Author: Alison

Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc., etc., etc. I only own the story and one ticket to a Keith Urban concert here Sunday night. I'm begging you to please not take either from me. Especially the ticket. My cat heard Usher was going on vacation along the French Riviera and decided to join him as long as she was over there.

Chapter 8

He was tired. He'd admit it.

But anxiousness and adrenaline could do amazing things.

He'd told her he'd stop by in the afternoon. But, he and Chloe were busy at the monument company most of the day, and then they spent the rest of the afternoon at the Planet discussing several of her articles she hoped would make it to print.

Maybe he felt guilty for dragging Chloe into it. He hadn't spent that much time with her lately. Granted a few hours on a Friday couldn't make up for all the lost time over several months. But it was a start. At least, he thought so.

Chloe's cell phone rang just as they were about to walk into the monument company to fill out the necessary forms and pay. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the caller ID. It was Lois calling from her cell. They stood outside the doorway while Chloe hurriedly told Lois she couldn't talk then because she was "working on a project." He was sure Lois would see right through it, but apparently it was good enough. And that worried him. Because Lois Lane usually saw right through everything.

They also found out that morning that Chloe's dad had offered his burial plots in Smallville for the memorial. He'd told Chloe that he didn't want "to be buried in the same place twice." He had also thanked Clark for the wonderful idea to do something for Lois' mother and his sister.

The company said they could have the engraving finished by tomorrow, but they'd need the picture then if they wanted the stone up Sunday afternoon.

Chloe and Clark agreed that she'd get the picture in the morning when she came to Smallville to visit Lois. She could go back to Metropolis afterwards to take the picture to be put on the stone.

It was all gonna work out.

But now, it was way past dark. He'd gotten back to the farm around nine thirty. His mother kept his dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn warm in the oven for him. His father had just finished up fixing the tractor again in the barn and was already upstairs in the shower.

He was tired, but he didn't care. He was excited. Why? Because he had a plan.

His mother stood at the sink washing dishes as he sat at the island picking at his dinner.

"Hey, Mom. You got that old projector workin' at the Talon, right?"

So, he was gonna ask it in a way that would just be asking. There were no ulterior motives. It was just small talk.

His mother kept her back to him as she spoke.

"Yeah. You know, we've been showing all those old movies every weekend."

Good. This was going well. He would just lead right into it. Just act natural.

"So…I don't suppose you've got Breakfast at Tiffany's there, do you?"

She stopped scrubbing the plate and turned around to look at him, drying her hands on the dishtowel as a puzzled grin formed on her face.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's? Now that's an interesting movie to ask about out of the blue. Why do you want to know if we've got it at the Talon?"

What?

It was an innocent question.

So, it just happened to be Lois' favorite movie. So? Did she really need to know that?

"I…um." He paused and cleared his throat as he stared into his glass of milk. Breathe. "I'd just like to know. I hear it's a classic. I'd love to see it sometime. Will you be showing it soon?"

He took a long swig of his milk, closed his eyes and prayed his mother wouldn't read into anything.

She crossed her arms and leaned back against the sink, eyeing her son.

"Yes. We do have it. It's in the projector room with all the other old movies we show." She stopped as he set his glass down. But he never looked up. "You know, that's one of my favorite movies. I just love Audrey Hepburn." She paused again. He knew what she was trying to do. But it wouldn't work. He'd already been through that with Chloe that morning. "So, why'd you pick that movie, Clark?"

Um…

Okay. So, he hadn't really prepared himself for this. And he couldn't lie to his mother.

He kept his head down, focusing on flipping the corn kernels into the mashed potatoes.

"What'dya mean?"

Stall, Kent. Stall.

She rolled her eyes as she walked closer to him.

"I mean why do you want to know if that movie is at the Talon? You picked that movie for some reason. Now, what is it, Clark?"

Don't look up. Don't look at her. If you look at her, you'll tell her. You know you will. Don't do it.

But he did.

He slowly raised his head up, his eyes meeting hers. She had that mother's look. She knew something was going on. Whether she had it all figured out yet, though, was another question.

He took a deep breath.

"It's Lois' favorite movie."

There. He said it. It was out in the open. Now she knew.

So, go ahead. Say something. Ask what he plans to do. Ask what he wants to do. Ask what's been going on with him for the last few days that even he can't explain. Ask about the sleepless nights and the flabby gut. Ask away.

