When Lois whipped the door open, Clark was not a bit surprised to see a pair of very angry hazel eyes and very flushed cheeks on the face of the woman staring back at him.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Clark," Lois snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the apartment. Clark couldn't help but wince slightly at the noticeable absence of his nickname, particularly accompanied by the angry tone of voice.

She was really ticked.

"Um, Lois…I can explain," he said weakly, his eyes drawn to the paused picture on her television screen. Seeing himself, shirtless, with Lois' chin resting on his shoulder, he felt a bit of warmth spread throughout his stomach.

Warmth that quickly turned to a mass of nerves as he faced an irate Lois.

"You're kidding me, right?" she said, her arms crossed defiantly in front of her.

"Lois…I told you…the red kryptonite kinda makes me," he paused, unable to stop the blush from creeping up his neck, "Um…well…you know."

"An idiot?"

He shot her a confused look, having expected a tirade on his putting some very aggressive moves on her, not to mention forgetting to let her in on their escapades.

"Huh?"

"You're right, idiot doesn't quite do you justice. Moron, perhaps? That might fit nicely," she snarked. "Frankly, that would be the only explanation for that!" she finishes, gesturing towards the paused frame.

"I know I should have stopped things, but…"

"I mean really, who lets an invitation to a wishy washy pink princess' engagement party come between him and the opportunity to get some?"

"But when I'm on red K…the word 'stop' really isn't….wait, what?" Clark practically yelled, stunned as the meaning of her words hits him.

"Let's face it, I was a sure thing, not to mention I was looking totally smokin'. Okay, granted, the outfit was a tad on the slutty side but I was so working it."

Clark blinked quickly, completely flustered at the direction the conversation was heading. "Yeah…you were," he managed to mumble.

"And yet, you were distracted by a freakin' piece of paper? Oh wait, I forgot, it had Lana's name on it!" she snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Wait…that's what you're mad about?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, I'm sorry if watching you practically leap off of me to go brood over little Ms. Perfect annoys the hell out of me," she yelled back.

He stared open-mouthed at her, taking in her reddening cheeks, her flashing eyes. The wheels turned in his head, as a thought began to form – a thought he rationally knew he shouldn't say out loud, but he did anyway, before he fully contemplated the consequences.

"Are you jealous?"

Eyes widening in response, it took but a second for Lois to whirl around and start frantically opening and closing random drawers and cabinets throughout her living room and kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for kryptonite. Because after that remark, you deserve it," she growled angrily as she slammed a cabinet door shut. Despite the situation, Clark grinned at that. Her feistiness was one of the things he absolutely adored about her.

"Lois, I know you don't have any kryptonite," he said, unable to hide the grin still on his face as she turned to face him.

"Take it back."

"Lois…."

"There is absolutely no way that I'm jealous of that whiny little crybaby," she sneered, taking a step toward him. Despite knowing there was no way she could hurt him, he took a step back. A mortal Lois Lane was still dangerous, even to someone as invulnerable as him.

Of course, the mere fact that she was so heatedly denying it proved he was right, a fact that wasn't lost on Clark. Still…he'd learned over the years of their friendship when to cut his losses.

"Okay, so then why are you so upset about that?" he asked, and earning an exasperated eye roll from Lois in response. "I mean, it's not like you didn't know we ended up at the party."

"Do you know what I saw when I watched that DVD?" she asked, clearly annoyed. Noticing the blush staining Clark's cheeks at her query, she shook her head slightly. "Aside from that, Smallville."

Slightly relieved to hear her nickname for him again, he simply shrugged in response.

"I saw a guy who was having a pretty good time. Who was fun, and confident, and okay, fine…it seemed like I was having a good time too so you must've been doing something right," she admitted grudgingly. "But the minute, the second you saw Lana's name, your whole mood just changed. Gone was the fun guy, in came Mr. Broody. Sure, judging from what I've heard of the party antics, it also seemed like you had a healthy dose of 'gigantic jerk' in there as well, but my point is that it's incredibly frustrating to see all your potential get zapped into mopeland the minute Lana, or in this case, her name, rears her head."

