The picnic in the park

…in which Lois remembers the reasons to fall in love

"I didn't mean to fall in love in the first place, never mind with Clark, but I did anyway."

Lois blinked and reread the sentence she had inadvertently written in the middle of a story on the city's new transport policy.

She was tired, really tired, but that was no excuse for mixing her personal life with her professional one. She hadn't slept much the night before, because no matter what she tried, her brain just would. not. switch. off. Tossing and turning hadn't helped, and Chloe's chatter on the ride into work had given her a headache. Stupid thoughts.

It was ridiculous that one person could consume every thought of hers, but it was true nonetheless. Clark filled her waking thoughts as much as he did her dreams.

He also filled out a pair of pants really well.

Clark was standing at the side of his desk, giving Lois a lovely view of his profile. He was on the phone and at the exact moment that he leaned across to grab a pen to write something down, Lois was certain she heard an intake of breath (or two) from behind her as well as from her.

She shook her head and tried to squash her libido back down to where it should be at this time of the day. It wasn't even lunchtime and she wanted to go home. The idea of crawling into bed and never, ever, coming out again was very appealing. She hadn't even dressed with her extra-because-Clark-is-going-to-see-me care, and she was certain that she looked like death. His look of appreciation as she dragged herself into the office had only brightened her up for about a minute before the tiredness took over.

Lois shook her head again, hoping she didn't dislodge any brain cells she might need later in life, and stood up, grabbing her mug off her desk and heading for the coffee machine. Clark was still on the phone but turned to smile at her when she walked passed him.

Her half-hearted, lopsided smile in response turned his smile into a frown. Even as she poured the tar-like coffee into her mug, she could feel his eyes on her, worry emanating off him in waves.

"Uhhh, yeah, sure… no problem," she heard him say. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything." There was a clunk, which must have been Clark dropping the phone in his haste to set it down. She could feel him getting closer to her. Silently, she willed him to just leave her alone.

Clark was the last person she needed to deal with at the moment. Lois understood the power of words, and she knew Clark. It would be so easy to get annoyed at him for caring, and say things that she didn't mean. That would hurt him, and that would hurt her.

A voice, a godsend in disguise, butted in on her thoughts. "Lane, where are we on that public transport story?" She looked up and could've hugged her editor for appearing, even if it was to chase her for a story she had promised would be in by the end of the day. She lifted her coffee and walked back to her desk to compose herself.

Clark's eyes followed her the whole way.

Randall hovered over her shoulder reading what she had written so far, and Clark hovered round his desk and the filing cabinet trying not to look like he had ants in his pants, and so help her if she found a fly swat big enough she was going to use it on them both.

Her editor seemed happy enough with her work and left the way he had come. Lois braced herself for Clark's attention. Except it didn't come; Clark followed Randall out of the office, not once looking even in her direction.

Lois felt deflated. He hadn't even asked her what was wrong. And now apparently she was being irrational too; she couldn't cope with his attention, and then she was annoyed that she didn't get it.

Yep, needed to go home right now.

She was so absorbed in wallowing in self pity while mentally calculating when would be the best time to leave for the day, that she didn't notice her name being mentioned or activity at her desk until her purse was dangled in front of her face. Lois looked up to see that her computer was switched off and Clark, now wearing his jacket, was holding her jacket and her purse. "We need to go, Lois, come on" he said, an air of urgency around him. Lois really wanted to ask him what the hell he was doing, but she was too tired to argue with anyone right now, never mind think of actual words to say.

The city was quiet as they walked, much like Clark. He moved with an air of determination that Lois couldn't help admitting was very attractive. They twisted and turned through the streets of Metropolis, not stopping until they reached the middle of the park. Lois was completely mystified as to why they needed to be here so urgently, in the middle of a work day.

Clark looked round, as though deciding something, and turned to her and said with a smile, "Wait here, ok?" Lois could only nod dumbly before he walked away and she was left standing in the sunshine, alone with her thoughts.

Whatever Clark was up to, at least she would get some fresh air to clear her head.

Lois took a minute to take in her surroundings. There was a pond in front of her, trees and shrubs to her left and right, with a rose garden close enough that she could smell the scents of the roses. It was a perfect place.

"Lois."

She turned to her left to see Clark, now jacket-less, spreading a plaid (what else?) blanket on the grass, a picnic basket at his side. He wasn't serious, was he?

"What are you doing, Clark?"

"We're going to have a picnic. In the park." he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lois nearly yelled at him. "But we have to work! I have a story to finish… Brady's gonna kill us for just leaving in the middle of the day... and I let you drag me out here! What are you doing?!" He was an idiot.

