Chapter Six

She awoke as the first rays of sunlight started streaming into her room. She flung an arm over her eyes and tried in vain to drift off again. But it was no good, sleep eluded her. Slowly she raised her head off the pillow as the tantalising smell of bacon assaulted her nostrils and her mouth started watering.

Glancing at the clock and groaning as she realised it was only seven-thirty, she flung off the bedcovers and reached for her robe, slipping it on effortlessly as she made her way to the door. She stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the sight of Clark standing in front of the stove, his back to her, and he was…whistling?

She stood leaning against the doorway, crossing her arms and watching him with a smile. He seemed happy. As if a weight had been lifted. She had no idea how hard these last few weeks had been for him but she knew how much he had pined for Lana in the past.

No matter what he said, her leaving again had to have been hard on him. But now, he looked…free. Maybe she should give him another chance?

"Good morning Lois." He said without turning around.

"How'd you know I was there, I didn't make a sound?" She asked as she went over to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup. He smiled at her and tapped his ear.

"Ah I see. Wow…" She sighed as she sat down at the table. "I still can't believe you're the red-blue-blur." She said it slowly as if savouring the words. "I mean, how did I not see it?" He flashed her a wide grin as he set their plates down on the table and took a seat across from her. She grabbed her fork and started digging in.

"I guess you only saw the dorky farm boy." He laughed.

"Well I still see that…" She shrugged, then grinned at him. "I still don't quite understand why you went and got yourself suspended Smallville. Not that I'm not grateful or anything but it was pretty stupid, you could lose your job because of it. You could've just done what Tess asked."

"I could've but she wasn't being fair to you Lois. It was hardly your fault you were arrested. What did happen that night?" She frowned down at her plate.

"It was nothing. Guy got a little friendly, I put him in his place. No big deal." She shrugged, ignoring the flash of anger she could see in his eyes.

"Mm this is so good. I'm so glad your mom taught you how to cook Smallville." She said between mouthfuls of bacon, changing the subject quickly.

"Lois?"

"Yeah?" She looked up to see him staring at her. His expression was serious, almost nervous.

"Would you go out to dinner with me sometime?" Her mouth froze open just as she was about to take another bite.

"Um…" She put down her fork and stared at her hands in her lap. What was she supposed to say to that?

"Look I know that I dropped a huge bombshell on you last night and you probably don't even believe that what I said about Lana was true but…" He paused, a frown wrinkling his brow. "I just want a chance to prove to you that everything I said last night, I meant."

She raised her head and found herself looking straight into his eyes and for a moment, the sheer honesty she saw there, took her breath away.

"How?" She whispered, not even aware that she had spoken.

"How what?" He asked, confused.

"I know that you feel like you want to move on and that's a good thing it really is but…what do you really see happening between us? We're not even compatible Smallville, we drive each other crazy." She got up and took her plate over to the sink.

"I always thought that was a good thing." He replied as he got up to do the same.

"We argue all the time, we constantly rub each other up the wrong way…." They were standing less then a foot apart at the sink. Clark moved a little closer, his hand resting on the sink, barely an inch away from hers.

"Keeps things from getting boring." A little closer and their fingers were touching.

"I'm very difficult to put up with," She stammered, trying to take a step back but finding herself trapped between him and the other cupboard.

"You're honest, you speak your mind. There's nothing wrong with that." He said, smirking,

"I'm stubborn and abrasive and selfish…." She was really reaching for things to throw at him now, but having him so close was seriously unnerving her.

"Lois you may be a lot of things but selfish is not one of them." He said softly, finally placing his hand over hers. She flinched a little at the contact but made no move to take it away.

"Are you sure you don't have some of that stuff left in your system, because the Clark I know wouldn't be this…" She trailed off as he raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"This what? Bold? I don't know, maybe being on that red kryptonite gave me the strength to finally do something. To go for what I want rather then sit back and watch it pass me by until it's too late to do anything about it. I don't know why but whenever I'm around you I'm a different person."

"I'm not sure that's a good thing Smallville." She snorted.

