Lana switched her radio off and pulled into the Kent driveway. As usual, the cows were mooing and the chickens were pecking at the ground. All was well at the farm except for the fact that the provider and nurturer was in the hospital.

Lana yawned due to the fact that she had been up most of the night with thoughts of Clark. He had put her through an emotional rollercoaster that had nearly thrown her off and she still loved him with all of her heart. Love was twisted like that sometimes.

She turned off the engine and got out of the car, immediately feeling the Kansas sun beating down on her. It was spring in Smallville and that meant birds singing, girls chattering about prom dresses, and guys worrying about reservations for limousines. Yup, all was well in Smallville.

Although she had convinced herself that prom wasn't all that it was hyped up to be, Lana Lang found herself dreaming of the perfect prom night. She had imagined being wrapped up in someone's comforting arms and he would whisper how much he loved her and that he would never leave her. The ironic thing was that when she looked up to kiss him, Clark's face would fill her vision.

Somehow, Lana had made her way to the Kents' front door. She knocked tentatively, wondering if she had come too early. After spending the night twisting and turning, she had finally gotten up and made a light breakfast.

When nobody came to the door, Lana pushed and let herself in.

"Hello?"

"Lana."

She twisted around and there was Clark.

"Clark." Lana greeted. She noticed sweat running down the sides of his face and dirt on one cheek. "I knocked, but no one answered. So, I let myself in—I hope you don't mind."

Clark shook his head and headed to the fridge. "No, that's fine." He pulled two cups from the cupboard and poured lemonade in them. "Sorry, I was out in the fields doing the morning chores. Even the cows and the chickens have to be fed on a Sunday."

Lana felt her cheeks go pink as he flashed her his famous Kent smile. "Yeah, I noticed that they were looking particularly happy this morning as I was pulling up. Did you slip something in their feed?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Clark said as he handed her a glass of lemonade. He glanced at the clock. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower before we head to the hospital? I don't think the nurses would like it if I came in smelling and looking like I just had a roll in a pile of mud."

Lana laughed. "Take your time. I'll just go through your baby pictures."

Clark snorted and began ascending the stairs. "You can search the entire house and you wouldn't find them. My mom's the only one who knows where they are."

Lana gave him a baffled look. "What do you mean?"

Clark smiled down at her from where at was at on the staircase. "I told my mom one day that I was planning to burn them all and she hid them from me."

Lana's mouth opened in mock shock. "Clark Kent, you couldn't have been that bad looking as a baby."

"Yeah, tell that to Pete. He keeps reminding of the day I got my big head stuck in one of these." Clark bent down and slapped the wooden poles that were holding the hand railing up and together.

Lana's lips curled up in a smile and she couldn't help but laugh at him. "Well, that's a story that belongs on the front page of the Torch. Clark Kent's overly large head as a baby."

"Okay, now I regret telling you that story," Clark said, although he was smiling. "I'm going to go take a shower now before I tell you something else that I might regret."

"Don't worry, Clark. Your story's safe with me," Lana said, grinning at him.

"Do you want to wait down there or up here?"

"Actually, do you remember Mr. Shepard's lecture on Friday?" She began climbing up the steps too. "I was wondering if I could get your notes on it. I have him first period and as you can imagine, I was dozing off with the rest of the class."

Clark shook his head. "Actually, I can't imagine you, Lana Lang, sleeping during one of Shepard's lectures."

Was it her, or was she doing a lot of smiling today? "I can have Chloe take some pictures as proof, if you want."

"Nah, I believe you. My notes are in my room. Check the notebook on my desk and if you can't find them, then I didn't take any."

Lana smiled as he ran to the bathroom to shower. She had permission to enter his room.

She gently pushed the door to his room opened and immediately noticed a lot of plaid. His pillows and blanket were all plaid. Lana began wondering if the guy wore anything else but plaid and flannel. Oh well, he looked cute in anything anyway.

Lana walked to his desk and took notice of the many pictures displayed on the desk. There was a lot of the well known trio—him, Pete, and Chloe. She felt a twinge of sadness wash over her when she didn't see any photos of her on display. Then, she brightened up when her eyes landed on one. She padded to his bedside table and picked up a framed picture of the two of them together under the oak tree.