He cocked his head slightly, absorbing her words. "And when was the last time that happened?"

"What?"

"You heard me. When was the last time I was at all affected by anyone mentioning Lana?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, her mind racing back over the span of time since Lana had left Smallville.

And really, aside from a few bouts of Lana induced brooding early on, she was hard pressed to remember any other incidents.

"You can't remember, can you?" he asked, and Lois cringed at the confidence in his voice, having a sinking feeling he was about to call her out. "Because it hasn't happened in a really long time. I'm over her and you know it. So this being the reason you're so upset now," he paused, gesturing towards her, "doesn't hold up."

"Call it a delayed reaction…after having a front row seat for the angst you two put each other through; I'm entitled to a little post traumatic ranting."

"Come on, Lo…"

"NO! No way, you don't get to stand there and act like you have the upper hand when you've been lying to me for months, no years!"

He sighed deeply, watching her getting herself riled up, most likely to avoid the turn the conversation was taking.

"You're right. I should have told you."

"Why didn't you? Especially after you told me everything else?"

"I don't know...I guess because I didn't want things to be weird between us."

"How would telling me the truth make things weird?"

"Lois…it was uncomfortable enough for me to know. Everytime I looked at you…" he paused, unsure how to continue for a moment.

"You'd remember," she cut in, her anger lessening slightly as she watched him struggle a bit.

"Right…the only thing that helped was that you didn't know, and would just talk to me like usual, like things were totally normal. I know it sounds…well, selfish…"

"Incredibly so," she interjected.

"And I'm sorry. I really am. It wasn't fair of me to keep that from you."

Her tense posture relaxed slightly, noting the sincerity in his eyes.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Okay?"

"Okay. But don't do it again."

"Boy Scout's honor," he responded, a slight grin on his face. Seeing Lois fighting her own smile in response, he added, "Hey, that's probably the last time I get to use that, what with my new codename and all."

"I do seem to have a knack for nicknaming superheroes," she teased.

He chuckled at that, leaning back against the edge of her counter.

"So…consider this your chance, Kent. Anything else you wanna tell me?"

He contemplated that for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing else to tell."

She nodded, taking him at his word and finally uncrossing her arms and hoisting herself up on the small dining table across from him.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Anything you wanna tell me?"

"About?"

"About the real reason you were so upset?" he finished, his head nodding towards her television. "And don't give me the 'Lana makes Clark mopey' excuse, because, as we've covered, we both know that isn't the reason."

He watched as her hands grip the edge of the table, and he can see her mind working in that head of hers, deciding whether or not to fess up. Sure, he hoped it was the reason he suspected, but it wouldn't hurt to have some confirmation from the woman herself.

A few moments later, she bit her lip and nodded quickly.

"Okay, since we're doing the honesty thing…but I swear to God Smallville, you repeat this and even your superpowers won't save you from me."

"Got it."

He could see her almost physically struggling with the words, as her hands opened and closed around the rim of the table. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke, albeit in a much more quiet voice than he'd ever heard her use, her eyes firmly planted on the floor.

"I guess…when I was watching you grab that invitation and just…basically forget all about me for Lana…I guess my pride was a little hurt. And, okay…maybe I was the tiniest bit, and I mean like the teensiest amount you can think of, … jealous."

He could feel the smile spread wide across his face. And he knew if she looked up and saw it, there'd be hell to pay.

For her part, Lois concentrated on the pattern the grain of the stained wood made on her floor, putting off looking up at his face for as long as possible.

When he noticed her head start to lift, he turned quickly, heading over to her refrigerator, giving him a few seconds of leeway to get his emotions under control. Opening the door, he grabbed her a beer, and one for himself. It didn't affect him, but after many happy hours with Lois after a long day of work at the Planet, he had come to like the taste of it.

Her eyes met his just as he turned back from the fridge. He cleared his throat, the ecstatic smile now gone as he handed her one of the cold bottles.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Oh God, don't apologize," she groaned, twisting off the cap and taking a long sip.

