The Man Of Steel, The Woman Of Mettle

Chapter Two – A Good Place To Start

A/N: As requested, here is the continuation of the story. I would like the that the reviewers that voted for me to continue – especially the one's that voted Chicago style ;D

AA/N: As always I have to thank my beta, Bglswrth. Not only for betaing the story but making suggestions that improved the story.

Xxxx In The LastChapter xxxX

"Some good old country air will help me get over Oliver. Also, my apartment is still being painted, so I thought I'd help you and earn my keep. Twice the hands, half the work and all that, you know." She said as she grabbed a bale of hay and dragged it into the barn.

Clark looked down and frowned, half the work at twenty times the time.

"Get a move on Smallville! I'm not stacking this all by myself."

With a smile, he lifted a couple of bales and walked into the barn.

Xxxx AndNowChapter Two xxxX

Clark was sitting at the kitchen table eating the macaroni that Lois had made for their dinner, he had to admit that it was pretty good – even if half of it was fused to the bottom of the boiler she had used. The left over ham and green bean casserole was better, but then his mother had prepared those before leaving for the state capital for the week.

Lois was being unusually quiet and that bothered him. She was rarely at a loss for words, especially when it came to criticizing him. Something must be wrong. He thought for a minute before clearing his throat. "The dinner is good."

"You sound surprised."

"Ye… No, not really."

She just raised an eyebrow at him and he stared into her beautiful green eyes, shook his head, and asked. "Are you alright?"

He could see a lot of emotions pass through her eyes in the second after he had asked that question, then she looked down. "Can I ask you a question?"

He bit back a come back like, 'Does this one count?' he had heard her heart start to race. Not knowing what to expect next he answered with more certainty in his voice than he felt, "Sure."

She licked her lips and quickly spat out, "Are you still in love with Lana?"

The fork full of macaroni that had been on its way to his mouth fell back onto his plate. "Lana is my first love, but I now know that she isn't the love of my life."

"Why… How do you know that?"

Clark took his napkin from his lap and laid it on the table. Pushing his plate to the side, he placed his elbows on the table, rested his chin on his thumbs, and thought for a second. "For a long time now, the love has been gone from our relationship. We were both trying to hold onto what wasn't there."

"If she called tomorrow, would you rush to be with her?"

Sitting up straight he frowned, "If she needs my help she will have it. But there is no 'us' to run to. Why do you want to know?"

She reached over and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "You are a good man…"

The kitchen door blew open interrupting Lois. She couldn't see him, but Clark had seen a very surprised Bart rush into the kitchen then out toward the barn.

"Must be a storm coming in." Clark said to cover why the door had blown open. "Why don't you check and make sure the windows are closed while I close up the barn?"

As she hurried upstairs, he sped to the barn. "What are you doing here?" He asked his speedy friend, Bart Allen.

"I just stopped to see if you were up for a burrito. A better question, Mee Ameego…" he replied in his bad Spanish, "… is what are you doing with Ollie's girl?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing to me; all hand holding over lunch with puppy dog eyes."

"What are you talking about? Believe me there is nothing going on between Lois and I!"

"I know what I saw, Mee Ameego. But it's none of my business if you two are going out behind his back."

"It's not like that. Besides, she broke up with Oliver this morning."

"So you're being oppilative?"

Frowning, Clark thought for a moment, "Do you mean, opportunistic?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean."

"No, Bart. She just wanted to talk."

"So you're not trying to take advantage of the bodacious Miss Lane being - unattached?"

"She's a friend, and that's all that she is."

"Yeah, I got it." He finished with a slap on Clark's back. "Where is my lovely cyber goddess?"

"Chloe is working and has a date later with her boyfriend. Remember -she has a boyfriend."

"A man can always hope." He answered with his trade marked grin.

XxxX

Upstairs, Lois had finished closing the windows, when she saw a blur leave the barn, and Clark stepped out to look in the direction the blur had moved. She shook her head and thought, 'just another one of the mysteries' that is Clark Kent.

Going downstairs, she met him on the porch; she sat on the bench swing and patted the seat beside her. "Clark, can we talk now?"

He looked at her, knowing that no good ever came from that preamble, and complied.

"Clark," she began, "how long have we known each other?"

"About four years."

"And in those four years I've seen you at you worst, and at your best." She paused.

The knot in his stomach seemed to grow, 'did she know?' he thought. Instead of speaking he just sadly nodded his head.

"We're good friends right?"

"Yes Lois, we're the best of friends."

"That's a good place to start."

"Start what?"

Lois ran her tongue across her lower lip; if she had realized the effect that action had on Clark's increasing heart rate, she wouldn't have been nervous about what she was going to say. If only Chloe had taken a moment longer to pull up to the Kent house.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

TBC…

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