"You know what I mean, you bring out a different side of me." He stopped and placed a hand on her cheek. "How did I not see it before?"

"See what?" She asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. It seemed as if he could see right through her, which she realised, wouldn't actually be too difficult for him.

"I keep thinking to myself, wondering when I started having these feelings for you. I can't exactly pin point it but I can't stop thinking about you Lois. All I know is, I don't want to go on pretending anymore. I know that I hurt you but I'm asking…is there a chance?" His eyes looked at her almost pleadingly and she could feel her resolve weakening.

He was saying everything that she wanted to hear and it felt wonderful. But there was a little nagging voice in the back of her head that just wouldn't shut up. Telling her that maybe he only wanted her because he couldn't have what his heart truly desired.

But what if she was wrong? What if he really was over Lana and she turned him down? What if she had the chance to be with someone she loved and she blew it because of her own insecurities? She knew Clark and deep down she knew that he would never intentionally hurt her. And she also knew that she would hate herself if she didn't take the chance.

But instead of telling him what she was thinking, she found herself reaching up to touch his face. He looked nervous, as if he were expecting nothing less then a rejection from her.
She pulled his face down towards hers and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Does that answer your question?" She smirked, chuckling at the dazed look on his face.

"I guess it does." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him. She tried to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach as he stared down at her, instead focussing on what she could see in his eyes. It was very clear that something was there, some attraction. But then a frown formed and he tilted his head to the side.

"What is it?"

"Someone's in trouble. I'm sorry Lois, I have to go." He said with a regretful tone.

"Don't worry about me Smallville, go…save the day." She said with a smile. He kissed her on the cheek and sped out of the apartment.

"Now that's hot." Lois whispered, the short gust of wind blowing her hair around her face.


As the sun was about to start its descent, casting a beautiful yellow glow over Smallville, Clark stood at the window in his loft, thinking. This was his favourite time of the day. The time when everything would wind down and he could reflect on the day's events.

He'd been out most of the day helping people but eventually had returned to Lois' apartment where she had ordered them both Chinese take away. They chatted as they ate and Clark felt happy that their normal relationship seemed to be back on track. He didn't want to lose her friendship, that was too important to him.

However neither one of them seemed to be able to ignore the lingering tension in the air. So eventually he had come right out and asked her. After arranging a day, time and place for their 'date' Clark left feeling happier then he had in a long time. He closed his eyes and his lips curved up into a smile as he thought of her.

He was so lost in those thoughts that he didn't even hear the person standing on the stairs behind him. She moved closer, trying to make as little noise as possible even though she knew he should be able to hear her a mile away, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her, a little startled, but as he looked into her eyes his smile faded a little and his eyes widened.

"Kara?"

"You're slipping Clark, I could've been anyone walking up those stairs." She laughed as he hugged her fiercely.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left to look for Kandor?"

"I did. But after a few months of searching, I never found it. I know it's out there somewhere and I just needed some time to regroup and figure out where to go next. I'm going to resume my search but I just missed you and believe it or not, I missed this place… so here I am. Mind if I crash here for a couple of days?" She asked, her blonde curls bouncing as she swayed from side to side whilst grinning at him.

"Of course not. You can stay as long as you like, this is your home too Kara. Don't forget that." She nodded and then went over to the sofa, stretching her legs out on the table in front of her as she settled back.

"So, what's been happening since I left?"

"Well a lot's happened actually. I don't even know where to start." He said as he sat down next to her.

"Well start from the beginning."

"Okay well um…Chloe and Jimmy got married. We had the wedding here in the barn, I gave her away." He smiled proudly.

"Here huh? Didn't think that would be Chloe's style." She chuckled.

"It was more of a sentimental thing." He replied, taking his cell phone out of his pocket as it beeped. He looked at the message and without even realising it, a small smile appeared.

"Who's that?" Kara asked.

"Hmm?" He snapped his attention back to his cousin. "Oh it's just Lois."