"Lois…I was a huge jerk that night. And not just at the party. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

"Well, neither of us was really in our right minds…"

"Granted…but still. And even though that wouldn't have been the way I would have ideally liked to…um…stop things? I'm not entirely sorry that I saw that invitation. Sure, I should have handled it differently but, honestly, it's a good thing I did."

"How do you figure?"

"Come on, you and I both know what would have happened if I hadn't."

She took that in, and then nodded her head slowly in response before adding, "We wouldn't have stopped."

"No…we wouldn't have. You were all drugged out on an aphrodisiac and I was on red K. So, if finding that invitation stopped us? Then I can live with it. Because I wouldn't want our first time to have been like that."

The moment the words leave his lips, he feels himself turn a crimson shade of red. Where the hell had that come from?

Stealing a glance at Lois, he saw her momentary shock at his comment turn into a smirk.

"Our first time? So….you're assuming there'll be one, huh Smallville?"

He took a long drink from his beer, wishing more than anything at that moment that alcohol affected him so he wouldn't have to be entirely cognizant of the incredibly awkward moment he'd landed himself in. "I meant, hypothetically," he said quickly. "You know, if you and I were to ever…," he paused, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red, which Lois wasn't sure was possible as she watched him, amused.

"Hit the sheets?" she interjected.

"Well, um…yeah…I'm just saying…I'm glad it wasn't like that," he finished, almost stammering. He tipped the bottle to his lips once again, draining it quickly before putting it back on the counter. "So…um…I should go," he muttered, and quickly starts to head for the door.

Watching him, Lois pushed herself off the table – not quite believing what she was about to do, but something inside her seemed to be pushing her to return his honesty – even if it had been a slip on his part.

"Clark?"

His hand froze on the doorknob when he heard her voice.

"I wouldn't want our first time to have been like that either," she said softly.

Momentarily stunned, Clark felt his heart leap a bit at her words. Turning to her, his blush having lessened a bit and a small smile now gracing his lips, he took a step back toward her.

"Really?"

Lois simply shook her head slightly. "Don't push your luck, Smallville."

Nodding in understanding, Clark moved back toward the door.

"Right…so…I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"As usual," she quipped, watching with a grin as he fumbled with the doorknob before finally opening the door and walking out.

After a moment, she turned and headed back into her living room, flopping down on her sofa.

Seeing the still paused frame on her screen, she leaned her head back against the soft cushions.

Something had happened between them tonight. The words they'd said, the admissions they'd made.

It unsettled her, because it's leading to an unknown, and that terrified her. This was Clark. Her best friend. Someone she couldn't fathom losing from her life.

On the other hand, she couldn't quite quell the anticipation she felt at what the future might bring.

Rolling her head to the side, she spotted her laptop, bringing her out of her confusing yet excited thoughts.

There was still one more person who she had to deal with.

Grabbing the slim computer, she pulled it onto her lap and opened her email. Clicking 'new message', she smirked as she began typing.

Dear Ollie,

When you least expect it?

Expect it.

Lois

Shutting her computer, she grinned, satisfied that her little veiled threat would make Ollie squirm. Oh she's gonna get him back…but things like this take time. Finesse. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the General had taught her the value of a good and well planned surprise attack.

Sighing, she picked up her remote, and despite every intention of hitting the off button for her DVD player, she found herself pressing rewind. Hitting play just as she sees Clark and her walk into the apartment, she brought her legs up underneath her, watching with different eyes this time.

Eyes that weren't as angry. Eyes that were definitely more appreciative.

Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks as she watched Clark very easily relieve her of her jacket while laying what appears to be one incredible kiss on her, she bit the side of her lip.

"Nice moves, Farmboy."

A few blocks away, Clark, who had decided to walk at a normal pace back to his apartment instead of opting for superspeed on such a beautiful night in the city, smiled broadly as her voice, and more importantly, her words, reached his ears.

She always forgets the superhearing.