bA/N:/b First of all, THANK YOU GUYS FOR REVIEWING IT!

I'd like to ask everyone to please do the same. Come on guys, it takes you 20 minutes to read it, but only 2 to make my day happier! ;D

About the story itself, I enjoy so much the process of falling in love that I just can't skip it. I want to show it happening gradually and this chapter is one more episode of their 'journey' towards Happily Ever After. Hope you guys like it.

IV

"Oh great!" Lois uttered, right after flipping through her purse and discovering all she had in it was her cell phone, a lipstick and a credit card. How would she get to Smallville that way? Going back to Chloe's wasn't an option; she'd had enough of her cousin for the week. She sighed deeply when she realized her only option was the bus. "I don't seem to deserve a break, now do I?" She shouted to the sky. But suddenly, she felt her cell vibrate. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the caller's ID. It was no one less than her torturer and her savior.

"Hey, Smallville. Perfect timing," she said with a grin.

"Really? Why is that?" he replied, sounding amused by her cordiality.

"Oh, well…" She scratched her head before continuing "I kind of need you right now..."

"And what do you need me for?" Lois jumped with fright as she heard his voice right behind her.

"Are you trying to kill me or something?" She turned around and immediately punched his shoulder. "How did you know I was here, and HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE SO FAST?" Clark couldn't contain laughter.

"I came to Metropolis to buy a few things and came over to Chloe's to talk. When I got here I saw you on the sidewalk, so I've been watching you curse at your purse for the last ten minutes. When I saw you give up, I thought it was time to offer a helping hand," he stated. Lois frowned in suspicion.

"What? You think I'm stalking you?" He asked. Lois didn't change her face, and he put up a hurt face. "Ok, now I'm offended. I better leave you alone." He turned away from her and a grin came to his face. He had thrown the bait, would the fish bite it?

"Smallville, wait!" She held his forearm and when he turned back at her, the hurt face came back too. Pretending for people wasn't something he liked to do, but this was for a 'better cause'. Plus, having Lois all mellow, trying to take back what she said wasn't something he could pass.

"Hey, you know I didn't mean it like that right? I was teasing you, that's what I do best in life!" Clark's expressions softened and he nodded, giving her a faint smile. Once they were good again, she could get back to what she did. "Geez, Kent! Sometimes you look like a girl!" Before he could get angry again, Lois wrapped one arm around his waist. Once she made the first move to touch him, he felt comfortable enough to put his arm around her shoulders as they started walking. He wasn't cheating on his own rule, she silently asked for it.

"So where is the truck? I need a ride home." Lois said, noticing his slight hesitation and silence.

Clark took a little time to smile over her head, enjoying his victory, before he would answer. "Oh no. We're not leaving until you have breakfast."

"Breakfast?" she looked at him in disbelief "Clark I had breakfast at Chloe's. Plus, it's already 10:30 in the morning; it's almost lunchtime."

Clark stopped and turned to her with a knowing look. His arms slid down her shoulders until his hand caught hers. He didn't want to lose contact completely. "Lois, how long have you been up this morning?"

She looked everywhere but his face when she answered, giggling: "I've been up for about… 30 minutes."

He now smiled at her, carrying the same look and pressing her hand. "And what did you put in your stomach this morning besides a mug of black coffee?"

She held her hands behind her hips and rocked herself left and right, like a guilty child trying to ease their parents' mood. "Well… nothing?"

Clark looked down at her and held a laugh. "You see? I can't let that happen! I want my girls to eat and be healthy." When he saw the glare forming in her face, Clark immediately defended himself. "And I mean all girls in my life, including my Mom and Chloe. You all happen to have the same habit."

Clark sighed in relief as Lois accepted his words and started walking again. "Come on Lois, you can consider it as a brunch. That's stylish." She gave him an annoyed look, which he preferred to ignore. "I parked the truck near a diner, we can eat there."

