Power and Prophet

by Linda09

Clark Kent and Lois Lane; two people who no longer believe in a forever love, will soon discover that it does exist. The countdown to their defeat at its hands, begins when they meet again. M for sexual content, and occasional strong language - Clois

14. Chapter 14

Hello

Firstly, thank you for the feedback on the last chapter. It was a really tough one to write so I'm glad people enjoyed it.

Here is the next one and as usual; it's long. So please get comfortable before diving in.

Linda

oOo

25 August –Approx: 11am

Lois leant against the back door and looked at Attila who was fast asleep, curled up protectively around the large ham bone she'd given him the day before. The giant stuffed squeaky flea was still the dog's favourite toy but it appeared that bones had replaced it as his number one sleeping companion.

She wished that she could play and afterwards curl up with her favourite person but lately he didn't seem to be in the mood to be with her in any capacity. Raking a hand through her hair she sighed in discouragement and wondered if it was time to throw in the towel and admit defeat.

She'd read so much information on how to win the man of her dreams that the advice had all blurred together into a jumbled confusion but she'd remembered enough points to go on with and then made up her own rules as she went along. However, it seemed that the harder she tried, the more he pulled away and became insensitive into the bargain. Not that she'd given up, she'd simply thrown herself even more heartily in trying to win his affection without success.

She ensured to always look her best when he came over. Gone were the days when he found her in scruffy shorts and t-shirts. Now she dressed like a fashion plate even while lounging around the house, on the off chance he'd stop by unexpectedly.

She listened attentively when he talked and encouraged him to talk more, with the result that she now knew more than she cared to, about stuff that she'd never given a rats about in the first place.

When he said something that she assumed he thought was funny or brilliant, she inwardly groaned but outwardly laughed playfully and tapped him on the arm in a flirty manner.

She'd stopped nagging and now only showed him a sunny disposition so he didn't think she was a battle-ax whose only goal in life was to badger him to death and she went out of her way to ensure he didn't feel like his freedom was threatened, no matter how unfeeling he was being. The less she thought about his call last Friday afternoon the better and just remembering it again made her want to break another glass but this time on his head; grrrr. It had taken a couple of hours for her blood pressure to initially calm down after that call, only for it to periodically spike on and off all night whenever she thought about it. However, she'd managed to maintain her dignity on the phone and present him with a smiling face when he turned up the next day with nary an apology on his lips. She'd even gritted her teeth and said nothing when he broke two more dates with little notice and if she had to keep pretending to be a dim-witted obliging woman who didn't have a fucking backbone or a working brain just one more day, she going to turn bat-shit crazy.

Either that or she was going to throw up!

She was making herself sick.

Swinging around she grabbed the phone of the hook and dialled the shop. As soon as she heard Anne's voice, she got right to the point "I'm in love with Clark."

"Lo."

"I love Clark." She repeated frantically.

Anne grinned hugely "Ok, hang on a moment while I step into the office." Miming to one of the assistants that she'd be in the back room, she hurried into the office and made herself comfortable "Ok I'm back."

"I need help."

"Help with what?"

"Clark."

"Ok."

"I'm in love with him."

"I'm happy for you Lo, I really am but you're kind of stuck on repeat sweetie. If you want my help, you're going to have to give me a clue." Anne replied soothingly.

Lois took a deep breath, took a seat at the kitchen table and nodded "Ok, well I told him everything about me and he was great..."

"You told him everything?" Anne cut in for clarification.

"Yeah and..."

"Can I ask why you told him?" She interrupted once again.

"He pretty much figured it out when I fell asleep and..."

Anne listened and her smile grew as Lois told her what happened. It made no difference that Clark had done everything he could to promote the situation. Just the fact that Lois had fallen asleep while he was there spoke volumes, since she'd never lowered her guard enough with any man to do so before telling them about herself.

When she finished Anne asked innocently "So he didn't have a problem with it?"

"No, he was really sweet about it actually and I thought...well I was so sure he liked me but now..." She trailed off miserably.

"But now what?" Anne encouraged softly.

The dam erupted and it all came pouring out.

"But now I think he's having second thoughts about it all because he's been acting really funny. I've tried everything I can to make him fall in love with me but it's not working. I was so sure he liked me but my holiday's nearly over and he seems to be giving me the bums rush to leave. I don't know if he's acting like I've got some kind of infectious disease so that I'll get the hint that he wants me gone or if I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what else to try because I've tried it all and it's not working." She finished on a wail.

Anne tapped her lips thoughtfully "Ok so let's break this down, what do you mean by saying he's acting funny?"

Lois held out one hand in appeal "He's acting really standoffish and weird. Take last Friday for example; I was supposed to spend the weekend with him at the farm but he called and told me not to come."

"Did he say why?"

"He wanted a night out with his friends."

Anne sat back and frowned "That's not an out of the way request Lo."

"No it's not; I'm all for him having a night out with his friends and spending time with them..." She replied openly before continuing in a heated voice "...but he literally called me at the last minute to cancel. It was SO last minute in fact, that I'd already packed up mine and Attila's stuff in the car to spend the weekend with him when he called, but I was still supportive Anne. I didn't say anything to make him feel bad and I kept telling him it was ok but what really, really got under my skin is that he didn't forget to call me in the first place, he just didn't bother and then he admitted as much in an attitude as if to say 'and what are you going to do about it?' And oh I felt like doing something, I felt like pushing his face in but I still didn't get on his back about it because I thought, hey he's being a pig but he's at least being an honest pig so how can I yell? However, when I asked him if he was still coming over for dinner that's when he mentioned getting together with his friends and that's when I realised THAT, was his reason for cancelling our weekend in the first place and when I called him on it, he just laughingly confessed."

"I would have stripped the hide right off him." She murmured consolingly.

"I wanted to but I'm trying to only show Clark a sunny disposition at the moment. So I pretended it was Attila who was trying my patience, not him." Lois rubbed her fingers over her brow "He's broken two more dates since then with really flimsy excuses but that's not even the worst of it."

"What else?"

"Well before we talked last Monday and I'm talking about LAST Monday not the one that's just gone, well before then he couldn't keep his hands off me. He was constantly trying to get me to sleep with him but since then, he hasn't even been interested in me sexually."

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean that he hasn't made a move on me AT ALL in 8 days." Lois whined loudly "The last time we had sex was almost two weeks ago and at first I didn't notice because he seemed to be really affectionate and the kisses...my gosh they were so deliciously long they drove me nearly crazy but when they didn't lead anywhere, I figured that maybe he just wasn't in the mood."

"Has that ever happened before?" She frowned lightly.

"No way!" Lois pronounced emphatically "Clark not being in the mood has never been an issue. More often than not, he's ready to go again while I'm still recovering from the first round but these days I'm lucky to even get a peck on the cheek when he arrives or leaves."

"You're kidding?"

"I wish!" She groaned feelingly "I'm going to be climbing the walls soon if this keeps up."

"I can see why."

"And that's why I called for help." Lois nudged broadly.

"Ok so what all have you been doing?"

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean what have you been doing to show him that he's special and you want him?" Anne asked directly.

"Oh well..." She deliberated for a moment before beginning a commentary of her efforts "I always make sure to look pretty for him but considering he doesn't even seem to notice anymore, I don't know why I bother. I've encouraged him to talk about stuff he's interested in rather than hogging the conversation and that's a chore in itself because he's not a talker. I've been accommodating and agreeable even when he's being an insensitive oaf like on Friday night for example. I've flirted with him playfully so he knows that I'm his for the taking, not that he's been taking lately and I've asked him for advice on little things to show him that I can be helpless."

At the loud grunt, her shoulders fell disheartened "I know; I'm not really the passive type who sits around waiting for assistance but I want to make Clark feel good and important, without looking desperate myself because that's something I just won't do."

"And you shouldn't because you're not."

"No I'm not but I do need him, I just don't know how to show him that."

"Have you tried telling him?"

"Anne, the man doesn't even kiss me these days. He comes over a lot less and he's cancelling dates to spend time with his friends; add all that up and what does it tell you?" She growled peeved.

"Yeah, I see sorry." Anne grimaced in reply.

"I know that he's probably trying to give me the brush off, without having to come right out and telling me to get lost but..." She broke off to take a deep calming breath "...but I love him, so I'm pretending not to see the signals he's sending."

"I'm sorry hon."

"It's not your fault; I just don't know what to do without looking pathetic." She laughed unamused "What am I saying? I probably am pathetic to keep hoping things will get better instead of leaving of just town quietly, which is likely what he wants me to do."

"You're not pathetic."

"Yes I am." She admitted haltingly "Let's face it, rather than letting go I'm reigning in on my normal assertive self and trying to be the kind of woman he might like instead."

"If Clark doesn't like you the way you are, then he's not the right man for you Lo." She interjected steadily.

Lois nodded minutely in agreement "I know that logically but I honestly feel that he is."

"Do you feel that he is because you're in love with him, so want to believe it or because you really believe that he is?" When Lois began to speak, she quickly cut in "No, don't answer straight away, think about it for a minute and tell me truthfully?"

"The second." She replied after doing as instructed "Love had nothing to do with our relationship in the beginning and I'm glad about that. I've been down that road before and every time I was living in ga ga land, only to come down with a thud when the gloss wore off and I finally grasped the fact that the man I thought was perfect, could be a real shit at times. However, since I've never viewed Clark through a romantic haze, I already knew that about him and it didn't bother me since I've definitely got my own faults. So getting to know him these last few months without love rearing its ugly head and making me loopy, has given me the opportunity to see both the good and the bad in him. I know he's the right man for me, I just don't know if he's ever going to think I'm the right woman for him."

"He's liked you well enough up to now." Anne reminded her gently.

"Yeah, but that could be because he thought I was going to be gone by the end of August. However that date is now looming on the horizon and I'm still here." Lois sighed heavily "For all I know he could be thinking that turning our casual fling into a relationship, was a huge mistake on his part and is now trying to rectify that by acting indifferent and cold towards me, in an attempt to shake me off."

"So you're trying to be something that you're not, just to hold onto him."

She heard the disapproval and the concern in her friends tone "I know it's stupid and it's not his fault that I'm holding back it's mine. I just don't want to scare him away like all the others, especially now."

"Let me tell you something about the others Lo; they were all wimps." Anne announced firmly.

"They weren't wimps. They were lying, cheating bastards yeah but not wimps." She countered sullenly.

"Oh I'll agree they didn't look like it but the fact still remains they were all weak willed jellyfish who had no backbone from the very beginning. I think you saw that chink in them and got involved with them deliberately because you knew they couldn't break your heart." She returned steadily.

Lois frowned insulted "I was hurt each with each failure Anne."

"I know you were Lo but although your heart was bruised, it wasn't broken." She returned softly "Carol and I have both noticed that you seemed to throw yourself into relationships with men who wouldn't demand anything from you. However, the minute they started making noises for more, you told them about your gift. The sad part is that you seemed to deliberately pick men, who were bound to let you down once they found out what you could do."

"You make me sound awful."

"You're not awful Lo, you were just scared sweetie. One day everything was fine and then next you were bombarded with awful images, then shortly afterwards you felt flooded with thousands of voices all at once and it almost drove you insane until you learnt to control it." Anne reminded her gently "Since you think of your gift as a curse, you likewise figured that no man could ever love you because of it. I think deep down you were afraid of one day meeting a man that you could love with all your heart, only to have him walk away because he couldn't handle your gift..."

Lois shook her head and cut in "That's not true I wasn't..."

Anne ignored the interruption and ruthlessly kept going "...so you gave yourself a reason to reject love before it could reject you, by dating a few losers who you knew that you could push around and subsequently wouldn't have the fortitude to stand strong at your side. Thereby, verifying your suspicions that no one could love you, which gave you a reason not to trust any man. Thus keeping your heart safe from the one man who could actually break it, should you ever meet him."

Lois breathed heavily as the retort on the tip of her tongue burned to be expressed.

"Lo?" Anne asked softly after a minute of silence "I didn't mean to be so hard on you."

"Are you saying that you're wrong?"

"No, I just hated to see the way you threw yourself away on men who weren't worthy of you from the beginning and then got hurt in the process because you were afraid." She replied gently but candidly "Love's a scary business Lo but if you keep protecting your heart and never take the chance of letting go completely, you'll never really live."

She closed her eyes in shame and quietly confessed "I'm scared."

"I know."

"I hated the way my exes let me push them around you know."

"I do know, very few women want a man who's a cream puff and you're not one of them." Anne replied readily "You need a man who's secure in himself because only he will be strong enough to take you on Lo."

She sniffled in agreement.

"Do you believe Clark's that man?"

Lois gulped back a watery chuckle "He is now, yeah."

"You said that you told him everything, meaning you didn't give him the fabricated version that you've given past boyfriends correct?"

"Uh huh."

"And did you tell him the stuff that you want to tell Carol and me but can't?"

Lois drew back startled "What, I..."

"Sweetie it's ok." Anne smiled in understanding "We know you haven't told us everything and neither of us think it's got anything to do a lack of trust in us, but because it's something that you can't reveal, correct?"

"God I'm so sorry, I'd tell you if I could but I can't and..."

"Lo, we know. To be honest, we both think it's one of those, 'if I tell you, then I'll have to kill you' scenario's we've all seen on TV shows." She finished with a laugh.

"That sounds so hokey but yeah, that's pretty much it." She admitted remorseful.

"We thought so." Anne said pleased "So did you tell Clark all of it or did you hold back some details?"

"I told him everything but it's not because I trust him more than you and Carol honestly." She reassured quickly.

"Lo if you're not telling us because it's for our own safety, then can I just say thank you." Anne reassured steadily "I have no desire to be locked up, killed, hiding from whomever for the rest of my life, or having to guard my tongue every time I open my mouth and neither does Carol; so let's just move on ok."

"Ok." Lois sighed in relief.

"Good, now by telling Clark everything it clearly shows that you don't mind if you have to go on the run with him..." She put in amused causing Lois to giggle in return "Did you tell him because you knew him years ago so couldn't lie, or because you didn't want to lie to him specifically?"

"Because I didn't want to; I could have made up something but I didn't want to do that with him." She confessed softly.

"Following your instincts is usually the only option you have in this kind of situation."

"Yeah."

"And how have they been feeling lately?"

"Not good." She confessed after a slight pause.

"That's because you've been giving Clark a diluted version of yourself but if he's the right man Lo, then he won't want a watered down version of you. He won't want some cardboard cut-out that looks like you but has no substance. He'll want you as you are and count himself fortunate just to have you and your love; nothing else."

"Ok." She whispered in acceptance.

"Good..." Anne sat up straight "...but Lois I'm going to give it to you straight now with no holding back; are you ready?"

She swiped a hand over her cheeks and firmed her chin "Yes!"

"Ok, we both know that summer romances tend to come with a use by date and the signs it's over are usually pretty clear. I'll even admit that what you've said about him ducking out on dates doesn't sound promising but maybe Clark hasn't been giving you signals the romance is over, maybe he's been confused by your behaviour and that's why he's been acting weird."

"I've been driving him away." Lois gasped horrified.

"Maybe." She reiterated steadily "So if you want that man for a lifetime and truly want to know how he feels about you, then you're going to have to make the first move."

"How?"

"You need a plan."

"I need a plan." She reiterated strongly.

