Chapter 2

"Yes, I disabled them," Clark said pointedly. "You don't need to be monitoring the farm anymore."

Lois was coming over to spend the evening with him; it was a ritual for the two of them that began well over a year ago. When she was living at the Kent Farm, she often rented movies and drew the Kent family together to watch them. Even after she moved into the apartment in the Talon, whenever Lois visited she usually brought the latest blockbuster movie with her.

When Martha left for Washington and Lana moved in, Lois quit that practice. But when Lana disappeared and she saw how devastated it left Clark, she began visiting him every few weeks, bringing a movie or her Guitar Hero game along with her.

At first her intentions were to cheer him up but soon, romantic feelings for Clark arose and the frequency of her weekend visits increased. Nearly every weekend since she returned from Star City, one evening was spent with Clark playing video games or watching movies.

Now that they had taken their relationship to the next level, Clark wanted more privacy as they shared time together. It was no secret that Chloe resented his decision to shut himself off from her and leave to begin his training. However, the increasing bitterness she displayed since he returned was clearly a result of him preferring to confide in Lois over her. Given her increasing hostility, the last thing Chloe needed to see was him intimately involved with her cousin.

Chloe had called Clark minutes earlier when she saw that the video feeds from all the surveillance cameras she had installed in the Kent Farm were blank. After conducting a systems test on the transmissions and found no problem with the transmitters or receiver, she called Clark.

"I only put them in to make sure Shelby and the farm was safe while you were up with Daddy Dearest being trained. There was no need to infer that I was spying on you," Chloe replied flatly.

"Really? Well I've been back for over two months now, Chloe. You know that I haven't gone away again." He paused and a thought triggered another question. "So how did you know the video feeds were out?"

She understood the veiled accusation. "The feeds are electronically monitored, Clark, and when a feed goes down it sends a message and audible alarm to the control screen," she said in a tone that emphasized her annoyance. "When they all go out, it's either the transmission lines, the receiver, or someone has disabled them all at once. I have twelve different messages and alarms sounding. Only two people I know are capable of disabling twelve cameras in the blink of an eye and Bart is in Colombia right now."

"Well I'm not going anywhere, Chloe so there's no longer any reason to be monitoring my home."

As she argued with him over the phone, Chloe was busy moving all the surveillance video files she had collected at the Kent Farm, including those recorded up until Clark disabled the cameras, out of a raw video folder and onto an encrypted hard drive. "Well for your information, I haven't watched or stored any video feeds from your home since you returned. I'm not spying on you, if that's what you're thinking."

Clark wasn't so sure about that but he added, "I want you to quit monitoring my phone calls too. My conversations are private and if there is a reason you need to know what I am talking about, just ask."

"Whatever, Clark," Chloe replied harshly. "But for the record, I don't monitor them. I capture them in case you come up missing or you get a call from someone in distress and the call suddenly disconnects. The call could be from Oliver, Bart, Dinah, me or even Lois." She paused, waiting for him to respond and when he didn't, she added, "I don't know why you've become so hostile towards me but it isn't fair. I didn't turn my back on you; you're the one who turned his back on me when I needed you the most. And I'm only doing what I can to keep track of the only people who are capable of defeating the threat we're facing so that when the time comes, they'll be easier to contact and assemble."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Clark said genuinely but not swayed by her explanation. "Chloe, I never meant for you or anyone else to think that I didn't care about them. But we both know that the decisions I made based on human emotions failed miserably and I am not going to make that mistake again."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "So that means your decisions regarding Lois are based solely on what? Kryptonian logic?"

Her mention of Lois made him angry. "Leave Lois out of this; those are personal decisions and personal decisions are mine to make. When I suspect they might have any effect on you, the team or the rest of humanity, I'll let you know but otherwise, I'm asking you to respect my privacy and stay out of my personal life."

She exhaled audibly to emphasize her frustration and her tone sharpened. "Almost every decision you make, Clark – personal or not – affects the rest of humanity. When are you going to realize that?"

"If decisions I make in my personal life have that much of an effect on others, then everyone will just have to trust me. I'm not going to check with you or anyone else before I make personal decisions unless I want a second opinion. If you can't respect that, then there's nothing left to discuss."

"Fine; good-bye, Clark!" she replied coldly and disconnected the call.

"Chloe!" Clark boomed into a dead connection. "Damn it," he hissed.

(Meanwhile…outside approaching the Kent Farm)

"Get a grip on yourself, Lane," she scolded as she pulled her Jeep Grand Cherokee onto the dirt and gravel road that led to the Kent Farm driveway. You've only been here like a million times.

Her heart raced and her chest tightened at the sight of the mailbox signaling the Kent Farm. It was a pleasantly warm Saturday afternoon for late November with a gentle, dry breeze. The old yellow farmhouse that had always been a comforting sight to her now launched a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Inside that familiar old home was the man she loved; the man that loved her. She knew it, he knew it and almost immediately, nothing had the familiar feel it once had. Now they were a couple and for her, the stakes were higher than they had ever been in any relationship before. She had wanted so long for Clark to love her and she had no intention of losing him the way she has lost others. This was the one time Lois decided she would tread lightly, an approach that put her off-balance.