She traced her thumb over the curve of his angular face and smiled softly at the memory of the two of them together. After a moment, she set the picture back on the table and moved back to the desk, spotting the red notebook that Clark had mentioned.

She picked it up and flipped to the history section. A piece of paper fell to the floor and Lana bent down to pick it up. When she straightened up, she froze. The note was addressed to her.

Slowly, she unfolded it, knowing that if she was caught, Clark had every right to hate her. How many times had he lectured to Chloe about respecting his privacy?

Lana,

There's not much to say to you except that I love you and always will. I know that we can never be together because of what I am, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry for the pain and heart ache I've put you through. You may think of me as a coward for slipping this note into your locker, but believe me, of all the many notes I've written you, this is a huge step. I would include my secret in here, but that would be too dangerous. Besides, my secret is too big and complicated to fit into just one piece of binder paper. There are parts of it that I don't even know the answers to.

Instead, I will write to you about my feelings for you. It tore me apart to see you last year with Adam. But, I accept the fact that you wanted and needed to move on from me. And, I also understand you running away to Paris. Although you gave me different reasons for wanting to go to Paris, I know in my heart that you ran away because of me. Just thinking about it tears me up.

I guess I'm slipping this note into your locker because for once, I'm taking the plunge. I don't want to live the rest of my life wondering how it could have been if I had just told you. Not just my secret, but how much I care for you and love you. It all may seem like bullshit right now, but it's true. The truth is, I, Clark Kent, will always love you, Lana Lang, my first and only love. I will never love another woman like the way I love you.

You can treasure this note in your keepsake box of letters from friends and family or you can dump it in the next trash can you see. All that matters is that you know. You know.

Clark

P.S. I was in the truck on the day of the tornadoes.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she placed the note back on the desk. She ran a hand through her hair and then brought it to her mouth.

He still loved her. Clark Kent still loved her, Lana Lang. She smiled with giddiness, then elated with broken hope.

Why now? Why does he have to do this to me now? At the end of our senior…just before prom…

"Lana? Did you─"

Lana turned toward the door and jumped. Clark was standing in the doorway staring at the open letter. Slowly, he looked up and saw tears streaming down her face.

Lana's breathing suddenly got louder and the two of them stood, staring at each other. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and made up her mind that he officially hated her.

With her head filled up to the rim with the fact that he once loved her and now hated her, she ran passed him, her arm brushing up against his. She ran out of the house to her car with tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Dammit!" Lana cried as she dropped her keys to her car. She bent down to retrieve them and after a moment, got the car door open. Not even bothering to see if Clark had followed her, she slammed the car into reverse and pulled out. She was about out of the driveway when Clark appeared in front of the car.

Lana slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel to the left, knocking over a part of a fence. After breathing slowly like she had been instructed to do in driver's ed, she sank her head on the steering wheel and cried in frustration.

Moments later, Lana heard her name being called and taps on her window.

"Lana! Open up!" Lana heard him calling. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sitting here in my car, crying on my steering wheel! Does it look like I'm okay?" Lana called through sobs, turning her head the other way, not looking at him.

More taps on the window. "Lana, please open the door!"

After a few minutes, she heard the taps on the window die down and looked up. He was still there.

"Lana?" Can you at least open a window?"

Lana shook her head stubbornly and saw him sighing.

"Just a crack so we can talk?"

Lana was about to shake her head then figured, why not? She had a few things to yell at him for anyway.

"Why now?" Lana cried at him, tears cascading down her face. "Why did you have to write me that note now?"

Clark looked taken aback for a moment, and then replied, "I'm sorry."

Lana pushed her guilt down, knowing it should be her that should be apologizing. However, she pressed on, also knowing that she couldn't keep it all in anymore.

"You were right—that note was bullshit!" Lana yelled, realizing that she would regret this later. "You tell me that you would never love another woman like the way you love me and then turn around saying we can't be together!"