"Right!" Hearing the resolution Anne nodded "Now you said the two of you haven't been intimate for almost two weeks correct?"

"Uh huh."

"Have you tried seducing him?"

"No, I was trying to be meek and pathetic." She groaned loudly "What the hell was I thinking?"

"Clearly you weren't." Anne responded lightly "How long did you say it's been since he kissed you; and I mean a really passionate kiss on the lips?"

"Eight days..." Lois groused unhappily "I've been counting."

"Well that's just messed up."

"I know."

"When did you start acting all meek?"

She scratched her brow thoughtfully "I'm not sure because it's all gotten mixed up with the other stuff I've been doing, but I think it was about the same time he stopped kissing me."

"Hmm, well it sounds like the two of you might just have your signals crossed." Anne frowned in deliberation.

"You think?"

"Yeah."

"So I should seduce him."

"Definitely and I guarantee that if he wants you, then it won't be long before he takes control of the situation."

"I can't wait." She licked her lips in anticipation.

"And like any woman worth her salt; LET HIM!" Anne cheered loudly.

"I will." Lois laughed happily "Thanks Anne, and thanks for the kick in the butt too."

"No problem, if one of your two best friends can't do it then who can?" She asked cheekily.

Laughing cheerfully Lois hung up the phone then raced into her room for her purse and car keys; she was going shopping and tonight Clark Kent wasn't going to know what hit him. Grabbing the dog's leash, she raced out the back yard and called Attila while almost jumping up and down in excitement.

oOo

Kent Farm – Approx: 4pm

Clark looked at the calendar on the kitchen wall and tapped the date. In exactly one week and two days it would be the first of September; in 9 days Lois' holiday would be over. At least he assumed she was supposed to be staying until the last day of August. He'd never actually asked and she hadn't said; he'd just taken it for granted.

With a growl he spun towards the fridge and after grabbing a beer, stalked into the lounge room to throw himself down on the couch. Twisting off the top, he took a deep gulp of the liquid and looked down broodingly into the bottle.

It seemed he'd taken a lot for granted including the fact that he'd have Lois purring like a kitten under his hand by now. Well either he'd overestimated the power of his charm, or underestimated the task he'd set himself because she hadn't said that she loved him, hadn't said that she was staying; in fact she'd done bugger all to let him know how she felt and it was pissing him off.

He'd spent days lavishing her with attention and showering her with romance and what did he get for all his trouble? The girlfriend from hell; that's what!

Shuddering lightly at the creepy feeling crawling up his back, he looked over his shoulder as if expecting to find something horrible there. Once upon a time the thought of finding a woman who hung on his every word, laughed at all his jokes and deferred to him on every occasion, would have been a dream come true. Now that he had her, it was seriously freaking him out.

Lois hadn't nagged at him, hadn't lectured him, hadn't disagreed or argued with him once. Instead she'd taken to asking him for his opinion on everything and tittering like a teenage girl. God, even he knew that sometimes the things that came out of his mouth were unfunny and downright stupid but rather than telling him to shut it, Lois giggled annoyingly.

And she was so damn understanding...about EVERYTHING!

His brilliant idea of acting like a gentleman and keeping his hands to himself had seemed so simple at the time, but that was when he'd been labouring under the illusion that Lois would crack like an egg and declare her love for him quick smart. However after spending 5 fruitless days getting nowhere fast, he'd known that his position was a little precarious so had to cancel their plans for her to spend the weekend at the farm.

It was either cancel or perish!

By then it had been 8 days since they'd last had sex. Now it was 12! Taking a quick look at his watch, Clark let out a little whimper and wondered if there was any shame in a grown man crying. This time 12 days ago, right at this very minute he and Lois were going at it like rabbits on the kitchen floor while the rain poured down.

Shaking that off, he took another gulp of beer and sighed in frustration.

If she'd stayed at the farm last weekend it would have ended in one of three ways; him baying at the moon like a raving lunatic due to lack of sex, him slavering like dog at her feet for sex, or him yelling at her for being so damned giggly and irritating. By then he'd been so desperate to get his snarky girlfriend back, that he'd deliberately called her at the last minute to change their plans hoping she'd chew him out but instead she'd been accommodating and sweet.

Growling silently, Clark tipped his head back and glared at the ceiling while recalling that hideous conversation.

oOo

19th August – Approx: 5pm

"Hello."

"Hey Lois I..."

"Don't worry I'll be there soon. I've just finished putting Attila's and my stuff in the car so..."

"I'm calling because I don't think you should stay over after all." He announced loudly over her.

"You don't?"

"No."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well I figure that since you're comfortably settled back at your place again, then it's silly for you to waste your time packing just to come over here for a couple of days."

"I'm already packed."

He pressed the phone harder against his ear hoping that was a touch of peevishness he'd heard, and replied breezily "Yeah sorry, I should have called earlier."

"That's alright no harm done, but since the cars already packed then there's no problem about me coming over right?"

"Actually there is yeah." He informed her airily without expanding on the reason.

"Oh! Well...ok."

"And now you have to unpack everything."

Lois cleared her throat noisily, Clark silently encouraged her to shriek then frowned in fierce disappointment at her overly cheerful "Yes well these things can't be helped; it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal!" He repeated amazed "Are you kidding, it's a very big deal. Some of my friends have complained about their girlfriends ripping them a new one for less than this."

"Well don't forget that you're only getting half the story from your friends..." She tinkled out a laugh "I'm sure their girlfriends had good reason for being upset, whereas I don't because I'm just as certain that you meant to call me earlier and..."

"As a matter of fact, no; I just thought of it." He interrupted smoothly.

The phone went dead quiet.

"I see." She replied after a beat "Well that's ok, I know how it is?"

"Are you upset with me?"

"Don't be silly..." She scolded gently "...you were busy and it slipped your mind, I understand perfectly."

Stop being so damn forgiving, he yelled mentally before beginning jovially "Actually it didn't slip..."

"I HAVE TO GO!" She cut in shrilly, then paused and added more tranquilly "Sorry, I didn't mean to speak so loudly, Attila's just being a pain in the butt right now."

"Yeah, I know how that can be." Since you're being a pain in mine, he sighed silently.

"Well I'll see you later then." She paused for a beat before asking tentatively "That's if you're still coming over later."

Giving it one last shot he remarked frankly but with just a touch of attitude "Not tonight, I'm going out with the guys." At the sound of breaking glass, his brow furrowed in concern "What was that?"

"That was Attila giving me the absolute shits." Lois replied tightly and with a muttered excuse me, turned away from the phone to address the mutt "Bad boy! Go outside and play while I clean this mess up." Coming back a few seconds later she announced brightly "Sorry about that; he was jumping around and knocked a glass onto the floor. So um...the reason you're changing our plans is to go out with your friends."

"You caught me out." He forced out a laugh and tacked on hopefully "I wouldn't blame you for being pissed at me for it."

"I think it sounds like fun."

"Yeah, it'll be great." Clark replied flatly in resignation.

"Mmm."

"So..."

"Um, listen I have to go." Lois interrupted soft voiced "I've gotta sweep up the glass and then unpack the car so..."

"Yeah and I've got..." He waved a hand then threw it up helplessly "...some stuff to take care off. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Uh huh."

Coming back to the present Clark shook his head bewildered. He'd like to believe that Lois had been taken over by a pod person because then he could do something to save her, but the Lois he was dealing with now was so sickeningly nice all the time, it was a chore to be in her presence.

He'd spent the past few days trying to figure out how to accomplish that and had even resorted to breaking two more dates in a desperate bid to get a reaction out of her, all to no avail. It was now Thursday afternoon, the weekend was once again looming and things hadn't improved at all, they'd just gotten worse.

No matter what he did, Lois took it with a smile. No matter what he said, she took it with a smile.

The only reason he could come up with for her behaviour was that she'd guessed how he felt and didn't return the sentiment, so was trying to frighten him away by behaving so out of character. And the reason she no longer verbally ripped him a new one even when she had every right to do so, nor tried to reform him with snarky pointed remarks, was because she didn't think he was worth her time or her attention.

If he didn't get his act together fast, Lois was going to leave and one day she'd meet someone else and then that faceless guy was going to be the recipient of her pushy ways. That guy was going to have her bugging him to pick up after himself around the house. That guy was going to be told off for dumb things. That bastard was the one she was going to try and reform.

Over his dead body!

Lois was HIS bossy girlfriend, so that faceless prick could go and find somebody else.

Now how could he get her back?

Seriously, how was he supposed to complain about her being agreeable all the time, without sounding like he was the one in the wrong?

Swiping one hand over his face Clark pushed up to his feet and retreated to his office in the back room. Getting comfortable behind the desk, he switched the computer on and once the internet was up and running began furiously searching and reading all the advice given on how to reel an elusive girlfriend back in.

"Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen." He read aloud and shook his head "That's gotta be wrong."

Tapping his chin thoughtfully he leant back in the chair and gazed up at the ceiling. Being romantic hadn't worked. The nice guy routine hadn't worked and trying to tick her off hadn't worked. So maybe it was time to give this a go.

He fastened his gaze back on the screen and read countless arguments on the subject before sitting back dejected. Now he was even worse off; some said no way, while others said yes please and he was just the poor schmuck looking for advice because he didn't know which way to turn.

Blowing out an exasperated breath he rolled his eyes and rapped his fingers absently on the desk. This treat them mean crap just sounded like a stupid game that only idiots indulged in and unfortunately, it appeared that he'd been playing it unknowingly by breaking dates with little notice. However, his reasons for doing so had been to make Lois snipe at him, not to pant after him all the more. Either way it hadn't worked and he wasn't going to keep doing it since he felt like a swine and hated the way she took it without protest, so trying again was out.

This courting business was hard work.

It should not be this difficult!

Actually right now he wasn't even courting Lois. He was just trying to find a way to get back the woman he'd fallen in love with; the one who pitched a fit at him for the dumbest things but whose company he enjoyed more than any other. That was the Lois he wanted.

He wanted her to stop with the Shirley Temple routine, get with the program and bitch at him to show him that she cared and make him feel fucking SPECIAL!

Then he wanted to hear her say that she loved him.

oOo

Murphy Place - Approx: 8pm

Clark kept his eyes fixed on the TV screen and swallowed hard while trying not to imagine what Lois' was doing and what the surprise that she'd whispered she had for him a bare 5 minutes ago before disappearing was but knew one thing for sure.

He was fucked!

The way she'd acted since he'd arrived earlier was almost like that of a woman on the prowl. Huh, forget almost; she was exactly like that and he was clearly her intended prey.

Once upon a time he would have eagerly gotten into the spirit of things but that was when screwing around was the order of the day and fun was the only thing on his agenda. However, those days were gone. It hadn't been like that between them for a long time and he didn't want to go back to that again.

That wasn't to say he wasn't tempted and unfortunately, that was the precise problem. He wanted to make love with her so badly his back teeth ached. It felt like forever since they'd been together but he'd had to put the brakes on after spending hours pacing the floor one night while talking himself out of giving in to his baser instincts.

He'd been so close to waving the flag in surrender, that he'd almost convinced himself desire was a good enough substitute for love and as long as she wanted him sexually, then he should be satisfied. The only thing that held him back, was the knowledge that he and Lois had both given free reign to their appetites with a succession of casual partners in the past and with each other in the initially but he didn't want them to use each other in that way anymore.

They'd moved beyond that and he'd be damned before they'd go back to it.

The problem was he'd made that decision 8 long celibate days ago and now he wanted sex. He wanted Lois naked and under him, over him, next to him. He wanted to make love with her for hours; wanted to skate his tongue over every inch of her skin, to suck and nibble and sip with his lips and teeth, to touch...shaking his head to banish those images from his mind, Clark pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply while trying to regain control of his willpower.

Earlier all he'd wanted was for Lois to start acting like herself again and now he wanted that irritating version of her back because that woman was a turn off. But the woman he'd been subjected to for the last hour, the one who resembled nothing more than a lioness stalking her prey was a huge turn on and he was feeling so deprived.

Oh shit!

That's what this was all about.

They hadn't and Lois wanted to. She wanted sex and was trying to break down his resistance so that he'd give her what she wanted.

Huh; not likely.

Right now he was concerned with what he wanted; which was her love not just her body and he didn't intend to settle for less.

If he could take a little deprivation then she could too. Fortitude built character and he was going to have a truck load before they were done. So Lois could do her worst but she wasn't going to win; HE WAS!

Firming his chin Clark nodded in resolution and the sound of her walking down the hallway, called out silently; bring it on baby, I'm ready.

oOo

Lois looked at herself in the mirror and smiled nervously in excitement. This was it; the moment of truth.

From the moment Clark arrived for dinner she'd done everything she could to show him how much she wanted him and felt like smacking herself for almost ruining things.

The poor man had looked bewildered when he first arrived, then wary at her complete turn around and who could blame him. Throwing all that stupid advice about how to catch a man in the garbage was the best thing she'd ever done. She didn't need all that rot. She knew what turned Clark on and had done everything to fan the flames over the last 90 minutes. The man should now hopefully be well primed and raring to go. Once upon a time it wouldn't have taken this much effort to get him on board but since she was the one who'd turned him off, then it was only right for her to make the first move and turn him on again.

Nodding decisively, she turned to inspect the room and bit her lip in disapproval. The light was too bright which was an automatic mood killer; it needed to be dimmed, made romantic.

Turning on the bedside lights, she stepped over and switched off the main light before retrieving a filmy scarf from a bureau drawer and placed it carefully over one of the lampshades. Taking a step back to critically survey her handiwork, her brow wrinkled in deliberation. That was better but it looked staged.

Well Clark was no dummy so he'd know what she was up to, but so what. That was the whole point. Subtlety wasn't needed but ambiance was and with an uncaring shrug, she fiddled with the scarf until it looked like it had been tossed there negligently and smiled pleased with the result, now it was perfect. Without the harsh lighting the room looked seductive and with the sachets of scent she'd tucked in various places, it also smelt heavenly.

Stepping in front of the mirror for a last looksee, Lois swept her hands lightly over herself and smiled in anticipation of the coming night.

When Clark arrived earlier, the picture perfect fashion model she'd been swanning around as hadn't greeted him, the normal woman he'd seen countless times had but now he was going to see a different Lois; one that looked like a bombshell.

She was showing a generous amount of cleavage and lots of skin. Her hair had been tumbled to fall sexily around her face and over her shoulders. Her makeup had been punched up to give her face a dramatic wow factor and her perfume, ha! She'd taken no chances on something so important. Her perfume was Givenchy's, Very Irresistible Sensual; there was no way he'd be able to resist.

Her feet were starting to hurt in her new high heels and her ribcage felt like it was being caved in by the tight outfit she was wearing but who gave a crap; she looked hot.

Pressing her hands together like a prayer, she closed her eyes and hoped that Clark did still want her. God she couldn't bear it if she was pinning everything on this, only to discover that he had been giving her the cold shoulder so she'd take the hint their relationship was over.

Shaking her head to throw away all doubt, she patted her tummy to still the nerves and exhaled a few times.

It was all a matter of image.

Confidence was sexy!

It was time for her to get her man.