She parked her car and climbed out, half excited and half petrified. She closed the door and noticed her palms were sweaty. "Gross," she exclaimed and wiped them on the sides of her jeans. She took a deep breath and tentatively walked up to the porch. Before reaching the first step, she heard Clark talking to someone. "I'm not going to check with you or anyone else before I make personal decisions unless I want a second opinion. If you can't respect that, then there's nothing left to discuss."

Lois froze and her head exploded with worried questions. Was Clark talking to Martha like that? Had he called her and told his Mom about their relationship and she did not approve of her? Oh God, this is going to be a problem, she thought and felt like melting right into the ground where she stood.

Before her imagination ran further away, she heard him bark, "Chloe!" followed by a faint, "Damn it," a phrase she never associated with Clark and never imagined hearing from him.

Her anxiety vanished, suddenly replaced by an instinctual need to comfort her man. She bounded up the steps and on to the porch. Through the screen door she saw Clark turn and face her.

His anguished expression alarmed her. "Clark," she said, throwing open the screen door and racing to him. She wrapped her arms around him and burying her head in his massive chest. "What's wrong?"

He responded with a loving embrace, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. He wasn't sure how to answer her question. "Chloe," he replied, assuming that Lois had overheard him shout her name, but he said nothing further.

"I heard you saying something to her about respecting your personal decisions." Lois eased her hug and leaned back to look at him. "Were you talking about me?"

Her face sapped all of his anger and he smiled gently. "No, it wasn't about you." He leaned down and pulled her into him, kissed her deeply and she responded.

When they broke their kiss Clark said, "I'm just glad you're here, Lois. Let's not spoil the moment; we can talk it about it another time if you want, okay?" She nodded and he smiled again. "It's a special moment; it's the first time you've been here since, uh, since we, uh…"

"Since we became a couple?" Lois finished. "I know; it's weird, right? It's okay, Smallville; it's probably just easier for you if you say the words slowly," she chided.

She let go of him and walked past him toward the kitchen. "Personally, I like the way it sounds." She stopped and swiveled back around to face him. She cocked her head and arched an eyebrow. "What about you? Have you changed your mind already?" Before he could answer, she pivoted back around and disappeared inside the kitchen. "What have you got to eat around here?" she called out.

Clark stood where she had left him, shook his head and grinned.

(Later that evening)

After finishing a pizza delivered from the only pizzeria in Smallville, they settled onto the couch. Lois had brought The Proposal with her and Clark put it in the DVD player. He sat down next to her, unsure if now was when he should put his arm around her or not.

Lois sat rigidly next to him wondering the same thing. She cleared her throat. "What about the popcorn?" she asked.

"Right!" he replied and jumped up and hurried to the kitchen.

Pizza, she thought to herself. All that garlic! God Lane, why did you suggest that? She got up, retrieved her purse and clawed through it looking for a piece of gum or mint. She couldn't find anything but old credit card receipts, a compact, some lipstick and Kleenex. She scampered up the stairs to the bathroom, grabbed Clark's toothpaste and squeezed a small amount onto her finger. She rubbed it on her teeth, swished it around in her mouth and swallowed the minty froth that had formed. She cupped her hand beneath the faucet and slurped some water, swished it around and spit it out.

Better, she thought. She looked in the mirror. Calm down, she told herself, it's just Clark. She took a deep breath and headed back downstairs, reaching the couch just as Clark was returning with the bowl of microwave popcorn.

"Extra butter," he announced and handed the bowl to Lois. He sat down next to her again.

Lois started the movie but as the opening credits appeared, she realized that she couldn't relax. She wondered what was going through Clark's mind, if he was going to sit back and show her any affection or if she should do something to initiate it. She nervously shoveled popcorn into her mouth.

Clark sat motionlessly next to Lois, staring at the TV but thinking about what he should be doing. He wanted to pull her closer to him but since he had promised her that they would take their time, he was unsure if he should make the first move. The last thing he wanted was to hear Lois telling him to slow down again. C'mon, think, Clark!

As Sandra Bullock walked through her office on screen and her employees ducked into their cubicles to avoid her glance, Clark quipped to Lois that it reminded him of being in the basement of the Planet when she arrived in the morning.

She glanced at him and faked a smile, eliciting a genuine one from him. "Cute one, Farmer John. Oh look," she said pointing at the screen, "Ryan Reynolds is fetching her a cup of coffee. Now who does that remind you of?"

He chuckled and she smiled, playfully bumping into him with her shoulder and shoving him off balance. As he straightened back up, he reached out, draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer as he leaned back against the couch. She shifted willingly, drawing her feet up on the couch and nestling her head into the hollow of his shoulder.

Her heart beat a little faster when Clark pulled her closer; he heard it. But as Lois snuggled into a comfortable position against him, he heard her heartbeat gradually slow to its normal, melodious rhythm.

The smell of her hair and perfume mixed and rose as she grew warmer pressed against him. Clark loved the way she smelled and how soft her hair was on his cheek. She was soft to the touch and he gave her an almost imperceptible hug and then kissed her lightly on the top of the head.

Lois smiled, sighed contentedly, moved the bowl onto Clark's lap and fed him a few pieces of popcorn.