Part 2 of 4

It was a nice evening in Smallville, Kansas where the weather was cool and a smooth breeze race calmly across the air. Inside the Kent home, Martha Kent prepares dinner and Jonathan helps set the table.

"Jonathan, have you seen Clark tonight?"

"No," Jonathan responded. "Isn't he up in his room?"

Martha shook her head. "I came up to check on him a few minutes ago, he's not up there. I think maybe he's at the barn."

"You mean he's still there?"

"I think something's bothering him. He hasn't been acting like himself for a while now. Do you think that's something happened?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I've just never seen him this – I don't even know what the word is – sad."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll come to us when he's ready. He's not a small boy anymore." Jonathan paused, chuckling at the thought. "Actually, even when he was small, he wasn't so small."

Martha smiled. "I just worry about him, especially after what happened with Lana last year."

Jonathan gave her a warm smile before reaching out and pulling her towards him for a loving hug. No matter what happened around them, just as long as they have each other, they could survive anything.

"He'll be fine," Jonathan assured.

A few minutes later, Jonathan looked out of the front door, calling for Clark. "Son. Are you out here?" he said, stepping out to the front porch, looking for his son after he didn't appear for dinner when he and his mother called for him. "Clark?"

"I'm here, dad," Clark finally answered, slowly walking towards the house. He spent the last few hours in the barn.

"Are you all right, son? You haven't said a lot since you came back from school."

Clark shrugged half-heartedly. Truthfully, he wasn't all right.

"I'm okay."

Jonathan didn't think so.

"Do you mind answering that again, I didn't quite believe you the first time?"

With an answer like that, there was no way Clark couldn't smile. His parents are spending way too much time with a certain army brat.

Clark takes a seat on one of the porch steps. "I've been thinking a lot lately."

Jonathan joins him on the steps as well. "You want to talk about it?"

Clark wasn't sure where to begin. It all started three weeks five days and thirteen hours ago. He was at the library of Central Kansas studying when Lois showed up with take-out from their favorite Chinese restaurant in the city.

"Hungry?" Lois asked, waving the bag with its contents warm and smelling so good teasingly in front of him.

Clark dropped his pen and looked up, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Hello Lois."

Lois smirked in return. "Pick up that frown, Smallville. I come in peace and with an offering." She hands him the bag filled with food. "Heard you were clocking the hours at the library. I thought you might like some company."

Clark smiled, taking the bag, opening it and letting the scent fill his senses.

"Thanks," Clark said, removing the contents and spreading them evenly between him and Lois. About halfway through their meal, they ended up being the only two people in the library in their section, exchanging random stories and laughing in between.

"You're an idiot," Lois said, chuckling at Clark's lame attempt at a joke.

"You keep saying that," Clark grinned followed by a sip of his soda.

"It's true!"

"If you were someone else, I'd be offended," Clark laughed.

"I should try harder next time then," Lois quipped, lifting her chopsticks wrapped in noodles into her mouth. After a moment of chewing, "So what are you going to do after you've gotten your degree? At this rate, you'll have it in no time."

"I'm not sure yet. I thought after this semester, I'd travel around and finish my degree overseas."

"Credit your experiences, I'll buy that."

Clark nods. "What about you? What are your plans? You don't look like you're in any hurry to go back to school." His smile is infectious. "Don't you have any ambitions?"

"Sure. World domination."

Clark laughed. "I'm serious."

"So am I!" Lois laughed too. "Okay. Okay. I signed up for some journalism courses at Oakton Community College. I start in a couple of months. Chloe can't stop talking about it. I could see the wheels turning in her head; she's already making plans for our future. I can see it now…" she held her hands up to show him. "Lane and Sullivan. Best Reporting Team in Town."

Clark chuckled. "Why not Sullivan and Lane?"

"Because 'L' comes before 'S'… and I'm older," Lois smiled.

"Well, I'm in journalism too, in case you've forgotten. What about Kent, Lane and Sullivan?" he recommends with charm.

"I think Lane, Kent and Sullivan works better."

Clark shakes his head. "Nah-uh. Kent and Lane."

"Psst! Lane and Kent," she countered.

Clark was about to reply when he finds himself thinking about it. "Lane and Kent," he repeated. "Doesn't sound so bad."

Lois chuckled thoughtfully. To her surprise, it actually didn't.

She dropped her chopsticks and let out a sigh of content.

"That was good."

"Very good," Clark agreed. "Thanks for bringing it over."

"Anytime."

This is how their friendship worked now. They were long past their nonsensical petty differences and bickering. It was just fun differences and bickering now, and they both enjoyed it. In fact, they liked hanging out together. It has and continues to be refreshing to both of them.

Before Clark knew what he was doing, he got up from his chair and leaned across the table, claiming Lois's lips with his own. At first it was fast, frenzied and completely unexpected.

He could feel her tense from his sudden action, but he ignored it when he felt himself continuining to kiss her. She tried to pull away, but his right hand coming up to cup her cheek stopped her from moving.

The suddenness disappeared and what followed was the most intoxicating kiss he has ever experienced.

Lois jerked away, and Clark felt his face go red, his shyness exposed and an increasing amount of uncertainty flowed in the air.

"After that, it just hasn't been the same between us and I'm afraid I lost her," Clark explained to his father.

Jonathan released a lungful of air. He had always known that his son and Lois held a kind of special friendship, and with the exception of that one bathroom incident before his senior year, he hadn't ever thought that anything could happen between Clark and Lois.

"Have you spoken with her?"

"She's been ignoring me, not that I blame her. I've been kinda doing the same thing too."

"That explains why she's not coming to dinner this weekend."

Clark's eyes snap up. "You and mom invited her?"

"We tried, Chloe called this afternoon and said she'll be coming over this weekend alone."

Clark bowed his head sadly. "I've totally ruined it. We were doing just fine. We've become great friends, and now I've completely changed the entire dynamic of our friendship."

Jonathan smiled assuredly. "What do you want, son?"

Clark shrugged. "I want to be happy."

"Are you happy with her?"

Clark didn't know how to answer that without being dishonest with himself. Frankly, he didn't know how he felt.

"I know that when I'm with her, I'm not sad."

"Well, that's a good start."

"I hope so."

Jonathan smiled. "Why don't we head inside for dinner? There's no possible way you can think right now with an empty stomach."

Clark chuckled. "Okay, dad."

Father and son stood up and walked into the house, joining Martha in the kitchen.

His father always did know what was best.

To be Continued...