Stepping down the hallway she stopped at the edge of the lounge room and peeked around the corner to find that Clark hadn't moved a muscle but she wasn't fooled. They'd played this game before, so she knew he was only pretending to watch TV while impatiently waiting for her to return with seduction in mind. Wanting to laugh in sheer relief that he was getting into the spirit of things, Lois slinked into the room and posed herself artfully against the wall before calling out softly "Clark?"

oOo

Clark kept his eyes determinedly fixed on the TV screen and hoped he could survive this. He knew she was there, peeking around the corner at him and swallowed heavily in both dread and anticipation. God he loved it when she got all dolled up and played the vamp with him. Usually he lasted about three minutes before succumbing, his personal best was 3 minutes 13 seconds but this time he had to steal himself not to give in.

At the husky call of his name, he cautioned himself to keep it together before looking over and immediately felt his jeans tighten. Shifting minutely, he ignored the pounding of his pulse and sent a smile in her direction hoping that he looked pleased or better yet distracted but not ravenous "Yeah Lo?"

At his response her brow wrinkled.

Yeah Lo...seriously, that's all he can say?

He'd never been so blasé before. He'd never been so unmoved before. He's not even supposed to be able to speak. He's supposed to be speechless and drooling!

Shaking off disappointment at his lack of response, she threw her shoulders back to push out her breasts and ran one hand down her hip "I hope that you liked dinner."

Eternally glad his shirt wasn't tucked in, Clark bit back the howl that that wanted to rip out of his throat at her actions and bobbed his head "It was nice."

"Did you have enough to eat?"

He nodded silently.

Lois waited in expectation for him to say something suggestive about wanting her for desert but when he didn't, she gently prompted "I bought this outfit today but now I'm not really sure if it looks ok; what'd you think?"

I think it looks ok if you want to be arrested and I know that that I have to get out of here before you devour me, Clark thought silently but replied verbally "I don't know anything about women's fashion Lois."

"But do you like it?" She asked and turned in a slow circle to show him the full effect.

He didn't know what she had on underneath the clothes moulded to her body but suspected it was only skin; nothing but warm perfumed scented skin. Clenching one hand into a fist, he shoved it to the back of the couch while her back was turned and forced out a smile when she turned to face him.

"So?" Lois encouraged softly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah."

"How much?"

"It nice." He replied swiftly, hoping that would put an end to the matter.

Lois blinked at him nonplussed while mentally shouting.

Nice!

Are you freaking kidding?

It doesn't look nice.

I don't look nice.

I look like a slut!

I've dolled myself up like a ten dollar hooker just for YOU and if you think I look nice then either you're blind, a moron or both.

Hoping that she'd simply misheard, she questioned hesitantly "Um...you really think it looks nice?"

Wanting to simultaneously ram her fist into his face and cry her eyes out when he nodded in confirmation, she swallowed down the lump rising in her throat and smiled shakily "Thanks."

Giving her a perfunctory smile in return, Clark dragged his eyes back to the TV then swore richly under his breath when the light was switched off.

Undaunted by the curse she heard him mutter and determined to keep his attention on her, Lois switched on the lamp sitting on the end table beside the couch to further create an intimate atmosphere in the room, and took a seat beside Clark. She hoped that he took command of the situation soon because she wasn't sure her nerves could take much more. She was used to him throwing down the gauntlet with a smirk but making it clear just how much he was enjoying their exchange, which in turn made it extra fun when she laughingly took up the challenge to break his resolve. But given the current climate in their relationship, it was hard to keep up the nonchalant act and take the initiative so brazenly.

Clark looked at her from the corner of his eye as his pulse began to pound harder in his veins. He wanted to look away but his eyes were drawn to her legs. While Lois was standing her skirt had barely covered the essentials, but sitting down he was sure it was barely legal. All he could see was a mile of leg and he had personal experience with just how toned and strong those legs were. How silky they were to the touch. How they felt tangled with his, how they felt wrapped around his waist. How they...oh fuck! She was snuggling in and he could feel her breast resting against his arm, her fingertips gliding over his thigh, the scent of her perfume wrapping around him.

Feeling a thrill of delight when his muscles contracted and his body stiffened, Lois moved even closer to press herself against him just a little bit more and blew softly against the side of his neck.

Fighting against the instincts hammering at him to take what she was so freely offering, Clark desperately tried to shore up his self control but knew it was a losing battle. He'd spent years indulging his desires whenever he pleased so denying them now felt unnatural, didn't come easy and went against his nature. He'd lasted 12 days and that was a pretty good inning all things considered so he should be proud of himself.

His hand unclenched to reach for her then balled into a fist one more.

Hell no; 12 days was nothing!

He'd gone without for months at a time before, so he could bloody well do it now but he couldn't with Lois so close.

He needed to move but he had to be casual about it or she'd know that he was weakening. Once she knew that then he was done for because Lois wouldn't let up, until he gave in and they both knew that he would.

Reminding himself to be casual, he turned to her with raised brows "I could really go for something to eat, what about you?"

"Eat..." Lois goggled at Clark astounded "...but, but you just said that you had enough to eat a few minutes ago."

"Of dinner yes, but I wouldn't mind some more desert."

"Desert?" She parroted dumbfounded.

"Yeah I wouldn't mind some." He repeated hastily and pushed up to stand but was foiled when she swiftly threw one leg over his and murmured softly "I'm wouldn't mind some desert myself."

"Great, I'll get us both some then." He informed her with false cheer and once again began to stand, but fell back with a grunt when she slid right into his lap and whispered against his lips "Why don't you let me take care of both our hungers?"

"Is something on your mind Lois?"

"Mmm hmm." Her fingers busily unbuttoned his shirt then moved down to his belt buckle as her lips pressed fleeting kisses on his chin, cheeks and to each corner of his mouth.

Capturing her hands in a firm grip, Clark shook his head and told her gently but in a voice roughened with passion "No."

She heard the gruffness of his refusal and felt panic begin to rise that he wasn't kidding; he really didn't want this, want her. However, seeing the desire swirling in his eyes she felt confidence take hold and tugging her hands free, cupped his face and captured his mouth with hers for a long slow deep kiss. Lips stayed locked, tongues wove and danced gently over and around each others as both began to fall deeper into the abyss.

His arms clamped around her waist crushing her breasts against his chest, her arms slid around his neck as the kiss went on until both were breathless. Lifting her mouth a bare inch from his, she sent him a sultry smile and raised a brow teasingly "Are you sure?"

Clark panted harshly as his arms slipped from her waist to fall lifeless to his sides. He would have given in; he'd been ready to give her what she wanted but his resolve stiffened under the cocksure challenge so clear in her face a voice. She thought that she'd won. She thought they were playing a fucking game. Wanting to shake her and shake her for reducing them to this, he smiled tightly in return "Yes, I'm sure."

Lois drew back as if slapped unsure of what to say or do next.

Taking her momentary distraction for granted, he quickly hefted her off his lap onto the couch and getting to his feet, snatched the truck keys up from the coffee table "I have to go."

Biting down on her lip to hold back the sobs crowding into her throat, she wondered if she even had it in her to say the word 'goodnight' without breaking down. She wanted to be mature about this. She wanted to show him that she could take being refused without tears and recriminations. She wanted to...oh god; she couldn't. She couldn't let him go without trying again "Don't you..." Waving one hand over herself to state the obvious, she cleared her throat and began hesitantly "Don't you want...?"

Not giving her time to finish he shook his head "It's late and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow so I'd better make tracks; goodnight." Turning, he hastily made his way from the room towards the front door and almost tripped over Attila in his haste when the dog chose that moment to dash into the room.

At the slam of the door, Lois covered her face with her hands and dissolved into tears.

oOo

Bringing the truck to a screeching to a halt in front of the farm house, Clark climbed out but rather than go inside, he flew directly to the Arctic and dived in hoping the freezing cold water would take the edge of the desire burning in his groin. Coming back up when his lungs were screaming, he took a deep gulp of the frigid night air then dived down again only to repeat the process several more times before floating out and flopping face down on an iceberg in defeat.

It hadn't helped. How could it help when he didn't even feel the cold?

He'd left Lois' house place angry with her but he no longer was. He just felt weary; weary in mind and weary in spirit.

All he needed was a sign that she saw him as more than a man she had fun with. If she just gave him that much, he'd take what she was offering and use it to build a foundation that would last them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of times over the past few months, the most notably on the day she told him all about herself, he'd never gotten one and was starting to wonder if he ever would.

He'd thought on the day she'd opened up to him that they were making progress but that was the last day things had been good between them.

He wasn't naive. He had enough experience to know when a woman wanted him and he knew that Lois did, but he also had enough experience to know that desire was volatile and fleeting. It could hit you unwillingly and take you out at the knees with little warning. It could impair your better judgement and make you question everything. It could become your master and leave you with a feeling of distaste, and it could be there one day but gone the next. So he knew that just because Lois desired him, it didn't automatically mean her feelings were involved or that she actually WANTED him for more than a summer romance.

Turning on his back to look up at the sky, Clark folded his arms behind his head and stared at the stars.

Before it had been so easy; feel horny, find someone to have sex with, feel good and go back to his life until the next time.

Now the rules had changed and it wasn't easy.

Love was supposed to make you strong, well it made him weak. He was weak enough to think about going back to Lois and saying to hell with it. If all she wanted was to give him her body and take his in exchange then fine, they'd do things her way. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that he'd come to hate both himself and her for reducing them to that. Unfortunately, he couldn't say with any certainty that his resolve would remain steadfast, and he wouldn't give in and go to her despite knowing the outcome.

He'd run from love, fought against it and tried to deny it but from the moment he'd acknowledged his love for Lois, he couldn't go back or settle for less. He needed her and the thought that she didn't need him with the same fierceness hurt like holy hell.

Sighing bleakly, Clark got to his feet and flew back home.

After having a shower and changing into dry clothes he sat on the couch wondering how he'd gone from feeling like he had Lois in the palm of his hand less than two weeks ago, to feeling like she was an elusive being he'd never be able to hold onto.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her but recalling how he'd felt when some woman he'd been seeing casually said those words and then cried when he turned her down and broke things off, held him back. It was for that very reason that years ago he'd stopped seeing any woman exclusively for longer than a weekend here or there.

He couldn't bear it if Lois looked at him with distaste, embarrassment, or god help him; with pity. Nor was he ready to let her go if she afterwards tried to break things off.

At the ringing of the house phone, he looked over and getting up reluctantly, trod into the kitchen to pick it up.

"Hello."

"Hi sweetie."

"Hi Mom, how's your trip going?"

"It's going good but I'm actually coming home tomorrow morning. Will you be able to come pick me up from the airport?"

"Sure but why are coming home early?"

Martha decided to keep the information to herself that the reason she was coming home, was because the whole town was betting on when her son was going to marry Lois. The fact that it had gotten to that stage, told her it was serious and she intended to be there.

Waving one hand around, she breezily replied "Well I've been trotting around all over the country for months now, so I thought it was time to give these old bones a rest."

"Are you ok?" Clark asked concerned.

"I'm fine honey." She reassured honestly "I just want to see my son, catch up with my friends at home and sleep in my own bed again; you know how it is."

"And you're definitely ok?"

"I promise Clark I'm fine, I just miss you."

"I miss you too."

"And how are things with you?"

He opened his mouth to answer, closed it and shook his head "Good mom, I'm good." He smilingly lied.

Hearing the reserve in his voice, she pursed her lips thoughtfully "And how's Lois?"

He cleared his throat "She's good...um do you want me to fly to pick you up or...?"

"No sweetie no, I'm getting a bit too old for that." Martha cut in with a small chuckle. She'd noted his change of subject and given what her son both had and hadn't revealed, concluded there was trouble in paradise. Hiding her concern, she remarked gaily but with pointedly "Besides if you fly then we'll have to wait until it's dark so no one sees us. I also have quite a bit of luggage and I think it will be nice to have a good long catch-up chat on the way home."

Smiling in agreement he nodded happy with the solution "Let me just get a pad and pen so I can write down your information." He returned momentarily "Ok mom, shoot."

After jotting down the details Clark read them back to ensure he'd recorded them correctly before hanging up after exchanging farewells.

He didn't know if he'd use the 3 hour drive home to bend his mom's ear about Lois or not. On the one hand, her perspective as a woman could prove to be invaluable to him. On the other, he was a grown man and wasn't altogether comfortable talking to his mom about his love life.

Then again, it wasn't like he had to give her all the details. He could simply sound her out and hear what she had to say. However, he certainly wasn't in the mood to listen to any of the 'letting Lois go in the hope that she'll come back to him' crap and doubted he'd be able to follow that advice, should his mom feel the need to give it.

The problem was he didn't know a lot of things but he did know that he'd better call Lois and explain why he couldn't come to breakfast on the morrow. Hell after tonight's fiasco she probably wasn't in the mood to talk to him, but if he took the cowards way out and just didn't turn up, he imagined it would be enough for her to write him off for good.

Half wishing that when she saw his name on the screen that she didn't answer, so he could send a text message instead, Clark pressed automatic dial then held his breath at the ring tone. Counting ring after another, he waited patiently and at the click followed by her voice, spoke quietly "Hi Lois it's me."

oOo

After her storm of tears subsided, Lois plucked out a handful of tissues from the box on the side table, blew nose fiercely and cuddled the dog who'd jumped into her lap distressed at her upset.

"Men are shits!" At Attila's whine she smoothed one hand over his back "I don't mean you boy."

Sniffling deeply, she kicked off her shoes and retreated to bathroom for a shower. But at the sight of her makeup streaked face, her red swollen eyes and her lipstick smeared teeth, her lips trembled.

She looked like hell.

After peeling off her clothes she brushed her hair until it crackled and securing it in a ponytail, scrubbed her face clean before stepping into the shower. Closing her eyes she lifted her face to the spray and wondered if she was a fool for not backing off even after Clark said no, or a fool because she still wasn't ready to give up on him despite being rejected.

She'd been so desperate to try and get back what they seemed to have lost, that she'd ignored his words and taken the desire she'd seen in his eyes as a declaration that he only needed a little more incentive. She'd assumed the passion she'd felt in his kiss proved that she was right, only to discover that she was wrong.

Sighing heavily Lois turned and let the water beat back on the nape of her neck.

She'd known; somewhere deep down she'd known he was going to say no again even before he said the words. She'd caught the flare of anger in his eyes; it had been brief but it had almost scorched her with the intensity and she known it was directed at her.

She couldn't even comfort herself by saying that she didn't understand why he'd been angry at her, since she'd had boyfriends who'd tried to change her mind when she wasn't in the mood and it always used to irk her when they seemed to think a little coaxing was all that was required so...

She could soothe her ego by saying she'd felt his arousal behind the zipper of his jeans but most men were easily turned on and couldn't exactly hide their aroused state. So congratulations Lois you turned him on, big woop! Give him a Play Boy and six pack and you'd probably get the same result. Hell, with some men give them one or the other and the score wouldn't change.

Well she'd tried and it had been a dismal failure. Clark had been so eager to leave he'd almost tripped over himself just to escape.

She didn't know what to do now but sometime before he arrived tomorrow morning, she had to figure it out. She wasn't ready to discuss what happened tonight. She doubted that she'd ever be ready for that but if he brought it up...actually, he was a man. So the odds of him wanting to discuss it were next to zero thank god.

