Author's Notes: Thanks again for the feedback. RedKaddict Clark and Kent are two different people so I'm glad I was able to describe them easily and that readers aren't confused by the two. Faith Nothing is going to happen between Kent and Lana. LucyKevinFan it's good to hear from you again and hope you enjoy what comes. CrannyCakeLover I have a habit of posting updates daily. Some stories are completed and I'm just moving them here. About 3-4 of them are in hiatus and anything that's current is often written as I go along, so bare with me. Veronica Kent is a bit more confident and self assured than Clark so it'll be no problem for him to get to know Lois. fpwest I've often received that compliment and I thank you.

Chapter 3

Kent watched her from outside. Her hair was tied into a ponytail with a cute set of lose bangs in front. She wore an apron, something he never saw her in but her mere presence was welcomed all the same.

She smiled as she served an old couple in the far corner.

Kent found himself lost in the moment until someone touched his arm. He turned around and looked down to face a brunette girl looking at him intently.

"Clark, what are you doing here?"

"To get a cup of coffee," he answered simply. "Can I help you?"

The girl looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite pinpoint where he's seen her before. After a second or two, still nothing.

She stood awkwardly in front of him as he waited for her to continue whatever it was that she started.

"I'm going inside, Clark. Do you want to get coffee together?" she asked.

Then it hit him. This is Clark's girl. He had to force himself not to look in another direction; so in order to protect him and Clark, he played along.

"No, it's all right," he answered much to Lana's surprise.

Kent opened the Talon door for her to enter first.

"I'll see you around…" he tried to remember her name. "Lana."

"Right," she said rather obnoxiously.

Lana didn't even bother going into the Talon and instead turned around and went the opposite direction.

Kent sighed in relief.

"What was that, Smallville?" another voice startled him. He flipped around to find… "Round six of the Clark vs. Lana fight?" she continued in a sarcastic voice. Before Kent could react, she handed him a tray of orders. "Here. Make yourself useful."

Lois headed back to the counter as Kent held the tray, blinking. Instead of the normal annoyed expression that Clark would use, Kent chuckled in amusement.

"Different world. Same girl."

Kent looked at the orders he carried in his hands and looked around for a table of six. When he spotted it, he turned back to Lois and pointed to the table to make sure they were the right people to bring the orders to.

Lois looked back at Clark and nodded as he went ahead to give the table their orders in a professional and easygoing manner. She was surprised that she received little to no protest over handing the job to him.

Something was definitely up.

When he met Lois back at the counter, he almost had to hold himself from leaning in to kiss her.

"Okay, Smallville. What do you want?" she asked, wiping the counter with a cleaning cloth.

"Nothing," he said with a smile.

His answer bothered her because it wasn't the trademark smirk or look of annoyance she was used to when it came to their interactions.

"Need anymore help," he offered.

Again, she is taken aback.

"No, I'm good."

Lois moved to the register to help a customer as Kent made himself comfortable on a stool. He was content to watch her work for the next half hour until she found it too much for her nerves.

"Look!" she said with a look of annoyance that only seemed to spike his admiration for her. "What's up with you?"

Kent shrugged to show off his ignorance. "What do you mean?"

He got from their earlier yet brief interaction that she and Clark knew one another, but he got the feeling that whatever relationship they had was completely platonic if her actions were proof.

"You've got this… this… look going on," she described.

"I've got a look?"

"Yeah."

Kent smiled that it made her uneasy. He stopped to remind himself that even though she looked and acted almost the same as the Lois he knew, they weren't the same person.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Who said you made me feel uncomfortable? What ever gave you that idea?"

Lois didn't even give him a chance to answer because now she disappeared into the back room.

Kent chuckled to himself.

That went better than he thought.

Clark hung out in his loft waiting for Kent. It's been almost an hour now and he hasn't been back. What was taking him so long? He wanted to call his mother but worrying her was the last thing he wanted to do.

As soon as the hour was up, he speeded out of the barn and ran back into town to see where he had gone.

When he reached the alleyway, he runs into Lois.

Lois opened the dumpster to throw away a bag filled with garbage. She catches sight of Clark heading towards her.

"Hey Smallville." Then she stopped. "How did you get here?"

Clark wasn't entirely sure what she was getting out.

"My mom dropped me off before she headed back to work," he answered, sticking his hands in his pocket nervously.

Lois raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. Clark Kent, the All-American farm boy was actually lying to her face.

But if that was the case then…

Who is the man in the Talon?

Lois raced inside leaving Clark momentarily confused before running after her.

"Lois, where are you, oh – "

And there he was. The other Clark, the one they've been referring to as Kent to prevent confusion. Lois stood watching him in complete and utter surprise. Her gaze drifted back and forth between them.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

"I feel a headache coming on," Lois commented as both Clarks sat in front of her explaining as much as they could after having helped closed down the Talon for the night.

