Title: That 'D' Word

Author: Mel

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Summary: Clark and Lois' first date. Response to a challenge.

Archive: Sure, just tell me.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Gone, but it's really vague.


I hated Chloe. I swear to God I did.

She completely set us up.

When I find my little cousin, I'm going to take a kitchen knife and plunge it in her gut.

I looked across the table and Clark – who by the way, was looking more uncomfortable than I felt – and asked, "I'm guessing you didn't know about this when you agreed to come to this with her?"

His eyes got monstrous. "Hell no! Come on, Lois! I'd like to think you knew me better than that!"

I sighed. I did, really. We'd known each other for a year and half, and while our common ground was still Chloe, we had found things to talk about, to fight over (but not with each other), and we had even found things to do with each other, albeit occasionally.

And lately, Chloe had been trying to set us up – God only knows why. Clark and I have tolerated it, but we're at our wits end.

Seriously – ever since she's gotten over Clark and started dating Bart, she's gone loony. If I didn't know my cousin so well, I'd think she was Meteor Freak.

"So…" I said, not quite looking at Clark.

"So…" he repeated.

"What, is there an echo in here?" I asked him, smirking.

He smiled at me. "What, is there an echo in here?"

"Ok, Clark, seriously. You know I can't stand that."

He sighed. "You take all the fun out of my life."

I looked around the Talon as I answered. "You know I don't believe that."

"And why don't you?"

"You laugh a lot more around me than you do anybody. Besides Chloe, that is."

"So you keep saying."

"So I know."

"Whatever, Lois."

We watched the people come and go for a while in a friendly silence. It was nothing like the first silence we shared, which was extremely uncomfortable. The guy was a freakin' zombie.

"Lois?"

My head turned towards Clarks'. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. About your mom."

I was confused. Why bring this up now? "Uh…Clark…I'm grateful, but why bring it up out of the blue like that?"

"Because," he shrugged. "I wasn't really your friend when I first found out and I never apologized as a friend."

I looked at him for a while. "Thanks, Clark."

It got quiet for a while again until – "I hate elevators."

"Why?"

"Because. They go up, they go down, but they end up nowhere."

"Lois…"

"My mother collapsed in an elevator, Clark. The doctors thought that fresh air might do her a little good. All four of us were in the elevator walking down to garden, when she just collapsed. Lucy is too young to remember, The General just blocks it, and I've moved past it – except for the elevator. And now I hate elevators."

I looked at him, his face full of concern. "Lois, it's ok. You don't have to tell me, you know. I just wanted for you to know I was your friend."

I smiled at him. "I know that, Clark. And thanks. People need to be reminded of that, sometimes."

"All of the time." Clark looked at his watch and then looked back at me. "Hey, you know, it's only 7. We could catch a movie if you wanted to."

"Ok," I said as we stood up. "What do you wanna see?"

"I dunno," he told me. "I've heard Batman Begins is pretty good."


"That wasn't a half bad movie, Smallville."

"You liked it then?" he asked me as we walked out of the movie theater.

"Yeah. It was a good movie."

He looked down at me. "Good 'first date' material?"

"Yeah," I said, making eye contact with him.

But whether I meant the movie or him, I wasn't entirely sure.

End

A/N: Watcha think? Hope ya like it. Remember to review!