That still left it up to her to figure out what to do. Did she smile and pretend it never happened. God she wasn't sure she could do that either. So discussion was out and playing ostrich was out; that didn't leave her many alternatives.

She couldn't think it about anymore. She was just going round in circles and getting nowhere fast. All she wanted now was to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head and wish all of this away. With any luck she'll wake up and realise it had all been a bad dream.

Stepping out of the stall, she reached for a towel and turned at the soft ruff to find Attila sitting on the threshold waiting for her "Would you like to sleep with me tonight boy?"

At his bark, she smiled and bending down picked up the mutt "It's nice to feel wanted and doggy love can make almost anything better." Pressing a kiss to his head, she walked into the bedroom and her face contorted.

She'd forgotten about this.

Setting the dog on the bed she switched on the main light, swiftly removed the scarf from the lampshade and after tossing the sachets of scent in the bin that now made her feel nothing but nauseas, climbed into bed after taking care of her nightly beauty regime.

She was tired. Tomorrow was another day and hopefully it would be better than today; god knows it couldn't be any worse.

Her eyes closed and her cell phone buzzed.

Mentally sending whoever was the other end to perdition, she picked it up and seeing Clark's name on the screen, tiredness vanished.

She'd done a pretty good job of convincing herself that he hadn't done anything wrong. That she'd pushed him into fleeing. That she was a big enough person to take a knock back and give him another chance but knowing he was on the other end of the line...she couldn't do it. She wasn't inclined to listen to anything he had to say. In the morning she might be in a better frame of mine to pretend that she wasn't feeling angry, humiliated and hurt but tonight she just couldn't do it.

That she still loved him wasn't in question but she hated him too.

However, if she didn't answer the phone, then he'd know that she was upset and she'd rather die than give him that. Pride was the only thing she had left in her corner and she was clinging to it.

Taking a couple of deep calming breaths, Lois sat up straight and reminded herself that she could do this. Image was all about perception and even feigned confidence could carry her through most any situation. Nodding decisively she pressed a hand to her tummy and in a calm voice said "Hello."

"Hi Lois it's me..."

Her knuckles whitened as her eyes squeezed shut. She couldn't do it.

"...listen I won't be able to come over tomorrow morning because my mom..."

At that her eyes opened and glittered in fury. She listened as he explained the situation without interrupting as numbness settled over her.

She could do this!

She could do this very easily.

When he grew silent Lois asked sedately "I thought the last time you talked to her, your mom was still having a ball running around all over the country. Why is she suddenly coming home now?"

"She said that she wants to rest but I think she just misses home." He forced out a laugh.

"I see; well tell her I said hello."

"I will..." Clark rubbed his eyes and wondered what the hell was he should say. Lois didn't sound angry but neither did she sound happy. Then again her ego had to be smarting but would she really want to talk about what happened earlier? Stupid question; of course she would. Where a man preferred to pretend certain hideous things didn't happen, women preferred to talk about them to death so yeah, she was probably champing at the bit for him to bring it up.

"Listen about tonight..."

"Yes."

"We need to talk."

No chance in hell buster; she thought silently but replied verbally "Not tonight, it's late and I'm really tired."

Grateful for the reprieve, he sighed quietly in relief "Ok, goodnight."

"Goodnight." She returned placidly then waited for him to click off before placing her cell-phone very carefully on the bedside table before springing out of bed enraged.

That lying, fucking, asshole, bastard!

He HAD been giving her the kiss off.

He HAD been letting her know he didn't want her around and when she threw herself at him tonight, he hadn't been pissed because she'd pushed the issue. He'd been irritated because she hadn't taken any of his freaking hints.

And now, NOW he expected her to believe that his mom was coming home and that's why he wouldn't be over in the morning.

Bullshit; it was all such BULLSHIT!

"We need to talk." She mimicked bitterly.

The fucking liar!

He didn't want to talk.

He didn't want to explain anything.

He just wanted her to go. To leave and not bother him with a post mortem on their summer fling.

WELL FINE!

No doubt his plan was to call her tomorrow afternoon and say that his mom's plans had changed so she hadn't come back after all and ha ha ha, he couldn't come over for dinner because another emergency had popped up. Then he'd call the next day and the next and the next, all with one pathetic excuse after another for why he was suddenly unavailable until he finally managed to get the message through her thick head that he didn't want her anymore.

Well he didn't need to go to all that trouble because she FUCKING GOT IT NOW!

She didn't need to be hit over the head again and again and again.

He wanted her gone; well she was GONE!

Clark Kent could kiss her ass and then go straight to hell!

Rushing to the closet, Lois pulled down one suitcase then the other and ignoring Attila's bewildered barking and jumping around her feet, threw the cases onto the bed and flung them open. Dashing madly between the closet and the chest of draws, she grabbed armfuls of clothes and threw them in the direction of the bed until both stood empty and the room looked like a tornado had ripped through it.

The whirlwind couldn't be maintained. Panting from exertion, she slid to the floor and curling up among the mess; cried.

It was over.

They were over.

Summer had officially come to an end.

oOo

Approx 1.45am

Lois walked silently from one room to the next ensuring that in her haste to leave, that she hadn't forgotten anything. Everything was spic and span. She was leaving the house in the same condition that she'd found it. Dashing a hand across her eyes she firmed her chin and after a last walk through to check all the doors and windows were locked, looked down at the dog who'd refused to let her out of his sight all night "C'mon boy, it's time to go home."

Attila whined softly but obediently trotted out the front door after her.

After giving the handle a tug to ensure the door was locked, she placed the keys in an envelope addressed to the realtor and sealing it shut, tucked it under the welcome mat before making her way to the car which she'd finished packing less than 10 minutes previously.

Getting comfortable behind the wheel she stared at the house but could only see the bare outline in the darkness of the night. At Attila's woof, she patted him gently "Get comfortable sweetie, we're going to be on the road for a while." He woofed again at her voice, curled up on the seat but kept his eyes on her, completely ignoring the toys she'd placed there for him.

Switching on the ignition she backed out of the driveway and took to the road to begin the first stage of their long road home.

Stopping at the corner she glanced at Attila and stroked one hand over his back. She knew the dog was aware of her unhappiness. The poor little thing had followed her around for hours while she'd rushed around packing their things then packing the car. He'd stayed at her side while she'd frantically cleaned the house, refusing to let her take more than two steps away and had even followed her into the toilet. He'd only let her go in there alone when she kept the door partially open but had still stuck his head inside every other second just to ensure she was still there.

She knew the reason he'd stuck to her like burr was because he'd been scared she was going to leave him behind and although she'd tried to reassure him that wouldn't happen, the dog had been burnt in the past. Her mad dashing around the house had done little to reassure him but hopefully now that they were on their way, he'd feel secure enough to settle down and fall asleep.

Once she'd calmed down and pulled herself together enough to think, she'd realised that she couldn't just pack up and leave Smallville without making some plans. If she'd only had herself to worry about then yeah, she would have but since she had Attila, she'd had to take the time fire up her laptop and find a pet friendly hotel that she could book into with short notice.

Leaving had been hard and although she'd learnt long ago how to make and face hard decisions, she'd never before felt like she was dying inside because of it. Rubbing a hand over her chest, Lois reminded herself tartly that she wasn't dying and had no intention of doing so by driving emotionally, recklessly or tiredly just to achieve her goal and maybe causing an accident.

She'd never really believed in angels but just the sheer fact that she had a full tank of gas plus a full can in the trunk courtesy of her dad's instructions so could leave Smallville directly and put quite some distance between her and Clark, was starting to make a believer out of her. Of course if there were angels looking out for her, then they'd fallen down on the job when they didn't stop her from falling in love with man who didn't love her back but at least they'd made sure that she was lucky enough to get a booking in a pet friendly hotel just outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming. She'd had to take a cabin with a three day minimum booking and pay through the nose for it, whether she stayed for the full period or not but money was the least of her concerns. She was just grateful that she could keep Attila with her and had a place to stay tomorrow night. So basically she was still floating down the river called shit but at least she wasn't without a paddle and that was something.

If she'd had it in her to confront Clark or even just talk to him with head held high and composure firmly in place she would have done it, then again what was the point? All she'd succeed in doing was further humiliating herself and for what; a love affair gone wrong. How could she do that when love had never been part of the equation? She was the one who'd changed the rules when she fell in love with him and although that wasn't his fault, she almost wished that she had stopped at the farm long enough just to kick him in the balls before leaving. The broken foot would have been well worth it and the pain would have been a welcome relief from the knives presently slashing into her heart.

She just wished that she knew why things had changed. Why he'd changed. She'd come to three conclusions and none of them did her any favours.

The first was that he'd been turned off by her abilities. If that was the case, then he wouldn't be the first man who felt that way but given his own little secret, she wouldn't have thought that Clark wouldn't have been prejudiced against hers. Then again he'd told her that when he was younger how badly he'd wanted to be normal and sometimes those dreams never quite died. So after thinking things through, he could have decided that he wanted a normal girlfriend and if it was that, then she'd never meet the criteria.

The second was that he'd decided it was time for the relationship to end, in which case his sudden disinterest made sense.

So he could have been doing what men have been doing since the beginning of time; which was neglecting their girlfriend and treating her mean, in the hopes that she'd get fed up and dump him. Or he'd been trying to give her the message that as summer was nearly over, their relationship was too and as such, it was time to begin the brush off process so she'd take the hint and leave without fuss. He might feel like a prick but if it would get him out of the relationship relatively unscathed, with the added bonus of being spared a tearful laden scene.

The third was the one that hurt the most to admit; she'd been fooling herself all along.

Passion was mercurial. Yes, it was explosive but it could also be extremely capricious and dangerous to your peace of mind, if you didn't keep your head screwed on straight. She knew all of that from experience. She also knew the ending of a relationship wasn't always a slow slide into drifting apart. Quite often when desire it hit you hard and hot at the beginning, it cooled down just as abruptly when it was over. So just because her feelings had grown from their initial attraction, that didn't mean Clark's hadn't expired.

She'd known that; she'd know all of that. Yet she'd done what women have been doing from the beginning of time; fallen in love with a man and duped herself into seeing what wasn't there because she so desperately wanted it to be.

Clark could have guessed how she felt but rather than telling her that he didn't return the sentiment, he'd decided that his sudden coldness would be message enough. Well it was pretty damned presumptuous of him to assume that she wanted more; bastard! Of course she wanted more but she hadn't SAID IT.

Whatever message he was trying to send her way had gotten lost in translation somewhere along the line and who cared anyway? He could take his message and shove it where the sun don't shine. She was leaving for her sake, not his but she earnestly and sincerely wished that Clark Kent got a really bad case of super-piles, in return for his shitty treatment towards her.

oOo

3.5 hours later

Seeing the signs up ahead indicating that she could soon stop for gas and food, while also giving both her and Attila the chance to stretch their legs Lois sighed in relief. She didn't mind driving but she was looking forward to taking a little break. Taking a quick glance at the dog, she was pleased to see him curled up fast asleep and hoped their stop wouldn't unsettle him all over again.

30 minutes later after filling up the tank Lois indicated to the attendant that she was moving to the parking lot and at his wave, did so before waking up Attila.

After taking care of their immediate needs, she stopped beside one of the tables placed outside and crouched down to smooth a hand over the animal's head "I'm just going to order us some food and pay the bill. You sit here and I'll be back in a few minutes ok?"

At his uncertain woof, she spent a couple more minutes reassuring the beast and returned shortly afterwards with food and drinks for both. While Attila heartily consumed the hamburger and fries she'd bought him, Lois toyed with hers and looked at the people milling around. It always surprised her to find so many on the road at this time of the morning but since travelling at night meant dealing with minimal traffic, then it made sense that just as she preferred it for that reason, others would feel the same way. Yeah ok, so in this particular instance she was running away...no, running away meant that she was a coward and she wasn't. She'd simply removed herself from an uncomfortable situation that was only going to get worse, not better but that didn't make her a coward; it made her smart.

Sighing heavily she picked up her burger then put it down, dragged a couple of salt laden fries through the ketchup and chewed unenthusiastically before washing them down with a gulp coke.

When a Greyhound bus pulled up and the passengers dispersed she looked at them absently, smiling and nodding in return and felt her heart ache at the sight of the elderly couple making their slow way towards the restaurant. She didn't know who was more concerned for the other; the woman who was fussing over her husband insisting he get something to eat, or the man who wanted to ensure his wife had time to use the facilities before they had to board again. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she wondered why some people were so damned lucky and others weren't.

Shaking her head, she looked at the food on her place and grimaced. There was no point in trying to finish her meal, she just couldn't do it. She'd only forced herself to eat some of it in the first place to ensure she had some sustenance for the drive, not due to hunger and the thought of trying to get anymore down made her feel ill.

At Attila's bark she looked down and seeing that he'd finished his burger and water, decided it was time to get going.

Settling behind the wheel she looked at the people milling outside the restaurant and searched until she found the elderly couple sitting at one of the tables. They looked so content; in each other, in life, in sharing a lovely summer's night. She wanted to feel content. She wanted what they had.

Feeling the need to get away quickly when the lump began to grow in her throat, she switched on the ignition and winced at the rock music that came pouring out the speakers. Laughing shakily when Attila growlingly shook his head, she flipped through the channels and stopped on the golden oldies station. Maybe she was a masochist but listening to sentimental tear-jerking songs that were intended to lacerate the heart and pound against her ears until she begged for mercy was somehow soothing. She already felt like crap and sad romantic songs were going to make her feel a whole lot worse and that was just fine. They suited her mood and no amount of rock music was going to make her happy so she might as well be comforted by others who knew just how lousy she felt right now.

Swallowing back the tears she tried not to think of Clark but couldn't stop. Her lips trembled, the tears leaked from her eyes and trailed silently down her cheeks. When the opening bars to the song on the radio echoed through the car, the tears began to fall faster. Picking up Attila she cuddled him to her chest and sobbed. The dog licked at her chin while Lois listened to Nat King Cole telling her to cheer up, brighter days were on the horizon which caused her heart to break just that little bit more.

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

She'd always believe that Nat was right. Hadn't she done as he suggested for most of her life? Hadn't she smiled and showed the world a happy face, no matter how low in spirit she'd felt? Hadn't she tried to looking to the future instead of getting bogged down in the now? Sure there'd been times her smiles had been false, mostly notably when she'd hidden her own fears deep in her heart, to reassure her dad and Lucy everything would work out. And sure there had been times during those dark days when smiling had been an impossible task and she'd clung on by her fingernails but those had been unusual circumstances. In most cases she'd tried but this time she just couldn't do it. She didn't want to smile. She didn't want to look ahead. She didn't want to pretend.

She wanted Clark. She wanted to feel his arms around. She wanted to be surrounded by him, to hear his voice and have him tell her everything would be ok.

Just 12 days ago, twelve stinking days ago she thought...she actually thought that she had a chance. That she, Lois Lane was going to be lucky this time. That this time life and love wasn't going to kick her in the teeth and walk away laughing. She should have known better.

Love was for the lucky and that wasn't something that applied to her. She never normally depended on luck or waited for it to swing her way because it was such a fickle creature. Usually she made her own luck but love wasn't something that she could make happen; it was either there or it wasn't and it wasn't there. Not for her.