"Oh, Clark."

Oh, great.

She walked around to stand next to where he was seated on the barstool and placed a hand on his arm.

"Mom."

"No, Clark. It's just…I think it's great that you want to do something for her."

Huh?

When did he tell her that he wanted to do something for Lois? Sure, he'd mentioned the memorial. But…when was anything else said? This didn't make sense. Was this supposed to be that freaky mom's intuition?

How did she know?

"Mom, I never said I wanted to do something for Lois."

She smiled and slowly nodded her head as she patted his arm.

"You didn't have to."

Wha--?

She turned and began to walk to the stairs, but stopped halfway, keeping her back to him as she spoke.

"By the way…you'll find the reel in the projector room on the top shelf, between The Birds and Brigadoon."

He grinned from ear to ear as she made her way up the stairs. Maybe she had it all figured out, after all.

By the time he'd finished eating, showered and changed clothes it was nearly ten thirty. He knew she was still there. It was a 'classic movie night', after all.

He grabbed his jacket and threw it on as he zipped out the door. In no time he was standing across the street from the Talon. The marquee was still lit as bold red letters spelled out that night's feature: Charade.

The door swung open and a couple headed out and walked arm in arm down the sidewalk. He hoped they were the last to leave. After all, she'd be closing up soon.

He jogged across the street and stopped just outside the doors. Just breathe. It's not a big deal. It's just Lois.

Right. Just…Lois.

He took a deep breath and grabbed the door, slinging it open as he stepped inside. If he meant to be a surprise, he screwed up. The bell jingled announcing his arrival.

"I'm sorry, we're closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

She had her back to him, struggling with a mop, bucket of water and a trash bag as she headed for the red swinging theater doors.

"But I was hoping for a caffeine boost."

She turned around and smirked.

"Well, then you should've been here before we closed."

So, the old Lois was back. Maybe things were getting back to normal. And, surprisingly, that thought gave him mixed emotions.

But he wasn't ready to leave. Not yet. Of course, he didn't want to just say, 'Hey, Lois. Let's go into the theater because I want to show you a movie.' That wouldn't work. No. He had to wait for it. The moment would come, he just had to wait until she had no clue.

He smiled and walked closer to her.

"Do you need some help?"

Anything to stay. But she'd probably tell him no. She'd probably say, 'I can handle it, Smallville.'

"If you want."

If…what? Did she want him to stay? Sure, he wanted to stay, but it was only to somehow get into the projector booth and show her favorite movie. That's all. Really. You know, so she'd feel better.

He wasn't gonna question it, though. He was just grateful she hadn't insulted him…yet.

As he took the bucket of water from her, she opened the theater door and flicked on the light switch.

Trash was everywhere in the old cinema. This was gonna take all night at normal speed.

He looked at her as she leaned her head on the mop handle. She glanced up at him and they both smiled. She obviously didn't want to do it either.

"You know, I've heard that when faced with something you can't handle, you can depend on someone else to help you out."

He laughed.

"What? Lois Lane can't handle a little trash pickup?"

He grinned as she took the mop handle in one hand and placed the other hand on her hip. He braced himself for the coming insult.

"Hey, you're the one that's the expert in that area. At least, that's what Chloe tells me your community service involved a couple of years ago."

Ah, and the old familiar banter had returned.

He nodded his head and smiled as he spoke.

"Okay, that's fair. Tell ya what. Since I do happen to be an expert, I'll pick up the trash."

She'd agree to that in a heartbeat.

"Deal."

So, maybe he knew her a little too well. For some reason, he was okay with that.

"I'm not finished. I'll pick up the trash and you can mop. Between the two of us, it shouldn't take that long."

Of course, if she hadn't been there, he could've had the place spotless in a flash. But, somehow, he didn't think he'd mind spending the extra time with her. You know…cleaning.

She sighed as she reached out her hand to him.

"Fine. Hand me the bucket."

It started off pretty well, at least, he thought so. She mopped the sticky mess off the floor, following him down each aisle, as he carefully picked up the cups, muffin wrappers and other trash and quickly stuffed them in the bag.

Blame it on the flutter. Blame it on the past couple of days. Even blame on the sheer confusion of it all.

But he just couldn't hold on to some of those coffee cups. And each one he dropped, spilling coffee on Lois' freshly cleaned floor, made him even more nervous.

