Story 3 – Hide and Seek

Summary: Shelby drives Lois crazy as she prepares to go back to Metropolis University.

Review Response:

LeeDej: Thanks! Yes, I did get the title from the movie. Although, I didn't actually see it yet – I just really liked the name.

Dj: Yes, I'm going to continue this as long as I can come up with Clark, Lois, and Shelby scenes (By the way, ideas VERY much appreciated). I love Clois too. Sarcasm rules!

Suekosa: Thanks!

Catz: Um, thanks? What are you trying to bribe me or something (lol)? Yeah, I love Shelby too. He's so cute! (I'm an animal lover, can't you tell?)

Also thanks to everyone else too!

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Clark leaned against the frame of the doorway to his room, if one could still call it that. Currently, it was a disaster. Women's clothing, size small, was scattered all over the furniture – bed, dresser, floor, etc. Normally it wasn't this bad. Then again, normally Lois Lane was not packing to go back to Metropolis University, with the intention of staying there for an entire month.

"I know you'll miss me to no end, Smallville." The muffled voice came from somewhere inside the closet. Seconds later, Lois emerged, brushing her chocolate brown hair out of her face. "But don't worry, I'm sure Clarkie can take my place as constant pain in your butt while I'm gone. So far, I've taught him to bark every time he sees you wearing flannel."

"How ingenious of you," Clark's words were smothered in sarcasm, but in reality he was quite impressed. True, she could be bluffing, but Clark wouldn't have put it past her. Even though I haven't been able to so much as get Shelby to sit without a treat in my hand. "However, I think it won't bother me too much, as I'll be fully rested after many consecutive nights in my own bed."

"Don't get too comfy," Lois warned. Grinning, she shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? I may decide to come back next weekend."

"Alright, but by then I may have convinced Mom and Dad to change the locks, especially after that little stunt you pulled the other night." Clark replied, clearly remembering how she had refused to let him in the house after he forgot his key and missed curfew. Thankfully, his parents had been at some farmer's convention and so far, Lois hadn't blabbed.

Lois smiled smugly as she placed a few sloppily folded shirts into the bottom of the incredibly large suitcase that rested on the bed. "You do that, Smallville. But then I might be forced to tell them why I gave you such a hard time. As I recall, they are still unaware of your bad boy antics?"

"Come on Lois, you're not a snitch," Clark protested, resisting the urge to beg.

"Of course I'm not," Lois replied, grinning. "I'm simply reminding you of the possibility that I could become one."

Clark rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I just came up here to see if you needed help with your packing. I guess now that would be an understatement."

"That's unusually decent of you, Smallville," Lois commented, ignoring the rest of his statement.

"Well I figure the sooner you're packed, the sooner I can have my bed back."

"Is that all you care about when you won't see me for a whole month? Getting to sleep in your own bed?" Lois questioned, her tone mocking, but although she would never admit it, a small part of her was hurt.

"No, that's not all I care about," Clark pretended to think for a second, "I also can't wait for there to be hot water left when I take a shower in the morning."

"You!" Lois fumed, grabbing Clark's pillow and pelting it at him.

Clark blinked, not quite believing that a college student had just instigated a pillow fight. Oh well, she asked for it. He ran to his bed frame and took hold other pillow and smacked her across her middle. "What, you thought I wouldn't retaliate?"

"Oh, that's it," Lois reclaimed the other pillow and began hitting it against his back.

The ensuing fight raged for at least another half hour, moving from pillows to Clark picking up random articles of clothing and throwing them at their owner, always hitting his target. Lois eventually relented and sunk to his level, thinking she would have had to clean the room later anyway.

Sometime mid-fight, the door was pushed open, unnoticed by either Clark or Lois. Shelby glanced up at the fighting humans, and if dogs could raise an eyebrow, he would have. He had watched these two humans for a while now, and he could not understand what was going on. His doggie sense was telling him that they deeply cared for one another. If that was the case, why were they bombarding each other with various shirts and pants?

He would have joined in if not distracted by the assortment of fabrics on the floor. Ooo, so soft! Dismissing the idea of simply rolling in the pile, for that would attract the woman's attention and no doubt earn him yet another yelling at, he approached the clothing. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, he pushed several of the shirts together in a stack, grasped the edge with his teeth, and dragged it out of the room.

"Ahem."

Lois and Clark froze. Clark had his arm raised, a tank top balled up in his fist. Next to him, Lois was trying to keep her balance on the bed, her right hand equipped with a black high heeled shoe. Both of the room's occupants slowly turned their heads towards the door. Clark audibly gulped. "Uh, hi Mom."

Martha Kent stood in the doorway, her arms crossed. An amused smile played at her lips, but she attempted to keep stern appearance. "What's going on here?"

"She started it!"

"He started it!"

This time she had to force her laugh to stay down. "By now you both should know that it doesn't matter who started it. You could have broken something, or yourselves for that matter. And furthermore, Lois, that isn't the sturdiest bed frame in the world."