Sobbing harder she pressed her face into her hands and listened to the words of the song until it faded out. At Attila's soft whine she grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the dashboard and setting the animal on her lap, scrubbed hard at her eyes before blowing her nose fiercely. And when the beast leant up by placing his paws on her chest to lick her face, she smiled tremblingly "Doggy love can't make this one better boy but it does make it hurt a little less; thank you."

She pressed her lips to his nose then set him carefully on the passenger seat and stroked him gently until he fell asleep, while silently wishing that she too could curl up and rest, content with the world just from receiving a kiss.

Retrieving her purse and the bottle of water from the back seat, she grabbed the Advil and after washing down a couple reached over to switch the station then changed her mind. She needed music to keep her company because she couldn't bear to listen to her own thoughts, neither could she stand to hear rock music, so nostalgic schmaltz would have to be her companion.

Putting the car into gear she pulled out onto the road and was shortly on the highway once more.

oOo

26th August –Rock Springs, Wyoming: Approx 2pm

Bringing the car to a halt in the parking lot of the hotel, Lois climbed out of the car and stepping around to the passenger seat gave Attila a gentle shake. The dog yawned hugely, hopped out and stretched before scampering towards the bushes to take care of business then raced back to her side.

Picking him up she looked into his cute little face and tried to smile "I know it's early but we've been on the road for over 12 hours and I've made reservations here. So I don't want to take the chance on not finding another hotel where you'll be welcome so easily if I get tired later." He licked her hand and woofed "We'll get on the road again tomorrow morning and just take it easy for the rest of the day ok, boy?"

Scanning her eyes over the hotel and the surrounding area Lois shrugged uncaring; the place looked welcoming but she wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. However, she was suddenly inordinately grateful that she wouldn't be staying in the main building. Having to greet people in the hallway and smile while passing the time of day was beyond her at present, so at least she'd be spared that.

Right now all she wanted was a shower and then directly afterwards to fall face down into bed. The first she'd take care of ASAP, the second she'd put off as long as possible. She'd managed to keep her mind on the road instead of Clark...ok, not completely but almost. So the last thing she wanted was to stop and have him invade her mind. Hopefully if she kept herself busy doing whatever the hell until she was too exhausted to stay awake any longer, he wouldn't be there when she crashed later on.

Did he realise yet that she was gone? Did he even care?

Huh; more than likely he was wiping his brow in relief, that she wasn't hanging around Smallville snivelling all over him.

Shaking it off, she set the Attila on the ground and after snapping on his leash, scooped up her purse from the back seat "Come on boy, let's get signed in so we can make ourselves comfortable."

20 minutes later she brought the car to a stop outside the cabin assigned to her and looking at it through the windshield shrugged once again; it was fine.

Climbing from behind the wheel, she held the door open for Attila to hop out and took a quick survey of the surroundings. The main building was in front and the self contained cabins were located at the back. She could see other cabins similar to hers interspersed among the trees and although they weren't far away, they were far enough so they weren't on her doorstep which afforded her a modicum of privacy.

Retrieving one bag for herself and another filled with Attila's paraphernalia from the boot, she headed to the cabin with the animal fast at her heels "We'll get settled in first. Then I have to go do a little shopping for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow."

The dog barked at her voice and dutifully kept pace as she walked through the cabin for a quick inspection of the layout; main room complete with lounge area, dining space and kitchen nook. One bedroom off the main room with a bathroom en suite attached, small backyard with a patio and an even smaller front yard.

It wasn't the Ritz but it was cosy, clean and comfortable. Maybe she would stay here for the full three days. She'd only intended to stop for the night before heading out again in the morning and reaching the sanctuary of home sometime tomorrow. But the thought of facing Carol and Anne's questions when she turned up unexpectedly, seeing their concern, hearing them whisper to each other and knowing it was about her...she wasn't ready for that.

She knew they'd only do it because they care. They'd all seen each other through the bad times when a relationship turned sour in the past, so she knew the drill but this wasn't the ending of just any relationship and it was too fresh.

Maybe in about 10 years she'd be ready to talk about it with them, then again maybe not.

Hawaii was looking pretty good right about now, so maybe she'd go there instead then she wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

Her life right now was full of maybes.

Retrieving the Attila's food and water bowls from his hastily packed doggie bag, she'd filled both and setting them down in the kitchen area left him to enjoy, while she cooled down in refreshing and reviving shower.

90 minutes later the two of them were standing in the reception of a pet grooming parlour.

"Hello."

At the cheery smile from the receptionist, Lois picked up Attila and sent the woman a rather forced yet hopeful smile in return "Hi, um I know that I don't have an appointment but I was wondering if you'd have time today to give my dog a bath and make him all pretty?"

Laughing lightly, the teenager whose badge proclaimed her as Jenny, nodded "It's ok, we do take walk-ins and you're in luck because we've just had a cancellation so we can look after him now if you like."

Grateful, Lois smiled shakily in return "Thank you; his names Attila."

"Well we'll be happy to give Attila a nice grooming but I just need to get some details from you first and then we're good."

Taking the clipboard that was held out, Lois placed the dog on the ground and after filling out the required information, handed it back before picking up Attila and handing him over too.

At his panicked bark she smoothed a hand over his head and promised gently "I'll be back to pick you up sweetie."

"If you come back in an hour he'll be ready."

"Thanks Jenny."

Stepping outside the shop, she dug the car keys out of her purse and settling herself behind the wheel, wondered if she had the energy to stroll through the mall.

Normally she enjoyed shopping. She liked looking at the clothes and seeing if there were any she particularly favoured and wanted to make for herself. She got a kick out of trying on shoes and perfumes, checking out the makeup and jewellery. She loved browsing through the lingerie; the silks and satins, examining the lace detail and little touches that made an item special that would feel fabulous against her skin so she felt sexy, sensuous then imagining Clark's reaction...

Her lips trembled and her throat burned.

He didn't want her.

Resting her head on the steering wheel, Lois closed her eyes and his face was there.

Anne was right; she'd protected her heart for years but it hadn't only been after her life had changed, it had also been before. She'd always been cautious but not enough. She hadn't fallen in love with Clark, hadn't looked at him one day and realised her feelings had changed, she'd slid into love with him. Just little things, one on top of another and she'd taken a long slow slide into love. She'd gone into their relationship with her eyes wide open and still been caught unaware.

She'd guarded her heart jealously but she couldn't protect it when love had blindsided her.

Some people said they didn't regret the experience even when love didn't work out. They talked big about how they'd grown from it, learnt from it; she couldn't share that sentiment. If she could go back in time to stop herself from ever meeting Clark again, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Her life might not have been exciting and it hadn't set the world on fire but neither had it hurt like this.

She wanted to blame him, wanted to hate him but couldn't. He'd made it clear from the beginning their relationship was only about sex. She was the one who'd let herself get caught up in the romanticism of his smiles, their shared laughter, his hugs and kisses. His tenderness, the way he always seemed to want more from her and then more again. Now it was up to her to get over it.

Lifting her head, she scrubbed her hands over her face and wiggled uncomfortably as memories of the previous night flashed through her mind.

The way she'd dressed. The way she'd crawled on top of him, threw herself at him even after he'd made it clear he wasn't interested…god! And as if her ego hadn't been humiliated enough, just knowing that she'd still been prepared to hold on and hope things would get better until he called with that bullshit about his mom coming home made her feel ill. It had actually taken THAT slap in the face for her to wake up to herself, get the message and face the truth.

She'd been a fuckwit but thank god Clark didn't know, would never know.

She wished, she really and truly wished that she'd stuck around until the last day of August and left Smallville with a smile and a casual wave in farewell. That would have shown him he wasn't important enough for her to care. That would have left her looking dignified and cool. Or better yet, instead of waving goodbye, just leave him with a good hard kick to the balls in adieu. Screw her broken foot; she would have laughed like crazy when he limped away crying like a little girl. THAT would have been satisfying; that would have been…no forget kicking him. She should have grabbed some kryptonite, hunted him down like the dog that he is and when he was pleading for mercy, smile benevolently before grabbing onto his penis and twisting really, really hard and twisting and twisting and twisting and twisting.

It really burned her ass that she'd run away instead of doing any of that.

She'd run away!

She'd freaking run like an overemotional little twit and he'd know it.

The bastard would know it!

Now she wanted to hit him for that too.

Now she wanted to wrap her hands around his neck and shake him and shake him and shake him. Maybe bash his head into the wall a couple dozen times. Then stomp on his face with the spikiest heels she could find; he wouldn't look so fucking pretty by the time she was done.

She had Attila, apart from her dad he was the only male she wanted in her life from now on. From this day forth she'd recite her long held philosophy every morning and every night. It would be her mantra, her prayer, her daily devotional.

Looking at herself in the rear-view mirror, she recited out loud "Remember Lois; men are only good for one thing and even then it's only for three weeks out of a month, so screw the lot of them."

Slipping on her sunglasses, she turned the key in the ignition and drove to the mall.

oOo

Approx 6.10pm

Lois sat on the back stairs and watched as Attila scampered around the small yard. She was glad the dog's usual sunny nature was back and his vigilance on her movements had relaxed. Maybe taking him to the grooming parlour had been the right call. She'd done it to give him a treat and make him feel special but had noticed that since she'd picked him up, he stopped sticking to her like glue so must have realised that she wasn't intending to dump him and drive out of her life.

Whatever the reason for his relaxation, she was just happy this situation hadn't set the beast back. Getting to her feet, she smiled when the animal's head lifted and his gaze zeroed in on her before he gave the doggy equivalent of a shrug and began to roll over the grass.

Stepping into the kitchen nook she opened the fridge, grimaced and closed it again. She wasn't in the mood to eat. Later on she'd force something down if only so she didn't feel sick from hunger but right now she just wanted to keep busy. The problem was that there was nothing she really felt like doing.

She could take a nap but wasn't ready to close her eyes since she knew who's face would be there. She could do some sewing but unless she gave it her full attention which was doubtful, would likely muck it up and have to later unpick it. She wasn't in the mood to read a book so TV was her last option.

Grabbing the remote, she got comfortable on the couch and began to flick through the channels hoping to find something to capture her interest. Stopping on a movie that was in the middle of a romantic scene, she watched silently for several minutes with lip curled up in disdain before calling out warningly "Don't listen to him Susan, he's a lying pig."

When the woman began to cry and passionately kiss the man at his declaration, Lois snorted loudly "You're a moron", then switched the TV off in disgust and closed her eyes.

At the knock on the door, she grimaced and buried her face in a couch cushion. She didn't want to see anyone and wasn't in the mood for polite conversations with strangers. Hopefully by staying completely quiet, her would be caller would think she couldn't hear them and go away.

Upon the second knock she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. At the third she swore softly under her breath but got to her feet. Plastering a false smile of welcome on her lips, she pulled the door open then stepped back automatically at seeing Clark standing there with a look of absolute fury on his face.

He stepped forward and she took one back. He tugged the door out of her hand, she took another step back. He slammed the door shut, she took another step and then he was crowding into her space and snarling; "Why the hell did you leave!"

oOo

26th August – Smallville Approx: 10.25am

Clark drove to Lois' place via the scenic route which granted only tacked on an extra 6 minutes driving time but he needed it while he worked out precisely what he was going to say to her.

Now that she knew he wasn't bound by conventional modes of transport, he could have zipped there in less time than it would have taken him to switch on the ignition in his truck but he liked driving; it gave a man time to think.

Not that he'd stopped thinking since leaving her place the previous night.

He'd tried watching TV; it hadn't worked.

He'd tried getting some sleep, it hadn't worked.

He'd tried doing a little bookkeeping, it hadn't worked. Not only had that one not worked, he'd spent a frustrating hour trying to figure out why the accounts didn't tally, only to gnash his teeth when he discovered that he'd transcribed one figure incorrectly. After that he gave up and decided to recheck them all when he could actually concentrate.

Then he'd had a beer, then another and another while reminding himself why he was abstaining from sex. In the dead of night those reasons seemed insane. Hell with the rising of the sun those reasons seemed insane. Now they were still important but he was ready to give in.

He'd dropped his mom at home, carried her luggage inside and left her to finish unpacking, while he talked to Lois.

The way he'd left things last night had been far from his brightest hour and he was well aware that he owed her an apology and an explanation for it but at the same time, he didn't want her to get the wrong impression. He was sorry for hurting her, for wounding her ego and knew that he'd done both by turning her down but opening up and telling her the reason for it was going to be damned hard.

Sometime during the night he'd decided to call it quits. He'd woken up this morning with the decision already made but he hadn't been happy about it, so used the 6 hour drive to Metropolis and back to determine if he could really accept less than what he wanted; needed.

In all honesty he doubted that he could but...there was always a but and in this instance, the but was that he couldn't give Lois up.

He was going to tell her how he felt and if she said no, said that she didn't want his love then he'd take whatever kind of relationship she was willing to offer. He hated himself for that weakness but if it was a choice between that or losing her altogether, he'd take it and hope that one day she would fall in love with him.

She liked him; well she had until last night. More than likely he wasn't her favourite person at the moment but she HAD cared and if he had to settle for caring, it was still better than nothing. Turning the truck down her street, Clark drove slowly while silently praying that when he laid his heart at Lois' feet that she picked it up, instead of stomping on it.

Swinging into the driveway he paused at seeing her car wasn't there and cursed under his breath. He'd wait, she might be back soon and now that he'd made up his mind to talk to her, he wanted to get it done.

Climbing out of the truck, he made his way up the front porch steps and lifted his hand to knock then shook his head and turned with the intention of waiting in the backyard, but at the flash of white from the corner of his eye, he swung back and felt his world tilt.

It was an envelope, half tucked under the doormat and he couldn't think of a good reason for it to be there. After staring at it for one long moment Clark picked it up, saw it was addressed to Roy Atkins the realtor and uncaring about privacy or anything else, ripped it open. His eyes scanned the few lines that she'd penned, his hand clenched around the paper crushing it in his fist. Digging the key out the envelope he opened the front door and walked inside.

He'd never noticed until now how silent a house could be when no one way occupying it. The low hum of power a person didn't notice until it was gone was still audible to his ears since it hadn't been switched off at the main, but otherwise the house was like a tomb.

He walked through the house, straight to the bedroom to find all the bedding neatly folded up and placed on the end; a quick sniff confirmed that it had also been washed and dried. Striding swiftly forward he slammed open the cupboard doors to confirm her clothes were gone, turned and pulled out the bureau drawers to establish the same before striding out to inspect the next room and the next and the next finding each as neat as a pin.

Lois must have gone on a cleaning frenzy the previous night to leave the place this immaculate.

She'd only left two items behind and seeing them made him furious.

Oh but he wasn't a fool. He understood all too well the message she'd left him by leaving behind both the kiddies pool and the Minnie Mouse hat that he'd bought her. Lois was telling him that she didn't want anything from him because they were over and she was done with him.

"Well fine baby; two can play that game!" Clark growled under his breath "You want to leave? Well that's just fine with me because I'm done with you too."

Hoping she could hear him, he mentally bellowed "Did you hear that Lois? I'm done with you too! So good luck, sayonara, it's been fun and all that shit but I don't need you. So go ahead and leave with my FUCKING BLESSING!"

Slamming out of the house he got into his truck, drove to town and stopped in front of the realtor's office.

Nancy Williams looked up with a welcoming smile on her face but the "Hi Clark" faded from her lips at the scowl marring his face.