In answer, Clark sat on the blanket with his legs out in front of him and reached his right hand out to pull her down beside him. She was now eye level with him, and he leaned in closer to make his point. "I asked Brady for the rest of the day off, so I'm spending it with you."

Lois was speechless.

Clark went on, "You're tired, Lois, you need a break. I asked Brady to give you the day off and you can hand your story in tomorrow. It'll go out in the afternoon edition." She blinked, still stunned at what he had done, before finding her voice. "And what about you?"

He smiled at her, a smile she felt all the way down to her toes, and said, "I told him you were my best friend and it was my job to make sure you were alright." Lois was incredulous. Brady wasn't exactly known for being so lenient. "And he bought it?" she asked. Clark shrugged and opened the basket, his voice quieter when he spoke. "I might've pleaded a little bit."

Lois smiled; he was wonderful. Suddenly the day seemed much brighter. She kicked off her shoes, pulled off her jacket and leaned back with her arms behind her for support. Raising her face to the sunshine, Lois took back all the things she had mentally yelled at Clark – she felt better already, basking in sunshine in the quiet of the park, with Clark beside her.

She opened her eyes to ask Clark if he had brought any food when she noticed the look on his face. Usually, she could read it like a book, but now, it was indecipherable. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You like the sunshine" he said, framing the phrase as a fact, not asking it as a question. She nodded and answered "Yeah, I do. It's… reviving, like it's putting all the life back into me."

He didn't say anything; he just looked at her for a long, long moment. Lois couldn't help feeling that this was important, but she didn't know why or how. It was Clark who looked away first, as he pulled some containers out of the basket and set them on the blanket in front of them. He handed one to her; inside was a bagel, made just the way she liked it.

Lois allowed herself a quiet little mental squee at the knowledge that he had done all this for her. This feeling of being the priority in someone else's world was rare for her. The fact that it was Clark, with whom she never meant to fall in love, made it doubly special.

But wasn't that what falling in love was all about?

She bit into her bagel, glancing over at Clark to see him tucking into an enormous sandwich. "A picnic, Smallville? Really?" she asked, smiling at him over the food. His reply surprised her. "It was on your List." She could hear the capital 'L'.

Lois hadn't been completely serious when she had given him the List, but apparently he had taken it and run with it. "Clark… are you going to do everything that I mentioned?" "Yes, I am." Lois went ahead and admitted it to herself - he was really sexy when he got all serious and determined like that.

Yummy.

She wasn't sure if she meant Clark or the bagel, but it was equally applicable to both.

They ate their way through the food, talking about work and news and Mrs Kent's work in the Senate and anything and everything. After all, they were best friends. With a sigh, Lois finished off the last crumbs of the apple pie that Clark had somehow persuaded his mother to make and then transported it all the way from Washington. Leaning back and rolling her neck to help her relax, she watched the clouds chasing each other across the sky.

"Hey Smallville, look – a cow."

"Huh? Where?"

Lois pointed upwards and Clark frowned. "I can't see it, Lois." She rolled her eyes and said, "Well maybe you need to look at it from a different angle." She missed the twinkle of mischief in his eyes until it was too late, and with a yelp of surprise, she found herself flat on her back, staring up at the sky.

She lifted her head to see where Clark was, to find him lying stretched out beside her with his hands under his head. "What are you doing?!" she demanded. "You said I needed to look at it from a different angle," he replied, his eyes dancing, an impish grin on his face that made her stomach do backflips. "Well I didn't mean me!" she retorted.

"Lois, relax. Please. You're tired and you need a break." Clark's tone was calm, something that always made an-already-annoyed Lois even more annoyed. He was maddening when he did that.

"How do you know?" Lois muttered in annoyance. Clark paused for a minute, as though choosing his words. "I can see it. You barely talked at all this morning and you ignored Jeff. The only time I saw you even move was when you got up to pour yourself some coffee… you just… you looked like someone had sucked all the life out of you."

"I live in Smallville. For all you know, someone might've. And I do take days off. I do it all the time!" Lois replied. Lois - 1, Clark – 0.

It was Clark's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Really? Like when?" Lois smirked at him and laid her head back down on the blanket. "Last Thursday, Smallville. You should remember that day, you couldn't do a thing without me," she replied.

"You only took the day off because you had to use up vacation time, Lois. What did you do on your day off?"

"I tidied the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom."

"And?"

"Fixed the light above the mirror."

"And?"

"Talked to Chloe about maybe redecorating the apartment."

"And?"

Well, he had her there. She mumbled her answer, and Clark sat up to look her eye. "And what else, Lois?"

"I broke into a warehouse following up a tip about a drug ring."

Clark lay back on the blanket, having made his point. Lois – 1, Clark – 1. She hated to admit it, but he was right. She did need a break.

