ok...chapter 9. again, as i said in chapters 7 and 8 of Lilies, if you haven't seen Breakfast at Tiffany's, then you might be a little confused.

i hope you like this one. as always, feedback, good or bad, is loved and really is great motivation!

Author: Alison

Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc., etc., etc. My cat is still enjoying her tour of Italy and put in a good word for me with cute U.S. gold-medalist speed skater Chad Hedrick. So, now I owe her.

Chapter 9

"'Bout time you woke up. Did ya have another late night?"

His father had a smirk as he read the morning paper sitting at the kitchen island.

Apparently, his mother had been talking.

He yawned and scratched his head, making his way to the fridge.

"Well, kinda."

He wasn't gonna let on. Why should he have to tell them everything?

"Kinda? What does that mean?"

He wasn't going to ignore him. He just wasn't going to answer him.

"Hey, Dad, listen. Is it okay if I do my chores later today? I've got something I need to take care of this morning."

She'd still be sleeping. She had said last night that she didn't have to be at work until four that afternoon, but she might be expecting to meet him sooner to clean. He had to beat her to it.

"Yeah, Son, I guess that's okay. Is everything alright?"

He smiled as he took the milk out of the fridge and poured some into a clean glass.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

And it really was.

He glanced at the clock on the wall next to the fridge. It was nearly ten o'clock already. He had to get going.

Taking a big gulp of his milk, he set the glass down and wiped his mouth on his arm. He needed a shower, anyway.

He smiled at his father as he walked past him and up the stairs. He'd leave him wondering just a little longer. Besides, if he really wanted to know, he was certain his mother would fill him in later.

After he'd showered and dressed, he ran out the door and zipped over to the Talon. He slowed just around the corner in an alleyway next to the coffeehouse. He casually looked around and stepped out on the sidewalk, making his way to the doors. He knew Lois wouldn't be up, but he hoped Chloe wouldn't be there yet.

It's not that he didn't want to see his best friend. He just didn't think he was ready to talk about last night. Not yet. And he knew if he saw Chloe, she'd pull it out of him somehow.

The bell jingled as he walked through the door. He smiled at the thought of the last time he walked in that door. So, maybe a part of him wouldn't mind seeing her that morning. But it was just a small part.

"Hey, Clark."

His mom was busy doling out various drink orders for the mid-morning rush.

"Hey, Mom."

He walked to the counter as she handed a drink and some change to a waiting businessman.

"So, why are you so happy?"

What was she talkin' about?

"Whatdy'a mean?

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I mean what's with that famous Clark Kent smile? I haven't seen you smile like that in ages."

Can you smile and not realize it?

Apparently…you can.

So, maybe he was happy. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. No. Scratch that. He had never felt like this. This was completely new.

It had taken a while to get used to it. He still didn't completely know what was going on or even what to expect.

But he knew he liked feeling this way. He couldn't get enough of it. Last night, he realized why. And that's why he smiled.

He walked around the counter and took a couple of trash bags from the cabinet. He turned to her as he was going into the theater.

"I guess…I just realized that sometimes life doesn't always turn out the way you thought it would. But, that's okay." He paused and smiled as she crossed her arms and eyed him, a puzzled look on her face. "Because sometimes…I'm glad it didn't."

He started to walk into the theater when she spoke.

"Where are you going?"

With one hand on the red swinging door and the other holding the bags, he looked up at her and never stopped grinning.

"I've got something I need to do…for Lois."

Pushing the door open, he walked inside and flicked on the light switch.

Every little thing he seemed to do lately reminded him of her. Even the simple act of flipping on the light in the old theater brought back flashes of last night.

He walked down the aisle to the row where they'd sat. When was the last time he was that happy? He certainly couldn't remember.

Moving to the center of the row, he sat in the same seat as before.

So, the movie wasn't that bad. It was great, actually. But he could see it anytime.

How often did he get to spend all evening alone with her?

He'd slowly scooted down in his seat as he propped his feet up on the row in front of them. He was sleepy, but not sleepy enough to actually fall asleep. But did she have to know that?

He just wanted to be close to her. He just wanted to be with her. He still wasn't entirely sure why, but he was just going with it.

Not wanting to do the stupid 'yawn and reach arm around the girl trick,' especially since she'd see through that immediately, he opted instead to merely let his head gradually find its way to her shoulder. He closed his eyes for the full effect and just relaxed, listening to her laugh and cry at various moments throughout the film.

He was halfway paying attention to the movie because when he heard Fred, who was apparently not really Fred but Paul, tell Holly, who was not really Holly but Lula Mae, talk about when Holly burned dinner, he was instantly reminded of Lois' cooking skills. He couldn't resist the urge to "wake up" and say something.

"Hey, remind you of anyone else you know?"

She shushed him and poked him in the side. He simply laughed and sat upright in the seat as the movie neared the end.

He heard her sniff and knew she wanted to cry when Holly was frantically searching for Cat, but she held it in. He quietly wished he'd done the stupid arm reach.

When the credits finally rolled and 'Moon River' played one last time, he tried to think of some excuse to stay. He couldn't leave just then. It had all been so…wonderful. He just wanted to stay a few minutes more.

And so, he begged her to tell him what he missed while he was asleep. So what if he already knew. He was pretty sure he'd love listening to her tell the story.

And he did.