She knew an angry man when she saw one and as far as she was concerned, she wasn't paid enough to throw herself into his path to stop him from storming into her boss's office, if he had a mind to do so. However, that left her with another dilemma. Should she stay and listen to what was going on, stay just in case her boss needed her to call the sheriff, or retrieve her purse quietly and make tracks to the nearest coffee shop to spill the news that Clark Kent was pissed off and speculate with everyone as to why? Fortunately, she didn't have time to make such an earth shaking decision before Clark's voice was heard, consequently causing her ears to prick up like antennas.

oOo

"When did she go?"

Roy Atkins looked up irritated when his door burst open unannounced but at the question asked in a biting tone, he frowned in confusion "What?"

"When did she go?"

"When did who go?" He asked cautiously.

"Lois!" Clark bit out angrily.

"I'm sorry but I can't discuss clients with you."

"Look I'm really angry..."

He held up one hand "I can see that and I can appreciate it but I can't give out private information to just anyone who asks for it."

"I'm not asking for private information; I'm just asking you when she left." Clark saw the man hesitate and continued steadily "Roy you know me. I'm not some crazy lunatic with nefarious intentions towards her. All I want to know is when she left."

Weighing his business ethics against how he'd feel if his wife up and left him, Roy sighed and sat back in his seat "Lois called me about 20 minutes ago from the road to say that she'd left. I didn't know before that Clark. She mentioned that she'd cleaned the place and left the house keys, plus some extra bond money in an envelope under the doormat just in case. She apologised for leaving so suddenly, said that I was to contact her if I needed to for any reason and that's it. I intended to go and inspect the house during my lunch break; that's all I can tell you."

"All you can or all you know?"

"All I know."

Clark thrust the envelope at him "Here, the moneys in there but you don't need it since she's left the place spotless."

Roy read his name on the front and restrained himself from pointing out that the envelope shouldn't have been opened by anyone, except himself "Thanks."

"She didn't say anything else?"

"No, just what I told you."

Nodding shortly he turned and strode out of the office.

Nancy Williams pretended to be busy as Clark strode past her desk and out the door then turned at the movement from the corner of her eye to find her boss leaning against his doorway.

"I take it you heard all of that?" Roy asked amiably.

"There wasn't much to hear." She grumbled in disappointment, but there was enough she thought gleefully.

At his twitching lips, she cleared her throat and frowned "Besides, I was going to leave and give you some privacy but it's not my fault that you both started talking and didn't bother lowering your voices. So as the door was left open naturally I..."

"Cocked up your ears and listened to every word." He interrupted jovially.

"Please remember that I'm a lady." She sniffed haughtily.

He grinned and watched as she retrieved her purse from the bottom desk drawer "Going somewhere?"

"To get some coffee would you like a cup?"

He nodded agreeably and when she waved away his money, he shrugged and figured that she owed him a cup of coffee, since she was no doubt going to be out of the office for longer than 10 minutes spreading the word that Lois had left and Clark was pissed.

oOo

Clark drove into the yard, slammed out of the truck, stalked into the kitchen and slammed the back door "She's gone."

Martha saw the overwhelming hurt under the burning anger on her son's face and decided that now wasn't the time to lecture about rude behaviour. Nor was it the time to pretend ignorance on who 'she' was "When did she leave?"

"I don't know; by the look of the house she must have gone on a cleaning frenzy after I left her last night and knowing I wasn't going to be around this morning, she took the opportunity to leave." He returned crisply.

"And what are you going to do about it?" She asked gently.

"Nothing; if Lois wants to leave then good luck to her. I've never lowered myself to chase after any woman who pissed off the minute my back was turned and I'll be damned if I start now." He stalked to the door and pulled it open "I've got work." He walked out the door, slammed it behind him and stalked down the back stairs.

After tossing the supplies he needed into the back of his truck, Clark drove out to a spot in the middle of the two central fields to check both had been tilled enough to begin seeding of his winter wheat crop. He intended to do that before the week was out and as the fields had to be properly cultivated first, he considered it essential to give it them a good looksee beforehand.

More than satisfied he climbed back into the truck and brought the vehicle to a halt near the back fence that adjoined the Kent and Hubbard lands. After unloading the posts, wire fencing and sledge hammer from the back of the truck, he got down to work.

He didn't use any super-powers, didn't want to take the easy way out. He needed the physical labour. Wanted to feel the burn in his back, wanted to feel the ache in his arms, wanted to feel...shit! He wanted to feel anything except the rage, clawing and tearing through him at Lois' disappearance.

His muscles rippled and bunched as he continued to work at a steady pace and the anger continued to grow with every minute that passed as the same thoughts kept swirling through his head like a litany.

She'd left him.

She'd packed up and left.

Left Smallville; left him.

She'd left him.

Holding a fence post carefully in place, he lifted the sledge hammer carefully and brought it down with just the right amount of force to drive the post solidly into place then moved onto the next and the next and the next. Unable to take the chanting in his head any longer, he turned and heaved the hammer into the heavens before taking off.

oOo

Approx: 11.45am

Stalking into the Watchtower two minutes later Clark announced loudly without preamble "Oliver I need you to run a trace on a credit card for me."

Knowing it was serious by the tone in his voice, Oliver set aside his own work and swung the keyboard on its swivel stand to face him "Ok, so what do you want to know?"

"When and where it's being used."

"Name?"

"Lois Lane."

His fingers paused over the keyboard as the room became silent. The men turned from whatever they were doing, exchanged eye contact and wondered who was going to be brave enough to pose the burning question, given Clark's demeanour clearly said 'keep out' in capital letters.

Running his tongue over his teeth, Bruce asked carefully "Is this your Lois?"

"Yes."

Oliver cleared his throat hesitantly "Um Clark, we can't just run a trace on someone's credit card without a reason."

"You do it all the time." He replied swiftly.

"Not on law abiding citizens and not without a reason."

"I've just given you a reason." He retorted bluntly "I want to know where she is."

"Oh…ah!"

"Oh ah what?" He demanded belligerently.

"She's left." Bart summed up discreetly.

"Like a thief in the night." He growled viciously.

"Can't you find her with one of your many super-abilities?" Victor asked tactfully.

"I'm not a bloodhound." He snarled impatiently.

Victor held up his hands in defence "Sorry, I just thought you'd be able to do it."

"I can do it."

"Then…."

"I never said I was going to chase after her, I just want to know."

"You want to know because you intend to go after her Clark; admit it." Oliver manned up and stared back unflinchingly when his friend turned and drilled him to the spot with angry eyes.

"Fine; I'm going after her but I need time to cool down or I'll probably strangle her at the first opportunity." He growled in return.

"Good enough." Setting his fingers on the keyboard Oliver brought up the screen "What's Lois' middle name?"

"Joanne."

"Do you know her date of birth?"

"No." At Oliver's nod, Clark retorted defensively "Look, it was 15 years ago that she last lived in Smallville ok? So no, I don't remember her birthday and I doubt that she'd remember mine." He paused and rubbed his fingers over his brow "I know she's a year older than me but that's it; we never got around to discussing things like birthdays."

"Ok, do you have a residential address for her?"

"She lives in a suburb of San Francisco." At the frown, he shrugged "We never got around..."

"To discussing it, right." Oliver finished and shook his head then frowned at the screen "Well there are a number of Lois Lane's in America, so let me cull this down by getting rid of any whose middle names don't start with J." He hit a couple of keys and nodded "Hmm, ok we've got 5 left but if I whittle it down to ones who only live in California..." He tapped a few more keys, then began reading out the data "There are three; one's an air hostess, ones part owner in a needlework and craft store and one's..."

"That one."

"Which one?"

"The craft store."

"Lois owns a craft store." Oliver blinked in surprise.

"It's a needlework and craft store and she owns it with her partner." Clark corrected automatically.

"Lois owns a craft store?" He repeated and tried to shake his head clear "Are you sure it's the same Lois that I dated about a hundred years ago."

"Yes." Clark growled annoyed.

"Sorry that just threw me a bit." Oliver told him guiltily.

"I can understand why." AC whispered to him quietly.

Hearing that, Clark flicked him a look "Look she's still Lois. She still has the same sense of humour, the same intolerance for bullshit and the same sarcastic whit but she's not the girl the two of you knew years ago. Hell none of us are the kids we were years ago; so give it a rest ok."

Conceding the point the men nodded sheepishly.

After tapping in the required commands Oliver swung back to him "Ok the trace is running; when the card gets used, I'll let you know."

"Thanks." He turned for the exit but stopped at Bruce's voice.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm just..." He growled and raked his hands through his hair before swinging around "I'm so goddamn angry."

"What happened buddy?"

"What happened is a whole lot of nothing." He stalked around the room angrily "I told Lois the truth about the night she fell asleep and she didn't get pissed at me for it. We had a good long talk and everything was fine for a few days but then it all started to unravel and now it's messed up."

"Did you tell her how you feel?"

At Oliver's question Clark stopped and rubbed his eyes hard. He tried reminding himself that he wasn't prone to human affliction so didn't get headaches, yet could feel the mother loving bastard snapping at his temples.

"No, I thought that I'd show her instead because women really lap that romance crap up and Lois is no different." He lifted one shoulder and let it drop unhappily "But rather than being swept away by my efforts, she seemed to change almost overnight for the worse."

"Change how?" Bruce nudged in query.

"She became my own personal Stepford girlfriend from the land of what-the-fuck." He snapped bitterly and began to pace around the room as he began to list some the things that had been driving round the bend. "She began to laugh...no worse than that; giggle girlishly even when I didn't say something funny. She became so thoroughly nice and tolerant about everything that it made me want to gag. She began to ply with me all sorts of questions about farming that I knew she didn't give a damn about. Yet even when her eyes were glazing over with boredom, she insisted that she was truly fascinated and urged me to keep yakking on."

Barely pausing in his gripes, he stopped and asked them directly but rhetorically "How in hell is a man supposed to react to that? It may sound great in theory to have a girlfriend who acts like the sun shines out of your ass but it's bloody awful in practice. Yet if I complained, then I'd just sound unreasonable. I didn't want to be around her while she was acting crazy because it wasn't attractive but I knew she wasn't really like that because she never has been; ever!" He swung around and pointed at Oliver "You dated Lois a million years ago, was she ever like that?"

Oliver pursed his lips but rapidly shook his head.

He swung and pointed to the second man "What about you?"

AC cleared his throat "I only knew her for a couple of days and that was a long time ago so..."

"Answer the question."

"Um she was nice..." At Clark's low rumble he quickly added "She was a pretty straight shooter even then."

His shoulders drooped in defeat "Right but I'm not special enough for her to try and beat into submission. Not that I buckled under but just the fact that she cared enough to think I was worth bothering with so took the time to lecture me about proper behaviour and occasionally give me a piece of her mind was enough and then she just stopped." He scrubbed his hands over his face "The only thing I can conclude from that is she figured out how I felt, so tried to scare me off by acting like a combination of doormat and a mindless doll. I tried to get her mad by cancelling plans at the last minute but it didn't upset her in the slightest and now...well I'm not stupid; I know why she left but..."

"Um Clark..."

At Victor's voice he looked up "Yeah."

"You said that you were trying to show her how you felt; how did you attempt to do that?"

He shrugged disappointed "What I tried didn't work."

"Tell us anyway."

"I took her out to dinner and acted like it was a date. I helped her around the house more, I complimented her cooking, I told her how pretty she looked; hell I even suggested we cuddle while watching sappy girly movies and I enjoyed it." At the disbelief on their faces, he growled "Ok that's a load of lie. Sappy movies aren't my thing and the cuddling damn near killed me since we weren't having sex but I pretended to enjoy it, so that should count for something."

"What'd you mean; you weren't having sex?" Bart clarified slowly.

"Just that, I put on the brakes because I wanted to show Lois we had more than that and figured she'd see it too if I romanced her the old fashioned way, instead of rushing her into bed every chance I got." He shook his head feelingly "Let me tell you something; I was climbing the walls within days so I don't know how those guys in the old days did it for months on end without going nuts." At their expressions, he confirmed steadily "Yeah, I don't recommend trying it."

"But from what everything you've told us the last couple of months, you and Lois seemed to be getting along great. So why would she think that sex was all you wanted." AC queried with wrinkled brow.

"I didn't know if she did think that or not but we both had a pretty cavalier attitude about our relationship in the beginning and I wanted to make up for that, while also showing her that we deserved better than that. I wanted her to see that it wasn't all I wanted from her but she either did and wasn't interested or didn't get the point of it." He sighed heavily and shrugged "All I know is that I failed. Our relationship wasn't enriched by celibacy and because of what happened last night, it's all gone to hell in a hand basket."

"That's the second time you mentioned last night; what happened?" Oliver asked directly.

"I don't want to talk about it." He replied abruptly "Look can you just keep an eye on her account for me?"

"Yeah I'll do that."

"Thanks..."

Oliver held up one finger "Question; did you really want to show Lois how you felt, or were you too scared to put yourself out there and just tell her?"

"Both." Clark's shoulders moved showing his discomfort "I practiced to see how it would sound but..." He paused and asked directly "Have any of you ever told a woman that you love her, without knowing if she felt the same way first?"

At their headshakes, he smiled without amusement "Listen to yourself sometime. If you can say 'I love you' to a woman, without making it sound like you're asking her if she loves you too, it'd be a miracle."

"Well I've gotta agree that it'd be a damned hard thing to say without making it sound like a question." Bruce grimaced in sympathy.

"Mmm, well now she's going to have to face it because after I get done giving her the shaking of her life for leaving me, I'm going to lay it all on the line and I don't care what she says; we're staying together so she'll just have to deal with it."

"Good luck."

"Yeah..." He turned to leave but stopped and swinging round to face them admitted "I can't find her without your help."

The men either nodded hesitantly or their brows wrinkled in doubt, seeing that Clark sighed "I don't know her sisters married name, her dad's not someone a person can contact at any time and I don't know her friends in San Francisco nor their phone numbers; even if I did; they're her friends and family. So I doubt any of them would tell me where she is, if she asks them not to. I don't know her address in San Francisco and there's no guarantee she'll go home anyway so hanging around waiting for her is pointless, especially since Lois spends most of her time on the road because of her job." He held up his hands defeated "On top of all that, this is a big country with millions upon millions of people living all over. A person can disappear in a big city if they want to, or live in a small town and start over. Given that Lois is smart and resourceful, it could be years before I find her if she takes into her head to do something like that so..."

"We'll find her for you Clark." Oliver promised solemnly.

"Thanks, I mean that." He replied sincerely before zipping off.

Once he was safely gone Bart whistled softly "They must have had a hell of a fight if he thinks she's going to try and disappear on him."

Oliver frowned in deliberation "I don't think he's worried about that, I think he just wants to find her ASAP and was trying to explain that having superpowers, doesn't make him omnipotent. We're used to Clark being unstoppable but this is different."

"Yeah, I assumed he could find her using one of his powers and it was only when he explained why he couldn't, that I got it." Victor remarked to no one in particular.

"Same here and I have to figure that Lois has got a few good hours head start on him, or he wouldn't have needed our help at all. I imagine that looking for one woman in a country the size of America without assistance, would be like looking for a needle in a haystack of needles" Oliver summed up neatly.

