Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

Chapter 6

He was standing so close. Her breathing slightly quickened with each passing moment.

He was blocking her escape route. He had to stand directly behind her. He had to put his hand on her shoulder. Maybe she could jump out the window? Too bad she didn't know how to fly.

"Look, Lois…I know we give each other a hard time. And…I've never dealt with this before…losing a parent." She dropped her gaze and watched the cows huddled outside below in the pen next to the barn, their breath visible in the cold night air. "But, I meant it last night when I said I'm here for you. If you just want to talk, or even if you don't, I'll still be here."

She shifted her footing slightly and, keeping her arms crossed against her chest, kept her focus on the cows while she processed his words.

She knew she could count on him. That was never in question. She just didn't want to count on him. She liked doing things herself, handling her own problems. But maybe, just maybe, she'd been dealing with this alone for too long.

He could break her wall. And, on some level, she knew she could break his, too. That's why she felt somewhat comfortable letting her defenses down around him.

And then, she felt it. A tear. No, not now. Don't fall. Please, don't fall now.

Her chin started to quiver. She had to do something. Anything. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but he interrupted her last night. She would've had it all out of her system by now. But, no. The pent up tears were about to fall and it was all his fault.

She sniffed and kept her back to him. Just don't turn around. Don't do it, Lane. She took a deep breath. His hand was still there, resting on her shoulder, softly massaging it.

And then, she did it.

She turned and faced him. She saw the concern in his eyes and knew that he really did mean every word he said. He, in turn, saw her face, the moonlight dancing across her features.

And that's when he saw it. The lone tear fell down her face.

She sniffed and quickly wiped her cheek. How could she be so stupid? How could she let him see? She sighed and knew she had to say something. She had to explain.

"Thanks." She gave a faint smile and looked to the ground. "I guess everything that's happened this year is finally catching up with me." She took a breath. "Thinking Chloe was dead, then she was alive." She looked up and turned her head to the window. "Leaving the big city behind and moving to this, the Corn Capital of the World." She glanced back at him and smiled. "And even though it was short-lived…having to revisit the traumatic awkwardness that is high school to get one measly credit. Oh, and let's not forget being possessed, not once, but twice. Getting kicked out of college…twice. Making my stripping debut and giving you a lap dance, then getting kidnapped and nearly smuggled out of the country." The Kent beaming grin reappeared at that memory. Lois smirked. Why didn't that surprise her?

She paused, took a slow deep breath and looked away from him as she continued.

"Finding out my sister isn't the person I knew her to be... and then experiencing the meteoric apocalypse and thinking that you and your parents had died…"

"Lois…"

She looked at him and sarcastically smiled.

"No, really, Smallville. It's okay. It's just been one of those years. How does that saying go? 'You've gotta hit rock bottom before you can make any real changes?' Yeah, I think that's it. Well, I think I've done it. This is my rock bottom."

She bit her lip and turned away again, this time squeezing past him and moving to the couch, his gaze following her the whole way as she sat on one end of the old sofa.

"No, that's not what I meant, Lois. I guess I just didn't realize the meteor shower had that much of an effect on you."

He wasn't going to come right out and say it. Not going to discuss their Freudian slip of a hug in the hospital when they first saw each other after the meteor shower. And she knew it, because she felt the same way.

"Well, it did. Not to sound like Chicken Little, but the whole sky fell that day. It was terrifying, even for me. I didn't know where anyone was. After it happened I couldn't find Chloe, and I'm still lost on exactly what happened to her." Clark looked away and ignored the statement. "And when I got here…and I saw the house… I had to step into a crater to get to the house, Smallville." Her voice was becoming more intense and increasing slightly in volume. "When I screamed out your name, I saw your dad throwing debris around while he frantically searched for your mom."

She was fighting the tears. She just hoped the anger would grow and overwhelm the sadness.

"And when we found her, she was bloody, she was unconscious, and she barely had a pulse."

Clark raised his head and looked at her. Her intense gaze was almost too much for him.

"What?"

Obviously, no one had told the prodigal son this side of the story. And he never really gave a valid excuse for his whereabouts after the graduation ceremony. What happened to him during those few hours anyway? Was that amnesia recurring?