-----

The 'brunch' had gone well. They talked about almost everything there is to talk about, laughed a lot and even shared food. Clark didn't try to flirt with her even once, and that made her relax, although it made her a little disappointed too.

Now already half way down to Smallville, Clark seemed uneasy. His lips were holding something and she knew what it was.

"Go on Kent. Spit it out! What's bothering you?"

He hesitated a little, but then decided to blurt it out. "Lois, isn't a date supposed to take you home? Why were you at Chloe's?"

She knew he had a point, but it didn't keep her from giving him an annoyed look. "I know I don't need to give you any explanation Smallville, but it happens to be that my date was so great, I asked Frank to leave me here at Chloe's so I could tell her everything about it."

Clark frowned, still with his eyes on the road. "Oh, sure. Because you know…there isn't such a thing as a telephone in Smallville!"

Lois thought of a great answer, but it just felt useless. She chose then to speak the truth. "Ok, Smallville, my date was kind of weird, so I just asked him to leave me at Chloe's and he agreed. None of us wanted it to get even more awkward." She saw he wasn't convinced, so she kept on giving excuses. "It wasn't fair to him, you know. I screwed things up. And it would get really late if he had to take me to Smallville and then come back to Metropolis."

Clark stopped the car and looked straight at her. "He picked you up, so he should have taken you home, no matter what you did. He went to a blind date; he should be ready for anything." Lois opened her mouth to say something, but Clark pressed her lips with a finger and continued. "You know I would take you back to China if that's where you lived -no matter what- right?"

Lois sighed and looked down, a smile playing in her lips. "I know that Clark. You're my knight in shinning armor." She tapped his thigh and looked at the road, trying to look playful as she said it. "Now take me home, Prince Charming."

Clark smiled and they got back on the road. Lois leant her head on the window frame and looked outside, thinking of everything. She felt so safe right now, so frighteningly safe. When you feel safe, you get sloppy; and if you get sloppy, you'll get hurt sooner or later. But now was not the time to think of it. She relaxed more and more as the soft wind caressed her cheeks, until she finally fell asleep.

-----

Lois opened her eyes and saw Clark standing in front of her, holding the door for her to leave the car. He had a mocking smile on his face.

"Come on Sleeping Beauty, your castle awaits you." He walked away to give her space but turned back "Oh, I think you'd like to know that you're drooling."

Lois straightened herself on the seat, startled. Clark walked Lois to her door and the moment she opened it to walk inside, he felt the urge to speak. "Look, Lois, I think I owe you an apology for what I said last night."

"Oh really?" Clark Kent apologizing for something he said to her? That was odd, though nice. Lois tilted her head, putting up her face the most charming look she could muster. She didn't even remember what happened last night by now.

"Yeah… I mean… about the dress you wore. You didn't look slutty at all." He walked closer to her, hands in his pockets.

"Well, I did, didn't I?" she almost whispered, still looking in his eyes

"You actually looked fabulous. I'd never seen you look so sexy." He looked down, shyly, and smiled looking at her from the corner of his eye. That was the perfect smile she looked for the night before. "I just got jealous about you doing all that for another guy." He leant closer, now inches away from her. "I'm glad you chose to keep that vision for my eyes only."

Lois put up a surprised, yet amused look when she asked. "Why? Don't you like this one? I know it's modest but it's cute, I think."

"Oh don't get me wrong. You actually look adorable."

"Now, do I?" The short distance between their faces was almost unbearable.

"Makes it so hard for me to keep myself from kissing you…"

Their faces couldn't get closer than this. Clark waited for Lois to make a move, but she wasn't ready to give in. She expected him to send his stupid rule to hell and kiss her, but he turned back and walked to his car.

"Too bad you didn't ask me for it!" he said, already turning the engine in the truck.

Lois watched him leave with her arms crossed. If he wanted to play rough, that's what he would get. She was bringing him down. When he waved at her, she just nodded, carrying a cunning smile on her face.

"We'll see about that, Smallville."