The men nodded in agreement.

AC looked at them and his brow wrinkled "From what he said, I get the feeling Lois wasn't trying to scare him off but rather show him how she feels too. It sounded to me like they both made a mess of things, not just him." At their concurring replies, he asked simply "Do you think we should have told him that?"

The men looked at each other and shrugged undecided.

"I don't know but I'm also inclined to think Barts right about them having one hell of a fight." Bruce put in thoughtfully "Something obviously happened last night to send Lois running and Clark knows what it is but he's not saying, so it must be pretty personal. They'll work it out but it's not up to us to stick our nose in and maybe make things worse by telling him how she feels, anymore than he'd appreciate us telling her. This is between them."

Figuring he was right the men got back to work and felt silently relieved that they weren't in their friends position.

oOo

Kent Farm: 1pm

Wanting to keep occupied with mindless busywork while waiting to hear from the watchtower, Clark stepped into the barn and looked around for something to do. Figuring the place could do with a clean and tidy up, he set to work starting in the loft and working his way down while thoughts of Lois swirled in his head.

If she wanted to him pay him back for saying no for last night, there were other ways she could have gone about it.

If she'd been that pissed off she should have come by the stopped by the farm on her way out of town for the sole purpose of raging at him. At least then they could have had it out but she hadn't even thought he deserved that much.

That hurt, that burned, that made him furious.

She'd run from him without a bloody word and that really stuck in his craw, which in turn made him angry at himself for not being aware that she was going to sneak off, which led back to him being angry at her for doing it in the first place and underneath all the emotions boiling inside him, was a sick feeling of panic that he refused to acknowledge, so concentrated on the outrage he was feeling to pretend that it wasn't.

The woman hadn't been back in Smallville for two minutes before she was getting on his nerves and under his skin yet here it was, not three months later and he didn't want to contemplate the rest of his life without her.

She was it for him and if she thought that she was getting away, then she'd better think again.

He'd gotten used to her; used to her pottering around his house, her presence in his life, her voice in his ear, and her body wrapped around his in passion. He was a creature of habit and now that he'd grown this new habit, he had no intention of giving it up.

He needed her and whether Lois wanted to admit it or not, she needed him to. He'd probably have to grab onto her tongue and drag the words out of her but he'd do it. Of course he'd do it a lot quicker if the guys would hurry up and call him. The longer Lois had to stew about everything, the more she'd paint him as the devil and herself as the saint, when in fact it was the other way around and then he'd have a hell of a time trying to get through to her.

She'd listen.

He'd damn well make her listen if he had to strap her to a chair and gag her and then he'd have plenty to say. She wasn't the only one who was pissed. He had quite a few grievances to get off his chest and when he found her, he'd be making them damn well clear.

Stopping to take a deep breath he looked around the barn and nodded satisfied. It was clean, well as clean as a barn could be. However, his tools could really do with a bit of sprucing up. He looked after them sure but he could do more.

Walking over to the bench area he carefully sorted his tools by type and size before giving them a good clean. Then turned his attention to ensuring all the drill bits were in one plastic container, the nails in another, the screws in another and so forth until complete.

Taking a step back, he tilted his head and his brow wrinkled in consideration.

His tools were important and could really use a house of their own instead of being piled in the barn.

Maybe he should build one.

oOo

2.30pm

After tucking the last item in place, Clark cast his eyes around his new tool shed and smiled pleased with the results.

There was a place for everything and everything was in its place.

All his tools were now nicely displayed, looked very professional and he wouldn't have to waste time looking for one in particular again.

When he wanted a hammer, well there it was and since all his hammers were now sorted according to size and sitting nicely on their very own hammer board, no time would be lost when he needed to hammer something.

When he wanted a saw, all he had to do was walk on over and pluck the correct one down since all his saws were now cosily tucked into their own little nook, on their very own saw board.

Pulling on his lip, he cocked his head and studied his work bench.

A good work bench was an essential piece of equipment; just as much as the tools themselves and this one had seen better days. It was old and looked a little shabby, especially sitting here in his brand new tool shed.

Maybe he should build a new one...and while he was at it, a new garden shed wouldn't go astray either.

oOo

3.30pm

Clark debated whether he should fly around looking for Lois himself but didn't know in which direction to go. He'd already taken a quick zip through a few of the surrounding towns without success but he hadn't expected to find her anyway since she'd clearly left to get away. Given that it was now 4 hours since he'd discovered that she was gone and he didn't know how long before that she'd actually left, by the time he arrived at her place this morning she could have been in another state already and that was assuming she was even driving.

For all he knew, she could have driven as far as Metropolis Airport and hopped a plane to Timbuktu. There was no point in calling the airlines since they'd refuse to give out passenger information and he wouldn't know what airline or flight to ask about anyway.

Yet conversely he'd prefer to know that she had caught a plane, since it would be easier on his nerves to know she wasn't driving.

The day was advancing and he hadn't heard from anyone, which meant she hadn't stopped to use her credit card. But Lois wasn't invulnerable. She was human and required rest just like everyone else. So given that she had to be upset, she could also be distracted enough for her mind to wander when she should be paying attention to the road, which subsequently caused the worry to gnaw at his belly the longer his phone stayed silent.

No, if she was hurt, he'd know it.

Somehow he'd know it.

The only comfort he could take was that she had Attila with her and there was one thing he knew for certain; Lois loved that pooch to death and wouldn't let anything happen to him. So if she was driving she'd be careful and take rest breaks, if only for the dog's sake.

Reassuring himself with those words, Clark pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressed the button for the number he wanted and at the "hello", hunched his shoulders in defence.

"Sorry mom, I was just making sure my phone's working."

He looked over and saw his mother looking back at him from the kitchen window and sent her a brief salute before clicking off and got back to sanding down his new tool bench.

When he was finished, he smoothed his hand over the counter proudly then turned to retrieve the Danish Oil from the shelf. Giving the tin a little shake, he pursed his lips in consideration.

There was about half a tin left but he didn't know how old it was, so maybe he should go and buy a fresh supply from a hardware shop. There was a nice big one in Metropolis but if they didn't have any then he could have a quick look around a few other places and since he was out and about, he could sweep his eyes around just to see if he spotted Lois by chance.

Mollified with that solution, he took off and returned 10 minutes later with a new tin of Danish Oil in his hand and a dark scowl etched on his face.

oOo

4.30pm

While filling up the kiddies pool which he'd retrieved and set up on the back lawn in anticipation of Lois and Attila's return, Clark half smiled in recollection at the way the beast had lolled in the water until he was virtually waterlogged.

He hadn't been impressed with the little shit on first acquaintance and the feeling had certainly been mutual but they'd grown to accept each other and become friends over time. They'd had no choice. It was either that or give up Lois and neither of them had been willing to concede the field to the other.

Now they growled and tormented each other for sheer entertainment value; it was their thing.

Turning of the tap when the pool was full, he headed towards the barn to see if there were any improvements he could make to the dog's play centre.

oOo

5.15pm

Clark paced around the front garden absently as worry began to consume him. Coming to a halt near the front steps, he sat down and dropped his head in his hands as his thoughts careened from concerned to belligerent and back again.

He'd gone to watchtower before lunch, it was now pushing late afternoon heading rapidly towards evening, yet he hadn't heard a damn word.

If Lois had been on the road all this time, which would explain why she hadn't used her credit card, which is why the guys hadn't called him, then she had to be pretty tired by now, in which case she shouldn't be behind the damn wheel. No one should be because that's when they made stupid mistakes. The very first thing his driving instructor had told him, was to consider everyone else on the road an idiot and if there was an idiot on the road wherever Lois was now, between her tiredness and his idiocy, god only knew what could happen.

He knew she was alright. He had to believe she was alright or he'd go slightly insane.

She had to stop soon. She couldn't drive all day and all night; common sense dictated that much but knowing her, she'd probably do it just to be perverse and prove him wrong.

The little witch was doing this to make him suffer. He was almost tempted to get the name of her shop from Oliver and camp outside it waiting for her return. The only thing stopping him on that front was Lois herself. Frankly he didn't trust her not to have him charged with loitering as payback, then laugh when he was dragged away by the cops, knowing he couldn't resist arrest without giving himself away.

Oh yeah she'd enjoy that. She'd get a real kick out causing him so much trouble and he knew that was true, since he wasn't feeling in a very charitable mood towards her either. Right now it would give him no greater pleasure than to have her dragged down to the local pokey on whatever trumped up charge he could manufacture and then afterwards refuse to bail her out jail.

When he got his hands on her, he was going to set her straight about things and then he as going to establish some ground rules and she'd better damn well promise to keep them or else.

The first was when he called her cell phone, she better damn well answer it.

The second was when he sent her a text message; ditto!

The third was that she didn't go anywhere without him knowing about it first.

The fourth was that she gave him detailed instructions of her itinerary on any travel plans she made and called him when she arrived safely.

The fifth was refer to all the above.

No, forget that; he didn't trust her not to blow him off whenever she was pissed.

For his own peace of mind, he was going to have to find some way to keep track of her, establish a link between them so that he'd be able to find her in a heartbeat, no matter where she was or how far away.

WHERE WAS SHE?

oOo

Around 6.15 pm

Martha watched her son pretending to watch the TV, saw him pick up his cell phone for the tenth time in as many times and wondered who he was trying to fool.

She wasn't the naive mother her son thought she was. She was well aware that Clark was far from an innocent when it came to women and it hadn't concerned her, since she knew that when he met the right one, his philandering days would be put behind him. Her Jonathan had been much like that and he'd been the best husband and father a woman could ever ask for.

When she'd first heard the gossip about her son and Lois, she was happy to know Clark was involved with a woman that she knew and one she'd always approved of but honestly hadn't given their relationship any more thought than that. Until she'd heard about the betting going on and that's when she understood it had to be serious.

She'd tried to subtly pump Clark for details on his relationship with Lois but her son had been reticent on supplying them. His distraction and sombre demeanour had attested to the fact that they'd had a falling out but it was when she saw how angry he was at Lois' disappearance, that she also saw just how deeply his emotions were involved. Only the person you truly love could really get under your skin and make you that angry.

She didn't need him to verbalise his love for Lois, she'd seen it; just as she'd seen him change and grow over the years.

Her son was far from the indecisive boy he'd been years ago. He'd grown up and become ruthless; not in heart but in the ways needed to make a success out of working the land. His powers didn't offer him special dispensation from failure. They could only be used to take the labour out of the back breaking work required but he couldn't make the weather do as he wanted. He couldn't make a crop thrive, and he couldn't stop it from being wiped out if nature worked against him. He just had to work it like everyone else and take the good and the bad as it came. It wasn't a profession for the faint of heart or those who called it quits at the first failure. It was a job for the steady, the strong and the determined.

That was how he'd changed. His complete focus and uncompromising faith that he could make a success of farming had soaked into his personality, turning him from an insecure adolescent who questioned himself about everything, into a confident and at times forceful man who didn't give up. But regardless of that, he was still her child and when he hurt, she did too. He hadn't said anything, but she'd watched as he kept himself busy all day and seen the strain on his face deepen as the hours dragged on.

"Sweetie."

When he looked over she wanted to cry at both the pain and anger visible in his eyes "Are you waiting to hear from Lois?"

Clark shook his head "No the watchtower; Oliver set up a tracking on her credit card for me. So when she uses it, someone will call and tell me where she is."

"Can't you find her yourself?"

"No mom, I have a lot of abilities but that one's beyond me." He smiled lopsided "It's just as well really because if I'd been able to catch up with her this morning, I would have given her what for and more than likely she would have told me to go to hell."

"And now?"

"Now..." Clark sighed and looked at his feet "Now I'm worried."

Martha took a seat beside him on the couch "I'm sure she's ok."

He bobbed his head in accord "But I need to see her, I need to know that."

"Do you know why she left so suddenly?"

"Yeah I have a good idea and we'll be talking about that along with a few other things." He told her candidly.

"Do you feel calm enough to talk to her now?" Martha asked gently.

He nodded and began to answer but at the buzz of his phone, he snatched it up and clicked it on "Yeah."

"Clark, her credit card was used about an hour ago..."

"Why the hell didn't you call me?" He interrupted to demand and pushed up from the couch to pace around the lounge room.

"I didn't call you because it was used in a supermarket and Pet Grooming Parlour within half an hour of each other, so thought it would save you time if we could find out what hotel she was staying at. Then you wouldn't have to wait until it was dark to go flying around x-raying all of them looking for her." Oliver replied patiently.

"Oh; well thanks." He replied gratefully "So what have you got?"

"She's in Rock Springs, Wyoming and she's booked into a hotel. She's not staying in the main building but one of the cabins behind it. Do you need to get a pen and paper?"

"No just give me the info." He recited it silently and felt the fist in his stomach unclench slightly at finally having the information he'd been waiting for "Thanks Ollie, I really appreciate your help."

"No problem, but it wasn't just mine so I'll pass it on; good luck."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." Clicking off he turned to his mom who was standing behind him.

"Should I wait up?"

"No, I don't know how long this is going to take but I won't be home tonight either way; bye mom." He pressed a kiss to her brow and was gone.

"Bye." Seeing that she was speaking to herself, Martha decided that she might just have some dinner and early night.

oOo

Rock Springs, Wyoming: Approx 6.25pm

Stopping high above the hotel, Clark swept his eyes around carefully and spotting Attila fast asleep under a tree, took what felt like his first full breath all day.

The dog was there which meant that Lois was too. Quickly scanning the area to ensure that no one with a pair of binoculars who should be looking at the wildlife in one of the neighbouring parks, wasn't looking where they weren't supposed to and seeing the all clear, zipped down to land on the porch of the cabin.

Raising one hand he knocked on the door but when there was no answer, x-rayed through to find Lois lying down on the couch with her eyes closed and felt his anger begin to slowly burn once more. He'd told his mom that he was worried. He'd told his mom that he just needed to see Lois to feel better. He'd told his mom that he was calm enough to talk; well fuck that.

He'd been sweating all day just waiting to find out where she was. He'd almost gone crazy imagining all the nut-balls and wack-jobs who'd love nothing more than to get their hands on a lone woman for god knows what purpose, and here she was taking a nap!

Holding onto his temper he knocked more loudly a second time and debated about barging in. He was tempted. He was really, really tempted but since there were people milling around the hotel area he didn't want to take the chance of being spotted entering a cabin unlawfully.

Gritting his teeth he knocked a third time and when the door swung open and noted with perverse satisfaction the colour drain from her face. Quickly stepping forward before she could slam it shut, he tugged the door from her hand and smiled without humour when she stumbled back. After taking another step forward he slammed the door at his back and crowding into her personal space, growled "Why the hell did you leave?"

Desperately trying to ignore the pounding of her heart Lois tried for a blasé shrug "It was time."

"It wasn't time! You still had 6 more days." He negated rapidly.

"6 days are neither here nor there so..." She began only to be cut off by his voice whipping over hers.

"Lois, don't push me!" He snapped bitingly "I'm so goddamn angry it's not wise."

She swallowed nervously at the tone in his voice but felt her spine stiffen at his next words.

"I know you left because of what happened last night."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did." He retorted swiftly.

Hating him for bringing up that hideous humiliation, she took a deep breath and replied as placidly as she could manage "Believe what you like."

