Ch 17 – Progression


Lois slowly ascended the stairs to the loft. Clark was sitting on the couch with his back to her, and didn't turn around when she approached.

She could tell from his body positioning that he was brooding again. Walking up, she bent over the couch and hugged him from behind. He titled his head to the side as her chin pressed into his shoulder.

"Lois. Hey. What was that for?"

Lois released him and climbed over the back of the couch to sit next to him.

"Looked like you needed a friend."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be out tonight."

She turned sideways and tucked a leg underneath her. "I canceled."

Clark sent her a look. "I don't think Tony would appreciate that too much."

"Tony-shomney," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "He'll live. I told him that I had friend who was going to need some support. Besides, I've got an early morning. Your dad's letting me drive the tractor tomorrow."

"He is?" Clark asked, worried.

"Relax, Smallville. If I can parallel park a tank, I think I can handle a tractor." She crossed her arms and leaned back into the armrest. "So how'd it go?"

"You're just waiting for the chance to say 'I told you so,' aren't you?"

Lois grinned. "You know I was right, and I know that I was right, but what's the point of beating you over the head with it?"

He shook his head and smiled in spite of himself. "I didn't tell her."

"Are you okay with that?"

He nodded absently. "Yeah, I am. It's funny. After all this time that I've loved Lana from afar, it just wasn't the same when I was with her tonight. We talked and it wasn't awkward… it was nice, but there was no fire."

When he and Lana had spent the evening together, he'd realized that he had placed her on a pedestal for all those years. It turned out that while they were pretty comfortable in each other's company, it just hadn't felt complete. And unlike what he felt when he was sitting here with Lois, the atmosphere had been overly serious.

"We've grown apart, and that's okay."

"Okay, it's killing me. I've got to say it at least once." Lois grinned. "I told you so."

"I knew it!"

"I tried! I really did, but you're such an easy target," she laughed. "I have to admit that I'm glad you're done mooning over her."

"I did not moon… much." Putting a hand over his eyes, he tilted his head back and rested it on the couch.

"How could I have been so… pathetic? I really thought she was the one."

"Slow down, Neo. There's no reason to rush out and write vows just yet. Wait until after you graduate at least. Yes, you were pathetic, but it's okay. That's what high school is all about. The chase. Its just that most people do it more than once, obsess over two people a week, and don't drag it out for 10 freaking years."

She patted his knee. "It happens to everybody. You see something that you want. You long for it. You get it, and then you find out it's not really what you wanted after all. Sometimes you just have to grab it so you can know for sure and move on. Take us for example."

Clark sharply sat up and looked at her.

At the movement, she smiled. "There were definitely some vibes going on there. But we dealt with it. There was the tumble, the kiss, and the talk. Now we're good."

Clark blinked.

Lois unraveled herself and stood. "Anyway, you'll live." She reached out to ruffle his hair and headed for the stairs.

Us? Clark replayed the end of the conversation to himself. Jumping up from the couch he leaned over the railing in time to see Lois reach the door to the barn.

"Lois!"

She glanced over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow.

"There was an us?"

Lois laughed and shook her head, pushing open the door. "G'Night, Smallville."

Clark realized that he was grinning at empty space and ran a hand through his hair. He reveled in how comfortable things had gotten between him and Lois. It hadn't been that way earlier with Lana.

Many times during the evening, he'd found himself thinking about how Lois would have responded to something they'd said. Lana had spent a lot of the time talking about how Jason had disappointed her.

After everything that you put me through, you'd think that I would know how to pick an honest guy, she'd said.

Serving another shot of guilt on the rocks for Clark Kent, he'd reflected. Ironically, when his conscious had quipped the thought, it had sounded like Lois was speaking to him. Unfortunately, the combination had caused him to laugh aloud, which then led to a botched apology when Lana thought he was making fun of her.

In the end, Lois had been right. Guilt was no reason to bare his soul. That was something you shared because you wanted to.


Lana answered the door and sighed.

"I heard you had a date tonight," Jason said, entering the apartment.

"You jealous?"

Jason smiled. "Should I be? If you want me to be jealous, you obviously still feel something for me."

When she looked away, he grabbed her hands and stood in front of her, searching her eyes.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't," she admitted.

"Lana, I came here tonight to ask you to come away with me. Tonight."

Her eyes grew wide with shock. "Jason, I… leave?"

"I love you. I want nothing more than to be with you. Let's go back to Paris. We never made it to Marseilles. The Mediterranean Sea. There's so much more we were supposed to experience together. You can get back into school there... everything you worked for... we can start again."

"I…" Her eyes darted around the room. "I love you too. I realized that tonight, but I can't just up and leave. There's The Talon to take care of. I need to talk to Lex…"

"No." Jason squeezed her hands. "You can't trust him. He and my mother have been using you as a pawn in a dangerous game. We need to leave Smallville. Forget about this place."

Frowning, she pulled away. "Dangerous game?"

"Come here," he said, pulling her into the bathroom. He pulled her shirt up and motioned for her to look in the mirror. The tattoo was gone.

"Wha… How?"

"They were using you as a conduit for Isobel. I found out that Lex and my mother worked together to get you in Paris. My mother caused the mark, but I confronted her and made her remove it."

Lana ran her fingers over the now blank skin. "This is a lot to take in."

"I know, but I need to get you out of here. With everything that's happened since we came here from Paris, what's not to believe about what I'm telling you?"

Lana's thoughts spiraled in her head. The mark was gone. Her ties to this town were tenuous. Her dreams were linked to the very things Jason was offering… and he was the one she could trust.

She nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."

He sighed with relief. "Then there's just one more thing I need to ask you." He pulled his right hand into view and her attention was drawn to the ring that decorated his pinky. Gasping she met his gaze.

"Will you marry me?"


Clark walked into The Talon and looked around. It had been a week since Lana had taken off with Jason. She had told Chloe about their decision to leave Smallville together right before leaving town. It was strange of her to take off like that, not bothering to tie up loose ends, but he couldn't really blame her for avoiding a confrontation with Lex.

In the aftermath, his mother had been extremely busy trying to pick up where Lana had left off. For his part, Lex hadn't seemed to care much, and handed over the responsibility of running the store to Martha with little thought.

Clark waited until his mother finished giving instructions to her assistant manager before walking to her.

"You ready to go?"

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. I'm not going to be able to leave as early as I thought. There's some more paperwork I need to look over."

Clark shrugged. "That's okay. Here, you take the truck. I'll walk home."

Martha gave him a look as she accepted the keys. She knew he wasn't really planning on walking. "Be careful, okay."

He gave her a boyish grin. "I always am."

"Did Lois mention anything to you about leaving town yesterday?"

Clark frowned. "No, I thought maybe she'd said something to you or dad."

Lois hadn't returned home from school the day before. With Martha being too busy to make dinner, Clark had just assumed that she'd decided to work late at the paper. There'd been no sign of her that morning, though.

"Okay," Martha frowned. "Well, give me a call when you talk to her. It's not like Lois to stay out without us knowing. Then again, many people seem to be acting strangely lately. Bye sweetie."

Clark waved and stepped outside. There was no need to worry. Lois would probably be home by the time he got there.


tbc