Kara tilted her head to the side and watched him as he typed out a reply. Something was different with him. She had sensed it when they had been trapped with her in the Phantom Zone. She knew that Clark was protective over anyone he cared about but to actually risk letting loose other zoners to protect Lois wasn't something she had believed he would do.

She caught a rare glimpse of how important Lois really was to him. And knowing Clark, she would bet that he didn't have the same insight. He really was rather slow when it came to women.

"How is Lois?" Kara asked after he put his phone back in his pocket.

"She's good I think." Noticing his frown she leaned forward.

"Why you think?"

"Well I uh…there was an incident yesterday. I uh…told her everything."

"Everything?" She said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yep, everything."

"What made you change your mind? I told you Lois was strong Clark, she could handle it."

"I know and she did, she handled it really well. I still can't believe that I told her. But I'm glad that I finally did it."

Kara noticed the way his eyes took on a slight dreamy look as he talked about Lois. She wondered if he knew that he had feelings for her. It was blatantly obvious.

"I just hope it isn't going to put her in danger like everyone else who knows about me."

"She's tough Clark, she can handle anything life throws at her. But what made you tell her? I know that you wouldn't willingly tell her your secret unless there was more to it." She squinted her eyes and stared at him.

And there it was, the slight flush in his cheeks and the way he avoided her gaze, a tell-tale sign that he had fallen for her. It made Kara happy, to know that he had someone as loyal and honest as Lois in his life. Though she had never really gotten to know Lois very well, she knew enough to know that she thought a lot of Clark and the way she had refused to leave him alone in the Phantom Zone made Kara think that maybe she cared more for him then even she knew.

Kara had a feeling that Lois played a much bigger part in Clark's life then he wanted to admit. Though it did make her wonder exactly how much had changed since she had left.

"You like her don't you?" Kara asked in a teasing tone, nudging his shoulder playfully.

"Of course I do, she's one of my best friends." He replied, evasively. Kara laughed as she stood up, her blonde hair falling in waves around her face.

"And…" She stopped at the top step and turned to face him.

"And what?" She pressed.

"We have a uh…date on Friday." He said as he stood, squaring his shoulders as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Kara simply smiled and nodded.

"It's about time Clark." She said with a laugh. She turned to walk down the stairs and crashed straight into a wall of flesh.

"Whoa there." Oliver grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her.

"Sorry." She replied, her eyes automatically taking on a mind of their own as they surveyed him. He was very handsome, his sandy blonde hair and chiselled features were gorgeous. But his eyes, they were the strangest combination of blue and green that she had ever seen.

"Hey Oliver, you remember my cousin Kara," Clark said, walking over to them.

"I can't say I do I'm sorry, have we met?" He asked, his eyes glinting as they stared straight into hers.

"I don't think so, I think I would remember." She said, whispering the last part and completely forgetting that Clark would be able to hear it.

She could feel her cheeks reddening and suddenly realised that she must look like Clark had when she mentioned Lois. She glanced at Clark out of the corner of her eye and saw him standing there, arms folded and a big grin on his face. He was enjoying this.

"Well I'll leave you boys to it." She said, quickly rushing out of the barn and into the house.

"Something I said?" Oliver said, glancing back over his shoulder.

"She's just exhausted from her trip."

"How long is she in town for?"

"I'm not sure, though I don't think it's very long." Clark replied, fully aware of why Oliver was asking and he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of Oliver getting friendly with his cousin, especially with his reputation with women.

But that thought only served to conjure up images of Lois and Oliver together and Clark had to quickly divert his attention as a strange and overwhelming feeling of jealousy washed over him.

"Did I just hear that you and Lois have a date?" Oliver said with a smirk. Clark let out a sigh, he really should be more careful when talking to someone up here.

"Maybe, but that's my business." Clark replied with a slight smile. He wasn't comfortable talking to Oliver about Lois.

"Okay, but just be careful okay Clark?" Clark frowned, wondering what Oliver meant by that. He shook it off and decided to change the subject.

"So Oliver, what brings you out here?"

Oliver stood face to face with him and rubbed his chin, something Clark had noticed he only did when he was nervous or anxious about something.

"I think Lex is still alive."