Lois nodded understandably as she worked her way to the floor. "I should have realized that. Especially with Smallville sleeping on it for God knows how long." She ducked the tank top that came flying at her. "Hah, you missed."

Clark hastily searched for another source of ammunition. Unfortunately the closet was on the other side of the room. "Fine, but there's no way I'm helping you pack now."

"Actually, Clark, considering the fact that you co-created this mess, the only fair thing would be for you to join in the clean up." Martha interjected, unfolding her arms and looking down. "Although it does appear that Lois has a handle on the packing. There's hardly anything left on the floor."

"What?" Lois questioned, confused. Following Martha's gaze, she could see that the older woman was right. Only four or five shirts remained, mixed in with a couple of pairs of jeans and underwear. Embarrassed, she gathered several of the exposed bras and panties and shoved them into her suitcase, which was still half empty.

"That's not right," Clark commented, "A few minutes ago you couldn't see the floor."

Martha wrinkled her brow and looked around, "Then where are…" She stopped when she saw Shelby dash by in the hallway, a sock held between his teeth. "Oh…"

Lois sighed in exasperation and ran after him. "Follow that mutt!"

Lois flopped back on the living room couch. Clark landed next to her, although his breathing wasn't as labored as hers was. They had spent the past half hour chasing after Clarkie. They had missed their first chance to find his hide out when Lois furiously snatched her sock from the dog's mouth. Clark had exclaimed, "Great, now he won't lead us to where he put your other clothes!"

Lois eye's had widened, but she had quickly covered, "I'm sorry, but I'm not used to playing 'Ace Ventura, Pet Detective'!"

Then, they had shadowed Clarkie's every movement. They spent at least ten minutes in the kitchen, watching him as he drank his water. From there the two followed the dog into the backyard, turning their heads when Clarkie did what people usually do after drinking a large quantity of water. The remaining fifteen minutes consisted of chasing Clarkie around the yard as the dog got his daily exercise.

"You kids look like you just ran a mile," Jonathan Kent called from the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water.

"We did," Lois panted. "You haven't seen Clarkie in the last five minutes, have you?"

Jonathan gulped down the water, then answered, "Yeah, he was heading for the barn." He smiled when both Lois and Clark groaned as they peeled themselves off the couch. "I hear you two have had a very interesting morning."

Clark wiped a piece of hair out of his face, turning to face his father. "I guess Mom told you?"

"Yeah, of course I had to wait until she stopped giggling before I got the whole story."

Lois and Clark traded sheepish glances, thinking that they had looked awfully immature when Martha had approached the doorway. Lois defended herself, "Hey, last time I checked having a pillow fight wasn't a crime."

"It is when you move on to shoes and tank tops," Jonathan noted. "What if that shoe and crashed into a window?" Lois only sniffed huffily in response.

Clark laughed. "So you say Clarkie…I mean, Shelby was in the barn?"

"That's where he was heading, last time I saw him." Jonathan grinned to himself as Clark and Lois bolted simultaneously out the door.

The sight that greeted them as they ventured into the barn could melt anyone's heart. The mystery of where Lois' clothes had gone to was solved. They were arranged so that they formed a kind of bed in the corner, in the midst of which was Shelby, lying comfortably as he chewed on his toy. Cringing at the thought of all that dog hair, Lois commented, "Maybe I should lay off the extra soft dryer sheets."

"Aw, come on, you don't think that's cute? Even a little bit?" Clark questioned disbelievingly.

"Smallville, how long have I lived here?" Lois answered, crinkling her irritated nose. "You should know by now that I think dogs are the exact opposite of cute." Still, she could practically feel the urge to rub Clarkie's belly rising.

"You're impossible." Clark went over to the dog, laid down next to him and started scratching behind Shelby's ears.

"What are you doing?" Lois exclaimed. "Those are my clothes you're wrinkling!"

"I dare you to come over here and give Shelby a good tummy rub. He loves those," Clark challenged, now moving on to the dog's other ear. He laughed as Shelby's thumping hind leg harmlessly kicked him in the stomach.

Lois hesitated. She never could turn down a dare…but at the same time, they were talking about her lying next to a dog on top of her own clothes. She felt her heart turn to mush as she relented, "Alright. But if you tell anyone about this, Smallville, you're dead."

Martha stood in the kitchen, on the other side of the barn door. "Jonathan, take a look at this."

"I don't know what's more surprising," Jonathan commented, "the fact that Lois is lying next to Shelby, or that Lois and Clark aren't arguing at the moment." Both Kents laughed softly, careful not to disturb the touching scene. Lois and Clark had placed themselves around the dog, laughing as they patted and scratched jubilant Shelby.

What shocked Martha most was that they were on top of Lois' missing clothes. Getting an idea, she grabbed Lois' Polaroid from the kitchen counter. Realizing what she was about to do, Jonathan warned, "If Lois knew you were taking this picture…"

"I know." Martha smiled, recalling a few days ago, when Lois had snapped a few humiliating shots of both Kents, tripping over each other trying to give Shelby a bath. "Let's call this payback."