Lois tilted her head sideways to look at him, and he met her gaze. "How did you see all that, this morning I mean?" she asked, her voice quiet. His voice was equally quiet as he replied simply, "I see you, Lois."

They were having another 'moment'. Clark looked upwards and chuckled, chasing away the crackle of electricity and all the untapped potential in the air. "I also see a duck," he said. Lois looked in the same direction and laughed - the cloud did look like a duck. The clouds drifted past, and every one of them was something different – a dinosaur, a block of cheese, a castle, spilled milk. Lois couldn't remember the last time she had felt so comfortable and relaxed, so content with her life. It was probably with Clark – he was good at having that effect on her.

"Lois?" Clark's voice made her open her eyes and roll her head round to look at him. His blue shirt and red and grey striped tie really suited him.

"Yes?"

"Did you get your ticket for the charity dinner next week?" Clark wanted to know.

"Yeah, I got it yesterday," Lois replied, nodding at him.

"So you're going?"

"Yeah," Lois answered, slightly puzzled. He already knew she was going, so why was he asking?

There was silence. Lois waited.

"I was wondering… would you go with me?" Clark's voice was hopeful as he continued, "As my date, I mean."

He wasn't just asking her out on a date. He was asking her to go with him to an event where all their work colleagues would be, and their boss, and their friends too. He was asking her to make their relationship public.

It was breaking one of her rules that she had set so carefully for herself. But hadn't she broken a rule by falling in love with him in the first place?

It was another big step, but to her own surprise, Lois didn't hesitate. "Yes, I will."

His eyes glimmered; she had never seen them so blue. "Thank you," he breathed. They lay there, just looking at each other, absorbing the moment and all its implications. Lois being Lois, she had to fill up the silence. "I like your tie," she murmured. "Mom picked it," Clark murmured back, not looking away this time.

The wind picked up and Lois shivered. She sat up and pulled on her jacket, reaching for her shoes at the same time. "I'll take you home, Lois," she heard Clark say as he sat up too. She turned to look at him and realised how close they were, hardly any space between them. His phone buzzed, and as he read whatever it said on the screen, Lois studied him.

His face had changed, subtle changes that only someone who had known him for years might notice, like her. Some strands of his hair had fallen over his forehead, reminding her of the boy he had been, emphasising the man he was now. She let her mind run over memories of the two of them, evenings spent at the farm with Mr and Mrs Kent, feeling like part of a home and a family. Then later, holding her as she cried, making her feel safe. She breathed in gently, tuning her senses to everything about him. His scent, earthy, clean and crisp – Clark-like – never changed.

Clark was such a big part of her life. She couldn't afford to lose him if things went wrong. This was why she shouldn't have fallen in love with him – the heartbreak would be too much. It wasn't easy for her to love, but when she did, it was with her whole heart. It was frightening – what if she fell, and there was no-one to catch her?

But he had told her to lean on him, because he felt stronger with her around. He felt the same way she did, he was in it with her... maybe it was time for a leap of faith. She was going to do this with him, not because she owed it to herself, but because it was Clark.

She reached up to fix his hair almost without thinking and froze, assailed by doubt. What was she doing? Clark was speaking. "Sorry, Lois, it's Ben Hubbard… there's something-" At that moment, he looked up. She moved to put her hand down when Clark caught it in mid-air. Holding her gaze, her small hand firmly held in his warm grasp, he lifted her hand until it was just over his hair and let go, waiting to see what she would do. Tentatively, she reached over and pulled back the loose strands of hair from his face, and couldn't resist running her fingers through his smooth, dark locks. Clark's eyes never left her face and she could see the way his eyes darkened, a muscle in his jaw tightening as though he was holding something back.

Lois dropped her hand and cleared her throat. Clark put his phone away and pulled on his shoes before clearing everything off the blanket and standing up. Lois did the same, folding up the blanket, even as her thoughts were elsewhere.

Date no. 4. PDA no. 3.

Make a list. Set some rules. Take it slow.

Get it right.

He was The One. She knew that; the knowledge coloured every thought of him, every rule she had made for herself, every moment she spent with him. This was why people fell in love – to find the person who was your match in every way, who would love you the way you loved them.

Lois waited as Clark pulled on his jacket and picked up the picnic basket. He was going to take her home, and along the way they would argue over the music on the radio and bicker about the speed Clark was driving at. That was them – it was the way their relationship worked.

They made their way out of the park, through the streets, back towards the Planet. Lois's steps were less weary, her heart lighter. She had a date (number five, to be exact) to look forward to and a dress to find.

And somewhere along the way, as the city rose high above them, Lois thanked the universe for giving her Clark Kent to love.