He saw the buried hurt on her face and softened for a beat before his own feelings took over once more "Were you so upset that you couldn't even talk to me about it before taking off."

Wanting to hit him she stared back defiantly "There was nothing to talk about."

His eyes narrowed dangerously "Yes there damned well was."

She took a deep breath and tried to scoot around him "As I said before it was ti..."

He swung her around and into his arms. One hand grasped her chin forcing her to look him in the eye "If it wasn't that then why did you leave?"

"That's my business not yours."

"I would have thought being your boyfriend would have made it my business." He growled angrily.

"Well you thought wrong." She returned flatly and wished that he'd stop looming over her like a damned giant "We had a fling Clark and now it's over, so why don't you just leave."

"It stopped being a fling a long time ago and you know it." He cupped her face in his palms and bore his eyes into hers "You know it."

"I don't know any such thing."

"Liar!"

At the accusation she glared daggers but refused to respond.

Letting her go before he gave her a good shaking, Clark dug deep in an attempt to hold onto any scrap of patience in his arsenal "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings Lois but that was nothing compared to what you did to me by leaving without saying anything."

Hurt feelings! He actually thought she'd left because he'd hurt her feelings. Fine, she'd let him think that. It was better than giving him the satisfaction of knowing he'd ripped her heart out. The only reason he was here was because his ego couldn't take the fact that she'd walked away. Well fuck him!

He watched the anger tighten her face but not seeing any guilt for the grief that she'd caused him, he ground his teeth and tried again "I came to see you this morning to explain why I turned you down last night..."

"It's not important." She cut in abruptly.

Clark sucked in air through his teeth and prayed for composure. He was making an effort to be understanding. He was at least trying to be civil, which was more than could be said for her and it was starting to get on his wick.

"As I was saying..." He began evenly.

"I'm not interested." She cut him off again.

His teeth snapped together.

Needing some distance, Lois pushed against his chest and scooted to the other side of the room.

"Are you going back to San Francisco?" He asked after a minute of silence.

"None of your business." At his growl and quick step forward, she held up a hand "No, I don't know...possibly." She didn't want him to know where she was going. She just wanted him to leave so that she could break down in private "I'm not really going anywhere."

"So you're going nowhere." He replied coolly "Well you'll be the first person in the history of the world to find that place." When she just stared at him, he asked again "Let's try once more shall we; where are you going?"

"I just said..."

"Where...are...you...going?" He cut her off impatiently.

She shrugged feigning indecision "I was thinking about Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" He asked dryly and when she nodded "Why?"

"No reason."

His lips hitched up mockingly "Oh, I'm sure there's a reason and I'm also sure that I know what that reason is."

She ignored him "I haven't been there in a few years so I thou..."

"Yet all of a sudden you have a yen to see it again huh?" He interrupted to ask sarcastically "So tell me Lois, is Hawaii is far enough away for you to run to baby? What about Alaska? The weather won't be as pleasant but if you make your home with the Eskimos on Little Diomede Island, you'll be so far away from me that you'll almost be in Russia; maybe that would suit you better." He saw the red rush into her cheeks and finished mockingly "Poor Lois, she's thinking of going all the way to Hawaii just to run away from me."

"I'm not running from anything and certainly not from you." She retaliated caustically while silently cursing the tell tale colour she could feel burning her face.

His brow lifted scornfully "If that's true then why didn't you say goodbye?"

"I tried to call you earlier but…."

"Oh yeah, when?" He cut in to ask pleasantly.

"I can't remember the time."

"Well now that's strange since my cell phones been turned on, yet silent all day and what's funny, is that when I called your cell earlier you didn't pick up and I'm still waiting to receive a reply to the text message I sent you." Clark remarked blandly.

"I was going to call you later." She amended swiftly.

"A second ago you tried to call me earlier and now you were going to call me later; which is it?" He asked bitingly.

Lois felt the hole getting bigger under her feet and mentally sent him to perdition "I meant…."

"Don't bother lying babe, you're lousy at it." Clark cut in acidly.

Stung by his words but knowing he was right which is why she preferred the truth, she lifted her chin insolently and glared "Goodbye's are overrated."

"And clearly good manners are too." He commented cuttingly.

At that she burst out laughing but the sound contained no humour.

Trapped in his own hell Clark didn't hear the hysteria in the tone and demanded with a snarl "What's so damn funny?"

Like a light switch her laughter stopped.

"It's all about the ego with you." She bit out contemptuously "What's the matter Clark? Can't your pride take it that I walked away rather than sticking around for more of the same?"

Wanting to break something, preferably her neck for attempting to shift the blame for all their discord onto his shoulders when she was the one at fault, he strode forward until they were almost toe to toe and ground out "What's the matter Lois, are you afraid of actual emotions? Are ties and genuine feelings too much for you to handle?"

At the sneer in his voice, she snapped heatedly "I should be asking you that."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"As if you don't know."

"I don't know." He tossed back angrily.

"Oh yeah..." She mimicked fiercely "Sorry Lois my mom's arriving tomorrow so I won't be able to see you." She snorted again "So how's your mom Clark? Did she arrive home safely or did she have a last minute change of plans?"

"She arrived home just fine." He replied abruptly "And what does my mom have to do with anything?"

Lois stared at him dumbfounded for a beat before giving herself a hard internal shake. Whether he was telling the truth or not didn't change the bottom line. He didn't want the same thing she did. He'd made that abundantly clear for well over a week now and last night was just the final straw.

"Well I'm sure this afternoon I would have gotten another call saying you couldn't make it because you were going out with your buddies, and tomorrow I would have gotten yet another call saying you were busy polishing your putter and..."

"I don't even play golf." He exclaimed hotly.

"Who freaking cares?" She shrieked furiously "I'm not a fucking idiot; I know when I'm being given the brush off."

"You are a fucking idiot if you thought I was giving it to you." He retorted savagely "But I got YOUR message that we were done loud and clear."

"I never sent you any such message." She yelled insulted.

"You sent me more than one and I damned well got them all." He roared back.

"Well I got all of yours." She screamed and burst into tears.

Great heaving sobs racked her frame as all the misery she'd been feeling over the past however many days culminating on the previous night swamped over her.

Clark stumbled back and desperately tried to reassure himself that he was immune to women's tears. He wasn't frightened by them, wasn't fazed by them. Lana had cured him of that by crying every bloody day of her life. He could handle it, he could.

Eyes wide with panic, he pointed one shaky finger and croaked out "Stop that! You stop that right this minute."

Mortally embarrassed, Lois swung around presenting him with her back and waving at the door, wailed "go awayyyyeeee." then proceeded to cry even harder.

Horrified, he leapt forward and swinging her into his arms, settled himself on the couch and held her on his lap. As her tears soaked into his shirt, he murmured soothing nonsense in her ear while mentally flipping through their conversation to make sense of it all.

A minute later he grimaced and shook his head confounded.

Lois thought he'd been giving her the brush off, he'd thought she was doing it to him; shit!

They'd obviously gotten their wires crossed and screwed up pretty badly.

Well enough of that; he was now going to do what he'd intended to do when he went to see her this morning. Tell her the truth and take it from there.

oOo

When the storm of tears had passed, Lois kept her face buried in Clark's neck and felt absolutely mortified for letting him see just how badly she was hurt. Last night he'd ripped her heart in two, today he'd taken what little was left of her dignity and now they were in tatters as well.

She continued silently castigating herself until the words from their argument began to sink into her consciousness. Clark said that he hadn't been giving her the brush off and she wanted to believe him so badly but she was scared. She'd felt unbearably hurt earlier but if she trusted him now and then later discovered he was lying later...

But would a man who was trying to tell her to get lost, spend his time tracking her down? Wouldn't he just be grateful that she'd left quietly, so he wouldn't have to deal with a messy emotional scene?

"Baby, I haven't been trying to dump you, or tell you that we we're over."

At his voice she looked up shyly and swiping a hand over her cheeks, questioned tremblingly "Really?"

"Really."

She swallowed hard at the sincerity in his voice "If that's true, then why did you start breaking dates for no reason other than to go out with your friends and..."

"I didn't break dates to go out drinking with my friends or anything else; I flat out lied about that." He admitted frankly "I broke dates for one of two reasons; to get a reaction out of you or failing that, to get away from you."

Seeing the hurt on her face, he quickly explained "Babe, you seemed to change almost overnight from a fun confident woman, into a clingy needy doormat which is majorly unattractive. I wasn't sure what was going on at first but thought it was likely you were trying to scare me away and since you'd also stopped giving me a hard time about stuff, I figured that had to be it. So I tried to light a fire under you by breaking dates at the last minute hoping you'd yell or tell me off at least but when you didn't, I stayed at home by myself and brooded."

"You hardly ever paid any attention when I gave you a hard time." She mumbled miffed.

"I pay attention, I just didn't always agree." Clark countered frankly "Besides, what I appreciate the most is that when you tell me off, you do it in a direct manner not a whiney or roundabout one and you don't get snotty when I don't jump at your orders." He paused and amended "Well unless it's about something like putting the toilet roll on the holder, then you don't give me any peace until I conform." He grinned at her gurgle of laughter "You're a little shrew Lois but you don't have a spirit of meanness in you and I love that. I realised how much when you stopped bitching at me and I thought it was because you just didn't care enough to waste your time trying to reform me. Your odd behaviour just seemed to reinforce that."

Feeling horrified that her fears of giving him the wrong impression had proven correct, Lois told him in a small voice "I was trying to show you how much I like you."

His brows rose in disbelief "You're kidding?"

"No, I wanted to show you that you were special to me but I didn't know how to do that, so I got some advice."

"Well I hope you didn't pay for it because it was terrible." He replied dryly.

"I think the advice was good but I read so much of it that I kind of got lost between all the do's and don'ts. All I could really remember was to be nice and patient, not to nag and…and a lot of other things but that's where I got confused because it was really tricky. Like it said, do this but stop if he doesn't seem receptive, then try it again because he might not have been in the mood the first time but wait until the opportunity seems right etc. So in the end I decided to just keep doing what I remembered but put my own spin on it to give it extra juice to really capture your attention." She shrugged embarrassed.

"Oh it worked if the intention was to creep me out." He advised bluntly and quickly followed that up by almost pleading "Please get rid of Stepford-Lois, I never want to see that woman again?"

"I hated her too." She cleared her throat and began haltingly "Are you still…do you still…?" And taking a deep breath, rushed out "Are you still attracted to me sexually?"

Her moved her from his lap and sat her on the couch at his side "I haven't had a solid night's sleep in almost 2 weeks because I want you so badly but…."

Her breath hitched at his declaration then her stomach nosedived at his hesitation "But what?"

"I did a lot of thinking last night, along with a lot of talking to myself and for every argument I had on the pro side of the equation, I had a counter one on the con side. However, some time during the night I must have made up my mind because I woke up with the decision already made. That's not to say I was happy about it because I wasn't. So I used the time while driving back and forth to the Metropolis Airport to come to terms with it and then I went to your place to lay all my cards on the table this morning."

At the graveness in his tone, she silently wondered how bad this was going to be. But at his next words, her tummy trembled with both nerves and excitement.

Holding her eyes captive he told her simply "I love you Lois."

"You do."

"I do." He confirmed steadily "The reason I put the brakes on our love life was because I wanted you to fall in love with me, not for what I could do for you in bed." When her mouth opened, he pressed one finger against her lips to stay any comments "I know you're not a child Lo but sex can impair the judgement of even the most experienced individual and I wanted to build on what we already had, not cloud the issue with it." He smiled lopsided "However, celibacy doesn't appear to be your thing anymore than it's mine and last night I thought the reason you pushed the issue was because you missed it, not because you missed being with me. It nearly killed me to turn you down babe but I wasn't about to compromise how I felt for momentary physical satisfaction." He smoothed one finger over her brow "But this morning, I was prepared to accept less than what I wanted, as long as I got you in exchange."

"This morning; have you changed your mind?" She asked worried that her flight had ruined things.

"Yeah." Clark rubbed the side of his face and admitted softly "I told you what I was willing to accept but I know myself well enough to know, that I wouldn't have kept to it. I'll never be satisfied with less than a commitment from you babe. I'll harass you day and night until you give in, so you might as well know it now." At her soft snort, he shrugged unapologetically "I could try and pretty it up, make it sound more romantic but the bottom line won't change."

Smoothing the hair away from her face, he nudged gently "How do you feel about me?" At the fear in her eyes, he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth "You said that you were trying to show me how much you like me; why?"

She wanted to tell him but the words wouldn't come. Showing him had been a lot easier. She could do that, she'd be happy to do that but saying the words; getting them past the blockage in her throat was impossible.

Picking up her hand, he linked their fingers together and brought it to his lips "I can see the answer in your eyes but I want to hear the words." She swallowed hard but couldn't respond. Cupping her face in his palms he whispered again "Tell me."

"I..." She cleared her throat and tried again "I…lo...I'm better with showing."

"I want to hear the words." He repeated "I know you're scared, I am too but god Lois I'm more afraid to be without you, than I am of loving you and putting my heart in your hands." He saw the tears in her eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life, than when I found that you'd packed up and left." He shrugged and grimaced lightly "My emotions today have been all over the map but the one that's dominating right now is fear."

She licked her lips and questioned softly "Fear?"

He nodded sombrely.

"Why?"

"Because I need you Lois and the thought that you don't feel the same need for me is terrifying." He whispered achingly.

Her mouth opened but no words came out. She didn't know what was wrong. It had been easy to say it to others and they hadn't been anywhere near as important. Yet now when it mattered she couldn't seem to get enough spit in her mouth to form words. He was going to leave; she was going to lose him because of her inability to let go of her own fears and closing her eyes in defeat, she felt herself begin to crumble inside.

When a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, he wiped it away with his thumb "Before you returned to Smallville I never felt unfulfilled. Never felt like anything was missing and I wasn't lonely but without you the rest of my life will be so lousy." He took a deep breath and laid himself open to her "You're the essence of everything I used to long for babe; the elusive true love that most people dream about but only a very few lucky people manage to find. I can't live without it now that I've found it and that's why I came after you."

Her chin wobbled and her mouth shook.

"Say it." He asked quietly. When she remained silent, he rested his forehead on hers and holding her eyes captive, growled pleadingly "God baby, please say it."

The almost snarling demand in his voice loosened the nerves in her tummy and taking a deep breath she told him fumblingly "I...I...I love you."

The words barely left her mouth before his lips swooped down and locked with hers in long deep kiss.

When he let her up for air, Lois threw her arms around his neck in a laughing sob and clutching onto him with all her might, pushed him down onto the couch and buried her face in his neck.

Uncaring of time they lay quietly for a while but at the squeaky bark, looked over to find Attila surveying them with head cocked in curiosity.

Reaching out, Clark stroked one hand over the animal's back "Hey buddy, did you miss me?"

Jumping up on the couch, the animal licked Clark's face enthusiastically before jumping down to run around the room in happy circles woofing all the while.

With a laugh they looked at each other before Clark leant down and pressed his lips to hers.

"Yuk."

With a mischievous grin he deliberately rubbed his cheek against hers before lifting his head and winking "We share everything from now on, even dog spit."

Giggling, Lois swiped her hand over his cheek and when Attila raced over to lick her face, she happily let him before pulling Clark down to share it with him.