They sat there until nearly four o'clock in the morning discussing anything from Truman Capote and his odd life to how much Lois' mother loved Audrey Hepburn. She even admitted her mother would sing 'Moon River' to her at night to help her fall asleep.

He never knew there was so much to Lois Lane. He had to admit, he didn't give her as much credit as she deserved. She was truly one of a kind.

Shaking his head of the vivid memories of her last night, he stood and opened one of the trash bags. He had stuff to do and needed to finish cleaning the theater. He quickly zipped around the room and picked up all the muffin wrappers and coffee cups. This time, he didn't drop a single one. In a matter of a few minutes the entire room was free of debris.

He took the trash bags out of the room, stopping in the projector room and grabbing the one he'd left last night, and walked out front. His mother was still busy with customers, so, he dropped the bags off in the storage closet and helped himself to the bucket, mop and vacuum and made his way back into the theater. In a flash, the entire room had been mopped and the carpeted aisles were vacuumed. He took a long glance around the room and grinned. She was gonna be so mad.

He took the vacuum, bucket and mop back to the storage closet. He had just picked up the bags of trash and was about to take them out to the dumpster when he turned around and saw his mother blocking the doorway…smiling.

"Thanks, Clark, but I'll take those out later. We've got some other stuff that needs to go out, so I'll just take it then."

"Are you sure?" She nodded an affirmation and he set the bags on the floor. He knew she'd already said something to his father. And so, he just wanted to be sure she didn't say anything to anyone else. "Look, Mom. Could you just not say anything to anyone about this? I mean…like Lois? I just…I don't want her to know I did this."

She smiled and slowly nodded her head. He knew she had it all figured out. But she wasn't going to say anything until he had it all figured out.

"Sure, Clark."

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Reaching out to her, he pulled her in for a hug. He realized he hadn't done that in a while.

"Thanks, Mom." He paused as he held her and closed his eyes. "I love you." He took a deep breath and pulled away. "I've gotta go. I promised Dad I'd come home and finish up my chores. I'll see ya later."

She stepped out of the doorframe and let him pass.

"Okay…and Clark?" He stopped and turned to face her. "If I haven't told you lately…I'm proud of you."

If it was possible, he left the little coffeehouse happier than when he arrived.

Smiling, he walked to the back entrance, into the alleyway, and glanced around before super speeding back home.

His father was hard at work still trying to repair the perpetually broken tractor.

"You oughta just kick it again."

The older man stood and wiped the grease from his hands.

"Don't tempt me. It's not like I haven't thought about it." He stopped and looked at his son. "Did you take care of everything you needed to?"

It's like a coat hanger had been stuck in his mouth lately, because no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't stop grinnin' like a fool.

"Yeah. Everything's taken care of." He paused and remembered Chloe. "At least, I think it's going to be." Hhmm…he needed to make sure of that though. "Hey, Dad. I need to go make a phone call real quick. I'll do my chores when I'm finished, okay?"

His father nodded his head, but before he could say anything, Clark had run up the loft stairs.

That picture was key to the whole plan. He had trouble sleeping last night, that is, what little sleep he did get, and thought of how he could get it back to her.

It had to be something special. It had to be something amazing. After all, he was trying to impress her.

At times, he still couldn't believe he cared, but he did. And that no longer terrified him.

He reached in his pocket and took out his cell phone. Flipping it open he held down the number two on the keypad as the phone automatically dialed the number.

"Hey."

Hey? No 'hey, Clark?' But, that's what she always says.

"Hey, Chloe. Is this a bad time."

"Well, kinda. The fox is in the hen house right now."

"You're…what?"

He was thoroughly confused. He didn't always get Chloe's unique lingo.

He could hear her sigh on the other end.

"Nevermind. What do you need?"

Okay…he briefly thought twice about even asking it now. She seemed to be in a weird mood.

"I just wondered if you got the picture yet?"

There was a long pause on her end of the phone. Was everything alright? He couldn't be sure, but he didn't hear anything to say otherwise.

"Yeah, I got it. I'll deliver it where it needs to go later this afternoon."

Whew. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in.

"Okay. I just wondered if it would be alright if I stopped by later tonight and picked it up. I have something else I'd like to do with it."

He just didn't want to tell her right then. All the details were still kinda being worked out in his mind. He wanted to wait until he knew how it was gonna happen.

"Um, yeah, sure that's fine. Just give me a call later."

She just seemed distracted. Maybe he'd find out later what was going on.

"Sure, Chloe. And maybe we can discuss some other things, then, too."

Another long pause. Hhmm…she couldn't have been with Lois, then. Could she?

"Yeah, okay. I'll just talk to you later, then."

"Okay. And thanks again, Chloe. You know none of this would be possible without you."

Even though he couldn't see it, he could tell she had a smile on her face stretched from ear to ear. But he meant every word.

"Yeah, I know."

"I'll call you later. Bye, Chloe."

"Bye."

He grinned as he flipped his phone shut. He was sure he'd hear about that conversation later.

Sitting on the couch, he looked at the spot where they'd stood only two nights ago. He couldn't believe that so much had changed, especially within him, in such a short amount of time. But those two days were now beginning to feel like two years.

He wanted to hold her again. That thought still confused him. But he was finally starting to just accept it.

After all, he'd discovered over the last few days those feelings were going to come no matter how hard he tried to keep them away.

Because sometimes, as Lois explained last night, you gotta throw the cat out of the cab before you realize what's really important in life.

And so, it was then he finally realized what he'd been missing.