Chapter 5

Fox's Office, Wayne Enterprise

Lois is sitting comfortably on her uncle's chair as she waited for his return after an impromptu meeting with one of their clients called him off.

"I see you've graduated from perusing and went straight to leather comfort," a voice joked by the door.

It was none other than Bruce Wayne.

"Don't you have a board meeting to go to?" she says in an attempt to signal that she wanted to be left alone.

Unfortunately, he didn't take the hint. "Actually, that's your uncle's job, I'm simply a consultant"

"Tragic," she remarked uninterested.

Bruce forced a smile, she really didn't care all that much of him. "That's a beautiful bracelet," he saw around her right wrist in hopes to alleviate the negative vibes around them. The bracelet is silver with a green stone. "Does it symbolize anything?"

She seemed to contemplate her answer.

"No, not really," she replied dryly. It was of course, untrue.

For some reason, he doubted her but he could tell she didn't want to talk about it, so he decided to let it go.

"Do you have any plans?" he asks.

She remained silent. Getting her to open up was beginning to become a difficult challenge. Even unstable psychiatric patients were a lot more cooperative.

When she continues to say nothing, "I'll take that as a 'no comment,'" he says for her. Just then, Lucius Fox enters the office and in a span of a millisecond, Lois' straight face brightened like the sun coming up the horizon.

"What are you two kids up to?" Lucius says.

A whole lot of nothing, Bruce thought to him self.

"Nothing, Uncle Luke, we're just enjoying the presence of these hideous furniture," she replied playfully, smiling at her uncle as she did so. That was the kind of reaction Bruce had hoped he would receive, but apparently it is only reserved to a rare number of people.

Bruce couldn't get the thought out of his mind why he tries so hard to be in her good graces. Could it be that he just wanted the company? Or perhaps a friend outside of the corporate enterprise and Alfred?

He had to admit, the thought was tempting.

Kent Farm, Smallville

"Glad to see you home son, how's school?" Jonathan asked.

"Everything's fine," Clark responded, his expression grim. Jonathan had a good idea what, or who, he was thinking about.

"Is this…"

Clark interrupts his father. "It's not Lana, dad," he says calmly. He sat gloomily on a stack of hay. "It's Lois," he adds softly.

Jonathan was a bit surprised. "Lois," the older Kent repeated.

Clark nods, and then casts his eyes away from him and began explaining what had happened between them earlier in the year. No one knew, not even Chloe. They kept that week to themselves. Once he was finished telling his dad everything, Jonathan could only sigh in surprise.

"You and Lois," Jonathan says to himself, saying it more than once wasn't alleviating the shock. He always knew they had a special relationship, but he honestly didn't think either of them would go that route.

His son weakly smiled at him, he could tell he missed her.

"Have you spoken with her?"

Clark quietly shook his head.

And then, the parental part of Jonathan Kent kicked in. "Were you two…" he sort of trailed. "You know… um… together?"

Clark blushes a bit at the question; it was as close to direct as his father could possibly say. He quietly nodded his answer.

Jonathan softly sighed. So they were.

"Were you two… safe?"

It was Clark's turn to sigh. "Yes!" he unconventionally blurted out. It was beginning to get a little uncomfortable.

"I was just making sure, son," he assured, supporting him. "You know I trust you to make good decisions and you're old enough to tell the difference. I just thought you would wait…"

"And so did I," Clark replies to defend his actions. "Everything was perfect when we were together, we didn't expect it to go as far as it did, but I don't regret it," he admits emotionally.

"It's okay, son." Jonathan puts a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm not disappointed… I'm just surprised"

"You and me both"'

"Are you going to try to see her?"

"If she'd let me. I just found out from Chloe the other day that she was staying with her uncle in Gotham." Clark sighed once more. "I didn't even know she had another uncle," he expressed a little bitterly.

"Clark," Jonathan says trying to comfort him.

"I gave her the bracelet, dad," he suddenly revealed.

Jonathan stopped and looked at him in confusion, and then it dawned on him. The Kawatche bracelet that was given to him by Kayla many years ago, the bracelet that, according to her people was meant for the person his son would love and spend the rest of his life with.

This news startled him, but not in a bad way.

"Why?" Jonathan could only ask.

Clark took a deep breath and leaned back on the barn as he continued to sit on the stack of hay. "Because I was happy… and hopeful. Because whenever I'm with her I can feel like I can do anything and that I'll never be alone"

"And all that happened in a week?" Jonathan wanted to remain the rational one, the one who wants to make sure that his son was making his choices on the right decisions, not the misguided ones.

"No," he answered simply, understanding his father's skepticism. His history with relationships hasn't exactly been flattering. "My feelings… for her has changed a little bit before that"

"Oh"

"Yeah, can you believe it? I couldn't stand her when we first met, but... after living with her, sharing space with her and going to school with her, everything I thought she was… I know now was only the surface of her showing. There's so many amazing things about Lois, dad"

Jonathan smiled despite the situation. It is true. To the average person, Lois Lane wouldn't be their ideal person, but if you wait long enough and see past the toughness that had been built after years of keeping people at a distance, there's more to Lois Lane than meets the eye and what you'll find will leave you in wonder.

"Then find her," his father exclaimed.