Clark looked at the floor sadly then looked back up. "I'm sorry."

"Well, sorry isn't enough anymore! I'm sick and tired of playing this game with you, Clark Kent! You take me on this emotional ride like a rollercoaster and then you drop me off in the middle, expecting me to just forget and forgive! Well, guess what? I'm done! I hate you!"

"I'm sorry."

Lana took a breath and stared lividly at him. "I hate you!"

"I'm sorry."

Lana took one look at him and then got out of the car, forgetting her vow of never leaving the car in his presence.

"Stop apologizing! I hate you! I hate you!" Lana screamed the heartless words at him and pounded at his chest, not caring that this was probably hurting her more than him.

Finally, after several more painful poundings, Lana fell into his arms and sobbed on his chest. She didn't care if he was supposed to be the person that she hated the most in the world. He was still the person that she loved the most.

Lana felt him hold her closer and she buried her head deeper in his chest.

"Shh…it's okay," he whispered, stroking her head tenderly.

Lana felt a lump in her throat. How could she have been so cruel to him and he still had the heart to comfort her?

Even after her sobs subsided, Lana still didn't look up. She was afraid that if she did, she would start crying again.

"Lana?"

She lifted her head off of his chest and slowly met his eyes. Instead of hate and disgust in them, there was only love and warmth.

"Clark," she whispered. She was falling in love with him all over again.

He must have felt it too, because the next thing Lana knew, he was bending his head down and placing a kiss on her lips.

Lana eagerly accepted the kiss; standing on tip toe to get more of him. She felt him begin moving his lips a little more hungrily and she allowed him to sensuously massage her lips.

With her eyes closed, she felt him pull away. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a worried expression on his face. Lana gave him a small smile to assure him that she wasn't upset about the kiss.

"What now?" Clark asked softly, brining a hand up to caress her face. He gently wiped the remaining tears away with his thumb.

"I don't know," Lana whispered, holding him tighter. She wished that she could stay in his arms all day.

"Let's go back inside," Clark suggested, nodding his head toward the house. To Lana's disappointment, he let her go and grabbed her hand, leading her back to the house.

Lana almost didn't want to go in because that would mean they would have to talk about the letter. However, a kiss on the cheek from Clark convinced her that everything would be alright.

Clark leaded her up the stairs and into his room. He let go of her hand, leaving her standing in the doorway. Lana watched as he took the letter and sat on his bed. He patted the spot in between his legs and Lana felt her legs moving towards him.

There was a moment of silence after Lana had readjusted herself in his lap. She wondered if he remembered the last time they had been in this position. It had been the day that he had planned out an entire picnic for them under the oak tree.

Lana began wringing her hands in lap when neither of them broke the silence. Lana heard him sigh and felt him rest his chin on the top of her head. Her eyes fluttered closed when he began rubbing her arms in soothing circles.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you really mean it?" Lana's eyes were now open and she leaned her head back to look up at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, although he knew what she meant.

"The letter," Lana simply said.

Clark sighed again and closed his eyes. When he opened them, she was still staring intently at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Clark said softly. "I meant every word."

"Even the part where you said that you still loved me?"

Clark nodded his head and avoided her eyes.

"Clark, look at me," Lana whispered. She gave him a small smile when he finally focused his eyes on her. "I love you too."

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Clark joked.

Lana gave him a sad smile. "But, I don't think that…I don't think I'm ready to do it again. I'm not ready to try again."

Clark nodded, avoiding her eyes again.

"You really hurt me, Clark," Lana said softly, knowing that although it was hurting him to hear it, he needed to hear it.

"I know I did, Lana," Clark said quietly. "And, if I could, I would erase every little thing that I've done to hurt you."

Lana glanced at the bed, picking at a loose thread in the blanket. "But, you can't, Clark. You can't redo it."

"I know."

Lana could feel tears beginning to well up in her eyes, but fought them down. "I really wish things could go back to the way that they were before…but there's so much between us now. And after today, I think there's going to be even more."

"Yeah…" Clark took an uneasy breath. "Lana…I'm sorry about the kiss."

