier intent, but Clark held on tight. A little too tight. "Ow!"

Faster and much more graceful than a guy with a painful bonner should ever be able to move, Clark was off of her and out of the bed. His face was somber, almost angry and he sturdily avoided looking at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, anyway?" Lois sat up and pulled the comforter around her naked body. She felt confused and hurt. They might not be the greatest of friends and besides a strange physical attraction, they hadn't all that much in common. Clark's reaction, though, caused a spear of pain in her heart. And the uncertainty…

Had she done something wrong?

Admittedly, she didn't have vast experience, but some things were instinctual.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I can't." And just like that, tears swelled in her eyes. She suppressed them, angry at herself for allowing such vulnerability to pierce her protective walls. Her face drained of all emotion.

"Whatever, Smallville. It's just sex. If you don't want to do it, that's your problem, not mine." She used the comforter to hide her nakedness like a toga and rose from the bed. When her hand landed on the knob, she quickly turned it and opened the door.

"I am… really sorry, Lois. I shouldn't have allowed things to get so far." Lois pretended not to hear him and continued forward, determined to reach the bathroom before her fight against the sob stuck in her throat was lost.

Clark stepped forward and brushed her bare shoulder, withdrawing his hand quickly thereafter, as if he had been burned.

"I just… I don't want to hurt you."

Too late. Much too late.

Lois didn't falter or turn back and the sound of the bathroom door closing behind her echoed much too loudly in the silence of the house. Clark flinched. Lois held it all in for exactly four seconds, before her legs gave out from under her and tears carved brand new tracks on her reddened cheeks.

She had known this inexplicable pull between them would end badly. How could it not? She just hadn't been able to predict how she would feel, so utterly shattered. It wasn't supposed to feel this way. She shouldn't have been so affected by an unfinished roll in the hay with small town boy scout, Clark Kent.

It was ridiculous.

And it wouldn't happen again.

Ever.

She was done having her heart broken.