Kent felt guilty for being caught. All he really wanted was to be around her, he didn't expect anything in return.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," Clark explained waiting for his other self to chime in but for some reason, he's become incredibly quiet all of the sudden. It's a first for them since they met.

"Yeah, well, I'm having a hard time swallowing the idea of alternate dimensions. I mean; it's straight out of Sliders. Impossible."

"Anything is possible," Kent spoke, finally.

Lois and Kent stared at one another for so long that Clark worried that something was wrong. He didn't grasp what was going on; missing the level of intensity in which Kent looked at her.

Lois fidgeted under his gaze and moved to get away.

"I'm gonna finish cleaning up the place before I turn in. Lock the door when you let yourself out," she said hurriedly disappearing into the kitchen.

Kent sighed and Clark looked at him curiously.

"What happened here?"

Kent ignored his question and went about helping to clear the floors of chairs.

Just as he finished lifting all the chairs upside down on their respective tables, he turns to find Lois watching him from the corner.

"Where's Clark?"

Kent eyed her surprisingly "You can tell the difference?"

She nodded. "It's the clothes. Smallville mostly wears plaid. I swear I think he has every day of the week picked out. Red plaid on Mondays. Blue on Thursdays. Red jacket and blue shirt underneath Saturdays. Repeat process the following week."

Kent laughed. "I have a soft spot for plaid but I do have a wider selection in my closet."

Lois checked him out from top to bottom with a light smirk. He wore khaki pants and a partially buttoned up white dress shirt.

"I can see that."

After the initial shock and denial had worn off, she steadily began to give the idea of alternate realities a shot. This is Smallville so she shouldn't write it off completely.

"You know, I've been wanting to talk to you."

She laughed at him.

Kent's brows creased. "Is that funny?"

"Let's see: One, you're here. Two, you volunteered to talk. And three, you're smiling. Three things that doesn't occur at the same time when we're together, so yeah, it's a little funny."

Kent shook his head in disbelief. How could Clark be wasting his life for some girl when there's an amazing woman right in front of him?

"To be perfectly honest with you, I get along fine with the Lois in my world. We're best friends," he revealed genuinely.

Lois chuckled amusingly at the thought.

"Well like you said, anything is possible."

"Okay, guys. I just got off the phone with Chloe, she's on her way back tonight. I thought maybe we can hang out here or at the house together to wait for her," Clark said as he descended down the stairs from Lois's apartment. He noted another moment between Lois and Kent.

"Did something happen?" Clark asked.

"No!" Kent and Lois answered together simultaneously.

Clark felt like something was up but he didn't know what and the two did little to help him figure it out.

"So you're taking journalism in Met-U?" Lois asked as she drinks her second cappuccino of the night. She and Kent had been talking for the last half hour when Clark's mom called earlier about some errands needing to be done.

Kent offered to help but Clark was convinced he could do it fine on his own. To Lois's observation, Clark's been acting grumpier and moodier than usual.

"Yeah."

"Chloe must love that."

He smiled. "What about you? You never struck me as the tray holding, apron wearing type, not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Let me guess, the Lois in your world isn't a muffin peddling college dropout?"

Kent didn't fully understand entirely what she meant but he got the jest of what it could be.

He showed a weak smile. Whenever the topic, or even the mention of his Lois comes up, it makes him feel further sadder than he was before. He hated feeling like this. So unable to do anything. The only thing right now keeping him sane is being around her.

Around Lois.

"She's spending the summer with her father in D.C. She attends Met-U during the school year. She's a year a head of me."

Lois's eyes flashed with surprise at the information.

"Really?"

Kent smiled. "You're a very determined person. One of many reasons why I admire you so much."

If the earlier information surprised her, his next admission surprised her ten times more that it left her temporarily speechless.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just – your world sounds too perfect."

"Not always," he assured. "We argue a lot," he admits with a chuckle. "Half of our conversations end up in a huge blown-out-of-proportion debate."

Lois laughs. Now that was more like it.

"Lois!"

Lois turned to see Chloe heading straight towards her.

The cousins embraced.

"They told you?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you okay with it?"

Lois turned back to look at Kent with a light smirk.

"I could get used to it."

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Lo-is" she began preparing to reprimand her older cousin.

Lois looked at her guiltily. "What?"

Chloe led her to the front to speak to her quietly.

"Are you flirting with him?" she questioned in a whisper.

Lois looked aghast at the idea.

"Are you kidding me?" she replied at the nonsense. She glanced briefly back at Kent who was now talking to Clark and then looked back at her cousin with hesitation written all over her face. Thinking of Kent… "Am I not allowed to?"

Chloe's jaw fell open.

End of Chapter 3