"She would've died if your dad and I hadn't found her and gotten her to the hospital when we did."

Clark slowly walked to the couch and sat next to her. He leaned forward on his elbows and kept his head down as he spoke.

"I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Well, let's see. You hooked up with Lana, I was in Metropolis for a while, then I hooked up with A.C…" Clark shut his eyes and sighed as she continued. "Then, the next time I saw you, I gave you a lap dance, and, let's be honest, that's not really the best time to discuss your mother's near death experience."

She was mad, but she wasn't sure why. No, she was. Sure, he had thanked her that day at the hospital for being there for his parents. And, she, in turn, reluctantly thanked him for the backup when she was kidnapped.

But what about the everyday things? He never really bothered to care about that before.

It also angered her that she was having so much trouble lately controlling her feelings around him. What was happening to her? It was becoming so much harder to keep everything in check.

But he was gradually becoming her best friend. Oh, who was she kidding? He was her only friend, at least, other than Chloe. She and Lana certainly weren't gal pals.

He seemed to be in deep thought. Great, she'd activated the brooding switch. How long was this one gonna last? She rolled her eyes, sighed, and softened her voice.

"Listen…Clark."

She took a breath. She didn't mind calling him by his name. It just always seemed to make it more personal to use the first name, and personal and uncomfortable silences usually went hand-in-hand in her experience.

"I'm sorry we haven't talked about this. But there just never seemed to be a good time to discuss it. But everything worked out. Your mom is okay, your dad is okay. And…you're okay." She placed her hand on his arm and smiled. "And Shelby. Shelby survived, and as much as that mutt irritates my allergies, I'm glad he didn't bite the dust."

He grinned and turned his head towards her. She looked deep into those baby blues and got lost. But only for a second. Then she suddenly realized where her hand was and quickly removed it from his arm.

She cleared her throat and darted her eyes away from him, directing her gaze to a piece of yellow fuzz on the couch armrest.

But his gaze never left her. And she knew it.

The awkward tension was just getting started.

She placed her hands on her thighs and quickly stood. She didn't want to do it, but the last two days capped off a year that had almost been too much for her. She was mentally exhausted.

"Well, I guess I should be going. I've got class in the morning, then a double shift at the Talon."

His smile fell. Did he want her to stay? She secretly hoped he did, but made no outward gesture that acknowledged it.

"Oh. Okay."

That's it? That's all he has to say?

She crossed her arms and slowly made her way to the stairs, watching the ground as she walked.

"Lois."

She hesitated before she turned around. When she did, he rose off the couch and took a few steps closer to her. Oh, no. What was he doing? She was having trouble reading him. He was predictable most of the time, but like Mrs. Kent said, he could always surprise you when you least expected it.

And then, it happened.

He stepped closer to her and, wrapping his large arms around her, pulled her in for a hug. She didn't have time to react. But it was so natural that she instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso.

What was she doing? Hugging Smallville? But…it felt right.

She sighed deeply and pressed her cheek against his chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She had to admit the flannel felt nice.

On some level, she didn't want to pull away. And thank goodness she didn't have to. He released his embrace, and, putting his hands on her shoulders, looked her square in the eye as he spoke.

"Lois, just remember. You're never dealt more than you can handle. And if you can't, that's what I'm here for."

She gasped softly as he repeated her mother's words to her father. He remembered.

Mrs. Kent, it seemed, was never wrong.

She darted her eyes, then looked back at him, a smile forming on his face. She shook her head. How did he do it?

She couldn't speak. If she did, she didn't know how weak her voice would sound. She had to leave. She could feel it welling up inside of her.

Looking him in the eye, she managed a weak smile and quickly nodded her head. They both understood.

"I'll stop by the Talon sometime tomorrow afternoon."

She nodded again and turned to leave. She slowly made her way down the loft stairs and out of the barn. She opened her car door and started the engine, pulling on her seat belt as she put the car in reverse. She wouldn't do it yet. Not yet. She wasn't sure if he could still see.

She backed the car around the driveway and, putting it in drive, made her way down the dark dusty lane to the main road.

But she couldn't hold it in. She couldn't make it. The tears began to fall before she reached the red metal mailbox. And there was no stopping them now. They were overdue and she knew it.

So, she let them fall, all the way home.