"I'm not."

Clark looked down and saw her smiling.

"You were always a good kisser, Clark."

"Thanks, I guess," Clark said, blushing. "You weren't too bad yourself."

Lana hid her smile. "So, what now? Where do we go from here?"

"Depends," Clark replied, thoughtfully. "Where do you want it to go?" He glanced down and saw her looking at him.

"I really want it to happen between us, Clark, I really do," Lana confessed. "But, with your track record…I think it's just best for us to be friends…"

"Oh."

"For now," Lana finished. "We'll see how it goes from there."

"So, there's still a chance?"

Lana nodded. "If you want it."

"I want it," Clark assured her.

"Just…promise not to disappoint me this time," Lana whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

"I promise."

"Good."

"Lana?"

"Hmm?"

"I want you to have this." Clark handed her the letter.

Lana accepted it and felt a twinge of guilt. "Clark…I know how many times you've had to explain to Chloe the meaning of privacy, but I don't think I'm in the mood for one of your lectures. I'm sorry for snooping around, though."

"Don't worry about it…I'm sort of glad you did," Clark admitted. "That note was meant for you to read anyway and it just happened that you read it today instead of tomorrow."

Lana nodded and leaned back against him. She closed her eyes and then opened them again when she remembered why she had come here in the first place. "Clark, what time is it?"

"A quarter past eleven. Why?"

Lana slowly got up and stretched her arms, careful not to hit him in the face. "We still have to visit your dad."

Clark eyes widened and he mentally hit himself on the head. "I totally forgot."

"Hey, a lot happened this morning," Lana said. "Between hauling me back to my senses and seeing me knock down the fence with my car, I'm sure your dad won't mind if we show up a little late."

"I guess you're right," Clark got up and helped her get off his bed. "I take it you're done driving for the day."

"I'm done driving for the entire week," Lana joked as Clark pulled her down the stairs.

"Well, in that case, let me offer to drive you to school this week," Clark offered. "It's the least I can do since it was my fault you knocked our fence over and damaged your head lights."

"How did you do that anyway? Appear in front of the car all of a sudden?" Lana asked curiously as she followed him out the door.

"My car or your car?"

"Your car." Lana followed him to the red pickup truck and allowed him to open the door for her. She got in and waited for him to get in to continue the conversation.

"You still haven't answered my question."

Clark smiled his mysterious Kent smile. "You want to really know?"

"Yes, I do."

"Are you sure?"

"Clark," Lana whined. "You promised to be honest."

"Sorry, I was just teasing you," Clark apologized as he brought the car to life. Lana had to wait until he brought the car out of the driveway and he didn't speak again until they were cruising down Hickery Lane, on the way to Smallville General Hospital.

"I super sped in front of your car," Clark finally answered.

"Super sped?" Lana turned to look at him, seeing if he was pulling her leg. His eyes were on the road, however and his expression didn't give anything away. "What do you mean by super sped?"

"I have super speed—at least, that's what I call it," Clark explained, a small smile playing on his face. "It means I can run fast—faster than anyone can see me."

"Really?" Lana narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Are you serious? Or just pulling my leg?"

Clark shook his head, glancing at her. "I'm serious. I have super speed."

Lana leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "You know, if you weren't Clark Kent, I would have never believed you," she stated a few moments later.

"What does being me have to do with it?"

Lana sat up and stared at this profile. "I don't know…you're just Clark."

"Well, that was enlightening." Clark stopped to let a squirrel cross.

Lana smiled. "One moment you're there, and the next you're not."

Lana waited for him to say something, but he didn't offer anything else. Mentally shrugging, she turned to her right and rested her head on her seat, staring out the window.

"Lana?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering…"

She sat up again. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the fair with me after we visit my dad," Clark finally got out. He kept his eyes on the road to avoid looking at her reaction.

Her brain said no, but her heart said yes. Lana bit her lip and figured why not? "I'd love to."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. But as friends."

Clark's heart sank at that condition, but nevertheless, he was going to Smallville's annual fair with Lana Lang. His heart felt lighter already just thinking about it.