"Could you try to be a little more careful, Smallville? I don't want to be in here all night."

She said that after he dropped each cup. He continued apologizing and he did try to be careful. But for some reason, trying wasn't good enough.

He picked up one more cup. It was almost in the trash bag. But…he dropped it. This time, however, instead of falling to the floor, the coffee fell towards him and splashed the front of his jeans.

He could feel the glow. His face became hot and he knew it was turning red. Not only was the stain in a not so great part of his pants, but to top it off, she began to laugh.

What a way to kick a guy when he's down.

"Lois, I don't really see what's so funny. I'm covered in coffee."

Well, that sent her over the edge.

He'd seen the two extremes of Lois Lane that week. He saw the tattered, broken crying Lois a couple of nights ago. And now, he witnessed the uncontrollable laughing side. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she doubled over between the seats.

"No, it's not that." She rose upright and waved her hand between them. "I mean, just look at us. Your pants are ruined. I've got coffee in my hair. I think my hands are stuck to this mop from the ten thousand blueberry muffins I've handled today. And you can't pick up a single cup without spilling it." So, she had a point. She placed a hand on her hip and looked up at him as she blew a hair out of her face. "We certainly make quite a team, Kent."

Why couldn't he contain his smile? He should be mad. The wet pants alone should've made him mad.

But he had to admit he liked the idea of being partners. Cleaning partners, that is.

They were in the center of the theater but weren't even halfway finished cleaning. He grinned while she sat in a seat, looking thoroughly exhausted.

"Hey, we're not that bad. I think we make a pretty good team."

She glanced up at him, halfway rolled her eyes and smiled.

"We're a disaster, Smallville. I told your mom I could handle it tonight, that I could clean up and lock up by myself. I think I should've stuck to that plan."

He laughed softly. His mom. Hhmm…maybe now was the perfect time. Besides, he could come back later and take care of the theater. That wasn't even an issue.

Leaning on the seat behind him, he looked back up at the projection booth. He needed to get up there. And an idea was forming.

He looked at her and smiled.

"You know, Lois. We don't have to finish this tonight. No one will be in here until tomorrow night. I can come by tomorrow afternoon and we can finish cleaning it then."

So, it was a little lie. What was he supposed to say? 'Gee, Lois, you don't have to worry 'bout a thing. I'll just zip in here in the morning and have this place cleaned up while I use my special powers.' Yeah, that wasn't gonna work.

She crossed her arms.

"Oh, you mean like you came by this afternoon like you said you would?"

He knew he told her that. It's not like he could forget something like that. But, he was with Chloe at the monument company getting the stone for Lois' mother.

It's not like he wanted to lie to her. He just wanted to surprise her.

He took a deep breath and looked to the floor.

Just…say something.

"I'm sorry. Something.."

"Came up, right? Of course, it did. It always does with you. You know, Smallville, you are so predictable."

Now was his chance. She was about to go into one of her rants. It'd surely catch her off guard.

"Wait right here, Lois."

He grabbed the trash bag and walked out of the row and up the aisle. He smiled as she never stopped talking.

"What the… Smallville? Where are you going? See, this is completely going against what I just said. That doesn't make me look very good."

Dropping the trash bag in the projector room, he looked around until he saw the old film reels lining the shelves. Top one, right? He scanned the canisters until he found it, right where his mother said it would be. He opened the metal case and gently took out the reel.

He was so thankful he'd paid attention in science class when the teacher asked him to load the filmstrips. Of course, he never thought he'd ever need that useless knowledge. Guess there's always something that'll inevitably surprise you in life.

Taking that night's movie off the projector, he carefully loaded the new reel, then clicked on the switch.

He dimmed the lights then zipped out to the front and grabbed two coffees and a bucket of still piping hot popcorn. He then made his way back into the theater, down the aisle and into her row just as 'Moon River' wafted through the room.

She was fixated on the screen. Her mouth hung open much the same way as when he saw her that morning as she slept. He grinned not only at the thought, but at the sight of her just now as she watched the screen, the moving images reflecting off her face.

"Clark…how..?"

"…Did I know Breakfast at Tiffany's was your favorite movie? Chloe told me."

She laughed and turned to look at him as he put the coffees in the cup holders and handed her the tub of popcorn.

He smiled. The flutter was back. And he was starting to figure out why.